It's been that long since I've physically seen my ex, as she was quick to point out today in a text after about six months of silence. Still I texted her back, much more relieved that I don't have to worry about what she's doing with herself when I'm not there. A lot changes in four years. I went from being an inept, bumbling intellectual to an intellectual badass, and all it took was me being dumped. I suspect I owe a lot of who I am now to her, but at the same time, it was a rough end to a rougher relationship. Long Distance is NOT for everyone.

Today is the day Booth shot Lincoln and ended an Era. I'm guessing that he had to have a good reason (or at least get paid really well) to do what he did. There are rumours that Booth didn't die in the infamous shootout in the barn but a doppleganger was substituted in his stead to make things right with the Continental United States (and screw things up with History).

To balance that, today's the day Jackie Robinson plays in the Major League, Breaking the colour barrier, and making a stand of civil rights everywhere. It's a day of newness and rebirth. Today Apollo 13, that ill-fated ship, returned to earth after almost destroying itself and all its crew on re-entry. Sometimes it helps you to get perspective on how insignificant your actions and emotions are by looking at this day in History.

There's been a lot of interest about the 50th anniversary of the first human spaceflight. I can understand that we got so far but why did we stop? Am I the only one wondering why, 40 years down the road, we have yet to land a living exploration team on Mars? I know the atmosphere is toxic, but We've overcome that by the use of (flimsy) space suits. I think if we started reaching out to the stars more, we would probably find ways to propel ourselves more efficiently, or at the very least figure out more feasible ways to exist in both hostile environments or the vaccuum of space. Maybe we could even seed Mars with algae that could convert the Sulphurous atmosphere into something closer resembling earth and begin terraforming. There are so many things we could do...why is it that 50 years in our greatest achievement to celebrate space flight is changing the image on Google's main page to something vaguely celebratory?

 ...is that one is alive.

Rain didn't just fall today, it poured down, soaking everything in its wake. Not knowing how monsoon rainfall goes, this is a close to feeling it as I can get. Sometimes, rain's quite relaxing, when you're at home, in bed with a nice cuddly blanket and a book or a cup of hot cocoa. Sometimes it's the bane of writing existence, when you can't stay awake to finish your daily quota. Today was just one of those "Wuota won't end" days I think...

It's said that the hardest time to start working is when you least feel like it. I find myself in one of those moods today that writing feels more like a chore than anything else. I WANT to do it, I know I SHOULD do it, but the will to do it just isn't there. Still, I shall persevere and start work on a massive project on a day when I feel least able to. Who knows, I may NOT shoot myself in the foot this time.
I discovered a rather interesting website whilst stumbling yesterday that expounds on the creation of a first draft. Usually I try to do my first drafts so there's a minimum of editing necessary for me to get a final out. Still, if I worked with his guidelines, I'd spend less time worrying and more time writing. I might even increase my output, who knows. It's worth a shot.

 You know that there are times in a writer's life that you feel like getting rid of a project you had such passion for. The thing is, some of those unfinished, aborted fetuses might have ended up being a masterpiece if it was given a chance. Sometimes, searching through the sawdust on the floor, you come upon a roughly hewn bit of wood that you know you can make into something more, something better if you took the time with it. A friend of mine gave new life to a west-indian fiction piece if ditched some time ago because of two reasons. She made me see that maybe I was hasty for ditching it for a lack of appeal. She, being an American, was nonetheless intrigued with the idea of Cricket, even though she had no clue about the intricacies of the game. It made me realize that I gave up on it kinda quickly, a bit more quickly than another writer would have. I think I need to dig through my works and see if I can come up with more dusty, lost gems.

Carnival season is coming to a close and the solemnity that  is Lent is quickly approaching. The sour bit about this is that it's overcast and rainy today. Usually Carnival means lots of bright sunshine, but rain doesn't deter those who seek to have a good time. Trinidad carnival is an amazing time and an amazing place. I seriously and wholeheartedly advise anyone to come check it out if they can. It's beautiful.

When I decided to try for becoming a published author, I figured that eventually, one day I would need a blog. I didn't think I would be able to update it frequently and at some point over the last two years it fell by the wayside. Now I find that without something to post samples of my work on, I am at a disadvantage when compared with other writers. So once again, I'm making a stab at posting my work here as opposed to my facebook (where all of my previous works and some new ones are available for perusal, it is linked to the email address lost.poets.trust@gmail.com).
I was glad to get a piece published in Digital Dragon magazine. They enjoyed it and I am rather fond of the piece myself. Although I would not consider it my best work, I identify somewhat with some aspects of the main character. Those of you who read this blog still (there are one or two of you hiding in the shadows that have added me and have no clue about what I've been up to over the past year) can read the story here: http://www.digitaldragonmagazine.net/Thanks and keep reading,
Jason

So i may or may not be right about this, but I believe that he's very afraid of slipping unexpectedly into a parallel dimension. The old Twilight Zone episodes must have been hell for him to watch.

So I suppose you're wondering what has prompted this loud wondering about the man I consider to be one of the more gifted pulp writers of the latter half of the Twentieth Century (and possibly the best). I have quite a collection of King books on my bookshelf (which I shall take a picture of and post up someday for your viewing pleasure), and I have found a recurring theme in his short stories. Quite a lot of them involve the protagonist(s) slipping into a parallel dimension. Sometimes they come back (The Langoliers from Four Past Midnight) and sometimes they don't (Crouch End in Nightmares and Dreamscapes). It is due to this flimsy evidence that I believe he is somewhat obsessed with going into another dimension.

It's been a long time since I've been writing, but I finally decided I wanted to put my stuff out there. I submitted what I considered my best piece of work to Aphelion Magazine and they accepted it for publishing. My thanks go out to Aphelion for including this story in their October issue and I hope I can provide more to them for future editions. Thanks to all who read my work.