Richard Dansky's Blog, page 39

If you...

Have catsHave a backyardLet the cats run around in the backyardAllow part of the backyard to be woodedDon't carefully tend the wooded part of the backyard (thus defeating the point of "wooded" for such inimical plant forms as poison ivyAllow the cats to run around in the wooded part of your backyardAllow the cats to rub all over you immediately after having run through the wooded parts of your backyard that have not been carefully tended for poison ivy and other inimical forms of plant life...

Signing Report

First things first - Two Sisters Bookery in Wilmington is a great bookstore. If you're down that way for vacation, I highly recommend checking it out. The selection's good and canny, the ambiance is very friendly, the books are accessible, and they also sell robot monkey scissors for kids. What more could you want?

So.

More seriously.

Melinda and I took off Friday night on our long-delayed trip to Wilmington, keeping a wary eye out for signs of volcanic ash. Fortunately, we were able to dodge mo...

A Brief Sorbet Interlude

You know what works better than homemade peach-blueberry sorbet made from peaches and blueberries picked that morning? Peach-blueberry sorbet made from peaches and blueberries picked that morning with chunks of peach mixed in.

In other words, yes, this one was a success.

My Day In Jeopardy

So today I tried out for Jeopardy, and I learned some important things. These include:You should not phrase your response in the form of a rhetorical question.Channeling the old "Jeopardy" sketch from Saturday Night Live and shouting "Shuck it, Trebek!" is a bad idea."Videogames you worked on" is unlikely to be added as a category any time soon.You are not allowed to jam the buzzer against another competitor in order to make it go off faster."Why are you asking me this?", "Who cares?" and...

Book Signing This Saturday: Volcano Makeup Edition

Since the original signing was canceled on account of giant plumes of volcanic ash, I'm headed to lovely Wilmington, NC on Saturday to do a signing at the equally lovely Two Sisters Bookery.

And if geologic activity interferes with this one, I'm going after Poseidon with an axe.

The Sure Sign Of My Getting Ready To Write

That would be when I excavate my office. Did that tonight, for reasons possibly related to A)the fact that my sinuses are apparently filled to the breaking point with methane slush spacelifted in from Titan B)I'm fairly certain I've seen every episode of River Monsters, and that show is the ONLY thing - and I mean that quite literally - that can put me to sleep these days and C)I lined up shots of Dayquil from here to there and knocked them down in hopes of alleviating condition A. Also, ther...

New Storytellers Unplugged Essay Is Up

Seven Things You Should Always Ask A Writer - sample below...

7-What’s Your Process For Writing?

Not “How do I become a writer?” Not “Please tell me I’m doing the right thing with my own quirky, convoluted approach, any criticism of which will provoke an angry blog post and possibly an assault with a sock filled with quarters.” A genuine inquiry into how a writer works – really works, as in “puts butt in seat and starts typing” – can deliver valuable insight into how the act of writing...

Nice Words at Horror-Web

They seem to like Dark Faith . They seem to like it a lot.

(and they seem to like my story, "The Mad Eyes of the Heron King", too.)

This is what me playing racquetball sounds like

SPOING SPOING SPOING

WHACK

SPOING

"Did that hit the ceiling? I think it hit the ceiling."

SPOING SPOING SPOING

WHACK

SPOING

WHACK

SPOING SPOING SPOING

THUD

"Jesus, honey, are you OK?"

SPOING SPONG SPOING

WHACK

SPOING

WHACK

SPOING

WHACK WHACK WHACK "Stupid ball!" WHACK WHACK SPOING WHACK OOOF SPOING THUD

SPOING

More Racquetball Today

This time, I'm actually printing out the rules.

Also, I'm busting out the UNC-colored shorts. It's not that I love UNC or those colors. But Boston College-themed gym shorts are A)hard to find and B)hideous. Seriously? Burgundy and gold? It's like the Cleveland Cavaliers exploded.