Finally

My new collection of short stories, Things Kept Burning, is now available. To purchase it through the publisher, please click here. To read the advance praise, please click here. It will also be available through amazon and barnes and noble, but that process takes four to six weeks. (It will also be more expensive through these channels.) Certain bookstores may carry it as well, particularly those in the greater Bay Area, at least to begin with. Thank you for all of your continued interest and support and patience during this period - it definitely means a lot to me.

Best regards.

Brain Twisting

My site is currently featured in the Latin webzine Brain Twisting. It's listed under the section "Around the Web" near the bottom-right corner of the page. I can't translate what the text says, but it's quite flattering nonetheless, especially when you see all the amazing illustrators and designers referenced on the same page.

Sleep to Dream

I got the job. I'm going to be writing/designing for a local art gallery, one that has an amazing lineup of shows in store for the next year. It will be quite the learning experience, but I'm excited, and I like the fact that I'll have an important say in the future of the company, including being a part of a major re-design for their website. My first day is this Friday. Hopefully the book will be launched that day as well, so I can have a few things to look forward to going into the long weekend.

With that said, I've been so engrossly absorbed in watching Fiona Apple videos all day on youtube that the actual news has yet to sink in. It started because I rented the Mark Romanek Director's Series DVD last night (which was great), and Fiona's video "Criminal" - the one that looks like a Nan Goldin photoshoot, was discussed at length, including her initial impression versus what she now thinks of it, and I don't know, she just sounded so cute. Anyway, the next thing you know I'm searching the internet for news and photos etc., and found lots of work I hadn't seen before, including the following live performance/interview on The Late, Late show last winter, where she comes across as ridiculously adorable. I realize this is kind of pathetic, this obsession with a superstar, but I've had a crush on her for the longest time, and her work is quite inspiring for me, and I think it was good to rethink a few things about my own projects, and the people I choose to hang out with.

The Waiting

I'm playing the waiting game right now, and it's a weird space to be in, I'm afraid, waiting for the changes to be made in my book, waiting for another test copy to arrive, waiting to hear on a job I really, desperately want (which I'm a finalist for after several rounds of interviews and discussions), waiting for checks to arrive from various clients that are always "in the mail" but never seem to get to my mailbox (by the way, when is it acceptable, in the business realm, to take things on a gangster level and say, pay me my money you ignorant twat or I'll shoot off your pinky toe like Eddie Murphy did in Harlem Knights?), and waiting for that girl I met last week to find some time to meet me for lunch (which, in some ways has been good, considering how broke I've been). Hopefully in the next few days everything gets resolved and I can get back to being myself, if that's even possible these days. In the meantime, I've watched three seasons of The Wire on DVD, and despite my usual hyperbole, I can honestly say it's the best TV show I've ever seen. I also watched Withnail and I six times last week, and with each subsequent viewing the genius of the script became abundantly clear. I also witnessed the death of our cat on Monday. Daphney was her name, and despite the usual cliches about living a good life, and it was better that she didn't have to suffer, it still was quite sad, especially for my housemate Ted, who is as even-keeled as one can be, and yet who cried as the corpse sat there on Jennifer's bed, her eyes still wide-open, surrounded by a pool of urine. Daphney was a great little cat, and despite only living here three months, I grew to be quite fond of her, and it's been weird the last two days to walk down the hall and not see her waiting there, meowing for me to come play.

Anyway, enough rambling for today. The book will be available in a week. In the meantime, here are some links: a friend's band, an awesome design site, a cool photography portal, some wallpapers of beautiful women, a strange but interesting site for the book: Only Revolutions, a lovely collection of work from an Australian graphic designer, a fun Australian band with a bizarre sound, and finally, a really incredible San Francisco photographer (although I'm not a huge fan of the site, the work itself is beautiful).

p.s. The photograph above is one I took recently at the San Francisco Airport, one that seems quite symbolic of my current state of ambiguity. (Remember, you can click on the thumbnail to see a bigger version.)

Oh, and happy birthday, Tiphanie.

Things Kept Burning Update

The book arrived this afternoon. I was so anxious about it, and I waited around most of the day and nothing came. Finally around 2:30 I took off to grab a burrito a few blocks away, but before I left I made sure Jennifer was around in case the postman rang the bell. When I returned with my food the mail had arrived, and it looked like I would have to wait until tomorrow. Then when I entered my room the package was waiting on the bed. I quickly opened it, and boom, it's beautiful, truly, and I can't say enough about the job Michelle did with not only the interior layout, but also the cover design, using a few of my photographs. I thought we would be able to flip things and have it on sale by this Friday, where I was planning a major marketing campaign, which included whoring myself out to various friends, colleagues, and associates, but unfortunately the process doesn't move as quickly as I would like. There are a few minor corrections we have to make to the prose, and then we have to submit the final version to some agency that deals with global distribution, for them to sign off on the format of the book. It's quite a complicated process we have to go through, but to cut through all the unnecessary babble, we're going to submit the collection tomorrow once again (with the small changes), wait for another test copy where the ISBN number and bar code will be added to the back, and I think it will officially be on sale a week from tomorrow. As has happened repeatedly, my predictions have been wrong, and I could be off by a day or two here, but we're close, real close, and all of you who are checking daily to hear any news, please know that I'm holding the finished book in my hand (well, it's now on the desk next to me) and it looks wonderful, truly, and I'm awfully proud of the final result. So hang in there, and know that your support means everything to me.

Have A Nice Weekend, Friends

Just found the video for Pink Floyd's High Hopes, from The Division Bell. It's directed by Storm Thorgeson, the man behind the band's brilliant cover art, and who many feel is the Man Ray of our time. This video inspired me to become an artist back in college, and in my opinion, is just as hauntingly beautiful today.

Also, for those who are looking to laugh, I've got this for you. It's priceless, I know.

It's August Already

I haven't been feeling well this week, so I apologize for the lack of posts here. With that said, I'll be quick. The book has been sent to the publisher. I should have a copy in the next few days, and if all goes right, it should be on sale next week. In the meantime, here are some lovely photography sites:
Embry Rucker
Anthony Wallace
Noah David Smith
Losif Kiraly
Clandestina Trips