My good buddy, and owner of The Good Brewer, Daniel Goodman is helping raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. He going to get arrested “for good” and will be will until the money is raised. I could go on, but I’d rather just share the email he sent out:
Hi All,
I just wanted to send a little reminder about the MDA donation drive I am involved in. The final date for donations is rapidly approaching, and I would appreciate any help you can give me in raising money. A $30.00 donation is enough for testing for children with Muscular Dystrophy. Any amount will help. Use the link on the bottom of the page to donation to the cause. Also for those folks who are local, you can see me “Locked Up” at Casa Oroszco, in Livermore, on March 10th. I will be there from 1:00 to 3:00. Thanks!
I am involved raising money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association this year. In a neat promotion I will be arrested for “Good” on March 10th and I need help in raising my “bail”. I’d very much appreciate your help with a small donation and to forward on my message to friends you have that would interested in helping the MDA and Jerry’s Kids.
Cheers,
Daniel
Here is the link to follow to take you to secured site to make your donation. Thank You.
https://www.joinmda.org/livermore2010/daniel
Please do what you can to help him, and the MDA, out. If you happen to get any pictures of Daniel, or anyone else participating, let me know. I’ll share the pictures here.
Posted in Uncategorized.
By admin
– March 5, 2010
So I’m not sure exactly what the Urban Iditarod is, but I’m going to find out. It looks like just a great reason to get a bunch of folks together in the city and get crazy. Check out the piece of at Laughing Squid for all the info. For the most part it seems like you just have to show up with your team, a cart and twenty bucks at the Willy Mays statue in front of the ballpark at before 1P.M. Checking out pictures from the Urban Iditarods that take place around the country was enough to convince me that I need to see this for myself. I don’t know if I’ll rock the Lucha mask, but I may dig out the Ren Faire costume.
Scrap together a team and steal shopping cart. I’ll see you there.
Posted in Geekery, Musings, Silly Things People Do.
By admin
– March 5, 2010
“Soft rock music isn’t rock, and it ain’t music. It’s just soft.”
George Carlin
A man after my own heart, he knows what good music is . Speaking of music, I have a new review up over at The Deli.
Posted in Carlin Quote of the Week, Music.
By admin
– March 2, 2010
Apparently the Man of Steel is still breaking boundaries. An unassuming comic published back in 1938 for a mere 10 cents just set a record. This is one of the highest rated, an 8 out of 10, that has every come up for auction. A geek’s fantasy that most of us will never achieve. Check out the full article here.
Posted in Comics, Geekery.
By admin
– February 28, 2010
I am a bit of a sucker for bookmarks. Especially when they work. I used to get gifts of large heavy book marks, which were beautiful, but often impractical. I always appreciate gifts, and still have most of these book marks, but I rarely get to use them as an actually book mark. These things are awesome. Inventive, thoughtful and functional. Overall great design.
I found them over at The New Yorker’s Book Bench. I followed their link and it looks like the only way to purchase these little green bits of creative success is from a website in Japanese. If anybody speaks/reads Japanese and wants to order some, I’d love to go in with you. Heck I’d pay for them all, just to get my hands on some.
Posted in Books, Writing.
By admin
– February 25, 2010
Okay, so I’m not the biggest fan of Starbucks, I didn’t exactly enjoy working for them, and I’m not exactly what you would call and Apply Fanboy, but even I can admit when my enemies have hit on a good idea.
Starbucks has partnered with Apple, I suspect in an attempt to further respective empires, and every Tuesday they offer us the Starbucks/iTunes Pick of the Week. While I have reservations about both companies, this is an awesome idea. Each week they feature a new artist/song. You pick your free download card up from Starbucks, punch the code into iTunes and you get your free song. What a great idea. Sure Starbucks makes money off me be because I tend to buy my MEDIUM Soy Latte while I’m there, and Apple wins because occasionally the Pick of the Week is a real winner and buy more music by the chosen artist. But it also gives artists another outlet for exposure and gives me, and everyone else, a chance to discover artists we never would have heard of otherwise. Best of all, FREE MUSIC! Everybody wins.
I’m not trying to advertise for either company, we all know they don’t need the help. I just want to share with you a way I have found to experience music I probably wouldn’t have found otherwise.
Have you found any favorites this way? What’s your favorite way to find new music?
Posted in Music.
By admin
– February 24, 2010
Rockin' it old school
I did it. Heck, I’m proud I did it. I played RPG’s from elementary school through my first few years in college. I am probably preaching to the converted, but RPG stands for Role Playing Game, the most well known of which is Dungeons & Dragons. My favorite character class was the thief. The traveling vagabond aspect has appealed to me since I was young. There are plenty that scoff at the thought of RPGs. “It’s for geeks and losers. Anyone who plays D&D is going to be living in their mothers basement at thirty. It’s for anti-social freaks who have nothing better to do with their time.” I have heard it all before. Like all stereotypes, you can find cases that support any of these and more. But, again like most stereotypes, they are much more the exception than the rule. I may be a bit of a geek, but I am thrity-two, married, very social and I don’t live with my mother. Playing D&D I learned very valuable lessons about socializing with others, team work, story telling and dealing with differences of opinion. In fact, I would say I owe a bit of what success I’ve enjoyed to playing D&D. I suspect there are other people, much more successful than I, who occasional found themselves rolling for initiative at some point in there lives.
In honor of the hobby and in and effort to get it out in the public eye, The Escapist - an RPG blog, is sponsoring Read an RPG Book in Public Week. It takes place three strategically chosen weeks a year, you can find out more at their site, and the hope is to make the hobby more visible. At the very least, inspire some nostalgic memories among former gamers and at most, create some interest among the uninitiated.
Check it out. I think I may even dig out my copy of the 2nd Edition Dungeon Master’s guide. I don’t really game anymore, but I think I’ll throw my hat into the ring on this one.
What was your favorite RPG? I played, D&D of course, but other favorites were Teenagers from Outer Space, G.U.R.P.S. and Tales from the Floating Vagabond.
Posted in Blogging, Books, Geekery.
By admin
– February 24, 2010
Every writer needs help and inspiration. There are as many avenues to find help and inspiration as their are writers. Yes, I know that’s a lot. I’m only going to cover my most effective source. I often struggle through multiple methods, but when all else fails, I look to other writers.
While still in school, pursuing the English degree that has brought me vast riches, I would often go to the nearest bookstore and browse for a while. The occasional title of inner jacket synopsis would usually be enough to unearth the needed inspiration or clear my mind enough to knock loos the writer’s block. It was on one of these quests I discovered something would serve as a bottomless well of inspiration for both my writing and my life. It’s how I came across Stephen King’s On Writing. It’s part text book, part memoir. In it King shares insights into both his craft and the life that led him to be the prolific writer that he has become. Previously, I had not been a very big fan of Stephen King. I tried to read a couple books when I was younger but never got very far with them. After reading On Writing, I decided to take a look at his work in earnest and began with Carrie. Something about the passion King puts into his work has drawn me in. That being said, I haven’t made it to any of his later work and as such, I can not speak to any of the geeky criticism attached to his latter canon. So, don’t bother beating mean up with negative criticism of his latest work and how he has last his commitment to the craft blah, blah, blah. What I’ve read does it for me and that’s what counts.
On Writing will always have a place on my shelf. I find myself turning to it often. As I have experienced some family tragedy of late, I find my self turning King’s enlightening text, if for no other reason than to remind myself that who we are is constantly being shaped by experience. It’s these experiences that turn good writers into great writers. I’ll occasionally read a chapter here and there to remind myself that the only wasted experiences in life are those that we come away from having learned nothing. I have learned a whole lot the last year.
Where do you find your inspiration? What helps you refocus your efforts?
Posted in Books, Carlin Quote of the Week, Musings, Photography, Project Updates, Writing.
By admin
– February 23, 2010
“The reason I talk to myself is because I’m the only one whose answers I accept.”
-George Carlin
I know how he feels. I would rather have my answers than the ones I’ve gotten from a doctor lately. Speaking of which, my posts are getting spotty again. Sorry but family is number one. I’m sure you all understand.
Posted in Carlin Quote of the Week.
By admin
– February 23, 2010
1,000 Words: With a View
Such an amazing space. I found this over at The New Yorker site. I wish I had a space anywhere near this inviting to write. I think I would get so much done. It also looks like a great place to curl up and listen to music, or watch a movie. At the moment I would love to have a space like this to lay down and forget the world around me for a while. Someday I will share the places I use to write. Nowhere near as inviting as the fresh, cool bedding of this little nest, but it all gets the job done.
Where do you write? Have any pictures? I love to share them. I could use some ideas.
Posted in Musings, Writing.
By admin
– February 22, 2010
