Bart "J.B." Hopkins's Blog, page 27

Playtime (Free Book Alert)

My Dad’s book is currently #1 in the Amazon free store!  Grab a copy of yours today:

CLICK HERE CLICK HERE CLICK HERE CLICK HERE

A… mit ohren = A… with ears

Feast your eyes on this treasure!

My wife and kids went to the German grocery store today.  Not a specialty store–a grocery store.  And they found this little treat with all of the other candy for kids.

Even If you don’t understand a lick of German, you can probably figure out what “A … mit ohren” means.  Just take a good look at the gummy candy.

You’ll probably think to yourself, “no, that can’t be…”

But, that’s exactly what it is.

Butt With Ears gummy candy.  Made by Haribo.  Haribo!  Not some cheap, knock-off gummy bears but the real deal.

Google Translate confirmed that, indeed, the German word does begin with “A”

A… = Arsch

Yikes.  Hungry for gummies, yet?  I’ll confess.  I ate one, and it isn’t half bad.

Good night,

Bart

Let Her Go

I’ve been neglectful of this blog.  True story.

I’m working on something right now, a story, and I’m excited about it.  It’s science fiction, which isn’t my usual thing, but I’m digging it.  That’s not to say I won’t take a leap in another direction when it’s done.

And there’s the Fluke sequel that Dave and I are taking entirely too long to finish.

I was staring at the keyboard a few minutes ago, cursor blinking, nothing happening … uncertain what direction to take in my story.  I decided to plug in my headphones, see if some music would help.

But what band?  Which song?

I made the right choice:  ”Let Her Go” by Passenger.  I could listen to it over and over.  Well, actually I’m doing that right now.  The lyrics are so simple, yet so profound.  Great sound.

No other thoughts today.  You can check out the song and band here:

CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK

See ya later, world.

Bart

FREE BOOK: The Day Before 9/11

Hello, world!

Do yourself a favor, and go grab this book from Tucker Elliot while it’s free…

It’s unlike any other 9/11 story you’ve seen or heard.  It’s from the perspective of a teacher, overseas, instructing the kids of our nation’s military who are stationed abroad.  It’s about his own confusion and the responsibility of suddenly teaching kids who have a parent(s) in harm’s way.

A very profound and touching book.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO AMAZON NOW

 

Doctor Sleep

One of only a few books that I consider nearly flawless. Stephen King truly is a master of the craft.

Even the dedication and author’s notes are fantastic.

If you want the synopsis, read the blurbs. If you want assurance as a previous fan, current fan, or would-be fan, then I’ll offer my assurance that it is spectacular. I enjoyed The Shining a great deal, and it was hard for me to imagine a sequel, but here it is, and it’s one of the best sequels ever.

As he mentions in his notes, The Shining is one of 3-4 books of King’s that people routinely tell him “scared the bejeezus out of them.” I fall into that category, though I read it when I was in the single digits, a kid, and the magic was closer to my heart back then.

It works as a stand alone read, but naturally, the experience is enhanced if you’ve read the first book.

Doctor Sleep is truly wonderful writing and storytelling, and my opinion is that it is better, overall, than the predecessor. Well done, Mr. King!

Super Cool

So, I got this very cool post to my Facebook page just after Christmas…

Isn’t that dope?  Do people use “dope” any more to describe good things?  I’m what you might call middle-aged now, so I don’t know what the hip lingo is, but let me say it was awesome.  Super cool.

If you liked the photography, you can see more at her FB page (CLICK RIGHT HERE).

I’m not receiving anything for pushing her photography.  I just thought the picture was great … and the guy in the picture is sort of adorable, too.  You find yourself tempted to hug him or something.

Many thanks for passing along the kind words and the positive vibes!

Have a good night, people of Earth.

Bart

What’s A Christmas Market?

Have you ever been to a Christmas Market?

Click the Pic to check out the article I wrote for TrueBlue Magazine.  While you’re there, have a look around at what TrueBlue has to offer … there is something for everyone!

 

Culture Collision

Sometimes life is strange.

Last Saturday we were driving through the Moselle region of France, on our way to Strasbourg for our final Chirstmas Market of the season.  (It was actually a few days after Christmas … some of the markets run through the holiday season.)

We were off the beaten path, thanks to our GPS, Paula, cruising through beautiful countryside on a minor road.  Paula sometimes chooses, well, scenic routes for our travels.  I have no doubt we shaved a few miles off of our total distance at the expense of some time and morsels of my sanity.  And, yes, we’ve tried to change the GPS settings.  Oddly, all of Paula’s many settings yield the same results.  If I didn’t know any better, I’d suspect paranormal activity…

…but, I digress.

Twisting through the French countryside, I scanned the radio for music.  There were a variety of French and German stations to choose from.  Most played French, German, and yes, American music.

We heard some American songs redone in French.  One of them was “Another Day In Paradise,” by Phil Collins.  A female sang the remake, but it was easy to identify thanks to the tune.

Sometimes we just listened to the foreign music, content with the melody.

Then something came pouring through the speakers with which we were pretty familiar:  ”Cruise” by Florida Georgia Line.  We hear it pretty frequently on AFN.

It really caught me by surprise, hearing that country song.  Florida and Georgia.  Playing in France.  French people might be–surely were–listening at that very moment.

“Baby you a song, you make me wanna roll my windows down, and cruise…”

It was somewhat surreal, this collision of cultures.  Southern USA meets France.  What’s next?  Tailgating at the Tour de France?

I confess: I like the song.  And I like France.  As odd as it sounds, it all fell together okay–it worked–like Hawaiian pizza.  Or bacon-flavored ice cream.

May you all be blessed on this final day of 2013–Happy New Year!

~~Bart~~

 

 

Playtime

Cover Reveal … Playtime by Bart Hopkins Jr.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pretty awesome, eh?  Look for it on Amazon in January 2014.

Go Ahead, Be A Snob

I recently wrote an article for Trueblue Magazine … click the picture (or –> here ) to check it out … It’s Yummy.

And, while you’re at it, check out what Trueblue has to offer and give them a LIKE on Facebook.

-Bart-