Musings from the basement...

Do not pester the editor!

September 16, 2009 1 Comment

As some of you may know, I am an editor in my day job. That means I get plenty of letters, emails, faxes and calls from people who want to see their stuff in print. Press releases from marketing firms, mostly (I work in local newspapers), but other items, too. Let me share with you my least favorite call in the world: “I’m calling to confirm that you got my email?” Do not do this. I could go on a bitter tirade about why it’s irritating and why it’s unnecessary and why it defeats half the purpose of email, but I’m not feeling curmudgeonly today. Or at least, only mildly so. I don’t feel like ranting. So instead I will simply say: Do not do…
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Rants

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Back to the keyboard!

September 15, 2009 0 Comments

After taking a long break from writing, as of last night I am officially behind the keyboard again. Or in front of the keyboard. Whichever. It’s been about six weeks, which is as long as I’ve gone in quite some time. Sure, I had a good deal of work to do on my comic anthology during that time, but by the end of the process it wasn’t writing that needed to be done, it was largely administrative stuff and layout work. So last night, after another superb episode of Deadwood, I sat down for a short writing session. Got back to work on my dystopian science fiction novel, which has its flaws but is coming together okay. When I feel a little better about where…
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Writing

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The Wire’s David Simon is an opinionated man

September 10, 2009 2 Comments

Based on my recent blog post touting HBO’s television programming, it’s safe to say that I have become devotee of The Wire, a stunning, five-season long portrait of a city in decay. It may be second only to Deadwood as the best television HBO has to offer — and maybe that anyone has to offer. Television writing just doesn’t get any better. So as I am prone to do when I become heavily invested in something, after watching I immediately sought out interviews with David Simon, creator of The Wire and the Lead Brain behind the brains that brought the world this phenomenal show. What I found was a fascinating man who is intelligent, articulate, cynical, and angry. If you’ve been a fan of The…
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Television

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Martin Scorsese + HBO = Win

September 9, 2009 0 Comments

How awesome is this? As if I haven’t praised HBO enough in recent days, The Hollywood Reporter, err, reports that Martin Scorsese, he of GoodFellas, Taxi Driver, and Raging Bull fame, will direct the pilot for a new HBO series set in 1920 Atlantic City. Written by Terence Winter, “Empire” is set in 1920 at the dawn of Prohibition and chronicles the life and times of Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi), the undisputed ruler of Atlantic City, who was equal parts politician and gangster. I need know nothing more than that. Scorsese, Prohibition-era Atlantic City, and HBO? I’m in. I’m watching. I’m there.

Films, Television

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The Joy of Painting

September 8, 2009 0 Comments

My new hobby is painting. I’m not very good at it. That doesn’t matter, though. It’s calming. Relaxing. Therapeutic. And so talent be damned, I sit out back with brush in hand, some music on, a drink nearby, and I paint. Most of my August weekends were spent painting, and damn was it a great way to wind down and get my head cleared. So I thought I’d share the few pieces I’ve done. After all, aren’t self-indulgent, “hey everybody, look at me!” posts exactly what a blog is for? This is “Florida Sunset,” and you might recognize this photo as the inspiration. It’s a bit sloppy. Intentionally so; I wasn’t trying to capture detail, just impressions. I thought I’d try to paint an object…
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Random Musings, Uncategorized, Works by Eric

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