My next appearance with Dandelion Studios will be at Queen City Kamikaze, this Sunday, 2/16/2014, at Manchester Memorial High School in Manchester NH.
This is a really fun local anime and video gaming convention, and we always have a great time in Manchester.
Hope to see you there!
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Friday, February 7, 2014
Big News!
One the things we've been considering for a while now, is the possibility of working overseas for a few years (or maybe more if we find we really love the international lifestyle. We made the decision a year or two back that if we were going to do this, then a good time would be when the Kiddo is around six years old. He'll be old enough to have good clear memories of his travel experiences, and old enough to be involved in the planning process, but young enough that we won't have really deep attachments to school friends and the like here in the States.
So starting last fall, I began the search process for a position overseas. I went to an international schools job fair in Atlanta GA last year and had one good interview but no offer. I did come away with a lot of really good understanding about how the job fair process works and a better sense of what is available and what I could realistically expect to get.
This week was a job fair in Boston, put on by the same organization. The fair went Sunday through Thursday, but Sunday was focused on administrative positions, and the main event was the interview sign up Tuesday morning. I had my grades due Monday, and had free periods after lunch, so I got my grades in before heading up to Boston. It was raining that morning and it turned to snow as the day went on. Not a lot of accumulation, but enough to make the driving difficult.
I also was unsure what time check-in closed, so I drove straight into the city. Arrived on time and got checked in, and then headed back out to Roslindale to stay with family. I'd also been dealing with a slow leak in a tire. I found a Hess station with free air, and filled the tire back up on the way to where I was staying.
Tuesday morning was interview sign-up, which functions as a preliminary screening. I had been invited to sign up for interviews with three schools, one of which I decided not to pursue. At sign-up, I got immediately scheduled for an interview with a school in China that had expressed interest. A school in Vietnam has also gotten in touch, and they took my cell number to call back with an interview time. I signed up with another school in China to possibly get called if they could fit me in, and I dropped off resumes with several other schools, plus had a few conversations with schools that decided not to proceed with an interview for various reasons (not always related to my qualifications; one school didn't have lower grades and so couldn't provide schooling for the Kiddo, for example).
I had my first interview that morning and then headed over to the Boston Public Library to await word from other schools. The school in Vietnam called to schedule me for an interview Wednesday morning, but I didn't hear anything else that day. There was a candidate/recruiter social that night, with some good food and a chance to chat with fellow candidates and school reps.
I headed home that night and found the tire had gotten worse. What's more, the forecast was for a foot of snow in the morning.
I ended up getting up early, heading out into the storm with an almost-flat tire, and arriving at Town Fair Tire in Dedham just as they were opening. They were great and patched the tire (which had a nail in it, as it turned out), and got me back on the road quick. I drove to Forest Hills Station, headed into town on the Orange Line, and got to my interview with the American International School in Vietnam five minutes late, which turned out to be okay.
They called me back only a short time after the interview to tell me that I would be offered the position and arrangements were made to meet with me that evening to go over the details. Meanwhile, I got an email to come sign up with an interview with one of the China schools at that afternoon's "second chance" interview signup. I ended up interviewing with that school in the afternoon. The interview with the Vietnam school was definitely my best interview of the three, and I got the offer details, asked some questions, and decided to head back to the Cape to talk it over with Gynn face-to-face.
At some point on the ride home, it occurred to me that I could bring Gynn back to meet the school reps, and so we ended up all getting up early and heading back to Boston. Gynn asked the questions she had, but at this point we had pretty much decided to accept.
So I am the new chemistry teacher for the American International School in Vietnam.
And it's off to a new adventure. We'll be relocating to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, sometime in late July. A lot of things are still up in the air, including what will become of Ogremoot (our house on Cape Cod), and where the cats will live (coming with us is an option, which was not the case with China).
But we are thrilled to have made the choice, and looking forward to this new journey.
So starting last fall, I began the search process for a position overseas. I went to an international schools job fair in Atlanta GA last year and had one good interview but no offer. I did come away with a lot of really good understanding about how the job fair process works and a better sense of what is available and what I could realistically expect to get.
This week was a job fair in Boston, put on by the same organization. The fair went Sunday through Thursday, but Sunday was focused on administrative positions, and the main event was the interview sign up Tuesday morning. I had my grades due Monday, and had free periods after lunch, so I got my grades in before heading up to Boston. It was raining that morning and it turned to snow as the day went on. Not a lot of accumulation, but enough to make the driving difficult.
I also was unsure what time check-in closed, so I drove straight into the city. Arrived on time and got checked in, and then headed back out to Roslindale to stay with family. I'd also been dealing with a slow leak in a tire. I found a Hess station with free air, and filled the tire back up on the way to where I was staying.
Tuesday morning was interview sign-up, which functions as a preliminary screening. I had been invited to sign up for interviews with three schools, one of which I decided not to pursue. At sign-up, I got immediately scheduled for an interview with a school in China that had expressed interest. A school in Vietnam has also gotten in touch, and they took my cell number to call back with an interview time. I signed up with another school in China to possibly get called if they could fit me in, and I dropped off resumes with several other schools, plus had a few conversations with schools that decided not to proceed with an interview for various reasons (not always related to my qualifications; one school didn't have lower grades and so couldn't provide schooling for the Kiddo, for example).
I had my first interview that morning and then headed over to the Boston Public Library to await word from other schools. The school in Vietnam called to schedule me for an interview Wednesday morning, but I didn't hear anything else that day. There was a candidate/recruiter social that night, with some good food and a chance to chat with fellow candidates and school reps.
I headed home that night and found the tire had gotten worse. What's more, the forecast was for a foot of snow in the morning.
I ended up getting up early, heading out into the storm with an almost-flat tire, and arriving at Town Fair Tire in Dedham just as they were opening. They were great and patched the tire (which had a nail in it, as it turned out), and got me back on the road quick. I drove to Forest Hills Station, headed into town on the Orange Line, and got to my interview with the American International School in Vietnam five minutes late, which turned out to be okay.
They called me back only a short time after the interview to tell me that I would be offered the position and arrangements were made to meet with me that evening to go over the details. Meanwhile, I got an email to come sign up with an interview with one of the China schools at that afternoon's "second chance" interview signup. I ended up interviewing with that school in the afternoon. The interview with the Vietnam school was definitely my best interview of the three, and I got the offer details, asked some questions, and decided to head back to the Cape to talk it over with Gynn face-to-face.
At some point on the ride home, it occurred to me that I could bring Gynn back to meet the school reps, and so we ended up all getting up early and heading back to Boston. Gynn asked the questions she had, but at this point we had pretty much decided to accept.
So I am the new chemistry teacher for the American International School in Vietnam.
And it's off to a new adventure. We'll be relocating to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, sometime in late July. A lot of things are still up in the air, including what will become of Ogremoot (our house on Cape Cod), and where the cats will live (coming with us is an option, which was not the case with China).
But we are thrilled to have made the choice, and looking forward to this new journey.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
New Minicomic: Unpopular Species #5
Amid the preparations for Arisia last week, Gynn and I were frantically working on putting together the fifth installment of Unpopular Species, our science/nature minicomic series about creatures that are, well, less loved.
I ended up pulling a near-all-nighter on Friday night to get it done, but we managed to debut it on at the convention on Saturday.
Unpopular Species #5 covers the Northwestern US, and includes a dozen plants, animals, and fungi that have all had some sort of bad reputation, whether deserved or not. From banana slugs to grizzly bears, from giant Pacific octopi to poison oak, you will discover amazing and sometimes disturbing facts in every entry.
You can buy a copy here, or check out the Dandelion Studios website for more information.
Unpopular Species #5
By Rick Silva & Gynn Stella
$1.00 + $1.00 shipping
I ended up pulling a near-all-nighter on Friday night to get it done, but we managed to debut it on at the convention on Saturday.
Unpopular Species #5 covers the Northwestern US, and includes a dozen plants, animals, and fungi that have all had some sort of bad reputation, whether deserved or not. From banana slugs to grizzly bears, from giant Pacific octopi to poison oak, you will discover amazing and sometimes disturbing facts in every entry.
You can buy a copy here, or check out the Dandelion Studios website for more information.
By Rick Silva & Gynn Stella
$1.00 + $1.00 shipping
Saturday, January 11, 2014
My Arisia Schedule
I'll be at the upcoming Arisia convention, January 17-20, 2014, in Boston MA.
I have a reading scheduled for Monday, 1/20 at 10 AM, sharing the timeslot with authors Anna Erishkigal and Greer Gilman.
In addition, I will be on the following panels:
Sat. 11 AM: All-Ages Comics: Still Out There
Sun. 10 AM: Home-Based Businesses & Children
Sun. 2:30 PM: Science Experiments (for ages 6-12)
Sun. 4 PM: Forty Years of Dungeons & Dragons
And finally, my comic company, Dandelion Studios, has a table in the dealers' room, so you can find me at the Dandelion Studios table (Table 118) during most convention hours not listed above.
Hope to see you there!
I have a reading scheduled for Monday, 1/20 at 10 AM, sharing the timeslot with authors Anna Erishkigal and Greer Gilman.
In addition, I will be on the following panels:
Sat. 11 AM: All-Ages Comics: Still Out There
Sun. 10 AM: Home-Based Businesses & Children
Sun. 2:30 PM: Science Experiments (for ages 6-12)
Sun. 4 PM: Forty Years of Dungeons & Dragons
And finally, my comic company, Dandelion Studios, has a table in the dealers' room, so you can find me at the Dandelion Studios table (Table 118) during most convention hours not listed above.
Hope to see you there!
Friday, July 12, 2013
Geekiness In New England This Weekend
I took a week off from the writing-at-libraries schedule for the purpose of cleaning my upstairs work area, a rather daunting task that has needed doing for a long time. I've made progress, but there is still work to do, so I might be on a partial-writing schedule next week.
Meanwhile, this coming weekend is all geekiness all the time.
Today, I'm headed up to Quincy to attend a Comic Book Artists Guild meeting, being held at New England Comics' Quincy location. I'll also be visiting KC's Sports Cards in Quincy, which is where I keep a binder of Magic cards on consignment. I'll be restocking the binder and checking in on how that has been going.
Saturday, I'm spending the day at Readercon in Burlington MA. I'm just going as an attendee, and this is more for my own development as a writer than for my comics publishing work. Looking forward to attending some good panels there.
On Sunday, I'm taking my stock of used paperback books (mostly SF/fantasy/horror) to the Wellfleet Flea Market as an experiment to see how setting up as a vendor there goes. I'll also have a small display of Dandelion Studios comics there.
If you're at any of the above, stop by or find me and say hi!
This weekend is also Connecticon, so I wish all the New England geeks heading to Hartford safe travels and a great convention.
Meanwhile, this coming weekend is all geekiness all the time.
Today, I'm headed up to Quincy to attend a Comic Book Artists Guild meeting, being held at New England Comics' Quincy location. I'll also be visiting KC's Sports Cards in Quincy, which is where I keep a binder of Magic cards on consignment. I'll be restocking the binder and checking in on how that has been going.
Saturday, I'm spending the day at Readercon in Burlington MA. I'm just going as an attendee, and this is more for my own development as a writer than for my comics publishing work. Looking forward to attending some good panels there.
On Sunday, I'm taking my stock of used paperback books (mostly SF/fantasy/horror) to the Wellfleet Flea Market as an experiment to see how setting up as a vendor there goes. I'll also have a small display of Dandelion Studios comics there.
If you're at any of the above, stop by or find me and say hi!
This weekend is also Connecticon, so I wish all the New England geeks heading to Hartford safe travels and a great convention.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Writing Week Recap
This was the first week trying out my new writing routine.
I ended up doing writing on four days, at four different libraries (might have to see how long I can keep that going).
My focus was on my middle-grade dieselpunk novel, Airship Girls and the Land Beyond the Mist. I did some initial edits on Monday. Tueseday, I spent some time looking over an excerpt that was getting critiqued at writers' group that night, and also doing edits on the other piece that was up for critique.
The critique session on Tuesday went well, and I came home with some good feedback. On Wednesday and Friday, I worked on making changes to the chapters that the group looked at.
Thursday I gave myself a day off to catch up on some other things around the house.
This weekend there's an anthology deadline and I have an idea for a story. Time is pretty tight on this, but I am hoping to give it a try. If all goes well, I'll have the story sent out on Sunday, and it will be back to edits on Airship Girls on Monday when I'm back to the writing routine.
The Kiddo is loving summer camp, and the camp staff seems to love him. I'm planning to do something with him outdoors tomorrow, weather permitting.
I ended up doing writing on four days, at four different libraries (might have to see how long I can keep that going).
My focus was on my middle-grade dieselpunk novel, Airship Girls and the Land Beyond the Mist. I did some initial edits on Monday. Tueseday, I spent some time looking over an excerpt that was getting critiqued at writers' group that night, and also doing edits on the other piece that was up for critique.
The critique session on Tuesday went well, and I came home with some good feedback. On Wednesday and Friday, I worked on making changes to the chapters that the group looked at.
Thursday I gave myself a day off to catch up on some other things around the house.
This weekend there's an anthology deadline and I have an idea for a story. Time is pretty tight on this, but I am hoping to give it a try. If all goes well, I'll have the story sent out on Sunday, and it will be back to edits on Airship Girls on Monday when I'm back to the writing routine.
The Kiddo is loving summer camp, and the camp staff seems to love him. I'm planning to do something with him outdoors tomorrow, weather permitting.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Summer of Writing Begins
It's been a while since I updated. Buried in the day job, for the most part.
The Kiddo continues to grow (and grow and GROW!) and we've had plenty of adventures since I last checked in.
On the writing front, I'm in two writers groups, have collected a couple of rejection letters on short stories, and I continue to work on self-published comics with Gynn.
I'll update more on specific projects as I get this going.
School (my day job, that is) ended for me in the first week of June, but I have had a lot to do in the couple of weeks since then. Meanwhile, the Kiddo finished with school this past Thursday, and today he started summer camp!
And as the Kiddo heads off to day camp, I am embarking on a month of dedicated writing. The approximate plan is this: Drop the child at camp at 9 AM, pack a lunch, and then head to a library and write until it's time to pick him up at 2 PM.
Today was the first day, and the writing I got done was minimal because I had lingering work for the day job and needed to get writing materials organized. Still, I made it to the Hyannis Public Library, and got in some editing work on one of my novel projects, Airship Girls and the Land Beyond the Mist. I'll have lots more to say about that manuscript in the coming weeks.
So my hope is to make progress on a bunch of projects during this month, including reviving regular posts on this blog. We'll see if that happens. So far, so good.
Keep writing!
The Kiddo continues to grow (and grow and GROW!) and we've had plenty of adventures since I last checked in.
On the writing front, I'm in two writers groups, have collected a couple of rejection letters on short stories, and I continue to work on self-published comics with Gynn.
I'll update more on specific projects as I get this going.
School (my day job, that is) ended for me in the first week of June, but I have had a lot to do in the couple of weeks since then. Meanwhile, the Kiddo finished with school this past Thursday, and today he started summer camp!
Today was the first day, and the writing I got done was minimal because I had lingering work for the day job and needed to get writing materials organized. Still, I made it to the Hyannis Public Library, and got in some editing work on one of my novel projects, Airship Girls and the Land Beyond the Mist. I'll have lots more to say about that manuscript in the coming weeks.
So my hope is to make progress on a bunch of projects during this month, including reviving regular posts on this blog. We'll see if that happens. So far, so good.
Keep writing!
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