tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15067957640510968322024-03-17T16:59:26.904-04:00WittyLibrarian and the Book With the Blue CoverWelcome to my blog covering my professional interests in librarianship and research, and my personal interests in reading and writing!Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06967947720465720504noreply@blogger.comBlogger635125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506795764051096832.post-67095302888454834192024-03-17T09:13:00.001-04:002024-03-17T09:13:11.106-04:00It's Quiet Man Time 2024 Edition<p>It's Saint Patrick's Day!</p><p>Time to dye <a href="https://youtu.be/Y0G5INNTHmU?si=GRGJOmw1bXH-ereO" target="_blank">the Chicago River green</a>!</p><p>Time to eat Bangers And Mash!</p><p>What the hell's <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/bangers_and_mash_with_80175" target="_blank">Bangers and Mash</a>?</p><p>Time to figure out <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/kate-middleton-photo-controversy-new-details-show-photo/story?id=108123599" target="_blank">where Kate Middleton is doing all her own Photoshopping</a>! Wait, that should go to my political blog...</p><p>Time to watch <i>The Quiet Man</i>!!!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mXBgKmBBDYM" width="320" youtube-src-id="mXBgKmBBDYM"></iframe></div><br /> <p></p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06967947720465720504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506795764051096832.post-21185976572529353592024-02-04T16:42:00.003-05:002024-02-04T16:42:29.364-05:00Ten Years Now with Mal the Krazy Kat<p>Officially, this weekend is Mal - that black panfurr, that feline of ferociousness, that tailwagger of terror - being ten years old.</p><p>It's been that long ago when I rescued mama cat Ocean from the mean streets of that Bartow apartment complex, with the warning that she might be pregnant, and then finding out <a href="https://wittylibrarian.blogspot.com/2014/02/i-dont-know-nothing-about-birthing.html" target="_blank">YES SHE WAS when she started giving birth at the start of the Fourth Quarter Super Bowl</a> between <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_XLVIII" target="_blank">Denver and Seattle</a>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyGB_LB2KeVQZOdMGBd3YZNLo6rghtslwvxpofzgw31obrWkHtx-yaJYYBzOVZfmPQDCJ7AKWmtr6kGMxd0F1uUHx-LQUWSmulVcFSgqSj6Qa61Yl26fV379gUgJqukDVh_kuR11fT7YbAJEeBEqce2uTE3n2vM8yQk09CHpSAoWLVa8wBdkStSbS2prQ/s960/Ocean_birthing020214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyGB_LB2KeVQZOdMGBd3YZNLo6rghtslwvxpofzgw31obrWkHtx-yaJYYBzOVZfmPQDCJ7AKWmtr6kGMxd0F1uUHx-LQUWSmulVcFSgqSj6Qa61Yl26fV379gUgJqukDVh_kuR11fT7YbAJEeBEqce2uTE3n2vM8yQk09CHpSAoWLVa8wBdkStSbS2prQ/s320/Ocean_birthing020214.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Ocean gave birth to six kittehs that night, but I held off on naming most of them until I could determine which ones were which and name them to the characters of the TV show <i>Firefly</i>. Until they opened their eyes, and I took them in to the vet to have them checked out. And then I waited to see which of them was the bravest - or craziest - of the lot to where I would name him Mal (two of the tuxedo kittehs were River and Simon, obviously as River was the daughter to Ocean and so the male tuxedo was Simon, the pretty grey female was Inara (almost Kaylee), the remaining male black kitteh was Jayne and the female black kitteh Zoe).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUCoaHR3tEvvpaFf6EDqawUVHIVL_vRHbekWgF_hElcIix8Sp5I0vQAy-gcI9fcO77hmCJvPzpQDVdx2lttxCV5pdDlXxFL5Be9UiTXaVp0y1KKrFXeHoxLaXHZj6Ef3kdkEL7OO1c6n3YlbnmLSF86uxgZ8bNHFl0IRoyHctXybXkxXgAugQySsnfFS8/s960/ocean_birth_closet0209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUCoaHR3tEvvpaFf6EDqawUVHIVL_vRHbekWgF_hElcIix8Sp5I0vQAy-gcI9fcO77hmCJvPzpQDVdx2lttxCV5pdDlXxFL5Be9UiTXaVp0y1KKrFXeHoxLaXHZj6Ef3kdkEL7OO1c6n3YlbnmLSF86uxgZ8bNHFl0IRoyHctXybXkxXgAugQySsnfFS8/s320/ocean_birth_closet0209.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>I wanted to keep one kitteh so I could feel okay about one of Ocean's babies growing up well - the animal rescue I took the remaining kittehs would not allow me to share contact info with their future forever home adoptees - and so I kept Mal thinking he would be the friendliest and fearless of the lot. Instead, Mal turned into a scaredy cat around my parents - essentially the only ones who've visited me over the years as my domicile isn't well-meant for hosting a lot of things (sigh) - and well that's how it turned out.</p><p>To ANYONE who adopted Inara, Zoe, Jayne, River and/or Simon, I can only hope they are still with us and that they've enjoyed loving homes.</p><p>In the meantime, I got stuck with THIS guy.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6Rq8nTzPh4YRNGTB2EgYdl61rOXk_4lkzzgMrcHBLOwxocTG23IzKhZIqpv6KODefOSfchhQkLkgWBbKSEAxkemFmgLY81mQglI8KvEhvKH0eyelS0QNDmVkj1SrNgblOoxuxXc6AepCEIPPu26rUpFTNJFO5rU-edUZDJVRZ3nOj9Z45TCV-ylcCFE/s2048/1031151113a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6Rq8nTzPh4YRNGTB2EgYdl61rOXk_4lkzzgMrcHBLOwxocTG23IzKhZIqpv6KODefOSfchhQkLkgWBbKSEAxkemFmgLY81mQglI8KvEhvKH0eyelS0QNDmVkj1SrNgblOoxuxXc6AepCEIPPu26rUpFTNJFO5rU-edUZDJVRZ3nOj9Z45TCV-ylcCFE/s320/1031151113a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTPAbA-txmPsTeAWYmVuJoI8jLMXBBZwMB4Ow5v3KcKVOGHTonUxnuhEy92RzauIm7zc5Za7jvYI0bsN-OTaWI7FO1HW8dbDtOGcz6t_YA3ECTs8MgpwWo2wKtp2yMiHYJ_rs5MY_F-0QbuWODW8WdHWuHonsOGTudmrFu6cPMcgUuQZIovjPwkraY19Q/s2048/20200224_181920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTPAbA-txmPsTeAWYmVuJoI8jLMXBBZwMB4Ow5v3KcKVOGHTonUxnuhEy92RzauIm7zc5Za7jvYI0bsN-OTaWI7FO1HW8dbDtOGcz6t_YA3ECTs8MgpwWo2wKtp2yMiHYJ_rs5MY_F-0QbuWODW8WdHWuHonsOGTudmrFu6cPMcgUuQZIovjPwkraY19Q/s320/20200224_181920.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGHYtyH8iBWoQsMCqEfJJgSDJmyQEBkhUVvWBLY4Axe2yoXrdPiXVWSTE7_IR_UN-0qArQVPKcHTDUUoKb09jXVBZ8yfql5aKWHh-uax-lYTX8Sr8KEt16BpswN273KD0GtNs1n57ghBAnBoPleLkVC6NcAJRCknDtG5hFyHFnJTTk8bWzorb5oYeiS4/s2048/20201027_070555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGHYtyH8iBWoQsMCqEfJJgSDJmyQEBkhUVvWBLY4Axe2yoXrdPiXVWSTE7_IR_UN-0qArQVPKcHTDUUoKb09jXVBZ8yfql5aKWHh-uax-lYTX8Sr8KEt16BpswN273KD0GtNs1n57ghBAnBoPleLkVC6NcAJRCknDtG5hFyHFnJTTk8bWzorb5oYeiS4/s320/20201027_070555.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheD8sa6ZgNZHC4lNEkwqRUscX4ubyVQIiWdcQ0agG4eAbjG51o8USo_C5IKiyx482hx_-gX-fQ4W8vP5F8Ov009_LRpb8-v5DHDcyFfZcFHN8hC3ugHLG3-9S86oMFXaIIVEIgTfbumohPEmbGhltbBtTa3OMyPEmTFR5Jw2d-_-OYwj0_KL_QwGYJd_E/s4032/20230113_072830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheD8sa6ZgNZHC4lNEkwqRUscX4ubyVQIiWdcQ0agG4eAbjG51o8USo_C5IKiyx482hx_-gX-fQ4W8vP5F8Ov009_LRpb8-v5DHDcyFfZcFHN8hC3ugHLG3-9S86oMFXaIIVEIgTfbumohPEmbGhltbBtTa3OMyPEmTFR5Jw2d-_-OYwj0_KL_QwGYJd_E/s320/20230113_072830.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7s5GizIPoYg" width="320" youtube-src-id="7s5GizIPoYg"></iframe></div><br /><p>Happy birthday, Mal!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSnAAUZuHXcgLxJKt4C5yvSEOiIm-nsigv1t2DYhJRyfNtWtTBULwZa56hX-9kmezdExi-B41m4H2WOThE5n6f2FnWHctlHbn5jlLEyOOT1G1x0i6Nt7RwTtBPTC8EV0bQqMhW5PpuCi_rLOJ-l1BzpHja3_7LjgMXQIx3P6osQbnkvi3Teqg67gnQ9nQ/s4032/20240203_214057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="521" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSnAAUZuHXcgLxJKt4C5yvSEOiIm-nsigv1t2DYhJRyfNtWtTBULwZa56hX-9kmezdExi-B41m4H2WOThE5n6f2FnWHctlHbn5jlLEyOOT1G1x0i6Nt7RwTtBPTC8EV0bQqMhW5PpuCi_rLOJ-l1BzpHja3_7LjgMXQIx3P6osQbnkvi3Teqg67gnQ9nQ/w293-h521/20240203_214057.jpg" width="293" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ten years old. In hooman years<br />that means he's getting AARP mailings.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06967947720465720504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506795764051096832.post-26319293086305354202024-02-01T13:18:00.005-05:002024-02-02T12:02:13.774-05:00Time for more Royal Palm Submissions 2024 edition<p>So I'm submitting more work to the annual Florida Writers Association's Royal Palm Literary Awards for 2024.</p><p>I've put in four of my blog articles from the other site to see how they fare.</p><p>I tried uploading my short story anthology for the Anthology - Prose category, but that submission page didn't provide an "upload file" option. Could be a few bugs in the submission process as they've just opened it today. I'll try tomorrow.</p><p><b><i>Update</i></b>: MOTHERF--- I just found out this morning when I logged back in that FWA is limiting the number of total submissions to FOUR now. It was FIVE the last couple of years, and now they've... mutter grumble... I can't remove one of my blog articles now, since I've paid for the submissions and there's no refunds on them.</p><p>I will have to remember to submit <i>Funny Locations</i> for NEXT year, and also see about arguing to get the max limit back to FIVE. /rage</p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06967947720465720504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506795764051096832.post-76827837810382551222024-01-02T17:44:00.002-05:002024-01-02T17:44:37.324-05:00Next Up For 2024: Getting Published to IngramSpark<p>Okay, as you know I've <a href="https://wittylibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/12/new-release-funny-locations.html" target="_blank">published a book</a> through <a href="https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/" target="_blank">Amazon Kindle Direct</a>. As a librarian who teaches computer skills classes especially one on self-publishing, I need to understand the process for getting published through the OTHER market through <a href="https://www.ingramspark.com/" target="_blank">IngramSpark</a>, so my next project is getting my blogging article collection set up through THAT.</p><p>So I will be distracted by getting this done over the next month or so, including making an order for a book cover - what should a non-fiction book cover look like? - and then making sure the formatting is done proper (Ingram seems to use different formatting than Amazon).</p><p>I will update when I can. In the meantime, PLEASE tell your friends about <i>Funny Locations</i> and get them to buy copies and leave reviews! Danke.</p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06967947720465720504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506795764051096832.post-82887799165766901072023-12-23T19:54:00.000-05:002023-12-23T19:54:39.520-05:00Witty's Year End Book Review 2023<p>Time flies when you're trying to get two books put together while juggling full-time librarian work. Ahh, but here we are at the end of 2023 and it's time to promote the books I've read this year that I'd like to share with you.</p><p>As a reminder, this list is not the best books that came out this year, but the best of what I've <i>read</i> this year. This means the book could be published five-ten years ago and I've just gotten around to it. The book should well be available in your local library (or you can always purchase online).</p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Best Fiction</span></p><p><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Gator-Go-Go-Novel-Serge-Storms/dp/0061432865/" target="_blank">Gator A-Go-Go</a></i>, Tim Dorsey</p><p>A sad reason for re-reading this book due to <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article282490488.html" target="_blank">the passing of author Tim Dorsey</a>, writer of the <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/SergeStorms" target="_blank">Serge Storms series</a> of wacky violent Florida-themed crime thrillers.</p><p>I decided to reach back to some of the better books in that series, and this story - an unusually dark tale even for Dorsey - stood out. If you've read one Serge book, you'll notice how most of the others will go: Serge and his drug-addled Sancho Panza figure (Coleman here) will get involved in a zany scheme to revel in a particular Floridian trend, in this story the annual Spring Break craziness of college students partying at the popular beaches. There will be a parallel story involving relative innocent characters - this time a college student getting hunted by a violent drug cartel seeking retribution - that Serge will intercept and then drag along to protect those characters all the while driving across the Sunshine State and driving everybody else mad.</p><p><i>Gator A-Go-Go</i> is notable for throwing in a large number of side characters that Dorsey introduced over the years, including the Davenport family and the likes of "City" and "Country" (college girls fleeing from a crime they didn't commit). Coleman - drug abuser extraordinaire - gets to shine teaching the college kids how to handle their highs, and even teams up with his mirror character Lenny to complete the circle. It's also one of the books where Serge's skill set - highly inventive ways to kill bad guys or bad tourists - goes into some of his craziest kills yet, including a painfully simple-yet-effective "death by toilet" along with the reinvention of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/ballista" target="_blank">the ballista</a>. But where Serge's violence is wacky fun, the narrative arc for the innocent character Andy - coming to terms with what the drug cartel did to hurt his family - gets deadly serious. It makes for one of Dorsey's most complex and plot-heavy books in the series.</p><p>I may be tempted to do a review of all the Serge books next year.</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Best Non-Fiction</span></p><p><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Revolutionary-Roads-Searching-Independent-Terribly/dp/1455565156/" target="_blank">Revolutionary Roads: Searching for the War That Made America Independent, and All the Places It Could Have Gone Terribly Wrong</a></i>, Bob Thompson</p><p>One of the more interesting historical reads I've seen, where Thompson takes a literal field trip to all the important places across the United States where the foundling nation fighting the British for independence, and does it in chronological order racing from the battlefields of Massachusetts and New York down to the swamps of South Carolina leading to Yorktown. In-between, he visits the smaller yet pivotal flashpoints where bad luck or a bad military order could have ended the fight and the new nation. </p><p>Making this a delight - for an amateur historian like meself - are the interviews Thompson makes with fellow local historians who are well-versed in both the legends and the facts of what happened on those battlefields. One of the highlights in the book is when Thompson arrives at Saratoga, the victory for the Americans that convinced France and other European nations to support the rebellion, and where controversy over Benedict Arnold's role - the hero of Saratoga who ended up as America's greatest betrayer - questioned if he was as big a hero - and as tragic a figure - as common knowledge makes him. Talking with the local historians like Jim Hughto and Eric Schnitzer, Thompson weaves together the complex events of the Battle of Saratoga to give as much insight to the reader as possible... and I'd rather let you read the conclusions on p. 176 of the hardcover for yourself so I can encourage you to check this out.</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Best Graphic Novel (or On-Going Series)</span></p><p><i>Wonder Woman</i> (Dawn of DC series), Tom King writer and Daniel Sampere artist</p><p>With all of the in-universe Crises and crossover storylines that have consumed the DC Universe the past 20 years, I tend to be wary of any new reboot of the 'verse that follows all the other confusing reboots that have gone before.</p><p>This new Dawn of DC event meant to rebirth the major characters alongside a shared narrative of an Earth - and universe - now hostile to the superheroes that had been brought back from the dead (again) has a base storyline of Amanda Waller - wary of metahumans like never before - working with her government-controlled metahumans and super-powered agencies to remove the Justice League level superheroes along with the supervillains. As part of her plot, she's gotten the United States government - with a puppet President - to outlaw the Amazonian culture and their warriors - meaning Wonder Woman herself - to the point where outright war with the Amazons will be the only result.</p><p>In the midst of that, Diana is trying to bridge the gap between the forces and maintain a positive public persona while the media and US government openly attack her and her sisters... and failing, as Wonder Woman's allies in the US find themselves ostracized and as the leaders on Themyscira prepare for a fight.</p><p>King has been one of the more reliable writers in the DC 'verse over the years, able to deliver decent plotting and dialog, and I have high hopes he'll do this series well as the Dawn plotline progresses. I'm not familiar with Sampere's work as an artist although he's done previous work on various Superman titles. His work on this series is noticeably beautiful.</p><p>As for the whole Dawn of DC narrative... we'll see.</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Best Work By Someone I Email, Tweet, or Chat With On a Regular Basis</span></p><p><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Starter-Villain-John-Scalzi/dp/0765389223/" target="_blank">Starter Villain</a></i>, John Scalzi</p><p>I should be changing this requirement from Twitter to Bluesky as Elon Musk is killing Twitter (no I will NOT call it X), but anyway Scalzi is keeping up with new twisted tales in the science fiction / fantasy genres with this latest novel. A divorced, unhappy guy stuck as a substitute teacher and stuck in a house he inherited from his recently-passed dad finds himself stuck inheriting his uncle's parking garage empire... except that the parking garage empire is a cover for a <i>supervillain</i> empire. The guy Charlie suddenly finds himself competing against fellow supervillains while figuring out the rules of the game: The villainy isn't for blowing up stuff for world domination, it's <i>selling</i> the stuff that can blow up (that's where the real money is). He has to cope with being an evildoer and also coming to terms with the possibility <i>his pet cats</i> might be smarter at this than he is.</p><p>Done in a breezy, almost tongue-in-cheek style, with an eye towards deconstructing the James Bond vs. Spectre / GI Joe vs. Cobra narratives that Scalzi's generation (he's a fellow Xer) grew up enjoying, Starter Villain is a good read to get into once you're tired of binge-watching the Marvel shows on Disney-Plus. Get to it, people!</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Best Work Including Stuff I Wrote</span></p><p><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Funny-Locations-Collected-Paul-Wartenberg/dp/B0CQ2RN6RY" target="_blank">Funny Locations: Collected Stories</a></i>, Paul Wartenberg</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ENmMQbYOJhxUuEgK90pOQ4D_ndSmsAbARZ7lACsn3h-bSHHPaIRQjanVK1SgjUvF0bYZpTGyU1xvxwV3r30ShuBkL47aD092u7qj6oQR_B6cvn5sPowrrzexJrWswI3w-skZ0g8lYS-5G8P3T5qGe2mrwBr1NX3DzWtu98wdaFXFszJHskjlk_gOLzA/s2700/Funny-Locations-Front.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ENmMQbYOJhxUuEgK90pOQ4D_ndSmsAbARZ7lACsn3h-bSHHPaIRQjanVK1SgjUvF0bYZpTGyU1xvxwV3r30ShuBkL47aD092u7qj6oQR_B6cvn5sPowrrzexJrWswI3w-skZ0g8lYS-5G8P3T5qGe2mrwBr1NX3DzWtu98wdaFXFszJHskjlk_gOLzA/w99-h149/Funny-Locations-Front.jpg" width="99" /></a></div>Finally, I got around to putting together a flash-drive full of short stories I've written since my college years, and piling up since my last collection of stories in the now-out-of-print <i>Last of the Grapefruit Wars </i>from almost 20 years earlier.<p></p><p>Bound around a theme of stories happening in different locales, with a hopefully humorous bent, this is something I hope appeals well to others. It's got a number of stories that I know have gone over well - "Fifth Annual Office Golf Showdown" is an award winner, and "Road Trip To Vegas" made semifinalist for the Royal Palms a few years back - and I mostly hope this self-published effort has all the speeling and grammah eroors all figured oot.<br /></p><p>(pause) Goddarnnit...</p><p>Okay, all kidding aside. PLEASE do me the honor of buying my book and leaving good reviews anywhere and everywhere, thank you!</p><p><br /></p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06967947720465720504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506795764051096832.post-32379393357056290012023-12-17T17:42:00.004-05:002023-12-17T17:42:53.353-05:00If You Can Do Me a Favor this December 2023<p>To any of the readers out there who get a copy of my latest work <i>Funny Locations</i> and enjoy even a portion of the stories I offer to you: </p><p>Please leave good reviews of that title both at the Amazon store page and also on the Goodreads website.</p><p>My book has its own page already (I didn't even have to edit it in!) at <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203657876-funny-locations" target="_blank">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203657876-funny-locations</a> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmhyphenhyphenAAumOEuSnjRC7QZ4YIahcl_pqimQddnT1Jyw-IiuxhkB0DA8C1e5F8FT574QtT16Ry7u8DWOYVwcU8At0wa9jenwlLjO-sNuQdwb9KwNU8qLRk-R8tf97xAfwkbMnKH2EPmPXbaPJAk9LrzjQ3RJPa4xFbG2ABdJ0E5iLalnOJhIF0uJq-tS1zt50/s2700/Funny-Locations-Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmhyphenhyphenAAumOEuSnjRC7QZ4YIahcl_pqimQddnT1Jyw-IiuxhkB0DA8C1e5F8FT574QtT16Ry7u8DWOYVwcU8At0wa9jenwlLjO-sNuQdwb9KwNU8qLRk-R8tf97xAfwkbMnKH2EPmPXbaPJAk9LrzjQ3RJPa4xFbG2ABdJ0E5iLalnOJhIF0uJq-tS1zt50/s320/Funny-Locations-Front.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's now # 8,288th on the Amazon bestsellers list<br />for <i>Fiction Satire</i>!!!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06967947720465720504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506795764051096832.post-7904820116823406412023-12-11T21:54:00.007-05:002023-12-13T19:53:45.489-05:00New Release: Funny Locations<p>Apologies for my distractions, but trying to get this uploaded to Amazon Publishing for both paperback and ebook release:</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvPQjbrlqOzqomFUoqLg9MYDBExc_MbEapY9Jt0ZUIJkXC1BdBJcYkw1BQk-_Ln3Hd2iWRmKsCXFhrZ92nam2LZyXaJMjJoDTGhIPsY7kE7Wz45KnZDr7PnOkH9GVdD_cSJFg6zAz9M7cpcZkhvYkCUHFdbYeQ0EEGAs8358AtO0iWOHHBxxEZ201ZhGo/s2700/Funny-Locations-Front.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvPQjbrlqOzqomFUoqLg9MYDBExc_MbEapY9Jt0ZUIJkXC1BdBJcYkw1BQk-_Ln3Hd2iWRmKsCXFhrZ92nam2LZyXaJMjJoDTGhIPsY7kE7Wz45KnZDr7PnOkH9GVdD_cSJFg6zAz9M7cpcZkhvYkCUHFdbYeQ0EEGAs8358AtO0iWOHHBxxEZ201ZhGo/s320/Funny-Locations-Front.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I hope you can see the UFO.<br />Book cover by M. A. Rehman<br />a cover artist available on <a href="https://fiverr.com" target="_blank">Fiverr</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I'll have the official publication date announced once it's confirmed, but the Kindle release is usually within a day.<p></p><p><b><i>Update:</i></b> It's officially published! Amazon has <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Funny-Locations-Collected-Paul-Wartenberg/dp/B0CQ2RN6RY/" target="_blank">the paperback</a> and the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Funny-Locations-Collected-Paul-Wartenberg-ebook/dp/B0CQ229LQT/" target="_blank">Kindle ebook</a> available for market!</p><p>This is a collection of stories ranging from revised / repaired versions released earlier in <i>Last of the Grapefruit Wars</i> (2004) alongside stories I've written and tried submitting in the years since. I have a personal favorite "Road Trip To Vegas" as the opening story - and the inspiration for the cover - all coming from the stories I consider "humor" and based on a diverse map of locales - from Las Vegas to Florida to Florida and Florida and also the Pacific Northwest and a little more Florida and Hong Kong and New Jersey and maybe a spot in Florida and New York City - to justify the book title. /grin</p><p>It doesn't include a particular ghost story which does have a road trip theme, because I'm still hoping to find another publication to see interest in it.</p><p>So this is how my year works out, people. Hopefully the readership out there will like the stories I tell.</p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06967947720465720504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506795764051096832.post-64817257917941671912023-11-29T19:58:00.005-05:002023-11-29T19:58:51.962-05:00NaNoWriMo 2023 Success<p>Success in that I got to 50,000 words or more towards a nonfiction book!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz-o2uz0OrlqWuryydTdvLU0AJRWSOGoNXtVWxjAbvxWilcubAs3wQNY0mKDhJFv17oxoGNVi3pZApkkJc1x6ekTMc-jV8oGKuCXfQ10Zhbt3Ok6VoXc9clal_sCkPcYKcUGWPEScYs8kmTxNDfNnfSRRcoazK5TcJ3-u3bevkLUw3cGn-3omNwJnseV0/s1000/2023-Winner-Badge.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz-o2uz0OrlqWuryydTdvLU0AJRWSOGoNXtVWxjAbvxWilcubAs3wQNY0mKDhJFv17oxoGNVi3pZApkkJc1x6ekTMc-jV8oGKuCXfQ10Zhbt3Ok6VoXc9clal_sCkPcYKcUGWPEScYs8kmTxNDfNnfSRRcoazK5TcJ3-u3bevkLUw3cGn-3omNwJnseV0/s320/2023-Winner-Badge.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>It's still going to take a lot of work to turn it into an actual printed work.</p><p>KEEP WRITING.</p><p><br /></p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06967947720465720504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506795764051096832.post-61096057462391927712023-11-08T10:38:00.006-05:002023-11-08T10:46:10.131-05:00Going Back to My Old School in 2023<p>I am in the midst of my National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) project. This year, instead of writing a work of fiction, I've decided to work on a nonfiction project focusing on the political ideologies - the Isms - that define the American worldview.</p><p>In order to do it, I need decent research, and the best place for nonfiction research is an academic library.</p><p>So, I took a vacation day from work to drive up to Gainesville FL and visit the University of Florida libraries - arguably atop the public university system in the state - to find what I could for references for my writing.</p><p>This was also a homecoming of sorts for me. Since this is where I went to college to study for my journalism degree from 1988 to 1992. And it was a special homecoming because the library was where I spent most of my college life.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmscMSLZHiQ_FPAWHKrtWaqYeuGl4Ancp8sSL2QXJuC79Zq8y2fUccOH2Ego18z0FuaOb_wHoPE3H9K8cOchkn_Ijb4PIFH1N2MAgDaQUf5Rh4Abkc5q3kHovnvkq6wfY0ZRpRxHgtIpcX0hurde_VQv_HplmWXhY4ewyl_O9FvD3OcJZLKdvuZl0TU3s/s4032/20231107_082527.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmscMSLZHiQ_FPAWHKrtWaqYeuGl4Ancp8sSL2QXJuC79Zq8y2fUccOH2Ego18z0FuaOb_wHoPE3H9K8cOchkn_Ijb4PIFH1N2MAgDaQUf5Rh4Abkc5q3kHovnvkq6wfY0ZRpRxHgtIpcX0hurde_VQv_HplmWXhY4ewyl_O9FvD3OcJZLKdvuZl0TU3s/s320/20231107_082527.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When did they add palm trees to the Plaza of the Americas???</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>During my journalism classwork I worked part-time, getting employment at the library itself in their cataloging department handling the book spine labels getting printed and applied. I enjoyed working the library more than working towards that degree (it didn't help that my grades were middling, I had to take Basic Reporting twice which was not a good sign). So it shouldn't be too surprising I ended up a librarian instead of a reporter.</p><p>While I've spent most of my career as a public librarian - working at the county/city level - my dream had been to work as an academic librarian in a university system, where the research demands were more intense and challenging. And the library I wanted to work at was at UF.</p><p>And in 2003 - twenty years ago - I got my wish. I was hired on to work at Library West - the main business / humanities / political science / general academia branch - as their Evening (tech support) Librarian.</p><p>And... it didn't last. Part of it was because the building itself went into a massive expansion / renovation to improve the floor space, which sent the West staff to work in a wing of Library East where almost none of the students visited - other than to check out DVDs - and it quickly jaded my experience. Another part was that I just didn't fit in, and I ran into a personal conflict or two with fellow staffers that led the HR department to hint that I should go find work elsewhere. By the time Library West reopened, I was looking for employment back closer to my parents and friends in the Tampa area, and I left in 2006.</p><p>I'd been back up to Gainesville from time to time: Whenever brother Phil (a fellow alum) went up to see football games with his sons, I would tag along to some of them; I had visited pre-pandemic to a SwampCon and walked the campus from Reitz Union to the library and back; and had driven by on recent swing-bys when I went to Tallahassee to advocate with the Florida Library Association's lobbying every year for funds.</p><p>But this would be the first time to visit the library and campus during a school day, and it was going to be - unavoidable - a nostalgic trip back to when I was in my early 20s, and a reminder of half the regrets I carry with me.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxwydr9zJC-BNQSf3CJLYhUXfwvceh2yHEV06Os25uQAHKuEJj2oRZwnbqmrvfPoCKvvdqLe-yOAqPWoqczhw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p>This video was in the early Tuesday morning, which is not often the busiest class day - class cycles were Mondays-Wednesdays-maybe Fridays, or Tuesdays-Thursdays - and relatively early enough that not every student was heading to class ("Never before 11!"). This was in the Turlington Hall plaza, between the main campus buildings for Turlington (where most of the humanities/social sciences were taught) and Marston (where some sciences - especially computer tech). The Century Tower is across the street. This plaza at midday is one of the centers of student life, where odds favor you bumping into half of your friends between sessions (the Plaza of the Americas in front of the main library is next, and then Reitz Union).</p><p>You had two main methods of getting across campus back in my day: By foot or by bike. Maybe skateboarding if you were cool enough. This visit I spotted a reasonably high number of scooters, apparently the technology - and collapsible steering rods - has improved.</p><p>The library itself hadn't changed much since the 2005 renovations, although they've moved equipment rooms around, and instead of copier machines they now use scanner trays which can email PDF copies to you (no more cash or student debit cards!).</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuXc-7IU7bGbUK3N2qtsvqLeBkUuUyB7q_ggKdT9FzM-UANecbAs4A2eFtlFKw7-jpLFhPC2HfdFyV3jHiUK3Xy5pPddaQr_sxCiUNkSvkBTSLjmBOftrIolSEnm3X7iPVganuyynxzp90q1jxfKGROt15zOCQCuwkYH7Q_14GsKiHGymnx0VO5QTV2pI/s4032/20231107_140549.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuXc-7IU7bGbUK3N2qtsvqLeBkUuUyB7q_ggKdT9FzM-UANecbAs4A2eFtlFKw7-jpLFhPC2HfdFyV3jHiUK3Xy5pPddaQr_sxCiUNkSvkBTSLjmBOftrIolSEnm3X7iPVganuyynxzp90q1jxfKGROt15zOCQCuwkYH7Q_14GsKiHGymnx0VO5QTV2pI/s320/20231107_140549.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Never try to walk and use a smartphone camera while turning a corner...</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJEIoCQWPc1FUWyqFiNkxC0qgCtQFVkNjNTs6Dx4D3wi_UvSPsrFRyn6OAOxdnx0NiiRyzVagNdVRF6vvniUMRPHjkRUvmbP9izunNalg6sMCaigxBlprkmUuG5BxalfYUkAw9fMY-3mPyX6tdS0OFDwikq9R1656N4EjtdP0X6QPzWou4jafdvxvVwY/s4032/20231107_141627.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJEIoCQWPc1FUWyqFiNkxC0qgCtQFVkNjNTs6Dx4D3wi_UvSPsrFRyn6OAOxdnx0NiiRyzVagNdVRF6vvniUMRPHjkRUvmbP9izunNalg6sMCaigxBlprkmUuG5BxalfYUkAw9fMY-3mPyX6tdS0OFDwikq9R1656N4EjtdP0X6QPzWou4jafdvxvVwY/s320/20231107_141627.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The welcome desk for the staff floor. You'll still get students asking "where can I study?" while standing in front of <i>that</i> sign.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiraZoHGL9eaRrPOPXo06RMr1TO9HOW1bjpHnuZiT0dn0K8XC6JQuFU8jK0-fppHtfMf0oM_UdD_KqXphwHqOIsi67llk_IBdH9F-1lLxUduciY-p4AwdBUkxRf2OwR42043OHs3T7kvgEMKQOelAWFCLsZ6QkWbzYSOE2Rf4qI-g317JpvyLfZRq2_Vf8/s4032/20231107_142224.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiraZoHGL9eaRrPOPXo06RMr1TO9HOW1bjpHnuZiT0dn0K8XC6JQuFU8jK0-fppHtfMf0oM_UdD_KqXphwHqOIsi67llk_IBdH9F-1lLxUduciY-p4AwdBUkxRf2OwR42043OHs3T7kvgEMKQOelAWFCLsZ6QkWbzYSOE2Rf4qI-g317JpvyLfZRq2_Vf8/s320/20231107_142224.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">When they renovated, it was to install the closing - accordion-style - shelves<br />to expand shelving in a limited space. Even then, UF libraries has so many books<br />they had to split branches by subject - Arts, Music, Education, Science, Journalism - just to give the main library room for history/literature/humanities/business/social sciences.<br />Even with this, UF has to maintain an off-campus storage for all the <i>other</i> books they need to keep.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBm2BwWgtnCXsSPrAy3JtE6JCBn_lEJIhfk9l-uxvn7yPNMB2WWG6sFRKm3JjZiTNNwA4zKD95mcASbKBGAN42qYgdVw2ALKloGMbQEBya3yzbfoDt-_ICjJe6Os80OyFBINqJOAxnwdsOD0MouzuMrgKP1oGsfJZJJwyddux0G7GhticzIAVRi1eO2E/s4032/20231107_142610.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBm2BwWgtnCXsSPrAy3JtE6JCBn_lEJIhfk9l-uxvn7yPNMB2WWG6sFRKm3JjZiTNNwA4zKD95mcASbKBGAN42qYgdVw2ALKloGMbQEBya3yzbfoDt-_ICjJe6Os80OyFBINqJOAxnwdsOD0MouzuMrgKP1oGsfJZJJwyddux0G7GhticzIAVRi1eO2E/s320/20231107_142610.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ahh, there I am.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlldZVHKzs5es4oluSo6P5aA0_TdZ3q_3aJneO_vjjfkka8euTQZzZPsSXmC9P-9az9gCSTFzEs42mS8B1NOa5CMobYB4CBm67QXAoMGnicGnGtcyBDN-acirWQM8bl3YqqmJ0ReBUAj28-9lVwQ6370oE9PmTkCtJZOA8T96jqQioNnXqAEEYgv5EHAc/s4032/20231107_142623.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlldZVHKzs5es4oluSo6P5aA0_TdZ3q_3aJneO_vjjfkka8euTQZzZPsSXmC9P-9az9gCSTFzEs42mS8B1NOa5CMobYB4CBm67QXAoMGnicGnGtcyBDN-acirWQM8bl3YqqmJ0ReBUAj28-9lVwQ6370oE9PmTkCtJZOA8T96jqQioNnXqAEEYgv5EHAc/s320/20231107_142623.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I had published my short story collection in 2005, and donated copies<br />to the library for inclusion. The natural lifespan of a book by an unknown author<br />in a public library could be 5-10 years. An academic library by its nature<br />has to hold onto books as long as possible for research needs. In 20 years, depending on the circulation, this will likely go to Off-Campus Storage... say, 2025... /sigh </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjT-bzXsnS8D7DMMcBnlTIuBHl8LgNeR6a3bFVtw6SA5SvUTZoYZIbGHYn3wIl5lS-2HRNYDCTOKvShuN3XTux62MVS_qdvbRAldrzvbQowtsnA_aZvqtfsQjqdmTnPjzZYJc5gpfov8NPg_BjP39Eguk2clqvDWKb7aoXqQRGnw8wToFeRC7xKST_TIE/s4032/20231107_144706.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjT-bzXsnS8D7DMMcBnlTIuBHl8LgNeR6a3bFVtw6SA5SvUTZoYZIbGHYn3wIl5lS-2HRNYDCTOKvShuN3XTux62MVS_qdvbRAldrzvbQowtsnA_aZvqtfsQjqdmTnPjzZYJc5gpfov8NPg_BjP39Eguk2clqvDWKb7aoXqQRGnw8wToFeRC7xKST_TIE/s320/20231107_144706.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I ventured back over to Library East, which is the Special Collections building.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Used to be the Cataloging department I worked in was on the third floor. That's been taken over by the Latin American collection that used to be on fourth (it was pretty cramped up there when I left in 2006). There was an elevator for East I had to use getting work as a student labeler, but it was sooooo slow I would take that stairwell (of which I took that photo). When I was 20, I could run those stairs to third floor without a problem. At 53, old and fat, there is no fucking way<br />I can run those stairs again.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYvhfoNg9UJCeGnV2LSJni2W2D1YW1hK7ugYpYDXBZMUzS-8Scl0ghv75UXhtCqivnvLWNp64gszqC0o-5XqUv2Hp-exVFuMH_mvP8aNp-qztGGpTwe6g1eriT-ReeRuNDVs9VHL-E9WvaZfp0NcEfV9GWloj9PftOw3m2zGmzVH7u6BfTifqrJwWb1c/s3296/20231107_145427.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3296" data-original-width="2472" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYvhfoNg9UJCeGnV2LSJni2W2D1YW1hK7ugYpYDXBZMUzS-8Scl0ghv75UXhtCqivnvLWNp64gszqC0o-5XqUv2Hp-exVFuMH_mvP8aNp-qztGGpTwe6g1eriT-ReeRuNDVs9VHL-E9WvaZfp0NcEfV9GWloj9PftOw3m2zGmzVH7u6BfTifqrJwWb1c/s320/20231107_145427.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I wore a Nirvana shirt to signal my Gen Xness in case the graying beard and aged eyes didn't give me away.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRELoaJJ1uQg5gyqCUjWeYlx7B6332Nsi0oKDn4iHRPfjWgVDOPp63tnsfck5B5ZEUERoD267vi-DWHd4ea8RamOaRwU_3n6_PIt4kty2Asj7YOy3Nc7LKBk5j0AN_T7kt2vgDWYTnlbI1-Mys-wq66P6aXO3WMOcSpjnpeUtBcTSTlyAe4kHAPdT4sxc/s4032/20231107_145450.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRELoaJJ1uQg5gyqCUjWeYlx7B6332Nsi0oKDn4iHRPfjWgVDOPp63tnsfck5B5ZEUERoD267vi-DWHd4ea8RamOaRwU_3n6_PIt4kty2Asj7YOy3Nc7LKBk5j0AN_T7kt2vgDWYTnlbI1-Mys-wq66P6aXO3WMOcSpjnpeUtBcTSTlyAe4kHAPdT4sxc/s320/20231107_145450.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There is a spot between Librarys West and East where a fellow could sit, either before the library opened for work, or during the day on a snack break, and it was at this spot I would rest. <br />If it was early enough in the morning, some of the squirrels would be brave enough to approach me and beg for the candy M&Ms I would eat. I did share, but I worry now that I gave those squirrels diabetes.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJb13DDp8k27M8lm3PlbHVEDa0_6zWR6UH1hNImVy4sIonnzArr-B8ETBo2WvOfv6Xr9cykmPL1p98D7ego_jqvteOYtodeNjX8Il-gMCV0Aw-1TePYAikeOreRob5NkPS-MsUnN3bx-qv59nRHCR6V1bgBBiv0fCTz3Vq_Gheyl6REtfIMemBfkJVS8Y/s4032/20231107_151103.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJb13DDp8k27M8lm3PlbHVEDa0_6zWR6UH1hNImVy4sIonnzArr-B8ETBo2WvOfv6Xr9cykmPL1p98D7ego_jqvteOYtodeNjX8Il-gMCV0Aw-1TePYAikeOreRob5NkPS-MsUnN3bx-qv59nRHCR6V1bgBBiv0fCTz3Vq_Gheyl6REtfIMemBfkJVS8Y/s320/20231107_151103.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The walkway between the business classrooms that take up the original (northeast) corner of the university, going through the Plaza en route to Turlington. This was in the mid-afternoon between the final round of the day's classes. I didn't want to take pictures of it being too busy because I wanted to avoid close-ups of people who wouldn't want to get photographed by a stranger.<br />You might notice there's one older brick path in-between two newer paths. There were SO MANY people biking and walking this path between the major parts of campus that the grassy areas along that original path wore down into dirt. The campus HAD to expand the brick pathway to accommodate<br />that traffic. The benches are super-new, though (I noticed memorial nameplates on several, so it's apparently a new fund-raising gimmick for alumni).</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxI6xLfUCnqFp6XNrCQB45y7tHl-C5Bt6DT9KdboNbJX47IJa0UXQK-5n-CjDxVrJQqSqeI0OgFxDeFlkGbE2Jd2IwtFq4dlqrX09ZhOkwi-2osofkAQvHVIHzUCvlFZxRviqGGF-at-azjjGmqBM88ana-U6kwohNRAjBLEHosDZAPe80cJhIIwqX28/s4032/20231107_151236.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxI6xLfUCnqFp6XNrCQB45y7tHl-C5Bt6DT9KdboNbJX47IJa0UXQK-5n-CjDxVrJQqSqeI0OgFxDeFlkGbE2Jd2IwtFq4dlqrX09ZhOkwi-2osofkAQvHVIHzUCvlFZxRviqGGF-at-azjjGmqBM88ana-U6kwohNRAjBLEHosDZAPe80cJhIIwqX28/s320/20231107_151236.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Plaza of the Americas is the "official" spot to hold protests and political gatherings, and they seem to have an ongoing protest by the local Jewish student groups about the kidnapped hostages in the current Hamas-Israel Gaza War. It was quiet for now, no counter-protests by the sizable Middle-Eastern / Muslim student groups that are also on-campus.<br />My previous experience as a student - and library staffer - was that the on-campus Jewish and Muslim groups behaved themselves (because they shared a common enemy with the frats). I dunno how they're both handling the nightmare of war in Gaza right now...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiruh6yEkovwhsDNhkOTcnAzmdQ5PJxccNxmUombBbs6h4REDmSwgAsLaanuBr6kb52baiILLC7_aztnJzIsHIXz-CodHkztVW3tMArJAfPL_DPaNjMWT9zTaz6_1_64UJY3CHVZpAQ97IvfuLSQ6iNjdzpu_FYK6eaX8wtzNYAUQSffGxlSsSb1Ac5E7k/s4032/20231107_151522.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiruh6yEkovwhsDNhkOTcnAzmdQ5PJxccNxmUombBbs6h4REDmSwgAsLaanuBr6kb52baiILLC7_aztnJzIsHIXz-CodHkztVW3tMArJAfPL_DPaNjMWT9zTaz6_1_64UJY3CHVZpAQ97IvfuLSQ6iNjdzpu_FYK6eaX8wtzNYAUQSffGxlSsSb1Ac5E7k/s320/20231107_151522.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On my way back from Library West to the Visitor Garage at Reitz, back through Turlington, one last look at the infamous rock statue locally known as "The Potato" (no lie, the <i>Pokemon Go</i> gym spot labels itself that).<br />I know it looks lumpy like a potato, but c'mon people, do you notice that large bump on that one side of the rock formation? I swear that's a thumb, and the statue is really a lumpy glove. IT'S A GLOVE, PEOPLE. Why am I the only one who sees it...?</div><br /><p>Going back to where I had been 30 - even 20 - years ago brought back a lot of quiet memories, and a lot of the regret I know I carry with me. Above all, the regret that I did myself poorly not being more social and active while a college student. I didn't do much other than be with a science fiction club that struggled to reach more students, I did nothing to find a dating life among the young women that populated half the campus, I made few friends from that time and haven't kept up much with the ones I did.</p><p>A lot of physical changes had happened to the UF Campus - and to the businesses and eateries across the street, ye Gods the Pita Pit was gone??? - but there was still a lot that reminded me of how it was when I was a young man with his whole life still ahead of him. It's just... I wish that young man enjoyed his time in that moment a lot more...</p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06967947720465720504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506795764051096832.post-31417424303802614082023-10-31T09:34:00.005-04:002023-10-31T09:34:53.118-04:00It's Been 10 Years With a Wiggle Cat<p>On Halloween Night in 2013, a brave little tuxedo kitten began meowing for food and love and I offered both to her.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihsaLEzKGPcC6QhDmVxWN_e-TQ_zw8_ZHo1DieyZ_be647uvJzoHYqiteF1XW9jUfKWOpc16WlXBWUAxXJV3vbnskoyCMQ0O44nhtP5uUDcYtE2w5yVXmcbPpkTeZu138V04rchO2GYfAJEP-npEtD9Rpb5ZBJ_RX04GrhmSUcBFXFLWHBtrXWQYqqlUE/s2048/Ocean_Closeup_20181027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihsaLEzKGPcC6QhDmVxWN_e-TQ_zw8_ZHo1DieyZ_be647uvJzoHYqiteF1XW9jUfKWOpc16WlXBWUAxXJV3vbnskoyCMQ0O44nhtP5uUDcYtE2w5yVXmcbPpkTeZu138V04rchO2GYfAJEP-npEtD9Rpb5ZBJ_RX04GrhmSUcBFXFLWHBtrXWQYqqlUE/w398-h224/Ocean_Closeup_20181027.jpg" width="398" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Wiggle Cat. I named her Ocean because the vet nurses<br />felt Wiggles was too silly for her.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIjbuV7cPUkZuYk7_saRvGkrzl9U77CO136FGUGLVdlWp8bQyIWIXbbuzRjsMa8XFdyagkY6MJB9bykW0rxxHuGc71wJBkufbFLBQ7L5lDPyvtfrfKlVvmVXI56OTn9HD8dRZ8_kgl9i2hUmoYY3C8yMiMF0DX15xxFORNt_6u13lqsn5jxtL7SYJymzg/s2560/1023142044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="2560" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIjbuV7cPUkZuYk7_saRvGkrzl9U77CO136FGUGLVdlWp8bQyIWIXbbuzRjsMa8XFdyagkY6MJB9bykW0rxxHuGc71wJBkufbFLBQ7L5lDPyvtfrfKlVvmVXI56OTn9HD8dRZ8_kgl9i2hUmoYY3C8yMiMF0DX15xxFORNt_6u13lqsn5jxtL7SYJymzg/w404-h303/1023142044.jpg" width="404" /></a></div><br /><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1EtIG3KsFdcyxWgxjfF0OEO_j3-Jj-YGt_R8Ncps8mOI4-tl9Zkj8o_Hy2iWSuE_pATYA82ihWIXc_SopQ3UEMsF5_3DlQneERjEEbgWUR4brBn2-hfaYTARuEdLryV4Va7MvBOPSgMAdNJLmWuPKZpBxJeAxJbuaRpY8WnxxW-YEvLbHz-MtVgKhvU/s4032/Ocean%20The%20Wiggle%20Cat%202021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1EtIG3KsFdcyxWgxjfF0OEO_j3-Jj-YGt_R8Ncps8mOI4-tl9Zkj8o_Hy2iWSuE_pATYA82ihWIXc_SopQ3UEMsF5_3DlQneERjEEbgWUR4brBn2-hfaYTARuEdLryV4Va7MvBOPSgMAdNJLmWuPKZpBxJeAxJbuaRpY8WnxxW-YEvLbHz-MtVgKhvU/w370-h494/Ocean%20The%20Wiggle%20Cat%202021.jpg" width="370" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was in 2021 when I ordered a couple of cat posts during<br />the pandemic. Ocean prefers napping in this one, but the tall one<br />at the window is great for morning suntans.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>And today October 31 2023 is our tenth anniversary together, you wiggler.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ca1pxeeLg1w" width="320" youtube-src-id="ca1pxeeLg1w"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06967947720465720504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506795764051096832.post-71346657465217143852023-10-22T10:45:00.003-04:002023-10-23T15:58:08.527-04:00I Survived Florida Writers Association Royal Palm Awards Dinner 2023<p>Well, this year for some reason the Florida Writers Association was not selling a Day-Only attendance for me to attend on Saturday, they were offering the full weekend which cut into my work schedule (and honestly I cannot afford). So I missed the conference presentations and discussion groups.</p><p>I did pay to attend the Royal Palm Awards banquet as I was a Finalist this year in the <i>Nonfiction - Published Blog or Article</i> category and I had high hopes for my submission "<a href="https://noticeatrend.blogspot.com/2022/08/all-which-wicked-designs.html" target="_blank">All Which Wicked Designs</a>" this year.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq2lhQx8k-4G_GKIQKe5eVyFlWos21e_466A3p8kpsaXjLPhDzFOWoXc5zg10NcXHnhHuGwQarVuArwBuy1ATIeUDMYiGwDMWCGEyON8pEVgQzCRXMaiGnfdGBWBthicWFexsRuqGuWzKB1clQwmQ_XSXUjwK2pg01F4ZobpuLDLQmp14hFT4z5OUv4mc/s3296/20231021_173356.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3296" data-original-width="2472" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq2lhQx8k-4G_GKIQKe5eVyFlWos21e_466A3p8kpsaXjLPhDzFOWoXc5zg10NcXHnhHuGwQarVuArwBuy1ATIeUDMYiGwDMWCGEyON8pEVgQzCRXMaiGnfdGBWBthicWFexsRuqGuWzKB1clQwmQ_XSXUjwK2pg01F4ZobpuLDLQmp14hFT4z5OUv4mc/s320/20231021_173356.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checking in before the dinner.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRVykzJ76ZvQTqQUm5PMVkgRVj1ri3QG567dI6KENW-2p2ETi5B5EtFe0NqArFWi4Sr4LuMrS6QjVZ2cljWQF7KMzissxgf8H7gTWfz9SfJ2QbJm9NOpFRLtYd49HBoF_OyHgJy5gAKb2RpbuhpDL-1SEspBW9RreGW86mz9BeK4ye7PXDqUWN6q7b8eg/s4032/20231021_185534.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRVykzJ76ZvQTqQUm5PMVkgRVj1ri3QG567dI6KENW-2p2ETi5B5EtFe0NqArFWi4Sr4LuMrS6QjVZ2cljWQF7KMzissxgf8H7gTWfz9SfJ2QbJm9NOpFRLtYd49HBoF_OyHgJy5gAKb2RpbuhpDL-1SEspBW9RreGW86mz9BeK4ye7PXDqUWN6q7b8eg/s320/20231021_185534.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It seemed to be a smaller crowd than last year's, but well attended.<br />Only a handful were finalists, the rest were there for the good food<br />and the friendships.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR1CDsIWtgOu6aSNCyX5btwE474HPeap8Ub7Ewn_ssSVUYC4HKUwSiSdOeTy-OUF83JHe71jlDXPOYR6tn0VstBAmnEyh2MhJqiy_Pekwfhw3o9Q7p15wyDep6fkh8HnonLtPsj6GxR3bo5haOUm2-uQXUOgF9sGeprItQck2pZev0ExV0aa2z8GUeSYI/s4032/20231021_185618.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR1CDsIWtgOu6aSNCyX5btwE474HPeap8Ub7Ewn_ssSVUYC4HKUwSiSdOeTy-OUF83JHe71jlDXPOYR6tn0VstBAmnEyh2MhJqiy_Pekwfhw3o9Q7p15wyDep6fkh8HnonLtPsj6GxR3bo5haOUm2-uQXUOgF9sGeprItQck2pZev0ExV0aa2z8GUeSYI/s320/20231021_185618.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">People at my table wondered why the dessert was out first.<br />I suggested the possibility the cheesecakes were frozen served,<br />and the servers put it out early to warm up to room temp.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqRGpi7zd_RVkQg4ju2oFTkwzotmAjDloOsnN6L6zJSknZIzkij8MnO79fU5FNdXzsShjStwafWvwLn_6QuiYUdxofadt1YWBOw8xgaaMZbKVIQL-_dT80uaLcNzbRuIzz7qXvtahvKdtbMaXU2K7VOKFmotuGmeG4hW7_Q7QKQ2mqPnSJ1eFPUrR5X50/s4032/20231021_192910.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqRGpi7zd_RVkQg4ju2oFTkwzotmAjDloOsnN6L6zJSknZIzkij8MnO79fU5FNdXzsShjStwafWvwLn_6QuiYUdxofadt1YWBOw8xgaaMZbKVIQL-_dT80uaLcNzbRuIzz7qXvtahvKdtbMaXU2K7VOKFmotuGmeG4hW7_Q7QKQ2mqPnSJ1eFPUrR5X50/s320/20231021_192910.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice mix of zucchini, mashed potatoes, and a chicken/steak combo.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXz9-b8HFS2-9BFibIvE1dTQzXHA969uvOf5DxnD0DkmQUZ14zIdg6qzWbTLN-2YNj71BzwsdhaNqxUR45prvZX0bCEZymiu1kgJPSjCVH1Nwi-Cns_pzO631TdJqIhccjLFa_HhIx9gxE2RksoMUbHE_y3OJFtsjnBOwM42MGoqhAnnIZ2OuKeyX24oM/s4032/20231021_190011.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXz9-b8HFS2-9BFibIvE1dTQzXHA969uvOf5DxnD0DkmQUZ14zIdg6qzWbTLN-2YNj71BzwsdhaNqxUR45prvZX0bCEZymiu1kgJPSjCVH1Nwi-Cns_pzO631TdJqIhccjLFa_HhIx9gxE2RksoMUbHE_y3OJFtsjnBOwM42MGoqhAnnIZ2OuKeyX24oM/s320/20231021_190011.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have to admit this photo is 7 years old, I may need a new<br />Author headshot.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>And... well...</p><p></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzOVZ8WR3cKHzz2mpyXIRU0PXoajd6G7fqbQU6WVc5eiB8bSKPZpbWh8bP0RN_vUbe0hfV5Jy7WWSSlQ9LlPh02iPO7axC4RQtDh0p5YImiMk13NywvlwLnsDr2YCyxdvsZ3fH5W9zwmOVHQUH9vUFbBd-XSRP8xo_J5Orai-X6wBpTOVSF9l1UPNb_xg/s4032/20231021_202630.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzOVZ8WR3cKHzz2mpyXIRU0PXoajd6G7fqbQU6WVc5eiB8bSKPZpbWh8bP0RN_vUbe0hfV5Jy7WWSSlQ9LlPh02iPO7axC4RQtDh0p5YImiMk13NywvlwLnsDr2YCyxdvsZ3fH5W9zwmOVHQUH9vUFbBd-XSRP8xo_J5Orai-X6wBpTOVSF9l1UPNb_xg/s320/20231021_202630.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SQUEE</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I received GOLD in the Blogging category!!! <p></p><p>As I already planned to include the article in the collected essays book I'm currently putting together, I will need to include the update for it.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjivW3QAqieUG2WYWPvZ0JL4zPXj_JxQdypFQwTpkqxexxoayexlTaZTmKsn5tO-ER5ol0JkR8irxzFJPfFNlb8ILKsF-T-yWU1UnDrQm1SE3XhyEL9NDbRUvqPOchkmTLivkMpvklOcj6zMZznku9KjMLiH2N-YdTEK0-yRJbmzo8au9EeVnvfBl31I/s900/RPLA%20Gold.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="900" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjivW3QAqieUG2WYWPvZ0JL4zPXj_JxQdypFQwTpkqxexxoayexlTaZTmKsn5tO-ER5ol0JkR8irxzFJPfFNlb8ILKsF-T-yWU1UnDrQm1SE3XhyEL9NDbRUvqPOchkmTLivkMpvklOcj6zMZznku9KjMLiH2N-YdTEK0-yRJbmzo8au9EeVnvfBl31I/w197-h197/RPLA%20Gold.png" width="197" /></a></div>I did not receive printed stickers this year, because someone must have realized as an online article I had nothing physical to place stickers upon. I should get an image file shortly.<br /><p></p><p>Yay.</p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06967947720465720504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506795764051096832.post-74704739245921643812023-10-15T14:14:00.002-04:002023-10-15T14:14:18.437-04:00Prepping for NaNoWriMo 2023<p>Once again into the deep dive of <a href="https://nanowrimo.org/" target="_blank">National Novel Writing Month</a>!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA0eFsxHIao5tHhS3Rkh9UUAGzLFCZEWXBe5CdXRQJI29HatbrvheFN37gd6pwRCfkRQm4jphno9Ksx74w-P0ZGl1qPugAqmb6TouR3_NVM39iMehY_Wpae0aPCca8yme8tatPhF2VQ6qQcbLfhkpfj7BF-w9LPoznueOaESlv0bfFSb9WQFQtRxvTkz0/s608/nanowrimo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="436" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA0eFsxHIao5tHhS3Rkh9UUAGzLFCZEWXBe5CdXRQJI29HatbrvheFN37gd6pwRCfkRQm4jphno9Ksx74w-P0ZGl1qPugAqmb6TouR3_NVM39iMehY_Wpae0aPCca8yme8tatPhF2VQ6qQcbLfhkpfj7BF-w9LPoznueOaESlv0bfFSb9WQFQtRxvTkz0/w186-h260/nanowrimo.jpg" width="186" /></a></div><br /><p>This year, instead of stressing over a fiction novel idea that I quickly look narrative control over, I'm going to focus on a non-fiction work: Going with my background in journalism and my political interests, I've decided on writing about about American socio-political ideologies.</p><p>I've even got a title: <i>American Isms</i>.</p><p>I've done some preliminary research on the primary Isms - Liberalism and Conservatism, naturally - but also looking to include the less-common Isms - I'm finding there's no moderate/centrist Ism on record so I've got more research to fill that gap, arguing to give Pragmatism some due - to give it more depth.</p><p>We shall see how it goes.</p><p>In the meantime, if you're in the Lakeland / Polk County FL area needing a NaNo group to join for Write-Ins and inspiration, and if you've got a Facebook account, check here for the Facebook updates! Otherwise, sign up FREE with NaNo at their official site (link above) and join the <a href="https://nanowrimo.org/nanomessages/usa-florida-lakeland" target="_blank">US>FLorida>Lakeland Region</a> for updates there!</p><p>Good luck, fellow writers!</p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06967947720465720504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506795764051096832.post-90889568420368294152023-08-24T20:54:00.001-04:002023-08-24T20:55:02.921-04:00Artwork for the Author, and Looking Ahead<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSssu4aZ4uMu7_SNQMvpzOcKcT1XBbPp0J_uRpowasImh7wf_V3JWnQMxRdaHT6IHabjzmoXW9mqiqqkrQisH_Lm-q86ihpehaZnTwO0LCiTsma2ChnXrr6xRgtCl5UX-X1LWbExXAiAQbWn_8X45QB0nIJK9xxfg_Y7vHHL3OuJuAG_KTL8gpnS6KhMs/s4800/wartenberg-banner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="4800" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSssu4aZ4uMu7_SNQMvpzOcKcT1XBbPp0J_uRpowasImh7wf_V3JWnQMxRdaHT6IHabjzmoXW9mqiqqkrQisH_Lm-q86ihpehaZnTwO0LCiTsma2ChnXrr6xRgtCl5UX-X1LWbExXAiAQbWn_8X45QB0nIJK9xxfg_Y7vHHL3OuJuAG_KTL8gpnS6KhMs/w540-h303/wartenberg-banner.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><br />Looking to spice up my authorship website(s) with some artwork, I commissioned an artist a friend recommended to me. Stephanie Folse worked with the suggestions I had - me going through a mystic library seeking that Book With the Blue Cover - and she came up with this.<p></p><p>It looks fantastic.</p><p>If you need someone for fantasy / science fiction book covers, I highly recommend Folse to you! She's at <a href="https://www.stephaniefolse.com/">https://www.stephaniefolse.com/</a> </p><p>Also, I need to let people know that National Novel Writing Month is barely two more months away! I hope my fellow Lakeland area writers are gearing up for their novel projects!</p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06967947720465720504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506795764051096832.post-59890553785899101262023-05-21T10:20:00.001-04:002023-05-21T10:20:16.316-04:00I Survived Bartow's Writers Block. Oh Boy, Did I Survive...<p>So yesterday was the <a href="https://wittylibrarian.blogspot.com/2023/05/bartow-authors-event-saturday-may-20th.html" target="_blank">inaugural street fair in Bartow FL for local authors to promote their works</a> and help fundraise for Bartow's Community Service Center.</p><p>And, hoooooo boy, when I say "I survived," I am not kidding.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPcGa8TNdvxrO3n-uRpKRvDwkr6kaV2_Xg9XYlnEPVP17Ad1D3-giXyvZ2mwOSs4A4PZJCeG4IHMqD3eajVTY84LeXSll_3dj4HBMI_NB0acfiH91pSUMHwnRGHTZi7GKPiYlPUufa9OYWoeaKkzgaH_Z99IsfK6ERwI4B6E5a1AvKr2z5KKHbtAhc/s4032/20230520_093627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPcGa8TNdvxrO3n-uRpKRvDwkr6kaV2_Xg9XYlnEPVP17Ad1D3-giXyvZ2mwOSs4A4PZJCeG4IHMqD3eajVTY84LeXSll_3dj4HBMI_NB0acfiH91pSUMHwnRGHTZi7GKPiYlPUufa9OYWoeaKkzgaH_Z99IsfK6ERwI4B6E5a1AvKr2z5KKHbtAhc/s320/20230520_093627.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoXkPWwuWgu_MYzXegm3-hKdWuySnD2aNkdcGNJjBHiX1zwiWflVDscO7t_J9TyTqkvKMWvdM2er4qs4khhkkPPlBxkoK1IAjj4CcH53eEBRgidaG6NzCXJ8phJ5reCIEyOa_cBjLEaHGvMXjus2nR1MmbYqv4nuRtrIbCVoFOvx-S4aaGcIxcpEaI/s4032/20230520_093635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoXkPWwuWgu_MYzXegm3-hKdWuySnD2aNkdcGNJjBHiX1zwiWflVDscO7t_J9TyTqkvKMWvdM2er4qs4khhkkPPlBxkoK1IAjj4CcH53eEBRgidaG6NzCXJ8phJ5reCIEyOa_cBjLEaHGvMXjus2nR1MmbYqv4nuRtrIbCVoFOvx-S4aaGcIxcpEaI/s320/20230520_093635.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitu2TQFviKA7KmacRQqmnjSRKll1t6kt650jQGnh8DIb-0LAbkyvrOa1QOrw2jc7cs-WPbBLNvmIkP-IgelcD3wtciiJbRu0LqUTOrmeep_xlmWg3ocNk0i0JQ08ZIhVUhw59Tyk6HuUQYt37gAqJSl-4cL_7_dguHzHpl9uGu3_s_6gx0qyxE-Q-P/s4032/20230520_093656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitu2TQFviKA7KmacRQqmnjSRKll1t6kt650jQGnh8DIb-0LAbkyvrOa1QOrw2jc7cs-WPbBLNvmIkP-IgelcD3wtciiJbRu0LqUTOrmeep_xlmWg3ocNk0i0JQ08ZIhVUhw59Tyk6HuUQYt37gAqJSl-4cL_7_dguHzHpl9uGu3_s_6gx0qyxE-Q-P/s320/20230520_093656.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> The event organizers - as part of Main Street Bartow promoting street fairs on weekends to encourage local business and community events - had hoped for a large turnout of customers and costumers, as they had promised a costume contest and pet-friendly activities.<p></p><p>And for the first couple of hours, it wasn't TOO bad, considering how hot and humid the weather can get in central Florida in the middle of May. </p><p>By noontime... One big NOPE about being outdoors without air conditioning or even fans/blowers to help cool the tent areas. Even in the tents, covered from the sun, you couldn't get away from the fact the street you were on was turning into an open-air oven. The humidity turned into a brick wall. You couldn't get up to move except for the fact that it was too hot to sit still.</p><p>Smarter people than I brought portable or rechargeable cooling fans, only to have their batteries run out. That's how hot it got.</p><p>I started plans on designing tent covers with sewn-in solar panels charging up ceiling fans you could mount inside the tent frame. (I've been informed <a href="https://www.amazon.com/DUKUSEEK-Portable-Operated-Emergency-Survival/dp/B09WXZYT87/" target="_blank">someone may have beaten me to that</a>)</p><p>We didn't get the big crowds I've seen for their annual SyFy street conventions in mid-Februarys (and THOSE could get relatively hot and bothersome, but tolerable). Almost no one showed up in costumes, except for one author promoting a fiction work about a zombie war in 19th Century Europe, dressed up in the woolen uniforms of that era. I was amazed that guy didn't collapse from heat stroke.</p><p>We did our best to raise money for the community center, but there was little else we could do. Finally, before 3:00PM, the organizers okay'ed an early end to the street fair to let us pack up and flee for air conditioning by 3:30PM.</p><p>To Sean and Lori, thank you for hosting, and I am sorry the climate was against us. This would be a fun thing to do for local authors, except we gotta consider better times of the year. Some of the attendees were offering suggestions - my personal one is to build everything in downtown Bartow up to five stories high and install street cover roofs with solar panels to charge up massive F-16 sized blowers mounted at ground level to keep everything air conditioned during these street fairs, but we'll need federal aid for all that - and some of the more practical ones deserve some thought.</p><p>With that, sharing a few more photos of people I met at the event and pics from other attendees <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084803377504" target="_blank">I'm stealing off Facebook</a>...</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4c7no3P3agGxq3L6xLEO5E7lilDzrAf04c_Us7Bndp5NdsLmyH7bu769tVgV1olhVi83P_1uLlhjYLNACRGRYlFzuhJy6r1uJSnubg0a2S0FWrKmE6dQ6oI-sBWGbNJGf3TGVn0CvU1Ll1_EqaThweXhC73HkbSA2Hm0naH6K7rtk_9K96IgaMYjv/s4032/20230520_093732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4c7no3P3agGxq3L6xLEO5E7lilDzrAf04c_Us7Bndp5NdsLmyH7bu769tVgV1olhVi83P_1uLlhjYLNACRGRYlFzuhJy6r1uJSnubg0a2S0FWrKmE6dQ6oI-sBWGbNJGf3TGVn0CvU1Ll1_EqaThweXhC73HkbSA2Hm0naH6K7rtk_9K96IgaMYjv/s320/20230520_093732.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big hello back to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/William.Hatfield.Author/" target="_blank">Bill Hatfield</a>, whos been at many of these<br />statewide authors events over the years! He's still recovering<br />from major health issues, best wishes and healthy hugs to him!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTEIdnGqp-pPpWjrbG2tSC2yH_Clb02e7AVMZA3pzVZ5Q1aYI0ZNGsYwwyreh_x66zwMaWsETS5k0LMMC_PshSDxlOmYbiiqDOoc89C_Boe1enggeCllxxEW9jQetoiYesjkHNVKmlF97bVhH-pdObs7TMpTSLHedHiW6vI02ugtHQu3vcRDhl26SA/s948/writersblock2023_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="948" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTEIdnGqp-pPpWjrbG2tSC2yH_Clb02e7AVMZA3pzVZ5Q1aYI0ZNGsYwwyreh_x66zwMaWsETS5k0LMMC_PshSDxlOmYbiiqDOoc89C_Boe1enggeCllxxEW9jQetoiYesjkHNVKmlF97bVhH-pdObs7TMpTSLHedHiW6vI02ugtHQu3vcRDhl26SA/s320/writersblock2023_6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijeZm6FWM1GiWlQvati3e9VjL1HMZRbcmTMmp30xM5EvGdFgKrP-EYln5YWiO4C2dfHFdt24FXa_wOAH_tM_69yQ4MkKAeYWsQ-4UqRNzAXibisKY9r7omrubuDm-OvWguqpCMQo5_16OFvD7ddI8Im1oQht_NhoCui63xCRAnZzfmI2o3lubJk9YG/s960/writersblock2023_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijeZm6FWM1GiWlQvati3e9VjL1HMZRbcmTMmp30xM5EvGdFgKrP-EYln5YWiO4C2dfHFdt24FXa_wOAH_tM_69yQ4MkKAeYWsQ-4UqRNzAXibisKY9r7omrubuDm-OvWguqpCMQo5_16OFvD7ddI8Im1oQht_NhoCui63xCRAnZzfmI2o3lubJk9YG/s320/writersblock2023_7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>These photos were from earlier in the day, when the heat and humidity wasn't wilting everybody in sight.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCJKK5nlClYLv2WsZBjsOAGJNnIf8r91C2tPfKetEDskjXxl9MOsimChpGVz6CTYuTbmkQw34Egdc148TyJUxDD1L16S6mFp1AjWgNXUNzKpyOINSNwqcg3WRSVqP2hrCe6w-JddJqLSzreH690Y_xEzIiW41VILFhCHLKSI9Q5l9PjNA_izzF_YCY/s1080/writersblock2023_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCJKK5nlClYLv2WsZBjsOAGJNnIf8r91C2tPfKetEDskjXxl9MOsimChpGVz6CTYuTbmkQw34Egdc148TyJUxDD1L16S6mFp1AjWgNXUNzKpyOINSNwqcg3WRSVqP2hrCe6w-JddJqLSzreH690Y_xEzIiW41VILFhCHLKSI9Q5l9PjNA_izzF_YCY/s320/writersblock2023_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqyaU1dL7eLPb44RpdIt5vwitG8WM0464TjXW6aUqXkJ1CRzWVK92JTkLc8Hwm14YoHo_VftvWHJ-nJXP_2HNQjiE045q7VH8e6BU3wHT0HeADWxAfNRHwSaLZzbUqpZZb0kSeVqoOUKTF5KbC_K6WinlBREpuTu293Zgus2ohauN0CqagRK3AMSm/s960/writersblock2023_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqyaU1dL7eLPb44RpdIt5vwitG8WM0464TjXW6aUqXkJ1CRzWVK92JTkLc8Hwm14YoHo_VftvWHJ-nJXP_2HNQjiE045q7VH8e6BU3wHT0HeADWxAfNRHwSaLZzbUqpZZb0kSeVqoOUKTF5KbC_K6WinlBREpuTu293Zgus2ohauN0CqagRK3AMSm/s320/writersblock2023_4.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIhTzS0AtOqRQXyXbiAEzLiwA0TNuXV1-vj1aN2Numesn02gSukz_SnzbQyxxu9EFZILqzjbstPkLfrdVe7U4_3Or4Vd0qV41Bl_0xBbJ6yM5Fx6bjw1yg7O83WKHjcJK90J1gfak3xb61_yyvTe-ZZG-GS2ika7ZuVf0diqhlsWgrwMVxJaoEQ8XR/s960/writersblock2023_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="960" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIhTzS0AtOqRQXyXbiAEzLiwA0TNuXV1-vj1aN2Numesn02gSukz_SnzbQyxxu9EFZILqzjbstPkLfrdVe7U4_3Or4Vd0qV41Bl_0xBbJ6yM5Fx6bjw1yg7O83WKHjcJK90J1gfak3xb61_yyvTe-ZZG-GS2ika7ZuVf0diqhlsWgrwMVxJaoEQ8XR/s320/writersblock2023_5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That fan was the biggest reason why these authors were smiling on-stage.<br />That bottle of water was there in case any of them burst in flames.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>These were the other local authors invited to the event. Several of them did dress up as part of the scheduled events - there was a Jane Austen-themed tea party - and the author who dressed up as Anne Rice was kind of the default winner of the "Dress As A Famous Author" contest.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfbmIk99pH6dSG3O3bPxUk-7nhZpZ9oXgJacTQAi0KSRaPL9Rc97HUGXR31r4pJ5h_MtgrvqgFnYtWWrTl6dsJrXz7De2A-OyE53gq-aJPAZgrD1uEb5EhVev6uOuKDBn62ldRhP9cpigPtPa00O3JTdstfjS924kfDDqwPXxaxv4US0JGt9UN18ir/s806/writersblock2023_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="806" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfbmIk99pH6dSG3O3bPxUk-7nhZpZ9oXgJacTQAi0KSRaPL9Rc97HUGXR31r4pJ5h_MtgrvqgFnYtWWrTl6dsJrXz7De2A-OyE53gq-aJPAZgrD1uEb5EhVev6uOuKDBn62ldRhP9cpigPtPa00O3JTdstfjS924kfDDqwPXxaxv4US0JGt9UN18ir/s320/writersblock2023_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-OEkHjYLUgDlwl5qmQYdoUp3vB74N7kA6UxCLRkmUg5WpnOyuaNtWtBu3EgqSZM0Iz68q1Fc78OoDjVXY-tJkiZ2u6_YxF0bBjqDbR2SbEc-DQn8YgqQDtPfq8pHbOSPpyZw62BcAqDUpXOwP0FMbJ43TnDRUz6sdT4dlybgn-Po3S2XKzsmp4qnW/s1080/writersblock2023_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="695" data-original-width="1080" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-OEkHjYLUgDlwl5qmQYdoUp3vB74N7kA6UxCLRkmUg5WpnOyuaNtWtBu3EgqSZM0Iz68q1Fc78OoDjVXY-tJkiZ2u6_YxF0bBjqDbR2SbEc-DQn8YgqQDtPfq8pHbOSPpyZw62BcAqDUpXOwP0FMbJ43TnDRUz6sdT4dlybgn-Po3S2XKzsmp4qnW/s320/writersblock2023_3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>We did our best to print out a big check to the <a href="https://www.churchservicecenter.org/" target="_blank">Bartow Community Center</a>!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizoRNFS3KnXK5yHRTfHJHYf-ESKZUDlY98HgXPhX4MYB08q2_SP3RBeRo3DpnXKmQ8G1XxVX5W94KJ33Jh-yIrTtOPDq_nQY2Hddfngp2y4FEk_J4xrXvrqVL9ZpRfS_5EvSivVEonZ4fKCnlINO1apxcrHqz2-vLzjZBXvpRqZPQOK1DMHOR1tKTs/s2048/writersblock2023_8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizoRNFS3KnXK5yHRTfHJHYf-ESKZUDlY98HgXPhX4MYB08q2_SP3RBeRo3DpnXKmQ8G1XxVX5W94KJ33Jh-yIrTtOPDq_nQY2Hddfngp2y4FEk_J4xrXvrqVL9ZpRfS_5EvSivVEonZ4fKCnlINO1apxcrHqz2-vLzjZBXvpRqZPQOK1DMHOR1tKTs/s320/writersblock2023_8.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>Big shout out to Marie, my neighbor at that Fountain Lakes apartments so long ago, who was there at the event volunteering for the food vendors and providing overall moral support. You can tell the humidity was getting to me at that point.</p><p>So that being all said and done... oh man I need another nap ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz oh right, uh, until the next writers event... KEEP ON TYPING, YOU FIENDS. ZzzzzZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz </p><p><br /></p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06967947720465720504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506795764051096832.post-4627094612778198322023-05-14T21:45:00.004-04:002023-05-18T19:13:50.156-04:00Bartow Authors Event, Saturday May 20th. BE THERE OR ELSE I WILL YODEL AT YOU. IN KLINGON. BACKWARDS.<p>Oh, I should have mentioned this sooner.</p><p>I will be one of many local authors at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084803377504" target="_blank">the <b>Bartow Writers' Block Party and Street Fair</b></a> happening this <b>Saturday May 20th from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM</b>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKzDDolla43IDl-tkhhlk_Q92ZjrnpzLsY6xoWvhTS3Qx8TsoH87LnExDNx_ryvptxdgE8PdApqSvmz0EUwiHiMdi-R47KHpo2rskFBmMfV88ABcmGwNULKOJ7YatSt1VtJOwwVX2smjpZNtuQBOsDAH_G4p3ihv-_8j58802gRXfJC5rnvwImi-lo/s960/Bartow_WritersBlock2023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="959" data-original-width="960" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKzDDolla43IDl-tkhhlk_Q92ZjrnpzLsY6xoWvhTS3Qx8TsoH87LnExDNx_ryvptxdgE8PdApqSvmz0EUwiHiMdi-R47KHpo2rskFBmMfV88ABcmGwNULKOJ7YatSt1VtJOwwVX2smjpZNtuQBOsDAH_G4p3ihv-_8j58802gRXfJC5rnvwImi-lo/w362-h362/Bartow_WritersBlock2023.jpg" width="362" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Lemme get the details here:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><b>All types of activities including, painting with a friend, kids coloring with a Klingon, a Jane Austen panel, guest speakers, music & so much more.</b></p><p><b>We are inviting people or their pets, to dress up as characters from books. This also includes your favorite author like Herman Melville, HG Wells, Mary Shelly, Edgar Rice Burroughs. The skies are the limit on who you want to be. It could be from a movie that was adapted from a novel or a character from the book itself, including the author.</b></p></blockquote><p>It's a pet-friendly event, but make sure your alligator is emotionally prepared to attend.</p><p>There will be painting activities for kids and teens, I believe.</p><p>Food vendors will be in the area, so lunches and refreshments are available (bring moneys for books and food, don't eat the books eat the food).</p><p>I may have drink mugs and mousepad giveaways. I need to check supplies.</p><p>To the nine people I think follow me, hope you can make it to Bartow this Saturday!</p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06967947720465720504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506795764051096832.post-25546096975793327662023-05-05T20:31:00.004-04:002023-05-05T20:31:26.984-04:002023 REVENGE OF THE FIFTH<p>Which is also considered Revenge of the Sixth for tomorrow, because May 5th conflicts with Cinco De Mayo...</p><p>Lemme get you some Sith:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1vHb9DJ5TWI" width="320" youtube-src-id="1vHb9DJ5TWI"></iframe></div><br /><p>Whoa.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ek52lBI1USk" width="320" youtube-src-id="Ek52lBI1USk"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><br /><p>Nickelback just called, Megan, they need you for the next tour.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iJOQ5ZsAU2s" width="320" youtube-src-id="iJOQ5ZsAU2s"></iframe></div><br /><p>This whole transition thing is a thing on TikTok and YouTube...</p><p>But how long have the geeks been making lightsaber video clips???</p><p>This was maybe 17 years ago (!):</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8NE5elL30w4" width="320" youtube-src-id="8NE5elL30w4"></iframe></div><br /><p>FINISH HIM! Wait, wrong franchise...</p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06967947720465720504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506795764051096832.post-36911734636466926422023-04-15T09:22:00.001-04:002023-04-15T09:22:54.696-04:00Kicking Myself <p>It was more than a year ago, but I'm still kicking myself over losing a USB Flash drive that contained the most current stories and writing projects I had on file.</p><p>I forgot a cardinal rule of working with computer files: BACK IT UP. Some of the stuff had earlier versions of stories on file on a hard drive between my desktop computer and my laptop, but I had foolishly kept the major stuff - especially a gathering of short stories I was planning to put into a new anthology - onto that one USB stick... and then I couldn't find it.</p><p>If I'm lucky, it just fell behind some furniture that's too heavy to lift up at the moment. I'm not desperate enough to re-arrange the entire townhouse to find it. However, it's frustrating me enough to curse my very existence.</p><p>If I had to, I could recover some of the works and edit them back up to where I'm sure I had my finished drafts, but I am definitely missing several key stories I would love to include in that planned anthology to make it all tie together in a nice theme.</p><p>/headdesk</p><p>REMEMBER MY SINS, WRITERS. BACK UP EVERYTHING YOU GOT.</p><p> </p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06967947720465720504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506795764051096832.post-45711258580768782742023-03-17T13:03:00.005-04:002023-03-17T13:03:28.758-04:00If You're Wearing Green Today, You Won't Get Pinched (Also More Quiet Man clips)!<p> Happy St. Patrick's Day ye Irish devils ye. Have some shenanigans from Inisfree!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hXwfcOrbzsc" width="320" youtube-src-id="hXwfcOrbzsc"></iframe></div><br /><p>The drinks are on the house! (every spit-takes) Well, they ARE!</p><p>The whole movie is like this. Impetuous! Homeric!!!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_pDvui6x3Z8" width="320" youtube-src-id="_pDvui6x3Z8"></iframe></div><br /><p><span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Erin Go Bragh!!!</b></span></p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06967947720465720504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506795764051096832.post-58658952790510396512023-01-13T08:47:00.001-05:002023-01-13T08:47:31.386-05:00Friday the 13th Black Cat Sighting for 2023<p>Almost wrote "For 2022" but yeah it's a new year, ya moran.</p><p>ANYWHO, Who wants to say hello to a krazy kat on a Friday the 13th!!!!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_9KF7_RHCJDvQ3AKexoZc5OyJ6igCLc4uhVLwg7TJeqV-IPzt7kllDT3gR7I9dTcnwAigOC4KRMxVN0CqRuHtF6DWhSK5hwj_Qho-29aCYB_MHkg26lpSJqzlt-713-2OCxceUFSQJ9fUfBFUZwyO_D9Rpi15ncY6ZTakNUdWwwgpRorQlIaf82j/s4032/20230113_072830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_9KF7_RHCJDvQ3AKexoZc5OyJ6igCLc4uhVLwg7TJeqV-IPzt7kllDT3gR7I9dTcnwAigOC4KRMxVN0CqRuHtF6DWhSK5hwj_Qho-29aCYB_MHkg26lpSJqzlt-713-2OCxceUFSQJ9fUfBFUZwyO_D9Rpi15ncY6ZTakNUdWwwgpRorQlIaf82j/s320/20230113_072830.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBc8BCZSr8i_fWSjSyr2lNDRk8g5EFgBk6GEyXf8Xekcm19mCjRVkdzRTFA_vF6rDDE9xX8hjBa45iSaGfLpYuTn_I91EckUvrffjQFeFbS43F5Vd6fTOgyCqbGe-qs0xnPGIYm1OswrBVC7b-y8w4jHc3VY4HBjAmqO5iOGtQuRAnn4kVzOfU-m0/s4032/20230113_072836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBc8BCZSr8i_fWSjSyr2lNDRk8g5EFgBk6GEyXf8Xekcm19mCjRVkdzRTFA_vF6rDDE9xX8hjBa45iSaGfLpYuTn_I91EckUvrffjQFeFbS43F5Vd6fTOgyCqbGe-qs0xnPGIYm1OswrBVC7b-y8w4jHc3VY4HBjAmqO5iOGtQuRAnn4kVzOfU-m0/s320/20230113_072836.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>This giant Feline of Ferociousness was only willing to pose with a bowl of dry food over his head, heading the yearning eyes, the quick meowing insisting on FEED ME, etc etc. <br /></p><p>Mal the Krazy Kat will also be rooting for the Seattle Seahawks this playoff weekend because he was born during their Super Bowl win 9 years ago (has it been that long already?).</p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06967947720465720504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506795764051096832.post-34544725172326664272022-12-28T23:00:00.002-05:002022-12-28T23:00:17.907-05:00Witty's Year End Book Review 2022<p>I know I am late at the end of this year to compile the best of what I've read this 2022, please don't yell, it'll wake the cats... </p><p>As a reminder, this list is not the best books that came out this year, but the best of what I've read this year. This means the book could be published five-ten years ago and I've just gotten around to it. The book should well be available in your local library (or you can always purchase online).</p><p>Here's my 2022 recommendations:</p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Best Fiction</span></p><p><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Free-Fire-Joe-Pickett-Novel/dp/0735211949" target="_blank">Free Fire</a></i>, CJ Box</p><p>I've been trying to diversify my reading interests as part of my librarian's duty of advisory (recommending stuff to patrons asking for new authors to follow), so instead of the science-fiction / fantasy stuff I tend to peruse, I've been reading various thriller series to see if I can find something other than Jack Reacher to promote.</p><p>Box has an ongoing series revolving around character Joe Pickett, a game warden from the vast ranges of Wyoming, who comes across dangerous killers and sociopathic bureaucrats in near-equal forces. Pickett's fortunes rise and fall depending on how desperate various politicians are to resolve public disasters, which is how this novel opens with the state's governor granting Pickett the authority to investigate a murder spree where the killer's already turned himself in and confessed.</p><p>The twist is the killer committed his murders in a particular corner of Yellowstone National Park where a Constitutionally-enforced legal loophole means nobody can ever be brought to trial for any crimes they commit there. This is the freaky thing: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zone_of_Death_(Yellowstone)" target="_blank">This Zone of Death is <i>real</i></a>, and Box uses this novel to examine the ramifications of how a devious individual (working for a conspiracy involving Yellowstone's unique habitat) could exploit it.</p><p>I bring up this novel, and the Pickett series, as a counter to the popular Jack Reacher series that <a href="https://wittylibrarian.blogspot.com/2020/12/wittys-year-end-book-review-2020.html" target="_blank">I've tried reading and just left it feeling underwhelmed</a>. While both series are similar in format, the characters and settings in Box's novels are more relatable and convincing. Also, Pickett and the other characters <a href="https://slate.com/culture/2019/09/andy-martin-lee-child-jack-reacher-philosophy-with-child.html" target="_blank">talk more</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Best Non-Fiction</span></p><p><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Zero-Fail-Rise-Secret-Service/dp/0399589015" target="_blank">Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service</a></i>, Carol D. Leonnig</p><p>Out of all the post-trump works out there worth reading, I found this book by Leonnig to provide an interesting side note to all of the ongoing breakdowns of accountability across our government (of which trump's rise was merely part of the problem).</p><p>Leonnig examines the role of the Presidential bodyguard agency responsible for the safety and protection of the President, Vice President, and other vital members of the Executive branch. An organization with some effectiveness but haunted by tragic failures, the Secret Service has found its mission objectives at odds with ethical and professional norms especially when the War of Terror changed the agency into a purely praetorian role. Various scandals - including a prostitution-hiring embarrassment in Colombia - kept pointing to an agency staffed by poorly trained and undisciplined members who were hired for reasons other than being at the top of their game. The situation got worse when trump arrived, staffing the top offices with personal cronies who would be called upon to cover up some of trump's worst excesses (including the January 6th Insurrection that almost saw Secret Service agents kidnap Vice President Pence (!) to disrupt the electoral count).</p><p>I would have considered several other anti-trump books, but Leonnig's work uncovers a systemic breakdown that exists even without trump's corrupting influence. </p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Best Graphic Novel (or Ongoing Series)</span></p><p><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jurassic-League-2022-1-ebook/dp/B09XN6BGPX/" target="_blank">Jurassic League (DC)</a></i>, Daniel Warren Johnson, Juan Gedeon, and Mike Spicer</p><p>There are many epic stories in the comics 'Verses, there are often Earth-shattering conflicts with dark consequences, there are annual Crises that tests the valor and virtue of our legendary heroes.</p><p>This series is not one of those.</p><p>What's known in the DC Universe as an Elseworlds storyline, Jurassic League is basically a variation of the established superhero 'verse of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and all the other heavy hitters of their major superhero team... but with DINOSAURS. It's as goofy as it sounds, and that's what makes it fun. With all the other somber, dark, even gory storylines the DCU is working on - the <i>Vampires series</i> that got so bleak you just couldn't keep reading it, or the <i>Dark Crisis</i> series as yet another attempt to fix all the continuity errors that came from the first big Crisis - it's sometimes refreshing to read a comic book series that's in it for the goofiness. Even Darkseid shows up as a dino. It's awesome.</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Best Work By Someone I Email, Tweet, or Chat With On a Regular Basis</span></p><p><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Avengers-Dynasty-Omnibus-Kurt-Busiek/dp/1846532892/" target="_blank">The Kang Dynasty Omnibus</a></i>, Kurt Busiek and Alan Davis w/ other artists</p><p>As part of getting up to speed on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is going into Phase V this 2023, I needed to read up on the next Big Bad of the story arc... which is going to be Kang the Conqueror. Considered one of Marvel's biggest villains - Thanos being the universal threat, and Kang (and oft-times rival Dr. Doom) being the Earth-based threat(s) - Kang is still unfamiliar to me (due to my devotion to the DCU). All I know is, he's a future-based villain with time control powers - among several others - making him a multidimensional threat. Past that, I got nothing. So I went hunting for any collected volumes, and this was one I got into.</p><p>This makes the "Someone I Email/Tweet" list with Busiek being a regular Twitter poster to whom I've replied and retweeted. Often with Busiek slapping me down for my silliness and Reply Guy tendencies. My bad. Still, Busiek is one of the more popular authors in the graphic novels/comics industry that I follow, giving a <a href="https://wittylibrarian.blogspot.com/2010/12/wittys-year-end-book-review-2010.html" target="_blank">good review of his <i>JLA/Avengers</i> crossover</a> years ago. His Kang Dynasty is a must-read if you want to be able to follow the next set of Marvel movies without whispering to the geek sitting next to you "Wait, what superpower did he just use again?"</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Best Work Including Stuff I Wrote</span></p><p><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Strangely-Funny-IX-Sarah-Glenn/dp/1949281205/" target="_blank">Strangely Funny IX</a></i>, edited by Sarah Glenn</p><p>Containing my submission "The Brides of Wi-Fi," a modern take on the three vampire women associated with whatever Lord of the Vampires - no, NOT the D guy - you may confront at a spooky gothic mansion in the hills of Georgia. It's different from my previous vampire stories, going by different rules, <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OurVampiresAreDifferent" target="_blank">but that's par for the course in vampire mythos</a> where the powers and weaknesses of the <i>strigoi</i> change from region to region (and sometimes even in the same narrative 'Verse, damn you Hammer Horror for your inconsistency). Please do buy a copy of <i>Strangely Funny</i> and please do leave a good review, danke.</p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06967947720465720504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506795764051096832.post-46009710191931159472022-12-01T20:53:00.002-05:002022-12-01T20:53:52.965-05:00NaNoWriMo 2022 Status<p>I reached 50,000 words! On the "rebellious space princess" novel idea!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUo2YOmmu8pXyCN7K-MUV7UStioOQ4Ti_9zBLz5y5x08Lo0AgIzCxtJSOMXVUh-HLlfP1CmqpeD4Tr6ckMi-UJEKPMrxESAn8Lv9Np2wbb3ut4kWthB1cYqfIDYTKKsr-MJc9-6trZL8xwdFfdWSrJje1r74a0jvzNYzsYyySlpNktyfiFo40HV5j/s555/Nano-22_Winner_Badge_1x.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="555" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUo2YOmmu8pXyCN7K-MUV7UStioOQ4Ti_9zBLz5y5x08Lo0AgIzCxtJSOMXVUh-HLlfP1CmqpeD4Tr6ckMi-UJEKPMrxESAn8Lv9Np2wbb3ut4kWthB1cYqfIDYTKKsr-MJc9-6trZL8xwdFfdWSrJje1r74a0jvzNYzsYyySlpNktyfiFo40HV5j/s320/Nano-22_Winner_Badge_1x.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>And now... I NEED TO FINISH THE DAMN THING FOR ONCE.</p><p>Keep yelling at me to finish. I need the motivation of having an editor with a shotgun and an egg timer pushing me onward.</p><p><br /></p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06967947720465720504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506795764051096832.post-73197213379245176122022-11-20T21:49:00.002-05:002022-11-20T21:49:54.083-05:00I Survived Lake County Comic Con 2022<p>And I have the pictures to prove it!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLONF-VNzssMnF_it-pEnb7Rh-My5ysffjqEWOGPwa8K4dz2eUdGODoASHp-qlWib1P8KqteRWdZisFJnz2Elp0jxTOI6SFHiyTbZTrIpBFt8fcgN0pa4wvNw23dcW3q5TCDIQXblGD7Ddq64I8zOHjKzJk0KU0i-xxsg3GqbkhBE6W3Rgg2AxYioM/s4032/20221120_124925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLONF-VNzssMnF_it-pEnb7Rh-My5ysffjqEWOGPwa8K4dz2eUdGODoASHp-qlWib1P8KqteRWdZisFJnz2Elp0jxTOI6SFHiyTbZTrIpBFt8fcgN0pa4wvNw23dcW3q5TCDIQXblGD7Ddq64I8zOHjKzJk0KU0i-xxsg3GqbkhBE6W3Rgg2AxYioM/s320/20221120_124925.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />There was a bit of a problem when I arrived: the table they assigned was in the doorway where vendors were entering to set up, meaning *I* couldn't set up, but the convention organizer Scott found a table available where the person had relocated to another group area (some vendors work as a team at various cons).<p></p><p>But once I got everything set up, and the doors opened to the public, the place got busy.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYph5qHMp7qrqOrrkrVFNDWhxN3hVjiFbSiN4dJTOvp2lPQEM6b6041TedqDpun9AXZQtPJrcCFZm6Kbfo3QRNlTdSo-FmOeM3u87Gr7Ls0b06EBPGnj7siVm-OtA0gNEqrmKfm4v2-OiWjpoNh4p2Pj7abRMNL1mFxOjJI4SPQYuRVjDA1iF45Ndy/s4032/20221120_101936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYph5qHMp7qrqOrrkrVFNDWhxN3hVjiFbSiN4dJTOvp2lPQEM6b6041TedqDpun9AXZQtPJrcCFZm6Kbfo3QRNlTdSo-FmOeM3u87Gr7Ls0b06EBPGnj7siVm-OtA0gNEqrmKfm4v2-OiWjpoNh4p2Pj7abRMNL1mFxOjJI4SPQYuRVjDA1iF45Ndy/s320/20221120_101936.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIEHoDIDsseGabs90hhFiJsG77mjO9nMZ0TmKNN-n6UVjZ6lzC9DeTwJV2H5SvDT4Nq4hxEGv6BxCS6pycOauJM0zKX1OB6DYqK-qK7wAqMElpRBE1J6QRFpO3XmWnaGhezFuhopTSxfRyZNz57GqILG4LoA0CbV3fj2he1K6vEO8COnHdgV0RIuxT/s4032/20221120_101952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIEHoDIDsseGabs90hhFiJsG77mjO9nMZ0TmKNN-n6UVjZ6lzC9DeTwJV2H5SvDT4Nq4hxEGv6BxCS6pycOauJM0zKX1OB6DYqK-qK7wAqMElpRBE1J6QRFpO3XmWnaGhezFuhopTSxfRyZNz57GqILG4LoA0CbV3fj2he1K6vEO8COnHdgV0RIuxT/s320/20221120_101952.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Either bring a basket of candy to draw a crowd,<br />or make a special offer.<br />The offer itself didn't attract people: I had buyers<br />refuse the coffee mugs. Sigh.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkLRdqax5rEpP_sXc7k99DQhoTKlwLKb9FUCLxNBb-1NJuW0GvG3779fc4d0k2mS-vBZcdkUsvRo98-svsVyEvPSbnHHab7nCTPYdG3m0J4sof7QoJLPGTrG6ui09t6hc_Oe8zw1D6H1SNn3TUgwOAAruhVJ5NOScROTxR8gFun10iik5en4MdkdDf/s4032/20221120_102003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkLRdqax5rEpP_sXc7k99DQhoTKlwLKb9FUCLxNBb-1NJuW0GvG3779fc4d0k2mS-vBZcdkUsvRo98-svsVyEvPSbnHHab7nCTPYdG3m0J4sof7QoJLPGTrG6ui09t6hc_Oe8zw1D6H1SNn3TUgwOAAruhVJ5NOScROTxR8gFun10iik5en4MdkdDf/s320/20221120_102003.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>And oh boy did I get busy.</p><p>I sold eight books this con. Personal record. Previous attendance I had many three at most, probably two books sold all day. EIGHT today. <a href="https://youtu.be/QRWB1WUCzs8" target="_blank">I feel like I can take on the whole Empire myself</a>. And each of the book volumes of <i>Strangely Funny</i> went home with eager readers. I am now officially out of <i>Strangely Funny Volume I</i>.</p><p>I had so many people stop by my table - between the busy hours of 11 AM to 3 PM - that I barely had any time to circle around and get pictures.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRz-FZcEp8n0zjFfBSCDoB4Lb47ZZ9Z2EhLXW0If3DLD86mPXsXUuskIACvl3yKYQnnsPABmKQwl8MCzgIplhUSM0_xawcA5Eqy_Pd3hpjqz3BJ5ekWuqb7QoeSicfr-F5FCwNth17_FNGQgyJ3Ojvjftv5OBMDfb_Z9R-WSnkA-Xy_BjheYNknIWk/s4032/20221120_102032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRz-FZcEp8n0zjFfBSCDoB4Lb47ZZ9Z2EhLXW0If3DLD86mPXsXUuskIACvl3yKYQnnsPABmKQwl8MCzgIplhUSM0_xawcA5Eqy_Pd3hpjqz3BJ5ekWuqb7QoeSicfr-F5FCwNth17_FNGQgyJ3Ojvjftv5OBMDfb_Z9R-WSnkA-Xy_BjheYNknIWk/s320/20221120_102032.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You might remember John Crowther. He was there<br />promoting more of his wrestling comics, as well as a<br />new novel!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ7n6NPrFrtv8mtVRdNTSORI-5GJAUyKo9BIVb0OwG2wXwt20xAAWwWatlHbKb-Eid6hQIITI-Lst9bdgqU9kXj9tKTCv2yV4oBHUy2T53rCd2Z47spdhLWvVsO_RR8tj6bT3SiUJnb6vG2fCcbCdv7wtFvMUWrX1fBY_4G47Kj_EZY1d0b-zLkEz6/s4032/20221120_102047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ7n6NPrFrtv8mtVRdNTSORI-5GJAUyKo9BIVb0OwG2wXwt20xAAWwWatlHbKb-Eid6hQIITI-Lst9bdgqU9kXj9tKTCv2yV4oBHUy2T53rCd2Z47spdhLWvVsO_RR8tj6bT3SiUJnb6vG2fCcbCdv7wtFvMUWrX1fBY_4G47Kj_EZY1d0b-zLkEz6/s320/20221120_102047.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not sure of this cosplay.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGYxFLSgQ_5DDpyU9hDDCxkexBqDCwTN4RFzE8xflSsP6TCeOd_fQkxiX17jIoGHeVbCP1EVtjC6vXaPYW2NNswHOMdfw2h1zj__wH8onasWgqafs4rbVLk7UjbJuNx4GET_KQl77dC8lHmiC_qq7ZifGL46vl5y_A23wJMRnusF9vlb97cIuq2ASe/s4032/20221120_111032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGYxFLSgQ_5DDpyU9hDDCxkexBqDCwTN4RFzE8xflSsP6TCeOd_fQkxiX17jIoGHeVbCP1EVtjC6vXaPYW2NNswHOMdfw2h1zj__wH8onasWgqafs4rbVLk7UjbJuNx4GET_KQl77dC8lHmiC_qq7ZifGL46vl5y_A23wJMRnusF9vlb97cIuq2ASe/s320/20221120_111032.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EVERYBODY knows Squirrel Girl!!!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The crowd seemed about the same as last year's, although not as many cosplayers this time. It was rainy weather today - a cold front blowing across central Florida, yes it DOES get cold here - so that may have affected costumers avoiding the rain.</p><p>Thanks all, those who attended, and I hope to have something new - a nice fantasy or sci-fi novel - for you for next year's con! </p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06967947720465720504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506795764051096832.post-79587277694848529592022-11-11T22:49:00.002-05:002022-11-11T22:49:27.836-05:00Lake County Comic Con 2022: I Shall Be There<p>And I shall be square!</p><p>The <a href="https://www.lakecountycomiccon.com/#about" target="_blank">annual Lake County Comic Con</a> - located at the Trilogy Orlando, address 100 Falling Acorn Ave, Groveland FL, it's north of Clermont FL folks, check your GPS - will open Sunday November 20 from 10AM to 5PM, and I will be one of many vendors there offering our wares!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD1MSLUWvRE6Rcv8so0rPlMkrJ5LSFRC1bgtUDFkFXITODqkefjou2Q-Ah-YiFk8wUz1XxBYPbieusxSoy1Wb5H8PaMDl_Ne8sOZYrnNjpewDNM8kVkUpwdw4Br2mcJ6-o8KIzecb2xHXYknII_uZGF5WEupW6AKm5jT99S3XyMo4Ssp0_2d0IcltZ/s2048/20211121_094753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD1MSLUWvRE6Rcv8so0rPlMkrJ5LSFRC1bgtUDFkFXITODqkefjou2Q-Ah-YiFk8wUz1XxBYPbieusxSoy1Wb5H8PaMDl_Ne8sOZYrnNjpewDNM8kVkUpwdw4Br2mcJ6-o8KIzecb2xHXYknII_uZGF5WEupW6AKm5jT99S3XyMo4Ssp0_2d0IcltZ/w279-h209/20211121_094753.jpg" width="279" /></a></div><br /><p>I will bring the latest volume of the <i>Strangely Funny</i> anthology series, copies of my short story collection <i>Last of the Grapefruit Wars</i>, and a special offer this time around.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfT4cL-2w5taG-28EAZ3NnVzNVkYUnuA8UKpEte-3kf7P9nFhQMSZcYejljA8dOOt1ioVFoA4r_n5s22_ssoHxY-yJ8jpDixC5CrtWRpwuPN7Px4Xsn4Cwtt4DhS46AtTc8YeldLqrh-kA3nxXV7E7jkthmqtbyMGHm45Y1-ecZnrZmUPAB9thzBbg/s2700/strangely%20funny%20ix%20front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfT4cL-2w5taG-28EAZ3NnVzNVkYUnuA8UKpEte-3kf7P9nFhQMSZcYejljA8dOOt1ioVFoA4r_n5s22_ssoHxY-yJ8jpDixC5CrtWRpwuPN7Px4Xsn4Cwtt4DhS46AtTc8YeldLqrh-kA3nxXV7E7jkthmqtbyMGHm45Y1-ecZnrZmUPAB9thzBbg/w162-h243/strangely%20funny%20ix%20front.jpg" width="162" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>For <b>one book purchase at $10.00</b>, you get <b>a Witty Librarian mousepad</b>!</p><p>For <b>two book purchases at $20.00</b>, you get <b>a Witty Librarian mug</b>!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf8LZmrjXNoLspeoogHQhOjPVnOIRhBYRYU3F2OuuxL3xJ5Xpb8KZQPelC5ioAEe4beq5PAsdCaCT18LKW2g9t_JkcRIfhj3isMizJvWuVU9HF2vfTNu59m01rD8CJtT3C6eUH27djJF-Q6KIEEfXFw9HV6DOFGhlJViFx_1zueMQjJ8yB5nUE3Ptu/s650/wittylibr_coffeemug2021.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="221" data-original-width="650" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf8LZmrjXNoLspeoogHQhOjPVnOIRhBYRYU3F2OuuxL3xJ5Xpb8KZQPelC5ioAEe4beq5PAsdCaCT18LKW2g9t_JkcRIfhj3isMizJvWuVU9HF2vfTNu59m01rD8CJtT3C6eUH27djJF-Q6KIEEfXFw9HV6DOFGhlJViFx_1zueMQjJ8yB5nUE3Ptu/w429-h146/wittylibr_coffeemug2021.jpeg" width="429" /></a></div>Supplies are limited, so the deal won't last!<div><br /></div><div>I might even bring my Royal Palm Literary Award for display!<br /><p>Hope to see you there, drive safe. Mask up if need to, COVID is still out there, please get your booster shots. </p></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06967947720465720504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506795764051096832.post-31797969948878199202022-11-06T20:01:00.003-05:002022-11-06T20:01:56.614-05:00NaNo 2022 Update Week One<p>Getting to the first week of NaNoWriMo wrapped up and I am over 10,000 words today!</p><p>I just need to find out where this photo came from and I've got my book cover already.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikNTobKFz_UTVomO3_n9FYF9eYT66LjhZ6Co_Gn5okuVoB-429vN1X3Vj2hb2CeUpYsJ-yMGJI7dfOaKyiQTPrbWqfYMNWmQ5O9qXCnGWlR0B93dCHcOFD0ocmof3JWGJycRo3TceHxNRjASgV7x48T6Vf-6ogh7NdXr5WcrDQIzvoVCiGhXYWuTs0/s739/FU9YTFUUYAAhKBs.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="415" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikNTobKFz_UTVomO3_n9FYF9eYT66LjhZ6Co_Gn5okuVoB-429vN1X3Vj2hb2CeUpYsJ-yMGJI7dfOaKyiQTPrbWqfYMNWmQ5O9qXCnGWlR0B93dCHcOFD0ocmof3JWGJycRo3TceHxNRjASgV7x48T6Vf-6ogh7NdXr5WcrDQIzvoVCiGhXYWuTs0/w181-h320/FU9YTFUUYAAhKBs.jpeg" width="181" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06967947720465720504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1506795764051096832.post-59051040597298727252022-11-04T18:53:00.000-04:002022-11-04T18:53:16.584-04:00For Winning the Silver in the RPLA Nonfiction Blogging<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSIAffZ9tGHoGdxjty38lunY-62pqoGfv9-yVjtU04UfTqjiDPvqd67TYsqtfb51qHCeDj9_0neyRm4-p38hzyhTyCWMTtnGO3v1BlMbV-s4QHwGSKtvNe3WOA5B6u_ExAActFrPx56eDsVIm-3KEzpRy4e6ing0K4DpzCwtlnKFjTJ96x7oMgD4B/s900/RPLA%20Silver.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSIAffZ9tGHoGdxjty38lunY-62pqoGfv9-yVjtU04UfTqjiDPvqd67TYsqtfb51qHCeDj9_0neyRm4-p38hzyhTyCWMTtnGO3v1BlMbV-s4QHwGSKtvNe3WOA5B6u_ExAActFrPx56eDsVIm-3KEzpRy4e6ing0K4DpzCwtlnKFjTJ96x7oMgD4B/s320/RPLA%20Silver.png" width="320" /></a></div>I will add this to my "<a href="https://noticeatrend.blogspot.com/2021/06/irrational.html" target="_blank">Irrational</a>" article over at the <i><a href="https://noticeatrend.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">You Might Notice A Trend</a></i> blog.<p></p><p>It's always a good motivational to have an award on your mind as you keep writing. /sigh</p><p><br /></p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06967947720465720504noreply@blogger.com0