Ever have one of those weekends that feels like a blink of an eye?
A friend of mine recently had her life turned upside down and was looking to get the hell out of Indianapolis for a couple days so I put her up at my house. Long story short, the weekend passed by very fast. I did manage to take a ton of pictures at the zoo and Pickle Springs. Notice the picture of the two Galapagos tortoises having awkward lurching sex on my previous post. It was like watching two Volkswagens getting into a car wreck.
The Pickle Springs trip was partly a location scouting mission since that's where I'm planning for the body to be found in my NaNoWriMo novel. Still not sure how high the cliff near the end of the trail is but I'm calling it 70 feet in the book.
I'm still a bit behind in my NaNoPrep but I have all day to do it since my workload is a bit light. I mean, I would never do anything writing-related at work!
Looks like I'm doing the NaNoBeard. I shaved off my sideburns last night so I'm looking pretty baby-faced at the moment. Maybe I'll try to finish in record time just so I don't have to experience beard itch.
Tonight's going to be my last evening of freedom prior to NaNoWriMo. I'm thinking I'll load up on supplies on the way home and try to read an entire Michael Shayne novel. After I finish up my preparations, of course.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
NaNo Prep Tips
I was going to go a little more in depth in my NaNoWriMo Preparation tips but Lola over at Sharp Pen/Dull Sword did a really good blog post yesterday that covers all of my points and has fancy pictures. I leave you in her capable hands.
Bullets Don't Blink is coming together in my head, even if I'm behind in preparation. I've talked over the particulars of the plot with some of my trusted Goodreads chums and I'm feeling pretty comfortable with it. I'm hoping my workload is lighter than it was in July and August. I'd like to hit 50k by the 21st if possible. It would be nice to have a Thanksgiving where I'm not thinking about all the writing I have to do.
Bullets Don't Blink is coming together in my head, even if I'm behind in preparation. I've talked over the particulars of the plot with some of my trusted Goodreads chums and I'm feeling pretty comfortable with it. I'm hoping my workload is lighter than it was in July and August. I'd like to hit 50k by the 21st if possible. It would be nice to have a Thanksgiving where I'm not thinking about all the writing I have to do.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Thinking about growing a NaNoBeard.
After a short slumber of 5-ish hours, I'm back amongst the living. I've been awake for two hours and all I've managed so far is drinking a lot of coffee, listening to some tunes, and shaving off the goatee I'd been working on. All the gray hairs in it were getting long and unmanageable. Also, I had another idea in mind...
I'm thinking about growing one of those motivational beards. I figure I can start not shaving on November first and beard it up until I either hit 50k or just can't take it any more.
We'll see if I actually do it. I kind of like being able to see my chin again.
Now that The Slackers have left town, I can focus on NaNoWriMo again. I'd like to say that I'm going to take advantage of my time off today to iron out some details but I'm not committing to anything besides eating, relaxing, watching the Slackers documentary I bought last night, visiting the local used bookseller to gush about the Slackers show, and possibly finish reading The Prettiest Girl I Ever Killed.
In my befogged condition, I almost forgot to mention this: I got a message on Goodreads from Scribner about reviewing an advance copy of The Last Good Man. I'm hoping a pipeline of ARCs will open up if they like my review. This could be another step closer to getting paid to read.
I'm thinking about growing one of those motivational beards. I figure I can start not shaving on November first and beard it up until I either hit 50k or just can't take it any more.
We'll see if I actually do it. I kind of like being able to see my chin again.
Now that The Slackers have left town, I can focus on NaNoWriMo again. I'd like to say that I'm going to take advantage of my time off today to iron out some details but I'm not committing to anything besides eating, relaxing, watching the Slackers documentary I bought last night, visiting the local used bookseller to gush about the Slackers show, and possibly finish reading The Prettiest Girl I Ever Killed.
In my befogged condition, I almost forgot to mention this: I got a message on Goodreads from Scribner about reviewing an advance copy of The Last Good Man. I'm hoping a pipeline of ARCs will open up if they like my review. This could be another step closer to getting paid to read.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
The Slackers Report
Well, another Slackers show has come and gone. Here's how it all went down.
After a quick dinner at IHOP, we arrived at the Firebird right on time. Deals Gone Bad went on first. While I like Deals Gone Bad, the two parts of their set I remember most vividly are the parts involving the Slackers. First, Dave Hillyard joined them on stage with his sax and the damn microphone was dead. Secondly, Vic Ruggeiro played harmonica with them on a different song and they finally got the mic fixed.
The Slackers got set up in near record time and belted out songs one right after another. Here's the songs that I remember them playing. I'm a little fuzzy on the order:
If I had to bitch about something, it would be the guys who didn't seem to realize how packed the Firebird was and kept swinging their elbows around. A couple times I had to move because I kept picturing myself knocking the newsboy hat off of one of the assholes and then sucker-punching him as he turned around to see who did it.
In conclusion, the next time the Slackers come to your town, clear your fucking calendar. Baseball shmaseball.
After a quick dinner at IHOP, we arrived at the Firebird right on time. Deals Gone Bad went on first. While I like Deals Gone Bad, the two parts of their set I remember most vividly are the parts involving the Slackers. First, Dave Hillyard joined them on stage with his sax and the damn microphone was dead. Secondly, Vic Ruggeiro played harmonica with them on a different song and they finally got the mic fixed.
The Slackers got set up in near record time and belted out songs one right after another. Here's the songs that I remember them playing. I'm a little fuzzy on the order:
- Every Day is Sunday
- Feed My Girl
- Attitude
- Reach Out
- Living in a Tool Shed
- Same Every Day
- I Want to Thank You
- We Can Work it Out
- Ska Boheme
- The Nurse
- Please Decide
- Bin Waiting
- Knowing
- Rider
- Who Knows
- Pedophilia
- Have the Time
- Game Of Love" (Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders Cover)
- Old Dog
- Watch This
- What Went Wrong
- Saw a Fool
If I had to bitch about something, it would be the guys who didn't seem to realize how packed the Firebird was and kept swinging their elbows around. A couple times I had to move because I kept picturing myself knocking the newsboy hat off of one of the assholes and then sucker-punching him as he turned around to see who did it.
In conclusion, the next time the Slackers come to your town, clear your fucking calendar. Baseball shmaseball.
Strange Saturday Night Dream
So I was playing basketball in my driveway when my dog Belle suddenly grew to human size, was wearing blue jeans, and running around on her back legs. She growled and I turned to see the rest of the neighborhood dogs running up the road on their hind legs, also wearing blue jeans.
I was trying to figure out what to do next when I heard massive footsteps and trees breaking. A gigantic robot stomped into my hard and a voice came over a loudspeaker telling me to climb aboard. Fortunately, there were rungs built into the thing's leg and I scampered up to a hatch on the thing's shoulder.
Inside the giant robot were a lot of army guys running around and pressing buttons. One of them grabbed me by the arm and told me I was the new co-pilot. I was taking to a control room inside the head. Justin Timberlake was there. I asked why Justin Timberlake was playing the pilot and the dream was over.
I was trying to figure out what to do next when I heard massive footsteps and trees breaking. A gigantic robot stomped into my hard and a voice came over a loudspeaker telling me to climb aboard. Fortunately, there were rungs built into the thing's leg and I scampered up to a hatch on the thing's shoulder.
Inside the giant robot were a lot of army guys running around and pressing buttons. One of them grabbed me by the arm and told me I was the new co-pilot. I was taking to a control room inside the head. Justin Timberlake was there. I asked why Justin Timberlake was playing the pilot and the dream was over.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
The Dream I had Last Night
I was strolling through the airport when security flagged me down.
"What's the problem?" I asked.
"We saw you stroking your goatee and laughing maniacally earlier and have reason to believe you're a Middle Eastern terrorist."
"Fine. Where do you want to do this?" I asked.
"You don't seem overly concerned, sir," the security guy said.
"Well, while I am dark-complected, I don't think too many Middle Eastern terrorists have greenish-gray eyes and a rural Missouri accent."
The guy led me into a tiny white room and left the room to run my driver's license. He soon returned.
"Sorry, sir. You're free to go."
I pretended like I was going to shake his hand and punched him in the balls. Then the dream was over.
My favorite part was that they saw me stroking my goatee and thought I was a terrorist.
"What's the problem?" I asked.
"We saw you stroking your goatee and laughing maniacally earlier and have reason to believe you're a Middle Eastern terrorist."
"Fine. Where do you want to do this?" I asked.
"You don't seem overly concerned, sir," the security guy said.
"Well, while I am dark-complected, I don't think too many Middle Eastern terrorists have greenish-gray eyes and a rural Missouri accent."
The guy led me into a tiny white room and left the room to run my driver's license. He soon returned.
"Sorry, sir. You're free to go."
I pretended like I was going to shake his hand and punched him in the balls. Then the dream was over.
My favorite part was that they saw me stroking my goatee and thought I was a terrorist.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Orange Soda Chicken Experiment
I was talking to a friend about cooking a couple days ago when I remembered this recipe. Unfortunately, no written record exists anywhere. Earlier this evening, I attempted to reassemble the recipe from memories partially shrouded in an alcoholic haze.
First, the ingredients:
A pound of chicken.
12 ounces of orange soda. I used one and a half of these cute little bastards. I'm not sure if the Deadwood complete series boxed set visible behind them on my kitchen table is necessary but it couldn't hurt.
A hot sauce of your choice.
A package of stir fry vegetables. You may need more than one.
An alcoholic beverage of your choice to drink while you're cooking. Smithwick's is preferred but I suppose other beers or mixed drinks would work. I suppose you could attempt it without having a tipple at the same time but it's not recommended.
First, you're going to want to dump your orange soda into a pan, then add a small dollop of your hot sauce. Don't add a shitload or it will be to hot to eat once the mixture cooks down. Note that dollop and shitload are highly scientific units of measurement.
Turn up the heat and start cutting your chicken into bite-sized chunks. The basic premise of this recipe is to get the mixture of orange soda and hot sauce boiling and throw the chicken in. By the time you're finished, hopefullly, the chicken will be permeated with a sweet and spicy taste and also have a nice sweet and spicy glaze on the outside.
I was about two beers deep into my six pack at this point so time became rather flexible. Cook the chicken in the mixture until the mixture has been greatly reduced. You'll want to leave a little of the sauce at the bottom of the pan. Once your chicken is cooked, throw in your veggies and put the lid on and let the veggies steam in the citric mist you've been creating.
The success or failure of this process hinges on a few factors:
First, the ingredients:
A hot sauce of your choice.
First, you're going to want to dump your orange soda into a pan, then add a small dollop of your hot sauce. Don't add a shitload or it will be to hot to eat once the mixture cooks down. Note that dollop and shitload are highly scientific units of measurement.
Turn up the heat and start cutting your chicken into bite-sized chunks. The basic premise of this recipe is to get the mixture of orange soda and hot sauce boiling and throw the chicken in. By the time you're finished, hopefullly, the chicken will be permeated with a sweet and spicy taste and also have a nice sweet and spicy glaze on the outside.
I was about two beers deep into my six pack at this point so time became rather flexible. Cook the chicken in the mixture until the mixture has been greatly reduced. You'll want to leave a little of the sauce at the bottom of the pan. Once your chicken is cooked, throw in your veggies and put the lid on and let the veggies steam in the citric mist you've been creating.
The success or failure of this process hinges on a few factors:
- You're going to want enough vegetables to make it worthwhile. One bag wasn't quite enough.
- You want a hot sauce that has some bite to it. The East Asian Tabasco I picked didn't really have the heat that I was looking for. Still, it's a nice tasting sauce.
- Don't use too much soda! This is the most important factor when attempting this. Too much and the shit will never cook down enough. In retrospect, 8 ounces probably would have been plenty.
Excitement Level Increasing...
First off, I have a confession to make. It was 55 degrees in my house last night when I got home so I caved in and turned on the heat despite my resolve to not turn it on until November first. Now that I've gotten that off my chest, it feels as if a huge weight has been lifted and I can get down to business.
My excitement level regarding NaNoWriMo is finally reaching appropriate levels after weeks of meh. I've decided that I'm lifting the inept country police department from my August Camp NaNoWriMo fragment and possibly some of the dialogue as well. I'm adding another deputy, a guy that never speaks or does much of anything (until I need him to) to be one of my wildcards. I still need to come up with some names and locations but I think things are coming together.
My excitement level regarding NaNoWriMo is finally reaching appropriate levels after weeks of meh. I've decided that I'm lifting the inept country police department from my August Camp NaNoWriMo fragment and possibly some of the dialogue as well. I'm adding another deputy, a guy that never speaks or does much of anything (until I need him to) to be one of my wildcards. I still need to come up with some names and locations but I think things are coming together.
Actual dialog from work about Muammar Qaddafi
Adrienne: Has it been confirmed that Qaddafi is dead?
Joe: It doesn't matter. I'm pretty sure I'm not in his will.
Me: I know I'm not. He's still mad at me for that time I tracked mud on his nice new carpets.
Joe: He never forgave me for that time I was picking up his neighbor's daughter for a date and kept honking my horn. He didn't like the honking at all.
Joe: It doesn't matter. I'm pretty sure I'm not in his will.
Me: I know I'm not. He's still mad at me for that time I tracked mud on his nice new carpets.
Joe: He never forgave me for that time I was picking up his neighbor's daughter for a date and kept honking my horn. He didn't like the honking at all.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
NaNoWriMoPrep
It's getting to be that time of year where I need to stock up on crucial NaNoWriMo supplies. What? You thought this was going to be about outlining and such?
My NaNo supplies consist of the following:
Other things I'll have to do include taking care of the leaves in my yard so I don't have a heaping pile once NaNoWriMo is over. Actually, I think that's about it. I'll probably do a deep house cleaning so I can rule that out as a way to procrastinate.
My NaNo supplies consist of the following:
- frozen pizzas
- fish sticks
- ramen
- granola bars
- a few pads of post-its
- coffee
- tea
Other things I'll have to do include taking care of the leaves in my yard so I don't have a heaping pile once NaNoWriMo is over. Actually, I think that's about it. I'll probably do a deep house cleaning so I can rule that out as a way to procrastinate.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Sometimes Mondays last until Thursday evening
It's hard for me to go to bed on Sunday nights. Monday's right around the corner and I've no doubt upset my sleep schedule by then. Last night was more of the same. I finished Fourth Down to Death, a cheesy Brett Halliday paperback from the 70's. As far as detective stories go, it showed me what I don't want to do in Bullets Don't Blink.
Anyway, it was tough silencing my brain after that. I managed to fall asleep but Belle woke me up around midnight. I thought she had to go to the bathroom but it turned out she really wanted to give her realm a surprise inspection. Good thing there was enough moonlight to walk by. So, I'm really tired today.
The midnight walk wasn't all bad, though. I ironed out a few more details in Bullets Don't Blink. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of basing the ficitious Missouri town it takes place in on the semi-ficticious Missouri town I live in. Change some names and distances and Bob's your uncle. Actually, I do have an Uncle Bob.
It seems to me that I should come up with some clues for Garvin to uncover at each of the locations he initally visits. I already have some things in mind but I'll likely throw some random things in so I have some additional ammo if I get stuck. I've never tried writing a mystery before so this should be a learning experience.
In other news, from here until November 1st, I'll be reading nothing but detective novels for inspirational purpose. I think I have enough to last me two weeks.
Anyway, it was tough silencing my brain after that. I managed to fall asleep but Belle woke me up around midnight. I thought she had to go to the bathroom but it turned out she really wanted to give her realm a surprise inspection. Good thing there was enough moonlight to walk by. So, I'm really tired today.
The midnight walk wasn't all bad, though. I ironed out a few more details in Bullets Don't Blink. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of basing the ficitious Missouri town it takes place in on the semi-ficticious Missouri town I live in. Change some names and distances and Bob's your uncle. Actually, I do have an Uncle Bob.
It seems to me that I should come up with some clues for Garvin to uncover at each of the locations he initally visits. I already have some things in mind but I'll likely throw some random things in so I have some additional ammo if I get stuck. I've never tried writing a mystery before so this should be a learning experience.
In other news, from here until November 1st, I'll be reading nothing but detective novels for inspirational purpose. I think I have enough to last me two weeks.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
I've made the right choice
It took some restraint not to say "write choice" in the title. Bad puns are awesome.
Anyway, I keep finding myself thinking of details to work into Bullets Don't Blink. I figured out where my ex-conhero protagonist will get his guns this morning while I was walking the dog. His personality is still a little elusive but I'm sure I can figure that out before the 1st. I think he used to be a pretty driven criminal in his youth but 12 years in the clink has made him reluctant to do anything that might send him back there.
In non-writing news, I'm on pace to finish the new Terry Pratchett book today. I'd say it's his best book in years but I've always been partial to Sam Vimes and the Ankh-Morpork City Watch books.
Anyway, I keep finding myself thinking of details to work into Bullets Don't Blink. I figured out where my ex-con
In non-writing news, I'm on pace to finish the new Terry Pratchett book today. I'd say it's his best book in years but I've always been partial to Sam Vimes and the Ankh-Morpork City Watch books.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Friday, October 14, 2011
Yeah, looks like I'm switching to the detective story after all
Here's the teaser for Bullets Don't Blink:
A young woman pays down on his luck ex-con David Garvin to investigate her friend's suspicious suicide. Garvin's investigation gets him entangled in a web of deceit, drugs, and death! Can Garvin find the woman's killer before he ends up dead or back in jail?
When you're staring down the barrel of a gun...
Bullets Don't Blink!
Now I just have to write the damn thing.
A young woman pays down on his luck ex-con David Garvin to investigate her friend's suspicious suicide. Garvin's investigation gets him entangled in a web of deceit, drugs, and death! Can Garvin find the woman's killer before he ends up dead or back in jail?
When you're staring down the barrel of a gun...
Bullets Don't Blink!
Now I just have to write the damn thing.
9 Days and Counting
Nine more days until the Slackers come to town. Today's song - The Fried Chicken Song.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Shouldn't my excitement level be higher than this?
I find myself lacking enthusiasm about NaNoWriMo. Don't get me wrong, I'm still looking forward to it. I'm just not as gung-ho about it as I've been in previous years.
The idea of setting aside The Big Red Ragnarok and doing a regular detective novel has crossed my mind quite a bit recently. For one thing, I'm not in a fantasy type of mood and for another, I've been wanting to write one for a long time.
I've still got a couple weeks to decide, I guess.
The idea of setting aside The Big Red Ragnarok and doing a regular detective novel has crossed my mind quite a bit recently. For one thing, I'm not in a fantasy type of mood and for another, I've been wanting to write one for a long time.
I've still got a couple weeks to decide, I guess.
Two Countdowns? It just isn't done!
There are 19 days until NaNoWriMo kicks off. However, there is another impending date that's getting priority for the moment.
My favorite band, The Slackers, are coming to St. Louis in a mere ten days. To celebrate the occasion, I will be posting a youtube video each day until then highlighting one of my favorite Slackers tunes. Here's today's, You Don't Know I.
My favorite band, The Slackers, are coming to St. Louis in a mere ten days. To celebrate the occasion, I will be posting a youtube video each day until then highlighting one of my favorite Slackers tunes. Here's today's, You Don't Know I.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
That Damnable Seductress!
For the past couple years, I've been watching less and less TV in order to do more reading. It's gone very well. My unread pile continues to dwindle and I shouldn't have very many books when 2012 hits. However...
... Around the beginning of July, I began watching the DVD backlog I'd been accumulating and discovered that not all television sucks. First, I watched both seasons of Flight of the Conchords in near record time. After that, it was the first season of Soap. From there, Futurama season 5 and the second season of the Sarah Silverman Program.
In the last month, I've watched a shameful amount of television. It all started when Deadwood was the deal of the day on Amazon. I burned through five episodes one Sunday afternoon and watched all 36 episodes in two weeks. That'll put a damper on anyone's reading.
As I neared the end of Deadwood, Justified became my new target. I finished the final episode of season 1 last night. Luckily I've become enamored with the Matt Smith version of Doctor Who lately and series 5 was in my gold box on Amazon the other day. I'll be watching the good Doctor in the coming weeks and plan to have it wrapped up before NaNoWriMo kicks off.
It's odd. I've always been apprehensive about dipping my toe in the Doctor's universe. There are hundreds of episodes and multiple Doctors. Until recently, the only ones I've ever seen have been John Pertwee or Tom Baker episodes. For some reason, every time I visit my parents, BBC America has a Dr. Who marathon and I've since become hooked on the Matt Smith version. I don't intend on backtracking at this time but you never know.
... Around the beginning of July, I began watching the DVD backlog I'd been accumulating and discovered that not all television sucks. First, I watched both seasons of Flight of the Conchords in near record time. After that, it was the first season of Soap. From there, Futurama season 5 and the second season of the Sarah Silverman Program.
In the last month, I've watched a shameful amount of television. It all started when Deadwood was the deal of the day on Amazon. I burned through five episodes one Sunday afternoon and watched all 36 episodes in two weeks. That'll put a damper on anyone's reading.
As I neared the end of Deadwood, Justified became my new target. I finished the final episode of season 1 last night. Luckily I've become enamored with the Matt Smith version of Doctor Who lately and series 5 was in my gold box on Amazon the other day. I'll be watching the good Doctor in the coming weeks and plan to have it wrapped up before NaNoWriMo kicks off.
It's odd. I've always been apprehensive about dipping my toe in the Doctor's universe. There are hundreds of episodes and multiple Doctors. Until recently, the only ones I've ever seen have been John Pertwee or Tom Baker episodes. For some reason, every time I visit my parents, BBC America has a Dr. Who marathon and I've since become hooked on the Matt Smith version. I don't intend on backtracking at this time but you never know.
Research Shmesearch
If past years are any indication, I should have a lot more in the way of written notes for my NaNoWriMo story by now. As it stands, all I have are a few emails to myself and some post-its. Oh, and the beginning and ending are both pretty well formed.
I'm a little conflicted on how much prep I should do before November 1 hits. In 2009 and 2010, I had pages of stuff and a rough outline by now. On the other hand, in 2009 and 2010, the story didn't feel as lively as my Camp NaNoWriMo novel, Sweating Bullets did.
Sweating Bullets had the back cover teaser, some character names, and a few scenes ideas when July 1st hit. Sweating Bullets was the first story in a while where the characters felt like they were doing what they wanted, not what I wanted. Sweating Bullets didn't need the worldbuilding that I'm going to need for The Big Red Ragnarok, though.
At the very least, I think I should come up with a few characters for Loki to interact with on each of the Nine Homeworlds and some visuals. I know my dwarves are going to be steampunky and the elves of Alfheim will probably be feral cannibals. Not sure about the giants of Jotunheim yet apart from them being quite tall.
Another aspect of the story I'm still waffling on is who will be tagging along with Loki as he tries to piece together who was behind the attempt on Odin's life. Odin had two ravens that served as his spies and I'm thinking about one or both of them tailing the Trickster, mostly so he'll have someone to banter with. Another idea I had was having a Valkyrie tag along, possibly with her own agenda.
I'm a little conflicted on how much prep I should do before November 1 hits. In 2009 and 2010, I had pages of stuff and a rough outline by now. On the other hand, in 2009 and 2010, the story didn't feel as lively as my Camp NaNoWriMo novel, Sweating Bullets did.
Sweating Bullets had the back cover teaser, some character names, and a few scenes ideas when July 1st hit. Sweating Bullets was the first story in a while where the characters felt like they were doing what they wanted, not what I wanted. Sweating Bullets didn't need the worldbuilding that I'm going to need for The Big Red Ragnarok, though.
At the very least, I think I should come up with a few characters for Loki to interact with on each of the Nine Homeworlds and some visuals. I know my dwarves are going to be steampunky and the elves of Alfheim will probably be feral cannibals. Not sure about the giants of Jotunheim yet apart from them being quite tall.
Another aspect of the story I'm still waffling on is who will be tagging along with Loki as he tries to piece together who was behind the attempt on Odin's life. Odin had two ravens that served as his spies and I'm thinking about one or both of them tailing the Trickster, mostly so he'll have someone to banter with. Another idea I had was having a Valkyrie tag along, possibly with her own agenda.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Mr. T-Bone and The Young Lions - The President Of The Republic Of Bananas
I couldn't find anything from the new album on Youtube so here's some classic Mr. T-Bone. He played this one last night.
He looks taller on my records - The Mr. T-Bone report
The evening was off to a rocky start. Greg moved since the last time we went to a show so I had to find his new place. I would have been fine if I hadn't looked at the map and just went with my instincts. I had to turn around once but I still got there in time for two episodes of The Monkees.
Once Greg got ready, two of the fastest eaters on the planet hit the South City Diner. I saw something called the meatloaf omelet on the menu and my mind was made up. It was delicious. A very short time later, we finished eating and headed for Off Broadway. We may have been the first people there who weren't with the bands.
As show time grew nearer, I started to feel bad for the bands. Not a lot of people had showed up. And by not a lot, I mean around 20. It was around this time I noticed an older gentleman about my size or possible a little shorter. I could tell by the way he was watching Murder City Players set up that he was a musician. I couldn't remember what any of Eastern Standard Time's members looked like other than the singer, who shaved off his waist-length dreadlocks since the last time they came to town, so I assumed he was with them.
Greg and I hit the Jump Up Records table and I filled some holes in my ska collection. The selection they brought was a little crappy, mostly 90's stuff, but I still found a couple King Django records I didn't have.
Murder City Players went on first. They've never been one of my favorite bands but they're local and are good for getting the crowd into it. They played some good classic ska and reggae tunes but I was really waiting for Eastern Standard Time.
Eastern Standard Time hit the stage and I saw the older man playing trombone for them. It was then I first suspected I'd been standing next to Mr. T-Bone for twenty minutes without realizing it earlier. Did I miss my chance to talk to him?
EST blew the tiny crowd away. They played like there were 500 people in the bar instead of less than 50. My only gripe was that they didn't play Get Ready. That Girl was easily their best song of the night.
After a short break, EST took the stage a second time and it was then I was sure the trombone player was Mr. T-Bone. Mr. T-Bone sang and belted out the tunes with his trombone for another set. It was great. He played songs off of all his albums, a lot of them from the album that came out the day before. If I hadn't bought it earlier in the evening, I would have rushed to the merch table to buy it.
The set ended and Mr. T-Bone was immediately surrounded as he walked to the back. Again, I kicked myself for not talking to him when I had him to myself before the Murder City Players.
As the band broke down their equipment, Greg said he wanted to go out back and have a smoke before we left. We went outside. Guess who showed up to have a cigarette a minute or two later?
Mr. T-Bone got a light from Greg and proceeded to talk with us for at least half an hour. I always like finding out my favorite artists aren't assholes and T-Bone was great. His English was very good and he told us about playing with the Slackers and the Skatalites and other bands I have great love for. You could tell by the way he talked about them that even though he'd been playing for years and years, he was still a big fan of ska. He told us about touring in Europe and trying to book bands over there.
We mentioned Dr. Ring-Ding and Mr. T-Bone asked us if we knew the story? We said no and he told us how he was playing with a two-tone band and the DJ played a tune between sets and T-Bone was awestruck and knew he wanted his band to sound like that. The record was Dandimite and the artist was Dr. Ring-Ding.
I told Mr. T-Bone I loved his record of instrumentals and he said he loved it too and it was the only one of his own records he could listen to. He said that he normally can't listen to any of his own recordings until years later, once he forgets how much work went into it. That resonated with me since I'm the same way about my writing.
As things wound down, Mr. T-Bone told us he was going to Brazil in a few weeks to do some shows and record a dub record. He finished up his cigarettes and we shook hands and headed out.
Greg and I walked out even bigger Mr. T-Bone fans than we were going in. It was a great show.
Once Greg got ready, two of the fastest eaters on the planet hit the South City Diner. I saw something called the meatloaf omelet on the menu and my mind was made up. It was delicious. A very short time later, we finished eating and headed for Off Broadway. We may have been the first people there who weren't with the bands.
As show time grew nearer, I started to feel bad for the bands. Not a lot of people had showed up. And by not a lot, I mean around 20. It was around this time I noticed an older gentleman about my size or possible a little shorter. I could tell by the way he was watching Murder City Players set up that he was a musician. I couldn't remember what any of Eastern Standard Time's members looked like other than the singer, who shaved off his waist-length dreadlocks since the last time they came to town, so I assumed he was with them.
Greg and I hit the Jump Up Records table and I filled some holes in my ska collection. The selection they brought was a little crappy, mostly 90's stuff, but I still found a couple King Django records I didn't have.
Murder City Players went on first. They've never been one of my favorite bands but they're local and are good for getting the crowd into it. They played some good classic ska and reggae tunes but I was really waiting for Eastern Standard Time.
Eastern Standard Time hit the stage and I saw the older man playing trombone for them. It was then I first suspected I'd been standing next to Mr. T-Bone for twenty minutes without realizing it earlier. Did I miss my chance to talk to him?
EST blew the tiny crowd away. They played like there were 500 people in the bar instead of less than 50. My only gripe was that they didn't play Get Ready. That Girl was easily their best song of the night.
After a short break, EST took the stage a second time and it was then I was sure the trombone player was Mr. T-Bone. Mr. T-Bone sang and belted out the tunes with his trombone for another set. It was great. He played songs off of all his albums, a lot of them from the album that came out the day before. If I hadn't bought it earlier in the evening, I would have rushed to the merch table to buy it.
The set ended and Mr. T-Bone was immediately surrounded as he walked to the back. Again, I kicked myself for not talking to him when I had him to myself before the Murder City Players.
As the band broke down their equipment, Greg said he wanted to go out back and have a smoke before we left. We went outside. Guess who showed up to have a cigarette a minute or two later?
Mr. T-Bone got a light from Greg and proceeded to talk with us for at least half an hour. I always like finding out my favorite artists aren't assholes and T-Bone was great. His English was very good and he told us about playing with the Slackers and the Skatalites and other bands I have great love for. You could tell by the way he talked about them that even though he'd been playing for years and years, he was still a big fan of ska. He told us about touring in Europe and trying to book bands over there.
We mentioned Dr. Ring-Ding and Mr. T-Bone asked us if we knew the story? We said no and he told us how he was playing with a two-tone band and the DJ played a tune between sets and T-Bone was awestruck and knew he wanted his band to sound like that. The record was Dandimite and the artist was Dr. Ring-Ding.
I told Mr. T-Bone I loved his record of instrumentals and he said he loved it too and it was the only one of his own records he could listen to. He said that he normally can't listen to any of his own recordings until years later, once he forgets how much work went into it. That resonated with me since I'm the same way about my writing.
As things wound down, Mr. T-Bone told us he was going to Brazil in a few weeks to do some shows and record a dub record. He finished up his cigarettes and we shook hands and headed out.
Greg and I walked out even bigger Mr. T-Bone fans than we were going in. It was a great show.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Woden's Day
I'm actually surprised people haven't lobbied to have the names of the days of the week changed so they are no longer named after the Norse gods.
Last night, I'd planned to stock up on groceries and get back on the work out train since missing Monday. It did not come to pass. Instead, Belle and I went fishing with my parents and dined on summer sausage, cheese, and crackers. I got some good pictures that I'll post when I get home. I'm hoping for another trip to the lake once the leaves change a bit more.
Interesting (to me) search terms:
Does anyone know what Gothise is and how I'm getting so many hits from it?
Last night, I'd planned to stock up on groceries and get back on the work out train since missing Monday. It did not come to pass. Instead, Belle and I went fishing with my parents and dined on summer sausage, cheese, and crackers. I got some good pictures that I'll post when I get home. I'm hoping for another trip to the lake once the leaves change a bit more.
Interesting (to me) search terms:
- barry yourgrau
- cliff erickson
- millard mithell
- barb wire testicle
- curry in fridge now stinks
Does anyone know what Gothise is and how I'm getting so many hits from it?
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Another Tuesday
So this goatee experiment I've been conducting may be coming to a close soon. I noticed this morning that I'm dangerously close to exceeding the acceptable number of white hairs per square centimeter. Some parts of getting older suck.
The Big Red Ragnarok continues to occupy a lot of my leisure time. Too bad I hate doing research. I'd really like to find a kid's book about Norse Mythology. I just need the essense, not the full experience since I'll be cherry-picking what I want from it anyway. Since Loki has been imprisioned underground for centuries, I'm giving myself free reign to tinker with the technological progression of the Nine Homeworlds (other than Earth) that hang from the World Ash. I'll probably focus on some of the lesser known Norse Gods so I have a bit more wiggle room.
I keep seeing a hawk down by the cemetery during Belle's daily survey of her vast territory. I got a picture the other day but the hawk was facing the wrong way and a little too far away to get a good picture. I'll get him one of these evenings.
One of the books I got at Bouchercon was The Deputy by Victor Gischler. It is flipping awesome! The main character is a part-time deputy and kind of a clueless loser at the beginning of the book. Then carnage rains down upon him and he's slowly becoming a character I can get behind. I'm only forty pages from the end and can't figure out how things are going to go down.
The Big Red Ragnarok continues to occupy a lot of my leisure time. Too bad I hate doing research. I'd really like to find a kid's book about Norse Mythology. I just need the essense, not the full experience since I'll be cherry-picking what I want from it anyway. Since Loki has been imprisioned underground for centuries, I'm giving myself free reign to tinker with the technological progression of the Nine Homeworlds (other than Earth) that hang from the World Ash. I'll probably focus on some of the lesser known Norse Gods so I have a bit more wiggle room.
I keep seeing a hawk down by the cemetery during Belle's daily survey of her vast territory. I got a picture the other day but the hawk was facing the wrong way and a little too far away to get a good picture. I'll get him one of these evenings.
One of the books I got at Bouchercon was The Deputy by Victor Gischler. It is flipping awesome! The main character is a part-time deputy and kind of a clueless loser at the beginning of the book. Then carnage rains down upon him and he's slowly becoming a character I can get behind. I'm only forty pages from the end and can't figure out how things are going to go down.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Sunday - Steppenwolf and the Dark Tower (and also regular bloggy stuff)
I finished Steppenwolf Thursday night and my reading energies have been somewhat depleted ever since. This has given me time to notice similarities between Hermann Hesse's signature work and my all time favorite series, the Dark Tower. From here on out, there will be SPOILERS so consider yourself warned.
- Roland and Harry Haller: The leads of both works are men at war with their core natures. Roland's obsession with the Dark Tower mirrors Haller's conflict between his humanity and the Steppenwolf he believes lives inside him.
- Stephen King and the Treatise of the Steppenwolf: Just as Roland finds out that Stephen King has been chronicling his adventures, Harry Haller receives a book entitled The Treatise of the Steppenwolf that mentions him by name.
- The Doors: In the Drawing of the Three and The Dark Tower, Roland encounters doorways to other worlds, much like those Haller encounters in the Magic Theater. Specifically, the doors Roland finds in the Dark Tower function very much like those in the Magic Theater.
- The Dark but Hopeful Ending: Just as Roland reaches the top of the Dark Tower and finds that he has reached the top countless times before and must continue in his time loop until he reaches the Tower with his humanity and the Horn of Eld before he is released from the cycle, Harry Haller kills Hermine in the Magic Theater and finds that he's going to have to live more lifetimes if he's ever to break from his cycle and become one of the Immortals.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Why I write
A few days ago, The Orange-Obsessed Hildred Billings wrote a touching blog entry about why she writes. My story isn't nearly so touching.
I come from a long line of liars, bullshitters, and raconteurs, so I've always been interested in story-telling. There's an episode of The Simpsons where Bleeding Gums Murphy tells Lisa that music is like a fire in your belly that spews out your mouth and you'd best put an instrument in front of it. That's kind of how story-telling is with me.
It wasn't always writing, however. For most of my life up until the end of my first marginally successful stint in college, drawing was my preferred method. I drew a lot of comics and things of that nature. Then I worked as a graphic designer for six months or so and haven't drawn very much since. I came to realize that while I was good, I wasn't good enough to make a living with it.
I don't remember when I decided to take up writing as the way to get my stories out of my head but it took a little while to take hold. I don't think I finished much of anything until I was 25 and the first novel-length work I wrote took about a year and a half to write, finishing when I was 29. I wrote a few 30,000 word novellas and fragments after that. Then came NaNoWriMo and my three year win streak, and here we are.
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