Don't watch this trailer

if violence, gore, foul language, or inappropriate comments upset you.  Seriously.  It contains all of those.

If, though, you're as excited about seeing the clearly irreverent Deadpool movie as I am, then watch away.



Oh, yeah, this looks like it'll be fun.  Even better, it's appearing in February, a month when we'll all need some action films.

Merry Christmas!

I hope you have a great holiday.  Or, if you don't celebrate this particular day, then I hope you have a fantastic Friday!

I'm taking today offline and focusing on family and friends.

An early present

The other day, a box of these beauties arrived as an early holiday gift.

Click the image to see a larger version.

Yes, that is the paperback (aka mass market) edition of No Going Back, the (now rather old but still) most recent Jon & Lobo novel.  Though not officially on sale until January 26, I am lucky enough to have my author copies now.

I have to tell you:  It is quite the handsome paperback.  Even if you have the hardback or an ebook version of this novel, you would enjoy owning one of these rascals--as would all your friends and colleagues, people you encounter in airports and at grocery stores, and strangers on the street.  It's not too early to shop for next Christmas, either.

I'm tickled to see this paperback--and I'm also rather sad at not having another one ready to appear.

I am working on it, though, and I will continue to do so.

In the meantime, you could do worse with your money than to pre-order this lovely paperback.

Nothing says Christmas

like The Earred One in lights.

Click an image to see a larger version.

Sarah, as The Keeper of The Earred One, has fulfilled her holiday role and properly decorated her household demon.

The astute among you may notice that The Earred One is not sporting ears these days.  Her ears, alas, broke--as did her entire head.  She is always and forever, however, The Earred One, as she has been since she first entered our lives in this 2009 post.

Back then, she was looking strong and healthy--

well, as healthy as this demon ever looks.

Worry not, though, her power today is as strong as ever.

The Earred One is lit!  Bring on the holidays!

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

is exactly what fans want it to be, and good enough that non-fans will want to see it, too.  With enough action that you're never bored and enough character development that all the main characters feel at least somewhat like real humans, the movie delivers a near-perfect combination of sequel and reboot.  I left happy about having seen it and ready for the next one.

I credit a great deal of this to J.J. Abrams, who knows how to work with modern myths, as he has shown with his reboot of the Star Trek series, and Lawrence Kasdan, whose script blends a new story arc with a great deal of fan service.

Is it a great movie?  No.  It is, however, one of the stronger entries in the Star Wars catalog, and that's enough to make it both hugely entertaining and a blockbuster hit.

On the off chance that you haven't read anything about the film, I'm not going to indulge in any spoilers.  If you're already a Star Wars fan, you must head to the theater now.  If you're not, if by some miracle you've never even heard of Star Wars, go see The Force Awakens and expect to have a fine time watching a good space opera.

It's now definite:  I'm ready for J.J. Abrams to make Jon & Lobo movies.

Good people

In the course of a typical week, one or another of my friends is likely to say, "People suck," or "People are the worst."  They can make strong cases by pointing to horrible recent events, or the state of our planet, or any number of other bad things humans have done.

I don't hold with their perspective.  I certainly acknowledge the great amount of bad that humans have done, but I also always try to remember the many bits of good women and men have accomplished.  In my experience, the vast majority of humans everywhere are trying to live their lives, better themselves, take care of those they love, and get through what are often rough days.

Yesterday, I gave up on my body healing itself and went to an urgent care clinic.  Every single person there treated me wonderfully, with care and with dignity, efficiently but not coldly.  I left with a prescription for antibiotics and something to help stop the cough until I could heal.

I didn't go until late in the day, so by the time I finished at the clinic it was almost closing time for the local drug stores.  I hustled to the nearest one and hit the pharmacy desk three minutes before the pharmacist was due to go home.  He was kind and nice and not only filled my prescriptions, he also took the time to answer my questions.

In this short trip into the local world, I interacted with men and women, with people of many colors, and all of them treated me well.

I've certainly had worse experiences, many of them, so I acknowledge that maybe I just got lucky.  I don't care.  Good people are everywhere, and, I believe, most people are trying to be good.  I will cling to this and the many other examples like it that I've experienced, so that I can remember that though people may at times be the worst, they are also at times the best.

If you haven't already seen this Christmas carol video

you need to watch it.



Henry Rollins, dressed in a red knit Christmas sweater with a lit-up "R", punking on "Carol of the Bells."

It's almost enough to make me start watching Colbert.

A very Rollins Christmas indeed.