My mom wanted me to thank my childhood dog Sammy, a dog that has survived coon dog paralysis and whose tail never stops wagging, in my acknowledgments.
Annie wanted me to thank Oreo, the cat who own me, hogs my chair, and sprawls out across my notes.
I thanked neither.
After reading an article titled “With Thanks to My Cat” in London’s Guardian, I’m glad I chose to reserve my thanks for two-legged creatures. I found the article while Googling for tips on writing acknowledgments. The article features many of the clichés included in acknowledgements in quotes, including “my cat,” “incomparable editor,” “ceaseless attention,” “tireless encouragement,” etc.
I tried to avoid many of them, but at least one “without whom this book would not have been possible” snuck through….
I first started reading the works and blog of writer John Scalzi after reading about him in the local paper. He lives in a small town next to the small town which is next to my small town.
“Really,” I thought, “a science fiction writer in Darke County?”
Favre’s trade to the Jets means that his new jersey is selling like crazy. Watch this video below. In it you’ll see some guy producing the jerseys in what appears to be his mother’s walk-in-closet.
The US Men’s Basketball team, “The Redeem Team,” is going to put the USA back where it belongs in international basketball competition.
My mom is close friends with the owner of DeVeau’s School of Gymnastics in Indianapolis, the home gym of Samantha Peszek. I’m not too manly to admit that I watch the women’s gymnastics. This year I’ll be watching a little more closely and following her progress on the school’s blog.
Why I’m nervous –
If the U.S. Men’s Basketball team ,“The Redeem Team,” loses, it will solidify our position of mediocrity in international basketball competition.
As of today, my book is pretty much set in stone. About 1/5th of the book takes place in China. I’m worried that over the next 10-days…
A recent Snickers commercial has been banned because critics are claiming that it’s anti-homosexual.
Anti-gay? I don’t think so.
Anti-speedwalker? Yes.
Pro-funny? Definitely.
Decide for youself:
Inferring that all speed walkers are gay is like saying all guys that where excessive amounts of gold chains around their necks and earrings are gay. And even though Mr. T. is probably about 70, I pity the fool that questions his sexuality.
“Bono’s philanthropy efforts are self-righteous, ineffective, & counter-productive;… The grassroots leaders of the global fight against AIDS didn’t ask for Bono to be their frontman. Its time for Bono to step down. We’ll all pledge donations to the Global Fund, but no pledges are collected until Bono retires from public life.”
So far this campaign has raised $1,002, which is nearly equal to the amount of money Bono raises scratching his butt. Although, the money will not actually be donated unless Bono does retire. Go ahead and donate a Gazillion-bazillion dollars because chances are you’ll never have to pay.
The main target of the campaign is not Bono, it’s the RED campaign. Bono…
As I see it, there are two great forces of human nature: self-interest and caring for others. Capitalism harnesses self-interest in a helpful and sustainable way but only on behalf of those who can pay. Government aid and philanthropy channel our caring for those who can’t pay. And the world will make lasting progress on the big inequities that remain — problems like AIDS, poverty and education — only if governments and nonprofits do their part by giving more aid and more effective aid. But the improvements will happen faster and last longer if we can channel market forces, including innovation that’s tailored to the needs of the poorest, to complement what governments and nonprofits do. We need a…
My brother’s doctoral dissertation is going to be published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology in November. You can read the abstract HERE. Have a taste:
Exercise training or higher levels of physical activity are known to exert anti-inflammatory effects. CD14+CD16+ monocytes are potent producers of inflammatory proteins, and elevated levels of these “inflammatory” monocytes have been implicated in disease development. Little is known about the influence of exercise training on this cell population.
People back home often refer to Kyle as the smart one. An argument that I disagree with by pointing to tales of lost keys, drowned cell phones, and temporary lapses of common sense as evidence that he is not.
Although, when I read stuff like this, I start to agree with them.
Books-a-Million has three of my books for sale. I have no idea how or why. They are listed in their “hard-to-find inventory” section, which doesn’t make much sense, since the book hasn’t been published!
There are three copies total, and two of them are hardcover. When I first saw them I figured they were just advanced advanced readers copies that Wiley gave out at BookExpo America.
Either that or they are fully-edited and fact-checked copies from the future. If that’s the case, they are drastically underpriced….
Author Stephenie Meyer was interviewed in yesterday’s USA Today. Currently she is dominating the bestseller lists (3 of the 4 top spots on the USA Today’s top 100). In the interview they refer to her as the “next J.K. Rowling,” which is always an overstatement, but overstated time-and-time again, just like the “next Michael Jordan” is in basketball.
What she had to say about the overstatement: “There will never be another J.K. Rowling. That’s a lot of pressure on me, isn’t it? I’m just happy being Stephenie Meyer. That’s cool enough for me.”
Vince Carter, Kobe Bryant, Grant Hill, Tracy McGrady, and Lebron James all have said a similar version of that.
As fans we’re rarely satisfied with what we’ve got, so we always search for the second-coming…
