Book Idea

So I am thinking of taking a stab at writing a book. Many people who know me will probably be surprised to some sort. I do read A LOT, but I don’t think anybody would ever expect me to try to write a book. I have been thinking about it for a while. It would be nice to be able to make a living as a writer, being able to stay at home and write on your own schedule, or actually your publisher’s schedule. Be able to be at home with my kids (2 ½ and a 5 mth old), but who am I kidding. I never wrote anything more than a 15 pg paper for school, so that is just a pipe dream. But, it would be REAL nice.

Here is a little bit of my idea. It will be a story based in the islands, like Key West, St Martin, or the Virgin Islands. I have some ideas for the main character (down on his luck, went to islands get away from his life) and some other characters. I haven’t come up with the antagonist character yet (I think that is how you describe the character, the main “bad” character). I have some plot ideas and chapter ideas, such as the contrast between people who go to the islands for vacation (free for all, no inhibitions attitude) compared to the main character going there to get away, and his interactions with them and joining them in the anything goes attitude. But I do not yet have a true grasp of the overall theme/storyline of the book.

Some influences for this book are:

Kenny Chesney’s music (mainly Be as You Are)
The Rum Diary by Hunter S Thompson
Bars and Restaurants along Orient Beach in Saint Martin
The whole “Island Life” in general

Book Review: Parking Lot Rules

Tom Sturges, Parking Lot Rules & 75 Other Ideas for Raising Amazing Children, Ballantine Books, 2008

I subscribe to Best Life magazine. There was a book review in the June/July issue (I think) of a child raising guide. Now normally, I wouldn’t read a book like that, because of these kind of books just don’t seem to make too much sense to me. But this one caught my attention, so I bought it.

The first rule, the title rule, immediately grabbed my attention. The Parking Lot Rule. It basically states that when you get out of the car after parking or come back to the car, your children should be right next to you at all times. No lagging behind or being distracted by something else. As you approach, call out “Parking Lot Rules” and your children will know to stay by you side. It would also work if you are walking anywhere and you want them immediately by your side. Just say “Parking Lot Rules” and they know the deal.

This is a simple yet ingenious concept. God forbid, my children run away from me in the parking lot and get hurt. I have been doing this for about 3 months now and it works like a charm with my 2 ½ year old son. The only issue now is when we are out of the parking lot, he no longer wants to hold my hand.

Check the book out and learn some other good ideas, such as the Bon Jovi Rule (No hands to the face), the 90 % rule (to get them to tell the truth), and the Yes, not What rule (communication). They all make such simple sense.

Wish List

So today all the new Christmas catalogs started coming in the paper. Just looking thru it all, I see tons of things I want and want to set up in my house. Like for example, the HP MediaSmart home server. This is a pretty cool item. Can use it to store all my music, videos, photos, etc, for access from any computer in the house. Also, with all the new HD TV’s that can connect to the internet and your computer, everything is centrally stored. Plus it gives you online access to your stored files, so you can access them from any connected computer.

So I decided to create a wish list for myself, showing all the new electronic items I would like to eventually get. We’ll see how long it takes me to buy all of it. And we will see how big it gets.

Hello There

Well, I decided to start this as a place where I can put down in words what I am thinking about or working on. I plan on also adding some reviews of local attractions, such as restaurants and the sort. Maybe add some movie reviews (well DVD reviews, considering I don't get out to the movies much. I have two young children, ages 2 1/2 and 4 months). I also am thinking of taking a stab at writing a book, so I may post some ideas and incomplete chapters or themes.

If you happen to come across this blog, please feel free to add any comments on any topic.