Posts made in February, 2010

If you have a blog or website, and are interested in keeping track of the traffic that visits your site Google has a wonderful FREE (Isn’t there some rule that says that the word “free” must be written all in caps? I’m pretty sure there is, but I’m too lazy to get up and consult Strunk and White.) tool. Google Anayltics tells you who is visiting your site and how long they spend there and which pages they visit. There are all sort of pretty graphs and charts and things, most of which I don’t entirely understand. But the number one reason you should use Google Analytics is that you can find out what search terms are bringing people to your website. Without Google Analytics, how would I know that one of the top search terms that...

It’s group blog time once again, It’s Monday What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at One Person’s Journey Through a World of Books. This week I finished up a mystery novel Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan; read a graphic novel, Squirrel Mother by Megan Kelso; finished listening to the audio of An Abundance of Katherines by John Green and read a modern allegory Carmen Dog by Carol Emshwiller. Bad Things Happen I can’t remember where I first read a review for this debut novel by Harry Dolan, but wherever it was I remember thinking that the book sounded good, and I added it to by to-read list. I’m glad I did. Main character David Loogan has a mysterious past, who in a roundabout way ends up working for the small mystery magazine...

So, the other day it snowed. A lot. I took my dog, Jack out to play in it, and captured a few seconds of his antics on my very cheap digital camera. The camera work is pretty shaky since I was stumbling around in the snow as I filmed this. By the way, if you’re wondering about the song, it’s the self proclaimed greatest cover band of all time, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes doing Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Boxer.” Why? Because my dog’s part Boxer, of...

Some people discover new music by hearing it on the radio or reading about it in a magazine, but for me my father has always been my source for new music. Whether it was Nirvana and Pearl Jam when I was in high school or Liz Phair when I was in college, my dad always seemed to be the first person I knew to discover new performers. He is not in any way involved in the music industry, though he does have this dream of starting an internet radio station when he retires. This is a hobby, a sometimes expensive hobby, since he has been known to buy several CDs a week. (Yes, there are still people out there who buy CDs.) Anyway, a CD he bought a little bit before Christmas and which he and I have decided is awesome is Fortress ’round My Heart by Ida Maria. So, this...

Last night I was reminded of one of my favorite writing quotes. The late great Douglas Adams once said, “I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” What brought the quote to mind was an email in my inbox about a screenwriting competition. I went over to their website to see more about the competition, and I must admit the first thing I looked at was the deadline. Like many screenwriting contests out there, there were actually a series of deadlines. The earlier one enters, the less one has to pay as an entry fee. It struck me that those who organize competitions may do this very deliberately because they know that writers are master procrastinators and will end up paying more money out of their meager budgets as one deadline...