My Inner Author

Okay, I sat out a good few topics over the past couple of months, trying to turn some ideas for short stories or more into just that (short stories or more). I have found writing fiction is not as easy as it looks. But, I am making progress. ;-) However, this week I have seen news headlines talking about the looming shutdown of the federal government and the contentious talks going nowhere. Well, I sure wish the populace of our great country could spare 300 seconds of their lives to educate themselves on the topic and tell ALL of these clowns in Washington to get a freaking clue! I have seen 2, yes two, as in a pair of people out of 535, who get it when it comes to our massive spending problem and the deficit. (Okay, Ron and Rand Paul probably do too, but I have not seen them speaking out on it in the press of late). Congrats Marco Rubio and Paul Ryan, you should get a prize for understanding the sheer scope of the problem. Alright, I will do my part to help people stop for...

To those who have not been to Universal's Island of Adventure, and Harry Potter's World of Wizardry portion of the park yet, it is very cool. They have done a good job, and the attention to detail is noteworthy. However, you should stay at one of the hotels that gives you early admission to the park and go to Harry's area first. See what you want, enjoy the experience and then venture into the rest of the park. If you just go during normal hours, be there when it opens, or be prepared to wait hours just to see the Potter part of the park. It is well worth the trip and truly the park is a good balance between coasters and motion simulators. Now, to Universal. You did a great job. However, it is obvious this got rushed a bit and you had no real grasp of the reach this would have. You merely recycled a portion of the Islands park, and it is not nearly enough to meet the demand. You should seriously consider expanding the area, and if you decide to build Potter park...

To those who follow college football in general, surely the name Cam Newton rings a bell. He is considered the Heisman Trophy front-runner and the starting quarterback for an undefeated and #2-ranked Auburn Tigers team. Jerrod Johnson, you may not know. He is the backup quarterback at Texas A&M University. Johnson had been the starter for several years, but had struggled lately and has been relegated to backup status. Cam Newton began his college football career at the University of Florida. In 2007, he actually beat out current UF starting QB John Brantley to be the primary backup to Tim Tebow. In 2008, he actually played in the season opener against Hawaii, but hurt his ankle and took a redshirt since he would have not played much anyhow. In November of 2008, he was arrested on felony charges of burglary, larceny and obstruction of justice after allegedly purchasing a stolen laptop from a student at the University of Florida. He was suspended from the team after his arr...

Well, I last wrote about Lost, one of the greatest shows to have ever graced the small screen. So, next up on my "Love of SciFi" series is Battlestar Galactica (or BSG as it is commonly referred to online). BSG first aired as a show in the 1970s. Given the times, the cast, the shallow plots, and cheesy storylines and effects, it should have been called "Bonanza In Space". It did have a majestic feel at first, but in short order, it stooped to become standard 1970s TV. However, in 2001, a daring writer from the Star Trek: The Next Generation series (a great group of very talented writers by the way) named Ronald Moore, pitched a "re-imagined" version of the show. This would not be Bonanza In Space, but more along the lines of Survival Skills and Dilemmas While Facing Extermination. It would not feature a cute kid with a robot dog; it would have characters seriously questioning their morality, and mankind's too. Even the sets would be darker, g...

Intro: Okay, since I broke these up into smaller blogs for each show, hopefully I will do them justice. I will start with the most recent show to air, Lost. I came very late to the Lost party. I had read for years where people touted the show. Amazingly though, nobody I knew suggested it to me as a show I would love until my neighbor and I had a chat over shows in 2009. But, when I finally had the desire to jump in after our chat, they were airing the end of the 5th season and I simply chose to wait, so that all the seasons would be on DVD before starting. (By the way Hollywood, you should take note of that, if you released DVD sets in the summer for shows we might start watching in the fall, you might lure more viewers). So, this past summer while regular TV took a break I started the Lost phenomenon. Lost might just be the most correctly titled show in the history of television. Certainly at times you will feel quite lost in trying to understand the many twists and turns o...

Dear Reader, Just about anyone who knows me realizes quite quickly I have a few passions in my life which transcend all the rest, and certainly my love of science fiction is one of the biggest. I have been asked quite often, why? What is it about so many of these shows/movies/stories which draw you in? Is it the aliens? Is it the action? The special effects? No, above all else, it's the stories. I love how the medium can allow a storyteller a very large canvas on which to paint his vision. But even beyond that, it is how really great SciFi will have stories within the story, and they are often the real core of the tale. See, I am one of those odd birds who doesn't like mindless entertainment for entertainment sake. I loathe (so-called) Reality TV. I grow sick of television giving us drama in one of three professions only: cops, doctors or lawyers. A show with all 3 is practically insufferable. And drama is where real storytelling occurs. While I could talk abo...

This fall the college football season has proved to be one of the most unpredictable in recent memory. Sure there have been upsets every year, but certainly this season it isn't so much about the upsets as it is about the huge disturbance in the force. Not since Grand Moff Tarkin and the Death Star blasted Alderaan to bits have we seen tremors like this. My beloved Georgia Bulldogs started the ball rolling, or rather tumbling off the cliff with an astoundingly awful 1-4 start. Coach Richt, who is simply the winningest coach in the history of UGA football, found himself on the proverbial hot seat in short order. Quickly Bulldawg Nation began to lose faith, and to wonder who they could lure in to reverse their fortunes. Thankfully, calmer heads prevailed. The Dawgs have not carved a path of destruction through the rigors of the SEC, but they have at least reversed their fortunes of late. Currently they have fought their way back to 4-4 as they approach their annual battle w...