Besides the 20-30 partially-read collections and anthologies I’ve got going as a result of my Short Story a Day project, I thought I’d mention the “regular” books I hope to get finished up in the coming week.

Red, White and Blood by Chris Farnsworth – FICTION

Book Three in Farnsworth’s Cade series, about a vampire who throws down on behalf of the POTUS. This is one of the few authors I will drop everything else to read a new release from when one comes out, because they are just a blast to read. This one is no different.

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed — MEMOIR

Haven’t decided how I feel about this one yet. The writing is compelling enough, but the subject matter . . . I don’t know. I’m 60 pages in so far. Memoirs are hit and miss, and this one is brutally honest, no doubt about it. If nothing else, I think I need to read a couple memoirs by male authors after this to balance things out.

Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge by Mark Yarm — NONFICTION

I’ve been picking my way slowly through this one over quite a while now. I need to just nut up and finish it. It’s very difficult to read, as it deals with a time period of my life that wasn’t that easy, in a town I was living in the middle of while everything the book describes was going on. Doing what so many of these people succeeded at, only failing. It hasn’t been an easy read.

Next Up:

Kingdom Under Glass: A Tale of Obsession, Adventure, and One Man’s Quest to Preserve the World’s Great Animals by Jay Kirk — NONFICTION

Got this for Christmas and have read the introduction. Can’t wait to dig in deeper.

Anyone else reading anything good?

I hadn’t realized how much I’ve neglected this blog, especially given all the time I spent revamping the thing. Frankly, this blog is writing-related . . . and I’ve been letting a lot of stuff writing-related slide. I’m going to nip that in the bud, so expect a lot more activity here in the coming days and weeks. In the meantime, I have a new story available online called “Molotov.” I wrote this some months ago, but it is now available online at All Due Respect. You can check it out HERE. I’m mostly happy with it. There are some things that slipped through my editing process that jump out at me, but overall I’m cool with how it reads. I think it’s the last thing I have out in the vague cloud that is the submission process, so if I want to get anything in front of anyone moving forward it needs to be written first.

I’m still going strong on the project I started on the 1st of the year to read at least one short story every day. You can check out the list HERE; as of this writing I’m up to 291 stories read thus far. Obviously that’s more than one a day. I realized early on I needed to do at least two to make much of a dent on the collections and anthologies I’ve collected but were languishing on the shelf, unread. I’ve missed a day here and there, mostly when traveling, but it does average out to my planned schedule. I post the weekly list every Sunday on my Tumblr blog (which I post on just about every day, which isn’t difficult since most of what I do there is sharing other people’s posts, or posting stuff directly from my iPhone via Instagram), though I think I’ll start putting it here too.

The only downside to this project, as I mentioned in today’s post, is I suspect all this story-reading is one of several factors that have led to me not writing as much as I need to. But at the same time, reading all these stories, over a wider variety than I usually would, has been helpful. Particularly with the stuff along the lines of where my own work tends to go, I’ve learned a lot about what I want to avoid with my own writing. I have also gained new respect for writing I may not have considered previously. I am often surprised by what hits me the hardest, or is most inspiring. I’m pleased with that.

Anyway, check out “Molotov” and leave a comment, if you care to. I’m curious to know what people think.

Damn, have I been busy lately. Went from hardly any travel going on to all of a sudden a ton. So I’ve got some catching up to do.

One thing that can’t wait though is the following announcement: The debut AMERICAN FALCON release is available! For those of you who don’t know, AMERICAN FALCON is the band I currently play in. We’ve been together a couple years, I guess, though the guitarist (Jimmy Rolle) and I have been playing and recording together for over 10 years. We added drummer Travis Yost when the drummer for our last band fell off the planet. We decided to change the name at that point as well. I play bass and handle the lead vocals (though Jimmy does sing one song on this thing). It’s a gas to crank up and play loud.

We’re doing an “official” CD release/listening party in Missoula this Friday, April 6th, at Ear Candy. Should be fun, provided anyone comes out. It’s part of First Friday, which is this big thing downtown every month where galleries are open, people are out and about, etc. We’ll be on hand around 6:00 PM, then play the album around 6:45/7:00 or so.

For people who can’t make it, or who live somewhere else, you can order the thing directly from the store right HERE. $10 + shipping. It will be available via Amazon MP3, iTunes, etc. as well. Not sure when that happens, but it should be very soon.

We had a lot of fun putting this thing together, and we’re pleased with how it came out. Hope you like it.

When not rocking out, American Falcon likes to drink beer and grow facial hair . . . with varying degrees of success

Made my first work trip in a while this past week, flying into Sacramento, CA. The day I arrived was sunny and gorgeous; I got in early and decided I’d make a drive up into the Sierras to see if I could find a good place to hike. I found the local REI store to inquire, picked up a little day hike book for segments of the Pacific Crest Trail (which I would love to traverse one day), and off I went.

Slight miscalculation on my part.

I wasn’t familiar enough with the geography of the area to realize that just because it was 70ish degrees near Sacramento that I’d be climbing to over 7000 feet to reach the trails. I just read the directions to the trailhead I’d selected, got in the car and took off. Once I reached the top, it was much colder, very windy, and the trails were all choked with snow. If I were properly geared-up I’d have still done it, but I probably would have needed cross-country skis, or at least snowshoes. I had my hiking boots, but just shorts and a t-shirt. Had my vest with me too, but it wasn’t enough. So I adapted and overcame. I was at the top of Donner Pass and it was just a little farther to Truckee, CA, where I visited the Emigrant Trail Museum in the Donner Memorial State Park. Of course this museum and monument commemorates, primarily, the ill-fated Donner Party of 1846/47. Pretty harrowing stuff. I did score this pretty sweet, bright orange survival bandana in the gift shop. I plan to wear it on all future expeditions.

Here I am modeling it in the fashion in which it will be worn.

This is my serious, "Die and I will eat you!" face

Driving around the community that has grown up around the lake, one of expensive lodges and homes, clearly aimed at summer travelers, I was struck by how quickly things change. Sure, 165 years seems like a long time, but, relatively speaking, it isn’t that long. We’ve built that place up from a howling wilderness of challenge-nature-and-you-will-be-forced-to-eat-your-dead-if-you-want-any-hope-of-surviving terror to a trendy tourist destination location complete with lakeside maps directing the route which all watercraft should take, restaurants (too little, too late, perhaps?), and motel lodging fully-equipped with central air. I have no doubt that the homes built along the ridge top overlooking the lake had to run in the millions to own. It boggles my mind. I found it creepy. Those poor people headed west in hopes of a better life and few even made it. For me, it was an afternoon of driving and listening to the radio. I’ll try and never again gripe about a 2o minute delay, that’s for sure. I hope their ghosts rest peacefully.

If I Told You, They’d Have to Kill Me

The trip over the mountains was definitely the highlight of the trip. The next day the rains rolled in, and I heard on the radio that they were getting heavy snow up in the pass. I don’t usually like to talk too much about the actual “work” part of my trips, because there generally isn’t anything that interesting or adventurous to report. However, this one was just bizarre in another “So this is the state of our world?” kind of way. Without going into too much detail, the customer I was working for is an installation controlled by the US Department of Defense, doing work for the military, located on the former site of the McClellan Air Force Base. The building next door, I was told, houses the west coast branch of the Department of Homeland Security.

The security was ridiculous. Bulletproof glass everywhere. Revolving doors that sniff for gunpowder. Blast doors and explosion-proof rooms. Armed guards. Escort just to use the restroom. I had to check half the stuff I normally use as part of my work at the door when I entered the first day, then just left it in the car outside on day two. Nice people, the ones I dealt with, but I could not work in that environment for any length of time. Their hands are severely tied in just trying to do what needs done in running a manufacturing facility run by security types with no manufacturing backgrounds. The anecdotes they relayed of some of the denials they’d received when asking to do certain things, for no justifiable reason, were comical. Very interesting in a make-fun-of-bloated-government kind of way.

A sign outside the area I was working in did say something about gamma radiation testing going on, and posted evacuation instructions. I told Julia I hoped that at least I’d get turned into The Hulk for my troubles, but that didn’t happen. Speaking of which, it’s been a couple years since I squared off with that behemoth anyway.

You want one 'o these?!

For once I’m glad my hair isn’t still that long. Rolling into that facility with flowing locks like this and I’d probably just now be landing in Egypt or some such place on an isolated runway with a black bag over my head or something, for crissakes.

It didn’t help that I read The Man Who Quit Money on the way out there. I wasn’t in any mood to be a cog in the machine — more surly about it than usual, anyway — and this experience just exacerbated my irritability. I didn’t like the attitude that I was somehow guilty until proven innocent, that despite the background check and all that bullshit I had to undergo just to be allowed on site in the first place wasn’t enough to give me the benefit of the doubt. I felt trapped in there. Guilty until proven innocent. I didn’t like going through controlled revolving doorways that could be used to contain me. Didn’t like having all the stuff in my bag fondled. I hated a dude waiting outside the door for me every time I wanted to take a friggin’ leak. I’m not impressed with how many times a day the firewall is hit by Chinese attempts to breach their security. I don’t care which roofs and walls are extra thick so Chinese satellites can’t see inside (I’m not making this shit up). I didn’t like the stories of Congressional blowhards coming to inspect the facility when a request was made to expand, then bolting off to spend the weekend in Reno and Tahoe. It was tedious, the bureaucracy inefficient and counter-productive, and overall just a downer of an experience. Like I said, I dealt with a couple very nice people; I feel for them being under that yoke. I hope they are getting paid way more than I am. Me, they couldn’t pay enough. And that’s without even considering the 2-hour commute the guy I was consulting with makes every day. That’s 2 hours in at 4 AM, then 2 hours home at 3:30 PM. Fuuuuuck that.

Just more proof that the people who think they are running the world are just a bunch of assholes. No part of anything going on there, being done by anyone, has anything to do with living any kind of meaningful life that I want to be a part of.

Phew, rant over. It was weird. Thankfully it was just two days. I saw John Carter while I was there on a huge screen in an icy-cold theater without about 5 other people in attendance and had a good time. Ate some good grub. Made the best of it. That’s all one can do sometimes. . . .

Here’s a collage of a few instagrams from the trip:

Upper left, clockwise: Donner Lake; Donner Summit; Donner Market; Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA w/ a good book; Over Lolo, descending into MSO

And here’s a fantastic little video from a dude who hiked the PCT. Pop it out and watch it all the way to the end — it’s totally worth it.

Thanks for reading. . . .

I’m happy to announce the first issue in 2012 of Needle: A Magazine of Noir is out; among a bunch of other top shelf writers, it includes my story “A Dog Named Buddy.” I’m pretty excited about this. First of all, Needle is an excellent publication, and it is one that, when I thought I’d start trying my hand at short fiction, I thought would be a great place to strive for getting placed in. Second, I’m happy with the evolution of my story. In its initial incarnation it didn’t really work; it was too predictable. After a re-write and some tinkering, though, it turned out pretty well. At least that’s how I remember it — it’s been some time since I actually read it. I’m going to hold off revisiting it until I get my copy of the magazine.

Anyway, I’d love it if you checked it out. You can order it HERE. I don’t know how long it will last, but if you include the keyword “marbooks12″ at checkout you get 20% off. If you’ve never purchased one of the earlier issues, you’re missing out. These folks do an excellent job with this magazine, and believe me — they aren’t making a dime with it. Yet.

Here is the complete list of contributors:

Control by Matthew C. Funk
White Haze by Doc O’Donnell
Nine Hole Caddy by Scott Morse
Finn’s Missing Sister by Jen Conley
She Don’t Eat No Meat by Kent Gowran
Smothered and Covered by Tom Barlow
Haymaker by Nik Korpon
Empty Hours by Loren Eaton
Smiles by Jeffery Hess
The Spin Out by William Dylan Powell
Mistake by A.A. Garrison
Bad for Business by Carlos Orsi
Mr. Mockingbird Drive by Robert Swartwood
Push Comes to Shove by BV Lawson
Ordo ad Chao by Benoit Lelièvre
Right Where She Wants Him by Meriah L Crawford
A Dog Named Buddy by Chris La Tray
Paying It Off by Kieran Shea

Give it a look!

After blogging several years, starting on Blogger and moving over to a WordPress free site, I kind of hit the wall with what I was doing and decided to focus on revamping it a little. I’m starting to find the time to move forward, and this is the first post of the “new” Naked But for a Loincloth site. I’ll update more along the way, make some of the menu links active, etc., but as a first post I thought this video would be a good start. Basically what I am trying to capture here is a focus on the things that got me excited about writing and adventure and all that in my youth . . . to take those ideas, shine a spotlight on them, and keep them front and center as a springboard to making sure I don’t settle into a chair and forget what is meaningful about living every day, and finding inspiration in that. So this video, with these kids running wild in the woods, is a perfect reminder. Enthusiasm such as this should not be the sole domain of youth. . . .