Toy Garden 3

Free this weekend ONLY!  Get your copy at Smashwords now!
Toy Garden 3
This is the third installment in the Toy Garden series,
come see what mischief Margaret is up to now.
Toy Garden 3 is now reasonably priced at $2.99.

Bug

Only a few days until Halloween, and I have a treat in store for you.  I just published a flash fiction story on Smashwords.  It is brief, but appropriate for this time of year.  Best of all it's FREE!
Check it out, when you have a few minutes.

An excerpt from Bug:

I found a minute insect in my sugar bowl today. It was brown and moving, so I determined that it was not a grain of sugar, though it was that small. I scooped it up and washed it down the drain. I wondered if I should dump out the rest of the sugar, but I don't like to be wasteful, besides how much harm could one little bug cause? I don't see any others, though I really didn't check.

Download the rest of Bug for FREE at Smashwords.

It has been about 13 hours since I published it.  There have been six downloads and one review.  Everything always seems better when you get a good review!

Review by: Gabion on Oct. 28, 2014 :  
A nasty little tale which is very well written. I honestly think it should have been much longer so as to develop a greater sense of unease. Good grammar and well structured. Three stars is very good for me - especially for a flash fiction tale. I'll have to explore more of Murphy's work.

PS. I would like to say thank you to Gabion. I don't know who you are, but I appreciate you taking the time to read and review my story, it makes it all worthwhile.

My love, my light

The great beast raised his massive wings, "And thou shall not pass."
"We shall see."
He stared down upon me with his fiery red eyes, gazing at me, seducing me.
"And what stand beyond you?  My love or my light?" I questioned.
"Come and see."
"Doth not matter, for each I will fight as equally."
"So you would fight just as well if you knew your only outcome were death?"
"Yes, you see.  Because my love is my light, and if she were to be taken from me then my world is filled with darkness anyway."
"I do see."
"So make your choice," I begged of the beast.  "Step aside or fall at my sword.  If I fail to overcome your treachery, then at least I know I am loved."
"Goodnight, sweet prince," and with that he spoke no more.

Ebola Hits the East Coast

Ebola Hits the East Coast

Presidential Press Conference
10/15/14 5:45 pm

Another medical worker, from Dallas, has been diagnosed with Ebola. The problem is that she is flew on a commercial airline twice in the last week. On October 8th the health care worker, Amber Vinson, flew from Dallas-Fort Worth to Cleveland. On Monday, October 13th, she took a return trip back.

Vinson is one of two medical workers who treated Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan, who now have the Ebola virus themselves. The other employee, Nina Pham, is reported as being in an “improved condition” according to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Tom Frieden.

The CDC is contacting passengers that were on flight1143 from Cleveland to Dallas/Fort Worth on Oct. 13th. They want to interview all 132 passengers. Since Vinson was not showing any symptoms at the time, they say that the risk of them contracting the disease is minimal. However, Dr. Frieden claims that she had a fever of 99.5 before she boarded the flight.

Pizza Hut

Rarely do I review food or restaurants, which I actually find funny because I love a good meal. However, I felt compelled to post this in the hope that at least one person reads it and makes a responsible decision.
I live in NY, so there is no shortage of good pizza places around.  In fact, where I live, there must be at least six pizza places.  I do not normally go to Pizza Hut, because no matter how much they boast about it, it really is sub-par when compared to a real pizza.
If you live down south, and have not experienced Pizza Hut, it is comparable to Little Ceasar's. If you are in a hurry and just want something to satisfy the growling in your stomach, then Little Ceasar's is great.  It is hot, ready, and only 5 bucks.

Annabelle/ IT

I went to see Annabelle this past weekend.  It was good, suspenseful, and it had a good ending.  The characters were interesting and it had a good pace.  (7/10)  What may be more interesting than the movie itself is the fact that it was based on a true story.  The real Annabelle was a Raggedy Ann doll acquired in the 1970's.  Ed and Lorraine Warren now have the doll stored in their museum in Monroe, CT.
As always, the drive-in has a double feature.  The second film I saw was A Walk Among the Tombstones with Liam Neeson.  This was a dark story with strong subject matter.  It was also suspenseful with a good ending. (8/10)
I also started reading IT this past week.  I have seen the movie, it is one of my all time favorites.  I may post a review or some comparisons between the book and movie when I am done reading it, but I may not finish it until Christmas, of next year.  It is over 1100 pages long.
Anyway, as we go into the Halloween season, which books or movies are you looking forward to?  What are some of your favorites that you revisit each year?
Other than IT, I have always liked The Shining, another Stephen King classic.  Some of my new favorites are last years The Conjuring, which was a lot better than Annabelle, and also Trick 'r Treat released on DVD in 2009.  Looks like Trick 'r Treat 2 is going to be released next year.  You can read more about the new T 'r T on Entertainment Weekly's website.

Ebola Outbreak

Sometimes real life can be much stranger and shocking than fiction. After reading a news article today about a man who came to the US, infected with Ebola, it seems clear that it may only be a matter of time before the gates of hell open open and engulf every one of us. How fitting it should happen upon us in this, our Halloween season.

I believe that once we get through this scare, if we do, that the zombie movies and books will now take a back seat to more real life drama. Think about it, what a great story, albeit it fictional at this point, but why not let someone like Stephen King take a crack at writing the aftermath of what happened once the disease spread throughout the states like wildfire.

Hopefully there are some of us still left around to read the tale, or maybe even tell it, but if you really want to spark some conversation try going to the grocery store and while on line cough and sneeze a bit. When people start looking at you because your cart is filled to the brim with canned goods and bottled water, try explaining to them that you feel a bit down, but surely it is nothing to worry about.

How long until the government and the pharmaceutical companies start cashing in on the outbreak? An offer of hope, and everyone starts running to the ER. Bold promises and misguided intentions lead us down undeveloped, unimagined, and previously undiscovered paths. How long do we wait until we take action? Do we stand by and let the disease fester inside each of our loved ones or do we put them out of their misery?

They will have you believe that you can not catch it. Only, and only if, you come into direct contact with an individual that has the virus. But if you were one of the people that were on that plane with the Ebola sufferer do you take comfort in the fact that he didn't rub up against you? Or are you sitting in a waiting room right now, knowing that you may be diagnosed with an incurable disease?

If you are a religious person you may want to start praying now. Not only for your friends and family, but for the entire world population. By simple mathematics, this disease could have spread to thousands, if not tens of thousands of people, already.

If you are someone who has stock piled ammunition and a year's worth of food and water in your basement, all I can say is good luck and you better get your ass down in the cellar now.

WLM 10/2/14

Ebola virus

The Confession by John Grisham

John Grisham is a thorough author. He writes his characters so well, and completely researches his material to make it very realistic. The Confession is no exception.

The protagonist, Robbie Flak, is a small town lawyer in Texas who is always fighting for the rights of the little guy. When his client, Donte Drumm, is convicted of murder and sentenced to death, Robbie does everything he can to put a stop to the execution.

The book leads you to a series of different emotions and the characters are well received, whether you love them or hate them. It also brings up the real life issue of the death penalty. No matter which side you stand on, you will enjoy this book. In the town of Sloan, where the story takes place, the residents are divided by the trial. It encompasses not only questions about the law, but also real issues of race and religion too.

The book is very well written, it is engrossing, and when you are finished, you will want to go out and pick up another story by Grisham. (4.25 out of 5 stars)

Visit Grisham's website to learn more or purchase your own copy of The Confession.

Also, check out John Grisham's homepage to win an autographed copy of his latest novel, Gray Mountain, and the chance to win an entire hardcover collection of all 33 of his novels.

Dead 'til Dawn Horror Film Fest

I went to the Hi-Way Drive In, in Coxsackie, twice this past weekend for the Dead 'til Dawn Horror Film Fest.  Each night is a different lineup of old B-movie horrors.  Some of the movies were pretty good, I enjoyed Nightmare in a Damaged Brain, Wonder Women, and Destroy All Monsters.  Destroy All Monsters had Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, and a handful of other monsters.  Not all the movies were great, but the experience was nostalgic.  That was the first time I had ever seen a Godzilla movie on the big screen, except for the crappy new one this past summer.  I can recall watching Godzilla movies on TV when I was a child.  Overall, it was a great experience, and if you missed it this time you can check out the Hi-Way Halloween Hell Night on October 17th & 18th at the Hi-Way Drive In.

Here is the line up for the Hi-Way Halloween Hell Night:
Movie Block #1
A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984)
SHORT NIGHT OF THE GLASS DOLLS
NIGHT OF THE BLOODY APES
A 4th "Secret" film to be announced at the show!

Movie Block #2
PROM NIGHT (1980)
RATS: NIGHT OF TERROR
NIGHT OF THE WEREWOLF
A 4th "Secret" film to be announced at the show!

Here are a few photos from the Dead 'til Dawn Fest...

Big Bang Theory

Yaaaa!!!  That's all I have to say.  The Big Bang Theory is back on.  If you are not watching it, you might as well check yourself in somewhere, because that is complete lunacy.  It is well written, has a wonderful cast, and it is the only show that literally makes me LOL.  (5 out of 5 stars)
OMG!  Penny's golden locks are gone.  We can only hope that someday they return.  Penny is Penny, so obviously we love her, but much like Sheldon it can be difficult for some of us to accept change.
There was another OMG moment in the premiere, you'll know when you see it.  I gasped and grabbed my mouth.  Totally shocking.  I am so satisfied after seeing the premiere that I can now die happy.
As a bonus, there was one of the few vanity cards, written by Chuck Lorre, that could actually be read without pausing or having to look it up on the internet.  Sweet.

HV Beer Fest

This past weekend I volunteered at the Hudson Valley Beer Fest with a few friends.  The festival was held along the Hudson River banks at Riverfront Park, in Beacon behind the train station.  There were 90 different beer vendors, food vendors, live music, and other various local merchants.
The time passed by very quickly as the crowd swelled to about 3000 people.  I have bartended in the past, and just pouring a few different beers was relatively easy.  I was pouring two different beers from the Blue Point Brewery out of Long Island, NY and one from Great South Bay Brewery also from L.I.
The first brew, from Blue Point, was the Toasted Lager.  This had a great flavor, a bit nutty, almost like a toasted almond ice cream bar.  This was my favorite of the three.  Next was the Oktoberfest, a seasonal brew with a bit less flavor, but not bad.  Lastly was Great South Bay's Splashing Pumpkin.  I don't care for pumpkin pie, pumpkin coffee, or pumpkin beer so this was my least favorite.  However a lot of people did seem to like it, and it was the only keg I had that was kicked by the time I was done.
Overall it was an enjoyable event and I would like to visit more beer fests in the future.  The weather was excellent, the setting was beautiful, and of course I got to hang out with some good friends and have a few laughs.
Cheers!

WotD: Wind

Today's Word of the Day (WotD) has many of us in the office perplexed. It seems to be a simple word, and initially I believed it to be a simple homonym, however that is not the case.

The word is wind.

How did you pronounce it?  

You could have said it two different ways:

The wind seems to be blowing fiercely today.

or

I need to wind my watch so that it keeps accurate time.

See the difference?  Of course you do.  There are several examples like this in the English language, but let's stick to our example.

When you Google the word it is like you arrived a few minutes late.  You look around the room and realize that Chuck Norris was here before you.  He happened to be in a bad mood and he took it out on the word wind.

You will notice that under the definition of the word, used as a verb and a noun, you will find that you can click to see more definitions.  Eventually you can find the definition you are looking for.  I was looking for wind, as in they were winding their way through the forest.

Not only did I find the many definitions and uses of the word fascinating, but I found it peculiar that Google Boy never rendered a pronunciation.  Is he not allowed to pronounce a word in more than one way?  This remains a mystery at this point, one which could easily be resolved by looking up other heteronyms, but I simply don't have the time for that right now.  In fact I have taken far too long to type out this post.  I have other, more important, pressing matters at stake right now.  

Hmmm, stake, steak...

Anyway, that brings us to the other point concerning today's WotD, it is a heteronym.  A heteronym is defined as: 

each of two or more words that are spelled identically but have different sounds and meanings, such as tear meaning “rip” and tear meaning “liquid from the eye.”

Google Boy will pronounce heteronym, if you'd like him to.

I don't remember learning about heteronyms in school, but I am sure we must have. Unfortunately for them, they don't get the spotlight like homonyms and synonyms (those two words have unique spellings, don't they?)  Ask your kids if they know what a heteronym is. Don't have kids?  Go find one wandering around on the street or at WalMart, ask them.

Hope you all enjoy your Word of the Day.  I'm outta here.

Peace

PS.  I am thinking about contacting Chuck Norris to go over to Google Boy's house and beat the pronunciation of the word wind out of him.  He's got some nerve not pronouncing wind.  Fyi... he will pronounce pronounce and pronunciation for you, if you so desire. 

Utopia - 9/9/14

“Over 200 years of American history in under two weeks.” Please, give me a break. Shave that stupid mustache and lose the hat, Charlie. I wish they would drop a crate of guns on the island and just let them all kill each other. This is awful. 1987 called, Corey Haim wants his hat back. This series just perpetuates how stupid society has become.

What I want to see is them doing something productive, to actually build a utopia. Fox has an opportunity to do something unique, but we are ending up with another crappy reality show. Why not just watch Big Brother? At least we expect the rhetoric there, and they have some competitions. Now what we are left with is a bunch of lunk heads that can't agree on anything. Pathetic.

I am starting to think the casting was designed just to cast over the top personalities that wouldn't get along. Why not introduce a few people with half a brain. The few that are there now are not being heard and nothing is going to be accomplished. If we want to build a real Utopia it is not going to be done on network TV.

One last thought, please put Bella's head on a spike and display it outside the gates to ward off others.

I don't know how much longer I can continue to watch this crap.

Utopia – Fox Reality Series

9/7/14

It seems like a good concept, develop a Utopian society, but from what I have seen of the premiere episode it is no different than any other reality show. I thought it would be a lot more interesting and intriguing. So far they may as well have put 15 children in a pen and let them fight for three days, because basically that is what we have been presented with so far. They haven't created anything but a lack of enthusiasm for anyone on the island. Oh wait.  Sorry, that is a different show.

If this first episode ended with the complex burning down and they all died, I would not shed a tear. I will watch again, but I really hope it gets a lot better. Again, it seems like a wonderful concept, but you need to put the right people in place to make a change. At this point it might as well be a show about the government. If I want that, I'll just watch the news.

I suppose the casting was well done, they are a bunch of mixed up misfits. Obviously we don't see everything, so part of the disinterest could be due to the editing. The host isn't very likable either. By the end of the show they all hugged. Is this the solution to everything that they need to accomplish? It seems like the only thing they will accomplish is another failed reality show.

Hooley on the Hudson

A Hooley is defined as a party, usually with traditional Irish music and dance.  I went to the Hooley on the Hudson this past week, and it was definitely a good Irish party.  The event is put on by the Ulster County AOH, and they did a terrific job.  It rained a bit in the afternoon, but it didn't seem to effect anyone's spirits.  Admission to the Hooley is free, pints of Guinness are only $5, and there were plenty of vendors with wares and food.  I think I have found my new destination for the Labor Day Weekend.
The music was also fantastic and I got to see my favorite band close out the fest, Black 47.  They did all of their best stuff and closed out with an encore performance of Gloria, by the band Them (Van Morrison), and I Fought the Law, written by Sonny Curtis in 1958. Prior to the encore they closed their set with James Connolly followed by Bridie's song, The Funky Ceili.  Check out the video on Youtube here: Black 47 : Funky Ceili.
I've always enjoyed seeing Black 47 perform in small venues, you can get close to the stage to get a good view, the music is always crisp and clear, and they always put on a great performance.  I closed my eyes for a few moments the other night, during 40 Shades of Blue, and it felt like I was hearing them play for the first time.  They never disappoint.  If you have a chance to go see them before they retire at the end of the year, do it.
A lot of their songs are politically based, some more fun, but always authentically Irish. Songs like James Connolly always seem to unite the crowd.  With their fists held high in the air, you feel proud to be Irish.  I will miss seeing the band play live.  Memorial Day Weekend won't seem the same without them.  Thankfully their music will live on for decades to come.

Continue on to see more pictures.