Been reading After 1177 by Eric Cline on my trip, not that I had much time for reading. It's the sequel to his book 1177: The Year Civilization Collapsed.

In the first book, Cline analysed the world of the late Bronze Age and the factors leading to the "Bronze Age Collapse" when several societies of that time unravelled in fairly short order. Familiar ones might be the Mycenean Greeks and Hittites. Even some big powers like Egypt and Assyria took a hit.

With this book, he picks up the story in the wake of the collapse, looking at which societies survived, which ones actually prospered, and at some new ones that appeared in place of those that went down (e.g. the Hebrew kingdoms of Judah and Israel in Canaan).

Good followup to a terrific book. One thing Cline is doing is drawing possible parallels to the modern worlds and looking in general at what makes a society resilient and able to resist major changes (e.g. the impacts of climate change). Apparently there's a third book in progress that will take things up to the familiar classical world of Greece and Rome.

Good day, y'all. Refreshed the coffee and tea. Goodie stock is looking fine as are the cold drinks.

Got my cleaning done (we left just before a weekend so it's been almost three weeks) and contemplating what writing project to pick up now that we are getting settled in after our trip.

Depends on the bush and where it is. For instance, the yews under our front window need a haircut at least once a season or they block the casement window (not that we open that one much).

Gas mower or electric?

While the big names like Macmillan and Penguin get a lot of the headlines and eyeballs, there's a raft of smaller presses, often very specialized, to look at as possible markets. Here's a list of 22 from Authors Publish.

https://authorspublish.com/22-terrific-small-presses-open-to-direct-submissions/

One that caught my eye is the Canadian imprint Annick Press, noted for being one of our top publishers of children's literature. Their marquee author is children's author Robert Munsch (Paperbag Princess, Love You Forever), who signed with them back when Annick ran out of the publisher's basement.

Not on DVD or in a theater, but I finally saw Godzilla Minus One. Oh wow, did they ever stick the landing on this one. An intense, moving personal drama about a kamikaze pilot who backed out of his mission and has serious PTSD combined with a dark tale of Godzilla terrorizing a late forties Japan that is still recovering from the bombings and other events of the war's end. And all done so, so well. It landed the Oscar for VFX but the writing and acting are top notch, too.

Minus One is a standalone, not related to any other Godzilla movies but there's a post-credit stinger that leaves the door open for a sequel if Toho wants to go there. I think this movie stands very well on its own and would be quite happy to see it remain a standalone.

Quote by AnnaMayZing

Some time ago, I posted here, a young lady, just thirteen years old, called Patricia Janečková. She was singing a beautiful piece from Once Upon a Time in the West. I was absolutely shaken to the core to discover that she had passed away at the very young age of just twenty-five years.

R.I.P Patricia.

Yeah, I came across her not long ago (maybe on your recommendation?) and was quite saddened when I realized she was no longer with us. Lovely voice and great musical talent.

I've been catching up on music that came out during my travels (I'm just back from Greece) and there's a lot. Here's a couple.

Chrissy Costanza is the very talented lead singer of Against The Current but released her solo debut last year. This new solo track is from a forthcoming deluxe edition of that album. I'm a bit cynical about this whole business of releasing deluxe editions soon after the original release, but if it gets us songs like this, I'll bite my tongue and enjoy.

And from a rather darker end of the musical spectrum, we have German industrial-goth-metal band Lord Of The Lost. Lush, dark sound and some fantastic writing. Lead singer, writer, and band founder Chris Harms has a unique vocal sound that is perfect for the tone of the band's music. This is from the forthcoming Opus Noir Vol. II (Vol. I came out a couple months ago, Vol. II is due in December).

Ape walks in and looks around. After a satisfied grunt, ape gives the place a good cleaning, then puts on a fresh pot of Jamaican Blue Mountain dark roast along with a couple teapots of Assam Organic and Yorkshire Gold. He checks the fridge and gives the pitchers a good wash before making fresh iced tea and lemonade. From the back room, he pulls out some cases of pop and reloads.

καλησπέρα (kallispera), which is "good afternoon" to us English speaking folks. Hope you all had a good time while I was off enjoying Greece (the country, not the musical, which would be "enjoying Grease"). I am back and rather devoid of writing ideas, though I hope to get back to my long piece soon.

Here's some good in case you're a mite peckish.

I'm mostly a red person. I have had wine both with meals and just as a drink. Had some nice Greek wines while over there the past couple weeks.

Rake the leaves or leave them where they fall to rot?

Wine. Not much of a beer fan. Had a few glasses of the local stuff in Greece. Also some ouzo but that's another story.

Phone cam or actual camera?

(and has this place always supported animated avatars or is that new?)

Done both, enjoy both, but having a guide definitely helps, esp. in a country where you don't speak the lingo (e.g. my current trip to Greece). OTOH, being on your own gives you a lot more flexibility.

Tour one country in depth or do a "grand tour" of a continent or region?

Single. I have a hard enough time by myself without having to coordinate with another. 🤪

On a trip: See the sights or shop and eat/drink?

Quote by gillianleeza
if Congress can't get its act together, I am going to lose my healthcare

Vibes. The whole thing seems insane to those of us North of the border. Can't remember this ever happening and not sure it could. Wish the Washington crowd could have more empathy for those like you who are impacted.

Hello from Athens. Boarding my Aegean cruise in a few hours. My next post will likely be from somewhere out there like Rhodes or Crete.

Καλησπέρα. That would be "Good Evening" in Greek. Meeting my tour group for dinner in a few minutes but thought I would pop in to see what's up. Eating lots of gyros, moussaka, souvlaki etc. Seeing lots of ancient cool stuff. In Olympia tonight. No foot races or pagan rites to Zeus involved.

Quote by JustAnotherSapphic

I'm not dead, I promise. I just forgot this exists oops.

Hello, stranger. Hope all is well with you.

Later, alligators. Have a good one and take care.

Good morning! I shall be leaving for my vacation this evening but thought I would pop in and do a big pot of dark roast Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. For teas, there's English Breakfast and Earl Grey. Pitchers are washed and topped up with fresh lemonade and unsweetened iced tea. And there's goodies. I have arranged daily delivery from the bakery. They will also refresh the coffee and tea.

One of my favourite songs of last year was "Lanternlight", a powerful, emotional ballad that was the closer for Nightwish's album Yesterwynde. It featured Floor Jansen's powerful voice with just piano and strings behind her. With the band off the road indefinitely, it's been unclear when we would get to hear it live. Last night, at the first concert of her Strijdlust solo tour of the Netherlands (her home country), Floor delivered, giving a beautiful solo performance of "Lanternlight" accompanied by a live string trio and her solo keyboardist.

Quote by verbal
Anyway. I wrote a thing about Moby Dick, which I read this summer. It’s on the front page is anyone is interested. Don’t worry, it’s hardly literary criticism. Just my two cents.

I liked it and I haven't even read Moby Dick, just know the basics from various past encounters. Should get around to it but Melville has never really had much appeal for me for some reason. For my trip reading, not that I'll have much time for reading, I will likely pack along the Iliad and Odyssey, given my destination. Must see what translations my library has available. My editions are the old Penguin ones by E. V. Rieu and the English is a bit antiquated even for my time. Good translations, though.

Quote by verbal
along with ABC and CBS

Honestly? The media corporations are partly to blame. In the case of ABC, their owner Disney is more than happy to throw bucketloads of money and lawyers at even the slightest infringement on their IP but the government attacks one of the stars of their broadcast network and they fold like paper. It illustrates exactly why media concentration is dangerous.

Love comes from the heart.

Quote by CuriousAnnie
After a sojourn into Spain for a wedding we are back in Portugal, a truly stunning part of the world.

My Portuguese co-worker would die to hear that. She is always boosting Portugal as a destination. She was born here in Canada but because of her parentage, can apply for Portugese citizenship so she and her sister are both doing it so they spend at least part of their retirements there.

Europe seems to be a popular destination around here these days. I'm headed to Greece soon, a co-worker (another one, not the Portuguese one) is in Portugal right now, another was in Italy recently, my boss is doing a Danube cruise later in the Fall.

Quote by CuriousAnnie
but is over his parents interest in Roman ruins and, seriously, what is this fascination with megalithic standing stones; stones are stones after all

LOL, that was my son when we were in Europe. And my wife to some degree when we hit Greece. She's more about scenery than old ruins and museums while I studied ancient history and culture in university so am all over this stuff.

Nice to hear from you, Annie. Hope all is well with you and the family.

Beyond the Black is a German symphonic metal band fronted and led by singer Jennifer Haben, who packs a fair punch vocally. Lord of the Lost are another German band who bring together a diverse mix of metal, gothic, industrial, and electronica to create a rather unique sound under the leadership of songwriter and lead singer Chris Harms. Putting them together creates an interesting sonic mix to say the least. Chris has been doing a lot of good, interesting teamups of late and this is no different. It is slated for release on Beyond the Black's next album, coming in January.

Dot and dash send messages.

Author's Publish put out a list of 30 horror markets, both magazines and anthologies. There's some general markets, some calls for specific topics. Topic include "Eerie Christmas", "Exit Interview" (horror about losing/leaving a job), "Into the deep dark woods" (primeval wilderness horror), and one that is quite timely and likely needs no explanation, "Secret Police, ICE, and the Disappeared". Have a look and see if your next spooky, eerie, or downright horrific story could go somewhere here.

» 30 Magazines and Anthologies Publishing Horror Fiction

Getting quiet around here. I'll clean up and put out fresh brownies and cookies for anyone who may be around. There's some dark roast Costa Rican coffee made. Teas are Yorkshire Gold and Jasmine Green. Pitchers of iced tea and lemonade are refilled.

With vacation looming, I am probably going to be scarce after another week and a bit. Not a writing vacation either. Going to be touring and cruising. I am working away on this new long-form story (still won't commit to a length) but I'm thinking of a major revision to create a bit more tension and mystery. Not sure how it will go but I have versioning turned on in my word processor so I can always roll back if it doesn't work.

Life is abundant on Earth.

Should put on some coffee, I guess. Here's some Fire-Roasted Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. Teas are East Frisian (a German-style black blend) and Lemon Kick (herbal). Pitchers are washed and refilled with lemonade and iced tea. Soda is stock up. Haven't seen Cora in a bit and the munchies are running low, so here's some of the usual goodies.

Love that F+M video, even if they aren't necessarily favourites of mine.

Arjen Anthony Lucassen is a bit of a legend on the Dutch music scene. His bands Ayreon and Star One pull together casts of top singers to make concept albums with real sweep and scope. However, his latest, Songs No One Will Hear, is being released under his own name as a solo album with Arjen himself doing much of the singing and playing guitar as well as producing. However, he still dug out his prodigious address book to pull together the band and called on some of his longtime musical friends to help out.

This track sets the stage for the album's concept: Humanity is doomed by a Cretaceous-level asteroid impact that is due in just days. The songs chronicle the reactions of various people around the world as the end draws near. It's dark and melancholy, but the music is wonderful. Arjen is a great songwriter and knows some of the best in the business.

Female vocalist is (I think, sources have disagreed) Irene Jansen, sister to Floor Jansen about whom I rave much (and who appears on another song that I think I have already posted in this thread). While she is the younger sister, Irene is very much Floor's equal now, with a soaring voice and powerful belts that sometimes have me wondering which sister I am hearing.

BTW, one review I read attributed it to Floor herself, an easy mistake to make, but the credits in the video description say it's Irene so I am assuming those are correct.

Cabin. With my back, not sure tenting is for me.

By a lake or in the mountains?

A couple nice new videos from Laufey today. She shot these on location at the Guggenheim in New York with a live band and dancers. Nice performances by both Laufey and the dance team.

Quote by verbal
Though Talia and I will have some exciting news for everyone come mid-October. Save the date!

Oo, good timing. Just after I get back. 😀

I have come to the realization that writing after work isn't happening anymore. I seem to be too burnt out in the evening or other things come up that need my attention. I did quite a bit of work on my long-gestating story last weekend, so there's that. This coming weekend will be a "work weekend" though. There's some stuff to get ready before we head off (like cleaning up the garage so we can lock both cars indoors while we're away).

That said, maybe I'll get some ideas on the trip. It's set on an island and I will be visiting plenty of those. I noticed that we can do an optional excursion that include Hydra, where Leonard Cohen lived and wrote in the sixties (The Favorite Game and his first couple books of poetry were written there) and then retained a residence to stay from time to time after his music career took off. Not sure my wife will go for it, though. She barely knows who he is whereas he's one of my literary and musical idols.

(Footnote: Per a couple sources, his house there, bought for $1500 from his grandmother's estate, is still in the family, with son Adam inheriting it after Leonard died)

Beauty is good for soul.