Autumn sights
It rained yesterday, and it didn’t feel like a mid October rain, it felt more like a late spring or early summer rain. Especially the smell after it finished. But something else I noticed was how clean it seemed. When I got home, I had to snap a few pictures. Here’s what I saw in the late afternoon yesterday.
Monday Evening Ramblings
Before I actually get around to posting up Rocket Fox Chapter Nine (I will, I promise) I’ve had a few things on my mind lately.
Video games and cultural representation
I often hear the cry of how people can’t relate if there’s a person of a different colour on screen than the same old white dude (and yes, it’s almost always a white dude) in a video game. Often, if there is a black/brown/red/yellow person on the screen, they aren’t made as a playable character, and they often have huge stereotypes. Insulting stereotypes as a matter of fact. I don’t include MMOs into this, because in an MMO, you have a costume creator, and you can make your character look however you want. I’m talking single player games, for the most part. But I guess there is that cultural aspect in video games that we don’t get to see different cultures and explore those realms. For instance, any video game I pick up is most likely to take place in the United States. As a Canadian, there is a very rare number of games that have a Canadian city that I know of off hand. Deus Ex Human Revolution does have a futuristic version of Montreal in it, and Champions Online does have a Canadian zone, but that zone happens to be “The Great White North” (in it’s own a stereotype) and even the “native tribes” have been replaced with Sasquatches. And the lone “Native American” in the Champions Online Canadian Zone happens to have a real white name. It goes further than that, mind you, to other cultures. For instance, we see a lot of representation from Asia, but bottom line those nations and culture include only China and Japan. Maybe Korea. There’s quite a few other nations in Asia and include Bangladesh, the Philippines, Vietnam, India and to an extent Pakistan. Go further west, and you find lots of games represented in Europe, from fantasy right up to a plethora of World War II games. But how many are in Africa that doesn’t star a white archaeologist from the United States or a white archaeologist adventurer from England? Not many. By my count, one. Guild Wars: Nightfall was the only game that I know of that created an African style setting in their own world. Even the NPCs were all people of colour. I’d really like to see more of that, but sadly, I’m in the minority on that mark. Maybe that’ll happen more in the future where we get to see video games taking place in a setting with the main hero/heroine being a person from that setting not just a white guy there to save the day.
Na Na Na Na Na Na – COMICS!
There’s been a lot of talk lately (some good, some bad) about the actions and reactions of some of the writers of DC Comics titles. One of whom was Scott Lobdell. I’m not gonna repeat it here, but he said a few rather unflattering things, especially about Native Americans, relating to the back story of Roy Harper/Speedy who is one of the characters in the book Red Hood and the Outlaws. Now, I read RHatO when it first came out, and I found it to be a complete pile of trash. The book didn’t appeal to me, the characters were all one dimensional, Jason Todd’s a douchebag, Starfire has none of the appeal from the old Teen Titans (sort of like they wiped her backstory and replaced it with something that was incredibly misogynistic) and Roy Harper is a dick. Red Hood and the Outlaws is a complete waste of time, but it seems to sell and sell well because the lowest common denominator in readership keeps picking it up. That book, along with Hawkman, Green Arrow and a couple of other titles were reasons why I was very close to just giving DC Comics a big “fuck you” and move on. However, I realized that a personal boycott of DC would be detrimental to other, better books. Don’t get me wrong, me on my own wouldn’t crush DC and make them see the error of their ways, but if there were enough then books like Batwoman, Batgirl, Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman, Animal Man and Demon Knights would all suffer as well. Those books are good books. So my suggestion, keep buying those books. They have really good stories (except for Wonder Woman supposedly now dating Superman -giving you the side eye, DC) with writers who really are good at their craft. The others, not so much. And don’t just wait for collected editions in trade paper back. Buy the single issues, give them to friends and then buy the collections. I did that recently with my Mike Grell and Chuck Dixon Green Arrow books as well as the Kevin Smith run. Same with Spider-Girl from the M2 line and Vampi. All those books are now being enjoyed by someone else, and I have a nifty trade sitting on my bookshelf. Essentially, what I’m trying to say is boycotts don’t always work, because the good stuff has a tendency to suffer more than the crap. Buy the stuff you like, avoid the stuff you hate, and pass on the stuff you like to others.
The leaves, they are a fallin’
With apologies to Bob Dylan for ripping off his song Times They Are A-Changin’, we are officially now into autumn. I, however, have no intention of letting go of summer without a fight. Autumn is wonderful and colourful, but it’s also a stark reminder of just what’s coming; winter. Around here, winter is a harsh mistress. Only the hardiest of people can survive this province with summers that scorch and winters that freeze. Granted, autumn does mean that Halloween is not far away, and I shall hold onto that hope with bated breath. I enjoy Halloween, because it’s filled with mystery and stories. I shouldn’t complain too much about autumn, it is after all, when my writing bug gets bigger and bigger and happens to be the most productive for me, right on up into winter. Which hopefully means that the end of book one of Rocket Fox and most of book two of Rocket Fox should be completed this autumn and winter. Which may mean that sometime in the next year, both book one and book two will be ready for publication.
That’s it, that’s all, ’til next time…
…keep ‘em flyin’!
Autumn is here… sort of
I went and took some photos today (which I’ll have posted to my flickr and my tumblr). Today was the perfect day for it as well, so I thought I might get a few snaps of the trees turning colour. But like the title says, it sort of feels like autumn. Not really. The weather is quite warm, with temperatures sitting in the mid teens (that’s Celsius for those unaware). And while I saw a lot of turning leaves, I also saw a lot of green still out there. The past few years, things have gotten quite miserable when October hits. Here’s hoping that we get some decent weather. For now, here’s a sampling of what I took today, if you’d like to check more, please visit my flickr account.
It’s raining, it’s pouring
Over the past week, that’s been the case in this area of the world. Constant rain, not overly heavy, but just enough to make things wet and miserable. The sun is out today, which makes for a more pleasant situation.
The unusual weather continues around this neck of the woods. The past few days there’s been rain and slightly cooler temperatures, but nothing completely off. A look at the national map from Environment Canada shows that across the country the temperatures vary from east to west, with Ontario and Quebec getting up to the mid teens and low twenties (that’s in Celsius). But it’s one temperature in particular that worries me, as might be seen on this map.
While Whitehorse, Yukon is sitting at 1 Degree Celsius, it happens to be Prince George that is the one spot to have the negative temperature, sitting at -1Degree Celsius. Fortunately, a look at the local forecast here in Outlook shows that we are looking for some nice weather over the next three days, which is good for the Thanksgiving Day long weekend. I must admit, however, by Friday that temperature of 10 Celsius for a high and 0 Celsius for an overnight low does give me pause. I’m still hoping that this warmer weather does continue on into November, however.
Stands to reason, though, that we’d go from temperatures of around 30 degrees Celsius to ones closer to 10 to 15 Celsius. This is the usual cycle here in Saskatchewan.
It’s October!
It's a cat! On a pumpkin! Dressed like a pilgrim! ...or a witch, your pick.
It’s October which means two things.
Well technically more than two things, but still, two things in the immediate future. And one of those things does not involve cats. Not exactly anyway.
October, for Canadians, is the month when Thanksgiving Day rolls around. It’s Canada’s time to be thankful.
It’s also Halloween! That time of year when spooky stories, ghosts and goblins, and all manner of frighteningly freaky things happen. Plus candy, from what I remember.
Image via Wikipedia
Two years ago, I, along with Zodi, did 31 days of Ghosts. Seeing how day one of October has passed, that won’t be happening this year. But, I will share a ghost story from time to time. Also, as I’ve posted already, there is a story in the works with a completely new world. I’m working on the world building, and writing it up at the same time. Eventually, I’ll also do a few character designs. It’ll be different because it’s science fiction, and all the characters are anthropomorphous creations. Actually, they are aliens on different planets whereby if foxes, wolves, jackals, lions, panthers, tigers and even dinosaurs had evolved and become the primary dominant species like humans on Earth. Each of those species has their own name, which is derived from the genus and species of the creature, such as Vulpine or Lupine. It will be serialized and there will be a pdf download of each part of the serial. Below you can find handy links which lead to the world building so far.
Alright, so that was technically three things to tell you about. Thanksgiving, Halloween, and writing. With no mention of cats save for the picture at the top of the blog post.
Related articles
- World building: Slang terms of the Lupine System (taholtorf.wordpress.com)
- World Building: The Barrow’s Revenge (taholtorf.wordpress.com)
Autumn turns
I realized that a very important event passed without my notice. Autumn came and went last week. I call it important, because the moving of the seasons is just like turning the pages of a book. Except, last week’s change of season really didn’t feel like a change of season at all. The air was much more like summer than autumn, and the trees themselves are still green, the grass is lush. The Farmer’s Almanac is actually predicting we could be in for an Indian Summer as well. So, to usher in this passing day, some random things about autumn.
First, some poetry for thought:
Off to School
Fall comes again – a little lad
Goes trotting off to school,
To learn to count, and read and write,
And keep the Golden Rule.
Oh, teachers, in your hands is placed
A wondrous trust devine
Please help and guide this fresh young mind,
To climb the heights sublime.
A nation’s leader he may be -
A statesman, true and bold.
To fight the evil, vaunt the good,
He needs a heart of gold
Sometimes the tiny little tikes
Have talents unsurpassed;
To bring them out, and watch them grow
Is now your sacred task.
Author Unknown
Reprinted from Games and Readings by Marie Wankel
On this morning, it did start to feel a bit more like fall. Though, the air was still warm, it had the look of fall.
Pink sunrise. Fifteen minutes after this was taken, the colour of the sky turned grey.
Leaves are turning colour. It looks like fall, but the air still feels warm like summer.
Orange, yellow and red leaves cover the ground. The grass is still green.
The last vestiges of light
I awoke this morning at 5:00 am like I usually do, but this morning I awoke with a sudden realization. The darkness.
It was cloudy out, so that contributed to it. It had been raining when I got home and had been cloudy most of the day. Most mornings when it’s cloudy it’s at least a little light out as well. This, however, is September 1st, with only three weeks of summer left. We’ve had a pretty good run, with some very warm days.
The first indication that summer is slowly creeping away is the darkness. Summer always means, for me at least, very early sunrises. It makes it so much easier to crawl out of bed. Not so much during the darkness of winter.
There is one solace, though. Autumn has some of the most beautiful colours around here. There’s also a plus that this fall is predicted to be a warm one. Which we haven’t had in a while. The past few years it’s always gone from sort of warm during summer to crisp and cool into fall, then straight into extreme cold.
Maybe this year we can get gradual cold with it never hitting extremity freezing temperatures.
I’ll miss the sun in the morning, but I’m safe in the knowledge that it won’t be gone forever. Just another few more months and we’ll be back into spring. There’s a lot to do between now and then after all.
Summer moves into autumn
August is almost done with. It has been a great summer thus far here in Outlook. Even with all the rain. The first two weeks of August, which also coincided with a nice time of relaxation, were also very warm. The mixture of rain added to the humidity in the area, which can be a bit of a pain sometimes. However, it gave me the chance to sit down and get caught up on some reading and on some writing.
Image by jen.young via Flickr
Image via Wikipedia
The reading included some of the books in the Jim Butcher Dresden Files series. At some point in time I’m actually going to watch the series that has been airing. I like to equate the Dresden Files like a new kind of hard core detective. Like Mike Hammer had he investigated mystical crimes.
I also cracked open the Sherlock Holmes anthology that I bought recently, revisiting a lot of the stories I remember reading as a kid, and even some of the stories that I watched with the Jeremy Brett version of Sherlock Holmes. I’ve yet to see the latest movie, but I’m going to at some point.
As I stated earlier, there is some writing that I’ve done as well. Blood of the Moon, Flag on my Backpack and even the outlines for a Halloween story (just in time for October) staring Black Mask & Pale Rider. Plus, I set up a site dedicate to just Flag on my Backpack, which runs a little more to the political at times, as that’s eventually how the story will take it’s turn. Real life, social issues will be focused on, while the story will still contain a light feel to it, and somewhat campy at the same time. By the time the end of August rolls around, I probably will be setting Blood of the Moon to the side for a little bit, as I’ve found it difficult to get moving. There may be a re-evaluation of Chelsea and her co-stars that comes with the story, because I honestly don’t want to leave it hanging.
As the end of the month comes upon us, it is a bit disheartening. The sun was setting at 10 o’clock at night and rising at 4 in the morning. Now, it’s started setting at 9 and rising around 5. Still that leaves a lot of sunlight hours in the day, but it’s also a reminder that soon the days will grow shorter and colder. Hopefully we’ll get a nice, warm autumn out of the deal. After all, this summer was much warmer than it was last year.
Until next time…
…keep ‘em flyin’.
The odd and weird
Work around the office is slow, very slow. So it’s given me the opportunity to devise a few posts. I put up a couple of cool observations already today, but wouldn’t you know it, I then find some weird things.
For anyone who is jonesin’ for a Tesla Coil, maybe start searching in the city of Regina. As the blog, Best of Used Regina puts up, there’s someone in desperate need of a Tesla Coil. Maybe they’re working on their own creation that would make Tesla himself impressed. Wonder if anyone in Regina has Jacob’s Ladders? Should I check?
Another odd, yet completely normal thing has been this year’s weather. Past few years has been up and down as far as weather, but this entire year has been strange all around. Essentially a wet cold spring that turned into a cold dry summer (save for two weeks when I was driving back from Indiana), that turned into a hot September. A flash of snow in October, then back to warm conditions throughout Halloween and most of November. But Mother Nature reminded us just how fickle she can be when she dumped snow and cold temperatures on us on December 1st.
I know, I may talk about the weather a lot, but I live in Saskatchewan. Unless it’s politics, curling, agriculture or the Riders in the Grey Cup there isn’t much out there.
Until next time…
…keep ‘em flyin’.
Gone Batty
Bats are mammals in the order Chiroptera (pronounced /kaɪˈrɒptərə/). The forelimbs of bats are webbed and developed as wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums and colugos, glide rather than fly, and only for short distances. Bats do not flap their entire forelimbs, like birds, but instead flap their spread out digits[2], which are very long and covered with a thin membrane or patagium. Chiroptera comes from two Greek words, cheir (χειρ) “hand” and pteron (πτερον) “wing.” There are about 1,100 bat species worldwide, which represent about 20 percent of all classified mammal species.[3] About 70 percent of bats are insectivores. Most of the rest are frugivores, and a few species feed from other types of animals than insects. Bats are present throughout most of the world and perform vital ecological roles pollinating flowers and dispersing the seeds of fruit. Many tropical plants depend entirely on bats for the distribution of their seeds. Bats range in size from Kitti’s Hog-nosed Bat measuring 29–33 mm (1.14–1.30 in) in length and 2 g (0.07 oz) in mass,[4] to the Giant golden-crowned flying fox which has a wing span of 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) and weighs approximately 1.2 kg (3 lb).
This all according to the wikipedia entry on bats. Why bats? We’re not that close to Halloween to be talking about such spooky things. No, but this time of year, and all summer to be exact, are when bats are most… fruitful. It’s hard believe that bats would make an appearance in Saskatchewan, but they are here. During the late spring, summer and early fall months, bats find their largest amount of food. Insects. Saskatchewan is mosquito country, and with the rather humid and wet conditions over the past few years, it’s a veritable breeding ground for them, which means a veritable buffet for bats.
Same thing with flies and other airborne insects. Though, I’m sure if a bat really wanted to eat a grasshopper, they’d have an ample supply of those as well.
The main reason why this topic comes to the forefront is because of our little visitor that shows up every year (okay, I’m pretty sure over five years it’s a different bat each time). The construction of our print shop is a perfect place for such nocturnal creatures to rest during the day. The entry way is shadowed and the concrete structure keeps warm. However, they tend to scare off customers (sometimes I find that okay, but that’s my bread and butter, so the bat has to go away from the front door).
So for the next few weeks, we have our little bat mascot that hangs out in the far corner, away from the door (I think the little fella got the hint when we rudely woke him up with a broom, and he flew to the other side). This morning, the little guy was there again. Again, hard to believe that bats are native to Saskatchewan, but here’s some information from the Encyclopedia Saskatchewan.
Bats are the only Mammals capable of true flight; others, such as “flying” squirrels, only glide. Their wings have little or no fur while the rest of their bodies are well furred. The eight species found in Saskatchewan are members of the family Vespertilionidae or smooth-faced bats. They have large ears and small eyes and they eat nothing but insects, mostly flying ones. Bats are small; those in Saskatchewan range in mass from 6 to 30 g.
So, every year around this time, we have to deal with the little furry guy.
Until next time…
…keep ‘em flyin’!
Days of the Fall
Summer is quickly winding down. Examples of the coming of autumn are all around us. Though the weather has been relatively warm, that still hasn’t stopped the colours of fall to shows up all around us.
The past few weeks I’ve had the opportunity to drive from Outlook down line 19 in delivering a weekly publication to different locations spread throughout the communities along the highway that leads to Lake Diefenbaker. Along the road, nestled in little patches of prairie are these jewels of communities that are surrounded by trees. The small bluffs hide within them the communities of Hawarden, Strongfield and Loreburn. The last jewel in my drive is the village of Elbow that is right on the Lake.
Each of these communities is just off Highway 19 and each has a peaceful tranquility that can only be seen in the small villages that dot the Saskatchewan landscape. It’s almost captivating to be there. For myself, I feel a rush of memories to when I was younger, and would be in Ardath or Conquest when I was growing up.
These gems that lead to Lake Diefenbaker are capturing some attention. Not major news, mind you. But they are being seen as a great place to live for those looking for a summer retreat. I’ve spoken to a few people in Elbow and there have been so many new people that have come in from Alberta and given the communities along the road a new life. I’ve actually found myself thinking about that very concept of moving to a place like these. It isn’t the city, there’s no major shopping centers, no hustle and bustle that pulls one in as the rush of traffic moves like soldier ants down the freeways that is Saskatoon.
It’s much more peaceful than that.
Until next time…
…keep ‘em flyin’.
Road trip
Just got back from a road trip this weekend. Kind of nice to get away and head some place else. This trip was in conjunction with the Sask Weekly Newspaper Association’s annual convention. A full Saturday of seminars and then the awards banquet. And yes, The Outlook walked away with an award and an honourable mention. That was great.
The award was for a story written by our former reporter, Hiromi Fusano, who wrote an article on workers brought in from Mexico to help with potato harvests her in Outlook. It was a long feature article, and something I felt we had a very good shot at winning. Also, our honourable mention went to Susan Ewert for sales.
The trip in and back gave me a good look at construction on both Highway 219 and Highway 45. Heading in, we took 219 through Whitecap, and work crews are still going, even with the threat of the oncoming frost. It’s hoped that the highway will be completed before the snow falls. Widened and resurfaced, the construction should continue from Saskatoon to the Whitecap reserve. And I believe that it was mentioned by the government that construction should continue on down 219. Here’s hoping.
Also, the trip gave me another chance to snap some photos of the wonderous fall colours that were starting to come out. With lots of greens still on the leaves, there was also a good number of yellows and oranges to be seen. Sunny for the Saturday heading in, by Sunday, the weather had changed slightly to a rather gloomy look, and the sky opened up and it rained. Light rain, but it came down throughout most of the day.
But another convention has come and gone, and we look forward to next year.
Until then…
Keep ‘em flyin’.
Fall Equinox
Yes, it’s here.
Officially now.
According to research, today is the day the Fall Equinox arrives. According to ReligiousTolerance.org, the autumn solstice changes from year to year until the leap year comes around, at which time it reverts back to the earliest day, that being September 21st. During the four years from leap year to leap year, each date will move ahead a little bit, until the year before a leap year, such as this year, will come on September 23rd. Here is a quick explanation from ReligiousTolerance.org. If you wish to see more, click here.
Until next time…
Keep ‘em flyin’.
The exact date and time of the fall equinox, when the sun moves into the astrological sign of Libra, varies from year to year. Each year, the date/time moves progressively later in September until the year before leap-year is reached. On leap-year, it returns to an earlier date/time. This four-year cycle is then repeated.
The date and time of the fall equinox:
| Year | Fall Equinox, in the Northern Hemisphere (UT) |
| 1999 | SEP-23 @ 11:32 |
| 2000 | SEP-22 @ 17:27 |
| 2001 | SEP-22 @ 23:04 |
| 2002 | SEP-23 @ 04:55 |
| 2003 | SEP-23 @ 10:46 |
| 2004 | SEP-22 @ 16:29 |
| 2005 | SEP-22 @ 22:22 |
| 2006 | SEP-23 @ 04:03 |
| 2007 | SEP-23 @ 09:51 |
| 2008 | SEP-22 @ 15:44 |
| 2009 | SEP-22 @ 21:18 |
| 2010 | SEP-23 @ 03:09 |
The dates and times were derived from the astronomical calculations on The Dome of the Sky web site for years 1999 to 2006. However, the web site does not seem to be functioning as of 2005-APR-05. The remaining equinoxes were taken from archaeoastronomy.com. An online “Easy Date Converter” calculates the dates and times of the equinoxes and solstices within 20 seconds. Times are in UT (Universal Time). This used to be called Greenwich Mean Time or GMT.
The last days
For such an ominous title it really isn’t that bad. I am merely speaking of the last few days of summer. Yes, this weekend will be the first official weekend of fall. As of yet, I do not have the official time that the new season will arrive. While on the one hand, observing the trees and even the temperature is not all that fall like. Yes, there is a bit of a nip in the air, and the leaves are starting to drift to the ground. But the biggest sign that autumn is come is in the early mornings.
I wake up a little after five in the morning (5:30 to be exact, after hitting my snooze button a couple of times). During July and August and even June, getting up wasn’t a chore, because there in my window was the sun to greet me. This morning, however, was black. The sun was only just starting to peek over the horizon.
I noticed it yesterday. Waking up at my usual time, and taking note of the fact that the sky was a little darker. Now is around the time when I blindly look at my clock to inspect what time it actually is. The questions often run through my head “Is it only 2? Maybe 3. It can’t be time to get up yet.”
Even the evenings are pretty short. During the summer, I am often surprised to find that it’s 10:30 and the sun is dipping below the horizon, filling the sky with vibrant colours. Now, darkness sets in around 7:30.
According to Environment Canada, the sun rose this morning at 6:47 a.m. And it will set tonight at 7:14 p.m. Temperatures are predicted to meet highs of 17 Celsius and overnight lows close to zero. Now is the time when everyone thinks of that inevitable occurrence. The first frost.
Until that happens…
Keep ‘em flyin’.
