Fri...er...Thursday Fun

Since this is my Friday (it's a furlough day - thanks a lot, you idiots that couldn't balance the budget properly), I figure I might as well provide everyone with a laugh or two.  The following Weird Al Yankovic video should tickle just about everyone's funny bone - especially all of us that check email throughout the day, only to sigh at the mountain of spam that gets forwarded to us.  Anyway, this is off Al's latest album Alpocalypse.  Oh, and did I mention I'm going to see him in concert on the 20th with my kids?  Woohoo!

Enjoy

Fun Writer Moments

The wife and I are planning a huge - and super secret - trip for the family coming up in June.  I'll be spilling details on this later, but I wanted to relate a funny thought I had this morning.  The area we're going to happens to be home to a fellow writer (same state at least), and I thought this morning how cool it would be if I could arrange to meet the writer in person.  In fact, that realization excited me almost as much as the idea of the whole trip itself.

It's just really cool to think about meeting a fellow writer in person.  And if you'd ask'd me about it say...5 years ago, I'd probably have been like "eh, I guess".  Nowadays, I'm really psyched.  I mean, I'm going to be meeting Beth Revis in a couple weeks when she swings through my area.  How cool is that?  If I could travel and meet you all, I'd have a perma-smile for years.  Some of you however, are a little harder to get to than others (sorry Glynis LOL).

It's funny what direction life takes us and what joys we find along the way.  It's also funny that I think in writer terms now.  Don't get me wrong;  it's really cool.  But I can laugh at myself and how my thought processes have changed too.  I notice that I tend to see writing mistakes (punctuation, grammar, run-on sentences) more these days as well.  In fact, I just had to mention it to my boss for something he asked my opinion on.  What others call nit-picky, I now call proper editing.  Go figure.

I'll leave you all with some ACDC to kick off your Friday.  Because after all, we writers definitely rock!

All Kinds of Things On A Wednesday

Yesterday's blog chain post really got the creative juices flowing.  I struggled to get my word count under the 100 word limit, but it was a fun struggle.  And by the time I finished, I felt like I'd written something really decent.  It's been a while since I've done that - felt like I've written something decent.  But man, did it feel good.  I got such a thrill out of it.  So thanks Michelle, even if it was partly torture.

On another note, I was driving to work and as usual, a great song came on just as I got there.  I didn't have time to listen to the whole thing, so I popped inside and looked it up on YouTube:

Granted, the video is something a fan put together, but I thought it went with the song perfectly.  Five Finger Death Punch (the band that wrote this song) might not be your usual cup of tea, but when they can come up with something as beautiful as this song, I figure they can't be that bad.  Of course, I'm a fan of their other stuff too so maybe I'm a little biased.

Then I stumbled on another Far From Home video (yeah, I get caught up in YouTube way too easily) and of course I had to check this one out:



Since I play piano, this one caught my attention right away.  I'd never heard of Jake Oken-Berg before, but I'll probably look up more music by the talented fellow.  He definitely knows how to tickle the ivories and sing some soulful words.

Last but not least, if you haven't signed up for the INSANE contest Beth Revis is hosting titled the Epic Contest of Epic.  You will not believe how much stuff there is to win, and the grand prize is...well, I can't even describe it adequately enough, so you need to rush over there and get your entry in.  If you haven't been following Beth on her journey as she sees her debut book Across The Universe published, you've been missing out.  In less than a month, this awesome story will be in the hands of the masses, and it couldn't have happened to a nicer author.  Beth is so cool, incredibly talented, and I'm really happy for her.  Now get over there and enter the contest.  You'll kick yourself if you miss this opportunity.

Oh, and any other great songs/books/artists I'm missing out on?  Fill up the comment boxes, ladies and gents!

Happy Dance, Happy Dance

Everybody Happy Dance!

It's Friday, and since my presentation passed with no need for revisions, I've finished that class.  Woohoo!!

I took last night off (from school anyway) and did more enjoyable things.  Like revising my short story.  And playing games with my sons.  And not stressing about how much homework I still have to get done.

It's nice to take a day off every once in a while.  I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm fairly overburdened with way too many challenges.  Writing is currently taking a back seat (most of the time) to other more critical items, so while I'd like to make it a full-time gig that I do every day, it's almost impossible.  It's kind of ironic then that I consider finding time to write part of "taking time off".  It's work, but it's fun work.  It's a balmy summer day for my soul and mental health.

The other thing on my radar is NanoWriMo.   I seriously wish I was done with this class and could participate this year.  And who knows, if I finish up by the end of this month, maybe I still can.  Last year, it was really fun to do and it felt great writing every day towards that goal of 50K words.  I got close last year too (almost 36K words) before I had to stop.  I don't regret it though, because I was able to focus once more on school and graduate last December with my Bachelors degree.

Don't ask me why I decided to go back for more homework fun.

Rather than continuing to ramble, I'm going to wish you all a fun-filled weekend.  Me, I'm going to get some writing done and launch my assault on Cyber-Law on Monday.  Now play the Peanuts song again and Happy Dance wherever you are.  It's Friday, and Fridays were made for dancing with abandon.

Friday Funnies - Mommas and Poppas

Being the family man that I am, the badge I proudly wear is that of Daddy (though of course my 16 year old hasn't called me that for some time now;  "Can I just call you Dad now?").  So this video cracked me up big time.



For all you other Dads out there, feel free to replay it and sing along (or rap along, as the case may be).

Now, I know the majority of my followers are women and a great deal of you are Moms.  Don't worry, there's a new anthem for you as well:



I have to hand it to these people.  They did a pretty good job of turning these popular songs into hilarious alternate versions.  Made me laugh a bunch, anyway.

Have a nice weekend everyone!

Back In Town

The title is a bit misleading, since I really haven't traveled anywhere.   But I was on a leave of absence of sorts from blogging.  I don't know exactly how much I got accomplished, but do we ever get everything done we'd like to?   Probably not.

In any event, you can expect regular posts from me once more.  Thanks to Cassandra Jade, I had the opportunity yesterday to be a guest on her blog and she on mine.  That's a first for me, and to be honest it was both fun and daunting.  Let's face it - blogging on the page of a published author is awesome, but it also left me hoping that my words would be good enough.  Cassandra has a pretty big following (for good reason), and I was hoping to do her page justice.  Judging from the comments though, I guess I didn't do too bad.

I have a four day weekend coming up, and I'm hoping to take at least one of those days and spend it working on revising my short story.   It actually felt good to do some revisions a little while back, because I could see the story becoming clearer.  It's pretty cool when I feel like I'm making good progress on my skills as writer as opposed to feeling completely lost (like how the classes in my Masters degree program have me feeling lately LOL).

This is a short post, but I'll try to put up something more fun tomorrow in celebration of Friday.  As Michelle McLean shows each week, each Friday should be filled with fun.

What writerly things are you going to do this weekend?  Think you can squeeze in a paragraph or two, revise a passage here or there?

Friday Fun - The Right Word

One thing I mentioned yesterday was that I hate revising because it bugs me when I can't find the right word.  When you find the right word, everything flows and you feel it.  It's like an electric current running up your hands and arms from the tip of your pen.  Today's Friday though, so I'm not going to dive into a deep discussion about this.  Instead I'm going to share a song and video with you that completely personifies the idea of choosing the right word.



Can you imagine how much work had to go into crafting the lyrics for that song?  That would have seriously driven me crazy.  It's one of my favorite all time songs though.  If you've got any other examples of something like this, feel free to share in the comments.  And have a great weekend everyone.

Friday Food For Thought - Celebrating Authors, Stealin' Links and Bad Writing

Yep, you read that right.  I'm being a thief today.  That's because Michelle McLean has all the links I need to properly celebrate my new favorite author - Shaun Hutchinson.  Her post today is timely, because I just finished reading The Deathday Letter myself last night and I knew I had to talk about it today.  It's just that good.

If you haven't picked up a copy of this book, you're doing yourself a huge disservice.  Shaun captures the tone and character of a 16 year old boy effortlessly.  The book is funny, it's heartwarming, and it should appeal to just about anyone even though it's in the YA genre.  I just can't say enough about this incredible book.  Okay, I better stop here or Shaun's going to worry that I'll start stalking him (which I won't do Shaun, even if a trip to Florida does sound nice).  And here are all the stolen links, may you visit them all (sorry Michelle, heh heh).

The DeathDay Letter

Shaun's Site

Twitter page (yeah, I know I'm not twittering yet, but anyway)

Facebook page (yep, I'm not doing this either, but Shaun is)

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Borders

Powell's Books

Simon & Schuster

Over at Holy Terrors, Michelle Scott linked to an award winning short story written by Kij Johnson.  Being the responsible writer-in-training that I am, I clicked over to read it.  Before you go there, understand that this story is not for the faint of heart.  Nor is it for anyone who is offended even a little bit by certain types of adult subject matter.  What I did learn from this story is what kind of story I know I would NEVER write.  It amazes me though that this thing was given awards.  This is a celebrated and published author, and yet this writing is (at least in my mind) a pile of unadulterated crap.  With lots of cuss words.  And kinky sex themes.  Hmmm, sounds like the crap Hollywood is putting out these days too.  A recurring theme maybe?

This made me stop and think about what stories are being published these days and what stories don't make the cut.  Is the publishing process really that subjective?  Does my writing need to be shocking in order to get awards?  God, I hope not.  I know I don't have it in me to write like that.  How do the rest of you feel about this (particularly for those of you brave enough to go read the story)?

Lastly, I started the story Butterfly's Curse and planned to continue it on Wednesday.  Unfortunately, my mind has imagined so many different ways for the story to go and I haven't decided yet which one is right.  Yes, I'm trying to do some rough plotting so I don't lose everyone.  Long story short, I'm working on the next section and should have it up next Wednesday.  For those of you who enjoyed the beginning, hang tight for me just a little longer.  I will do my best to make the wait worthwhile.

That's all I have for your Friday.  I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and make sure you go pick up The Deathday Letter.   That way you'll have an excuse for why the chores aren't getting done, because you'll be too wrapped up in Shaun's awesome story.

Friday Fun - A Few Cool Things

First thing I ran into this morning was a neat post by the awesome Cole.  She talked about this website that will analyze your writing and tell you which successful writer your style is most like.  This is completely appropriate for a Friday, because it's silly, doesn't really mean anything, and is fun to do anyway.  I took a snippit of the short story I'm working on and out came this result:

I write like
Edgar Allan Poe

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

This is too cool for a couple reasons.  For one, I am trying to learn to write creepy passages.  That's fun for me.  Yeah, I'm weird.  Secondly, I LOVE Edgar Allan Poe.  He was the master of "creep you out" writing.  Okay, Stephen King is too, but that's beside the point.   Anyway, thanks Cole.  This is awesome.

On another note, I've decided to join the fun of WriteOnCon.  Elana's post today convinced me that even though I am not a kidlit writer, I can learn a bunch from all the other great writers who will be in attendance.  If you haven't registered yet, I encourage you all to do so.  It's a FREE conference.  And there is already a ton of awesome people involved.  What are you waiting for?

Have a great Friday.  I hope everyone's weekend is filled with fun, writing, and laughs.

Note:  Did anyone notice that I managed to put up a post almost every day this week?  Woohoo.  This could be a disturbing trend  :)

Promised Post - Answers To The Lies

If you haven't read yesterday's post, you should probably go there first. Otherwise, this is a spoiler and you'll miss out on all the fun. For those who read through yesterday's post, here is the list of questions and whether they were true or a lie.

1. While I was in Basic Training for the U.S. Army, I received an Article 15 (a form of discipline) for conspiracy to sell photographs from a Polaroid instant camera.

This is actually the truth. My bunkmate suckered me (and two others) into this, and we made a tidy profit for a while. We were taking pictures of our fellow soldiers and selling the pics to them for a buck a piece. Memoral Day came and we were out of film. Rather than wait the one day until the PX (military version of a store) was open, we decided to go to the main PX on base, which we were forbidden to do. Two of us were lookouts while the other two bought the film. You can guess who got caught by his own drill sgt - yep, me and one other person. Luckily for us, he talked to the Captain and convinced him that we were two otherwise decent soldiers who had just made a stupid mistake. Our punishment was fairly minimal, which was good since it could have been really bad.



2. Ten of the most prominent DC and Marvel comic book characters are emblazoned across my chest in the form of tattoos, including Superman, the Hulk, and Wonder Woman.

This is a lie. There is truth in it though; I actually do have a tattoo on my chest of Superman and The Incredible Hulk - they are the favorite comic book characters of my two sons.



3. During my adult life, I've worked in a multitude of occupations. The jobs have included an amateur race car driver, a professional bowler, a prominent musician, and even a costumed mascot.

While it would be great to have experienced all these things, this is a lie. All these professions were very liberally taken from various video games I've played.



4. The first girl I kissed set up a menage a trois for me with her best friend, in her bedroom, while her father sat in the next room watching television.

This one is interesting, and almost true. At the time, I had no idea this was really what this paticular girl wanted but looking back on the memory, I have since realized that she really did want something like this between the three of us. I was 16 and fairly naive. Alas, I missed out. Probably for the best though lol.



5. I am well-trained in nine martial art forms, including Wu Shu, Ninjitsu, Kempo, Aikido, and Jeet Kune Do. I've been a practicing martical artist since I was six.

While I did formally train in Karate starting at the age of 9, I have only minimal knowledge of the rest of these martial art forms.



6. My favorite snack is chocolate donuts and pickles. At the same time. I've been known to make a midnight trip to 7-11 when the craving strikes.

This is actually a craving my wife had while pregnant with our oldest son. I did have to make the midnight trips to go get her this weird combination though. I got to know the convenience store clerk on that shift fairly well lol.



7. I once totalled a 1991 Geo Metro by jumping a 3 foot high median. Once my tires touched the pavement, I found myself facing oncoming traffic during rush hour. I scraped along the driver side of another compact car, played a quick game of chicken with the Maverick behind them, and finally slammed head on into a pickup truck. The front end of my car crumpled like a tin can and broke both my legs.

There is a bit of truth in this story. I actually did have the Geo Metro and it did get totalled. I was not the one who jumped the median though. A lady in a 73 Maverick was the culprit. She was a drunk driver (a 4 time loser), chasing her ex-husband from bar to bar. She jumped the median, slid along the driver side of my Geo (totalling it), played drunken chicken with the person behind me, and slammed into the truck behind that. She was so drunk, she didn't even feel it when both her legs were snapped in two by the dashboard. I'd like to say she got what she deserved when the case went to court, but that would be a fairy tale. She got away with no charges filed and a waived fine. I'm not kidding. My mom and my wife had to drag me out of the courtroom so I wouldn't call the judge a few choice names.



I hope everyone had as much fun guessing with these as I did writing them. This was really fun. Thanks a bunch Michelle and Brian. You brought a big smile to my face and hopefully to a few others.

I Cannot Tell A Lie...Or Can I?

I've been meaning to put up this post for some time now. Brian over at The New Author tagged me for this badge a while ago. Then Michelle Hickman tagged me with it recently as well. Since I consider them both to be very talented friends, I figure I better get around to joining the party. I owe them at least that much. The rules for this award are:

- thank the person who gave you the award
- copy the logo and place it on your blog
- link to the person who nominated you
- tell up to six outrageous lies about yourself and at least one outrageous truth, or vice-versa
- nominate seven "creative" writers
- post links to the blogs you nominate
- leave a comment on each blog letting them know they've won the award

Thanks go out to both Michelle and Brian. I know I'm a bit late, but I really do appreciate it. I've linked to them both. Now comes the fun part - deciding whether to write some serious whoppers or reveal a great deal about myself. You'll have to judge for yourself which is which.

1. While I was in Basic Training for the U.S. Army, I received an Article 15 (a form of discipline) for conspiracy to sell photographs from a Polaroid instant camera.

2. Ten of the most prominent DC and Marvel comic book characters are emblazoned across my chest in the form of tattoos, including Superman, the Hulk, and Wonder Woman.

3. During my adult life, I've worked in a multitude of occupations. The jobs have included an amateur race car driver, a professional bowler, a prominent musician, and even a costumed mascot.

4. The first girl I kissed set up a menage a trois for me with her best friend, in her bedroom, while her father sat in the next room watching television.

5. I am well-trained in nine martial art forms, including Wu Shu, Ninjitsu, Kempo, Aikido, and Jeet Kune Do. I've been a practicing martical artist since I was six.

6. My favorite snack is chocolate donuts and pickles. At the same time. I've been known to make a midnight trip to 7-11 when the craving strikes.

7. I once totalled a 1991 Geo Metro by jumping a 3 foot high median. Once my tires touched the pavement, I found myself facing oncoming traffic during rush hour. I scraped along the driver side of another compact car, played a quick game of chicken with the Maverick behind them, and finally slammed head on into a pickup truck. The front end of my car crumpled like a tin can and broke both my legs.

There you go, ladies and gents. Now you get to decide which of these are true and which are merely figments of my imagination. Good luck. And thanks once more to Michelle and Brian. This was really fun.

I'm going to take a cue from Michelle though and break the rules. Since this badge has made the rounds, I'm only going to pick three others to hoist this on.

Tim Riley had fun with the last time I picked on him. Guess what Tim, you're it again :)

Clarissa Draper is another new follower of mine, so she gets tagged as well.

Lastly, I'd like to hear from Julie Dao. She has a great blog, so I'm hoping she'll join in this fun too.

I can't wait to see who guesses right on this stuff. Let me hear about it in the comments. Tomorrow I'll put up a special post and let you all know what is what.

Tagged By A Friend

Just when you think you're feeling down, people reach down and pick you up. Thanks to Cassandra, I have been tagged. I promised her I'd join in the fun and (although I'm late) this post is about keeping that promise. So without further ado, I hope you enjoy this peek into little ol' me.

Question 1 - Where were you 5 years ago?

Let's see. My wife and I were just getting over a rough patch. Though most of our years have been awesome, we've had our issues from time to time. I hadn't yet started going to school online; I was on a break. I was still at the same job I'm at now, doing network administration. I was not writing at all.

Question 2 - Where would you like to be in 5 years?

I hope to be working from home as a student mentor for my college. I will have obtained my Masters degree. My wife will be healthy. My oldest son will be in college or figuring out what direction he wants to go. I will have published something, even if it's just a short story. I hope to have a new, bigger motorcycle.

Question 3 - What is on your to-do list today?

Finish critiques of two of my classmates' short stories. Start writing article for Brighthub.com. Spend time with my wife. Put up posts on my blog.

Question 4 - What snacks do you enjoy?

Reeses Peanut Butter Cups (white chocolate). Skittles. Beef Jerky, almost any flavor. Any kind of crackers. Frozen grapes. Chocolate-covered raisins.

Question 5 - What five things would you do if you were a billionaire?

Set up all my family members so they could truly enjoy life without concerns. Travel all over the United States, to every state possible. Start a foundation or non-profit where I could help the homeless get back on their feet, one person at a time if necessary. Buy my wife the red Corvette she has always wanted. Build my ultimate writing room, a cabin with a mountain view, where I can walk out every once in a while and see a deer in my front yard.

The lucky 5 I am going to pass this on to are some of my newer followers:

Matt Betts

Hilary Wagner

Tim Riley

Michelle Scott

Alex J. Cavanaugh

I hope you all have fun with this and put up a post too. And thanks Cassandra, for making me smile. You're one of the many cool people have really helped make me feel better about my writing and remember to stay optimistic about what I can do if I try.

Rapping About Books

I had to put up a link post about a video I saw on Notes from New England. Rather than embed it here, I'll just urge you to go there and check it out. Besides, the blog she hosts is pretty awesome too. Enjoy.

Ten Word Tuesday: Silver Linings

No more hair?

Where did it go?

No more haircuts.

Random Facts

Since Sandra and Christine have already done this, I thought I'd join in on the fun. Here are some random facts about me:

1) Most unusual or interesting job I’ve had…

I haven't worked at very many jobs, to start with. The most unusual one however, would be a job I had working for a bowling alley as a pin chaser. When bowling balls or pins would get stuck in the gutters, I'd have to go running down the thin strip between the lanes and free things up. Oh, and clean up all the trash, ashtrays, and beer cups from the bowlers of course. Yuck.

2) Childhood Memory related to writing…

I've posted the only writing sample I have from childhood previously, which is kind of depressing actually. I may have written more than that, but I haven't kept any of it. I have a picture of myself (no I'm not sharing it) that was taken while I was writing that poem though, and it's funny what makes me cringe. Not how I looked, what I'm wearing, or even what I've written. The fact that I have my hat on indoors. It's a military thing. Bugs me to no end.

3) Things I collect

I'm not a big collector of things really. I used to collect Coca Cola stuff, but then I realized tons of people do it, so it became less interesting. I have a neat old truck crafted out of actual Coca Cola cans that my dad found though, which I really like. I also like anything to do with dragons, though I can't say I have a collection of it. Do tons of old software disks and computer hardware parts count? Maybe that's what I can tell my wife when she gripes about them. It's my collection.

4) Obsessions

Since I'm married and not allowed to obsess over other women (except for Queen Latifah - wow, what a beauty), I have to obsess over other things. I obsess over using the right word when I'm writing; my internal editor never shuts up. I am currently obsessing over getting to level 80 in World Of Warcraft, though who knows what I'll do when I get there.

5) Unusual “talents”

I'm probably the most unextraordinary person with regards to talents. That's not to say I am not talented in various ways, but I don't know that any of them are unusual. I can play piano, but meh. I used to be fluent in Russian, but meh. About the only unusual talent I have is the ability to recall specific lines from songs, movies, or books at odd moments. I'll hear something said that will spark my memory of some obscure line from a B movie that nobody else remembers. Drives my wife crazy, I'm sure.

Every End Starts A New Beginning

Despite my long absence, I have not abandoned you all. I have been merely taking a long break. I have been reveling in the celebrations of graduation (mostly in my own head of course) and decided not to do anything remotely difficult for a while. Don't get me wrong - writing is as much fun as it is difficult, but it has been nice to not "think" about anything.

Since we're at the beginning of another year however, I feel the need to look back on things. Despite some huge difficulties with family and home, I consider 2009 to be a very successful year. Some of these things I've spoken about (such as graduating college and experiencing NaNo), but there are other things in my life that haven't made these pages.

My family has gone through some pretty tough times, but in the end its all been worthwhile. We lost our house, but we ended up with a better place than we had before. My wife had to leave her job, but she is able to do things now that she never could before. We've had plenty of financial troubles, but we're no longer struggling to make ends meet. So despite many hardships and hurdles thoughout the year, we've come out looking good on the other end.

I've found my love of writing, and although I was not able to complete NaNo, I enjoyed the journey anyway. I've learned how much I enjoy riding a motorcycle, no matter the danger inherent in that activity. I have realized how much I don't enjoy my job, but maybe someday I'll be able to change that too. I've also discovered how much I like having my wife at home, even if its for selfish reasons. I really like coming home to her warm hugs and loving kisses. If luck is with us, she will be done with her degree in a few years too and will be able to work from home. That would be the best gift yet, for both of us.

What do I have to look forward to in the upcoming year? Well, my NaNo fun has shown me that I can manage to write every single day, a new habit I am going to try to cultivate. I won't be holding myself to the rather stressful timeline of that experience, but I will attempt to at least get some words down each day.

Now that I have graduated, I am free to concentrate on other educational goals, such as learning to write better. I'm hoping to get involved in a local writing course and glean as much from it as possible. I considered the possibility of going for my Masters in Creative Writing, but two things stop me. First of all, its highly expensive and I would most likely have to get more student loans to pay for it. Once I obtained it though, I doubt it would be any more useful to me than not having one at all. I can see where a singular writing course however, would be immediately useful.

I'm done taking a vacation though, so you can expect more regular updates here. I do have a few people I'd like to thank however. Whether they knew it or not, they helped make my year fun and taught me more than they probably know. This list is in no way exhaustive (since I find myself learning something from just about everyone), but these people are at the top.

1. Screaming Guppy - The Guppster is one of my favs. Not only does she drink Diet Coke (extra points there), she is insightful and honest in her writing.
2. The Surly Writer - Michelle brings a smile to my face every time I read her stuff. She puts up with my comments and makes me envious with her exceptional writing skills.
3. The Literary Lab - Lady Glamis, Davin, and Scott are mentors in every sense of the word. I don't believe there has been a single post of theirs that didn't teach me something useful.
4. Lost Wanderer - The Wanderer is a true friend, even if she does leave me in awe at her ability to crank out the words. Sure, while the rest of us were struggling to make our daily amount, she was easily doing double. She is ever humble, however.
5. Elana Johnson - I would be completely remiss if I did not mention Elana. Not only has she put out the authoritative tome for writing queries, she consistently teaches us all how to maintain a fun demeanor while we struggle towards publication.
6. Imagineering Fiction - Galen Kindley is a scholar, a fellow veteran, and an accomplished author. I'm honored that he stops by from time to time and brightens my page.
7. One Word, One Rung, One Day - Travis is an enigma; how can one guy be so funny and write so well? While I doubt I'll ever be able to mirror his ability with dialogue, he inspires me to try anyway.

Since 7 is a lucky number, I'll stop there. There are a great many more of you I owe thanks to, but I don't want to tempt fate. If I didn't mention you, I hope you know that just about everyone I know in the writing world helps me all the time. I wish everyone out there a new year filled with successes, opportunities, and good times. Sure there will be tough moments, but trust me that eventually things work out right.

We Done Good, Guys!

Yesterday I had a moment of nostalgia, wondering what had become of the Blogman award. In case you missed this post, this badge is a small (but really fun) achievement I was a big part of. Elana and Abby were my cohorts in this endeavor as well.

Anyway, I was distracting myself from NaNo for a bit and went on a hunt to see just how far this badge has gone. It's so awesome. People like BettieLee over at Far Seeing Fairy Tales, and Jade at Jade Hears Voices were lucky recipients who had fun with the award and passed it on. I began to follow the chain of awardees and was lost among blogs for way too much time. It was an enjoyable distraction though, especially since I know I helped get this started.

Yeah, it's a bit egotistical perhaps to be celebrating this event, but what the hell. Elana and Abby, celebrate with me. We spawned an award that has spread smiles throughout blogdom and made people feel better, even if for just a moment. Throw on some Joe Cool shades, crack open a Diet Coke (or Jack Daniels if that's your preference), and smile wide. We done good.

Friday Fun...After Homage Is Paid

Before I launch into fun things, I'd like to take a moment to reflect on today. It's the anniversary of 9-1-01, and I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the impact of this date on the world. I know I've posted an American flag here, but if you salute a flag of a different color, feel free to pay homage to it in your own way. The entire world has been affected by the tragic events of that day, and I hope everyone takes a moment to remember those lost.

I have no direct ties with this tragedy, but it still saddens me to think of all the lives lost and all the people who did not come home. My dad was a firefighter for 30 years, and I cannot imagine how I would have felt if he had been lost that day. Despite my belief in the power of words, there are none I can use to adequately explain to my children how terrible that day was to humanity.

If there is a silver lining to be found however, it is this: One plane was unwilling to go quietly into the night, and they fought valiantly to the end. In the aftermath, good people from everywhere came together to attempt to pick up the pieces and find any survivors. Those of us who were able to, fought back against despair, helped out where they could, and reminded the world why humanity as a whole is good despite a few bastions of evil. Even if that small glimmer of hope fades from time to time, it's still there within most of us.

Despite my feelings that these words are inadequate, I hope they do more good than harm to anyone out there.

If you haven't noticed, there are changes here at 'Da Muse. I finally figured out (with helpful suggestions from a few of you)how to post the badges and awards I've been lucky enough to receive. I actually was not sure whether I wanted to put them here, because I try to be as humble as possible about myself. But in the end, I decided it's an honor to receive them, so I need to give them their due. The blogman award isn't one I received, but I didn't think anyone would mind since the acronym and award rules are my creation.

The latest award I have received is the Honest Scrap award. I have to think a bit who to pass this on to, but I will at least list ten things you may not know about me in honor of the award. So here goes:

1. My freshman year I wore a sleeveless shirt and combed my hair back (I actually had some back then) like Don Johnson in Miami Vice, for picture day. No, there wasn't really a good resemblance. Yeah, to say my mom was not happy about it was an understatement.

2. I once had an Orange Crush bicycle (after the soft drink, not the Broncos). The first day I was allowed to ride it to school (after begging my parents for permission), it was stolen before lunch time.

3. I worked as a pin chaser at a bowling alley once. I had to run down the median between lanes to clear out errant bowling pins that were stuck in the gutter.

4. At the peak of my physical fitness (I was in the Army), I could do 82 push-ups in two minutes and 92 sit-ups in two minutes.

5. Phil Collins is my favorite musician. His solo albums got me through many a depressed day as a teenager.

6. I was once in a barbershop quartet, as high tenor. I had to hold a single high note for the length of a song (My Irish Rose), all while the rest of the quartet sang their own respective parts. I couldn't stop for breath even once.

7. I am incapable of sitting cross-legged comfortably. My ligaments and groin muscles just won't allow it for some reason.

8. I once created a science project in which I drew a computer image of a solar-powered car. The entire roof of the car was covered in solar cells.

9. I have to be very selective which shoes I buy, because my feet are really wide. I also tend to wear boots 90% of the time, because they are the most comfortable for me.

10. My dream car back in high school was a 1963 Corvette, painted an emerald green. Nowadays though, I'd rather have a Harley with lots of chrome. Funny how we change, huh?

I will nominate some others for this award later, but this post has been long enough. Thanks for bearing with me and I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

Blogman To The Rescue

On Wednesday, Elana had a post begging the question "What Does Blog Stand For?" I put in a comment with a few choices, but the one moment of brilliance (dare I say it...yes I will) I had was Batman Looking Over Gotham. It was evidently a hit with the rest of the commentors, and Abby even went so far as to create a badge for it (thank you Abby, and I hope you don't mind me stealing it). The badge is really cool.

I cannot tell you how awesome this has made my Monday. It's rare that I come up with something cool like this, so to see it spawn comments and badges is too cool for words. Since this has made my day and given me visions of black capes and pointy-ear masks, I'm going to spread the love. Here are the rules of this badge. Feel free to have fun with it, and hopefully it will create smiles all 'round.

1. Tell us your favorite hero/superhero (it doesn't have to be Batman, after all) and why.

2. Copy the badge and post it on your blog.

3. Present the badge to five (the number of points on a Batarang) other worthy bloggers.

4. Post links to the five people you nominate.

5. Comment on their pages to let them know they have been nominated.

My favorite superhero actually is Batman. I've always liked the Dark Knight persona - an extremely capable martial artist (ninjitsu, in his case), an untouchable pillar of good, and someone who doesn't mind tossing the bad guys around a bit to get the answer he needs.

I've copied the badge from it's creator Abby and have posted it here.

I am presenting this badge to:

1. Elana - I can just see her tying on the black cape and jumping across rooftops.
2. Brian - Although his site is not dark at all, he is a fully-fledged knight.
3. Rebecca - Despite the fact that she's on the other side of the pond, she is a staunch defender of writing in all it's forms.
4. Danyelle - Her sunny disposition is exactly what every superhero needs.
5. Lost Wanderer - Her darkened blog is in contrast to the shining example she sets as a writer.

I am winging my way to let the respective awardees know of their great fortune. Hopefully everyone else will enjoy this as much as I am.

The '80s...You Gotta Love Em

A friend of mine sent me an email with a YouTube link to a cheesy 1980's movie (not Ice Pirates), and it got me to thinking. For those who weren't old enough (or born, for that matter), the 1980's was a period of extreme cheesiness (is that a word?) The movies of the era were often enough really bad (or good I suppose, depending on your preference), and the music industry produced alot of one-hit-wonders.

It was a weird time, at least here in the U.S. One thing I can't answer however, is whether literature followed the same pattern as movies and music. I did read alot of books back then, just as I do now. But I don't know if what I read was representative of the culture at that time. I'm talking about mainstream literature (whatever that equates to), that was subject to the cultural norms or acceptance of the time period.

I was in school for almost all of the '80s, graduating in '89 (yes, I'm showing my age here...Michelle H. and Guppster, stop counting up the years). So the books I was reading at the time were probably either something I was forced to read (i.e. homework assignments) or sci-fi/fantasy only, since I hadn't broadened my reading horizons as much back then.

Can anyone tell me what it was like back then, with regards to the number of cheesy (but accepted) books? Did the literary world abstain from this foolishness or did they follow along just like everyone else?