Get Over It

I take great pride in the fact that I don't whine or cry about silly things on the internet. Or really anywhere, actually. I am terrified of being one of those types of guys.

That makes it very hard to write about myself or my writing on this blog. I've false-started a few times on here the last couple weeks because I started sounding too whiny and 'pay attention to me' and that's just not my style. I roll my eyes when other people do it, and I won't contribute to the slow erosion of masculinity that we see all over the US now.

So, to circumvent this issue, I will present, instead, bullet points. This will allow me to cut right to the point without the emotional lubrication that my provocative vocabulary can offer to my emotional weaknesses.

Here goes:

 - I've been posting almost every day on my multitude of blogs, and have enjoyed the process, probably much to your personal detriment
 - I've already been trolled once for my self-promotion, and as usual, it was a nearly-incomprehensible manner; honestly, being trolled is a good sign
 - I'm amazed how busy I am now, and I'm concerned about the status of a couple projects I have in early stages; nothing to report about them unless they actually get off the ground
 - I'm sometimes tempted to talk about my in-progress fiction on here, but I never think that's a good idea; it works for some writers, but not for me; there are certain things in my brain that I never talk to anyone about, for fear that they might have feedback on it, and stories are among those, now; I had more than a few stories that were workshopped to death back in college, and I'm never doing it again
 - I've, over the last few weeks, unshackled myself from being one of those oversensitive twats that claim that they have to have exactly a particular environment, or they just can't write; I've purposely made myself write some of these posts in less-than-ideal environments, and there was only one that, physically, I couldn't do; I always disliked this quirk about myself and other writers, and I'm glad to have murdered it
 - this has also, and I just realized this, to find that I can write without boozing; I've been a little concerned about that for over a year, but it's coming together, and the rusty old fiction gears are finally turning again, and I've birthed my first good science fiction idea in years in the last couple weeks
 - going to check out the Chernobyl diaries today; there's a whole lot of great fiction that has sprung from what happened in Chernobyl, so I'm eager to see Oren Peli's take on it
 - been traveling a lot, and I enjoy the expansion in perspective that forces; I don't like being pushed out of my routine or comfort zone, and this is a way to make that exercise fun and enlightening
 - really pissed off a buddy with a post I put up the other day; has me questioning where to draw the line between life and art; I love writing, but it's not worth fucking up friendships

Questions for other writers
 - where do you draw the line in including your life and your friends' lives in your non-fiction?
 - how much do you discuss your in-progress fiction?

Questions for the rest of you knuckleheads
 - any feedback on the blog posts?

Thanks for reading!

Blaine
Buy my book!

Vacation is a great time to get reacquainted.

I've been a negligent bloggist. I confess this much.

Much of this is due to the fact that I've been pretty satisfied with my life. I've been working full-time for a great company, and my IT duties there have commanded much of my attention. When I haven't been there, I've been doing the husband/dad thing, as well as working quite a bit with my old bandmates on a new musical project.

I'm thinking that this project is going to get its own blog soon, but not for another month or two, when we have a) the time thing figured out, and b) the rights thing figured out. Trust me when I say that you're gonna be blown away by what we've been working on. At some point soon, we'll be revealing the full lineup, along with a song preview. If you remember some of the cats I worked with back in the 90s, you'll see some familiar faces.

It's an hour and a half past midnight now, so I am officially on vacation. It's been a while, so I'm rather pleased.

I plan to chronicle as much of this vacation as I can. I'll be chronicling my never-ending quest to be totally portable with all my requisite technology. One big thing this time out is that I now have a mobile wifi device, which I plan to keep running non-stop during our trip, so I'll be reviewing that device day by day, and at some point, I'm going to try and play a game online while in the car. More on this as it develops.

Also, I'll be exploring cities in which I've never been, so you'll be getting my review of such cities as Pittsburgh & Baltimore. My understanding is that Baltimore has 4G fucking everywhere, in which case it gets an automatic A+.

Ultimately, my clan and I will end up in Virginia Beach, VA for about a week, and you will be saddled with my beach & alcohol-riddled thoughts, should you so choose to check back here. I will be exploring the area, as well as beating the shit out of some games, as well as kicking it with some relatives, so there will be plenty of entertainment here, and the Untitled Gaming blog.

After that, I'll try to get back into a rhythm here. LOL.

Stay posted. Thanks for reading. Lemme know if I should check anything out in Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Washington D.C., or Virginia Beach.

-Blaine