Monday

First off, an update on this whole PayPal thing.  Turns out, like any other business, you merely need to threaten to take your business elsewhere to get attention.  After sending them a couple of emails about the issue I was having, including the afore-mentioned threat, I got a call from them yesterday.  Now, I didn't answer, since the call came from Nebraska, and I know absolutely no one who lives there.  But, they followed up with a personal email explaining the situation.  Basically, you can't have more than one PayPal account linked to a bank account.  And since my wife has already linked hers to our bank for D20 Girls, my account couldn't be connected.  Long story short, the money will get transferred somehow.  But I am still done using PayPal for this kind of stuff.

Anyways, it's Monday, coffee is still being imbibed, and work has a few tasks that need to be cleaned up.  Oh, and I forgot my effing flash drive at home again!  So, no working on current projects.  But, that won't stop me.  I have some ideas that I might start exploring.  Plus, I have an essay due on Sunday.  But those are fairly easy at this point.  I just need to discuss a topic for less than five pages.  Seems like a lot of latitude, but I have personal standards (I try to write at least four pages, regardless).

Today happens to be Kate Mulgrew's birthday.  For those new to this blog, I count myself among that minority of Trekkies that loves Voyager.  It's a close second behind TOS, in my book.  Now, don't get me wrong, I love all of them (with the exception of Enterprise, as I never watched it).  And I have mentioned it a time or two here.  But for some reason, Voyager really struck a chord with me, more so than TNG or DS9.  I think I just really liked the characters.  And the idea that they were just out there all alone, with no Starfleet to back them up.

So, now my brain is in Star Trek mode.  A friend and I were discussing his misguided dislike for Voyager when he mentioned that he would like to see a show that focuses on the Klingons in a post TNG era, where they are trying to re-establish the Klingon Empire, and get out from under the Federation's influence.  A show about honor and the rebuilding past glory.  I think that would be brilliant!  Good idea, Andre.

Other than that, not much is going on.  My new ebook will be delayed until near the end of this month, as I have to wait for one of the stories to get out from under the KDP Select program.  Which is fine, as it gives me more time to do some revisions, and to figure out a cover image.  I am kind of particular about those.  I don't want any of my books ending up on those blogs and sites that make fun of crappy book covers.

Ah, Monday...

Random Monday Musings

Since my brain is feeling a bit cloudy today, I thought I would try to rev it up with some writing here.

Last night we watched The Grey with Liam Neeson. I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, it was pretty intense, and though you could see shit coming from a mile away, everything that happened still managed to startle me when it was supposed to. I thought the characters were well-done, and over all, it was a well crafted film. Except the ending. All of that build up, and then…cut to black. I felt robbed. Although, if you stayed until the end of the closing credits, there was a quick shot that alluded to an earlier scene. This kind of gave you resolution. But not enough. I give it a 7 out of 10.

In other news, based in part on Keith’s comment on my last post, an idea that has been lingering for a while came forward with some clarity. Look for a new eBook to come soon. On a related note, I have re-priced two of my longer stories. I figure if publications base their pay on your word-count, then it wouldn’t be a bad idea for me to do the same with my self-publishing. And finally, after reading an article about non-fiction seeming to sell well on Kindle, I threw a couple of my academic history papers together and published them. They’re listed on my shiny new Amazon Author page, linked above. I also have a Goodreads author page, but I can’t link to it right now, as my work internet can’t translate that site very well (it’s a long story, involving an out of date version of IE that I can’t upgrade).

Now that the weather is starting to actually look like Spring (though the weather reports keep mentioning “chance for snow”), I am looking at getting outside more and being more active. Related to that, my friend gave me a punching bag that his kids had, but almost never used. It’s a good, heavy one. I need to drag it down to the basement, so I can hang it up and start taking out some aggression. Also, since it’s so heavy, I can wrap old belts around it, and make handles for lifting. Some good strength-training right there. My goal is to be in good enough shape that I can actually look like a superhero, should I choose to dress up for Wizard World Chicago in August.

Speaking of Cosplay, my wife is now an official “D20 Girl.” This is a group who organizes women cosplayers for pop culture conventions. But, rather than hired model “Booth Babes” who don’t actually know much about what they are promoting, these girls are authentic gamers and geeks. So, she will get free tickets to (relatively) local conventions, and will be required to wear costumes. She’s already planning on several options. This is way cool!

 

(By the way, this is not my wife.  Just a girl explaining what they do.)