Stores for a Dead Night in Spokane

I have several short stories in Stories for a Dead Night in Spokane, a local anthology that hit bookstores (local at least) yesterday. My stories in this anthology are The Serious Business of Ira Hammerstein, Death at Sunrise and Foolproof.

There were nice reviews done by both Spokane / Coeur d'Alene Living and The Inlander. There will be a reading / signing on August 21st at Auntie's bookstore.

Stories for a Dead Night in Spokane is available at Spokane area bookstores and Amazon.com.

Journal of Business Article

I wrote an article for the Journal of Business that appeared in the July 1st issue. The article provided different thoughts to consider prior to selecting a property management company.

The article has been reprinted on the NAI Black website. Check it out here.

An old Army buddy of mine, Ed Kratil sent me a picture a couple days ago of the kaserne (post) where we lived in Muenster, Germany for over two years. He told me that our former home had been remodeled into low-income housing.

In the picture, the guard shack at the front of the post had been converted into some sort of pizza shop.

I stared at the picture for a bit. After the Gulf War had started several of us where pulling guard duty for the base in that shack. In the background you can see large growth of grass and other vegetation. When we were there, it was trimmed neat and clean.

I’ve included the only remaining picture I have of that area. I cut it down several years ago to fit into one of those multi-picture frames.

While I looked at the picture, I thought of the lyrics to My City was Gone (by the Pretenders).

The lyrics are:

I went back to Ohio

but my city was gone

there was no train station

there was no downtown

South Howard had disappeared

all my favorite places

my city had been pulled down

reduced to parking spaces

A, O, way to go, Ohio

I’m not one to stand in the way of progress, but I was sad to realize that my former home was gone.

I had a similar feeling last year when I visited my former hometown of Wapakenta, Ohio. The city really hadn’t changed, but I had. The warm memories I had of that town were vague due to the passing of my childhood. Seeing it again, gave it a reality that didn’t jibe with how I remembered it.

But seeing our post as low income housing isn’t erasing or changing those memories I have. In fact, I think I might be remembering them a little more fondly now.

I won’t be able to walk back in the barracks and see some lowly private sitting CQ.

I won’t be able to see my old room.

I won’t be able to go down range and see the bunkers where my other friends were working while Angel and I were in Darmstadt screwing around. We had a great gig!

Hell, there are a lot of memories I won’t be able to relive.

Except in my memories.

With every year they are sweeter.

Social Networking at its Finest

Let’s talk social networking for a bit.

I joined Facebook a bit ago, but never did much with it. I just let it sit there. It didn’t interest me that much. I was more interested in creating my LinkedIn page for business networking.

I wasn’t even paying much attention to it until Craig Nelson found me.

Craig was one of the closest friends I’ve had in my life. We were stationed in Muenster, Germany from 1989-91 at the 184th Ordnance Company. I liked Craig immediately when I met him. He was smart (exceptionally so), witty and a bit cocky. We had similar personalities in that we wanted to “experience” Germany, not just “live” there. We took German in college courses and always wanted to be on the “economy” and not on base. I loved Craig like an older brother.

After Craig found me on Facebook, we found Steve Angelastro, another of our 184th brothers. Steve was my roommate for the majority of the time I was in Muenster. He was the most lovable guy I’ve ever met. He was (and probably still is) motivated by making people smile. However, he had the worst taste in women any of us had ever seen and the most annoying habit of grabbing an unguarded video camera. I couldn’t have asked for a better roommate for those years.

Once Angel was in the mix, it didn’t take long for Phil Mainz to join. Phil and Steve are friends who live in the great city of Chicago. To put it plainly, during our time in Germany, there was something wrong with Phil. He was that guy who guzzled Pepsi and chain-smoked Marlboro’s for two years. Every day in the chow hall, the guy ate a cheeseburger. He could have had anything but he chose a cheeseburger. He loved to offend but was secretly a nice guy. He’d go out of his way to help a friend. However, he may still own a compromising photo of me with his inflatable Gumby.

A couple days ago, Angel found Ed Kratil on Facebook. Ed was the original nice guy. While the rest of us were heathens in various stages of development, Ed was quiet and calm. He was mature beyond his years. He had a great sense of humor and was smarter than the rest of us. If anyone was counted on to help our group make the right decision, it was Ed.

Okay, so how would I describe me at 20 years of age? Well, I wanted to get laid (although wasn’t very successful at it). I wanted beer. I wanted to laugh with my friends. I didn’t go home for more the 2 ½ years I was in Germany because the guys above were my family. I cried when I left and was depressed for a bit when I got home. Even now, it’s tough remembering that.

I wish I could tell you more about the guys, but I don’t have the time or the space. Just know that they were family.

So far we’ve found five of us. We’re still missing part of the old crew, but hopefully we can pick up a few more. And maybe we’ll even get together at some point.

But we need to keep the video camera away from Angel.

Growing up, not growing old

I turned 40 on January 30th of this year.

I don’t have any children of my own and never had any little ones in the house.

So, why on earth am I keeping storage rooms full of toys and comic books?

Yeah, I’m that guy. The 40 Year Old not-so-much-Virgin. I admit it.

I’ve taken a lot of teasing over the years for my love of comics and my collecting of toys related to those comics. I kept the comics in plastic sleeves with backer boards. The toys were never removed from their boxes because they would lose their value. Sheesh, what a nerd.

A few years back, I sold a bunch of my toys off on ebay. I made about $3,000 doing it. That’s amazing, right? Do you know what’s more amazing? I bought very high-end comics with that money. Yup, that’s classic Colin. Do something good and follow it up with a silly decision. I’ve got a handful of professionally-graded comics now that total more than $3,000.

Iron Man #1 and Fantastic Four #48 (the first appearance of the Silver Surfer) are just a couple of this bunch. I was so happy to own these books. I stared longingly at them for several weeks. I showed them off to friends and family. Then I put them in a box. I’ve only looked at them one or twice since when I’ve had to move that box. Where’s the value or joy in owning something like that?

The same goes for the toys. I’ve got boxes and boxes filled with toys and vintage video game systems. These boxes are in the furnace room, the attic, my home office and a couple closets. For a while, I had all of my toys on display in my home office, but I decided to stop with the toy store look and put them away. I never look at those things now.

Why am I telling you this?

Well, like I said I turned 40 this year. On my birthday, I was eating breakfast alone in a Las Vegas casino restaurant. I liked being there that morning and reflecting on my life. There were many things I’ve done that I was happy about (joining the Army, getting my college degree, being a cop, joining General Growth) and some things I wasn’t (getting involved with the police guild, walking away from GGP, buying a Laundromat).

I didn’t decide at that moment to sell my collection, but I knew I wanted to make different choices in my life. On of those was to grow up.

Oh, I’ll still love comic book heroes and will rush to the movie theater when the new Wolverine movie comes out. (I saw Watchmen on opening night and it was great). I will still think some toys are awesome to look at, but I won’t be buying them anymore.

Why should I keep a house full of things that serve no purpose? They are my “knick-knacks.”

My mom has a house full of knick-knacks and it drives me crazy. It always has. I hate little trinkets here and there, cluttering up a house, requiring extra dusting and always getting in the way. But it wasn’t until this birthday that I realized I was doing the same thing.

I don’t want to be that guy anymore.

So, I’ve started a big sell-off on ebay and craigslist. Last year I did a big spring clean-out and was dumping boxes and other crap that I saved for no reason. Why would anyone keep a box to a flat screen TV that you’ve had for two years? But I hoarded the collectibles, refusing to see what I now see.

Well, no more. My goal is to de-clutter my life while at the same time recapturing some of the funds that went into building this collection. It’s a slow process, but a process I have begun nonetheless.

I want to live life. I want to learn how to play the guitar (I’m taking lessons now). I want to travel and sightsee. I want to improve my writing. I want to go back to school. I want to take Kenpo Karate again. I want to try my hand at owning a business again. I will do these things because they are what add value to my life. They will challenge me and help me grow.

I won’t judge my life by the things I own. Not anymore.

American Psycho

I finished American Pyscho (1991) yesterday by Bret Easton Ellis, the author of Less than Zero.

However, I remembered watching the movie American Psycho (2000) with Christian Bale in the lead and thinking, “That’s f’ing weird.”

A friend of mine recommended I read it while on vacation and I’ve got to tell you, “It’s f’ing weird.”

But in a good way.

First of all, if you are in anyway offended by scenes of sex, torture or murder then stay the hell away from this book. Don’t open it up and randomly read anything. You will scream and tear your eyes out if you hit one of several passages. I am not easily offended by any book and I have to say there were several times I put the book down and thought, “Oh, man, I don’t want that image in my head.”

If you can put aside the few truly graphic scenes, the rest of the book is amazing. Ellis wrote the book in first person narrative, so you see the world through the eyes of Patrick Bateman, a Wall Street serial killer.

Bateman lives in a world of consumption, not compassion. He can describe the clothes his friends wear right down to the designer label and the cut of the suit. He brags about his purchases with the recall of a product brochure.

He can tell you what is the hot restaurant to be seen at without even thinking. The presentation of food is more important than the taste. He passed up eating a meal because he didn’t want to disturb the presentation of the food. Food was often ordered just so it would sit on the table.

The way the “hard bodies” (his term) look is more important than what they think. They are only toys to be used and then thrown away. Sometimes that is figurative. Other times that is literal.

People are interchangeable in the world Bateman lives in. Those outside his clique constantly refer to him as someone else. He and his friends confuse those outside their clique in the same manner.

Everyone is wearing a mask. Only Bateman’s mask hides a killer.

The scenes where Bateman pulls off his mask and shows his depravity are the only place reality takes hold. There are no lies to be told. There is only the truth of what he is doing to others. Afterward, Bateman returns to the world of the masked Wall Streeter where lies are told among friends and everyone tries to out do the other in the world of consumption.

I found myself impressed with the way Ellis pulled off the psychotic nature of Bateman. He didn’t beat the reader over the head with it. In fact, a good quarter of the book passes before any murderous act is shown. Up until then it is little mentions of evil that are sprinkled in with the narration of Bateman’s shallow life.

The ending kind of fizzled for me, but the rest of the book was worth the journey.

I’d recommend this book with one caveat: if you have a weak stomach, read something else.

Reflections On The Pop Culture That Was - 2008

I’m trolling my brain for all of the things that I really enjoyed this year. Some of them have been around for a while, but I just discovered them. I’ll share them with you here but you have to promise that if you disagree with me you’ll not tell me how great the new Britney Spears album is or how important the Sex and the City movie was to you.

BOOKS

The Heroin Diaries by Nikki Sixx– A year long slide into a drugged induced hell is chronicled by the Motley Crue bassist. The book was released in late in 2007, but I only found it this year. It’s the best thing I read all year.

Somebody Owes Me Money by Donald Westlake and A Diet of Treacle by Lawrence Block – These books were put out by Hard Case Crime. HCC is re-releasing vintage crime fiction books from masters such as Westlake and Block. Every time I see that Hard Case Crime logo I get excited and scoop up a new book.

Hit and Run by Lawrence Block – Keller, the stamp collecting hit man is back. Block is my favorite author and I enjoyed the hell out of this story.

INTERNET

Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog – if you haven’t seen this yet, go check it out. It’s a three part mini-movie (42 minutes in all) about a super villain and the woman he adores from afar. The back story on it is very interesting as it was made during the Writer’s Strike. There are some amazingly catchy tunes in the movie, my favorite being Freeze Ray (Laundry Day).

LinkedIn – I signed up for LinkedIn last year, the social networking site for business. I did little with it, but have decided to use it more aggressively in marketing me and what I can do for a prospective client.

Facebook – I finally got in the groove of social networking. I also signed up for Facebook last year, but did nothing with it. Recently, however, it’s allowed me to connect with several old friends, especially three Army buddies that were a huge part of my life.

MUSIC

Motley Crue’s Saints of Los Angeles – The Crue was back this year and I loved the title track. The rest of the album was awesome as well.

Sixx A.M.’s The Heroin Diaries – This was the soundtrack to the book mentioned above. Nikki Sixx put together a band and created an amazing album that goes hand-in-hand with his story.

Buckcherry’s Too Drunk to F&^% - This is not a remake of the classic Dead Kennedy’s song (can something be classic with a swear word in the title?). Buckcherry’s tune is catchy and full of dirty, suggestive lyrics. I love it!

MOVIES

Iron Man – Yup, it’s as good as they say.

The Dark Knight – Christian Bale was excellent and Heath Ledger was the creepiest villain I’ve ever seen.

The Incredible Hulk – screw the critics. The movie was a blast.

Quantum of Solace – Bond was back. While it wasn’t as good as Casino Royale, Quantum showed why the current incarnation of Bond is the best and toughest of them all.

Tropical Thunder – Robert Downey is the man. “Just because it’s a theme song don’t make it not true.”

Mr. Brooks – Okay, this one was made in 2007, but I saw it only a few days ago on DVD. Kevin Costner plays Mr. Brooks, a serial killer who lives as a mild-mannered businessman trying to control his evil urges. William Hurt plays the embodiment of his sociopathic nature. Costner was great but Hurt stole the movie.

TELEVISION

The Big Bang Theory – it’s in its second season but I just discovered it. The show is about two nerdy physicists, their two geeky friends and the beautiful girl who lives next door. When I initially heard about the show, I thought it would be stupid beyond belief. Man, was I wrong! It’s the funniest thing since the first season of Two and a Half Men.

The Shield – this series wrapped up this year after seven seasons. It was known for pushing the limit and this season didn’t back down. The series finale was very disturbing and left images in my head that I still see when I think about the show.

Saturday Night Live’s political skits – SNL finally mattered again. Tina Fey is the sexiest woman on the planet!

Countdown with Keith Olberman – Yeah, he’s liberal. Get over it. He’s also the smartest and wittiest political commentator out there.

VIDEO GAMES (Xbox 360)

Rainbow Six Vegas 2 – Oh, man, there is a disturbing little thrill that comes from tossing a grenade into a room full of terrorists.

Gears of War – This one came out a year ago, but I was late to the party. But, damn, what a party! Big guns, bigger explosions and a bunch of creepy aliens. I’m hoping to get the second game in this series soon.


Well, that’s it. I’m sure I left out some things, but I’m out of coffee and it’s time to get moving