This blog is going to ramble. Just to warn you. It will go nowhere. It will have no theme. Or any particular point for that matter. I just decided to sit down with nothing particular to write about and simply vamp. Sometimes it’s fun just to string a bunch of random, disconnected thoughts together and see what happens.

I think I might be just a little too excited about the upcoming Avengers movie. I was already looking forward to it, having seen all the Marvel films leading up to this one, but then it started getting amazing reviews and now I worry that my expectations are so through the roof that I might end up being disappointed. Still, the trailer (which I’ve watched about a dozen times) looks great.

I continue to research my next book (although, I just got an idea for a pretty cool way to write a fourth - unplanned - book in my Swim the Fly series… hmm, interesting) and I’m concerned that there is so much I need to learn about a “certain something” that I might get mired down in the research and never start writing the thing. My other books required only minor research. You know, what foods cause the most flatulence? What bands do Goths listen to? Do people still eat Funyuns? That sort of thing. But this next idea is something totally different. And I need to get it right or it won’t work.

Jonathan Tropper is my new favourite author - at this moment in time.

I’m wondering why my computer keeps changing favorite and color into favourite and colour. It must be a Canadian/UK language thing. We do have the queen on our money up here. And while I love Canada and have enjoyed living here for the last ten years, I’m still not used to the colourful (or colorful) money. It strikes me as board-game-esque. And now, to add to the “is this really money” feeling, they’ve decided to make the bills out of a sort of plastic. Very strange, indeed.

I told you this blog was going to ramble.

Tomorrow I’m going to see the Comic-Con documentary that’s just out. Not only am I going to see it, I’m really excited about it. What can I say? I’m embracing my geekness.

Have I mentioned we’re moving to Toronto? Love this city. Thrilled about the move. Not so much all the paperwork and packing that goes along with it.

My Ontario school tour in support of the White Pine Award begins next week. In case you’ve been on another planet, Beat the Band has been nominated for the White Pine Award.

The new iPad is worth it. Just so you know.

I’m still so conflicted about e-readers. Love the convenience but damn if I’d miss the smell and feel of a real live book.

Speaking of real live books, I just picked up the new Stephen King. The new new Stephen King. The one that’s part of the Dark Tower series. I have to admit I’m not completely sold on the Dark Tower series (I’ve only read two of them) but I plan on giving the books another shot. Maybe starting with this one since I’ve been told you don’t need to have read the others to enjoy this one.

And that is all.

For now.

Just finished up the very last task on Call the Shots by reading through the “first pages” and making some last little final tweaks. It’s odd how you can read through something so many times and still find mistakes and things you want to alter. I’m glad I took the time to do this final stage, though, because I think the book is that much better for it. Still, these won’t show up in the Advance Reader Copies that have just been printed but that’s okay. Even though there are quite a few changes they are all relatively minor things like typos and sentence flow fixes. I’m just happy they will be corrected for the final book which is due out this September!

So, what does this author do on his down time? Besides toying with ideas for his next book?

He goes to to the movies with his stepson (Wanderlust - funny; Hunger Games - better than I thought it would be; 21 Jump Street - wonderful silly fun), he goes out to dinner with his beautiful wife, he gets parking tickets, he attempts to stick to an exercise routine so as not to gain back all the weight he’s recently lost, he watches fistfuls of hockey, he reads his eyes dry, he plays on his new iPad, and, of course, he goes to the zoo.

And while at said zoo, he dusts off his camera and takes a million pictures. Here are a few of the decent ones. Enjoy!