Photograph by Marie A. DyerRussell J.T. Dyer, Writer
The works and musings of an american writer living in Milan, Italy • Updated: May 14, 2009 - 2:13AM • 4724 hits past day

Fiction

MySQL Articles Moved

My articles on MySQL and related documentation have moved to a separate site: mysqlresources.com
Happiness, it seems, is just a space away.

Novel in Beta Mode

My editor Andy Oram finished his edits of my novel in December and this past month while in the U.S. I made all of the changes that he suggested. I almost always do whatever my editors recommend. Note to new writers: your writings aren't your children, but your work. Don't form a personal attachment to your words.

With the edits done, my novel is now in what I like to call, beta mode—a term from the computer programming world. Basically, anyone can order a copy from the printers, Lulu. However, you have to have the direct link to my book on their site; they don't include it in their search engine until I release it for public distribution. My reason for limiting the sales like this is to get a few people to read it in the hopes of getting their feedback. Once I get their comments and make changes, I'll then get an ISBN number so that I can sell the novel through Amazon. I'm not allowed to make changes after getting an ISBN. If I want to do so, I'd have to pay for a new ISBN and declare the changes a new edition. I'd like to avoid that.

So, if you'd like to read my first novel and are willing to give me my feedback, click on the title of this posting to get to the page on Lulu.com where you can buy a copy. If you read it, please let me know what you think of it.

Daughter & Mother in Italy

russell.dyerhouse.com
Last year my daughter, Marie came to visit me in Italy. She came across the Atlantic with me, but returned with my friend Rusty after a month stay. This Summer she's returning with my mother and will be staying for a month again. For this trip we will return to Sicily again so my mother can visit relatives that she hasn't seen in many years, but we will also visit some cities we missed last trip. We plan on visiting Florence and Venice and a few other northern cities of Italy. Additionally, we hope to go outside the country for a couple of days, possibly to Paris or Zurich.

African Violets Bursting

It's definitely Spring time in Milan. Not that my African Violets need it to be warm outside to bloom, but they're doing quite well lately. Here are pictures of the four girls sitting on the sill of my bedroom window. They get plenty of sunshine—at least as much as can be offered from a window this far North of the Equator. As you can see, they're bursting with flowers.

Duomo without Scaffolds

After three years of being in Milan, I am now finally able to see the Duomo without the front of the cathedral being obstructed with scaffolds. It seems like every big city I visit in Europe which has a cathedral or the like is being renovated and enveloped in scaffolding. As of December 2008, the front of the Duomo is fully visible again. There's still some minor work being done to some of the higher, upper sections on the right side of the Duomo, but the restoration is about done. The front seemed to have been finished for about nine months now, but the left some of the scaffold in place since it allowed them to use it as a billboard to raise money for the restoration. This year they put up a large video billboard to the right of the Duomo on the Duomo Museum building, still facing the plaza. They're now working on that building and I guess it brings in enough revenues to be able to pull down the scaffold from the front of the Duomo. Thank goodness for that.

Musings

Below are recent musings of mine. Click on an entry heading to read its full text. Click on the musings tab at the top left to see all of them.

Waiting for Godot

Losing my father when I was a boy was not fully within my comprehension. For years I expected him to return. I feel that way sometimes after a relationship with a woman has ended. oct 27, 2008 09:10 am no comments

My Night Light

I've been struggling over the last few years to achieve a sense of home. Over the last few years I've been accumulating furniture and other household items to give my apartment a feeling of completeness. I think I've finally found a combination that gives me comfort to sleep by. sep 23, 2008 08:09 am no comments

Living on the Ledge

Living in a fifth floor apartment without air-conditioning, with windows open all summer has been trying on me with my fear of heights. Now that summer is ending and cooler days are here, I am able to close the windows—sets of windows so wide that when open one can shove easily a refrigerator through them. I'm now able to sigh in relief and consider the stress of the last few months. sep 14, 2008 12:09 pm no comments

Literary Criticisms

This is the start of something new on my site, book reviews of novels. For an explanation of these, see my page on Book Reviews

The Heart of the Matter

My second literary review, it's about another of Graham Greene's novels, one of my favorites. It discusses a few aspects of the novel, focusing on the opening lines and the ending. Mainly, it discusses the interesting plot and includes some personal reflections related to writing.

The End of the Affair

This is my first literary book review for my web site. It's a review of the first Graham Greene book that I've read. It discusses the book from a writer's point of view, admiring his work and trying to learn from it.