David Lubar's Blog, page 36

Solstice on ice

If only the shortest day was also the coldest day. It's great to think that the days will now grow longer, and we've passed the darkest moment, but that's balanced by the realization that the whole freezing, snowy, slushy winter season lies ahead. So, yeah, there will be more light, but it will be reflecting off of slick roads.

That having been said, I should add that I totally lucked out as far as snowfall. We only got four inches. Places not all that far from here got over a foot.

A modest malaproposition

I've noticed people have been using "penultimate" as if it means "super totally really way beyond ultimate." This will not do. We've already lost "beg the question." "Bemused" is on shaky grounds, and a variety of other useful words have been mishandled by the mouth breathers. The next time you hear someone say something along the lines of, "Wow, McNabb just threw the penultimate touchdown pass," lean over and whisper something along the lines of, "There's only going to be one more pass? ...

Blythe and in color

In a brilliant example of my lack of marketing savy, I decided that the looming release of Dead Guy Spy, the second Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie book, would be the perfect time to unveil the cover for book 3, Goop Soup. Being stunningly lazy incredibly resourceful, and lacking a jpeg of the cover, I decided to search the internet rather than wrestle with my ancient and badly documented scanner. To my amusement, I discovered that a Google image search for "goop soup" (including the ...

Palumbing the depths

I fear it is time for me to reread Palumbo.

If that sentence causes your gut to clench in sympathy, you are probably a professional writer. Or a professional therapist.

If that sentence means nothing to you, be happy.

Miracle merger in Washington D.C.

In an incident that stunned onlookers, Joe Lieberman and John McCain have merged into one creature. The merger occured just minutes ago when the two politicians made the mistake of standing within earshot of each other while they emmitted ear-shattering screeches of indignation and illogic, and performing a series of rapid 180-degree turns. According to one witness, the merger was accompanied by "a sort of gross fleshy sound, like when you drop a large steak on the floor." The resulting en...

Testing a blog theory

I've always suspected that far fewer people read blogs on the weekend. I believe the main purpose of blogs is to give people a procrastination option during the work week. With that in mind, and given that the entry I posted on Saturday took a lot more time than my usual ten-word efforts (I actually included several links, which I'm generally too lazy to do), I've decided to repost it. So, here it is (with one more really cool link added). To help with my scientific research, please let m...

Joy in Mudslingingville

I just missed an amazing chance at either brilliant or horrible timing. Early last week, I had stumbled across an old humor piece I'd written. Since I'd never posted it, I decided to put it in my blog. The piece was about a decision by Kirkus Reviews to start selling reviewers. (A follow-up strategy to their decision to sell reviews.) It was pretty much as tacky, and as funny, as it sounds. Right before I did that, I got an email from a writer who'd been wounded by Kirkus. This isn't un...

Kirkus is finally a carcass

I'm almost too thrilled for words. Kirkus Reviews, that badly written, badly edited snark fest of anonymous and cowardly scribbling is finally going to be put out of our misery. I hear the remaining subscriptions will be fulfilled with Easy Rider.

Ginko? A 9mm Glock? Qi Gong?

I saw a message board comment yesterday that included the phrase, "for all intensive purposes." It kind of stuck with me, like catchy song lyrics. It's been running around in my head, amusing me (I may have heard someone utter this mangled phrase before, but I don't think I ever saw it in writing), but also making me wonder what item would come in handy for all intensive purposes.

Wipeout

It seems strange that a movie about the man who invented the intermittent windshield wiper isn't even intermittently interesting.