R.J. Patterson's Blog, page 2

What's your greatest fear?

When you grow up in a family full of Air Force pilots, the last thing you want to admit is that you're afraid of heights. It's a fear that just won't fly. It takes all of three seconds for me to look down from any great height before my palms bead up with sweat and I feel a shortness of breath.

However, if I'm more specific about my fear is that I'm afraid of falling from great heights. I actually enjoy the fleeting moment where I forget about my fear and marvel at the earth below. Then reality hits.

Double Standards, Hypocrisy, and the Power of Brand Names: Why the College Football Playoff Selection Committee should disband today

In an interview this morning, TCU head coach Gary Patterson said in response to how he felt about his team getting left out of the playoffs, “We should trust the committee. Give them another year and see how things go.”

Another year? He’s far too gracious and generous. Based on how the committee selected and seeded the final four teams should result in the immediate dismissal of everyone who participated in this sham.

Tags: college football playoff selection committeecollege football playoffbaylorOhio StateTCUFlorida StateAlabamaOregonTexasOklahomaMinnesotaIndiana

Todd Gurley's Real Lesson

The NCAA's decision to suspend Georgia star running back Todd Gurley four games for profiting off his likeness to the tune of $3,000 sent many college football fans and pundits alike into a tizzy Wednesday. More yards of copy were written than Gurley has gained this season telling us the moral of this tale: lying to the NCAA will get you rewarded while telling the truth will get you punished.

Tags: todd gurleyNCAAMark RichtNCAA suspends GurleyGurley suspensionautographsJohnny ManzielJameis WinstonFSUEric RamseyAuburnUGA

Fear More Communicable Than Ebola

SINCE I STARTED WORKING on a series to be released next spring that follows the life of Tess Hunter, a character who works for the CDC and investigates viral outbreaks, I've been doing plenty of reading on infectious diseases. Some of this includes poring over CDC case studies passed to me by friends inside the organization.

Tags: Ebola virusEbola virus diseaseNigeriaEbola outbreakfear virusdeadly viruskiller virusesTogoGhanaWestern AfricaDallas healthcare workerEbola Dallas

The Judgment and Justification of Todd Gurley

THERE'S NOTHING LIKE a good controversy to suddenly flip a college football fan from dogmatic rule-follower to ethical relativist. Some people loathe the sense of importance our society places on sports -- and I'm inclined to agree -- but I also think it provides a small window into the soul of our culture, some of the issues I tackle in a fictional way in Dead in the Water.

Tags: todd gurleyNCAATodd Gurley suspendedUGAUGA suspends Todd Gurleycollege footballpaying college football players

NFL's Problem Far Greater Than Domestic Abuse

As a writer, I'm limited to painting pictures with words — and not all word pictures appear the same to every reader. Perhaps that why it took the visually jarring video of former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice punching his then-fiancee (now wife) and dragging her unconscious body out of an elevator to raise awareness of the NFL's blind eye toward domestic violence cases.

Tags: Ray RiceDomestic ViolenceSteve BisciotticulturemenNFLNFL cheerleadersviolence against womenRoger GoodellNFL commissioner

Be Safe? Or Be Alive?

THIS WEEKEND as I slathered my kids up with sunscreen to protect them from the blistering heat and secured them with flotation devices -- sometimes multiple devices -- so the fledgling swimmers wouldn’t drown, I wondered if my attempt at safety was nothing more than an attempt to numb them … from the exhilaration of life.

After all, scientists are now telling us that sunscreen is actually harmful as it prohibits your body from making vital Vitamin D — and flotation devices aren’t infallible.

Tags: safetyfeeling alivelifethrill of lifestorytellingstorytelling tipspool partiessummer funkids and safety

My Next Project You Won't Want to Miss

While I try to write what I know, when New York Times bestselling author Joshua Graham asked me to collaborate with him on a speculative thriller based on an alternate history, I couldn’t refuse. Besides, unless you're Dr. Who, nobody knows about how the future would be different, which makes this project all the more fun.

Tags: The Fuhrer's DaughterJoshua GrahamJack Pattersonalternate historyspeculative fictionHitlerWorld War II

Dads Who Kick Butt and Take Names

IF HOLLYWOOD HAS DONE ANYTHING for culture in the last thirty years, it’s drummed a steady beat that says dads are bumbling -- though occasionally loveable -- imbeciles who are often aloof and destined to disappoint. But every once in a while, a movie comes along that attempts to shatter that idea with dads who kick butts and take names. Here are my top five movies from that rarely-used plot line:

Tags: awesome dadsbest dad moviesbest kidnapping moviestop 5 kidnapping moviesmovies where dad saves the day

The Opossum's Survival Secret We All Need

There are things we just shouldn't have to think about — like how to survive a crazed gunman’s shooting spree. But in this crazy messed up world we live in, it’s necessary for survival.

From all accounts I’ve read of survivors, who seem to hold the secret for avoiding death when a deranged lunatic storms into a public place and begins shooting, playing dead is the best way to go, a la the opossum.

Tags: playing deadplaying opossumsurviving shooting spreesurvival tips