Writing Prompts

Saw a book at Barnes and Noble today chock full of writing prompts. I have got to remember to refer to my "Writer's Block" for ideas when I can't think of anything to write about. I put the aforementioned book on my Wish List at Amazon so I could remember it. One of the prompts was, "You're a father taking you're daughter to buy her first bra." Hysterical. I may have to tackle that one. All in all, this entry is to remind myself to write more. Debbie gave me the idea to write about the things I draw. What a great idea! I'm an idiot for not thinking about it. Instead of trying to create interesting cartoon characters by writing them, draw some interesting characters and then assign a personality to them.

Online Graffiti

Cool site. Let's you create your own graffiti. Go forth and be rebellious!

http://thewall.msn.com/?wallid=11&GT1=7480

King of the Hill Quote

Don't you just love it when pop culture makes fun of religion. They get it. Why don't we?

HANK: Can't you see you're not making Christianity better, you're just making rock n' roll worse.
PASTOR K: You people are all alike. You look at us and think we're freaks. Come on, even Jesus had long hair.
HANK: Only because I wasn't his dad.

KT's Family

Here's a recent photo of Kathy with her sons Jesse and Jeremy and her niece and nephew.

I've Got Gas!

Just filled up for $1.99 a gallon. How long has it been since it's been below $2? I can't remember.

Booklist

Dance of Death by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child - Yet another Preston/Child novel chronicling the adventures of persnickety FBI Agent Aloysius Pendergast. This is the second in a supposed trilogy (beginning with "Brimstone") dealing with Pendergast's criminally insane brother Diogenes. Diogenes is pretty ticked at Aloysius for something and is looking to kill all of his brothers friends. Along for the ride are a few characters from previous novels.
This one was pretty good. It does make me want to read the third. In my opinion, however, it's been a long time since Preston/Child have written a satisfying novel. I'm a bit tired of Agent Pendergast. I wish they'd kill him off and start with something fresh. None of the Pendergast novels have been outstanding...only so-so. I wish they would return to the days of books like "Thunderhead, Riptide, The Ice Limit, and Relic." Those were outstanding books. I haven't given up on them completely but they have slipped down on my popularity list. None of my faves are writing as well as they used to. Crichton slipped a while back. Rollins is trying to be Dan Brown. Reilly's still doing okay but I haven't read his latest. Jim Butcher is still kicking butt and taking names although "Dead Beat" wasn't his best.
Oh well, I'll shut up now. Guess I'll just have to keep hunting for new writers who will satisfy my thirst for adventure. If you have any suggestions, let me know.

Christmas Sarah

Thought this was a great picture of my beautiful bride-to-be standing next to one of two trees in the apartment. She and her family do Christmas in a big way. Her mom and dad have up to 7 trees up at a time, all with a different theme. One is all flamingoes. Scary! Anyway, grab some Christmas spirit from this wonderful photo and have a Happy Holiday!

Thanksgiving Day

Here we are at Adam and Heather's house for Thanksgiving. It was a great day of food, fun and fellowship with friends. (dig the alliteration)

Kitty Paws!

Once again, Mickey being himself. He loves to cuddle under the covers next to his Mommy. (That's Sarah)

Mickey the Christmas Cat

We started a fire in the fireplace the other night (unaware of the burn ban due to pollution) and Mickey found himself transfixed. He is a constant source of entertainment, this gray and white Maine Coon of a cat. This picture is priceless.

My Favorite Guitar Players

In no particular order:

Steve Lukather
Eddie Van Halen
Neal Morse
Phil Keaggy
Steve Vai
Joe Satriani
Andy Timmons
Eric Johnson
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Ty Tabor
John Petrucci
Alex Lifeson
Larry LaLonde
Vernon Reid
Robin Trower
Pat Travers
Jimmy Page
Jimi Hendrix
John Frusciante
Tom Morello
David Gilmour
Neal Schon
Steve Morse
Lindsey Buckingham
Trevor Rabin
Frank Marino
Michael Roe
Derri Daugherty
Dann Huff

Where Have All The Guitar Gods Gone?

Excuse an old man for pining for the good old days of rock and roll. This morning, I am struck by the realities of the postmodern generation. The guitar players that they revere and try to immulate just don't play as well as the guitar gods of old. In the old days we had Eddie Van Halen, Robin Trower, Pat Travers, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Steve Lukather, and many, many more. Nowadays, we have the acoustic meanderings of Dave Matthews, Trey Anastasio and their ilk. These guys are good in their own way but it's a far cry from the Jimmy's (Jimi's) Page and Hendrix from our glorious past. It's great that some of the old guys are still around kickin' it old school style. Steve Lukather continues to blaze with Toto. Steve Vai has created a guitar players venue with his Favored Nations label. John Petrucci kills as the lead guitarist for Dream Theatre. Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, Andy Timmons and the like are still out there shredding the fret board like it's going out of style. (which it is) The worst thing about this is that since the new guitarists are listening to wimpy licks, their licks are wimpy as well. There's not a single new metal band out there now that has a guitar player that can actually play a decent lead. It just doesn't exist anymore. There's some hard driving stuff like Korn, Creed, Disturbed and that whole genre but you won't find a good lead guitar part anywhere on any of their recordings. Why? Because the guys are power chord jockeys and they can't play lead. They have no one to look up to these days. It really makes me sad and it makes it difficult to find good music to listen to. I'll keep searching and hoping that the guitar gods of old will awaken once more in hearts of the young. Someone needs to carry that torch into the future. Don't let it die, man!

Art News

HUGE HENRY MOORE SCULPTURE STOLEN IN BRITAIN
LONDON (Reuters) - British police hunted for three men on Saturday who stole a huge bronze Henry Moore sculpture worth up to 3 million pounds ($5.30 million) and a spokesman said they feared the piece would be destroyed for scrap.
Police said the 3.5 meter long (11 ft 5.8 in) sculpture, "A Reclining Figure," was stolen from the Henry Moore Foundation in Hertfordshire, north of London, on Thursday night by three men who drove it away.
"This is a very valuable statue and we are working closely with the Henry Moore Foundation to ensure its safe return," Detective Sergeant Graeme Smith said, adding that the Foundation was offering "a substantial reward."
"We're keeping an open mind at the moment," he told Reuters. "It could be anything from an organized theft for persons in the art world, down to an opportunist theft for the scrap value of the bronze.
"It would be extremely difficult to sell it on as it is ... (and) that is what the people at the foundation fear."
British sculptor Moore, who died in 1986, is renowned for his large-scale, abstract work.
Moore made the sculpture in 1969/70. It was acquired by the Foundation in 1987.

To steal a painting is one thing. To steal something of this size takes lots of hutzpah. What do they think they're gonna do...sell it on Ebay? Postage and handling alone will bankrupt someone.

Finding Monique: The Zoo

Sarah and I spent this frosty morning at the zoo with Monique and her son Alex. It was so great to see Monique again after over 10 years. Alex is quite the animal expert. He's only three and yet he knows his way around the zoo better than we do and he expertly identifies animals so quickly that you would swear he's channeling Marlon Perkins. To me, they are just monkeys. (if it swings from a tree and eats bananas...it's a monkey) Alex corrected me on this mistake. He showed me gorillas and maquacs and I don't know what else. It was quite educational. The weather was a bit nippy. Some of the ponds were frozen over and much to Alex's chagrin, many of the animals were no shows. (his favorites, the leaping lemurs, were nowhere to be seen) A fun time was had by all and hopefully there will be many more since Monique and her family live in Bellevue. I know she and her husband are going to try to see the show at Taproot the week after Christmas. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to have old friends nearby. It gives me a sense that I'm not really that far away from home.

Stephen King on Reading

"A friend of mine sold her first novel this fall. She said the good part was finally being allowed into the playground where the big kids play. The bad part, she said, was that her book was tentatively scheduled for publication in 2007. She asked me if I thought people would even be reading novels in 2007, with so many other entertainment options available. I had to laugh, because novels are still the best entertainment option. Even a hardcover is cheaper than two tickets to the local multiplex, especially once you throw in gas, parking, and babysitting. Also, a book lasts longer and there are no ads. Need more? No tiresome ratings system to keep you out if you're under 17, the special effects are always primo (because you make 'em up yourself), and although I read nearly 80 books this year, I never ran across the Olsen twins a single time."