Sunday, January 30, 2011

Life's a shit sandwich and every day we take another bite

Couldn't complain about yesterday's weather, sunny and mid-60s. Spent afternoon on porch, first time in months, had a few brews. Supposed to be in 60s again today, but cloudy and rain moving in later; that rain may turn to snow by Tuesday. So, our sunny respite has been short and sweet.

That little bit of sunshine is about the only positive thing I have to report. Same old same old, too negative to get into here. Suffice to say that shit must change at some point. Outcome of everything pretty much in doubt at this point.

But then, when is it not?

Monday, January 24, 2011

Hanging fire...

My first impulse is to go on and on about this terrible weather we're having. But what the hell, whining about it isn't going to improve things. Spring will show up one of these days down the line. For about a week. Then we'll head right into a sweltering summer that I will be inclined to bitch about.

If I were a rich man, think I'd head back to Hawaii. As I recall, the climate there was near perfect all year around. I remember roaring through the countryside on my old '49 Indian motorcycle, the smell of pineapples assailing my nostrils. It was still an idyllic paradise in the fifties, no so overdeveloped like today. I suppose today it would be just another commercialized version of hell.

You can't go home again, for damned sure. Well, you can, but it's never the same as your remember. Few things are ever as good (or as bad) as memory would have us believe.

I can't say the writing is going badly. It's not going at all, other than for about a page I wrote the other day, which may turn out to be the opening of a new novel. I haven't done anything more on the next true life book either, beyond that short start.

Just haven't felt the inclination to do much of anything lately, and also haven't felt well physically. The reason for the latter is apparent to me, but thus far I haven't made the changes necessary to begin a cure. The old body can stand just so much abuse before it begins to rebel. Mine seems to be well beyond that point.

Way things are going I may well outlive America. The country is going down the shitter in a rush. With this weak incompetent we have running things, that can only get worse.

I'm too old to worry about it, but you younger folks need to begin learning to speak some form of Chinese. They're going to own us economically first, and then militarily. Kissing their asses at state dinners (and allowing them to sneak in anti-American piano tunes) won't appease those sons of bitches.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Foul weather & other considerations

Big blizzard turned out to be pretty much of a bust. Got about an inch and a half to two inches, most of which is disappearing in the sunshine today -- sunny, but high of only 29 expected, so no sudden warm spell.

It was 12 degrees when I got up at 7:30, and may go down into the single digits tonight. I’m sick as hell of this cold weather, but what can you do but suffer through it. At least my gas bill wasn’t as high as dreaded -- only $117, got it yesterday. I was expecting well over $200, so that was a bit of good news.

Haven’t written anymore. Current atmosphere here on the southern front isn’t conducive to doing anything creative. Things aren’t going particularly well on the domestic scene, for a number of reasons I don’t wanna get into here. Suffice to say that this old boy could make some serious changes in the very near future if things don’t improve.

New batch of books I ordered sometime back scheduled to arrive today. Took them long enough to get printed, but I can understand shipping delay because of weather.

I was chatting with Carl Mann the other day and he wants one. Also recently heard from McGinley, one of the circuit judges featured in the book, said he enjoyed the read. I’m not sure if any of the murderers read it -- I got that letter from Harris and she said she hadn’t read it, although her husband has. He damned sure didn’t like it, as I well know from his letters and a phone conversation we had.

Well hell, some folks would complain if you crushed their nuts in a golden vice.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

This 'n' that

My speculation on the Titans situation was ass-backward. In reality, Fisher stays and Young goes. Just another case of how tricky appearances can be and how it never pays to jump to conclusions. What seems obvious seldom is. You'd think I would have learned that after walking this old sod for almost 70 years. But I'm a slow learner in some instances.

No matter. We're bracing for either a dusting of snow or a blizzard. The weather forecasts for this part of the country are never spot-on. According to the most recent projections, we're slated to get a dusting to an inch, while 75-80 miles south of here they could have up to 8 inches. What happens depends on the movement of a low coming out of Texas. If it moves along the gulf coast as models now project, the heavy snow line will lie south of us. If it makes a northward turn in Mississippi or Alabama, that line will move further north. (Current projections.)

Doesn't matter much to me which happens. I've laid in plenty of food, smokes and some 45 to get me through whatever happens. I can eat, drink and smoke. What more does an old dog need. Course, I will be unhappy if somehow an unexpected ice storm (or snow too heavy) breaks down utility lines and we wind up without this addictive creation called the Internet. That would be a serious cross to bear.

I have a hard time remembering how we functioned before this magic came to be. I vaguely recall sitting and waiting for snail mail communications from this or that person, in response to letters I had banged out on an old manual typewriter. Some folks could tell you about the long and insane letters I wrote in such fashion. I know that at least one person who comes here was victim to more than one of them.

Got a start on my next book, but have done very little of it. At least I know where I'm headed with it, even if I've made only a bare step or two in the right direction. Well hell, that old "every journey begins with one step" BS. Cliché, but it's true--which is why it became a cliché. And I'm in no big hurry anymore to do anything. I ran to keep up with the world for a long time. Now, if it passes me I couldn't give a good rat's ass less. We're all headed to the same destination anyway.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Getting off to a good start

The new year apparently got off to a good start yesterday, as I sold 4 murder books on Kindle. Love to do that every day, but don't think that will happen. And, I started the new book, which will also be a true life work about murder and mayhem. That formula seems to work better than anything else I've ever tried book-wise; if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I received a thank you card Saturday from a local woman. I don't know her, but I know that her 13-year-old son was murdered about 12 years ago and the killer has never been caught. She had read my murder book and praised it, and my willingness to not gloss over the screw-ups by authorities. She's obviously not satisfied with the effort law enforcement has made in trying to find the killer of her son; she said she knew who the killer was, but nothing has been done about it. I haven't spoken with her yet, but there might be a book in her situation. It would be very difficult to write, as the case is still listed as open and thus the authorities wouldn't cooperate worth a damn. But I could do it from her point of view and if it made the authorities look bad, that would be their problem.

Meanwhile, waiting to watch Colts cream Titans in the second game today. I hope they do, as a loss (combined with a Jag win) could put the Colts out of the playoffs. Tennessee has nothing to gain by a win.

I doubt a win would save Jeff Fisher's job at this point--Bud Adams' Christmas card bore a pictures of him with his arm around Vince Young, not Fisher. The writing seems to be on the wall there, although Fisher does have one more year on his contract. I doubt that will keep Adams from firing him, probably right after the loss today.

I like Fisher, but the play calling this year has been miserable. All they wanna do is try to run Johnson on the first couple of downs and then pass on third and long. It hasn't been working worth a shit, though CJ does have more than 1,300 yards this season. Nothing like last year for sure.