May God bless our nation’s veterans.

I gotta take my blogging more seriously.

Check out the highlights from Technorati’s latest “State of the Blogosphere” report.

Source: Venturebeat.com

Today, I spent eight hours

writing a three-page literature review.

Hoowah.

If there’s time remaining tonight, I’ll continue editing the Lady in White proofs. It’s the time of the semester when big projects begin to compound, so personal pursuits have, of necessity, taken second priority. However, I’m eager to see Lady in White reach its long-awaited release. Since the signing of its publishing contract, the novel’s production has languished under setbacks, distractions, bigger plans, and postponements.

No matter. Lady in White will be released soon enough.

I love this new theme.

Not only is it visually pleasing, but it jives with the overall tone and purpose of this site. Obrigado, Wordpress.

In other news, I’ve reached chapter X in Lady in White–twenty more chapters to go. The novel’s a fast read, however, and my goal is to mail it back to the publisher on Saturday. If all goes well, Lady in White will be ready for the Christmas season.

Reading through the novel again has been a nostalgic experience. Most of the text was penned six years ago, and consequently, the style overpowers the semantics at times. One sentence, for example, contains four consecutive subordinate clauses. Yet, as I a slash through with my critical pencil, I’m reminded that Lady in White is more than an epic story. It’s a journey of feelings. Those who read from feeling to feeling, rather than from sentence to sentence, will have the richest experience.

Since Lady in White, my writing has matured considerably. Most of my freelance jobs come from websites, and website editors ever tweak for concision and clarity. As I’ve striven to apply their feedback, my overall writing has improved. The sequel to Lady in White, consequently, is more refined and controlled.

If you’d like a sneak peek, click on the “Demon of Night” button at the top of this page.

Gah!

Yahoo ate my pages! I’ll create new ones for About, Contact, and Lady in White, but please allow me a day or two. Presently, I’m battling the eHow network, setting up a Guru account, reviewing Lady in White proofs, researching European Courier articles, learning Brazilian Portuguese, teaching in public schools, and attending graduate classes full time. I’ll need to regather my energies, therefore, before I can push forward with the blog.

Thank you, dear readers, for your patience. New content coming soon!

I grew up with these guys,

but I had no idea Marcos could sing — and how. Listen for yourself:

If you like this little sample, check out their official video. Their name is Manitu, and they’re based in Mexico City.

Music is a vehicle of self discovery.

What we plug in our ears reveals something about our inner selves, and even more telling is how we respond to certain chords, scales, and lyrics.

Recently, U2 has held me spellbound, especially the song below. Draw what conclusions you will.

I have climbed highest mountains
I have run through the fields
Only to be with you
Only to be with you
I have run
I have crawled
I have scaled these city walls
These city walls
Only to be with you

But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for

I have kissed honey lips
Felt the healing in her fingertips
It burned like a fire
(I was) burning inside her

I have spoke with the tongue of angels
I have held the hand of a devil
It was warm in the night
I was cold as a stone

But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for

I believe in the Kingdom Come
Then all the colors will bleed into one
Bleed into one
But yes I’m still running

You broke the bonds
And you loosed the chains
Carried the cross
Of my shame
Oh my shame
You know I believe it

But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for

A true capitalist,

I’m celebrating Labor Day the only way I know how: by laboring. It’s been a much-needed time to catch up on school work and work work.

Poor little blog,

with its simple thoughts, its good resolves. I’ve been neglecting this blog recently, but it’s by reason of business. My life has entered a period of transition: I’m moving schools, moving towns, and to an extent, moving jobs. This August, I’ll finally graduate with my B.A. in English and French, and then at Utah State University this fall, I’ll undertake a masters degree in second language teaching. Because the program, as yet, cannot offer me financial aid, I’ve doubled the hours spent at my freelance job to pay for housing and other expenses. No worries, though. Life is good, life is beautiful, but life is busy.

Side note: Lady in White should be released very, very soon. Last I heard, the graphic artist and publisher concluded their final meeting, so all that remains now is the final wait.

I wonder sometimes

about the content of processed food. Yesterday, a potato chip dropped on the floor, and the puppy I’m caring for promptly approached, sniffed, and snubbed. I paused. Not five minutes earlier, that puppy had devoured the remains of some ill-fated rodent and slurped from a pool of muddy water. Are corn syrup solids and monocalcium phosphate really so vile?

Yes indeed, say Mark Bittman and Ann Cooper, who both spoke at a 2007 TED Conference. Backed by research and personal experience, Bittman and Cooper contend stridently that processed, packaged substitutes are no replacement for the natural, carbon-based configurations that originate from soil, water, and sun.

They’ve got a point, but I see conflicting evidence in my family. My father is hearty proof that Twinkies and Pop Tarts can sustain life while my mother, a religious advocate of organic and locally-grown foods, has suffered numerous health problems over the years. Good food alone cannot guarantee good health.

Puppies aside, I’ll take my occasional potato chip.