robert.admin – Page 173 – Robert Raymond’s Blogtorium

April 25, 2013

This I vow! (DOG EAR)

I can’t believe this. After all the blogs about pushing yourself out there, of facing the adversity of the publishing field, I suddenly awoke to the fact (as a drunk wakes in a gutter and sees what he’s become) that I’ve been putting off submitting my agent packets. First it was a train show. Then the new computer arrived. And I’ve been cross-loading my files and playing glass-smooth Spelunky. And also weeding the yard, running a 5K race, finishing a “Thrones” book, all sorts of things. It turns out that the best thing you can do for yourself is to […]

April 24, 2013

OpsLog – LM&O – 4/24/2013

I‘m driving home in that easy-smiley way I am once club ops are done and we (as a group) hammered it out of the park. Running west on the 408 in the right lane, just passing Dean Road. To might right, there is an on/off ramp, a short little interchange with two cars coming into merge onto the expressway. I should move over but a glance in the rearview shows a guy overtaking on the left lane. I frown – he’s just in the wrong place for me. Touch of the brake to give the two mergers room in front […]

April 21, 2013

New Computer

I‘ve read all sorts of books about piracy, and the one part of it that really makes me NOT want to be a pirate (outside of dangling in a cage at the end of Execution Dock, slowly rotting until the gulls are picking the eyeballs out of my sun bleached corpse) is careening. See, while you yo-ho your way around the Caribbean, your bottom gets foul (we’re talking your ship’s hull) with long strands of weed. This could prove very disadvantageous if the Spanish Navy (not the English – can we put THAT movie misconception to rest now?) attempt pursuit. […]

April 21, 2013

A Clash of Kings (Review)

It’s easy to hate House Lannister. After all, they murdered the rightful King. They throw kids off roofs. They behead main characters. They are mercenary and cunning and bad to the bone. And now Queen Cersei has planted her slightly bastardinous (if not incestuously-created) son Joffrey on the throne. Judging from the number of self-crowned kings that spring up (four, at least, not counting Daenerys lurking off in the east with her three dragons), I’m not alone in hating them. Oh, we have battles galore, small skirmishes, sieges, and expeditions beyond the northern wall. We’ve got politics. We’ve got intrigue. […]

April 19, 2013

5K

Under a tent, wearing a purple running shirt, with skyscrapers against the setting sun and everyone chatting and helicopters beating about and like, what the hell am I doing here? And how did I get myself into running a 5K? That’s a long story (thought I still hate Sam for talking me into this). It’s the corporate 5K run in downtown Orlando, a massive event. FedEx had a tent and I’m on the people committee, so here I am. You may have seen, in prior weeks, my miserable attempts to train up for this (and how I kept pulling muscles […]

April 18, 2013

Passion (DOG EAR)

I was in a funk about writing. Just re-upped the site for five years and found myself wondering what the point of all this writing is. There was even a cartoon I saw HERE that said it all for me. Yes, it made me sad, but it’s oh-so-true. And then tonight, my wife and I went to Arby’s. JB was over at the table and I was standing at the counter. The counter-guy had gone off to dump our curly fries into the vat and I was just standing there, thinking my what’s the point of writing thoughts. And that’s […]

April 14, 2013

The Scarlet Pimpernel (Guest Review)

On my first day as a rocket scientist at Nasa, they jammed me into a pod with a fireball of a secretary, a wiry blonde with a winning smile and a very sharp personality. After she marked her turf (and scared me silly), it came out that we were both writers. Lynn Perry and I have been friends ever since. So here is her take on Baroness Emmuska Orczy’s classic. I am a reader….my bulging book shelves, decades old library card and financially abused Kindle account reflect my love of books. Most recently, I reached into history and re-read The […]

April 13, 2013

Showlog – Deland – 4/13/2013

What can we say? When we opened the truck, we found one of the racks had shifted – scenery damage! Then there were the arguments while setting up, and a member storming out. Then, when we did get everything together (it took two hours – people were coming in the door), the layout didn’t come up until after lunch. What a terrible start. Forgive me – I know it’s no longer April 1st, but I had to do that for the benefit of the committee member who is bobbing about on a gulf cruse while we all did the show. […]

April 11, 2013

Perspective (DOG EAR)

Authors love their jacket photos to show them sitting in a studious den with some books, a wonderful view out the window at their back, and wood paneling. And a globe. Like they are going to spin it and peer intently – “Hmmm. I shall send my hero to Madagascar…” The image is that here is where they arrive at their great insights on human nature. My insights on human nature come over the front of my bicycle handlebars when I ride to work. Honestly, I see more of what it means to be human in my commutes by bicycle […]

April 7, 2013

OpsLog – TY&E – 4/7/2013

And the very next day, we’re at it again on the Tipton, Youngstown & Erie. It might be said I operate too much! It was our second run over at JW’s place and it went really well. With the track improvements, we were running something like five trains at once on his main (which is impressive when three of them are passing in one area). Looks like everything is in place – He’s enthusiastic: check. He’s got an idea of what he wants to simulate: check. He’s got a working layout: check. We’ve got a group: check. Time to decide […]