Heart Beat

Hello my frolicking denizens of the internet, and how are we doing?

I know it's been a while, but I've learned to stop feeling bad about it all, I'm a busy and as they say, important man. Because being busy must mean you're important, as important people are very busy. Ah good old circular logic, I missed you!

Things are quiet on the home front, a lot less, I suppose the word is, unstressed, from last time. I've come to grips with most things, lost hold on others, and still whirling around some other things, but all in all, that's what life is usually, so I feel rather normal.

Writing is going well, working on a couple of new projects, and just submitted a show proposal to a company downtown, for their annual playwriting contest. Here's hoping, right? I'm doing a final final draft of Fallen, which goes up in less then a month, and working on a new one act play for my playwriting class, which I'll tell you, is titled, "Schrodinger's Coffin." (Copyright).

You'll see . . .

Work goes well, and steady. Classes are all really awesome, and residential life work is good for the most part. I am gaining better reflexes, as Mikela feels the need to turn the office into a war zone from time to time. I know not many people will throw rubber ducks at me in this life, but for the moment, I am skilled in dodging them. Fear me.

I'm still applying to be an RA next semester and I'm excited for it. Will it be busy and hectic with my schedule the way it is? Oh fuck yea! But will it be worth it? I sure hope so!

And I suppose that's it-- wait, it's what day?

Hmmmm, well I suppose I'll touch on this briefly . . .

It's right now 18 minutes into Valentine's Day. My thoughts you may be wondering?

Well, this is my third Valentine's day that I have been single. Does it suck? Yes. Is it heart-crushingly depressing? Eh, not really. Do I regret not having a special someone to buy roses and a pony for? No.

Because it'll happen when it happens. I don't see February 14th come up on the calender, and run out to the Girlfriend Store, just so I can be not lonely. Besides, the Girlfriend Store is expensive . . . And also because, I'm NOT lonely.

WHAT?! On this the day of loving a special someone, just ONE someone, and you don't have ANYONE to spend money on at all and you DON'T CARE?!

Uh, yea . . . because Valentine's Day is not just the, "buy stuff for your girlfriend only," day. It's the, "show everyone you love how much you care day, and if you happen to have a girlfriend, boyfriend, wife, husband, lover, it's preferable you show them the most appreciation," kind of day.

So naysayers of the world, they who live by the label hallmark and brand the price of eternal love at $2.99, I will say this: Valentine's Day is to show the love for all, not just one, and especially not on who can spend the most. In fact, how bout a challenge? Take the time this year, to show your Valentine how much you care for them, WITHOUT money. Try that out.

So a Happy Valentine's Day to my parents, my brothers, Bema, Papa, my sister Jesse and to all my friends at home, school and abroad. And to Matt Leonard, cause you can't spell bromance, without bro!

Please enjoy this exclusive interview with Cupid by my friend Mike Russell.

Happy V-Day folks.

Watch FRP - Mike Russell - Valentines Day in Comedy | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Mcfly's Christmas Giftorium Part 1: Books!

It's a lovely winter-y day here in the great country of Albany, the snow is falling blindingly, its cold, windy and frigid, the ability to make snowballs is to the point of sweatshop labor intensity and efficiency, and I am sitting in the Quad Office, while Mikela is on the great hunt for shoes and the like.

She says hi.

I mentioned before that I would be making a list of things that I think would make great Christmas gifts, things that fall under my domain, like books, video games, comics and so on. I would like to pretend to be an expert on all things sophisticated, like suggesting a nice bottle of wine or perhaps a new monocle for Christmas, yet this blog is not entitled, "It's All A Fancy Bottle of Wine or Perhaps A New Monocle To Me," so I shall just have to be honest with myself.

Just noticed, students are making a giant snowman outside of the office, further pushing my theory that as old as we become, we are inevitably five year olds on the inside. But if that goddamn snowman comes to life, I'm going to freak out . . . seriously.

Also, Chris says hey.

So, books, books, books! Here are a couple of books, that I think would make some great holiday gifts!

1: American Gods by Neil Gaiman: Neil Gaiman, as we all know, is one of my favorite fantasy authors out there. Not to say that I do not have other favorites ranked right up there with him, but he is ostensibly, the man who got me into this type of fantasy. American Gods is a great read, exploring the true nature of forgotten gods, and new incarnations of the gods we make for ourselves, through Shadow's journey. Dark, moody, hilarious, sexy, mysterious and downright breath-taking, American Gods is a great gateway novel into the realm of dark fantasy.

2: Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss: And on the other end of the spectrum, Patrick Rothfuss has a book that does the same for traditional fantasy. Name of the Wind is an exploration of the hero's tale and journey, told by the hero himself. Kvothe recounts his life's story, in an attempt to reconcile people's view of him, with how he views himself, confronting his own struggles and demons as he tells it. It is a fresh, new and compelling look into the traditional hero's journey and how the quest for vengeance must sometime take a backseat to survival. And maybe love. Go read it, and find out!

Also, on a sidenote, Patrick Rothfuss is offering a new type of Christmas-Giftorium-Opportunity over on his blog. It is a fundraiser through Heifer International, an organization that uses donations to purchase and give livestock, and materials to needy families, to help them live and thrive. Pat is holding a fundrasier/raffle, to help raise money for this great cause. I myself will be putting some money in, and whether or not I win anything, I win something, if ya catch my da-rift =)

Check it out over here! http://www.patrickrothfuss.com/blog/2009/12/worldbuilders-2009.html

3: Peter and Max By Bill Willingham: Bill Willingham writes this great little comic called Fables, you might have heard of it. It's a story of our fables, our fairy tales, as they live in the modern world, fighting and struggling to survive. Bigby Wolf, Boy Blue, Snow White and so many more. Peter and Max is the story of Peter Piper, who picked a pickled pepper, and his brother, Max Piper, the Pied Piper of Hamelin. It is the story of two brothers, and the paths they go down, accompanied with the great illustrations of Steve Leialoha. Great read, done in one novel and if you're a Fables buff, you'll love it.

4: Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson: Brandon Sanderson is one of my favorite new authors this year, among Joe Hill and Pat Rothfuss. Brandon does some amazing things with his Mistborn trilogy, a story of rebellion and action, magic and destiny, religion and fate. Sanderson manages to create memorable characters, a great world, three distinct yet wholly connected magic systems, and he manages to tie it all together in three books. It's really well-done, go check it out!

And there are plenty more books out there, man there's almost too many, but those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. They're all great reads, and I cannot recommend them highly enough. I'm off for now, but I'll be back soon to discuss some comics!

Also, I just witnessed a ResLife snowball fight. Mikela is pissed; hell hath no fury like an irish woman who got snow in her hair.