Prologue To Winter

Originally posted December 4th, 2006

The first snow of the season has fallen this morning. And the first snow of the season melted away this afternoon. The shovels may hibernate for another day. It also marked the day where I brought my trench coat out from the closet since last winter. Like always, the "Trench Coat Mafia" references started up by the same people who have been doing it for the previous four years. Nothing says comedy like the systematic shootings of high schoolers by unhinged psychopaths. And if I really was to be a successor to that infamous group, I don't think taunting me is the best idea. Just kidding. BSing with your co-workers helps you get through an arduous workday.

While my Sleep Terrors haven't bothered me as much, one episode took a new form, rather than the usual otherworldly visions. I have this bothersome worry that someone will invade my homestead while I sleep and murder me and my entire family. So my Sleep Terror manifested itself into the form of a nighttime intruder, dressed all in black, camouflaged by my lightless room, who jumped out of the darkness and began to strangle me. I felt powerless to retaliate. The scary thing is, as Sleep Terrors usually are, it felt so real that I actually believed that "this was the end". But I did come out of it as I woke up all alone in my room.

I just don't know how to organize my thoughts right now. A million ideas are floating through my head on what has to be done to get on with my life, but I can't figure out what has to be done first, and how to place the rest. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed with these thoughts that I can't do a single thing. Do I draw a new comic? Do I continue my spin-off story? Do I add more content to this web site? Do I compose a book proposal for my first novel, which I think needs more revision? I believe I must first find time to organize my checking and savings accounts, because how I balance my cash flow in the coming months will determine how long I can keep myself afloat without ending up on the street.

A neat little thing I noticed last night was that my web site can now be found on Internet search engines. Before, I had to pay a fee to get it listed, but now anyone can find my page if they enter the right keywords. Those being "James Gannon, dark, fiction, writer, stories, books, Callous, Shadow, Tammy Corona". And we all know how popular those terms are. So there are now slight chances that an outsider can stumble upon my place on the web. Now I can get criticism from complete strangers! OH, THE INTRIGUE! A few uninteresting notes:
On yahoo search, my "about" page is ranked #4 if you search "james gannon"... and my bio page is ranked #1 for "james gannon writer".
On AOL search, my home page is ranked #33 for "james gannon". I think they're still mad I canceled my AOL account.
Google search... #36.

I was close to signing up for the well-known art showcase web site "deviantART.com", until I read the fine print. Evidently, submitting your artwork gives the staff the right to do whatever they want with it, such as reproduce, edit, display, and even publish it without any residuals offered to the original creator. Sorry folks, no one can claim rights to my eyesores except me. I wanted to become a "deviant" so I could show off my art to a wider audience, plus it offered a better format than my current gallery. But I think I'll stick with what I have right now. But I'll have to drop some cash in order to show off more of my work.

Still have Christmas shopping to do. You?

I got a zit on my elbow. MY FUCKING ELBOW. Now I have to rub cleansing oil on that thing too?

Some final words of wisdom I'd like to invoke upon you: If you make a threat to beat up your boss under your breath, make sure it still isn't loud enough for him to hear it. No, I'm not the one who did it, but it did involve the guy whose fingers I threatened to break if he kept interfering in my work.

And that's just the way it is.