Yesterday I went on a field trip with Andy "Mothman" Colvin, Joseph Farrell and Walter Bosley. This was a sort of magical mystery tour, including a trek around a local shopping mall called Victoria Gardens.
We explored strange historical sites, including a rock quarry that looks like a satanic pit.
Will report later, after I upload my photos.
I highly recommend looking up Walter Bosley on Amazon. His book on the 1915 murder in San Bernardino sheds light on the mystery and raises questions.
~~~
It's a Philip K. Dick World! “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.” —Philip K. Dick Government intrusion into our personal lives is increasing, the economy is shot and the media focus on hate and violence. Philip K. Dick's fifth and last wife, Tessa Dick, talks about her husband. I have my own books and stories, as well.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Werewolf screenplay
My screenplay begins with the scene of a small wooden
rowboat in the middle of a lake at night.
The lake is small, as lakes go, and it sits in the middle of a park with
a jogging path running along the shore.
By the light of a full moon, we see two men in the boat, in silhouette
against the darkness. They begin
fighting, and both stand up. We hear
them growling like dogs or wolves. One
man strangles the other and tosses him into the lake, then sits down and slowly
rows the boat back to shore.
~~~
Friday, June 21, 2013
Another day in the neighborhood
Yesterday was my birthday. I am now officially 59 years old. A neighbor drove me to the seniors center for the monthly catered lunch, and a friend drove me home. I don't have a car, and I really don't think I can drive safely. Maybe after I get eyeglasses next month, I'll at least be able to read the street signs.
Lillian down the street paid me $20 toward the water bill. She has about 100 potted plants in my driveway because county Code Enforcement officers warned her that she had too many in her own driveway. Lillian sells potted plants. It's the only way she can make ends meet because she's disabled.
It's chilly morning in June, but the day promises to be a scorcher. The weather is like that in the mountains.
My garden is beginning to sprout little shoots of corn and beans, and the tomatoes that I started in the window are close to 6 inches high.
The blackberry vine is turning pretty white blooms into green berries that will take a few weeks to turn dark purple. I'll be making jam pretty soon.
Life is good.
~~~
Lillian down the street paid me $20 toward the water bill. She has about 100 potted plants in my driveway because county Code Enforcement officers warned her that she had too many in her own driveway. Lillian sells potted plants. It's the only way she can make ends meet because she's disabled.
It's chilly morning in June, but the day promises to be a scorcher. The weather is like that in the mountains.
My garden is beginning to sprout little shoots of corn and beans, and the tomatoes that I started in the window are close to 6 inches high.
The blackberry vine is turning pretty white blooms into green berries that will take a few weeks to turn dark purple. I'll be making jam pretty soon.
Life is good.
~~~
Sunday, March 31, 2013
fairy folk?
When we talk about little people, we usually think of the Leprechauns of Ireland or the Brownies of England. Well, how about San Francisco? I came across this article on ABC News about a tree in Golden Gate Park where somebody installed a tiny door over a small hole in the trunk of the tree.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/03/itty-bitty-park-door-opens-to-a-world-of-mystery/
It seems that people stroll through the park looking for the door, and sometimes they leave notes inside for whatever creature lives there.
It all started with a blog. Somebody sent a photo of the little door to the blogger, and the rest is history.
http://richmondsfblog.com/
They aren't telling the exact location of the tree, so people strolling through the park can have fun looking for it.
(Image Credit: Erica Reh / RichmondSFBlog.com)
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/03/itty-bitty-park-door-opens-to-a-world-of-mystery/
It seems that people stroll through the park looking for the door, and sometimes they leave notes inside for whatever creature lives there.
It all started with a blog. Somebody sent a photo of the little door to the blogger, and the rest is history.
http://richmondsfblog.com/
They aren't telling the exact location of the tree, so people strolling through the park can have fun looking for it.
(Image Credit: Erica Reh / RichmondSFBlog.com)
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
how an author really makes money
Authors do not get rich, unless they hit that lucky jackpot of a best seller or a Hollywood deal. Even then, most successful writers go through that money in a year or two. It simply is not as much as you think it is, and it is all that you will ever see, unless you happen to be Stephen King.
My books, all of them together, make about $25 in a good month. So I write articles for Examiner and review products and services for Epinions. I also pick up coins, cans and bottles from the roadside. Every little bit helps to pay the bills.
So how do authors really make money? Most do it with a day job. Some live off the benevolence of a spouse or other family member.
And then there is the Internet. I have signed up for countless paid to surf, paid to click and paid to read sites, as well as a few survey sites. I have wasted my time on some and found a trickle of rewards on others. Some sites never pay, while others are faithful.
I have lots of fun on Swagbucks, which has several ways to make money. They have a search engine, video clips, surveys, a daily poll, shopping, coupons and more. I usually get an Amazon gift certificate because it takes more points to get cash. Like many sites, they send cash by Paypal.
If you want to make money online, Paypal is safe and reliable, and almost certainly a necessity. Paypal allows you not only to get paid online, but also to transfer funds to and from your bank account. I even have a Paypal debit card that I can swipe at stores and ATMs to spend my Paypal balance,
Of the survey sites, I have done okay with Vindale, Opinion Outpost and ClixSense. I'm trying Survey Savvy, but I have't qualified for any surveys yet. The most interesting survey site is PollBuzzer. They send you a single question that you answer by clicking a link in the email, and they send you a dollar by -- you guessed it -- Paypal.
I also use MyPoints, which has paid to click emails, shopping, search, coupons and more, and they just sent me $25 by Paypal.
If you would like to join any of these sites, I will try to come up with my referral links. They must be around here somewhere, buried among my notes, shopping lists (consisting mostly of cat food) and manuscripts.
~~~
My books, all of them together, make about $25 in a good month. So I write articles for Examiner and review products and services for Epinions. I also pick up coins, cans and bottles from the roadside. Every little bit helps to pay the bills.
So how do authors really make money? Most do it with a day job. Some live off the benevolence of a spouse or other family member.
And then there is the Internet. I have signed up for countless paid to surf, paid to click and paid to read sites, as well as a few survey sites. I have wasted my time on some and found a trickle of rewards on others. Some sites never pay, while others are faithful.
I have lots of fun on Swagbucks, which has several ways to make money. They have a search engine, video clips, surveys, a daily poll, shopping, coupons and more. I usually get an Amazon gift certificate because it takes more points to get cash. Like many sites, they send cash by Paypal.
If you want to make money online, Paypal is safe and reliable, and almost certainly a necessity. Paypal allows you not only to get paid online, but also to transfer funds to and from your bank account. I even have a Paypal debit card that I can swipe at stores and ATMs to spend my Paypal balance,
Of the survey sites, I have done okay with Vindale, Opinion Outpost and ClixSense. I'm trying Survey Savvy, but I have't qualified for any surveys yet. The most interesting survey site is PollBuzzer. They send you a single question that you answer by clicking a link in the email, and they send you a dollar by -- you guessed it -- Paypal.
I also use MyPoints, which has paid to click emails, shopping, search, coupons and more, and they just sent me $25 by Paypal.
If you would like to join any of these sites, I will try to come up with my referral links. They must be around here somewhere, buried among my notes, shopping lists (consisting mostly of cat food) and manuscripts.
~~~
Saturday, March 16, 2013
why grammar is important
When I was teaching English, I used to pose this question to my students:
In Dr. Seuss' book Green Eggs And Ham, what color is the ham? We know that the egg are green, but what about the ham? Is it also green?
If you understand grammar, or if you look at the pictures on the cover of the book, then you know that the ham is also green. If it were not, then the phrase would be "ham and green eggs".
You see, grammar is composed of a set of rules that help us to communicate with each other, so when we use poor grammar, we communicate poorly. Grammar is also the means for thinking clearly.
In the Trivium, the three basic areas of knowledge that Aristotle taught, grammar is the first. Grammar gives you the building blocks from which you learn logic. Grammar and logic together form the basis for the third area, rhetoric.
Grammar helps us to communicate clearly, logic helps us to form cogent ideas, and rhetoric presents those ideas to others.
As the first and most basic area of the Trivium, grammar is important.
~~~
In Dr. Seuss' book Green Eggs And Ham, what color is the ham? We know that the egg are green, but what about the ham? Is it also green?
If you understand grammar, or if you look at the pictures on the cover of the book, then you know that the ham is also green. If it were not, then the phrase would be "ham and green eggs".
You see, grammar is composed of a set of rules that help us to communicate with each other, so when we use poor grammar, we communicate poorly. Grammar is also the means for thinking clearly.
In the Trivium, the three basic areas of knowledge that Aristotle taught, grammar is the first. Grammar gives you the building blocks from which you learn logic. Grammar and logic together form the basis for the third area, rhetoric.
Grammar helps us to communicate clearly, logic helps us to form cogent ideas, and rhetoric presents those ideas to others.
As the first and most basic area of the Trivium, grammar is important.
~~~
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
How do you carry your books?
How do you carry your books?
In a book bag, of course!
Here's where you can get my book bag,
http://www.zazzle.com/book_bag_with_a_book_cover-149375046195985280
And here's the coupon code:
Winter Savings - 20% Off Select Products! Use Code: SAVEFEBRUARY
and here's where you can get the books to go in it:
http://www.amazon.com/Tessa-B.-Dick/e/B002BMDCBE/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Here's where you can get my book bag,
http://www.zazzle.com/book_bag_with_a_book_cover-149375046195985280
And here's the coupon code:
Winter Savings - 20% Off Select Products! Use Code: SAVEFEBRUARY
and here's where you can get the books to go in it:
http://www.amazon.com/Tessa-B.-Dick/e/B002BMDCBE/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
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