Sunday, February 10, 2013

Things Change ... and Stay The Same

A Happy New Year to one and all!  I've not blogged in 90 days due to family, holidays and multiple complications with problem drinking and the law, e.g ... life is like that sometimes...

Okay, little joke as preamble.

So, we've had an election and the world failed to end, both for America and in spite of the Mayan forecast of doom and gloom ... though some of my Republican friends are still in an agoraphobic phase of 'the sky is falling' after Obama's re-election.  And, yet ... in spite of that, the U.S. trundles on.  Politicians are still creatures to be leery of whenever possible, as well as vacant-eyed psychopaths wearing hoodies and carrying automatic machine guns.  We have a near-object flyby of an asteroid on February 15 that is about the size of a football field which will thumb its meteoric nose at us then run off like a whore in a nunnery.  The economy continues to struggle ... but in time, that, too, will change.

As all things do.  Yet also, paradoxically, things remain the same.  I'm still paying too much for gas, young supermodels have zero interest in me and my Chinese bartender and cook still tries to convince me that the recooked kittty in my moo-ho-I-just-don't-know rice dish is really chicken.  I now only drink home-distilled grain alcohol and have refrained as much as I can from milk and dairy.  Yet ... I continue to gain weight.

The other night I was walking across the street, thinking there is no God.  A car races in my direction, without his lights on, and had I not happened to look to my right in that split second, I would have been splattered.  Weird. I believe one writer called it a God-wink.  Apologies, my atheistic friends ... I remain unconvinced in your convictions. A change for me ... because I doubt so very often in most everything.

Where things haven't changed (in my view) is in the world of publishing.  We can still be surprised.  Writers - you crazy kids - did you notice your sales jumped by nearly three times in January compared to prior months?  The same is true for this month.  Why?  I think the clear answer is that Amazon/Kindles must have had a fine holiday season in the marketplace.  More Kindles - more downloading.  One theory only.

Or ... I've just turned from a hack into F. Scott Fitzgerald nearly overnight.  Or people are confusing me with Lindsey Lohan (an obvious and pardonable mistake).  I dunno.  But I'm kinda happy about the overall results.  Please feel free to contact me and let me know how your sales are doing.

Last, we all continue to mourn the horror of Newtown, Connecticut.  There is no rhyme or reason for this kind of evil.  Except, perhaps, that evil and psychosis (going happily hand in hand) simply exist and will always do so.  We can only pray for those families daily and likewise do the same that this kind of tragedy never occurs again.

I wish you all a prosperous 2013.  And thank you for not smoking.