Life
Many days in the life of Norbert Cartagena.
Blood Type, a novel by Melissa L. Garrett
A good friend of mine, Melissa L. Garrett, just released her latest novel, Blood Type, which you can (and should) pick up at Amazon.
Now, before you dismiss this as your standard, run-of the mill, Twilight ripoff, you should know: I have a problem with vampires today. Serious problems. As in I hate most of them. (Vampire: The Masquerade gets a pass. Nosferatu FTW.) So when I tell you that you should pick up a copy of this book, you know that it’s more than just a friend talking.
(Disclaimer: yes, she did give me a preview copy, but like any good supporter of amateur authors, I actually bought a copy for myself.)
Categories: Life Tags: Melissa L. Garrett, Paranormal, Romance, Vampires, Young Adult
Upcoming Projects: Suicide Run, Wicked Windows, and Health Care Reform
If you’ve been following this site for a while (a special thanks to the RSS readers who’ve not dumped me from their stream) you’ll have noticed that I recently started posting again. That’s because I finally feel like there’s something that needs to be said, that I want to share, that others might find useful. My absence, as you’ve no doubt guessed by the previous sentence, has been eventful. In that time I’ve accomplished a number of things, from continuing to improve my health to expanding my writing abilities to seeking and pursuing business opportunities.
All of this improvement and knowledge has come by that I’ve finally realized I am truly most passionate about: books, hence the recent (and continuing) theme of the posts here. But books aren’t the focus of this particular post. Rather, the focus is on my recent projects.
Here’s what’s been going on: Read more…
Categories: Entertainment, Games, Life, Writing Tags: Berserk Entertainment, Film, Health Care Reform, Powerpuff Girls, Screenwriting, Suicide Run, Wicked Window Productions
Going Vegan
New year, new me. Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be? Anyway, the title says it all: we (by which I mean my beautiful wife and I) are going vegan. Mostly. At least for a little while. Frankly, I don’t know if it’ll stick (she loves beef, I love fish), but we’ll see where we’re at in a couple of months. Read more…
Categories: Featured, Health, Life, Personal Development Tags: Heart Health, Medical, RBBB, Right Bundle Branch Block, Veganism, Weight Loss
White Haired Dude
Lately I’ve been noticing more and more white hairs showing up. At the same time, my hair’s been thinning at an increasing rate.
I’m only 30. I’m really not linking this.
Yesterday, after discovering a rather long, white hair hanging right at the top of my forehead I decided to take it, along with a few of its buddies scattered about my head, out with a pair of scissors.
Mission accomplished.
When I was a kid, I took more than a few blows to the head. Big ones. Doc informed me recently that this put me at pretty high risk of developing Alzheimer’s in the future, along with a slightly elevated risk of developing Parkinson’s. So while I don’t know yet how and when I’ll die, front-runners are starting to show up.
The effects of aging and how I react to them have very suddenly became more than just an intellectual exercise. Read more…
Categories: Life Tags:
Failed Experiment
I failed, and that is a good thing. Even better is that I know why: because I forgot what was important.
When I re-launched this site a while back, I planned on writing one weekly post about some sort of memory or history, and maybe other posts about whatever I wanted. The first post would be featured on the front page, while the other posts would be stored away in their own categories, accessible to anyone but promoted only to RSS subscribers, people who follow me on Twitter or who have access to my Facebook page. (Save your Facebook “privacy” jokes.)
Of course, it didn’t turn out that way. With the new format, I suddenly found myself in the position of having to write a great piece in order to justify its positioning in the front page. And that piece had to be about my (or someone else’s) past. There were a few obvious problems, however…
Categories: Life, Site Updates Tags: fail, memories
Introducing My New… TOYOTA CAMRY?!
Alright, so car shopping went along far faster than originally anticipated. This was due to personal reasons, mostly my mom’s need for a new(ish) car and my ability to provide it. (Also, because I still owe some on my previous car, the trade-in value weighed me down.) The car we ended up with? The 2010 Toyota Camry. Read more…
Categories: Life Tags:
New Car Time Again, and Why I Won’t be Buying Used
If you’re a long-time reader of this site (and therefore an unofficial stalker, thank you very much) you know that back in 2006 I put up a bunch of posts on car shopping because I was buying a used car. (If you click the link, keep clicking on “Older Posts” for the complete list of car shopping-related posts.) It’s four years later and I’m at it again. This time, though, I’m buying a new car (a far more enjoyable prospect).
I know, wisdom dictates that I either keep fixing up what I have or buy something used, preferably 2 years old, because values drop most during those first years and if there are any major defects they’ll have shown up, probably. However, this wisdom is faulty, outdated, and doesn’t account for my admitted control issues. (I’m OCDelightful!) Read more…
Waiting for Christmas
Even as recently as last year, we unwrapped Christmas gifts first thing in the morning. As we’ve gotten older, “first thing” has come increasingly later (despite efforts to the contrary). Mostly, people want to sleep in.
This year we start at noon. We’re waiting for the arrival of my sister. She decided to stay at her in-laws’ with her husband and daughter, officially breaking the last vestige of an outdated tradition, one dependent upon the excitement of children, a vibrancy now missing. A new tradition therefore begins, and presents will be opened not first thing in the morning, but at the crack of noon.
Everything changes, even Christmas.
Today I turn 11110. Today I turn 1e. Today I turn…
Today I turn 11110.
Wow. I made myself feel old. Let me try that again.
Today I turn 1e.
Better, although since most people don’t count in either the binary or hexadecimal systems, I suppose I should tell you that today, according to the decimal numbering system and Gregorian calendar, I turn 30. Read more…
9Rules Sold: All Hail our New Splashpress Overlords?
Long story short, the blog network 9Rules, of which this site is a part, has been sold to Splashpress Media. You may or may not know who they are. Frankly, I’d never heard of them before the announcement, but learned quickly that another member of their network is Performancing, the authors of the very awesome Scribefire plugin for Firefox.
Frankly, I’m still withholding judgment on the news. Here’s why: Read more…
Categories: Life Tags:
