haven’t worn a wristwatch in over a decade, but I am thinking about buying one. Although I’ve been considering the purchase for a while, I was galvanized into action on Monday while attending the Little Man’s swimming lesson1. One of the kids in the Little Man’s class is a little hellion. The instructor does her…
have been enjoying 3 things over the last few days, and each one takes a different form of media. 1. Re-reading The Waste Lands by Stephen King. I have been re-reading King’s Dark Tower books. The first time around I listening to them on audiobook. This time, I am reading the trade paper editions (and making lots…
or the first time in more than 15 years, I had a dream last night in which I had gone back to school–the University of California, Riverside, where I got my undergraduate degree–and I forgot to go to my classes. I was wandering around a campus that was very different than the one I remembered.…
or the last couple of Sundays, we’ve taken the kids for short hikes in the woods. Last Sunday we took them to Scott’s Run, along the Potomac. Yesterday, we went to a favorite place of ours, Burke Lake. Kelly and I have walked around the lake several times over the years. It’s a 4.5 mile…
ne of the things I’ve been doing while I take a break from writing is playing early releases of Shroud of the Avatar. For those who don’t know, SotA is a crowdfunded MMORPG run by Richard Garriott (a.k.a Lord British) and Starr Long. It is a direct descendant of the Ultima games of my teens. I…
voluntarily ended my 825-consecutive-day writing streak 2 days ago, and for the last two days, I have taken a break from writing. When I have a few more minutes I’ll post more details about why I decided to end the streak. So if I haven’t been writing, what have I been doing? Well, in addition…
have been mostly off the radar for the last week, attending a family reunion in New York, which was a lot of fun. I got to see people and places that I haven’t seen in a very long time. One of those places was Bear Mountain. It was a great time of year to visit,…
was overcome, earlier today, with the sudden desire to reveal my closely held secret, as a writer, to what I really mean when I talk about draft. Folks, when I talk about first drafts, second drafts, and the occasional third drafts, I’m really talking about beer. #awriterslife — Jamie Todd Rubin (@jamietr) October 2, 2015…
1. When the kids make a declaration of some sort, I find myself using the same stock responses I heard growing up. The Little Miss will walk over and whine, “Daddy, I’m hungry.” “Hi, Hungry,” I say, “I’m Daddy. Pleased to meetcha.” 2. The kids have a strong tendency to repeat themselves over and over again when they want…
hile reading Michener’s memoir, The World Is My Home, I came across this passage where Michener describes his feelings about the arts, criticism, and how he formed his opinions: I had always had the habit, which I adhered to in my response to the arts, of trying to look or listen with an unprejudiced intellect. For…
oth the Little Man and the Little Miss have been making a repeated request lately. I’ll be in the home office, writing, or something, and one or both will come by and ask, “Dadda, will you put on the ‘It’s the End of the World as We Know It’ song?” I don’t remember when I…
his morning we took a walk to local farmer’s market. The air was cool and freshened by breeze. All traces of summer’s humidity had vanished. Just last weekend, we were sitting lakeside, enjoying the sun. Today was the first day of 2015 that felt like fall. I snapped this photo as we approached our destination. Fall might not…