Dangerous Dan's Blog

Last Day of Freedom?

2012-01-31T06:43:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow, the writing starts anew. I'm both excited and slightly terrified, just as I normally am at this time. I plan on doing some cruise ship research sometime today but other than that, I'm as ready as I normally am. As always, I'm sure getting started will be the hardest part.

Tonight, I'll be stocking up on writing food and possibly throwing back a couple writing beers.

In other news, I'm entering this contest: Missouri Conservationist 75th Anniversary Photo Contest

Possible last pictures of January

2012-01-30T15:50:00.000-08:00

Corpse Cruise Teaser

2012-01-30T05:31:00.001-08:00

When a nanotech-based cancer cure runs wild on a cruise ship, reanimating the recent dead, the passengers must band together in order to survive. But can they keep the plague from spreading to the mainland and overrunning the world?

Right now, the February (and beyond) project is called Corpse Cruise, but I might change it. It sounds like Corkscrew whenever someone says the title out loud.

Monday Morning Meatloaf

2012-01-30T05:20:00.000-08:00

Okay, there isn't any meatloaf. I just liked the sound of it.

I'm really dragging today. Instead of getting all my ducks in a row for the big kickoff Wednesday, yesterday was all hiking and binge reading. I'm a little sore and didn't sleep well. I'll post some pictures when I get home today.

On the positive side of the ledger, my mom is halfway through her read of Bullets Dont' Blink and loving it. Yesterday, she kept grilling me about which places in the story were based on which real-life locations.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that I'm the #10 reviewer on the all-time United States list on Goodreads. I'm only a couple hundred ahead of the reviewer in the #11 spot so I'll probably be back down to 11 before I know it.

It was a good day for fungus

2012-01-28T12:41:00.000-08:00

In news you actually have to read instead of just looking at:

I caved in and gave my mom the only existing printed copy of my manuscript for Bullets Don't Blink. She found a typo before getting to the second chapter. "Marking lot?"
I'm just about ready to start the next book on Wednesday. I still need to investigate cruise ships a bit more and write the teaser.
I thought I had more news than this.

Pictures from last weekend

2012-01-26T15:28:00.000-08:00

Pre-Project Jitters

2012-01-26T06:15:00.000-08:00

I'm still slated to kick off the new writing project on February 1st. I'm experiencing the usual pre-project jitters. You know the ones. The following questions keep popping into my head.

Did I prepare enough?
How well do I know the characters?
What if this thing doesn't have enough legs to go at least 70k?
Have I done enough research or can I just research things as needed?

Since this is how I always feel before I start a new story, I'm not too worried about it. I will admit that I need to research the inner workings of cruise ships a bit before next wednesday but I think I have a good idea of what needs to happen. Right now, my biggest priority with it is coming up with the back cover blurb, as this is normally the first actual writing I do.

A few weeks ago, my mom asked if she could read Bullets Don't Blink. I said she could when I was done editing it. She said she'd edit it as she went. Is it just me or is the idea of my mom editing my book slightly horrifying? I can just imagine comments like "Does he have to swear so much?"

In other news, I noticed I never posted any pictures from the weekend. I'll have to do that tonight. Additionally, I just noticed on my calednar that it's Australia Day. Happy Australia Day, everyone!

Two Things

2012-01-19T05:36:00.000-08:00

I had an idea yesterday that I think has enough legs to be the next book I write and I'm very excited about it.
Does anyone want to write a crazy amount of words in February with me?

I don't do this very often...

2012-01-18T10:22:00.000-08:00

... but I'm going to post a link to the first chapter of something I may or may not ever complete. It's a new weird/horror story called Fishhead Babies. The last of my NaNoWriMo writing juices went into it near the end of November. It's just the first chapter. If I figure out where I'm going with it, I may pick it up again.

Another quick update

2012-01-17T10:42:00.000-08:00

Remember yesterday when I mentioned donating my pictures to my Grandma's nursing home? Today, I got back from lunch to find the following email from my mom.

"I saw Grandpa yesterday evening and he said to ask you what kind of commission he would get to sell your pictures. ;o)

He said everyone is remarking about them and one aide said she has to have the one with the bee - she loves purple. I don't know what you have to pay to get them printed, or if it makes much difference on the size. Slightly smaller, maybe 11 x 14, I think that is a standard size frame, or even the 8 x 10. We'll have to talk about it."

Now I'm going to have to investigate how to get some pictures printed cheaply enough for it to be worthwhile to sell them yet of high enough quality to warrant someone paying for them. Also, I might as well take the show online while I'm at it. I've looked at Etsy as a place to sell them online but it looks like a lot of printing and mailing. I'm wondering if there isn't already someone out there offering to do such a service for me.

Short Update

2012-01-17T06:34:00.000-08:00

Last Friday, I invented the term "Infinitology" to describe fantasy series than seem to keep getting longer and longer once they get profitable. My ire was raised by this Peter V. Brett blog post. Yes, I reallize it's not entire his fault that the Demonwar series was marketed as a trilogy but that doesn't mean I'm sticking around for the next three books.

Anyway, I introduced "Infinitology" to Goodreads this morning and now I'm watching to see long it takes to catch on.

Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Monday Morning Report

2012-01-16T07:40:00.000-08:00

My car stalled in rush hour traffic Friday. It started right back up but it was a tense 30-45 seconds.
A man was killed at the same exit where I turned around and went back home Thursday morning in the snow. The really weird thing is that he's also the guy that had my telephone number before me. People, mostly creditors, have been calling me asking for him for the last six or seven years.
I screwed up my goatee trying to do something fancy with it last night while I was trimming it. That's the end of that.
I donated all of my larger photographs that I had been hanging on the walls in my kitchen and living room to the nursing home my grandma is in for her stroke rehab. Now my walls are bare and I'm looking through my photos to figure out which ones I'll hang next.
A ten year old girl gave me some pointers on writing horror fiction at the used bookstore Saturday. Did you know horses aren't Gothic enough and that piranhas, ghosts, and demons are all scarier than werewolves?

So we're back to photo posts...

2012-01-15T05:18:00.000-08:00

What a difference a day makes!

2012-01-12T08:13:00.000-08:00

See if you can pinpoint where the weather shifted. I turned around at the first gas station and went home due to a combination of weather and other motorists not knowing how to drive.

Confession Time

2012-01-11T09:42:00.000-08:00

I've got something juicy to share. Interested? If so, scroll down.

I don't actually hate editing as much as I thought. Yes, I reallize we probably have different definitions of "juicy."

I got some positive feedback on Bullets Don't Blink yesterday and it light a figurative fire under my ass. The first round of edits is going very well and I'm entirely too pleased with myself.

A Post Where I Actually Use Words for a Change

2012-01-10T06:46:00.000-08:00

It's been a pretty photo-heavy couple of weeks. Here's what I've been up to.

I am now a contributor at Ska Blah Blah. I'm actually a little behind where I'd like to be but reviewing music is proving harder than reviewing books. Probably because I'm not a musician.
Starting yesterday, I've begun reading werewolf books for research purposes. I have an idea for a werewolf story but I figured I should read a couple more as I develop it. I'm reading Wolf's Hour by Robert McCammon and have The Wild by Whitley Strieber and a re-read of Cycle of the Werewolf by Stephen King on deck. I'll probably space them out a bit since three werewolf books in a row would get a little samey.
Still haven't started editing Bullets Don't Blink despite a friend of mine having connections in the biz. I guess I'm not ready to go into seclusion to do it just yet. That or laziness. I'm still feeling a little creatively drained, to tell you the truth.
For the first time in months, I have another blog interview in the works. I'll post a link to that once it happens.
I'm thinking about taking a week off in June, August, and November for writing purposes, corresponding with the two Camp NaNoWriMos and the big daddy, NaNoWriMo itself.

Sunset and the Cemetery

2012-01-09T15:46:00.000-08:00

January is going to be a picture heavy month

2012-01-07T17:59:00.000-08:00

Sun and Moon

2012-01-06T18:13:00.000-08:00

the blue moon pictures are reflected off of the bottom of an aluminum tumbler filled with water. The other ones are reflected from water I dumped in my driveway.

Coincidence?

2012-01-05T07:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, one of my co-workers asked me if I won any contests lately. I said No. Fast forward a few hours. I got home and found a message on my answering machine. It was the woman who cuts my hair. It turns out I won $50 worth of hair products in a drawing. Not sure what I'm going to spend it on since all I use is shampoo and I doubt she has any shampoo that doesn't have a strong smell.

Maybe she has a really sweet comb I can buy...

Even more 2012 pictures

2012-01-04T16:10:00.000-08:00

More 2012 pictures

2012-01-02T17:17:00.000-08:00

First Official Blog Post of 2012

2012-01-01T15:11:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, everyone!

I was planning on reading and crashing early last night. I went to a concert and rolled in at 3:30 am instead. As you may have guessed, I'm a bit on the sluggish side today. Here are some pictures from the past couple days. There are no official photos of 2012 as of yet.

Yeah, somebody should tell the ladybug it's winter.

Cloudy Sunset

2011-12-27T15:25:00.000-08:00

Why I Write - Additional Thoughts

2011-12-27T08:50:00.000-08:00

Waaaaaay back on October 1st, I attempted to explain Why I Write. It was a worthy attempt but I heard something over the weekend that I need to add on to it.

I was watching a documentary over the weekend about my favorite band, The Slackers, when Vic Ruggeiro, the keyboard player and soul of the band, said something that really resonated with me. He said that his father always asked him why he worked his ass off playing a kind of music that not a lot of people listened to. He said that ska made his life so much more beautiful and made his life worth living during the darkest times that he felt like he had to try to give something back.

The notion of giving something back really hit home for me. Who among us hasn't taken solace in a favorite book when life kicks you in the testicles (or ovaries, as the case may be)? Who hasn't pondered a throwaway idea in a sci-fi or fantasy novel for a lot longer than the author intended? Who hasn't had a line of dialogue floating around in their head for weeks or months after reading a book?

That's another reason why I write, to try to give back some of what books have given me. I want to shelter people from the storm. I want to keep people thinking long after the reading is done. I want one of my lines of dialogue working its way into people's everyday life.

That's all I have to say about that. For now, anyway.

Snakes vs. Sharks: The Battle Wages On...

2011-12-27T08:17:00.000-08:00

I mentioned a while back that I changed my Goodreads security question to ask which is scarier, snakes or sharks. Since then, I have received 25 friend requests. Not one of them has simply answered one or the other. Some of the results have been humorous or attempts at humor, but I'd say at least 18 of them have included some kind of rationalization for the choice.

Some people choose snakes over sharks because the odds of running into snakes are much higher. Others give the nod to sharks since while a snake can be poisonous, a shark can bite you in half before you know what's happening.

I wish I'd been keeping tally of the responses so far so I could give exact statistics. Right now, snakes are definitely leading.

In other news, not a lot has happened since the Christmas burglary. I read a lot, took pictures, as you may have noticed, and watched my new 40 inch TV a bit. I felt a little guilty that my dad splurged and got my brother and I new TVs, especially when my brother and his wife have a baby coming in February. I've since gotten over it and embraced the new television. I should probably find something to watch on it besides badly filmed British comedy from the 80's, though.

Christmas Day Photos

2011-12-25T15:30:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve pictures that have nothing to do with Christmas

2011-12-25T07:32:00.000-08:00

Hawk pictures

2011-12-21T10:45:00.000-08:00

The Benevolent Christmas Burglary

2011-12-21T10:39:00.000-08:00

During National Novel Writing Month, I mentioned to my dad that I'd bought a new computer chair since mine was like a torture rack. He said they should get one since theirs was like sitting on a tree stump. I knew then what I was going to get them.

Last Friday, I went to OfficeMax and picked out a chair for them, slightly superior to mine. It was in a massive box which barely fit in my car. I knew I wouldn't be able to take it and my dog over to their house on Christmas day so I began formulating a plan. Once I subtly determined that neither of them would be home today, I sprung into action.

I drove to their house, used the code to open their garage door, and hauled the chair components inside. On my second trip, I could tell their cat was going to be the complication. She was already getting too comfortable inside the garage.

While humming the Grinch theme song, I quickly assembled the chair, having pre-assembled most of it before bringing it over. Once it was complete, I wheeled it into the back of their utility room and cunningly stashed it behind some empty Christmas decoration boxes. Once that was complete, I looked for any trace of my passing and went outside.

Sure enough, the cat was sleeping on a high shelf in the garage. I finally got her down and put her outside the garage so I could close it and she kept running back in. Finally, I gave her a gentle toss and keyed in the code. There was a brief moment where I thought she'd try to get past me but she lost interest and walked away.

I got in my car and started her up. I looked in the rear view mirror and saw the cat was laying in the driveway, directly in my path. After briefly imagining running over the cat and having to hide the carcass so no one would know I was there, I honked the horn a few times and started backing up. Luckily, she got the hell out of the way and I was on the road, my burglary a complete success.

My Baby Makes Me Gravy

2011-12-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

I heard this song when I was Christmas shopping Friday. Other than old Johnny Cash and Hank Williams and similar artists, I don't like much country music but I really like this song.

Not very Chirstmasy pictures from Christmas #1

2011-12-18T15:59:00.000-08:00

Want to hear something weird?

2011-12-18T08:32:00.000-08:00

I had a lot of nightmares when I was a kid and I eventually developed a defense mechanism: As soon as I thought there was a possibility I might be dreaming, I'd try to figure out for sure if I was dreaming or not. Now that you have the background...

Once, when I was in high school, I dreamed I was standing on the sea shore. I'd never been to the ocean before and was convinced I was dreaming right away. I crouched down and scooped up a handful of seawater and tasted it. Since it had a taste, I thought the dream was real. I woke up sometime later but never forgot the dream.

About fifteen years later, I finally got my chance to taste seawater when my gf at the time and I went to Tybee Island. It tasted exactly like it did in the dream I had years earlier.

My Dreams are Weird

2011-12-18T06:10:00.000-08:00

It started with me in bed with a woman, her head resting on my chest.

"Can you believe we've been together almost eleven months?" she asked.
"Really? It doesn't feel that long," I said.
"It's been great, though, hasn't it?" she asked.
"I'm not sure. Now that I think about it, I can't remember anything before this conversation. I think this is a dream."
"Of course it's not a dream!"
"I think it is and I'll prove it," I said.
I grabbed a notepad off the nightstand and wrote my name on the top page. I held it up so we could both read it but it had already become an unintelligible mass of squiggles.
"See?" I said.

She laughed. "Fine. Just because it's a dream doesn't mean you're going to wake up."

She vanished and the light came on. Every surface in the bedroom was covered with weird creatures. They were the size of golf-balls and looked like ladybugs with shrimp tails. They had a red and white pattern on their backs that looked like clown faces.

I tried to force myself awake but couldn't. The beetle-shrimp things starting buzzing and flying around the room. I grabbed a lamp and started smashing the little vermin with it before they could attack me. Once the last one was gone, I woke up.

I find it really interesting that the logical part of my brain tries to pick my dreams apart.

Pictures from various times throughout the week

2011-12-17T12:33:00.000-08:00

Good News and Bad News

2011-12-15T10:25:00.000-08:00

Let's start with the good news. I'm beginning to think I should have grown a beard years ago. This week, the woman who cuts my hair, some random mailroom guy, and the grumpy old cook in the cafeteria all complimented my beard.

Now, the bad news. Looks like I have to get on the computer tonight at 9 and work until who knows when because other people can't be trusted to get their shit done on time. I was planning on being asleep or several sheets to the wind by 9!

I guess I'll have to spend my evening in a more constructive fashion until 9 rolls around. I'm thinking about taking apart my Roomba and see if I can get it working again. I'll also be drinking some coffee and cursing a lot.

Does he need help?

2011-12-14T08:19:00.000-08:00

Sometime over the summer, Belle and I were out surveying her territory one day after I got off work. We reached the cemetery and I saw something odd. There was a very old man, his back bent into an L shape by age, leaning against a tree at the edge of the cemetery. His truck, a rusted out hulk, looked almost as old as he did.

He just seemed to be standing there but didn't look very comfortable. I wondered if I should ask him if he needed help or directions or something.

I took a few steps in his direction when I noticed something. The old man wasn't just standing there. He was, in fact, urinating on the cemetery fence! Since he clearly had the situation in hand, I no longer felt the need to help him.

Meh

2011-12-13T11:15:00.000-08:00

As you may have noticed, most of my blog posts recently have been pictures. That's because I feel like my writing gears are a bit exhausted and that chapter of something I wrote a week and a half ago were like the last swallows from the bottom of the beer bottle. I still haven't started editing, even though this year's NaNo-prize is even better than years previous.

I'm still getting ideas, though. The one in the forefront at the moment is about a family that has been in charge of guarding a portal to another universe for centuries while using its resources to live high on the hog. Things go askew when the youngest daughter gets engaged to a man who has his eyes on wresting the portal from their grasp. It's a bit too much like Roger Zelazny's Amber at the moment so I'll have to think on it a bit more.

Not a lot else going on. If I don't get moving on my Christmas shopping, the only one getting a gift is my brother.

Pictures from the past two days

2011-12-10T15:21:00.000-08:00

The Moon

2011-12-09T05:08:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if the moon was actually full last night but I had time to look at it when my dog dragged me out of a sound sleep to go outside.

More sunset pictures

2011-12-08T15:39:00.000-08:00

Dan on Driving

2011-12-08T08:54:00.000-08:00

My commute is an hour each way so I get ample time to think about various subject at great length. Hey, it beats paying attention to the road. One of the subjects that inevitably occupies my time is driving itself. There are several sticking points with me.

Speed Limits: The way our speed limits work is a joke. To me, a speed limit sign means "Hey, don't go faster than this or you'll get a ticket but we probably won't catch you so don't worry about it too much." Instead of a speed limit, there should be a posted speed range. If you go above or below the range, you get a fine. Instead of having to get caught by a cop, cars should be equipped with some kind of monitoring device. A speed bill is sent out at the end of the month and becomes just another bill to pay.
Skill: I estimate that maybe 10% of the people who have driver's licenses actually know how to drive. That might be a high estimate, actually. A lot of people can't seem to maintain a consistent speed or even keep the car between the lines. I wish cellphones and drinking were to blame but, sadly, I don't think they are. I think some people just can't drive.
Rubbernecking: There needs to be a much higher barrier in the median to prevent people from gawking at accidents. If I was in an accident and saw people gawking, I'd fling blood on them. The gawkers impede traffic even more than the accident and sometimes cause even more accidents.
The Weather: Ever notice how many people forget how to drive any time there's even a trace of precipitation? I can't decide if they are worse drivers than the people who think it's perfectly fine to drive 80 mph on snow and ice on bald tires.

This concludes today's rant.

Sun pictures

2011-12-07T17:30:00.000-08:00

My Go-To Mood Elevating Read

2011-12-07T05:19:00.000-08:00

I've been feeling crabby and directionless lately so I picked up a P.G. Wodehouse novel and started reading a couple days ago. While I'm still somewhat crabby and directionless, I'm also working a lot of 1930's British slang into my regular routine. The point is, I'd enjoy reading P.G. Wodehouse even if I was simultaneously hacksawing one of my own legs off.

I had originally planned to devote an entire blog entry to old Plum, as he was sometimes called, but I already did that last year. Instead, I think I'll add a list of Wodehouse quotes and get back to work.

The voice of Love seemed to call to me, but it was a wrong number.
I could see that, if not actually disgruntled, he was far from being gruntled.
He had just about enough intelligence to open his mouth when he wanted to eat, but certainly no more.
At the age of eleven or thereabouts women acquire a poise and an ability to handle difficult situations which a man, if he is lucky, manages to achieve somewhere in the later seventies.
I pressed down the mental accelerator. The old lemon throbbed fiercely. I got an idea.
It is no use telling me there are bad aunts and good aunts. At the core, they are all alike. Sooner or later, out pops the cloven hoof.
Warm-hearted! I should think he has to wear asbestos vests!
A girl who bonnets a policeman with an ashcan full of bottles is obviously good wife-and-mother timber.
Intoxicated? The word did not express it by a mile. He was oiled, boiled, fried, plastered, whiffled, sozzled, and blotto.
He felt like a man who, chasing rainbows, has had one of them suddenly turn and bite him in the leg.
This was not Aunt Dehlia, my good and kindly aunt, but my Aunt Agatha, the one who chews broken bottles and kills rats with her teeth.

The first snow of 2011

2011-12-05T15:36:00.000-08:00

Here you go, Trisha @ W O R D + S T U F F. Snow pictures. I hope this brings me closer to repaying my debt to you for saving my life when that crocodile attacked me in the outback that time.

In news unrelated to Australian bloggers with a fondness for snow, I recently changed my Goodreads security question. Now it says "Which is scarier, snakes or sharks?" So far, I've had two responses.

the dreaded snake shark
sharks that spit snakes

Just one of many reasons I enjoy Goodreads.

How did I forget to blog about this?

2011-12-05T07:42:00.000-08:00

Thursday, I ditched the work holiday party in order to go see Bonerama. Bonerama is a New Orleans jazz/funk band featuring three trombone players. It was awesome. At various points, they invited local trombone players to get one stage. During their cover of Frankenstein by the Edgar Winter Group, there were six trombone players on stage and so much sound you could feel it inside your chest.

There was no opening band and Bonerama played for almost three hours. They played a lot of songs I'd never heard before, along with the two covers I really wanted to hear, Frankenstein and Helter Skelter. My ears were ringing until noon the next day but it was totally worth it.

Here's a clip I found of them on Youtube.

So yeah, Bonerama was amazing and they'll be added to my list of bands I'll clear my calendar for when they come to town.

December goals

2011-12-04T09:46:00.000-08:00

Trisha over at W O R D + S T U F F asked the question "What are your goals for December?" I think I should attempt to answer it since I've been feeling pretty directionless since about twenty minutes after finishing my NaNoWriMo draft of Bullets Don't Blink.

Write at least 2k per week of something besides blog posts. It doesn't sound that hard. Hell, I did it last week without a lot of effort. I'm afraid of falling out of the writing habit completely and this will make sure I don't.
Read at least four more books. Since today is rainy, I don't think this will be a problem.
Commit to an idea for the next big project.
Surreptitiously print out a paper copy of Bullets Don't Blink at work
Figure out what my read will be between Christmas and New Year's. The past two years, I've done the two halves of Roger Zelazny's Amber saga. Not sure what I'll read this year

There. I feel slightly less directionless now.

In non-writing news, my brother decided to grow a beard as well. He swears I never mentioned growing one but I'm quite certain I complained about the itchiness quite a few times in the first three weeks. This leads me to believe he wasn't actually listening.

But photography is so easy compared to writing!

2011-12-03T15:46:00.000-08:00

More pictures from December 1

2011-12-01T15:31:00.000-08:00

First pictures of December

2011-12-01T13:00:00.000-08:00

There may be more later in the evening.

The real last photos of November

2011-11-30T16:20:00.000-08:00

Possibly the Last Pictures of November

2011-11-29T15:34:00.000-08:00

Beard Status plus a piece of NaNoWriMo history I just unearthed.

2011-11-28T18:46:00.000-08:00

Beard Status - My beard is definitely getting fuller. I'm not sure how long it will last beyond when I see my brother on Saturday, though. Way more white hairs than I thought.
The very first set of notes for Bullets Don't Blink. The part that I think is funny is that one of the characters is listed as "girl (dead)." Apologies for the photo being sideways. I thought I could rotate it after I uploaded it.

NaNoWriMo 2011 - Day 28 Report

2011-11-28T08:49:00.000-08:00

Can you believe NaNoWriMo is almost over? It seems like just yesterday I was worrying about not being prepared enough.

I had big plans about printing out Bullets Don't Blink today and starting my revision but I'm a little gunshy about it. Not to mention still tired from the earlier exertions of the month. Well, that might be an exaggeration. I did write a short story during my clandestine writing time today that may become the first chapter of something somewhere down the line.

I guess I feel like I need to recharge my batteries a bit before returning to Bullets Don't Blink. Reading a few quick crime books would go a long way toward preparing me for months of editing.

On a side note, it's really hard coming back to work after four days off.

Black Friday Pictures

2011-11-25T19:07:00.000-08:00

The two bottom pictures are the wood from a tree trunk that all the bark had rotten off of. I thought it looked pretty cool.

The Brief Thanksgiving Rundown

2011-11-24T19:26:00.000-08:00

A yellowjacket stung the shit out of me while I was walking to a cave on my Grandpa's property with some cousins. It did not hamper my spelunking.
Only 4 desserts this year, way down from 2007's 14.
I found out my dad comes up with an excuse to leave early ahead of time when these family gatherings come along. That must be where I get it from.
My cousin that's a nurse has the best stories in the family. Most of them are quite disgusting.
Beard reception was overwhelmingly positive. Looks like I'll be hanging on to it for another couple weeks at least.
Since it was nice outside, there were no post-dinner comas on the couch. This is the first time in recorded history when this happened at a family gathering.
My uncle dug through a bag of trash for a reason that I can no longer recall.

That's about it. It was very fun as far as Thanksgivings go. Make me think Christmas will also be enjoyable this year.

Thanksgiving pictures that in no way involve Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T16:24:00.000-08:00

Squirrel with a beard of mud

2011-11-23T13:32:00.000-08:00

If you'll look closely, this squirrel has mud all over him from digging up the acorn he's eating. I hope it was worth it.

Here's possibly the same squirrel an hour later, on the second walk of the evening. He's looking directly at me because I'm telling my dog to stop tugging on my arm while I'm taking pictures.

NaNoWriMo - Day 23 - Finished Already?

2011-11-23T10:36:00.000-08:00

My first set of eyes emailed me today telling me she finished reading Bullets Don't Blink already. I think it was Monday evening when I sent it to her. Shouldn't it have taken her longer to read something that took three weeks to write?

Choice comments include:

What's the deal with the Yankee's hat? Garvin found it in a tree and you never mentioned it again.
I couldn't put it down.
I can't believe you made me care about a murdering ex-con.
Didn't see the twist at the end coming.
When are you writing the next one?

All good points besides me completely forgetting about the Yankee's hat after I mentioned it. I can't decide if I'll take it out when I start editing or work it in.

Even though I wasn't planning on it, I sent it to a couple other people for feedback before I start editing. We'll see how they feel about it.

NaNoWriMo - Day 22 - Stop reading so fast!

2011-11-22T06:26:00.000-08:00

So last night, my friend that always gets to read my NaNoWriMo novel first, usually while it's in progress, emailed me, hinting that she needed something to read. I sent Bullets Don't Blink to her last night and went about my business, reading and thinking about writing.

This morning, I get into work to find her 25% done already! It probably took me five or six days to write what she read in an evening. Not fair, if you ask me. She's enjoying it, though. That's good. I think having a picture on her desk of one of the real life locations depicted in the novel has boosted her enthusiasm. I told her to make it last but I have a feeling she'll be done when we come back from the Thanksgiving holidays.

In other news, I was reading through Sweating Bullets, my July Camp NaNoWriMo novel last night. While I like big parts of it, I'm thinking about using the overall plot and the nuns with chainsaws and combining them with some older things of mine that I also only like parts of. I will have to think about this for a bit more before I commit.

What would you do in this situation?

2011-11-21T07:33:00.000-08:00

This morning, I was checking my Gold Box on Amazon like I do every morning, looking for the 5% off deal of my dreams, when I saw a flashing banner telling me I could spend my Discover Rewards points on Amazon. Since I always forget said points exist, I went ahead and linked my account.

Imagine my surprise when I suddenly had nearly $200 to spend on Amazon.

With almost 200 bucks to spend, I could buy most of the Christmas presents I'm responsible for and still have money left over. Or I could go hog wild and buy a few books with this sudden windfall to reward myself for NaNoWriMo and put the rest toward Christmas gifts.

I went with the second option, of course. Although my definition of "a few" turned out to mean nine.

At least the money I spend on Christmas presents will go toward my reward points and thus continue to fuel my addiction.

NaNoWriMo 2011 - Day 20 Report - Beard status picture

2011-11-20T11:20:00.000-08:00

Anyone remember what I used to do in my spare time? Aside from a trip to the grocery store, I haven't done much today other than mess around on Facebook and catch up on blogs.

NaNoWriMo 2011 - Day 20 Report

2011-11-20T07:09:00.000-08:00

It is finished. The murderer is buried in the cemetery in an unmarked grave beneath a marked grave. It's complicated. The feisty bartender came out of her coma, which made me glad. I didn't want her to die.

Day #: 20
Words Written Today: 1134
Total Words Written: 70,196
Drive: Finished
Beard Status: Priceless
Estimated wordage remaining: 0. I shall now relax until I begin editing. Actually, I'm thinking about editing Sweating Bullets and the Pogonologist until then so I don't get out of the writing mood.

Things I need to take care of in the second draft:

Inconsistencies in Garvin's personality at the beginning
I'm pretty sure I had Eileen Crawford come from out of town in one chapter and Burnfield in another
Give the Pearce brothers more time before I kill them
Involve Farren Cochran with the Pearce meth gang.
It occurred to me as I finished the final chapter that I made no further mention of the Yankee's hat Garvin found near the crime scene in chapter 2. I'll have to work that in.

The final word count was about what I thought it would be when I started. It'll probably be closer to 80 once I go through a few rounds of edits.

That's all I have for today. For everyone still writing, I'm pulling for you. You still have ten days to finish.

NaNoWriMo 2011 - Day 19 Report

2011-11-19T18:16:00.000-08:00

The big push to get finished is upon me. I've written quite a bit today and am thinking of pushing even farther. I'm a little tired at the moment. I'm going kick back for a little while and figure out what needs to happen at the hospital. The end is definitely in sight, though.

Day #: 19
Words Written Today: 5194
Total Words Written: 69,062
Drive: Almost there!
Beard Status: Sticking around until Christmas
Estimated wordage remaining: 1000-1500-ish. All that's left is the bit in the hospital and some expansion of the shit that goes down at the cemetery.

Photography - What a great way to procrastinate!

2011-11-19T10:27:00.000-08:00

NaNoWriMo 2011 - Day 18 Report

2011-11-18T18:42:00.000-08:00

The end is within spitting distance. What I'd originally conceived as an orgy of violence actually has some nice character moments in it. Between the bouts of orgying, I mean. I'll probably take the morning off since I'll be visiting my parents. Belle should be exhausted for the next two days so I should be able to write in peace. I'd like to finish up tomorrow but it will likely be sometime Sunday.

Day #: 18
Words Written Today: 3260
Total Words Written: 63,868
Drive: I'm going to finish by the time I go back to work on Monday if it kills us all!
Beard Status: I may ask for a beard trimmer for Christmas in addition to my usual request for books
Estimated wordage remaining: 7500-ish. Still one bad guy to kill, one meth lab to destroy, a Mexican standoff in the cemetery and the epilogue. I still haven't decided if the protagonist's love interest lives or dies.

NaNoWriMo 2011 - Day 18 NEW CHAIR Report

2011-11-18T17:17:00.000-08:00

After going to bed with an aching back last night, getting a new chair today was a priority. I went to Office Max and bought this marvelous chair. It is awesome. It was easy to put together and is very comfortable. If it were possible for a man to marry a piece of office furniture, this would be the only chair for me.

On the writing front, I've written 2700-ish words so far today. I'm going to write more if I have the energy after my late dinner. I'm outlining what's left and it looks like only 3 chapters and the epilogue to go.

NaNoWriMo 2011 - Day 17 Report

2011-11-17T20:35:00.000-08:00

I saw a shooting star while walking the dog this morning. That's about the only thought I can formulate at the moment other than my back hurts because my computer chair sucks. I'm really tired.

Day #: 17
Words Written Today: 2064
Total Words Written: 60,608
Drive: almost there

Beard Status: maybe it'll stick around a little longer
Estimated wordage remaining: 10k. Still two main bad guys to kill, a meth lab to push on the train tracks, and the big ending.

NaNoWriMo 2011 - Day 16 Report

2011-11-16T19:10:00.000-08:00

I wasn't feeling it today at work and didn't think I was going to get any writing done at all this evening. Then, there was an incident when I got home.

Belle and I were walking down the road when a pitbull-shaped missile came running out of a yard after us at top speed. I picked up Belle with my left arm and picked up the biggest rock I could find with my right. I don't remember consciously being scared after the first moment I saw the dog charging us. I was too pissed off after that. What really made me mad was how nonchallant the prick whose dog it was acted when he was coming to get it. He may have been a little scared of me since I was yelling "Come get this mother fucker, you asshole!" at the time.

Eventually he came and got the dog. I felt a little satisfaction when he came to my door to apologize a little later and turned around without speaking when he saw the look on my face. Anyway, I was really in the mood to write about people getting shot in the face after that.

Day #: 16
Words Written Today: 2,409
Total Words Written: 58,544
Drive: let's wrap this shit up
Beard Status: ready to say goodbye

Estimated wordage remaining: 15,000 (three main villains left to kill, one meth lab to destroy, sweet vindication, and the epilogue. Yes, I know I've said 15,000 for the last three days)

Photographic Ketchup

2011-11-15T18:12:00.000-08:00

NaNoWriMo 2011 - Day 15 Report

2011-11-15T17:51:00.000-08:00

I'm in the home stretch now. All that's left is making sure the bad guys end up dead and throwing in a couple twists near the end. I'm not sure how much I actually have left. I guess it depends on how it goes when Garvin tracks them down. I had a vision of the end of Mad Max but it'll probably take longer than that. As of today, I think I've written the last chapter where no one dies. Garvin has his weapons and his vehicle is on the way. The manure starts hitting the windmill tomorrow. Don't tell anyone but I may have shed a few silent man tears during a poignant scene in the hospital. Yes, I'm pretty tough.

Day #: 15
Words Written Today: 2,478
Total Words Written: 56,135
Drive: mother f*ckers are going to die!
Beard Status: not quite Fidel Castro yet

Estimated wordage remaining: 15,000 (three main villains left to kill, one meth lab to destroy, sweet vindication, and the epilogue.)

In non-NaNoWriMo news, I was recently awarded the One Lovely Blog Award by Krista M over at the Jelly Beans of Writing. Once things are a little less hectic, I'll pass it around.

I'm also planning on posting some photos later since I'm way behind on that.

NaNoWriMo 2011 - Day 14 Report

2011-11-14T17:28:00.000-08:00

After my day off yesterday and my going to bed at 7:30, I managed to get back on the horse today, despite my brother's attempt to derail me. He did advise me that an AK-47 would be a more efficient way for a bar to get shot up than a bunch of guys with shotguns so I guess he's excused.

Day #: 14
Words Written Today: 3,606
Total Words Written: 53,657
Drive: In the home stretch
Beard Status: itches like hell

Estimated wordage remaining: 15,000 (heart to heart in the hospital, three main villains left to kill, one meth lab to destroy, sweet vindication, and the epilogue.)

Thoughts from Day 14

2011-11-14T12:45:00.000-08:00

The day goes by slowly when all you want to do is go home and write about meth dealers getting shot in the face.

Here are some thoughts I've had regarding NaNoWriMo, the Universe, and Everything:

With the right idea, I think that if I took two weeks off of work and went someplace without internet access and other distractions, I could probably crank out 75k of something. Facebook and actually having to go to work were big time wasters for me during the first two weeks of NaNoWriMo this year.
If I treat writing like a job instead of like I hobby, I can actually get things done. Amazing how that works.
The more comfortable I am with a story, the less I hate it during the second week of NaNoWriMo and beyond. It seems pretty obvious but it's taken me four NaNoWriMos to figure it out. I'm not as quick on the uptake as I sometimes appear.
Once I finish Bullets Don't Blink, I'm going to start editing Sweating Bullets, the Camp NaNoWriMo novel from July that I've been talking about editing for the past six months.
The next thing I write is going to be humorous or at least humorous to me. I keep thinking of jokes while I write Bullets Don't Blink that have no place in it.
Under no circumstances will I attempt to write 100k in a single month. Thank you, NaNoWriMo 2010 for that harsh lesson.
Raymond Chandler's advice of sending a guy into the room with a gun whenever you get stuck works wonders in a crime novel.

That's all I have for now. I'll be back with a progress report as well as a current beard status once I get some writing done this evening.

NaNoWriMo 2011 - Day 13 Report

2011-11-13T15:50:00.000-08:00

And on the 13th day, I rested. So far, anyway

Actually, the resting started shortly after I hit 50k yesterday. Here are the non-writing activities I've enjoyed since my last post:

Going to see Th' Legendary Shack Shakers and Splitlip Rayfield at the Old Rock House
Sleeping until 8:30!
Reading Gigantic Death Worm by Vincent Kramer in its entirety
Took quite a few pictures
mooched a meal from my parents
finished reading Barbarian Beast Bitches of the Badlands

Now that I've done all that, I'm at a loss on how to spend the rest of the evening. I'm thinking about writing. Even though I planned to take the day off, I don't really have anything else to do. I don't want to start another book until after I finish the one I've been reading at lunch at work.

NaNoWriMo 2011 - Day 12 Report

2011-11-12T14:34:00.000-08:00

Dearest National Novel Writing Month,
I am writing to inform you that I passed 50,000 words several minutes ago. The 50,000th word was "cellmate." This makes four victories in four years. I just want you to know that it was fun and we should definitely do this again sometime.

Sincerely,
Dangerous Dan.

NaNoWriMo 2011 - Day 11 Report

2011-11-11T18:48:00.000-08:00

Things continue to move forward. So far, I haven't had the freak out that I normally have around this time. I'd say that's a good sign.

Day #: 11
Words Written Today: 5,698
Total Words Written: 46,405
Amount to 50k Goal: 3,595
Total # of red herrings introduced: I've completely lost track
Drive: Tired but hopeful.
Beard Status: nearly full-fledged
Ways I Procrastinated instead of writing: drinking a couple beers, cooking dinner

NaNoWriMo 2011 - Day 10 Report

2011-11-10T19:00:00.000-08:00

Things are still moving right along. A few days ago I was worried I didn't have enough material to get much past 50k but now I think I'm going to get close to 80k.

Day #: 10
Words Written Today: 3,509
Total Words Written: 40,707
Amount to 50k Goal: 9,293
Total # of red herrings introduced: No man can say
Drive: Just about time for people to start dropping like flies.
Beard Status: Itchy as hell
Ways I Procrastinated instead of writing: going to work, watching Community

NaNoWriMo 2011 - Day 9 Report

2011-11-09T17:09:00.000-08:00

Still on track. That's about all I have to report.

Day #: 9
Words Written Today: 3,054
Total Words Written: 37,198
Amount to 50k Goal: 12,802
Total # of red herrings introduced: No man can say
Drive: On track for the big push, already thinking of next story
Beard Status: recent plane crash survivor in the Andes mountains. Little to no cannibalism as of yet.
Ways I Procrastinated instead of writing: going to work

Day 9 - I like this bit of dialogue I just wrote.

2011-11-09T10:33:00.000-08:00

"Do you think Hepatitis Barbie is going to come over here or should we order at the bar?"

"She'll come over. Those guys at the bar seem to be too into the game to be drinking heavily yet."

Garvin and Katie watched as the blonde flirted with her customers, leaning down a lot more often than was necessary. Out of politeness, Garvin made an effort not to look but it was difficult.

"She's giving our profession a bad name with that outfit. It's hard enough for customers to get the idea that I'm not on the menu without her putting her boobs on display like that."

"Maybe she is on the menu," Garvin said.

"Here she comes," Katie said.

"Can I get you two anything," the blond bartender asked.

"A pitcher will be fine. Whatever you have on draught."

"Coming right up," the blond said, her fingertips brushing Garvin's arm as she walked away.

"You might be tonight's Ken if you play your cards right, Garvin."

"I'll pass. Her dreamhouse has probably seen better days."

NaNoWriMo 2011 - Day 8 Report

2011-11-08T17:56:00.000-08:00

Has it been eight days already? In some ways, it feels like NaNoWriMo just started. In others, it feels like seven or eight ice ages.

Day #: 8
Words Written Today: 2,915
Total Words Written: 34,144
Amount to 50k Goal: 15,856
Total # of red herrings introduced: I have lost count
Drive: Back on track. If everything goes as planned, I'm planning on making a big push to hit 50k over the weekend.
Beard Status: recently shipwreck victim
Ways I Procrastinated instead of writing: eating dinner

NaNoWriMo 2011 - Day 7 Report

2011-11-07T18:18:00.000-08:00

Yeah, the writing was rough going today. It was mostly motivational issues on my part. I was feeling pretty tired. Anyway, I thought about how I'd rather tough it out than take a night off and wish I'd spent it writing tomorrow.

Day #: 7
Words Written Today: 2,757
Total Words Written: 31,229
Amount to 50k Goal: 18,771
Total # of red herrings introduced: Since the ending has mutated a bit, some of the herrings are no longer red.
Drive: Flagging due to sinus headaches and tiredness.
Beard Status: recently homeless
Ways I Procrastinated instead of writing: haircut, taking a picture of a spider that crawled up on my laptop while I was writing.

NaNoWriMo 2011 - Day 6 Report

2011-11-06T17:31:00.000-08:00

Today was a damn writing marathon for me. In another chapter or two, I think people are going to start dying. I'm going to be really sad if the sassy bartender Garvin befriended has to die. Maybe I'll just have her end up in the hospital.

Oh, and I'm really starting to hate frozen pizza. It is no longer my NaNoWriMo food of choice.

Day #: 6
Words Written Today: 6,450
Total Words Written: 28,472
Amount to 50k Goal: 21,528
Total # of red herrings introduced: up near 10 by now
Drive: Now that I've passed the halfway mark, I'm feeling pretty confident.
Beard Status: Indiana Jones
Ways I Procrastinated instead of writing: photography, TV, walking the dog, eating Cheez-Its.

600th Blog Post - Hawk Pictures

2011-11-06T13:05:00.000-08:00

Well, as fate should have it, I took some pictures a little bit ago that I'm fairly proud of. I'll post them as the main attraction of this, my 600th blog post.

In other news, I now over 50% of the way to the official NaNoWriMo goal. With six hours left until bedtime, I'm likely going to write a bit more later. I'm going to try to wait to start killing off characters until 30k.

NaNoWriMo 2011 - Day 5 Report

2011-11-05T18:59:00.000-07:00

Well, I didn't hit my daily goal of 5k but I did fairly well. I finally introduced those damned Pearce brothers and figured out a few things that are going to happen down the line. If it turns out that feisty bartender has to die, I'm going to be sad. Tomorrow is going to be a trip to the DMV, a conversation with the Deacon, and yet another trip to the local tavern.

Day #: 5
Words Written Today: 3,461
Total Words Written: 22,022
Amount to 50k Goal: 27,978
Total # of red herrings introduced: 4 or 5
Drive: Not as strong as yesterday. My brain is tired and I want to watch storage wars and eat Cheez-its.
Beard Status: Razor Ramon
Ways I Procrastinated instead of writing: photography, TV

NaNoWriMo 2011 - Day 5 Procrastination (with pictures!)

2011-11-05T11:27:00.000-07:00

It's the afternoon and I haven't written one word yet today. I woke up crabby and went to visit my parents. It was good as far as visits go but I sweated about writing most of the time. I did manage to take a lot of pictures. It was a foggy morning so that made it interesting.

NaNoWriMo 2011 - Day 4 Report

2011-11-04T18:48:00.000-07:00

Day 4 is swiftly coming to a close. Tomorrow marks the day where I will have introduced the majority of my characters.

Day #: 4
Words Written Today: 5,074
Total Words Written: 18,561
Amount to 50k Goal: 31,439
Total # of red herrings introduced: one more
Drive: Strong. I'd like to have 25k by close of business on Sunday
Beard Status: Clint Eastwood at the beginning of The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly
Ways I Procrastinated instead of writing: Getting my car worked on, going to the used bookstore, gratuitous dog walking, Facebook, eating dinner.

NaNoWriMo 2011 - Day 3 Report

2011-11-03T18:52:00.000-07:00

My eyes are tired but I'm too caffeinated to sleep. I guess I could figure out what I'm going to write tomorrow instead. I still don't have all of my characters introduced but it's coming along.

Day #: 3
Words Written Today: 5,299
Total Words Written: 13,487
Amount to 50k Goal: 36,513
Total # of red herrings introduced: at least two
Drive: Making NaNoWriMo my bitch.
Beard Status: Scruffy
Ways I Procrastinated instead of writing: stopped to watch Community

NaNoWriMo 2011 - Day 2 Report

2011-11-02T17:27:00.000-07:00

I kicked some ass today. Not quite 5k but closer than yesterday. Garvin's on the case and progressing nicely. I still don't have all my characters introduced but I thought of some new wrinkles today.

Day #: 2
Words Written Today: 4513
Total Words Written: 8188
Amount to 50k Goal: 41812
Total # of Curse words: count discontinued due to impending tidal wave of cursing
Drive: Almost in high gear. The usual NaNoWriMo enthusiasm is building.
Beard Status: A hill that's recently been deforested but is slowly recovering
Ways I Procrastinated instead of writing: washing dishes, doing laundry, gratuitous dog walking

NaNoWriMo 2011 - Day 1 Report

2011-11-01T18:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I didn't hit 5k but I think I did pretty good. I'm chalking up falling short of my goal to both myself and my dog not quite being in the swing of NaNoWriMo just yet. I managed to introduce three of my main characters. Tomorrow should see me introduce three or four more and get things moving along.

Day #: 1
Words Written Today: 3675
Total Words Written: 3675
Amount to 50k Goal: 46325
Total # of Curse words: 1(unless ass counts)
Drive: Not quite in the swing of things yet. I'll try to catch up with Teralyn Rose Pilgrim tomorrow.
Beard Status: Slightly sandpapery feel
Ways I Procrastinated instead of writing: washing dishes, gratuitous dog walking

Begun this National Novel Writing Month Has...

2011-11-01T06:58:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are again. NaNoWriMo Day 1. I may have secretly written a bit in my cube this morning before anyone else arrived. Don't tell anyone.

I'm shooting for 5k today. While officially it's so I can finish early and enjoy Thanksgiving without writing-guilt, it's also because I'm anxious to evad the beard itchiness that should be setting in around Day 10.

A few days ago, Hildred Billings, writer of enormous chapters, posted the following template for her NaNoWriMo blog posts.

Day #:

Words Written Today:
Total Words Written:
Amount to 50k Goal:
Total # of Pages:
Total # of Gratuitous Sex Scenes:
Drive:

I'll probably use a similar template for my end of the day posts, along with a photo detailing my beardification status.

Happy writing, everyone!

Last Day of Freedom

2011-10-31T04:42:00.000-07:00

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.

Pictures! Pictures! Pictures!

2011-10-30T17:04:00.000-07:00

NaNo Prep Tips

2011-10-27T04:43:00.000-07:00

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.

Thinking about growing a NaNoBeard.

2011-10-24T08:30:00.000-07:00

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.

The Slackers Report

2011-10-23T23:42:00.000-07:00

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:

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

Thanks to Greg for the assist on the track list. I know the order is off and I'm sure I forgot a couple. I was particularly happy that they played The Nurse and What Went Wrong. At the end of the regular set, sometime before Old Dog, Dave Hillyard and Glen Pine came down into the audience and played. It was great and reminded me of the good old days at the Creepy Crawl when they'd play out the front door, come around the building, and come back in the back door. I've seen the Slackers somewhere in the 16-18 time range and I'd say this show was in the top two.

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

2011-10-23T10:27:00.000-07:00

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.

Zero

2011-10-23T05:19:00.000-07:00

Today is the big day. Today's tune is So This is the Night.

Saturday pictures

2011-10-22T12:08:00.000-07:00

One

2011-10-22T04:42:00.000-07:00

Today's Slacker's tune is Same Every Day.

The Dream I had Last Night

2011-10-21T07:34:00.000-07:00

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.