tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84366381258965293932024-02-19T08:25:36.186-05:00Jon's Line of SightJon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00523438203846276932noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436638125896529393.post-28935684354967555022012-07-04T21:46:00.001-04:002012-07-04T21:46:59.443-04:00A Shenandoah Odyssey: Act 5So, I'm writing this one from home. The trip back was very quick, Interstate-y, and uneventful. My only bit of editorial about the whole thing: Pennsylvania, 45 mph on I-70? Really?
Anyway, this is the final post on our little journey. I'm not really sticking to a theme on this one, just wrapping up loose ends, and maybe using the space to share some Jon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00523438203846276932noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436638125896529393.post-37172972696653391422012-07-03T20:53:00.000-04:002012-07-03T20:53:07.980-04:00A Shenandoah Odyssey: Act 4One of the things we try to accomplish each vacation is to do as many things as possible we've either never done before or are specific to the area we're visiting. In that spirit, we decided to go horseback riding on this trip.
This isn't completely out of left field; the wife has always loved horses and rode some as a kid, and I actually owned a pony as a child, though I didn't ride him Jon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00523438203846276932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436638125896529393.post-55291905362198694682012-07-02T20:46:00.001-04:002012-07-02T20:46:26.588-04:00A Shenandoah Odyssey: Act 3Okay, I'm going to play around with the timeline a little here. Why? Well, for one, I could say that I can't seem to catch up with the trip here (I'll again nod to the 1300 words about a gas station from yesterday). Another optional answer is that some days weren't exactly as full of high drama as that first 20 hours was. Oh yes, those first two posts covered Jon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00523438203846276932noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436638125896529393.post-25482463509890125912012-07-01T19:35:00.000-04:002012-07-01T19:35:11.075-04:00A Shenandoah Odyssey: Act 2So where were we? Ah yes, epic adventure through southeastern Ohio, to land in Parkersburg, WV and the set of the next George Romero masterpiece, the historic Blennerhassett Hotel, in a blackout.
I woke the next morning (very early, since the vacation gods dictate that you can't sleep in when you're allowed to) with the certain knowledge that the problem hasn't been solved while we slept.&Jon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00523438203846276932noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436638125896529393.post-77762636884213160542012-06-30T22:21:00.002-04:002012-06-30T22:21:41.924-04:00A Shenandoah Odyssey: Act 1So, my wife and I have something of a tradition regarding our anniversary. In the last few years, we've started taking little trips around the fateful day, just an overnight or a long weekend, just the two of us. The interesting part--she has no idea where we're going. Sometimes she doesn't even KNOW we're going, like last year when she came home from work to just me telling herJon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00523438203846276932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436638125896529393.post-43247401805500144422012-01-02T19:29:00.000-05:002012-01-02T19:29:26.611-05:00Review of "The New Death and Others" by James Hutchings
The New Death and Others, by James Hutchings
Available from Amazon and Smashwords
The e-reader revolution has done a lot to preserve short form literature as a valid creative outlet for new authors. For a variety of legitimate business reasons, traditional publishing today tends to favor long-form fiction and series, novels and the like. Collections of short stories Jon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00523438203846276932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436638125896529393.post-36960155342206095982011-12-29T21:17:00.000-05:002012-01-01T14:29:32.946-05:00James Hutchings Discusses Licensing for Aspiring WritersRegular readers of this space will know that I'm starting (ever so slowly) to take my first steps into indie publishing. I'm somewhat casually researching the steps necessary and prudent to get my work out there for public consumption, so imagine my surprise and delight to have encountered James Hutchings. James is an emerging writer from Australia, who approached me recently for a Jon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00523438203846276932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436638125896529393.post-43540899624993312992011-11-14T18:47:00.001-05:002011-11-14T19:24:34.426-05:00Ed Gets Chopped!
And now, a first in JLOS history, a guest blog! Ed Scheid is a friend who shares a passion for home brewing, good wine, and of course great food. He's also a fantastic photographer. Check it out at his website, http://www.scheidphoto.com/
Recently, Ed's wife Christi threw down the culinary gauntlet: Cook an original, delicious meal with secret ingredients she picks out,Jon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00523438203846276932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436638125896529393.post-70882530630384771372011-11-06T21:42:00.000-05:002011-11-06T21:42:38.376-05:00Eat This! Autumn Seasonal Beer Pairing
It’s been a long time since I’ve written a food blog, but not because I haven’t been cooking. Just been waiting for an appropriate topic to cover here, and I think I’ve got it here.
The idea of pairing wine with food is a well-established culinary topic that everyone knows about, if few really understand. But there’s no question that an excellent wine pairing can truly enhance a Jon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00523438203846276932noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436638125896529393.post-75900685062563278222011-11-03T23:21:00.001-04:002011-11-03T23:21:18.995-04:00Book Review, One Second After, by William Fortschen
One Second After, by William Forstchen
A lot of energy has been expended in the last decade discussing—and arguing—about how best to defend our nation against attack from unknown threats. September 11th changed the way a lot of Americans thought about not only our security, but about our uniquely “American” lifestyle, and how it plays to the rest of the world.&Jon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00523438203846276932noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436638125896529393.post-44581281339001837442011-10-11T20:36:00.002-04:002011-10-11T20:36:57.902-04:00Complaints from a Sore Fantasy Football Loser
Fantasy football is my white whale. Every season, I’m called to join whatever league shows up on my social radar. It all seems so hopeful in August. The voices, Costner-like, tell me things that make me believe.
“This will be the year you draft the explosive, durable back that no one else knows about.”
“Former backup quarterbacks finally ‘getting their shot’ as a Jon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00523438203846276932noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436638125896529393.post-77106282775903924012011-10-06T20:17:00.001-04:002011-10-06T20:17:27.958-04:00Our Edison is Gone...I'd be remiss if I didn't mention it.
Steve Jobs, 1955-2011
Whatever your opinion of Apple products, or the veritable cult that has grown around them, no one can dispute that the computer geek turned rock star that created them made a lasting impact on the world and the way we live in it. Even if you narrow it down to only the iPod, the monumental shift in the way we listen to and buy Jon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00523438203846276932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436638125896529393.post-91829465738821830962011-10-04T21:51:00.000-04:002011-10-04T21:51:37.152-04:001300 Words About How I Never Finished Huck FinnLiterati, please don't hate me.
A few months ago I alluded to a series of book-related pieces I was going to start writing about my favorite authors. I still plan to do this, of course, since I want to talk about the authors I've really learned to love, especially in the interest of promoting some that many people may not be familiar with. I'd like to think my reviews of indie Jon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00523438203846276932noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436638125896529393.post-90561473379625605882011-09-28T20:11:00.000-04:002011-09-28T20:11:40.562-04:00Kids’ Shows That Don’t Suck: Vol 2This is sort of cheating a little bit, but the fact is that the first list of kids’ shows that I like to watch with my kid is the most popular blog post I’ve ever written. And since it’s been almost a year, we watch a lot of different shows now, some of them brand new. Sure, we'll always watch Spongebob and The Clone Wars, but there are so many new things to try that we're both Jon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00523438203846276932noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436638125896529393.post-1635701087112742782011-09-20T22:33:00.000-04:002011-09-20T22:33:12.275-04:00What I Did on My Extended Summer Vacation (from writing)Hi, I'm Jon. You may remember me from such blogs as, well, this one, and some of you from real life. It's probably a faint memory at this point, since I haven't posted since April.
Why the long absence? I'm not sure I can pin it to any one thing, although I don't think it's a coincidence that I started reading George R. R. Martin's "A Game of Thrones" about a week after Jon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00523438203846276932noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436638125896529393.post-14073672094398989922011-04-06T20:42:00.000-04:002011-04-06T20:42:50.980-04:00Tom Hanks IS Michael Caine...The best five minutes of the Elton John episode of SNL, and it has nothing to do with Elton John. Stay with it through the ad...Hulu is much more reliable about these things than YouTube.
Revel in the glory of make-believe Michael Caine's contempt for make-believe Ringo Starr.
Jon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00523438203846276932noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436638125896529393.post-28559398623535093282011-04-02T16:27:00.000-04:002011-04-02T16:27:29.937-04:00Always Take Kids Seriously...I love Letters of Note. Every time I read one of the little pieces of verbal history on their site, there's the possibility that I will be awed, or simply start blubbering to myself.
This one is from a kid in the UK in 1973 who was asking some advice from his favorite TV show characters. I've never seen "Blue Peter" but I gather it's something on the order of Sesame Street here Jon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00523438203846276932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436638125896529393.post-24148362974923755362011-03-27T17:27:00.000-04:002011-03-27T17:27:38.098-04:00In 30 Minutes or Less!
Sure, anyone could cook their family in 30 minutes if they had a whole production staff prepping everything for them...Jon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00523438203846276932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436638125896529393.post-16221476548886640112011-03-20T20:36:00.000-04:002011-03-20T20:36:11.288-04:00You Need the Basic InstructionsBasic Instructions is perhaps my favorite web comic going right now. Scott Meyer, the creator, seems like a kindred spirit...in that he overanalyzes every social situation and bit of pop culture he comes across. He then converts it to a short life-lesson, complete with helpful role-playing examples.
It's always helpfully linked in my blog roll to the right, but here is one of my Jon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00523438203846276932noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436638125896529393.post-61203313540306667002011-03-14T22:02:00.001-04:002011-03-15T08:00:13.673-04:00On Brendan Fraser...I'm here to eulogize a friend...or at least the career of someone a lot of us once thought of as a friend. It is necessitated by the news that Brendan Fraser's next film will be something entitled Whole Lotta Sole. It's a fish heist story. Yes, that kind of sole.
Honestly, this would have been better.
What an odyssey Brendan Fraser's career has been. Encino Man Jon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00523438203846276932noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436638125896529393.post-86148456546412554072011-02-24T22:28:00.000-05:002011-02-24T22:28:12.256-05:00My Oscar Picks 2011
Oscar, looking...oscarly.
Oscar time! It's the biggest TV event in this country behind the Super Bowl, and this year has been a particularly good one for film. I've always thought of myself as a decent judge of what is good and what is bad (at least as far as movies go), so why not step out in public and make a few bold predictions, eh? Well, okay, some aren't all that bold &Jon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00523438203846276932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436638125896529393.post-64286545978008440612011-02-12T17:00:00.000-05:002011-02-12T17:00:13.065-05:00Arsenal Update: Relegation is a good thing...seriouslyOne of the intrinsic aspects of English soccer that is so difficult for Americans to accept is the concept of relegation. In 'merica, if a team is in the NFL or MLB, by God they stay there, no matter how crappy they are. It just feels...weird to kick them out, even in the face of overwhelming evidence supporting banishment. How else do you explain the continued Jon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00523438203846276932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436638125896529393.post-45534271107650680022011-02-10T21:55:00.000-05:002011-02-10T21:55:40.941-05:00A Public Service Announcement...
That is all.Jon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00523438203846276932noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436638125896529393.post-65804079212981962422011-02-08T21:44:00.000-05:002011-02-08T21:44:44.909-05:00Sit Down, We're Not Going Anywhere: Shaun of the DeadOkay, so this is a recycled piece, but since it hasn't technically aired in this space, I think it's worthy of putting out here. Back in October I had the pleasure of participating in Zombiepalooza, a month-long festival of the macabre hosted by Amanda Hocking, current superstar of the indie publishing world. My inclination, rather than submit a piece of Jon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00523438203846276932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436638125896529393.post-79146388972986975812011-02-04T21:03:00.000-05:002011-02-04T21:03:33.846-05:00Book Review of "Saying Goodbye to the Sun" by David McAfeeWe’ve all been there, haven’t we gentlemen? You see her in some social setting, a bar, a party, a church social (if that’s your thing), and you just know. That has to be the one. The one you’ve been searching for without realizing it. And you build up enough confidence to say a few words to her, and the words with which she responds seal it for you forever. You can’tJon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00523438203846276932noreply@blogger.com0