WEEK TWOFriday:Week two began with the first of several early mornings. We were up and out by 5 in order to get to the airport for our 7 a.m. flight to Aswan. Even at that hour, cabbies somehow manage to sniff out fairs.From the airport, we taxied to the port and after a little trouble […]
Greetings from Egypt. Or more like There and Back Again. Despite my hopes, internet connectivity was spotty right up through the end of the trip.When we’ve been away before I have tended to provide detailed reports from the road but with a trip of this length, that’s really not practical.Instead, let’s go to the highlights […]
My bags are packed I’m ready to go…Tonight, Deb and I leave for Egypt, anxiously awaiting a two week visit with Kate and a chance to visit an exotic locale. We’ve had this on the horizon for so long that when it finally arrived, we were more than a little surprised. But ready.Robbie declined a […]
I am second to none in my approval of Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn being voted into the Hall of Fame. Heck, if possible, I would have enshrined Ripken the summer after his retirement.Some players are terrific and deserve to be in the Hall given their accomplishments, like Gwynn.Some transcend the game and come to […]
This week the Consumer Electronics Show is in Las Vegas and the dazzling new gadgets will fill web pages and newspapers for days to come and then, later this week, all eyes will turn to MacWorld and the latest doodads from Apple.Within the next year or so, many of the items being ballyhooed this week […]
There hasn’t been all that much activity on the writing front and suspect the first half of 2007 will be on the slow side since I am working on the unnamed project which has a due date of June 15 and honestly, I can only take on so much. But, as I prepare for vacation, […]
A good way to enter the New Year…After lamenting the sad state of book royalties yesterday, my pal Dave Galanter shared with me a fine review of the anthology we share, Star Trek: Constellations, which appeared at Stephen Hunt’s SF Crowsnest.While Eammon Murphy generally likes the book as a whole, he did say the following […]
One of the discussions we seldom get into at writers’ panels at conventions is the financial side. For some, they’re uncomfortable discussing what they earn for their efforts. Others truly can’t figure out their finances so can’t talk about it. For whatever reason, it’s just something that doesn’t get explored often.As most know, a writer […]
I meant to write this yesterday but wound up spending just about the entire day ensconced in the office, working on that darned unannouncable project. Managed to get the first section completed, though, and therefore wound down the year on the positive note.In looking back, 2006 was a far more transitional year than I ever […]
I have long since recalled what prompted me to begin recording the books I read each year. Still, today marks the end of the tenth year. A decade of reading preserved for some reason. As a result, I decided to take a look at a few of the statistics before sharing my 2006 reading list.First […]
It’s a working week so the holiday spirit has moved to the back burner for the moment. We closed another issue early without incident which instills me with some confidence. I’m also working ahead in planning issues well into February so my absence will be minimized when I take a vacation in January.Deb’s parents left […]
I must do a good job of expressing myself because last week, when I threw out the opportunity for questions, I received a grand total of one.Out of fairness to the person who took the trouble to ask, I provide the answer. Here’s a leading question. Of all the comic book series that you edited, […]
Christmas is finally here. As usual, the build up, the anticipation and preparations for the season tend to top the day itself.Robbie proclaimed he wasn’t really in the spirit at all while at college so it didn’t hit him until his return on Wednesday. That day, Deb and I were at a funeral and she […]
The Holidays are here and with it come the traditions that make each family unique. For some it’s carols and egg nog and for others it’s Chinese food and movies.Interestingly, Kate and Robbie seem to like the same traditions and we are rather impressed that they hold to them as dearly as they do. We […]
There’s something about the holiday season and the ending of a year that makes you look back and reflect and there’s always something a little bittersweet about that.Close to home, Deb lost a 93 year old aunt earlier this week. She was a wonderful woman who selflessly volunteered at a nursing home (and elsewhere) for […]
Deb and I are slowly catching up on our prime time television watching. Thanks to the DVR, we’ve managed to stockpile plenty so as each series goes into winter reruns, we can begin watching new shows from their season debuts. We’re caught up on all the network shows and have begun with season two of […]
Well, last night took longer than it needed to.Despite items 3-8 being on the consent calendar, which included some funding issues, we spent over an hour on item 9 which seemed to finally bring the RTM together in the bipartisan way it was intended to be.Maybe it was because the item under discussion, rebuilding our […]
It definitely feels like the year is winding down.We’re pretty much done shopping for Christmas and yesterday brought the tree into the house. Deb and Robbie will decorate it once he’s home from college (some traditions you don’t mess with). Yesterday we put other decorations up around the house and the holiday music was playing […]
We’re starting to drift into that period when things slow down at work, get busy at home, and people kick back a little. As a result, now might be a good time to take questions from the many readers of this site.Despite the paucity of comments, I get a fair amount of feedback both verbally […]
Timing is everything. Thursday I joined the people bitching about DHL and Friday I came home to find a letter responding to my November 17 complaint.It’s long and wordy, but Deborah Laehu, Customer Relations Specialist says she is “deeply disturbed” by the company’s failure to perform as expected. She says Executive Management in the Norwalk, […]
Here’s something a little unusual.The book is still being written, let alone edited and approved, but AVPGalaxy today posted an interview with me regarding Predator: Flesh & Blood.Meantime, Mike and I will be in a better position to discuss the book, and everything else under the sun, at Farpoint this February. They just finalized their […]
Must be something in the air. Or a company that’s not really well run.This morning I noticed a mild rant from Keith DeCandido regarding DHL’s spotty performance.This afternoon, I found my buddy Dayton Ward also commenting on DHL’s inability to do the job right.Which reminded me of a letter I sent to DHL on November […]
Normally, I don’t take a lot of internet quizzes but when I saw Keith DeCandido wind up as Green Lantern (one of my all-time favorite heroes), this looked too good to pass up and boy did the answer surprise me.Your results:You are Superman Superman 75% Green Lantern 75% Spider-Man 60% Supergirl 52% The Flash 50% […]
Steven H. Silver at Tangent On Line has a review up for the contents of the April cover-dated issue of Analog. The short fiction review site is new to me but apparently covers all print matter and is fed advance material from the publishers.I now know, for example, that Michael A. Burstein and I share […]
“We’re going to stay in Iraq to get the job done. This business about graceful exit just simply has no realism to it whatsoever.”–George W. Bush”There is one thing I’m not going to do. I am not going to pull our troops off the battlefield before the mission is complete,” Bush said in a speech […]
Sometime when I wasn’t looking, politics took hold on a larger part of my life. Three days this week wound up being political in addition to work and other stuff.Monday night we had the Democratic Town Committee’s final meeting of the year and much of the district leaders’ meeting was devoted to the 2007 campaign […]
Maybe it’s the season.Maybe it’s because it is no longer November.Whatever the reason, I’m feeling pretty good right about now. I put so much pressure on myself to get things done in November that December is exactly as I had hoped: manageably busy.With the first draft Predator novel done, I have been able to concentrate […]
Last week I was lamenting that a proposed ordinance that might benefit the town needed work. Before the evening meeting ended, fixing the ordinance was turned into an Us vs. Them political football that soured me a bit on Town Government.Last night went a long way to restoring that sense of pride we should be […]
Two weeks ago, I was feeling incredible pressure to get things done. Slowly but surely, things have been progressing and I’m hitting my deadlines, both real and self-imposed.As I catch my breath before wading into the Holiday preparations, I figured it was time to provide an update. It’s a busy looking load but actually manageable […]
Much has been written about the change in management on Gilmore Girls, a series that has been a Greenberger Family favorite since its debut. The critics have pretty much savaged the writing, noting the hip and current asides are missing, the speech pacing has slowed down and therefore the leads – Lorelei and Rory – […]
We were reminded last night that serving on the RTM is an honor. The people in town elected us to represent their best interests and all 50 of us making up the body truly have their best interests in mind.On the other hand, we’re also 50 individuals who uniquely see the world and our place […]
Reboots are all the rage these days. DC rebooted their universe recently and in any given year, DC or Marvel will reboot at least half a dozen characters. The current Battlestar Galactica is a successful reboot on television. Batman Begins is seen as a very successful reboot of a moribund franchise while Superman Returns is […]
The following was written on Friday but internet connectivity issues delayed posting this:Traditions and schedules will be maintained if one is to retain one’s sanity.Yesterday I enjoyed my first non-writing day in a month. I started catching up on Veronica Mars, a show I enjoy which Deb is fine with skipping. Then, as we got […]
All sorts of progress has been made since Sunday morning, for which I have to give thanks. After all, this is the time of year where we all should be stopping and taking a moment to look back and make certain we acknowledge the good things that have happened over the last 12 months.Predator: Flesh […]
It never just rains on a freelancer. It is either dry or it’s pouring.The last few days, many existing projects suddenly reared up and demanded attention. The timing could be better but rarely is.As you know, I’m working hard to complete the first draft of Predator: Flesh & Blood. Beginning this morning, I am at […]
Today marks the beginning of week four in my quest to write a quality Predator novel without losing my mind or neglecting any other obligations.I will sit at the computer some time later today and will continue work on chapter fifteen. As I start the session, I will have already completed 46,000 words (give or […]
One of the pleasures of writing for Star Trek is the wide variety of franchises, all stemming from the original core concept. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses and I’ve dabbled in all of them save Enterprise. One of the most enjoyable have been my visits to the crew of the da Vinci in […]
The Mets have played in cookie-cutter Shea Stadium since 1964 and they feel they need something new. Interestingly, they’re growing smaller, ensuring more sellouts, and the basic design for the new stadium evokes old Ebbets Field, home of the Brooklyn Dodgers. What I find interesting about this is that the team is based in Queens, […]
While I appreciate what Sofia Coppola was attempting with Marie Antoinette, it doesn’t work. She took the approach that Louis and Marie were so cloistered in Versailles that they were woefully ignorant of what was happening to the very people they were to govern. Additionally, she was pressured on a regular basis to produce an […]
I’ve often said I didn’t want to be in a public office because I’d have little patience of fools and tell the blowhards to shut up. Still, I serve on both the RTM and Area 2 Cable Advisory Council.At last night’s CAC meeting, I unloaded with both barrels and I have to admit, it felt […]
There are so many different ways to look at the election tomorrow. On the macro level, the results could shift the way the country conducts its business for the next two years. Should the Democrats regain control of the House of Representatives, key committees will change leaders and Nancy Pelosi would become the Speaker. In […]
Just a quick note to share some updated con news. My pals at Farpoint have added to their guest list. In addition to headliner Summer Glau (she of Firefly and The 4400, they have just added actress Alice Krige (she of such genre fare as Star Trek: First Contact, Silent Hill and The 4400). Lolita […]
It’s been busy but relatively quiet times around here. A recap of the week looks something like this:Deb left for a week in Florida with her parents. The trip began inauspiciously as we took her to the wrong airport. Fortunately, we got her to the right one in time for the flight.Being the only human […]
When last we visited the Predators, I was working with an outline from my partner in crime, Mike Friedman. He subsequently took my expansion of his two-page premise and expanded things even further.However, when I received his next draft, nothing I had added remained. This had me confused. Since he was unreachable during the day, […]
OK, it’s a given that I have now and have always watched way too much television. Deb never ceases to be amazed by my encyclopedic recall of shows, and their channel and airtime dating back to childhood. There are few things we like doing better then settling in on the couch and watching some television […]
On Monday, I stood before the RTM and said we needed to make sure the job got done right before passing an ordinance. I was even quoted in the local paper saying that, and I said that knowing full well I had three ordinances pending in my sub-committee. As a result, despite my best hopes, […]
If it’s Monday, I must be at a meeting. Three weeks out of four, Monday nights are public service nights for me and last night was no exception.We had a nice and easy agenda at the RTM which everyone hoped would mean an early close so we could enjoy our bi-partisan socialable soda at the […]
Work is finally beginning on Predator: Flesh and Blood which is a good thing since it’s already being solicited in Diamond’s Preview catalogue. When Mike Friedman initially invited me to join him on the project, it was back in the spring when he had a tight window and didn’t think he could hit the June […]
Deb and I have reached that stage where we have now attended the first wedding of children we are friends with. It’ll be a while, I gather, before we do this again, but it was interesting an milestone of some note.We’ve known Chuck Rozakis since he was three and watching him grow into the unique […]
He just stood there. Bases loaded, two out, two strikes and he just stands.This has been a tiring and ultimately frustrating week and now all the analysts will chime in and the pressure will mount on GM Omar Minaya to bolster the pitching.But it wasn’t the pitching that failed the Mets this week. We got […]
I’ve always taken the position that age is but a number and how you feel – emotionally and physically – determines your real place in the grand scheme of things. The one allowance I used to make was when I turned 50, figuring the half-century milestone might be something momentous. Now that the days toward […]
We go to work for five days, often dreaming and counting down to the weekend. Sometimes it’s for social reasons; sometimes you just have stuff to do. We love seeing our friends and family don’t get me wrong, but there are times we can just feel pushed to the limit. And sometimes you’re on the […]
Things never quite go according to plan.On Wednesday, Robbie blew off a class and hustled from college to New York to join us on our journey to Shea Stadium and Game 1 of the NLCS. The weather was threatening but we all hoped to get the game in. Oddly, even though we had a fourth […]
Last night Fairfield hosted the Area 2 Cable advisory Council meeting and I was impressed by the turn out and disappointed by Cablevision (no surprise).On our agenda was the issue of a Senior Discount. This is something we’ve raised with them since 2001 and since a rep from Woodbridge brought it up last month we […]
Somehow it is days after I intended to last post.A lot of the delay has been a distinct lack of time. We had Deb’s parents up for the weekend, plus visiting with my octogenarian aunt and uncle plus a last-minute arrival from Robbie. Whoosh, the weekend was gone.On Monday, the Democratic Town Committee held its […]
Getting tickets to playoff games can be a maddening experience. It certainly was when I dealt with a scalper to buy tickets for the 1999 Playoffs, but that’s another story for another time.The Mets actually were smart this year. Knowing they had limited seats, they had fans register for a lottery and those who won […]
I realize I haven’t spoken much about my work here at Weekly World News and part of the reason was that I had been waiting for today.Ever since Jeff Rovin hired me, he had a vision for growing the paper, improving the website and getting to branch out beyond just the weekly issue. We’ve been […]
The headlines are filled with reports of the Administration’s gaffes and arrogance since taking office. It seems as if every week or two a new book comes out or a report is leaked that shows how our President, Vice President and Secretary of Defense refuse to face reality. Instead, they tighten their blinders and shout […]
Jericho High School, class of 1976, had its 30th reunion last night. I didn’t attend, remaining on the fence until a few weeks back. While it would certainly be interesting and somewhat cool to see people I knew since kindergarten, the ones who meant the most to me would not be there.Center to that crowd […]
Fourteen years ago today we moved to Fairfield. For me and Deb, that’s a just under a quarter of our lives but for the kids, it’s the majority of their life. At the time we moved, they were six and four and objected most strenuously to the move. After all, they were leaving their very […]
It’s been about a month so I figured it was time to provide an update:Completed and Awaiting PublicationCutting Edge Careers: Artificial Intelligence (Rosen )”Things that Aren’t”, Analog Magazine, early 2007In the News: Suicide Bombers (Rosen)Delivered to Editor and Awaiting Edits or Proofs“Troubleshooting”, Star Trek: Corps of Engineers (Pocket eBook); awaiting copy edited ms.14 essays in […]
After a one month break, the RTM got back to work this month. As you recall, last week at the committee meetings, I stepped up to Finance Chair as part of the dominoes that tipped over in the wake of Mary Tinti’s resignation.Last night, at the caucus, I met Paul Cramer, her replacement on the […]
As announced elsewhere yesterday by my editor, Keith DeCandido:In Star Trek: First Contact, Geordi La Forge said that the Enterprise-E had been in service for a year. As we mostly saw in the fourth and fifth seasons of Deep Space Nine, it was quite a year: the Federation-Klingon alliance was sundered, Cardassia’s government fell, the […]
I just had an interesting visceral reaction to a news report over at Newsarama regarding something near and dear to my heart.Back in the 1980s, I proudly had a hand in the creation of Suicide Squad, reviving an old DC team and thoroughly updating it for modern times. It was a very Silver Age thing […]
It’s Friday night, we’ve gotten home on the late side and the phone rings. With the kids gone, the phone ringing on a weeknight generally means a political poll or an unwanted sales call.Nope. It was Pat Jacobson, my esteemed fellow District 8 representative on both the DTC and the RTM.“I have bad news, Mary […]
Finally, the New York Mets clinched the NL East last night. They had me somewhat concerned over the weekend, showing lackluster play against the Pirates. Now, the Pirates may be having a terrible season but they will be contenders in a year or two. Still, the Mets should have managed to avoid a sweep.As columnists […]
At long last, I can talk about my collaboration with Mike Friedman. Some many months ago, Mike called and mentioned that he was offered a Predator novel by our pal, Rob Simpson, editor at DH Books. Mike is a careful freelancer, charting out his calendar and knows what he can and cannot fit. This would […]
Almost a year ago, Europe was plunged into a religious firestorm by running editorial cartoons that enraged followers of Islam. The newspapers were criticized over depictions of the Prophet Muhammad, who was never to be seen by those followers. Protests, riots and fire bombings occurred on most continents by those protesting such desecration and disrespect […]
Last night I attended my first meeting as a full-fledged Fairfield representative to the Area 2 Cable Advisory Council. Six towns comprise Area 2 for the state of Connecticut and I got here just in time to watch the final battle during the refranchsing process.I also joined in time to help draft the charter for […]
The life of a freelancer is filled with times of feast or famine, or things dropping out of the clear blue with no warning whatsoever.On Monday, I got contacted by an editor I had never worked with. He had a media license and all his initial pitches had been rejected by the licensee. Said licensee […]
I never know who reads this regularly or who reads only about certain topics. As a result, I remain continually surprised to see reaction from some postings.Followers know that I’ve been chairing an RTM Sub Committee that is considering recommendations for ordinances as recommended by a Blue Ribbon Task Force. I’ve written after each of […]
The prospect of being in the “empty nest” has had a certain appeal to Deb: no more fighting to use our car, fewer grocery trips, a generally neater house, etc. The notion of our first weekend without kids, though, held no appeal.When she figured out one of her many crafts groups was gathering for their […]
I was talking with a writer pal of mine and he lamented he had just gone through a bout of writer’s block. I scoffed at the notion, having never experienced it myself. A little later, I mentioned it to Kate, who argued that yes, it was a real phenomenon. To her, there has been more […]
Robbie is off to college today. This marks a turning point for him – and for us.Ever since Kate left, Robbie has felt the day looming larger. He had become the focus of our attention as we made certain he had everything he needed, which seemed to translate into a series of shopping trips. He […]
You can tell fall has rapidly descended on us. The temperatures have moderated, the kids are back in school and the new prime time series have begun to debut.Deb and I have sampled the two new Fox entries, Vanished and Justice and so far the, ahem, jury is still out on them.Two episodes in, Vanished […]
Star Trek: Constellations is now in bookstores from coast to coast and the early comments have been encouraging. Hopefully, people will enjoy the experience. I read the entire book a week back and am pleased to be in such good company.Following a growing trend among Trek authors, an annotations page has been compiled by Allyn […]
Whenever you write for a licensed publication, there are two sources of feedback – the editor and the license holder. Sometimes, comments for the latter can be mind-boggling. And then there are days when they make you smile.This morning I got word from Moonstone Books’ head honcho Joe Gentile: “GHOST HUNTERS by Robert Greenberger. Excellent. […]
The RTM Sub Committee met again last night and we spent another two-plus hours digging through the need for ordinances and the like. Once again, I came away with the pleased feeling that our town departments are committed people, willing to share their knowledge and opinions. Fairfield residents don’t realize how fortunate they are to […]
Well, that was certainly frustrating.In order to enjoy our waning days with Robbie, we secured tickets to the Mets-Phillies game for today. We got up, prepped sandwiches and rain gear and headed out to Shea. The trip down was moist but not threatening and the radio reported the teams hoped to get this, their final […]
First of all, Kate arrived safely in Cairo. We spoke with her yesterday and she sounds thrilled and delighted to be there. For those at all interested, she’s posting her exploits here.Secondly, as August winds down and the talk of the baseball post-season heats up, I thought I’d share some views on my guys, the […]
You anticipate something for so long, you discuss it, plan for it, and prepare then it’s upon it with a great suddenness. Kate’s been talking about her junior year aboard for ages now and once she came home for the summer, it was the Next Big Thing in our lives.Throughout the summer, we did prep […]
Star Trek: Constellations, the 40th anniversary anthology, has already gone back for a rush second printing prior to the first printing hitting the shelves. Essentially, that means Pocket received a higher than anticipated number of orders from retailers and exhausted the print run. The second printing should be following on the heels of the first […]
It’s been two months since I moved from the freelancer’s life back to the full-time professional’s life. While I haven’t been idle at home, the pace of my output has certainly shifted. So, this morning, I did a quick review for myself of where I am and share the results.Completed and Awaiting PublicationCool Careers Without […]
Last night our sub committee met for the second time and we spent a good 2 and a half hours talking mostly about trees.It’s amazing once you dig into a subject how much there is to know, and how dedicated our public servants can be. Ken Placko, our tree warden, attended the meeting and talked […]
Busy, tiring but ultimately good weekend.On Saturday, we were on Long Island celebrating the engagement of Chuck Rozakis, son of the famous Bob Rozakis, to the delightful Rebecca Gillespie. They’ve actually been engaged a while now but this was the official celebration.It was also a mini-DC alumni reunion as I got to play catch up […]
It used to be the San Diego Comic Con was just for comic book and animation fans. Then, a while back, DelRey and Pocket Books figured this was a chance to reach the diehard fans and get the word out about related projects that might catch the fans’ interest.At San Diego this year, most every […]
People seem to lack a sense of history. Entering a field or profession, I strongly feel they should have some understanding of how things got to be the way they are. We should understand the pioneers of our field and those who shaped the business we choose to be in.Baseball players, for example, need to […]
You couldn’t ask for a better day to hold a Primary. The sun was shining; the skies clear, the temperature hovering around 80. State officials were optimistic for a 40% Democratic voter turnout but being August, no one was certain. People are on vacation, they’re enjoying their time outdoors and thinking about voting may not […]
I never know how many people read this page and have no clue how many are from Connecticut but today, this is addressed to those living in my state.On Tuesday, there will be a Primary to determine the Democratic Party’s representatives for the office of US State Senator and Governor. No surprise here, it’s been […]
With each passing day it seems we’re ticking things off an invisible checklist, preparing to send our daughter off to a foreign land.Last night it was new sneakers, today it was a surge protector and her visa. I headed uptown to the Egyptian consulate to have her passport processed, saving her hours at the airport […]
I expected to learn a lot while being a part of the RTM’s sub committee on ordinances but last night’s meeting was an eye opener.First, I think our leaders picked wisely with the five of us. There’s Harry, the former fire fighter and lifelong resident of the area. There’s Bob the realtor who has hi […]
The countdown to Cairo continues for Kate (and the rest of us).Yesterday she danced in competition for the last time in probably a year. There was a Summer Sizzler in Hackensack, NJ yesterday and we all attended. Mikey, her dance partner, bused up from D.C. Saturday night and at the crack of dawn Sunday, we […]
Money Magazine named Fairfield the 9th best place to live in the United States. It’s great news, it’ll help real estate values and everyone has reason to be proud.However, there’s a price to be paid for such attention.This morning, I was walking along Post Road, one of the town’s two main drags, and was astonished […]
My long time pal, Tony Isabella, continues to remain a friend and a fan. The following appears over at the Comics Buyer’s Guide website.TONY’S OTHER ONLINE TIPSfor Monday, July 31, 2006Back in the day, way back in the day, when Comic Buyer’s Guide was a weekly tabloid and a recent acquisition of Krause Publications of […]
I think I’m getting the hang of this.This being an active voice on the RTM. Last night I gave up birthday cake with the family in order to attend the monthly meeting. Based on the committee meeting last week, I knew this was going to be a long, probably contentious one.At caucus, I found myself […]
Turning 48 isn’t a big deal, another number truth to tell. However, a pal sent me this link and it’s kinda neat to see who I share the day with.You said your birthday is 7 / 24 / 1958 which means you are 48 years old and about:41 years 9 months younger than Walter Cronkite, […]
On Sunday, I stumbled downstairs to make the coffee and get the day started. As I walked into the kitchen, I saw a bag of NY Mets’ branded peanuts, two three-packs of Cracker Jack and atop the stack, an envelope from Stub Hub. Within the envelope were four tickets to the day’s Mets game along […]
I’ve been meaning to write about this but have found myself busier than usual and I’m not even at the San Diego Comics Con.A few days ago, I was incensed to see that Congress was attempting to limit the scope of the Federal judiciary system. The House of Representatives voted 260-167 to prevent Federal Courts […]
At our Committee meetings on Monday, it became apparent that the Board of Education and Central Office have a serious perception problem to overcome.The July RTM meeting was supposed to be a light one—in fact, we were hoping to do a Committee Meeting of the Whole prior to the our meeting on the 24th to […]
I’m a fan of continuity and shared universes. Always have been, always will be, I suppose.I’m one of those people who enjoys the sly wink and nod when elements of one universe are snuck into another.As a result, I’ve been watching with slightly more than idle curiosity how Robert B. Parker has been expanding the […]
The joy that was Pirates of the Caribbean had a lot to do with the visual references to the delightful attraction at the various Walt Disney theme parks. It also played with the usual assortment of pirate lore clichés and then the icing was Johnny Depp’s marvelous performance. One reason his Captain Jack Sparrow was […]
Been a busy week for government work and boy, am I ready for the weekend.Monday night we had our monthly Democratic Town Committee Meeting. As usual, the district leaders met for an hour and we debated many of the same items we debated the previous month. After two meetings’ worth of discussion, we essentially punted […]
Writers, it has been said, are a superstitious and cowardly, lot. As a result, most of us refuse to submit anything to anyone without having some trusted peer review it. Many writers belong to small groups that meet in person or on line and trust one another to be brutally honest with their feedback.I’ve never […]
As usual, Shore Leave was a wonderful weekend, that left the family, entertained, elated, and exhausted. There was not enough time to see everyone or attend all the interesting discussions. We saw some surprise people and indulged our wackier sides (at least 2 of us did). Details follow.
So here’s the thing: I know awards of any kind are entirely subjective. Still, when there’s a general consensus among the public, you tend to expect certain things. For example, everyone knew Brokeback Mountain was a superbly made movie and deserved an Academy Award nomination.I also know that people watch way too much television. That […]
The Shore Leave schedule is up and I’ll be both very busy and very tired.For those keeping score:Friday10 p.m. Meet the Pros party. Come bring your books, or buy them from the dealers in residence, and get them signed by one and all.Staurday10 a.m. An hour of chat, movie trailers and stuff. (Valley Room)5 p.m. […]
So, you wonder, how was it being back at work in the city? What’s it like sharing space with Bat-Boy?First of all, you know how you feel after slipping back into the routine, coming back from a vacation. Instantly, the vacation feels like a long ago, distant memory when it was just 48 hours ago?The […]
The Nanny Diaries created A skewed view of nannies as a profession. One would think, given the hoopla this received, that young women who were nannies only worked in tony neighborhoods, pulling down fat salaries and not working very hard.This morning’s USA Today reminded me about this with their Money cover story about Nannies for […]
I was invited to a screening of Superman III last night and enjoyed the experience. First, it was terrific seeing friends and former co-workers, playing catch-up and all that. Second, I got to see Jeff Rovin, my new boss, since he left his personal Fortress of Solitude to come for the screening. Third, the Loews […]
Sometimes you just never know what will trip you up.At last night’s RTM meeting, we were looking at 10 or so items and several could go on the consent calendar, speeding things along. We made an appointment, approved odds and ends and even had an item fall off the agenda thanks to successful negotiations between […]
As the week winds down, I find myself looking at the weekend as the weekend before work. It’s not that I haven’t been working, but this is more structured lifestyle, one I am accustomed to.Tomorrow we have a party for Robbie’s Graduation and we’re crossing our fingers that the weather stays dry between 1 and […]
End of an era.That’s how it occurred to me and Deb as we took our places in the grandstand at the High School last night.However, the theme of the evening was First Class. Three years ago, Robbie’s sophomore class became the first class to take possession of Fairfield Ludlowe High School. The building had, to […]
I am returning to the world of full-time employment.On Monday, I will move from freelancer for Weekly World News to being their new Production Manager. I’ll be working for Jeff Rovin, a long-time colleague and friend, who was the first to reach out to me with an offer of work in the days following my […]
Since 1999, I have been serving on Fairfield’s Parking Authority, feeling the five-man committee needed at least one active commuter to be represented. Since then, I have worked alongside some very dedicated people, many former commuters. We’ve overseen a round of new leases for the commercial ventures renting space in our buildings and spent over […]
We’re into the home stretch, about to close another chapter in our life.Today, Robbie completed his final full day of classes as a High School student. Finals begin tomorrow and one week from today, he’ll be a graduate.Today was also the final day of Aquaculture, the magnet school he has been attending as part of […]
Allow me a moment to elaborate on the freelance editing I’ve been mentioning over the last few weeks.Platinum Studios is an intellectual properties company that licenses other content or generates their own with an eye towards leaping from the four-color page to movies and television. They’ve had some success already with the European series Jeremiah […]
Wow, the sun finally came out and stayed out for more than a few hours. It allowed me to unclog a gutter, plant some stuff for Deb and clean her office window.It’s been a quiet weekend with some household stuff getting done. Given losing Tuesday to Mystery Trekkie Theatre rehearsal and Wednesday to some family […]
A few years back I wrote three essays for You Did What?, a collection looking at serious missteps that would provoke that reaction from any sane individual. For example, I wrote about the introduction of New Coke and the failed rescue attempt of the Iranian hostages.I had a lot of fun working with editor Bill […]
It’s summer time. Normally, people can measure it by the onslaught of popcorn movies clustered around Memorial Day. Me, I can measure it by when we rehearse for Mystery Trekkie Theatre.MTT has become a fixture at Shore Leave as Peter David, Mike Friedman and I rip off the format of Mystery science Theatre and ridicule […]
Like Jean Grey, I am of two minds with regard to X-Men: The Last Stand. As a long time comics reader, I saw all the source material being morphed, used and wasted to form the sausage that is this movie. And, like a good, well grilled sausage, it’s tasty but ultimately not necessarily good for […]
Weird week.In addition to the normal work that’s been happening, I’ve suddenly started taking on some freelance editing chores which meant exercising a set of muscles I haven’t used in a while. Once I have deals in place I’ll talk more about them but I have to say, it’s certainly nice to be invited back […]
Given how difficult it can be coordinating schedules, we only just finished the finales for the series we have watched as a family. All except Alias that is. We have an entire season to enjoy over the summer so no comments there.I’ll presume you’ve seen these by now so will discuss without concern over spoilers.
It was like stepping into Earth-2. That was my first thought when I arrived at Balticon on Saturday morning. We decided that with school and work on Friday, there was no way we could be there for the first day so, instead, got up at the crack of dawn and were on the road by […]
The adjustment to being a fulltime freelancer (while still seeking long-term work) has been interesting. Some days I slog through existing assignments and other days I’m either seeking work or stuff arrives in my lap. Earlier this week, I had a few things turn up that were pleasant surprises such as an invitation to write […]
We may have set a new record for RTM meetings last night.It was a short call, just three items to act on. The first two were appointments to a committee and we skipped last week’s committee meetings so held a combined meeting of the responsible sub-committees to meet the candidates. The third item required a […]
It’s amazing how quickly our weekends have filled up through the spring and well into July. As a result, one of our favorite summertime family activities – going to the movies – gets complicated. All of this is preamble for why I’m only now talking about Mission: Impossible III.I adored the original series, watching it […]
The Connecticut State Democratic Convention ended early Saturday night and from veteran attendees, it was one of the more eventful conventions in years. It was a mix of excitement, tension and incredible tedium plus mass disorganization which seems to the hallmark of the party.
“Democracy is messy” I was told when I complained about the said state of organization for the Connecticut State Democratic Convention, which opens tonight.I’m used to an environment that would send out a memo listing all the convention attendees with vital details including, but not limited to: where to be, how to get there, where […]
The Upfronts are over and now we can sift through the tonnage and try and find the trends that will mark the 2006-07 television season.A growing trend that got solidified was the block scheduling approach. Over the years, prime time dramas have suffered serious erosion in ratings when episodes were rerun. The series with continued […]
Just a brief note on a busy day.My essay on the Wonder Woman television series and its place in pop culture has been formally accepted for inclusion in BenBella’s Smart Pop essay collection. The untitled book is also unscheduled.However, it did earn me an invitation to write an essay for their Spring 2007 collection dedicated […]
The family is once more intact.On Friday, I drove down to the Washington area in preparation for collecting Kate. But first, I stopped in Elk Ridge to see my old pal Howie. Howard Weinstein and I have known each other since 1976, celebrating our 30th anniversary back at Farpoint in February. He’s semi-retired from writing […]
Tonight NBC will air the final episode of The West Wing, ending seven seasons of one of the most brilliant television series of all time.Since NBC and the actors couldn’t work out fees that would have allowed them to produce a clip-laden/fresh interview tribute special, they’re rerunning the pilot at 7. So, allow me to […]
Been a quiet week but it could also be the quiet before the storm. There are several projects in the hopper that will either keep me very busy or not. I’m very positive about a few of these options while others are slow to develop so with luck, as they come through I can space […]
I’ve allowed myself plenty of time to get past the emotional, knee-jerk reaction to the whole Barry Bonds situation. However, since he’s likely to hit #714 this week, I thought I’d finally weigh in.On a purely technical level, Barry Bonds’ record should be allowed to remain intact because the rules of Major League Baseball have […]
Woke up this morning to discover that Newsarama has posted the second article I originall wrote for Marvel.com. I also note that despite my request, no one in Editorial (like the ener-knowledgable Tom Brevoort) doublechecked it so at least one footnote is incomplete. Oh well, at least it does set the stage for the forthcoming […]
As previously discussed, I am a charter member of the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers. One of the many things debated during the founding of the organization, nearly a year ago already, was the creation of Awards to acknowledge the best in our business since media tie-ins may get nominations elsewhere, but never win.This […]
It’s been a while since I’ve talked about the various projects I’m working on so let’s do a quick review:Weekly World News: Every week I continue to chronicle the adventures of Matt Daemon SOS (Seeker of Obscure Supernaturals). I also have written several long and short “news” stories for the paper and continue to have […]
The lack of brownies should have been a clue it was going to be a long night.Last night, the RTM held back-to-back meetings to finalize the budget for 2006-2007. Our first meeting was a special hearing to consider the appeal from the Board of Ed, asking to restore $641,000 to the proposed budget.The Democrats caucused […]
Every so often I open my e-mail and find a nice surprise. A few weeks back, Jeff Youngquist, a colleague from my Marvel days, dropped me a note and asked if I’d write two pieces about The Eternals, the old Jack Kirby series that is being revived by Neil Gaiman and John Romita, Jr. this […]
Normally, I don’t brag a lot about the kids, letting them either do it themselves, or work information into general posts.Today, I’ll make an exception.Kate received word yesterday that she has been selected to receive a 2006-2007 National Security Education Program David L. Boren Undergraduate Scholarship. Now, I don’t know who David L. Boren is, […]
This just in…Seems that despite getting a late start on the arrangements, I will be a guest at next month’s Balticon. It’ll be a first for the family but we’ve always heard wonderful things about the show. Being over Memorial Day weekend though, we’ve tended to stay home, either watching or marching in the annual […]
Well, that wasn’t as bad as I expected.Last night was the RTM meeting when the public got a chance to weigh in on the budget. As in the past, no one came to debate any item on the town side. Clearly, no one cares one way or the other until their tax bill arrives. The […]
Now that most of the Star Trek hoopla has died down, I wanted to comment on the fourth and final meeting of the mystery book group.We discussed P.D. James’ An Inconvenient Job for a Woman, which was written in 1972 and introduced readers to her character, Cordelia Gray. Interestingly, I found the writing good, the […]
In this small world of ours, it’s amazing how things come together. I had cut and pasted the Variety story about Star Trek and posted it to one of the newsgroups I participate with. Jackie Bundy, the moderator and all-around swell gal, dropped me a note thanking me for doing it while she was inundated […]
For the last year or so, I’ve been at various conventions and one of the recurring panel themes has been “Star Trek at 40 – What Next?” All along I held to the conventional wisdom that the franchise got beat into the ground through Voyager and Enterprise and it was time for fresh blood. I […]
A step forward, a step backward.Today, I completed and delivered the manuscript to Cutting Edge Careers: Artificial Intelligence. My editor wrote back, “WOW. THIS LOOKS GREAT. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.” So, that pleases me. She also offered me another one of their database updates, this one on growing up in an inter-faith family. […]
A whirlwind weekend. Good Friday should have been a day of rest, but instead, it was packed as I tried to fit in work around shopping and prepping for our weekend visit to Washington, D.C. to see Kate. Since we were hosting a Sunday brunch, we needed to be really well prepared to avoid a […]
And another week comes to a close.For the book on AI careers, I’ve conducted several interviews with some fascinating people. I only get the gist of what they’re talking about never having studied higher math or philosophy or programming. What they’re doing is remarkable and the changes to our lives in the years ahead look […]
Some good news for a change. Yep, one of those irons in the fire is ready to come out.I will be writing a story featuring the Ghost Who Walks for Moonstone’s forthcoming Phantom anthology. Currently, there’s enough in the works that they are projecting this as a two volume project, the first of which is […]
Well, I’ve had my dose of politics for the week and it’s only Tuesday morning.On Sunday, the Democratic Town Committee held its biggest fund raiser of the year, the Century Club (so named for the century-note, $100, it costs to attend). The event was an opportunity to honor one veteran with the Eunice Postol Public […]
We haven’t chatted about work in a while so I figured I’d clue you in.Last week was one of those critical mass weeks where a number of projects finally got done. None of them were started and finished last week, but they were done in bits and pieces, and just by chance they got wrapped.So, […]
What a long, unusual day.Saturday the 8th began at midnight as we celebrated our son turning 18. Eighteen is one of those milestone ages – the beginning of legality. He can register to vote, has to register for the draft, can actually use gym equipment without an adult’s approval.For something like two years, he’s been […]
Last night was our third book discussion in the Detective, the Reader and the Author series. We discussed Josephine Tey’s Daughter of Time, her final novel featuring recurring detective Alan Grant. (I admit, reading that name again and again kept me thinking about the long-time comics writer and acquaintance.)I enjoyed the book, moreso than the […]
I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Steven York, but we are both active members of the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers. He shared with us something he posted on his own blog. I, like many others, have found this a useful set of guidelines and with his kind permission I share it with […]
Opening Day at Shea Stadium is a tradition Deb and I have upheld since 1989. Despite my current status, we were determined to be there. Additionally, we were going to let Robbie play hooky and join us as a senior year treat.Normally, we drive to Shea in the morning, park and take the subway to […]
I’ve been hammering away at various and sundry writing projects, with plenty of irons in the fire for a change. While chatting with Deb on the phone earlier, she heard what I had going and asked about fiction.The answer caught me by surprise.While I have some fiction irons in the theoretical fire, I have nothing […]
It was the lull before the storm.Last night the RTM meet and the meeting was over in fifteen minutes. It’ll make up for the marathon nights to come as the budget progresses.First, in lieu of the normal political caucuses, three sub-committees met in joint session for a presentation regarding the one and only item on […]
Busy, full and tiring weekend. But fun.On Saturday, Robbie and I took the ferry to I-Con. While I read, Robbie and his girl friend Stephanie played cards. This was going to be Stephanie’s first show but she loves playing a lot of the themed card games such as Munchkin so was looking forward to the […]
Productive week despite constant interruptions. I set Monday aside to take care of every household, personal and related project that needed time and attention. Thought I’d blow through it all and have the afternoon to write.Tuesday morning, I finished the list. Admittedly, phone calls take time and you don’t want to do a lot of […]
Minutes ago, I-Con finally posted their schedule. I’m not on every panel that would be fun to do and I’m opposite people I want to see or hear but I’ll live. At least I’m not booked opposite myself as in past years.If you haven’t been, come, it’s fun. If you’re attending, make sure you say […]
Pocket Book’s Marco Palmieri has announced the plans for celebrating Star Trek‘s 40th anniversary. Included is this project, which finds me in very good (and very familiar) company.
Lunacon was a lot of fun, possibly our best family experience there yet.We arrived on Saturday in plenty of time to get oriented to the new hotel before my 10 a.m. panel. The Hilton is about a month behind on its renovations so it had a spiffy if unfinished look and feel. Changing many of […]
Last night was our second session in the Mystery book club. Unlike the first, we didn’t really talk to the topic, the eternal triangle between the writer, the characters and the reader. We did, though, get a lot of interesting information about Raymond Chandler and the writing of The Big Sleep.Our leader comes very well […]
Writing can be a fluid process and at times a mysterious one.Today I was reviewing all my research to date on the Artificial Intelligence book and then found myself starting to cut and paste information into the skeleton I created for the book. Before I knew it, I had pretty much drafted the introduction, chapter […]
Everyone knows about the Democratic and Republican parties on the national level. But, I suspect most of you don’t realize there are local versions of the same in every town across America. These Town Committees follow the by-laws as passed by their State Central committees which in turn subscribes to the rules of the national […]
This weekend, the family will be at Lunacon. We get there Saturday morning since Kate insists on spending Friday night with her “twin” Nicole as they celebrate their 20th birthday (which is really Saturday). My goodness, I will only have one teenager left to contend with.Anyway, Kate will miss out on Friday night’s Boogie Knights […]
Several of the people who organize Shore Leave are teachers and have therefore spoken well of Towson University. When Robbie started talking about becoming a teacher, they advised him to check it out.Last August, we did. It was a week or two before classes began and the Admissions people were unavailable. In fact, no one […]
Last night I attended another book discussion at the Library. Unlike the previous two, which focused on baseball, this will be regarding mysteries. Our speaker, a dean at Yale, decided our four books and discussion would involve the eternal triangle of the reader, the book and the author.There are times, he argues, where we challenge […]
Where does the time go?It’s been an extremely quiet week, so there hasn’t been much to write about.Much of the week has been nose to the grindstone work as I put the finishing touches to the Suicide Bomber book, began researching the Artificial Intelligence book, polished and sent off the Corps of Engineers story and […]
Eight weeks feels like a long time and in the world of job hunting it’s not long at all. Not these days. I figured it’s time to take stock for a moment and see where I am.Every day I continue to check the internet job sites and follow the guidelines from one agency that if […]
At our last Finance Committee meeting we were handed a 300+ page document, containing the town-side budget. A week later, at the RTM meeting, we got its companion volume, the similarly-sized Board of Ed budget, which came with its very own multi-page supplement. The supplement answers questions raised by the Board of Selectmen and the […]
Oddly, every time you hear a cliché you want to dismiss it and then you find out there’s a reason they get repeated often enough to earn the term. I’m reminded of that as three well-respected actors have passed, proving that celebrity deaths happen in threes.Darren McGavinHe was TV’s first Mike Hammer and maybe more […]
Yesterday, Robbie and I went to the New York Comic-Con and we had a blast despite all the technical difficulties Reed Exhibitions encountered with running their first consumer-based comic book show. Given that 95% of their business is b-to-b trade shows, this caught them totally under-prepared despite warnings from various comics consultants.Last week pre-reg was […]
This weekend New York City will host the New York Comic-Con at the Jacob Javits Center. It’s been a while since there was a major NYC con and this is the first run by Reed Exhibitions, the folk who run professional conferences in a wide variety of fields.The schedule is jammed plus there will be […]
I love receiving mail. Most days, we toss the vast majority of it since it’s all junk. There are the numerous magazines and bills but rarely are there surprises.Today, there was a surprise.The Comics Journal has begun mining their past for trade and hardcover collections of themed subjects. Most are very handsome and worth a […]
Time flies when you’re busy or not looking or having fun.Just got back from Farpoint and had a lovely time. As usual, returning to the Hunt Valley Inn is like returning to family and friends. This time, though, it was a jarring experience. The hotel is under renovation and they apparently got a good deal […]
Here in Fairfield, it’s sunny and warm, temperature over 50. A good percentage of Sunday’s snow has vanished.And today is special.Pitchers and catchers report to Legends Field in Port St. Lucie for the beginning of Mets spring training. Forget what you heard about the Groundhog, spring training has begun. Spring officially gets underway on March […]
On Saturday, Deb commented that if we were getting snow, she wanted a lot of it. I pointed out that being on the coast; we usually get the low end of the estimates so we were more likely to see 4-6 inches than the 12 inches being predicted. I was confident in that feeling as […]
I would get home from elementary school sometime between 2:30 and 3. I recall entering the house, dropping my things and having a snack, putting on the television. Couldn’t tell you today where Mom, Neil or Judy were, but I recall being on my own.For whatever reason, channel 11, WPIX, had shows I really enjoyed […]
The winter Baltimore show I attend, Farpoint is just over a week away so I thought I’d post my schedule. Those who attend always have a great time and for those considering coming, we’ll be waiting for you.SaturdayBob GreenbergerMovie trailers & free-form talk10 a.m. Valley BallroomStar Trek S.C.E.Keith R.A. DeCandido (M), Bob Greenberger, Robert Jeschonek, […]
Somewhat snurched from my pal, Michael Burstein:AboutSF.com, is a resource center currently under construction by Thomas Seay. The main page lays out a mission to provide “services related to speculative literature, science fiction, and education.” On his blog, Seay says, “AboutSF is intended to serve as a sort of ‘volunteer coordinator’ for the speculative fiction […]
We’re at four weeks and counting since DC and I parted company and I figured I’d report on what’s been going on.First of all, the house gets very quiet between 7 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. – that’s when Robbie is at high school. I come downstairs after seeing him off and boot up the computer […]
Blame Aaron Sorkin.Not only did he raise the benchmark for hour-long dramatic television, but he clearly raised our expectations for political discourse. As a result, Commander in Chief has paled by comparison to his once brilliant West Wing. Rod Lurie, who created the series, got it off to a nice, taut start but then floundered […]
Growing up, I got to see many concerts and pride myself on having seen most of the major rock and roll acts of the 1970s and 1980s. Among the bands I saw the most often was the Blue Öyster Cult, which, as revealed previously, features my uncle, Eric Bloom.The last time I saw them play […]
Yesterday was a nice day.Spent the morning working on a short story and then took the train to the city in time for a weekly lunch I haven’t attended in months. I got to see a lot of colleagues I normally only see on line and was treated to lunch by Aaron Rosenberg (a swell […]
What should have been a 45-minute minute meeting dragged to almost twice that length last night. The RTM met last night with one of the lightest agendas I’ve seen. My guess, entering the room, was that the length of the meeting would be entirely determined by the First Selectman’s State of the Town address.Ken Flatto’s […]
When the Mets first got Kris Benson from the Pittsburgh Pirates, I applauded the deal thinking he’d rise to the occasion of pitching in New York. Instead, last year he pitched 10-8 with a 4.13 ERA and wasn’t overly impressive. Mets GM Omar Minaya seemed to have lost confidence in Benson and spent November and […]
Faithful readers know that over the summer I became a charter member of the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers. One of the interesting things that has happened since the organization’s founding is that I have a greater understand of the depth of contempt many contemporaries have for the category. It’s considered beneath their notice […]
Every so often, someone suggests something and I find myself entering some wide, varied world I knew nothing about. The first time that happened was when we were told about Odyssey of the Mind as something that would be good for Katie. We had a few wonderful years with that.Things like fencing and ballroom dancing […]
Haven’t seen all the movies I want but with luck I’ll catch most before they leave the big screen. In fact, according to Entertainment Weekly’s list of the 25 movies I have to see before the Academy Awards I’m way behind, having seen just about a third. We get out when we can and last […]
It’s been an interesting few days.First of all, the number of comments people have posted both here and elsewhere has floored me (and Deb). And they’re still coming as I see my old pal Priest and Johanna Draper over at ComicsWorthReading (a nifty review and commentary site) just put stuff up.KC Carlson pointed out to […]
For a number of reasons, I’ve avoided talking about the news but now that it’s out on the web and other people are talking, I figured the time has come.On Friday, around 3:30, I was called into my boss’s office and was fired. He didn’t explain why but had the HR folk hand me papers […]
2006 seems to be off to a good start.We welcomed the New Year and promptly went to sleep. Our Open House, at least 10 years old, remains popular for those who attend but this year we had our lowest turn out yet. The door opened at 2 and the first guest walked in at 2:40, […]
Well, the year didn’t quite wind down as I expected.Much of the day was spent running errands and getting the house ready for the Open House today. Around 3, Deb settled down to watch figure skating on the DVR when trouble began. Apparently, our two-month old DVR hard drive crashed. I pointed out the customer […]
For the second year in a row, I finished the year with 70 books read. In analyzing them, oh so briefly, 20-25% of them are Star Trek related, down a bit from last year, reflecting the change in Pocket’s publishing program. A higher than usual number, some 7 or 8 books, actually appeared on the […]
Normally, taking time off between Christmas and New Year’s works for a lot of people. I, instead, prefer coming in and using the downtime to get things cleaned and organized. Just as I spent two days getting my home office shipshape, we spent yesterday cleaning our common collection of titles, which had managed to sprawl […]
It was as good as advertised.We woke up Christmas morning, groggy but happy. Everyone showered and dressed, grabbing some breakfast and then they were off to sing at the 10 a.m. mass. I took care of stuff around the house until they returned.We took turns opening the presents and everyone was incredibly pleased with their […]
DC Comics closed at 1 on Friday and that kicked off the holiday weekend very nicely. Deb and I grabbed a train home at 2 and when we arrived, we went straight to the gym. After that, I collected Kate, hit the comic shop and then the supermarket, intending to minimizing the following day’s running […]
For those who have asked, the transit strike has not affected my life at all. Metro North form Connecticut zips right into Grand Central and I walk to the DC offices as usual. If anything, the trains are a little emptier as people work from home or start their holidays early.I do see the streets […]
OK, this may not be so bad.Last night’s RTM meeting could have been ugly but it wasn’t. In fact, it ended earlier than expected and was far less contentious than anticipated.A good portion of the Agenda was confirming appointments to a variety of town boards. It’s nice to see so many people volunteer to serve […]
No wonder Cablevision is number six.And yet, we keep giving them money for services.Those keeping track know I am awaiting a reply from the President of the company regarding their ala carte plans. Meantime, in October, Deb gifted me with a Cablevision-branded DVR which we have come to know and love.Last week, Deb does some […]
Sorry I haven’t posted in a bit. There are just some weeks you’d rather have the ability to call a do-over.While scheduled to take Monday and Tuesday as vacation days, I promised I’d check the office e-mail to make sure things were running on smoothly on my books. One in particular is due to close […]
There’s such a thing known as anticipation. Carly Simon turned it into a top-selling song and Heinz co-opted it for an ad campaign extolling the virtues of their ketchup.There’s such a thing known as rolling admissions, meaning colleges begin accepting students in the fall and all the way through the traditional early spring season.In theory, […]
Deb has always wanted to see Movin’ Out, the musical using Billy Joel’s songs with choreography by Twyla Tharp. It got terrific reviews when it opened in 2002 and after Kate saw it twice – and loved it — as part of a class last year, she wanted to see it even more.In September, I […]
Twenty-five years ago, Deb and I finished watching Lou Grant, and went to sleep. It wasn’t until the following morning that we heard the news.We were stunned and saddened, of course.We took the train to Penn Station and while there, I picked up The New York Times to read more about what happened. I strolled […]
Just a quick update to let people know where things stand with the various writing I’ve mentioned.Ages of War: A Classic BattleTech AnthologyThe story is written, running long, and in the hands of my editor, the esteemed Loren Coleman. Once I get his notes, I’ll see how best to whittle it down to size.Star Trek: […]
I’ve been meaning to write this for a day or two, but life keeps getting in the way. Friday was nuts at work with a lot of time spent on a forthcoming title plus a cover meeting to pick images for releases from June to August 2006 (wow, what a concept). Saturday was errands, errands, […]
Regular readers know I’ve been battling Cablevision for some time now, mostly over their limited package choices (and in vain). As a result, you know how thrilled I was by the FCC’s push this week to force the cable companies to consider ala carte. They say it’s prompted by the proliferation of “indecent” material on […]
This could be a very long term.Last night the newly elected RTM meet for the first time, which involved a fair amount of house keeping plus the normal agenda. At our Democratic caucus, we confirmed the people we wanted to see chair, vice chair and act as secretary for the five committees. Given the 26-24 […]
OK, so the first draft for BattleTech is now done. 8,468 / 7,000(121.0%) I’m still not thrilled and don’t feel fully engaged. My problem now is to whittle this down to size and then bring the characters to life and make them more interesting than they are now.Good thing I have most of tomorrow to […]
Finally sat down today to begin my BattleTech short story. It’s a good solid story, I think, but the world of BattleTech is so new to me, I find that I’m constantly looking things up.I’m not entirely thrilled with what I’ve come up with but it’s a start that will need whittling once the first […]
ABC has decided to pull the plug on Alias after five seasons, despite having Jennifer Garner signed through the 2007-2008 season. In one of the toughest timeslots of the week, it was getting clobbered by just about everything other than Joey. Rather than switch it somewhere else, they’ve chosen to cancel it now so J.J. […]
First of all, a happy Thanksgiving to one and all. I hope everyone is spending the day and the weekend with friends and family. As usual, we will be part of the extended Rozakis family later today.Now, on to other hot stove topics:I don’t like it,That was the first thing I thought when I heard […]
For a 30-second event, Fairfield sure knows how to stretch it to 90 minutes. With all the small town pageantry and schmaltz, the town’s elected officials took the oath of office last night.The Mill River Band, a surprisingly entertaining folk/country group, performed during the first thirty minutes as people filled the middle school auditorium. As […]
I admire my friend Laurie. Usually, we wind up visiting her and Bob at their Long island during the summer. Tucked away in a corner of the Dining Room is a neatly wrapped stack of Christmas presents. Laurie is actually done for the holidays by August which I find amazing.I start talking about shopping for […]
There are just some weeks when the calendar fills up until you have to scream, “No mas!”Monday was the SFWA reception. Lots of socializing but a late night to start the week.Tuesday was lots of hard work at DC followed by the gym and then a collapse at home, watching TV. (Speaking of which, here […]
The Lot Auctions server has crashed due to high volume. We’re working on the problem and will be extending the comic book auction 24 hours from when we get the server live again.
Hi, I’m Glenn Hauman. As you may know, I’m the site administrator around here, and the assistant editor on Jon Sable and GrimJack. I also run a website called Lot Auctions, and there’s an auction going on now of 30,000+ comics that a lot of you might want to bid on. Every so often, you […]
The Science Fiction Writers of America host an annual holiday reception for members, authors, editors and agents. You know it’s the holiday season when everyone dresses up and convenes for the first time of the fall. Traditionally nicknamed the “mill and swill,” the reception is a much-anticipated event. After all, it’s the one time we […]
The Philadelphia Science Fiction Society had me as their monthly guest speaker on Friday night. The club has been around since 1935 and they put on the fine PhilCon, with the next one coming up in December (while I won’t be there in person, I will be jealous of those who are).Longtime member and fellow […]
“Tuckerism” is named after Bob Tucker, who I suppose, made putting friends and family into his prose an artform.Most every writer I know does this to some degree or another. To the general reader, it washes over them and they are none the wiser. But if you know an author personally, you can see whom […]
First off, I’m officially elected Representative.Election Day was interesting. Deb and I headed to vote prior to taking the train and there was a trickle of people ahead of us. The kick off “greeters” including Dee Dee Brandt, someone from the other side of the aisle whom I have come to respect. Clearly, the top […]
BattleTechClassic BattleTech is a successful long time Role Playing Game that has a spawned a rich, deep and very complex universe spanning thousands of years. It’s been an enduring game system that has, like most other successful creations, spawned its own line of fiction.Editor Loren Coleman has recently approved my writing a short story for […]
Deb and I drove down south for the weekend, not to go late season leaf peeping but to gawk at something entirely different. This weekend was DCDI, DC Dancesport Inferno, a regional competitive ballroom dance event held at the University of Maryland in College Park. Some 20 schools and organizations were represented from the northeast […]
Election UpdateYou can tell it’s fall. We changed the clocks the other day and I just spent two hours on the train platform, trying not to shiver in the cold, handing out campaign literature as the election fight winds down.Tuesday saw the platform filled with loads of Republicans, all the top-of-the-ticket candidates and others. Yesterday, […]
Yesterday I renewed our membership at the Recreation Center, beginning year two of physical conditioning.Deb admits that the reason she forced me to join her at the gym last October was that I am a creature of habit and routine. As a result, once I started going to the gym and added it to the […]
So, we’re back to reality.While the work continues at DC unabated, for which I am very pleased, the pending projects at home have inched a little closer to resolution.On the media tie-in pitch from December, the editor this week said he’d be reading it over the next few weeks.On the media tie-in pitch now at […]
The weekend capped off a wonderful anniversary celebration.Kate arrived Friday night and Rob took the train in from Fairfield. Deb and Rob met Kate at Penn Station and the plan was to rendezvous with me at Carmine’s. However, Carmine’s was full up and we didn’t have reservations so it was on to Plan B. Our […]
It was wonderful, everything it was supposed to be.We woke up Tuesday morning and before I could get out of bed, Deb was thrusting a gift at me. She couldn’t wait, having spent months thinking about the right thing. Turns out this was Gift 1A. And it was a brand spankin’ new iPod, something I […]
Twenty-five years ago today it was dark and stormy. I woke up and went to the Laundromat to get some clothes washed. My buddies John and Jeff spent the day with me and we headed from Huntington to a Plainview theater to watch Nicholas Roeg’s Bad Timing: A Sexual Obsession with, of all people, Art […]
Normally, I don’t mind spoilers for movies, television or comic books. However, every now and then I like to treat myself and avoid them for something special.In June, as people started buzzing over the Serenity screenings that were held around the country, I heard there were some status quo-changing events and stopped reading posts. I […]
One of the best ways to get your name and face known during a campaign is walking the district. And while those of us in District 8 are running unopposed for the RTM, the top of the ticket has a tough fight on their hands. As a result, we decided to walk part of the […]
Long time readers here know I have a beef with Cablevision. Back in the spring, I filled you in on my unsatisfactory discussion with a representative from Customer Service. I had in fact written to the company president and the letter was immediately bucked down the ladder.Effectively, I was complaining about the lack of choice, […]
More BaseballSunday’s National League game was just amazing. A classic we’ll be talking about for years to come. Things I liked about it: Roger Clemens coming in and pitching one-hit ball for three innings, laying down a great sac bunt and then making certain the spotlight was on Chris Burke, who hit the walk off […]
The lawn signs started popping up around town the third week of September. The Republicans starting grousing because they were operating under the belief that both sides agreed that no lawn signs would be up until October 1. The real agreement, I’m told, was “roughly six weeks” before the November 8 election. Either way, the […]
So let me tell you about Alan.Alan is one of those guys who is so fascinating to talk to because while we share many of the same interests, his experiences and philosophies are so different than mine that we won’t always see eye-to-eye on the same subject.Alan is one of those go-to guys very friend […]
We bookended the baseball season by attending the first and last games played at Shea Stadium. The sun was shining and the temperature was definitely high for an October afternoon. We brought Robbie, who hadn’t seen a game all season, and sat way up high in the Upper Reserved, but in section 1 so we […]
Been a quiet week.Too quiet.Right now, I have nothing scheduled to write. There are a few things out there and maybe I’ll hear about some of them soon.There are the short story pitches sitting with one media tie-in editor since December. And there’s the other media tie-in proposal awaiting Licensee approval for something like six […]
Last night was movie night for us. We haven’t been in a while and for a change, there were plenty of pick from. Deb chose An Unfinished Life which opened to positive-to-mixed reviews. Starring Robert Redford, J. Lo. and Morgan Freeman, the film is old fashioned in its subject matter, approach and script. And we […]
A force four cold arrived sometime on Sunday, turning me into a functioning vegetable for a few days but just as quickly as it arrived, it passed. Odd.Anyway, we’ve actually seen some of the new season and I figured it’s time to comment.Gilmore Girls remains strong in both writing and performance. The tension and hurt […]
Thanks to being a part of the IAMTW (see previous entries), I was made aware of an anthology for a tie-in that was looking for submissions. Since I am awaiting word on two proposals, I figured it couldn’t hurt to check this out.Well, now that I know what it feels like when people call me […]
It was around ninth grade that my father started to nudge me to read a wider variety of works. Maybe it was because I was showing interest in writing as a living or because he was just trying to do his job as a parent.Regardless, he found me receptive and I can recall being allowed […]
IAMTW UpdateA few weeks back, I wrote about a new organization, the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers. Since then, word has been spreading and their website has been populated over the last few days with the first in a series of information articles.Lee Goldberg and Max Allan Collins, the brains behind the operation, have […]
I’ve been remiss in mentioning that I will be the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society’s November 11 meeting. I’ll be joining a long line of distinguished guests so it’s an honor.The meeting begins at 8 p.m. while I get the blather at 9. Fortunately, Star Trek: Voyager – Distant Shores should be just coming out so […]
I spent my high school years traveling in a variety of cliques and I prided myself on how easily I moved among them. My oldest, closest friends from elementary school were starting to drift into different interests so we weren’t as tight as we used to be. By 11th grade, I got myself straightened out […]
Her away message today reads:”Dear Mets,I love you madly and passionately, but if you don’t stop losing, I’m going to cry and become a Nationals fan.Love,KT”I see I raised her properly.
I suddenly looked up and realized a week had slid by without posting anything. It’s not like I’ve been in a cocoon but there really haven’t been any burning issues for me to comment on or if there are, my thoughts haven’t differed dramatically from my peers.But, let’s look back and see what’s been happening.Robbie […]
This morning Deb stayed home to complete a long-standing ritual. Today is the first day of school in Fairfield and our son begins his final year in the system. Deb’s working at home so she can take the annual portrait in front of the mailbox, as discussed in the last post.Robbie is entering his senior […]
I’m back and had a wonderful trip. Thanks for asking. For those who really care (such as our families), behind the cut is the extended blow by blow version.
The third and final rumination before I return from vacation…You can always tell when the campaign season begins in Fairfield. Just check the letters to the editor in the two local papers.People write in either castigating the opponent or praising their guy. They usually pick some recent comment or issue and use it as a […]
Snurched from Wired.com START/ZeitgeistFive years ago, Saturday Night Live spoofed the making of Blue Öyster Cult’s “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper.” The laugh line: Guest host Christopher Walken, playing a superproducer, tells the band, “I’ve got a fever, and the only prescription is … more cowbell!” But unlike other SNL one-liners – “You look mahvelous!” “Isn’t […]
It’s been just over a year and a few new things have been added so I thought it’d be worthwhile to post a revised list.
Yesterday I reviewed a ton of projects and discovered that my biggest titles are well in hand. A good time to go on vacation.Today, DC happens to be closed for a summer holiday today so I get to be home to run errands, do laundry, pack, stop newspaper delivery and…write. I just completed the sample […]
I invited questions and I got them. Not as many about non-DC stuff as I would have liked but them’s the breaks. I’m going to do the best I can with what’s been asked without giving away secrets and the like.
Just to show that not everything has been depressing or frustrating, allow me to mention the good things that have happened lately.On Saturday, we spent the afternoon at the home of Paul and Robin Kupperberg, joined by several others. The moment I stepped foot into the house, they lost power. What’s odd about that is […]
Growing up, I had an allergy to pet dander plus my parents grew up in pet-less homes so I never had any animal as a part of my life.Once we had kids, a pet seemed inevitable. Since Deb grew up with dogs, we started with Spooky, a mixed breed we picked up at the North […]
We’ve been told that manufacturing jobs have moved south of the border because America has been shifting from an industrial economy to a service economy. The move has been gradual throughout the last century and picked up speed over the last decade or two.In the mid-1980s, Time ran a cover story on this new service […]
Every morning I climb onto the 6:40 a.m. train into Manhattan with a cup of coffee and USA Today. I start with Sports and work my way through the sections.Imagine my surprise getting to today’s Weekend section and finding a cover image of my DC’s Greatest Imaginary Stories Ever Told staring at me. The collection […]
While I’ve never read War of the Worlds, I was fascinated by the story ever since I heard a re-broadcast of the Mercury Radio Theatre’s adaptation from 1938. I also really liked George Pal’s interpretation from 1953. So I was predisposed toward liking the current movie.Deb and I finally got to see it last night […]
Growing up reading comics, I found myself drawn more to comics featuring teams than individuals. Books like JLA and Legion of Super-Heroes (then in Adventure Comics) rose to the top of my reading pile and I adored any issue of Green Lantern that featured the Corps.Professionally, I consider myself a top-notch team player and enjoy […]
Over the weekend, Robbie expressed a desire to see Stealth. I told him it was an old story, better told by Star Trek. After dinner last night, we were looking for something to watch and Deb suggested we show him the episode. Well, twist my arm…Sure enough, “The Ultimate Computer” was a little over-the-top, a […]
We went live on July 28 last year and we slipped into year two without much fanfare.While I don’t get many posted comments, I have received many, many kind words from people I know from all corners of my life who do check in now and then.I’m fairly pleased with how this has gone and […]
At HomeThis morning, I managed to complete the first draft of the Cool Careers Without College for People who love to Organize. It’s running long and it’s choppy in spots but now I have two full weeks to whip it into shape before the August 15 deadline. And of course, no sooner do I finish […]
In the past I’ve extolled the virtues of living in Fairfield. Well, let me tell you about how cool it is to have Westport as a neighbor. It’s upscale with loads of celebrities who live here in relative anonymity, although thankfully Martha’s not around to be annoying anymore. There’s a ton of shopping, again, all […]
So, today I’m 47. I’m taking quick stock of the day and where I am in the world.The sun is shining, the humidity is low. The Final Frontiersmen are in first place, as they have been all month, and the Final Projections Calculator points to my finishing in first.Deb went out and bought me some […]
After flirting with politics for a while, I accepted the opportunity to sample elected office by filling out the term on our Representative Town Meeting. I’ve attended the monthly meetings since March, served on the Finance Committee and gotten a mere taste of what it’s all about.In my four meetings we tackled the budget and […]
Jim AparoWhen I first looked at Jim Aparo’s art, I thought he was inspired heavily by Neal Adams, but it was just a coincidence. I liked his Aquaman and loved his Phantom and when Jim got to handle Batman team-ups in The Brave and the Bold, I was thrilled. He not only made each character […]
Since I didn’t get to attend the San Diego Con, I managed to accomplish some stuff at home. I’m eight chapters in on the Organizing book, five to go so I think I’ll be fine on the deadline. Got some stuff done on a new spec project that is just getting started. Didn’t work on […]
In general, I have no problems with the people who were nominated for Emmy Awards. In fact, I was pleased to see newer shows and performers get nods, especially House since all the attention has been focused on Desperate Housewives and Lost.I did look at the list and scratch my head at Stockard Channing, who […]
It used to be, meeting a celebrity was a big deal. It didn’t happen often and when it happened it was something special. Back in the 1970s, at the first of the Star Trek conventions, it was such a thrill to get to meet the likes of George Takei and Jimmy Doohan. While I didn’t […]
Back from the road and here’s the detailed report complete with observations for this interested.
I’ve been attending Shore Leave since their third show and haven’t missed one since their fifth. And look, it’s year 27 already. Where does the time go?The schedule got finalized and I now know where I’ll be throughout the weekend. In addition to the below, I’ll be doing some Emcee duties with a stellar line-up […]
Here are some more reasons why I enjoy living in my town.Every June, the Greater Bridgeport Symphony plays an outdoor concert on the great lawn at Fairfield University. It’s a free concert and the program always mixes classics with movie/Broadway music. The current winner of the Jenny Lind competition (Jenny Lind being the Swedish nightingale […]
Normally, the saying goes, these deaths come in threes but since I only learned about one a month late, we have four.Bobby GearBobby, along with her husband Marty, were fixtures in the Baltimore convention scene as well as the International Costumers’ Guild. Many’s a show you would find both dressed up in something suitably elaborate […]
Careful readers will know that I wound up missing work and the staff screening of Batman Begins a few weeks back. Yesterday, I finally got to see it.Since this was a long-anticipated event, we decided to make a big deal out of it. Deb, Robbie and I schlepped across the Tappan Zee Bridge to the […]
I began commuting to New York City in June, 1980. Back then, it was an hour’s ride from Huntington, Long Island and I was a newly-minted college graduate, following in my dad’s footsteps of taking the Long Island Railroad. These days, I commute from Connecticut to Manhattan, this time taking Metro-North, which effectively uses the […]
THE NAKED TRUTHA buddy here at DC is getting married and his best man decided the bachelor party should be on Wednesday, during lunch, at the local strip club, Flash Dancers. Flash Dancers is noteworthy because it’s the one David Letterman talks about every now and then since it’s diagonally across the street from the […]
Ambition can be easily derailed. I had set aside plenty of time this weekend to dig into theCool Careers Without College project. Instead, I’ve been moving in slow motion.Last Sunday I woke up with a cough which turned into a cold which lingered all week. I managed to work through it until Friday morning when, […]
BEA, or BookExpoAmerica, was held this weekend in New York City for the first time in several years. Like the World Science Fiction Convention, it moves around the country so this was my first opportunity to attend.The Jacob Javits centers was packed wall to wall with book sellers, book manufacturers, rights and permissions people, distributors, […]
One of the frustrations about blogging is that I want to talk about stuff I’m working on at DC, but have to abide by Marketing’s decision as to when things can be announced. Fortunately, yesterday’s DCU Panel at WizardWorld Philly told the world about Showcase Presents.Please check out the interview Jen Contino prepared in advance […]
For those who know me well, my next assignment for Rosen Books will amuse you. It certainly amused my longtime pal Marty Pasko, who complains I’m trying to run his life. Normally, I reply that someone has to do it since he dithers over everything short of how to tie his shoes.My loyal editor, Joann […]
Having grown up in a bedroom community, I find myself enjoying the trappings of small town life. That is, if anyone considered Fairfield a small town considering our population is about 57,000.One of the town traditions is the Memorial Day parade, a nearly two hour extravaganza that involves two-thirds of the town coming out to […]
While channel surfing this morning, we came across Robin and the Seven Hoods, a 1964 musical lightly inspired by the legends of Robin Hood, crossed with Damon Runyon. It wasn’t a particular good movie or musical, but was filled with a terrific cast. Check out the names: Sinatra. Sammy. Dean. Bing. Falk. I don’t even […]
A Mr. J. Strell of Mineola commented that it’s been five days since I last posted. He’s right and I just have to admit to being a wee bit preoccupied both at home and at work.At DC, I’ve been hip-deep in stats, proofing hundreds of pages of material for some collections that haven’t been announced […]
Kate finished finals last Friday and returned home that evening. Yesterday morning, I put her on a bus back to Washington where she will work and study this summer. And so begins the next phase in our relationship. The time at home will continue to dwindle as she makes her way in the world, needing […]
Sorry it’s been a while, but once more life has speeded well past my ability to fit everything in on a schedule I totally control.REVENGE OF THE SITHIn the spring of 1981, a number of us left the Starlog offices to be shown a new Steven Spielberg movie we knew very little about. We adored […]
While gathering my thoughts, I thought I’d share with you the just announced contents of the tenth anniversary Star Trek: Voyager anthology, Distant Shores, coming in November.”Da Capo al Fine” written by Heather Jarman”Command Code” written by Robert Greenberger”Winds of Change” written by Kim Sheard”Talent Night” written by Jeffrey Lang”Letting Go” written by Keith R.A. […]
It’s been a crazy busy week both at work and at home so sorry for the lack of commentary. I do have some thought s to share will likely have stuff tonight or tomorrow.Meantime, in our second to last thrilling installment I mentioned how I wound up being interviewed for the local newspaper about tonight’s […]
Happy Mother’s Day to one and all.Around here, the tradition tends to be Kate, Robbie and I making ourselves available to Deb. Invariably, this means a day of yard work, weeding, digging, planting, etc. On the rare day it has rained, we’ve found other diversions.This year, though, it’s the first without Kate around to participate […]
I’m home today, taking care of odds and ends and a few things have cropped up.While running errands, I stop by Capricorn Comics Plus, my local retailer. A colleague of the owner is on the phone with the Connecticut Post. The reporter is calling local comic shops to try and get some local reaction to […]
A few things seem to have moved along so I thought I’d report in:RTMLast night was the special meeting on the budget. Once again, the RTM was asked if we intended to make any cuts to the budget. No one raised a hand. Then various members of the Body spoke, mostly in favor of the […]
Our webmaster, the tireless Glenn Hauman, reports that the issues with the ISP, posting, comments and antispam filter are all fixed and things should be back to normal.Feel free to write and confirm.
We’re turning off comments in order to do some obviously necessary maintenance. Bear with us… we’ll have them back on as soon as we can.UPDATE: We’re back, and even found some old comments that never went live before. Post away.
Robbie and I juggled schedules so we were both free at the same time to see Hitchhiker
We’ve been having some ISP issues which may have made posting problematic. It seems to have been restored and our web master has been dutifully cleaning out the spam from the comments section.So, no one had anything to say about the West Wing review? Odd.Meantime, at long last Batman: Cover to Cover is now in […]
When the Mets started the season 0-5, it was, to me, more of the same.Then they won six in a row and I was stunned. As with all streaks, it ended and they suddenly couldn
One of the earliest lessons I learned about being a writer is that writers write. Some are very rigid and will write a proscribed amount of words everyday, 365 days a year. Others write in fits and starts. The key though, is that they write.I haven
On Wednesday I could feel the very beginnings of a cold coming on. Mild, not a surprise but vexing given the days ahead. Deb was still getting over a lingering cough so the notion of both of us being at less than 100% was not pleasant.But, everything coming could not be changed.
I’ve been attending I-Con since the very first con over two decades ago. I’ve missed one every now and then but have been a regular guest.The kids have come to love being at the con, too, since they can role play, game play, watch anime, see friends, hear Irish bands and so on.We’ll be back […]
Diamond Comics is the 800-pound gorilla in the comics field. They are the #1 distributor and every year they hand out their Diamond Awards in a variety of categories.This year
Well, that was interesting.Last night was the first RTM meeting and it got off to an odd start. I
My brain hurts.With this being a three-day weekend, I set aside time to review the mountain of paperwork that was required reading now that I serve on the RTM (Representative Town Meeting). Now I know the Town Charter and the rules of the RTM, I
It all started with Clark Kent.Mom gave me my first comic book, an issue of Superman, when I was six and home sick. Little did anyone realize the affect it would have on my life. By first grade, I needed glasses and picked a pair that most closely resembled the ones worn by George Reeves […]
Lunacon has always, to me, been a convention more to see friends than to engage in self-promotion. The well-stocked Green Room was always the daytime place to meet up and chat, having extended conversations with peers that other opportunities don
I’ll be at Lunacon, in its new New Jersey locale, this weekend. For those attending, here’s where you can find me:The Year in ComicsOn: Saturday At: 4:00-5:00 p.m. In: PimlicoPanel: Bob Greenberger, Glenn Hauman [M], Alex Wittenberg, James Henderson, Richard WhiteWhat are the trends in comics over the past year? How are changes in the […]
For the last few years, several mainstream media publications, including Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide, have run pieces trying to dissect what is wrong with the Star Trek franchise. Many of their theories overlapped, several of which I agreed with and several I felt were missing the point.What was clear, though, was that Paramount’s franchise […]
What a week.In addition to the political stuff at home, DC has been keeping me quite busy.On Monday afternoon, I was asked to help out on a rush project that took up much of the week. While creative and challenging it was also on a tight deadline with Wednesday being the first milestone. Fortunately, we […]
I must be out of my mind.For several years now I have been asked to run for RTM, our version of a town governing body. I
A project I did research on a short while back seems closer to fruition. Met with my editor today and we hammered out some details and I get started on the first phase this weekend. Stay tuned for announcements.Additionally, I finally got feedback on my story for the Star Trek: Voyager anthology and have some […]
The skills you learn along the way will always come in handy, even though it may be years in between times you need them.On Thursday night, for example, I had the pleasure of chatting with Brad Meltzer about his favorite moments in Identity Crisis for the forthcoming hardcover collection. Since Brad wanted to do this […]
When I first heard about Spamalot, I had trepidations. After all, many movies have not survived the transition to the stage or television and the unique humor of Monty Python requires a deft touch. Then, I heard how all five surviving Pythons gathered after reading the Eric Idle script and more or less worked on […]
I could feel the cold descend upon me starting Wednesday. I was fuzzy but functional Thursday and Friday but could feel it getting worse. The good news is, I recognized this and spent the majority of Thursday scanning, turning the scans into text and formatting the text for my next big project. I now have […]
I regularly participate in the discussions over at David Henderson
A few weeks ago I received an e-mail from David Samuel Barr, inquiring if the character in Star Trek: A Time to Love, An Haslam An, might have been named after Annie Haslam. Annie was the lead singer in the symphonic rock band Renaissance and sure enough, he was correct. At the time I was […]
Farpoint was a successful and fun convention. Many of us thought it looked it a little sparsely attended but the con committee seemed happy with the turnout so who am I to question things?Maybe it
The lovely and talented Jen Contino has an interview with me about the Will Eisner biography over at The Pulse . Check it out.
People have been wondering when I was going to comment on the recent cancellation of Enterprise. With Farpoint this weekend, I know it
It’s 12:40 a.m. and I really should be going to bed. However, I just completed something and am feeling pretty good about it.Around mid-day on Thursday, our Licensing Department called in something of a panic. They are working on a 1000 question Batman Trivia Game and their freelance writer had personal upheavals and stopped after […]
The latest online edition of Binghamton University’s journal just went live and there’s a feature on couples who met while attending college. Scroll to the bottom of the page and you’ll see us then and now. Please note, Deb has aged rather nicely, while I added a beard and bit too much weight.
I wonder if most writers are somewhat jealous of artists and vice versa. I can look at a blank piece of paper or screen and pretty much know how to start writing. I can look at the same piece of paper and be totally stumped as to how to make a picture or design.I was […]
Several weeks back I answered the phone.�Is this Bob Greenberger?��Yes.��You may not remember me, but my name is Camille Murphy and I used to work for you at Marvel.�I�m only 46, a little early for me to start forgetting the names of people who worked for me four years ago. Camille, it turns out, did […]
A couple of weeks ago, Kate and I were chatting in the car and somehow Johnny Carson
The morning began with packing up Christmas. The roll out starts Thanksgiving weekend and usually takes a few weeks before every decoration is hung, the tree bought and decorated and so on. But, packing it all up took just a few hours. The tree is at the curb awaiting the town collection, the five red […]
The fact that The New York Times, the self-described newspaper of record, devoted considerable space to Will Eisner
Just received word that Will Eisner passed away, due to complications from his recent heart surgery.Will was one of the true greats in the comics industry. He was one of its earliest visionaries, telling people in 1940 that comics could be used to educate and could be more than mere escapist entertainment. It took him […]
2004 ended with a flurry of activity. I completed a second pass on the Ancient Chinese Technology book including adding all the back matter. One more pass and I can turn it in a month early.The ceiling fan in the kids’ bathroom died recently so Deb decided she was going to replace it herself. Normally, […]
My friend Nomi Burstein, who is visiting NYC this week, posted on her blog about being at a restaurant and recognizing an old college friend across the room. When I saw Nomi for lunch on Wednesday, I related the following as a
I read a lot and enjoy doing it. And for some reason lost to antiquity, I began keeping a list of books read since 1997. As 2004 closes, I hit a new record, 70 books. Behind the cut is the complete list for those who care. The breakdown though is interesting:27% Star Trek20% Non-Fiction20% Mystery/Crime18% […]
Christmas Eve proved peaceful. Spanglish was very entertaining, well acted and an original story. The pacing drags a bit in the middle but I recommend it.We got home to find Robbie having surprised us. He returned home from work and made our dinner. We had the traditional pasta, shrimp and salad. Then there were the […]
It’s been busy around the house. This morning was non-stop as Deb and I chopped, sauteed, browned, stirred, baked, and washed. We’re in terrific shape for Christmas Day which feels good. Robbie’s final gifts from his Aunt and Uncles finally arrived so they have to wrapped while he’s at work.Deb, Kate and I will spend […]
For whatever reason, the entire family got into the mood to sit and watch numerous Christmas specials this weekend. In years past, we would make this a ritual, working our way through a tape I compiled of what we consider classics: The Grinch who Stole Christmas, Muppet Family Christmas, Charlie Brown, Rudolph, etc. Over time, […]
An IM conversation with Katie (reprinted with permission):Bob: Can Justin Timberlake act?Katie: Justin Timberlake can womanize. And pout. Why? What terrible casting just occured?Bob: New Line is about to announce him as Iron Man.Katie: NOOOOOOOOOOO!Katie: NONONONONONONONONONONOOOOOOOOOO!Katie: NO GOOD CAN POSSIBLY COME OF THIS!!!Bob: I had a similar notion.Katie: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHKatie: I hope New Line truly suffers […]
The Clone Saga Lives AgainA buddy stopped by while I was eating lunch and we got to talking comics (just like in the good old days). And we started talking about the current storyline in Amazing Spider-Man. We
The world is a very complex place and as chaos theory suggests, a minor event in one part of the world can trigger a chain of events causing huge events in another part of the world. Still, I try and boil things down to simple a term, which usually causes trouble or at least gets […]
I think I finally figured out what my problem is with the West Wing. Like everyone else, I sorely miss Aaron Sorkin
I was delighted to see that Rosen Publishing was smart enough to solicit their Library of Graphic Novelists via Diamond. The first wave of six titles are featured on page 310 of the December Diamond Previews catalogue.I was also pleased to see that Diamond threw their spotlight on the books featuring Neil Gaiman and my […]
We steep ourselves in tradition and barely notice it for the most part. Until the holidays and then we
Universal decided to shift Serenity from April to September 2005. For my thinking on the decision, jump to the cut.
Item one: Work on Friday was pretty good. Spent all morning on an instant collection for a DC Direct product, details to follow. Then spent 2.5 hours in the afternoon reviewing the big project with our designer, Robbin, and Georg and Dale. We went through it page by page, essentially a first draft of the […]
Since I was boasting about Kate the other day, let me also share the news that Robbie passed his driver
ProudKate is competing in her first Ballroom Dance competition down in College Park, MD. This has become her passion since the beginning of the semester but has been plagued with the lack of a partner. The first one crapped out and the second, some kid from Georgetown named Andriy, canceled Friday night. So, my intrepid […]
Everyone else is bemoaning the election results. Most will do a far more eloquent job expressing their frustration, disbelief and anger. I am among those who feel we are worse off than we were four years ago and am astonished the popular vote disagrees with the sentiment.I was heartened yesterday morning when Deb and I […]
Stolen entirely from my pqal Jackie Bundy:The Voyager anthology scheduled for next summer has been titled Distant Shores.The list of contributors has been posted at Psi Phi and includes;Christopher L. Bennett, Kirsten Beyer, Ilsa J. Bick, Keith R.A.DeCandido, Robert Greenberger, Heather Jarman, Robert T. Jeschonek,Terri Osborne, Kim Sheard, James Swallow, Geoffrey Thorne, and SusanWright.The Psi […]
World Series LetdownI was curiously numb to the notion of the Red Sox winning the World Series. I suspect some of that was the natural let down of the first two rounds, both being very exciting for NL and AL fans. Being an NL fan, I was truly rooting for St. Louis and was disappointed […]
The Technology of the Ancient World is another new series from Rosen Books, this time focusing on six cultures, each with unique accomplishments. Aimed at middle schoolers, these are only 6000 word pieces so there won
The four contriubutors to the DC Comics Encyclopedia have been interviewed over at Newsarama. The author does a nice job.
I like to read. No surprise there. I like baseball. To those who know me, also no surprise. As a result, I like reading about baseball. Fiction and non-fiction. As I
At 6 p.m. tonight, Deb and I will be seated side by side on the train home. Somewhere before 6:30 our marriage will have reached the end of the 24th year. We
Now I know what my next writing assignment will be.Just received a call this morning from Marco Palmieri, over at Pocket Books. Paramount has approved my outline for
I believed.I think we all believed a man could fly. Christopher Reeve was Superman for a few generations of film fans. These days there are those who grew up on Dean Cain or even Tom Welling but, good as they are, neither brought the humanity to the Man of Steel as Chris did. And to […]
Watching the town hall debate on Friday was something like my watching a Mets game. Every so often I found myself screaming at the TV. It was usually something along the lines of
Reviews are starting to come in on the DC Comics Encyclopedia and for the most part, they are positive. Sure, omitted characters get listed and errors are pointed out, but people seem generally pleased with the effort.More importantly, DK is thrilled with the first week sales. At this rate, they
When last we left Verizon, a payment made in June had yet to be credited to Deb
Some thoughts wrapping up previously mentioned baseball topics
This has been an unusual Mets season as a spectator. People from all walks of life have been offering me tickets throughout the season and in most cases, they were offered on such short notice, I could rarely take advantage of them. I was flattered that enough people knew I was a fan to think […]
After my long political blathering, I had hoped to actually watch the debate on Thursday night. Instead, I had to perform my civic duty.I volunteer to serve on the Parking Authority, the body appointed by the town and charged by the state to operate the parking lots and maintain the buildings at Fairfield
Over on Smallville, everyone thinks Chloe Sullivan is dead. Well, we know better. She
Another radio voice of my youth is gone.Scott Muni was the voice of New York FM radio, the man who introduced me to so much rock and roll. As the number one man on WNEW, he led the way, spinning tracks from the Beatles to whatever was current, explaining why they were cool, sharing tidbits […]
Whatever efficiencies garnered by forming large corporations is also offset by screw-ups that are nearly impossible to correct.To boost profits, Aramark closed dining halls in favor of a food court at George Washington University. This has led Kate to struggle to find a steady way to eat healthily. A letter of complaint is on its […]
We have completed our trip to Washington, visiting with the delight that is our daughter. More follows.
Deb has decided we need to see Katie sooner than our planned trip on October 22. Like now. She called me with this notion on Wednesday and I am pretty pleased with how quickly I managed the course correction. We had already started buying the stuff she had asked for — canned drinks and packaged […]
Busy Busy BusyI know, sounds like Terry Thomas, doesn’t it?Anyway, work has been keeping me on the go. Lots of projects have picked up steam and I’ve been caught up in administrative tasks, most of which I truly enjoy doing (and miss from my previous time at DC).The projects are good to work on and […]
Back to PressSo I read on Keith DeCandido’s blog that Tales of the Dominion War is going back for a second printing. Hooray! It’s a rock solid collection and worthy of the attention it’s getting.With so much media tie-in competition these days, Pocket’s print runs for Star Trek fiction have been cut back, drastically when […]
For a few years now, Deb has been bugging me to join the Science Fiction Writers of America. And I’ve always avoided it.There’s a part of me that feels that writing predominantly media tie-in fiction (which, to be honest, that’s what Star Trek is) doesn’t qualify me. Then there’s the inertia that’s all-too-common to people.And […]
Found this over at the United Kingdom’s Guardian web site:German ‘World Service’ boldly goes for Klingon newsMichael LeidigWednesday September 15, 2004The German equivalent of the BBC World Service, Deutsche Welle, has added a new language to its global news network by starting to use Klingon.Star Trek, or Raumschiff Enterprise as it is known in Germany, […]
I saw a screening of Sky Captain last night and if you’re interested, I talk about it.
It’s the first weekend at my desk in about a month which feels very weird. Normally, I’m done here either one or both days for a few hours each. Deb has complained that over the last few years I’d do the errands and then vanish down there all weekend. She has a point and I’m […]
It certainly has been busy since returning from Boston. As I catch my breath, I
Where was I? Ah yes, the parties.Each night the parties are pretty much the same. You work your way up to the 12th floor and then wander the floor, stoopping at parties of interest and then take the stairs down a floor until you find yourself on 7. Repeat.The Liaden Party, celebrating the nifty Sharon […]
I’m sitting here in the lobby of the Sheraton Boiston, using Nomi Burstein’s laptop, checking e-mail and taking a moment to catch you up on activity here at WorldCon. A laptop and wirelss, is just so neat a concept. Sitting beside me, pounding away on his laptop and wireless is our webmaster Glenn. Hi Glenn.Took […]
Like so many of my peers, I will be at WorldCon in Boston this weekend. For those attending, here’s my schedule. Please stop by and say hi at some point.Friday, 3 p.m., SFF.net suite, SheratonAutographingSaturday, 1 p.m., Trailer Park, Grand BallroomSubstituting for Jeff Walker, I’ll be on hand to introduce trailers and take questions on […]
It was not at all a relaxed weekend.A mere four days after returning from a wonderful, relaxed vacation, the dreaded day finally came.We were up at 5 a.m. and on the road at 5:47 since Kate had a check-in time of Noon. Since there was no knowing what construction or other traffic delaysmight creep up, […]
It was wonderful.It was relaxed, sunny, very warm, and nice. A great way to wind down the summer and spend some time with the entire family before Kate becomes a freshman. There
Milford is about twenty minutes north of us and every year they have their Oyster Festival. In addition to oysters by the ton, there’s a load of other attractions. Headlining the music this year is the Blue Oyster Cult, veteran heavy metal band from the 1970s.The BOC put on a great live show in the […]
The Greenberger family will be away from home from Thursday through Tuesday. It’s a final fling with the four of us before the dynamic permanently changes as Kate heads off to be a freshman.Deb had been hoarding the frequent flyer miles, just in case we needed them for Kate’s college of choice. Since Washington D.C. […]
In case anyone’s interested, today is the street date for You Did What? : Mad Plans and Great Historical Disasters . Edited by my old pal Bill Fawcett, it contains essays on disastrous decisions that probably made sense at the time. I have three essays in the book including the New Coke, the David Begelman […]
There are times I am amazed at how fast news travels. When I first posted, a mere few weeks back, I happily told a circle of firends I share a mailing list with. But, from there, it grew. Mark Evanier directed people my way, someone at the DC Comics message boards also announced its arrival […]
Earlier in this blog, I chatted a bit about Cable and my desire for ala carte programming. The lack of choice has kept me from upgrading to Digital Cable despite all the bells and whistles it has advertised (bells and whistles I will likely not need or desire).On Friday, I came home to discover a […]
Well, the last few days have been busy.On Friday, DC felt like old home week. After completing work on reviewing proofs for my own books in addition to the Encyclopedia, I went to drop things off and up on 6, ran into Karen Chamberlain, a former co-worked. No sooner do we start chatting then I […]
A quick reminder that I’ll be interviewed on the radio tonight at 11:30. Howard Margolin says it’s been nearly 15 years so surely I’ve come up with something new to say. You can find it on line at Destinies.Meantime, I’ve spent the better part of the last two days going over the final page proofs […]
OK, the weekend started out cool and gloomy as noted in previous posts. The plays certainly brightened things.We also did another two rounds of shopping with Kate, getting her ready for college. We reviewed the mundane (toothpaste) to essential (a really good surge protector). By the time we got to the staplers, she was seriously […]
Been a weekend of sitting in theatres. On Friday night we were there for Opening Night of Fairfield Teen Theatre
32,000 jobs were created last month. Sounds like good news, right? Not if you
Today was definitely one of those days that things got done, time passed and suddenly it
Another touchstone to my youth has vanished. Mets broadcaster Bob Murphy died yesterday, less than a year after retiring from broadcasting.Bob was no Red Barber or even a Vin Scully in terms of impact across America’s consciousness, but his voice was one I grew up with, first hearing it as he called games on WOR, […]
A buddy of mine asked this morning if I was going to promote the forthcoming DC Universe Encyclopedia coming this October from DK Books.Since it’s in the current Previews catalogue for order (heck, even cheaper through Amazon), now might be a good time to clue you in.There were two different notions floating through the halls […]
Andrew Arnold over at Time.com just posted his review of the San Diego Comic Con. He comes from an indie point of view, which is fine. However, when he wrote about the Eisner Awards, he said, “The jaw-dropping lowlight had to have been the award for Best Graphic Album
Bob GreenbergerMonday morning and back at work. We had Friday off as a company summer holiday–which was very nice.Took Robbie to see Fahrenheit 9/11 on Friday. He prefers Bowling for Columbine but he was riveted regardless. And frankly, any 16 year old who wants to open his eyes to the political realities of our country […]
If Victor Zambrano and Kris Benson were both available to start last night, why on Earth did the Mets go with Benson so he was facing Atlanta for the third time in a row? Clearly, they knew how to hit him, hence the 8-0 loss.And even though the rotation is improved, the Mets still can’t […]
The deadline for Major League Baseball trading, without submitting players to the waiver process, is at 4 p.m. EST. All week long, teams have been rumored to be doing this and that but yesterday the dominoes started to fall.The Florida/Los Angeles deal leaves me scratching my head. It seems to help Florida more than LA, […]
For years now, I have had an on again/off again debate with the head guy at Cablevision-Norwalk, the local office for the main company. I’ve been a long-time proponent of ala carte pricing for cable. Why should I be paying for channels when I could care less?I’ve always gotten nowhere, but earlier this year the […]
Thanks to Nomi Burstein, I have now been syndicated via LiveJournal. I’m not sure if this is anything like being similar to Paul Harvey but it’s kinda neat to know this will be seen by lots of bored people.Deb thinks this will freak Katie out, but she has her own LJ space; it’s nice and […]
Glenn tells me we’re live to those interested. The comments section works and all those wishing to chat have to register with TypeKey. It’s a necessary evil but after some horrendous experiences over at Peter’s board, it’s safer this way.
Well, me.And yes, it’s a Star Trek reference. As many know, I have enjoyed the series since the 1960s and it has been a key part of my life.However, the specific term originated with an old friend, Mike Flynn, when he invited me to share his Rotisserie Baseball team with me. Mike helped found one […]
Well, gosh, everyone’s doing it.And if everyone were to jump off the bridge, would I follow? When Mr. Siskind first asked me that in fourth grade, I didn’t have a ready answer for him. It was my only run-in with the principal so I got off lucky, I suppose.Today, the answer is, of course not. […]