Went to DC last night. Saw Elbow in concert. Survived. Fantastic show. Very, very tired. Will write more later.
Author Archives: Allyn
On Finding the Right Music
Some days, I just can’t find the right music to listen to while writing at the office. I tried My Latest Novel. Nope, not right. I needed to get the blood flowing. Jay-Z? Nope, that didn’t work either. Bagpipes! I put in Clandestine. Alas, not. Apparently, I’m in a George Harrison mode today. All ThingsContinue reading “On Finding the Right Music”
On a Taxation Survey
I received something absolutely fascinating in the mail today. A survey from the Heritage Foundation. The right-wing think tank. They want to know what I think about taxation. Let’s take a look. Current plans by President Barack Obama and the liberals in Congress to erase the historic tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 could forceContinue reading “On a Taxation Survey”
On Mistaken Names
I watched on MASN2 this afternoon two of the lowliest teams in baseball — the Washington Nationals and the Pittsburgh Pirates. I consider the Nats my “local team.” I think this is common amongst football fans (and by “football fans” I mean “soccer fans”), where there’s a top tier squad that one roots for, andContinue reading “On Mistaken Names”
On a Challenging Writing Market
From now until the end of the month, editor Robert Smartwood is taking submissions for an anthology of “Hint Fiction.” What is Hint Fiction? From the submission guidelines: Its a story of 25 words or less that suggests a larger, more complex story. The thesis of the anthology is to prove that a story 25Continue reading “On a Challenging Writing Market”
On a Lucky Find
Bought at Wal-Mart today: From the Earth to the Moon, for thirteen dollars. I’ve been wanting this series for years, but I couldn’t justify the rectal violation prices that it went for. I actually had to ask the guy, “Is this really thirteen dollars? I could go to Best Buy and pay seventy or eighty.”Continue reading “On a Lucky Find”
On Mark Prior’s Baseball Career
Baseball. It looks like Mark Prior’s career is probably done. Once, I was on the Prior bandwagon. He was going to pitch us into the promised land. It didn’t happen. His pitching mechanics were destructive to his elbow and shoulder, and Dusty Baker’s over-reliance on, overuse of Prior exacerbated his problems and hastened his breakdown.Continue reading “On Mark Prior’s Baseball Career”
On the Arrival of the Print
A week ago — well, eight days, if one must be precise — I ordered an Arthurian art print. Created by Todd Klein and J.H. Williams III, “Drawing the Sword” depicted the moment in the Arthurian mythos when young Arthur, unaware of his birthright as King of England, pulled the magical sword from the stone.Continue reading “On the Arrival of the Print”
On the Flight of the Cheese Wedge
Some news of the weird for the previous week. To commemorate the 40th-anniversary of Apollo 11’s landing on the moon, a group of cheesemakers in Somerset, England, decided to send a piece of cheddar into space on a high-altitude weather balloon. The logic of this, so it seems to me, is that some thought inContinue reading “On the Flight of the Cheese Wedge”
On the Things I’ve Been Reading
So, here’s the situation. I’ve hit a minor lull in my day, so I’m reading comics. Specifically, I’m reading Phonogram: The Singles Club #4. As long-time readers know, I’ve raved about Phonogram before; it’s a cool comic about the power of music and magic. The Singles Club, the second series, takes place on a singleContinue reading “On the Things I’ve Been Reading”