Lost my watch in the scramble down the hill. Not sure how long I've been pinned down under the jungle canopy. No radios, no rescues, no back up in sight. Even in the dark, bullets racing by, mortars exploding in plumes of fire and earth. The sun rose and set twice since the radio went dead...can't move. I'm surrounded by Charlie--out there in the night. The air hangs heavy with humidity and death. The sit-and-sweat temperature makes things worse. It happened so fast. The bullet didn't kill Johnny Mack at first, when it pierced his abdomen like a sharp sword. The stubborn son-of-a-bitch didn't die instantly, probably didn't know he should of. But the toughest fucker, I ever met, cried for his mommy until life was gone. I cradled him, and lied, said "everything will be all right." We both knew I couldn't stop the bleeding. Now I'm here alone, hoping, praying, someone will come--guarding the body. If I can only hold still, a while longer...

I posted my "1-2-3-Supplements" post in order to help my brother get crawled by GOOGLE. It worked, however he sent me this interesting email afterwards (it seems we are living with Big Brother more and more each day):

"After GoogleBot Crawled me - I found another bot hit me also. So I followed the url to see where this bot, called NPBot, came from. Check out the disclaimer statement:

You are most likely visiting this page because you noticed an entry in your web server log file that references this page. NPBot is the NameProtect Inc. web crawler. As a Digital Brand Asset Management company, NameProtect engages in crawling activity in search of a wide range of brand and other intellectual property violations that may be of interest to our clients. For more information on our services, please visit the NameProtect website at http://nameprotect.com.

Sounds a little like SKYNET to me. Perhaps the Terminator movies are a vision of our future - where the machines determine right and wrong. They will decide our punishment since we cannot police ourselves."

My personal feeling is that webbot type programs will eventually (if not already) invade people's computers looking for illegaly downloaded MP3's, porn, copyright violations, etc. Remember it's called the 'Patriot Act' -only it goes too far.

I'm not above a cheap shameless plug, not at all actually. Let me take a moment to plug my brother Michael's website: 1-2-3-supplements.net. Go there now young grass hopper, or Michael will Aikido your ass good in some unescapable grip of death. Mikey's been taking his vitamins, and muscle mass supplements, and protein supplements, and mineral products, and iron products, and calcium supplements, geritol, and the like (that's a Christmas sized list and alotta shit too). No wonder, he's as big as Lou Farigno (and as green too). 1-2-3 Supplements have made him look like the Rock (or is that Sonny Bono?)...all ripped and stuff. Soon, he will be Steven Segal without the bad shirts. And through the modern micracles of E-commerce and Master Card, you can be too. Wax on, wax off, forget the fucking exercise--anyone can charge their way to good health. Here's hoping Google will index his site before he drops over dead from overdose...:).

Pyra Labs...now that you have all this Google Money floating around, would someone please install a spell checker on BLOGGER? 'Cus I ain't gonna win no spelling bee anytime soon...:)

We live in a world of sound-the-same music. Who would of thought a 70 year old cowboy, could record a cover of Nine Inch Nail's "Hurt" that is as good as the original yet unique? In today's commerical world, I applaud Mr. Cash for taking on the cover. Available on the "American IV: The Man Comes Around" album, Cash's talent shines through out the song. A man, his guitar, and his pain painted on the canvas of voice. Accompanied by an even stronger video that shows everyone the Man in Black loves leaving him for the grave. Again, we are brought back to the realization of our own mortality and our guilt. "What have I become...my sweetest friend? Everyone I know, goes away in the end..."--a truly haunting lyric, and Johnny sings it both beautifully and mournfully, as we see images of the people he has lost to time. Cash, I'd say you've lost nothing but become an American legend relevent as much now as 30 years ago.

I purchased "On Writing" this past weekend. I'll give you a full report on the book when I finish it. Wrestler Mick Folley (Yes, Mankind of WWE fame) read "On Writing" and was inspired to begin a writing career. Mick's first fiction book has had very positive reviews. I find it interesting that part of the book is actually a memoir of his life and part of it gives advice to writers. Now, time to get off this computer and put my nose back in the book. Later.

I believe journaling is a powerful tool for anyone creative...whether writing creatively, doing journalism, song writing, computer programming, etc. A journal is an easy way to jot down ideas or express them whenever the mood strikes. The great American Novel can be journaled. My journal is simply a spiral bound notebook that I take almost everywhere. Nearly every post in my BLOG was spawned from journal entries. Having 4 kids, I don't have a lot of time to write, so journaling really helps. I try to jot down all kinds of things in my notebook: my own ideas, stories, poems, memories, news items, words and phrases, passages from stories with a reference to the the book so I can go back and read them for inspiration later, etc. There is no better way to write. I am thinking about doing Blog Posts in the future called "From the Journals" that are simply entries from my journal, here is a sample of a page from one:
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Maya and Jase have run up several flights of stairs in the abandoned warehouse type building. They are 8 stories up. The monster is just a few steps behind them, screaming for blood....the stairs have rotted away that lead up further. Maya and Jase will only live if they jump out the window next to them. Maya who is first, looks back at Jase before they jump and yells, "I hate to fly!"
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Radiation pagers. They go off when they detect radiation. However if you need to detect the level, it's probably too late.
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"No one can make you fell inferior without your consent" -- Eleanor Roosevelt.
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Hidden Cathedral
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How many winters left until I'm gone? Winters left.
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Vitamins for video gamers. Character studies. Dialogue Pieces. Branded news...Fox, CNN, Conservative, Repulican.
Carnival Girl. A mind is a terrible thing to taste.
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"I was meant to be a poet. But one does not eat good intentions so I have become some other things." -- Vertigo X--Winter Man Preview.
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Crying Blood. Rain of a 1000 Tears. Shed your skin. Ograsmo--better orgasm, less mess--in one easy to take pill.
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"A day without blood, is like a day without sunshine." --Michael
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Ripper Owens...have you ever heard of him? If you love classic metal then you know him already. Tim is a home town hero here in Akron, Ohio and my favorite male vocalist of all time. He was the lead singer to Judas Priest for a few years after being in a Judas Priest cover band...they made a movie loosely based on it called "Rock Star." Tim is not only a phenomonal singer, he's a hell of a nice guy. I met him at a Sickness show and he took time to really talk to me, I was impressed. The first time my wife met him he gave her an autographed picture for me, when she told him what a big Judas Priest fan I am. This guy is all talent and all class.

In your head, if you could combine the voices of Rob Halford (Judas Priest) , Chris Cornell (Sound Garden), Phill Anselmo (Pantera), Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) and Sully (God Smack)--then you would have Tim's Voice. He has the quinisential sound of metal vocalists of both yesterday and today. Since leaving Judas Priest, Tim has already finished the vocals for Iced Earth's next album...however he hasn't signed to be a member. I'm going to BLOG a recent article about him here (perhaps more in the future):

"Former Judas Priest Singer: It's Time For Me To Do My Own Thing

Source: Blabbermouth.net

Despite having been bumped from the JUDAS PRIEST lineup last month after it was announced that Rob Halford had rejoined the band, Tim "Ripper" Owens says that he is not a bitter man. "I'd known about it for weeks," he told the Canton Repository in an interview published Friday (August 8). "I pushed them to get (Halford) back. I'm a JUDAS PRIEST fan, so I'm glad they can get along and do this. People have been calling up like there's been a death in the family but I'm actually happy with the decision. My run was done." As a member of JUDAS PRIEST, "you don't make any money when you're not on the road," Owens said. "Taking a year or two off between albums is a long time. I've got a family to support." Ripper says that he remains friendly with his JUDAS PRIEST bandmates, and he hopes to take his 14-year-old daughter, Lauren, to visit them at their homes in England. "I'm definitely happy," said Owens' wife, Jeannie. "Tim is 35. It's time for him to do his own thing." Tim says that his "phone has been ringing nonstop" since officially departing JUDAS PRIEST. He has recorded all the vocals for ICED EARTH's upcoming CD, "The Glorious Burden", and he has also been writing his own songs, which he has previously described as GODSMACK-meets-PANTERA-meets-PRIEST: "[It's] very basic verse-chorus-verse stuff with catchy choruses," he said. He plans to record a demo using local Ohio musicians and begin the label-shopping procedure. In addition, he has been appearing as a frequent guest vocalist with a band called THE SICKNESS that regularly plays in the Ohio area. Owens sings about half the songs, including numbers by GODSMACK ("I Stand Alone"), AUDIOSLAVE ("Cochise") and the FOO FIGHTERS ("All My Life"), plus the Peter Green-penned (FLEETWOOD MAC) song regularly performed by JUDAS PRIEST, "Green Manalishi". THE SICKNESS, whose lead vocalist is Tim Zuver, also perform songs by DISTURBED, LINKIN PARK and KORN. "They call it 'nu metal,' which I can't really figure out," Owens confesses. "It's all hard rock to me." Owens says that his days with THE SICKNESS are numbered. "It's a really fun thing to do. I'm really good friends with those guys. But it's going to end for me pretty soon," he said. "I'm trying to get things going for myself now and it doesn't look so good that I'm singing covers again." Tim performed last night (August 8) with the band SEATTLE (covering grunge-era music by NIRVANA, PEARL JAM, SOUNDGARDEN and ALICE IN CHAINS) at Sadie Rene's in North Canton, Ohio, and he has three upcoming Ohio shows with THE SICKNESS: Aug. 29 at Sadie Rene's, Sept. 6 at the Carriage House in Louisville, and Sept. 19 at Melini's Pub in Canton. (Dan KaneThe Repository)"

**NOW having said all that, let me just get in a plug to purchase music from local talents as well as whatever type of music you like. Just as important, go out to see them perform. I don't need to do an expository on why...just do it or maybe you like corporate rock and bubble gum music? I mean Britney is nice to look at, at least...:)***

I'm a murderer in pen and ink. I have killed so many, if only on the page. The trail of carnage does not cause me regret. Someone had to die, and I'm the one who did it with the bloody sword of thought. My hands, so wicked, gripped her neck and the strangle hold began in the theater of the mind. The breaking was easy, after the first time. Yet the thoughts, the feelings, the pain of both--murderer and victim were mine. The ski masked killer getting off while everything she had ever experienced was flashing before her eyes. She didn't know why, I took it all away--why my rage at the world was targeted at her. The last sound of Harmony's voice not music but a choke and a gag--the game done. Another beautiful, blue faced girl, left behind in the stream of consciousness. From beginning to end, I am alpha and omega here in the black hole. The white rabbit runs knowing someday I'll get him too, whether by bow and arrow, axe murder, vampire, or alien...it only depends on the mood of god.

Oh God, I must go to where my beauty lies. They must of hidden in it -- in the bayou... at the bottom, weighed down by ropes and cinder blocks. Drag the waters, you'll find me still crying. Still dying. Already dead. I lost Adam to the night waters, couldn't keep him in anymore...my baby is gone. My son is gone--floating to the top. And the voices speak to me in the dark, "Where's Janie? Where's Janie?" while Momma's crying at the shore.

Over the years, I've received many comments about my writing. It seems the one thing that infatuates everyone is -- why is your writing so dark? Why does someone die in nearly everything you write? Aren't you happy? Hmm...I find those to be some heavy questions. However you, the reader, are entitled to an answer since you take some of your well earned time to read my work. Yes, I'm happy, though very morbid. The bottom line: a story--a character--can not become precious to me unless the audience knows that character is only human, only mortal. Think about some of the great character franchises in modern day literature/film. Superman...James Bond....Luke Skywalker -- I love all of these characters. But I hardly pay attention to them anymore. Why? It's simple the franchises are old, boring, stale. How man ebola coctails can James Bond drink and not die? Perhaps he needs a smarter super model in his next flick. Superman has been killed and resurected and killed and resurected again...how quaint, how dull. And Luke--his universe has become such a snore, I doubt I will even bother to get out of bed to watch the next Star Wars movie. The force is no longer with Star Wars. In real life, death makes our lives precious, our time important, becuase it's all temporary. The same with literature. What is the point of caring about a story, if in the end the good guy always wins, always survives relatively unscathed? On a further note, I have a morbid fascination with death and what lies on the other side. Original writing is hard to do. It's rare to create something that will please everyone and have a great story. I'm pleasing myself and if no one likes it...well that's too bad because someone has to die. Now, having made that point, perhaps I'll break it. George Lucas--pay attention--no one wants to know the out come before they read the book.

If you have the money, and seek the pleasure, the satisfaction, the sex--there is always somewhere to go, someone to do it with...or to. Any fetish can be bought for a price.

If you want the money, sex is a commodity that can be be bought and sold. It's the world's oldest profession.

This is the story of the Pleasure Sell: the people, the pimps, the police, the hookers, and the Johns--each is someone you might know. Each has their own reason. We all have our secrets behind closed doors...when someone is selling and even more are buying.

Pleasure Sell--Love for Sale, 24 Hours a Day.

I saw you as you are...and then I closed my eyes. With the blind, already drawn, I knew you as you were and for what you were. You still erect, the floor was so red with me--only one tear fell, that day in hell--the day I pulled the trigger.