I had a good shift at work yesterday pulling in $475 and a $25 credit card for the draw for bonus money. I didn’t get any. From now on though any credit cards I get for a Friday night I’m saving them for Saturday. I was glad to get out of the office at about 1:35pm and I got to Clairview only to have to walk home since there were no buses waiting. I needed to pee, I was sweating and my right knee hurt. I took everything off once I got inside and laid down to cool off with Anne home.

I couldn’t sleep so I got up to do some novel planning and then went for a nap. I had a good two hours. I did some more work on a proposed story idea for the novel. Nothing solid at all. Just some murky vague concepts. Nothing I can put on paper. I just did the basic lay out, 20 scenes in the beginning 40 in the middle, 20 at the end and organized everything by Chapters. I don’t have any ideas at all yet.

Some potentially harmful economic news here in Alberta’s economic boom. The trades could all end up taking a strike vote. There are something like 23,000 trades mostly working in the Fort MacMurry area and if they go on shrike as it seems they could, things will be even worse for a stretched labor market here in Alberta. I don’t think all the trades will strike at once and even if they do the Province will step in or at best the strikers demands will be met what with all the projects on the go and all. The trades could walk off the job as early as this week. The thing about the trades is that it will free those striking workers to take other jobs elsewhere. But I don’t think any strike of this kind will last very long. This is just an attempt at the Unions to gouge more money out of it’s members. If anything the members will want to go back to work the longer the strike continues. The trades cover everything from plumber pipe fitters to framers, carpenters welders mechanics and a lot more. My father was a pipe fitter all his life and he worked up in Fort MacMurry for awhile just as Syncrude was being developed from 1972-1978 before mom and dad retired back for our home town in Coquitlam. If the trades go on strike, I doubt it will last long.

Since I have my Xp computer up and running now and using gmail I’ve been noticing a few interesting thins about Gmail. Mainly how it’s spy ware. Keith and I were discussing KMV switches in a few emails and I noticed adds by Google to the left of the page. For example I could be talking about building Nukes and Google would match my email and tailor adds to suit the discussion. When I get the w98 computer up and running next week, I’m going to stick with Outlook as it’s on that computer.

I’ve got my list ready for my books for August. 1.) “Years best Science Fiction -Twenty fourth annual collection.” Gardner Dozois.

2.) There’s another anthology at Audrey’s. It’s about the same size as the above. I can’t recall the name though. 3.) Resonance- Chris Dolley

4.) “The Hard SF Renaissance.” David G. Hartwell.

That’s 3 oversized anthology’s and one stand alone novel. I can pick up two of these at Audrey’s and Chapters. The other 2 are stand alones.

Not much going on for today except more writing. Last night I installed my digital camera’s software and now that’s up and ready. I’m just recharging my camera’s batteries. Like my cell phone (Samsung A 645) the Canon Power Shot A520 is an entry level device. Eventually before the year is out I want to get a laptop and probably not the Apple Macbook. I’m looking at a Dell. I might even get the Apple yet, it’s hard to day. I’d rather get a loaded Dell and utilize that. I also wouldn’t mind getting a Bluetooth cell phone so I can access the Internet. I can get them on a contract plan from Bell. But I’d only get the Internet if it’s not going to cost me as much as my broadband connection. I like Internet on the go and I’d take advantage of it. Especially for when I’m out book shopping. Fantastic Fiction is my resource of choice for science fiction novels. See sidebar for a link. I highly recommend this resource. They list books by series and non series. Except for a few authors I hate series in any genre.

That’s all for now.

e. Jim