So we're in the closing hours of 2012. Yippee! I got off my 'waiting for my ship to come in' phase. Now I'm in the 'swim out to that bugger already.'
Two days before Christmas, I posted Travelers Road to the Kindle e-book site where it currently sells for 1.00. Eight to ten people have bought it so far. (Thanks Mom and Dad.) Seriously though. People who are not related to me bought the book. I'm humbled by their faith in me. Now if I could just figure out to market this damn thing, I'd be all set.
Let me make this clear: I'm not doing it for the money. It's the learning curve. Experience and exposure will make me better. No one is showing me what to do, so I'm just pushing buttons and pulling levers until something moves.The current chair I'm using is a folding chair you'd see at church functions. It's literally a pain in the ass. After sitting for awhile, the shooting pain in my back prevents me from sitting down to write for long periods of time. I don't care, next paycheck I'm getting a decent chair with back lumbar support so I can work.
Putting TR up as an e-book felt right. The book was done. The edits were to my satisfaction. Most of the loopholes closed...
The book needed to move forward. Time to test those network contacts. I know for certain a friend in Norway bought the book and convinced a friend to buy it as well. This is how it starts guys.
Do I know what I'm doing? That should be obvious: I don't have a clue.

Last night I'd had enough. I went to Amazon and the Kindle Direct Publishing. After a bit of wrangling, I managed to upload the book. So if you have an Ipod, Ipad, any flavor of Kindle or what not, you can download it as an e-book. So now what?
Give them a day or two to review it. Let's just call it after Christmas, I don't see anyone doing anything work related this week. Kids are off from school. The wife isn't teaching. My sister is busy cutting hair. I'm doing the hurry up and wait thing at work. Maybe I'll bring cookies with me on Monday.
So I got to get the word out about Travelers Road. Let's see... I'll tell my friends and family, of course. My network of contacts that extend from New Zealand to Norway. If truth be told, I've no idea what I'm doing. Like a game of golf: I look at the course and choose the what I think is the best putter, driver, or wood for the shot depending on wind conditions. In short, I'm guessing. At least it's an estimated guess and not doing anything with this thing I spent several years growing.

Pepper is back to wearing a cone of shame. I took him to the vets to get him neutered. That's the right word, but I feel funny saying that. What would be an appropriate description? Snipped? Fixed? Balls removed? When I got him back, the poor pup was stumbling around like he was stoned. (probably was with the surgery.) I'm giving him the pain killers and antibiotic so he stays healthy. Today was the first day I witnessed him jump up properly. Before, he would do his morning stretch and proceed to jump on everything, maybe hump one of my kids legs or something. Now he goes to stretch, the sutures and cut parts of his body are telling him, 'Hey, not a good idea.' Pepper attempted to jump on to his rear legs and I could see him wince. He's trying, but it just isn't happening.

So while I'm waiting for the pork loin to finish, I figured I'd dash this off right quick. Since stepping down from management, I'm finding life less stressful. I now drive a forklift and for the most part stay out of the public eye. The impression I'm getting is that's where store management wants me. (The rat bastards.) They want to keep their reputation for hiring the disabled, just keep me out of sight. I get to stay employed, but I'm looking for an alternative on the weekends. If Harper decides to pass on my book, I'm going to look at going the self publishing route. Let's face it, based on the synopsis, they might not look any further. Squeezing 100K down to one page while containing all the spoilers is hard.
I'll be honest, I wrote Travelers Road because I suffer from an over active imagination. When five people come up to me and ask to read what I've written, I hop on over to Kinkos and print up a copy.
My wife and kids like the story. They're family, so while the opinion is nice, I have to take it with a tiny grain of salt. Gradually I let close friends and co-workers read my tale. Here's what they said, (and I'm quoting from the written letters.)
"I consider myself a fan. When's it coming out on Amazon? I want to buy it.", "You weave a good yarn and kept me turning the pages." and my favorite: "It's like Gunsmoke on Mescaline."
Those are wonderful comments and I truly enjoy hearing from fans, but back up a second.
Roughly seventy-five to one hundred people have read it. I've gotten e-mails, post cards and a full fledged letter. I'm getting fan mail from total strangers.
Holy crap on a cracker!
Fan mail. Me. People really want to know what is going on inside my head? Really?
It's considered bad form to plug your book with quotes like that in the submission process, so I didn't. At the same time, no one is going to blow your horn other than you.
Wait, that came out sounding worse than I meant.
My point is: Harper Publishing, it's not too late to get on the band wagon. I'm going to write. People are going to read. Are you going to play catch up or what?

So Carol didn't get the job. Reading the paper I see school administrators are worried about meeting the state mandated test scores while funding for teachers is being cut. The rumor going around is more teachers will get pink slips by the end of the semester.
Hmm... Students are failing the academic standards set by the state, so we will continue to lay off teachers until grades improve. That's the logic here in Texas folks. My family is ready to pack it in and head to where the jobs are. I explained it to my beloved this way: I have a job in a big box store with a side of writing. She has a career. If some one were to call up and say they need a teacher in Alaska, I'd pack everything up and go. Write this house off as a loss and start over. Seriously, if the health department saw this place they'd condemn it. the wiring is bad. No electricity in the garage or kitchen, the heating unit isn't made any more. I've replaced or rebuilt some things, but there's only so much one can do on my limited budget.
This is why getting a book deal would be a good thing. I don't believe we are pre-destined for the ordinary things in our lives. It's the ordinary things in life we have to rise above in order to be great. So I've written this great book that a lot of strangers like. Writing is a second job to me. Treating it as professionally as I can, the hope is I can be successful at it.
I do believe in karma. Let's hope what comes around, goes around.

Some times it's not our fault.
Monday morning the truck that delivers our store supplies took a turn a little too wide and sheared off the headlight of another truck. In all fairness, there was a lot of chaos going on. A technician was on the roof changing our AC filters. I was changing the propane tank on our forklift. An electrician was testing our alarm system. There were two other deliveries going on and the trash compactor was being changed out. So yeah, a lot happening. I heard the crunch tinkle of metal and glass. The electricians truck got gouged by the trailer. I have never wanted a camera phone so badly.
Seriously, I must be the last guy in the state who doesn't own a cell phone. My wife has a Blackberry. Not a week goes by when my kids drop not-so-subtle hints they want a cell phone. The only thing I would use a cell phone for is text messaging... and pictures of acts of stupidity.
Maybe Christmas. My wife may have just gotten a job that will triple our household income. If that happens, then maybe we'll get phones for the girls.
Seriously, why would a deaf guy need a cell phone? Unlimited text messages? Hah! let's test that theory.
I really need my wife to get this job. We didn't make it through last year with her only substituting. Now our expenses are increasing what with one daughter who is of driving age and another not that far behind.
This is life. Am I complaining? Perhaps. I'm trying to make the most out of things.
I submitted my manuscript to Harper Collins publishing. If they like it, great! If they don't, I'm going to stick with my original plan and publish it on Amazon. People who've read it, like it. Total strangers have told me they enjoyed the book. I've gotten e-mails and written letters from people who've read it. Fan mail! I'm flabbergasted. The difference of going with self-publishing and publishing through Harper, is that I'd have to do my own marketing. I've got an idea on where to start. It may not be a good idea, we'll just have to see.

Something to blog about.
Having company over is one of the true joys for me. I enjoy serving big meals. The house gets a bit cleaner knowing company is coming. My wife and I love keeping in touch with all our friends. We even host movie parties. Here's the play-by-play. The grill is fired up. Fajitas, chicken legs, burgers or whatever, is cooking up. Friends come over with drinks and chips. Games are played. The kids play games or climb the tree out back. Then the movies come on.
AMC is a cable channel that has some really cool shows on. So naturally, we combine those two events. Hosting parties capped off with watching The Walking Dead.
Dish network decided to drop AMC from their lineup. I asked them to please reconsider this before I take action. Their response? You can still see your shows on Netflix.
That wasn't what I wanted to hear and certainly not from somebody I'm paying. So, I didn't get mad. I wrote them a nice letter saying their services are no longer required. Not only did they make a mistake, they lost a customer. Further, they lost a customer who can write about it.
So if you like shows like the Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, or Mad Men, all original quality shows in my opinion, then let your wallet do the talking. Ditch Dish and sign up for another provider such as Direct TV or the cable company that provides the programming you wish to see.
I'm glad I did.

My modem died last week under mysterious circumstances. All the computers and gadgets in the house insist they were no where near the modem when it died. All of them have alibis. For now, I'll treat it as suspicious.
Pepper is doing fantastic, we're going to take him to the vet in a few days. In the meantime, change the bandages...
This new modem was tricky to configure. It didn't want to recognize the one I do all my writing on. How am I supposed to post anything? We installed the software using the most powerful computer in the house, my wife's notebook. Using a key, we got it to work on the Dell. A little geek trickery later and voila! My good ol' Frankenstein box is back online. Wooo!
Didn't get to the laundry or repairing the wiring like I was going to, but that can wait until tomorrow.
On a good note: I caught up on my Girls with Slingshots web comic. This is part of my shameless begging to get Danielle Corsetto to visit our little corner of Texas. You may not have said you'd come to San Antonio on your little jaunt, Danielle, but the welcome mat is always laid out for you.

So we took our dog Pepper to the vet to have a look under his cast. Remember he broke his leg two weeks back? Turns out he has sores on his leg. It got wet under the cast. So we're putting him up where he can heal and monitored. Then we had to prepare for his arrival home on Friday. There's a kennel and stuff for him. The doctor told us we have to keep him as still as possible. Right... He's a puppy! They have him sedated at the animal hospital and I think we're going to have to keep him drugged up when he gets home. I'm really not sure about this guys. So we're doing this for him now, and he'll be better later? We'll see...

My youngest returned from spending the summer with her grandparents. Everyone had a great time and all my girls are under one roof. This means one thing: summer is basically over. My older two have been attending flag corps practice at the high school for a week now. It's worse for my sister. All of her children have moved out. My nephew is going to live in Alaska. One neice is moving to California while the other stays in town and goes to college.
Where did the summer go?
I suppose I could still sneak off and get some fishing done.
So here is one of my girls doing what they do best.

Steph with an ABC fish. Already been caught

Kayleigh modeling.

She is smarter than you and knows it.

Don't they look gorgeous? And in answer to your next question. I may not own a gun, but I am pro knife. There are a few swords around here too.

This morning before I left for my Clark Kent job, I noticed something. Danielle Corsetto wants to do a cross-country book signing for her web comic, Girls With Slingshots. In her comments section she wanted fans to give a shout-out for their city, in hopes she can come visit.
http://www.girlswithslingshots.com/
Of course I would love to have her come and be a guest at our con here in town. Right after I posted my plea to grace us with her presence, it was echoed by a few other San Antonians. In my shameless plug, I invited her to come meet our deaf gamers. Certainly I qualify for that, but what about others in the deaf community in the area?
My goal here is two fold. I would like the artist who created GWS to visit, but I also want to bring some gamers over to my house for regular sessions. And why not? Running a game in sign language would really be a challenge, am I up for it? Maybe.
So Danielle please come to San Antonio. It would mean so much to me and my friends. I plan on shamelessly plugging and begging. I will put you up at my house, I will cook for you. I will see that you are entertained while staying here in our city.

Promising yourself that you won't write anything unless you have something to say is all well and good, in theory. It also is in direct conflict with my other rule: You will write at least once a week. I would like to believe that my life isn't that boring. I should be able to find something worthy to touch base on.
The Olympics are on right now. My girls are watching beach volleyball. A couple of nights ago, the women's gymnastics team performed feats of agility that were truly mind boggling. There is something that everyone seems to forget: Training for that level of competition is painful.
As a teen, I was a member of our high school gymnastics team. Thrilling. Awesome. Confidence raising. Those are the words I'd use to describe it. I also remember the salty sting of the chalk as the blisters on my hands tear open. There were weeks when I couldn't even hold a fork to feed myself. I dutifully shaved my calloused hands, but most of the time the results were raw craters across my palms. My hands looked like I'd put them in a meat grinder, which coincidentally was our nickname for the horizontal bar. A concerned teacher noticed I was having trouble writing one day and asked what was wrong. Holding up my hands was usually all I had to do.
The memory that will stay with me forever is that of blood welling up from between my fingers as I begin the second set of giant swings in my routine. All I could think of then was 'that blood is going to make the bar slippery.'  Twenty-six years later I still remember the image of crimson lines blossoming across my knuckles. The pain fades. Skin heals. Bones knit. I still have that medal from the competition. The glory doesn't go away. Team USA all the way.

Whatcha building?

The saying goes: Everyone complains about the weather, but no one does anything about it.
There's a convention here in town where people come to play games. Board games, card games, role playing... you get the idea.
A couple of years ago they asked me to be a safety, which is PC for security. I'd be with a group of other guys who would monitor the behavior of these gaming geeks and keep them from getting out of hand. I mean, really, you know how those types can get. They throw down their Magic cards, the screaming starts how Felica Day is way hotter then Karen Gillian, and then the slapfest begins. I mean come on guys, like you would ever have a shot. I would put it at 98% chance that geeks such as that would lock up in terror if Day or Gillian got within ten feet of them. That, or they'd wet themselves... but I digress.
Somehow or another I decided that what Chimearacon needed was props. Statues (sculptures?) of things every card carrying geek would recognize. My first such attempt was a cardboard and PVC creation that fell apart about 20 minutes after the con ended. So much for my first attempt.
One of the things I've always prided myself on was my friends. There to celebrate your triumphs, always present to laugh at your fumbles. This time I put a call out for help, and boy did they come through.

Using rebar, paneling and glue, my friends and I created our own Battlemech.
With our own money and a bunch of blood and sweat, my friends and I brought this to life. Not bad for a shoe string budget and basing it off of a 15 mm. miniature.
Long story short, no buyers on E-bay. It's taking up a bunch of space in my garage. With no buyers in sight, I might just have to bring it to the 2013 con. Of course I'd want to tweak it by adding lights or sounds...
'But what is the Chimearacon build team going to do for next year?' people ask.
Wait, I'm in charge of the build team?
I have people coming to me volunteering for the next build. Painters, welders, engineering students, construction workers. To quote a hero of mine: Oh my!
I don't like ordering people around (too much). I want everyone to have a say, not just follow me blindly. Okay; I am a leader, but I'm a reluctant leader. I don't get off on the power trip. If someone came up to me and said;' I've got this great idea for a build.' I would be all; 'let's hear it.' There would be one rule from me: Not another mech. I don't have the space to store it and we did it last year. The Chimearacon build team is not a one trick show. Last time the build team got together, I threw some ideas out for everyone to think about. Nothing set in stone, but we have to pick what we're going to make, and pick it right quick.

My friend owns a liquor store. That is not why he is my friend, although that would be a good reason. I wish to talk about something near and dear to my heart: Tequila.
Camarena silver is 100 % blue agave and just about the smoothest tequila I have had the pleasure of purchasing from Henry's liquor. Located next to a H.E.B. grocery store at the corner of Thousand Oaks and Perrin Beitel , Henry's liquor boasts a fine assortment of Whiskey and Scotches in addition to the Tequila I enjoy so much. For those of you who can not get to 12014 Perrin Beitel, I humbly suggest Henry's second location at 2220 South W.W. White road, both located in San Antonio, Texas.
One can experience the smokey wood as this spirit glides past your taste buds. A 1.75 liter bottle cost me a little over 31 dollars for the silver and I can't stress this enough: it is smooth and worth every penny, comparing favorably to more expensive Tequilas.

Just got back from a writing conference in Austin. All I can say is Wow! It's been suggested that I start making this a regular thing, this blogging. On the one hand, you shouldn't write about something unless you have something to say. Thus, my absence from the blogosphere lately.
While I was gone, my dog broke his leg. Let's say it all together now, AWWW.

On the one hand, I feel bad he got hurt while I was out of town. A small part of me was like, "damn him for doing this while I was away."