Remember when I said I was going to move the blog under the main page, I lied. Or rather, I changed my mind. I’m going to leave it right where it’s at /log. I mean, it’s a blog, it should be off on the side and the main page should be something flashy and cool. Now I just need to come up with something flashy and cool. Maybe I’ll even put up some more pages.

I’m a big fan of the way my posts get imported into Facebook with that giant RSS feed logo or my PSN card. Makes every update doubly annoying. Gotta figure out how that works/why it’s happening and make it stop. And I didn’t really do anything, but the twitter posts are getting imported once again.

My brother picked up a PS3, and unlike when he had a Xbox he’s online with it. I’m thinking I’ll be getting my football on… nope, not gonna happen. He doesn’t want to buy Madden 10, he’s going to wait for Madden 11 to come out next August. That’ll work nicely for me, in that Kevin and Jay have probably decided never to buy a Madden game again. Without them I won’t have the leverage I need to get Denis to buy next year’s game. Joel might be coerced in if everybody else was playing, but without them, it ain’t gonna happen. So all my football dreams are shattered. It’ll probably end up being me and my bro playing Madden come next year… I love it when a plan comes together.

Zachary is involved with a girl now, according to his Facebook page, I have no other details. Haven’t heard anything more about Tyler and his lady friend, beyond him wanting to borrow the car. Karin… yeah, I don’t know what she’s up to. Kirra is making noises about coming to stay with us, she’s saying end of April, but I’ll believe it when I see it. Rascal (Crooktail) is doing better, swelling is gone and he’s actually got some flick in his tail at this point, but it does have a nice crook in it about an inch-and-a-half from the base. I keep meaning to take a picture, but I’m lazy and forgetful.

Tasha and I have decided not to move. We’re going to stay put for another year. We’re in a nice enough place and the rent isn’t going up all that much. It’s mostly a financial decision, seems like the bills always roll in when you’re saving your pennies for something. We  don’t hate it here, we’d like a house, but Tasha is just getting regular paychecks again and we’re going to just sit tight for another year. As a plus, none of our friends will have to relearn where we live. I am toying with the idea of getting a second carport, it’s silly but I think the one next to us is available and that’d be almost like having a two car garage and as such my bike wouldn’t be nearly as crowded and I wouldn’t have to worry about the neighbors bumping my car.

That’s it for now.

I think I’ve got everything working on the homepage blog, so might just as well start using it. That’s where all the new stuff will be going, after this post that is. I removed the redirect from the index, so now if you type http://ronnmccarrick.com you’ll end up at the new blog page. Change your bookmarks as is appropriate. I have mixed feelings about putting it there, but mostly that’s a residue of the before-times when I had an actual web page with content and what not… now it’s pretty much just a blog. So there is no real reason to keep that spot reserved. The WordPress theme on the new page is Clementine1, it’s got a very industrial feel to it which reminds me of Black & Decker tools, so I guess it’s apropos given what I do.

Tasha headed out to the east side of the state to visit Karin for her birthday. I was going to go with her, but then we have the fiasco that is traveling with the dog. Where does the dog stay? Where do we stay? How much time to we have to set aside for dropping the dog off and picking the dog up? And then there’s the problem of each of us wanting to do different things and only one car. So despite what I told my boys about coming out there, I’m staying home with the animals. Maybe I’ll go out next weekend, and definitely the weekend following, I’ve  gotta teach the boy how to drive a stick and give him some practice time. Doesn’t that sound like fun… nerve wracking, parental fun.

I was going to get up and do some calastetics, eat some breakfast, and then start writing. That didn’t happen. Instead,  I got up made coffee, played some Xbox and got caught up in creating custom paint schemes in Forza Motorsports III, then started fiddling around on the internet and playing with my webpage (tweaking WP Themes can be an all day thing), before I knew it the dog was asking to be let out and it was 5:00 PM. So we went for a walk, had some dinner, and here I am now putting up a blog post. Not exactly the day I had planned, but not a bad day by any stretch. Just not as productive as I’d imagined.

I finished listening to The Glass Key by Dashiell Hammett today, I didn’t enjoy it as much as The Maltese Falcon. It jumped around too much, at a couple different points I had to check my files to make sure nothing was screwy, but everything was okay and I just had to listen twice to get the gist. I’m not sure but I had a real problem differentiating the hero in this book, Ned Beaumont, from the Falcon’s, Sam Spade. Maybe it was the narrator, but they seemed pretty interchangeable (distractingly so) to me. But that noir was still there and it was a nice change from the paranormal and fantasy stuff I’ve been listening to of late.

Now the dog wants to go out again… Probably wants to get rid of that pepper. Ha ha. Later.

Happy Birthday to Karin, the young lady is the ripe old age of 20 years old today. Damn, kids are getting so old… at least I’m staying young. Ha.

Yesterday, I finished listening to J.R. Ward’s Covet. It’s the first book in her fallen angels series, but I’ve got to say, there was quite a dearth of fallen angels. It wasn’t really what I was looking for, but then none of the angel stories ever are. I was happy that there wasn’t a lot of religion in the story. Which makes me happy. It was good, but not what I expected and I’m not sure I’m sold on the whole premise of the series. I’ll finish Malach at some point and then all will be right with angel fiction in the world. Or at least I’ll think so.

Today, I listened to A Werewolf’s Guide To Life: A Guide To The Newly Bitten by Bob Powers and Ritch Duncan. It’s written as a user’s guide to lycanthrope and I thought it was pretty well done. I expected something a bit more tongue-in-cheek, but it wasn’t at all, it took it’s subject seriously and I think it was better for it. I didn’t get much out of it that changed my ideas of what a werewolf is and isn’t, but it did give me a couple of ideas that may find their way into my writing.

I’m looking at WordPress themes and toying with moving the blog out of the /log directory and right into the main domain page… I’ll keep you updated on any changes. Later.

Managed to get 2,131 new words last night on novel.

Lost my fantasy football game by 4 points.

Not feeling all that great tonight, I’m a little worried that I might be having a set back on the road to recovery from this weekends cold. I’m going to try and get some sleep before this gets any worse.

One month until the start of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). The 11th annual word chase to see if you can wrangle up 50,000 words between November 1st and November 30th. They call it a novel, I call it a good chance to get back into the eb and flow of writing and get half a novel done in one month. I’ll be participating, will you? Come on. Give it a chance. You know you always wanted to be a writer. It’s only one month out of your life and you know you’ve got enough of an idea for a book to get 50,000 words down. Join the fun.

I’ll be doing a detective story, crime fiction, whatever you want to call it. Tentatively titled “Crazy, Deadly, Cool”. It’ll be my first attempt at first person narrative and I think I’ve got a pretty good feel for the story at this point. I’m going to take the month of October to frame up a loose outline of the story, flesh out my characters, and toss around some ideas with Doug to get the old juices flowing. The basic idea of the story involves the problems that three women (his gun-happy partner, unstable ex-wife, and a teenage gypsy) cause for our good detective as he attempts to earn a living doing routine casework. I know that’s a pretty crappy synopsis, but I don’t want to give it away until I’ve gotten it nailed down. So that’s what you’re left to work with.

Now, go on. Go get yourself ready, there’s only a month of planning left. Later.

So I’m sitting in the hotel eating my Domino’s Pizza when the phone rings. A pleasant enough female voice ask’s which room this is. I tell her. She says that she got a call asking her to call my room. I tell her that it wasn’t me and it wasn’t anybody else because I’ve been here two weeks. She says, ok. Then asks me if maybe I want a little company. I decline politely and wish her a good night.

I just got called by a whore. An actual whore, prostitute, call girl, hooker. I don’t know how to feel about that. Does this kind of crazy shit happen to anyone else? Just thought I’d share. Later.

In my efforts to stay in the Tallahassee area so as to avoid a repeat of last weekend’s T-Mobile fiasco (I was at St. George Island when their AC went down.), I went to another movie this afternoon. This time around I saw G.I. Joe.

This is not the G.I. Joe I grew up with. That Joe was the size of a Barbie and had fuzzy hair and beard and looked a lot more like the U.S.  Military soldiers than this Joe does. This Joe is based on the little Star Wars sized action figures that my kids had. A Joe that was far more technically advanced than my good old boys were. The movie was pretty much exactly what I would expect. It was a CGI spectacle. A rock ‘em, sock ‘em action fest. Damn near one big explosion with just a dash of story to make it all make sense. Not make it plausible mind you, just make it make sense. I can’t say that I was impressed. The CG was exactly what we’ve come to expect from this sort of movie, good in places, not so much in others.  I was entertained and I’d go see another one if/when they make it. Like I said, this isn’t my Joe, but the kids in the audience seemed to like it.

I only have two real complaints about the film, given what it was, a popcorn-action adventure. One, does everything have to blow up? I mean really! Can’t some stuff just get crushed and broken? At some point in one of these movies I expect to see somebody crumple up a piece of note paper and throw it over their shoulder and have it take out a skyscraper with a huge fireball. Two, Marlon Wayans needs to settle it down and play it a little less for the laughs. I’m okay with a little bit of this sort of thing, after all it is for the kids, but come on. The guy ends up reminding me of Jar Jar Binks the way he over reacts to everything and goes out of his way to get the laugh. I blame the director. His character was alright and could have been good, but they chose to go over the top with it. Everything was just as I would have expected.

I enjoyed this way more than I did District 9, but I can’t say that it was great. I can’t remember the last time I saw a movie that hit all my buttons to be considered great. But in all fairness, I don’t really like movies; they always leave me thinking about how I would have done it had I been in charge. Maybe the Count of Monte Cristo (2002) would be the last movie that hit all the right buttons for me. Later.

I just got back from watching District 9… I was disappointed. I didn’t have any real expectations going in, just saw that it was getting better reviews than G.I. Joe and it looked interesting. So the aliens are bugs who live in a South African slum. The aliens were well done and the weapons made a big fancy mess out of the stuff they were fired upon. But I was bored by the film, annoyed by the camera work, and found nobody to sympathize with in the whole movie. And to top it off; it looks like they’re suiting up for a sequel. You can count me into the ‘don’t care’ crowd for that one.

The reviews are comparing this film to Blade Runner and Alien. Two movies that are good, this one’s not. They’re saying it’s got vision, grit, and realism. But I found it boring, slow, and not at all compelling; a complete waste of my ten dollars. I should have gone to see G.I. Joe, at least that movie knows that it’s all about the popcorn and action and doesn’t try to be something that people don’t care about. I’m annoyed.

I’m in Tallahassee, FL, have been since the 2^nd and will be until either the 19^th or 20^th. I was in Columbus, GA from July 13^th to the 26^th. Both trips for work.  So I was home for 6-days, five of which were spent rushing around trying to get the month’s end work done. So I feel like I haven’t really been home for a month. It’s not a good feeling. I miss my place, my girlfriend, and my pets. Living in a hotel is the pits.

I really thought that with these trips, and the relative isolation, I’d do more blogging and maybe even some writing. But that hasn’t happened. I feel very out of my space. In Georgia, the hotel internet was flakey and about as fast as a dial-up connection. Here in Florida I have a better connection, but I had none for the first week as I had the hotel and guest services working to get the internet working. I think it finally came up solidly on Saturday afternoon. But it’s not wireless and the chair I’m sitting in has a broken height adjustment and sits too damn low for comfortable typing. I’m just full of complaints tonight. Sorry.

Georgia was interesting for the simple fact that I realized that the area I was talking about in my Thane novel, the rural Atlanta area, wasn’t at all what I thought it was like. So I’ve got to make some minor changes to that. Good to know. I was covering an area from Columbus to Augusta, so I saw a lot more of the state than I expected too.  And now that I’m in Tallahassee my route includes Albany, Tifton, Moultrie, Thomasville, and the surrounding areas… so I’m seeing even more of Georgia. And it’s given me some new ideas.

I’m not anywhere near the part of Florida that I envisioned myself. But I’ve made it to the Gulf and seen places that I could see myself living. You know, I’ve determined that it’s the sound of the ocean that does it for me. But I don’t think I can pull myself away from this union goodness that is my job anytime soon. It gives me something to shoot for. But I’m going to have to slim down again if I’m planning on living here… it’s too hot here for a fat man.

So I’m feeling very out of place and as such any ideas of productivity have flown out the window. Ah well, at least I got this post done. Later.

I’ve been away for awhile. Well, not really away, just not blogging. I have reasons. Not good reasons, but reasons. Or more accurately they’re excuses. Whatever, I’m here now.

My boys came and stayed with us for two weeks (6/21 – 7/3). It was great to see them and spend some time with them. It’s been too long. We went canoeing and go-carting and saw the transformers movie and just hung out playing Xbox, it was a nice visit.

The boys went home and Karin moved in (7/3). Yeah, I know, but I don’t think you can ever be sure they’re out for good until they’re at least 30 and she’s only 19. The plan is to get her back on a path to success and I think maybe she’s ready to do that.

This weekend I had three service calls that I was supposed to take care of; my brother wants a radiator in his bathroom, my sister has a broken air conditioner, and my buddy Gary just bought a new place and wants me to check out his furnace. Also, another friend of mine, Morme, is in town and visiting so I was scheduled to go to Kevin’s and hang out with the guys… None of that is going to happen. Instead I’m getting myself ready to go to Columbus, GA for a week. It’s a work trip not a vacation. Seems that they still haven’t found a technician to take care of that area and it’s my turn to spend a week down there working the tickets. It’s a change in the routine and maybe it’ll be fun. I’ll be back on Sunday with a report.

One big bonus for this trip is that I’ll finally make it to Georgia  and be able to do the research for my Thane novel that I never got around too; the second half of the book takes place in Georgia. I’ll be in Columbus rather than Atlanta, but they’re not that far apart and I can get a feel for the landscape and folks. Hopefully, I’ll come back with some good stuff to tighten-up and improve that section of the book.

Ignore that progress bar on the side there, it’s just a test. The writing is at a dead stop. I know why but I haven’t done anything about it yet. I have been devouring audio books of late, but my actual reading is also at a stop. I picked up a couple books for this trip and I’ll be taking my laptop so maybe I can get myself back in the saddle. No promises.

I’ve got a few other things to blog about, some that I’ll probably back-date, some that I’ll tackle during those hours in Georgia when I’m not working, and probably some that I’m thinking about that won’t actually come to pass. Such is the way of things. But whatever can you do. I’m going to try and push myself back into the saddle and get myself out of this rut that I’m in. I’m not depressed or distraught, but I sure as hell am stuck in neutral and not doing anything about it. So here’s hoping I can change that. Later.

We actually came home Saturday night, got home late, and slept in. After lazing around a bit on Sunday we went to see Star Trek. Tasha loved it. I thought it was an entertaining movie, but I had issues with it, as I do with every movie I see. I’m just not a movie fan. The whole time thing being my biggest peeve. Kinda annoys me that Star Trek uses that crutch as much as it does.

Monday I came home from work, felt a little off, had dinner, and was in bed by 8:00 pm.

Tuesday, yesterday… I think I sat right here and surfed until I had exhausted the entertainment potential of the internet. It took surprisingly little time. We walked the dog and took our new tennis rackets down to the courts and chased the balls around for 45-minutes. It was fun. Then I made Tasha play some Xbox360 with me. Then she watched the Red Wings.

Now that you’re up to speed, did you notice that I didn’t mention writing in there at all? It’s shameful, I know. I can’t say that I left out the writing, because I’m completely guilty of not having done anything with it since last Wednesday. Bad Ronn. Lazy Ronn. Tonight’s writing call didn’t happen. Not sure why, but I’m guilty of not calling/emailing to confirm that it was on. Ah well, perhaps we’ll get it later this week.

I finished listening to Scarlet by Stephen R. Lawhead. It’s the second book in what I believe is a trilogy. I haven’t read or listened to the first book, Hood, but I don’t feel like I needed to. Which is always a good thing. I’m a big Robin Hood fan, but some of the things I’d read about this take on the legend turned me off. Like I said, I like my Robin Hood, so I gave it a go when I found it at the library. I must say that I enjoyed it, and the historical aspects of it that I expected to turn me off, didn’t. In fact, I will probably seek out the first book and when I’m done with that read or listen to the third, Tuck. If you like Robin Hood give it a try, there have certainly been interpretations of the story that were far worse than the one that Mr. Lawhead has put together for us… and his is actually plausible.

Ok, so the above is why I don’t do reviews. Anyway, that’ll do it for tonight. Later.

There was no post last night because I wasn’t feeling all that great. It was a combination of the blahs and a slight fever sort of thing. I mean, really, I played solitaire for almost two hours. It was a very sad time in my life. Needless to say, I did no writing or working on my writing or planning for writing. It was a nonproductive evening.

Today, I’m off to the eastside of the state to pick up Tasha’s car and go to a birthday party and who knows what else. Should be a day full of driving and more driving. Sounds like big fun doesn’t it. Woo hoo.

Since I don’t have much for you today I’ll give you a joke, not mine.

A prosperous old dairy farmer from someplace cold finally sold out to the local agribusiness giant and retired to Florida. Being a farmer, he liked owning lots of land, so he had to buy a big place with a large pond down near the swamp. He fixed up the pond a bit, dumped a few truckloads of sand to make a little beach, and kept a small swimming area cleared of weeds and scum. Nearby he had some picnic tables, horseshoe pits, and a stone barbeque. Shading it all was a mixed grove of fruit trees.

One evening the old farmer decided to go down to the pond to check his fruit trees, so he grabbed a five gallon bucket to bring back some fruit. As he neared the pond, he heard voices shouting and laughing with glee. As he came closer he saw it was a bunch of pretty young women skinny-dipping in his pond.

As soon as they noticed him standing there watching, they all shrieked and went deeper into the pond. One of the women shouted to him, “We’re not coming out until you leave, you dirty old man!”

The old man thought for a moment, and then said “I didn’t come down here to watch you ladies swim naked or to make you get out of the pond naked.” Holding the bucket up, he said “I’m just here to feed the alligators.”

And a picture, also not mine.

Scary Angel

That’ll tide you over until I return with my tales of wonder from the magical lands of the Detroit suburbs.

Later.