Batting Stance Guy

This guy is great. Really nails the different batting stances, and is really funny too! Visit his website: Batting Stance Guy.

I Have PSR

What is that, you ask? It's Photic Sneeze Reflex—the sun makes me sneeze. As soon as I step outside into the bright sunlight, I instantly sneeze. Whenever I tell someone this, they look at me like I'm crazy. I have to Google it to prove I'm not (crazy, that is). Roughly 25% of the population suffer from PSR, so it's a wonder no one believes me. And it's not just the sun—bright lights can make me sneeze too.

According to Wikipedia, "The probable cause is a congenital malfunction in nerve signals in the trigeminal nerve nuclei. The fifth cranial nerve, called the trigeminal nerve, is apparently responsible for sneezes. Research suggests that some people have an association between this nerve and the nerve that transmits visual impulses to the brain. Overstimulation of the optic nerve triggers the trigeminal nerve, and this causes the photic sneeze reflex." Got all that?

I like to believe that I'm part of the 25% of humanity that is more evolved than everyone else. If we try to look directly at the sun, we sneeze. Maybe this gene will one day save humanity. Or not. Maybe we'll just keep the sunglass industry afloat.

Bookman

The day that changed rock n' roll history

"The Introduction" by Eric Cash

Today is the 52nd anniversary of the day John Lennon met Paul McCartney: June 6, 1957. The 16 year-old Lennon's band The Quarry Men was playing a gig at the local village fete in Woolton, which is a part of Liverpool. After the show, Ivan Vaughn—a mutual friend of both John and Paul—introduced the 15 year-old McCartney to Lennon. Paul's energetic performance of "Twenty Flight Rock" convinced Lennon to invite him to join the band. John was impressed that Paul could tune a guitar and "looked like Elvis."

"I remember John singing a song called 'Come Go With Me.' He'd heard it on the radio. He didn't really know the verses, but he knew the chorus. The rest he just made up himself.
I just thought, 'Well, he looks good, he's singing well and he seems like a great lead singer to me.' Of course, he had his glasses off, so he really looked suave. I remember John was good."
—Paul McCartney

Believe it or not, an audience member actually recorded the Quarry Men's performance that day. In 1994 the tape was rediscovered and auctioned off. EMI bought it for £78,500, but it was never released because the sound quality was so poor.



There is a book titled The Day John Met Paul in which author James O'Donnell reconstructs the movement of John and Paul that day in narrative form. Though slightly hokey, it reads like a novel and is a must for diehard Beatles fans .

Time Travel and Baseball, now on the Kindle

My time travel short story, The Chambliss Tapes, is now available in Kindle edition. 99¢! This story was originally published in the anthology Rebellion: New Voices of Fiction.

Description: Short story, 7,314 words. Time travel story based around New York Yankees' Chris Chambliss' historic pennant-winning homerun in the 1976 American League Championship Series. A man (Jon) who works for Sports Illuminated, a time travel agency that documents famous events in sports history, travels back in time from 2006 to 1976 to document Chambliss' famous homerun. But Jon has another agenda—to save his identical twin brother who died in an accident at age five.

Bike Trip

My friend Andrew and I embarked on an ambitious bike ride today. We rode the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail from the Croton Dam (pictured above) down to where I live in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY. The trail continues down to the Bronx, and totals 26 miles. So I figure our trip was approximately 18-20 miles.

It began when I took the train (with bike) up to Croton, where Andrew picked me up. We drove over to the dam and began the trip at 10:48 a.m. The trail is close to the Hudson River, but not always close enough to see the river. We passed through some really wooded sections (we saw cows at one point), and through some great river towns, like Ossining. In Ossining we were actually able to take a short tour down into the tunnel of the aqueduct.

We've had a lot of rain this week, and in fact passed through some rain showers today. This left many parts of the dirt trail muddy, and by the time we reached my apartment, we were both pretty much covered in mud.

We reached my place at 2:56 p.m., which makes the total time of the trip 4 hours and 8 minutes. Not too bad, but next time (if there is a next time), we can probably knock a half hour off of that time. Not only did we tour the tunnels, but we also wasted a lot of time trying to figure out the map in the areas where you have to leave the trail briefly and ride on the streets until you pick up the trail again.

Here is my apartment, the end point, where there was cold beer awaiting us:


Then Andrew rode down to the Hastings train station and took the train back up to Croton, where his wife picked him up and drove him back to his car, which was parked at the Croton Dam. By then I was showered and writing up this blog post!

Briefcase Joe

Attention Kindle & Kindle App Users

For all you Kindle and Kindle App for iPhone users, my novel Into the Sunset and my short story collection Stories From Sunset Hill are now available for the Kindle! Priced to sell! With the Amazon discount, my collection of short stories is only 80 cents, the novel only $2.39.

STORIES FROM SUNSET HILL is a collection of 17 short stories, some of which have appeared in publications such as Word Riot, Edgar Literary Magazine, and Thieves Jargon.

The author writes with a creative and lively style. The gritty, raw voice of the character Chuck in the first story (nineleven) pulled me in right away, and I couldn't stop reading.

The author has an uncanny ability to create insightful characters, who are wiser to the world and its ways than they are to themselves. This is a winsome combination, a likeable quality, that pulls the reader into the fictive dream.
—Writer's Digest Magazine contest judge

INTO THE SUNSET is my first novel. Romantic Times Book Review Magazine gave it three stars and said, "Capone has a vivid imagination and a unique voice."


Also now available in Kindle version, Susan DiPlacido's fantastic, award-winning collection of short stories American Cool. Only 99 cents!

Ladies and gentlemen...the Beatles!

Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, along with Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison Come Together for World Premiere of "The Beatles: Rock Band"

"All You Need Is Love" To Be Released Exclusively as Downloadable Song Through Xbox LIVE on 9/9/09 with Charity Proceeds to Benefit Doctors Without Borders

Paul, Ringo, Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison came to the E3 conference in Los Angeles on Monday for the world premiere of The Beatles: Rock Band. The game was revealed at Microsoft's E3 press conference, and represents the first time fans will be able to experience The Beatles' musical career for themselves.

The game begins during the band's earliest days at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, England. Gamers will then travel across the Atlantic to experience the band's unforgettable 1964 performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, the sold-out concert at New York's Shea Stadium in 1965, and conclude at The Beatles' memorable concert at Budokan in Tokyo, Japan in 1966. The Beatles' studio years will come to life in legendary Studio 2 at Abbey Road Studios. Highlighting the studio years are inspired artistic visual expressions known as Dreamscapes, intended to transport players to imaginative environments that capture the essence of The Beatles' genre-busting musical and fashion transformations during their later years. The game follows The Beatles to 1969 where story mode culminates with their final performance on the rooftop of the Apple Corps Headquarters.


Ringo sums it up best: "The game is good, the graphics are really good...we were great!"

My review of the short story "AAA"

Check out my review of the short story "AAA" written by Jo Page in Five Star Literary Stories.

Five Star Literary Stories combines three integral facets of the writing life: publisher, story, and reviewer. Each story is editor-nominated and considered one of the best the mag has published.

This is how it works: an editor of an online magazine nominates a short story or flash fiction from his/her archives. The editor writes a blurb about his/her mag and a blurb about the nominated story. Then another author reviews the story. Check it out! Leave a comment!

Review of JIMI HENDRIX TURNS EIGHTY

JIMI HENDRIX TURNS EIGHTY, by Tim Sandlin

It's 2022 (the year Hendrix would have turned 80) and the old time hippies of California (with a few New Yorkers thrown in for good measure) are now back together, this time in an assisted-living home. It's been a long time since the Summer of Love, but you wouldn't know it by the antics of the residents: sex, drugs, and rock n' roll still rule the day. The only problem? The woman who runs the joint does so with an iron fist, even to the point of having her boy toy staff doctor over medicate some of the residents to keep them in line. Well, as she soon finds out, these elderly hippies have one last rebellion left in their old bones. Sandlin keeps the pace fast with short chapters and lots of dialogue. Funny stuff, but also some good musing on aging. 3 1/2 stars.

By the way, did you know my comic novel Into the Sunset also takes place in an assisted-living home? Much different plot, though, about a young man who disguises himself as an elderly gent to live in one of these communities. :-)

Fallen Idol

I can't believe I invested a whole season of Tuesday nights and Wednesday nights (and even some Monday nights in the beginning) all just to see the mediocre talent of Kris Allen rewarded. Adam Lambert ruled American Idol this year, like no other contestant before him ever did. He was (and is) a star on every level: Performance, arrangement, style, out-of-this-world vocals. And then some nice guy-next-door, who probably shouldn't have even been in the Top 5, gets more votes?!? Oh well, at least Lambert won't have to record and release Kara's lame-ass song now.

My Trip To the New Yankee Stadium

I went to my first game at the new Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, April 22, a day game against the Oakland A's. I'm still blown away that the place is already open for business. It seems to have all happened so fast. Over the last couple of years I've literally seen this place rise as I've passed it on the Deegan Expressway.

Parking is still a bitch (and expensive—$19), especially with the old Stadium still standing, and other construction still ongoing. A new Metro-North train station is almost complete, and will be my mode of transportation in the future.

Literally across the street from the old Stadium, you enter the new Stadium into the Great Hall, highlighted by two-sided banners of Yankees legends. This hall leads to different locations: the official Yankees store, Monument Park (get there early to see this. We didn't make it in time), the Yankees Museum, and the lower level of seats. The old Stadium is visible through the windows.



The Yankees Museum is a new feature, and includes the expected memorabilia like bats and balls and uniforms highlighting the different eras of Yankee dynasties. The latest era is called the "Derek Jeter Era" (I wonder what Mariano, O'Neill, Pettitte, and Torre think of that) and includes the championship trophies. Overall the museum was a little disappointing; hopefully they will continue to update it.

The most impressive part of the new Stadium is that everything is so open. While you are walking to your section, you can actually see the field. If you get up to buy a beer or hot dog, or to use the bathroom, you can just turn around and still watch the game. You don't feel like you've left the building, as you did in the old place.



Once in my seats I was reminded why I stopped going to games in April. There was a steady rain until probably around the fifth or sixth inning. Never hard enough to delay the game, just enough to keep you soggy.


We explored a bit during the game (we had time, it ended up going extra innings), and were happy to see that the bleachers section can now be reached from the rest of the Stadium. The Bleacher Creatures are no longer segregated. As with the rest of the Stadium, the walkways are wide and open, and the bleachers offer a good view at a cheap price:


We went back to our seats, and after the top of the 14th, we explored again, and made our way down a level and closer to home plate. Here we got to see Melky Cabrera, one of my favorite players, hit a walk-off homerun. Here is the resulting celebration:

Because of the rain and the extra innings (not to mention it was a day game), by the time we left, the Stadium was already half empty. It STILL took us an hour to get out of the parking lot and onto the Deegan. This, I guess, was in case I needed any further proof that I should take the train from now on.

All in all, and despite the rain, it was worth every penny of the $2,500 I spent on the ticket. Just kidding. Really, it was just 50 bucks.

Bea Arthur dies

The very funny lady died at 86 on Saturday. She was probably best known for her role in The Golden Girls, but I remember her as Archie Bunkers' liberal cousin Maude in the old All In the Family TV series. We first saw her in the episode when she came to take care of the Bunkers when everyone was sick with the flu:

She was such a hit in All In the Family that she got her own spinoff sitcom out of it, simply called Maude, which took place in the Manhattan suburb of Tuckahoe, NY (where I lived until last August. I never bumped into Maude.). Then, of course, she went on to The Golden Girls which also starred Betty White and Rue McClanahan.

11 years and the finale still sucks

Fox 5, which runs Seinfeld repeats in New York at 7:30 weeknights, last night once again aired the final episode. I caught part of it, but really, I can't watch this episode anymore for a couple of reasons: 1) they play it too often, 2) it still sucks.

Originally aired by NBC on May 14, 1998 (the day Frank Sinatra died), the episode was watched by 76 million viewers (58 percent of all viewers that night), and was the third most watched finale in TV history behind M*A*S*H (don't even get me started on that finale. It took me 20 years to get over that fiasco. Guess I have another 9 years to go for Seinfeld) and Cheers.

The challenge of writing a finale is, How do you make it good? If a show has been on a long time, you've basically milked it dry of ideas. It's not as good anymore. Writers, producers, directors, even actors have come and gone. The show is running on fumes. How do you recapture the original spark, get the edge back? Sadly, most shows can't. For a show as great and groundbreaking as Seinfeld, it was even more of a challenge. That's what co-creator Larry David faced when he sat down to write the final episode.

The finale's basic plot has the four central characters on a private NBC jet headed for Paris. Kramer, who has water in his ear, hops up and down to get it out, which somehow causes engine trouble, forcing the plane to make an unexpected stop in a small town in Massachusetts. While the plane is being repaired, the four take to the streets, and witness an obese man getting carjacked. Instead of helping him, they make jokes and video tape the crime. They are then arrested for violating a Good Samaritan law, and soon are put on trial. The joke being that they were charged for "doing nothing," when that was the whole idea of the show, a sitcom about "nothing." Sound funny yet?

During the trial, seemingly every minor character from throughout the series takes the stand to testify how horrible and self-centered the four are. Each character repeats his/her signature catch phrase ("You are a very bad man") as they recap how the four did them wrong. Now does it sound funny? There are also little inside jokes, like the judge being named Arthur Vandelay (a nod to Art Vandelay, George's architect alter ego). But the jokes aren't funny, and come off flat.

The trial ends with them found guilty, and sentenced to a year in jail. While they are all sitting in the jail cell together, Jerry and George have a conversation about shirt buttons, which is the way the series' first episode began.

For me, the road to the final episode was long. I was a fan of Jerry Seinfeld before the sitcom that beared his name, back when he used to appear regularly on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. When NBC gave Seinfeld a series (first called the Seinfeld Chronicles) I couldn't wait to watch it. Then in the early days of Seinfeld I saw him perform at Carnegie Hall. So I was a big fan right from the get-go.

Which all leads to the anticipation I felt for the finale. What would they do? How would it end? Would Larry David totally reinvent the concept of series finales? To my horror, I wasn't laughing, and as the clock ticked I kept hoping against hope that somehow it would turn around. I was waiting for it to get funny, or that in the very least, the end would be so fantastic and original, that the first horrible hour wouldn't matter.

I'm still waiting.

Aye Carumba! Simpsons Stamps!

Twenty years ago, a bratty little scamp named Bart and his disfunctional family saved the fledgling Fox network and made them legit. And believe it or not, the show is still going strong, and is still a cash cow for Fox.

Now it's time for The Simpsons, the longest-running primetime comedy in television history, to save the United States Post Office, who are low on cash and considering reducing their delivery days from six a week to five.

On May 7, the USPS releases their new Simpsons Stamps nationwide. They are also offering framed art of the stamps. I'm no stamp collector, but I'll be all over these. I'm going to order some of the framed art, too.

“We are emotionally moved by the Postal Service selecting us rather than making the lazy choice of someone who has benefited society,” said James L. Brooks, executive producer of The Simpsons. The USPS receives around 50,000 suggestions for stamp subjects each year, and selects around 20. My guess is they chose the Simpsons with hopes that they would generate a lot of extra revenue.

UPDATE: I just ordered the 11x22 inch framed giclée print of all five stamps. The post office is now $71.90 richer.

First Bike Ride of the Year

We've had a long, cold winter in New York this year. I felt like a bear in hibernation. But finally, the warm weather is here! It's 60 degrees, and I have the day off of work. What better chance to get my mountain bike up and running, air in the tires, oil on the chain? It felt good to finally be out there riding on the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail again. I took a nice 46-minute ride (yes, I timed it), and my legs felt nice and rubbery when I returned home and got off my bike. Of course, I forgot to stretch my legs beforehand.

Saturday Update: Today it was a 43-minute ride. Really feels good to be back out there. And yes, I remembered to stretch before the ride today.

On Self Publishing

I'm a member of an online writers workshop. There is a very active message board, and occasionally the subject of self publishing comes up. It is usually hotly debated, with some people vehemently opposed to the idea, while others view it as a viable option to the long haul of trying to get something published by one of the traditional houses. I try to steer clear of these arguments, because it's rather pointless. Either you believe in self publishing or you don't. To me it's the abortion issue of publishing. You can argue all you want, but in the end it's useless. You're not going to change anyone's mind. Anyway, I thought I'd post my response here, too:

I self published my first novel, Into the Sunset, after several near-misses landing an agent. I was frustrated and worried that someone else would come up with a similar plot as my novel, which would have completely screwed any chances I had of landing a "traditional" publisher. I still believe my novel is good enough for a small publisher, or even a large house. Would it have benefited from another pair (or two) of editorial eyes on it? Of course. What wouldn't?

But that's not to say my manuscript didn't go through an editorial process. I had my former creative writing teacher read an early draft. She gave me extensive notes which were invaluable to me, since this was my first attempt at a novel. Later drafts were read by fellow authors, and I received some constructive feedback. I workshopped several chapters in my writing group. Additional comments I received from agents were also incorporated into the mss. Finally, before I went to print, I had someone who works in publishing proofread the manuscript (I'm proud to say I have only found a few typos in the finished product, much less than most hardcovers I read).

I am glad to see self-publishing making slow, but steady strides. There are even awards, such as the Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards. Not all self published books are crap. Tom's point in another thread was that readers just want a good book to read, and they aren't looking at who published the book. This is true to a degree; the problem, though, is if you have written and published a great book (or a good one, or a shitty one), how do you get that prospective reader to know your book exists? That's the rub. And there IS still a stigma against self-pubbed books, though I think that will slowly change as better books are published. Let's face it, publishing is in flux right now, houses want to go with the tried and true, and not many authors can actually make a living being a novelist.

I am seeking an agent for my second novel (as I work on my 3rd and 4th), but I have no delusions that I will score big and quit my day job. So, having that attitude, it doesn't bother me if I have to self-pub again in the future. At least I'll have complete control over the product, including cover design. I will not allow myself to put out something I don't consider ready.

So my advice to those considering self-publishing: Go in with your eyes open, expect to work hard, and put out the best product you can. This includes workshopping your manuscript, getting it proofread, and please, please get a professional to design the cover. You can judge a book by its cover. ; ) Oh, and don't expect to make money.

By the way, I consider these endless arguments about self-publishing absurd. It's the abortion issue of the writing world. If you don't want to self-pub, DON'T. If you are pro self-pub, then you can pursue that route if you choose.

U2 Does New York

U2 took NYC by storm this week to promote their new CD No Line on the Horizon. They played David Letterman's Late Show every night (and sounded awesome), had part of Broadway temporarily renamed "U2 Way," and gave a free concert at Fordham University on Friday morning. And they are due to announce their tour dates on Monday.

That's NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg on the left, thinking about his stocks.

As a U2 fan, it's exciting to see them out there doing all this promotion, sounding great, and getting exposure. Being the biggest band in the world, they almost don't need to do all this. People have been waiting for four years for new material. And besides, No Line on the Horizon is seriously one of the best CDs they have ever released. I'm too lazy to go through it track by track here, but I'll sum it up by saying it is one of those records that gets better with each listen. Better still with headphones. There is a lot of meat on these bones.

U2's setlist at Fordham: Get On Your Boots; Magnificent; I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight; Beautiful Day; Breathe; Vertigo.

John Lydon Likes Country Life

Country Life butter, that is. Lydon, who rose to fame as Johnny Rotten in 1977 as the sneering lead singer the Sex Pistols, one of the original punk bands, has made a funny commercial for the British butter company.

Rotten and the Sex Pistols have always been anti-establishment, anti-authority, and definitely anti-Royalty. Still. They didn't even show up for their own induction into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame a few years ago. So is this a "sell out"? I don't think so. Just Lydon having some fun. And hell, even punk rockers need to butter their toast.

"People know I only do things that I want to or that I believe in and I have to do it my way," said Lydon. "I've never done anything like this before and never thought I would, but this Country Life ad was made for me and I couldn't resist the opportunity."