Beyond My Geeky Life

 Looking through my drive, I ran across a folder of articles I wrote years ago. I did sell a couple of them. There are a few good geeky ones that I am going to post here. So here we go with one written 19 years ago. Looking back, it is interesting to see just what the impact of Star Wars has been on my life. I was born in 1974 and would have only been two and a half when the first movie came out. In my mind there never was a time without Star Wars. Even to this day I sleep with a Star Wars pillowcase (Yes, I am thirty-one years old, married, have two kids and still sleep with a Star Wars pillowcase) and cannot think of a time when I have not. I still have that first pillowcase in fact, and I must have used it for at least a dozen years before it just got too worn out. It is just something that has always been there for me, even at times when I was not fully aware of it. As a child it was just there. I had the toys and saw the movies and watched the TV specials an...

Originally I was thinking of writing a post about the show 'Stark Raving Mad'. A great short-lived show with an incredible cast. For whatever reason it has never had a video release and is not streaming anywhere. It turns out the only way I was able to find to watch it was YouTube videos. I highly recommend you find the show and check it out, as it is still brilliant comedy with Tony Shalhoub and Neil Patrick Harris. Then today I learned that the site SFcrowsnest did a review of 'Open Mic Night at The Nexus', a collection of my short fiction. ( Open Mic Night At The Nexus by Ian Brazee-Cannon (book review). - SFcrowsnest ) "However, the tone is mostly light-hearted, gentle, playful, and not aggressive. I enjoyed the book and hope Mr. Brazee-Cannon keeps writing." -  Eamonn Murphy Good reviews are of course always a welcomed thing to received, especially when it is from a true stranger with no connection to you at all. It feels great to know there are people ou...

 This last year has been rough for me on many levels. The hardest hitting event was the sudden passing of my father a few months ago. It did mess with the holiday season. I am helping my mother go through things so she can move into a smaller apartment. The biggest element that needs to be dealt with is my father's books. Even after he downsized his collection about fifteen or so years ago, he kept a good amount based on certain factors. Going through his books has been an experience. There were also some interesting personal correspondences between him and several notable authors. My mom is keeping all the autographed books for now, including two Robert Heinlein autographed novels, to have them appraised. He had gotten a lot of autographs over the years. As I go through them, I am pulling out books that he had recommend and we shared an enjoyment of. His favorite author was at one time Roger Zelazny (Not sure if that had ever changed). His favorite novel of Zelazny's was '...

This post is an update to what is going on with my writing. On Dec. 16th, you will be able to pick up a collection of my short fiction, 'Open Mic Night at The Nexus'. https://www.amazon.com/Open-Mic-Night-at-Nexus-ebook/dp/B0DNNVY92Z/ This collection is a great way to see my progress as a writer, starting with the first story I sold going all the way to my more recent writings. All the stories have been tweaked and improved, with one brand new, never before published story in it. For some award news: My story 'A Break from the Routine', was awarded Silver Honorable Mention from Writers of the Future for 4th quarter 2024. If you have read 'Georgie and Armand's Place Under Siege', then you should be familiar with Prof. Gunn. This is a stand along story of his. I really love this story, so I will be working hard to find a home for it. I am ending the year on a good note with my writing. Thank you to everyone for your support.

Stress is a normal part of life.  I have anxiety issues myself. Life can hand you the big stresses, which is where I'm at right now. Over the last few days the one thing that has helped me relax the most has been to just lie in bed and read some comics. I have a good pile of them right now, so I expect to be using this therapy regularly for a week or so with new-to-me comics. That's all I have for this post.

Yesterday I was at Mile High Comics as they celebrated the 50th anniversary of their first store opening. It was nothing huge. The owner, Chuck Rozanski, did what he really enjoys doing, reminiscing about his adventures in selling comic books for over five decades before everyone had cake. As I'm about to turn 50 myself, I find the closeness of age amusing. I have been a regular customer for over 35 years, when they opened a store in walking distance of my house. Before that I had been a customer whenever I got the chance, but that was the hands of my parents at the time. I think I have been to most of the Mile High Comics stores that have existed over the years. Now they are down to one store, but it is an amazing store. Worth a visit for anyone to just walk in and experience how truly overwhelming the place is. Me and My Boys At an author signing event While it has slowed down, me and my boys have been to a good deal of events there, including a wedding. I held my one and only bo...