Greetings, humans (and maybe the fortuitous robot)!
While I do work on the draft of my email newsletter ahead of time, I usually finalize it no earlier than the evening before it goes out. This newsletter is unusual because I’m completing it DAYS out because as you’re reading this, I’m getting ready to embark on a cruise—my first real vacation in two years. And not just any cruise… it’s Star Trek: The Cruise!
Which means thoughts of travel are bobbing around my head, which is what’s about to come out in this newsletter… to include how it relates to my writing. And for paid subscribers, I have a lot of thoughts on the business end of things, particularly uses of AI that have nothing to do with writing…
But first… if you haven’t picked up a copy of my latest novel, Lunar Logic, then please do! And don’t forget about the 4-book The Robot Galaxy Series.
PS in Moon news… check out this mission on its way to the Moon right now: Odysseus Moon Lander (along with the gorgeous pictures it took of our home planet on its way!)
Last newsletter, I presented the flash fiction piece, “Alien in Anaheim: Gastronomic Gallivanting.”
…and asked you all to guess if I’ve been to the Anaheim Packing District that I wrote about. Several of you sent in guesses and… 50% got it right, 50% got it wrong! I’m not sure what to make of that. LOL.
But no, I’ve never been there. Although if I ever find myself in Anaheim, it’s on my list of places to check out.
In today’s story, I’ll tell you right now that yes, I’ve been to Atlanta, and yes, I’ve been to the location Kim starts in and in the restaurant he’s looking for. In fact… here’s a picture of me that relates to the story:
I’m going to shortly run out of places that start with “A” that I’ve been to. I’ve never been to Austin. I’ve never been to Algeria. I’ve never been to Australia (although I’ve been to Auckland, New Zealand). So, soon, this issue of writing about places that I’ve been to is going to be moot… because obviously I’ll be doing it more to keep going with Kim’s adventures.
I am planning that the next story will be “Alien in Aruba” because Aruba is one stop on our upcoming trip. Did I mention it’s a Star Trek cruise!? I am overwhelmingly excited about this! Yes, I will share pictures.
[Note: Quick reminder about “flash fiction.” While there is no official legal definition of “flash fiction,” it’s generally accepted that flash fiction has a word count of up to 1500 words. However, to make this an interesting challenge, I’ve told myself that these stories will be no more than 1000 words.]
If you want to know more about how this story came about, that’s all in the “Beyond…” section for paid subscribers below. (Paid subscribers also get to suggest elements and get their name used in a future story!)
Alien in Atlanta: Awkward Adventures
Kim eyed the image on the concrete, puzzled enough to consult his Earth phone—a handy device he started carrying around since moving to the Social Structures Team in addition to the standard team-issued comms device. It was much more convenient for using Earth based dictionaries and reference material.
His search to clarify "yellow jacket"—using a picture he snapped of the cartoonish image—led him first to images of stinging insects, then to a more fitting discovery: the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. This made perfect sense, considering he'd unwittingly found himself on their campus in Atlanta.
The campus was quiet, likely due to break time, adding a layer of frustration to Kim's already perplexing day. He'd taken a wrong turn somewhere, straying far from the restaurant he wanted to find.
Frustrating could have described his whole time in Atlanta so far, compounded by the extra scrutiny he felt.
On one hand, life had improved dramatically. Kim's request to transfer to the Social Structures Team did indeed find its way to his mother, and to Kim's astonishment, she was supportive! Her message, that included, "I wish you would have just told me sooner..." had completely undid the image he had of her.
It helped that the Tech Assess team was wrapping up, emphatically assigning Earth to a Level 1—tagging them as "emerging technology." Thus, the team members found themselves reassigned or sent home.
Meanwhile, the Social Structures team, Ethical & Moral Standards , and Environmental Interaction teams were still evaluating, with just three months remaining to make their respective evaluations.
Kim's first assignment with the Social Structures team was ambitiously vague, set in another large metropolis. He'd requested somewhere more exotic and different from where he'd been so far—Anchorage or Auckland or a nice place he'd read about called Amsterdam. Yes, the decision was to keep him in somewhat familiar terrain, emphasizing the rich cultural diversity of Earth.
Merely two days into his assignment, Kim's adventure had already included an unexpected detour through a graffiti-splash neighborhood, the distraction of which caused him to run into the curb and pop the tire on his rental car. Now, careless and on foot, he was lost. Not entirely lost, but sufficiently misplaced to notice his stomach. It was growling with hunger. Hunger, a distinctly human inconvenience, was proving to be quite the distraction to his ability to successfully navigate.
Kim looked up from his phone. A local, earbuds in, wandered into his vision.
"Excuse me," Kim called out. The local pedestrian paused, one earbud popping out as if on cue.
"I'm looking for The Vortex. Do you know where it is?" Kim inquired.
With a smirk, the local replied "It's definitely not on campus," as if there was a joke Kim didn't understand.
Kim resisted the urge to say something snarky back, but opted for patience since he was the one in need of help.
"Oh sorry dude," the person said. "It's this way. Follow me."
Kim took that as an invitation to walk with him.
"Are you a student here?" Kim asked.
"Yeah. Third year," the local confirmed, keeping up his pace.
"Are you a new professor here or something?" the student asked.
"No. I'm in Atlanta on business," Kim said, sticking to the standard answer that was vaguely truthful.
"Ah, well, if you have kids and they're looking for college, Tech is a great place."
Seeing this as an invitation to continue to converse, Kim—thinking about the form he was supposed to fill out later as part of his assignment—asked, "What's your view on conflict resolution on a national scale?"
The student seemed taken aback. "Huh? Dude, I'm just an engineering student."
Kim smiled at the irony that had he still been on Tech Assess, randomly running into an engineering student could have proved quite valuable.
They continued in silence, crossing the threshold from campus to the regular city streets. After a few blocks, the student stopped.
"Down that way. You can't miss it."
Kim was about to start walking again, then realized the potential of this encounter--getting to know humans was the point of his mission. "Do you want to join me?"
"Can't, dude. They don't let in anyone under 21. I'm 20."
This was perfect for Kim's mission to explore human concepts of leadership and conflict resolution. A firsthand encounter with rules influencing human behavior was precisely what he needed. The prohibition that barred this human from an enjoyable activity offered a direct observation opportunity.
But in order to get the insight Kim needed, he needed to talk to this human more. He looked longingly down the road. When he had decided that The Vortex was the place to eat, he had reviewed their menu online and was already looking forward to Disco Taters and Fried Pickles...
Kim paused for a moment, considering his options, weighing his hunger against the mission’s demands. The hunger gnawing at his stomach urged him to continue alone, but the mission's objectives gnawed even more—clouded with thoughts of ensuring he made a good impression on the new team and justifying his mother's support. Turning to the student, he said, "That's unfortunate. I was looking forward to trying their food. Is there another place you'd recommend?"
The student eyed Kim with a mix of wariness and caution.
"Nah, dude. I gotta go. Enjoy The Vortex. I hear they have some great burgers. And tots."
The student started moving, twice the speed of his earlier rate. Kim stood there, a bit puzzled. Had he said something wrong? Fortunately, the Social Structure Team’s comm device would have logged the entire exchange, allowing for a retrospective analysis. Kim planned to review the interaction, ruminating over whether it was his approach or perhaps his choice of cuisine that needed tweaking.
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Beyond…
Now for all the behind-the-scenes stuff. Today, I’ll talk a little more about my “Atlanta” story came about and I write about being a business owner and how AI can help tame the chaos of that—to include this week’s dust up with Findaway/Spotify.
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