Dave White's Writing Block

Hurricane Irene: The Bust.... I mean Storm of 2011

2011-08-26T10:50:00.003-05:00

Friday 8/26, 11:57 am:

At this point, Hurricane Irene is a bust.

Reporting live from New Jersey, this intrepid investigator has seen little sign of the storm. Right now there are a few clouds in the sky, no wind, and no rain. People are proceeding their days normally, traveling to work, and not panicking in the streets. All batteries in Northern New Jersey have been bought up by customers, except for those strange 9 Volts that no one seems to need anymore. Customers at the local Shop Rite gave this reporter confused and annoyed looks when asked to respond to the question, "Hey, did you hear about the Hurricane?" and/or "Why is this place so crowded today? I just need my perishable goods."

The lights in this apartment have been flickering, but that's because I keep flipping the switch up and down.

Meanwhile, the snark level is surprisingly low. A quick check of Twitter turns up few jokes about the storm, while Facebook has been overtaken by pictures of babies lying on their backs and people wishing Happy Birthday to people they don't really know.

Continue to check the Writing Block for more updates on this developing story.

Friday, August 26, 10:25 pm:

Irene is still a bust. There's a stiff breeze, but no clouds. The most tragic part of the day wasn't the crowd a Shop Rite, but the fact that the Franklin Steakhouse was out of Harpoon IPA.

Chris Christie has taken on the Jersey Shore telling people to forget their gym trip, forget their tan and forget their laundry and just get the hell out.

The Giants/Jets game has been postpone until Monday when no one will still care.

I'm looking at houses tomorrow. Then watching Doctor Who. And eating a hurricornicopia of food. Should be fun.

Saturday, August 27th, 9:43 am

The skies are overcast. I'm watching the news. Judging by their warnings, here's what I've decided to do before and after the storm:

-Get a box out of my car.

-Eat a bagel sandwich.

-Drink some coffee.

-Grow a beard and really long out of control Braveheart hair.

-Hoard barrels of oil and water for trading after the hurricane.

-Develop my own language to be able to talk in front of the ravagers.

-Sharpen wooden branches.

-Watch Doctor Who.

-Panic. That's what the news wants. Panic.

-Eat mini-hot dogs tonight.

Keep watching this spot!

WITNESS TO DEATH

2011-06-05T21:15:00.002-05:00

If you don't check Do Some Damage:

I have a new book out. It's an e-book exclusive and only 99 cents:

John Brighton is an ordinary young schoolteacher still hung up on his ex, Michelle. Suspecting her new boyfriend is cheating on her, John decides to follow Frank's Lexus and find out the truth once and for all. Turns out John's in for a major surprise. Frank isn't heading for some sack time with another girl. Instead he drags John into the middle of a shootout on the banks of the Hudson River, and before John knows what's happening, he's knee-deep in bodies.

Before the corpses can even cool, Frank disappears and John finds himself wanted for five murders. With no way to prove his innocence, John goes on the run—not only from the police, but a vicious assassin as well. And when Michelle is kidnapped, John’s worst-case scenario comes true. Though his head tells him to stay in hiding, his heart says otherwise. He has to save the woman he loves or die trying.

As John begins to uncover the truth surrounding the events that have turned his life upside down, he learns it isn’t just Michelle he must rescue. Thousands of other innocent lives are in jeopardy too.

A heart-pounding, heart-stopping, heart-breaking thriller from two-time Shamus Award nominated author, Dave White. For fans of Harlan Coben, Thomas Perry and Jeff Abbott.

Get if for your Kindle.

Kindle UK.

or

Nook.

In Memoriam: David Thompson

2010-09-14T15:55:00.003-05:00

I originally posted this on Do Some Damage, but wanted it up here as well.

David Thompson was one of the few people who could get me to fly.

Three years ago, when my debut was released, he asked me to sign at Murder by the Book. I couldn't go, but he made sure he asked again when my second came out--sending about fifteen different dates I could show up. The message was clear, "Get your butt down here, we want to sell your book."

I had no choice, I agreed, despite my fear of flying. I actually got on a plane to Houston to be at that bookstore.

That's how David treated writers. He wanted them to come to his store and push their books. It didn't matter if you were Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, Laura Lippman, or any old midlist writer, he and his wife, McKenna, treated everyone like a superstar.

To them, every writer was special.

And they made sure their signings were legendary. They were fun question and answer sessions that went on for an hour or more, letting you learn as much about a writer as possible, and often immortalized on YouTube by Bill Crider.

David didn't stop there. He created Busted Flush Press, a small publisher who put out great novels and anthologies. He and Duane Swierczynski placed my first original story in a print anthology with DAMN NEAR DEAD.

He energy and enthusiasm toward books was contagious. He spent his time on Twitter pushing his favorite novels or most recent reads. He always let people know what books the store had imported from the UK. Murder by the Book is my go to independent store. They would ship to NJ without hesitation.

When I heard about his passing today, I went numb. I had just been talking about him in class that morning, telling my students my most embarrassing story--traveling to the signing. I nearly had a nervous breakdown on a plane and still made sure I signed there. Not many people can get me on an airplane.

And, I suspect that's how it was with David and all other authors. They would do anything to talk to him, do anything to sign at his store. His love of books was infectious. He was one of a kind.

I'm going to miss him.

Dear Writers

2010-08-20T14:12:00.003-05:00

I'm more than halfway through my current manuscript, and I'm coming across something I've never come across before. I'm seeing what major revisions to make to tighten up the piece before I even finish it. There are some characters I want to combine, a few to cut, and some moments to cut, and add.

Usually, when writing, I just plug forward, use the characters I have and try to come to an ending. Then I worry about revision.

But this time it's gnawing at me. I've tried to ignore it and wait until I'm done to make the changes. After all, I'm working without an outline. What if the characters I'm thinking of combining really separate themselves and both become important to the plot?

What if the characters I was going to do away with completely does the same thing?

But, instead, I find myself ignoring these characters, not giving them the depth they need.

And I'm constantly wondering if I should go back and revise before I continue. Will it help me get to the ending I want to get to? Or will it just muck everything up?

What do you think?

Random Thoughts from a Honeymoon Cruise

2010-08-15T11:36:00.006-05:00

That's right, I'm married!

In fact, if you've been wondering where I've been for the past 4 (whoa... four??) months, it's been planning a wedding and writing.

Now that I'm back from the honeymoon, I'm hoping to start blogging with some more regularity. That said, the wife and I took a cruise to Bermuda, and here is basically what I'd be posting to Twitter, if my phone had worked:

-No, seriously, do not flush foreign objects down the toilet.

-Playing the theme from TITANIC during dinner is probably the worst choice this cruiseline could make.

-We had the best sommelier. He remembered our drink order from night to night and had a catch phrase. "And enjoy. CHEERS!"

-Being on a cruise is like starring in all the non-explosion parts of a James Bond movie.

-There's a dance called the Cuban Shuffle?

-Apparently every book that's not downloaded to a Kindle, iPad, or Nook has a title that starts with THE GIRL WHO...

-Just talked a woman into buying my book on her Kindle... right now. ABC. (More on this at Do Some Damage, later this week.)

-Wait. It's called the Cupid Shuffle? And it sucks.

-Dear band, you do not have to teach the crowd how to participate to "Sweet Caroline."

-You know you're drunk on a boat in rough waters when you're the only one walking straight.

-Bacon!

-Pizza!

-Frog legs, delicious, Quail, meh, and escargot, DELICIOUS.

-BACON!

-PIZZA!!

-I wish we were not the most recently married couple at this party. The champagne sucks!

-Another character with a catch phrase. The entertainment director asked everyone HOWZIT!

-MINI DONUTS!

-Good thing everyone in Bermuda honks their horn at other drivers. I keep forgetting they drive on the left.

-Why are there no sidewalks in Bermuda?

-Mmmmmmm, Dockyard Beer. The only brewpub in Bermuda and I found it.

-Interestingly, rough seas do not affect the rotation of a roulette wheel or roulette ball.

-ENOUGH WITH THE CUPID SHUFFLE!

-Water: cold. Sun: hot. Sand: pink.

-Duty free scotch and cuban cigars... niceeeeeeeee.

-Fingers crossed that customs does not look for my Cuban Cigars.

-BACON! PIZZA!

Teacher Week: College

2010-04-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

College. Does anyone even remember college?

I do. I remember the classes.

I remember learning how to read all over again. I learned to love THE GREAT GATSBY and how to look at the characters in their own way.

Professors taught me how to write and how to research.

Professors taught me how to revise.

And I remember two specific professors: One who read the very first draft of "God Bless the Child" and encouraged me to revise it. And revise again. And at the end of the semester wrote on the paper: "You should look up some mystery magazines. This is good enough to get published."

And I remember another of my creative writing professors, an adjunct honestly, who took time out of her schedule to help me write my thesis... my very first attempt at a Jackson Donne novel. When it was finished, she gave me an A. I wondered aloud if I would ever be able to publish it.

She said without a doubt, "Yes."

I didn't publish that one, but from elementary school all the way through college there were teachers there to inspire me and push me along. There were those who guided me specifically and those who said things that stuck with me for years.

Without teachers, I wouldn't be where I am now.

Teacher Week: High School Teachers

2010-03-31T08:00:00.001-05:00

High School. The years where you're supposed to continue a higher level of thinking. You have to navigate the halls, the hate, and the fun and still come up strong.

My high school years were great. My band teacher taught me discipline, organization, and the ability to perform without an over abundance of nerves. He got us all motivated and dedicated to one cause. Nearly all of us bought in. And by all, I mean over 180 kids at one time.

I learned how to write poetry, to create a picture with words and give it feeling. I learned the art of a story arc, how characters had to be believable and have the right motivations. I learned that some people are going to like what you write and some people aren't.

I learned to type. The right way.

I learned how to look deeply into story. How Shakespeare wasn't as complicated as some made it out to be. And how Hawthorne was. I learned how to write essays that looked deep into the souls of characters and how to find a different meaning than was there.

I learned about World War I and II and how the seeds were sewn for those conflicts many years earlier. How one event builds on another and another.

And I learned Hamlet. I got to be Hamlet when we read aloud in class. And how my teacher pulled me aside one day and said, "Not many people get to play Hamlet, but you'll always be able to say you did."

Teacher Week: Middle School Teachers

2010-03-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

Middle school is where you start to grow up. Sixth, seventh and eighth grade are those hormonal years where you don't understand your own body, you don't understand the world around you, and yet you think you're the coolest thing on earth.

Or you have no confidence whatsoever.

My middle school years weren't any different from that, but I had some really great teachers to help guide me through those years.

I remember learning about developing your own photographs, real hands on stuff. And learning about how to build something from scratch, where you're given a task (build something that will roll ten feet and pop a balloon--using a mousetrap), and you have to come up with a way to complete.

I learned about failure. The balloon didn't pop. Not having the right notebook for a notebook check.

But when failure came, teachers were there to guide me through it. One teacher, right after failing me gave me a new notebook and a guideline of how to pass next time.

And, when the most tragic of events happened--a student in our 8th grade class died--our teachers were there to guide us through.

The day after his death, our teachers were there to talk with us. To help us with our grief. They allowed students to write poems, to discuss their feelings, to hug if it was needed.

And weeks later, when the students went to City Hall to plead for a walkway over the highway where the student died, the teachers watched. They didn't need to say anything. Didn't need to acknowledge it.

But one cut out the news article the next day. Posted it on her bulletin board and just wrote next to it... "I'm proud of you!"

And it was the right amount of care and the right amount of guidance.

Years later, that same teacher gave me the best advice about teaching 8th Grade. She wasn't even talking to me when she said it.

"Sometimes you just want to tell them to act their age," she said. "Then you realize... they are."

Teacher Week: Elementary School Teachers

2010-03-29T08:00:00.001-05:00

This week my blog is going to be an ode to the teachers I've had in life. I'm not going to use their names because some of them are still working and I didn't clear it with them, but I will talk about the things they did to inspire me.

My elementary school teachers really had an impact on my life, whether it was teaching me to count to 100 in Kindgergarten or delivering the news of the Challenger explosion in first grade. I remember my second grade teacher pushing me to finish a novel about Daniel Boone, my first read that was over 100 pages long.

But what I remember most were my fourth and fifth grade teachers. My fourth grade teacher would go above and beyond her teaching contract, taking the time to read the stories I wrote even though they were no assigned class projects. In fact, she was responsible for my first published story, a Sherlock Holmes pastiche called "The Adventure of the Golden Bookcase" which was published in the district's literary magazine called "The Cobbler."

My fifth grade teacher also pushed my writing. We had weekly creative writing assignments where she'd give us a story starter and we'd have to write about it. I was able to push my fifth grade self to write horror stories, historical tales, and another Holmes story. I also learned the art of peer sharing. Before we finished the stories, we had to read them to a group of students in our class. Those students were able to clear up confusions, maybe make a few grammatical changes. My first foray into revision.

You learn basics in elementary school. The seeds are planted for the rest of your life. And the dedicated teachers I had helped send me in the right direction.

What good elementary teachers did you have?

Life Experiences

2010-03-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

It's funny, but with all the snow, cold weather, and work, I feel like I'm running out of things to write about on this blog.

(Don't worry, this is not another one of those should I or shouldn't I... you're stuck with me.)

It got me thinking, to keep a website, a blog, anything where you share info with people fresh, you have to have life experiences. Right now I'm stagnating a little bit. I haven't been doing much. I've been planning my wedding and staying in. Nothing really worth writing about here.

So, what do I mean by life experience?

I mean like my trip to Cancun or my upcoming Bermuda honeymoon. I mean like getting a book deal and pimping the book. Or having something happen writing wise that catches my eye.

We're in a slump season, so until then you're going to get book reviews of old books, making fun of things, and NJ The Promised Land.

Okay, nevermind, this blog hasn't changed at all.

Learning How to Cook

2010-03-04T08:00:00.001-05:00

I'm trying to teach myself how to cook. I can grill pretty well (although I think my grilling ability has been recently thrown off by my Foreman "I lived in an apartment" Grill.), but I don't know how to cook.

So, slowly, I've been trying to domesticate myself and learn to cook different things.

Item 1: Bratwurst. I do a pretty darn good beer Brat. I boil them in beer and onions and then grill (or if no grill is available) throw them in a pan to crisp them up. On a roll with the onions and some mustard and you are good to go.

Item 2: Wings. I've learned a great wings recipe. They are broiled, not fried, and the sauce is homemade. It takes about half an hour to make. I'm a regular Rachel Ray.

Item 3: Grilled Fish Tacos and slaw. I can grill or broil a darn good fish taco. Healthy and delicious, mixed with a great slaw made out of cabbage, carrots, onions and peppers and mixed in a vinegar. Very tasty. And the fish rub is great too.

Item 4: Turkey tacos. Mix in the mix and turkey meat in a pan. Wrap in warm taco.

Item 5: London broil. Broil it... mix up some au jous.

I'm not great yet, but I'm getting there.

New Jersey: The Promised Land--Bonus Edition!!!

2010-03-03T08:00:00.002-05:00

Listen, with the Olympics ending, I thought it would be fun to see why New Jersey is better than Canada.

-We end our sentences with "Oh!", which is much better and more powerful than "ey."

-When the Olympics are being played we actually get snow.

-We say things like "I got your maple syrup right here!"

-I'm allowed in New Jersey.

-Taylor Ham > Canadian Bacon.

-We know how to cross the street.

-Martin Brodeur actually likes it here.

-Our pizza is made out of actual ingredients, not ketchup and crackers.

-We endure the JERSEY SHORE show and rise above it. Yet, DEGRASSI is actually taken seriously in some circles.

-Bruce Springsteen actually knows what ironic means and can come up with real ironic situations.

SO WHAT DOES CANADA HAVE OVER NEW JERSEY?

Molson....

New Jersey: The Promised Land--Drivers

2010-03-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

In New Jersey, people don't really know how to drive. You may be able to zip along for about ten miles, and then bam, you're stopped in a bottleneck or unannounced construction or someone just decided to hit their brakes because "Hey! That's a cool billboard." People go slow in the fast lane, fast in the slow lane, don't always use their blinker, don't pay attention to traffic signals, and love to keep you from where you're going.

But Dave, you're probably saying right now, I thought you loved New Jersey. Isn't this a bad thing?

No. It's a good thing. You know why? Because any good New Jersey drives now have great reflexes and great instincts. When NJ drivers go out, they're ready for anything. Stop short? Easy? Pass from the wrong lane? Easy. You go out and you know how to use your brake, how to use your gas pedal and how to flip people off. You are training to drive in the trenches. You may curse a lot, but you're ready.

Compare this to Ohio (#34). I drove in Ohio once. I was on an interstate highway, and people were following traffic laws. It was amazing. Everyone passed on the left and used their turn signals. It was weird. I didn't really know how to react. All I knew was, suddenly I was going 90 mph and a cop was on my tail. I got a ticket. Now, granted, it's my fault, but the state sucks. They're so plain Jane that they don't even attempt to be daring. They don't zig zag, they don't cut corners... they're just... square. What interesting thing has happened in Ohio? NOTHING.

So boring.

In NJ, you never know what you're going to get. The drivers prove that.

Traditional Post: Why I hate the Olympics

2010-03-01T08:00:00.002-05:00

I held off until after the Olympics were over so I could go through my list after catching some of the coverage.

So, why do I hate the Olympics? Mostly it has to do with NBC, but the Olympics follows a formula as well, and that formula helps me be annoyed too.

1) The Olympics are put together and marketed as sports for people who don't like sports. I don't care about flag dancing or figuring skating or cross country skiing or skiing and shooting. There's nothing to watch there. Oh look, he went by slowly. Oh, he picked up a gun and fired it. Oh okay, he moved off slowly again. Nope, not a sport. An athletic achievement? Yes. But not a sport. Therefore, no competition, no tension. Just slow moving nonsense.

2) The personal stories. Because the athletic events are so boring, NBC has to pump them up with personal stories about the athletes. And they are never EVER heartwarming and happy. These people are beaten by their parents, abandoned as children, had deaths in their family, children with horrible diseases. It's not good enough to be great in your sport, you have to have a tragic past as well. Most of these athletes would be serial killers if they didn't go into their event. You never hear a story about a guy who was good at a sport, grew up well adjusted, and then won. Maybe Michael Phelps, but even then the media decided to tear him down.

3) The banishment of sports. I was looking for the first USA hockey game last week and I put on NBC. What did I find? A weatherman sitting with Bob Costas holding a pitcher full of ice and pouring water over it. "This is what happens when rain hits ice," he said. I. Don't. Care. I couldn't find the hockey game. It was buried on a cable network I'm lucky to get. Not to mention the game started at 3 in the afternoon. On a Tuesday. Why do you hide professional sports, NBC? Why don't you put them on regular TV? They would garner ratings.

4) Mary Carillo. I cannot stand this woman. All she does is tour the country the Olympics are in and try stuff different from the US. She makes jokes about it that are never funny. NEVER. FUNNY. She adds nothing to the games. In fact, she takes away from the games, because they focus on her instead of hockey.

5) Pros in sports. DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES? Not anymore. I cannot take a team win as a serious upset when there are professional players on the teams. Amateurs make it interesting. Pros make it dominent. And dominence is rarely compelling. (Though hockey managed to be this year, admittedly.)

6) Tragedies. There is always a tragedy at the Olympics. And it gets endless coverage. People, can we--for one year--stay safe out there?

7) The controversies. This judge was Canadian, so he picked a Canadian winner. Everyone hates Russians. We're American so we get judged harder. SHUT UP! Lose with class. You lost, big whoop. It happens. Stop whining about it. Otherwise you sound like Bobby Gonzalez. And believe me, you don't want that.

UGH. I hate the Olympics.

Forotten Books Friday: The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty

2010-02-26T08:00:00.002-05:00

As Spring Training is in full swing and the Yankees are once again defending World Champions, I'd figure I'd chat a little about Buster Olney's book about the Yankees of the early 2000s.

If you remember, Mariano Rivera blew a 9th inning lead in game 7 of the 2001 World Series and the Yankees lost. The book is about that game, that series, and the years that preceded and followed it.

But it mainly focuses on that game.

It's like an episode of LOST tied around a baseball game. Olney looks at the players in that game, deep into their baseball lives and how they got to that moment. He looks at Brian Cashmen's attempts to rebuild an aging dynasty while keeping his young players. At the same time, he looks at George Steinbrenner wanting to up the marketability of the team with his new TV network and his attempt to acquire every All Star in the game.

It's a fantastic book with lots of in depth scenes and quotes that you won't see an an oridinary newspaper article. If you're into the backstory of baseball and the inner workings of a general manager, find this book.

Movie Review: BEER WARS

2010-02-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

A few nights ago, I rented the movie BEER WARS. It's a documentary about the "Big Three" Beer Companies and the rise of the micro-brews. As uaual, it's a documentary so it's biased against the Big Three.

That said, it is a very compelling piece of film.

The success of Dogfish Head's brewer is combined with the "Never Say Die" attitude of the brewer of Moonshot, a caffeinated beer.

The movie does a great job showing how the Big Three corporations do their best to shut down all these microbrews. Even with a checks and balance system envoked by using a beer distributor middleman, the companies find ways to slow the little man.

All in all, this is a very good 90 minute film. If you like beer at all, it's worth checking out.

Farmville

2010-02-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

I'm cranky this week, so you can expect that in my blog posts. I'm writing these during the waning hours of my vacation. I have to return to work tomorrow. So my crankiness is expected.

And I've been surfing Facebook.

That's not about to cheer me up. You see, if you've been living in a Facebook-less cave for the last two years, there's this game called Farmville. It's sort of a role playing game, I guess. You have to collect items and build a farm, and then keep the farm healthy. Kind of like Sims, but boring.

And apparently its boredom is incredibly addicting.

There are people all over the place playing this game. You have to give gifts to other people to keep your farm going. Sad cows wander into your fields and you have to make them happy.

I don't know. I don't play the game. All I know about the game comes from the status updates.

Because the thing about Farmville is... you don't just play the game... you let everyone KNOW you're playing the game. Farmville apparently updates your status automatically, which means the people you're friends with see everything you're doing.

Now, those people can block Farmville updates from their feed, but they shouldn't have to. People should know that no one cares about an imaginary farm. People should know that they don't have to update their status about the farm. Can't all this gifting be done in the confines of the game? Where I don't have to know about it? And why are there like 8 different versions of Farmville that I have to keep blocking. We don't want to know.

Believe you me, I keep my Bejewelwed Blitz scores a secret.

(That said, for the most part on Facebook, I love clever and witty status updates and links. Keep 'em coming folks!)

New Jersey: The Promised Land--Identity

2010-02-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

If there's one thing about people from New Jersey... we have an identity. People know us. People know what to expect from us. At the same time we surprise people.

We're tough. We handle the crap people try to throw as us with thick skin and we fight back. We always get back up. People from New Jersey... we're the code hero.

We're sarcastic. You make fun of us? We'll make fun of you and you won't even know it. All you'll hear is something that SOUNDS like a compliment. Then us New Jerseyans will sit back and laugh at you.

Plus we're "new." We're the improved version of Jersey. We're spit shined and ready to go.

That's who we are.

But who is North Carolina (#33)? I can't tell you their identity. What are they known for?

Annoying basketball players? They do have a multitude of them. But that's not something to be proud of.

Originality? Nope, there are two of you.

Ummmmmmm.... Barbecue?

Nah, pretty much all of the south has famous barbecue.

So... yeah, no one really knows anything about you. You blend in. You disappear. Do you even know you're a part of a country? Did you try to leave 150 years ago?

Sigh, nope. People don't think about you.

They think about New Jersey.

Grocery Shopping

2010-02-22T08:00:00.001-05:00

I hate grocery shopping.

Okay, seriously, who enjoys grocery shopping? Not many people.

But I really hate it.

I don't hate going up and down the aisle and picking out delicious foods that my tummy will soon enjoy. I don't mind pushing a cart. I don't mind the constant BEEP BEEP BEEP of the scanner rounding up the prices of said delicious food..

I hate the people in the grocery store. Especially when it's crowded.

You see, people in the grocery store have two speeds. Slow and so slow you're stopped in the middle of traffic causing the cereal aisle to be backed up.

Come on people. Make a freakin' list. Clip your coupons at home, know what you need, go to the store and get it.

Today I was in the local Shop Rite, and it was like the equivalent of those old reel-to-reel movies that teach you how to drive. People stop carts in the middle of an aisle. They dart in front of you to grab an item. The slow to a crawl to check their cell phones.

THEY DO ANYTHING BUT SHOP.

Are you there to help feed your family? Or are you hired by Shop Rite to attempt to slow me down?

(Yes, I'm stealing a joke my dad makes about the Parkway. But I'm twisting it to my needs.)

I walk around, sighing, huffing and puffing, grunting and being about as obnoxious as I can just so I can get a stinkin' packet of Au Jus Sauce for my Thursday Night London Broil Sandwich.

Keep moving people. If you keep moving we'll all get out of there faster.

What are your food shopping nightmares?

Pitchers and Catchers

2010-02-12T08:00:00.001-05:00

Pitchers and Catchers are reporting to Spring Training soon (if they haven't already).

A lot of people says that signals the start of spring to them. Not me. In fact, I find pitchers and catchers to be a signal that spring is still too far away.

Nothing happens when pitchers and catchers are in camp. You get a few shots of Jorge Posada jogging or chatting with a coach or signing an autograph. It's in Florida so they're warm.

But it's still cold here. And there's still the never ending month of March to come. And March--for the most part--is still winter. It's cold, it's gray, and usually you get that one 60 degree day that's just a tease of what's to come before you spend your time in the 30s and 40s for the next few weeks.

Just like pitchers and catchers. It's a tease. They lob the ball back and forth to each other, play golf, don't work really hard. It's a hint of baseball. It's a tease.

Give me the last spring training game anyday. That's a signal spring is here.

Not two guys oiling their mitts in February.

Dave White as a Teen: Band Bashes

2010-02-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was in the marching band in high school. Along with Marching Band came the "band bashes."

Yeah, band parties. I believe they cost five bucks to get into and were held in a church basement. They were like low key school dances. Pizza, music, strobe lights, awkward "Wanna dance?" questions.

We'd probably have five of these throughout the year--a "Welcome Freshman" bash, a Halloween Costume Bash, and three others. (Plus a Christmas dance, but that was more formal and held in a bigger church basement.)

But what I remember most was the music. It was the early to mid 90s so you could expect a slew of those tunes. I remember "Total Eclipse of the Heart" being the big slow dance. Then there was the "hit"--"Two Princes"--which I hated then and still hate now.

"Paradise by the Dashboard Lights" was played at EACH dance... At the same time of the evening.

"Timewarp" from Rocky Horror Picture show.

And finally, to close out the night, "American Pie" so everyone could yell out "The Marching band refused to yield."

Yeah, we were pretty cool back then.

Telling me what to write

2010-02-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

Every writer talks about the person who comes up with the idea and wants you to write it for them.

I've had that happen to me. It's easy to say no to that. I do it all the time. The person walks away disappointed because now they have to do the work, but otherwise, no harm done.

I've started to get a different kind of request. It's the "You should write..." request. It's not so much an idea, but a genre or type of novel. People usually get the idea from seeing someone else being successful with it, and immediately think of their friend, co-worker, next door neighbor, or any writer they know.

And they just HAVE to tell 'em.

"I just heard about so and so. He wrote a this--self published it, got noticed and got a huge deal! And a book deal!"

or

"You do such a great job talking about so and so. You're funny! You should write a book about it!"

Now usually it's something I've considered and either put on the back burner until I'm done writing what I'm writing. Or something I've thought about and thought--No, that's not me. I can't do that well enough to make it worth my time.

I don't know really how to respond to these people. I usually give them a quick, "Okay, I'll keep that in mind."

But that's never enough. They respond, "No. I'm serious."

"Okay, I'll consider it."

"You'd be good at it. It'd be BIG!"

"Okay thanks. I'll keep it in mind."

"No. I'm serious. You have such a way with words you should do it."

"Thanks."

"I'm serious."

I try to be polite... but here's what I really want to say:

NO! LET ME WRITE WHAT I WANT TO WRITE! I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THE BOOK I'M WORKING ON FOR ALMOST TWO YEARS! I WANT TO DO IT WELL. I AM HAVING FUN WITH IT! IT'S MY IDEA, MY BOOK, AND THERE'S NO HELP FROM YOU! I HAVE TO AT LEAST TRY WHAT I WANT TO DO AND YOU SHOULD RESPECT ME ENOUGH TO DO THAT! WHAT YOU MENTIONED--I'VE THOUGHT OF THAT! I HAVE AN IDEA FOR THAT AND I THINK, IN TIME, I'LL GET TO IT! BUT THAT'S NOT BECAUSE OF YOU AND YOUR IDEA. IT'S NOT BECAUSE OF ANYTHING YOU SAID.

LET ME BE!

Phew. That felt good to get out... narcissitic or not.

I'm serious.

New Jersey: The Promised Land--Relevancy

2010-02-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

Let's face it, New Jersey is one of the most relevant states in the Union.

In education, it is consistently ranked in the top five among states. Our kids are smart, they pass their tests, they graduate and go to college. And we're still consistently trying to get better. Princeton and Rutgers are two of the top universities in the nation.

In agriculture--we're the Garden State. Jersey Tomatoes, Jersey corn... all good stuff. We get our food out there to the nation. People enjoy its deliciousness, even if they don't realize where it comes from.

Innovation--Thomas Edison was born and lived here. Albert Einstein lived here. Joyce Carol Oates and Toni Morrison were here at points in their lives.

We are very important to the union. Our state is a cornerstone.

Compare that to New York (#32).

New York's not relevant.

First of all, forget New York City... it's closer to New Jersey than the rest of the New York State anyway. NYC is pretty much a part of New Jersey.

So, once you forget that city, what do you have?

A college known for it's journalism/communications school and it's basketball team full of thugs.

A city known for it's chicken wings.

That's it. New York State really has nothing.

Yeah, New York City is important, but no one is really coming out of NYC, they all go there.

We produce. NYC usurps.

New Jersey wins...

Again.

Stuff Yer Face

2010-02-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

As you clearly know, I have Rutgers basketball season tickets. Whenever I get the chance to get down there early and grab dinner I try to hit my favorite sports bar in the area.

It's a wood paneled place, with a bar, and then a little restaurant area in the back. It's the perfect college eatery, cheap, fun, and tastey.

Stuff Yer Face.

The place where Molto Mario started his career. Honestly.

If you're a beer taster it's heaven. They have all different types of beers: Ales, Lagers, Stouts, Wheats. Small breweries from the area all distribute beers to the restaurant. You can go there just to taste the beer.

But that's not why I go.

No, I go for what the place is known for. Bolis. Well, that's what they call them. They're strombolis, and you can build your own. There's a BBQ pulled pork boli. There's a regular cheese, peppers, and onions. There's the eggplant boli.

And my favorite... The Fireman boli.

Mozz, tomato sauce, peppers, onions, pepperoni, and capicola. Just great stuff.

If you're ever in the New Brunswick area, I highly suggest trying it out.

Pearl Jam Bootlegs

2010-02-04T08:00:00.001-05:00

Most people I know aren't fans of live albums. As far as I can tell, these people feel the albums are messy and don't sound like what you hear on the radio. I disagree. The Allman Brothers' Live at the Filmore is one of the greatest live albums ever. The songs go on and on and they rock. The band is playing their heart out.

Which brings me to Pearl Jam.

Those of you who know me well know I've been to a bunch of Pearl Jam concerts and I will go to more, assuming there are some in this area.

And what PJ does, a move I think is brilliant (along with greedy), is they record all their concerts and put them out for download the next day. And this is what made me love live albums.

The Pearl Jam concerts make the songs sound even better. On an album, PJ plays their songs at a restricted pace. They let the songs breathe and you can hear each and every note.

At a concert... there's energy. When you hear the crowd singing along, the bouncing rhythm... You hear the band get more and more into a concert. That's what playing music is all about...

If you like rock music, but hate live albums I dare you to pick on of these bootlegs up (be sure to check the setlist first). You'll be amazed. Each time I listen to a new concert, my adrenaline surges... I want to jump up and down... It's a childlike excitement.

To me, that's what music is all about...

I was at one of the Philly shows last October... I can't wait for the boots to be released... Until then, I just checked out one of the LA shows...It's fantastic. Definitely worth a listen...

Where else can you hear a band perform Jazzy Odyssey live?

Bacon Salt

2010-02-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

There's this thing called Bacon Salt out there. My fiancee got a sample pack of it when she ran a 5K in Paramus.

One night we tried it on baked potatoes.

Okay, seriously the stuff does not taste like Bacon. Or Salt... or even a combination of the stuff.

It tastes like really bad barbecue sauce. The stuff you get to put on chicken nuggets.

And, seriously, if you're going to make something called Bacon Salt, it damn well better be bad for you.

This stuff was made from soy and natural goodness stuff.

Needless to say, it's a disappointment.

If they make barbecue sauce salt, lemme know.

That'll probably taste like bacon.

LOST

2010-02-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

I'm writing this post on Sunday night--two days before the premiere of the sixth and final season.

You're reading this now, and you and I both know what happened.

Did Juliet actually reset time by setting off the bomb?

Do we know more about Jacob and his friend?

How many thousands of questions have been raised?

Do we seem to be moving toward a conclusion...?

Let's talk about it in the comments...

New Jersey: The Promised Land--The Jersey Devil

2010-02-02T08:00:00.004-05:00

How many other states have their own Devil?

And, no I'm not talking about the hockey team. The Jersey Devil is a myth, a legend, and one of the coolest things about New Jersey.

When the Leeds woman was about two have her 12th child in 1735, someone decreed it would be the Devil. When that child was born it transformed from normal baby to a being with wings, a tail, and a horse's head. It then killed the mid-wife and flew up the chimney (Hat tip to wikipedia).

People have seen this thing hanging out in the Pine Barrens. Napoleon Bonaparte's bro saw it in Bordentown. In 1908... the damn thing was everywhere. In 2009, some dude saw it in Parsippany. It can fly. It's fast.

It's scary... and it even inspires a hockey team.

Even the X-Files dealt with it in an early--GOOD--episode.

And please, what other state has this? New Mexico (#31)?

They have the chubabra, which sounds like a dog that hasn't eaten in three weeks. It doesn't kill midwives. It doesn't haunt brothers of reputed anti-Christs... It doesn't bother pizza delivery boys or people from Parsippany. It just is sort of... talked about.

The Jersey Devil can mess up a pack of chubacabras...

And then hip check you into the glass.

Rutgers Basketball: A Win!

2010-02-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

RU beat Notre Dame 74-73 Saturday night.

While that sounds exciting, it's really not. It's great the kids--especially Hamady N'Diaye--got a win. They played their hearts out and got themselves a victory. Hamady put a show, blocking two crucial plays and getting a tip on a missed free throw to give RU an extra possession.

Does this change my mind on Fred Hill?

No.

I like Fred, but I still think he panics in game situations. For instance, RU is up 4 with .8 seconds left on the clock. There is no way ND can win, and they can't even tie unless they hit a 3 pointer and someone on RU fouls the shooter. So, Hill yells "NO FOULS" (along with the rest of the crowd) and then calls time out to reinstate that.

What happens?

My guess is he gets in the players' heads so much, they do exactly what they're not supposed to. Because on the the final play, N'Diaye LUNGES at the 3 pt shooter to try and block the shot. No contact was made, no foul was called, but seriously, why did any RU player move? (N'Diaye can be blamed for this as well.)

But this leads to a bigger problem. Anytime Hill calls a time out to set a play it hardly ever works. It often results in a turnover or bad possession. It seems the other coaches know what Hill wants to do.

What can change my mind?

Start with a win against St. John's Tuesday night. Get some momentum going. Then we'll talk.

I don't see it happening. In fact, I see the more interesting discussion happening after the season is over when we're talking about who the next coach will be.

The 100 Cheesiest Movie Quotes of All Time

2010-01-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

One of the greatest cheesy lines of all time, for me, came from a James Bond movie.

Moonraker.

"Mr. Bond, you appear with the tedious inevitability of an unloved season."

"I didn't know there were seasons in space, Drax."

"You will only know Winter."

Just let that one sink in....

House Hunting

2010-01-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

The HUNT IS ON!!!!!!

My fiancee and I have started looking for houses, you know, so we can live together once we're married.

So far we've visited six houses. Our Realtor has done a wonderful job trying to find homes that suit our tastes, the location we need, and the price we can afford.

But man... we've seen some weird stuff.

In one house, we saw floors that were so warped we felt like we were walking up and down hill most of the time. All the shirts in the house were organized not only by color, but in the order of the color rainbow! Sandals too!

Another home was vacant, but I'm pretty sure it was abandoned. In 1962. The walls were over done with fake brick siding, and then painted a faded yellow. The kitchen cabinets were wall papered on the inside. Nothing was updated.

And finally there was the old person's house. When we walked in through the front door we were punch in the face with the smell of... I don't even know how to describe it. Something like a cross between Ben-gay, mothballs, and just plain old age. And it permeated the house where ever we were. There were small statues around the basement, including a miniature of the Venus de Milo.

And then there was the doll.

Against one basement wall was a 3 foot tall life like doll of a little girl in a dress. But the girl was not facing us. Instead, it was leaning against the wall, back to us, and arms raised as if she were covering here eyes. You know, like counting for Hide-And-Seek.

We got the hell out of there.

More on this to come...

The First Rule

2010-01-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Robert Crais has published a new Joe Pike book. The publisher sent me a copy to check out.

Frank Martin was a friend of Joe Pike's, a former military man as well. When he and his family are murdered in a home invasion, leave it to Pike to figure the case out.

I like Joe Pike. He's Hawk, but with more depth. Each Pike outing gives the reader a little more insight into the psyche of this character. Why is he so willing to kill? How is he different from his friend and partner Elvis Cole?

This book is no different.

But of course, it wouldn't be a Crais novel without some heavy action. There are some great gunfights in this book, and Crais does manage to heighten the tension.

While Joe and Elvis don't seem to change as much in this novel as they have in the past, it's still worth taking a ride with them.

Well done.

New Jersey: the Promised Land--Sprinkles and Subs

2010-01-26T08:00:00.001-05:00

In New Jersey, we put sprinkles on our ice cream. We take these little chocolate or rainbow sugar flakes and drop them on to the top of our ice cream and make it look pretty and taste even better. The name for these little flakes is appropriate. They are small and you "sprinkle" them on to your ice cream.

When you get a long sandwich, you know on a roll with meat and cheeses and lettuce and all that stuff... it's called a submarine sandwich. Or a sub?

Why? Because that's what it looks like. It makes sense. It's cool.

It's logical.

Compare that to what they call it in New Jersey (#30). Or more specifically.... South Jersey.

Down there, they call sprinkles "Jimmies." And they call "subs" ... hoagies.

I don't even know what those things are.

Why call a sprinkle a Jimmy? Do you have to "jimmy" the lid off the sprikles to get them out?

NO.

And what the heck is a hoagie? I honestly have no idea. I can't even begin to justify this one. I'm not going to even try.

It just sounds stupid.

You see, while anything south of the Driscoll Bridge is technically New Jersey... it gets weird down there. They talk funny. When they say "phone" it sounds like "phewn." They root for Philadelphia sports teams.

There's a "devil" that lives in a forest... (we'll get to that some day...)

North Jersey is sane. We speak eloquently. We're cooler... and our food names are logical

Crime Factory

2010-01-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

Keith Rawson and his cohorts have revitalized an old magazine in Kindle and online format.

It's called Crime Factory. It's magazine format, but it's not printed.

But damn, does it look snazzy.

Featured is an excerpt of a new novel by Ken Bruen.

A sort of book commentary by Adrian McKinty.

Great opinions, thoughts, and reviews by the Nerd of Noir.

And some short stories by Hilary Davidson, Steve Weddle, and me.

Mine's called "The Suitcase".

I hope you take some time out of your day and check it out!

Forgotten Books Friday: L. A. Requiem

2010-01-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

This isn't exactly a forgotten book, but it's a book I haven't thought about in a long while. But I'm reading THE FIRST RULE right now, and it got me thinking about Crais' biggest Elvis Cole book.

When I read this book, I was just getting into PI fiction. I'd read Parker, Chandler and MacDonald. I had finally gotten the rhythm of a PI novel down. Someone comes into the office and hires the PI. The PI gets involved personally. Case solved, PI usually ends up sad.

And then came Crais. For a while I didn't notice anything different about him. He had the same thing... a witty PI, a crazy sidekick, some good characters. And then came REQUIEM.

Crais blew the whole genre up.

I don't say that lightly.

He blew it up.

He took things that had been done before--the PI novel, the police procedural, the thriller, and studying two dark characters deeply and managed to mix it into one incredibly satisfying novel. I can remember being glued to the page, never wanting to put the book down. And I hardly did. I think I read it in two days.

To say this novel was an inspiration to WHEN ONE MAN DIES is an understatement. The mixing of voices, the action that pushed the characters forward.

This is a book I want to read again to see if it holds up. I hope it does.

It's one of the books that made me the writer I am today.

Best of the Blog: 2005

2010-01-21T08:00:00.001-05:00

I was going through my old blog posts and thought this was a pretty funny one. The kinds of things that always show up in movie trailers:

Serial Killer Lines
Just thought I'd share with you some of my favorite ridiculous lines from serial killer movies. I just saw a commerical for The Inside some new profiler show on Fox.

Anyways, here are some of my favorite lines that are said in every serial killer movie:

He wants to be caught.

I don't like this one one bit. Either the guy wants to kill and kill compulsively or he wants to be caught. Why not turn yourself in? The only time this one work is in Se7en.

He will kill again.

Yes. That's what serial killers do.

That doesn't fit the profile.

Anybody else sick of the profile? I know I am. This one went over the top when Sandra Bullock muttered "The profile doesn't fit the profile." in that wonderful movie Murder by Numbers.

He wants them to suffer.

No kidding? Man, I really thought he wanted them to die peacefully in their sleep.
There have to be more. Anyone else got any good ones?

Writing Characters

2010-01-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

I always wonder how other authors go about writing characters. In interviews, most of them say they start with a character. They come up with an idea for someone and see where it takes them.

That happened to me with my first two Donne novels. I started with Donne. Where is he in his life? What's he doing? Okay, now what can come in an really shake up that status quo for the 250 pages or so?

This book, however, was different. I had a scene in mind. I thought I had a character, but as I've been going from draft to draft, I've realized I had a character type. But the actual character wasn't there. He needed to be developed.

Each draft I've learned a little more about him.

And here's the funny thing.

Once I figured him out? I needed to figure out another 7 or 8 characters.

That's why revision is so important. I have been trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. I've been trying to fit my characters to the action and that's always wrong.

A good reader will notice it. And that's why my agent is so helpful. His instincts are good and he can tell when a character isn't doing what he's supposed to be.

So, I've got five deep characters. And I'm trying to make two more deep as well.

Only then can motivations be believable. Only then will a reader be willing to follow these people through hell.

What do you writers think? How do you go about creating characters? Does it come before all the writing? Or does it come in the revisions?

R.I.P. Robert B. Parker

2010-01-19T11:54:00.007-05:00

My father once said that THE GOLDWULF MANUSCRIPT was the kind of book he wanted to write. Robert B. Parker just did it a lot better.

Parker was my first introduction to the world of private investigators via Spenser. My parents were always buying his paperbacks, reading them, and then passing them to me. I loved the voice, the witty banter, the action, everything that went along with a Spenser novel. I enjoyed that Spenser never felt rushed, and rarely felt afraid. He knew he would solve the case, and he would do what it would take to get the job done. Some people would call it lazy writing, all the tension taken out of the novel. It didn't matter to me. I loved Parker's characters. They were broadly drawn, but had a depth to them that would sneak up on you.

I even liked Susan.

Between my freshman and sophomore year of college, I breezed through the first four novels on a road trip to Florida. During that trip, MORTAL STAKES became one of my all time favorite books. After that, I didn't miss a novel.

And as the series went on, people complained the quality of them sagged. I kept buying them, the day they came out.

You see, the Spenser novels weren't about thrilling reads to me. They became a visit with an old, tough, and funny friend. Half the fun was noting the types of beer Spenser drank, trying to spot quotes from English lit. Half my witty comebacks were borne from something read in a Spenser novel. I always wanted to know what Spenser was up to... even if it was the same old same old. I even read Jesse Stone, Sunny Randall, and the Appaloosa novels. None of them were Spenser.

I couldn't give him up.

Last fall, the last (I'm assuming) Spenser novel was published. As usual, I bought it on release day. I hadn't read it yet. I gave it to my parents to check out. There were other things to read. Other books to check out, other authors I wanted to get to first.

THE PROFESSIONAL is going to be my next read. I'll probably read it slowly, trying to savor that one last visit with an old friend.

Those visits will be missed.

New Jersey: The Promised Land--History

2010-01-19T08:00:00.001-05:00

One of the most indelible images of the American Revolution is George Washington taking his men across the Delaware River on Christmas night to attack the British.

Throughout Bergen County you can follow Washington's Retreat. You can visit Washington's Headquarters.

In New Brunswick NJ there is a plaque commemorating the second place the Declaration of Independance was ever read.

There is a crow's nest in my hometown of Clifton where soldiers watched for troops approaching from Manhattan.

Compare that to New Hampshire (#29). New Hampshire's capital is Concord.

Guess what?

That's not the same Concord that was involved in the Battle of Lexington and Concord. You may have thought it was, but you'd be wrong. That Concord was in Mass...

So, what did New Hampshire do?

Not much.

They were the first to form an independent state government... but that wasn't meant to last.

They sent some troops to Bunker Hill.

Beyond that, they pretty much stayed out of the whole thing.

New Jersey stepped up. We were the battle ground. Our state swung the war. We were involved in trickery, surrenders... excitement. New Hampshire said, "What's going on down there? Oh... um.. That's cool."

In fact, I don't really know why they're part of the US. Maybe when Montana secedes, NH will go with them...

(I'm still watching you Big Sky...)

Racquetball

2010-01-18T08:00:00.002-05:00

I discovered racquetball back in 2006, when a friend of mine took a class on it for a Phys Ed credit. He and I would play occasionally, and he'd beat the living tar out of me. Every once in a while I'd pick up and play again, getting better each time.

I joined a gym this year with a few friends. They have racquetball courts and have been playing pretty regularly.

I love the game. I love the way the ball can take wicked bounces and keep you out of it completely, or it can bounce your way for an entire afternoon and you can win when you feel like you're not even playing well. It's a crazy game, but it's a hell of a work out.

The game is at it's best when you're volleying. Sometimes, if the ball hits the wall just right, someone who's returning it doesn't even get a chance... the ball stays too close to the ground. But when there's a good volley, you really feel like you're good at a sport. Each pop of the racquet strings could be another point, and it gets to a moment with neither of the players... and both of them... think they're going to win. It's a lot of fun.

I still don't win much, but I'm a lot more competitive. I'm probably the Fred Hill of racquetball. I have a plan and a vision to do better, but I'm having trouble implementing it.

Though I must say this, when the game isn't going well... I don't think I've sworn that much in my life.

Book Review: SLEEPLESS

2010-01-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

I received a copy of Charlie Huston's latest novel from Random House a few weeks ago. I finally got to tear into it last week.

What a book.

The quick summary: In post-apocalyptic Los Angeles (sort of post apocalytic 2010), people are stricken with Insomnia. The city is about to go under marshal law. And Parker Haas is an undercover cop assigned to slow the trade of the drug Dreamer... one that give give the stricken sleep. Parker's wife has the disease. Meanwhile, Parker is being trailed by the mysterious Jasper.

To say much more would give the book away. But this book is completely different from anything he's done. It's still a noir novel, but it's also a political novel, a speculative fiction novel, and a meditation on the state of the world and what could be.

Gone are the brief description Huston is known for. Instead he's created several deep characters who live and breathe in the world of the book. Two of these characters have some of the most distinct narrative voices I've seen.

It is a challenging book. I was saw offput by the differences from Huston's other novels, I feel I missed some things early on in the novel. It's a book that begs to be re-read, but it is also a rewarding book.

The last fifteen pages are so powerful, I sat silently for fifteen minutes after I finished it.

Highly recommended.

Dave White As a Teen: Job

2010-01-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

My first job was in an A&P. It's a supermarket in Saddle Brook, NJ.

I started out as a cashier, but was really unable to count well. I think one night I lost something like 90 dollars in checks and was on probation for a little while. I don't really know what happened. It's not like the customer didn't give me a check. I probably typed the wrong number in.

I was quickly shifted to the Dairy Department. You know milk, juice, cheese, cottage cheese. Grossness.

I was not a fan of cheese before I had this job. Afterward, I didn't want to be anywhere near it (Save mozzarella, which I really didn't deal with.).

Why?

Because my job was simple. Anytime a product went out of date, I had to cut the UPC symbol off of it. With a box cutter.

A lot of stuff goes out of date at a supermarket.

So I'd spend 4 hours at a time slicing and dicing the UPCs off Ricotta, cream and cottage cheese. The knife would often slip and I come home with little cuts on my hands. I still have a scar.

When I wasn't cutting, I was stocking shelves and rotating. Is there a more tedious job? I doubt it. You couldn't just put things on the shelves, you had to put them behind what was already on the shelf.

So you had to TAKE STUFF DOWN, put new stuff in and then put the old stuff back.

Seriously tedious job.

Especially when you worked every Friday night 7-11 and Saturdays until 9.

So my social life was stocking and cutting.

Sigh.

Thank God I got outta that one.

Movie Review: UP

2010-01-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

Sunday night, the fiancee and I watched UP.

UP is a Pixar movie about an old man who's just lost his wife. Both of them loved adventure and longed to find Paradise Falls. He decides to attach balloons to his house and use his home as a dirigible and find the falls.

Pixar is almost always reliable for great films and this is one of them. The movie is filled with laughs, mostly played out by the old man's relationship with Russell a young boy scout who manages to tag along on the trip.

But what really got to me is the emotion in this film. The opening montage of the old man's marriage and eventually losing his wife really tugs at the heart. And in the final ten minutes, the movie manages to revisit the relationship with the wife and punch you in the solar plexus again.

This is the first movie I've ever gotten real tears in my eyes. If you haven't seen it yet go check it out.

New Jersey: The Promised Land: Gambling

2010-01-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

New Jersey has the greatest gambling venue in the country. Atlantic City.

Where else can you find casinos near a beach?

I mean, you go inside, play a little blackjack, have a few drinks, eat some buffet and then you go outside and sidestep some syringes. Next think you know, you're in the Atlantic Ocean. The waves are crashing down, you're body surfing, you're avoiding jellyfish.

When you're done? Go back inside, hop on the Texas Hold 'Em table. It's a great way to save some of your money, especially when luck is not on your side.

Comepare that to Las Vegas in Nevada (#28). What's there? A desert.

You go and there's nothing to distract you from the sin that surrounds you. You go outside and you're going to dehydrate. You stay inside and you're going to demoolahate. Las Vegas gets the rap for being the PLACE. But it's not.

In Atlantic City you can do anything. You can find a happening party. You can search out a ghetto. You can enjoy a wonderful buffet and then sunbathe on the beach.

From what I hear, you can't do that (sunbathe) in Las Vagas. You'll shrivel up. There's nothing to distract you from the glittering lights, the pure oxygen, and ATM machines.

Atlantic City is a safe haven for gamblers.

Rutgers Basketball Update... Early January

2010-01-11T08:00:00.001-05:00

About a month ago, I gave an update on the basketball team. At the time, I said I didn't know how the team would progress this season. There had been good moments and there had been some bad moments. Overall, however, I was optimistic.

I know now.

RU has lost four games in a row, and is 0-3 in the Big East. The first two losses of this stretch were actually promising.

Having found out that sophomore Center Greg Echenique would be out for the season with a detached retina, the team seemed to come together a bit. They were down 4 with 2 minutes left at UNC.

They lost a close battle to an improved Cincinnati.

And then the bottom fell out.

A 34 point loss at West Virginia.

And then over tthe weekend, it got even worse.

One of the building blocks, Greg Echenique decided he was going to transfer--despite the injury.

And the team lost to Providence by 14.

And now rumors say that Mike Rosario--the other building block--is unhappy.

I'm sorry, I like Fred Hill a lot. I thought he was going to get it done, but it doesn't look good anymore. I've given up on him.

I'm usually okay with losing. It's not the best thing, as a sports fan, but if there are players in the system there's always hope they'll improve.

But when your best players start transferring, that's the worst. There is no hope for the season when a players gone, and if recruits start seeing players are leaving the program, there becomes no hope that other players will come here in the future.

Fred has recruited and then lost 6 players under his regime: Corey Chandler, Justin Sofman, Earl Pettis, Christian Morris, Courtney Nelson, and Echenique.

And now the blowout losses are piling up. Syracuse is coming to town this week.

There is NO CHANCE.

Fred needs a miracle.

I don't see it happening.

It's time for a new Rutgers regime, I think.

Too bad.

Books I Got For Christmas

2010-01-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

I know this is two weeks too late and everyone's forgotten Christmas, but I wanted to mention some of these books.

HOME IMPROVEMENT FOR DUMMIES: See Wednesday's post for why I got this book. I've already flipped through it. The words and pictures confused me more than a foreign film.

THE BODY by Stephen King: I got a really cool copy of this. It was published in England and is set for upper middle school kids. It comes with quizzes and discussion topics in the back. If the content is fit for the students I teach, I may read it to them.

ANOTHER LIFE by Andrew Vachss: I've tried to read Vachss a few times, but haven't been able to get very far. This is apparently the final Burke novel. Anyone know if I need to read the rest of the series to keep up?

Plus I got a bunch of gift cards. So far I've acquired:

THE FIRST QUARRY by Max Allen Collins: I love a good hitman novel. And the cover was very cool.

MONEY SHOT by Christa Faust: I've been meaning to get to this one for a long time.

WICKED CITY by Ace Atkins: I've never read Ace, but the summary for this one and DEVIL'S GARDEN sound pretty awesome.

What did you get?

Dave White as a Teen: My First (and Only) Detention

2010-01-07T08:00:00.002-05:00

I never got in trouble in school. Never got sent to the office.

Principals and Vice Principals and Deans of Discipline never knew who I was. I got through 3.75 years of high school without a threat of detention. Not a whiff of suspension. Barely a call home for disciplinary reasons (I had a bad academic year my junior year, so I'm sure there were some calls that year).

And then, in the 4th quarter of my senior year, I made a mistake.

We have these things called Progress Reports. They're little warning letters half way through the quarter. They don't have grades on them, just numbers indicating your "progress." You have to have your parents sign them and bring them back to your homeroom teacher.

I did fine. I was passing everything. I was on track to graduate.

There was just one little problem. The day it was due, I forgot mine. My parents saw it, but they didn't remember to sign it.

And so it sat, as I drove my little Honda Prelude to school, on my parents' kitchen table.

Unsigned.

I got to class and the HR teacher asked for the reports. I dug through my folder and it wasn't there.

I was assigned a detention for the next day. I was stunned.

The next day came, and I sat it homeroom, waiting to hand in my progress report, but my parents had AGAIN FORGOTTEN TO SIGN IT. I was not getting another detention.

I forged my dad's signature. I could still do it if I needed to. I did not get caught.

That afternoon I served the detention. Well, half of it. The teacher let me leave because I kept asking her if it was really necessary for me to be there. It was the principle of the thing, she said.

I did not inform her that giving me a detention forced me to break an even bigger rule and forge a signature. If I had gotten caught, I would have really been in trouble.

I think the Statute of Limitations is up on this one... so I'm confessing to it now.

PS: I'm blogging over at Do Some Damage today. Just like every Thursday.

Home Improvement

2010-01-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

When my fiancee and I first decided it was time to buy a house, something became clear. We were going to have to fix up the bathroom in her condo so she could sell it for top dollar.

Now, there's something you should know about me. I suck at home improvement. I did not grow up a handyman. I don't know what to do with pretty much anything tool related.

I informed my fiancee of this, and she didn't believe me. I informed her that no matter what I try to fix... everything goes wrong.

She thought I just didn't want to do it and pushed on. We had to scrape, paint, replace a vanity, hang a new mirror, rewire new lights, and caulk.

The first part was stripping wallpaper border off the wall. The bathroom is not big. You know, standard size for a one bedroom condo.

It took two days.

Paint chipped. Part of the dry wall crumbled. I swore a lot. Then I tried to Spackle. I over did it. There were huge bumps of white Spackle on the wall that she sanded down.

Then we called in her brother-in-law to replace the vanity. I was smart this time. I tried to stay out of the way. Hand over tools, go fetch pieces that were missing at home depot.

It took 8 hours. And the bathroom flooded. I got cursed at this time.

She called her father in to hang the mirror. A pipe ALMOST burst.

I was not allowed to even be at the condo when she painted.

But it's done now. About five weeks since we started.

Looks nice too.

New Jersey: The Promised Land--Shape

2010-01-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

If you look at New Jersey on a map, you'll see a very interesting shape. We're like a piece to a puzzle, sharp on either end, but flexible to fit in with the rest of the world.

We're pointy at times, of course, but who isn't? There's some real personality in the shape of New Jersey. It's tough, don't mess with us to the north, we'll stab ya. Meanwhile, we're just dippin' our toes in the water to the south. Just checking things out, making sure all is okay. And to the west? We are snug. Fit right in with PA. In fact, I'd say we comfort PA... it's Okay PA, we'll hold you. No worries.

Compare that to say... Nebraska (#27).

Nebraska looks like a missing Tetris piece. Seriously, if I were close to the top of the screen, I'd be praying for Nebraska to show up and eliminate about fifty lines so I could keep playing on that level. I could flip it and fit it in a tight spot... or I could keep it horizontal and take up a lot of room.

It doesn't stand out. It's not striking. If anything it's a pot with a handle. Like Jiffy Pop. And, you know, Nebraska is known for corn.

Be careful on a hot day. You might be driving and suddenly see the entire state turn into burnt butter popcorn covered by tin foil.

But if that happened, at least then you'd be memorable.

Dave White's Musical Revue-Er-Review: Phantom of the Opera

2010-01-04T08:00:00.002-05:00

Once again I play the role of the Anti-Quertermous.

Last week I talked about WICKED and how, despite my enjoyment of the play, it had some flaws toward the end.

This time I'll focus on Andrew Lloyd Weber's PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.

Okay, the quick synopsis. Girl singer in an opera. Phantom haunts opera. Loves girl. Kills people. Cries.

I don't understand this play one bit, and I'd really like it if someone could explain it to me. The problem lies in the ending. And the female character.

SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, so Christine has to be about the easiest fall-in-love sap in the world. She falls "in love" and gets engaged to burly hero man (not the Phantom) about about a week. (I actually seem to recall it's one night, but I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.)

She then doesn't want to announce to the world that she's engaged--for no real reason... Except maybe the Phantom, who spends the entire first act whining about her and "teaching her to sing", will find out and try to kill her.

The Phantom, to try and talk her into loving him, kills about 47 people, makes other people do horrible things. And then, he puts himself into a play he wrote (one with really terrible music, by the way... except for one really good duet). He kidnaps Christine TWICE.

Yet at the end, she kisses him like she means it. The Phantom says he loves her and, though Christine runs off with hero man, she acts like she loves the Phantom.

WHY?

Because he's a horrific murderer?

Because she's a weak character?

I don't get it. Can someone fill me in... Maybe I missed something when I saw it.

But the gist of it is, the most fickle woman in the world has two guys completely in love with her and picks the Phantom, in her heart, despite the fact that he nearly dropped a chandelier on her.

Right, Raoul, you really found yourself a winner in her.

Welcome to 2010: NEW SLOGAN

2010-01-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

If you're a loyal reader of this blog, you'll know each year my friend Brian creates a new slogan.

Last year's was 2009: The Deal. At the time, I didn't know what it meant. But I've since become in engaged. And that's sort of making a deal isn't it?

There haven't been many other deals, but I think getting engaged is a big one.

So, what'd he come up for this year?

2010: CONTACT.

As usual, I have no idea what it means, but I'm sure if you twist it enough at the end of the year... you can figure out a way to make it work.

Any guesses as to what "Contact" will represent in 2010?

Best of the Decade: Personal

2009-12-31T08:00:00.000-05:00

Looking back, the first half of the '00s were uneventful and eventful, but not life changing. I mean, I graduated college, got a job, got my masters, won a Derringer Award, got a better paying and more steady job, but the ball really didn't get rolling until 2005 (in fact, if you look at the dates, my masters wasn't given out until 2005 and I didn't start the job until 2005... so bam... the first 5 years were boring.)

But the next five... WHOA... Let's go through them rapid fire:

2005: Aforementioned job and master's degree. Started meeting writers at book signings. Went to my first Bouchercon via solo road trip to Chicago. Got agent. Fun times.

2006: MOVED OUT. Take that Judy Bobalik! Got first book deal. Got excited about said book deal.

2007: Book came out. Life was exciting.

2008: Met a fantastic girl. Second book came out.

2009: Turned 30. Got engaged. Worked hard on a book that I hope to finish in the next decade... or 2010.

So, let's boil that down. If I had sat down and made a 5 year plan at the very beginning of 2005 and all of it came true, it'd look like this: Complete my masters, get a good stable job, move out, finish a book, get an agent, get a book deal, sell books, meet a girl, get engaged, put out a second book.

I'd say that's a pretty successful five years. I'd say it's a pretty successful decade. Let's hope I keep pushing forward.

Here's to the '10s! Happy New Year!

Best of the Decade: Entertainment

2009-12-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

TEN YEARS?

You expect me to remember the things that happened over the past ten years and then rank them?

Yeesh.

Okay, I'll give it a try.

Books:

I'm not going to do summaries. I'm just going to give you a quick list of books that stuck out and a personal moment:

EVERY SECRET THING by Laura Lippman: I read this book while I was student teaching in Paterson's EastSide High School. I sat in my car on my lunch and didn't want to go back in.

SEVERANCE PACKAGE by Duane Swierczynski: I read this book over a weekend when a lot was going on in my life. And, even though a ton was going on, I couldn't tear myself away.

THE DAWN PATROL by Don Winslow: The last book I can remember losing sleep over. Like a lot of sleep.

SHUTTER ISLAND by Dennis Lehane: Two weeks ago, I wrote on my blog about the logs. They still stick with me.

SPORTS:

Aaron Boone's Home Run: I was screaming my head off in glory and awe. I couldn't believe the playoff series I just saw. I remember disagreeing with a lot of my friends afterward. They said after that series, the World Series didn't matter. Greatest Playoff Series I've ever seen.

Giants Super Bowl: Thought the Giants would just be run over. Tyree's catch is still an amazing play.

Rutgers vs. Louisville '06: Greatest Sporting Event I've ever witnessed live.

Rutgers vs. #1 UConn at the RAC in 2004: RU lost by only a few points. I've never heard the place so loud.

Movies and TV:

THE DARK KNIGHT: I am still blown away by Heath Ledger's performance.

LOST: Can't wait to find out what happens this year... but I still remember blowing through the season 1 DVDs in about a week. Just a compelling show.

THE SOPRANOS: The final episode is still bizarre

CASINO ROYALE: Best movie I've ever seen alone. Just a great re-introduction to the Bond series. Way to update him and make him gritty.

What are some of your faves?

New Jersey: The Promised Land--State Slogan

2009-12-29T08:00:00.001-05:00

That's an awesome sign, isn't it?

Think of that, NJ's state capital has the guts to accuse the world of taking from it. Puts it in neon right on a bridge. You can see it on the train to Philly. It's a good slogan. And it's got me thinking about other New Jersey slogans.

"Come See for Yourself." That's right, say it with attitude. You haven't been here? Then we don't care what you think. We don't need you to have your pre-conceived notions about us. We're awesome. Come see for yourself.

"New Jersey and You, Perfect together." It's true. New Jersey is for anyone. Perfect for anyone. I mean, really... look back at my other "Promised Land" posts. There's something for everyone. And clearly, there is nothing for anyone in other states.

Compare that to the state slogan of Montana (#26): "Big Sky Country." That's not even a slogan. It's a description. Sort of. What does it even really mean? Montana is saying the sky is big in their state?

What?

The sky is big everywhere. It's the sky. It's not like I look up in the air and think... "Oh man, here in NJ the sky is really small. I wish I was in Montana." No, if I were in Montana I'd probably look up at the sky and think "Damn, there is nothing to do in this state. I wish I was in New Jersey where the sky is equally as big and something more to do!" And country? Like... it's a STATE... It would make more sense if ...

Oh.

My.

God.

Montana is giving us a hint. They are planning on seceding... AND STARTING THEIR OWN COUNTRY... WITH BIG SKIES!!!

BASTARDS!!!!!

You think you're so smart, Montana? Forget it. I'm on to you. And I'm watching you for signs. And if you so much as hint at seceding....

Keep this in mind, ladies and gentlemen... When you're flipping through the channels and stop on CNN or MSNBC or Fox News and you see that Montana has seceded and every one of their citizens is looking in awe at the sky... Remember... New Jersey is not seceding. Now, we're patriotic... And our sky is just as big.

Dave White's Musical Revue-Er-Review: WICKED

2009-12-28T08:00:00.003-05:00

It's a tradition in my future wife's family to go out for dinner and attend a Broadway show the day after Christmas. Good tradition, and also gives me fodder for blog reviews. And since I'm not a man who is not at all versed in the art of the musical (other than I've seen my share)... this should be fun. Call me the Anti-Quertermous.

This year's play? WICKED.

Spoilers lie ahead... Be wary...

The play, if you don't know, is about the Wicked Witch of the West and Good Witch Glenda... and how they got to be the people they were in THE WIZARD OF OZ.

Great concept, and based on a book.

Okay, first off, the performances. Fantastic. Great singing all around, great comedic timing, a lot of fun. The characters in the first half of the play are well drawn and seem to be building toward the inevitable "I'm MELTINNGGGGGG" conclusion.

The music. No breakout hits. Nothing I really remember. I remember them being well sung. Something about Gravity. A bouncy song sung by the Wizard. But good stuff overall. And the singing was great.

The plot. Sigh... okay go with me on this one.

I really liked the first half. I loved the Glenda character and learning how she and The Wicked Witch interacted. The first half promises of a great second half, and a play that builds to something really well done.

But then, once the play realizes they have to get certain characters in certain places it completely falls apart.

First off, the people who become the Tin Man and the Scarecrow don't make sense. The Tin Man was a woodsman who cut down trees. Not a munchkin. By the time Dorothy gets to Oz, he's rusted up and stuck in the woods. (I've even looked up the backstory from the books... He wasn't a munchkin.)... Not someone who rallies the troops against the Wicked Witch.

And the Scarecrow... If he was someone who fell in love with Wicked Witch, why would he be scared of her, terrified of her in the Wizard of Oz. Wouldn't he know she wasn't all bad, but kind of good? I guess he has to act that way for the play to end how it ends (we'll get there). But, then, when captured by the witch and tortured by evil flying monkeys, he'd probably change his mind about her.

The Wicked Witch of the East. She gets some shoes, learns to walk, gets pissed at her b/f and takes his heart and is killed about 90 seconds later. How does the entire munchkin population know about her so they can celebrate? Come on now. She has no time to be built up as this horrific woman in Oz. She's just some sister who did a bad thing out of anger and sadness. FALSE.

As for the ending...

A FAKE DEATH? The WITCH DOESN'T DIE? She just sinks into a trap door and waits for the Scarecrow to save her? I mean seriously, this is a story about the tragic downfall of a woman to witch and they go for a tacked on happy ending? The witch melts. Some people who knew her turn out to be sad. Stick with that.

GUH!

Here's what I'm starting to learn about musicals. Story doesn't matter as long as you're distracted by moving, gigantic pieces of scenery and loud singing.

If I wanted that instead of a good story, I'd go to a concert.

Grade: B

Next week: PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

Christmas Eve and Christmas

2009-12-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

Well it's the crazy time of year, when everyone does family things, gives gifts, eats too much, drinks too much and does their best to have a jolly ol' time.

I hope you all do too.

I hope Santa brings you all the things you want.

I hope you see family and friends and relieve all the great old memories.

I hope you make new memories.

I hope you eat lots and lots of cookies, and still leave some out overnight for the big man.

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas!

Airplane Revisions

2009-12-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

As has been stated on this blog multiple times, I am afraid of flying. Like total freak out, panic attack, hyperventilating afraid...

And as I'm about to start another round of revisions, the feeling is the same. Well, not exactly... I haven't hyperventilated yet.. but I have obsessed over it. The amount of stuff I have to change... the bits and pieces of characters that have to change throughout the novel, the amount of words I'm going to have to cut, how long it's going to take. It all goes through my mind over and over again. And the worst part is, I realize it's all my fault, I messed up, and I should have seen this all months ago and fixed it then.

It's all I think about.

Here's the funny thing... This summer, when I flew to Cancun, once I got on the plane, I really relaxed. They kept bringing me drinks... the flight was smooth, I had books to read and my fiancee was sitting next to me in case things got bad. And it wasn't anywhere near as bad as I expected. That's not to say next time the same feelings won't occur, but it's something to keep in mind.

And I know the same thing will happen with revisions. It's always worse when you're thinking about it. Once I slip into the text and start changing things, it just becomes work. It's less frustrating... I'm doing it, I'm making the changes and in a few weeks I'll be done. And if things are bad, my agent is there with me to answer any questions and help out (And now he'll probably kill me for comparing him to my fiancee. And if he doesn't, my fiancee will probably kill me for comparing her to my agent...)

So, into the abyss I go again. I won't freak out, and when I'm done I'll be somewhere I haven't been before. Something new will be within my grasp....

New Jersey: The Promised Land--Deep Fried Hot Dogs

2009-12-22T08:00:00.002-05:00

In New Jersey, we have developed the key to happiness. It's not world peace or Christmas spirit or anything like that.

No, it's eating a deep fried hot dog.

There's a place called Rutt's Hut in Clifton. It's a glorious place. Originally a little roadside stand, it's developed into a diner like shack. Wood paneled on the inside with a bar and a section of tables that's always closed, it's homely. The waitresses don't want to be the there, the regulars at the bar don't want to be there, but the people who come for the hot dogs... they want to be there.

And if waiting 30 seconds for a hot dog on the inside is tough for you to do, then you need to go around back and hit the walk-up stand. There, you can ingest 3-4 deep fried dogs and a bag of onion rings so greasy the bag gets soaked through. It's amazing.

And what can we compare that to in Missouri (#25)? A quick Yahoo seach shows me something called Ozark Pudding.

My guess is that's roadkill mixed with milk and put in a blender. It is not a deep fried hot dog. It is the meal of the lonely and depressed. Not the joyous taste of meat, relish and mustard....

Seriously, did someone just find a dead deer and mash it up and mix it with sugar? It makes that splatter sound when you eat it. It doesn't snap, like a hot dog.

Damn, I want a hot dog right now...

And for my NJ readers... Yeah, I know we also have the Texas Weiner and Hot Grill... but that's another entry for another time...

Rutgers Football Wrap-up

2009-12-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

In my RU Season Preview, I predicted Rutgers to go 9-3 (before the bowl) losing to Cincy, Maryland, and West Virginia. The team (with the bowl) went 9-4 and lost to Cincy, Pitt, Syracuse, and West Virginia.

Listen, Rutgers was a young team on offense... especially once Tom Savage was given the QB position in the second half of the opening tilt. Mohammad Sanu was a revelation this season, but the running game was never dominant. Assuming RU can replenish its offensive line, the team will be really good in the coming years.

So, what will I remember this year?

Tim Brown's phenomenal catch and run at the end of the UConn game, and finding out he was a high school friend of slain UConn player Jasper Howard.

The stadium full and rocking minutes before the opener.

The defense completely shutting down South Florida on national TV and looking like they were about to roll.

Savage to Sanu over and over.

Devin McCourty's yearlong dominant play.

And ...

Munoz's flip.

What will you remember?

Forgotten Books Friday: SHUTTER ISLAND

2009-12-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'm cheating... SHUTTER ISLAND isn't really a forgotten book. I mean it's written by Dennis Lehane and Ali Karim goes off about it in the comments section of every blog that mentions shutters.

But there is a moment in the book that has always stuck out to me... and it's never ever discussed.

It's just passed the big twist at the end of the book. It's when Teddy finally remembers what really happened.

And it's stuck with me for almost a decade.

The description of the logs.

I figured out the big twist in the book about 50 pages in. And I kept waiting and watching to see how Lehane would play it out. And he didn't try to fool you. No... he just went with the super emotional follow up.

I still get chills thinking about the logs.

It's the one book that's stuck with me for this long.

And one of my favorite of the decade.

Dave White as a Teen: The Marching Band

2009-12-17T08:00:00.001-05:00

Yep, I was a band geek.

I was in a band known as the "Showband of the Northeast." I played the trumpet. Okay... I "played" the trumpet. Meaning, I held the trumpet up to my mouth and very rarely was a note uttered from the end of the horn.

But I was in it. I paid my dues. I marched. I stood at attention. I stood at ease. I 3 spinned and I right turned and I drilled.

It's funny, thinking back about those days, how little I actually cared about the band part. I mean, I liked it, I must have to do it for four years. But really I was in it for social reasons.

Playing the trumpet past high school was never my thing. It was never EVER an option. I didn't like it that much. A lot of my friends are in music somehow. Band directors, jazz musicians.... homeless.

No, not me.

I used the band to meet friends and to keep friends. It was a social circle. It was a two-hour rehearsal that lead to a lifetime of inside jokes, smiles, and laughs.

So, yes, I would say that spending 8 minutes on a football field and never getting hit by a linebacker lead to something.

I learned how to interact with people. I learned how being "on time" is basically "being late." I learned how to be comfortable in front of an audience. (You have to have a sense of humor when you can barely get through a B flat scale on your own.)

What about you? What did you do to fit in?

The Appeal of Trade Paperback

2009-12-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

When I got my first book deal, I didn't know trade paperback was an option. When we made the deal, I thought the only choices were Mass Market and Hardcover.

My agent informed me otherwise soon after.

I love books in trade paperback. The prices are such that you're willing to take a chance on a new author. $14.95 isn't too bad. You could check out a new author and not feel guilty.

Since my book deal trade paperback has lead me to a bunch of new authors:

Charlie Huston: Both the Hank Thompson and Joe Pitt novels came out in TPB. They were brutal, they were different. They were something new and they were great.

Jonathan Maberry: The man mixes sci-fi, horror, and noir into one novel. And it works. These books are great. I wouldn't have tried him out if he was in hardback, as the sci-fi stuff is not my thing.

Reed Farrel Coleman: He's the first I tried out in TPB. His Walking the Perfect Square and Redemption Street are great PI fiction. They walk the road of sentimentality and noir. I wouldn't have tried him in the other two formats either.

I suppose what I'm trying to say it, TPB is a way to experiment with new types of writing. You can take a PI tale and make it sentimental or you can make a thriller. You can make a story into a noir/horror hybrid.

There is good stuff out there. It's just up to you, the reader, to try it.

New Jersey: The Promised Land--Spelling and Counting

2009-12-15T08:00:00.001-05:00

In New Jersey, we're educated.

We know how to spell and we know how to count. In NJ, we are (as Brad Parks said) the most densely populated state in the nation. We had to learn how to count people so we knew what our place on line was. We had to know how many people were in a certain place so we wouldn't break a fire code.

We also know how to spell. While "New Jersey" isn't impossible to spell, some of the cities are. Come on, if someone asked you to spell HoHoKus... would you be able to? What about Hoboken or Morristown or Paramus? There are a ton of hard cities to spell in our state.

Which leads us to Mississippi (#24). Everyone knows how to spell that state. It's one of the first things taught to you in elementary school. I mean really, how dumbed down does the state need to be? It's not hard. You learn it in kindergarten and you're set for life.

Not New Jersey. You're expected to know how to spell our cities... whether you know how to or not.

And counting? Please.... 1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi. You don't do that with HoHokus... You don't learn to count that way... you don't get assistance. Here in NJ you count... for real.

Don't mess with us... Southern State... We're better than you.

Rutgers Football 2009: What a Change

2009-12-14T08:00:00.001-05:00

When I went to RU for undergraduate work Rutgers football was 0-11, 5-6, 2-9, 3-8. Something like that.

Basically, they weren't good.

In fact, my second day on campus, I left the opening game at halftime. The team was down something like 28-0 against a Michael Vick lead Virginia Tech. As I left the stadium, someone told me they'd be all right, freshman Mike MacMahon would be starting soon. Well, we had Mike... and little else. Detroit Lions fans know all about Mike.

Beyond a huge OT upset of Syracuse, my time on the Banks was devoid of interesting football.

In my senior year, they fired coach Terry Shea. And brought in a man named Greg Schiano.

Schiano talked national championships. Schiano talked Big East titles. Schiano had big goals.

Meanwhile, there was a group called Rutgers 1000. They wanted RU to scale back the big time sports. They wanted to focus on being an academic school.

And for four years it sounded like they might be right. RU, under Schiano, lost. And they lost a lot. But something happened after Schiano's fifth year. They made a bowl.

Not a big deal for most schools. But a HUGE deal for Rutgers. Their first since the 70s. Their second bowl EVER.

The next year was 2006. They went 10-2. They beat number 3 Louisville on national TV.

Schiano obliterated Rutgers 1000. I don't think they officially exist anymore.

Since, RU has seemed to take a step back. NFL pros are gone. They are young.

And now people are complaining RU hasn't won the Big East yet.

It's going to come. Give it two years. Schiano turned down Michigan and Miami. Brian Kelly and Rich Rodriguez couldn't turn down bigger deals.

What a change.

Forgotten Books Friday: The Clone Saga

2009-12-11T08:00:00.001-05:00

I got back into comic books last year after a long absence from them.

I gave up comic books after Spider-man's clone came back when I was high school.

"What are you talking about, Dave?"

Or, if you're a comic book fan, "This isn't a forgotten book. Hell, love it or hate it, this saga is still coming up in conversation like 15 years later."

You see, in the late 70s, someone thought it would be a good idea for a story if someone made a clone of Spider-man. They fought, the clone fell into a smokestack, and Spider-man question (for all of 3 pages) if he was a clone or the real one. He got tested, but decided that he knew he was the real one without reading the pages given to him.

In the late 90s, when all these characters were getting their status quos all shaken up (Superman "dies," Batman gets his back broken), Marvel decided they should shake up Spider-man's.

And it turns out, the clone lived. Moved to like... Portland or something... and went into hiding.

And eventually, because it sounded cool, he came back to make Spider-man's life a living hell.

I really only made it halfway through the Clone Saga. I thought it was the end, but I found out years later, it wasn't anywhere near the end.

You see, at the point when I checked out, a doctor revealed that the Spider-man I'd been reading about all my life was the clone. And the guy who came back was the real deal.

So the Spidey I'd been reading about packed up his stuff and his wife and moved off to ... who knows where. And the new/old guy took over as Spider-man.

At that point, I stopped. I was an annoyed kid. I figured the stories I'd read and loved had all been about a fake Spider-man. I didn't want to meet a new character. I wanted to see MY Spider-man. The one I knew.

Little did I know how cool an idea this really was. Sure it was driven by sales, and apparently got bloated and overblown, but as a writer sometimes you need to refresh things. Find ways to start a new. Send a character in a new direction.

I don't know what happened after the clone/fake clone took over (apparently at some point over the saga, the real Spider-man came back with his wife from whereever and the clone disintegrated in a battle with the Green Goblin... Yeah, I'm confused too...)

But the writers tried to refresh things. They tried to take something old--the clone story--and come up with something new. They tried to find a way to tell all-new, and all-different Spider-man stories.

They took a huge risk. And any time a writer does that, I respect it.

Well, now I respect it. Back then I was a ticked off geek.

But, kudos Spider-man writing staff. It takes a lot to try and change things around 100%. You guys gave it a shot.

If you publish a graphic novel or two about it, I might actually go and check it out.

(More on the Clone Saga. Because I know I didn't explain it anywhere near good enough. And for even move backstory, check this out. A very cool blog.)

Dave White as a Teen: Dating

2009-12-10T08:00:00.001-05:00

I was the worst dater in high school. I had no idea what I was doing. And if you look at an earlier post, you'll noticed that lasted long into my 20s.

I had my first "date" as a freshman in high school. I remember asking the girl to a dance we were both attending. Remember the words just babbling out of my mouth, my arms and ears getting hot, and the lead ball in my stomach. And I remember a key to my high school dating:

The wait list.

It was like college acceptances. Girls in high school could never say yes or no. I don't know if they didn't like being put on the spot or they were waiting for a better option, but you never got an answer at the moment.

"And let's be honest, there was no better option, ladies. If you turned me down you missed out," The 30 year-old Dave says. The non confident 14-17 year old would just shuffle off with a mumbling "Okay."

Even my senior year girlfriend made me wait on the dance invite. And we are talking a fifteen minute wait. We're talking a two week wait. What was so hard about?

Say yes or no. And then I can move on. That way I wouldn't have walked around with said lead ball dragging me down.

It sucked.

Me? On the other hand? From what I can remember, I got asked to things 3 times. Once I said yes and twice I said no. I never made the girl wait.

That didn't mean I didn't make it awkward.

Again, no experience, I didn't know how to let people down nicely. I once told a girl I had plans that night of the Junior Prom (I was a sophomore when asked) and couldn't go. That night she attended the same movie I did... and seeing that movie was spontaneous.

One girl asked if I wanted to go with her to a dance or if she should just leave. I said "Yes.... to the leaving."

Yeah, I was bad.

I'm so glad I've grown up. I'm getting goosebumps and the lead ball just writing this post. Those memories hurt.

Dating as a high school student was hard.

And it didn't get easier.

I just got more practice.

And, like a stand-up comic, a routine.

What are some of your high school dating stories?

What Movie Got Your Into Writing?

2009-12-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

One of the questions I often ask writers is: What book got you into writing?

There are a lot of answers, naturally. Writers range from Lehane to Chandler to Mosely to Hemingway to Shakespeare.

And all are understandable.

But I've been thinking about it, and while there are several books that got me into writing (and I'm sure I've mentioned them here), I can only think of one movie.

I saw In the Line of Fire in the theaters with my parents. It was probably in the summer between 8th and 9th grade. I also remember seeing the preview for it when I saw GROUNDHOG DAY.

The preview was John Malkovich, in a voice over, talking about killing the President. While that was happening, all you saw on screen was 1963. The sound of a ticking clock. The "6" spun around to become a "9." At the end of the voice over, Clint Eastwood slams down the phone and says "That's not gonna happen."

I was all in.

We saw it in the theater, and my heart was in my throat as Clint looked through the SEATING CHART (!!) to find Malkovich. When he got dragged on to the elevator at the end. Hell, the rooftop chase. Learning the correct way to spell "ukulele."

Great movie. Still holds up.

And I remember renting the movie and watching it again with my family. And I remember a scene--a montage--late in the film where the Secret Service is planning for the President's arrival and Malkovich is putting on his fatsuit disguise.

And I absently said, "I wonder how this would read in a book."

My parents started talking about how they'd do it, chapter by chapter with about twenty pages of description. How it would be all about building suspense and pacing. I started to play with it in my mind. How would I word those two scenes? Would I try to intertwine them or split them up? Had I read a book like that?

Afterwards, I started to track down political thrillers. I remember reading a book by Jefferey Archer about Saddam Hussein stealing the Declaration of Independence. Something by Christopher Hyde. Trying to get through PATRIOT GAMES by Clancy.

None of them brought the same feel that the movie did. At least not to my freshman mind.

So... now I'm trying to write a book with that feel.

What about you? What movies have inspired you?

New Jersey: The Promised Land--Population Density

2009-12-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

Man, Brad Parks is all over the place lately. He was posting over on Do Some Damage about Paris Hilton. And then he was over at Poe's Deadly Daughters talking about characters talking to him. So, multiple personality Brad begged me to post about NJ on this blog. Since his book, Faces of the Gone, comes out today... .ANNNNDDD because people with multiple personality disorder frighten me, I decided to let this former NJ resident tell us why NJ is still great. As usual, I'll have my own comments after he's done:

By Brad Parks
Guest Promised Land Prognosticator

I like people. They’re funny, fascinating, imminently huggable creatures, full of quirks and twists, and they never stop surprising you – among God’s best work, if you ask me.

I even like Dave White. That’s how much I like people.

And if you like people, there’s simply no better state to be than New Jersey, the most densely populated state in America. We cram 8.6 million homo sapiens into a mere 8,729 square miles – a thrilling, hard-driving 1,134 people per stimulating, mall-loving, Taylor-ham-eating square mile. I mean, you basically can’t turn around without bumping into someone!

Especially in towns like Nutley, Clifton, Bloomfield, the real beating heart of Northern New Jersey. For nine years, I lived in Maplewood, with its 23,000 people all writhing on top of each other in an area less than four square miles. There’s an energy, a special vibrancy to a place with that many people crammed in that close. I would even argue there are healthcare benefits: When my neighbor had a cold, I knew about it, because our houses were so close I could hear him sneezing, even with the windows closed.

During that same time, I worked in Newark, one of the ten most densely populated cities in America – 21,000 people per square mile, if you don’t count the land at the air and seaports (and I don’t). Perhaps only sardines are so blessed when it comes to being packed in tightly with fellow members of their species.

Yes, there’s density everywhere you turn in New Jersey.

Not so in, say, Minnesota (#23).

Minnesota stretches its 5.2 million people over a vast 86,943 square miles – a dull, yawing 65.3 people per frozen, hockey-loving, Jesse-Ventura-electing square mile. It poses the existential quandary: If you scream at the top of your lungs in Minnesota, have you really made a sound? No. There’s no one around to hear it.

Plus, two-thirds of the populations lives in the Twin Cities, meaning the rest of the state is basically empty. Why? Because it’s just not worth inhabiting.

I went canoeing once up near the Boundary Waters area in Northern Minnesota, spent 10 days paddling and portaging across a chain of lakes with my brother. We went three days without seeing another living soul. If Minnesota was all that great, don’t you think folks would have at least built summer homes there?

In three days paddling around Lake Hopatcong, you’d probably get invited to at least eight barbeques and two totally awesome keggers.

Why? Because New Jersey is a place where people want to be. It’s got density, baby.

See? Even Brad knows NJ. And yeah, he's right. It's great to have people around. Any time I have a question, I can pretty much find someone to answer it. I can get advice, a plubmer or a pizza on a Saturday night within an hour, and I can talk to people.

When you talk in Minnesota, you know who talks back? Your echo.

Well said, Brad, eh?

For more Brad, visit his website, follow him on Twitter or became a fan of Brad Parks Books on Facebook.

Rutgers Basketball So Far

2009-12-07T08:00:00.002-05:00

We are seven games into another college basketball season, and where is RU thus far?

They are 5-2, and seem to be a little better than last year. They've looked really good at times (the win against UMass, they first half of a loss to Florida) and pretty bad at other (Win vs Drexel, Loss to VT, first half today against Colgate).

I can't tell if that's because we're going to be a bad team in the Big East or because it's a team with six new pieces that are still learning to play together. In fact, I don't think you'll be able to tell anything about this team until the UNC game or the Big East season gets going.

They have four games left until then. Games against Monmouth, Rider, NJIT and St. Peters. All are NJ teams, all are at home for RU. RU can lose any of those games. But let's talk about the players:

Mike Rosario: The kid just seems to be off this year. He averaged 16 pts in as a freshman, but now he's not taking the same amount of shots and therefore isn't hitting as many. I can't tell if he's still figuring out when to pass and when to shoot, but he hasn't been as good.

Greg Echinique: This C is going to be a beast. The past two games he's had 21 pts and 19 pts. He hits his free throws. He's a smart player, and he's only going to get better.

Dane Miller: Smooth, athletic, and only a freshmen. Could be a star if developed the right way.

Jonathan Mitchell: The transfer from Florida seems to be playing like the rest of the team plays. Some days he's on, and some days he's off. How he goes so goes the team. He's a PF, so he should be rebounding more, but he seems to just want to tip the ball to another player. Needs to get better.

James Beatty: A pass first PG, finally. He brings energy and tries to make the smooth plays. He's still learning the team and is only going to get better as the season goes on. If he improves dramatically, good things could happen for RU.

Mike Coburn: Also learning how to be a pass first PG. He looks off a step. At times he looks miles better than he has been in past years, but at times he looks lost out there. Needs to step it up.

Hamady N'Diaye: A senior. Still can't catch the ball, and is a hole on offense, unless the team is out running. Great defensively.

Patrick Jackson: Has showed some offensive promise, but has disappeared a bit lately. Seems to be forcing it. Be nice to have him coming off the bench for some jump shooting.

Austin Johnson, Mohammad Hasani, Brian Okam: Too early to tell still.

Hopefully, I'll be able to have a better gauge in the next month or so.

Go RU!

The Coffeehouse

2009-12-01T16:52:00.003-05:00

So I have Sirius/XM radio and love it. There are some great channels I check out like The Spectrum (their modern rock station) and Lithium (which is 90s rock).

The other music station I really love is The Coffeehouse. It's a singer/songwriter acoustic channel. Everything on it is acoustic. Sometime they break out some really cool covers by famous artists or covers of famous songs (Like Luka Bloom doing "Dancing Queen" which is odd and fun. And "You and I" by Wilco accompanied by Feist. Good stuff.)

But the last couple of times I've put it on I've heard some damn strange songs.

The first is a version of "Crazy Love" done by both Ray Charles and Van Morrison. Sounds fantastic right? Well, it should... except for one thing... At the end of the song, both Ray and Van try to free style... and, um, it doesn't quite work out. The song becomes a challenge between Ray and Van for who can say "Gimme gimme gimme" more times in the beat? Van is basically screaming it out by the end of the song. Makes me very uncomfortable.

And speaking of uncomfy...

The other strange song I've heard is an acoustic cover of "Crash" (the Dave Matthews tune) by Stevie Nicks.

Whaaaaaa--?

Yes.

Stevie Nicks trying her hardest to get through a song about a peeping tom (at least that's how I've always interpreted it)... She skips the parts about hiking up your skirt. And pretty much everything except "I see the wave coming, crash into me." It's like she heard the song... didn't really get it and tried to sing it as a karaoke tune.

Didn't quite work out.

What are some bizarre covers you've heard?

New Jersey: The Promised Land--The Weather

2009-11-29T21:08:00.005-05:00

One thing about New Jersey, we have weather.

I mean, everywhere has weather... but here in New Jersey we have the weather you're expecting. Despite global warming, we get ALL FOUR SEASONS. It's cool and wet in the fall, cold and sometimes snowy in the winter, warmer in the spring, and hot in the summer. We have the Jersey Shore, where you can sunbathe and swim in the summer. We have Vernon, where you can ski in the winter.

Compare that to say, I don't know.... Michigan (#22).

I've been to Michigan. I've been to Michigan in the winter, I've been there in the spring, and I've been there in the summer. My dad used to live in Mt. Pleasant.

And Michigan doesn't have seasons. They have cold. They have gray clouds. The sun only makes guest appearances. I'm serious. I was in high school and we'd show up. And from 8 in the morning, until 7 in the evening, all you'd see are clouds. And then at 7, just as it was supposed to set... the sun would pop out and say hello. The sun was a tease.

Also, in NJ, we respect our weather. If it's cold, you'll see people bundled up in heavy jackets. Scarves. Gloves and hats. You know, doing what normal people do.

People in Michigan don't do they. When it's cold, they wear shorts! Some might say that's braving the elements.

I don't... I just say that's a quick way to frostbite.

Thank you, New Jersey, for bringing sanity to our seasons. If I lived in Michigan... I'd be a crazy person. Seasons would be a rumor to me.

Yep, I've been gone a while

2009-11-16T16:45:00.003-05:00

This blog has been dormant for about 2 weeks, I think. It's been a very busy couple of weeks.

So what have I been doing?

Writing, revising, planning.

I just finished a short story I hope to publish in the next few weeks.

I'm still revising my third novel. It's getting there. Still very excited about it.

And I'm working on my fourth.

But, you can always catch me on Do Some Damage on Thursdays if you need a Dave White blog fix.

Why I Love Baseball

2009-11-05T09:51:00.006-05:00

When Matsui hit the two run single in the 3rd to put the Yankees up 4-1, I knew it was over. I wouldn't say it, didn't want to jinx it, but the game just had that feel.

Inevitable.

And as the series drew closer and closer to the end, the restaurant I was in getting louder and louder, I started to think about how much I love baseball, in good Yankees seasons and bad.

The baseball playoffs, to me, are like a great noir thriller. Each series is a slow burn that builds over nine innings and then (with 2 off days) nine days. Each move is dissected, talked about, twisted. Each pitch, each moment builds on the last until you're so exhausted you don't even want to watch anymore. The games go on forever, killing your nerves and your ability to sleep. By the end of October (or early November) you've got dark circles under your eyes and are either ecstatic or depressed.

People talk about the game being too slow, but that's part of what makes it great. It's the perfect game to talk about. You can guess what's going to happen next. You can play each scenario out in your mind, picture a double off the wall or a strike out on a slider in the dirt. Or even worse, the dreaded double play.

There are heroes (for me Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera over the years) and villains (David Ortiz, Vlad Guerrero, Cliff Lee... midges) and morally conflicted players (A Rod... love him or hate him?). I'm even catching some flak this morning, because I'm superstitious... I picked against the Yankees each round, in old reverse jinx fashion. I couldn't admit it then, and no one believes me now.

And the best thing about baseball? It's perpetual.

Last night, the ball had barely smacked Teixiera's glove, we had barely high fived, when the conversation switched to next year. The GM meetings are on Monday.

How would the Red Sox respond? They clearly had an off year. Were they already calling Toronto to get Halladay?

The Mets had many questions marks. Would they try and sign Holliday and Lackey? They would be better if they did.

And yes, we even talked about the Yankees. Could they let Matsui walk? Would they bring back Damon or try and go out to get another starter?

You can't do that with any other sport. You can't break down football this way. There isn't a hot stove football season and the games are once a week. College basketball is my other favorite sport, but it can only last so long and only interest so many people. Only die hards care about recruiting.

But baseball. In the Northeast, you can talk about baseball to anyone. You can discuss the weakness in a bullpen for hours and few people will look at you funny. You can trash a manager, celebrate a player, hate a team, love a team, and complain about payroll for hours.

From April to October, I become a sports talk radio junkie. I can't turn it off. I listen to all the idiot callers saying that trading Melky Cabrera for Roy Halladay is a fair deal. That Girardi should have pitched Chad Gaudin in Game 5. That Mariano Rivera should pitch 3 innings in Game 6.

I know this post can seem obnoxious. The Yankees just won. The Yankees always win. The Yankees and recently the Red Sox are the national villains. Everyone hates them. And what makes something great? Great villains.

I could have written this post last year. I could have written this post any year over the last 8, when the Yankees blew it.

The pain is fun. The joy is even better.

I can't wait until the rumor mill starts up again.

Go Yankees, 2009 World Champions.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights Men's Basketball 2009-2010 season

2009-11-03T16:36:00.002-05:00

I know it's still baseball season (on November 3rd!?) and I should be focusing on my Yankees, but my college hoops tickets just came in. And since it's about a week and a half away, it's time for me to do my annual predictions. Lemme know what you think in the comments!

This team is still young, with only one senior, and has brought in six new faces including two juniors (one a transfer and one a JUCO) and four freshman. While the talent and depth of this team is better than it's been in years, it's going to take a while to gel, I think. While I expect sophomore studs Mike Rosario and Greg Echinique to be solid... and maybe even more than solid, this team is going to rise and fall on the back of JUCO PG James Beatty. Can he make the engine go? Let's see? Hill's head is on the chopping block here, so it's an interesting season...

Game by game prediction:

RUTGERS vs. Marist: Last year RU won by only 1 point in the season debut. I expect a better showing here as RU debuts a fast break. The last time RU excelled at the fast break George Bush was in office. The first one. 1-0 (0-0 BE)

RUTGERS vs. Drexel Legends Classic-Rosario has a big game with 20 points, but Echinique finally sees the ball in the right places and has a double double. 2-0 (0-0 BE)

RUTGERS vs. Vermont-This team is still young and is trying to gel. They slip up here in a tight one. Fans leave the game and search the parking lot for torches to light. 2-1 (0-0 BE)

RUTGERS at Massachusetts-RU rebounds with a solid, if not spectacular... and also closer than necessary win down in the Atlantic City Tourney. 3-1 (0-0 BE)

RUTGERS at Florida/Michigan State-RU is still feeling the momentum of the win the day before and is able to hang with these two tough teams for three quarters of the game. Late turnovers get them and they lose by double digits... No matter which team they play. 3-2 (0-0 BE)

RUTGERS vs. Princeton-You hate to play Princeton and your D has to be tough on those back door cuts. RU plays a lot of zone in this one, Princeton misses it's share of 3s. Our front court pounds them. 4-2 (0-0 BE)

RUTGERS vs. Colgate-RU beats the Red Raiders in a strong effort as everything clicks. Is this team starting to come together? 5-2 (0-0 BE)

RUTGERS vs. Monmouth-Maybe it is. Another solid showing. Fans start to get excited. 6-2 (0-0 BE)

RUTGERS vs. Rider-With the excitement in the building, RU lays an egg as Rosario has an off shooting night and our Big men are in foul trouble. Rider wins and are better than most expect. 6-3 (0-0 BE)

RUTGERS vs. NJIT-Fans wait outside with pitchforks and expect to riot. But RU does what it's supposed to beats up a bad team. 7-3 (0-0 BE)

RUTGERS vs. St. Peter's-Not even close. The Jersey City team makes the bus trip... hits a few threes early, but the team looks like it's clicking again. 8-3 (0-0 BE)

RUTGERS at North Carolina-RU hangs tough again with NC, as UNC is really young. But being on the road hurts. Reminds fans of the Waters second year, in a game they should have won. 8-4 (0-0 BE)

RUTGERS vs. Cincinnati-Lance Stephenson is cleared to play and excited to come to the area. He lights up RU for 28 pts. RU hangs in there as Rosario and Ech are starting to feel there oats. Beatty looks solid, but RU falls in the last two minutes. 8-5 (0-1 BE)

RUTGERS at West Virginia-This game isn't even close. WVU uses their athelticism to dominate RU. 8-6 (0-2 BE)

RUTGERS at Providence-Would love to call this a win, and RU makes a late rally. They never win at the DD center, however. 8-7 (0-3 BE)

RUTGERS vs. Syracuse-RU has this one circled on the calender. Hangs tough, takes a double digit lead. But turnovers hurt the team again. 8-8 (0-4 BE)

RUTGERS at USF-RU goes down to USF to get their first BE win. The guards are hot and win by six. 9-8 (1-4 BE)

RUTGERS vs. Villanova-The final four contender runs RU out of the building as they beat RU at it's own game. The first high scoring affair in a while. Very fun game to watch. 9-9 (1-5 BE)

RUTGERS at Georgetown-A tough defensive battle, but G'Town hangs on. RU falls under .500 for the first time. 9-10 (1-6 BE)

RUTGERS at Marquette-RU loses in the final seconds on free throws, but something seems to click with the team. Beatty and Ech both have double doubles. 9-11 (1-7 BE)

RUTGERS vs. Notre Dame-Whatever clicked in the 'Quette game grows a bit and RU shuts down Harangody for a tough, solid win. 10-11 (2-7 BE)

RUTGERS vs. St. John's-Momentum carries over and RU out runs a team that wants to muck it up and play a plodding game. 11-11 (3-7 BE)

RUTGERS at Louisville-RU can't keep the momentum going and is run out of the building. 11-12 (3-8 BE)

RUTGERS vs. Caldwell-Double digit win against a AA team. 12-12 (3-8 BE)

RUTGERS vs. Georgetown-RU gets some revenge... the front court plays solid D and RU wins in the final seconds. Is there hope? 13-12 (4-8 BE)

RUTGERS at DePaul-RU wins convincingly against a bad team and looks like they're turning a corner. 14-12 (5-8 BE)

RUTGERS vs. Connecticut-Rosario comes out to play and goes off for 30, but UConn is too strong as they are coming together at the right time. 14-13 (5-9 BE)

RUTGERS at Seton Hall-Seton Hall is good this year. I hate it as I'm there and angry. 14-14 (5-10 BE)

RUTGERS vs. DePaul-RU breaks out for another win. 15-14 (6-10 BE)

RUTGERS vs. Seton Hall-Seton Hall and RU wage a tough battle, but SHU is playing for an NCAA bid and wins in the final minute. 15-15 (6-11 BE)

RUTGERS at Pittsburgh-RU gives Pitt a scare, but it's not enough 15-16 (6-12 BE)

Is this enough to keep Hill's job? I'm really not sure... but each game in the BE at the RAC is close and could have gone either way. Fans are confused, and most are angry and are calling for Hill's head.

An Honor to Be Nominated

2009-11-02T16:20:00.001-05:00

I don't know if people know this--I didn't until last year--but when you're nominated for an award and don't win, you still get some swag. It's a cool little certificate to remember your nomination.

When I was just getting into reading crime fiction, specifically PI stuff, it was always cool to see "SHAMUS NOMINATED AUTHOR" on the front covers. And I was even happier when it was plastered on to a book I loved. It made me feel like I had good taste.

I would be lying if I didn't imagine the same thing plastered on the covers of my books one day.

I've published two books, and both were nominated for Shamuses. I missed B'Con this year so I wasn't able to get to the Awards dinner. Even though I didn't win, getting the second certificate in the mail today was such a huge buzz. Part of my dreams had come true.

Thank you so much, PWA.

Went to See Pearl Jam in Philly on Wednesday.

2009-10-30T13:15:00.004-05:00

Here are some You Tube highlights:

From the CBS TV Show MEDIUM

2009-10-18T21:09:00.005-05:00

Check out the top right corner of the picture...

This is one of those cool things that come out of left field and put a smile on your face for the rest of the day. To whomever chose this bookstore as the right setting, thank you. To whatever bookstore this is, thank you for putting up the poster!

And if it's a set... that's even cooler.

I'm going to have to check out MEDIUM soon. I've heard some great things about it. And it sounds like a cool premise.

Anyone have care to give me a show review?

Check me out!

2009-10-15T15:23:00.003-05:00

Okay, I've been lazy on this blog. Busy with work, busy with writing, busy with life.

But I am still blogging over at Do Some Damage. You can check out why I think boys don't like to read.

And this is also fun.

Some New Things

2009-10-08T11:11:00.001-05:00

Want to know what's going on in the crime blogs? Check my post on Do Some Damage!

Also, this is always fun!

FLASHFORWARD--Review and Spoilers

2009-09-26T10:26:00.004-05:00

Based on a book by Robert J. Sawyer, the TV show features a great concept. What if everyone in the world blacked out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds and got a glimpse of their lives 6 months in the future?

ABC is trying to find their new LOST, and they may have. They find several interesting characters--FBI agents, doctors, babysitters, children and put out a pilot that is extremely compelling.

The flash forwards make for interesting mysteries. Why is a woman having a sonogram at 10 in the evening, for one? If a character saw nothing in the future, is he dead?

And what exactly is the FBI agent discovering, that leads a series of men to hunt him down and attempt to kill him?

(I can guess at the last one, mostly because I read the synopsis of the book... Wonder how close the series will stay? In the book, people flash forward 21 years instead of 6 months... My guess is "loosely.")

And in true LOST fashion, it has a great twist at the end of the episode--(I was wondering how cameras would play in... Would they black out too? Would they show what happened?)

There are a few drawbacks that I'll chalk up to being part of the pilot, but could detract from future episodes.

Some of the dialogue is really on the nose--mostly coming from the agents and the doctors as they try to explain some of what's going on, even though it's not necessary to the plot. It was distracting.

Also, in an effort to keep mysteries going, characters (much as they do in LOST) don't say anything about what happened to them? If they spoke up, it'd probably solve a lot of problems.

The one scene that really bothered me involved sharing their own flash forwards. The woman asks her husband to tell her about his. He does and when she asks about hers--DUH! Like he wouldn't--she refuses. For being a medical doctor, she's pretty dumb at that point.

But I give the pilot thumbs up and look forward (HA) to seeing what the series has in store.

The Motivator

2009-09-24T11:05:00.002-05:00

Sorry things have been so quiet here lately. Things are busy and something has to go by the wayside. I'll get back to consistent blogging as soon as I can, but until then, check out my latest DSD post. It's a shout out to everyone who thinks they have a book in there but are too tired or don't have time... or what not.

Check it out.

Do Some Damage

REVIEW: Pearl Jam Backspacer

2009-09-20T09:43:00.003-05:00

Bands change.

The Beatles went pop rock to psychedelic to just rock.

Radiohead went Brit rock to electronica to a strange combination of both.

U2 went from hard rock to techno to pop.

Pearl Jam is one of the bands that has changed over the years as well, though that change is more subtle, and, I feel, misunderstood.

With TEN, Pearl Jam was an aggressive rock band. You all know the anthems. The first three albums were like that, then the band started to move away from the hits. They didn't want to top the charts, but wanted to become a more complete band. The election of George W. Bush also pushed the band toward angry punk songs calling out the government.

The albums were solid, but angry.

Now they're back with their tightest album yet. Checking in at just over 35 minutes, this one moves. Not only that, but Pearl Jam has moved toward... pop music?

Well, not quite, but it's close.

The first half of the album is still guitar driven with "Got Some" and their most radio friendly single "The Fixer" being the highlights. "The Fixer" is a song that'll get stuck in your head for days. I've been listening to it since it was released and haven't gotten sick of it yet. Both songs are also extremely optimistic, something that's been rare for the band over the years.

The studio version of "Got Some" is much better than the rendition seen on THE TONIGHT SHOW.

Don't get me wrong, the band can still rock out, punk style. "Supersonic" is pure punk goodness.

The second half of the album is a series of ballads with sweeping hooks and long guitar solos. The songs also feel radio friendly with some studio elements added in, making the songs feel thick and deep. The highlights are "Speed of Sound" and "The End," where Eddie Vedder singing over an orchestra. Also "Just Breathe" is a fantastic love song, one I can imagine Vedder will sing solo, just he and his guitar.

The album is Pearl Jam's strongest in years. It finally feels as if the band has climbed out of the the doldrums writing politically, and become hopeful. Everything on this song is catchy.

Well done, Pearl Jam. You've grown. You've changed. And, it seems, it's for the better.

How Do You Read?

2009-09-10T20:07:00.004-05:00

One of the things that seems to have come out of the LEVEL 26 promotion is the idea that the novel is going to change the way you read. You see, in the LEVEL 26 novel, you can to stop every 20 pages or so to watch a video that will enhance the novel. The videos run 2-3 minutes apparently... and then you can continue on with the novel.

Of course, if you read the novel straight through, it's apparently supposed to make sense as well.

This got me thinking about the way I read. Interestingly, I read a lot like I write. When I'm just starting out, I often read slowly. Five to ten pages here... another fifteen two days later. It takes me a while to get into most books. (Of course, the books I love the most are ones I end up blowing through in two days, but this is rare.)

And usually, once I hit a certain point, I rush through the rest of the novel in a day or two. I can't always pinpoint the tipping moment, but once it happens, THEN I can't put the book down. It's a lot like a rollercoaster... a figuarative rollercoaster motion where I tick slowly up the hill only to rush my way down. (I hate to use such a cliched analogy, but it's the one that consistently comes to mind.)

LEVEL 26 is next on my reading pile, and I wonder how the videos are going to interact with my reading style. Will I stop to watch the videos whenever I'm reading? Will I plow through the novel and then go back to the videos? I'm very curious to see. Hopefully it'll be a great novel on it's own.

That makes me curious... how do you read? Does it vary for each book?

It's coming... September 20th

2009-09-09T15:34:00.001-05:00

First Annual BLOG BOOK CLUB: ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS

2009-08-31T07:40:00.000-05:00

JT Ellison's ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS was the winner, and is now the first book to be featured on my monthly book club.

Here's how it'll work: After the jump, I've posted ten questions about the book. Answer them in the comments. Feel free to discuss spoilers. Have fun with the questions. I'll jump in when I can as well.

At the end of this week I'll post another three books for your guys to vote on.

Have fun!

1) How does Taylor Jackson’s past affect her work on this case?

2) Do the Southern Stalker’s victims (specifically Christina and Noelle) reflect aspects of Taylor’s character in anyway?

3) Does the pregnancy scare push Taylor in solving the case? Why or why not?

4) Talk about the revelation of the killer. Did you see it coming? Why or why not?

5) What are some of the relationships this book has to other serial killer novels? How does it separate itself from those other novels?

6) Does Taylor change throughout the book? If yes, how? If no, why not?

7) Why does Baldwin resign? Was it building or did it come specifically from this case?

8) Was Grimes suicide justified? Did that twist surprise you?

9) What was the most surprising plot twist in the book? Why?

10) What did you think of the book? Why?

New Jersey: The Promised Land--Pizza

2009-08-28T09:11:00.004-05:00

In New Jersey, we are known for our food. I've mentioned Taylor Ham before. But, man, we have the BEST pizza.

You can get any kind you want. You can go to a pizza place and get a slice, not too think, not too thin. A good suggestion would be Pizza Town in Elmwood Park. They do really good hot slices. Kind of like you'd get in NY, but better because it comes from New Jersey.

Or you can get a deeper dish pizza. Thick crush, good toppings, soft and crunchy at the same time. Patsy's in Paterson is known for this... it's a place that's been around forever. It's almost a Chicago style pizza, but better... Why? Because it comes from New Jersey.

And then there's my favorite... thin crust pizza. So thin it's like pizza on a cracker. It's soooo delicious. There are so many places for this... Mario's, Pete and Elda's (eat a pizza get a t-shirt), Kinchley's, and my favorite the Emerson Hotel. It doesn't compare to any pizza I've ever had, and it's clearly the best.

You can't get pizza like this anywhere else. Especially not Massachusetts (#21). I've had pizza in Mass. Let me describe it for you.

Have you ever had Ellio's frozen pizza? You know, how it's... not good? Now imagine Ellio's, but instead of having tomato sauce and a decent crust on it, it's slathered with ketchup and instead of crust you get wonder bread. And that's being complimentary. It's really gross and slimey and mushy. I couldn't even call it pizza... It's an open faced sandwich. And it's lame.

You want pizza, you got go to New Jersey... And no where else.

Movie Review: INGLORIOUS BASTERDS

2009-08-27T14:12:00.005-05:00

Quentin Tarantino is back with the story of secret Nazi killing Americans. You've all seen the preview, so we'll just get into my thoughts.

I love Tarantino movies. They are fun and usually full of character and heart. Inglorious Bastards is fun. And it has a message. I really liked it and need to see it again.

Because I really feel like I was missing something.

The movie hinges on a HUGE coincidence, which I felt was easy enough to be explained away, but as far as I can tell it never is. The coincidence was enough to take me out of the film several times.

However, everything else works about the film. It's compelling, it's shocking, and it's a lot of fun. Brad Pitt is great, as is Christoph Waltz.

And Melanie Laurent is great too, in a role that needed more meat. Her character is at the crux of the film, but is not given enough time for us to mine the character depth out of her needed to get rid of the coincidences.

Tarantino does a good job of trying to villainize the audience for enjoying the violence in the movie as well.

It just strikes me that, for this film, QT became more interested in the crafting of scenes than the crafting of an entire story. He tries as always to combine genres--war movie, western, James Bond/spy story, female revenge story--but this time forgets to tie everything together neatly.

It's a good movie. Probably the best movie I've seen this summer.

And perhaps I just blinked when the coincidences were explained. I did have an issue with my phone that needed to be taken care of. (I was the only one in the theater, so don't get on me for rudeness.)

But it doesn't match up well with Kill Bill (esp. Vol 2) or Jackie Brown, which both had depth of character.

BOOK CLUB REMINDER!!

2009-08-23T14:22:00.001-05:00

Hope you're all catching up on JT Ellison's ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS. I'm about to dig into it now, hoping that I'll be able to get the questions up next weekend.

We will discuss the books in the comments then.

Happy Reading!

The 2009 Shamus Award Nominees

2009-08-21T18:28:00.003-05:00

Congrats to all the other nominees! It is definitely an honor to be nominated! Here's the list (via Judy Bobalik):

PRIVATE EYE WRITERS OF AMERICA ANNOUNCES
2009 NOMINEES FOR SHAMUS AWARDS

The Private Eye Writers of America (PWA) is proud to announce the nominees for the 28th annual Shamus Awards, given annually to recognize outstanding achievement in private eye fiction. The 2009 awards cover works first published in the U.S. in 2008. The awards will be presented at the PWA banquet, to be held Friday evening Oct. 16, 2009, in Indianapolis, Indiana, during the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention.

2009 Shamus Awards Nominees

Best Hardcover
Salvation Boulevard by Larry Beinhart (Nation Books), featuring Carl Vanderveer
Empty Ever After by Reed Farrel Coleman (Bleak House Books), featuring Moe Prager
The Blue Door by David Fulmer (Harcourt), featuring Eddie Cero
The Price of Blood by Declan Hughes (Wm. Morrow), featuring Ed Loy
The Ancient Rain by Domenic Stansberry (St. Martins Minotaur) featuring Dante Mancuso

Best First PI Novel
Stalking Susan by Julie Kramer (Doubleday), featuring Riley Spartz
Swann’s Last Song by Charles Salzberg (Five Star), featuring Henry Swann
The Eye of Jade by Diane Wei Liang (Simon & Schuster), featuring Mei Wang
In the Heat by Ian Vasquez (St. Martins Minotaur), featuring Miles Young
Veil of Lies by Jeri Westerson (St Martins Minotaur), featuring Crispin Guest

Best Paperback Original
Snow Blind by Lori Armstrong (Medallion) featuring Julie Collins
Shot Girl by Karen Olson (Obsidian) featuring Annie Seymour
The Stolen by Jason Pinter (MIRA) featuring Henry Parker
The Black Hand by Will Thomas (Touchstone/Simon &Schuster) featuring Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn.
The Evil That Men Do by Dave White (Crown/Three Rivers Press) featuring Jackson Donne

Best Short Story
“Family Values” by Mitch Alderman (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, June 2008), featuring Bubba Simms
“Last Island South” by John C. Boland. (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Sep/Oct 2008), featuring Meggie Trevor
“The Blonde Tigress” by Max Allan Collins (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, June 2008), featuring Nate Heller
“Discovery” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Nov 2008), featuring Pita Cárdenas
“Panic on Portage Path” by Dick Stodghill (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Jan/Feb 2008), featuring Jack Eddy and Bram Geary.

-30-

PWA was founded in 1981 by Robert J. Randisi to recognize the private eye genre and its writers. Previous Shamus winners include Lawrence Block, Ken Bruen, Harlan Coben, Max Allan Collins, Michael Connelly, Robert Crais, O’Neil deNoux, Brendan DuBois, Loren D. Estleman, Carolina Garcia-Aguilera, Sue Grafton, James W. Hall, Steve Hamilton, Jeremiah Healy, Dennis Lehane, Laura Lippman, John Lutz, Bill Pronzini, S.J. Rozan, Sandra Scoppettone and Don Winslow. P.I. Guy logo by Terry Beatty.

Random Thoughts from People My Age

2009-08-20T13:43:00.003-05:00

Okay, first thing's first... Over on Do Some Damage, I have a post about haters.

Secondly, I saw this meme or forward or chain mail on Facebook today and thought it was hilarious. I have about 7 or 8 of these thoughts a day. I wish I could give credit to whomever wrote it up... but I had to repost it. So here it is, after the jump:

-I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

-More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.

-Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

-I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they've invented the lighter?

-Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

-That's enough, Nickelback.

-I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

-Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the "people you may know" feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose not to be friends with?

-Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

-There is a great need for sarcasm font.

-Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the f was going on when I first saw it.

-I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

-How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

-I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

- I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

-The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to finish a text.

- A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.

- Was learning cursive really necessary?

- Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

- I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

- Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

- My brother's Municipal League baseball team is named the Stepdads. Seeing as none of the guys on the team are actual stepdads, I inquired about the name. He explained, "Cuz we beat you, and you hate us." Classy, bro.

- Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

- How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

- I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

- Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"

-What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

- While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

- MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

- Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

- I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

-Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

- I would like to officially coin the phrase 'catching the swine flu' to be used as a way to make fun of a friend for hooking up with an overweight woman. Example: "Dave caught the swine flu last night."

-I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

- Bad decisions make good stories

-Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

- Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?

-If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

-Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....

-You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

-Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

-There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

-I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

- "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

-I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

-I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Dammit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

- I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

-When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.

-I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

-Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...

- As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

-Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

-It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

-I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

-Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

-Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, hitting the G-spot, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I’d bet my ass everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...

-My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?

-It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

-I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

-I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

-I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

-The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There's nothing like being made to feel like a fat bastard before dinner.

Rutgers Football Preview

2009-08-19T14:19:00.004-05:00

College football is almost upon us! Training camp has started. So, I thought I'd give a little preview of RU's season, and try to make a prediction based upon that.

Of course, a lot of this depends on who RU's quarterback is. Can he manage the offense and not make mistakes? Will the new defenders gel quickly? Lots of questions this year, but lots of reasons for optimism as well.

So let's get to the schedule, shall we?

9/7 Cincinnati: Opening up the season and the Big East season with last year's conference champs. The Bearcats have lost a lot on defense, and we've lost a lot on offense. The renovated RU stadium should have fans pumped and loud. I expect a defensive barnburner, but I have a bad feeling about this game. Cincy 17 RU 14 (0-1, 0-1 BE)

9/12 Howard: A quick turnaround, but Howard isn't good. The new players click on offense against a subpar defense. Our defense causes a ton of TOs and scores on one. RU 35 Howard 10 (1-1, 0-1 BE)

9/19 Florida International: Competition gets a little better but not great. RU starts to find itself and wins pretty convincingly as the score is closer than the game. RU 27-FIU 14 (2-1, 0-1 BE)

9/26 Maryland: This is another game that scares me. We're going to need to play tough defense at this one, and limit mistakes. Hopefully the practice against the other two teams helps, but I still say we're a little far away from winning this game. Another close one--fans get a little nervous. Maryland 21 RU 17 (2-2, 0-1 BE)

10/10 Texas Southern: Texans can play football, but I've never heard of this team. RU gets one back. RU 28 TS 7 (3-2, 0-1 BE)

10/16 Pittsburgh: This is the team the Big East coaches picked to win the league. But we have them at home, the players have settled in... the d-line is clicking. We win. Big defensive stop in the last 2 minutes. RU 21 Pitt 14 (4-2, 1-1 BE)

10/23 Army: We play army all the time. Even when we were winning one game a season, that one game was against Army. RU 44 Army 27 (5-2, 1-1 BE)

10/31 UConn: I hate playing UConn. At UConn. There's a rivalry here. They always play us close... I don't know much about UConn this year. So I'll go on optimism... RU 33 UConn 20 (6-2, 2-1 BE)

11/12 South Florida: Another team that's good, but we have them at home. We beat them two years ago when they were #2 in the country. We're starting to roll. Our freshman are integrated. We win. RU 14 USF 10 (7-2, 3-1 BE)

11/21 Syracuse: OOOHHHH I can't wait for this game. I don't like 'Cuse... and as an athelete I don't like their new QB starter Greg Paulus... he's a former Duke hoops player. The new Cuse coach has some optimism in his program now. But not against the RU defense. RU 27 'Cuse 12 (8-2, 4-1 BE)

11/27 Louisville: Louisville is down. We're confident. We're looking at our first Big East Championship. Need to win this game. RU does, close... setting up a huge showdown with West Virginia next week. RU 17 'Ville 14 (9-2, 5-1 BE)

12/5 West Virgina: We never beat WVU. They beat us 80-7 once. They don't have Pat White anymore. But they're WVU and they're still good. We just don't have the horses in a classic. WVU 35 RU 32 OT (9-3, 5-2 BE)

Disappointing, but we're still winning. It sets up a big 2010 season when we have almost everyone coming back and battle tested. That's the year we win the Big East.

Thoughts?

Winner of the book club!

2009-08-17T11:05:00.005-05:00

Okay folks, JT Ellison's All the Pretty Girls is the winner!

So, what's next?

Go out, pick up a copy and read it! In about two weeks, I'll post a list of questions about the book and we'll discuss it in the comments of this blog!

As for the rest of the books? Don't worry! Assuming this is successful, we'll do a book a month. Next time I'll put 3 books up for a vote and we'll decide. (Two of which will be EVEN and LOOKING FOR ALASKA, our two major runners up.)

Thanks to everyone who voted!

New Post and Idea:

2009-08-13T08:45:00.005-05:00

Okay first off, I have a new post up a Do Some Damage today.

Secondly, I have an idea:

Here are some books on my TBR pile. I'd love to start a blog book club. The way I want to do it is this. We (in the comments) vote on one of these books from the pile and we read it. In let's say... 2 weeks (Labor Day Weekend?), I'll post some discussion questions about the books and we can discuss it over the weekend in the comments.

We will be able to talk about spoilers in the comments, though the questions will be largely spoiler free.

What do you guys think?

(If it's tough to see what the books are, they are: Looking for Alaska by John Green, The Secret Friend by Chris Mooney, The Gentlemen's Hous by Don Winslow, The Twelve by Stuart Neville, The 50/50 Killer by Steve Mosby, Paying for It by Tony Black, Old Flame by Ira Berkowitz, Half the Blood of Brooklyn and Every Last Drop by Charlie Huston, Starvation Lake by Bryan Gruley, Slammer by Al Guthrie, The Killing Moon by Chuck Hogan, The Strain by Chuck Hogan and Guillermo Del Toro, Even by Andrew Grat, A March to Madness by John Feinstein. ALSO not in the picture: All the Pretty Girls by JT Ellison, Person of Interest by Theresa Schwegel, and The Silent Hour by Michael Koryta)

Put your vote for the first book club book in the comments section, please.

Weekend Thoughts

2009-08-10T11:59:00.003-05:00

-The Yankees swept the Red Sox to go up 6.5 games in the Division. The Yankees are starting to look like a special team, but since 2004 they've done things like this before. Gotta keep playing, gotta keep pitching, and then you have to win in October.

-Of course, everyone in the media is talking about the money they spend on the team. You wish your team spent like the Yankees do.

-Planning a wedding seems like it might be a lot of work. Hmph. Color me surprised.

-Rutgers football practice starts today. Expect a full preview later this week, but let's just say I'm very excited about this season.

-Mike Francesa just said the Red Sox won't catch the Yankees for the division this year. Mark it down, it will happen. That man is a HUGE (or as he would say, "YUGE") jinx.

-I've been doing a lot of revising. What also surprises me about this point in revision is the amount of work I can do while I type very little. I can read and stare at the screen for an hour and only hit the keyboard 3 or 4 times. It doesn't feel productive, but at times it is.

-I've started working out with weights again. I'm sore.

-I'm thinking about starting a book club on the blog. I'm working it out in my head how I'm going to do it, but keep your eyes here. I think it's something that could be a lot of fun. We'll use the comments section for discussion. I'll do a bigger announcement on it later this week.

My Friends are Gonna Find this post hilarious: DATING ADVICE FROM DAVE

2009-08-06T07:17:00.007-05:00

So, after 29 years of singledom, I got on one knee the other night and got engaged (!!!). That's right people!!

Those who've known me for years are really happy with me. I tend to think they're more happy about not having to listen to me whine about women anymore.

I've had a lot of experience in dating. And a lot of it is bad experience...

So, I leave this gift to you... the single guys out there:

DAVE WHITE'S GUIDE TO DATING.

From 2001-2005 I didn't date. I didn't have any confidence. I didn't know what I was doing. When I would meet a girl, I'd get really nervous and manage to screw things up due to total inactivity.

Then, through a series of events, I finally decided to take hold of my dating life and went on Match.com. It was the only way, in my mind, where there wouldn't be any games (turns out there were games, just the rules were different). You knew you were going on a date. It wasn't hanging out with a friend. It wasn't anything else.

I cannot recommend Match highly enough.

It taught me how to date.

RULE #1: YOU ARE NOT LOOKING FOR THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE. You are looking to meet someone interesting and attractive enough to go on a second date. One date does not mean you're getting married tomorrow. You are meeting someone. You're chatting it up. You're getting a few drinks, and having a few laughs.

RULE #2: HAVE FUN. I used to look forward to going on a date with the crazy girls as much as I looked forward to the good ones. It gave me something to talk about to friends for the rest of the week. I went on dates with girls who showed up in chocolate stained pajamas, called me fat, called me babe immediately, told me they loved me before we met in person... One after another, after another... They were a blast. And when the good dates happened, they were a please as well.

RULE #3: TELL THEM ABOUT YOURSELF. Don't lie. Don't try to look better than you are... be happy with who you are. I had stories up the wahzoo to tell. And I would rank them in order of how the date was going. If the date sucked, I pretty much told school stories. If it was okay, I talked about writing as well. And if it was going well, I told the Canada story. Basically I had a routine.

RULE #4: BE READY TO PLAY GAMES. I'm sorry, but it's just a part of it. Wait two days to call. Play hard to get. Girls, for some reason, like this. I don't understand why... it's counterintuitive, but it works. Sometimes you have to make a girl jealous. Come on, think about it... how would you feel if a girl told you she loved you before you met her? You'd freak out. Guess what? So do girls!

RULE #5: LISTEN TO YOUR FRIENDS. You are way too close to the situation. Your friends know. They'll either tell you to act like F'n Dave f'n White, or that the girl is CRAZY and get away, or they'll tell you to CALL HER!!!

RULE #6: IT'S A NUMBERS GAME. Go on dates. This is the most important rule. I would go on up to 3 dates a week. Get out there. Meet more than one girl. Have a lot of fun. Get on Match.

Remember.... dating is fun. You're meeting new people. You actually make new friends.

For the record, I did not meet my fiancee on Match (I met her through friends), but being on Match prepared me for dating her the right way.

Any questions?

Anyone have other advice? Post them in the comments.

IN OTHER NEWS: I am posting about blogging over at Do Some Damage today.

What I Did on My Summer Vacation Part 3: The Books

2009-08-05T08:56:00.005-05:00

Last in an edition. I read three GREAT books on my trip.

Don Winslow THE POWER OF THE DOG: I love Winslow and I was saving this book for the right moment. Well, going to Cancun seemed to be the right moment for reading an epic novel about the drug war between the US and Mexico. I don't know exactly how to describe this book. It's huge, it had GREAT characters, and the usual wonderful Winslow style. It's a combination between HEAT, TRAFFIC, and THE GOOD SHEPARD. It's a book that moves. I was on the edge of my beach chair... honestly. And the emotion in the book twists your heart. If you haven't read it, go out and get it now. It's long... but...it's worth it. Plus, I learned a ton about the drug war... and more importantly a lot of Mexican swear words.

Chuck Hogan's PRINCE OF THIEVES: I've had this book on my shelves for a few years. I decided to read it when I heard Ben Affleck was making it into a film called THE TOWN, and when I heard about Hogan's co-work on THE STRAIN. The story of a Boston bank robber in AA who falls in love with one of his hostages. That's the simple version. It's actually more an exploration of Boston, friendship, rivalries, and the old neighborhoods. Yes, it has a very Dennis Lehane feel, which of course, is a huge compliment and huge shoes to fill. But I sat down by the pool to read this on a Wednesday. I finished this 600+ page novel on Thursday.

John Green's AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES: Hilarious description of the months after high school. A child prodigy has been dumped by girls named Katherine (and ONLY girls named Katherine 19 times). In the throes of another dumping, he decides to find a theorem that will help predict relationships. A funny book, that reads fast. Green really knows the psyche of the teenage boy. Plus, this title is great for Green's "in your pants" game.

PS: Marcus's comment reminded me that I also wanted to mention THE AMATEURS, which I read the week before I left. It came out today (so I cheated a little), but I've always been a huge fan of Marcus's work.

It's a story of four friends who are down on their luck and decide to rob a gangster of money. Of course, things go horribly wrong. What sells this book are the four friends, characters who really jump off the page. Read it for the the first bar scene after the robbery alone. Brilliant, slow building tension. Nice job, Marcus. This one is up there with the rest of your books!

Order it from your local indie!

What I Did on My Summer Vacation, Part 2: Cancun

2009-08-04T14:23:00.004-05:00

Have you ever seen Dr. No? You remember the early scene where Bond arrives in Jamaica and the woman wants to take his picture in the airport, Felix Leighter is following him, and about 89 people are around and harassing him?

That's what it's like getting off the airplane in Cancun.

First off, you go through customs, which involves a button. You press the button. If you get a green light you pass. If you get red you get searched.

I got green.

Phew.

Then you get checked for Swine Flu. Or at least you have to fill out paperwork that swears you've never had a fever in your life.

After that you go into a hallway and there are official looking men in blue shirts and ties. They are yelling at you. They are waving you to their tables. THEY ARE TRYING TO SELL YOU TIME SHARES. It's really annoying at 10 at night.

After that, things are pretty standard. I suntanned. I went to the pool bar. I went out for dinner.

And I went to Senor Frogs.

Where... um....

A Mexican guy, a UK guy, and me had to dance sexy (yeah, stop laughing), race to chug a (er... non alcoholic...cough) drink (I WON THAT PART!), and then unfold a frozen t-shirt, and put it on. I lost the t-shirt part to the UK guy (at least we won the Revolution!!)...

As a punishment I had to slide down a water slide into a lagoon. Rumor has it, the lagoon used to be the city's sewage system. See the post lagoon picture here:

It was fun.

Very fun week.

I got tan. I relaxed.

And I read a ton of books.

More on those books tomorrow....

-------------------------------------------------------

Also: I got great news today. I was a finalist for a Crimespree Award--Best Paperback Original! I didn't win, but it's great to be nominated! Thanks to all the readers who voted!

What I Did on My Summer Vacation, Part 1: The Flights

2009-08-03T07:04:00.003-05:00

I made it.

To Cancun and back. On a plane.

Good on me.

We flew Continental, and we flew high class. First class.

It happened during my sixth panic attack (okay... six is a bit high, but still) on the day we left. My G/F went to check in our flight and saw there were two first class seats open. She asked if I wanted to upgrade. I kinda shrugged and we did. (I actually probably argued for it... The g/f didn't care where we sat as long as we got on the plane.)

Once upgrading we hit the airport, went through security, and hit the President's Club. Free drinks and snacks! I felt like I was in a James Bond film (More on that later, when we actually get to Cancun.)

Once on the plane, we were in the first row and I had a clear view of the flight attendants. During take-off (my least favorite part, I calm down after that), I was able to keep an eye on them. They remained calm. We got up in the air. I listened to a podcast or two as the movie was awful.

At one point, when we were being served, I thanked the flight attendant for being so calm. I told her I was a terrible flyer. She said, without sarcasm, "Really? You looked calm to me. I never would have guessed."

"I faked it," I said.

She smiled, and said, "Sometimes we do too."

Oh. Great.

We landed.

A week later, I made sure to upgrade again. We got the same seats, a different meal, and portable little TVs. I watched STAR TREK and half an episode of THE BIG BANG THEORY.

We got in to Newark and through customs about 20 minutes before we were actually schedueled to air. I think that's some sort of Newark Airport record.

TOMORROW: Cancun itself...(AKA being harassed for time shares, hoping for the green button, and pool swimming.)

Vacation

2009-07-25T12:10:00.000-05:00

Off to Cancun for the week.

Don't miss me too much.

Something happier

2009-07-24T13:30:00.003-05:00

After all that fear of flying talk, I wanted to comment on the video of the day. It's been posted on Twitter and Facebook about 8000 times today. And well, it's just so much fun, isn't it?

Some observations:

-I have no rhythm. And yet, I have more rhythm that most of the guys dancing down the aisle.

-Look at the expression on the faces of some of the groomsmen. It's that uncomfortable laugh and smile on their faces. They don't want to do this. In fact, can you imagine the moment the bride and groom broached this subject. "Yeah, so listen... at the church... we want to break out some Chris Brown..." Must have been a lot of alcohol involved here.

-I'm 90% sure this entire scene was choreographed by this girl. In fact, I'm surprised she's not all over twitter and facebook and her blog taking credit for it. I mean, seriously, is this not right up here alley?

-Scratch that. I'm taking credit for this. I have posted this here before, but I am one of the best people to have in your wedding party. I am involved in the best entrances.

-There are only two realy good parts of this video. Obviously the first two girls who walk down the aisle. They have prepared. They know what they're doing. The second is the revelation of the bride. That had to be pretty cool, getting that ovation.

-The worst part of this video? From now on, every wedding you go to is going to have some homogenized, planned, and not-spontaneous version of this. What works about this is the surprise. Seriously who expected this? Especially at the church? Nice work, couple. But now.... all of us going to weddings have to put on that "Oh, this. Wow, you guys are sooooo silly" smile on our faces and clap like we hadn't seen it a million times on YouTube.

-At the same time, this couple has upped the stakes. If you're going to do something like this, you better start getting creative. Come up with something new. That means Chris Brown and Michael Jackson are out. What are you going to do, engaged couples...? WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO??