David S. Atkinson's Blog, page 152

It Takes Me Many Months To Post A Video

It takes me many months to post a video. Finally, here is the video of me reading “Changes for the Château” at the Not Quite so Stories release at The BookBar in Denver. Like and share as kindness and inclination permit:

This was in March. Yeah, I’m not fast.

I’m Ignoring Any Goodreads Book Recommendations

Just so you know, recommending a book to me on Goodreads is a waste of your time. Pretty much regardless who it is, I’m going to access Goodreads just to get to my recommendations list and click ignore. It isn’t personal, but this is what is going to happen.

I read about 200-300 books per year. However, I seem to get more book recommendations than that. I can think of at least twenty book recommendations recently on Goodreads. Some people recommend multiple books to me a month. Some people recommend me their books despite having no other contact with me. It’s just overwhelming…particularly given that I’ve already got usually 45-60 books waiting on my actual to read list when they recommend (I don’t add to my to read shelf unless I have the book). When do they think I’ll get to the book they’re recommending?

Frankly, I’ve become so irritated with Goodreads book recommendations over the years because so many people send so many and so many are junk (and I don’t know how to turn them off, if there is even a way short of defriending everyone) that I just ignore them all categorically. All that happens is that I get irritated first.

Bottom line? If you want me to read a book don’t send me a Goodreads recommendation. I won’t follow up on it.

I Felt Like An American Today

I really felt like an American today. That wasn’t a good thing, in context. I heard that Japan’s emperor was debating about abdicating due to his declining ability to fulfill his duties. This made me feel like an American because I had no idea Japan still had an emperor.

Isn’t that considered American? To know know significant figures in the governments of the rest of the world? Particularly nations with which we have close ties?

I mean, I knew Japan had a prime minister (currently Shinzo Abe). I just didn’t know they still had an emperor. I assumed they stopped having emperors a while ago. We won’t even get into what kind of duties such an emperor might have (just like my confusion about England’s royal family).

I just felt a bit ignorant…which I was (and for most areas, remain).

Wanna Know How Concerned I Am With The Olympics?

Want to know how concerned I am about the Rio Olympics? Probably not, but just in case…every time I see a mention of them I suddenly remember that the Rio Olympics exist. Thirty seconds after I see the mention of them, I forget again until I see the next mention. That’s about it, other than a pause in between where I suddenly find myself thinking:

Compared to the 80s where I lived and breathed the Olympics, and the associated McDonald’s promotions, that’s not much.

There’s Still Time!

There’s still time to get a free ebook copies of Not Quite so Stories! My publisher, Literary Wanderlust, is giving them away to people who sign up for their newsletter  before September 30.

Once per month, they’re randomly picking an email and sending that person a code for claiming the free ebook copy of Not Quite so Stories. It’s an epub through Ganxy too, so it will work with any reader device, reader program, or reader app you have. Kindle not necessarily required.

So, sign up for their newsletter.

Sign At Work

There is a sign on the table in the kitchen at work. It reads: “Help yourself.” This is because it is indicating that the pile of CDs on the table is free and people can take any, if any, they want. However, my brain is choosing to see this differently.

Whenever I walk by, I keep thinking this is some kind of lame attempt at being inspirational. “What are you doing? Why are you living your live like this? Don’t just sit there…help yourself!”

I have no idea why my brain is doing this. I have no reason to think the sign would find fault with my life anyway. It’s just what I keep thinking whenever I see the sign. I even get irritated briefly. I bet other people at work don’t react that way.

Come Out To See Me At Bookbar’s Local Author Happy Hour 5pm-6pm Saturday August 13

Hey, you should come out to Bookbar‘s Local Author Happy Hour (4280 Tennyson Street, Denver, CO 80212) from 5pm-6pm Saturday August 13, 2016. I’ll be there, chatting and signing copies of Not Quite so Stories.

Should be fun. It’s a relaxed event, and 1/2 off any drink on the menu 5PM-6PM.

This Seems Like A Good Idea

Oh, now this seems like a good idea:

Sure, a bus that straddles multiple lanes of traffic. No concerns about potential problems immediately spring to mind. Though it’s being tested on a fixed track right now, I don’t worry at all about when it might not be restricted to a track and the driver might drift or weave in traffic. I’m not anxious that trucks with too high a clearance might not be stupid and get stuck underneath. I’m certainly not apprehensive that “daredevils” might end up making a game where they have someone drive inside so they can pop out a moon roof to climb around on the inside as the monster bus drives around.

I’m not even worried about the worse remake ever of Speed, or as it is often known: The Bus that Couldn’t Slow Down.

Nope. This totally seems like a good idea. I don’t see any way this could go wrong at all.

Why Do Articles Keep Saying Such and Such Just Destroyed Such And Such?

Here’s a thought: an article talking about someone taking someone else to task for something might not want to say that the first person “destroyed,” “obliterated” or anything else the second person unless the second person’s supporters would likely be convinced by the first person rather than only the first person’s followers. Just a thought.

I’m seeing almost one of these a day. Such and such just destroyed such as such. No, that isn’t what happened. Person One just delivered and indictment of Person Two that followers of Person One would find to have utterly destroyed Person Two whereas followers of Person Two would be utterly unconvinced. This is the way it always seems to be, yet the “destroyed” or such language keeps being used.

I just think “destroyed” should be saved for circumstances when even the “destroyed” person’s followers would have to agree with the person doing the “destroying.” Otherwise, no matter how possibly accurate, it’s basically just more wasted rhetoric. Those already convinced are still convinced and those opposed are no more convinced than they were before.

It all just seems like such garbage.

[END POINTLESS RANT]

This Is How Serious I Feel I Should Be Taking “Seven Pillars of Wisdom”

I’m reading Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T. E. Lawrence (“Lawrence of Arabia”) right now. This is about how serious I feel I should be taking it: