Monthly Archives: October 2004

Writing

Hurling Towards November

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As I hurl myself towards National Novel Writing Month in November there’s a lot of preparation. I began to tell people — real people, not just you cyber folks (no offense, but I don’t have to look very many of you in the eye if I give up) — about my plans to write a novel in a month. It’s all apart of my brilliant plan to brag as much as possible before hand so I can use the super-heated rocket fuel of pride and guilt to keep me going when things get tough.

So far reaction has been good. One friend has even heard of NaNoWriMo and knows somebody who successfully crafted a novel in 30 days. How cool is that? So far one person, admittedly a cyber folk (but she is in the same town and I’ve seen her face to face before), has taken up the challenge as well. Hey, misery loves company.

Today I finished reading No Plot? No Problem, the semi-official guide to surviving NaNoWriMo. It’s full of helpful tips, including the idea to bring along a powerstrip and extension cord to coffee shops, in case their electrical outlets are difficult to access. You might want to bring along duct tape in case all those cords become a tripping hazard. I just love the image of taping down your cords in some random coffee shop. It makes me want to become a coffee drinker.

With this book and a few other sources, I’m going to begin amassing some motivational material to help me through the month of November.

Continue reading Hurling Towards November →

Writing

November Rain

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Well, as you can probably guess, I did it. I signed up to write a novel in the month of November. Thanks to Steve for the link, though it was really more of a reminder. I heard about the National Novel Writing Month back when I was considering trying to write a novel in 58 hours, which is really a fine piece of insanity. 30 days is pretty crazy, too, but at least it’s plausible. It’s only 1,700 words per day. And they don’t have to be good words, just words.

When Steve e-mailed me the link I decided I’d give it a try. That day I visited the site and signed up. Of course signing up with a bunch of strangers doesn’t mean much.

So I told my wife. Of course I tell my wife a lot of things, so it’s pretty commonplace that they don’t all come through. (then she went and blogged about it)

So then I bought No Plot? No Problem, the how-to book written by the NaNoWriMo founder, Chris Baty. I’ve now invested $14 in this gig.

But there was still a chance I could chicken out. So now I’m blogging about it. I’m telling everyone out there that I plan to write a novel in 30 days. I hope you’ll help me stick to it. There’s no backing out now.

So of course I have lots of planning and thinking to do.

Continue reading November Rain →

Music, Twin Cities

Darren Jackson a Hot Local Commodity

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The Star Trib covers local music phenom Darren Jackson, aka Kid Dakota and front man for the Olympic Hopefuls. Jackson has also done work with locals Alva Star, Vicious Vicious, and former local Brenda Weiler, who will be in town this Monday for a show at the Bryant Lake Bowl.

Kid Dakota will be having two CD release parties this weekend at the Triple Rock Social Club to celebrate his second album, The West is the Future.

Blogging

I Should Become a Real Techie

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Sigh. Those short reviews so break the mold with the giant Amazon link on the side. I really need to do something about that.

What I really want is a flexible system of reviewing that allows me to post long rants (like so) or quick one-off’s (like so). I really like how Jason Kottke handles his movie reviews. There’s room to go in-depth, but he also has a handy-dandy color-coded ranting system. It’s totally arbitrary, but it helps you see where movies stack up. But I think he also used quite a few Movable Type plug-ins to get that to work. I’m not that much of a hacking genius. I also like having the images and links to Amazon (thus the enormous boxes that break things on shorter reviews — using the Amazon code means Amazon feeds it and I don’t have to save and upload all those stupid images).

Sheesh, all this to be some kind of web empire guy. Or more or less have a running archive of all the movies/books/music I’ve enjoyed (or cared about enough to say something about).

Maybe one of these days I’ll become a real techie so I can make my web site do exactly what I want it to do.

Movies

Saved! on DVD

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Saved!An abysmal box office showing of $8.9 million quickly proved that the religious comedy Saved! was no Passion of the Christ. Surprisingly, Christians won’t support a film that seems to pick on them, no matter how many celebrities say the movie is pro-faith.

But despite its weak box office showing, Saved! is out on DVD for a second chance with a few extras. While it’s not a movie I’d recommend for my mom, it’s worth checking out for those with a sense of humor about today’s Christianity and a willingness to keep up their intellectual guard. (read my complete review)

Blogging, Technology

The Business of Blogging

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More and more people are understanding that blogging can be a boost for business. It’s not just the content, it’s about providing easy, timely updates that don’t require the help of the IT department. It’s about interacting with customers, rather than just talking at them. It’s about showing a personal side, rather than a blank wall of stiff press releases.

Blogging for business has come up before, and we’ll hear about it again.

Vacation

Crosswoods Fall Retreat 2004

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This weekend I journeyed to northern Wisconsin for our youth group’s annual intergenerational fall retreat at Camp Crosswoods. We had a better turn out than last year and just as much fun. Despite being incredibly cold most of the weekend (it was in the 40s during the day), my constant vigilance at wearing four layers of clothing kept me from being huddled in a corner. It also helped that I picked the bed next to the heater.

Highlights included the swinging heights of the high ropes course (minus the acorn throwing), the late-night round of ‘Capture the Pookie’ (even though the running left my knee stiff and me hobbling the next day), the outdoors complete with changing leaves, and an enthusiastic crew of teens, leaders and adults.

Oh, and a speeding ticket on the way home. Nothing like breaking the law to set a good example. I had it coming though, trying to pass a winnebago on the downhill in one of the rare passing lanes with a not-so-patient truck behind me. It’s like shooting fish in a barrell. The sad part is that I’ve gone since 1999 without a ticket. This makes three, which puts me at a distinct disadvantage compared with Abby’s zero.

Domicile

Heat it Up

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Despite my wife’s cries to the contrary, last year we turned the heat on earlier than we did this year. Last year it was September 29, this year we lasted until October 5. Though it probably helped that I was out of town all weekend. And yes, the temperature downstairs did reach a chilly 58 degrees this morning, about where it was at last year when we turned the heat on.

Hard to believe it’s already that time of year when our energy bill will double, triple, even quadruple. As much as I like fall, I’m not a fan of that energy bill.