It’s Friday, February 28, 2014. It is the 59th day of the year. It is a cool 40 degrees in Dallas this morning at 6 AM. Fortunately, we are not as cold as our neighbors in the northern plains and upper Midwest. They have all those temperatures that begin with a minus sign before the numbers. It is plenty cold for me though. My maternal family’s arrival in Texas predates the Texas Revolution in 1836. I jokingly say as a result I get cold when it gets below 90 degrees. I guess that is why I love the Texas heat of July and August.
This morning as I am typing I am listening to one of my favorite groups of all time, The Alan Parson Project. The song I have on a continuous play loop this morning is “Don’t Answer Me”. It is a 1984 song from the album Ammonia Avenue. It rose to #15 on the Billboard charts in the United States. This was the last Billboard Top 20 hit for the Alan Parsons Project. The music video – which was the first music video from the Alan Parsons Project – was rendered in comic book style, with art and animation by MW Kaluta.
On this date in 1991 the first Gulf War (code-named Operation Desert Storm) ended. In 2001 the Nisqually Earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter Scale hit the Nisqually Valley and the Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia area of the U.S. state of Washington. As a former US Army officer I paid attention to the Gulf War. Some of the men and women I served with back in the 1970s were still on active duty at the time. While in the US Army I was stationed at then Fort Lewis, Washington (now Joint Reserve Base Lewis-McChord. It is located in the heart of the Nisqually Valley. The Nisqually River flowing through the west side of the base with its frigid waters coming straight off the glacier with the same name.
The time is now 6:45 AM. I did a simple time check as I am writing this before going to my day job.
This week my acquaintances Terry Burns and Linda Yezak had the new book released. Writing in Obedience – A Primer for Christian Fiction Writers is the title. I own the paperback and the Kindle version. It is available through Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Obedience-Christian-Fiction-Writers/dp/1941103138. The book is good. I have read over half to date.
Another writing acquaintance with a new release Mur Lafferty. is Her latest book, set for release March 4, is The Ghost Train to New Orléans. She won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer 2013. It is available for preorder at http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Train-Orleans-Shambling-Guides/dp/0316221147. I am a long time Mur fan. I own her earlier book The Shambling Guide to New York City. It is available on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Shambling-Guide-York-City-Guides/dp/0316221171/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_y. The book is awesome. it is the first Urban Fantasy book I ever read. Mur tells a great story.
Well, it is 7 AM. It’s time to get to the day job.