I just made a ceviche from scratch. I took fresh cilantro, an onion, lime juice, crab meat, chilis and a little salt. I put the cilantro and some onion into a food processor, chopped up the chilis and added this to the crab meat. The finishing touch was the lime juice and a little salt. Boy, that was some good stuff!
I'm really excited about this new blog I'm doing. I was just digging through my old writing. I have a story I wrote in elementary school! I think that's what I'll put in next. That's the cool part of this new blog is that I can do several blogs a day and it will still take years to put everything out. Whenever I can, I plan to put a little bit about the circumstances surrounding the writing of the particular piece. If it was graded by a teacher, I might provide you with the teacher's comments (good or bad).
After I'm done blogging, my wife and I are going to go to the historical Saint Marys to the Submarine Museum because we've heard that it's haunted. We've already been to Orange Hall. There's also a bar there that is reported to be haunted. We will take pictures and record audio. We want to capture orbs, which we believe to be spirits. We can also hopefully get some EVPs (electronic voice phenomenon), which we believe to be spirit voices. We've got tons of orb pictures from all over Saint Marys and Kingsland. We also have some EVPs we recorded in our own apartment. Some other time, I'll tell you more about all the paranormal experiences I've had throughout my life.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
The Third Blog
I'm quite excited to tell you about a third blog I'm going to start. As I've mentioned in the past, I've been writing all my life. I'm going to put out all of my poems, stories, comic strips, screenplays, songs and whatever else I can find. This serves several purposes. First and foremost, you, my readers can get a better idea of who I am through witnessing my evolution as a writer through my high school, college and current years. Hopefully this will enrich your experience of my novels that I plan to put out.
Secondly, it does the very same thing for me in that I can see how I've grown mentally, emotionally and spiritually through the years. My wife says that since I'm putting everything else out there, this will be a good way to get it all out there. I'm bearing myself fully to the world. Unashamedly me.
Thirdly, when I'm done putting everything out, I can print it out as a book using that Blog2Print service. My wife brought up the last reason this is a good idea. In case our house ever burns down, my writings will be safe in the electronic world.
Secondly, it does the very same thing for me in that I can see how I've grown mentally, emotionally and spiritually through the years. My wife says that since I'm putting everything else out there, this will be a good way to get it all out there. I'm bearing myself fully to the world. Unashamedly me.
Thirdly, when I'm done putting everything out, I can print it out as a book using that Blog2Print service. My wife brought up the last reason this is a good idea. In case our house ever burns down, my writings will be safe in the electronic world.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Chapter 7
Spoiler alert! This blog will reveal some information that will ruin part of the mystery of a situation in the Nocent book which won't be revealed in the book until a future chapter.
I just put out chapter 7 of the Nocent book. I wanted to tell you a little bit about this chapter. The last scene comes straight out of a dream I had years ago. I was running from a killer in my dream. I was in a house and it was dark. There was a parrot in the living room that somehow knew wherever I would try to hide. The most chilling part to me was when I went into a room to get away from the bird. I figured if I could get away, then it wouldn't know where I was hiding. I snuck into the closet and closed the door. Even so, the bird screeched out, "He's in the closet!" I froze and not two seconds later a pair of rough hands grabbed me and yanked me out of the closet.
When I woke up from that dream I had to turn a light on. I couldn't sleep so I grabbed a pen and paper and wrote down what had happened. It wasn't until years later when I developed the characters in the Nocent that I found the perfect story to interject that chilling scene. I hope it's as scary to readers as it was for me to go through it (so to speak).
Speaking of scenes that came from dreams, the end of chapter 5 when the door closes behind Bill, that came from a nightmare of mine as well. Nightmares are excellent sources for frightening scenes in stories because they're already tried and true. That's why they're called nightmares. Like when that one KFC closed down over on the 40.
I just put out chapter 7 of the Nocent book. I wanted to tell you a little bit about this chapter. The last scene comes straight out of a dream I had years ago. I was running from a killer in my dream. I was in a house and it was dark. There was a parrot in the living room that somehow knew wherever I would try to hide. The most chilling part to me was when I went into a room to get away from the bird. I figured if I could get away, then it wouldn't know where I was hiding. I snuck into the closet and closed the door. Even so, the bird screeched out, "He's in the closet!" I froze and not two seconds later a pair of rough hands grabbed me and yanked me out of the closet.
When I woke up from that dream I had to turn a light on. I couldn't sleep so I grabbed a pen and paper and wrote down what had happened. It wasn't until years later when I developed the characters in the Nocent that I found the perfect story to interject that chilling scene. I hope it's as scary to readers as it was for me to go through it (so to speak).
Speaking of scenes that came from dreams, the end of chapter 5 when the door closes behind Bill, that came from a nightmare of mine as well. Nightmares are excellent sources for frightening scenes in stories because they're already tried and true. That's why they're called nightmares. Like when that one KFC closed down over on the 40.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Zombie Food
Whenever I've thought about the concept of zombie appetite, I've always had two questions: what do they gain from eating and what happens to what they've eaten? I've never seen or read anything that tells me the answers to these seemingly important questions. The only exceptions I can think of is Return of the Living Dead where a zombie explains that they eat to get rid of the pain of being dead. Okay, I'll buy that. In Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith, it is explained that consumed meat passes through the zombie's digestive system unprocessed and eventually is forced out of the anus as "zombie droppings".
That is what I had come up with before I read the book. It didn't make sense to me that there would be any nutrition absorbed by the zombie's body. In the Nocent books, swallowed meat just gets lodged in the back of the throat. Since zombies don't have to breathe, they don't choke or cough. The food just stays in the throat until more food is ingested. I just hadn't thought it all the way through to the excretion part like in the book I read. That book is the prequel to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith.
As to their appetite, my zombies merely eat for the purpose of the kill. Remember that they are possessed by the spirits of the Nocent. The Nocent have an agenda. They want to eradicate their enemies the Collective. Many humans are helping the Collective so the zombies are out to kill those humans. The Collective become vampires so that they can protect the humans. There are also humans that are helping the Nocent. Unfortunately, for them, the zombies will kill them too.
That is what I had come up with before I read the book. It didn't make sense to me that there would be any nutrition absorbed by the zombie's body. In the Nocent books, swallowed meat just gets lodged in the back of the throat. Since zombies don't have to breathe, they don't choke or cough. The food just stays in the throat until more food is ingested. I just hadn't thought it all the way through to the excretion part like in the book I read. That book is the prequel to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith.
As to their appetite, my zombies merely eat for the purpose of the kill. Remember that they are possessed by the spirits of the Nocent. The Nocent have an agenda. They want to eradicate their enemies the Collective. Many humans are helping the Collective so the zombies are out to kill those humans. The Collective become vampires so that they can protect the humans. There are also humans that are helping the Nocent. Unfortunately, for them, the zombies will kill them too.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Hierarchy of Solidity
In the Nocent books, the Collective have bodies comprised of water. I know it's been done before, but this water moves quickly, not like the Dominion in Deep Space Nine or like the T-1000 in the Terminator movies. Anyway, having liquid bodies has given them a unique religion. It's called the Hierarchy of Sypraxus. Sypraxus is the ability to change at will between the various forms of matter. The idea started back in college when I noticed that the more solid something is, the less of it we need to survive. We can go for weeks without food, days without water, minutes without air and no time at all without our spirit.
I called the concept the hierarchy of solidity. That concept sat on a shelf collecting dust for years until I came up with the Collective. In their religion, the more faith you have, the more ethereal you can become. The Nocent view this hierarchy the opposite way. They see strength in solidity. That is why they want to come to Earth to use solid humans to defeat their enemy, the Collective.
Oddly enough, I found that many cultures around the world address the topic of solidity. Most have something like earth, wind, water and fire as their representations of the forms of matter. As I've meditated and contemplated these concepts, I've discovered more truths that resonate within my inner being. It was this spiritual story that allowed my little idea of a zombie/vampire war to become an epic five-book story which is what I believe I was put on this Earth to write. Orson Scott Card has his Ender series, JK Rowling has her Harry Potter books, George Lucas has Star Wars, George Romero has the ...of the Dead series and I have the Nocent. I feel blessed to have found the meaning of my life.
I love sharing this blessing with you, my readers. This is my voyage of self-discovery. As a matter of fact, this blog has been quite a road for me so far. It started out as a way to tell people about my stories, but I've touched upon my love for music, food, spirituality, fried chicken, movies, books and my family life. I struggle with issues of hatred and anger. I used to hate everyone except my family. Now, whenever I'm angry, I think about my readers all over the world and I find it difficult to hate people the way I used to. I don't feel so alone and hopeless anymore. It also helps that I have the most amazing wife in the world!
Before I end this blog, I wanted to mention that I plan to publish both this blog and the Nocent book eventually. This website has a Blog2Print feature which allows you to put out a hard cover or paperback version of your blog. The Nocent book is obviously a novel, but this blog is turning out to be pretty much my autobiography. After I have put out the entire Nocent part 2, I'll start putting out part 3, then so on and so forth with the rest of my books. Happy reading!
I called the concept the hierarchy of solidity. That concept sat on a shelf collecting dust for years until I came up with the Collective. In their religion, the more faith you have, the more ethereal you can become. The Nocent view this hierarchy the opposite way. They see strength in solidity. That is why they want to come to Earth to use solid humans to defeat their enemy, the Collective.
Oddly enough, I found that many cultures around the world address the topic of solidity. Most have something like earth, wind, water and fire as their representations of the forms of matter. As I've meditated and contemplated these concepts, I've discovered more truths that resonate within my inner being. It was this spiritual story that allowed my little idea of a zombie/vampire war to become an epic five-book story which is what I believe I was put on this Earth to write. Orson Scott Card has his Ender series, JK Rowling has her Harry Potter books, George Lucas has Star Wars, George Romero has the ...of the Dead series and I have the Nocent. I feel blessed to have found the meaning of my life.
I love sharing this blessing with you, my readers. This is my voyage of self-discovery. As a matter of fact, this blog has been quite a road for me so far. It started out as a way to tell people about my stories, but I've touched upon my love for music, food, spirituality, fried chicken, movies, books and my family life. I struggle with issues of hatred and anger. I used to hate everyone except my family. Now, whenever I'm angry, I think about my readers all over the world and I find it difficult to hate people the way I used to. I don't feel so alone and hopeless anymore. It also helps that I have the most amazing wife in the world!
Before I end this blog, I wanted to mention that I plan to publish both this blog and the Nocent book eventually. This website has a Blog2Print feature which allows you to put out a hard cover or paperback version of your blog. The Nocent book is obviously a novel, but this blog is turning out to be pretty much my autobiography. After I have put out the entire Nocent part 2, I'll start putting out part 3, then so on and so forth with the rest of my books. Happy reading!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Zombie Killer Food
I really like to eat. My wife leaves me alone when I'm in the kitchen because she knows I'll come out with a masterpiece. Here are four of my favorite recipes that I've concocted en la cocina:
Cilantro Beef Soup
-1 lb ground beef
-1 bunch of cilantro
-1 can of beef broth
-lime juice
-white pepper
Brown the ground beef while bringing the broth to a boil. Put in the white pepper, cilantro and lime juice to taste. Add the beef last since boiling meat tends to sap its moisture and make it tough to chew. Enjoy.
Grilled Steak and Veggies
-1 eggplant
-your favorite cut of steak
-portabella mushrooms
-aluminum foil
Tear off enough pieces of foil to have a steak for each person. Cut the eggplant into 1/2 inch slices. Put a slice of eggplant onto each piece of foil. Put whatever seasonings on the steak that you love. Lay the meat on the eggplant, then lay a mushroom on the meat. It'll look a bit like a hamburger. Wrap it up in the foil and throw it on the grill. The juices from the various ingredients will mix together creating a wonderful aroma and flavor. When the meat is cooked to your satisfaction, take it off the grill and serve it up!
Stuffed Baby Portabellas
-pecans
-mozzarella cheese
-green olives
-baby portabella mushrooms
-spices
-food processor
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Detach the stems from the mushrooms and put them in the food processor along with the cheese, pecans, spices and olives. The amounts of each ingredient depend on your taste. Blend that shit up. Lay the mushroom tops on some foil on a cookie sheet. Spoon the blended stuff into the mushroom heads. Pop that shit into the oven until the cheese melts and the mushrooms brown a little. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.
Chickety China (the Chinese Chicken)
-1 Cornish game hen
-Chinese five spices
-oil or butter
-any stuffing you desire
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Make sure the hen is fully thawed. Lay the bird, breast-side-up on a baking pan or cookie sheet. Cover the bird with melted butter or cooking oil, leaving some on the bottom of the pan so the skin won't stick. The stuffing isn't necessary, it's just fun to experiment with. At different times I've used Stove Top stuffing, rice, potatoes or Spam. Oddly enough, it was the Spam that has become my favorite stuffing. Anyway, coat the bird with Chinese Five Spice inside and out. Lay foil on top of it, securing the foil on the edges of the pan. Pop that thing in the oven for 1 hr and 30 mins. Voila! The meat falls right off the bones and the skin is crisp and flavorful!
Cilantro Beef Soup
-1 lb ground beef
-1 bunch of cilantro
-1 can of beef broth
-lime juice
-white pepper
Brown the ground beef while bringing the broth to a boil. Put in the white pepper, cilantro and lime juice to taste. Add the beef last since boiling meat tends to sap its moisture and make it tough to chew. Enjoy.
Grilled Steak and Veggies
-1 eggplant
-your favorite cut of steak
-portabella mushrooms
-aluminum foil
Tear off enough pieces of foil to have a steak for each person. Cut the eggplant into 1/2 inch slices. Put a slice of eggplant onto each piece of foil. Put whatever seasonings on the steak that you love. Lay the meat on the eggplant, then lay a mushroom on the meat. It'll look a bit like a hamburger. Wrap it up in the foil and throw it on the grill. The juices from the various ingredients will mix together creating a wonderful aroma and flavor. When the meat is cooked to your satisfaction, take it off the grill and serve it up!
Stuffed Baby Portabellas
-pecans
-mozzarella cheese
-green olives
-baby portabella mushrooms
-spices
-food processor
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Detach the stems from the mushrooms and put them in the food processor along with the cheese, pecans, spices and olives. The amounts of each ingredient depend on your taste. Blend that shit up. Lay the mushroom tops on some foil on a cookie sheet. Spoon the blended stuff into the mushroom heads. Pop that shit into the oven until the cheese melts and the mushrooms brown a little. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.
Chickety China (the Chinese Chicken)
-1 Cornish game hen
-Chinese five spices
-oil or butter
-any stuffing you desire
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Make sure the hen is fully thawed. Lay the bird, breast-side-up on a baking pan or cookie sheet. Cover the bird with melted butter or cooking oil, leaving some on the bottom of the pan so the skin won't stick. The stuffing isn't necessary, it's just fun to experiment with. At different times I've used Stove Top stuffing, rice, potatoes or Spam. Oddly enough, it was the Spam that has become my favorite stuffing. Anyway, coat the bird with Chinese Five Spice inside and out. Lay foil on top of it, securing the foil on the edges of the pan. Pop that thing in the oven for 1 hr and 30 mins. Voila! The meat falls right off the bones and the skin is crisp and flavorful!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Boring Movies
I apologize for not blogging yesterday. My internet was temporarily down. I did, however have some very interesting conversations with my wife. It all started when I was complaining about a beep on the computer that wouldn't go away. To set this up, I must first let you know a little about our belief system (you can read for yourself Neale Donald Walsch's books). We believe that before we come into this life, we choose the lives we're going to live. In other words, I chose to have the computer beep at me.
Me, being as thick as I am didn't understand why I would choose such a thing for myself. As usual, she used examples that she knew I would understand to illustrate to me her point. She said, "You've got to look at why the beep is here. What can you learn about yourself? Perhaps it's about control. You feel as if there are things in life you can't control and this is just another thing, but it's one that's an easy target for you to take out your frustrations on."
Did I mention I was thick? Yeah, I still didn't understand. Here come the examples: "Imagine in Star Wars when Luke found out that the Empire had killed his Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen. How boring of a movie would it have been if instead, the stormtroopers just stopped by for a cup of tea? That would be like if the computer never beeped at you. Now, imagine if Luke had simply found the bodies, then spent the rest of the movie whining about how much the Empire sucks. Boring. That's like complaining about the beep, but doing nothing about it. Imagine if Luke found the bodies, but didn't care. He just went to Toshi Station to buy some power converters. You can't just ignore the problem."
She told me that it is through a process of dealing with problems that you grow to a place where you can take on bigger challenges. Problems will arise in life. Don't just hope for them not to, don't just whine about them and don't ignore them. Another important thing is to not let anger allow you to do something stupid that will not solve the problem. Passion, on the other hand, will help you try to solve the problem in a calm manner. Use passion, not anger. Anger would not have allowed Luke to shoot straight into a hole not much larger than a womp rat. It was calm resolve, passion for the resistance and faith in the Force that gave him the power to destroy the Death Star.
She said that I may never figure out how to stop the beep, but that if that happens, I shouldn't allow it to drive me crazy. To paraphrase the AA prayer, "Lord, give me the grace to deal with shit I can't do shit about, the power to fix the shit I can and the wisdom to know the difference." God, I love that woman.
Me, being as thick as I am didn't understand why I would choose such a thing for myself. As usual, she used examples that she knew I would understand to illustrate to me her point. She said, "You've got to look at why the beep is here. What can you learn about yourself? Perhaps it's about control. You feel as if there are things in life you can't control and this is just another thing, but it's one that's an easy target for you to take out your frustrations on."
Did I mention I was thick? Yeah, I still didn't understand. Here come the examples: "Imagine in Star Wars when Luke found out that the Empire had killed his Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen. How boring of a movie would it have been if instead, the stormtroopers just stopped by for a cup of tea? That would be like if the computer never beeped at you. Now, imagine if Luke had simply found the bodies, then spent the rest of the movie whining about how much the Empire sucks. Boring. That's like complaining about the beep, but doing nothing about it. Imagine if Luke found the bodies, but didn't care. He just went to Toshi Station to buy some power converters. You can't just ignore the problem."
She told me that it is through a process of dealing with problems that you grow to a place where you can take on bigger challenges. Problems will arise in life. Don't just hope for them not to, don't just whine about them and don't ignore them. Another important thing is to not let anger allow you to do something stupid that will not solve the problem. Passion, on the other hand, will help you try to solve the problem in a calm manner. Use passion, not anger. Anger would not have allowed Luke to shoot straight into a hole not much larger than a womp rat. It was calm resolve, passion for the resistance and faith in the Force that gave him the power to destroy the Death Star.
She said that I may never figure out how to stop the beep, but that if that happens, I shouldn't allow it to drive me crazy. To paraphrase the AA prayer, "Lord, give me the grace to deal with shit I can't do shit about, the power to fix the shit I can and the wisdom to know the difference." God, I love that woman.
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