I'd had these thoughts puttering around in my head for a while, and meant to write them down sooner. Of course, as a result, my memory has lapsed somewhat, but nevertheless still relevant.

A while ago, I finished reading what is often regarded as one of the seminal novels of science fiction, Dune. For some odd reason, I wasn't very impressed by it. Now for a lot of people this is the equivalent of claiming that Hitler was a Martian or that Tolkien is not the best author of fantasy fiction of all time (a position that I also subscribe to, but that's another entry in and of itself). But, in short, here are my criticisms.

Frank Herbert was a marvelously creative man, but a master of pacing and storytelling, he was not. What frustrates me the most about Dune is that while Herbert obviously spent a tremendous amount of time creating his world and populating it with fascinating cultures, creatures, and locales, he did a rather poor job of stoking an interest in them. So the basic problem is that we have very interesting people doing very boring things. For example, the Lady Jessica...sitting at dinner parties. Paul...learning how to act like a Fremen. Vladimir Harkonnen...twirling his evil moustaches at the prospect of planetary occupation and conquest. In other words, Dune is like having a V-12 Lamborghini and being stuck doing 45 in rush hour traffic. I mean, it's gorgeous, loaded with features, and universally acclaimed, but is more conspicuous in its limitations and potentialities left unrealized.

A perfect example of this is that, for all his originality in coming up with the universe, Frank Herbert has a rather boring way of moving the greater narrative along. After the Atrides are betrayed by the Harkonnen and imperial house, the rest of the novel is Paul essentially learning to out-Fremen the Fremen until he becomes their leader. While learning to ride a sandworm can make for a great theme, it doesn't seem to take very long for Paul to master. The seemingly irresolvable conflict which would force Paul to kill Stilgar to become leader of the Fremen? Avoided by making a simple speech to the warriors. And so, millenia of ingrained tradition are conquered in a few pages. Paul's son with his Fremen concubine? Oh, he dies. Not really sure how, but it isn't all that important. The army of Fremen as unstoppable killing machines, superior even to the elite Sadukar, bio-engineered soldiers bred for battle on the Emperor's prison-planets? Not sure how that happens, but apparently, it is.

So, basically, instead of giving us lots of useful plot development with twists and turns, we have at the heart of the novel a more-or-less standard tale of a man whose father is killed and his throne taken, who flees into the wilds, only to return years later at the head of an army of outcasts to reclaim his throne, avenge his family, and become overall ruler of the galaxy. And of course, to fill in the lull in between action sequences, we get to have multi-page conversations where we are treated to the exact thought processes of each individual speaker in detail in turn. That, and descriptions of sand. Which, ultimately, is the core failure of Herbert's work. Dune has no real characters with which one can identify. Despite having the advantage of actually knowing exactly what it is they are thinking at a given time, each character thinks and behaves as a sort of Noh-theater like pantomime of what real people should act like and think. This is turn creates barriers between the reader and the material, which can lead down dangerous roads when dealing with subject matter which is already alien in nature.

Is Dune a good book? For the revolutionary way in which it changed the field of science fiction and for the richness of its world, yes. But it is in my mind overrated, weak in pacing, and generally simplistic in overall theme? Undoubtedly, yes. I will, however, probably try one of the Brian Herbert prequels though, if for no other reason than the fact that I think the world is too rich and the mythology too prominent to leave untouched.

So, this weekend I went to Newville, PA to participate in the bi-annual Great War Association WWI event. I had a lot of fun. More fun, in fact, than I can remember having at a reenactment in about a year or so. I guess part of it is just the experience of reenacting at a site that is designed to actually be, you know, a WWI site. I mean, you can do WWII there (I have), and while they did have trench systems in WWII at various sites on the Eastern Front (Mamayev Kurgan at Stalingrad and Sevastopol in particular come to mind) and in Italy, the style and types of trenches really lend themselves best to WWI. Some people have reenacted Vietnam there as well, but honestly, I can't really do that, as while there were trenches in Vietnam, they were so utterly different in scope and employment that I just can't suspend my disbelief long enough to go out there and do Nam. It was an interesting experience though, as I got to hang out with a good group of people who actually have an interest in the French military and French culture, and where speaking French is an asset and not a punchline. Not to mention the fact that there was virtually no discussion of the Iraq or Afghanistan conflicts or the modern military, which is something that really takes me out of my element at events.

I've been meaning to go back to Huzzah Hobbies and get back into my regular Thursday game night, but sadly, as the weather gets nicer, I find my time more and more constrained by other events. When it's cold and nasty and there's not much going on, it's a lot easier to get into the car for an hour drive to play games than it is when the weather is nice and there's people hanging out on the corner. Not that I have been doing much of that lately, as work has been kicking my ass of late. Just as well, really, as I've stalled on the last of my Vikings. I've run out of static grass and really want to put away my men, but don't want to do that until they are finished. Which will require going to the game store to buy static grass and...seeing a pattern here?

On the plus side, I got my vacation buyback last week. Mixed in with my tax refund, I've got quite a bit of change. I'm planning on holding onto most of it, but there have been some big purchases I've been holding off on that I am now free to make. Specifically, an M1891 Mosin Nagant rifle (for WWI Russian and to use as a loaner for Spanish Civil War), and a Berthier or Lebel for WWI French (and, come to think of it, SCW as well). Fortunately, I found an M1891 for $175 and a 1907/15 3-shot Berthier for $150, both of which are very good deals.

Ah well, tomorrow comes too soon. A la manana!

So, as per my short and to-the-point Facebook postings last week, here is a brief recap of what has happened on the job front.

As many of you know, I had been less than enthused on the job front. In January, I lost both my first and my second-level supervisors due to company reorganization. In addition, there was a fair amount of turmoil with the firm. I got a new team leader, D.C. got a new district manager, we weren't being allowed to work overtime, and in general things weren't looking too good. So, I began looking for other opportunities.

The way things were looking, I had basically three options.

1) Stay with my current firm and look to make some kind of lateral transfer. This was looking like the best option in about March, when I received a conditional offer from my firm to go work out in Winchester, VA, doing criminal justice and intel analysis work for the FBI. This position, while not ideal, certainly had its perks. We'd be living in Winchester, which is quite nice, as well as cheap. I would have been making more money. The downside, of course, would be that I would be giving up my company vehicle, and would have been stuck working the 4pm-midnight shift. I would have been chained to a desk, and probably wouldn't have enjoyed it quite as much. But, as time went by, things looked less and less certain and it became clear that I probably wasn't going to be referred to the position due to various timing and internal issues with the firm.

2) Look for work with the federal government side of things. I kept my eyes peeled on USAjobs.gov. I reworked my resume, wrote a kick-ass cover letter, and when the time came and the positions opened up, I applied. Long story short, while I met the basic qualifications for the position (ie. my score surpassed their threshold), my score was obviously not high enough to be referred to a recruiting officer. Disappointing, as on a 4-point scale I earned a score of at least 3, but due to my lack of supervisory experience, I did not max out the score. As such, no one ever saw my cover letter, resume, etc.

3) Look for work with a competitor. Since the turmoil with my firm, a lot of my colleagues had jumped ship. I had heard mixed things, not only about the long-term feasibility of my firm, but also heard that conditions in terms of work load and compensation were much better at another firm. Intriguingly, my mother had had a chance encounter with a State Department investigator who gave her his card and told me to contact a mutual friend of his, who was recruiting for a firm I'll call CBCJ. I called the firm, was made to jump through a bunch of hoops, and was eventually offered a position with them with a $3,000 signing bonus and a slight raise. But, of course, I would not have had a company vehicle, which in turn would have eaten up my raise.

So, I was more or less out of options. However, at a meet and greet with our new district manager a few weeks earlier, he had impressed me with his openness, his forthrightness, and his friendliness. As part of his spiel, he specifically addressed the fact that we had lost a lot of people to the competition and that he did not feel that the firm had handled the recent round of layoffs very well. But part of what he had said was that if any of us received an offer from a competitor that we should come to him first and at least give him a chance to make a counter offer.

So, with my offer from CBCJ in hand, I called up the district manager and appraised him of the situation. I was pleasantly surprised. He called a meeting with my supervisor and me, and the upshot was that it turned out that my supervisor had, unbeknownst to me, already put me in for a promotion. So, in order to beat the CBCJ offer, the company offered me a raise which effectively allowed me to keep my vehicle, as well as paid me just about 50% more than I was currently making, as well as promotion to investigator level 2.

So, that just goes to show that sometimes the best option isn't one which is already on the table. By leveraging my options, playing my cards right, and generally keeping my ears and eyes open, I was able to increase my income by 50% while still doing the same job as before.

This is not to say that I think I want to be doing this for five more years. The work load is heavy and only getting heavier, as well as the fact that the cost of living in the D.C. area is prohibitively high. Plus, I'm getting bored with the work. I enjoy being out in the fresh air, talking to folks, and it feels good to have a badge and a fancy title. Not to mention the fact that I am learning a valuable skill-set, and the more years I put in with personnel security, the more marketable I will be in the future. Not to mention the fact that now that I have a higher income, I can demand more next time I go in to a job interview, with the old "well, at X I was making $y.yy. So, in order to come over, I'd need..."

But, long story short, at least I feel that for the first time in 3 years I am making what I think I should be making. I have a masters' degree, am a hard worker, and it is basically only through the misfortune of having started my career in this poor economy that it took me this long. Do I want to be doing this forever? Oh, hell no. But given the fact that out of my starting class of 22, I am one of only 2 people left, I feel that I've accomplished a lot. I've survived, thrived, and seem to have prospered. Let's just hope something horrible doesn't happen in the next few weeks to balance it all out!

...sometimes life takes you in unexpected directions. Today I was offered a position working with a four-letter firm in the D.C. area. Doing the same work as before.

It was a position I had actively sought out, as I figured that given the upheaval in my current company, I was unlikely to get promoted in the near future. However, when they called me with an offer this afternoon, I can't say that I was over the moon.

Basically, the offer to come work with them would have resulted in a $3,000 sign-on bonus, as well as a raise of about $6,000 per year. Which sounds really good, until you realize that I wouldn't have a company car, the way my current firm offers. So, for an additional $500 per month (minus taxes, deductions, and all that good stuff), I'd need to buy another car, pay for gas, insurance, taxes, and so on. There goes the raise. So I did what any good, upwardly-focused employee would do. I went to my boss, told him the news, and gave him the opportunity to make me a counter offer.

Now, that's not as ballsy as it sounds. Our new district manager, RJ, has only been on the job here in D.C. for about 2 months. In the time he's been here, he's been very focused on sending out district-wide e-mails giving us encouragement and that sort of thing. More importantly, he took the time to meet each team one at a time. He gave some hard and fast criticisms of the way my firm had handled its downsizing, assured us that his door was always open, and was always willing to meet with anyone one-on-one. More importantly, he made no bones about the fact that my firm has lost a number of good people to competitors. The upshot? He flat out told us that we are rebuilding, and in the context of that, he wants to keep as many experienced investigators on staff as possible. So he told us that while we were free to seek employment elsewhere and he would wish us luck, he asked that any of us that thought of leaving should come to him first to give him the opportunity to make us a counter-offer.

So, tomorrow I am going to have a meeting with RJ, along with my team leader, JW. I spoke with JW about the latest developments, my desire to stay with my current firm, and how I appreciate her support and guidance, and she says that she will back me in this endeavor and feels that I am worthy of this counter-offer. RJ said that while he doesn't want to make any promises, he's confident he can match what the other firm has to offer.

So, here we go. In many ways, this is the best of both worlds. I get a promotion, keep the company car, don't have to switch jobs, and still belong to the same firm with the opportunity to move out to Winchester (hopefully) sometime this year, if more opportunities for the data analysis job for the FBI come up. And of course, worst case scenario and nothing comes of it, it's more of the same at this job for the same pay as before. And you know what? I can handle that. For a while longer, at least.

Wish me luck!

And so I find myself once again on a Sunday evening, staring Monday morning grimly in the face. I can't honestly say I have been unlucky in my work, I suppose. I still feel as thought I am under-valued, as while I make an ok living doing what it is I do, I feel that prospects for advancement at my particular firm are limited, especially given the work load we have been getting of late, as well as the company-wide reorganization that resulted in the loss of both my first and second-line supervisors. I do, after all, feel that as someone with a master's degree I should be pulling in about $10,000 per year more than I am, but unfortunately we are in a recession, and over-educated people are a dime a dozen these days. I do, however, take some comfort in the fact that having put 2 years in my field already, I already have some bankable work experience that I can perhaps parlay into another position. The resumes have already been going out, and honestly, I'd say this job probably has about 6 more months.

Unfortunately, I was declined for the position as an OPM special agent. While I met the qualifications for the position, I was evidently not in the very highest bracket, and as such my resume was not forwarded on to the selecting officer. Which is unfortunate, but what can you do? Except, of course, try again next time.

In the meantime, I am keeping my eyes and ears open for positions in the general research, analysis, and security fields. Ideally, I'd like to move somewhere further out from D.C. To me, it's not that big of a deal, but I can tell that the significant other wants a change, and to be honest, given the cost of living in D.C., I'm sure I wouldn't mind. Too much, anyway.

So, in the meantime, life goes on. What it will bring remains to be seen. But as I have learned over the past few years, is that we musn't fear change, but rather remain in the moment as we contemplate the future and recall the past.

Yesterday evening, I finished reading "The Half-Made World," by Felix Gilman, so I figured I would post a brief review here, as I'm trying to keep better track of what I read.



The Half-Made World takes place in a very Dark Tower-like world, a blend of American old west aphorisms and magic. It has steampunk elements as well, but fortunately manages to keep that largely under control, rather than using the steampunk element to sell the story, preferring instead to use it to accentuate the story.

Long story short: the main character is a doctor of psychology named Liz Alverhuysen, who resides and teaches in Koeningswald, a town "back in the old east," beyond the mountains, which is ordered, regular, and long-settled. Beyond the mountains the world is only partially "made," that is to say that it is very much like the American west, only instead of merely rugged and foreboding from a physical point of view, it is very unpredictable and wild as well. Spirits and magic, as well as the elemental forces of primal creation have not settled in yet, and the world remains unpredictable.

In this world, two factions are constantly at war with each other. The first of these is the Line, an industrial, technocratic (but largely self-contained)society which worships machine spirits which take the form of giant, locomotive-like engines. They are driven to conquer, expand, and exploit with their flying machines, motor vehicles, machine guns, poison gas, and barbed wire. The second is the Gun: wild, violent, anarchistic spirits of destruction and chaos who make pacts with gunslingers, soiled doves, and various old-west types and in exchange for doing their will, grant their wielders tremendous powers.

Across this backdrop lie the half-civilized baronies and factions of the unmade west: rump states, semi-civilized collectives, and the various flotsam and jetsam of the various attempts which were made to settle the west after the passes were first discovered through the mountains.

Caught between these two forces is a fallen republic, whose founding general suffered a profound psychological trauma and is now in an insane asylum somewhere in the west. Locked in the broken fragments of his mind are the pieces to a puzzle which, when reassembled, might create a weapon capable of slaying the spirits of both the Line and the Gun, which so far have proven impossible to banish permanently. Naturally, both the Line and the Gun are desperate to get their hands on the general and his weapon. And into this mess walks Dr. Alverhuysen, who at the behest of the director of the asylum, has come west to see if she cannot treat the patients there.

Overall, I quite enjoyed the book. I think it had a few issues with pacing and was predictable in some places, but was nevertheless highly original and worth the read. I hope Gilman decides to explore this world further, as I think he has created something very unique here, and without wanting to spoil anything, I think it's fair to say that there is plenty of room for a continued story line if he so chooses.

Work has been kicking my ass of late. However, I am glad to report that I still have had some free time to work on my hobbies.

Lately, I noticed that one of my 28mm Saxon fryd had lost his spear. I was going to consign him to the casualty pile and then said to myself, "screw it, let's give him a standard."

Well, here we are. My first experiment in making fabric flags for miniatures. I think the texture is pretty neat. Still need to tidy up the edges of the flag and paint the staff. And of course, then varnish. Next up, a raven banner for my Vikings.

Well, it's been a productive day, despite the best efforts of the lousy weather.  Took care of the rest of the laundry, did the dishes, and then Kelsey and I ran off to Home Depot.  In her case, to get some potted plants and seeds.  In my case, to get a cable wrench in the hopes of dislodging the damned gas cap off our motorcycle.  The gas cap seems to have decided to lock itself shut, so right now all we have is a gas cap whose plastic cap insists on rotating around in circles while the actual metal cap seems firmly lodged on.  Rather frustrating given that we got the bike back after 6 months of storage/repair work on a holed piston, but that's all right.  I will have to call Modern Classics on Monday and arrange to drive it in, have the gas cap removed (probably with the help of channel locking pliers, since the cable wrench seemed to have no effect), and replaced.  Annoying, but other than that, he bike has been running like a top, despite the heavy rain which caused some early hiccups this morning and a disconcerting whine from the rear brake (which I assume is rainwater in the drum, as it seems to burn off rather quickly, within the first 25-40 yards of the drive, after which the sound goes away.  I need to order a bike cover ASAP, which I will do tonight.

Other than that, Chinese food, and I completed the last portion of my assessment for my new job.  I think I did pretty well as I knew most of the answers and only had to consult the manual a few times, as well as my notes.  I hope to arrange for a new job interview on Monday for later in the week.

I also ordered the start of my WWI French gear, inspired by the fact that my WWI French reenacting fund has come to fruition, and the fact that I got a package of loaner stuff in the mail for the April event.  I'm looking forward to it, and can totally see why Schipperfabrik has a mixed reputation (seriously, the French greatcoat is flannel weight).

I spend the evening with the better half watching an episode of Star Trek: Voyager.  I'm on the last few episodes of the series.  Despite the bad rap that is has amongst many fans, I actually enjoyed the series when it was on.  But then again, part of that is because I can relate to being trapped on the far side of the galaxy with very few people on whom one can rely.  But I guess that's part of having a State Department childhood.  Also that, and the fact that the year I had my wisdom teeth was the summer between graduating high school and finishing college.  My girlfriend (first real girlfriend at the time...it's a pity we only started dating in November of that previous year) bore a passing resemblance to Jeri Ryan.  As I lay in the hotel bed oozing blood from my gums and distraught over the fact that I had just experienced my first break-up, I imagine the fact that Voyager was in reruns at the time had sometime to do with my affinity for that show.

I also finished painting my first linen banner for my 28mm dark ages armies for Saga or whatever rule set we play.  I must say I was skeptical at first, but the warp and weft of the fabric offers a texture you just don't get with paper banners, and I think I like it.  On that same note, I (finally!) ordered SAGA.  Between SAGA, Warrior Heroes: Armies and Adventures and the FUBAR: Medieval rules, I think that we might have some good fun at the shop over the summer.  Plus, Too Fat Lardies is supposedly putting out a dark ages ruleset sometime soon, which will give us even more versatility.

And although I should be going to bed (the better half turned in hours ago), it's time for another bad 1980s horror/sci-fi.  Having just finished Battle Beyond the Stars (I will have to review that one sometime...a more obvious rip-off of Star Wars there never was!) and Wraith (Randy Quaid, Sherri-Lynn Fenn, and Charlie Sheen in an utterly predictable teen-comes-back-from-the-grave-to-avenge-his-murder-and-theft-of-his-girlfriend-with-a-ghostly-car scenario), I'm not working on Android, a 1982 Klaus Kinski film.

For your enjoyment, I present to you, the trailers.

I really wish people would knock it off with the passive aggressiveness.  What really bothers me is that when I try to talk to people about it, they deny that they are being passive aggressive.  I try to be friendly with folks, but all I've gotten in the past is the cold shoulder and resentment due to the fact that due to my job I can't drop everything I'm doing at all times just to talk.  Life starts and stops.  It ebbs and flows.  It isn't personal, and it isn't directed at anyone.  But I find that more often than not, people hold themselves to much looser standards than they do others.  Which means of course that when I fail to do something, I flake out.  When they fail to do something- respond to my messages, give me feedback, let me know that they appreciate my friendship-- well, they have a lot on their mind. 

When my friends are in trouble, time and time again I do everything IN MY POWER to make them feel better, to lift them up, and help them out.  When I've asked for the same in return, I get mockery, resentment, and the general attitude that I don't have it so bad, so I shouldn't complain.  The worst part is, as this particular relationship that I have in mind has deteriorated, I just know that I will go from being this one person's best friend to an object of contempt and scorn.  I've already been downgraded from best friend to a mere friend, but I can't imagine that that will last.  There will be little demeaning nicknames for me among our remaining circle of friends, as well as snide observations on Facebook.

Why am I writing this?  Because despite the fact that I've always been told that if I have a problem with someone or if I feel that they are acting like shitheads that I should tell them and call them out on it.  But on the few times that I actually have done so?  At best it hasn't changed anything, and at worst has resulted in further fraying of the relationship.

So, if you're reading this and you think you have a pretty good idea of what I'm talking about, call me.  Because I'm sick of pussyfooting around this issue.  Or don't.  The door is always open, but after a while, I stop poking my head outside.

I really ought to update this more often.  I have lots of thoughts in my head that I keep meaning to put to paper, but for whatever reason, never get around to.  Tonight is not the time, obviously.  But sometime.  Soon.