Jay Lake: Writer

[links] Link salad awakens with slow reluctance

In case you missed it over the weekend, my new cancer tattoo: [ jlake.com | LiveJournal ] — Yes, on the back of my skull.

Christopher Walken reads Where The Wild Things Are

Antarctica – Fantastical World without Borders — An Antarctica travelog, relevant to one of my future projects. (Via bravado111.)

Avería: The Average Font — Interpolative typography. Huh. Fascinating. (Thanks to kshandra.)

Washington Park: 1907 — Detroit’s “moon towers”, as depicted here, later were sold to the City of Austin, where most of them still survive.

One’s A Crowd — The trend toward living alone?

garyomaha on working lunches, or not

Neurocinematic comparison of monkeys and humans — Spaghetti western reveals differences between human and monkey brain. Mmm, neurocinematic. I loved this bit: Like most other films, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is a complex multisensory stimulus, filled with rich, operatic imagery and, of course, Ennio Morricone’s unforgettable score. It is, however, fairly safe to assume that humans and monkeys will interpret the film quite differently. (Via danjite.)

Path Is Found for the Spread of Alzheimer’s — The headline is slightly misleading, as the story refers to Alzheimer’s progression within an individual rather than to transmission between individuals. Interesting stuff.

The Komen Controversy: Planned Parenthood Claims a New Kind of Victory in the Culture War — I am baffled by the conservative charge that Planned Parenthood “bullied” Komen. What is the Right’s treatment of Planned Parenthood but bullying, if you want to frame it in those terms? More to the point, for decades the entire forced pregnancy movement is about bullying desperate, vulnerable young women and their medical providers. What else is a clinic blockade or a doctor target list but sheer, awful bullying in the name of what? The god of love? Decency? Conservative bigotry and “morals”? Can you imagine the reaction if liberal-progressives blockaded churches and targeted pastors? Project much, guys? The Right can dish it out, but they can’t take it.

A Puritan’s ‘war against religion’ — Roger Williams, the Puritan who founded Rhode Island, insisted on the state refraining from intervening in the relationship between humans and God. Freedom of religion absolutely means freedom from religion. That is the best protection any church has against persecution. Despite the modern GOP interpretation, freedom of religion doesn’t mean the freedom to exercise oppressive bigotry, narrow-minded judgmenentalism, or tear down educational and cultural standards in favor of silly mythmaking.

ericjamesstone points out that I am wrong in characterizing Romney as saying he won’t have a Muslim in his cabinet — This in connection to my comment that I thought making an issue of Romney’ religion was a red herring, until he made an issue of Islam as a religion. Speaking as an atheist, there is nothing more or less at issue with Romney’s LDS membership than there is with Newt’s Catholicism or Clinton’s Southern Baptist faith. To me, the religion of the candidates would only be an issue if there were a straightforward atheist running on a major party ticket. Which won’t likely happen in my lifetime…

Senate GOP: Activist Federal Judges Wanted — The hypocrisy of a group of Republicans who are supporting the lawsuit against Obama’s recess appointments. Republicans being hypocritical? That’s as inconceivable as the idea of Newt Gingrich cheating on his wife.

The true conservative alternative: Ron Paul? — It’s sad that conservatism has become a race to the bottom to display the most ignorance, bigotry and sheer foolishness.

?otd: Dream much??

2/6/2012
Writing time yesterday: 5.5 hours (Sunspin revisions)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 7.5 (solid)
Weight: 229.4
Currently reading: The Man in the Moone, and Other Lunar Fantasies ed. Faith Pizor

Tags: Antarctica, Art, Books, Cancer, Culture, gender, healthcare, Links, Movies, Personal, Politics, Publishing, Religion, scorner, Tech, Texas, Videos, work

Posted: 6:29 am Mon February 06 2012 | Comments(0) |

[cancer|photos] Tattooing my scalp

Yesterday I went back to see artist Eric S. Quale at Sea Tramp Tattoo. It’s only been a week since I got my wrist tattoos updated. This time I was getting my head tattooed.

I wanted “If you can read this, I have cancer again.” on the back of my head, where it would be covered up as my hair grew in once more. That way, the tattoo will be a marker if I have to do a third round of chemotherapy and lose my hair again. Otherwise it will be a crypto-tattoo, hidden by the hair that is a marker of my health and a signal of my self-image.

I’d been being a wimp about the pain, but in talking to my therapist a few days ago, I realized it was important to me to flip the bird to cancer in a big way. Instead I cheated, apply some EMLA to my scalp (topical anesthetic cream) and popping a Lorazepam to mellow me out. Also, at the last minute, I added one of each of my wrist symbols to the tattoo — the zodiacal sign for cancer, symbolizing my surgeries; and the biohazard glyph, symbolizing my chemotherapies.

mlerules and her friend E— took me in, as with a Lorazepam on board I wasn’t fit to drive, and besides which, I needed someone to do photo documentation. Here’s how it all went down….

Saran wrap to protect the EMLA on my scalp

The art for the tattoo — Note the symbols matching those on my wrist

Eric S. Quale at work on me

A closer shot of the same thing

Me showing off the finished product, note the tattoos on my left wrist

A close up view of the finished product

As usual, more at the Flickr set.

Photos © 2012, Joseph E. Lake, Jr. and Emily Siskin

This work by Joseph E. Lake, Jr. and Emily Siskin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Tags: Art, Cancer, friends, health, Photos

Posted: 8:15 am Sat February 04 2012 | Comments(1) |

[art] Dreaming Cat, by the Child

the_child made a get well card for Lizzy Shannon (who’s recently had surgery), and I loved the picture she drew so much I asked her permission to put it on my blog. She told me not until Lizzy had seen the card first. Well, card has been delivered, and so now the rest of you get to enjoy the image.

Dreaming Cat, by B. Lake

This work by B. Lake. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Tags: Art, Child

Posted: 6:38 am Thu February 02 2012 | Comments(2) |

[cancer] Getting the tattoos updated

Yesterday I went to get my cancer scoreboard tattoos refreshed, accompanied by mlerules, who took photos. This is a follow up on last year’s ink session, adding a new one of each icon series to commemorate my 2012 chemo and surgery experiences. (See here [ jlake.com | LiveJournal ] for the original discussion of the tattoo process, along with photos.)

I am still debating whether to get the tattoo on the back of my skull. I don’t have any philosophical objection to what I’ve been considering, I’m just trying to decide how big a pain wimp I am. You’d think after all the surgeries, I’d be accustomed to this.

Anyway, some photos…

The Sea Tramp Tattoo shop its own self.

Me filling out the “I’m not drunk” release form.

Tattoo artist Eric Quale gearing up.

Me getting the ink.

The new ink, specifically the rightmost biohazard and zodiacal cancer icons.

As usual, more at the Flickr set.

Photos © 2012 Emily Siskin, reproduced with permission.

Tags: Art, Cancer, health, Personal, Photos

Posted: 8:32 am Sun January 29 2012 | Comments(2) |

[cancer] Updating the ink, general progress

This morning I am off to have the tattoos on my wrist updated. (See here [ jlake.com | LiveJournal ] for the original discussion of the tattoo process, along with photos.) mlerules is coming with for moral support and documentation purposes.

In general, at the moment I feel pretty healthy. I’m not quite back to baseline, but I’m very close. That’s with me only about five and half weeks out of the FOLFIRI chemo series. This is a sharp contrast to the months of recovery time from the 2010 FOLFOX chemo series. I still struggle a little bit with fatigue and sleep issues, and my lower GI is even more eccentric than usual, but that’s about it. Given that my next CT scan is in two and half weeks, I’m just enjoying what I have right now, and hoping not to be plunged back into the medical mixmaster right away.

After the ink, and probably lunch out, I’ll be hanging with the_child this afternoon. Late in the day, I may go visit a friend who just got sprung from the hospital, if they’re up to company. And there will be some Sunspin revisions at some point. That’s what’s going on.

Tags: Art, Books, Cancer, Child, friends, health, Personal, Sunspin, Writing

Posted: 7:45 am Sat January 28 2012 | Comments(2) |

[links] Link salad ate haggis last night

Trilogies: Third time’s not always the charm

Hello Kitty Darth Vader — JD Hancock strikes again.

The New French Hacker-Artist Underground — (Snurched from Steve Buchheit.)

No Disrespect for the Meatball Hero — Mmm, food.

X-Ray Laser Turns Up the Heat to 3.6 Million Degrees — I love this line: The advancement represents the first time researchers have been able to produce such plasmas in a controlled way.

Bizarre skin disease Morgellons not infectious, CDC says

Europe, Data, and the ‘Right to Be Forgotten’

The Amazing Government Sting That Cost Google $500 Million (GOOG)

Study: Ocean Acidity Exceeds Natural Norms — Oops.

Five shots against global warming denialism

Who should recuse on Prop 8? — Jed Hartman is funny.

Why Evangelicals Don’t Like Mormons — Oddly, this article refers to Romney as a ‘Protestant’. Are Mormons considered Protestants? I never heard that.

‘Stop-Newt’ Republicans Confront Base Unwilling to Take Orders — Hahahah.

?otd: Have you ever eaten haggis?

1/25/2012
Writing time yesterday: 1.75 hour (1.5 hours on Sunspin revisions, plus a bit of misc WRPA)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 6.5 (solid)
Weight: 226.6
Currently reading: Scourge of the Betrayer by Jeff Salyards

Tags: Art, Books, climate, Cool, Culture, Food, France, healthcare, Links, Personal, Politics, Publishing, Religion, Science, Tech, weird

Posted: 6:16 am Thu January 26 2012 | Comments(7) |

[art|child] Idea of a Bird

© 2012 B. Lake, reproduced with permission

Tags: Art, Child

Posted: 6:11 am Wed January 18 2012 | Comments(0) |

[links] Link salad for a holiday week hump day

Bohn’s ‘Visions of the Future’ Ads, 1940s — I have some of these framed on my living room wall at Nuevo Rancho Lake. (Via Curiosity Counts.)

Visualized: IBM’s 1956 HDD packs 5MB of storage, requires forklift for installation — Mmm, storage. (Via my brother.)

Ghosts in the Machines — Photos of the remains of Bethlehem Steel. Big Industry’s corpse.

New Work on FTL Neutrinos

Giant shrimp raises big concern as it invades the Gulf

If Your Teeth Could Talk… — The Mouth Offers Clues to Disorders and Disease; Dentists Could Play Larger Role in Patient Care.

Normal today, cancer tomorrow — Researchers discover how cancer can develop overnight.

The Incredible True Story of the Collar Bomb Heist — Dept of things so weird you couldn’t make them up. (Via David Goldman.)

Keeping Students From the Polls — That’s the GOP. Since they can’t win on ideas, they cheat through outrageous gerrymandering and voter suppression. These days there isn’t even any pretense left, either.

O Lucky Mitt — Mitt Romney and the Republican primary process.

Rick Perry Sues Virginia Republicans Over Ballot Access — Sues in federal court over state ballot access rules. Because Republicans are so about states’ rights, except when inconvenient for their political ends. The hypocrisy, it burns.

?otd: Working or off today?

12/28/2011
Writing time yesterday: 0.0 hours (chemo fatigue)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 10.0 (solid)
Weight: 204.4
Currently (re)reading: The White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey

Tags: Art, Cancer, Cool, Culture, healthcare, Links, Personal, Photos, Politics, Science, Tech

Posted: 8:05 am Wed December 28 2011 | Comments(0) |

[links] Link salad looks toward the end of the year

A reader reacts to Green — Mildly with the liking, damning with faint praise one might say.

Blast Off! 36 Retro Sci Fi Book Covers — (From willyumtx.)

The Muses of Insert, Delete and Execute — Writing in the digital age. (Snurched from crowleycrow here.)

Navigating Love and Autism

Earth has two ‘moons’ right now, theorists say (Via David Goldman.)

The Mystery Behind Anesthesia — Mapping how our neural circuits change under the influence of anesthesia could shed light on one of neuroscience’s most perplexing riddles: consciousness.

The Underwritten States of America — 19th century medical insurance rate maps. Really?

Should Medical Journals Print Info That Could Help Bioterrorists? — Scientists are butting heads with the government over whether scientific openness trumps national security. The fact that we’re asking the question means the terrorists have won. Closing an open society is a victory for oppression.

FBI agent’s journey from pulpit to prison — Darin McAllister’s life unraveled as the housing crisis revealed inflated figures on his loan documents. The former LAPD officer sees his four-year sentence for fraud as another of life’s tests. Why are we reading stories about fraudulent mortgage applicants when we should be reading stories about fraudulent mortgage executives?

Newly recovered court files cast doubt on Gingrich version of first divorce — I am beyond baffled at Newt’s attraction to the GOP base. I think I understand why they liked Bachmann, for example (regardless of my own opinions of her, I mean), or even Romney, but Gingrich? Serial adulterer, serial liar, multimillionaire with a Trump sized ego who nearly wrecked the Republican revolution he helped launch? What’s in him for them?

Springtime for Toxics — Mindless opposition to “job killing” regulations is now part of what it means to be a Republican. Most conservative stances require mindlessness these days, not just opposition to environmental regulation.

?otd: Planning on any bonfires?

12/27/2011
Writing time yesterday: 0.0 hours (chemo fatigue)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 9.25 (solid)
Weight: 204.4
Currently (re)reading: The White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey

Tags: Art, Books, Cool, Culture, Green, healthcare, Links, Personal, Politics, Process, reviews, Science, Tech

Posted: 5:49 am Tue December 27 2011 | Comments(0) |

[links] Link salad says Happy Solstice

If Dragon’s Mass Eve Be Cold And Clear — Go check out kenscholes‘ store at for.com. It’s worth your time.

First trailer for ‘The Hobbit’ arrives

Part 1. The Origins of Dinotopia: Childhood Dreams — Art guru James Gurney with a very detailed series of blog posts on how he developed Dinotopia. A wonderful series of pieces on world building for all you writers and artists out there.

Watch the Solstice Approach (and Recede) — Be sure to click through to the year clock.

Metal undergoes novel transition under extreme pressure — Under extreme pressures and temperatures, one of the main materials of the Earth’s interior has exhibited a never-before-seen transition. Cool.

Sheriff: Ohio man cleaning gun killed Amish girl — Ah, the death of a child. As my conservative friends stoutly agree in their party platforms, a small price to pay for the Second Amendment right to defense of essentially liberties. How many deaths are your guns worth to you?

In Madison, 1,000 Singers Defy Walker’s Edict — Ah, the price of free speech. (Via tillyjane, a/k/a my mom.)

Politifact, R.I.P. — The pernicious GOP “liberal media” meme strikes again.

Fox and Friends on the SpongeBob Conspiracy — Further proof that the conservative worldview is nutty crankery. (Via willyumtx.)

?otd: Long nights? Impossible odds?

12/21/2011
Writing time yesterday: 0.0 hours (chemo fatigue)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 12.5 (solid plus napping)
Weight: 208.8
Currently (re)reading: Dragonquest by Anne McCaffrey

Tags: Art, clockpunk, Culture, guns, healthcare, Links, Movies, Personal, Politics, Process, Science, stories, video, Writing

Posted: 6:21 am Wed December 21 2011 | Comments(0) |