Random Thoughts April 2011

(With apologies to Thomas Sowell) Parents in Pennsylvania have discovered that one of their high school English teachers has been writing racy romance novels on the side. So long as she’s not reading the books in her class, advertising them to her students about them, or using class time to write them, I fail to see what the big deal is. The bigger problem Buranich now faces is that now that her secret is out, it’s going to make the teaching part of her job much more difficult.

I love that Kindles and other e-readers are turning the traditional publishing world on its head. As Bob Dylan sang, The Times They Are a-Changin.

Speaking of e-readers, it’s no surprise that the iPad isn’t a big reading device. There’s too many other things you can do with it. Besides, people like me who spend the entire work day staring at a computer screen, prefer the on-backlit Kindle.

Superman has decided to renounce his US Citizenship but willl “continue working as a superhero from a more global than national perspective.” I’m sure that this part of some larger story arc the writers are working on to take Superman comics to another level, but it also smacks of another marketing ploy trying to gin up interest in comics which are having a difficult time competing against video games and the Internet. The future of comics and superheroes isn’t print—it’s movies, video games, and the web. If comics and superheroes are going to survive, that’s where they need to go.

I’ve been sitting on the sidelines with the NFL and its players squabble over a $9 billion pie. But after reading NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s take on football’s future if the players win, I’m firmly on the player’s side of things. If anything, it shows how the current work agreement stiffs the best players. And I have no problem with a league without a minimum team payroll, minimum player salary, no limits on free agency, and no league-wide rule limiting the length of training camp or required off-season workout obligations

There’s only a handful of websites I visit every day but The Passive Voice is the site for authors, wantto-be authors, and those thinking about going the Indie publishing route.

I don’t understand why someone needs a state sanctioned cosmetology license to braid hair for money. For that matter, why does someone need a cosmetology license at all? A cosmetology license is no guarantee of good work or attention to detail. With or without a license, if you do a good job you’ll succeed. If you don’t, you’re toast.

It’s April 29 and snowing outside as I write this. I feel like I’m trapped Naria when the White Witch is in charge—always winter and never spring. Where are Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy when you need them?

Random Thoughts November 2010

(With apologies in advance to Thomas Sowell.) San Francisco recently banned toys in kids meals with high fat content in an attempt to help put the brakes on childhood obesity. This makes me seriously wonder if any members of the board of supervisors have kids of their own. Most kids don’t want to go to McDonalds because they can get a toy. Most kids (including my own) want to go because so they can play in the big play area and they like the food. They’ve never, ever asked to go to McDonalds or any other fast food restraint so they could get a toy. And, no, my kids aren’t an anomaly, research backs this up.

Losing weight is as simple as eating fewer calories. You don’t need fancy diets. You don’t need to exercise. Just use some self-control and eat less. Don’t believe me? Ask Mark Haub who lost 27 pounds in two months eating protein shakes, green beans, and twinkies.

The one thing that bugged me about the article about Haub was that they touted that his body mass index (BMI) “went from 28.8, considered overweight, to 24.9, which is normal.” Normal? Never, ever use the BMI as an indication of health or being “normal.” Aside from the fact that everyone has different body types, the BMI measures mass – not health or ideal wieght. When I enter in my height and weight I come out with a BMI of 26.9. (That’s about in the middle of the overweight column.) The reason? I have a lot of muscle mass from daily weight lifting routines. I’d probably have a lot more muscle (and a higher BMI) if I didn’t run 20+ miles a week. Overweight? Not. A. Chance.

Speaking of people with weight problems, here’s one more reason to like New Jersey governor Chris Christie. I wish he was governor of Utah. (Hat tip: Half Sigma)

I’m about half way through NaNoWriMo and have mixed feelings about it. For all my author and wannabe author friends, I’ll post a summary of the experience after it comes to an end.

I managed to take my kids to 4 out of 5 Weber State football games this fall. Of course I missed the one game I really wanted to attend. But all the kids had fun and it was fun family time. They’re already asking when we can buy tickets for next year.

My Broncos are suffering through another ignominious football season. It would be a lot worse, however, if I was a Cowboys fan.

Marathon Girl bought some Christmas music the other day. As a result, it’s all the kids want to listen to. For some reason I just can’t get into any holiday spirit unless it’s after Thanksgiving and there’s snow on the ground. I guess this means I’d be a constant grouch if we ever move to Houston.

I’ve done a bad job of updating my blog roll. I checked it the other day and realized that a lot of the people I listed no longer blog or have changed their blog address. Anyway, I’ve updated it. Check it out when you have a minute. And if you have any blog suggestions, feel free to send them my way. I’m always looking for a good read.

Halloween Links and Thoughts

For those parents who are on bit on the paranoid side about your little ghosts and goblins being poisoned, molested, or anything horrible happening to them this weekend, read the article by Lenore Skenazy in the Wall Street Journal on why Halloween is one of the safest days of the year for your kids.

With Halloween falling on Sunday this year, it seems like many kiddies will be trick-or-treating on Saturday instead. Why this irritates some people is beyond me. I really don’t care if kids trick-or-treat on Saturday or Sunday. I’ll be handing out candy either day.

Some people are wondering if an age limit should be imposed on trick-or-treaters. I don’t remember talk of an age limit when I was a kid but generally everyone I grew up with stopped trick-or-treating by ninth grade. Marathon Girl grew up in a home where you couldn’t trick-or-treat after you were 12. I don’t know about enforcing an age limit but I do admit I find it annoying to see a 16 year old trick-or-treating. I’d think by that age they’d have more fun at Halloween parties.

Cool pictures of The Walking Dead in Sofia, Bulgaria. I wish they would have had cool things like that going on when I lived there.

Why do dentists always have to take the fun out of Halloween?

OK. I can understand the dentist/candy things to some extent. By why on earth are schools and educators try to take the fun out of Halloween too?

As a kid I remember me and other kids wearing masks to school on Halloween. Yet it seems like in the last decade masks have become a big no-no. Anyone have any insight as to why?

My kids: Batman, Robin, Princess Tiana, and a skunk. Me: A grumpy middle-aged writer. Marathon Girl: Herself, though I wish she’d give one of those sexy Halloween costumes a try. She has a great body for it.

Random Thoughts

(With apologies in advance to Thomas Sowell.) For the first time in years I’ve had a hard time getting up in the mornings to run. I think it’s because school’s started and the boys don’t have time in the mornings to come with me on their bikes.

I will move to the Houston area one day. If Houston doesn’t work out, then I’ll move somewhere in Texas. Yes, even Austin. :-)

After watching the Detroit Tigers once again collapse after the All-Star Break, I wonder how much long-term damage I’m doing to my kids by letting them become Tiger fans.

I wish I was a good artist. Then I could write killer stories and turn them into awesome graphic novels.

I can’t get the song “Love Is All Around” out of my head. I blame Marathon Girl since I’ve done nothing but stay with her all day.

Forget writing groups, I want a brainstorming group. You know, one where I can share at least one half-dozen novels that are floating around in my head and get some feedback from readers and writers. Isn’t that one of the things that a writing group does, you ask? Yes. But a writing group requires a long-term commitment. I don’t have time for that right now.

Between Hulu, Netflix, and all the other network websites I find that I don’t miss TV at all. Not. One. Bit.

Johnny Damon hasn’t done much for the Tigers but I was glad to see him stay in Detroit. Maybe next time Red Sox fans will think twice before coming vitriolic toward players who leave their team.

The nice thing about discovering an author that you haven’t read before is that he or she has usually written several other novels that you can dive into. My new author discovery this summer? Harlan Coben.

I need more than six hours of sleep a night.

I’m glad football season is about to begin. I’m looking forward to taking the kids to some low-intensity college football games in the coming months.

Random Thoughts July 2009

Why spend millions of dollars to build a new grocery store if you’re not going to install some of those self checkout machines? I love those things when I’m in a hurry and only need to buy a handful of items.

It’s annoying standing behind people in line at the store who still write checks. Please upgrade to a debit card!

I’m still amazed that people I haven’t communicated with for a decade or more manage to find me on Facebook. What on earth makes them decide to look me up?

It’s been nice to have about a month off from personal writing. I’m actually making a dent in the pile of books on my nightstand.

If I could be a fictional character, I'd be Jack Reacher. Joe Pike is a close second.

Best books read so far this year: Sea Changes by Gail Graham and LA Requiem by Robert Crais. I’ll probably add Nothing to Lose by Lee Child once I finish it.

I’m struggling to come up with a title for my just completed novel. Maybe as the edits come back from my editor it will spark an idea.

I bet Twitter’s has outlived its usefulness by this time next year.

The city of Ogden is Utah’s reality check.

I always enjoy reading Mark Cuban’s blog. His honesty is refreshing. Now if only those Mavericks of his could win an NBA title.

The older I get, the more annoyed I am with sports “reporting.” It’s not so much reporting as it pointless speculation.

Money in and of itself may not be evil, but it sure is interesting to see what it does to people.

It’s also interesting to watch how a modicum of success can lead to wild jealously in others – even close friends.

If it wasn’t so dark and cold in the winter, I wouldn’t mind living in Alaska.

I still enjoy running with Marathon Girl when the chance arises. I just wish it would happen more often.

Holiday Random Thoughts 2008

The gym I go to gave me an early Christmas present: The decided not to put those annoying TV monitors on all the treadmills!

Seeing Santa Claus in person still scares my two oldest kids to death.

All Marathon Girl wants for Christmas is for the baby to come.

At the store the other day I came this close to buying a CD of Christmas songs sung by Elvis for Marathon Girl and the kids. Maybe next year.

I find myself wishing some creative songwriter will come up with a new but memorable holiday songs. I’m tired of the old ones.

My kids’ favorite holiday activity is driving around and looking at all the holiday lights on the houses. They get such a kick out of it, I really enjoy driving them around.

It amazes me when I hear unemployed people quoted in news stories saying they’re taking the holidays off from job hunting because “companies don’t hire in December.” Uh, yeah they do. I interviewed for and was offered my last two jobs in December. And even though these are challenging economic times, there are still lots of companies who have positions that need to be filled January 1. By not looking for work in December, you’re digging yourself in a bigger hole.

Some of my best holiday memories are from white elephant parties.

My kids love playing in the snow. Makes me wonder if they’ll be upset when we eventually move to Houston and only see a dusting of snow every four years or so.

For the first time in my life, I’m working for an employer that has Boxing Day as one if it’s official, paid holidays. Now I’ll see if I’ve actually been missing out on anything all these years.

Since I have to burn my unused vacation time before the end of the year, I’m taking A LOT of time off work over the holidays I’m going to use it to finish my latest novel, watch season 4 of LOST on DVD, and play with my kids.

I hope all of my readers have a happy, safe Holiday season. Look for my Best of 2008 column next week then I’ll see you all in 2009!

Random Thoughts: Election Day

The nice thing about the Internet is that instead of spending 60 minutes writing on what I consider to be the pivotal issues of the election, is that I can find someone who has already written something similar but done a better job of it. I never thought I’d agree with a Democrat on important election issues, but this time I do. If you haven’t already, read What Really Matters As We Vote by Orson Scott Card

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I took advantage of early voting last week and cast my ballot last week. I decided waiting in line for an hour was preferable to waiting in line for 2-3 hours on Election Day.

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This is probably the first election where I’ll follow the results primarily online as opposed to TV.

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More than anything, this election has made me extremely glad I’m not a journalist. As far as I’m concerned most media organizations have lost all their credibility over the last 12 months. Why? Read Michael Malone’s column at abcnews.com on how the media’s election coverage is playing a dangerous game with their readers, the Constitution, and their own fates.

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I don’t think there’s going to be an Obama landslide tomorrow. My prediction: Obama receives 49% of the popular vote and 282 electoral votes. McCain gets 48% of the popular vote and 256 electoral votes. Only five states change their vote from 2004: Virginia, Colorado, Iowa, and New Mexico go for Obama. New Hampshire goes for McCain.

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I’ll be very happy when this election is over.

Random Thoughts June 2008

This has to be the coldest summer I’ve ever experienced. As of June 15 we still haven’t turned on our air conditioning. Some people may like cool weather in June but it makes me want to bolt for cities like Houston or Phoenix. Even my kids are asking when we can go back to Arizona so they can swim. Even though the weather’s on the cool side, it is warm enough that I can run with Marathon Girl every Saturday morning.

They’ve won seven of their last eight games, but the Detroit Tigers still suck.

Does anyone have $3 million they can lend me? There’s a company I want to buy.

Through my online store, I’ve now sold books to customers in 48 of the 50 states and six countries. Yahoo!

Hearing about the dating lives of friends and family make me glad I don’t have to deal with that anymore and so lucky that I have Marathon Girl.

This post made my day.

I’ve never gone wrong by following the feeling in my gut. Thankfully, Marathon Girl’s there to make sure I actually follow it.

New running shoes make me feel like I’ve accomplished something – especially when I see how worn out my old shoes are.

I need a new pair of weightlifting gloves.

I still haven’t paid $4 for a gallon of gas. I figure I can fill my tank one more time before that happens.

Every time I receive an email from political candidates running for office in Utah, I wonder why the campaigns can’t hire a good copywriter or at least find a volunteer who can write. Not only are emails from most candidates dry and boring but many make me less inclined to vote for someone who has difficulty writing a clear, concise sentence or organizing their thoughts in a logical manner. At least the emails from the McCain and Obama campaigns are well written and somewhat engaging.

Speaking of bad writing, the Drudge Report linked to an article about Sen. Hillary Clinton taking a month off work to recuperate from her presidential campaign. It contained this gem: “Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), a stalwart supporter of Clinton’s presidential bid, would say only that she and former President Bill Clinton “wanted to go somewhere private and far away where she could rest.” Who’s the “she” in that sentence? Hillary or Diane?

Random Thoughts January 2008

Whoever anonymously paid for my and Marathon Girl’s dinner the other night, we want you to know how grateful we are for your generosity. While attending a Utah Jazz game the other day I was looking over the rosters for both teams and realized every player on the court was younger than me. It made me feel old even though I’m only 32.

Though I appreciate the tax rebates Congress and the President have put together, I really wish they’d do something about all the FICA taxes I pay. That’s money I’ll never see again.

The only thing harder than getting up for work on Monday morning is waking up on Monday morning and knowing you’ll have to drive to work in a blizzard.

The most amazing thing about adding 25 pounds of muscle in the last year is the amount protein I need to maintain it.

Big talkers are generally the most insecure people I’ve ever met.

The best way to get a membership to a gym is to buy one of someone who’s looking to get rid of it. Not only can this save you a lot of money, but you don’t have to deal with pushy salespeople.

I hate the two weeks break between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl. We end up with too much pointless hype and not enough football.

A journalist can be your best friend and your worst enemy.

No matter what you think of his politics, you have to admit that Barack Obama knows the art of seduction. From the way Hillary Clinton is reacting to Obama’s recent victories, it’s obvious she doesn’t have the first clue about seducing the masses.

The older I get, the more I dislike cold weather.

The best part of coming home from work is seeing the faces of all three kids light up when I walk in the door.

Random Thoughts October 2007

Is it really a good idea to have traffic reporters thanking and encouraging drivers to send text messages about traffic conditions to the radio station? Every time I visit my family in the house I grew up in I better understand the saying: "You can't go home again."

I love kids but they're very distracting when parents bring them to work and let them run around the office.

If you're going to run a politically damaging political ad, you should have the courage to put your name on it. Sadly anonymous hit pieces are not only legal on the local level in Utah, they're common practice in the small town I live in.

I one thing my home lacks is an office for me to do most of my writing. I guess that means it time to finish the basement.

This has been on of the most pleasant autumns I've ever experienced in Utah. The only downside is that it's rained the last five weekends. So much for repainting the fence.

All the rain our area had received the last few weeks has made me stop and consider whether or not I'd enjoy living in a rainy place like Seattle.

Nothings is more frustrating than having someone come to you for your expertise in a particular subject then have them ignore your advice and tell you that you really don't know what you're talking about.

If anyone wants some ideas on how to make your writing focused and concise, check out the article titled "The Corrections" in the Oct. 22 issue of The New Yorker.

If I had any talent at drawing, I'd combine those with my writing ability and create comic books.

My favorite emails are from strangers who happened to come across Room for Two and then let me know how much my story made them appreciate their spouse and kids more.