Thankfulness

In the U.S., we've just celebrated our Thanksgiving holiday. I have so much to be thankful for, and this holiday, which gives a chance to reflect on that, is one of my favorites.

As always, I thank my fans for their loyal support, and hope your own holiday has been fabulous.

And on the lighter side, here's something to make you smile!

At my feet

A few leaves, as one would expect on a November afternoon -- even a summer-hot November afternoon. But on the driveway today, the salt and pepper of ash. Fragments of distant trees, brush, and homes. Nomadic bits of ruin.

Smoke Gets In Our Skies

Raymond Chandler wrote a great short story about life in LA during a Santa Ana wind, "Red Wind." It's been a while since I've read it, so I don't remember if he mentioned the fires that seem to be the inevitable result. Perhaps fewer people had built homes in the hills then. But right now, in areas where houses have been built since before Chandler's time, people are being burned out of their homes, and wildlife areas are being destroyed.

Fortunately, our home is not in a danger zone, but if you live anywhere in the LA basin right now, you are probably getting a gray snow of ash on everything. The air smells as if you've got your head up a chimney. And the day has been darkened by smoke.

The photo above was taken many miles from any active fire, looking southwest (toward the coast), at two in the afternoon. The brown in the sky is smoke, and that blue stripe is what the day should have looked like. It seemed more like dusk than the middle of the afternoon.

For information on the fires : LAFD and this Fire Map.*

*This link has been updated -- the earlier map link was not regularly updated.

Is it a sin to love a computer?

My Macintosh G4 is dead. I'm sad about that.

It's not loss of data -- I'm probably going to be able to recover even the small amount that wasn't backed up. I haven't used it as my main computer for some time now. But it has been a part of my life since 2000, and made my life easier in a thousand ways.

Before I go on, I'm going to say a word about the other side, just to set something straight -- I really don't have a problem with those who love Windows. I say this because I've noticed that when we who are Mac users start talking about loving an Apple computer, we get profiled as maniacal worshippers who will not admit that there is anything to like about the competition -- seriously, there's this assumption that we're all rabid. Not so. I've used both systems, I like Macs better, but I don't feel the need to make a religion out of it.

The late G4 was one of a long succession of Macs in our home. I bought my first Apple computer when I was a graduate student -- an Apple IIe. I had used an Apple II and an Apple II+ owned by other family members, but this one was my own. It was a major investment for me on my student budget, but I loved it and made constant use of it. After I met Tim, our roommate's new Mac caught our attention. Eventually, we bought an SE/30 -- Goodnight, Irene, my first novel, was written on it. I loved my first laptop -- a Powerbook 100. We bought a Performa from a young computer salesman who is now a computer genius. Other Macs in the house have included a Mac Mini, a G5, a titanium Powerbook, and a Macbook. Although Tim talked me out of owning a Newton, we both have iPhones.

I loved the G4, though. For one thing, it was the only computer in the house that still ran OS9 (I refused to upgrade it from the last of OSX versions that would run Classic, and all the software that didn't make the transition. I do wish Aspyr would create a version of MahJong Parlor -- the real game, not that POS solitaire -- that would run on OSX.) There is software on it that runs peripheral devices, and those may need to be replaced now, too.

The guy at the Apple store (where I dragged the carcass in desperation) diagnosed the problem as the power supply, but said Apple doesn't stock repair parts for computers more than five years old. He also told me that hanging on to OS9 is "like living in a condemn house." This from the company that condemned it. For some of us, the historic has its value. But okay, I understand what he meant, and after all, I did move forward. We are using new Macs and Leopard in the house. I just liked the old Mac and all it offered before its power supply bit the dust.

And not just because of the OS. Many pages of novels and short stories were written on it. I communicated with many of my friends and fans using that computer. Any number of projects and organizations were aided by the work I did on it. When I think of the time spent sitting before it and its (at the time of purchase) futuristic two-ton monitor, I feel as if I'm saying goodbye to an old friend.

If I can't find a way to bring it back from the dead, it will be recycled. We'll have more room -- that monitor is a real space hog.

It is, ultimately, an object.

I tell myself that, and to just move on.

But the truth is, I loved it, and I already miss it.

We interrupt this blog for an important message

VOTE!  

If you are eligible to vote in the United States, please take time to go to the polls.  Vote early if you live in a place where that's an option, or plan time to vote on November 4.  Don't kind of sort of think about maybe doing it at some point on Tuesday -- make the plan now!   Click on this Google map link to find your polling place.

I will return to give you all sorts of news and information about The Messenger, the upcoming tour, and other items of interest about my books and stories, but right now, this is message #1:

VOTE!

Train Twitter

I love riding Metrolink, and recently discovered that Metrolink is on Twitter.  So I signed on as a follower.  Frankly, I expected dull notifications.  But this is the first Twitter posting I received from them:

San Bern Line train 331 delayed 30 mins due to unruly passenger at Upland stn.  Passenger removed by local police.

And that, ladies and gentleman is the kind of thing that comes to mind when people ask me "Where do you get your ideas?"

The Messenger

I invite you to visit my Web site, janburke.com, to see information about the new book, The Messenger. The site currently says it will be out in "December," but that's kind of misleading. Officially, at this moment, the release date for the book is December 30th, and you can pre-order it from online booksellers now for delivery then.   The tour for the book starts in early January.

All of that nitpicking aside...if you follow the link on my home page, you'll find information about the book.  And as on this blog -- some new artwork.  Enjoy!

first look at the new look

The new images at the top represent scenes from the new book, The Messenger.

http://ping.fm/p/MIVXL - Outside a Mexican restaurant in Orange Co

http://ping.fm/p/dePj3 - Power plant #1, seen outside an LA vegan restaurant

New forensic science class at CSULA

The California Forensic Science Institute is sponsoring a series of extended education courses at CSULA that are open to the public.  The first, "Basic Crime Scene Investigation," is a two-day course taught by Ruben A. Flores, a Supervising Criminalist at the LA County Sheriff's Dept lab.  He's also worked for the Huntington Beach PD and the LAPD.  

According to a course brochure sent to me by the CFSI, "...Students will learn the fundamentals of physical evidence identification, documentation, collection, and packaging.  Through class exercises and a fun homework assignment, students will get practical experience in the common methods of crime scene investigation...."

The course is scheduled for 11/15 and 11/22, 8:30 AM to 5 PM, and is limited to 25 students.  The course fee of $275 includes a booklet and other course materials.

Call the CFSI at 323-343-4900 for more information or to register for the class.

About ten posts worth of random notes

Many thanks to Maryelizabeth Hart of Mysterious Galaxy for letting me know about this gem.

~~~

My sister, Sandy Cvar, will be teaching "Introduction to Linocut" at the International Printing Museum on Saturday, September 13, 9:30-4:00. This will be an easy way to learn how to carve linoleum to make a print. You don't need to be an artist to have fun with this method of printmaking!

We loved our recent visit to the museum. Even if you don't want to try working with linocut, if you're in the South Bay area, stop by and visit them.

~~~

We just subscribed to HBO. Why? True Blood, which is based on Charlaine Harris's fabulous Sookie Stackhouse series. We are also looking forward to the next David Simon project.

~~~

Last few days have been hectic. Having finished proofreading The Messenger, I sent it back to my editor. Sandy has finished some graphics for the update of the Web site, and Madeira James is at work on the new look.

I made a trip to see my folks, was a party to -- won't bore you with the long story -- destroying the firmware on my dad's iPhone. (Yes, in their 80s, my parents are using iPhones and texting, using Maps, checking stock quotes, downloading apps for games and all sorts of other cool stuff. And yes, at that age, I hope I'm willing to take space shuttle trips or use whatever cool tech is available then.) So I took the phone into the Apple store in Costa Mesa, and with the kind and efficient help of Genius Bar genius Johnny, got it up and running again. So two trips out of town, but I got to see the parents a little more often that way, which is always a good thing.

~~~

One of these days I'm going to have to post something about the Skeptical Inquirer. Which may sound like a strange thing to say, since I've just written a supernatural thriller. But there you have it. I don't really believe there's a city in Southern California named Las Piernas either. Sorry if I just made anyone cry. But I also saved you gas money by preventing you from driving around looking for it.

Anyway, great article in the Nov/Dec 2007 issue (yes, I'm behind on almost everything) by Denis Hamel. It's about a quotation floating around the Internet and elsewhere, lauding astrology and falsely attributed to Einstein. You might say that you don't have to be Einstein to suspect that he probably didn't believe in astrology, but the hoax persists. Hamel's article not only shows that Einstein didn't author this "quote," but shows that even given proof that it's a hoax, some folks refuse to remove it from their sites. I'm not the first person to tell you not to believe everything you read online, right?

~~~

I'm going to do a little work for the Crime Lab Project and then get back to work on the new book. Follow me on Twitter if you want details from here.

Have a good one! And thanks, Vgan -- I'm also glad the world did not implode when they fired up the black hole machine today. Not that I was really worried.

Done with the galleys. Now on to the next item on The To Do List From Hell.

Nature's dust mop rides again

The contest is on.  

If you go to this site (aka http://ping.fm/p/AFvQH ),

you'll see one of my dogs, Britches, wearing an attractive yellow leaf.

Britches is one of nature's dust mops.  He goes outside, and a little bit of outside comes back in with him.  If you have a dog or a cat that provides a moving sampler of nature on four paws, link to a photo from the comments section.  If you need an easy way to this, consider opening a ping.fm account.  (As previously noted, I love ping.fm -- makes it easier for me to blog, keep up with Facebook and Twitter, etc.)

No prizes.  Just my complete sympathy.

Planting the last two of seven California native plants I bought at Las Pilitas -http://ping.fm/OaqqQ

Galleys!

The galleys for The Messenger have arrived!   It's always an exciting day when galleys are in, for several reasons --

The book starts looking like a book! Gone are the double-spaced manuscript pages, the ones I produced on my computer, and we're also past the stage when the symbols of copy-editing covered those pages.  This is the phase of production of a book in which those manuscript pages have been given over to the artistry of those who design and layout the type and pages -- the final look of the book itself.  If you can image an unbound book being photocopied, single-sided, you now have some idea of what galley pages look like.  The first time I see any book at this stage is a wonderful moment, a moment when the book-as-book comes closer to being a reality.

It's also the last chance I'll have to correct errors.  This is truly unnerving.  If you're an author, when you see your copy-edited manuscript (previous stage of work), you become aware that your brain filled in all sorts of things that your fingers did not type on the keyboard, and that you, until now -- despite numerous readings of screens and printed pages before now -- never noticed were missing or unclear.   So you work hard to stay focused while going over a copy-edited manuscript.  Then, thinking you've caught whatever problems you and a team of experts could catch, you mail it back.   A few weeks later, you see the galleys -- and yes, there is always something that has been missed by the folks who were looking for errors before now.   

You also know that despite your efforts and those of your publisher, some howlingly funny, boneheaded error will remain, and you will be hearing about it by e-mail within the first week after the book is published.

Galleys also bring a sense of urgency with them -- there is never a lot of time between when one receives them and when one's publisher wants them back.  So I'm off to work on galleys!

Enjoying ping.fm -- brilliant idea!

Um...helps to put the right date for an event on one's blog. Previous post should read "September 6." Yes. Saturday.

Making prints

Not fingerprints, this time, but artwork.   

As some of you know, my sister is printmaker Sandra Cvar, who will be giving printmaking demonstrations at the International Printing Museum on Saturday, September 6th*, between 10 AM and 1 PM.  It's Family Printmaking Day, and Sandy will be demonstrating everything from potato prints to linocuts.  I plan on being there, and I hope you'll join in the fun if you're in the area.

The museum includes a collection of antique printing machinery.  Admission to the museum is $8 for adults and $7 children/students.  Pay at the door, but RSVP to Rachelle Chuang at 

bookarts --at-- printmuseum.org.  (Convert that into an email address.)

The International Printing Museum/Book Arts Institute

315 Torrance Blvd

Carson CA  90745

310-515-7166

*Not, as previously bumbled, 9/9.  Sorry about that.

iTunes!

Okay, forgive me for wearing my shades indoors -- I'm feeling too cool for the room. ;-)

The audio version of Goodnight, Irene is now available on iTunes!

Click here, or go to:

http://tinyurl.com/5z2mqt