A few weeks ago my house had a septic-tank emergency, which is as awful as it sounds. As unspeakable things began to burble up from my shower drain, I did what any smartphone-dependent person would: I frantically Googled something along the lines of poop coming from shower drain bad what to do.
Los Angeles Review of Books
I LEFT A voice message for Dave the day he died. [1] I don’t know if he heard it. He didn’t call back. It wouldn’t have made any difference one way or the other to what happened next, but it’s not the message I would have left if I had known what he was planning.
106 Lines of Advice for Writers
This is a list of the best writing tips on the internet. It’s a mix of common advice and personal insights from famous and not-so-famous authors.
Note to self: don’t drop the fountain pen.
Books Off My Shelves V (Professional Development Edition)
Some of these are old, some are new (to me), some are still to be read. But as I transition jobs these books are more important. I’ve got some reading to do.
Is Old Music Killing New Music?
Old songs now represent 70 percent of the U.S. music market, according to the latest numbers from MRC Data, a music-analytics firm. Those who make a living from new music—especially that endangered species known as the working musician—should look at these figures with fear and trembling.
February’s Cover: Mixtape Edition
Giving February a cover in the new journal. Let’s go, Bullet Journal!
The Lost Art of Cassette Design by Steve Vistaunet
Calendex
In my ongoing effort to get more organized I’m revisiting bullet journaling and stuff like the calendex system to help keep track of things.
Bullet journaling has always been appealing but it wasn’t until I started consistently block scheduling my time that it seemed applicable.
RIP Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf died Thursday at the age of 74. 2022 isn’t off to a great start, folks.
Most folks recognize Meat Loaf for 1977’s “Paradise By The Dashboard Lights” or, if you’re a generation younger (like myself), 1993’s “I’d Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)”.
So now I’m praying for the end of time
My boys like to request and shout-sing along to “I’d Do Anything For Love” and it’s one of my absolute favorite things.
Meat Loaf was also know for his roles in films like The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Fight Club (His name was Robert Paulson) but my personal favorite is his scene stealing and wonderfully ironic cameo as young Jack Black’s anti-rock ultra-religious father in Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny and the most definitely not safe for work or around young children “Kickapoo”.
Last year, Meat Loaf was interviewed by Rolling Stone magazine to discuss the life of long time collaborator Jim Steinman who had passed away in April, 2021 (which I wrote about in November):
Jim Steinman was such a titanic figure in Meat Loaf’s life, that sharing their saga in a single phone call to Rolling Stone after Steinman’s death simply was not possible. It took two long calls across two days to get it across, and at the end of the first one, Meat Loaf broke down and sobbed uncontrollably over the loss of his friend. “Oh my God!” he moaned. “I haven’t cried until now. It just hit me. Oh my God! It’s horrible!”
Today many folks are saying the same thing about Meat Loaf’s passing.