Visited a local brewery to find, low and behold, they were closed for renovations. To some it might sound weird, especially if you knew how new the establishment is, but considering the town the brewery resides in actually it is the perfect time for them as this is the deepest part of the tourism season lull. The owners and brewer were very gracious with their time though and while I couldn't actually sample any beer because of the work being done. I did get enough research to get a decent article done which if not formally published should grace this fair webpage in the near future.

It was fun listening to people talk about their passion for beer, who knows it could be something I could get used to.

Jen has been doing a writing challenge, I may go back and redo the last one sometime soon I had a great idea just haven't gotten it out of my head. Here is this week's challenge fresh off the brain. No promises on quality but hey writing exercises are good for the soul no?

Tandy munched on her parmesan crisps and looked across at the Mazza Galleria, not nearly impressive as it's Italian counter-part she saw last Spring at the G8 meetings but American architecture hadn't been it higher forte. She sighed and put then chips in her purse. As she walked to the sidewalk she started to get that small dread in the pit of her stomach before these things start, she always sense dread and coming disaster. Of course Jonathan proclaimed it to be the thrill of the hunt, but he lived for this work. To Tandy's thinking it was the necessarily evil.

Ever since the explosion at Army Chemical Corp three years back the War on Terror had moved from a handy catch phrase to something more sinister. Half of New England having to be evacuated and given a good bath after that chemical cloud spread down it's length. Even still the deaths had been in thousands and tens of thousands injured. Worst part of the mess, because it was chemical facility the gas was a bit different everywhere, so it made the injuries all the worse to treat.

Tandy tried to shake it out of her head, “no time for that sadness, work to be done” as she stepped into the mall. Some piano classical remix of some pop song played in the background but she could not recognize it immediately. The mall was filled with the same generic mix of clothing stores, toys, and various other retailers whose wears could have been found in any one of another hundred retailers. Tandy approached the mall map and scanned the listing until she found her destination.

Tindal's Tobacco was on the upper level on the far side of the mall. Tandy checked her watch and started to move at a quicker pace, she only had a few minutes to make this meeting and she hated the idea of moving on to the fallback location, it would mean another two to three hours of work and she would have to cancel a hair appointment and push back dinner with Jonathan. No need to cause that much trouble over no wrong.

The tune got louder in the escalators speakers and it's struck Tandy the song was a remake of some 80's Wayne Chung hit. So strange to hear what they will do with remakes she thought.

She passed a few teenagers adore in some faux leatherette dresses that seemed to be in Vogue, Tandy wondered when they had caught to popularity. Work occupied so much of ones time and mind, fashion hardly seemed relevant. She paused for one last look around the mall, before heading into Tobaccoist, not that she was looking for trouble honestly, but even a friendly meeting on neutral ground one had to take care. All clear she thought.

She turned and walked into the shop the first thing that she did was against everything she was taught. She stared and her jaw dropped “but Tony I thought you were dead” she croaked.

so it's time for another NaNoWriMo. My fourth year is off to a shaky start because I have two competing ideas I haven't decided which to explore. Hopefully I'll get some software on a loaner laptop from a friend tonight and be able to attend live write-ins. My part-time job is already gearing up for the holiday rush which means extra work for me, yeah money, yuck for the drain on time, which means I can't waste time if I want to meet the 50,000 word goal. Lastly I don't want to fail this year I want to make the goal, so it's a frantic day one, but I am excited. Regular reports to follow.

For a community event magazine Flag Live does alright. The last few months they have been advertising a new website launching, I had my doubts about how good it would be but tried to keep an open mind. Today I finally got around to looking at it. Very slick magazine style, but for a community publication very dull. The picture and design style is very slick. No sense of community to it, it could have been made anywhere. Nothing really about it that makes it a place on the web I would bother to visit. No unique content to the website, no blog, no way for the audience to participate with the paper.

So when you see the ad encouraging you to check out their 'new website' don't bother it's the same content you just read in the paper...*yawn*

100 Days ago I set out to post 100 times in 100 days. Now it's June 22nd. I did not make 100 posts, but that may be a function of lack of internet access rather than effort. On the postive side I did post more than 50 times the majority of which were posted after I got high speed access at home. I think if I had internet at home the whole 100 days I would have easily cleared one hundred posts.

So where does that leave me?

The obvious thought in my head is keep going another 100 days and see where I stand then. I will be a lot closer to next years NaNoWriMo so it would be good preperation at the least. But it doesn't seem quite enough, I have more to do to drive my writing, but what we will soon see I have something to work on.

So I haven't been writing enough a friend reminded me not so long ago. I have spent the last few weeks pondering how to make it again part of my daily life. Exploring various options with no clear answer as of yet. But in the interim I have decided on an idea to start the process.

100 posts here over the next hundred days.

Some silly, some serious, some arbitrary goal to make writing a daily habit. The rules are simple between now and June 22nd I'll post a hundred enteries to my blog. Simple linking posts or quizes like the recent beer post won't quailfiy, but otherwise the topic and length will be a matter of my descretion. Posts may occur multiple to a day since I know there will be days I'll be unable to post.

Simple concept and a public commitment to do some writing it will be fun to see where it goes.

Where did I get the idea? Perhaps Hugh had a bit of influence.

Let's have some fun.

This plot twist for a Bond film isn't a new idea. I can't say we ever finished the story but one of my best friends and I discussed exactly this kind of plot for a Bond film about 15 years ago. Between Gardner's drek writing and the end of the Cold War we figured it would be a fresh take on the Bond story that the character and series needed. About time.

Lately, especially during NaNoWriMo, I have missed my blog not having internet access at home is a big part of the reason I haven't been posting. I'd like to make a concerted effort to make back to posting more regularly. Flagstaff and local issues being a definate focus, but technology as it interests me as well. I am thinking I'll be doing some redesigning in the process, I like blogware and it's components, but likely will need to read the Farm and brush up a little on CSS to some changes. I am even pondering the occasional podcast. But watch this space good things to come.

AGAIN, busy, busy month. See you in December.

National Novel Writing Month is quickly approaching and like last year I'll be joining the madness and this year I will be a Municipal Liaison for Flagstaff in addition to just participating. For those unfamaliar NaNo is a mass of writers trying to write 50,000 word novel in one month. It's alot of fun and alot of work, but very rewarding. We will be having a kickoff meeting on October 30th at 5:00pm at Pay'N Take here in Flagstaff. If you are participating or just interested in finding out more about NaNo please feel free to drop in and join us.

Quiet of late, work goes well but no new definate news to share. More importantly NaNoWriMo is rapidly approaching and I am still working out what exactly to write. Science fiction is my primary interest but the three-four ideas in my head don't seem to either be developed enough to write, so I find myself looking alittle further back to an old idea from DC. I needed distance from the Hill before going ahead with it, but I think the time is right. Back to the planning...

This one was ringing in my mind due to circumstances today at work. It does have a certain poetic ring.

The first time is happenstance.
The second time is coincidence.
The third time is enemy action. - Auric Goldfinger, Goldfinger by Ian Fleming.