I am not Tim Duncan. I didn't just lose Game 7 of the NBA finals. Actually, I'm pretty sure I didn't even play. But I still felt bad, and that's kind of incredible. Look at that face. Try and tell him he doesn't get a fifth championship. I felt bad because I like Tim Duncan. He seems like a nice guy. He's 37. He has a kid. On the close-up after he missed a shot that would've tied the game, I could see white hairs in his beard. He's old by NBA standards, and even though he's won 4 championships, a 5th would put him in the rare upper echelons of NBA players. Is it important to be in those echelons? I don't know. I thought so. But at the same time, Larry Bird has 3 rings, and people seem to think he was pretty okay. I felt bad because I want people to live forever. And I realize now that I might have some disappointment ahead of me. I hate the idea that at 37, Tim Duncan might've already peaked. Hell, I hate the idea that it's eve...
So little over a year ago I finished writing a book. And I figured, no problem, all I have to do now is get someone to buy it. Books. Like the one I wrote. Well, it's a little more complicated than that. But I've since streamlined the process and offer you my knowledge, free of charge.* 1. Query some agents. I used Query Tracker , and it was fantastically easy to search through and for tracking my numerous rejection letters. 2. Lose some hope. Not all of it, but a good chunk. 3. Re-double your efforts. This time be a bit more strategic. Ransack your connections for anyone who might know an agent. Find agents who like the kind of thing that you do. Enjoy more rejection letters. 4. I can't stress this enough. You really have to enjoy the rejection letters. My goal was to get up to 100 rejections, at which point I'd say screw it and self-publish the damn thing. 5. Realize that even if an agent liked it, they'd still have to find a publisher that liked it...
It's easy to hate on hippies, and for the longest time I had a hard time figuring out why. What are the main hippie ideals? 1. Love. Nothing wrong there. 2. Peace. Also largely sensible. 3. Drugs. Not necessarily my pot of tea, but nothing wrong with that if you like it. 4. Drum circles. Hmmm... I'm not the biggest fan. I don't like that you can't get out. 5. Natural things. This casts a pretty wide net. I'm going to reserve judgment for a bit. Last weekend I was at a crazy hippie-fest known as the "Whole Earth Festival" and I wanted to like it. By and large, the hippie message has a pretty sound foundation, since at least the first two of the five pillars of hippie are generally fine things to have. So why did I feel such an overwhelming distaste for the hippies? Three things you will find at a hippie-fest: 1. Raw food that costs as much as real food. Shouldn't they give you a discount if they're not going to cook it for you? 2. Expensive c...
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