I have not been able to write much lately, but then again, I’ve been gone quite a lot! Even though we returned from deployment, every day is so hectic!
Goodness, where to start? It feels like it has been forever since the last time I sat down and wrote an article for Half Life Crisis. In reality, I was deployed and busy AF for since last year. And since we’ve returned – quite recently, I’ve been busy preparing my transition out of the Navy, which among the many things that are indeed “day-work-related.” And that also includes setting the stage for my future. And of course, factor how this will affect my family. And trust me, there is a lot to talk about. Before we talk about any of that, I want to thank you if you’re reading and following my adventures. There is plenty that will come for 2023 regarding Half Life Crisis, and our adventures. We’ll catch up and start new fun conversations.
© 2022 Marcelo Baqueroalvarez / HLC | Me somewhere in Napoli – MAY 2022 Naples, ITALY
So much in the back burner
Although I have not been posting anything in social media and this site for quite a while, that does not mean that there has not been a lot been done behind the scenes. I will not delve into all the things that I “plan on doing” regarding Half Life Crisis, for two reasons. #1 Because there is a lot of stuff, and #2 Because speaking about it kind of messes up the vibe or might jinx it. So, let’s better talk about what is right now a tangible reality and what I plan on sharing in the near term.
I’ll be uploading the articles I wrote over deployment to this site. So even though they will have a date anywhere between DEC 2021 to DEC 2022, the date of the article is whenever I actually wrote it – regardless of when it gets posted. I finally had the time to proofread them and I will be adding them once I have a reliable connection, especially in order to add the images along to each post. Not all articles will be uploaded because some of them I rather hold on for a little longer. There is a method to my madness. Also, today -and tomorrow (Saturday and Sunday) I’m on duty, so I don’t really have a connection I want to use. So, I rather just type this stuff as make this commitment. I’m just typing this off while I have some down time.
Adding all kinds of new posts to our Facebook and Instagram social media accounts. I’ve spent a pretty sizable amount of time selecting a few images for our social media. For Facebook I plan on putting a bit of a story behind each image posted, and for Instagram I plan on adding a resumed context for each image. I created a nice template in accordance with the proper image sizes each platform recommends. I hope you enjoy it! And no, I don’t plan no posting anything in Twitter for the foreseeable future. First of because I have not paid the whatever amount fee it is now being charged, and not charged, and charged over and over again, etc. And second because I am not sure if Elon Musk is just going to destroy that platform – the way it is going. Too much drama. I don’t need that in my life.
During deployment I’ve written three separate manuscripts. So, I’ve been working on proofreading, and editing, and all that jazz is pretty time consuming. So, my bandwidth has been pretty diversified with that. However, in the future I do plan on publishing the books. Still plenty to do on that, so I would not hold my breath on that release – yet. But as it gets closer, I’ll be sure to let you all know. I am actually pretty excited about each book. Those who got a peek have enjoyed them very much. The topics are aligned with what we chat in this site.
I’ve been investing in my little studio to bring some audio and video podcast content in the future. I literally have weeks-worth of audio content that I’ve recorded… but who knows when I’ll be able to edit all that stuff. But I also have worked on making a mini studio to do video podcast so we can chat about all kinds of fun stuff going on in the world of adulting, as well as editing some additional content that has been tumbling in my head since I can remember… and yes, there is plenty of never seen footage along with that. I just need uninterrupted time. Yeah, like that’s gonna happen.
Finally, we’ve designed some cool merchandise stuff that we’ll be making available as we find the best way to scale it after all prototypes are completed. This of course might be a long-term thing, but it is pretty exciting for us none the less. The journey is very exciting.
Obviously, all these projects I described and a lot more in the back burner do take time. And that is something I don’t have much of at this time. But despite that, every little bit is moving forward towards the greater goals. Very recently, I was FINALLY able to proofread all my articles I’ve already posted. Good-deity-of-choice, there were so many typos that it made me laugh. I don’t really care though… because I was typing fast and pushing the content while it was in my head was more important to me than if I fat finger something every now and then. When it comes to art, if you miss the moment then the moment is gone. I type super-fast, and, in my mind, I might be reading it as it sounds in my head… that does not necessarily mean that’s how it will look on paper.
But regardless, I’ve been seeing people coming to visit our Facebook and our webpage. And really, I would like to give our audience something more to enjoy while they visit us.
I have to admit that I have not been posting, nor advertising anything about our project, because quite frankly I did not have time to do so. The best thing I could do instead was starting a plan of action to improve this trend… given the circumstances dealt to me, and my limited time.
© 2022 Marcelo Baqueroalvarez / HLC | A photo I took near the Straits of Tiran during sunset earlier in 2022
So, what else is up?
As we continue moving about this crazy world of ours, I find it more and more important to articulate what I observe. Sure, it might feel like the ramblings of a mad man for some – but to me, this is therapeutical. Just as when I started Half Life Crisis, there is a lot tumbling in my head, and if I don’t let it out somehow it just keeps spinning around. Once it is out, then I can move on with my life and address other things. Which by the way, also include other stuff tumbling in my head.
My mind is a scary place, but despite that it has been able to help other people. There seems to be some “ah-ha” sense in the middle of all my ranting. It is just not as easy to me to make it “too succinct” – first of because I don’t like that. I make this project so I can rant all I want. So, that’s what I do. I am at an age where I want to do stuff because I can, and because I want. As long it does not hurt anybody else. But you know what? Ranting makes me happy. It always has.
The way I see it, a lot of eccentric people on their own time might have been misunderstood. But fast forward a bit (or a lot) and then all that abstract approach that seemed nonsensical to many of their contemporaries, then it made perfect sense to others in the future – as well as that small group of contemporaries with an open mind. I’ll give you an example, everybody at some point had been saying “the music in my time was better than today’s music” – yes, old people when I was a teenager used to say that about against the Beatles (and that was old school to me), of Bon Jovi (a lot more modern in the ‘80s and ‘90s, the Doors (kid of middle time from the two previously mentioned bands). But they would talk crap about whatever other band you can imagine.
Quick story. My grandmother used to be friends with this couple who were around their same age. The guy in that relationship used to have quite the music selection in his personal collection. He self-proclaimed as the owner of an exquisite musical taste. Even though he personally did not play any musical instruments, but hey, he had a bunch of records and cassettes, and even some eight-tracks in his collection. For you, younger people, that’s how people enjoyed recorded music sometime between the times cavemen dwelled the Earth and the late 80’s.
I was a teenager at the time, and I had quite a music collection myself. One of my favorite bands of all times was in fact The Beatles. And this man, this man was not a big fan of the original tracks. But he did go on to admit – as if though it was a great compromise in his epiphany – that The Beatles songs were o.k. IF played instrumentally, but not if sung. He was not an isolated voice on that opinion. So, you see, this stuff has been going on for years. All this context just to emphasize that musical taste is subjective.
However, musical execution and the actual “craftsmanship” on its artform can be very different. That does not necessarily mean that one is better than other, it is just a different approach. Let me give you an example. There are music classics that only use two chords, and there are music classics that have a very robust and dynamic chord progression, and other classics that have a very simple looping chord progression. In other words, for the latter, the same chords played in the same sequence over and over again. Is one better than the other? That is subjective. That does not mean you have to love every song out there. But somebody does.
I’ll be honest, there are some songs I absolutely hate, both old and new. For instance, somebody is blaring some music out there that I find atrocious, unimaginative, and there is very little to nonactual talent needed for actual music ability and instrument playing… also, there does not seem to have even a chord progression. It is monotonous as s—t, and even with that you can hear the auto-tune on the vocals. There are some genres that make me cringe a little, but I can also attest for the technical acumen it takes to make those compositions a reality. Even if I hate it. Sure, that some will have more complexity than others, and based on your inclinations, these might feel more or less affable to your hearing and liking. Again, musical taste is subjective.
The same level of appreciation I can see about painting. Some people love classical photo-realistic looking paintings like those you see in in museums from the old day. How do you think the people who used to view those paintings would feel about something that looks like some of the most abstract modern art? In the Middle Ages, people might have gotten burnt on a stick because of their horror to see something that they did not quite understand as art. Not that it took much of an excuse to torture and burn people during those grim historical times.
But for a literary example, “Il Decameron” from Giovanni Boccaccio is one of the most influential literary pieces from the time of Renaissance, but it was considered very controversial for its time. It was written in 1353 but widely published in English in 1620. This was fictional collection of tales leading to a composite story frame. But because it was so far ahead of its time it was even banned by the Pope during those early times. I’m not going to go into more detail, but I do recommend you look into it, it is definitely fascinating.
Again, my point is that there is a chance that what seems different today, might be better understood as time moves one. Obviously, somebody understood it when it first came to be, that’s why it survived several centuries from its inception to the time it made it more “Mainstream” and today it is considered a timeless masterpiece. I am not implying that my writings are in the same category. But then again, I will never know how far my writing will transcend my life. I mean, Bocaccio died in 1375, and you’re reading about him and his book, Il Decameron today as I write this. For you eagle eyed mathematicians calculating to the date I write this article — that means 669 years since he wrote it, 647 since he died, and 402 years since it was published in English (at least one of the many revisions). That’s several lifetimes for this man. Goodness, I hope it won’t take that long for me. I just laugh out loud. I mean, the man lived 62years on this planet, but his book legacy is 10.7 times longer than his own lifespan. That’s pretty significant.
The world today
But in all seriousness, one of the main reasons why I started Half Life Crisis is also intended as a contemporary historical record. I mean, I do talk about things happening in the world. I intend to write more articles about it later on this month. I have received a few compliments on my writing and artistic style, and I appreciate that very much. In reality, I don’t want to sound like everybody else, because I am me… and that’s who I want to immortalize my artistic manifestations in my own style. Writing and literature being also an art manifestation.
On a totally different topic, I haven’t gotten a chance to talk about politics for a while, and I intent to do so at some point. I want to write another “Today in America” article. Possibly I’ll do that on Monday since this will be a follow up from the earlier sagas in this web page – a lot going on in the world of politics. Quite frankly, I’ve been wanting to write more about what’s been going on. Unfortunately, sometimes my good intentions conflicts with other duties and then hours turn to days, days turn to weeks, weeks turn into months, and then there is a non-zero chance I totally forgot what I wanted to say. It happens, so at least you know that what I write is spontaneous.
Also, Sammy has painted a few pieces since the last one we posted here. But I have not been able to speak about those either. And that makes me sad, because whenever I had the opportunity to write those articles, it was giving me a chance to give a voice to my child and her artwork. The rest of this month is also going to be insanely busy until the end of 2022, and next year does not seem very amicable either – timewise. So, I’ll be adding stuff little by little. I most definitely don’t want to rush for the sake of “making content.” That’s not the intention about my project, and I want to be able to honor Sammy’s artwork as I write my articles for her. Afterall, I’ve had to wait this long to do so, so I’ll wait a bit longer in order to get those articles properly executed. I have the information (not with me right now), but I just need time to get it completed for my little girl.
On a related topic, I do have another project that will be all about Sammy and her artwork and photography. I’ll advertise and cross reference it more about it from this forum as well. The idea is that I want to make sure that I afford my child a vehicle to showcase her artwork. However, if there is any monetization from that it will go directly to Sammy’s savings account. Any of her original artwork is not for Sale, and it will remain so until it is Sammy’s conscientious decision of what she wants to do with whenever she reaches a legal age. And further, until she fully understands what these types of transactions mean in the great scheme of things. Meanwhile, we’ll design along with Sammy some cool gift ideas showcasing her work. Again, this is a project in the works, so we’ll let everyone know once it is ready for prime time. There is a process to everything. Somebody said it best, you cannot rush art.
Meanwhile, thank you for your continuous support. I’ll keep appearing and ghosting as my schedule allows. To be honest, sometimes I don’t have a clear idea what exactly is waiting for me from week to week. And planning long term has become exponentially harder. Once I get my dates for retirement settled, that will give me a lot more time to get all these projects aligned in the proper direction, and with more traction. Especially during the mornings when my kid is attending school. That’ giving me an idea of what I want to accomplish long term. As I said when I first started this project, you might be as surprised as I am about how far I can take this. Please keep in touch, I’ll be adding more stuff in the near term! HLC