Web 1.9RC3

If you follow me here on my weblog, and you don't already know, much of the action, such as it is, has moved, much to my surprise, to the social web. I'll save the weblog to blather at length about writing and reading. But the obsessive lists of what I've read are moving to Goodreads. Jokey one-liners and links to Sarah Palin videos and so on have moved to Facebook and Twitter.

Join us. One of us. One of us.

I'm Still Here

I managed to burn myself out this summer, I'm afraid, writing so hard. Since then, a number of things have distracted me from focusing as much attention on reading and writing as I like to -- the election, for instance.

Also, I got brought down by the death of DFW, a unique writer, probably a great one, to be remembered for many years to come. I'm not usually affected much by tragedies not touching me personally, but this one really got to me. I won't stop to analyze why. It's pretty obvious when you think about it. But the intensity of my own feelings still caught me by surprise. Such a damn shame.

Other distractions -- busy, busy at work. Busy, busy at home. Wave after wave of pre-school crud. And good stuff: Thing One and I have been checking out model rocketry and model aircraft clubs, special interests of his. And this last weekend, he and I began building a rocket we hope to fly with these guys next weekend.

And I've still managed to get some reading done:

• Elizabeth Moon's The Speed of Dark
• Frank Portman's King Dork
• James Lee Burke's The Neon Rain
• Gregory Mcdonald's Fletch's Fortune
• The Paris Review Interviews, vol II
• Dashiell Hammett's Red Harvest
• Dashiell Hammett's The Dain Curse
• Theodore Sturgeon's More Than Human

:-)

And I don't make smileys about just anything.

My Favorite Song of 2008

Here's hoping this is still funny tomorrow night.

Say It With Me

Park your dog sled. Loosen your anorak. Stop for a second and read the word. Nu-cle-ar. Nuclear.

Not nukular.

Thank you.

Hee hee hee

Getting Used to This Writing Thing

Got to the end of another new story today. 4300 words. I think I really nailed the end. I never think I nail the end, usually because I never do nail the end. But I think got all of this one.

It needs a title, and the language needs a lot of love. But, hey! I'm looking forward to scratching on paper with pencil for a few days, then I'm going to take a final pass at "A Comedown" and sling it over someone's transom.