My ears are still ringing...

Last night's show was amazing. That's the third time I've seen Iced Earth play and it was by far the best. I feel like cranking the music and writing—unfortunately, my ears are still ringing and I've got more critiquing that needs to be done than writing. Ah well.

The drive back from Edmonton to Calgary at 1:00 a.m. was not quite so amazing...

a day in the life

Ever wondered what it's like to be a graphic designer?

No?

Well, I'm going to show you anyway:

Today's Muse

Real life is calling, but this afternoon I'm going to fit in a few hours of writing. Maybe even a few more this evening, if the house isn't overrun with guys watching the NHL All-Star game...

The chapters I'm working on need some action, some intensity of emotion, so here's a sample of what I'm turning up on the headphones today:

And this:

I saw Into Eternity play in Edmonton last year, just before Stu joined Iced Earth. Man, I love that vocal range! It's the intensity of the music though that makes this one of my favourite bands to write to. Not every scene is right for this, of course, but for action? Awesome.

As an added bonus, I'm going to see Stu sing again in a couple of weeks when Iced Earth plays Edmonton! Any one else here headed up to that show? Or seeing them somewhere else?

Shiny & Sparkly & New

I made a nice new little cover for my fantasy novel, I HAD TO FALL, yesterday during lunch break. I didn't spend much time on it, mostly because I don't really like spending my spare time designing. I mean, that's what I do forty hours a week. I like other hobbies—like writing—in my free time.

Anyway, the broken cityscape is appropriate for the war-torn landscape of Deyl's world.

Pretty, right? Or not? Thoughts?

And check out the synopsis on my writing page...

The Winter That Wasn't

My iPhone tells me it's supposed to get up to 1°C [that's about 34°F for you Yankees out there] today, though I'm not sure I believe it. The forecast for all of next week is sunny and above zero, getting up to something like 8°C [46°F] midweek. For January, that's pretty damn nice. Living in Calgary you get used to some unexpectedly warm winter weather, because of the chinooks, but this winter has been beyond weird this year, even for Cowtown.

I mean, there's maybe 20 cm [ahem... less than a foot] of snow on the ground, and that's only been here for a week. It's been brown all year, and though the past week saw temperatures in the -30°C [-22°F] range, it seems like things are warming up again. Warm enough to melt this measly bit of white stuff we've got on the ground.

So, is anyone else weirded out? I mean, there's that winter-hating part of me that loves it, but it just seems wrong somehow. Or do you think, as history has a way of showing us, that we're going to have a warm, brown winter only to find April, May and June hideously cold and wet and snowy?

Personally, I'd rather have a short, sweet wintery winter than be slogging through sleet and cold when my mind is telling me it should be springy and warm and sunny...

And yes, this entire blog post was about the weather. Sue me.

Three Things

Happy Friday the 13th! I've got three things to share: something awesome, something funny, and something awful. Can you guess which is which?

Also, Captain Planet rocked.

Thing #1

Thing #2

Don Cheadle is Captain Planet

Thing #3

Good Reads: Game of Thrones

There isn't much praise or complaint I can make about the Song of Ice and Fire series which hasn't already been said. To simplify, it's really good.

Not much, I know. If you're a Tolkien fan, read it. It's not quite the same thing but there's a good chance you'll like it. And if you think stories that include dragons, wargs and magic aren't really your thing, give this a try anyways. It's not high fantasy in the traditional sense. The fantastical elements always seem to be in the background, being part of the world, but the story is all about the characters and their lives.

And lots of war. Death n destruction a plenty.

Like so many others, I picked up a copy of Game of Thrones after watching the show. If you enjoyed the HBO version, you'll like the book. GRR Martin has been involved with the writing and production of the show, which is probably part of the reason is follows his storyline so perfectly.

A bonus: one of the complaints I've heard about the book is the difficulty in keeping track of the many characters, their viewpoints and their storylines. If you think that's a problem, watch the show first. Once you have a face and personality to match to the character, keeping them clear while you read is no problem at all.

Happy reading!