But I finally finished a book (November kicks my ass -- at some point several years ago, I decided to read all non-fiction during this month. No idea why.), so I might as well post for once.

1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare, James Shapiro. Okay, everyone who thinks "the man from Stratford" didn't write the plays attributed to ( Read more... )

( Read more... )

From #predicate:

[stankow] Oh, do NOT start in on me about the proper formatting of a military memorandum, Captain.
[CyGuy_afk] you tell him George - in haiku
[byrneout] I took a whole correspondence course about that. Not that I remember it, but my point is, there are resources. There is no doubt about the right answer. It's all wrote down ( Read more... )

Thank you, SPC byrneout, for risking a great job and taking time away from a patient and understanding husband to join the Army Reserve, knowing full well that you would likely be sent to some godawful land to get shot at.

Thank you, LT squorch, for going through the long, hard process of getting a commission and learning how to fly helicopters, knowing full ( Read more... )

...tell a compelling story," you say?

Wired would disagree, as would Ernest Hemingway, who is said to have called "For sale: Baby shoes, never worn" the finest thing he ever wrote (I'd tend to agree with him on that).

My own attempts:

The music swelled. The curtain stuck.

"His amnesia pill worked," she sobbed ( Read more... )

Okay, I've been shit at updating. I'll try to do better.

Finished a couple of books over the last few days, which probably takes me to the high 60s for the year, but of course I lost count early on and am going largely by memory.

The Hostile Takeover Trilogy, by S. Andrew Swann -- Swann is a journeyman author who's been cranking out really good ( Read more... )

Oops.

Well, it's been a fun time thus far. I've seen pretty much all the museums one person can stand in a week, shopped for books on Charing Cross Road, and bought a cheap umbrella during a light rainstorm.

Oh, I also saw We Will Rock You, the musical based on the songs of Queen. Fun time (especially for the half-price ticket I got with a tour ( Read more... )

Got here yesterday, walked my knees off since.

Things seen:
Speaker's Corner (lukewarm -- too many Jesus and/or Allah freaks; thinking of preaching Gospel of Ninja there if I run out of other stuff)
HMS Belfast (thumbs up -- ships are cool, guns are cool)
Tower of London (rocks hard, especially with live re-enactment of Anne Boleyn's trial ( Read more... )

Back in '98, I was in my Officer Advanced Course at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. One of my fellow students was a guy by the name of -- I kid you not -- Mike Hammer. Not Michael Hammer, either. His legal name was Mike. According to him, his mother had liked Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer novels, so when she married Mr. Hammer and had a son, " ( Read more... )

Did I not mention that I'd be going on vacation?

Well, I did. And it was lovely. And more shall follow, once I'm actually home and not just in transit.