The Agony of the Synopsis, or How Not to Write a Synopsis
I’ve been pretty busy for the last few weeks, starting with sending out a new round of query letters. I’ve found five really kick ass agents to start with, with four queries still out there. With any luck, one of them will request a partial or the full manuscript, and I am hopeful. Interestingly, the […]
Rejection Letter #1!
Well, I’m no longer a virgin—I have received my first official rejection letter. She was nice about it, and everything; we aren’t a good fit. Plus, I evidently have cooties (see below). And with that, I can now probably call myself a real writer. I have joined the hallowed ranks of, well…every would-be writer who […]
Trek Nation Is Awesome
I rewatched Trek Nation today, and was hit once again with how awesome it is. If you’re not familiar with it, Trek Nation is a documentary about Star Trek made by Rod Roddenberry, Gene Roddenberry’s son. Gene died in 1991, when Rod was just 17 years old, and, as Rod tells us in the show, […]
It’s Not You, It’s Me
Man, oh man! I finally sent out my first query letter to an agent last night. I’m a delightful mix of giddy, nervous, excited, anxious, fearful, trepidatious, and ARRRGGGGHHHH!!! For those who aren’t familiar with the publishing process, a query letter is sort of a writer’s elevator pitch for a book. It can include a […]
What Exactly Does ‘Being Through’ Mean?
OK, I know I’ve said that I was finished with my novel a couple times, but this time it’s true! No, really! Actually, they were all true, but “through” is so relative. The first time I was “through,” it was finishing the story, getting that last word in Scrivener. But from there came some heavy […]
With a Little Help…
I’ve gotten a lot of help from some amazing friends and colleagues getting my novel to where it is (that is, ready for an agent), but this week I’ve been lucky enough to get input from two new beta readers. On Wednesday, I spent a couple of hours talking to a fellow aspiring writer, and […]
Pics from the Eclipse
I took some pics of the eclipse from May 20th with a friend of mine. I tried to take blind pics of the Sun itself, but without anything even approximating the proper filters, I didn’t get much. In any event, major eclipses apparently play havoc with shadows. Who knew? It also turns out that taking […]
Mountain View Cemetery
Not too long ago, I went to the Mountain View Cemetery to take some photos. This place was built in 1863 and was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the same chap that designed Central Park in New York City. It was a product of the Transcendentalist movement, and was intended to be part park and part […]
The Game of Thrones is Dead – Long Live The Song of Ice & Fire!
WARNING: There are spoilers galore for The Game of Thrones, The Song of Ice and Fire, and even The Lord of The Rings contained herein. Read at your own peril. Update: I added a little section on Jeyne Westerling. As noted above, don’t read it if you don’t want spoilers! The Game of Thrones is […]
Catching Up
I think I should probably catch you up a bit, because there have been a lot of big changes for me since I was regularly posting here in…what? 2008? It’s been a while. In 2009, Darla and I had to put down Chandler Bing, my (he had become our) Yellow Lab. A couple of months […]
Grits & Chops!
I’m in the middle of an eight week self-imposed program of learning/cooking one new recipe per week. Well, not really the middle, this was the second week. Anyway, I started off with chicken korma, because, you know, it was way above my cooking ability. Fortunately it worked out despite my lack of skills. So for […]
Ummm…
Yeah, so you don’t see this every day. I took this on my way home tonight. Considering the lack of ambulances, I am fervently hoping no one was in the car when it caught on fire.
Incredible iPad Apps for Dummies
I wrote half of Incredible iPad Apps for Dummies, but don’t let that fool you. Bob did more than half the work! This was the first book with my name on the cover, though, and I have it on good authority that this made my mother proud. Book Description: The popularity of the iPad is […]
iPad All-In-One for Dummies
I’m named as a contributor on iPad All-In-One for Dummies, having written the book-within-a-book on apps for Nancy Muir. The ins and outs of all things iPad and iPad 2—in full color! Packed with the power of a MacBook, iPod touch, eReader, digital camera, portable game console and so much more, the iPad is an […]
Incredible iPhone Apps for Dummies
I wrote several chapters for Incredible iPhone Apps for Dummies—working with Bob is always fantastic. Book Description: A full-color directory of must-have iPhone and iPod touch apps! The App Store allows you to browse and download thousands of applications that were developed with the iPhone SDK and published through Apple. The popularity of iPhone and […]
GarageBand for Dummies
I tech edited GarageBand for Dummies for Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus, and I also contributed a few of the chapters. What I love about it are all the great recording tips and methods Bob offers, stuff that’s still useful, even though this book is for the original version of GarageBand for Dummies. Book Description: Get […]
Friday Gig Canceled, Got Keys to New Practice Space
We had to cancel our gig tonight, as Dan had a last minute business trip. Our next gig is scheduled for October 6th at Hotel Utah in San Francisco.
Last Practice, First Gig, Wife Sick
In reverse order of importance, we had our last practice before my first gig with the Atomic Love Bombs, and Darla is pretty sick. It was a rough practice at first, due to the studio time interrupting real band practices, but things came together pretty quickly. I am stoked. We’re playing First Street Billiards in […]
Studio Wrap
We finished our three days in the studio, and man was it fantastic! All four of the songs we set out to record came together on Monday, and they sound great, even in a rough mix. Tim will be spending a time in the coming weeks doing some mix downs, and I can\’t wait to […]
Day Two In The Studio
Another day in the studio! Fortunately, I was feeling a bit healthier than yesterday, and I laid down two (mostly) good tracks for “I can’t see you lasting much longer.” I also laid down a track for “100 Mile Freefall,” and “High Again,” but we’re starting over on that one, so it doesn’t matter. One […]
First Day In The Studio
Oi! It was our first day in the studio, and man, am I wiped! I’ve done LOTS of home 4-track recording (back in the day when that was cool), and a lot of home digital recording, but being in a hot studio (AC gets turned off on the weekends where we are!!!) for 9 hours […]
Sick. Bah. Teh Suck. Studio. w00t.
I’ve never been keen on being sick. Accordingly, I am delighted that I have a nasty-ass chest cold, especially since I am getting two crowns today, and am going into the studio with the Atomic Love Bombs all weekend. Oh, and I am going into the studio all weekend with the Atomic Love Bombs. w00t! […]
N00B! I AM YOUR FATHER
I love the folks at J!NX. They have the best geeky shirts, and I saw a great new one in their newsletter. N00B. I AM YOUR FATHER. N00B. I AM YOUR FATHER That’s awesome. 🙂
Aggressive Heads Up SNG Tournament
One of the reasons I have enjoyed heads up Razz and HORSE Sit-n-Gos so much is that they match my style. My ability to read the board, understand my odds (both pot and drawing), and consider what my opponent is playing allows me to bully passive players and give the lagtards enough rope to hang […]
Atomic Love Bombs
Hmmm….41 and in a rock band. w00t! The Atomic Love Bombs asked me to officially join the band today, something I immediately said yes to. These cats make music that is not just right up my alley, it’s in an alley that runs behind the house I grew up in. Or something. The point is […]