Any forest ranger will tell you to pay attention to the signs. DO NOT FEED THE BEARS is of particular importance, for more reasons than most might think. NO SWIMMING should be easily understood. FALLING ROCKS is another. If there’s a sign that more adventurous types ignore, it’s probably STAY ON TRAIL. It’s estimated that between 1,000 - 2,500 people ignore these signs every year and either become hopelessly lost and require search and rescue teams, or worse; they’re never seen again. A cool, sunny day in October finds a small group of carrion beetles feasting on the remains of presumably a misplaced adventurer. The beetles are sharing, as best they can, the feast with a group of blow flies. Neither group seems particularly interested in the origins of their meal. ‘Locally sourced’ is a phrase that has yet to catch on among the insect population. It’s difficult to say if they noticed the missing head. If so inclined, they might speculate if this happened prior to landing or after. It w...
"Creativity is intelligence having fun." Allegedly, Einstein said that. Doesn't matter if he did or didn't, I like the quote. Before I self-published my first book, I looked into all sorts of different options. The literary agents I spoke with (who all sounded like they recently graduated from college - aka they sounded like children to these old ears) almost turned me off of writing forever. I spoke with folks from a few small publishing houses, and Geez Louise, if your first complaint is how little money you're making, maybe try a different career path. I would have thought that NO ONE was making any money - but I was soon to find out just who is. Barnes and Noble is one of the last remaining bookstore chains. Personally, I always preferred Borders, but they're long gone. Walden was another fave. Coles was pretty good. I can still spend a tidy sum at Half-Price Books (and MUSIC!) but I save that for special occasions. I am, admittedly, a library guy. As I o...