A New (old) Addiction

Still loving my Kindle. In fact, I'm buying stuff left and right and reading more. The reading part is mainly due to the fact that I have a little free time lately and haven't been busting my hump quite as much as normal. I've also been reading from my ever-present pile of regular books so all is good. Two generations of literacy living in harmony. Contented sigh......

As for buying ebooks, it sure beats the hell out of going to this one Borders by my house that always plays depressing love songs through the loudspeakers. This way, I can shop around for new stuff, not pay sales tax and do so without pants and while listening to whatever music I want. Borders tends to frown on me wandering in there in that particular state of relaxation. Heh.

Speaking of taxes, I took that hit earlier this week. Didn't turn out as bad as I was fearing. There's one advantage to not being rich! It wasn't a pleasant experience, but it was followed by the same sort of relief you get when you finally get that punch to the stomach after tensing your muscles in expectation for way too long. Thank you, Uncle Sam, may I please have another!!!!

Next...Books in 3D!!!!

So I finally broke down and bought a Kindle. As I mentioned on one of my recent posts, I've been very resistant to this whole ebook thing. Well, now that it's obvious it's more than a passing fancy (and that there are some VERY intriguing opportunities for writers to put their own stuff out there without all the Big Publisher bullshit) I'm interested.

It started off on a good foot. I ordered it through Amazon (the black one with 3G) and it arrived ahead of schedule. I turned it on and had glorious fun throughout the initial "WOW! New gadget" phase. Once that wore off, I realized I loved reading on the thing. First thing I did was look for a book that I haven't been able to find on shelves. BANG! There it was...and cheaper! I bought a few more things plus downloaded a bunch of free classics, but the true test was when I tried to import a text file from my computer. Another writer contacted me about reading a copy of his upcoming book so I could provide a blurb. He sent a computer file, but I really don't like reading comp files. Still, I didn't want to force him to print me a copy, so there you go. The Kindle didn't recognize the file's format and I had to email it to a Kindle address so they could convert it. A few minutes later, there it was! SWEET!!!

Now, I realize I'm behind the times with this but I'm blown away. Keep in mind, I'm still blown away by DVRs, Netflix and sensors on microwaves that know EXACTLY how long to nuke popcorn. Will I give up regular books? Hell no! Still love them, but this is a great companion. Will I write ebook exclusives in the future! Hell yes, but Big Publishers are still a necessary part of the biz. As with most everything, it's all about moderation. Some of one and a dash of the other. Also, it's about recognizing the writing on the wall. I know plenty of authors who still resist ebooks vehemently. This is turning our noses up at a potentially great creative outlet. I love my Kindle as well as anything that gets folks reading and makes things a little easier for writers. I knew I was in good hands when I logged on to the Kindle store and found Vampire Uprising first in line on my "Recommended for You" bar. Awww, Kindle. You rock.

One funny note...there has always been a little problem with the original font used for the title on the Skinners books. It makes the "k" look like an "h". I always point it out and they always change it. Sometimes it slips through on the title page inside the books so it looks like "SHINNERS". Funny. Apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks so because the title page for the ebook version proves me right. Heh. Oh well. The Robot Overlords don't know EVERYthing!

But the files don't smell all musty

I've been reorganizing my books, trying to find some more to sell off and it makes me wonder if I should jump on board with this whole ebook thing. I've been resistant for a while simply because I like books. I like feeling them in my hands, turning actual pages, seeing the covers, and yes...smelling them. There's just nothing better than smelling actual books. Maybe that's a weird writer thing. I do the same with comics. Take one from the bag, study the covers, flip through quickly and take a long, lingering sniff before diving in to read in earnest. Not as creepy as it sounds. It's actually very comforting. Plus, I'm a slow reader, so carrying around one book at a time will more than do me when I'm out and about.

It seems that the ebooks have long since moved away from the "fad" phase. If they're good enough to put Borders out of business, there's something there, right? Sticking to the old ways now means I'm just stubborn and like them. Plus I have a lot of books that I need to read. Now that I've been looking into publishing some stuff straight to ebook format, I guess I should know how they work. Also, they have the cool tech factor. I've tried a Kindle and even an IPad. Believe me, if I had that much spare cash laying around, I would have an IPad. A friend of mine showed me how cool downloadable comics looked on there, but I would NEVER make that leap. Well...at least not for a long time. Ok...maybe I'd get comics that I don't want to keep. Even so, I'd still want the books. But ebooks....I think I'm ready.

As a writer, it's all the same. In fact, I'm really happy that ebooks are so popular because that means people are still reading! As long as that's the case, writers will be needed. One thing I love about ebooks is the possibility of cutting out all the BS and middlemen that are in the publishing biz who say they want something new as long as it's a lot like something else. UGH!!!

So I'll be looking around for a new device. On the other hand, the Nintendo 3DS is on its way. Mmmmmm....shiny!

More computer woes

So just when I think I'm in the clear after getting my computer all snaked and swiffered or whatever else they do to clean it out, the damn thing pulls another fast one on me. I pull up my Word file for Skinners 5 (just a Word file. Nothin' fancy.) and it says it's not available. I panic. I say obscene things to my monitor. I try to fix it. Apparently, it's trying to pull up my Word '03 files as Word '07 documents. So now I'm being forced to upgrade??? Not cool.

Long story short: I did get it back on track. I fixed it myself, which was cheap, but I won't try to make it sound like I diagnosed the problem and repaired it. More importantly, I did NOT upgrade against my will. I kept fiddling until it worked. I think my laptop has the same problem, but I'll tackle that one later.

In other news, Big Bang Theory was a good one last night. The gist of it was a simple message. Nerds can be kinky too. Heh.

Laptop Days pt. 2

The misery continues. I got my computer back from the shop, paid for its release and virus removal, plugged it in and found all of the same snafus as before. ALL of them!! This is why I like console gaming. If the game don't work, somethin's broke. With a computer, it could be any one of a thousand different things. Part of the problem is that I'm not a computer expert. I do know to be careful, though, but that doesn't matter. None of my protection programs did anything and now I've got to fight with the people who were supposed to fix it. Sigh.

My laptop is hanging in there, but not everything is on it. Take, for example, all the music I've downloaded. Pictures, documents, my carefully tended collection of porn, all of it's on what is very likely a busted piece of machinery. I could transfer stuff to my laptop, but there's not enough memory. I need a new computer, plain and simple. Doesn't mean I have to like it.

Ok. Griping over. Better log off before my laptop melts.

Excuses...

Ok, I've been slacking on the ol' blog lately. Sorry about that. The good news is that it's mainly because I've been hard at work polishing the manuscript for Skinners 4: Vampire Uprising. Did I mention that was the title yet? If not, it's a little bonus treat. If so, my memory sometimes fails me. We've covered that before. Or have we?

Only a few more months until Skinners 3 hits the shelves (April 27th). Then 4 will be out in October. I like this release schedule because the books are really starting to flow continuity-wise. I'm able to leave a few tantalizing cliff-hanger-type things from book to book without there being too much space in between them. Things are looking good in Skinnerville. Maybe that should be a new Facebook game? You could feed your little werewolves and build up enough Full Bloods to lead a charge into the Webkinz universe. THAT would be cool. Although, I am a little sad that I know what Webkinz are.

In other news, the Paige tattoo on my leg is coming along as well. She's all but done and looking fine! Shimmy's is in the background and all that's left is for the bright neon in the tacky strip club sign to be lit. I'll post some pics when it's completed next month.

I've figured out my new Droid phone to the point that it's become permanently grafted to my hand. Of course, that means I need to charge the battery every hour or two but that's the price I pay for being able to wave it around as it makes cool lightsaber sounds and plays Duel of the Fates. AWESOME!!!

That's about it from here. How are you?

The Dirty Season

Not THAT kind of dirty! I'm talking about the time of year when all that pretty snow has been sitting around for too long, covered with too much dog spray, or turned over too many times by the plows for it to be pretty any longer. Sure, the trees are photogenic, but aren't all trees picture-worthy? They're like the Playboy bunnies of the nature world. We get it. You're attractive. Next. The ground is covered by several inches of stuff that's sort of white, filled with dirt, sprinkled with rock salt and aching to coat your car with a thick layer of filth. Ugh! Can you tell I didn't enjoy finger-painting as a kid?

Even though the ice is treacherous, it was still easy on the eyes. You know. Like a James Bond girl. Even when she makes you spin out and fall down whether you're in a car or on foot, you still gotta take a moment and admire the view. In The Dirty Season, it's more like those women in Bond films that are just sloppy, but not too dangerous. Hmmm. Are there women like that in Bond movies? Even that mannish lady in From Russia With Love was dangerous. I guess there aren't any benign, sloppy women in the Bond universe. Of course, there aren't any bald dudes who watch Price is Right every morning while flaking Toaster Pastries onto their shirts, either. I guess that's yet another universe where I'll be on the outside looking in.

I'm enjoying my new Droid phone. Getting used to the touchscreen and finally getting the knack of texting. I've still only scratched the surface of it, though. Used its Google Maps navigation features once, but that doesn't work out so well when driving. The alarm clock is nifty. Plus I tapped a few appointments into the calendar. Niiiiice! I'm also feeling the need to attach pictures to my contacts' Caller ID info. It's usually not their actual picture. Mostly photos of hand signals. It's a complex system.

Back to work on Skinners 4. Wound up taking yesterday off, but I should be done with draft 1 this week, then it's off to editing and in on time. Par-tay!

Gotta know when to fold 'em

Megan and I had plans to drive down to St. Louis again for Christmas, but just decided to pack it in. Weather reports are fluctuating as they tend to do, but it all points to some sort of snow / sleet / freezing rain combo that isn't fun to drive through. If we hadn't been there two weeks ago already, we'd probably risk it. Since there's still some St. Louisian dirt on my tires, though, we'll play it safe. Megan bought a ham and we'll have a quiet night in the Big O.

In other news, I've been watching weather reports on my NEW PHONE! If you heard Rod Roddy's voice and the old Price is Right music accompanying that announcement, you're my kind of TV geek! It's a Droid Eris and it's also the first time I've ever gotten a phone that wasn't the bare-bones piece of equipment needed to communicate with people too far away to scream at. It's got a touch screen, weather reports, planners, internet, a marketplace, and plenty of other crap that will take a whole lot of time for me to figure out. So far, I'm really impressed with the alarm and email notification because that's about all I've mastered. If I hadn't gotten an amazing coupon from Best Buy to get this for free, I wouldn't have bothered. But it was free, it's a cool gizmo and we weren't going to cancel our contract for another couple of years anyway.

Now, if only I could figure out how to touch this screen without accidentally calling my grandma, things would be great. That woman must think she's going insane after all the times her phone's rang once and stopped.

My DVR hates me

As a general, sweeping statement, "The DVR changed my life" is pretty accurate. Of course, like any addiction, it's rearranged my day-to-day functions in a way that also makes me dependant on it. I cannot go back to watching TV shows the regular way. I just can't. Watching live TV with those unwanted ads injecting themselves into my viewing with their chirping and...oh yeah, commercials. Those things. I feel bitter and cheated when I actually have to watch them anymore. Also, since I always have a backlog of around 15-20 hours of crap to watch, there's no more down time. When I want to see something, there's something to see. My DVR has made this possible.
I love my DVR.
I even named it. Instead of calling it TiVO (because it's not...it's one from my cable company) I call it Rupert. Megan came up with the name, but I decided it needed a name. See? Joint effort.

Sometimes, Rupert acts up. Maybe it's just a way to make me appreciate it more when it's working properly. Or, it could be revenge for making it tape some sort of rerun, cooking show, cartoon or poker game throughout 93.8% of its day. Last night, Rupert threw a little fit. When I actually wanted to watch something (gasp...LIVE), it wouldn't let me. Every couple of minutes, it popped up with "Some other thing is scheduled to record on another channel. Do you want to proceed? Yes / No" I hit the button refusing that rerun of Robot Chicken, and it switches channels to record anyway. A couple minutes later, Frasier wants to record. I refuse and it switches over ANYWAY!! I think Rupert was pissed because I was enjoying TV as it happened. Don't worry, baby. You're still my regular Saturday night thing.

This morning I check on stuff that it taped overnight. Sure enough, as one last little flick to my nose, it cut off the first half hour of Poker After Dark. Man, that would be a great title for a porn series. Instead, this was real poker and I missed out on how Tom Dwan bluffed Phil Ivey out of a slice of his stack. You showed me, Rupert. Well played.

New widget

Check out the new Browse Inside widget on the side of the screen. It'll let you read the first 50 or so pages of Blood Blade, which should be just enough to get ya hooked!

The music's back!!

There are several reasons why I wait for the mailman and UPS guy (yes, they both happen to be male in my neighborhood) the way a dog anxiously awaits the Snausages Delivery Truck. Is that how you spell Snausages? Eh, who cares. Anyway, being a writer, everything work related comes to me this way. Usually it’s good. And, as a fan of online shopping, the UPS guy is my version of Santa Claus.

Yesterday, my new MP3 player arrived. Here it is! Now, it may not be the snazziest or most up to date thing out there, but I like it. . .a LOT. The only problem is that I now have to re-download all my cds onto the thing. I also now realize why I should have ripped my music onto my computer when I downloaded it all on my fist brick…I mean, my previous model. At the time, I thought, “Why waste all that hard drive space on my computer when I just want it on my MP3 player?” Once my old player died, I learned the answer to that question. I also felt like a complete idiot when I saw I’ve got over 80 gigs of free space on my computer anyway and my music would have taken up about a quarter of that.

Oh well. Live and learn. Now I just need to figure out how to walk and watch little videos without smacking into anything.

The day the music died

I like tech stuff, but I know I can’t keep up with all of it. I’m also just old enough to start getting set in my ways and cranky when the new fangled contraptions make things more difficult than they should be. This is a picture of my MP3 player. Ain’t it nice and simple? No video. No expanded memory. No FM tuner. Just one device to hold every CD I own in something the size of a deck of cards. Well, in no time at all, this became a freaking brick.

I don’t have any problems with the player, itself. It was great. When I go to the gym, however, it looks like I’m carrying around a gramophone on the back of a turtle. You know, the kind of turtle that shrugs and says, “It’s a living.” Flintstones reference anybody?

Well, my player froze up and no amount of cursing, tinkering or slamming it with coconuts could unfreeze it. I went to the website and the manufacturer told me the thing is out of date. Doh! Of course, now I’ve got a good excuse to order a new model. It’s got video, expanded memory, AND an FM tuner! Sweet! I still won’t impress anyone at the gym, though. They’re too distracted by the rivers of sweat rolling off my forehead and my constant wheezing.