Yo yo!! I’ve been waiting for this day for like, forever, because what else is there to do when pretty much everything’s shut down and you’re sittin’ on promises of books to people? I’m happy to announce that the pre-orders for Mutants are finally here!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAqYbwkB4Qa/
I would’ve had them a bit sooner, but they were delivered on Saturday; when packages that are too big to fit in my mailbox, they sit in the mail room and our building’s office staff (bless them…they’re wonderful ladies) puts a little note in your mailbox. But the office is closed on weekends, and with Monday being a holiday, I had to wait til today. But whatevs y’all…they’re here! A big lotta new book smell in the apartment right now!
I know I know…”So when am I getting my book?” That’s what I’m here to tell you. I know I said mid-May, but I didn’t anticipate shipping to take as long as it did (self-pubbed books aren’t eligible for Amazon Prime shipping if they’re sold to the author). Give me a few days to annotate them all; unfortunately I’m a kinda busy guy right now with physical therapy for my shoulder 2x a week, and tomorrow is another follow-up with my doc (things are going kickass, if you’re wondering…glad I had the work done and there’s no pain; now I’m in the stretch run, which is the strengthening part…grueling at times, but the results are there and it’s worth it). I’m hoping to mail them out by June 3rd or 4th, but please don’t be pissed at me if it takes me a few more days to get them out…believe me, I wanna be done with this and get this book in your hot little hands ASAP!!
Since these are quarantine/lockdown times, I don’t have much else to say. Let’s drop a shipping playlist and get on with our day. Sound good? I can almost hear y’all nodding your heads from here.
La Dispute, “A Letter”
Blink-182, “Here’s Your Letter”
The Tea Party, “The Messenger”
Atmosphere, “Postal Lady”
Joe Cocker, “The Letter”
American Football, “Letters And Packages”
Macy Gray, “The Letter”
Modest Mouse, “From Point A To Point B (∞)”
Cake, “Open Book”
Radiohead, “The Daily Mail”
Hail Mary Mallon, “Mailbox Baseball”
The Get Up Kids, “Red Letter Day”
The Postal Service, “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight”
Alright friends, enemies, lovers, and haters…that’s all I got for y’all today. Two weeks ago it was snowing with zero visibility; today it’s 88° and my 12″ oscillating fan has decided to die on me, so please have mercy on my soul if I sweat to death after making dinner and attempting a nap in this swamp-ass-inducing change in the world’s atmosphere. Stay strong friends; we’ll be able to get together soon, I hope. Peace, wear a mask and wash your hands, and know that I love you.
Warm holiday greetings to you all! Woke up this morning and before I could even start the coffee pot I took a phone call from my publisher…and after discussing a wide variety of topics, we’ve got great news going into 2019! The #NorbAF campaign is pickin’ up steam, and soon we’ll have t-shirts and bracelets on sale in my shop, to go along with copies of 100…how friggin’ wild is that?
Now you can be part of the movement and proudly sport my name on your chest, and it won’t even be weird! (Please, don’t make it weird.) Props to the Eliezer Tristan Publishing queen Sarah Fader for the design, and sorry I don’t have anymore info yet on them (like when they’ll be available or how much)…all I know is what they’ll look like.
In addition to the shirts, we’ll also have black rubber ETP bracelets, and blue rubber #NorbAF ones as well, because ya gotta have accessories that match your dope new #NorbAF gear!
What else is goin’ on? I’ve been layin’ low…taking a break from everything just to get through the holidays mentally intact, I figure. But I’m super-proud of the other ETP authors who are finalizing their books and gearing up for their works to be in print! 2019 is going to be a big year for a lot of people, and I can’t wait to read more about some of these wonderful individuals I’ve become friends with here and there through the extended ETP family. More cool stuff to look forward to…that’s how I look at it!
So, that’s really it y’all. I’ve got a busy rest of the week ahead of me as I get ready to go back to Western New York for Christmas with mom (who’s already been up my ass a little about when she can get a t-shirt hahahahahaha…I love you ma, but I don’t even have one yet so don’t worry; as soon as they’re available you can get one!) and some friends and good times. Let’s drop a little Commercialized/Goin’ Home playlist on my way out…
Wilco, “I Love My Label”
Pearl Jam, “Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town”
Aesop Rock, “Lotta Years”
Bowling For Soup, “My Hometown”
Simon & Garfunkel, “My Little Town”
RZA feat, Method Man and Cappadonna, “Wu-Wear: The Garment Renaissance”
Miracle Of ’86, “Nice Shirt, Salvadore Dali”
Oasis, “The Girl In The Dirty Shirt”
Hawksley Workman, “Learn How To Knit”
Reel Big Fish, “Sell Out”
The Clash, “Career Opportunities”
Reggie And The Full Effect, “Christmas In Hollis”
Ok…Merry Christmas ya filthy animals! Happy holidays and enjoy celebrating what it is you celebrate…family, fellowship, and joy. That’s all that really matters, right? So do it up right, however you choose to do it. I’ll see you guys in the new year, when I know more about the merch. Stay cool…peace!
Hey everyone! Hope you’ve had an enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday with friends, family, and loved ones…and you haven’t made life a living hell for them or the poor souls in retail on Black Friday (and having spent my entire life in customer service and retail management, believe me when I say there’s a special place in hell for you if you have). I got back this afternoon from a week at my mom’s back in Western New York, spending time with her and some friends, and while I’m thankful for being able to have done so, it’s also nice again to be back home where I can sleep in my own bed and get back into my routine here (until Christmas comes around next month and I’m back out on the road!).
And what a week it was! Both my beloved Sabres and Bills had some big wins. I spent some time with the homies down at Matty’s Pub, watching the UFC (or is it MMA? I have no clue. [Side note: Outside of a few highlight clips on SportsCenter, I’ve never seen UFC or MMA before…and I’m very clueless about it other than the general premise of watching two people beat the everlovin’ outta each other. So with those expectations and those only in mind, I was not disappointed.]). Matty’s Pub was also the venue of choice for Sunday’s Bills game (where there was also a brawl) but more importantly, this picture hung of my late brother who was a staple behind the basement bar until he passed two years and one week ago today.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bqnop9qH8mA/
Let’s see…what else? I had a run-in with the Subway at the Greyhound station in Syracuse because they made me a breakfast wrap they were incapable of ringing me out properly for, and after informing me I’d basically have to pay double for something other locations have made easily for me in the past and told me I couldn’t use my “Tokens” or whatever their loyalty program is now, got really shitty with me when I told them I didn’t want it (seriously, how much of a corporate hardship is it to slap steak/egg/cheese inside a sun-dried tomato wrap??)…and when I complained to their ownership group about it, got nothing more than an “Ooops, sorry about that, but we talked to the employees and it won’t happen again!”…uhhhh….ya damn right it won’t, cuz I have zero confidence now in your business practices and customer relations (especially when combined with your substandard food offerings in an area where my choices are Subway, Dunkin’, and the in-house bodega with no better selection than the vending machines). So yeah, that sucked.
But…mom and I took 2nd place in Pub Trivia (thanks to a colossal tie after the final question that necessitated a wild stab at the overtime question) on the quote-unquote Biggest Party Night Of The Year. After dinner some of my brother’s friends (ok, I can stop calling them that, because they’re my friends too now) came out for karaoke, where things proceeded to get loud and rambunctious (of course). [Side Note: This is the same place my brother took me to for my 40th birthday, where a very Crown-and Coke’d me vociferously complained about the karaoke DJ not having any Beastie Boys songs in his catalog.] While I am proud to announce that the DJ has made tremendous strides in his offerings, I cannot say with the same enthusiasm that my performance Wednesday night was as exciting.
But hey, fun is fun, am I right? My only regret is that I didn’t get a recording of me doing “Sabotage” also, where my boy said, and I quote, “You’re scaring people.”
Thanksgiving itself was low-key…just mom and I and some turkey and her stuffing (my favorite, and if you say anything other than stuffing in general is your idea of “the best part of Thanksgiving Dinner”, then you’re a cop) and football and me on the couch in my pajamas from morning ’til night. It’s hands-down my favorite meal of the year, along with Second Thanksgiving (the midnight raiding of the leftovers). And Friday was pretty low-key as well, or at least it was until I was tagged in a Facebook post from my publisher announcing the arrival of the Stigma Fighters Anthology Vol. 4 launch on Amazon…which she says is dedicated to me (!!) and not only includes my very first online submission for them, but also three poems that aren’t in 100. How #NorbAF and #dopeAF is that??
And hey, it’s not just me that’s in this amazing collection…I’ve met and/or became friends with quite a few of these people in a very busy and incredible 2018 so far, and it’s worth much more than your time to check out their stories and how we’re all trying to do our part in combating the stigmas surrounding various mental illnesses.
So yeah, it’s been a week y’all! I’m so thankful to have so many exceptional and amazing people in all the many facets of my life who care about me and do beautiful things and kick so much more ass than they even know. For that, I think it’s time to bang out a good ol’ Thanks and I love you playlist! Hit it!!
The Tragically Hip, “Courage (For Hugh MacLennan)”
Filter, “The Best Things”
The Get Up Kids, “Holiday”
Mike Doughty, “Thank You, Lord, For Sending Me The F Train”
Death Cab For Cutie, “Autumn Love”
Franz Ferdinand, “Come On Home”
The Killers, “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town”
Uncle Tupelo, “I Got Drunk”
Hey Mercedes, “Our Weekend Starts On Wednesday”
The Black Keys feat. RZA, “The Baddest Man Alive”
Hail Mary Mallon, “Grubstake”
The Hollies, “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother”
I understand this playlist may mean very little to you, but it means a lot to me and that’s kinda what counts…my blog, my rules! Anyway, that’s where I’m at…I’m off to take advantage of a couple Writing.com Cyber Monday deals and say what’s up to some friends there. Hope you’re all well, and if not you know where to find me. Much love, friends!
