B.B. Shepherd's Blog, page 23

It’s been an Extreme week

Happy weekend everyone. This will be a short post just to say “Hi” and give you something to watch. I will have a more extensive post after next weekend. I’ll be headed to Los Angeles (road trip!) to meet up with a friend at a special horse event, and hopefully will have pictures to share when I get back. That’s the plan anyway. I also plan on getting some new music to listen to on the way there, so more music videos next week!



In the meantime, let me share a little of another very special event that happened this week. This was the Extreme Mustang Makeover Finals in Madison, Wisconsin.



What? I hear you ask. A car makeover? Pimping out classic Ford coupes?



No silly. REAL mustangs. Horses! The kind that still roam more-or-less wild and free (where they’re protected at least) in North America, and particularly in the western United States. I know some people who are very critical of them as a breed, and I know all the arguments, but no-one will ever change my opinion of their heart, intelligence, adaptability, and athleticism.



Extreme Mustang Makeover Challenges occur across the nation and provide many horses, that might otherwise become BLM statistics, with hope of a future home and meaningful life with owners who will love and appreciate them.



Would they be better left alone to live free on the land? Well, that depends on who you ask. Many people would love to see them annihilated completely, claiming they are nothing more than feral castoffs with questionable lineage and poor conformation that are habitat invaders of “native” wild species such as deer, antelope, and bison.



Others will tell you that they are a beautiful symbol of the old west, many of which still carry the DNA and traits of the horses originally brought to this country, the Iberian PRE horses. Has the mustang breed been diluted over the centuries by other, less exalted breeds? No doubt. But many still retain the undeniable qualities and even appearance of those PRE ancestors.



And even other people will point out the fact that horses roamed this continent way before people did. No, not this particular breed of course, but horses belong here.



I’ve loved mustangs ever since I first read Marguerite Henry’s “Mustang: Wild Spirit of the West” when I was about eight years old. As a teenager, I was fortunate to know of two mustangs who lived wild on the ranchland near where I lived and saw them a few times when I was out riding. I even have pictures somewhere. They disappeared eventually and someone told me that they had died during a drought. A shame, but that’s what happens to wild horses.



If you have read my novel, “Bronze,” you will know that several of the horse characters are at least half mustang. I love mustangs.



The Extreme Mustang Makeover program is rather grueling, and potential trainers must meet strict criteria in order to participate, but the results can be utterly amazing. From completely wild, never-touched-by-human-hand horses, to trusting, well-trained and adoptable equine partners. IN 90 DAYS! Anyone who has ever trained an unstarted horse will know this is impressive. And these horses aren’t just unstarted, they’re WILD!



Anyway, here’s a video of the winning entrants from this year’s finals at the Midwest Horse Fair in Madison. I’ll be back next week with news of my weekend and an update for my novel “Bronze.” Enjoy!

You can read more about the Extreme Mustang Makeover at their website Here: extrememustangmakeover.com



Reviews for The Glister Journals: Bronze



More Glister info and chapters at the book’s website here: theglisterjournals.com


The chapters can also be read here at the top of my blog. (and also in a menu in the sidebar!)



And please “Like” us on Facebook!

A Good Day

I’m actually celebrating because, not only did I get my taxes finished (both federal and state) TWO DAYS before they’re due (actually FOUR days–I just found out the due dates are changed this year), but I’m getting an honest-to-goodness REFUND this year! Unheard of! I can’t remember the last time that happened. I’ve been thinking all day about all the ways I’m NOT going to spend the money.




However, I was revising this morning and my computer starting acting a bit freakish. It’s acted that way before and it turned out it had a virus, so I ran a boot scan while I finished up the rough draft of a chapter in the new book. (My rough drafts are mostly accomplished long hand.) I would have worked on the next chapter, but I’d already started it on the computer and couldn’t remember exactly what I’d done (it’s sort of in pieces and chunks right now) so instead I went out to mail my lovely tax forms and took a walk too. That’s quite a big deal for me, but I won’t go into that now.




Suffice it to say that it was a GORGEOUS day, a little bit blustery but not too cold with huge white fluffy clouds. Almost perfect. I’ll have to take a picture next time. I did take a picture of some of my candles last night. I just thought they looked cool. I don’t know why there was a power outage; it wasn’t storming or anything. But it was kind of fun–the first time in over a year that we actually needed candles. I was working on my computer then too, until the battery got too low.









Ah well. I do have some real news . . . which I’ll share soon. Really! In the meantime I’d love to share an amazing version of a song I referenced a while ago by Gotye (which, by the way, is NOT pronounced Go-tee-yay, as everybody is saying, but Gore-ti-yeah; am I the only one who reads ‘About’ pages?), Somebody That I Used To Know. If you haven’t heard it by now you live on a different planet than me–or maybe just a really differnt part of this one. I’m a bit tickled actually, as I went into my local record store (YES! I shop brick and mortar whenever possible!) to buy his CD and they didn’t have a clue what I was talking about. I told them that they WOULD and they should get the album in.




In the meantime he’d been getting some local airplay and was scheduled to do a concert in a cool but relatively small venue. Well now that has been changed to a MUCH larger venue. The last time I went in to the record store, they’d already sold out of the album. (I told you so! And I still haven’t got a copy yet!) Anyway, here’s the version I was talking about. It’s by Walk off the Earth. Have a great weekend!

Reviews for The Glister Journals: Bronze



More Glister info and chapters at the book’s website here: theglisterjournals.com


The chapters can also be read here at the top of my blog. (and also in a menu in the sidebar!)



And please “Like” us on Facebook!

In Case of Apocalypse . . .

I really hadn't planned on posting anything until next weekend, but I came across this and thought it hilarious. I also wanted to respond to the person who left a comment saying,

Hello, you used to write fantastic, but the last several posts have been kinda boring… I miss your super writings. Past several posts are just a little out of track! come on!"

While I'm pretty sure they are spammers and don't actually read my blog anyway, never let it be said that I wimped out of listening to criticism or that I ignored a comment because it was negative. I would actually love to open dialog on the subject of WHAT constitutes my "super" writings, and in what way the "last several" posts have been boring. I like to learn from my mistakes, if mistakes have in fact been made. So whoever you are, please feel free to enlighten me.



Considering that comment was made on Chapter Three's page (and I have said I won't post comments on chapter pages, and that chapter happens to be one of my personal favorites) I don't feel obligated to respond to it at all. But what the heck. I wanted to post something anyway and in the meantime I have found something I thought worth posting.



Now, if you've been reading my blog at all, you will know that I am not much of a traditional sports person. I like soccer and basketball and baseball, but, except during the World cup for soccer, I'm not really that big of a fan. I prefer my sports on the extreme side. So it won't surprise you to learn that I don't watch the Superbowl, Rosebowl, or any other bowl or game of American football. Ever.



But I was doing a search on Big Black Trucks–specifically Big Black Chevy Trucks (for some friends)–and came across this article: Ford Objects to Chevy Silverado Super Bowl Ad and found it very funny. Especially this:

We can wait until the world ends, and if we need to, we will apologize. In the meantime, people who are really worried about the Mayan calendar coming true should buy a Silverado right away."

Here's the commercial in case you haven't seen it, though I'm probably one of the few that hasn't:

But just for the record, Dave wouldn't be caught dead driving a Ford truck. Maybe a Mustang . . .

Reviews for The Glister Journals: Bronze



More Glister info and chapters at the book's website here: theglisterjournals.com


The chapters can also be read here at the top of my blog. (and also in a menu in the sidebar!)



And please "Like" us on Facebook!

Just kidding . . .

Rodeo and New Music

It was a wearying drive there (horrendous traffic for the first good half of the journey and taking a wrong highway costing me gas as well as time) and a not-so-good stay at a hotel causing a not-so-good next morning (a VERY noisy night causing me to wear earplugs and sleep through my alarm. I woke up five minutes before I was due to check out and missed opening ceremonies!) The rodeo, in spite of all this, was well worth the trouble as it always is.



As you may alreay know, I am a big fan of rodeo but a HUGE fan of high school rodeo. These kids really put it all on the line, give it all they've got, have incredible heart and bravery, mad athletic skills, and they love their animals and treat them well (in spite of what some people would like you to think.)

Rain had been forecast for this weekend and I was afraid the event would be rained out at worst and very messy at best, but there was no rain though it got very cold by the last event. I don't even know if they would have cancelled it. I have a feeling it's like soccer or football: the game must go on! I may or may not post pictures and/or video at some later time.



Wanting new tunes to listen to on the drive there, I was finally able to pick up some of the new albums I've been wanting to get.



I listened to Build A Rocket Boys by Elbow (scroll over the name on their site–very cool) on the road there. Elbow has done some amazing songs that I really love, such as 'Mirrorball' and 'Grounds for Divorce,' but it's not a group I can listen to all the time. I think I'm going to enjoy listening to this album while drawing or other non-verbal creative endeavor, something where I'm able to let it drift through me. It's music I need to just feel and hear and not (necessarily) listen critically to the lyrics. There's something about a lot of their music that reminds me of my favorite composer, Debussy; a 'tone poem' quality that's lovely to dream and imagine to, but would not be my first choice for music to drive to. This is the title track:

Chevelle, on the other hand, is perfect for driving to. I had high expectations for their newest album, Hats Off to the Bull, having loved every track of their last, Sci-Fi Crimes (my favorite being Shameful Metaphors*) which were completely justified as track after track proved they'd done it again, at least for me. After each track I wanted to go back and listen to it again, but resisted, preferring to get to the end of the album and listen to the whole first. They've proven their consistency to me and I definitely count them now as one of my favorite bands. I haven't had a chance to listen to this again yet, but it will be the first thing on the player when I get in my car in the morning.



Very often my favorite tracks are not the ones that grab me on a first listen. They're the ones that I have to hear a few times before I start going, "Wow, I really like that." Then that will be the one(s) that end up speaking to me the most, for whatever reason, whether it's something in the music itself or something in the lyrics hits home. I try to get the gist of lyrics on a first listen, but honestly, I'm just listening to the music. If the music doesn't grab me first, I may never discover what beautiful/clever/otheradjectivehere lyrics the song has. In fact I may need to listen several times before I decide whether I really like something, and then it's worth investigating the lyrics, but that's just the way I'm made. This album, however, has caught me completely already and I'm looking forward to listening over and over. It's much too early to say which my favorite track off this album is, but the opener, 'Face to the Floor' will certainly suit my purpose here:

Another album I had been looking forward to greatly is Port of Morrow by The Shins. Although they've been around for a long time, I've really only become aware of them in the past year or so, and that was because of Caring Is Creepy which I first heard on the radio and loved on first hearing. I had to have the album and wasn't quite sure what I'd found, but after listening many times I loved them more and more. I still get very tripped up by their lyrics which I'm ashamed to say I still haven't gotten to the bottom of and here, I've got the new album to decipher! Another favorite track off that last album Oh, Inverted World is New Slang.



I listened to Port of Morrow mostly on the way home and got through it a couple of times (some tracks even more). Fall of '82 really caught my attention for a lot of reasons. It has a mid-era Beatles (Sgt. Pepper) feel to it, though the verse also reminds strongly of an old Thin Lizzy song. Elements I really loved on this track were the retro instrumental sounds (maybe even a little Chicago in there?), a very tasty muted trumpet solo, and lead singer James Mercer's (I assume) lower vocal register.



The other stand out track to me is '40 Mark Strasse.' Very haunting music, very cutting lyrics. It reminds me of something . . . but I'm not sure what. Something also from the late 60s or early 70s. I'll have to think about that.



Then there's 'Port of Morrow' itself, which makes me laugh every time I hear it. I don't really know what the lyrics are about (yet-yes I could run and read them right now, but I really want to finish this post TODAY!) but it sounds like the way James sings in Broken Bells, which I also love but had forgotten he's in also. Anyway, it's a great album, I loved every track and look forward to picking apart the lyrics later when I can concentrate on them. Here is the track being played on the radio most right now:

Sorry for the VEVO I've avoided it where I could.

From Russia with . . .

. . . spam.



Apologies to those of you who actually read my blog. I know you're out there and I love you. I really do. But the spam is killing me. When I started this blog (on the WordPress site–I have no problem with Blogspot) I had the comments turned off for unregistered users. It seemed like the safest way to go, but of course I got no comments. So I thought I'd see what happened when I took that requirement off and I actually got real reader feedback. Unfortunately most of it was spam. And most of that seems to be coming from Russia and the Ukraine. To those of you from those countries and regions that actually read my blog and enjoy it, thank you! You are very welcome here. To those of you spamming, just stop. Please.



Unfortunately, my sense of humor won't allow me to completely move on from this until I share the kind of thing I'm talking about. They're just too darn funny.



Posted on my novel's Prologue page:

Undeniably believe that which you stated. Your favorite reason seemed to be on the net the easiest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I definitely get annoyed while people think about worries that they plainly don't know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and defined out the whole thing without having side-effects , people could take a signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks."

Uh . . . you're welcome?

You made some good points there. I looked on the internet for the issue and found most persons will agree with your website."

Well if most people will agree with my website, I must be on the right track! I feel so . . . so . . . validated!



And apparently I completely confused this unfortunate person with my complicated concepts (also posted on Prologue):

You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this topic to be really something which I think I would never understand. It seems too complicated and very broad for me. I'm looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!"

I'm sure those of you that are more tech-savvy, and especially BLOG-savvy could explain it to me, and I'd sure appreciate it if you could, but for now I've got the comments set to registered users only again. It's too depressing to deal with all the garbage. I hope by disabling comments for a while I'll drop off the spammers' radar. If you know of a way to discourage it, especially here on WordPress, please let me know! I do plan on enabling comments again soon, so please don't give up on me! I'll post a 'normal' blog post soon too with some exciting news. Yay.



And speaking of spam, I'm sorry but I just have to:

Reviews for The Glister Journals: Bronze



More Glister info and chapters at the book's website here: theglisterjournals.com

The chapters can also be read here at the top of my blog. (and also in a menu in the sidebar!)



And please "Like" us on Facebook!

Clogged Drains and Spam

Yes, clogged drains are really annoying. Especially when you know that you have done absolutely nothing to deserve them. I'm pretty sure the only thing that has gone down the garbage disposal lately is egg shells, and they are supposed to be good for garbage disposals.



I'll cover the spam in my next blog (gives me something to talk about), but I couldn't resist a little word play. And yes, I'm referring to Green Eggs and Ham.



Friday was Read Across America which also coincided with (what would have been) Dr. Seuss' 108th birthday. I had an opportunity to observe this special day at a local elementary school. I had wondered what took place and admit to having been a little skeptical when hundreds of children invaded and then inhabited the open library and adjoining walkway spaces.



As you can imagine, they were pretty excited to be doing something so outside their normal school routine. The noise and activity seemed antithetic to an atmosphere conducive to actual reading, but surprisingly, little by little, the students settled and became quiet (if not silent) and most were indeed reading. Some of the reading material might have had questionable value (video game strategy guides, manga, etc.) but reading is reading and most kids seemed to be reading traditional enough fare. I saw several copies of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Harry Potter books, and one fifth grader was in the last eighth or so of The Hunger Games. He'd even brought Catching Fire with him in case he finished the first book.



The principal later read Horton Hatches the Egg which I'd never read (or heard read) before. I think I only have one Dr. Suess book left, and that's my personal favorite, One Fish, Two Fish, but it has somehow ended up wedged between The Chicago Manual of Style and an ancient copy of Make Every Word Count which I think is hilarious. I think Dr. Suess would agree.



Then I found this video which I thought was pretty cool, and it has Danny DeVito and Zac Efron helping to mark the day (and blatantly promoting the new Lorax movie which I won't see, but I admit to having a crush on Zac).

And in case that's not your cup of tea, have some Imogen Heap covered acapella by an amazing young singer. I love it!

Oh, and my clogged drain? I finally got it open with baking soda, boiling water, and a plunger!

Face melted . . .

Maybe it's culture clash . . . my insular, northwestern European roots colliding against those of my predominantly warmer-climed and possibly gregarious-cultured or obviously all-American, party-loving neighbors.



Maybe it's my age–naw, I've always been like this and some of my neighbors are about the same age as me.



Maybe I just wear my neural receptors on my sleeve.



I feel like one of those guys in Raiders of the Lost Ark. You know the ones; the guys at the end whose faces melt off or their heads explode. Not good.



Yes, I have spoken nicely to these neighbors. I thought perhaps they just didn't realize how loud their activities are inside my house. With the doors and windows closed. I'm already dreading summer when everybody seems to be outside and partying and the windows have to be open or we fry.



Whatever. I resent being kept up all night, then having adults yelling, doors slamming, children screaming for long periods throughout the day (these seem to be visiting children, thank God) and feeling forced to retreat to my darkened bedroom, putting ear-plugs in, and pulling the covers over my head, trying to block it out at least for a little while. Not the way I was planning on spending my weekend. I was hoping to actually get some work done today.



Instead, I composed this blog while trying to block out the noise, must have slept as I dreamed of positive book reviews, and this song was in my head–unhappily and a little too appropriately–when I woke up.

Does anyone else have to deal with noisy neighbors like this? What do you do? Is there anything you've said that makes any difference? I've thought about retaliating, like waking them up at four in the morning banging pans outside their window or something, but of course I'd never do it. I'm hating the idea of having to move again when my lease is up. I otherwise like it here and it fits my budget–an important consideration.



Yes, I know I said I wasn't going to rant and I promise not to make a habit of it, but honestly, I have to do something productive today. And it gives me an excuse to share some Incubus. Just making lemonade.

Happy Anniversary . . .

. . . to me!



One year ago today my first novel was published (paperback). It will be coming out this June in a hardbound edition with much more nurturing than it's original paperback had. But that doesn't matter today. And yes, it is also Valentine's Day, and YES, that was on purpose.



Unfortunately very few people know about it (my YA novel, Bronze), but hopefully Dave, Allison, Chris, and Robin will make many more friends this summer. I love having Valentine's day as my little romance's birthday though.



And to celebrate, I'd like to share this sweet animated short (hijacked from PBS Books). It's apparently up for an Oscar this year and it's easy to see why.



Enjoy! (And Happy Valaentine's Day!)

Reviews for The Glister Journals: Bronze



More Glister info and chapters at the book's website here: theglisterjournals.com

The chapters can also be read here at the top of my blog. (and also in a menu in the sidebar!)



And please "Like" us on Facebook!

Grammys, Writing, and Comparisons

Seems like forever since I posted anything, but there's not much going on. It is the Grammys tonight though, and I am slightly interested in that. Only slightly because I'm not at all impressed by celebrity and I don't think the people/groups that win awards in general (music or otherwise) necessarily deserve them–sometimes it seems clear that popularity or politics are more involved than any real talent or quality–but I find it interesting none-the-less and am always happy when my bands and musicians win!



This year I'm rooting (in general-whatever they're up for) for Foo Fighters, Foster the People, the Black Keys, and Radiohead. If I can find a decent livestream to watch I may, otherwise I guess I'll find out tomorrow (feel free to fill me in!)



The writing is going well, but I don't plan on giving a play-by-play on what I'm doing, tempting though it is. I will probably let you know of major 'checkpoints,' etc. For now, suffice it to say that I'm writing every day and Dave has started bugging me again. A lot. That's always a good sign.



Apart from that, there's nothing much to add; nothing new. I'm not the kind of person who likes to describe the minutiae of their day, and I'm not famous enough for anyone to be interested anyway. That leaves ranting (of which there's been plenty lately, especially the $@#%* drivers I manoeuver around everyday!) and though many of the blogs I follow have very entertaining rants which I enjoy reading–in moderation–I promised myself I would NOT use my blog for that or subject my readers to it. But I do make observations at times and here is one of them.



Lately I've been hearing very familiar sounds coming from my radio. Two songs in particular (and I just heard a third recently) have elements that I first heard in music by Hirasawa Susumu years ago. And he may not be the first to use these elements, but it's the first time that I was aware of it. You may not be familiar with him, but if you are into anime at all, you've probably heard his work. So I thought it would be interesting to do a little comparison.



The first of his works is from an anime called Paranoia Agent, a rather disturbing, mind-messing show with adult themes (2004).

I'm refering to the little voice at the beginning and end. A small thing, perhaps, but distinctive. Then there's Don't Stop (Color on the Walls) from Foster the People (Don't look to me to explain the video; I don't even…):

And I recently heard this from Coldplay:

The second element is the electronic voice (Vocaloid) employed in some of Hirasawa's music for the full-length Paprika (again, very weird, disturbing, and adult in themes–just so you know)

I'm hearing very similar sounds here in Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites from Skrillex:

My point? I don't have one…it's just a comparison and old habits die hard



Reviews for The Glister Journals: Bronze



More Glister info and chapters at the book's website here: theglisterjournals.com

The chapters can also be read here at the top of my blog. (and also in a menu in the sidebar!)



And please "Like" us on Facebook!