Type At You Soon

What?

2006-09-21T21:25:00.000-04:00

Don't look at me like that. I know it's been awhile, and I know I've told a few of you that I'm through with blogging. I was planning to write a lengthy post about why I'm not going to be doing the Amorlia sequel after all, and that I'm just going to focus on promoting the stuff I already have blahbitty yadda yadda, but then I thought, screw it. I'll just do it anyway.

Therefore, I invite you to visit Amorlia, for a new chapter of the sequel. I'm "planning" to update Monday, Wednesday, Friday. However, clearly, I plan all sorts of stuff that doesn't happen. I definitely won't update every day. So, at most, I'll update 3 times a week, at least... once.

Spontaneous Fiction may also update here and there if I'm feeling ambitious. Or it might not. That's going to be random. As is this place. Not sure what I'm doing with this place yet.

I will also get back in the habit of reading and commenting, but that will likely also be random-ish. For now, I'm blogging the Amorlia sequel, I can't promise much more than that.

Move along. ;)

A Visit From Kat

2006-07-30T22:32:00.000-04:00

The lovely Kat graced the metropolitain area with her presence yesterday. The entire family Wichtendahl met Kat, her kids and her sister on the train and spent a wonderful day in the big city. It was hot and crowded and we were tired as hell by the end, but it was very nice to finally meet this dear blogger friend of mine. There will be a future post with more details, but for now here's a picture of Kat and I at the top of the Empire State Building.

This was taken just after I'd dragged her up the side of the building, and just before the planes shot me down.

Another Meme and Some News

2006-07-20T22:25:00.000-04:00

So, I have a meme thingy that I got over at Karma's. But, also a bit of news. I posted the prologue to the sequel over at the Amorlia blog. Check it out if you get the chance. I'm still planning to start the sequel in September, but figured I'd put up a teaser. :)

Adult Survey
This is an open TAG. You see this and you are TAGGED! Well, only if you wanna be. :)

1. Ever been to a male strip club? No.

2. Ever been to a female strip club? Oh my yes. Good times. ;)

3. Ever been to a bar? More than I can even hope to remember.

4. Ever been kicked out of a bar or a club? No.

5. Ever been so drunk you had to be carried out? Well, "carried" isn't such a... see, it was more of a... okay, yes.

6. Ever been so drunk you blacked out? Once.

7. Kissed someone of the same sex (no relatives)? Yep.

8. Thrown up from drinking too much? Oh my yes. Blearg.

9. Had sex with more than one person in a 24 hour period? Once or twice.

10. Had sex in a car? Yup.

11. Had sex in a park? Yep.

12. Had sex in a movie theater? Not sex entirely, but I've, um, done stuff.

13. Had sex in a bathroom? Does the shower count?

14. Had sex in a school? Just makeouts.

15. Have you ever been in an “adult” store? Hells yeah.

16. Have you ever purchased items from an adult store? A few odds and ends.

17. Have you spent over $100.00 in one visit to the adult store? Doubtful.

18. Is there someone you wished you never had sex with? No.

19. Is there someone you wished you would have had sex with? Oh, hell yes.

20. How many partners have you had? 10-ish.

21. Have you ever received oral sex? Yep.

22. Have you ever given oral sex? It's one of my most favorite things.

23. Have you ever had a threesome? Yep.

24. Are your breasts real? Uhhhh... pudding?

25. Have you ever used viagra (or anything like it)? No.

26. Would you rather give or receive oral sex? Both are fine by me.

27. Have you ever kissed a stranger? Of course.

28. How old were you when you first had sex? 15.

29. Have you ever had a one night stand? Yes.

30. Were you honest in this survey? Sure was!

Some News and a Review

2006-07-10T18:01:00.000-04:00

Okay, first of all, I'm feeling a little crappish right now. I'm still reeling from the mother of all allergy attacks this weekend. Massive headache, brutal sinus pressure/congestion which led to serious post-nasal drip and all manner of throaty ick. I actually ran a slight fever on Saturday, it was so bad. I thought it might have been a cold, but it didn't really act like colds usually act in my body. Bleh. Once we're able to replace our internal systems with machines, I'm doing my respiratory system first.

In happier and less gross news, I got Amorlia back from my friend Carolyn this weekend, and it is chock full of very helpful notes. Mostly grammar and stuff like that, with a couple of insghtful narrative critiques. She loved the story, though, so I continue to be encouraged. I planned on jumping right in with the edits, but was derailed by the aforementioned respiratory ick.

So, I have seen Superman Returns twice at this point. I liked it. I really did. However, I also think it is a very flawed movie, and I'll tell you why. There may be some spoilers in this review, so stop reading if you don't want the movie ruined for you.

Okay. First flaw: It is too dark. Dark works just fine with Batman and X-Men and (to a lesser degree) Spiderman, but Superman is not dark. He just isn't. He is the opposite of dark. Hell, they even have a clip of Marlon Brando in the movie calling him "the light to show them the way". The movie is thematically dark and visually dark. Visually, it is almost always cloudy or nighttime when Superman is outside. Even when it is sunny, the sun is muted. The blues, reds and yellows of his cotume are also darker shades of those colors.

Thematically, the darkness is even more apparent. There is a scene toward the end where Lex Luthor has lured Superman to a place that is essentially lined with Kryptonite. This strips Superman's powers and incapacitates him. Luthor and his goons then spend a good 5-10 minutes brutally beating the crap out of Superman. He gets punched in the chest, thrown into sharp rocks, kicked in the ribs/stomach, kicked in the face, stomped on and nearly drowned. Then Luthor drags him up and stabs him in the back with a sharp piece of Kryptonite, even going so far as to twist it before tossing him into the ocean. The first time I saw the movie, I brought my daughter. She had already been scared out of the theater before this scene (my wife came to pick her up) so she was spared having to watch it. But there were other kids there, and every one of them was crying during this scene. This also happened the second time I saw it. I'm sorry, call me old-fashioned, but I don't really think children should CRY at a Superman movie. Hell, I'm 35 and I wanted to cry during that scene.

Lois Lane also gets knocked around. While she and her son are held hostage by Lex Luthor, one of his goons catches her trying to call for help and starts beating her up in front of her 5-year-old son. He slaps her, punches her, even smashes her face into the edge of a desk. The goon is about to bludgeon her to death with a big decorative rock when he gets hit with a piano (more on that later).

There is a scene involving two dogs that have been abandoned at a mansion Lex Luthor swindles an old woman out of. It is made PAINFULLY obvious that, in the course of their time alone in the mansion, one of the dogs has eaten the other one. You actually see one sitting in a pile of the other's fur, gnawing on one of its bones. It's disgusting, it's gratuitous and it is wholly inappropriate for a movie about a guy who flies around with his underwear on the outside of his pants and shoots lasers out of his eyes.

Next flaw: Poor storytelling. The basic plot is good, but the narrative is shoddy. First of all, this movie isn't so much a rebooting of the franchise, but a sequel to the first two Christopher Reeve movies. The basic gist is, shortly after Superman 2 (they're ignoring 3 and 4 - for good reason), astronomers discover a planet they think is Krypton. Superman, momentarily forgetting how light travels, decides to go and see if the planet is still there, despite the fact that he once had a piece of it chained around his neck. He doesn't tell anyone (including Lois) that he's leaving, except for his mother. So, as of the beginning of this movie, Superman has been gone for 5 years and Lois has moved on. She's living with another guy, and pretty much thinks Superman is a grade-A dick. So, a big part of the movie is Superman coming to grips with the fact that, "Hey, my girlfriend didn't wait for me, even though I've been gone for five years and never told her I was leaving or if I'd ever be back". What a shocker. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor has managed an early parole, thanks to the aforementioned rich old lady, and has looted the Fortress of Solitude. He plans to use the crystals from the Fortress to create a brand new continent, flooding the rest of the world. That way, when the survivors of this environmental catastrophe need a place to live, he'll have all the available real estate. He incorporates Kryptonite into the continent once Superman comes back.

So, yeah, the plot itself is a neat idea, and I can see why they wanted to skip doing another origin movie. I mean, there are people living in the jungle who've never seen a television, and they know who Superman is. Everyone knows his origin by now, so doing the movie as a continuation of the others makes a certain amount of sense. In theory. In practice, it just feels like you're coming in at the middle of the story, rather than the beginning, which creates a certain distance with the audience. The end is also structured terribly, and is very obviously setting up a sequel, so this movie that has no beginning also has no proper ending. It's like going to the theater to see Lord of the Rings, but only seeing The Two Towers.

Okay, now for the stuff I liked:

All the scenes of Superman doing Superman stuff. There are three scenes like this, and each one of them totally rocks. They are awesome. They are exactly what I wanted from this movie, and I wish there were twice as many.

Kate Bosworth. She is my favorite Lois Lane of all the actresses who have ever played her. She totally nails the character, and is beautiful enough that you believe she'd catch Superman's eye.

Lois Lane's new family. Her son Jason is adorable, and I love the fact that he ends up actually being Superman's kid (he's the one who throws the piano). Obviously, one of the writers of this movie has a young child, because this is one of the most natural child characters I've seen in a movie in a long time. Lois' boyfriend Richard, who's been doing the actual work of helping Lois raise this kid the whole time, is a fantastic character. He's played by James Marsden (Cyclops from the X-Men movies) and by the end, I wanted Lois to stay with him rather than go with Superman. While he's very obviously jealous when Superman shows up, he's in no way a dick about it, and it is very clear that he is completely devoted to Lois and Jason. He even has a couple of nice scenes with Superman. So, again, great character.

Brandon Routh. Look, by now, Christopher Reeve has reached God-like status in the minds of most people. Brandon Routh seriously had his work cut out for him and I thought he did a great job. He doesn't actually get many lines as Superman, and most of the time the suit is doing the work in those scenes. Except the scene where he gets his ass kicked. He does almost too good a job of that. Looks like the dude's had practice. Poor guy. His Clark Kent is actually better than Reeve's. He plays him more "mild-mannered" and less "nerd-dexter". It's a more subdued performance, and it works.

Jimmy Olsen. He's played by Sam Huntington in this movie, and it is clear he knows that he is the comic relief. He has a bunch of funny lines and he delivers them well. He's also the only one who genuinely seems to like Clark. He's certainly the only one who's actually glad Clark is back.

There's other stuff I like too. Kevin Spacey is great as Lex Luthor, Parker Posey does a good arm-candy-with-a-conscience and Frank Langella plays a remarkably nuanced Perry White. There are little shots and bits of dialog that are homages to the earlier films, some nods to the comics and they even have Noel Neill and Jack Larson (both from the old "Adventures of Superman" TV show) in cameos.

So yeah, while I did go on a bit more about its flaws than its virtues, I really did enjoy the movie. The problem is, I wanted so desperately to love it unconditionally, and I couldn't.

The major problem I have with the movie is the same problem I've been having with mainstream superhero comics for a while now. Like the comics, this movie seemed to be aimed squarely at me: the Aging Fanboy. While I'm flattered by the attention, they shouldn't be aiming this movie at me, they should be aiming it at my kid. They already have me. I'll throw down money for anything with an "S" shield on it by now, so there's no need to court me.

The thing of it is, I'm the fan that I am because I fell in love with this character as a kid. I saw the first Christopher Reeve movie at 7 years old, and I've been hooked on Superman ever since. If they want anyone to give a crap about these characters after I and my fellow fanboys die, they need to do a better job of hooking the younger generation.

A good way to start would be a Superman movie that doesn't make them cry.

A New Meme

2006-06-20T10:56:00.000-04:00

Well, apparently Kat feels I don't post enough (and I really don't), so she tagged me with this meme thing. I found it interesting, so here's mine. I'm not going to tag anyone, so just do it if you like. :)

I know ~ where I'm going.

I believe ~ in myself.

I fought ~ the law, and the law won.

I am angered ~ by just about everything governments do.

I love ~ my family.

I need ~ really good sex on a regular basis.

I take ~ too much shit from people.

I hear ~ everything.

I drink ~ to excess.

I hate ~ needing people.

I use ~ every tool at my disposal.

I want ~ someone to desire me.

I decided ~ that I can do it all myself.

I like ~ all you guys.

I am ~ a bit of an odd dude.

I feel ~ pretty good.

I left ~ work that needs doing.

I do ~ more than I should.

I hope ~ there's more.

I dream ~ of fulfillment.

I drive ~ people mad.

I listen ~ when people need to speak.

I type ~ moderately well.

I think ~ too much.

I wish ~ I was better than I am.

I compensate ~ for my fear with humor.

I regret ~ nothing.

I care ~ about those close to me.

I should ~ learn moderation.

I am not always ~ "on".

I said ~ more than I wanted.

I wonder ~ if it's all going to work out.

I changed ~ who I am, but then I changed back.

I cry ~ less as I age.

I am ~ not quite right.

I am not ~ your fucking monkey.

I lose ~ most of the games I play.

I leave ~ the party before it leaves me.

Girls With Slingshots

2006-06-03T19:08:00.000-04:00

"Girls With Slingshots" is a webcomic I just found, and I am currently devouring the archives. It is written and drawn by Danielle Corsetto and updates Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It is also awesome. You should go check it out.

A Thank You and a Meme

2006-05-21T09:11:00.000-04:00

Hello all. Yes, it's been like two weeks since I updated this thing, what of it? I've been busy.

Busy with what? Well, I'm glad you asked. Aside from the usual business (work, child-rearing, housework, quality spouse time and indulging my vices), I've been busy writing the last chapters of Amorlia. Yes, that's right, it's done. It finished up this Friday, and I'm not really sure yet what to do with myself. I tried to keep to a regular 5-days-a-week update schedule, and I think I succeeded for the most part. But that meant I had something to do from Sunday night through Thursday night. Now I don't. I'm sure I'll find something to take its place, but this Sunday night may be spent in a drunken haze, just for laughs.

Anyway, I found a fun new meme over at Kat's and Xmichra's blogs. I'm going to do mine in a minute, but first I have something to say.

As I posted each chapter of Amorlia, I also put that chapter into a document that I'm using to self-publish the novel as a printed book. When all was said and done, I had myself a 402-page book.

402 pages. In five months. That's pretty damn fast.

So, once I'd finished patting myself on the back and telling myself what a great guy I was, I decided I also had to give credit where it's due. Therefore, I am taking this opportunity to thank the following people, who's consistent reading and commenting kept me on track and made the whole "402 pages in 5 months" thing possible. Most people who commented even semi-regularly got characters named after them, so I'll be putting their character names in parenthesis.

Kat (Sister Kat)
Tanya (Sister Tanya)
Raynwomaan (Sister Rayna)
Karma (Sister Karma)
Teri (Sister Teri)
Purplesimon (Brother Sime)
Xmichra (Michra the Gunfighter)
Lisa (Lisana, Queen of the Nightwalkers)
Sar (Sar, the Fire Spirit)
Kim (The Monga) - I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Kim's amazing family, most of which ended up as part of the Wild Clan. The Ki-Mon, Trae, Sa'raa, Bon, Anton & Dru, Frankl, the War Chief, Anya, Naatem and Colyn are all based on members of Kim's madly beautiful family.

I also know there were plenty of people who were regular readers but didn't necessarily comment. I want to thank all of you for your constant (if silent) support.

So, one more time, a great big THANK YOU to everyone who read, commented, suggested, inspired and complimented. You all totally rock and this story would not have happened (nor been as much fun to write) without you, for all that it's been rattling around in my head for over a decade.

You guys are awesome.

Right. So, that's the schmaltz out of the way. On to the meme.

This how it works: Comment on this entry and I will give you a letter. Write ten words beginning with that letter in your journal, including an explanation of what the word means to you and why, and then pass out letters to those who want to play along.

Kat gave me the letter "L". My words, in no particular order, right off the top of my head:

Life - I am very pleased to have mine. I think, in general, that life is good. I hope all of you are enjoying yours.

Love - An overwhelming emotion, at once capable of lifting us to the loftiest heights and crushing us down to the coldest and darkest depths. It is also one of the most overused words. How is it that the same word we use to describe the feelings we have for our spouses, our children and the people who gave us life is also the same word we use to describe what we think of, say, hamburgers.

Ladders - These are good. They help us go up, and to a lesser extent, down. Not quite as efficient as stairs, or an elevator, but they do the job.

Lycanthropy - Any of you ever have this? It sucks. I swear, if I wake up after a full moon with my bed covered in fur and blood all over my face one more time... hm. I've said too much.

Lollipop - I'm not a fan of these. I think it's the stick.

Luscious - My favorite descriptive term for a beautiful and sexy woman. Generous curves always bring this word to mind.

Lush - What I turn into when I drink. If I'm drinking, I'm getting drunk. Otherwise, what's the point of drinking?

Lust - Ahh, who doesn't love this feeling? That hot flush in your skin, the rush of blood, the quickening heartbeat... all because you look at someone and think, "I want that".

Liberty - Something of mine I'm rather attached to. I'm rather curious how long we'll all be able to hold onto ours.

Lollygagging - What you all need to stop doing around here. Post's over. Move along!

HNT - Grin

2006-05-04T10:16:00.000-04:00

Haven't done one of these in a while, so here you go. My goofy mug, much bigger than anyone really needs to ever see it. ;)

Superman Returns!

2006-05-02T20:29:00.000-04:00

WooHoo! This is the most awesome movie trailer ever! I can't wait for this movie! I can't wait I can't wait I can't wait! Woo!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=cImVQOiUk-Q&search=superman%20returns%20trailer

Picture Tag

2006-04-20T23:51:00.000-04:00

I was tagged by a couple of people with this one.

Here’s the instructions:

1. Choose a search engine.
2. Pick 5 random blog friends.
3. Think of a word or phrase that you describes each friend.
4. Do an image search of that word or phrase.
5. Pick an image to represent your friend - share it.

So, here are my friends, their words and pictures:

Kat - Exquisite

Rayna - Strength

Karma - Ingenue

Xmichra - Kindred

Lisa - Rogue

I took this from Kat

2006-04-07T23:04:00.000-04:00

She took it from Kaliblue, who took it from Leesa who took it from Memphis Steve and he took it from ???? .... Feel free to take it as well...

1. Last kiss? Was very smoochy.

2. How do you flush the toilet in public? With my foot whenever possible.

3. Do you wear your seatbelt in the car? Yep.

4. Do you have a crush on someone? Hmm...

5. Name one thing that you start to get tense about if you are close to running out of it: toilet paper

6. What famous person do you (or other people) think you resemble? No one I can think of.

7. Favorite pizza topping: cheese and fresh garlic

8. Finish this sentence: if my life was a sitcom my theme song would be...

He was raised by astronaut chimps
who lived in outer space
But one wacky thing just led to another
and he joined the human race

Or something like that. If my life were a sitcom, there'd be space chimps in it.

9. Do you pop your knuckles? can't

10. What song do you dislike the most when it gets stuck in your head? Just about anything that's stuck in my head. I have a great little tune for getting songs unstuck from my head. My buddy Al made this up way back in the day.

I've got a song that'll get on your nerves.
I've got a song that'll get on your nerves.
I've got a song that'll get on your nerves.
And here's how it goes.
(Repeat)

11. Did just mentioning that song make it get stuck in your head? Nope, cuz now I've got Al's song in my head instead.

12. What are your super powers? My powers are vast and unknowable.

13. Peppermint or spearmint? uuuhhhh... pudding?

14. Where are your keys? Dresser.

15. Who's answers to this questionnaire do you want to hear? All my most favorite blogger buddies of course! You know who you are! (This is Kat's answer, but it fits)

16. What's your most annoying habit? just one?

17. Where did you last go on vacation? I actually have not gone on a vacation in quite some time. I've vacationed at home, but not gone away.

18. If you could punch one person in the nose and get away with it, who would it be? Dick Cheney.

19. What is your best physical feature? I've been told it's my smile, though I rather like my eyes.

20. What CD is closest to you right now? The "Josie and the Pussycats" soundtrack. What? Shut up.

21. What 3 things can always be found in your refrigerator? Cheese, juice, leftover something

22. What superstition do you believe/practice? Karma.

Someone deleted 23 and 24, so Memphis Steve gets to make up new ones!

23. When you're in a public place and your underwear gets up your crack do you sit there and take it, or do you dig it out and let the world deal with it? I try to maneuver my ass in such a way that it slides loose, failing that, I find a quiet corner and take care of it.

24. If you could murder 5 people and get away with it, who would they be and why? Yeah, I'll write about punching people on the Internet, but I'll pass on the murder talk. ;)

25. Do you talk on your cell phone when you drive? I prefer not to.

26. What are your favorite sayings? I have a lot, many of them profane.

27. What song(s) do you sing most often in the shower? I usually work on story plots in the shower, or do silly improv comedy. No, I'm not kidding.

28. If you could go back or forward in time would you and where would you go? Whenever I could screw with things the most.

29. What is your favorite Harrison Ford movie? Raiders of the Lost Ark.

30. What CD is in your stereo? Liz Phair's self-titled album.

31. What OCD qualities do you have? I organize and reorganize my books and movies, often creating new organizational systems for them each time I do it. Often, they are the only things organized in the house.

32. how many kids do you plan on having? 1

33. If you could kiss anyone famous who would it be? Kate Winslet

34. Would you really want to kiss someone you didn't know? I have. :)

35. What do you do when no one is watching? Recite my favorite movie scenes.

36. If they made a movie about your life, what actor/actress would play you? John Cusak.

37. Would you rather die in a blaze of glory or peacefully in your sleep? Blaze of glory.

38. What candy, from when you were a kid, do you miss the most? Peanut butter cups. I used to love them, now I can barely stomach them. :(

39. what is your favorite movie? I cannot possibly pick just one. Though my tastes are well documented elsewhere. :)

40. Favorite musician(s)/bands you've seen in concert? Juliana Hatfield, Tilt... I've seen a bunch of great shows.

41. Have you ever been in love? Oh my yes.

42. Do you talk to yourself? All the time.

43. Is there anybody you just wish would fall of the face off the earth? There are quite a few. None of them are likely to read this, however. ;)

A Few Things

2006-04-01T10:45:00.000-05:00

Hiya. Okay, I have a few things to say, so here they are:

1. My wretched cold. Bleh. I don't know what this thing even is. It doesn't really feel like a cold, but it isn't acting like allergies either. I don't feel "sick". I'm not run-down, achy or feverish, but I'm blowing my nose like crazy and I woke up this morning coughing my lungs up. Okay, maybe it wasn't actual bits of lung, but what came up was all manner of ugly. Charming, yes? So, my body is currently pissing me off. I've taken to the couch with my laptop, a pile of comic books and some DVDs in the hopes that a day of sloth will enable my system to focus on evicting whatever vile thing has taken up residence in it.

2. Gratitude. Big thanks to everyone who has been reading and commenting on Amorlia. I really do appreciate it, and I've been seeing from my stats that a lot of people are actually reading the whole thing from the beginning. This makes me happy. :) Also, extra thanks to everyone who has plugged the story on their own blogs. Lisa, in particular, has driven my hit count up considerably in the last two days.

3. Some shameless self-promotion. I have just published a new collection of short stories. It is called The Spontaneous Manifesto, and it is the final and definitive collection of all the Spontaneous Fiction stories. It contains everything from the first three books, as well as all the stories I posted after publishing Gods & Zombies but before I started Amorlia. It's available on SF in the "Spontaneous Bookstore" section, but you can also get to it by clicking on the link in this post. I'm selling it for $14.95, which is actually half the cost of buying the other three collections separately AND it contains a bunch of previously unprinted stories. It's a bargain, I tells ya!

4. April 1st. For most folks, today is a day of random prankishness. But to me, April 1st will always be my mom's birthday. So, Happy Birthday Mom! :)

5. Shout-out to Kat. While we're celebrating, I should mention that April 2nd marks the one-year blogiversary of our very own Ms Blogger 2006 runner-up, Kat. She's been doing the blog thing for a whole year now (which is forever in internet time) so stop on over and wish her a big ol' happy. Kat has been a constant supporter of my writing almost from the beginning, and she's a swell gal to boot. Happy Blogiversary, Kat!

And that's it for me today. There will be a new chapter of Amorlia on Monday, even if I have to swim through a sea of mucous to post it. How's that for a pleasant image in your head? ;)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Tagged Again!

2006-03-28T20:42:00.000-05:00

I have been tagged by the lovely Kat.

Accent ~ I have a bit of a Jersey accent, but not to, like, guest star on The Sopranos level.

Booze of choice ~ Smirnoff Ice Triple Black

Chore I hate ~ Yardwork.

Dog or Cat ~ Cats.

Essential Electronics ~ Laptop, DVD player, TV, TiVo

Favorite perfume/cologne ~ I am ridiculously susceptible to pheremones. I go nuts for just about any perfume a woman wears. I don't wear cologne. The closest I get is Old Spice deodorant.

Gold or Silver ~ Silver

Hometown ~ Lake Hiawatha, NJ

Insomnia ~ Not often, but when I get it, it's usually a few days in a row and really nasty.

Job Title ~ Application Developer

Kids ~ One sweet little five-year-old girl :)

Living Arrangement ~ My wife and I own a home, and share it with our daughter and two cats.

Most Admired Trait ~ I admire bravery in others, and people seem to really like my imagination.

Number of Sexual Partners ~ 10

Overnight Hospital Stays ~ 1 (after my wife had our daughter)

Phobia ~ The dark.

Quote ~ "(heavy sigh) What size skull dome do you wear?" - This is from the MST3K movie, and I use it to refer to surly shopkeepers and waitstaff.

Religion ~ Pagan

Siblings ~ One brother

Time I wake up ~ Around 7AM during the week, and whenever my kid comes and wakes us up on the weekend (except Sunday - that's my day for sleeping in)

Unusual talent/skill ~ I can quote movies verbatim after only seeing them once.

Vegetable I refuse to eat ~ Asparagus

Worst Habit ~ Too damn many

X-rays ~ Arm, legs, chest and teeth

Yummy foods I make ~ All the food I make is yummy, but my masterpiece is a dish I learned from my grandmother called "Martha's Casserole". No, her name isn't Martha.

Zodiac sign ~ Leo

I'm going to tag...

Karma
Tanya
Purplesimon

Clerks 2 - Teaser

2006-03-23T20:03:00.000-05:00

http://clerks2.com/teaser/large.html

Dig it.

Tagged

2006-03-20T21:47:00.000-05:00

I got tagged by Raynwomaan. Even better, the questions are about sex, which always makes me pretty chipper. Anyway. Getting on with it...

1. How old were you when you lost your virginity? Who was it to? Describe the event.
I was 15. We were drunk. And somehow we ended up naked in the woods. She was a "school friend", as in, we hung out at school, but not so much outside of school. Except, you know, for this one time. How was it? About what you'd expect a drunk 15-year-old boy's first time to be. Lightning fast and vaguely disappointing.

2. What is the strangest place you've had sex?
In the back of someone's car while he and another girl were making out next to us. I'm pretty sure I was drunk then too.

3. Who would you consider "switching teams" for?
George W Bush. Maybe if I give him a blowjob, someone will actually impeach him.

Hah! Did you see that? With the funny?

Seriously, I can't think of anyone. I had my experiments in college like everyone else, and that pretty much answered any lingering questions I had about my sexuality.

4. Do you prefer to give or receive?
I'm usually a giver, though not averse to receiving. ;)

5. One night stands- What's the protocol? Stay the night or get the hell outta there?
Get the hell out. There's a reason it's called a one-night stand and not a relationship.

6. Favourite body part/parts of the opposite sex?
Okay, in no particular order:

Face
Breasts
Ass
Neck
Brain
Legs
Belly
Clitoris
Labia

7. Quickie or long and slow?
Long and slow

8. Noisy or quiet?
Noisy

9. Ideal amount of sex per week?
As often as I can get it

10. What's your number one sexual turn off?
Mean and/or nasty women. Also, naked men.

11. Number one arousal trigger?
You know, the guy in me wants to make some crude comment about a nice rack, but really? Words.

12. What constitutes bad sex?
If you have to ask if it was good, it probably wasn't

13. Celebrity you would love to shag right now?
Kate Winslet. But then, I always want to shag Kate Winslet.

14. Define sexy?
A strong, confident, intelligent woman with generous curves and a few extra pounds.

15. Remember the best sex you ever had. What made it special?
It lasted over an hour and I couldn't even speak for 10 minutes afterward.

Karma's Questions

2006-03-14T20:53:00.000-05:00

Karma is playing the interview game, and I requested an interview. Here are her questions and my answers.

1. You write a lot of science fiction and fantasy. What authors inspired you as a kid?

Roger Zelazny, Anne McCaffery, Douglas Adams, Wendy Pini, Tolkein, Ray Bradbury (short stories, especially) and Issac Asimov among others.

2. If you could meet one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

I'd go back and meet Jesus, to tell him not to bother.

3. Who's your favorite character from the Hitchikers Guide series and why?

Ford Prefect. Because he's hoopy, and a frood who really knows where his towel is.

4. How long have you played guitar and do you play any other instruments?

I've played guitar for about 20 years, and drums for about 25. I can kind of play keyboards (not piano, mind you, keyboards) and played trumpet in elementary and middle school.

5. What inspires you the most?

This is going to sound lame, but, everything. An anecdote, a person, a place, idle comments, a stray thought... I could go on. I find inspiration everywhere.

Interview with Rayna

2006-03-12T14:44:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I have been horribly remiss at getting these questions up. Lately, it's all I could do to get the latest Amorlia chapter written and posted every day. That generally meant this blog was neglected, and I wasn't commenting at others' blogs as much. Well, now that Amorlia is on hiatus for a week, I've been catching up with old friends, and updating this place a bit more. In the interests of keeping up, I am now posting my interview questions to Rayna.

1. What's the craziest thing you've ever done?

2. If you could be someone else for just one day, who would it be?

3. What's your favorite sexual position?

4. If you could have just one superpower, what would it be and how would you use it?

5. If a spaceship landed in front of you and offered to take you on a tour of the universe, would you go? This is with the understanding that you wouldn't be gone too long, and your children would be looked after in your absence.

Awesome

2006-03-10T21:57:00.000-05:00

http://wigu.com/overcompensating/2006/03/blog-song.html

From Jeffrey Rowland's Overcompensating.

I'm Sar's Guest!

2006-03-09T09:37:00.000-05:00

Head on over to Sar's blog, Belle of the Brawl.

She has guest posters every Thursday, and this week it's my turn. :)

The Convention

2006-02-28T18:46:00.000-05:00

So, okay. The convention went well. It was really crowded, like, REALLY crowded, but I managed. I later found out that the fire marshall had to shut down ticket sales due to the number of people. When did this happen? Noon. Two hours after the doors opened. Once again, I manage to slip in just as the doors are closing.

I was able to finally get to sleep Friday night, and managed to wake up and get ready in time to meet Lee on Saturday morning. I was, in fact, early. This has never happened to me before, and caused my friend Rob who came with me to nearly faint in surprise. He has been telling me to be places an hour before I really need to for the past 15 years. That way, when I show up a half-hour late, I'm actually early. This time, I was genuinely early, and we were both a little frightened.

Anyway, Lee and I had a nice conversation, and it was decided that I will be doing some rewrites for the "Warrior's Honor" script I wrote for them oh so many years ago. I'm looking forward to that, as I'm not so pleased with how that one turned out.

After we parted ways with Lee, my friend Rob and I made our way into the con, where we separated, me to go about pimping my books, he to go in search of Aquaman sketches. I found about 7 or 8 publishers who were taking submissions and gave each of them a Defender sample and a business card. Some also got copies of Ironstar. I bought a few books that looked interesting, including We Can't All and Some of Us Don't by Tara Heusner and Yan Wu. I'm looking forward to reading more by them. I also picked up Abiding Perdition published by Markosia, which is a rather interesting reimagining of the Little Red Riding Hood story and the first book of Neotopia from Antarctic Press. This book is also kick-ass, and if you like what I've been doing with Amorlia, you will likely enjoy this book too.

Then I met up with Rob by the DC Comics booth, and we left. All-in-all, a very productive convention. I feel confident that my shameless self-promotion will lead to something, but we shall see. Thanks to everyone who wished me well, and I will keep you all posted as events warrant.

Oh, and Rob managed to score two Aquaman sketches.

Should Be Sleeping

2006-02-25T00:31:00.000-05:00

You know how sometimes you take a shower really late and it wakes you right up when you really have to go to sleep because you have to be up way early on a Saturday morning and can't be brain-dead when you get where you're going?

Yeah. I'm afraid so.

NYC comic-con is tomorrow, and I'm bringing all manner of self-promotional items for the fine publishers and other such media interests, in the hopes of convincing them of the notion that my stories could be profitable to them (and, ultimately, to me). I have to be there at 9:30AM to meet Lee (one of the fine folks at Platinum Studios), hence the aforementioned getting-up-earliness.

I am trying to be Prepared Boy. I have my stuff all ready to go, I'm showered, and I even laid my clothes out for tomorrow. All so that just this once, I can get out of the house on time.

We shall see.

Wish me luck.

Soul Quiz

2006-02-22T21:46:00.000-05:00

Raynwomaan has requested an interview, and I will be posting questions for her soon. Just not tonight. Tonight, I have this bit of bloggery for you.

I found this test at Karma's blog. I was a little surprised by the outcome, but I guess I really shouldn't be. ;)

You Are a Newborn Soul

You are tolerant, accepting, and willing to give anyone a chance.
On the flip side, you're easy to read and easily influenced by others.
You have a fresh perspective on life, and you can be very creative.
Noconformist and nontraditional, you've never met anyone who's like you.

Inventive and artistic, you like to be a trendsetter.
You have an upbeat spirit and you like almost everything.
You make friends easily and often have long standing friendships.
Implusive and trusting, you fall in love a little too easily.

Souls you are most compatible with: Bright Star Soul and Dreaming Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

Interview with Kat

2006-02-20T20:37:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I'm posting my interview questions for Kat. She's the only one who asked to be interviewed, plus, if she wins Ms. Blogger 2006, she'll be a bona fide cewebrity and I want proof that I knew her when. Rules of the game are here.

1. What is the weirdest thing you've ever done? And by weird, I mean, you told someone about it and they looked at you and said, "Dude, that is f***ed up."

2. What did you want to be when you grew up?

3. What would make you truly happy? Aside from the obvious (happiness and health for your children, etc) I want to know what would make you truly happy. And it's okay to be selfish in your answer.

4. If you could go back in time and change one thing about your own life and one historic event, what would they be and why?

5. Have you changed as a person through blogging? If so, how?

Kat will, ideally, post the answers on her blog. And the rest of you feel free to request interviews. Simply go to this post and say "interview me" in the comments. Or in the comments of this one. I'm not particular. ;)

Interview with Xmichra

2006-02-18T21:44:00.000-05:00

Xmichra posted these interview questions for me on her blog, and invited me to answer them on mine, then offer to interview someone else. I like the idea, especially since it's starting with questions about me, so I'm going to play. Questions and rules of play are hers. Answers are mine.

1.what do you do for work? I know that you write a great deal of things, but is this your primary Source of income yet? Writing is not yet my primary source of income. I work for ADP (the payroll people) in their IT department, writing front-end code for their web-based payroll applications. And yes, it is as exciting as you think it is.

2.Looking at this tattoo was what brought me to ask a question, which was "What inspired you to have this specifically done?". You didn't release that answer in your comments.. so I thought it pertinent to ask here. [From my email response]-I got it about 10 years ago, when I was first getting into Wicca. I found that in one of my books and started drawing it. It felt like the perfect symbol of my new faith, and seemed most appropriate to have tattooed on my body. While I'm not as observant as I once was, and my personal beliefs have grown to include other philosophies outside of Wicca, I still consider myself Pagan, and the tattoo still works as a symbol of my relationship to the Divine.

3.What was it about the pagan path that made you feel like you could follow it? The female Deity. I was baptized and raised Catholic, though we'd pretty much stopped going to church by the time I was 8. My dad's atheist, so he gave me the atheist speech at 12, and I gave that a try for a while. But I still knew there was some kind of greater power in the universe, so the atheist thing didn't really work out. I always thought of a woman when I pictured God, even as a kid (Mary always appealed to me more than Jesus -- no, not because of that -- you people are seriously perverted -- I think it was because she always seemed happier) Anyway, with the idea of God as female already there, Wicca had a pretty easy time of it with me. There's a lot of crap that goes along with Wicca that I just ignore. That's how I approach religion these days. I've taken the core Wiccan ideas and just grafted the bits I like from other religions and philosophies onto it. That's why I refer to myself as Pagan rather than Wiccan now. Pagan is a bit more vague.

Is it still something you embrace and practice? It is still something I embrace, though I admit I do not vigorously practice. My spiritual identity is still strongly Pagan, I observe those holy days I really like, and try to live by the basic Wiccan tenets, but I'm not terribly "active".

4.How did you meet your wife? How did you know she was "the one"?? I met her at a comic book store. And that's how I knew she was the one. ;)

5.You say the most impact on your life was the birth of your daughter. You also point out you felt obligated to say that.. but that it indeed did the most impact. What was your lifelike before a child, and why do you feel it is so different now (other than the typical baby-ness)? I don't think my life has changed all that drastically since the birth of my daughter. It's more full with her in it, and I tend to be more responsible, but I'm still the same person I was before she was born, with the same dreams and aspirations. It's the same life, only better now that she's part of it. That said, her birth had the most impact on me (in the "wow, I'm never forgetting THIS" sense) because... well, hell, I watched my wife produce an actual human being using nothing more than her own body. That is seriously the coolest thing I've ever seen. And I got to hold a brand new human. Amazing. :)

Now, these are the official rules to interview.. but since Chris didn't ACTUALLY ask to be interviewed I will not hold him to it. BUT, Chris, you can totally do this if you so choose!
For those of you who may want to be interviewed in this fashion, here are the Official Interview Games Rules:

If you want to participate, leave a comment below saying, "interview me".
I will respond by asking you five questions - each person's will be different.
You will update your journal/blog with the answers to the questions.
You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.
When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Or you will be punished. Severely. No, not in the good sexy way.

How I Spent My Morning

2006-02-18T16:13:00.000-05:00

I was filming a music video in a gorilla suit.

Yes. You read that right. An actual music video for this band, shot by these fine fellows. From what I hear, it is going to be on Fuse, if you get that channel. If so, and you're watching some night in the nearish future and you see a video for The Spill Canvas that features a bunch of people on an elevator, I'm the guy in the gorilla suit.

How did I end up the guy in the gorilla suit? Simple. I'm sleeping with the director. Well, okay, no. We're friends, however, and I've had fun goofing around in his films and whatnot before (no, not that sort of film, what is with you people and your godless perversions?), and he called me last week and asked if I wanted to be in a music video.

"Of course," I answered.

"Do you want to be in a music video wearing a gorilla suit?"

"Do you even have to ask me that question?"

And so I can cross both "be in a music video" and "wear gorilla suit" off my list of things to do before I die, and I got them both out of the way at once.

As to how it was, it was fun. The folks at Grey Sky Films are professionals of the highest order, so there were all sorts of large impressive cameras and lights, important fellows holding microphones, wires, cords, people with clipboards, actors, etc. That said, that also means they do lots of takes of different shots from different angles and all sorts of filmmakery whatnot. This all translated into me standing under big bright impressive-looking lights inside an elevator with eight other people while wearing a gorilla suit.

It was a trifle warm.

But that was okay by me. I was happy to sweat my ass off this morning.

Why?

Because now I have a story that starts, "When I was filming a music video in a gorilla suit..."