coshdaddy is alive

Yes, I am. The last few weeks have been really rough for me in terms of getting things sorted. Life and otherwise. It's been wild, but I'm finally feeling like I'm landing safely.

One thing I need to make sure gets done is addressing things that bother people. That's kind of what journals are for sometimes!

Most of you who read the forums will have read this forum thread regarding the DD situation for literature, among a few other exposure related things for lit. Let me just say that I do agree that some (a few) changes are needed. One of which, of course, is more damn DDs (especially of the prose variety). That's my focus right now, and will continue to be so.

Some of you might also wonder how to suggest a DD.

Well.

Send a note with the subject line that includes the word DD in it to myself or ^PoeticWar (he's good for poetry). Make sure you include a link to the deviation and the username of the author. Also, if you can, include a short write-up describing the piece or its qualities that made you nominate it for a DD.

For me, you might not always get a response (sometimes I get a few on a day when I don't have time to respond) but I do read them all.

My plan for the future right now involves gradually evening out the amount of DDs given to both sides of lit (prose and poetry) and that plan doesn't involved phasing out poetry, I swear! I've also read the concerns about making lit stuff hot topics, since that seems to have been quelled a bit lately. Remember that you control what makes it to the front page of the news with your +heart, but yes, more can be done for exposure.

There are a few changes in the pipes for lit, and you'll start seeing some of them soon. Keep an eye open, there's a lot going on. And, if you can, start a fire.

coshdaddy reads

I've finally gotten through Todd(`alienhead)'s book A Scythe Torpedo (Okay, that might be my worst parody title yet. Or my best). Of course, I mean A Life Transparent, his first book (that I'm aware of!) that he's published via Lulu. I promised him a short review, and so it follows.

It was hard to read through this book for me the first time for a very simple reason, I connected it with the author a bit too strongly. I understand that this is a very personal book, but I had to disconnect from that a little bit so that I could tackle the prose at the best level that I could.

The story revolves around a protagonist (Donovan Candle) who has been afflicted with a particularly dismal existence that begins to drain him in more ways than one. He starts to literally disappear from the Earth, but only he is noticing it happening. He starts to find solace in the few people he contacts through his telemarketing job (also the source of his draining) to talk about just anything, until one particular customer sets off events that alter his life and the life of those around him forever.

It's a very short story. Not that it is particularly lacking in size, but the events of the story happen in such bursts that, before you know, the whole chronicle is over. The description and language is very strong, and gives you a good sense of the environment and the thoughts of the protagonist and just how he is dealing with the extreme circumstances.

My prose work has always involved this: normal person + extraordinary circumstances. It's tried, true, and for some it's boring as hell, but this takes an interesting spin on the whole thing and gives you a new perspective. It's one of those moral stories. Don't be dull.

It's a very raw piece, in essence. I don't feel we're given enough time to care about Candle, or understand that, yes, his life is that boring. As much as he's stuck in his situation, it never seems that hopeless. There's a lot of borrowed in terms of his influences. I can smell Pahalniuk, I can read the Reznor and Office Space does kind of creep in at the start. It's a tapestry of the author's influence and own life experiences. No matter how you disconnect it, even reading the words from the author at the end of the book allows you to connect the characters within the story to the life of the author.

It's wildly entertaining, however, and does present not only a good story, but a good story told well. It's not hard to pick up, and it's something you'll consume completely before putting down. I easily recommend you giving it a try if you like `alienhead's work. It's general fiction that borders on sci-fi, but gives you an alternative perspective on the world that we all live in. A little action, a little banter, a lot of thought and sex. We can all be happy for that.

Support your local artists. The internet makes him like your next-door neighbour. Borrow some sugar than buy his book.

SIGNED COPIES

He'll only be selling signed copies for a couple more days. Until the 31st, actually, so get buying. It's a worthy cause (his wedding) and a good book, so go for it.

coshdaddy is actually a GD

The 12th (that's twelve) edition of the Literature Gallery Update has been put out. It's exciting! It's expensive! It's elongated! E words!

There's a lot going on and you should check it out. There's even more that'll be coming in the next one, which is due in about a month. In the mean time *litNEWS knows what the haps are.

coshdaddy has a life

School is for fools. I've realized this. I do all this work and for what? A silly piece of paper! Seriously, let's all just become rock stars, guys? Who wants to play bass?

This semester has been more foreboding than any of my previous. I'm using some cool technology I've never tried before. I'm studying AI, using ASP.NET and JRuby, making my own search engine and maximizing results and algorithms (That's a tough course) and all kinds of other fun stuff. Still no PHP, so I'm useless as a web programmer. Stop calling me!

I'm trying to convince Toni to come see me. I'm pretty sure she's not here already because she's embarrassed by the fact that I write Dinosaur Comics fan comics. That and I am becoming huge from overconsumption of Dairy Queen's Blizzard.

Who could say no, though? Honestly.

I went paintballing yesterday. I got shot in the back of the head and the hand. Man, that hurt!

coshdaddy actually posts his own Dinosaur Comics

I'll add this later when I'm finished.

UPDATE:

We are all philosophers!

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