There was a time when I had the entire Fine Malt Lyrics album memorized. So classic.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

It’s true. I’m not dead yet. Things have just been really, REALLY busy. Like WOAH busy.

I’m hoping for a bit of a reprieve over the holidays (ha, yeah, right?!), as I have something to finish (a book maybe?), and a website to update etc.

Also, I have not one, but TWO awesome contests lined up for early in the new year, so stay tuned for that.

I will be back soon… I hope.

Today was not a good day. One of those days you wish you could just rewind and start anew. Alas, I haven’t figured out how to do that yet.

I have, however, figured out how to open a wine bottle. I can do that rather well, believe it or not.

So, in order to relieve the stresses of the day, I’m sipping on a wonderful Shiraz and listening to the Boomtown Rats.

Fitting, doncha think?

I never got a chance to do my huge update to what I’ve been up to over the last 2 months, but I promise I will do so once I get back from Mexico!

Time to board the plane for a week of drinking, dining, tanning… and writing!

Behave! =)

PS: And to all my friends heading to World Fantasy–have a blast without me!

Wow. I can’t believe it’s been over a month since I’ve blogged. But what a CRAZY month or so it’s been. Over the next few days I hope to quickly throw together a photo-heavy blog post chronicling where I’ve been and what I’ve been up to, including trips to San Francisco and New York City.

Yeah, last 30+ days = madhouse.

And it’s not going to let up anytime soon…

If you don’t know what Left 4 Dead (L4D) or Left 4 Dead 2 (L4D2) is, then please enlighten yourself. You will need the skills within for the zombie apocalypse. Trust.

While I was away on vacation, I was visiting a friend’s cottage and lo’ and behold, I found something rather interesting.

A TANK ALERT box.

Now, most people would attribute this rather curious looking device–colored in Half-Life orange no less–to the toilet it sat beside.

But not I. Not being well-versed in the art of zombie killing via L4D and L4D2.

No, I immediately went O M F G. And took a picture.

Yeah, all I could think about was how this would be so fitting in the Left 4 Dead universe. Because when you hear the thumping, T-Rex like vibrations of an approaching Tank, it’s already too late. But a Tank Alert Alarm System could save you precious seconds–allowing you to not run away (because there is no running away from a Tank), but to load up on ammo and prayers.

And if you don’t know what a Tank is? Check this out:

Yeah. Guns and prayers. Guns and prayers.

And it’s kinda funny how a franchise and soak into your head so much that the second you see something that could easily fit into said franchise, your brain automatically makes the leap. I love that.

Now I need to find something to defend against Boomers, because, well, they’re just gross.

So after reading about Cory Doctorow taking off on vacation up into the wilds of Canada and not looking at email, answering the phone, or blogging, I started thinking about doing the same. I mean, I can’t remember the last time I cut myself off of the internet. Even when I was in Hawaii for 2 weeks during my 5 year wedding anniversary, I still blogged and uploaded pics while I trekked around with my wife. Or the Dominican Republic in March is another perfect example. WiFi on the resort meant me with my BlackBerry, all day, every day (much to my wife’s chagrin).

And to be honest, I’m not sure I can do it. I am email addicted. Twitter addicted. Internet addicted.

Well, I am plugged in pretty hard.

But when I look at the picture below (a quick snap from Maui), I think, ahhh, relaxation–and how nice would it be to just disappear for a little while.

So that is exactly what I’m going to do. As of tomorrow, when I leave my house for a cottage on a favourite Canadian lake, I will be unplugging myself.

No internet, no email, no Twitter, nothing.

I will have my cell phone in case my agent needs to get a hold of me, but that’s it. No. Data. Access.

The order of business will be family, beach, writing, and reading. And drinking a few beers here and there.

I will be back on Sunday August 22nd.

Now I need to go ready myself for the disconnection tomorrow morning. It’s going to hurt…

Or will it?

Last night I went to see the Black Eyed Peas in Toronto with my wife, brother, and his girlfriend. We’d been waiting for this show for some time, since we bought the tickets back in March…

And wow, they sure didn’t disappoint.

We had awesome seats, just off-center to the crazy stage. Then opened up with Let’s Get It Started (surprise, surprise, though I was kinda expecting I Gotta Feeling, which they used as their encore–a whole 2 hours after they opened the show!). And for that whole 2 hours they smashed it. Awesome beats after awesome beats. Good stage presentation, good mix of tracks, with awesome stage presence from the entire group.

Taboo even rode high above the crowd on a TRON light cycle…I mean, how cool is that?

Now, I always thought will.i.am was talented, but seeing him “freestyle” rap–without making a mistake–for over 5 minutes was truly amazing. I couldn’t find a clip of him doing it in Toronto, but I did find one from Sacramento to give you an idea. He gets amazingly fast by the 3:30 mark and blows the doors off by the end.

Now I guess you’re wondering why I haven’t mentioned Fergie yet…well, best for last? Um, yeah. She looked amazing in person, and damn, her voice was powerful and rather–surprisingly–solid live. She even did three of her solo tracks, Fergalicious, Glamorous, and Big Girls Don’t Cry. And of course her outfits were crazy-hot.

Actually all of the costumes were over-the-top, including will.i.am coming out in this funky cylon-like robotic outfit for a 20 minute DJ set–that totally rocked BTW.

Really, the entire show was like one big party and I can’t wait to see them again in September–in San Francisco. Aw, yeah!

I will leave you two of my favorite BEP songs–Meet Me Halfway…

…and Pump It.

Finally a new Deus Ex game–and OMG does it look gorgeous or what?

My Xbox 360 has been collecting dust since February (yeah, I know–I’ve been busy). But I would totally dust it off for this game. That and Bioshock 2, which I still have to pick up.

Anyways, if you love Blade Runner, cyberpunk, neon, dystopian realities melding with transhumanist possibility, then buckle-up for this.

I wants.

Sleeping Sickness by City and Colour

I awoke only to find my lungs empty,
and through the night so it seems i’m done breathing,
and now my dreams are nothing like they were meant to be,
and i’m breaking down,
I think i’m breaking down.

And i’m afraid to sleep because of what haunts me,
such as living with the uncertainty,
that i’ll never find the words to say which would completely explain,
just how i’m breaking down.

Someone come and,
someone come and save my life.
Maybe i’ll sleep when I am dead,
but now it’s like the night is taking sides.
And all the worries that occupy the back of my mind,
could it be this misery will suffice?

I’ve become the simple souvenir of someone’s kill,
and like the sea i’m constantly changing from calm to ill,
madness fills my heart and soul,
as if the great divide could swallow me whole,
oh how i’m breaking down.

Someone come and,
someone come and save my life.
Maybe i’ll sleep when I am dead,
but now it’s like the night is taking sides.
And all the worries that occupy the back of my mind,
could it be this misery will suffice?

Oh we’re alive.

Someone come and,
someone come and save my life.
Someone come and,
someone come and save my life.
Someone come and,
someone come and save my life.

Could it be this misery will suffice?