What's happening behind the scenes to bring new GHAWG content? The GHAWG Diaries is my recap of what I've been doing.
Base image came in another form from PublicDomainPictures.Net. Edits made using MS Paint.
Introduction
There's more to #GHAWG than just daily zapfic entries and the spreadsheet I use to track them. There's research. There's review. There's also thought and inspiration. Then there are the tools involved in doing any of those tasks.
Just to keep things from getting scrambled in my head, and also to document for myself what I've been considering, I began keeping a diary of my activities as they concern #GHAWG. With posts in the GHAWG, Uninterrupted series on hold at Interlude 3 while Act 7 remains in progress, I decided to share these diary entries with everyone on Hive blockchain.
On Mondays which don't feature a GHAWG, Uninterrupted post-- GHAWG-U-- I'll post diary entries from the previous 7 days or between GHAWG-U posts if the time between them is short. For Part 30, there are 7 days' worth of diary entries. The first entry starts on 2024-May-20.
Before anyone scratches their heads at a few terms, here are 3 I began using many posts ago:
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
Rat Bike | Code name for #GHAWG (the first and current zapfic serial) |
Blue Lion | Code name for the middle zapfic serial in the GHAWG Universe |
The Bronze | Code name for the final zapfic serial in the GHAWG Universe |
Monday, 2024-May-27
📓 During the last month I've added so many gap-filling zapfic entries to Rat Bike that I've lost track of events even with a spreadsheet. It' So I spent the day resequencing the spreadsheet. Events are in order even if the datetime stamps for the zapfic entries are no longer in chronological order. Since I'm still "redoing" the New Mexico and Texas portions of the Old Route 66 storyline for Rat Bike, I still need to include the dupilcate entries in the spreadsheet. Once these sections are "redone," then I can delete those duplicate entries from the spreadsheet.
Tuesday, 2024-May-28
📓 What do we know about David Guardia's mother? Just one thing, and that came in zapfic entry 11. Whatever other details we learn about her will be revealed either later in the zapfic serial Blue Lion or for sure in the zapfic serial after that one, The Bronze.
📓 Speaking of The Bronze, there is a visual I can use to serve as a status indicator for what is happening with David in the final section of that zapfic serial. Cryptophiles and Dark Brandon fans will recognize it instantly, but it also has a basis both in the Thor storyline as seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well as the first-ever Star Wars movie. This visual indicator will be used not only on the earthly plane of existence but also on the spiritual plane. David may not be a "superhero" or Jedi, but he has a couple of sources of supernatural help on his side. At his disposal will be the spiritual version of Felix Legion-- his, not Vespasian's-- since it will take one legion to combat the other legion.
Wednesday, 2024-May-29
📓 Although this isn't directly related or even adjacent to The GHAWG Universe, this is what I've been thinking about today: Route 66 Tourism.
Although much commerce has been done along the roads which formed Route 66 (especially along the actual Route 66), as much travel along this iconic road had been by individuals, families, and small groups. By the time the 1950s began, Route 66 itself had become as much a tourist attraction as many towns themselves (Amarillo; Gallup [New Mexico]; Flagstaff... Winona, etc.). With this sort of status, it made sense for bus tours to be organized for "the Route 66 Experience" specifically. Sadly, as the years passed after the Interstate Highway System superseded the US Route System starting in 1956, Route 66 became an afterthought except for moments such as various songs and movies.
I was wondering if bus tours still exist for the "Route 66" niche of tourism. If they don't, does it make sense to establish-- or to re-establish-- that tourism niche? The people who would know best are those who live and work along the path which had been used by Route 66. This means I'll need to do a survey of those businesses I discover. Even if survey results are negative, maybe I can figure out a way to get people to reconsider the idea. If the survey results are positive, however, then perhaps I'm at the begining of my own Epic Ride: while David Guardia's Epic Ride is literal-- well over eight thousand miles of transcontinental motorcycle riding-- my "Epic Ride" would be of the free enterprise and entrepreneurial variety. It all starts with an idea, so this is my idea.
Thursday, 2024-May-30
📓 Music plays an important role in The GHAWG Universe, starting with the very title ("God's Hog: A Watchful Guardian"). The end credits for The Dark Knight Rises (2012) set the tone for GHAWG.
"Allentown" from the 1982 album The Nylon Curtain by Billy Joel was my motivation for including this stop during David Guardia's earliest stages of his ride to STURGIS and his Epic Ride in general.
Two versions of the song "Fly Me to the Moon" are an integral part of the zapfic serial.
The iconic bikers' and motorcycle rider's anthem "Born To Be Wild" by Steppenwolf sets the tone for the West Coast portion of David's Epic Ride as Harry Hoqualogue and The Mongols ride home to San Diego, California, US.
The Depeche Mode cover of "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" is the soundtrack (in my mind) which I use for the Old Route 66 storyline on Rat Bike.
For times I want to focus on Rhonda Bella Guardia (formerly Rhonda Bella), I use the iconic theme music from the first Wonder Woman movie and her debut in Batman versus Superman: The Dawn of Justice.
So what was I listening to today?
"The Clairvoyant" by Iron Maiden's 1988 album Seventh Son of a Seventh Son.
(???)
Two lines in particular kept catching my attention because it feels like something I can use for the final zapfic serial The Bronze: "He could see the future penetrating right / In through your mind" (emphasis added).
Although David is a prophet of The Lord in Rate Bike, those lines from "The Clairvoyant" don't apply there; they may not even apply to The Bronze, but given his status in The Bronze they add more depth to David's character at that point in his life. How this is so, I won't know until I storyboard The Bronze later.
Friday, 2024-May-31
📓 Just to get a better idea of what I can expect later in the Old Route 66 storyline, I looked at the rest of Old Route 66 between New Mexico and Illinois. In Illinois, Old Route 66 is in a more residential region; it's going from cities, towns, and suburbs with hardly any gaps as had been done so far from California through New Mexico. In Missouri, Old Route 66 takes on a more rural character. In Kansas, blink and you miss it: at only 13 miles of road, Kansas has the shortest stretch of Old Route 66. I also discovered some towns I missed during my pass through California and Arizona, but I don't plan on going back to fill gaps just to include them.
Saturday, 2024-June-1
📓 True of False: Joplin, Missouri is mentioned in the song "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66"? Trick question: either answer is correct depending on which version of the song is playing. Versions sung by Nat King Cole and Chuck Berry mention Joplin. Versions sung by The Rolling Stones and Depeche Mode replace "Joplin" with the words "down to" instead. The John Mayer version sung for the Disney Pixar animated movie Cars includes "Joplin" in the lyrics.
How did I discover this about Joplin? I saw YouTube videos featuring the music performers noted earlier. Notes? The Nat King Cole version is good; also typical of 1946. The Chuck Berry version has good guitar, but not so good vocals. The Rolling Stones version is the briefest, and the most "wtF???" version. Despite being electronica and techno, the Depeche Mode version remains my favorite. The John Mayer version for Cars is what the Chuck Berry version should have been.
It will be a while before Felix Legion reaches Joplin, Missouri. What will happen there is anyone's guess.
Sunday, 2024-June-2
📓 I need a better way to search through my spreadsheet for words or terms. At the moment I use standard user interface commands to find the entries I need. While I can make basic formulas to locate relevant text entries, they only locate the 1st instance of the term; what if multiple instances of the term exist? I'll need to create my own interface, a search form, to produce these results. I did something like this for work several years ago, but that spreadsheet disappeared into the ether. This will take me a while to create and document.
When (and Where) To Catch #GHAWG
When
This is the normal schedule for the posting of content for #GHAWG:
● Daily -- Each zapfic entry is posted shortly after midnight, from New York
● Weekends -- Weekly Summaries (with modified screen capture from LeoThreads as cover image) are usually on Saturday, sometimes Sunday
● Monday -- Either GHAWG, Uninterrupted if present, or The GHAWG Diaries
● Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday -- GHAWG Behind the Scenes -- The goal is to publish these posts on all days not dedicated to the Weekly Sumamry, GHAWH-U, or The GHAWG Diaries (TGD). There may be days with no post, so I'll minimize those occasions as best as I can.
Where
● Daily zapfic entries drop at LeoThreads, usually posted shortly after midnight from New York (sometimes around noon)
● All long form posts-- Weekly Summaries, GHAWG-U, and TGD-- can be accessed using the #GHAWGnav sticky post or from my InLeo profile page
That's it for this edition of The GHAWG Diaries. I'm 
[!!]
Thanks for your time. Give the post an upvote or a reblog if you liked it. Feedback is welcome. Until next time!
[!!] -- Graphic signature was designed by @ahmadmanga