Trouble in My Paradise

Something bad happened. My home computer died a gory death, taking along all my files to the deepest pits of oblivion. All. Every each one of them. Including over 8000 e-books. To say I was disappointed would be a huge understatement.

Reason – someone greedy and stupid in my apartment building was stealing electricity. They somehow connected the wires making the electricity meter go backwards. Two hours of such activity reduces a month of usage. Very clever, you say? Maybe, for them.

The rest of the building suffered beyond measure. As it turns out, when one person steals in this way, voltage in other apartments goes up several times, burning almost all electric appliances unless they are disconnected from power network, yes, it even doesn’t matter if they are or aren't turned on.

Luckily (well, considering) for me, I’ve only permanently lost my hard drive and TV which I wasn’t watching all that much in the first place. Old lady next doors also lost her TV, but hers went out with a bang – it burst into flames at 3AM, and she had to call firemen. A guy who worked from home for some IT company lost 3 computers.

If we discover who this pilfering scum is, it’s pretty safe to say he might very well find himself hanging from a high branch in the courtyard. Our house was positively fuming with badly suppressed rage when it happened. The landlord also wasn’t amused. There’s an investigation going on. I really hope they find out who did it.

This is really uncool.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - TV Series

Compendium of Vampire Typological Traits and General Characterization in Contemporary Fantasy Novels
Part 5

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ~ TV Series

Yes, I know it is not a novel. I wanted to do this one, anyway. So there.

What is vampirism?

Vampirism is more like metaphysical possession than a disease. It is said that humans who become vampires loose their souls and are possessed by a demon.

Becoming a vampire

Human who gets bitten by a vampire ‘sire’ and is subsequently given blood of said sire falls in death-like-state/deep coma and rises as a vampire the following night, usually in a very grumpy mood and hungry.

Life expectancy

Immoral unless killed. Metaphysical diseases also apply and can be fatal.

Extermination methods

Many and imaginative. Wooden stake through the heart, beheading, magical means, direct sunlight, fire, holy water, crushing, squashing, stabbing, etc. Resulting corpse disintegrates into ashes.

Hollows series by Kim Harrison

Compendium of Vampire Typological Traits and General Characterization in Contemporary Fantasy Novels
Part 4

Kim Harrison ~ Hollows Series

Please note that I have yet to read the 6^th book in the series so this is susceptible to some latter changes.

What is vampirism?

Vampirism is some sort of metaphysical blood disease.

Becoming a vampire

Quite complicated. It seems there are 2 options.

Top-notch vampires are born as regular children with paranormal qualities in vamp clans. Their parents are still alive vampires, too. Living vamps turn into undead after (often arranged) physical death and resume existence in another quality.

The other way is to be ‘adopted’ by vampire clans (usually it includes regular blood donations) and turned directly from human to vampire. These vamps are considered having lower social standing.

Life expectancy

Alive until death for alive vamps. Can fall ill.

Immortal unless killed for real vamps. No physical diseases apply.

Extermination methods

Ordinary methods (natural death or death from illness included) for live vampires although they are a bit harder to kill than average human.

Wooden stake through the heart, decapitation for undead. Silver also works well. Both live and undead vamps can be killed by magical means. No info about what happens to the resulting corpse.

Twilight series by Stephenie Mayer

Compendium of Vampire Typological Traits and General Characterization in Contemporary Fantasy Novels
Part 3

Stephenie Mayer ~ Twilight Series

What is vampirism?

Vampirism is an infection disease.

Becoming a vampire

One bite is enough to turn human into vampire. Occurrence is unusual as vamp victims are in most cases fully drained of blood thus causing imminent death. The experience is described as very painful.

Life expectancy

Immortal unless killed. No physical diseases apply.

Extermination methods

Can be killed only if shredded into tiny bits.

Cassandra Palmer series by Karen Chance

Compendium of Vampire Typological Traits and General Characterization in Contemporary Fantasy Novels
Part 2

Karen Chance ~ Cassie Palmer series

What is vampirism?

Vampirism is considered a metaphysical disease.

Becoming a vampire

Three consecutive bites from a master vampire. Must be performed in controlled environment, otherwise feral vamp can rise, or not rise at all.

In some cases, vampirism can be obtained via curse.

Life expectancy

Immortal unless killed. No physical diseases apply.

Extermination methods

Destroyed heart, chopped off head, burnt body, ashes scattered in running water. Silver and wood don't work any differently from traditional weapons. Can be destroyed by magic. Highly inflammable. The older and more powerful vamp, the harder to kill.

Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton

Without further ado I humbly present:

Compendium of Vampire Typological Traits and General Characterization in Contemporary Fantasy Novels
Part 1

Laurell K. Hamilton ~ Anita Blake series
Please, note that I stopped reading the series after Book 9 - Obsidian Butterfly. All that smut just became too much.

What is vampirism?
Vampirism is considered a viral blood disease.

Becoming a vampire
Three consecutive bites from a master vampire. Properly unsupervised procedure can result in feral vamp.

Life expectancy
Immortal unless killed. Some metaphysical diseases apply.

Extermination methods
Heart cut out or shot to tiny bits, head chopped off, body burnt and, to be on the safe side, scattered across running water, preferably several.
Wooden stakes work as well as silver bullets and blades in contradiction to regular weapons. Can be destroyed by magic.
The older and more powerful vamp, the harder to kill.

New Project

Well, then.

I somehow have started a new project. It is connected with my current reading material – vampire fantasy novels.
You see, vamps differ in interpretation of various authors. Some traits are almost always constant – immortality, night walking and alike –, others vary. Curiously enough, many of these features are seldom mentioned in folk legends and tales about vampires; the now traditional qualities are mostly formed in 19th century literature. I happen to like some of these modern interpretations more than others.
Out of sheer boredom I started to compile a list of most prominent vampire characteristics in different novels.

Here’s a list of questions I’ve formed so far. If you happen to read this and are a fan of the genre yourself, feel free to suggest more questions. I’d like that very much.

What is vampirism?
Becoming a vampire
Life expectancy
Extermination methods
Character in general
Looks in general
Breathing & heartbeat
Feeding habits, int. al.: 1) solid food, 2) alcohol, 3) intoxicating substances
Sleeping habits
Mating
Abilities & Superpowers
Social structure
Interaction with humans
Popular myths: 1) garlic, 2) holy items, 3) prayers, 4) sun, 5) coffins, 6) fangs, 7) animal form, 8) no reflection in mirror, 9) invitation into homes, 10) mist form? (true/false)

So far I’ve answered these questions for Laurell K. Hamilton, Karen Chance and Stephenie Mayer in what I’ve unpretentiously entitled “Compendium of Vampire Typological Traits and General Characterization in Contemporary Fantasy Novels”.

More coming soon.

Question of the Day – Myth or Reality?

Several weeks ago I had this discussion with a colleague of mine. It was about myths and legends about vampires all over the world. It seems there really is little in common among different nations’ perceptions as to what vampires represent. Clearly, they are more than human. In many cases, they drink human blood to keep going. In many cases, they are supernaturally strong. Sometimes, they are shape-shifters.
In most cases, they are plain mean and/or evil. They are often considered a threat that is strongly recommended to eliminate upon sighting; and as often the extermination is very hard to obtain. They are mostly night-walkers. Sometimes, they fear holy artefacts and/or direct sunlight. Mostly, they are a menace unleashed upon poor, unsuspecting society.
Verdict: vampires = horrible, terrible, no good at all.

Also, they do exist in myths all over the world. Question is – why? What misconception has made this particular myth so very popular? We don’t really believe in vampires, do we? People before us, they did. They also believed in leprechauns, faeries, elves, gnomes, trolls, dragons and a whole file cabinet of other creatures. And they thought the world is held by three whales. We believe in gene engineering, space exploration, nuclear physics and internet. To each their own, apparently.
Still, the question remains. Were all these things just a myth, a way to explain the world around our ancestors without a sufficient amount of scientific facts? Were these creatures created in their minds as a way around otherwise unexplainable phenomena? Or perhaps what they saw is what we get, and the whole lot of magical beings just went underground when people started breeding like rabbits and pollute the Earth. Who knows? I most certainly don’t. It’s better to leave this one open to possibilities.

In the meantime, I continue my quest with vamp novels. It was hard not to notice that in most cases vampires in contemporary prose are described as something dangerous but also unavoidably alluring. They are deadly, dangerous but, oh, so sexy. And the heroine always has a love affair with one or more of the ‘dark ones’.
Somehow, they’ve acquired reputation of something desired. If you can win the love of a vamp you are undoubtedly cool, and the world is at your feet. It is the ultimate prize.
Perhaps we have too little danger in our protected, safe lives of civilized people. Thing is, what if these glorified, drop-dead gorgeous monsters suddenly turn out to be all too real? Modern culture has rendered us incautious, unaware to them. Unprotected. Easy prey. I’m not saying anything, I’m not even assuming. It just provokes some thinking.

Question of the Day – Why Mondays?

I wonder who made Mondays up.
I should like a word or two with them. Rather heavy word.
Mondays just don’t do it for me. I mean, here we are, on a fine weekend with terrific weather. Then, all of a sudden we have to go to work again. And the weather is still so very fine, so very pro-beach. Yes, my vocation is over. It more seems like it was a decade ago.
It could also have something to do with the movie marathon I had last night until 2am. I’ve had too little sleep. I’m usually grumpy on too little sleep.
Still. Mondays? Not such a bright idea if you ask me. We should make some useful changes and include Mondays in prolonged weekends. That would be really, really nice. Waking up on Monday is so… depressing. We shouldn’t have to do this.

I’ve focused on vampire fantasies lately.
I’m currently re-reading series by Karen Chance about clairvoyant Cassie Palmer and her misadventures with all kinds of trouble. There are three books out up to date, and all of them are brimming with fast-paced action, sparkling humour and every magical creature there is, many of them vampires. These series gripped me since the very beginning. If you happen to love a good fantasy with a pinch of romance and thriller, you’ll love it too. Guaranteed. Very entertaining and highly recommended.
On the other hand, the promising Twilight Series by Stephenie Mayer was disappointment. Could be I’m too old for high school romance. Could be I just disagree with her definition of vampires (Cold? Why the heck are they icy cold? Shouldn’t they be at least room-temperature? It also seemed that for so powerful beings as she makes her vampires they have way too feeble self-control.) Could be she just bubbles on too much. Fact: I was bored to sleep in the middle of culmination scene with all the chasing and action. Why this is a bestseller, I couldn’t really tell.
I’m trying my hand on Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost next. I’ll let you know what I think.

Riga Zoo

I think he's wonderful.

Question of the Day – Is IQ Important?

How interesting. It appears all was not well at work during my vocation. My replacement was a young girl who seemed to be very enthusiastic about the chance to try my job, and very eager to learn. Turns out, she’s described by my colleagues as ‘slow’, ‘not very fast on up-taking’ and – on one sad occasion – as a ‘null, complete and utter null’. This is disappointing. Especially since the last comment comes from my boss.
I probably shouldn’t but I still feel somewhat responsible. I forced her on them, didn’t I? I was the one who wanted vocation so badly that any replacement at all would’ve seemed good to me. And she seemed so… nice and delicate, and diligent.
Frankly, my job ain‘t no rocket science. I never thought anything could happen in two measly weeks. Thankfully, this girl didn’t screw up anything important, mostly just got on people’s toes and nerves. And she also called me for instructions, like, three times a day. In retrospect, it should have given me a clue. Her questions were about the most mundane things that could be solved with a bit of brains applied. Oh well.

Question of the Day – Who are Your Ancestors?

I’m back from my wonderful vocation.

It was good. Real good. I did almost all of the things I’d planned, and some I even hadn’t. I got my long walks in the forest, enough sleep, parties, visits to and from friends, self-pampering sessions in beauty parlours, gatherings with family, a day long movie marathon, shopping, shopping and more shopping… what else can a girl wish for? I also went to the Zoo. I feel happy and well-rested now, ready to take on the world.

Curiously, at one point I caught myself actually missing work. I hastily planned some more fun to avoid this unnatural feeling, all ended well.

My family and I went to Northern Poland for the first few days of May. We went by car, and I had the spacious backseat of minivan all to myself. I could sleep and read when I got tired of sight-seeing. Very comfy.

We saw many beautiful places and towns, and stayed in surprisingly fine road-side motels. Food was good, and cheep, and a-plenty. Although, Polish beer sucks even more than Czech beer.

I really do not understand why people say there’s nothing to see in Poland. Seemed beautiful to me. Bright yellow dandelion and canola fields, blooming apple-trees, blue sky, churches in every town worth its salt, Catholic shrines in every village worth its name, winding roads framed by pretty oaks, maples, ash-trees. Deep, clean forests, surprisingly blue lakes, city parks with well-kept flowerbeds and trees, and strange cemeteries with no trees at all.

(Cemeteries here in Latvia are always, always full of all kinds of green: evergreens and seasonal plants, and flowers, and whatnot. We carefully make sure it is so by planting, weeding, fertilizing and trimming every year. Our graveyards look more like parks, really.

So, whenever I leave the country, I’m always a bit surprised it’s not like that everywhere. A graveyard with depressing amount of black marble tombstones enclosed within iron fence in the middle of a flat field confuses me.

I guess we, Latvians, are taking our dead more seriously then strictly necessary. We like to know that they are in a decorative place where we can keep taking care of them and bring to them flowers thus maintaining their place in the family tree and memory. We don’t forget for several generations.

(Please, note that the following is highly hypothetical version created by my over-imaginative brain, and has no considerable factual reference)

I guess it has to do with the ancient cult of ancestors when our people considered themselves part of the clan with all members included - present, past and future. Person’s position in life was inter-woven in the greater pattern, and could be better retained if touch with generations past wasn’t lost. Ancestors received their due respect, and got gifts and sacrifices brought to their graves. Coincidentally, ‘flower’ (zieds) has another meaning in Latvian - ‘sacrifice’ -, hence all the greenery in cemeteries.

I guess we were pacific if a bit vain nation even back then, and didn’t want to sully our graveyards with actual sacrificial animal blood. That would be messy and not in style at all.

On the other hand, they also swore and/or gave promises by their name, holding drawn swords and standing on their shields. Literally.

If a man happened to break his word given in this manner, the judgement was swift and severe. His sword got broken in half, his right arm cut off (yes, really), and his name was taken from him, consequently making him persona non grata, an outsider of the great pattern of life-cycle. No place in the world was home for poor sod any longer.

Essentially, betrayal of a given word resulted in loss of status as a person, and one could be treated as such – killed with no penalties, taken as a slave, baited with dogs, and perhaps much worse. The moral – if you can’t keep your word, you don’t deserve to have one. Quite simple.

In a roundabout way, it indicates that my ancestors were quite pro-environment oriented. They also lacked such tolerance when one of their own dared to mess with governing rules of world and nature they were given by gods to uphold and honour.

I hope it makes some sense if anyone’s actually reading this. But I digress.)

Anyway, pictures from my trip are here.

Poland

Now, back to work for me. More later.

Blooming apple trees...

... and a bit more. I love spring. It shows.

Maijs 2008 Alogi

Riga Zoo

Here is compilation of photos from two separate visits to Riga Zoo. Please, take note of three newcomers - giraffe brothers who have recently arrived and currently are, surprisingly, a tourist trap for locals instead of actual tourists. We love our giraffes!

Riga Zoo 2008

Feel free to comment on pictures. I've decided I seriously need to improve my photo-taking abilities. Any advise would be helpful and appreciated.

Question of the Day - How Much Does It Take to Make a Person Happy?

Finally!

It’s the last day of work before National holydays. Five wonderful free days, and after that, I’m going on a vocation! A real, long, honest to God vocation!

For whole 18 days I won’t have to go to work!

I can't even express how very much I waited for this. Having lots and lots of work is good. It means you're good at what you do, and your work is needed. It also means you get really tired after some time. And I haven't had a vocation for longer than 5 days for almost 3 years. It was getting taxing. And now... finally...

... I’m free as a bird! (hear me jumping up and down from sheer joy of it all. I actually did some jumping up and down. Shhh. Don't tell anyone. I'm embarrassed about my childish behaviour.)

We’re planning to go on a road trip for the first 5 days, and after that I’m gonna catch up on my sleep, visit some beauty parlours, have some parties and fun with my friends, and generally have a damn good time. Longs walks on the beach and in the forest are also planned. I have a bunch of vocation books collected, so I’m all set.

Is it really, really cool or what?

The beauty of spring - as I see it

Pavasara prieki mežā un pļavā

Question of the Day - How Long Does It Take to Write a Novel?

Words just keep flowing out of me. It’s been so long since I’ve felt compelled to write things off my chest. It’s a strange feeling.

Good part – no one is obliged to read this blog thing. I can write whatever I want and pretend it’s been sent into the outer space or something. Somewhere. That’s what matters to me. Does it sound egocentric? Well who cares, really?

The cat I mentioned yesterday - Persian boy - really did find a home already. I’m relieved and very happy for the cat. Poor thing didn’t deserve such treatment.

What else? Nothing too important, I guess.

I finished reading Queen of Glass by S.J. Mass recently. I can heartily recommend it to everyone who likes fantasy, fairy-tales and the like. It’s an excellent, mind blowing, wonderful Cinderella remake of ominous length. Truly gorgeous, I tell you. I enjoyed every page of it, and there’re lots and lots of pages.

Actually, I’ve finished reading many books recently. I read as a mad-woman lately. No day can I go through without a book nearby. And when I’m too tired to read I watch movies. I suck in any new story thrown at me like an over-eager vacuum-cleaner. What do I plan to do with all this information, I haven’t the slightest idea. Thankfully, I still have the ability to recognize and spit out lacking ones. At least I hope so.

I’ve also taken to planning a detective story for my sister. I have a wonderful idea about contraband and two twelve year old boys discovering a cunning scheme for an illegal transit route. It’s all very exciting but at the rate I keep going… let’s just say it’s a good thing I made the main protagonists twelve. Since my sister isn’t even 10 yet, I’ve still got more than two years. I hope I’ll get to the actual writing some day this year. Planning is fun but it is by far not enough. Well, author of previously mentioned Queen of Glass spent 5 years on her novel. I hope I’ll manage somewhat faster. If not, I’ll have to upgrade the protagonists to teenagers, gift them with hormones and so on. Very complicated. And a good motivator to work faster.

Other news – spring is in the air! It’s warm and nice, and sunny, and bright, and almost green! I love this time of the year.

Question of the Day - Are Pets Really Toys?

They offered me to take in a cat yesterday. I don’t think I can, yet. It doesn’t feel right.

The poor soul needs a home but I still have the presence of Cat lurking in the corners of mine. I keep seeing her. Until she’s there, I’m not ready for a new companion. It’s way too soon.

This cat – it’s a year old Persian boy - was given up by his family. And his tale made me boil with anger.

Children, there’s three of them, wanted a pet. Parents got them a cat. I could just bet there was some serious whining and persuasion before parents agreed to buy such an expensive pedigree cat.

A year later, kids change their minds and suddenly don’t want to take care of the cat anymore. Too much trouble, you see. Toys are not supposed to be trouble. Persians require grooming, special care and whatnot.

And what do parents do? They give him up. Worse, the mother brought the cat to her work and asked people if someone wanted him. She doesn’t even intend to take him back home anymore.

These parents do not talk to the kids about responsibility, they don’t do any parenting job, and they don’t even consider taking care of the cat by themselves. They just get rid of a pest that previously much desired pet has turned into.

People, please! Whatever happened to the elemental morals? Pets cannot take care of themselves. We are the ones who domesticated them and, therefore, are responsible for them! Yes, I understand that everybody has to work for living but taking care of a cat is not so time-consuming! A half an hour a day would do. Even less on really busy days. I know. I had a cat just last week.

The habitual cruelty and inconsideration people so often show towards animals is unbelievable. Animals might not be able to talk but they do feel things. They understand things. And they hurt. They are not pieces of furniture you can throw out if you don’t like the colour scheme anymore. Yes, there really was a story like that behind a cat given away to the animal shelter in Riga. She hadn't matched the new colour scheme after re-decoration, and the proud owners threw her out. Such attitude disgusts me.

Thankfully, I’m absolutely sure this Persian will find a new home in no time. He’s a well-behaved pedigree cat with all the papers, and there are a lot of people who find it desirable. He’ll be snatched up in a minute. Or at least I really, really hope so. If not… we’ll see.

I’m one of those strange people who consider pets their friends. And somehow I have a feeling he or she will come when the time’s right. It’s what usually happens in my life. Things just happen when the time is right. That’s what Cat did, after all. She just showed up one day, and moved in with me.

I keep thinking about that little corner where I buried her. A nice, sunny spot on the fringe of a forest, clearly visible from my friend’s house. Among pine-trees and under hyacinths, violets and sun-flowers. Yes, I did plant flowers for her, I’m melodramatic like that. And previously mentioned friend (who owns the house and, along with two more friends, helped me bury Cat) made us throw three handfuls of sand in her little grave. It’s a tradition performed in Latvian funerals. So there. I’m not the only one sentimental.

Other news - I'm starting to smile again.

April 22, 2008

So here it is. My Cat went to the cat Heaven this Saturday. She was my companion for 12 blessed years.

Cat got ill 2 weeks ago; I took her to the vet. Verdict – she’s not curable but it’s possible to alleviate or even stabilize her condition. Renal insufficiency is like that.

So we did what we could. I dragged in all my family and friends for help. She had to have a drip feed every night, and somebody would always come to help me hold her still for the procedure. No cat likes to be still against their will for longer then two minutes. Wasn’t easy, but they never complained. Did I mention I love my family and friends dearly? They agreed to help me without a second’s hesitation.

So went the last week.

She started to eat on Wednesday, and I was so, so happy. It looked like she’s decided to live after all. She even didn’t put up much fight when it was time for her shots and medicine. I thought she might be feeling better.

My friends took us to visit the vet on Saturday. He said she’s making progress and told me to come back in a week with strict instructions about the treatment. Suffice to say, I was ecstatic.

And then, on our way home, she suddenly got restless and was having trouble breathing, and then went into seizures. We turned back while I was having frantic consultation with the vet. Well, it was too late. In ten minutes Cat was dead. Just like that. In my arms.

Apparently, her little heart was not strong enough for all the stress she went through. I don’t really understand all medical particulars.

I know my Cat died. I know I’m sad, and miserable, and devastated. And I miss her very, very much. I guess that’s all that matters. It was her time to go, and all I can do is get used to a life with no Cat in it.

Is it weird to feel such loss over a pet?

I hadn’t realized how much my daily life was adjusted to the presence of Cat. With my every step, I checked, and double-checked. I was constantly considering everything from a cat-safe aspect.

Could she possibly get stuck under the closet? Could she force herself through that tiny opening, and suffocate? Could she steal the chicken from the table, and over-eat, and vomit all over the place? Does she have enough water or food; is her kitten litter fresh enough?

Would she be alright if I’m away from home for whole three days? Should I request someone to come and check on her?

Has she had enough vitamins? Is it time to sow grass for her?

Could she possibly be under my feet when I get up from the bed?

Did I leave the window open or closed? What if it’s open, and a storm breaks out – she doesn’t like thunder. She’d be alone, and scared. And if it’s closed – does she have enough fresh air?

The doors always had to be left open, to all rooms. She hated not being able to go as she pleases, and she was very vocal about it.

She loved to tear up important papers in tiny pieces. I had to go to the bank more then once to exchange ripped up bills. It was always so much fun for the clerks when I started the explanations.

I had to be careful where I leave my keys. She loved to snatch them, and play with them. As a result, they’d be jammed in a highly unpredictable place, and I’d spend a good hour looking for them. And she’d look all smug, and watch my frenzy search, and I’d be late yet again.

I’d always have to warn guests to watch out. She took it as her duty to bite or scratch everybody at least once. Yes, Cat wasn’t your average meek lap-cat. She was a fighter with strong opinions, and she wasn’t afraid to voice them.

She had a game where she’d try to escape out of the apartment. She’d bolt at the most unexpected moment and disappear down the stairs. The rules were that I was supposed to go look for her, chase her, and bring her back. It was a hilarious sight in the winter. She’d run out, all victorious, and sink into the snow. No cat likes wet and cold, my Cat was no exception. She’d bolt back inside and wait for me at the door, an indignant look on her little face. She clearly blamed the snow on me.

Here we go again. Snot and waterworks all over the place. I have to go collect myself. I’ll continue tomorrow if I still have more words to pour out.

Eastern 2008 - not the best time ever. Definitely.

Why, why was it snowing? What have I ever done to deserve this unnaturally cruel punishment?
In short - it was snowing, and cold, and couldn't leave house almost at all. This is sad.

Lieldienas 2008

How I went to Paris this weekend...

... only I didn't, not really. But I've got photos to prove me wrong anyway.