Story of the Week #19: Thanksgiving with my Family

This is me, cheating, and hoping that I don’t therefore violate the integrity that I, as a storyteller, have developed with you, the half dozen or so loyal followers that I have garnered over the years. If you feel like mocking, stoning, or otherwise berating and vilifying me in public, well, I thoroughly understand.

At any rate, this story is actually an old one which I’ve revised a touch for this project. I didn’t want to cheat, I promise, but what with us leaving early this week for Thanksgiving without guaranteed reliable Internet access and NaNoWriMo having already consumed my soul and not enough stories in reserve, I’ve had no choice. I first wrote this story a few years ago, but I haven’t shared it around for quite awhile. In years past it was well received. Particularly by members of my own family… which, I suppose, should probably give me second thoughts about spending the holidays with them.

Enjoy!

(more…)

On Living in the Future

Here’s a couple of things I’ve ended up telling people over the past few months:

“Our vacuum cleaner isn’t working properly anymore. It needs a software upgrade.”
“Honey, I forgot the shopping list. Could you email it to my phone please?”

Statements which we make almost without pausing these days, but which only would have been everyday sentences [...]

Story of the Week #18: Terrible Tales for Tiny Trolls - Creepy Beauty

Yet another Terrible Tale for Tiny Trolls. Enjoy!

November’s stories are all going to be very short. After all, it’s National Novel Writing Month, which I participate in each year.

Enjoy!

(more…)

Using the Creative Zen X-Fi with Linux

This is a pretty technical post, so please, feel free to ignore it. I post this here mostly as a reminder to myself as to how to make the features work and also as a resource to anyone else who might be trying to same task.

World Philosophy Day

Apparently today is World Philosophy Day (or maybe yesterday was, or tomorrow will be… it all depends upon a host of epistomological questions which have been investigated for thousands of years but which have never been resolved). In honor of the event, BBC News Magazine has an article featuring four philosophical conundrums which will make [...]

More on prop 8 (I can’t help myself)

Today, the California Supreme Court has agreed to take on three lawsuits challenging Proposition 8. Let’s hope they do the right thing, and overturn it. According to the article, “All three cases claim the ban abridges the civil rights of a vulnerable minority group. They argue that voters alone did not have the authority to [...]

Story of the Week #17: Little Fluffy Wiggletoes and the Big Revenge

This week’s story is a sequel to a story I wrote a few years ago, “Little Fluffy Wiggletoes“, which proved to be one of my most popular stories, for some reason. I’ve been asked for a sequel for some time, so here it is.

I’ve got a whole cycle of stories for Little Fluffy Wiggletoes in mind. He’s got quite the adventure ahead of him.

November’s stories are all going to be very short. After all, it’s National Novel Writing Month, which I participate in each year.

Enjoy!

(more…)

Proposition 8: The Aftermath

California, which voted overwhelming for Barack Obama and which passed Proposition 2 (requiring better living conditions for egg producing chickens) somehow also passed Proposition 8, which removes the right of same sex couples to marry in California. To my way of thinking, this is ludicrous. I’ve stated before, and I’ll state again, that in a [...]

Story of the Week #16: Terrible Tales for Tiny Trolls - Moldylocks

Not much to say about this one. It’s another of the Terrible Tales for Tiny Trolls, which is turning into an ongoing series; I have a couple more in mind, and when I get around to cleaning up some of the language and removing some of the more adult components, I think these might actually work as children’s stories.

November’s stories are all going to be very short. After all, it’s National Novel Writing Month, which I participate in each year.

Enjoy!

(more…)

Speechless

On the one hand I wanted to write something brilliant and jubilant after the results of today’s election.
On the other hand, I’m speechless.
Good job, America. We’re back on track now.
Current Mood:  jubilantCurrent Music: My wife delirious with glee in the background

Story of the Week #15: The Prince’s Challenge (Sangrilicious II)

This is me, drinking the Kool-Aid, and continuing with my vampire story. “The Prince’s Challenge” is Part Two of “Sangrilicious”, which was Story of the Week #5 (on a side note, I’m rather impressed that I’ve been doing this for fifteen weeks now; that’s probably some sort of milestone).

My feelings about vampire fiction haven’t changed. I still don’t like the vast majority of it. And I’m therefore surprised that I’m finding myself drawn to Delilah’s adventures as she, a newly embraced vampire fully schooled in the traditions and culture of her species, enters and tries to take over a town which is full of what you could basically call redneck vampires. I suspect that there will be two more stories about Delilah in the next few weeks. I already know what the title of each story will be, but I’m not going to tell you what they are ahead of time.

Enjoy!

(more…)

Why I am (apparently) not a Christian

In 2004, I had the following conversation in the parking lot of a Safeway supermarket.
WOMAN: Jesus loves you, you know.
ME: That’s great. I love Jesus too.
WOMAN (pointing to my car’s bumper sticker): Then how could you be voting for John Kerry?
At the time, I wanted to reply with something like, “Because Jesus isn’t on the [...]

Sad news from the BBC

David Tennant has announced that he will be leaving the role of the Doctor after he finishes filming the next four specials that will air in 2009 and 2010. Of course, that means we have two years or so of Tennanty goodness before the eleventh Doctor takes the helm of the TARDIS.
I’ve been a fan [...]

Today’s Writing Whine

Another day, another rejection. It looks like my goal of making my first professional sale this year isn’t going to happen.
I currently have three active submissions at three professional markets. I need to come up with two more. Hm.
Current Mood:  sad

Story of the Week #14: Emissaries

This is one of those stories that I read after writing and go, “Huh? What was I thinking?” Seriously, I know this story is about something, but I’m not entirely sure what. I invite your speculations.

Fair warning: I know that some of my regular readers are disturbed by some of the more visceral imagery that can show up in my stories from time to time. Bear that in mind should you choose to proceed…

(more…)