The idea of truth serum - a tonic that compels its drinker to speak the truth when questioned - has a long and storied history. So why is it that when I think of truth serum I only ever think of one incarnation of it, the veritaserum of the Harry Potter universe? Oh, that's right. [...]
The Endless Cycle
It's always something. There's always some new gizmo or updated gadget or impeccable piece of software begging to be purchased and fawned over in all its shiny, fleeting glory. But even if I succumb to the lure of buying a Kindle or updating my iPhone or taking the plunge and buying a PS4 (so that [...]
The Kindle Dilemma
Partly because I'm easily ensnared by shiny new things and partly because I try to be a devout practitioner of efficiency, I'm very tempted to purchase the forthcoming, revamped Amazon Kindle. I've never owned an true e-reader before (though I do own an iPad) and the allure of the Kindle has always been obvious to [...]
Drivel & Dreams
When I came across this review yesterday, I couldn't help but smile. In case you didn't follow that link (which you should), the book being reviewed is Drivel: Deliciously Bad Writing by Your Favorite Authors. It's a collection of early, and decidedly bad, writings from luminaries like Dave Eggers, Chuck Palahniuk, and A.J. Jacobs. Early [...]
The Mirror of Galadriel
I recently finished reading Michael Chabon's The Mysteries of Pittsburgh which has given me plenty to think about, including a consideration of the roles that women are assigned in male-created art. It'll be a few days before I've pulled my thoughts into order regarding Chabon's work though, so in the meantime - and since we've only just passed Hobbit [...]
Hail the Pre-Order
I was recently introduced to the music of Hail the Sun. It's fun, it's fast, it shreds. That's really all you need to know. Because I'm old and grumpy and like for the things that I own to have physical form, I pre-ordered their upcoming full-length, Wake, on CD. And then, only a couple of days [...]
Editor Me
When I review books on this site, I'm generally reviewing them for my own sake. I'm making myself write a book report, basically, in the hopes that doing so will force/allow me to dig deeper into a given work and therefore learn something that betters me as a reader/writer/person. I'm the only person who works on [...]
Material Anticipation
It may be that I've talked music with the Brothers Dye more than I've talked about...anything else with...anyone else. Yeah. That sounds about right. So when I was in the car with Matt over last weekend, we talked about music a lot. A. Lot. And as is often the case, Matt recommended a bunch of ridiculously [...]
Among the Mud People: A Review of Riot Fest Chicago
Over the weekend I traveled to Chicago with my friends Matt and Brenda in order to attended all three days of the Riot Fest music festival. The whole weekend, held in the Windy City's Humboldt Park, was a strangely segmented affair and trying to turn all of my thoughts from it into one cohesive piece seems not only painfully [...]
Who Am I?
I'm a big creative project starter. Songs, stories, blogs, and books (still working on the link for that last one) - at some time or another I've started writing all of them. My goal is to finish these projects. Well, at least some of them. Someday. Maybe tomorrow. No need to rush into anything. In the interim - [...]
Songs & Stories 