I remember standing to attention for the first time in the gymnasium at the Joe R. Hooper USARC in Bothell, and feeling like an absolute fraud. Then I followed the young guys back into the supply room cages, where smells of rubber and oil and brass pervaded, and remembered… This is what soldiering smells like… … [more]
Extremely put out
29-July-2011 by 3 Comments
Repeatedly called an “extremist” by Democrats during the 1964 Presidential campaign, Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-AZ) felt the need to channel Marcus Tullius Cicero and remind America, during his acceptance speech as the Republican nominee, that “extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice;” also that “moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” … [more]
My favorite spam so far
25-July-2011 by 1 Comment
I know, I know… it’s just spam. And ESL spam, at that. But someone, in some sweatshop in East Nigeria or Guangdong or maybe a basement in Bangladesh is doing his or her very best work, and this one (I blush to say) warmed my ossified heart just a little. Couldn’t let it slip through … [more]
Portland rocks!
21-July-2011 by 1 Comment
So that was refreshing to hear… Pretty Publisher informs me that Litsam has successfully placed Nothing In Reserve at Powell’s Books. Powell’s is a particular fetish I share with millions of Portlanders, former Portlanders, imPorted landers and people who only wish they were hip enough to sashay through the Pearl District, but find it too … [more]
Was it worth it for you?
1-July-2011 by 17 Comments
Everyone worth knowing will break your heart. They won’t mean to. Anything worth having is worth keeping, and you will someday give up your dearest friends, your parents, compatriots… even your children. That’s gonna leave a mark. There’s only one way around it: cut yourself off right now. Don’t go to that party with the … [more]
Books! Brownies! Motorcycles!
17-May-2011 by Leave a Comment
So let’s see… ticking off a few of my favorite things: reading, writing, riding and BSing with soldiers. It’s a quadrafecta! Yeah, I made that word up — sadly, that’s another favorite vice. So here’s what we’re up to: South Sound BMW, one of the juiciest motorcycle dealerships in the PNW, holds its annual Vendor … [more]
Humbly submitted…
24-April-2011 by Leave a Comment
So there’s this book, and we’ve been tinkering with it, trying to get it all just so. Is it perfect? Of course not. Not by a long, arcing shot. There are typographical errors in the text. There are flaws in the formatting. The only thing that keeps either me or Pretty Publisher from spiking the … [more]
Been there, done that… no t-shirt
28-November-2010 by 3 Comments
I blame Kathleen. She and Charlie throw the best Halloween<slash>birthday parties, so naturally we’re obligated to attend for the momentary elevation above our lowly (literary and otherwise) station that’s in it. Go ahead, parse that sentence. I dare you! Now you know my dirty secret: I took just enough high school German to confuse myself … [more]
"Jack Lewis takes the overall literary crown with his new book...there’s a lot more to Lewis’s work than what it feels like to ride motorcycles.” — Ultimate Motorcycling
"Insightful and from the heart ... a driven and much recommended look into the mind and conflict of the next generation of war veterans. " — Midwest Book Review (Reviewer's Choice)