Month: February 2009

RIP, PJF

Karl Elvis3 Comments

Philip José Farmer, one of sci fi’s great minds, is gone (see entry on him in BoingBoing).

Damn. I shed a tear.

PJF was one of the writers who turned me on to the genre. Not just to what sci fi was, but what it could do and where it could go. WHen I discovered his work as a youjng teen, First via his Edgar Rice Burroughs pastiche, HAdon of ANcient Opar, which actually was one of the best books he ever wrote), and then with ‘vebus on the half shell’ and the ‘world of tiers’, it changed how I read sci fi.

When I began reading, it was because I wanted fantasy and space. Narnia, Tolkein, Asimov. But it wasn’t until I found two authors (Farmer and Zelazney) that I encountered what I’d call ‘adult sci fi’; sci fi that isn’t just about space, but is about life and people.

Farmer isn’t by any means a great writer. His work can be clunky and awkward to my reader’s eye today. But it wasn’t his prose skills that made him important. What made him important was the wild, bizarre imagination, and the impossible yet believable world he created. Who else could have invented River World, with every human ever to live reincarnated along the banks of a seemingly endless river? Who else could have invented the World of Tiers (a world shaped like a giant wedding cake), or Day World where everyone’s in status 6 days a week and gets to live only on one week day. Who else could have gotten into the minds (and crotches) of tarzan, doc savage, teh Wizard of Oz, and so many other characters? He invented the ‘Wold Newton’ concept, interconnecting characters and real people in common universes. Zelazney’s ‘lonesom october’ and alan moor’s “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” certainly owe him direct debt, as do dozens of other writers who use this device.

PJF was, for many years, my favorite write; and he’s still one of those few who I think changed sci fi, not just for me, but for the genre itself. He opened doors between the real world and the fantastic one in a way no other writer I can think of (then, at least) ever did.

He’ll be missed.

backpiece: second session

Karl Elvis5 Comments

I wound up having to re-schedule my planned surgery (it’ll be pushed out a month or so). Which means I was able to get my second tattoo appointment in after all (luckily, Klem hadn’t filled it). Hence, second session. Outline is done; next time, we start on adding details (scales on the mermaids, more detail […]

I wound up having to re-schedule my planned surgery (it’ll be pushed out a month or so).

Which means I was able to get my second tattoo appointment in after all (luckily, Klem hadn’t filled it).

Hence, second session. Outline is done; next time, we start on adding details (scales on the mermaids, more detail on the eagle wings and ship, etc). After that comes shading, and then color.

Click images for bigger version.

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Courts and Hackett ring released

Karl Elvis19 Comments

I can finally post pictures; David just emailed me and let me know the wait’s over. The Courts and Hackett ‘Keith Richards Death Head RIng’ is available for purchase at courtsandhackett.com Here’s the ring on my hand, New Year’s eve. This thing is heavy. It’s solid. It’s the biggest skull ring I own. And it’s […]

I can finally post pictures; David just emailed me and let me know the wait’s over.

The Courts and Hackett ‘Keith Richards Death Head RIng’ is available for purchase at courtsandhackett.com

Here’s the ring on my hand, New Year’s eve.


courts_and_hacketNYE.jpg

This thing is heavy. It’s solid. It’s the biggest skull ring I own. And it’s the one with the pedigree; based on Keith’s ring, hand made by David Courts and Bill Hackett in 1978.

I love this ring. It’s absolutely stunning.

not for three weeks

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I had these plans to post additional pictures for two of my last posts; better pix of the Thurxton, and of course, new pictures of my back once it was healed up.

Clearly we’re still waiting.

My back is, to the best of my ability to tell, completely healed. Which means it’s time for more ink, obviously. Only thing is, I have a conflict next week when I was scheduled to get the next session. So it’s going to be another month or so ’til we have progress.

The bike, though, is everything I’d hoped. It is, without question, the most fun ride I’ve ever had (at least the most fun ride that didn’t have a pulse). As I’ve gotten to know it, I’ve liked it more with each ride. The handling is fantastic, the exhaust note from the TOR pipes is gorgeous, and it’s got all the speed I need (no, it’s not the fastest bike I’ve ever owned, but I’m ok with that). I just need better weather to get on it and ride every day (I no longer own any rain gear for riding, so I’m still your basic fair weather rider).

However, both things need to get postponed for a while, since I’m going in next week for rotator cuff surgery; I’ll be off my bike for three weeks, and obviously the surgery conflicted with my tattoo schedule.

Honestly, that’s the main reason I’m bothered by the surgery. The repair in my shoulder will be minor, and the recovery should be reasonably quick. But for a boy with a brand new toy, hearing “not for three weeks” sounds like an eternity.

On the other hand, enforced time off work isn’t sounding that bad, even if it comes with pain. And there’s percocet. Mmm, percocet.

EDIT:

After spending the weekend working on clearing out mom’s house and my brother’s long-ignored storage space, I realize there’s no fucking way I can be down for three weeks right not. I’ve postponed the surgery (for a couple of months, I suspect).

Luckily, my tattoo appointment was still clear; which means I *can* get inked after all. Which is WAY better than getting cut open.