Post the First

So this is it folks, the beginning, the primordial blog. Someday when I'm famous this may mean something. For now, it's simply my secondary writing outlet, my first being the novels on which I am working. So, as I like to start out my books with lists and outlines, let us begin with a list, in no particular order, the ten things that make me happy this month. Here we go:

1. The Decemberists: The Hazards of Love
How lovely this album is, and how well the songs flow into each other. It feels cohesive and as always, the lyrics are brilliant and smart. Hats off to you!

2. The Sandman: Absolute, Volume III
I finally got around to getting this, and while I already own the ten individual volumes, the Absolute volumes are so attractive and loaded with extras it's more than worth the cost. Mr. Gaiman, you are inspiration number one in my life and the reason I choose to write. Now, let's see if I can actually get published, eh?

3. Japanese Pop Music
I cannot resist the bouncy beats of Asian Kung Fu Generation and Orange Range and the piercing voice of the lead singer of UVERworld (plus their great cover art). And let me just say, Shiina Ringo and Tokyo Jihen are wonderful. Look for their song Sounan, it's beautiful.

4. Virgil's Root Beer: You'll swear it's made in Heaven
The organic food co-op I work at to pay the bills got a new root beer in with a picture of a man with a bushy beard on the front of it and the slogan 'so good you'll swear it's made in Heaven' on the bottle. It is now affectionately known at my house as the Jesus Root Beer.

5. Medium Point Ball-point Pens
They made me write better because the ink comes out so smoothly. I wish I had a fountain pen, but these will work very well in the mean time.

6. Honey on the Comb
Yum. Enough said.

7. Sony Vaio Laptops
I am typing this blog on my new Vaio, or as I am forced to call it, The Vaio, for I am certainly not cool enough to own this beautiful piece of machinery and yet somehow I do. All hail the great and powerful Vaio!

8. Castle
Ever since Firefly, Joss Whedon's ill-fated piece of pure awesomeness, I have been madly in love with Nathan Fillion and the funny faces he makes and the great ways his mouth moves when he speaks. And now he has a new outlet for his comedic genius. Castle is great, and while at first glance it seems like a reverse version of Bones, it has a depth all its own. It even names characters after characters from novels, which is really cool for us dorky folks who have read more books than eaten meals in their lifetime and can catch all of them.

9. Dollhouse
And Mr. Whedon makes his second appearance of the week. He is my second muse. When I am stuck and in need of inspiration, I pop in any of his shows and my writer's block disappears. His new venture, Dollhouse, is quite brilliant, the characters instantly likeable or detestable (which later always seems to change; take Lawrence, poor, poor Lawrence, as an example), and it always keeps you on your toes. Topher makes me really happy. Really, really happy.

10. Twitter
All my favorite people update on twitter more often than on their blogs and so now I can have up-to-date dork information about my favorite writers and celebrities. Nice.

Well, it's just about bed time; work in the morning is calling to me and telling me I do not want to be tired for it. So adieu.