Bill Bodden's Blog, page 8

Turning Play Into Work

When I started out running a D&D-based game for friends a few months ago, I was thinking about converting the adventure into something I could publish. I talked about that game back in March, in this blog post: http://billbodden.com/2019/02/11/first-time-in-decades-part-one/ Since then, several things have transpired.

First, the game came to a natural conclusion, and there was serious talk of another member stepping up to run the next game. As happens with most regular gaming sessions eventually, in the interim one person moved away, and one had a schedule change and was no longer available on the appointed night. Others had...

To read the rest of the post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/09/23/turn...

Blood

I used to be a regular blood donor.

By used to, I mean I hit the 20-gallon donation plateau, and donated regularly for years via apheresis. Apheresis is the process by which your blood is removed, spun through a centrifuge, and separated into its component parts. Because of this, a single donation can help as many as four people instead of just one. Apheresis is a more time-consuming process than regular blood donation, so fewer people are willing to do it. Plus, you have needles in both arms -- one of the draw side, and the other the return side. After the most useful components are removed, the red blood cells are returned to the donor's body. One side effect of this is that apheresis donors can donate much more often than every eight weeks. I used to go every month when I was donating regularly, though I could have gone more frequently.
I got involved because one of the local...

To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/09/16/blood/

A Personal Horror Story

Colleague Patrick Tomlinson writes up a highly amusing story about bugs and Living in Florida. You can find it Here: https://twitter.com/stealthygeek/status/1170128466722852876 Anyway, that story reminded me of my own personal bug epic, one that played out in my apartment one evening during the summer of 1993 when I lived in Austin, Texas.

To start with, Texas has lots of bugs. I bought a used couch in the first weeks I lived there (it was in very good condition and included a hide-a-bed, so it was well worth the 25 bucks) and the couch turned out to have a few fleas (or, perhaps more accurately, flea eggs) so I found ways to deal with that. A lit pillar candle in the middle of a water-filled pie tin suckers fleas in every time. They head for the heat source, and drown in the water. There's the fire risk to worry about, though it did seem quite effective. But I digress...

To read the rest of this story, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/09/09/a-pe...

End of Life

T and I have been discussing for years what to do if one of us dies before the other. It's really a question of "when" more than "if" honestly, though we could both be killed in a car crash or a freak zamboni accident. We discussed this back and forth for more than decade after we got married, and were pretty much in agreement about what we both wanted but had no real idea of how to proceed. The impetus for change came when my doctor...

To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/09/03/end-...

Ghosts and Goblins Are On Their Way!

Spooky image courtesy of Pixabay

You would think that, as a writer of (among many other things!) horror, I'd be a fan of Hallowe'en -- and you'd be correct; I AM a fan of Hallowe'en. In fact, the decorations didn't get put all the way away in the basement: the bins are still in the garage where they ended up last year. A favorite pre-Hallowe'en ritual around our place is to visit all the various specialty holiday shops (you know, the ones that pop up in large empty storefronts in August and are closed and empty again by November 2) to see what's new this year. We can also get a pretty good indication of what themes are most popular, as usually there's a deeper stock of those than anything else.

Last year, we bought something new: it's a...

To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/08/26/ghos...

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

I was thinking the other day about signed books. I've collected autographs now and again, and one of the best ways to do that with authors is to have them sign your copy of one of their books. First of all, it shows you're supporting them by having purchased one of their books in the first place, and second, it's a small boost to the ego to have someone want you to sign your book for them.

One of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors, which I got autographed a few years back at a convention.

I've had a bunch of books and a few other items -- mostly cards from collectable card games -- autographed over the years at conventions. The books I've had autographed have nearly all been
To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/08/19/sign...

Cruel and Unusual

For many writers - myself included - self-promotion is a necessary evil. In the fiction world, publishers won't spend a nickel to help sell the book you wrote -- unless you happen to be Stephen King or Charlaine Harris -- so it falls to the author to promote his or her work. It's kind of a catch-22; Publishers won't help sell someone without a track record, and you can't get a track record without selling your work. Hence, the popularity of self-publishing.
But for many writers, self-promotion is painful and ugly: for many, it amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. So many writers I know are socially shy and uncomfortable in the spotlight, and it stands to reason that being forced to be outgoing and upbeat all the time when working to sell yourself and your book would be exhausting. I myself am unafraid of public speaking: working for years giving the...

To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/08/12/crue...

The Nobody Brigade

An acquaintance of mine from sci-fi fandom recently posted what I term a rant on Facebook. She was responding to a blog post by an author I respect, Theodora Goss, about how Ms. Goss is re-evaluating how she spends her time. The main sticking point was conventions: Ms. Goss describes how many conventions don't routinely pay authors to attend. It's unclear whether she's referring to invited guests or merely people who attend and participate in programming. That was only a small part of the blog post, but seems meant to emphasize that Ms. Goss is finding it difficult to have much time to herself. She is prioritizing her time, and wanting to cut out the things with no particular gain for her, whether material or emotional.
That small bit seems to have done it. My acquaintance goes off a little, the implication being that this blog post is somewhat entitled in nature. She (my acquaintance) comes from a long tradition of...
To read the rest of this post, please visit:
http://billbodden.com/2019/08/05/the-...

Once Upon a Time at the DMV...

All the best stories start with "Once upon a time..."

Once upon a time, I got a letter from the Department of Motor Vehicles. It seems my current driver's license is due to expire in a couple of months--on my birthday, conveniently--so I had to get a new one. Being the sort of person that tries -- TRIES-- to be proactive, I looked over the information they sent on the very day I received it.

There's a new system in place: it's called REAL ID and is apparently spearheaded by the Department of Homeland Security, which automatically makes me suspicious of it. Paranoia about undocumented aliens continues to climb, as I had to collect an entire herd of information to prove my identity to renew and upgrade to the REAL ID. The thing with REAL ID is, it's being required at airports even for domestic travel, so not...

To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/07/29/once...

Under Pressure

I've come across an annoying trend recently, and wanted to share a few of my experiences. The trend is the "Buy it now or you'll lose this discount" variety of sales tactics, and some places resort to near blackmail to trick you into buying something you may or may not need.

Here's an example: I discovered a website, Wyvern's Hoard, that specializes in fantasy-themed jewelry and baubles. I know some people who are into dragons and unicorns--imagine that-- so I took a look. Upon signing up for their newsletter, I received a coupon good for 20% off any purchase--IF it was used...

To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/07/22/unde...