Category: Personal

That felt good!

2014-08-03 11.46.27For the first time in about 4 years, I finished a piece of short fiction which doesn’t have a definitive market or deadline. This one was just for me. It deals with Lithuanian mythology and cultural bits, something else I’ve attempted a few times but never got further than a couple paragraphs in. The first draft clocked in at just over 6800 words and while I don’t know if it’s any good, I do know it’s finished. At least this iteration of it is.

It feels good to be writing every day again. It feels great to have accomplished my goal of finishing new fiction this year. One or two more short pieces and then I think I’ll be ready to once again take on a novel. We’ll see.

DAVID • Speak: Pet Sounds

David Feb 15DAVID • Speak: Pet Sounds

It’s February, so this month’s issue of David is all about relationships. And while I tend to be fairly private about my relationships in general, there is one I have absolutely no problem talking about.

And that’s just what I’ve done this month for the magazine. So here’s a story about me and my best four-legged friend, Laika Wonderdog!

Love that pain-in-the-ass pup!

Italy – Day Seven – Padua and Verona – Shakespeare would be proud!

IMG_2860_2We woke up Monday morning with the sad realization our whirlwind tour of Northern Italy was coming to an end. We weren’t in as big a rush as we had been since today was going to be devoted to seeing the city we’d been staying in and then moving north and eventually ending up at the airport preparing for a 6am flight. Continue reading “Italy – Day Seven – Padua and Verona – Shakespeare would be proud!” →

Italy – Day Six – Venice – Tastes and Tours

DSC04261Hotel Junior, where we stayed in Padua, was the only hotel to actually provide breakfast (regardless of the ones who offered, even at an extra cost). Breakfast is served from 8-9:30 daily and consists of rolls with butter, cheese, jam and Nutella along with a cup of coffee and/or juice. Sunday morning we got to the breakfast room at 7:45 but were still welcomed with genuine Italian family warmth. We ate hungrily then grabbed a smaller bag (it was nice not to have to take our backpacks for the whole day) and headed out. Continue reading “Italy – Day Six – Venice – Tastes and Tours” →

Italy – Day Five – Venice – Not like Vegas, Baby!

DSC04236Checking out of our hotel, the Arcoveggio, was easy. They were the only ones who actually took the credit card from Booking.com to cover the room (we still had to fork over the room fee, which I paid in cash but probably could have put on the card) and our walk to to the train station took no time at all. The ride itself was beautiful, with mountains in the distance and a long bridge leading to the Venice train station. Upon entering the city, we chose to walk, rather than take a water bus so we could really get the lay of the (is)land.  Continue reading “Italy – Day Five – Venice – Not like Vegas, Baby!” →

Italy – Day Four – Modena/Marenello – The Prancing Horse!

DSC04140Our first full day in Bologna wasn’t spent in Bologna nearly at all. Instead we were going to be taking a little excursion to Modena and Maranello. For Rasa, these were the places to be excited about. While she certainly enjoyed where we’d been, today was all about her passion: Formula 1 racing.  Continue reading “Italy – Day Four – Modena/Marenello – The Prancing Horse!” →

Italy – Day Three – Florence is hungry!

DSC04064Waking up in Florence, in our private B&B, was a weird experience. We knew we wanted to make the most of the day (we’d planed our route the night before) so again we got up early (not as early as yesterday, however, we learnt from that mistake) and showered and packed all without seeing another person (and in fact, the other two rooms on our floor were demonstrably empty). As we were leaving, though, a door opened downstairs and our host sleepily stumbled out, asking for payment. I proffered my bank card and was asked for cash. Two hotels booked through Booking.com and two hotels asked for cash after requiring a credit card for booking purposes. Inconvenient to be sure. The other thing to remember about Italy – they charge you a tax for existing. There is a city tax per person per night at each hotel and most restaurants add in a per person fee for the pleasure of dining in. Additionally, something I didn’t know, but if you stand at the bar and drink your beverage, you’ll pay significantly less than if you take a seat at a table. Important tips. Continue reading “Italy – Day Three – Florence is hungry!” →

Italy – Day Two – Genoa and Pisa – Rain drops all fall at the same speed…

DSC04004Our plan was to see as much as we could in Italy, even if that meant not seeing things in great depth. To that end, our horrible experience in Hotel Valley would only last the one night and we would get up early to get to the train station and get down the coast to Genoa. We had planned for a 7am wake-up. Unfortunately, the best laid plans…  Continue reading “Italy – Day Two – Genoa and Pisa – Rain drops all fall at the same speed…” →

Italy – Day One – Milan – The Last Supper and a late dinner

IMG_2699_2I knew I needed to get away for a few days in January. It’s not just the cold and the lack of sun, but they don’t help. I needed a routine break. At the end of September Monika had done a ten day train trip and something like that sounded good. I also wanted to go to Malta or a Greek island would have been nice. I also wasn’t sure if I’d be going alone or with Rasa, since she had her own work to do. There was talk of going to India with Jennica, but timing on that didn’t quite work out (and the cost was a bit prohibitive as well). So I was in a bit of a quandary.  Continue reading “Italy – Day One – Milan – The Last Supper and a late dinner” →

Aga – Boom (Boom Boom)

IMG_2755_2A few weeks ago, my friend Kevin contacted me on Facebook. A friend of his was a in a clown troupe who would be performing in Vilnius and might have need for a stage manager. So I contacted Kevin’s friend, who put my in touch with Iryna, one of the clowns and the partner of Dimitri, the guy who had created the show – a show called Aga-Boom.  Continue reading “Aga – Boom (Boom Boom)” →

What Age Did Well-Known Authors Publish Their Most Famous Works? | ShortList Magazine

IMG_2551What Age Did Well-Known Authors Publish Their Most Famous Works? | ShortList Magazine.

Just good to remember that not everyone gets success at the same time. And it’s never too late to make it big.

In other words – you have to keep at it. Whatever it is you’re doing. I know what Mike Rowe has to say on the subject, but that doesn’t mean you can’t keep at it. He’s saying you may not be good at everything you try to do, and that’s okay. Shouldn’t stop you from having fun doing it – even if you don’t make a career at it.

Cause you know, you might just get good enough.

Happy Birthday, David Bowie

See David Bowie transform over the years in one animated GIF.

Recently, David Bowie celebrated his 68th birthday. Artist Helen Green made this great little animation highlighting the various changes the man has gone through over the last 50 years or so. ETA I just found out today is actually the 50th anniversary of his first record released using the name “Bowie.”

Myself, I’ve always been a Bowie fan. Often, more a fan of the man himself than his music. Not that I don’t like his music, I do, but it’s never spoken to me as much as some other artists and certainly not as much as the actor behind all these looks has.  Continue reading “Happy Birthday, David Bowie” →

2015/1981 Marvel Desktop Wallpaper Calendar | Andertoons Cartoon Blog

This is incredibly cool! Due to the cyclical nature of, you know, the laws of the physical universe, there are only a handful of different variations on the annual calendar. It so happens that this year, 2015, matches up perfectly with 1981. 1981 when Marvel comics put out an absolutely brilliant calendar featuring all their heavy hitters.

Artist Mark Anderson decided to scan the pages for his own calendar this year. Then he generously made the scans available to others (Thank you!!). Anyone want to go in on a piece for your own wall?

2015/1981 Marvel Desktop Wallpaper Calendar | Andertoons Cartoon Blog.

2014 – The Year That Was!

New yearSo here it is, the end of 2014.  I know this is an arbitrary date and every tomorrow is the start of a new year, but it’s a nice time to take stock and look around. To see where you are and check in from that place. So here goes.

I’ve written 115,000 words or so – fiction and non-fiction (and a good deal of that has actually been published). I also got back to some roots by writing a script (and a big thank you to Matthew for kicking may ass into gear on this one). This year I want to write more. Specifically more fiction but I’m setting a few goals for myself. I’m going to have regular updates here on the blog. Mondays will be Movie Mondays and I’ll post reviews of the films I’ve seen. Thursdays will be for books, and I’ll get in a review every Thursday of some piece of literature or other. There will also be personal updates and travel pieces and whatever else I think of, but those two things, for sure, will happen weekly.

I won several awards. I got one for writing the Best Local Column-Magazine by the Nevada Press Association. I also won best foreign teacher and best teacher in the department at the university.

I read some books (74 to be precise). For the next year, I discovered an interesting reading 2015 Reading Challengechallenge. I’ll see how far I get on that – the books will be tagged as 2015 Reading Challenge on Goodreads. Of course, if you’re not already my friend there, please join me.

I traveled. Aside from trips around Lithuania, I went to London for science fiction, Paris for Disneyland, Riga for the day, Helsinki for fun and Vaasa for a wedding. Oh yeah, and Vegas for my eldest niece’s Bat Mitzvah. Hoping to get some much needed travel in the coming year, particularly to Los Angeles for JR and Natasha‘s wedding.

I was the MC/Auctioneer for a charity event to raise money for breast cancer screenings.

I reconnected with old friends this year and made new ones. I hope this trend continues.

I’ve seen friends go through amazing amounts of personal growth and deal with horrendous personal tragedies. I’ve been there when I could be, emotionally or physically. I’ve been a shoulder to cry on, a hand to hold, an idea sounding board. And I’ve had friends be all of these things for me.

Thank you all for being here. You make my world a brighter place.

Continue reading “2014 – The Year That Was!” →

A Small (Lithuanian) Town Christmas

2014-12-23 18.01.28This year, for Christmas, Laika and I were forbidden from our usual tradition of leftovers (nothing is open Christmas Day) and lounging around all day reading. Nope, this year Rasa invited us (both of us, mind you) to celebrate the day with her family in the northern Lithuanian village of Mažeikiai, which, with a population of around 45K, is the 8th largest city in the country. So off we went, the Saturday before Christmas, driven by Rasa’s sister, Lina, and her husband, Paulius. It’s about 220km away, but since most of what we’re traveling on is two lane roads through hundreds of tiny villages, it takes about 3 hours to get there from Kaunas.  Continue reading “A Small (Lithuanian) Town Christmas” →