Plotting Along. { Stories }
Posted on: 2010-08-17 03:25:50

I have been slowly progressing on my stories the past week or so. Changes I wanted to make to the stories (some mentioned on the page, most not) pretty much required some overhauls to what I had written and what I had planned to write. Given the little I had actually written in book 1 (about 12k words), I figured I would start there. Essentially, I am re-plotting the entire book. I am about 9 chapters in, and I am expecting another 20 or so. I am hoping to be done plotting everything out by the end of August, so I got about 2 weeks.

For Gibson in book 1, the story is going to remain about 75% the same. There is going to be a little switch up in the order of things and a few new things, but no huge changes. Anne, on the other hand, is changing almost everything. Originally, she had been there for a little bit of romantic tension with Gibson, as I developed my world more, she was going to get more air-time as well. And in book two, she got a role almost as big as Gibson's. And her role kept getting larger as I was looking forward to other books (NaNoWriMo is only a couple of months away). I had more that needed to happen with Anne in order to get there. So, to fill this gap, Anne's story from book 2 is now her story in book 1...plus a little more so I have a carry over story for book 2.

In book 2, I have already written over 150 pages. With changes I am making to book 1, 30ish pages are going away. The rest is getting a huge tone change. Gibson is off adventuring for months while Anne is still in Saramis (setting for book 1). In what is written, Gibson spends a lot of time pining over Anne and wanting to be back in Saramis, given the changes, now he thinks she is a bitch and is glad to be gone from her. So yeah, tone change. Anne on the other hand, is looking to put big things in motion and spends the entirety of book 2 gathering and consolidating her power. After finishing the plotting on book 1, I am going gung ho into plotting out what I don't have in book 2 (hopefully) by the end of September.

If all that goes well, I can spend October plotting out book 3 for NaNoWriMo. I have a couple of different directions I am thinking of going on this one, but I won't know which one I will take until I nail down Anne's story in book 2. She has a lot to do, and it might take more than the first two books to do it in. Either way, I have stuff for Gibson to do.

I think I have said this before, but I am glad I haven't finished these yet, and I may never finish them. I am liking the flexibility I have to go back and mess with things. My overarching view of my world and the people living there is changing. Everyday my characters become a little more real to me. There isn't a day I don't spend significant chunks of time thinking about them, and as long as I keep away from a couple of the evil bastards, I tend to get along better in the day.

[ 6 comments ]

Incentives Take 2 { Work }
Posted on: 2010-08-06 03:02:26

Turnover is very high at work, especially during this time of year. It is hot outside, there are presses running between 300F and 400F every 15 feet or so which makes it even hotter, and you are tasked with maintaining a high level of production. I am guessing almost 300 people have been hired since I started, some stayed, most didn't (I have no idea how I have made it). Basically, the job is kinda hard (physically) and the heat makes is very hard. But with all this turnover, I find myself explaining how we get paid a lot. I have gotten pretty good at it, Gross pay is Base Pay + Overtime Pay + Attendance Bonus + Incentive Pay. Anyone who has had a job gets Base Pay and Overtime Pay immediately, Attendance Bonus is easy to pick up, and as long as I gloss over Incentive, they are fine.

The Incentive, however, is what I obsess over. Both the pay rate and the number of hours changes. Admittedly, the pay rate doesn't fluctuate much and only does so if you work overtime. (Base Pay + Overtime Pay)/Total Hours Worked. If you don't work any overtime, your Incentive Pay Rate is your Base Pay Rate., but if you do, it goes up (just glancing at the numbers, I am guessing it is some logarithmic function approaching 1.5*Base Pay Rate...looks like WolframAlpha agrees!). Of course, rate is only have the battle, the other half are hours, and that really fluctuates. I normally get over 3 hours for a 8 hour shift (max is 3.82 for a shift of more generally, .48*hours), but I have had nights where I didn't earn any. There is a level of productivity that is expected, and the incentive hours are gained by exceeding it...ideally. It is hard to explain, but it isn't just a we expected you to make 100 units, you made 150 units, so here is more money, but that would be great. Consistency also matters. Anything that affects your production rate (bad or good) affects your incentive earned (negatively, yes, only negatively), and while exceptions are made for things you can't control (machine failure, no stock, etc), they only go so far. These two numbers can swing a check quite a bit. Under the most extreme case, it can add about $230/week. Of course, that is maxing out for 7 straight 8 hour shifts, normally it is only about half that.

Well that was boring. On a more exciting note, I might get 1-2 raise(s) next month. I missed out on my last one because I had 1.5 too many points (attendance is point based and drop off 1 point/month), and I was told it would be reevaluated in 3 months. That 3 months coincided with my next possible raise. I asked if that meant I would get both at the same time or if the second would be pushed off another 3 months and no one seemed to know. I am hoping for both ($1.07), but only expecting the one ($.55). Of course, that is assuming I can drop .5 points between now and then, so no absences or tardies until after I sign my papers for the raise.

[ 2 comments ]

How Things End (In my head) { Television } { Movies }
Posted on: 2010-08-04 02:52:25

I was discussing this with the wife earlier, and decided that I wanted to share it here as well. I have a particularly interesting way at looking at shows I no longer care to watch or don't want to exist.

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xBox 360 Slim and Fallout 3 { Games }
Posted on: 2010-07-31 02:24:50

I picked up a new for me game a few weeks ago, Fallout 3 for the 360. I say new for me because it came out in late 2008, but I just picked it up. I tend to wait for the price to come down because I am cheap and fickle about new games...the more I pay the more critical I am and the more critical I am the less likely I am to play it. Thus far, the biggest downfall of the game is that it is on a console (yes, there is a PC version, but my PC can't handle it).

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Blurb { Images } { Design } { Site News }
Posted on: 2010-07-20 02:44:53

I have been playing ArtRage again. This time I finally got around to buying the non-pro version. I have a couple of in progress versions of a self-portrait that I will have to toss up eventually. Toying with some of the new features from the old version I had (mostly the stencils) lead to this theme, which I am calling 'blurb' (and 'blurb-minimal' if you click on the software link). I normally avoid warm colors, so this will probably look very different for me. Like my temp layout has been for the past couple of days, I left it wider (1000px instead of 900px) and the bar is still on the left so large vids and photos don't overflow on the bar like they used to. Even though everything but the menu got more room to play in, everything feels jammed in there, so I might be playing with margins and such over the next couple of days. Of course, I might decide I really, really hate warm colors again and completely change everything.

[ 7 comments ]

klik kik { Misc }
Posted on: 2010-07-18 03:01:20

I am having a slight identity crisis right now. While I figure it out, please enjoy this really old theme. It is so old that it doesn't have any of the little widget thingies and I am too lazy right now to take the few minutes to add them in. UPDATE: Did a quick retool of the greens theme: ripped out the theme graphics, widened it, and moved the bar to the left.

[ 1 comment ]

Club Ferris { Humor } { Movies }
Posted on: 2010-07-16 22:58:52

I saw this yesterday on Boing Boing, and it is probably my favorite thing on the internet for the next few minutes.

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Sexy { Mobile }
Posted on: 2010-07-03 18:20:03

The more I have been playing with mixed drinks, the more I have wanted the appropriate glassware to enjoy them out of. We have some wine glasses and a couple of pint glasses, but nothing spiffy...well, the pint glasses are spiffy (nucleated nonic pints). So yesterday, we picked up a set of glasses, 6 highballs and 6 lowballs, and ice tray and container (we have a broken ice maker so we have been sans ice pretty much since we moved in). I have been making white russians for a couple of months now, well, I have been taking the ingredients, mixing them in a glass, and drinking. I never would have imagined how much the drink changes (for the better) when served correctly: in a lowball, with ice, dairy over alcohol (not mixed).

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I got one too. { Mobile }
Posted on: 2010-06-26 11:50:03

Click for larger image.

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Not About My Sick Wife { Music }
Posted on: 2010-06-16 11:26:52

I am listening to Regina Spektor today instead of going to work. Ok, the wife is in one of her delirium episodes of sickness and I am sticking around to take care of her, but I am listening to Miss Spektor while she is sleeping. I discovered (and fell in love with) her on the Pandora internet radio service. I have been meaning to buy a couple of her albums for awhile now, and figured today was as a good a day as any (besides, smaller purchases keep me from making much larger ones).

I could sit here and wax intellectual about why I really enjoy her music, but I won't. I often have difficulty pinning down an explanation to why things pique my interest, but right now this is it.

[ 5 comments ]