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Showing posts from July, 2011

Beautiful day here in Northern New Brunswick

The sun is gleaming like a piece of cheese singles slices from kraft.  Will they ever break to the pressure from lobby groups and make them round, finally!  The bay is blue as blueberry wine.  There are a few clouds out,  reminding me of moms beautiful white bread, steaming hot just from the oven.... The grass is green as popeyes spinach.  You have guessed it,  it is time to make a small lunch. I joined Funny or Die today,  and found it a wonderful place to get funny video or to just have a great laugh.  It is easy to join,  they do not look for your birth certificate or want a hair sample. Have a wonderful day,  I will be back in a short while....

No longer following ratings of my book on Amazon.

I decided to no longer strongly follow the ratings on my book on amazon.  As there are 14 million books there already for sale,  when I look at Dog Ears ratings,  the book is always in the top 20 at the bottom.  I will go to occasionally check the 90 day new release standing,  but once it disappears from there,  I will go check less and less as time moves on. It is strange how,  the feeling of excitement leaves once your book is published for the first time.  It is like having drunk 12 beers, and going on Kracken, one of the rides at Seaworld.  Is something going to come out of your stomach,  or out of the aye hole? First,  you are not sure how your book is going to be perceived by the readers.  In retrospect,  I am just glad my family enjoyed it. All I know it is no use to write part 3,  as part 2 may never be published.  Sales are just too low.  My marketing skills are lacking for a direction in this new realm that I am unfamiliar with.  Anyone can tell you,  I am a great salesma

for myself, a time of reflection.

My uncle Fred passed away today.  He died of cancer.  Lets all hope for a cure someday,  as it already has taken 3 of my family  members away.  God Bless. I may be away for awhile,  from all posting and book searching for a few days.  Thanks to you all.

The IRS sent back my papers today

The IRS sent back my documentation today.  I was worried I was not going to get back my passport,  but they did send it back, as promised on the website.  To go through the whole process again,  I will make sure this time everything is there.  What would happen if I was invited on American Gladiator to showcase my book, while ducking under a clothsline from Hulk Hogan.  Or invited to Germany to read the book drunken and backwards, at their beer fest.  Or even invited to Russia, to read a few paragraphs at the Kremlin to promote local hiring in Siberia.  A passport is essential at this time... Unless the underground railway still exists. I was only missing a signature.  That is all it took for my application to be sent back.  From the publishing company.  I asked for this through the mail,  and I will continue to wait if I see it dropped by a stork or pigeon at my doorstep,  within a reasonable time.  But,  as mentioned,  if sales are low as they could be,  I would not need an ITIN fo

What came first, the chicken or the egg?

If I new that question,  I would be the Ghandi of Canada.  With my new home on Goodreads,  I have attained 67 friends.  This is quite a feat for myself,  as I tried to obtain as many comedy lovers as I possibly could reach. It is hard to find at times, as within the thousands of people on that site,  there are people with different reading tastes.  I think only two were offended by my profane book, as they kicked me off their friend list in disgust! I stopped asking for friendship at 60.  Then a few came on board to ask for becoming friends with me.  This was nice for a change,  from going through the list to see who liked humor,  or who had a humor book in their listings.  Amazingly enough,  there is one person that has 8000 friends on there! It is almost as if he is the leader of an internet city,  or making his own book colony,  ready to take over the book universe.  I will definitely not steer my book ship into his.  Till then...

Concentrate, just like minute maid orange juice!

It is hard to concentrate on my book,  as I am working 3 day shifts this week.  Half of the time of the month,  my hands are tied,  and unable to react to any notion that comes up to help with the sale of my book.  It was, although, very nice how one Dog Ear Representative reacted to my book.  The person replied, you have only one sale for June only.  That does not take into effect July yet,  which will be out Aug. 21 st.  You probably sold more during that month. This person was actually very nice to me,  and kept myself up when I felt a little down.  If every company would have a more human touch to it,  I am sure it would make the extra difference just in sales.  But I do find the Dog Ear Publishing staff do go out of their way to explain the book conundrums that I find myself trying to find explanations too.  So far,  they have given me prompt answers to 99 % of my e mails.  They only complicated one per cent of the process with the ITIN number.  A number which,  I still cannot o

My book is now being sold in France!

I found out that my book is being sold in France!  I quickly will tell them,  that it is too late!  No use to list it,  mes amis!  Sa vende pas  ( it is not selling)!!! No,  I am just kidding.  It is really being offered in France though!  I love France,  and would love to visit their country someday,  if I can only sell a few hundred books :)   My ancestry is from there,  back in 1600 s... I would like to thank my viewer from India for checking out my site.  I would like to visit the Taj Mahal someday, if I can sell double the books it would take me to get to France...  I have allot of work to do,  but I am lost at this moment in time.. Till then...

Sales total as promised.

Total sales for the month of June,  1 book sold.  I did not see July up yet,  in Dog Ears stats,  so I will assume I sold one book for June.  I am glad I did not tell my friends about the book, as I would not have gotten a real idea of how something like this sells right from the start.    I do not like to take my friends charity anyways, as much as I love em.  One book sold with no advertising basically at all. For myself,  it is not about the sales,  but that I did try to produce something.  I still feel good when I look at the book,  even though I spent 3500 dollars on it.  It just makes it that much harder to spend more money on it,  when you believe that there is no market out there for it. Part 2 will never be produced at this rate,  but maybe it is for a reason.  It slows down my production by 100 per cent.  All I know for now,  is that I am quite satisfied with producing the one book that I probably will ever create.  I am thinking I may actually ask for the electronic copi

At the Jardin Des Metis in Gaspesie!

The wife urged me to go on a little trip this past Saturday,  and this Sunday, at the Jardin Des Metis near Mont Jolie, in Quebec.  There,  they have beautiful floral gardens with pathways surrounding a beautiful majestic mansion.  One night at a dinner at a restaurant, the beautiful Metis Sur Mer, there unbeknownst to me,  a Mr. Paul Almond was sitting a table away with Mr. Alexander Reford.  He is the great grandson of Elsie Reford,  the creator of the gardens.  I did not feel like interrupting their dinner, as it was a beautiful evening.  Then the next morning came. We had a nice breakfast there at the Jardin de Metis (smoked mackeral on a biscuit with semi boiled eggs/ sauce),  and later walked around the gardens.  I got stung by a wasp on the ankle.  I could feel the sting for a good half hour after.  The International Garden festival takes place there every year,  since 2000.  Competition from New York, Germany, and other countries that put their own unique flavor to gardening

The Supermarket Guy is really, A Super Guy!

You go through life,  and you meet some people who are Super.  You know,  that person that can make high marks in all subjects.  That athlete that always wins in the top 3 in the finish line for many years.  Or having a super spirit,  someone who is daunting, someone who is courageous,  that defends the little guy. My book,  had the underlining theme,  of a super guy.  The Supermarket theme just added to the hidden super that was in the person,  that was hiding away underneath his skin.  I think everyone is super,  or has a super quality hidden underneath their flesh.  Just a person has to find it,  or others can help him find it... Till then...

Hard to tell what time may bring.

As of late,  I discovered that some higher prices on my book was due to the fact that it was being published in the United Kingdom, and offered for sale in North America.  No doubt,  but I do believe the First Editions are worth money.  Of any book.  Off all books out there,  and someday the collection business will grow,  so I expect.  I will not wear out my signiture or lower its cost,  signing for my ten fans and myself.  It is just like selling this thing on the moon! The next thing,  is they say when you write a book, you have to contact allot of media outlets.  Media is the breathing force behind sales.  If people know it is out there,  chances are they will have a peek at it.  I gained more confidence as of late,  as people close to me love my book.  This is a tremendous boost,  now that it does not matter how it really does.  Budweiser turned down the proposal thus far to do anything with it.  Pepsi, will not do anything with it either,  for any type of promotional themes.  B

What kind of bird is that, flying on the cover?

Someone asked me today,  why the bird flying on the cover.  What kind of bird is it,  anyways?  I paused for a few seconds,  and thought a true answer.  True as the birds and the bees. I responded,  that bird up there came to me as to put up there as a coo coo bird.  The question mark above his head,  is like the question mark which is found invisibly above all animals out there. Now,  the first part,  the coo coo bird.  Well, allot of people around home used to say that some people were coo coo,  or crazy.  Now,  for the second part,  the question mark is the animal asking, what are those crazy humans doing down there.... I still ask that question.  What the heck are we doing down here?  All I know is life is beautiful...

My mother in law read my book!

My mother in law read my book.  After reading it, she suggested that I be checked into a psychological ward.  And,  that I will not be able to attend any future family dinners.  She flung my comedy book across the table right at me in a fit of mad rage.  I ducked,  but caught the precious cargo with a hand stretched upwards.  My ninja skills came in handy that evening. No,  she actually loved it.  She found the story to be good.  She is not saying this because I am handsome,  or because I give her a nice gift every month.  I forget peoples birthdays, even hers.  I am just a  forgetful guy.  So this is a really good sign.  My wife liked it too,  but I rather my mother in laws opinion over my wife.  I think my wife would be more biased.   Anyways,  I cannot do a tour of bookstores today,  due to the fact my wife is thinking we should go to the beach first.  I will let it go for now.   Time to relax,  till then.

Will decide to do a small tour of bookshops in local areas

Well,  I received  e mails from Dog Ear Publishing,  responding that they do more than allot of other publishers out there.  That they actually post the results every month.  I think I am a little frustrated,  because I had to wait past the middle of June,  now to the end of July for results.  I will be a little more patient. I got another letter saying my application for ITIN has expired.  This was mostly due to two factors.  One was that they wanted a letter from Dog Ear Publishing from one of their financial people ( a signed official company letter with letterhead), which I did not think I had to have.  I sent all the appropriate contact information.  Second, was the Canada post strike.  Now, as long as I sell less than for a thousand dollars,  I believe I do not have to pay any taxes in the U.S.  Maybe Dog Ear is sure of this,  therefore did not send me the letter yet signed by one of their own account managers.  I am still waiting in the mail for that letter.  I give it another

Dog Ear Book Counter on vacation for a week!

Hey,  my book counter is out for another week.  Where is he gone,  to abacus school?  No, wait a minute!  Everyone needs a vacation,  and I am glad he went to the beach to count sea shells for a change.  But, I will call tomorrow to ask,  why can't they count up to ten.  I mean,  that is probably all the books I sold..  I know everywhere that anybody has a job,  you usually have to be replaced by someone when you go on vacation.  Someone has to pick up the slack. But,  as we all know,  he probably has some fancy dandy computer program or password no one has access to. Smash that computer!  And that is the answer I will get when I call tomorrow.  You watch! I can blog about how I was right tomorrow evening.  Call a spade a spade.  This is unfortunate,  because now I am really getting frustrated.  I am about to blow my top!  I have to go get an aqua seltzer.

Sales results are slow coming.

No sales results yet from Dog Ear Publishing.  I went to one blog,  where an author who deals with Dog Ear had a hard time to get sales results from them.  What he said, was that in effect,  it is difficult to know how well your book is really doing.  How much to spend on advertising,  and so on,  before it is too late.  I was thinking much the same. I sent two e mails to get some information on sales.  They will only read the e mails on Monday, as they are off for the weekend. The July results are not up yet.  From there,  if no one gives me a satisfactory response,  I will need to make a phone call.  The other blog site added that a person could set up your own book counting system,  from free programs offered on the internet.  I will check into that later.  I am quite satisfied with Dog Ear publishing,  except the sales reporting information.  Till then...  Part 2 still lays in limbo.

My book is now being sold in Germany.

Thanks to Libri.com,  my book is now on sale and listed in Germany.  Thanks Libri and thanks Germany!

Results maybe up today, maybe!

I was just checking on the dog ear website,  where I can log on and check my sales.  I seen that I was unable to log on,  and I am not sure if that means they are updating the sales figures or just have problems exterior to that. The Supermarket Guy 2 looks like it is a no show,  just like No Show Jones when he was out there boozing back in the early 80s.  Only difference is that I cannot get my guitarist to show up for the show :)

Total sales results not out yet!

My Apologies again.  The sales results from Dog Ear publishing are still not updated for July.  They say the middle of the month,  so I always assume the 15 th of the month.  Could it be that they have slow counters?  Could it be they have computer problems?  Could it be I sold zero copies?  It is all relevant to knowing nothing. All I can say,  is that come July 18 th,  I should have something.  I think I sold 10 or 20 copies,  maximum.  I will be quite frank. There is no big advertising campaign here.  I know usually,  and the stories,  of how even some comic books went through hard times to achieve sales.  Marvel, Archie, for awhile, but they bounced back somehow.  I think Marvel with the movies.  Oh well.  The next few days I will pour over my Part 2,  dreaming that I can publish it.  But I will face perhaps a grim, bitter reality.  The numbers will not be there to produce it.  I know it.  And even this blog will disappear from the web universe. Alas,  we will do what everyone

The Supermarket Guy Part 2, Rise of the Market Overlord

The Supermarket Guy Part 2,  Rise of the Market Overlord,  has just been sent to the U.S. copyright office.  Now I am just awaiting sales results to determine what to be done.

Nice e mail back from Budweiser!

Budweiser responded at the time,  they were not going to go through the avenue that I pitched to them to advertise their product.  They sent me back a nice e mail,  and for that,  I am thankful that they did send me something back.  Not like some companies,  that leave you hanging for weeks,  or maybe even not even send back a response. Pepsi declined also.  It was nice of them to e mail me back rapidly as well.  There is only one conglamorate left,  to get an answer from.  I did e mail budweiser back,  ( the last time),  to say thanks, and once again to plead my case.  But it is the last one. I have to color my part 2 out,  sometime this weekend.  It is going to be difficult to get all the color schemes to look they way the book should be portrayed.  Today,  the wife wants to go relax out somewhere,  so I thought I should write this blog before taking off.  They have paved bicycle trails in Caraquet,  so I imagine we will be scooting down the trails for a bit of time.  They even h

The cover for the book is 2/3 rds done

Last night,  pencil sketching lightly to produce the first copy (2 hrs).  Got a few pages of paper out first,  to roughly put to practice what I wanted on the draft copy.  Then began to draw,  light lines.  After I was fairly satisfied with what I had drawn,  I printed these off to make a few copies.  Just in case I make a major mistake in tracing with black later on.  Then,  I traced the light lines with a black, fluid pen (an hour and a half).  Then printed off several copies for corrections if I get the color wrong.  The last thing that I may do tonight,  is to just play with the colors.  To see if I can get the right blend for certain items shown in the picture.  It is going to take allot of experimentation.  Till then...

Part 2 cover is one third done.

Drew out the cover for part 2 tonight.  It took me around 2 hours,  a little longer than I expected.  I will need to trace it out in black pen, then print it off and maybe hide some major faults with liquid ink. Keep printing it off until it looks alright.  Liquid ink does not show up after being printed, at least not on my cheap printer. Then the worst is trying to find a good, fluid, pen that traces over my light lines.  One more part after,  is getting the feel for the colors right.  Testing, trying to get the right colors for shading, brightness, and fade in and out. I will try to test a few coloring on several copies before deciding.  It is a good thing for having a printer.  After it is trace, I can run of many copies, and test the coloring as I go.  Till then...

Camper trailers knocked over in Grande Anse!

Just recently,  I recieved some photos of some campers that were tossed over due to high winds.  Squalls came down through the other day,  the news put out tornado warnings and hail.  In this area we got a few down pours of rain, and allot of lightning.  I think the forecast will remain the same for tomorrow somewhat. Since the rain has arrived again,  I decided that I might as well work on my new cover for my book.  It is going to have an ominous sky, black clouds from smoke,  not the H20 creation.  Two men duelling it out on the cover for survival.  Lightning, shooting downward from the sky as well,  or from electrical fixtures blowing up by water sprinklers shorting them out.  It may take awhile to get all the dimensions straight, to get all the characters at the right stance.  The main thing, is that it conforms to Part 1,  where I drew the book cover.  I might as well keep it the same.  Have a good night,  till then...

July 15 th fast approaching for The Supermarket Guy!

Will be posting July 15 th sale results.  I do not expect anything fantastic,  so I cannot say I am holding on to my seat at all.  I think without proper advertising,  without talking to allot of my friends about the book, it probably is going to garner pretty low numbers.

The Supermarket Guy is available everywhere now!

Just checking some of the countries where my book is for sale.  Japan (amazon.jp), Croatia, Sweden (Adlibris),  and many book stores in the U.K..  Foyles book stores,  super bargain bookstore, alibris,  and the list goes on and on.  Sometimes I find the advertising a little more fairer on these sites than on Amazon,  where only the best get the front page exposure,  all the time.  What am I saying?  They obviously must deserve it.  That is just the way it goes, as the big publishers pay for great advertisements. And, no doubt, the quality factor is more than likely there for the most part.  When you got great advertising, a good product or star quality, and great sales it keeps a book high in the ranks, it stays on the front page. I am thinking my book on Amazon can only be seen  on the Dog Ear Publishing list.  My book probably does not mix in rank with the Amazon or other books from different publishers out there on the main general lists.  I even click on Barnes and Noble, on the

Printed off The Supermarket Guy Part II, and sent an e mail to Budweiser!

I finally got some ink for my pea shooter!  I printed off two copies,  drafts, of  The Supermarket Guy Part II.   It is longer than the first.  And probably will be even longer as I read through it,  trying to buff it up. I sent an E mail to Budweiser in an effort to get them into a marketing campaign.  People who drink beer read too!  I drink beer,  all the time.  Maybe that is why I am a little on the wild side of writing.  They may toss the e mail out the window,  but I asked for them to put a copy of my book in a case of 24 or whatever,  in ever so many cases,  to help the fight against illiteracy.  I will e mail Pepsi Co as well,  to gauge interest. To all my friends on this site.  Never give up.  Think of the Van Halen song,  Right now!  Whatever you do,  just do it (Nike slogan),  and do the best you can. People will love you for who you are,  even if you fall off short... But at least you made the effort...  Till then....

Will have to make a sweeping pass of some bookstores

I have not entered into a mega bookstore yet.  I have 30 posters to give away to some bookstores across the country.  I could even give them several post cards. I have only signed one book!  What does a person do when signing books? What do you put inside the cover?  A note of thanks, perhaps?  A note of good reading.  A note of inspiration?  Should I limit my signing to a few stops, as to not get my hand cramped.  I do not think I have to worry about that for a long time. For now,  I am awaiting my ink cartridges,  to print out part 2.  Only one book is signed. Till next time.

One book seller valued my first edition book at 32 dollars

This is interesting.  One book seller on Alibris has the book for sale at 32 dollars.  The other site from the UK has it at 27 dollars.  The original price is still 14 or so dollars from the USA.

What I think Antiquarian means.

Antiquarian is an association of book appraisers, that know everything about the value of a book.  Mostly older books,  that are in great shape, get great value for the units sold.  Especially first editions.  My book was listed at a seller with the used value 2 times higher than the actual retail price.  Sometimes, Antiquarian associations could try to make money off of a new book if they feel the advertising has not been there for it.  They essentially feel that it can actually make money, so they take a educated gamble on it.  They can buy several copies, and drive up the market price.  When this happens, other book retailers soon follow suit to drive up the price.  It happens if they think a book is unique, has some sort of artistic value,  even if it is new. I am unsure if this is going to happen to my book.  All I know it is happened at a Canadian book retailer already.  It could be something else,  maybe a sales ploy by the retailer themselves.  Will it work throughout,  and g

Antiquarian?

My book just went Antiquarian on one sellers site.  The price for a used one is up,  and a new one too.  This must be a mistake.  I will see in a few days what is going on here!

When bad family news strikes..

It is amazing how some things can take a terrible turn for the worse.  Cancer is one of those diseases that already took a family member 3 or 4 years ago now.  Now it is going to take another away,  as today I found out another member is full of cancer.  I only pray that some day they find a cure.  The pain, suffering, and the numerous treatments for it, operations, grief it causes for family members,  is gruelling.  But, we all know what it is about. I was just about to print off my Part 2 tonight,  when the ink cartridge went low.  Is this another bad omen, or is it just telling myself to read it a few times again to add a little more magic to the story.  This version is longer that the first, and is just as funnier.  Maybe funnier, or stranger to some.  I probably will start writing Part 3 only in the fall.  Depends how busy I am with my regular day job,  my priorities at home, and my family.  Lately I have been finding,  I have not been able to have much time to do my things.  Is

Ready to print off Part 2 of The Supermarket Guy

Setting up the printer now.  Not sure if I have enough ink in it for this job.  Getting a binder, hole puncher ready, and brown envelope.  Have to check again about the copyright information.  I believe they only want a certified cheque from a bank!  Have to think about the sub title, make sure it is what I feel is right for the book.  If it reaches that stage.  Only book sales results of the first will tell the tale.  I am actually not looking forward to going through the process again.  Reading it, over and over again, even though the first one (and this one) continued to make me laugh everytime I read it.  Thems the brakes..  Now, the average book sales of the POD publishers is around 200 sales per author.  I am at the back of the pack, I assume, so I would not expect many sales.  I think the top 5 % or so garner the brunt of the sales volume.  Those who are truly gifted,  or have a better understanding of marketing than most do.  For now,  I will print off  Part 2 in case I do ma

4 out of 5 stars

Just recently went to check on some websites to see how the book was doing.  I found the first rating,  which came in at 4 out of 5.  I am very pleased with that rating, and it is suprising to see the book offered in Japan, and now Australia.  Even some ratings that start with a 2, is not bad, it is just that the person reading it is not really into it, as someone explained to me.  Although some critics are tougher than others with their range of opinion.

Dog Ear Package arrives by mail!

Today, I received my 30 posters, 250 post cards, and my 2000 business cards.  All nicely done, with a picture of my book on the front and some information on the back. It cost me 40 dollars duty, on the Canadian side!  It put it against the bad news, that my dehumidifier broke down.  I sent it for repair,  as the warranty is around 5 years...  It says on the box, against parts and labor, but at the office they said I may have to pay for the labor.  Looks like I may be in for a good argument. Then comes the question:  What in the bloody blazes am I going to do with two thousand business cards???  Till then...

The Bay of Chaleur

The beautiful Bay of Chaleur,  shared by our neighbors in Gaspe.  The water temperature is now approaching 16 to 17 degrees,  soon time to go for a plunge.  While we do not have the white sandy beaches like down in Florida, Jamaica, or in those other exotic places,  I do believe our beaches do have their own uniqueness as well.  We have allot of pebble rock beaches,  smooth stone beaches where when you get up,  you do not get full of sand.  Not to say there is no sandy beaches her either, as along the coast you can find different areas where there are sandy enclaves.  They bay temperature here can get as high as in the low twenties.  No news on the book yet,  as I am going through a lull in the process.

The word is getting out...

My book is starting to get known through the vaste expanse of the internet.  I have already gotten someone who wanted to read it on good reads,  and I registered my first friend today.  It sometimes takes just a bolt of intuition on to how to get things started up.  All I know,  is I am doing allot better than I was 4 weeks ago in drumming up some sort of knowledge that the book is out there on the shelf, without spending thousands of dollars to this date. But it always is an option, as I move forward into the months ahead.  It all depends on sales.  Part 2 alone, I was thinking,  would only bolster part 1 on the media effect.  People would obviously want Part 1 if there was a Part 2 released.  Since I have a part 3 just barely in mind,  it is almost like a Star Wars trilogy...  Only vastly in the opposite sales direction... And in the opposite theme direction...  In a black hole for now...  Till then...

Happy 4 th of July to the U.S.A!

My profile on good reads is getting much better now.  I have 9 friends,  with a few reviewers on there, that may later on actually check out my book.  Today I found some other friends who have the same humour interests as I have.  It took me awhile to figure out how to navigate the site,  but it is probably much like facebook in how you can add friends.  I am not all that computer savey, but if I play with something long enough, it all usually comes together. I will know some results on July 15 th on book sales.  It is fast approaching,  and I am not certain as to if I sold 10 or a 100.  I see it is being sold in Switzerland,  and in Croatia, and of course a slew of bookstores in the United Kingdom has it on their websites.  I want to wish our American freinds a great, super, 4 th of July celebration!  They are the second leading visitors to my blog,  after Canada, then before Germany.  Thanks!

How to advertise a book properly....

Yes,  I would like to know how to advertise a book properly. Through the right avenue, so to speak.  Not to spend several thousand dollars to get a message out.  Is there another way of doing it free?  I will be thinking about some of these avenues later on.  But,  to be quite truthful, when you spend allot of money in the production phase,  it is hard to spend it on the promotion phase.  Just that you hope in all entirety that it will take off on its own.  Not saying in a superstaller proportions,  but just sell a few hundred a month.  How about a year? On my own personal life,  I had to go into work this morning.  The feeders were plugging up at the plant,  burning a newer, wetter coal from outside.  We got in there with air lances,  and helped keep the unit on line.  They unplugged one feeder that was plugged (we did a good job),  but the other is down till tomorrow.  They will change the fuel to a dryer type to help get rid of the sticky situation....  Chow for now..

Good Reads site

I just got into the Good Reads forums a little while ago.  They have some nice forums there,  such as comedy fiction,  general reading, ect.  A great place for readers or authors to be.  Friends can be made, and new reviews can be found fast and easy on new books.  Book clubs are right there,  ready to be found.  It is a big book showcase library for all to see,  and to rate and review upon. Luckily enough I made two friends on there so far,  in the comedy fiction genre.  I am still itching to get Part 2 started up,  and having a hard time to wait for the July 15 sales results...  But I better wait to see how it is doing.

Canada Day!

It was a quiet Canada Day for myself so far.  After finishing a night shift,  I slept until 2:30 pm.  I was brule.  Or burned out,  after working 4 nights.  My neighbor then came over to show me his cub cadet.  I am the kind of person who does not like to use the neighbors stuff,  but he was so persistent over several months of  'try it',  I decided to go for a drive.  My lawn was getting a little long anyways... My first reaction was the incredible smoothness of the machine.  The thing that really gets me the most about these machines,  was the turning radius.  My dads machine has a poor turning circle,  and you have to drive his in big turns to cut what is left from going straight after awhile.  His machine had a great turning radius,  and I was done probably 10 to 15 minutes faster after using it for a half hour of cutting.  It can cut in reverse as well,  a function my old dads lawn tractor never had in the 90s.  Albiet, my dads lawn tractor is 15 or so years old and look