My Kindle and Me

I've been waiting for an epiphany, but that ain't happening. So to get the old creative juices flowing again (like they ever did in the first place), I've decided to relax my publishing standards and just start writing (or typing as the case may be). So here goes .......

I've been spending way too much time on my Kindle. It's become a sort of escapism mechanism for me, but then again, reading always was and has been. But the Kindle is great, because when I finish one book, all I have to do is download another, and off I go into another writer's adventure, mystery, or flight of fancy. It's just too easy. No matter where I am (except 32,000 feet on some flight), I can download a new ebook directly into my Kindle, on the fly, without being connected to my laptop. Plus, I've discovered a whole new way to find out where the free ebooks are. They're not by A+ authors, but they are, for the most part, fairly decent, and highly readable. And when I say free, I mean zip, zilch, nada, free.

Right now the price of a Kindle 2 has dropped., and probably will again. When you buy it through Amazon, you establish a special account, and then when you select a book you want to read, you "buy" it and it download directly to your Kindle, and Amazon charges your account. Most new, popular, releases are around $9.99, but there are a bunch less than that, and like I mentioned above, there are true freebies.

The only downside I've had is not being able to turn the page. Old habits being hard to break and all that. But seriously, if you're a student that needs to highlight passages for reference, or something like that, the Kindle can be cumbersome. It does have highlighting and note taking ability, but it is not as easy as using a magic marker. Did I mention it comes with a full WYSIWYG keyboard; built in, searchable dictionary; internet access (albeit slow because you are on the 3G network); text-to-speech; and (of course) online access to the Kindle store.

If you're like me, like to read, hate the hassle of carrying around dogeared paperbacks (trips, flights, doctor office visits, etc.), and want the convenience of reading the latest whodunit at a much cheaper price than the hardback price, click the following link:
Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6" Display, Global Wireless, Latest Generation)

OK, that's my 2 cents worth on that subject. As you can probably tell, I LOVE my Kindle. BTW, get the protective leather cover to go with it, about $30. It's done wonders in protecting the Kindle screen.

Now here's another secret I bet you didn't know about. If you are yourself an author, or have access to PLR ebooks, you can become a Kindle publisher, and sell your own stuff via the Kindle library. You can name your own price, write your own copy, headlines, etc., and sell it directly to the ever expanding Kindle nation. This can be really cool if you have a great niche and ebook info to sell. Just follow the Kindle publisher rules (there are already several books out there that can help) and you're all set.

That's it for now. Hope everyone had a great holiday, and we'll see you on the flip side.

Dick

Olga's Unisex Salon

We're still at the beach, just at Miami Beach, helping Robin do catch up stuff. More detail later, but in the meantime, see the next paragraph.

One more tip - recommendation - before I sign off. My friend Olga in the Miami Beach / Surfside area has a really cool unisex salon you ned to know about if you're ever there. It's called Hair and Body New Dimensions, so go check it out if you're anywhere around there.

Dick, from Miami Beach (for now).

Aging Gracefully

Aging gracefully

"$5.37." That's what the kid behind the counter at Taco Bueno said to me. I dug into my pocket and pulled out some lint and two dimes and something that used to be a Jolly Rancher. Having already handed the kid a five-spot, I started to head back out to the truck to grab some change when the kid with the Emo hairdo said the harshest thing anyone has ever said to me. He said, "It's OK. I'll just give you the senior citizen discount."

I turned to see who he was talking to and then heard the sound of change hitting the counter in front of me. "Only $4.68" he said cheerfully. I stood there stupefied. I am 66, not even 70 yet?" a mere child! Senior citizen? Isn't 70 the new 50? Geeze!

I took my burrito and walked out to the truck wondering what was wrong with Emo. Was he blind? As I sat in the truck, my blood began to boil. Old? Me?

I'll show him, I thought. I opened the door and headed back inside. I strode to the counter, and there he was waiting with a smile.

Before I could say a word, he held up something and jingled it in front of me, like I could be that easily distracted! What am I now? A toddler?
"Dude! Can't get too far without your car keys, eh?" I stared with utter disdain at the keys. I began to rationalize in my mind. "Leaving keys behind hardly makes a man elderly! It could happen to anyone!"

I turned and headed back to the truck. I slipped the key into the ignition, but it wouldn't turn. What now? I checked my keys and tried another. Still nothing. That's when I noticed the purple beads hanging from my rearview mirror. I had no purple beads hanging from my rearview mirror.

Then, a few other objects came into focus. The car seat in the back seat. Happy Meal toys spread all over the floorboard. A partially eaten doughnut on the dashboard.

Faster than you can say ginkgo biloba, I flew out of the alien vehicle. Moments later I was speeding out of the parking lot, relieved to finally be leaving this nightmarish stop in my life. That is when I felt it, deep in the bowels of my stomach: hunger! My stomach growled and churned, and I reached to grab my burrito, only it was nowhere to be found.

I swung the truck around, gathered my courage, and strode back into the restaurant one final time. There Emo stood, draped in youth and black nail polish. All I could think was, "What is the world coming to?" All I could say was, "Did I leave my food and drink in here?" At this point I was ready to ask a Boy Scout to help me back to my vehicle, and then go straight home and apply for Social Security benefits.

Emo had no clue. I walked back out to the truck, and suddenly a young lad came up and tugged on my jeans to get my attention. He was holding up a drink and a bag. His mother explained, "I think you left this in my truck by mistake." I took the food and drink from the little boy and sheepishly apologized.

She offered these kind words: "It's OK. My grandfather does stuff like this all the time."

All of this is to explain how I got a ticket doing 85 in a 40. Yes, I was racing some punk kid in a Toyota Prius.. And no, I told the officer, I'm not too old to be driving this fast.

As I walked in the front door, my wife met me halfway down the hall. I handed her a bag of cold food and a $300 speeding ticket. I promptly sat in my rocking chair and covered up my legs with a blanky (or was it a Snuggles).

The good news was I had successfully found my way home.


-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Charlie Brown Remembered

Our very good friend, Charlie Brown, passed away Sunday a week ago. You can read all about it on his Caring Bridge Journal and Back story. The memorial service itself was just this past Saturday in Charlotte. His daughter, Charlotte, had asked me to do the eulogy, so I thought I'd present a synopsis of my eulogy here - as an FYI.

I started with a quote: "God pours life into death and death into life without a drop being
spilled." ~Author Unknown

"The Power of Positive Pessimism" by Charlie Brown.
He was a published author. Not many can say that.
Many read it - a lot identified with it - some even saw them selves in it.

I first met Charlie Brown in Charlotte, at Tree Top, 1974. At that time, he was known as the candy man. We did rafting trips (Chattooga twice), mountain trips, road rallies, pig pickings, and beach trips. We also partied - a lot.

He was instrumental in my connecting with Sally and Susan - I knew CB, Sally/Susan knew CB,
but never all together. The Sunday after I had originally met Sally at the beach, we all had planned to gather at a place called Mancino's, a local watering hole. Having met only Sally, and not Susan, and knowing they were twins, I asked CB how to tell which from which. CB said to look for the one with the biggest smile.

2. He was a sailor, 2 years Navy, knew how to sail (Hobie, single masted), and captain a power boat (single screw, double screw) - owned Snoopy, cabin cruiser.

3. He loved to dance:
- Shag
- Disco
- If you watched him, never knew which was which
- C & W two step, learned in Dallas.

4. Talented Amateur photographer
- Wildlife Photos framed in his house
- Raft Up pictures from the Lake Norman 2003 - 04 raft up gatherings.
- Alaskan Cruise scenic pictures taken on our Alaskan Cruise in 2007.

5. Conservative politically - (I leaned to the right to make my point)
- He could out Rush Limbaugh
- Loved to discuss politics
- Used history and facts
- Could go on forever

6. Renaissance Man
- He built his own house as the general contractor.
- Loved good wine, good food, single malt scotch. and a good Cohiba.
- Man of all Seasons (beach in the winter, mountains in the summer)

7. History buff
- especially the SC Coast and Myrtle Beach and Conway.
- Civil War
- knew a lot about this and that, broad range of history.

8. Widely Read
- From Clive Cussler to Bruce Catton to Joel Osteen and Billy Graham, and his Bible.
- Could recite the Charge of the Light Brigade in its entirety from memory.
- Would read 3 - 4 books at a time.
- Loved to go back and re-read older books

9. C.B. was Gentleman and a Gentle Man
- Ladies Man (?) -I thought not. Lots of his really good friends were women.

10. Spiritual - basic faith that comes from the heart & soul.

11. At that point I brought a cigar and waved it at the congregation saying - here's how Charlie would have celebrated. After all, he considered cigar smoking the "Last bastion of Male Chauvinism."

He was was my friend, and sometimes mentor. He will be greatly missed.