6.04.2008:
About the new MI story "Where's Your Sense of Adventure"
4:03 PMI used to do this a lot during the first book; posting a quick blog entry about the new stories as they went up. I kinda miss doing that - so I figured I'd start again with the latest one.
So this one happens about two weeks after the events in part 14 of Romance.net. I was asked if I'd be willing to spend some time at the San Francisco office, training some of the new web developers out there (which was hilarious, me being 21 and both of them being in their mid-30's... Turns out, middle aged dudes don't like taking instruction from people who have been legally allowed to drink alcohol for less than a year). I was in a really strange place in my life - I realized that I was completely in love with one of my best friends, while she was hiding the same fact about me - but was unwilling (or unable) to break up with her current boyfriend.
There were some other dramas occuring at that time as well, so, I decided I needed some time to think - and what better way to get that than to just get the fuck out of Dodge? Incidentally, when I came home from the gig is when the whole Garbage-autographed computer story that you read about in my first book happened.
Anyway, this story pretty much laid dormant in my head for a long, long time. I was reminded of it when I went to the tattoo parlor to start on the latest piece (which will finish tomorrow - I AM SO EXCITED). I mean, I never "forgot" about it, it just didn't really piece itself together in my mind as a story until that time.
So yeah, there you go. That's the reason I waited so damn long to finally get this piece going.
Labels: Joe's life, MI
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6.02.2008:
Reward for finally writing (or, "Why I Write, Part 28177")
10:36 PMTwo private messages and one email from folks, with the important parts (well, important to me) bolded:
From: JJBattoe To: Joe the Peacock Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 3:18 pm Subject: Re: Heya! Haha, I was gonna say, this came a little later than expected. Not sure if this is some automated message or what, but if not, just like to let you know I really love your site. I love the idea of how the books are voted on, edited, etc. by the people actually planning on reading it. The stories are (for the most part) well written, and quite a few of them I could relate to easily. The comedic style is great, but the subject matter is what truly keeps me reading them. I have aspirations of becoming a writer myself someday, and reading these stories has really encouraged me to pursue that dream. I hope this site continues to run for years, and hopefully gets updated a little more frequently In any case, thanks for all the entertainment, and PLEASE KEEP WRITING!!! Also, I'm sure they are harder to write, literally and emotionally, but the stories like "Just Visiting" are my favorites, and I think by writing some more of these along with the stories currently dominating your site, you could attract a whole new audience (which is good for everyone). This message may sound a little corny and whatnot, but everything I said was truly sincere. This site even helped inspire a paper I did recently for English! So once again, thanks for doing this, and I hope you have as much fun writing for this site as I have reading about your life experiences!
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Subject: It's all your fault
Date: Mon, 2 Jun 2008 16:37:40 -0400
From: P., Jim <address>
To: <joe@joethepeacoch.com>
I want to thank you (and blame you) for the past hour entertainment. I was doing my job diligently searching for an Information Architect for a client in Atlanta, and ran by your Linked In thingy as you call it. Reading your profile got me interested in what you do, so I clicked on your web link. I know my peers figured out from the snickers, that turned to laughs, that I was not questioning a candidate on their Human Experience skills.
I now have to schedule time to read all the stuff you wrote after the Cow story. If I get fired due to lack of production, can I be your agent?
Seriously, very funny stuff.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Jim P.*
Technical Recruiter
*Workplace*
Celebrating 20 Years of Success (1988 - 2008)
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Thank you. Not just to the folks who sent these kind messages (who probably had no idea that today was my first story in a month, following a rather intense bout of writer's block), but to everyone who has stood by me for all this time.
Okay, enough mushy mush. More pics of grilled food and computer equipment to follow.
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Finally, a new story on MI
1:42 AMSo, the month o' writer's block is over, and there is a new story on Mentally Incontinent.
Hip, hip horray.
I'm actually really happy with this one (the link goes to Part 1, and parts 2 and 3 will go up tomorrow and Wednesday in order). It's a story I've carried around with me for a while, and in light of some recent events that I've actually posted big glamorous pictures of here, I decided it was time to tell it.
It explains a lot. I'll say that.
Anyway, hope you enjoy it (even though there's only a little 'it' to enjoy - I'm trying to break stories up so they're a little more stimulating to write and engage with, which is part of how I broke the block).
Labels: art, MI, whiny bullshit, writing
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5.29.2008:
The Joe-sized elephant in the room (yet another)
1:32 PMOkay, I have to just face the discomfort and push through it, much like ripping a band-aid off of my hairy arms after gouging myself from working on my car:
I haven't written on MI in a while.
That's uncomfortable to say, not because it's true (well, it's uncomfortable in a much different way for that), but because this is the 2nd time this year I've had to say it since posting that long ass new year's resolution thing talking about how I wasn't going to let that happen. I can just see your eyes rolling and your lungs breathing a heavy sigh of apathy as you read this, and that slays me.
I don't like not keeping my word.
The truth is, in a LOT of other ways, I've kept my resolutions. I've been hitting the gym regularly, no less than 4 days a week since January 1. I've quit getting distracted by outside news and events. I've done pretty well in those regards. I've also taken my tiny little business - which started simply as a way to adhere to the rules of Lightning Source and Bowker so I could publish my silly little book - and inadvertently turned it into something actually resembling a business, with employees and clients and whatnot. It's kinda crazy.
I've also written in my paper journal every day, and posted here almost every day (missing only 4 days this year that I could count). I've also taken a story I started when I was about 15 years old and revamped it (yet again) into what might be a comic book script (which is just plain crazy for me, since all I wanted to do from age 12 to 22 was draw and write comic books - in fact, writing stories and novels is kinda my way of "almost making it in comics" in my weird little head).
The one place I keep slacking? Mentally Incontinent.
The one place I have had success in creativity and writing, where I have dedicated fans (which I admit I do not deserve)? Mentally Incontinent.
The one thing I've got a book contract with Penguin for which will result in a production run and visibility potential at least 5x the first print run of the first MI book? Mentally Incontinent.
And therein lies the rub.
So I might as well admit it - I'm scared of Penguin.
I'm scared of finishing this book. I'm scared of submitting it, and having editors go through it. I'm scared of legal reviews. Even more, I'm scared it's going to make it through all of that, because when it does, it'll be sold at book shows to vendors - which it might not sell. It might totally flop, and I'll be a failure before I even hit a shelf.
And even more than that? I'm scared that it WILL do well at shows, and have a high print run, and not sell any copies to the general public.
When it was just me and my low expectations, it was easy - every single sale after, say, the first 20 copies was a success beyond my wildest dreams. To actually watch the first run (limited edition hardcover) climb into the 4,000 copy print run range? That was unfathomable... I couldn't believe it (and now, there's actually 4,001 copies of the hardcover, because I owed someone a huge apology). Then, to watch the paperback sell as well as it did... I mean, it just floored me.
So now, I've got my own expectations to live up to - but more than that, I've got to satisfy the publisher. Because as I stated in my series on "Why self-publishing?", if you don't show well in your first print run, there isn't a 2nd. That's it. Your book goes bye-bye.
So yeah, there it is, yet another elephant in the room I avoided talking about. I haven't written in a while (the first), because I'm scared of failing to meet some pretty high expectations (the second).
So, what to do about this...
Labels: Joe is retarded, Joe's life, MI, whiny bullshit
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5.07.2008:
Firefox + MI
9:25 AMI saw this in the ROFLCon photopool and thought it was really neat that someone thought enough to take the pic and publish it:
(That's the Firefox mascot, holding my book. Open Source browser holding Open Source book, etc.)
Here's one that Jeremy took from the front:
And one of my favorites, me with Tron Guy:
Labels: MI, shameless self promotion
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