Jarn’s Journal Year 9 Day 116

Year 9, Day 116

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I’ve been here ten years today!

Needless to say, I did not remember this: the ship’s computer did, and reminded me that it was time for a deep-space check. I had totally forgotten that I defined year one of my calendar as starting on the first northward equinox after my crash landing.

Which, among other things, means that Patches is almost 10 years old. For a mammal species of her size, that’s close to an expected life span.

She seems perky enough today, though, so I compared the results of my exploration to date with my first impressions of the planet, including those recorded by the escape capsule – if any. I really didn’t expect to find much, as most of the computer capability would have been busy trying to get the capsule down in one piece, but to my astonishment the crashing ship had acquired considerably more data than I had realized, and transmitted it to storage in the escape capsule’s library. I’d been far too busy staying alive those first few fivedays to query the computer about something I didn’t even know was there, and even now I did not expect a lot of new data.

The areas I had mapped agreed with the data in the computer’s memory, and usually with more detail – clouds had hidden a great deal of the surface. One thing I was pretty sure of after studying the computer data, though. This planet does indeed have ice caps at both poles. The one to the south is considerably south of this continent. But the continent to the north, where much of the land north of the region I have explored is snow-covered in the winter and even has perennial snow on the mountains, might even extend to the ice cap. This is the ideal time to explore – late summer in the northern hemisphere. If I quit trying to map the northern shore of the tideless sea for a few fivedays and flew directly north from the mountains, I could find out. Why not? I certainly have enough time!

Tonight’s weather report

I hope it doesn’t really get above freezing tomorrow. We don’t need ice on the roads!

This video is very much an experiment, by the way, and I suspect few of you will want to watch more than a few minutes of a half hour weather program! But in case you want a view of how much weather varies across our state, I am going to try putting the Sunday evening weather forecast program on my Monday “North Pole Weather” blogs. Let me know what you think.

Quotes from Jane Austen

Last year, in celebration of the bicentennial of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, I tweeted quotes from that work for one week each month. This year is the bicentennial of Mansfield Park, and while I do not plan to post regular reviews of spinoffs (there aren’t that many) I will tweet quotations from that work, and give their contexts here. Normally this will be the second or third Wednesday of the month, following a week of tweets. This is the first of these blog posts, and the first six of the quotations below are from Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen.

“There certainly are not so many men of large fortune in the world as there are pretty women to deserve them.” Narrator’s comment on the lucky marriage of Miss Maria Ward to Sir Thomas Bertram.

“A girl so brought up must be adequately provided for.” Sir Thomas, when they are discussing the idea of raising Fanny.

“Do not let us be frightened from a good deed by a trifle.” Mrs. Norris, who throughout the book deludes herself into thinking she is responsible for taking Fanny from her poor family and giving her a better life at Mansfield, but who in fact gets out of every obligation.

“It being a wicked thing for her not to be happy.” Mrs. Norris has managed to make Fanny think that Fanny’s failure to be overflowing with happiness at being taken away from her home and siblings is a fault.

“There is moderation in all things.” A good principle in itself, but not as Mrs. Norris applies it to Fanny’s homesickness.

“The favorite holiday sport of the moment, making artificial flowers or wasting gold paper.” Fanny’s cousins are far more interested in other things than in getting to know Fanny.

“Don’t let it be obvious that you’re acting.” Tourist Trap, by Sue Ann Bowling. Lai’s advice to Roi as Zhaim’s trial approaches.

Mansfield Park (Review)

Last year was the bicentennial of Jane Austen’s classic novel, Pride and Prejudice. I took part in the celebration hosted by austenprose.com, which involved reading or watching (and reviewing) a number of spinoffs and DVD’s based on the book. I also added Pride and Prejudice to the books from which I put short quotes on Twitter @sueannbowling, and then explained the contexts on Wednesdays on this blog.

This year another of Jane Austen’s books has its 200^th anniversary: Mansfield Park.

This is a book many critics tend to put near the bottom of Jane Austen’s works. Certainly it has far fewer spinoffs, retellings, or adaptations than Pride and Prejudice, and many readers tend to dismiss it because the heroine, Fanny Price, is merely good, rather than spirited and a bit kickass, like Elizabeth Bennett. This is particularly true since Fanny is set up against Mary Crawford, who seems everything that an Austen heroine should be.

I don’t agree.

Yes, Fanny is a quiet, modest girl who adheres to the mores of her time. But she does not lack a kind of quiet heroism of her own, as when she refuses the outwardly eligible Henry Crawford. And her observations of the other characters, and Jane’s drawing of those characters, is wonderful. I’ve read and reread many of Jane Austen’s books, and I would group Mansfield Park with Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion as far as the number of re-readings gives a ranking.

I’ve heard that Jane’s intention was to give Fanny only goodness, and to purposely show the contrast between the quiet, principled Fanny and the far more engaging but less scrupulous Mary Crawford. Yes, her uncle, especially after his return from Antigua, thinks her “very pretty,” but she is not set up as a great beauty, nor does that seem to be nearly as important, in the marriage market Austen describes, as are wealth and social position.

In fact all of Austen’s heroines are basically good, principled people. They may be naïve in various ways, but there is not a one of them who is not careful of the feelings of others or who would not view adultery (in either sex) with horror. Mansfield Park is the novel in which this characteristic appears in its purest form.

North Pole Weather 1/13/14

As warm as it got yesterday.

The sun will rise this morning at 10:33, and set 4 hours and 58 minutes later at 3:26 this afternoon. At 4° above the horizon the sun is occasionally visible through the trees from my window. It cooled off quite a bit last weekend, though – the electronic thermometer was stuck on LL (below -40) all day Sunday. And that’s temperature, not wind chill. Serves me right for commenting on how it’s often warm here when it’s cold in the Eastern half of the US.

Fairbanks airport, near noon last Tuesday

It’s supposed to cloud over today, which should warm things up. I certainly hope so. My critique group met yesterday afternoon, but I just couldn’t see driving in through the ice fog. It’s so bad downwind, or rather down-drift, of the army power plant that there are warning signs on the highway. I just didn’t want to take the risk.

I flew down to Anchorage to see the cancer surgeon Tuesday, and everything looks great. Apparently the blood marker is going to work fine for me. And the seed catalogs are starting to arrive! Can it be long until spring?

P.S. The 9:15 am temperature is up to -33°F, so maybe I can get in a badly-needed trip for groceries today.

Weekend Writing Warriors: Tourist Trap

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors (click the logo above for other participants) and Snippet Sunday (click the logo below.)

Today I’m jumping back to Tourist Trap, continuing on from December 15 when Roi found his hang glider misbehaving. Here it has just tried to leap up into a stall.

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By the time Roi managed to get it settled into level flight, he found himself headed southwest, straight for the curtain wall before the waterfall and far below the level of the cliff top. Carefully he prepared for another turn, pulling in, sliding his weight to the left, and pushing out, keeping his movements feather light and mentally thanking Derik for insisting that he learn the nearly impossible feat of flying his glider totally uncompensated. The scarlet wing sideslipped violently and made a determined effort to perform a cartwheel, then changed its mind and tried for a back flip instead. Roi fought back with weight and muscle, his body drenched with sweat inside the heavy parka. This time he managed to keep track of his orientation, and when the wing surrendered into level flight, he was heading north within the updraft along the cliff front. Far above and ahead of him a violet speck swung out from the cliff and turned back southward, and Penny’s voice came abruptly into his helmet. “Roi, what do you think you’re doing? Are you all right?”

Tourist Trap is available from Barnes and Noble, Amazon and iUniverse. If you want an eboook, Kindle is out of line on price. Let them know! I can supply a PDF in return for an honest review.

About the book:

A vacation with his three best friends from slavery and a manhood challenge: Roi is given the graduation present he has dreamed of. Dogsledding, hang gliding, a chance to see Pleistocene animals transplanted to a Terraformed vacation world, horseback riding, sailing … all the sports he has returned to with his recovery from paralysis, and a few new ones to learn.

They’re prepared for danger from weather, wild animals and extreme sports. But none of them realize that Roi’s half brother Zhaim, determined to recover his old position as Lai’s heir, intends to kill them if he can—and he’s decided that the dangers of the trip will make a perfect cover for his schemes.

How long will it take them to realize that the “accidents” they keep running into are more than just accidents?

Jarn’s Journal Year 9 Day 102

Year 9, Day 102

How long do wild dogs live?

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It’s been almost nine years since I rescued Patches. For much of that time, she has been my only constant companion. Oh, Giraffe used to borrow her to help him hunt. But Little Gnu and Rhino didn’t want her around, so I took her exploring with me.

This past year Rainbow has felt much safer with Patches’ nose and eyes to warn her of trouble when she is gathering, though I have assured her that the warnoff that I insist she wear makes that unnecessary. But the area I was exploring at the time was so hot and dry that I thought Patches was better off with Rainbow, and later I didn’t want to risk her being found by the northern hunters. So I hadn’t paid her much attention until the People left.

I knew she was getting a little fat; Rainbow insists on giving her treats. But it wasn’t until this morning that I noticed that she was a little lame when she first woke up. Had she strained something?

I needed to replenish Rainbow’s meat store, and Patches seems to enjoy these scavenging trips so I teleported her with me to an area with dense herds of game and several prides of lions. She stopped limping as she warmed up, and I decided she had just gotten into an awkward position while she slept. But this evening she seems stiff again.

I know it’s not uncommon for the older People to be stiff when they first get moving in the morning, and those really old sometimes stay stiff all day. Could Patches be getting old?

Quotes from Andre Norton and Others

Here are the contexts of the quotes tweeted from @sueannbowling between January 2 and January 8, 2014.

“The best songs cannot be forgotten.” Songsmith, by Andre Norton and A. C. Crispin. Eydryth’s final thoughts on the night of her wedding.

“All things died in their time.” The Key of the Keplian, by Andre Norton and Lyn McConchie. Eleeri, realizing that her great-grandfather is dying.

“Nothing stays the same forever.” The Key of the Keplian, by Andre Norton and Lyn McConchie. Cynan, trying to explain why the people of Karsten turned against the Old Race.

“To all things there comes a time. This is yours—to go.” The Key of the Keplian, by Andre Norton and Lyn McConchie. Cynon, sending Eleeri away before his death.

“It wasn’t possible to be homesick for a place you’d never lived in. Was it?” The Key of the Keplian, by Andre Norton and Lyn McConchie. But Eleeri is feeling increasingly that the call in her mind greatly resembles homesickness.

“Sometimes wishes can be more powerful than the one who wished ever knows.” The Key of the Keplian, by Andre Norton and Lyn McConchie. Eleeri has summoned the memory of strychnine to kill the Gray Ones, but then wishes that any other carrion-eaters who feast on the poisoned carcass will not be harmed – and they are not.

“Are you sure you aren’t misinterpreting his actions?” Tourist Trap, by Sue Ann Bowling. Ramil, when first faced with the possibility of executing Zhaim.

North Pole Weather, 12/6/14

The sun will rise at 10:46 this morning and set 4 hours 22 minutes later, at 3:08 pm. We’re now gaining almost 4 ½ minutes a day, and it will be 5 before the end of the week. Should have no problem getting home after my dentist appointment today, unless that freezing rain materializes.

It’s been snowing a little but not particularly cold and not raining, thank goodness. I was worried for a bit when I saw the weather forecast Saturday, which put us in an area of mixed rain and snow, but it’s not that warm – forecast high today around 20°F. That’s a very pleasant day for Interior Alaska at this time of year.

Forecast Sunday night for today’s jet stream. (Source)

Wondering why we have it so warm while the news is all about cold? Well, that cold air over the central and eastern states is being dumped out of the Arctic. Something has to replace it, and we’re getting the warm air heading back north over us. Since we have the Alaska Range to our south, most of the moisture yesterday fell on the south side of the range. We had only a few sprinkles of snow. Today looks wetter to me, as the local direction of the jet stream is parallel to the valleys. In fact, this morning’s weather forecast on the radio mentioned light freezing rain as a possibility. I just hope the weather lets me fly to Anchorage tomorrow – it’s on the south side of the range!

Weekend Writing Warriors: Homecoming

It’s Sunday again, and time for Weekend Writing Warriors (click on the logo above) and Snippet Sunday (click on the logo below.) Today I’m posting 8 sentences from my first published book, Homecoming available in all formats from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and iUniverse.

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This continues Roi’s controlled dream from last week.

Get away! Keep running! But Snowy was frozen in shock just long enough for the gasping giant to grab his arm and swing him against the wall, hard enough that Snowy felt bones splinter. The guard must have felt it, too, and known he was in trouble for damaging his owner’s property. His eyes flicked to the balcony railing, and he made a sudden dive for Snowy. Something in Snowy’s mind knew the guard’s intention and struck out is frantic self-preservation, and at the same instant Snowy was inside the guard’s mind, somersaulting over the balcony railing and falling, screaming, to the stone-paved floor below, while the slave he had intended to destroy before  it could communicate what he’d done huddled on the balcony above ….

If you’ve been wondering about that “I think I killed a man,” this is what Roi remembers.

Next week I’m going back to to the hang gliding in Tourist Trap.