You may or may not have noticed that I haven’t been posting much. I haven’t had the time or ability. This has not been a good summer. August was the worst of it.
Summer of Heck
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Author Archives: C. A. Sanders
Wisdom From Cookie Monster
Every now and then I like to do a funny post with memes. Why? Because I think they’re neat-o 😉 I also (as you probably know by now) have an obsession with the Muppets.
I also think that memes are an effective way of getting a point across. People respond to them because they use both words and pictures, which connect to the mind in different ways. It’s similar to what I learned as a teacher, a concept called “differentiated instruction.” But I’m not going to talk about that today. Bring on Cookie Monster!
Note: I suspect that some of these came from Mitch Hedberg
Officially Butthurt
You heard me, folks. I am officially butthurt…
Last week I was stripping my bed, and I tripped over a pillow. I lost my balance, but I knew that there was a wooden chair right behind me. No big deal. There were papers on the chair, and they would cushion my fall. Rather than reach and scramble, potentially twisting or spraining something, I went with the fall.
I landed on the chair, but on the edge. Somehow I missed all of those cushiony papers. All I hit was hard wood (phrasing!)
Now I have a bruised tailbone. I don’t know if you have ever bruised your tailbone, dear readers, but it’s a real…pain in the ass (get it? GET IT?). Worse, it takes a long time to heal, I’m assuming because you are almost always putting some sort of pressure on it.
Original cartoon here
So I’ve been walking around gingerly, making sure that when I sit down or get up, I do so gingerly, avoiding the bruise. It’s not going so well.
The main problem is when I sleep. I am an active sleeper. I roll around in bed, and when I do, I roll right over the bruise. It’s been affecting my sleep even worse than my pre-butthurt insomnia. Today I woke up at 4:15.
At least I’m being productive with it.
Don’t worry, I will keep you posted on the state of my ass. I know that you’re dying to hear all about it.
Hey, did you know that I had two novels published (and a 3rd on the way). Did you know that they are heckin good (as the doggos would bork) and are doing me a proud? You should read one. You should read both. Hell, just read something that doesn’t come in blog form (except my blog. That’s cool). You can pick up my historical fantasy The Watchmage of Old New York or my dark sword n sorcery Song of Simon at any bookstore (they’re order it for you) or on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or most online sellers. They are both getting excellent reviews, and Watchmage even received a 4 of 5 star critique from Writer’s Digest (from a recent contest. I didn’t win, but that puts me in some rare air.)
Note: My publisher for Song of Simon is currently having problems with it’s printing company, so they’re not producing more books. If you have one, congrats. It might become a collectors item.
Stop Being an Asshole
I just saw a meme that said “never change who you are because other people have a problem with it.”
I’d like to amend that: Unless you’re an asshole. Stop being an asshole.
Damn You, Gordon Lightfoot!
I have had Gordon Lightfoot’s “Sundown” stuck in my head since last night. Not the whole song, just the chorus.
Damn you and your magnificent voice, Lightfoot!
He’s playing in the area in a couple of weeks. Now I might have to go just to get this ear worm out of my head.
New NY History article?
I’ve been meaning for a while to write an article about the Battle of Stony Point, which took place July 15-16, 1779. I live about 5 miles from the battlefield site and I am there all the time (lots of pokestops and two gyms). i was hoping to get it up before the anniversary, but that ship has sailed.
Fine, whatever. It gives me time to go deeper detail.
Yes, I know that it’s not NYC history (Stony Point is in what’s now the city suburbs, as am I) but it’s nearby, a cool story, and I saw that they tried to recreate it on Turn: Washington’s Spies and got some details wrong for the sake of the show.
For Your Viewing Pleasure
If you get this joke, we can be pals.
False Expertise, Ignorance, and Arrogance
My friend posted the following on facebook the other day, and I think that it’s something that everyone should be aware of:
Thing I wish everyone magically understood from birth #9082904832: Every task has a potential depth of expertise, regardless of how simple it might seem. This means that: 1) someone who repeatedly does the task for any length of time will have gained at least some of that expertise, 2) they usually become increasingly efficient and skilled at carrying out that task over time, 3) they deserve to be compensated for their expertise, and 4) anyone who has not done that task for a length of time not only lacks expertise, but also lacks awareness of what they don’t know.
NYC Pride Parade
On Sunday I went to the Pride parade in NYC, what has become a yearly tradition for me. It runs right down 5th avenue, so you can imagine what it does to traffic. Then again, that’s what parades do.
I went with a bunch of friends, and we always set up in the same spot, right in front of Madison Square Park (no, it’s not by the stadium. Madison Square Garden used to be by the park, but they moved a few times. It’s now above Penn Station). We got there early so that we could be in the front row. As usual, it’s worth it.
Don’t Use Real Names in Your Writing!
I know that it’s very tempting to use real people in your books, and if it’s veiled well enough, there’s no problem with it. But when you include real names of friends, family, or fans that you want to reward…don’t…just don’t
Most of the time it’s not veiled, and this is where the problem is.
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