Author: grasshopper

It’s Been A While

Posted on July 29, 2023 by grasshopper in News

Hello everyone,

As most of you know, my father passed away in December. I want to thank everyone who has reached out to me or has offered kind words and support. It meant a lot to me. I don’t feel like writing about it right now. I’ve got many personal journal entries about everything. Needless to say, I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.

What I’ve been up to lately

Summer Holiday

I just got back from the beautiful Neutral Zone (Idaho/Wyoming), and it was a nice break from everything, especially the sauna-esque humidity we’ve been having lately. 90 degrees is a mild ball game compared to 90 degrees here.

Migrated Blog

As you’ve probably seen by the sprinkling of blank images here and there, I’ve moved my blog to godaddy. The previous host was agonizingly slow. It was almost unusable if you wanted to post anything, especially anything involving images. If you’re wondering why the last time I posted was last year, that was the main reason. So far so good here at godaddy! The new url from my blog is clubhighcastle.com…but you knew that because you’re here!

Silo Series

I recently watched Silo on Apple TV, and WOW. Just wow. Fantastic story telling, characters, and world building. I couldn’t wait two years to find out what happens next, so I put my Amazon digital credits to buy kindle versions of the trilogy. I just finished Shift (book 2). I highly recommend these books!

Don’t be daunted by the 500+ page count. It didn’t feel that long, and I ripped through Wool and Shift! I’m prolonging the adventure by taking a break before I start Dust. I don’t want the adventure to end just yet!

Flying. Lots and lots of flying

I flew so much in 2022, I obtained Silver status with Delta (I’m nearly qualifying for it for 2024!). I love everything about it to be honest. You don’t have to pay extra for ‘preferred seating’ in the main cabin, and if you get lucky or fly at unpopular times like I do, you’ll get free upgrades to Comfot + (business class) or First. It also gives you and anyone traveling with you free bags. I don’t want to lose it, so I need to figure out one last trip before the year ends. This has been something that has always been on my bucket list, and I am so happy I finally got it!

Birbs

Review: PKD’s Unfinished Sequel to TMITHC

Posted on April 2, 2022July 29, 2023 by grasshopper in High Castle

I finally had a chance to read the two mysterious chapters of a scrubbed sequel to PKD’s The Man in the High Castle. I finished them a few ~~days~~ weeks ago, but their mark has yet to fade from the recesses of my mind. While I understand why he never finished it, I wish there was more.

The chapters were accompanied by an essay and a fictional blurb about Hawthorn Abendsen.

Naziism and The High Castle (1964) is an eye opener into the mind of PKD. He asks pointed questions about human nature and discusses Nationalism—no one is immune from falling into it. The essay reminds me of a quote ages ago when Season 2 of High Castle had just aired:

I think we have is to humanize Nazis. If you indulge the fantasy that they were not human, then nothing is learned. This is human beings that did this. It is only humans that are capable of inhumanity.
Rufus Sewell on portraying his character, John Smith (2016).

Reading it (and the subsequent chapters) made certain aspects of the show much more clear to me. I wish I could properly put into words how it has effected me, but I can’t seem to figure it out.

The chapters are well worth a read to anyone who is interested and is a fan of TMITHC.

Mild Spoilers Ahead!

Unlike the novel, which focuses on the Pacific States and Neutral Zone, the chapters follow Hermann Göring and Rudolph Wegener (Rudy!).

Göring’s chapter introduces us to the Die Nebenwelt. He is skeptical of it, disinclined to believe anything—anything can be forged, right? It was interesting to follow it from his perspective, as vile as it may be. He’s not the obsessed psychopath Himmler was in the show; they (and he) took a more cautious approach to everything.

Rudy’s chapter involves him being taken to Heydrich who sort of strong-arms him to get close to Die Nebenwelt and spy for him (I have no doubt in my mind that the scene where Heydrich sends him to assassinate Hitler came from this chapter).

As I said before, I wish there were more!

5/5 Stars

24 Days of Art

Posted on January 1, 2022 by grasshopper in Alice, Babylon 5, News, Psi Corps

Join me in congratulating Earth for making another successful orbit around the sun. Good job, Earth!

I made up my own challenge and decided to do 24 days of art last month. The goal: draw/paint something or work on an unfinished piece for the first 24 days of December, and I am happy to report that I DID IT! If you remember my post in May when I lamented over the fact that I wasn’t as prolific as I used to be, 24 days of art helped me overcome that difficulty.

With out further adieu, here is the result of December’s challenge.

All
Mars
Nature

The Aurora Mountains

Inspired by the one and only Bob Ross! I learned so much from him.

American River

This is based on a photo I took during my July trip to my home state of California. It’s not finished yet, but it was so much fun to finally get this one started.

Alice of two worlds

My character Alice from my unfinished story set in the world of Sisters. What would you be like on other worlds?

Mars & Starfury

A tribute to two of my favorite things: Mars and Babylon 5’s Psi Corps. The Black Omega squadron soars through Mars’ atmosphere into the great beyond.

MCRN: Self portrait

Because I can, ha ha!

A Winter Escape

A fun painting that I had a great time working on and completing. A family of bears marches through the snow as the frozen lake glimmers in the moonlight.

Admiral Smith of the MCRN

A tribute to The Expanse, Mars, the MCRN, and of course Smith from The Man in the High Castle

Windy Beach

One of my first attempts at oil painting. This was a learning experience for sure!

Elf with blue hair

Something fun and different, an ode to the many elves I drew in the early 2000s.

The Picards

A sketch for a friend!

2021 Grasshopper Awards

Posted on December 30, 2021December 30, 2021 by grasshopper in Grasshopper Nation, High Castle

Hello everyone! I know it’s been about six months since I’ve posted here, and I am going to blame it on the prolonged-neverending-braintomush-pandemic because…well, it’s true! But this post isn’t about me ranting into the void; it’s about the annual grasshopper awards! Grab your popcorn and get ready for my favorites of 2021; I’ve added a few categories!

Best Discovery of 2021

This goes to a YouTuber I stumbled across who has provided me hours of vivid storytelling. He’s my go-to Thing In The Background As I Draw. If you like the strange, dark & mysterious, MrBallen has you covered.

Thank you for keeping me company while I sketch, draw, and paint, MrBallen!

Best Discovery of 2021: MrBallen YouTube Channel

Best Show of 2021

This award goes to my favorite show that aired this year (we all know what my all-time favorite is!).

The Expanse.

Season 5 (and now 6) keeps me on the edge of my seat, and if you follow me on various platforms–or have seen me in real life–chances are you know of a certain, growing obsession of the Mars variety. I love everything about this show except for the fact that we get fewer episodes this final season. I’ve talked about The Expanse before, so without further adieu, thank you to the cast & crew for hours of entertainment and sparking my imagination!

Best Movie of 2021

This one goes to 1917 (with a huge thanks to Delta over the summer, lol! I take full advantage of catching up on films when I fly). This one did not disappoint. It is a thrilling ride from the moment it starts. The way it was filmed–a continuous shot–is part of what makes this movie so gripping. If you are a history buff or have an interest in WWI, 1917 is a must see.

Best Wardrobe Find of 2021

As I mentioned earlier, The Expanse awakened a certain, dusty red obsession in me. I found this shirt when looking for something else, and I had to by it. I mean look at it. It captures everything badass about Mars and how much I want to go there.

Everyday Astronaut's fun moon sample style packaging

Thank you to Everyday Astronaut for the hard work you do to bring us your live streams and videos. I’ve worn this shirt more times than I can count.

Best Wardrobe Find 2021: Everyday Astronaut

Best Vintage Find of 2021

I’ll give you a moment to guess. It feels like eons since I bought the winner of this award, but it was, indeed, in 2021.

Purses from the set of Man in the High Castle

…Time’s up! This one goes to the beautiful purses from the set of Man in the High Castle I got early in the year.

Best Vintage Find of 2021: High Castle Purses

Best of the Best 2021

This is for everyone who kept me company, laughed with me, or made me smile—both in person and online.

Thank you for making the pandemic a bit easier to handle.

*There is no Best Book category this year as I have yet to finish reading any of the multitude of books I started.

Bring May Flowers

Posted on May 30, 2021May 30, 2021 by grasshopper in Geeky Sunday, News

We are five months into 2021 (nearly six!), so it is time for a midyear check in. Have I kept the resolutions I made in January? Have I created new goals?

Writing and Sketching

I’m lumping every resolution involving writing and drawing into one category because I’d end up repeating myself otherwise. Here’s a quick summary of the lofty goals I had coming into 2021.

Drawing – get back to pre-pandemic levels of content (this includes High Castle projects).

Writing – finish writing Alice or Metropolis

I counted the number of drawings I posted on Instagram since January, and it is a tiny 24. Am I surprised by this? Nope. There is something to be said about the pandemic phenomenon popularly dubbed languishing. In my case, it was born out of the sameness of every day. It feels like a blur stretched across the vast expanse of space and time. Creativity thrives off of invigoration and the small, random happenstances that made pre-pandemic days stand out from each other.

Am I fighting this? Of course, but I’m not going to lie and put on a fake smile and say it’s an easy battle. It’s not. But I’ll be damned if I don’t at least try, even if it means just writing a single sentence at a time or sketching a wobbly line. Tiny steps toward progress are much better than doing nothing at all.

A Much Needed Morale Boost

Written two weeks ago – I feel that this is worth sharing

I went downtown today. It felt like venturing out into the wilderness. The adventure, even the mundane bits as I flashed my day pass to the driver and stepped onto the bus, boosted my mood and made me forget about everything for a while. I don’t know if it was enough to wake my creative senses, but it helped my overall state of being. I sincerely hope we have a swift return back to normalcy soon.

Working Out

Oddly enough, this is the one goal that I’ve kept. How did that happen!? Is this some sort of parallel universe? I kid, I kid!

I didn’t think it was possible or that I’d have the motivation, but here I am working out on the elliptical machine three days a week and wanting to up the ante.

The single most important tip I have for those thinking about picking up a workout routine is to daydream. You won’t feel the pain. Trust me. Live that extra life where you’re flying Starfuries, battling Thanos, or visiting the stars!

Other News

Seriously Geeky Sundays

Heather announced last week that this month marks the end of Seriously Geeky Sundays. It had a great run, and I am happy to have taken part in it. I met some wonderful people, so I just want to thank Heather for creating it and coming up with new prompts every week.

Heather’s Announcement

Author: grasshopper

It’s Been A While