Fire Breathers Wanted!

Friends, Romans, Countrymen lend me your...

Actually, to hell with that. Stop listening to me and make yourself heard for a change. Do you know what time it is?

It's time. It's time. It's Dragon Time!

Yup. Nominations for the Dragon Awards are due July 24th. That gives you less than a week to nominate your favorite new Science Fiction and Fantasy related products for the coolest awards ever. I mean seriously if ypu've read or played something that was Just... Too... SWEEEEET!!!! since the last nomination period ended, here's your chance to get it recognized.

Jimbo 3:16 says that all fans should be allowed to have their voices heard. Go ahead and cross the boss. Worldcon may have erected the Walls of Jericho to keep their geriatric main eventers in the spotlight, but this is your chance to give your favorite author a Money in the Bank match. Actually, it's not just your favorite author.

The Dragons are awards that are truly given by the fans. The Hugos make the same claim but they made a heel turn about twenty years ago and haven't been worth a damn since. It's hardly surprising given the fact that Mae Young and The Fabulous Moolah are both too young to get into Worldcon to share their opinions. Seriously, even a midcard blogger like yours truly can vote. Speaking of which...

Do you know who can vote? Anyone who damn well pleases. Just follow this link and nominate one work in each category. Well, unless you want to skip a category. I didn't vote for Besy Board Game because I haven't playef any new SF/F board games in the past year. I did vote for Best Video Game (Blizzard's World of Warcraft: Legion). There are also categories for things like Best Comic Book, Best Movie and Best Mobile App. They don't solely recognize fiction and treat everyone else like a member of the Job Squad. It doesn't have to be One,Two, Three for life if you more than just writing.

Seriously,  the Dragon Awards are about what this blog is about. There are a lot if awards given in writing categories and that's awesome. There is a lot more to Science Fiction and Fantasy than what a bunch of blue hairs and their traveling convention will recognize. There is a lot more to Science Fiction and Fantasy than what a bunch of blue hairs and their traveling convention will recognize. This is an award that recognizes all of the areas that the other cons should.

I want to make this point too. It's something Declan Finn offered me a chance to explain when I appeared on his podcast, The Catholic Geek, but I let the chance pass. What should have been a snap suplex turned into a missed spot. (Cue ECW fans.) Things like this are the key to introducing the next generation of fans to the classics of SF/F.

If you want to tell a kid about Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake you do it while he is watching John Cena. If you want to tell kids about Larry Niven's Ringworld is while they're playing, watching or reading Halo.

So it's time to lay The Smackdown on that old garbage and put your favorite works over. Last year's winners are going to drop the strap. Nominate your favorite works to pick it up.Everyone wants to see their favorite win a title, right?

Life's Lessons as Learned From a Bag of Pretzels

(Yes,  this is an SF/F blog.  No this is not SF/F related.  I actually have five minutes to sit and write however,  and [cue music] It's my bloggie and I'll post if I want to. You would post too if it happened to you.)

A weird thing happened today.  See,  I'm moving in today and as I was finalizing packing I came across an old bag of pretzels.  This shouldn't have been surprising. I'm a three hundred plus pound man and I love pretzels.  Actually,  I love to eat,  period.  That's just me.

The surprising part is that I couldn't remember when I had bought these pretzels.  I had known they were there,  but not for how long.  I hadn't had time to eat them even though they were in front of my computer and that's where I spend pretty much all my time when I'm at home. I just hadn't been in front of my computer for long enough to eat a pretzel in weeks.

I tried one before I threw them out.  They were stale and disgusting. I thought back and I'm pretty sure I bought those when I first went back to work at the end of April I think.  It's a little hazy.

See,  I work thirteen hour shifts and I ride the bus.  It's currently (before the move) about two and a half to three hours each way to work.  Most days I've been walking in from work and passing out face first in bed so that I could be up for work in three to five hours to either go back to work or go spend time with my kids. I've been so tired that I literally can't see straight sometimes.  (That's not an exaggeration this time. I walked into a wall because I missed the door once.)

The thing is,  I haven't been concerned by that at all.  I was raised to believe that, as an adult,  you just sucked it up and went to work.  Work was a responsibility and to be taken seriously.  You had to go so you went.  I remember my dad having an abscessed tooth once and walking around with his whole face swollen for like three or four days because he didn't want to take off of work to get it fixed. That's just how it was supposed to be.

What I'm finding out is that there needs to be more to life than work.  I haven't been able to do many reviews recently because I haven't been able to stay awake on the bus to read books.  I see my kids but I can't enjoy it because I'm too tired to process the experience. I don't even think about slowing down because I can't. I have obligations.

Not only that but I've lost weight. This should be a good thing.  I'm fat.  I need to lose weight.  The thing is I haven't been trying.  I've been losing weight because I don't have time to eat.  This sucks.

I guess my point is that I learned that I need to try taking care of myself.  Moving is going to help that because I will be cutting commute times down to about a quarter of what they currently are.  I should be able to get more sleep and maybe have some time to goof off starting tomorrow. I just wish I had learned my lesson sooner