Dispatches since 2005
The journal
Announcements, new editions, travel, diving, cooking and the working life of a novelist — 181 entries, all of them here in full.
December 6, 2013 · 104 words
Snow Day
This was the scene that awaited me this morning. A very quiet, pleasant snowfall that lasted into the afternoon, after which it all began to melt. This is building into a big storm, though, so if you live in Texas or parts of the midwest, you might be on the alert for something less tranquil […]
Read entry →December 4, 2013 · 168 words
The Sex Organs of Parasites . . .
. . . or. if you prefer, orchids. This picture was taken in the National Orchid Garden in Singapore, where hundreds if not thousands of unique orchid varieties are on display. Some are named after politicians or celebrities who visited the gardens. (The one named after Margaret Thatcher looked quite spiky. I suspect po
Read entry →December 1, 2013 · 44 words
The Biggest Day of the Year!
It’s the First of December! Which means that applications are now being accepted for Taos Toolbox, the master class for new writers of fantasy and science fiction! I have a feeling there may be a flood of early applications, so get yours in soon!
Read entry →November 28, 2013 · 213 words
Lights! Turkey! SpongeBob!
We’ve got a lot to celebrate this week: Thanksgiving and Hanukkah, festivals of light, family, and food. So SpongeBob and I wish you the best of the season! SpongeBob, I hear you ask? You see, I was unaware of SpongeBob’s significance to the holiday season until I went to Singapore, which was already decked out [&helli
Read entry →November 24, 2013 · 497 words
Slight Miscalculation
Today was a miserable cold day, so I decided to spend it indoors, catching up on the movies I missed while I was away. So I saw THOR: THE DARK WORLD, which was pretty good as Thor movies go— lots of action, twisty story, some nice comic turns, and each actor had a scene to […]
Read entry →November 23, 2013 · 266 words
Dodging
I’m the only person who saw this nudibranch, and no one was able to identify it from the photo. I couldn’t find it in any of the reference books, so maybe I discovered a new gastropod! Or not. I’m good either way, but if the former, I think nudibranchia hardwired would make a good name. This […]
Read entry →November 21, 2013 · 141 words
Jetlaggin’
I’m home, after about 35 hours in planes, airports, and buses. (The trip out took 44 hours, so coming back I was lucky.) Though I’ve had a couple nights in my own bed, I’m still cross-eyed with jetlag, a totally screwed-up sleep schedule, and readjusting to living at altitude. So why don’t you look at […]
Read entry →November 16, 2013 · 131 words
Afterlife
These are “waruga,” the stone tombs of the Minahasa people of North Sulawesi. The earliest date from around 900 CE, and the latest from the early 19th century, when the Dutch put a stop to this form of burial on the grounds that it was contributing to an epidemic. The deceased was laid to rest […]
Read entry →November 14, 2013 · 221 words
Picture of the Day
This, my friends, is something called an “ornate ghost pipefish.” It’s maybe 4-5 inches long, and it’s one of those fish so cleverly disguised as something else that it stands out for miles. Underwater, where the reds fade out, it looked completely white. Putting the red back in makes it a good deal more striking. [&he
Read entry →November 13, 2013 · 57 words
Nudi Photo
I was diving with a group at night on the black volcanic sand, and I saw this nudibranch cruising over the pebbles. I tried to attract the attention of the others, but they were too busy playing with their $10,000 cameras, so I was the only one who got the photo (with my relatively cheap […]
Read entry →