Author: Shara

Culture Consumption: July 2013

~ Shara ~ 13 Comments

This month, instead of listing all of the books and stories I read in the month prior, I’m going to do something a little different. I’m still going to list the books and stories, but I’m also going to include the comics I read this month. And the movies I watched. And the television shows. That way if anyone wonders how my writing is going, all they’ll have to do is look at this list and immediately know the answer. 🙂

And as always, I’m happy to jabber about anything that’s on the following lists. If you want my opinion about something, just comment and ask.

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I’m Still Here….

~ Shara ~ 2 Comments

Jeez, I can’t believe it’s been nearly a month since I posted last. I don’t have all that many excuses as to why not. Well, I do: I’ve been reading for the Hugos, which was the priority this month, and I’ve been gorging on Netflix with the husband, which has been rather enjoyable. There have been other things keeping my brain from the computer, but those aren’t worth writing about here, not right now. In short, my brain has been full. Maybe it’s the heat?

Whatever the excuse, I owed you all SOME kind of post, so let this be that. Hi! I voted for the Hugos today (deadline is July 31st), and I’ve got some thoughts on that, but I’d really rather wait until voting is over, so that my commentary doesn’t influence people in any unfair way. I’ll be posting a month’s end entertainment tally, which will include not just my reading for the month, but everything I’ve been watching too. And of course, I can always talk about my cat, who has lost the nickname of “The Vomiteer,” and is now “The Hackmaster.”

See, there’s stuff to look forward to! Just remind me. 🙂

So Behind….

~ Shara ~ 12 Comments

Oy, it’s been a while since I’ve posted, so let’s summarize with a list:

1) My cat had a virus a couple of weeks ago. Strange to think that an indoor-only cat could get a VIRUS of all things, but as my vet explained, things can get on your shoes. I walk daily, and my cat LOVES my tennis shoes. So, after a scary bout of non-normal vomiting from my cat, the tennis shoes stay in the closet, and he’s feeling much better. After getting a couple of shots and sleeping the virus off, of course. And thank goodness. At his age (11 years) and weight (17 pounds), any irregular vomiting is something to be concerned about.

2) It’s been raining cats and dogs here. We’re lucky in that we were still able to have fun at two cookouts on the 4th of July, but the rain is ridiculous. And insulting. Somethings I feel like the Big Man Upstairs should pay attention and share the wealth: the fact the East is getting hit with a crapton of rain while the west is burning? Not cool, man… not cool.

3) Due to the rain, I haven’t been able to walk since Thursday. And Thursday morning, when I walked, I forgot to wear my glasses. That was fun. And blurry.

4) Oh, yes, I had a 4.5 day weekend. Full of RAIN. But I made up for that by reading for the Hugos and watching Netflix like a boss.

5) Did you know there’s a movie called Trollhunter and it’s not a SyFy Original Movie? Did you know it’s actually good? Frightening, I know, but if you get a chance to watch, give it a shot: it’s actually a foreign film. I thought the make-up of the trolls was a tick too Jim Henson-ish for my tastes, but the effects and story? Surprisingly enjoyable.

6) I was writing daily, and then I stopped. I blame vacation time. And lots of reading. It’s a pendulum, I swear: if I’m reading a lot, I’m not writing, and if I’m writing a lot, I’m not reading.

7) On the 4th of July, I finally got to try dandelion wine for the first time. Surprisingly sweet, and very enjoyable.

8) That’s all I’ve got for now. Tomorrow is Monday, which means getting back to the grind. Yay?

June Reading

~ Shara ~ 30 Comments

I’m not sure where June went, exactly, but I want it back. No, seriously. I want it back. 🙂 It’s been a bitch of a month for focusing on reading, and while it looks like I read a LOT in June, do not let this list fool you. There’s two graphic novels in this bunch, as well as a half-a-dozen short stories. It’s Hugo-Reading time, and it’s just as well: I don’t seem to have much patience for novels right now.

Below is a list of what I managed to complete in June. There will be no forthcoming reviews, but if you want to talk about something in particular, feel free to ask in the comments. 🙂

Finished Books: June

The Boy Who Cast No Shadows (2011)
Written by: Thomas Olde Heuvelt
Genre: Short Fiction/Modern Fantasy

In Sea-Salt Tears (2012)
Written by: Seanan McGuire
Genre: Short Fiction/Urban Fantasy

Mantis Wives (2012)
Written by: Kij Johnson
Genre: Short Fiction/Science Fiction

Immersion (2012)
Written by: Aliette De Bodard
Genre: Short Fiction/Science Fiction

Mono No Aware (2012)
Written by: Ken Liu
Genre: Short Fiction/Science Fiction

The Ocean at the End of the Lane (2013)
Written by: Neil Gaiman
Genre: Modern Fantasy
Pages: 192 (Hardcover)

For a Few Demons More (2007)
Written by: Kim Harrison
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 360 (Mass Market Paperback)

Porn & Revolution in the Peaceable Kingdom (2013)
Written by: Micaela Morrissette
Genre: Short Fiction/Science Fiction

The Stuff of Legend: Omnibus One (2012)
Written by: Matt Raicht
Genre: Graphic Novel/Epic Fantasy
Pages: 260 (Hardcover)

Bronze Gods (2013)
Written by: A.A. Aguirre
Genre: Steampunk/Urban Fantasy
Pages: 322 (Mass Market Paperback)

Eyes of Crow (2006)
Written by: Jeri Smith-Ready
Genre: Romantic Fantasy
Pages: 480 (Trade Paperback)

BONE: Full Color One Volume Edition (2011)
Written by: Jeff Smith
Genre: Graphic Novel/Epic Fantasy
Pages: 1344 (Hardcover)

The Human Division (2013)
Written by: John Scalzi
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 432 (Hardcover)

The breakdown: 5 books, 2 graphic novels (half of Bone was read last year), and 6 pieces of short fiction. So that’s not BAD, it’s just that the more I think about my own writing and world-building, the harder time I have focusing on the world-building of others. I’m also still working on my June Dare, A Brother’s Price by Wen Spencer, but right now, reading for Hugo voting has the priority. But I’ll get there, one day….

But at any rate, that was my June. How was yours? What did you read? What did you love, like, or hate? Best thing out of my month (novel-wise) was easily the new Neil Gaiman. The biggest disappointment? Surprisingly, A.A. Aguirre’s Bronze Gods. Also, Seanan McGuire fans? Click on the link for “In Sea-Salt Tears” and read it immediately. You will not be disappointed.

Fear Factor

~ Shara ~ 13 Comments

Weird story. I’ll go ahead and spoil the ending: it was all paranoia. But the fact the paranoia even existed is the very point of the story.

I’m not going to tell you where I work. I will tell you that I’m in a two-person office and I’m something of an office manager. I keep things running smoothly; I keep things in order. I’m not the boss. That’s the other person in the office. But I’m female, and the boss is male, and the boss is a man that if you saw him you probably wouldn’t want to start something. He is a big guy.

He left early the other day and told me to leave at four. I had a 3:00 appointment and a 3:30 appointment to handle after he left, but it was all good. My 3:00 was easy paperwork stuff. Get a guy to sign a form, send the form to home office, and ta-da! We’re done. Easy, 5 minute appointment tops.

He calls and lets me know he’s running a bit late. That’s fine, but I find out during the course of the conversation his son is with him. His son is an adult. Again, fine. But here’s where the paranoia kicks in:

I’m a female, alone in the office, and I’ll be facing not one, but two grown men. Odds are everything will be fine (and it was), but I had a moment of panic: my boss wasn’t there. If these guys decided to try something, anything, I’d be up shit’s creek. I’m pretty sure I could fight off ONE person, but two? So my brain started wondering whether or not I should unlock the back door, that way I could run for it if I really had to, but then I realized that by leaving the back door unlocked, it’d leave the door open (pun intended) for strangers to come in. Worse, I’d forget the door was unlocked after my appointments, and that would be very bad indeed. No one wants to leave their office unlocked all night, do they?

Like I said, all my paranoid fears were for nothing. And I do have a panic button that essentially calls the local cops ASAP if I push it. My 3:00 appointment arrived, left his adult son in the car, signed his paper and was very nice and congenial and thanked me for my help. I smiled back and told him to let us know if there was anything else we could do to help. Did I feel bad for mentally freaking out? You bet.

See? Paranoid. Nothing to worry about. And that’s usually my motto. There’s a handful of people we work with that my boss has told me (or I’ve told my boss) that I shouldn’t be alone with, because said (male) person gives off creepy vibes. One of those said people on my boss’ list (not mine, I think he’s a harmless old man who appreciates younger women in a non-creepy way) showed up out of the blue last week when my boss wasn’t in with a question that could’ve really been handled over the phone and really shouldn’t have been asked to begin with: this guy, he’s smarter than the question he asked me. And I realized, after he’d left and I was getting on with my very busy morning, that he probably just stopped by to see me. Not chat, not like lonely old people do. But he wanted an excuse to see me. That’s it. And the realization ticked me off, because I was having a bad, busy morning.

When people talk about rape culture or how it sucks that women are the ones who are taught not to be victims, but men aren’t taught how NOT to be a victimizer, this is the bullshit our culture has produced: women, like me, who have a legitimate, however paranoid fear, of being alone with strange men and because we’ve been taught to “stay safe,” have to mentally chart escape routes just in case.

If I had been a men, none of these situations would’ve been a bother. But I’m a women, and therefore both situations were. It’s not that I’m afraid of being alone with men. I sometimes scoff at people who my boss thinks is creepy and I don’t, but I do have MY list of people who are creepy. Men who, if they have an appointment, I don’t want to spend a single minute alone with in the lobby. Men who, if I’m on the phone with them, make me shudder even though they don’t say anything wrong except the occasional “honey” or “baby” or “sweetheart.”

Being a part of the customer service oriented business I am means I don’t get to be a bitch and say, “Don’t call me that,” and set them straight. I’m in the South, and that means a lot of those endearments are just old school habits that don’t go away. And even if I wasn’t in the South, I still couldn’t be a bitch and set them straight, because in my line of work, customer service is important.

But I have to deal with them. Because I’m female. And my whole point is that I shouldn’t have to. I shouldn’t have a list of clients, however small, whom I don’t want to be alone in the room with. My boss shouldn’t have a list, however small, of clients HE doesn’t want me in a room alone with. I shouldn’t have paranoid fears that just because I’m alone in the office and a male client comes in. I shouldn’t feel the need to prepare, just in case.

But I have to, because I’m female. And those paranoid fears, however fleeting? Those anxieties or that dread? That isn’t going away. And that’s really, really unfortunate. Because while what I’ve talked about is the norm for most women, and what I’ve talked about is wicked tame compared to what many other women go through, it’s still a drain on us. It’s a drain because it’s normalized and it shouldn’t be.

That is all.

It’s a Matter of Focus

~ Shara ~ 8 Comments

So lately, I’ve been having trouble focusing. Not in all areas, mind you: I’m doing well keeping up with the elliptical and my daily walks. My daily installment of Hellblazer is coming along without much fuss. The husband and I have dropped both DirecTV and our land line, and we’ve been using Netflix like it’s going out of style — I’m just now getting to watch Arrested Development for the first time, and we’re working through House of Cards too. Great stuff. Also, movies: World War Z was this past weekend, and Man of Steel the weekend before.

So it’s not like I don’t have plenty to do outside of my day job. But I haven’t been able to focus on reading. I read a page or two, get distracted and do something else. Even if I’m wanting to read the book, my brain is still churning a million miles an hour, thinking of other things.

Namely writing. But instead of THINKING about writing, my brain is pre-writing: in the past week-and-a-half my brain has been swimming in the world-building of Telepathic Soulmates***, working out details for future fixes of that draft while also trying to find the real story in the sequel, Prison Planet, for which I now have a promising arc for, thanks to my good friend Michele. And lastly, I’m writing (yes, writing) a page-a-day, but it’s what I’m calling Not a Prequel Novel. Because I’m not going into it with any sort of real STORY in mind. Rather, I want to take two characters who are supporting characters in Telepathic Soulmates and tell their story. Their story takes place chronologically before Telepathic Soulmates, so it gives me the opportunity I need and want to really explore the world-building in ways I won’t get to do in revision. So it’s fun. I think.

It is funny: when I’m REALLY into whatever I’m writing, I don’t have much brainpower for reading. Which goes a long way in explaining how, when I was book-blogging and reading all the time, I didn’t have any brainpower for writing. The book blog has been closed for month now, and I’m just now able to pore my energies into creating my own fiction instead of absorbing the fiction of others.

Don’t get me wrong: writers have to do both. I’m just trying to find the balance.

*** = as always, these titles are actually aliases for the novels I’m working on, not their REAL titles. Except for Not a Prequel Novel, because it doesn’t have a title and what I would call it would make no sense to anyone who hasn’t read Telepathic Soulmates

Decisions, Decisions

~ Shara ~ 8 Comments

So I’ve STILL been thinking about writing lately. A LOT. But rather than coming up with new projects, my brain seems content to chew on Telepathic Soulmates*** while I wait for some final commentary/critique from a friend. We’ve been chatting about themes in my work, and I’ve been asking her to look for certain things that I worry are issues, and it’s been a very useful thing. And when I get the manuscript back, I’m going to take her comments and another friend’s and start going through the manuscript with a fine-toothed comb. I’ve already started a list of things to cut and things to reinforce, but one thing I’ll definitely be focusing on is character and motivation, and whether or not the characters are, if not likable, at least relatable and understandable. I’ve got three POVs, and it seems one’s in good shape. It’s the other two that fight for likability during the book, and those two definitely need focus. And the ironic thing is this: on a first read, those two characters are really frustrating. But once you get the ending and understand what’s happening, re-reading makes the characters seem so much more sensical. You get where they’re coming from and why, but it’s not something I can reveal at the start of the novel.

What I have to do in revision, however, is curb my instinct to write WHOLE NEW SCENES that somehow make these characters more likable/understandable from the get-go. While I suspect a new scene or two may be in order, what I really want to be able to do is read through the POVs of those characters and find ways to tweak reactions. A line here, an observation there. Maybe acting slightly differently in certain situations. And to do that, I discovered my next writing project, so to speak.

Character vignettes.

In other words, I’m going to sit down and write out the backstories of the three POV characters of my novel. It’s their history. Their origin story (sort of). It’s stuff that’s touched on in the novel proper but not fleshed out in flashbacks, which — in the novel — is exactly what it needs to be.

The vignettes won’t end up in the novel, but they’ll allow me to take a focused look at each of my POV characters and examine who they are, where they came from, and what they wanted out of life years before the novel took place. It’ll put me back into the frame of mind of Telepathic Soulmates, which will allow me, during the editing/polishing process, to make the tweaks I need rather than resort to my default rewriting. Better still, it’ll gear me up for the sequel, Prison Planet, something I’ve already given a lot of thought and outlining too, but realize I still have a ways to go, because I’m not quite happy with the over-arcing plot as it stands (it has logic problems, especially when compounded with my vague plans for a third book).

The trick is, now, to decide how many to write and how I’m going to hold myself accountable. I already know I need an “audience” for my work: immediate feedback keeps the warm fuzzies going and allows me to continue (sue me, I’m a performer at heart, and no, I’m not kidding: I majored in Vocal Performance in undergrad). I suspect what I’ll do is send them to my reading/crit partners even though the vignettes aren’t novellas or short stories or anything like that. They’re free-writing. Pre-writing.

But it’s still writing. And that’s what I need to do.

*** = As always, titles used here are aliases for the REAL working titles I’m using. To find out why, click here.

Challenge Me

~ Shara ~ 15 Comments

I’ve been thinking about writing. A lot. And by thinking, I’m not talking about, “Oh, I think I should go write,” and then I don’t do it and/or feel like I can’t. That’s writer’s block, to a point, and I’m rather well-researched in that (in fact, I taught a class on it). Rather, I’ve been thinking about the act of writing, and what’s going on in my head/life that isn’t giving me the gas I need to actually write. I’ve come up with a lot of interesting conclusions, but those conclusions are for a separate post.

Today I’ve been emailing with a friend of mine who is doing a final read on Telepathic Soulmates* before I lay into the manuscript and polish it into a diamond. We’ve been talking about my work from a more thematic standpoint, and it’s quite an interesting discussion, especially since she’s very familiar with the current as well as previous drafts of Telepathic Soulmates as well as my most recently completed novel Magic Elves. And I can’t tell you why I realized the following, but it was an epiphany of sorts, and I think I know what I need to start a new project.

Because having a wicked cool idea isn’t enough to make me write. Some people write to see how the wicked cool idea plays out. I just play it out in my head. So scratch that for inspiration.

The idea of having my work published and in the hands of readers is also not enough to inspire me. In fact, it does quite the opposite, for reasons I’ll talk about in a future post.

No, what keeps me going, what makes me write and stick to it come hell or high water, kicking and screaming, is a challenge.

Challenge #1: Actually finish writing a book (this applies to the first completed draft of Telepathic Soulmates).
Challenge #2: Rewrite and finish and improve Telepathic Soulmates so I could get my Masters (done, with the student debt to prove it!).
Challenge #3: Write a page-a-day and complete a novel in a calendar year (done! With Magic Elves. It needs a complete rewrite, but it’s done!).

Realizing this, I kind of sat back at work and asked, “What’s next?”

Idea challenges don’t work for me: cool ideas are just that: cool ideas. As I mentioned before, it doesn’t keep me writing.

Publishing goals don’t work either: it also won’t produce a new novel. Rather, said goals (sending manuscript out to agents, etc) are cleaning up old writing, not producing new.

So I’m pondering. Those of you who know me and personally know my work are, admittedly, at a better advantage to know what makes me tick and what might be a solid goal that’ll get me working on a new novel. Because once I meet a goal, I just can’t do it again. The point of a challenge is to find out if you can do it, and once you’ve done it, it’s not a challenge anymore, is it?

But whether or not you know me, I’m open to suggestions. The challenges listed above that resulted in complete novels (and trust me, if you were to see the first draft of Telepathic Soulmates, you’d understand why I count three completed novels under my belt rather than just two. When I rewrite, I eviscerate!) aren’t exactly ground-breaking or super-ambitious, but they were what I needed to write and keep writing.

So share with me: what are the challenges you’re working on in your own fiction? What gets you writing? And what could my next challenge be?

* = a reminder: all titles listed on this blog are code names for the real titles. I explain why here. Because that’s how I roll.

Today, a list!

~ Shara ~ 12 Comments

1) Yesterday, I saw two dead animals: one was a rabbit at the entrance of my neighborhood. I was all like, “Awww, cute bunny!” because I thought it was just SITTING THERE and then as I passed, it didn’t jump away, and I saw its leg. Poor bunny…. the second dead animal also was discovered in my neighborhood: a snake that ran afoul with a lawn mower. Except I didn’t know it was dead when I came upon it in the street while walking and nearly had a heart attack. I’d say “poor snake,” but… yeah. It’s a snake. Poor bastard is better.

2) The teaser trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug has been released, and I’m as giddy as a schoolgirl. If I were still in college, or if I still had my ginormous crush on Legolas, I would’ve found high-def screencaps of this sucker and already made Live Journal icons out of all the Legolas shots. Because that’s how I used to roll.

3) Speaking of The Hobbit, I’m totally excited about Evangeline Lily’s character Tauriel. Yeah, she was made-up for the movies, but you know what? I’m cool with that. The books will always be the books and the movies will always be the movies, and damn it, the movies need more girls! And this one brings me a kick-ass elf. So yay. However, I have a theory: she and Legolas will somehow have a RELATIONSHIP (either closely platonic or verging on romantic or actual romance) and he’s all sELFish (see what I did there?) about not helping others except elves and she’s all like, “We have to defeat evil no matter what.” and then? MY THEORY: poor girl’s gonna die. Just you watch: she’s going to die (hopefully heroically), and that will soften Legolas’ heart enough to volunteer for the Fellowship come Frodo’s quest. JUST YOU WAIT.

4) Oh, you probably want a trailer now, don’t you? BEHOLD! The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug teaser trailer.

5) I’ve decided that when I take a day off of work, the office also has to close. Because when I’m gone, all sorts of crazy crap comes out of the wood work, and seriously, why does this stuff WAIT until I’m gone? Tuesday was DEFINITELY my Monday. I did not appreciate that. :-/

6) Fans of Johnny Cash might know that he and June Carter did have one son together: John Carter Cash (hey, John Carter… of Mars?). Well, that son has apparently written a book (by the cover, it looks to be children’s/middle-grade, but I could be wrong), and what I’ve read of the review on Tor.com indicates it’s actually really good. Color me surprised, if for no other reason that I wouldn’t expect a novelist to come out of those two singer/songwriters. 🙂

7) This week I’ve been spending my lunch breaks watching Moonrise Kingdom. I’m not done yet, but it’s weird, quirky, and has both a kitten and Edward Norton. Those latter two things alone make this movie a WIN.

8) I wish this Ariel Makeup Kit from Sephora had come out when I was still an undergrad. Not only did I have shirts and stuff in those exact colors, but I also had the balls to match my eye shadow to said shirts and rock it. Nowadays, I have some shirts to match the eye shadow and nail polish, but it’s not such a good idea for a professional look. But who am I kidding? If I had this kit, I’d totally try it!

9) I’ve decided: if I use the elliptical, then I’ll only do a single lap around the neighborhood. If I don’t use the elliptical (like on weekends or days off from work), I’ll do TWO laps around the neighborhood. Laps are, of course, weather permitting. So weather, permit it, damn it.

10) We’ve started to reach that point in summer where I may need to ignore my own hatred of how my legs are shaped and walk in shorts instead of my usual yoga pants. On the plus side, I’ll be much cooler. On the negative side, my legs are showing. Also, bugs. :-/

Do NOT Be These Guys (Except for One)

~ Shara ~ 8 Comments

Let me tell you about two people I encountered last night during the Filter concert. They are given knicknames to protect their identities, but let me implore you: do NOT be these guys. Ever.

First, I present to you Doublewide Redneck: dude wasn’t fat, but he was WIDE, the kind of guy who clearly is unconcerned if someone gets in their face and wants to start a fight. He’s a redneck because he literally had a red neck, and since I reside in the state of Tennessee, I’m allowed to bandy that term around, because I’ll use it properly rather than a catch-all term for Southerners I don’t like, thank you very much.

Doublewide Redneck wore a t-shirt that said “Drink Drank Drunk” (or something to that effect) and he had no problem shoving his way through the crowd to get where he was going. Namely, he had no problem shoving his way past me. He decided where he needed to go was RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME, and it took all my willpower to not shove him in the ass with my foot. I’m not kidding. I figured, if it started a fight, I’d be all right: the venue’s security would most certainly take my side (a girl’s) over a drinking dude wearing a “drink drank drunk” t-shirt, and aside from my hubby and his very BIG (not fat, TALL and not a guy you want to mess with) best friend, I was also surrounded by two other very well built guys whom I’m pretty sure would back me up, especially since the guy to my right also got shoved out of the way by Doublewide Redneck.

Doublewide Redneck stood there for a few songs, oblivious to the holes I was burning into his back with my eyes, and decided to leave. This time, he pushed through on my OTHER side, and I rather refused to step out of the way out of principle. If he’d said “Excuse me,” I would’ve happily done so, but this guy was shoving his way through the crowd like it was his god-given right that we all get out of his way. I didn’t see him for the rest of the night.

Don’t be Doublewide Redneck.

Second is far more harmless but still scary: Sweaty Shirtless Dude. Sweaty Shirtless Dude gets into the MUSIC man and starts writhing around in ecstasy shortly after the first song starts and takes off his t-shirt immediately. He’s SO INTO IT that you’re afraid his pants and other clothing will come off in short order. Anyone navigating their way around this guy, especially girls, do their very best to make sure not a single part of their body comes in contact with Sweaty Shirtless Dude. This guy dances like a wet noodle during mating season. And somehow, he managed to do so, in front of me, for the entire Filter set.

Until I sat down on a couch to rest my weary back and feet. But then suddenly he was in my line of vision AGAIN, but before I could bemoan this development to my hubby sitting next to me, Sweaty Shirtless Dude disappeared. Cool. My hubby got up during his favorite song to stand among the crowd (brave, brave man) and I continued to chill on the couch, enjoying the music but not feeling the NEED to watch it happen (I’m a “music should be heard and not seen” sort of gal). But then, towards the end of Filter’s set, here comes Sweaty Shirtless Dude, and he points to the empty seat beside me and without waiting for a yay or nay from me, SITS DOWN. NEXT TO ME. Still Sweaty. Still Shirtless.

Ew.

I nearly pop up to leave, but figured that’d be TOO obvious and rude, so I wait a minute, then grab my empty drink and toss it (clearly showing Sweaty Shirtless Dude I was leaving to throw away garbage, not to get away from him and what has become a seriously RANK body odor). I join my group, Filter wraps up, and that is the end of Shirtless Sweaty Dude.

Don’t be Sweaty Shirtless Dude. Who, incidentally, was there with a date. Brave, brave girl.

I do, however, want to give props to The Mullet Man, whose mullet was a thing of perfection if such a hairstyle is your cup of tea. I did not get a picture, but my friend did. If I can get him to send it to me, I’ll post it here. I don’t want you to think I’m making fun of Mullet Man either. I’m not. While I would never in a billion years let hubby rock that hairstyle, if you CAN rock it, more power to you. And this guy rocked it.

You can be that guy, but only if you commit to it. I mean REALLY commit to it. 🙂

For those of you blanking on who the band Filter is (the lead singer is Robert Patrick’s, of Terminator 2 fame, brother), here’s a video of the song they’re most known for, “Take a Picture.” You may need to deal with an advert before the video, but if you know this band, you’ll recognize the song: