Category Archives: real life

Deck the Truck with “Hello Kitty!”

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Among the more obvious loot (argyle socks (traditional), an umbrella with the handle of a katana, rc helicopter), my wife got me a “Hello Kitty” steering wheel cover for my truck. The really funny thing was, she got me this one to replace the one that had worn out. My wife has an odd sense of humor, and she got me the first one as a joke, and was a little surprised when I called her bluff and used it. So in Mississippi, the heart of the redneck belt, I had the only light truck in the state with a pink “Hello Kitty” steering wheel cover. I used it until the thing fell to shreds.

And nobody ever said a darn thing about it.

So now I have a new one, which I plan to display proudly until it in turn falls to tatters, or the truck does. Even money on that one.

So happy holidays, everyone! May your days be full of joy and delightful incongruity.

Can of Worms? Meet Can Opener

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There exists, somewhere on the net, a small old-fashioned (seems odd to say it, but it’s true) discussion board. An eddy in the current of the internet, if you will, or rather a backwater. It was designed before blogging was a twinkle in the would-be pundits’ eyes, and hardly anyone goes there anymore. Except me, and  a few other die-hards. We’re a self-selected and dwindling group at this point, but we hang on, and the reason we hang on is that we can talk about things there that no one in his or her right mind would put out on the internet. This place isn’t secret, but it isn’t indexed either, and the discussions there don’t propagate or get linked, and that’s how we like it. All as a preamble to a question that rather threw me. So much so that I’ve decided to consider it here.

The question was simple: “Do you, as a male fantasy writer, ever feel isolated in a field dominated by women?” Continue reading →

Let it Snow…Within Reason

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At the last writer’s group we got another assignment, but several people had to leave early and there wasn’t time to finish it, so we essentially got the challenge with a week to finish. So what would have been a piece of flash fiction grew into a 3300 word story that I wrote yesterday. I may want to do something else with this one, once I get the tweaks tweaked and the bugs debugged.  Working title is “Have a Good Day,” with a nod to Jerome Bixby. If you don’t get the reference, clearly you haven’t watched enough of the old Twilight Zone tv series. You’re also probably an infant. Continue reading →

Another Such Weekend and I Am Undone

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Bill Eakin at Yuletide Souls Fest

My social and business calendars were pretty much filled this weekend, though on Saturday it was hard to tell where business ended and social began, since it was such a mixture of both. My primary event on Saturday was the Yuletide Souls Fest at the Vicksburg Public Library. Besides the locals, William R.(Bill) Eakin had come down from Arkansas. He’s the author of Redgunk Tales and another frequent contributor to Realms of Fantasy. I hadn’t seen Bill in years and we had to mourn a bit together for magazines past. Continue reading →

Scenes From a Marriage

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Spouse is enamored of sappy holiday movies this time of year. One was on the tube as I passed by.

Me: Oh, yeah…. Stuart Pankin’s in this movie.

She: I saw his name in the opening credits.

Me: Haven’t seen him for a while…actually, the last time was when he was being the voice of “Earl” in Dinosaurs, so I didn’t see him then. I miss that show.

She: Me too, but I still haven’t seen him.

Me: What do you mean?

She: I know he’s in this movie, but it’s nearly half over and I haven’t seen him yet. Maybe it was a little part and I missed him.

Me: Uh, that’s him right there.

She: There? Where?

Me: Right there. In the shorts and weird shirt.

She (frowning): You mean the old guy??

Continue reading →