Category Archives: Humor

Roller Derby Isn’t Dead


At least not yet.

If you’re a man my age, you remember watching women’s roller derby on television back in the ’60s.  And if you’re my age, you don’t admit to that, either.  You also don’t admit to having watched Kansas City Bomber starring Rachel Welch.  But, come on, admit it . . . you know you did.

I hadn’t thought of roller derby in many years.  Indeed, I rather thought it had pretty much died long ago.  So, imagine my surprise when Ursula told me that one of her REALTOR colleagues was in a local roller derby team.

Now, my Swiss-born wife had never even heard of roller derby, let alone watched one.  Thus, I can honestly say that this was her idea, not mine.  And so it was last Saturday evening that we found ourselves at a match between El Paso’s Tex Pistols against Tucson’s Bandoleros.

Now for the rules.  I’m sure there are some.

I think El Paso won:

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Filed under Humor, Movies, Photography, Television

Fun Foto Friday—A Chilling Reminder


Remember winters past when you cursed the cold, slipped on sidewalks, dreaded driving, fought the freeze, and shivered while shoveling?

Bet you’re missing it by now, in all this heat:

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Filed under Humor, Photography

How to Sell a Million eBooks on Amazon and Barnes & Noble . . .


. . . is something I ask myself daily.

Excuse me while I engage in a little self-deprecating humor today.  I’m just in one of those moods.  Besides, I’m good a self-deprecating humor because there’s so much about which I can self-deprecate.  Here goes:

What . . . you thought I had an answer to the question posed above?  Would I be here wasting my time doing this if I did?  Isn’t that kind of like buying a video on how to become wealthy in the comfort of your own home?  While only working at your computer two hours and forty-three minutes a day?  While cruising Facebook and Twittering?  As you play Minesweeper?  In between naps?  I mean, think about that for a moment—if somebody knew that secret, would they:

  • be telling you about it?
  • asking you to pay $29.95 for the secret?  They’re already (supposedly) rich, right?
  • selling you something that, if known by too many people, would dilute it’s overall value to them?
  • be wasting their time trying to sell you something to begin with?

HECK NO!  They’d be living it up instead.  They’d be on their ocean-plying, yacht-born computers.  Facebooking and Twittering the day away.  While playing Minesweeper.  In between naps.

Kind of reminds me of that inadvertently revealing sign posted on the door of the Psychics’ Convention—

Cancelled Due To Unforeseen Circumstances

As my literary agent would frequently lament, “Well, I liked it.”  That’s nice to hear.  Doesn’t help pay to put sand in the kitty litter box, but it’s nice to hear.

And then there are those well-intentioned few who try to comfort (Hint:  It doesn’t work; see below):

Friend 1:  “Do you know how many times Stephen King was rejected?”
Me:  “Apparently at least one less time than I’ve been.”

Friend 2:  “I can’t believe this thing isn’t published, especially considering all the crap out there that is.”
Me:  “Care to rephrase that?  You’re not helping.”

Friend 3:  “Have you thought about writing a vampire love story?”
Me:  “Now there’s an original idea that no one else is doing.”

Friend 4:  “Stephen King’s wife fished Carrie out of the trash, and it became a bestseller.”
Me:  “Great.  Do you think you can get Mrs. King over to my house to go through my trash?  Better yet, maybe I should hide a manuscript underneath my underwear pile.”

Friend 5:  “I have this great idea for a story, but I don’t know how to write it.”
Me:  “That makes two of us.”

Friend 6:  “This is as least as good as James Joyce’s Ulysses.”
Me:  “Ulysses is the greatest novel never read.”

Okay, I made that last one up.  I’ve never been compared to James Joyce.  Agatha Christie?  Yes (by Publishers Weekly).  Nelson DeMille?  Yes.  Carl Hiaasen?  Yes.

But James Joyce?  No (and I secretly hope that I never am).

Anyway, if you want to see what all the fuss isn’t about:

The Globe—murder most opulent

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Filed under Author, Books, eReaders, Humor, Writing