notmovingpictures Episode 063: Vacation You Say?

So I lied, I wasn't able to sit down with my brother-in-law after all and it's another solo episode. Sue me. I'm at the point where I believe it'll happen when it's supposed to happen and not a minute before. In the meantime here's me talking about the resistance I've been feeling and Steven Pressfield and a sudden inspiration for me to write issue three of Exercising Demons. Eventually of course. Oh yeah, I went on vacation, lost my keys and cracked the screen on my phone twice. All true.



Opening music: Alloy - Live To See The Day
Closing music: The Go-Go's - Vacation

Email: notmovingpictures@gmail.com  Twitter: @notmovingpics
Blog: notmovingpictures.blogspot.com

Written and Published by Don Leach. May not be used without permission from the author.

Zine Nation Review Issue Two Of Exercising Demons

Earlier today I got news of a pleasant surprise. The last time I reviewed some zines for zine nation I sent them a copy of issue two of my zine Exercising Demons and it now has been reviewed on their site. The review is very kind indeed to my eyes and has now brought what was a simmering desire to write another issue into a full blown inferno. I've left things undone for far too long. First I need to finish my review of the last batch of zines that were sent to me and submit it and then I can concentrate on issue three.




It's been known to my mind what the subject will be even as though I wondered if I should write that topic. I can't wait to get going. So for now how about following the link (so that their site gets the traffic) and scroll down a little to read what someone else says about my writing skills or lack thereof. http://bit.ly/2tYYTr2 Come on, it's time better spent than on another of those boring "What 80s band would you be" tests or their like on Facebook. Help ,me out here.




Written and Published by Don Leach. May not be used without permission from the author.

notmovingpictures Episode 46: My Peruvian Vacation

This episode was recorded on September 30th, the last day of my Peruvian vacation. Not long after I returned home I had almost all of the podcast edited and planned on finishing it the next day and then uploading it. Except then my laptop died. Everything on it has been unavailable including all of my saved episodes, my music, pictures, documents, etc and quite realistically it all may be lost for good. Luckily I still had the file on my recorder and so I was able to use a computer and download the editing program and start over. Since I want to get this up I have decided not to do any editing on the content. Normally I will take out too many uhhhs or if I cough or sniffle because I feel it distracts from what was being said. Not this time though. What we have here is a conversation between myself and my brother-in-law Gary Rivera. Gary was preparing to emigrate to the U.S. and we talked about the differences in our countries as well as what I did on my vacation. Since this was recorded in Peru and is a great deal about Peru I decided to close the episode with some Peruvian metal. Enjoy.



Opening music: Alloy - Live To See The Day
Closing music: M.A.S.A.C.R.E. - Sombras de la Humilidad

Email: notmovingpictures@gmail.com
Twitter: @notmovingpics
Blog: notmovingpictures.blogspot.com

Older episodes of the podcast can be found at archive.org, just search for notmovingpictures.

Written and Published by Don Leach. May not be used without permission from the author.

My To Do List Is Getting Kind Of Long

My to do list is getting longer and longer as my impending vacation looms large. I've always been a very good procrastinator, damn near a champion at it as a matter of fact. Need proof? Well in college I would wait until about ten o'clock the night before I had to give a speech for class to start on it. I always got an A on those speeches I'll have you know. Here's the list so far in no particular order but it doesn't include family, house or work stuff, i.e. the-not-so-fun stuff:

Get two episodes of Ten For Tuesday ready
Get one or two episodes of notmovingpictures ready
Make issue two of Badly Drawn.....On Purpose zine
Make issue three of Exercising Demons zine
Make issue one of What She Said zine
Make issue one of Crap I Used To Draw zine
Write and post book review of The Folly of Loving Life by Monica Drake (long overdue)
Write and submit zine reviews for Zine Nation
Re-write short story Lonely Life (just a working title)
Work on t-shirt design ideas
Pack for my vacation
Finish other preparations for my vacation (lists of gifts to buy, etc)

Perhaps I just thrive on getting things done at the last minute. That's what I've done here. I could have gotten serious with these zines weeks ago but no, I don't do things that way. More than likely I'll get three of them done which is good since the Tulsa Zine Fest is the week after I get back from my vacation and I'd like to have it all done before that. Which ones though, that's the question.

The zine and book review won't take very long as I've been mulling them over in my head for some time now. The music for both episodes of Ten For Tuesday is almost ready and there's a loose plan for notmovingpictures. The short story re-write will have to wait until I get some more feedback from family and friends. After that, well, things will just have to fall into place now won't they? They always seem to whether I like it or not.

Written and Published by Don Leach. May not be used without permission from the author.

Have I Been Missing Out On Peru?

There is an English language website called Living In Peru that I visit so that I can get information about what''s happening in my wife's home country of Peru. Of course it can't encompass everything that is happening there and get it translated to English but they get a lot. It's updated with news pretty much Monday through Friday and I normally visit the page on those days. Now, this isn't for my wife's benefit, it's for mine because I've been able to visit Peru twice and I love it there. Hell, I'd move there tomorrow if I could be debt free here and have the possibility of a job (or jobs) there.

Living In Peru just put up a new article about the top ten must see destinations in Peru that you can read here. As I glanced through it I realized that I have only been to two of their ten destinations. Does this mean I've missed out on something or that I have my work cut out for me the next time I visit? Truthfully this is just someones list and it's arbitrary. It really depends on what you as an individual are interested in because there are tons more places and things to see in Peru than what is on this list.

If you don't want to go read the whole article I'll just list the places with a few comments of my own added:

1. Cusco - To get to Machu Picchu you gotta go to Cusco first, haven't been there but intend to go
2. Islands of Lake Titicaca - Far south in Peru I've heard it's pretty amazing, would love to go
3. Machu Picchu - Most known sight to see in Peru, intend to go
4. The Sacred Valley - Haven't been there at some point would like to go
5. Colca Canyon - Haven't been there, see number 4
6. Iquitos and the Amazon River - Haven't been there but if you want to go for an Ayahuasca medicine trip this is one of the top places and I would like that
7. Puerto Maldonado and the Tambopata River - Haven't been there, don't know much about it
8. Arequipa - City of writers, we almost went there the last time we were in Peru
9. Lima - Spent much time there, tons of things to do and see, love it
10. Paracas Wildlife Reserve - On our trip to Ica we saw the island as well as Huacachina and other things, had a great time

The majority of my time in Peru has been spent in Lima visiting family and friends of my wife. Most  vacationers tend to only use Lima as an overnight rest place before going on to see the more famous places which is their mistake in my opinion. Come on, You don't think that there are things to see and do in a city of ten million people that could keep you occupied for a few days? Get real. It's true that there is a lot of crime and poverty but there's also a lot of culture and pretty cool people. I can't wait to go back.

Written and Published by Don Leach. May not be used without permission from the author.

notmovingpictures Episode 025: Vacation Talk

This episode is a bit, well, lengthy. Okay, to be honest it's a conversation mainly about my family vacation. Tommy and I talk about almost everything we did like the daytrips to NYC and Atlantic City, buying vinyl records and talking about trying new things musically. It does get a bit wordy and kind of drags for a bit. I loathe doing a lot of editing to notmovingpictures but believe it or not I did do some. Really I like to pretty much present things as they are, warts and all. With that you have episode 25, you might want to skip this one.

Opening Music: Alloy - Live To See The Day  
Closing Music: The Go-Go's - Vacation
Email: notmovingpictures@gmail.com Twitter: @notmovingpics
Blog: www.notmovingpictures.blogspot.com

Written and Published by Don Leach. May not be used without permission from the author.

Vacation Visit To The Record Store

One of the things to remember about going on a family vacation is that most of the activities will be for the family to do together instead of what only one person wants to do. Please note that you should never force your family to do things that are only your interest because they’ll be bored and if they’re bored they will complain and if they complain that will ruin the good time you are trying to have. You see where I’m going with this, it’s just not worth the hassle of arguing about things when you should be enjoying what you’re doing. For instance, I knew that when we took a day trip to New York City on our recent vacation that unless there just happened to be a music store right across the street from someplace that my wife wanted to go, then it wouldn’t be happening for me. One thing you need to know about me is that I can spend hours in a music or book store drifting from spot to spot as I painstakingly go through the racks and stacks looking for that one gem that will make my face light up.

 

While I knew that I wouldn’t be having that experience (someday, someday) in NYC, that knowledge was softened somewhat when I found two shops in Easton, Pa where we were visiting along with a trip to a flea market. On our second day In Easton I spotted Sackers located at 60 Center Square which is a strange address since Sackers is right by the traffic circle. It’s a comic book/music/pawn/collectibles store contained in a very large space. Unfortunately there is a ton of stuff there and most of it is piled over and the owner even admitted that he didn’t know for sure everything that he had. The comics were the main draw for me here as the records were pretty standard fair. It was just a lot of music that was popular years ago but not much that was rare or unusual, stuff that could be found pretty much anywhere. Still, I had a good time walking around looking at things.

Later, I found out that roughly one block away there was an actual record store called Used Grooves at 401 Northampton St. Unfortunately, it was closed by the time I was able to walk by. Still, just being armed with the knowledge that it was there was enough to have me salivating at the bit for a chance to go in and peruse their stock. As luck would have it, or more accurately not have it, I wasn’t able to visit it for at least five days due to other plans. There just never seemed to be a time for me to get away on my own so that I could satisfy my own selfish desires. That sounds kind of lewd, doesn’t it? With some patience sprinkled with some artfully crafted hints to my wife like “I really want to go to that record store” eventually my time came. The skies opened and my prayers were heard as we had a break in our schedule, an open day to relax and my wife and mother-in-law dropped me off, probably so they wouldn’t be forced to listen to me whine about it anymore.

The only caveat however was that my son wanted to go with me. If you want to spend time without looking at a clock I would advise you not to bring a seven year old along for the ride. Their attention span is short at best however I couldn’t deny him. He just loves tagging along with his old man, hanging out and eventually I think these kinds of events will help open him up to more in life and he’ll become a well developed young man. So there we were, we walked in and I was greeted by row after row of vinyl records. I didn’t know where to begin so I just drifted over to the rock-various artists section and slowly flipped through what was available. Pretty fast I found two compilations, one featuring American punk and rock bands and the other U.K. bands. It was all music right up my alley and I gleefully clutched them to my chest.

Right about this time the questions started. Not the “Can I help you with anything” but the “When are we leaving” kind of questions. The (not-so) little guy had exhausted his patience already and wanted to move on to greener pastures. I however did not share that opinion and was far from ready. I knew then that I wouldn't be able to spend the amount of time that I wanted and that a deal needed to be brokered so that I could stall him just a little longer. With promises from me that we were only going to stay “just a little longer” he seemed to accept his fate, temporarily at least. As I moved towards the front of the store I saw a rather small section that said Punk/Hardcore and knew that I'd found my spot. Quickly I started flipping through the bin as I looked at vinyl with some band names that I knew (alright not a lot) and even more that I didn't know. This is far from a setback however, it's just what I like, the chance to find some new to me music. It's even better if they are local to regional bands that never released a great deal of albums. There's a different kind of joy when you unearth some really cool music that for whatever reason never made it big.

After I made my way completely through the bin I had more albums than I knew my wife would be cool with me bringing home. With virtually no previous knowledge about these bands I had to make some hard decisions and fast. Besides, my son was starting to grumble again. That's when the saleslady came to my aid. She showed my son that there were records for children right below the bin that I was looking in. It only took a few seconds for him to locate a Batman book and record set that cost more (a paltry $10) than any one record that I was looking at. As he excitedly looked up at me (something that will only happen for a few more years, the kid is huge I tell you) and asked if he could have it there was only one answer I could give. Of course he could have it. What kind of selfish jerk would I be if I denied him while I was indulging myself? Besides, I want to bring him up right, with a love of the vinyl. Now we just need to work on his patience. Yeah I know that only helps me also get to spend time on the things that I like but hey, at least it's something we can enjoy together and that's always a fathers job. Bring them up right and they'll remember days like this forever.

By the way, we also went to a flea market in nearby Quakerstown where I was able to find and buy the only punk record there. Not only that but I also haggled down the price an extra dollar. How's that for patience and persistence? If only I had more money to spend, I'd end up broke.

Written and Published by Don Leach. May not be used without permission from the author.

A Day At The Beach

Contrary to published reports a great white shark did not beach itself in Atlantic City on August 6th. That was just me taking my shirt off to go swimming. Seriously, I don't tan so much as I burn. I'm a mutt who has German, British, Irish, Scottish and even a little bit of American Indian blood in his ancestry but it's the U.K. parts that come to the fore in my physical appearance. I'm pale, hairy and covered in freckles so you can understand why I tend to stay out of the sun. Getting sunburned is never a pleasant experience but on this occasion it was definitely worth it. Besides, the weather was quite nice and there was lots of cloud cover so it turned out to be rather minor which was a pleasant surprise.

Now I can say I get it. I understand the allure of the beach for those that live or grew up near one. Now I'm talking about a real beach here, not one like I've written about going to before with the family that was created at a lake near here. I'm talking about a proper beach at the ocean. My wife is one of those people, she is from Lima, Peru which has a lot of beaches close by. She's told me stories of walking thirty to forty minutes to get to the beach with her brother and cousins when she was young. I never really understood what would draw you to walk that far, to be in the heat, to get sunburned (okay they didn't get burned), to put up with crowds and bugs and everything else that goes with it. Until now that is.

While on vacation visiting my mother-in-law (amongst other relatives) we took a day trip to go to the beach in Atlantic City. I thought it would be nice for my wife since she hasn't been to a beach to swim since she came to the United States over eleven years ago. That's saying something since like I said, she grew up living very near the beach and used to go all the time, especially when she was young. My own experiences with, as I refer to it, a real beach, were confined to a vacation in North Carolina when I was about ten or eleven years old and one in Spain where I was on leave for a week while I was stationed in Germany in the U.S. Army. For the former I was an undersized, scrawny, easily sunburned (yeah I know I'm beating this point to death) and massively insecure kid and for the latter it was winter and the water was freezing cold so I didn't get to swim. In other words, my exposure to the beach was very limited at best.

We met up with a friend of my mother-in-laws who was in from Peru visiting her sons that live in Atlantic City and once together we set off for the beach. I thought I'd swim for about twenty to thirty minutes, get out and cover up while relaxing before getting back in the water for a bit with my shirt on and my bald head covered. That didn't happen. Instead, something wonderful occurred. As I said, the weather was great, lots of clouds, not a lot of the sun beating down on us. After I got in the water and waded out to chest level I really began to enjoy connecting with the water, determining whether to dive under individual waves or float over them. My son was learning to boogie board and he was having a blast. Later he started following my lead as I taught him everything I had just learned. My wife was also enjoying her time in the ocean water once again. We were getting used to the strong pull of the water as in came in and out, from different angles, over and over and over.

Basically I felt the connection to nature. As much joy as I saw on my son's face as the wave caught him on his board and propelled him forward I know it was showing just as much on my face as I went further out and stopped attempting to battle the waves and instead tried to move with them. Now I understood why people want to live so close to the beach, why they want to spend a lot of time there, why they enjoy learning to boogie board or surf. It's a natural thing to want to spend your time and do things there. Now I get it. The joy I felt was worth the fatigue that came from resisting the tide, it was worth getting bitten by flies, worth the fearful shame I had of people seeing my pale, overweight body without a t-shirt on and absolutely, positively worth the sunburn. Nor did I care that I smelled of the ocean when we went to go eat afterwards. None of that mattered because I felt my family and myself  bond with the sea.

If you think I'm being melodramatic for the sake of the story well, you are wrong. If you don't believe me I don't care, you weren't there. I was. I simply advise you to get yourself to a beach and find out for yourself. Make up your own mind with real life experience. With any luck you'll have a similar experience to mine, something to remember and share with your family. Now I want more, I just have to find a way to make it happen more frequently, something not easy in a landlocked state like Oklahoma. It's doable though, now that I get it.

Written and Published by Don Leach. May not be used without permission from the author.

Vacation Thoughts So Far

I've been away on vacation and haven't had any time to write anything until now. So far things have been, well, different. We are spending two weeks with my mother-in-law and her husband, sort of. The original plan as it was explained to me was that since her mother's apartment was too small for all of us we would simply rent the downstairs apartment from them which is unoccupied. Where she lives in Pennsylvania there are a lot of houses that have been turned into apartments. Most of them are halved and then there are upstairs and downstairs apartments on both sides. That way a two-story house now generates more rent money and it's easier to rent out apartments than it is a full house.

As I said, their plan was for us to rent the downstairs apartment for two weeks. Then we would sleep on air mattresses and do everything else in the upstairs apartment. Only, the landlord wasn't willing to do this. No landlord approval means there is a major problem in this plan. Luckily a friend of my mother-in-law lives about a block and a half away. She graciously has allowed us to take over her living room and sleep on the aforementioned air mattresses. Even more luckily she has a daughter just a little older than my son and they have become fast friends. Not so luckily it is hot in the apartment and there is a neighbor who has a penchant for blasting music all hours of the day and night. Nothing is perfect in life and I just try and accept things for how they are.

What makes it easier is the knowledge that we cannot afford a hotel room for two weeks. Still, it will be nice when I get back to my routine and don't have to worry about intruding in the lives of another family. So what have we been doing with our time? We went to the Crayola Experience which our son loves. In fact, he loves it so much that we got annual memberships and in less than a week we've been there three times. We've been to a Peruvian restaurant where we met an unbelievable number of Peruvians that my wife knew in the brief time she lived here. We went to a Lebanese festival and watched some of their cultural dancing. There's been a visit to a comic book/record store, swimming at the Y as well as visiting family members.

Friday was a day trip to New York City. Now, you have to know that my wife and I differ greatly on vacations. If it were just me visiting I would have eschewed the touristic sites and gone into Brooklyn to find record stores to cater to punk, ska, metal and other indie music. I'd find a hot dog cart and later a pizza place. Then my visit would be a success. I'd also go to Red Bank, NJ and visit Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash (Kevin Smith's comic book store). But this isn't my visit, it's my family's visit and that means my uber-tourist wife gets things done her way.

First was the Statue of Liberty where we faced long cattle like lines, overpriced food and hot weather. Next was a drawing in the park that looked nothing like my son. A short subway ride later we exited and walked a few blocks and were in Times Square. Times Square was populated by teeming masses of idiots who walked as if they were the only people around. They texted and drifted along halting and stopping at odd intervals, cutting across or just plain stopping to gawk or take photos. I include my wife in these goings on. As I said, she is the uber-tourist and she lives for taking pictures of mundane things like getting on the escalator at Toys R Us (we've got one back home but it's only one floor). I have to admit I bumped and then shoved my way through a few knots of tourists just to keep up with my family and I'm not ashamed about it.

One thing that has been made apparent is that I couldn't live in NYC without the hate coming out. I'd find myself becoming very dark, cursing out people and getting into fights. Let me rephrase that, all of that would be true if I had to exist in the tourist areas of New York City. If I could be in normal areas I'd probably have no problems. As we were making our way to the Port Authority to catch our bus home I was insulted by a stereotypically rude New Yorker for no reason and yeah, my first retort was to simply curse him out and advise him to keep walking. A few minutes late of course I was able to compose the perfect rebuttal insult that would have left him grasping for thoughts but by then it was too late. I don't know, maybe that's his thing, being the rude local to all the yokels. Good luck with that life and all the anger you invoke.

We've been to Cabelas, an outdoors type of gigantic store where I got some cool shorts (no you can't get a picture of me in them). Today we went to Hershey's Chocolate World in Hershey, Pa. It's the one place where my son didn't mind my wife making him pose for pictures. Here's a tip for you though, don't put the chocolate that you just spent a lot of money on in the trunk of the car. I already knew this but was over-ruled. Now everybody knows after it was all turned into more of a liquid than a solid. We've got even more things on the horizon. A day trip to the beach, more family visiting, a trip to the laundromat and another record store that I've found here in Easton. There'll be more though, we're not quite halfway through our visit yet. I see my feet hurting more and my wife making me pose for more pictures with things I don't care about. The things I do for love.

Written and Published by Don Leach. May not be used without permission from the author.

My Peruvian Summer Vacation: Up To Ticlio!

I've been meaning to write about my vacation in Peru, well, ever since I was there last summer. That never seemed to work out and ever since it's been on my mind but I've let the topic languish with a lot of other things. It finally seems like I've got a little bit of time so here we go off of the diving board and into the pool. The first thing I'll say is that while it was my summer vacation it was not summer in Peru. The seasons are directly opposite there so for instance right now there is snow on the ground in Tulsa and in Lima it's time to go to the beach. See what I mean? That of course can change depending on where you go.

My last trip before my departure was arranged by my wife and her family and it was to be to Ticlio which as I found out is not a town or city but a mountain pass. As a matter of fact it's the highest railway junction in the world clocking in at 4,818 meters above sea level. Translated into gringo talk that means it's over 15,807 feet above sea level, higher even than Pike's Peak beating it by over 1,600 feet. Our group would be comprised of me, my wife Connie and our son John, my wife's aunt Flor and her daughter (and my wife's cousin) Melissa, my wife's cousin Henry and his girlfriend Karina. Others were supposed to go but that's the thing about Peru, plans change not only from day to day but from hour to hour. Originally we were supposed to make this an overnight trip with a bit of hiking to a waterfall but that didn't end up happening. It's the way things are, you don't question it, you just go along for the ride.

In order to start our adventure we all met close to Brena in Lima to get a van to take us to Chosica The way that works is you pay a set fee and once the van is full they leave. There were quite a few people in the van and I ended up sitting next to a couple whose final destination was for Marcahuasi, a place I really wanted to go to myself but unfortunately I was in no shape to hike for several hours at extreme elevation. Once in Chosica we walked over to a bus station and had to wait for one to fill up. While we waited I decided that since I hadn't had any breakfast and our trip up was going to take several more hours I'd better get something in my belly so I had two delicious empanadas from a stand right around the corner. Some of our group didn't think it was a good idea for me to have food but I felt that enough time would go by that it wouldn't bother me too much. Eventually the combi filled up and off we went on the next leg of our journey to Matucana.

  

When we arrived in Matucana there was some sort of speech going on and a local school band was playing in the square but after a bathroom break it was over so I never even found out what was going on. We didn't stay very long in Matucana because we knew we'd be spending more time there on our way back. Instead we walked over to the next bus stop and caught another combi that would take us to the much smaller town of San Mateo. The higher we went the smaller the towns became. Our time in San Mateo was very short, we simply walked down the street a bit and the negotiations began with taxi drivers to see who would be taking us to Ticlio. Eventually we settled on two taxis for our group and off we went.

The closer we got I did feel a little sleepy and felt some sinus pressure but overall I think I handled it well, especially once we made it all the way up. We kept going higher and higher and still we found ourselves looking up at the mountains towering over us. Even though it was cold at this time of the year I still found it to be very beautiful. One thing I came to understand was why there were so many reports that I had heard about buses wrecking and crashing down ravines. After being on the road with them and seeing them pass slower moving vehicles on blind curves, sadly it became clear why it occurs so often.The taxi I was in had carburetor issues with the elevation and the engine ended up dying at least four times at which point we would slowly drift to the side of the road and hope the other drivers were paying attention. But finally we were there, our destination achieved.

The first thing I noticed out of the taxi was a dead burro lying on the side of the road with it's guts split open. Definitely strange to see but at this point not a deterrent. My son was in the other car and decided he wasn't getting out in the frigid air, the elevation had him sleeping as much as he could. The rest of us looked around at the beauty of nature at such a high height. In spite of the bitter cold temperature believe it or not there were a few people there selling snacks, one lady even had a baby wrapped up in her sling. They were happy to take pictures for us..............so long as we bought a few of those snacks. Heck of a way to make a living.

  

After about twenty or thirty minutes we had seen enough, okay it was just too cold and we were hungry so it was time to go. We clambered back into the taxis and started our descent. The trip down of course seemed to take less time as we reversed the process and caught a comb in San Mateo and made our way back to Matucana. Now it was time to eat and Melissa led us on a short search for a restaurant she had been to before that she promised would be good. After a few minutes she found it and we stepped inside a modest and unassuming building, in other words my kind of place. After consuming a cup of Mata de Coca tea (to help combat the elevation sickness) I was ready for the large plate of Bistec a la Pobre that almost everybody in our group had. As you can see Peruvians do not scrimp on portions. The food was delicious and filling.

 After eating we made the short walk to the bus stop to wait for the next combi. The walk was good for our full bellies and then we had to wait at the stop as there was a long line of people wanting to return to Lima. After a bit our turn came and we were off to Chosica and then Lima. Once there our group began to split up and go their respective ways. Melissa and Flor were first and then Karina, leaving Henry, Connie, John and me to make our way back to San Juan de Miraflores and the family home. With that our trip was over and sadly in a few short days I would be  leaving to come back to Tulsa. If I had the means I would happily return to Peru today and live there with no reservations. There is so many different things to see and do. I guess I can always dream, can't I?



Written and Published by Don Leach. May not be used without permission from the author.

Ken Bruen And My Reading Obsession

My writing hasn't been as consistent as I would like it to be as far as production goes and I think two reasons are clear. Ever since I came back from my Peruvian vacation last year I've been reading a great deal and watching movies. Now you could make the case that I've always read a lot and that would be true but lately I've been reading the books from three specific writers and one in particular, that being Irish author Ken Bruen. While in Peru my brother-in-law Gary got my wife and I hooked on Game Of Thrones and after I returned I found that one of the actors in that series (Iain Glen) was in five television movies based on the Jack Taylor series of books by Bruen.

After watching the movies I started reading the books and then an almost obsession was born for his crime noir style. To date there have been ten Jack Taylor books published and I have read them in order rather quickly. Afterwards I started on the Tom Brant series and finished all seven of them as well. Interestingly I found the that fourth book (Blitz) had been made into a movie starring Jason Statham that I had already seen. After that I started on the Max Fisher and Angela Petrakos series and have finished two of the three books. Why not the third you may ask? My library doesn't have it, that's why.

Now I am devouring his other one off books as well as some of his novellas and short stories. His writing style features a lot of short chapters which draws me in and makes me want to read more, I have a hard time putting the books down. His style just meshes with me, I like the stories he tells of extremely flawed human beings who don't quit no matter what they come up against. Clearly they are not good people but most of them end up doing good things in a bad way if that makes any kind of sense. Probably not, I tend to have a hard time putting into words why I like things.

Keep in mind Bruen's books are not the only ones I've been reading in all this time. I also am reading the Walt Longmire series by Craig Johnson, almost everything written by Jonathan Maberry as well as other individual writers as they pop up. Bruen gives me the crime noir I like so much, with Johnson I get the western police chief and with Maberry I get all kinds of zombie stories and more bizarre things, all told in a manner that makes me think "Yeah, that could happen in real life." Plus Scott Sigler just had his new book Pandemic come out that I've got to get. He's another favorite of mine.

One thing all of these authors have in common is that I have a hard time putting down their books. They are written in a style that makes me want to read just a few pages more. I know I need to get control of my reading habit and get busy writing my own stories and ideas but they make it so easy for the procrastinator in me to put it off. All I can say is if they keep writing them I'll keep reading them and that's the highest praise I can offer. Later I'll write more about how my movie watching habits have changed so that I can bore you with that stunning information.

Written and Published by Don Leach. May not be used without permission from the author.

A New Year Brings New Plans

2013 has been kind a down year for me at least as far as writing is concerned. The new year had ushered in with thoughts of continuing to grow as a writer and podcaster and instead ended up being a series of ideas never fully realized surrounded by a lack of productivity. Now I know I'm my own worst enemy when it comes to being objective concerning my faults and successes but I really feel that I'm being honest and not over analyzing myself. There are so many things that I could have done better and the best that I can hope for now is that I've duly learned some important lessons from my results.

Some things were from a lack of preparation. These would include not investigating and then podcasting while I was in Peru for three weeks in the Summer. That ended up being an opportunity wasted and lost, however at least now I am armed with information for the future and feel that the next time I go I will be more than ready to make my thoughts turn to reality. All was not lost though because it was a wonderful vacation and I got to spend some quality time with my wife (as well as her family) and my son. Look for more in the coming days about that vacation. The food in Peru is wonderful and I really feel that within two to three years we'll be living there. Guess that means I need to get more serious and learn to speak and read Spanish.

My truck has been having problems and they only seemed to get worse as the year moved on. Right before Thanksgiving I took it to a mechanic hoping that all would be well. I was wrong. It turns out he was the wrong mechanic because not only did the problem persist it got worse. Luckily I found another mechanic (a good one this time) and not only did he fix my truck for cheap he did it fast and right. Hopefully the days of having my wife take me to work and then pick me up so that I could take her and our son back home and then returning to work to finish out my shift are over. I can't describe the feeling of once again being able to drive my vehicle when and where I want. Perhaps it's just a mental thing but suddenly I feel free again.

With my truck fixed I now have renewed feelings of positivity and hope and my intent is to follow through in 2014. I want to follow the advice of Steven Pressfield and stop letting my inner resistance win and leave me thinking "what if." What if I had actually done something I'd dreamed up in my mixed cauldron of a brain and let it stand on it's own? Be it a success or a failure the idea is to create and let the rest sort itself out, That is my plan for the new year. I've never been the sort to make resolutions when beginning a new year but this year I sort of feel the need. It isn't necessarily something to be shared with others but that I at least can recognize myself.

So there you have it. With a feeling that anything can be done I intend to write the stories, lyrics and movie scripts that have been floating around my brain for some time. I intend to make my plans for furthering my podcasts and gaining an audience. I intend to investigate my ideas for a t-shirt company and comic books. I intend to do a lot and the only thing I have to hold me to these thoughts is this blog. For myself and anybody else who reads it. It's a lot to do and fairly bold but it can be done. The only thing left is to go and do it. Let's see how that goes this year.

Written and Published by Don Leach. May not be used without permission from the author.

New Podcast Episode: notmovingpictures 017 - The Forgotten One

Oh my poor neglected podcast. It's hard to believe that the last episode uploaded was over three months ago but it's true. What's even harder to believe is that this episode was actually recorded on June 9th and has sat ever since. I had intended to upload it while I was on my Peruvian vacation but that didn't happen. As a matter of fact I was sure that while I was in Peru I would be able to record a ton of new stuff with lots of interesting people. That didn't happen either. Don't get me wrong, I met and spent time with those people but nothing ever got recorded. At least I can be assured that the next time I travel I'll be armed with experience, hopefully that will be enough. The good news is that the next episode is already recorded and it just needs to be edited. Once I get around to it.

As for episode 17, well Tommy and I talk about the process of writing a new set of lyrics that perhaps soon will be melded with music to form a new Alloy song. The title we came up with for this new opus is When I Get You Alone. We also discussed a disturbing trend in education in the U.S. where high schools have been withholding diplomas from graduates because of some idiotic rule supposedly broken during the graduation ceremony. Listen up for all the details and our pithy comments.

Opening song by Alloy - Live To See The Day
Closing song by The Nods - Raygun Sally

Written and Published by Don Leach. May not be used without permission from the author.

New Podcast Episode: Ten For Tuesday 35

www.tenfortuesday.podomatic.com

It's been a while. I originally had this episode all but put together before experiencing software difficulties. Then I went on vacation to Peru for three weeks. Really. So after returning I finally got around to trying to figure out what was wrong and get the episode out. While I never did find out what was wrong I was able to replace a song and re-record my spoken part and voile, ten more nuggets of sonic splendidness are now available for your listening pleasure. You're welcome.

Bob Mould - Star Machine
Rat City Riot - Highway Hymns
The Nods - Ray Gun Sally
Barbara Y Los Rotos Del Rock - Tu No Sabes Quien Soy
Blondie - Mother
The Slackers - Bin Waitin
The Urge - All Washed Up
Robbie Robertson - Showdown At Big Sky
The James Hunter Six - Minute By Minute
The Generators - City Of Angels

Ten For Tuesday is a podcast dedicated to playing the music I couldn’t find anywhere else. The music I like varies from style to style, genre to genre and era to era. You will hear punk, ska, rock, Americana, metal, country, rockabilly and more from all over the world. It doesn’t matter if it’s a major label or indie as long as I like it then it gets played. The motto is Less Talk More Music which means you won’t hear me waxing poetic for fifteen minutes between songs. At TFT it’s all about the music…..and me of course.

Email: tenfortuesday@gmail.com   Twitter: @notmovingpics
Blog: www.notmovingpictures.blogspot.com

Written and Published by Don Leach. May not be used without permission from the author.

Back In The States!!!!

After three weeks (wish it had been longer) I'm finally back in the States. What better time than now to start writing about my trip to Peru? Actually when I planned this whole thing out I envisioned myself blogging and podcasting while I was down there. Didn't happen that way. One thing I learned about life in Peru is that plans are always just that, plans. Things change from day to day, hour to hour and even minute to minute. Just because someone says they'll do something with you doesn't mean it will happen. You have to learn to be fluid and ready to adapt to the ever changing situations that present themselves.

Some of the things I wanted to do the most never came close to happening but that's okay. While I didn't get to go to Marcahuasi (I need to get in better shape) I did go to Ica and rode in a giant dune buggie and even sandboarded at Hucachina, well sort of. Our driver gave us the boards and instructed us to lay down on them and go down the dunes. I guess it's safer that way. I also took a boat (with about 40 other people) and went to the Isla Ballestas in Paracas. I even went to Ticlio which is 4,818 meters high and very cold. All this was done from a revolving cast of family, friends and boy/girlfriends.

Of course I'm disappointed about some of the things I didn't get around to but I guess there's always the next time. This time I got to live everyday life with my wife's family. I road in taxis, the electric train, combis both big and small, buses and even a mototaxi. The train would have been on this list as well but we couldn't wait around in Matucana to see if one showed up or not. My wife was pleasantly surprised that I was able to take the combi by myself to pick up our son from school (he went for a month) and then adjust on the fly and take a different one back when good old number 21 didn't stop to pick us up. Given my limited knowledge if the Spanish language I'd say I did okay for myself.

Next time I hope to make a few things happen and venture out more on my own. That means I need to make a serious effort to speak more Spanish. Unless of course we move there, then immersion will take care of that for me.

Written and Published by Don Leach. May not be used without permission from the author.

On The Road To Peru Without Sleep

Today finds me sitting in the airport awaiting the first leg of my flight that will ultimately land me in Lima, Peru. Actually the first leg of my journey is already over. I drove a rental car from Tulsa to Dallas because it was supposed to be cheaper than flying. Notice I said supposed to. It ended up not being the case after Dollar ripped me off. My contract says it was $70 (and some change) but after I dropped it off I was informed that it is really $205 dollars. I'm not just going to take it though, I will resist this bold attempt at thievery.

When I finally got to the terminal after dropping off the overpriced rental car I found that my bag to be checked in was over the weight limit so I had to pay an extra $50 to cover it. Maybe if my wife hadn't given me that list of things that she had to have I would have been okay but probably not. I'm sure I would have used the extra space for more clothes or books or something.

So now I'm waiting for my flight to Atlanta which precedes the flight to Fort Lauderdale before finally flying to Lima. I had about an hours nap before making my extremely overpriced drive to Dallas and none since I got here. It's raining heavily so we'll see if that ends up having some kind of impact on the situation. Did I mention that the replacement battery I acquired for my laptop crapped out on me 2 days ago? Yeah, It's been that kind of weekend for me.

I don't care about any of this. I am going on vacation, a long overdue one I might add, and I can't wait to see my family. I fully expect to see more of Peru than I did five years ago and to accept more challenges ( with food and otherwise. It can be a wonderful place with many incredible experiences if you're willing to search for them. I finally am.

Written and Published by Don Leach. May not be used without permission from the author.

Where's My Spring Break?

This is shaping up to be one of those days, weeks, years for me. Spring Break has started and all of the kids are out of school for one week. That’s right, they get to enjoy a week of no school. Even if they don’t get to do as much as they want they still don’t have the stress of getting up early and slogging their way through school for a whole week. That’s a good thing. Since it is such a good thing then I have one question. Why don’t adults get this benefit?

Think about it. Who needs the time off more? Kids who got time off in the fall AND about three whole months in the summer or adults who get time off when they can get it approved from their boss? That’s provided of course that they can afford to take time off and actually do something relaxing. What’s the point in taking time off from work only to have your wife decide that since you’re home then you’re available to get all of those chores done that she’s been saving for you? That is not a vacation, believe me I know. Often it’s equal to if not an increase in your stress level.

This phenomenon of adults getting time off actually does occur in some countries. Many European countries not only give you the paid time off but they also have paid holidays. Some even basically shut down so that everyone can take time off from work. One of my previous employers gave us Federal holidays off with pay and if it was your holiday to work you also got a paid day off during the week. I loved that about them. My present employer offers no such thing. Instead sick days, vacation days and holidays are all lumped together and you accrue a certain amount each pay period. The amount you accrue actually is very close between those two companies.

Of course it was even better when I was in the Army. You accrued thirty leave or vacation days a year. All Federal holidays you were off and if they holiday fell on a Thursday or Tuesday the weekday after or before became what is known as a training holiday. Unless of course you had a duty assignment you had to pull. Think of it, every Thanksgiving you had a four day weekend that didn’t affect your vacation time. Theoretically you weren’t supposed to go very far from your duty station so you wouldn’t have any problems reporting back to your next scheduled day of work. That theory of course didn’t stop anyone from doing so. It was a great way to save up vacation time and then cash it in when you get out of the service (like I did).

Unfortunately most of us adults in the U.S. get left out in the cold when it comes to getting break time from work. The mentality here is to work, work, work and then work some more so that you can save up to go on vacation. Unfortunately most people never actually get to take that vacation. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve taken a real vacation while I’ve been with my present employer. I’m sure I could find a bunch of studies that would show how important it is for workers to take time off and get rid of their stress by taking a break but I’m too busy to do that right now. I’ll just look forward to the vacation I will (hopefully) be taking this summer. Three weeks off and you won’t be able to reach me by phone. Sounds like heaven to me.

Written and Published by Don Leach. May not be used without permission from the author.

The Summer Heat Burns My Soul

The other day I did something completely out of character for myself. I took off my shirt while outside. Now it was in my back yard, however I did stay topless as I pushed my lawnmower around to the front of the house and in the garage. What’s the big deal you say? People take their shirts off all the time so what’s my problem? To start let me paint you a picture of what I look like. I’m 6’1” tall and go about 240 pounds on my leaner days. I am light skinned (my Irish, Scottish and English bloodlines win out over everything else for me), have freckles and am hairy. Add to that a lifelong image issue with my body (Americans seems to have this problem more than others) and there you have my reluctance to be seen shirtless even if it’s in my own yard. At least my body issues aren’t as bad as Kevin Smith’s who suffers from a much larger (pun intended) problem than I do. Please note this isn’t a dig on Smith at all, I terribly admire what he has accomplished in life and he has inspired me to start my own creative endeavors at long last. He has stated before that he doesn’t like taking off his shirt at the doctor’s office or even in front of his wife. At least I'm not that bad.

Basically what has led to this change in behavior is that my wife wants us to take a vacation to the beach but the only time available between our schedules and before our son goes back to school is towards the end of July. The closest beach for us to do this is in Galveston, Tx, about a nine hour drive away. So given my natural pale state plopping me into Galveston in late July means I will literally be red, sunburned to a crisp, unless I slaver zinc oxide on and wear long sleeved shirts and pants with a floppy sun hat at all times. Of course that endangers me to overheating myself on the beach and constantly sweating throughout the day so neither of those appear to be ideal working situations. My only other option now seems for me to go into the yard doing whatever work I can without wearing a shirt for about 30 minutes a day. Currently in Tulsa we are having 100 Plus degrees of weather and so far this week each and every day has been an Ozone Alert Day so I have to be very careful that I don’t overdo it. Today I even went over to a friend’s house and sat shirtless while our kids were in the pool. Very abnormal behavior for me but I do seem to be going through some life changes all for the better in the last year.

Perhaps by the time our vacation starts I will have been so sufficiently exposed to the sun that I won’t have many issues as long as I’m smart about what I’m doing. My wife won’t have any troubles at all. She is from Lima, Peru and has darker skin than I do. Thankfully our son is a mix of the two of us and while he’s not very dark skinned he’s not pale like his dear old dad and the more he gets outside the more tanned he seems to get. Being from Lima, my wife grew up going to the beach all through the summer but hasn’t been to one since she visited Atlantic City in the fall of 2002 when she was a freshly arrived vacationer to these shores. She ended up staying in the country but moved to Tulsa the following year where we met. Ten years is long enough and although it will be stretch financially and given my natural aversion to the sun, I’m willing to do it for the sake of our family. A family vacation has been long overdue and besides, I could stand having another go at some crawfish or alligator. That's one of the other changes I’ve undergone in the past year or so, I’m trying and enjoying food that I never would have touched in the past. Let’s just hope I make it back from all of this in one piece without too much burning.
 
Written and Published by Don Leach. May not be used without permission from the author.

Today at lunch my mother in law served piccarones and I was reminded of the first time that I had them, almost four years ago in Lima. My wife, son and I had gone with her friend Jenny and her daughter to see some of the sights in Lima including the Magic Water Tour in the Parque de la Reserva which is a water fountain complex some of which are interactive. It's a pretty impressive sight.

On the way back Connie and Jenny decided to have the taxi stop and so that they could get two orders of piccarones. You might ask why only two orders, well it was because since I had been such a picky eater Jenny was sure that I wouldn't like them. They were so convinced of this that they didn't bother to explain what piccarones were or even ask me if I was interested. Once we returned to Jenny's house where her husband Ernesto now was they found out just how wrong they were. I not only liked piccarones, I loved them!

Since they had only gotten two orders there wasn't enough for everybody to eat and be satisfied with but at least they learned their lesson. Never think a fat guy won't like something covered in syrup, only bad things can happen when you do this. Piccarones look like donuts but are made from pumpkin or sweet potatoes and served with a bitter sweet syrup. They are delicious and I haven't had them for a long time, too long in fact.

Since that trip to Peru my eating habits have become decidedly less finicky and I can't wait to return to really experience a part of Peru that I passed over the last time. Although I have to say that since my mother in law is such a good cook that maybe I'm already experiencing those things while I'm at home. Lucky me.

Written and Published by Don Leach. May not be used without permission from the author.

Mom Comes For A Birthday Visit

Earlier this week my mother left to return to her home in Ohio after spending a week with us. She came in for my four year old son’s birthday which was the first time for her to do so. The last time she saw him was almost two years ago. All the other grandkids grew up in the same area and indeed still live there today but I’ve always been the one in the family to roam and unfortunately that means we live quite a bit of distance from each other. It was good to see her but I knew that the week was all about her and my son spending time together, that was the most important thing and they both loved the time they had. To be certain all of us need to make a better effort at seeing each other more often and the past week showed us how important it is for my son Johnny.

He needs to see his relatives as often as possible so I’m already thinking about trying to fly back home later in the year, at least for a week or so if I can. After that we need to find a way to save the money it will cost for us to go back to Peru and visit my wife’s family there. To make that happen costs quite a bit of money and I’ve been racking my brain trying to come up with a way to procure the funds but so far nothing has come to fruition, especially since I don’t foresee a future for myself as a bank robber or thief. Too much bad karma there if you ask me.

So instead I try and call once a week and I’d like to get everyone on Skype so that we could all do a video conference and at least see each other as well but it’s like pulling teeth to get anyone to listen to me. I mean it’s free as long as you’ve got an internet connection. Doesn’t get much better than that does it? I’m not really a phone person and I’ve never been one to call very much. When I was single I would call maybe once a month or so if they were lucky, okay really my family usually would call me and I rarely was the one to call. Gotta be honest with myself since it is my blog.

As we get older it becomes clearer to me how much more important it is to talk about things now because honestly we don’t know how much time we have left in this world. Personally I don’t want to leave something to chance on the hopes that I can always talk about it later. In the past my motto was why talk about something today when I can put it off until tomorrow but that just doesn’t cut it anymore. All it took was having a kid for me to realize that.


Published by Don Leach