Springtime

Spring has arrived. It may be my favorite season. Aside from the pollen, I like warmer weather and walking outside without a jacket. I especially like going to the gym in shorts and slides without having to fool around with pesky sweats.

Another Novel

I have writen one science-fiction novel, and I am writing another. Novel writing is quite difficult. It requires a lot of time. But I have 49,000 words and I need another 51,000 to reach my 100,000-word goal. Then and only then will I have a usable first draft. Then I have to rewrite that. Like I said. Novel writing requires a lot of time. I hope this one will be better than my first. I think in some ways it will be.

On Oreo Cookies

I like Oreos. I could eat a whole package of them.

Olympic Figure Skating

As of this writing, the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver are under way. Kim Yu-Na of South Korea won the gold medal in the women's figure skating competition. The 19-year-old's performance went beyond expectations. Her execution had a mystique that is awe-inspiring.

Watching Kim Yu-Na skate is like watching Usain Bolt run. I had no idea anyone could be that good.

Blog Returns

I reopened The Blogadier General to the public at a friend's request. He wanted to read it. Here it is, Steve. Too bad I don't have a review of The Lost Symbol for you to sift through. Maybe I should post one.

Tired of the Fatigue

I am so tired tonight ... just exhausted. Maybe I will have more energy tomorrow.

Dull Day

It has been a boring day today. Oh well. Maybe tomorrow will be more exciting.

Cool Box

Air Jordans bring me a lot of joy in life. For the most part, I like their design, and even the shoe boxes look good.














This example may or may not see retail. Who really knows right now? I know I don't. Anyway, the Air Jordan 2010 is due out in 2010, February to be more precise, coinciding with NBA All-Star Weekend like usual. I think the 2010 shoe box resembles a computer tower. Below lies a link to more pictures. Thanks to jumpmankicks.com for passing along the images.

http://jumpmankicks.com/news-12-06-09-air-jordan-2010-packaging.htm

Christmas is Close

It is the holiday season for sure. Christmas is only 20 days away.

World AIDS Day

Today is World AIDS Day. The point of such a day is to raise awareness about AIDS.

The New Moon Movie

Finally, I saw the New Moon movie adaptation.

My thoughts? Comments? Reaction? Okay. Here goes.

I liked it.

Yes, I thought it was well done. Of course, I thought the Twilight adaptation was good under the circumstances. Adapting novels into feature-length motion pictures is alway a challenge because of the amount of story compression involved.

The thing that bothered me most about the Twilight movie was the absense of the meadow, the place where Edward reveals his skin's reaction to sunlight. Of course, Edward's skin sparkles in the sun, but this scene wasn't portrayed accurately in Hollywood's Twilight. I didn't understand why this scene was altered since it played a noticeable role in New Moon. Were I directing, the meadow certainly would have been included in Twilight.

This issue was resolved well in New Moon, and I liked the way it made up for the omission. As an adaptation, I found New Moon to be more accurate than Twilight, and I liked the pacing better. Still though, parts seemed rushed, and if I hadn't read the novel, I am not sure I could have kept up with what was going on.

Changing directors from Catherine Hardwicke to Chris Weitz seemed like a good move because Weitz seemed to include more core elements from Stephenie Meyers' original vision. Still, like Twilight, New Moon fails somewhat in that the inspiration for the title is omitted by adaptation. Twilight is the safest time for vampires. This isn't mentioned in the film version. And the dark sky and new moon isn't addressed when Edward leaves Bella in the second installment. I thought these elements should have been included. They lend to the stories' titles. They are significant.

Oh well. I am a stickler for detail. I appreciate authenticity. I look forward happily to Eclipse when it arrives in theaters for summer 2010.

　

New Story Ideas

I've been reading Ford County, John Grisham's short story collection. Grisham presents so many great scenarios in this publication. His storytelling ideas have inspired me a make up some of my own, which I can't wait to flesh out.

For instance, I want to write a story about a blue collar laborer that suddenly wins a lottery jackpot. Lottery stories are always intriguing. The payout is huge, and the laborer has never dealt with so much money before. After a series of considerable gaffes, he learns the hard way that money management requires a bit of experience. He also learns a lot about himself and the people that surround him.

Publishing Hiatus to End Soon?

I really haven't published anything on here in a while. Do I care? Not really. (Ha!)

I think I may write more for this publication in 2010, but only as long as it's fun.

The reason I stopped posting is because the posts became redundant. Then I discovered Twitter. And I needed to finish my novel. Then I wrote a short story, which I considered publishing here.

I also took up training for a marathon before sucumbing to injuries. It remains to be seen what I can salvage from that effort. I have also read many books this year, including: A Time to Kill and The Associate, both by John Grisham; Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer; and Angels & Demons and The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. All of these stories were good. All of the authors are incredibly talented.

Currently, I am reading Under the Dome by Stephen King and Grisham's Ford County, a collection of short stories the author felt couldn't be stretched into novels. Perhaps in the future I will try to tackle William Faulkner and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin. Pride and Prejudice is one of the most revered American novels ever written. I want to read it solely for that reason.

Anyway, I have been fairly busy in 2009. I hope to be just as busy in 2010.

Air Jordan 2009 - One Pair Isn't Enough?

I own and wear the white and black version of the Air Jordan 2009. I really love these shoes. I love them so much that I want another pair.

Sore Feet Need New Shoes

Why do my feet have to be so dang sore? I need to toss my casual running shoes and buy a new pair.

Wet, Rainy Environment

It's rainy in my area.

Tour de France 2009

I think it is a shame that Alberto Contador won the Tour de France over Lance Armstrong.

With the dynamic the way it was, team politics, Tour politics, I do not believe Armstrong gave Contador or the race his best effort. Expect an angry, more defiant Armstrong in '10. I feel sorry for Alberto Contador. He will have to work much harder to win next year.

Dan Brown's New Novel

September is not one of my favorite months, and that is okay. One thing that makes September 2009 memorable is the slated release of Dan Brown's new novel, The Lost Symbol. Surely most everyone that has read The DaVinci Code has waited patiently for its sequel. Said sequel is nearly upon us. I wonder what kind of things Mr. Brown will reveal this time about his symbology teaching protagonist Robert Langdon.

Langdon is an excellent swimmer, incredible water polo player, and he is claustophobic. He wears a Mickey Mouse watch. He has published books on the subject of symbology.

Is there anything else to this character? Does he have any more dark personal secrets? Hopefully The Lost Symbol will show us.

Lunar Trainer Pic To Come?

I think I might publish a picture of my Lunar Trainers.

Wow.

Now I'm getting wild.

No Regrets About Suspension

I haven't blogged regularly in a long time. I suspended publication of this blog once, and I don't regret that decision. Keeping an updated, timely blog is hard work. And most bloggers don't earn money.

One reason I suspended publication of The Blogadier General was because I felt it was too topical, too vitrolic, and it seemed like I was publishing the same type of material over and over. Basically I didn't feel that my blog was as interesting as other blogs, the kind that feature great photography and interesting people.

My Minima layout bores me, but I don't want to change it. The Blogadier General is supposed to have a staid, conservative appearance like The Wall Street Journal. Nothing wrong with good old black and white when you're striving for credibility. However, I really love the arty blogs with the great visuals. Maybe I'll try to publish a blog like that. That would be really cool.