04.28.07
Posted in Writing, Samples, Mallory at 2:47 pm by Bryan
First, the ado.
Um… I got nuthin’. Okay, on with the show.
Pirates! Unbestinkinlievable. We’re looking for pirates. And I’m pretty sure they’re not out there on the high seas flying the ol’ skull and bones, wearing eye patches, and sayin’ ”Argh” to the parrots sittin’ on their shoulders.
I shoulda told this girl to get outta my office when I had the chance.
To top it all off, any minute now the cops are going to be looking into the mysterious death of a local thug, trying to figure out how he managed to stab himself with his own knife. For a criminal mastermind, this guy wasn’t too bright. First he tells me everything I want to know, then he tries to take the gun away from me. Did he think I was just a tourist?
“Have you ever killed anyone before?” Tab asked from the bed.
“Yeah.” I didn’t look at her. Just kept my head down studying the map. I really hoped Tab had something under that t-shirt she was wearing.
I rubbed my brow in an effort to kickstart my brain. Hell, maybe it was just to block the glare from the desk lamp. Whatever. I was getting a headache. Truth be told, I think I was actually trying to erase the vision seared into my mind’s eye. The blood was almost black. Goober’d bled out in less than ten minutes.
There were four marinas on the the island. With any luck, these guys had put into one of them recently and I’d be able to find somebody who wasn’t currently dead to talk about it. I needed to get Chloe here. I needed someone with experience to help with this case. And I needed to get my mind off the fact that Tab was definitely not wearing a bra under that t-shirt. Jeez, my head hurt.
“Do you ever get over it?”
“No. You get used to it, but you never get over it.”
I decided to call Chloe in the morning. She’d be pissed off that I woke her, but she’d be happy to get out of town for a while. Then I’d take a look around the first marina, alone. No more risks with Tab.
She was quiet.
I turned to see if she was okay, and what I saw nearly broke my heart. She was sitting up on the bed, arms wrapped around her knees, just shivering. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, but she didn’t cry, not really. Just shook. I couldn’t help it. I went to her.
Thank God she’s wearing panties, I thought.
“I was so scared,” she said.
“I know.”
“When he went at you like that…”
“I know,” I said again.
I held her tight, whispering that everything would be all right. I hated lying to her, but she’d realize soon enough that her life would never be the same. It’s not every day a girl stabs a guy in the liver.
Didn’t expect that, did you? Yeah, me neither. Can’t wait to find out what happens next.
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02.22.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:58 pm by Bryan
Well, a few discoveries were made. First, the rankings are not based on traffic, but rather links. Second, the vast majority of the blogs in the TTLB system are political blogs, and I have only one link from them. Third, for some reason, even that link is not being counted (and it comes from a blog in the top 50; go figure).
So TTLB is no longer included here. I do still have SiteMeter stats in the footer at the bottom of the page.
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02.10.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:59 am by Bryan
It’s been a while since I’ve spent any money on myself, and since I had a couple gift cards to make use of I figured I could have that pleasure while not really spending any money. So I went DVD shopping. I made it into a sci-fi trifecta. One of the movies was so good I’ve already seen it twice, plus one more listening to the director’s commentary.
Before I get to that, let’s review the other two purchases.
STARSHIP TROOPERS: I’ve loved the book ever since high school. I’d actually seen the movie when it was in theaters, and I remembered being disappointed because the story line wasn’t anything like the book. But the special effects were great, and if you could get past the fact that they titled it Starship Troopers, it was pretty okay.
After watching the DVD, I realize that it really bothers me what they did with the story. They Nazi-fied the Mobile Infantry. When Robert Heinlein wrote the story in 1959, he was becoming frustrated with political decisions made by civilians who had no real-world concept of the consequences of their decisions. He viewed decisions which were made “in the name of peace” as actually driving us closer to war.
Wikipedia has this to say about his decision to write the story:
Robert A. Heinlein wrote from a military background because he had been a commissioned U.S. Naval officer upon graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy and served six years. According to Heinlein, his desire to write Starship Troopers dated back to 1958-04-05, when he and his wife read a newspaper advertisement placed by the National Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy calling for a unilateral suspension of nuclear weapon testing by the United States. In response, the Heinleins created the Patrick Henry League in an attempt to drum up support for the U.S. nuclear testing program. During the unsuccessful campaign, Heinlein found himself under attack both in and out of the science fiction community for his views.
Heinlein stopped work on the novel that would become Stranger in a Strange Land and wrote Starship Troopers sometime during 1958 and 1959. Starship Troopers was first published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction in October and November 1959 as a serial called Starship Soldier. Although originally written as a juvenile novel for Scribners, it was rejected and was eventually published as an adult novel by G. P. Putnam’s Sons. In many ways, Starship Troopers marked a turning point for Heinlein. Beforehand, he had written both adult novels and juvenile novels for Scribner’s. However, following their rejection of Starship Troopers, he ended his longstanding relationship with them, and began writing books with more adult themes.
The premise behind the society that Heinlein created for Starship Troopers was that in order to become a full citizen with the right to vote you had to serve a minimum two-year term of service in the military. Johnny Rico, the lead, joins up against his parents’ wishes because all his friends are joining. And just as he is about to drop out of boot camp and apologize to Mom & Dad, Earth is attacked.
The movie stayed true to this point, sort of. The gist of the story is there, but there is a dark underside added. Propoganda internet-like news items are inserted as chapter breaks. After the attack, things become less subtle. Ghestapo-like uniforms are worn by the intelligence officers. Soldiers are shown giving weapons and live ammo to children. A woman is almost insanely giddy as she oversees a group of children stomping on cockroaches (the enemy are arachnids or “bugs”).
If you can get over the fact that it is supposed to be Starship Troopers and that the director has intentionally reversed the message intended by the book, it’s still a decent movie. But the political message is pretty much in your face. There’s nothing wrong with that, per se. Heinlein put a political message in the book, and it was in your face. But it irks me that they reversed the message.
Aeon Flux: Believe it or not, this movie also has a political twist to it, but it’s more subtle and you don’t really notice it unless you listen to the commentary. I turned off the commentary by the producer and Charleze Theron about halfway through. There were some interesting tidbits regarding the making of the film (like Charleze actually did most of her own stunts, even after nearly breaking her neck ten days into shooting) but I tired of the preaching. There is another commentary track by the director that I haven’t listened to yet.
Commentaries aside, I really enjoyed this film. It was fresh. A bit of a mystery about the society in which they were living (ala Soylent Green only not as disgusting). If you are a sci-fi fan, this is worth the price of a rental, or, if like me you prefer to buy DVD’s, the $10 or so to purchase it.
Aeon Flux UPDATE: I discovered that Aeon Flux was originally an animated series on MTV. I haven’t watched MTV since they quit playing music, so that’s what, the eighties?
Serenity: By far the best sci-fi movie I’ve seen in a very long time. Visually stunning (even the shots of River’s feet as she walks) and clever dialog (think Western in space). And best of all for me is the writer/director commentary track where he talks about both sides of the project. For me, as a writer/photographer, that was just pudding. Love it. Serenity is based on the cancelled television show Firefly, which I had never seen. Now I’m going to have to find out if the DVDs of the series are available. That may be my next purchase for myself, you know, after April.
Did you notice I had more to say about the film that bothered me the most?
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01.28.07
Posted in Writing, Samples, Mallory at 12:00 pm by Bryan
Before we begin, let me clarify a few things. First, Mallory is not taking time away from Sea of Dreams. Gabby is still working on that. One minor change of setting is required, since the potential hotspot (Mogadishu) that I was going to send Ian to has already flared up, and apparently been resolved. I’ll keep the original text in a file just in case the “resolution” is only temporary. Second, if you are waiting on a critique, I’m finally back into some semblance of a normal writing schedule and I should have those to you shortly. I don’t know what happened to me in December and January, but I was definitely a slacker for two months.
So, with no further ado, I present you with Mallory:
This is wrong on so many levels. Rule number one in the Private Investigations for Dummies manual says never, ever, under any circumstances use your client as the decoy, yet here I was sitting in a quiet corner of a smokey tavern in the Caribbean as my client sits down at the bar. I wrote the friggin’ manual. I can’t believe I let her talk me into this.
What I wanted to do was fly in my regular girl. Chloe would have enjoyed a few days out of the dive she worked in. She’s a good kid and I get her legit work as often as I can. Not that there’s anything wrong with being a stripper, but that line of work doesn’t offer you much other than the cash you need to pay your way through law school. At least working with me on investigations gives her some practical experience.
And Chloe was good at the work.
But now I’m watching this dame put herself in danger for the case. Tabitha Renny. At twenty-four, she’s actually older than Chloe, but she’s naive. Tab doesn’t understand that there’s a big chunk of the world that ain’t all nice like the bit she lives in. And that’s why we’re here.
I see her wiggle two fingers at the bartender as she tips her head in invitation.
I’m looking for a boat, she says. Not that I can hear her. But doing what I do, you get pretty proficient at reading lips.
What kind of boat?
It’s a sailboat. It belongs to my parents. It’s called…. Damnit girl, don’t turn away from me when you’re talking. I know you already told me the name of the boat, but I might miss something else.
Never heard of it, says the bartender.
Well, if you do, I’m staying at the Marriot, room 211. She’s slides the bartender a hundred dollar bill. She got his attention alright. And the lie looked believable. She’s registered at the Marriot true enough, but she’s staying with me at a bed and breakfast on the other side of the island. Which brings us to the other level of wrongness here.
I’ve worked with beautiful women before. I’ve worked for beautiful women. But this girl, I can’t get it outta my head. She’s distracting. And worse, she’s young enough to be my daughter and she’s still distracting. So distracting in fact that I almost missed seeing the bartender having a conversation with an unsavory sort at the end of the bar.
When the two of them looked at her, I wanted to step in set things right, but I held my ground. Tab tensed a bit then looked the other direction. She had good instincts. She saw it going down and knew that I had her back so she looked away. Good, kid. You’re doin’ fine.
When the barman came back, she said he could keep the change. She didn’t give him any more money. But if you hear of anything, I’ll come back and buy a few more drinks, she added.
The muscle at the end of the bar stood to leave, so I went out in front of him. I stepped into the shadows as he lingered outside the door and checked around. I saw the knife he held by his thigh and drew my semi-automatic. Tab was through the door, the muscle was moving toward her, and without even thinking about options I was in motion. Tab just caught sight of his knife, her mouth a perfect ‘O’, as I pressed the muzzle of the gun hard into his right temple even as my left arm came around in a choke hold.
He dropped the knife and pissed his pants.
“We need to have a talk,” I whispered in his ear.
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01.24.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:00 pm by Bryan
I’ve joined The Truth Laid Bear Ecosystem. Beginning tomorrow, you should be able to see where this blog stands in the larger picture of blogs by checking the status toward the bottom of the sidebar. Right now, Instapundit is the top blog in the Ecosystem (the top ten blogs are “Higher Beings”).
Political blogs tend to be the top sites. I’d be surprised if I’m more advanced than an “Insignificant Microbe”, but we’ll see.
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01.22.07
Posted in Writing, Method, Sea of Dreams, Current Projects at 8:00 am by Bryan
With an antagonist comes plot.
My eureka moment has forced me to reconsider a few things. First of all, I can’t really continue much further without taking a look at the plot. This is new for me and, truthfully, something that I previously found destructive to the story. And I’m not sure what’s changed.
So here’s the deal:
The basic story line is the same as it was. It’s about the relationship between Ian and Gabby. But now I have an antagonist to keep them apart, and in doing so, puts Ian’s life in danger. So now my story line is more intricate. It requires some planning.
And actually, it requires a question: have I chosen the correct antagonist?
If I continue down this path, the plot may require the pace to be faster, which throws the romance into the realm of whirlwind. I have a backup antagonist who would allow a more leisurly exploration, but I’ve already dumped her from the story once. I’m not sure I want to write her back in.
Questions.
I’m off to seek answers.
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01.19.07
Posted in Writing, Sea of Dreams, Current Projects at 10:50 am by Bryan
As I’ve been virtually attending an online writing workshop hosted by Bob Mayer and Jenny Crusie, I’ve run into a bit of a problem while trying to assimilate this week’s lesson regarding the protagonist and antagonist. You see, I don’t have an antagonist.
When I was in school, the three forms of conflict were Man against Man, Man against Nature, and Man against Himself. The problem is that most people want to read about Man against Man, otherwise it’s too much like Real Life in that events are generally beyond the control of your protagonist. He simply reacts, or in the case of Man against Himself, it’s an internal battle, and it’s very difficult to show an internal battle through action. Internal battles involve thinking, lots and lots of thinking.
So I’ve been stuggling with my story. I have internal battles. Ian does in fact have to change himself in order to be happy and I want to keep that aspect of his journey. The realationship between Ian and Gabby is a battle because they each need to convince themselves and each other that it is okay to love each other; that it’s not a betrayal of Steve’s memory. But aside from the inherent difficulties of changing a relationship from friends to lovers, there is nothing keeping them apart.
Well, last night I had a “Eureka” moment.
I now have an antagonist. I don’t know all the details of the character yet, but I know how he fits into the story. And the cool thing about it is that I’ve set the stage already as early as the first chapter. I don’t even need to change anything.
Kinda makes you want to dance like Grover, doesn’t it?
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01.17.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 2:58 pm by Bryan
I’m going through a non-communicative phase right now. I’m not communicating well with others. I’m not communicating well with myself. In fact what I most want to do is sit in the dark and be alone.
Part of this comes from a migraine I had over the weekend that has resurfaced after I thought it had gone. Part of it is simply being worn out from a long emotional journey, and even though I can actually see my destination now, it still seems so very far away. Trudging. We’ve talked about that before.
I’ve been a rare sight online lately, and truthfully, I don’t mind. I really just want to sit in the dark for a little while.
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01.05.07
Posted in Writing, Samples, Mallory at 9:00 am by Bryan
I had to get up in the middle of the night because Mallory wouldn’t shut up. What follows was finished at 3:37 this morning. I’m not going to edit any mistakes or clean up any plot issues (this isn’t even one of my WIPs for crying out loud) so you get to see what things are like in a raw state.
So, you’re probably wondering what the hell I’m doing four miles out at fifteen-hundred feet on final approach to St. Vincent. Yeah, me too. Believe me, the idea of crabbin’ my Cessna 172 into this nasty crosswind was not the first thing I wanted to do on a Sunday afternoon.
“Shit.” I said it out loud. I didn’t mean to, so I said it again just to be sure.
“What?” she asked. Like she didn’t realize that landing sideways on a runway was going to make things a little awkward.
I glanced over, then, quick as I could, I looked away again. Who the hell wears a mini-skirt in the cockpit. There’s a reason dames on ships and planes is bad luck. It’s ‘cause dumbasses like me don’t think so good with bare thighs hangin’ out right next to your vertical velocity indicator.
I swear to God, I was gonna tell this dame to get lost in my office. Probably ninety-seven other times before we actually got on the plane, my plane; the one half-way decent thing I’ve ever had in my life that my ex-wife didn’t take from me. Get lost. Yeah, right. I actually had the words on the way out at one point when she started cryin’. God, I hate that.
You know they do that on purpose. They got like this sixth-sense or something, and they just know. I got as far as “You know, I been thinking,” when the tears start. She was good, too. I knew exactly what she was doing. And what’s worse is that she knew I knew. And it still worked.
I bet if I started crying right now she wouldn’t be asking what she could do to make it all better. Hell no. She’d be thinking we’re gonna die.
Five-hundred feet. Too shallow. Too far right. Shit. Who the hell hired a landscaper to plant palm trees out here. Anybody who sees ‘em up close ain’t gonna like it. One mile now. Just gotta slide left a little and then straighten her out.
“This might feel a little weird,” I said.
“What do you mean?”
“Um, you notice we’re not pointing down the runway?”
“Yeah?”
“Well, that’s because it’s a strong wind and it’s blowing us off course.”
“And?”
“And as we touch down I gotta get us lined up or we’re gonna be harvesting coconuts.” I risked a quick glance at her face. God, I was nervous. And not just about this landing. She gave a quick nod and I focused on the threshold as it passed under us. Fifty feet. Twenty. I pushed the rudder right to straighten us out, keeping the ailerons left. There’s a brief instant where my stomach says hello to my spleen, then I feel three distinct thumps as the wheels touched down.
That’s the worst flying gets. And the most exhilarating. It feels so good when it’s done. Kinda like I hope this job feels. When it’s done. It sure as hell ain’t gonna be boring.
So, there you go. And don’t ask. I have no idea what he’s doing in the Caribbean.
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12.26.06
Posted in Uncategorized at 8:00 am by Bryan
What is it about December that just seems to swallow time? It’s almost as bad as playing a game on the computer. One minute, you’re sitting there thinking you’ve got plenty of time to spare, then the next thing you know it’s time to change the calendar.
2006 was a year that, for the most part, I’ll be happy to say good-bye to. But December has shown a hint of the promise 2007 has for me. I feel good about next year. Actually, I feel good about December… it’s just that I’m pretty sure we must have skipped a few days somewhere because it’s nearly over already.
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12.19.06
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:00 pm by Bryan
I saw something yesterday that I’ve never seen before.
Every day as the sun starts to set, the town’s pigeon population takes flight and begins to circle, gathering up the stragglers as they collectively look for a good place to roost. Why they do this every night when they roost in the same places all the time, I don’t know. You’d think they’d just say “Hey Bob, I’ll meet you at the post office in about five minutes.”
Maybe they’re just surveying their domain or something.
Well, it’s become predictable. Too predictable apparently, because last night the pigeons had unexpected company. They were strafed by a pair of hawks. One of them missed. I don’t know if you know this, but pigeons are fairly adept at avoiding mid-air predators. They just… stop flying. And since pigeons aren’t really very aerodynamically designed, they drop like rocks. Well, pigeon #1 did this and hawk #1 missed.
I guess pigeon #2 was busy laughing at hawk #1 because he never saw it coming. TAG! He was dead or unconscious almost immediately.
As I watched, hawk #2 brought his dinner to the tree in front of the library and started to pluck feathers. A few moments later, hawk #1 stopped by and joined in. I’m not sure if it was a dinner date as they watched the sunset, or two buddies swapping war stories, but either way it looked like they were getting ready to enjoy a good meal together.
Now you may ask about the score above. What about pigeon #1, you ask? Should he get a point for his team? I don’t know if simply not getting killed counts as a score, as satisfying as that may be. It simply means you didn’t lose 2-0.
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12.18.06
Posted in Photography, Images at 8:00 am by Bryan
Well, it’s official. I am now an artist. I know, I know, you’re going to tell me I’ve been an artist for a very long time, but it feels different now. On Saturday, I dropped off three of my photographs with the Curator of Art, Artifacts, and Photographs at the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction.
The first thing that happened to me took place on Friday night when I picked up the prints in their mattes and frames. They were beautiful. I almost didn’t want to let them go. The prints themselves are eleven inches by seventeen inches, with a three inch matte around them and matte black gallery frames. I’ve never seen my photographs looking like this. Keep in mind, my photography is either “for me” or “for the client”. “My stuff” is printed anywhere from 1×1 to 11×14. I do have a few landscapes matted and framed, but it’s haphazard, and it’s really just so I can hang them on my own walls. Seeing my prints like this put them in a new light for me.
Then came Saturday, when I delivered the photographs, and talked with the Curator.
She showed such an interest in me, and in the models in the photographs, and in the stories behind the photoshoots. But the most rewarding thing was that she thought the pieces were as beautiful as I did. It was then that I realized that much of what I’ve done “for me” didn’t necessarily have to be “just” for me. And that is true of my landscape work as well.
Truthfully, I’ve been told this before, and recently too. But somehow, you don’t take it as seriously when it comes from friends and family. You don’t quite dismiss the praise, but you do discount it so that it seems worth less, as if they might be saying nice things because that’s what friends and family do.
Today, I received an e-mail telling me that Amy Leigh is already hanging on the wall of the hallway just outside the entrance to the gallery. I’m officially an artist.
I don’t feel any different. Well, actually I do. Two things are different. First, I’m looking at “my stuff” with a different eye. I’m looking at possibilities for the future. Second, I’m listening to friends and family with a different ear. Just because they are close to me doesn’t mean they aren’t serious about what they say. And that goes for my writing as well.
I’m committed to entering these pieces in a juried art show (which essentially means that there is a judge who decides whether or not they are good enough to be displayed, and then, of those displayed a “best of show” winner is chosen) as well as shooting a new series toward the middle of next year in order to prepare for the 2008 show.
Being an artist is… invigorating.
The images at the gallery are below the fold. They are nudes, so if you don’t want to see them don’t go there. Also, if you comment, the permalink will show the images, so you can comment on a previous post if you prefer.
Read the rest of this entry »
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12.08.06
Posted in Writing, Samples, Mallory at 8:00 am by Bryan
So, I’m sitting there the other night trying to think of a habit for Ian that didn’t involve running his hand through his hair or rubbing his temples or something else I’ve probably over done. Then I thought, what if…
What follows examines this, but since it’s something Ian would never do, I had to create Mallory.
Finished. I slipped the typed report into a manila envelope and tossed it onto the chair next to my desk. I lit one up and reached into the bottom drawer for the bottle I kept there. You gotta love cheating spouses. They’ll never make you rich, but they pay the bills.
I dug out a particularly irritating booger and rolled ‘im up between my thumb and forefinger while I took a long, satisfying drag off the cigarette. Three days. Seven-hundred and fifty bucks. Not bad. I started doing the math, dreaming about what might be if only there were more cheaters out there.
About the time I flicked my gooey buddy at the wall was when she walked in. The dame was easy on the eyes, with legs that went on forever and a face like fine china. I shoulda known right then, when she looked at my twenty-three and a half years of performance art plastered on the wall and didn’t yak up her lunch, this case wasn’t going to be no cheating spouse. I shoulda told her to leave. But I’m a shallow son of a bitch, and like I said, the dame was fun to look at.
“Is this Mallory and Mallory?” Her voice dripped honey all over the floor.
“Yep.”
I saw her glance at the wall again and for a moment I thought she was gonna bolt. But she simply swallowed and asked, “Which one are you?”
“I’m the one that’s not dead yet.”
She didn’t laugh. She didn’t even smile. I shoulda kicked her out right then, but I kept thinking about eighteen year-old scotch and Camels instead of Lucky Strikes and Rock Gut. That, and those legs. I shoulda known better.
Oh, well. At least I wrote something. Right?
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11.30.06
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:00 pm by Bryan
It’s been a while since I checked the search phrases that are leading people here. The vast majority of them are related to Bulwer-Lytton and his book Paul Clifford, but there are others. For example:
PINNUCLE - I have to thank Jen-t for misspelling the card game “pinochle” in this post for getting me this hit. If she wasn’t already married, I’d introduce the two of them. They were meant for each other.
martina hingis modeling - Okay. Martina Hingis is my favorite tennis player, and I have written about her before. But, to the best of my knowledge, she doesn’t model. Now, if she goes down that road, I do have a camera. Just saying…
what white female started her book off with “it was a dark and stormy night” - I almost didn’t include this one since it’s along the “dark and stormy night” theme. But I question the preconceived notions in the search criteria. First of all, it wasn’t a woman who wrote it. But then I have to ask, why does it even matter what race the author was?
the so-what method of writing - Never heard of it. Never written about it. Not sure I want to read a book using that method. It worries me that the search brought you here.
inpostauthor:gabby - And this came from Blogger! Gabby is getting hits… from Blogger! (in case you don’t know, this is a WordPress blog that I host on my own website).
“she took a deep drag” - I remember this post. It surprises me that anyone else does.
poser art - Please don’t come here looking for Poser art. I hate it. If I ever get a Poser art cover, I just might quit writing altogether. But more than that, if you really want to create that sort of art, I would recommend that you take a look at DAZ Studios.
girls nicotine - Okay, first, it’s Nicotine Girls. Second, it’s a role-playing game. Why did you come to a writing and photography blog?
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11.29.06
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:00 pm by Bryan
Well, it’s been a week now so I suppose it’s time for a SITREP and AAR.
My Thanksgiving holiday didn’t actually begin until Thanksgiving. I thought I’d be able to get out of town by mid-afternoon on Wednesday, but I had to work later than I expected. So about mid-morning Thursday I was on the way. The drive was pleasant, mostly through the one part of Indiana that was not bulldozed flat by glaciers, and aside from a wrong turn that sent me to Illinois, relatively uneventful. One benefit to driving on Thanksgiving Day is that there isn’t much traffic to deal with.
I have to say that this was one of the better Thanksgivings in recent memory. The Big Disaster (every year has one, doesn’t it?) was half a glass of Chardonay spilled into the caserole dish with the extra dressing. It wasn’t bad. We might need to figure out a way to make that a tradition.
Mum and Dad have a nice house, though it was too quiet once everyone else was gone. When the sound of turning pages in a book becomes distracting, it’s time to invest in some stereo equipment. They have a television, but no cable and no reception. I wound up borrowing a DVD from my sister, not because I really wanted to watch a movie, but because I needed some background noise.
Friday, Dad, my brother-in-law, and I went golfing. I can honestly say that I was glad we got “darked” out. If we’d actually finished the round, it would have been my all-time worst round ever. Let’s just say that after 4 holes on the back nine, I was 15 strokes under my front nine and still playing like crap… just not as crappy as before. You remember how excited I was to be playing golf again after the last time? Yeah, not so much now.
About the only other big news is that I discovered that both my neice S and my nephew P are writing. I think S is more comfortable with her progress thus far since she’s actually asked me for a critique, but I suspect that P is stretched pretty thin time-wise. That is one busy kid.
So there you go. It wasn’t quite a storybook holiday, but it was definitely better than most of the ones I spent alone, and with regard to drama, we actually had very little of it this year.
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