Here's the Barn Owl Review Cover

So I put this up on the site the other day and Mary has also plugged it. I'm really happy to see the positive reactions, especially on Mary's blog.

A bit about the photo: While driving to Chicago this past August for my step-brother's wedding, I got caught in gawker traffic outside of Miller, Indiana. Or maybe it was Gary. Well, they're both in the same general area.

At any rate, I had enough time to grab my camera and snapped a couple of pics.

I like it for the cover because it has a punk thing going on. And to me, punk evokes a DIY approach, which relates directly to BOR because we're handling everything ourselves.

We're so punk.

This is the shirt for me.

Sacred Music

Having spent a bit of time watching football each of the past two Sundays, I've seen the new series of Cadillac ads probably 30 times. Not sure if you've seen these, but the last ten seconds of the ads features music from Hum's "Stars."

My first reaction when hearing these was: "Hey, cool. Good for Hum!" This surprised me. Time was I'd shake my fist at the heavens and lament one of my favorite bands selling out or some such thing. Or I'd be angry that some company pooped all over one of my favorite songs by using it to shill for something. Not this time.

Some of it is just getting older. Having more pressing concerns than whether or not some band has "sold its soul to the man, man."

The bigger part of it, though, is that I was really excited for the guys in the band. They haven't really been a band much for, what, 8 to 10 years. It's pretty cool that they've gotten a chance to make a bit more scratch from their music. Nothing wrong with that.

But then I think there are still some songs I'd like to never hear in a commercial. The Beatles' catalogue, for example. What do you think? Is it cool to hear your favorite bands in an ad? Disappointing? Any songs that should be kept out of ads?

I'm tagging myself.

I was just reading Sara Tracey's blog and she had this question thing up there, but she didn't tag anyone. I'm pretty much an absentee blogger and have missed a lot of taggings in my day, so most folks who would tag me have given up by now. So I'm tagging myself. Here we go.


1. Pick out a scar you have, and explain how you got it.

I have a 1/4 moon-shaped scar on the inside of my right forearm. In 7th grade, I told the girl in front of me in Social Studies class that here sweatshirt was inside-out, because it was. It was intentional and I knew that (it was the style at the time). Anyway, I kept tapping her on the shoulder and telling her and she turned around and dug her nails into my arm to get me to knock it off. She must have had pretty strong hands and nails because it's still visible.


2. What does your phone look like? List your reasons to buy it?

It's a gray/blue flip phone. I bought it because it was one of the promo offers from T-Mobile.


3. What is on the walls of your bedroom?

Paint.


4. What is your current desktop picture?

5. Do you believe in gay marriage?

Absolutely.


6. What do you want more than anything right now?

More time w/ the family.


7. What time were you born?

4:15 AM


8. Are your parents still together?

No.


9. Last person who made you cry?

My daughter. She just started school.


10. What is your favorite perfume/cologne?

For me? Gillette Wild Rain. For her? Tresor.


11. What kind of hair/eye color do you like in the opposite sex?

Dark hair. Green eyes.


12. What are you listening to? Why?

Lately it's been a lot of 70s music. I don't know why. Some of it is really good and some of it is so horrible that it's likeable in an odd way.


13. Do you get scared of the dark?

Not anymore.


14. Do you like painkillers?

No.


15. Are you too shy to ask someone out?

It's been a while since that's been an issue, but no.


16. If you could eat anything right now, what would it be?

London Broil made by Mary.


17. What was the last person who made you mad?

My daughter. She thinks it's funny to run away from me at soccer practice and she gets really far off and it scares the beejezus out of me.


18. Name one habit you have that has the potential to annoy people?

Most everything I do annoys people.


19. Who was the last person who made you smile?

My daughter, my son.


I tag Mary.

Dusty

My computer screen is dirty enough today that many times when I type a "." it looks like a ":".

It's kind of annoying, but I'm not sure the best way to clean a laptop screen.

Holla.

I have a lot of pets.

Five cats and a dog.

Sometimes it really strikes me as odd that I've got all these animals running around my house. They're not wild animals, mind you. For the most part they just kind of laze about and take turns holding the furniture down. Still, though. Every now and again it strikes me as I see all these little furry tails trotting around.

Still thinking about Winter Wheat.

Not sure what I want to propose session-wise. I've always had a good time leading sessions on dialogue in fiction, and last year, I did a bit on professionalization which was pretty well-received. My initial thought is to pick something new, but I don't know. Maybe the Winter Wheat world is clamoring for another dialogue workshop. Who knows?

I need to get off the pot, though, before I miss the boat. How's that for a mixed metaphor?