With some of the shocking and unexpected deaths that have occurred this past week, I’m sure there are many people thinking about mortality right now. Billy Mays’ death strikes me as most shocking, for at this time, there is no information about how he passed. It was so unexpected. Not to mention two well known entertainers, Michael Jackson and Ed McMahon.

I feel it’s important to not focus just on death, but life as well. Yes, it is sad when someone important to us passes, especially when it is a family member.  However, acceptance is an important step to moving on. Make sure to take the time you need to mourn, but allow yourself to continue expressing life. I feel that the best way to honor the memory of the departed is to continue expressing you.

So, yes we once again are reminded of our mortality. The good or bad news is that we don’t know what happens after this existence. I have my own theories as I am sure you all do as well. But, don’t let it impede your life. Continue to celebrate your life and live how you see fit. Carpe Diem, as they say.

Hello everyone!  I do hope you are still around, because I do know I have been a bit absent as of late.  I do apologize, but apparently work and school make it harder for me to blog.  Of course I can also blame World of Warcraft (which I have taken a two week vacation from) and of course The Sims 3.  It seems that I have less time to do all the things I want to do and have to do.

The biggest news I have is that the store I work at closed a few weeks ago.  The clean up and product transfers are all done.  It is a relief to me.  I feel like a stressful part of my life is over.  Now the question is, “What happens next?”  Well, that is a question that I cannot answer as of right now.  Sorry, you’ll just have to wait.  Hopefully not another two months, but I can’t promise anything.

School has been going quite well so far.  I’ve finished two classes with an A-!  Not bad since the classes can be a little intense.  I’m really enjoying being a university student.

Here is a quick update on my writing career:  1) Still dormant.  Yes folks, I haven’t written anything creative since the writing contest for WoW.  Right now, I’m mostly writing research papers.  I could post them here on the sight, but they are not very entertaining.  Though if you bug me enough, you could change my mind, assume you still visit this site.  2) I’m still technically broke.  Well, in debt, but what’s the difference?  I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this but I think I’m going to have to ask Obama for a bailout.  Why not?  I worked hard for eight years in retail.  Shouldn’t I get some sort of thank you check or something?  I suppose I shouldn’t complain since Uncle Sam is paying for school.  3)  I’m still single.  Can’t understand why?  Neither can I.  Yes for a while I was afraid of women, but that’s all in the past.  Now I’m uber awesome (I hope) so there shouldn’t be a problem.  They say that I should go to places where women gather so that I can meet some by chance.  Apparently, none of them gather in my room, maybe they don’t realize how much fun it is here.  I mean come on, I have surround sound and a HDTV in here!  Blu-ray rocks!  So, if any of you ladies out there are desperate and hot, think of me.  And if you aren’t sure, at least take some time to think about it.  Its ok, I’ll probably still be single by the time you decide to give me a shot.  I never leave my room.  (Disclamer:  This paragraph is meant as a joke only and should not be taken as serious or truthful.  Some statements made here may not be accurate or could be embarrassing.  Please don’t tell anyone).

Right well, I hope to be able to make some time each week to keep the site up to date.  I really do miss the blogging.  I’m also planning to kick start my video blog again so watch out for that!

Yes, I haven’t been posting any blogs in a while, and for that I do apologize!  School has been keeping my busy.  It’s going well so far and I’m really enjoying the online class taking experience.  I’m already a bit over half way through.  I really feel like I made the smart decide to go back to school.

On another note, I finished my story for the World of Warcraft writing contest and I did submit it on Saturday!  I think it came out relatively well.  Unfortunately, I did not have much time to edit it, so it’s probably a bit rough around the edges.  Even so, I’m proud of how it ended up!  I’ve added the story to my downloads section of my site for all of you to read it.  It really focuses on my real WoW characters and adds an interesting back story.

The story takes place during the time when WoW started lore wise.  Scotrin, a mage recently suspended by the Kirin Tor, continues a personal quest to find the murder of his lost love.  He travels to Westfall, a county of the kingdom of Storwind, to begin his investigation.  There is adventure and mystery as Scotrin deals with the nefarious Defias Brotherhood!  Download it now! The Defias Mystery

Ok then, so that is what I have to report for this week!  Happy week to you all!

Ok folks, I have a few things to talk about!  First thing is first, I have been very busy as of late and I do admit until a few days ago.  Blizzard Entertainment, a software company, is currently holding a WoW tournament.  I’ve been practicing a lot and I really feel good about the team I’m in.  I’m playing a Restoration druid and I have to say I’m having a lot of fun with my healing spells.

Second, Blizzard also just kicked off a writing contest.  I’m really excited about it and I decided to enter the contest.  Here is the link: Blizzard Writing Contest. I’ve decided to use some of my in game characters and I have almost two chapters done so far!  It’s been really fun.

Finally, I do have a non-website announcement.  I’m going back to school!  I’ll be taking online classes from Ashford University in Iowa.  I’ve been thinking about it for a long time and I think this is a sound decision. I’ll be studying psychology.

Once I’m finished with my story for the writing contest I’ll post it here on my website for everyone to read.  My other writing projects will be postponed for a few weeks. 

I recently recieved a letter from the state of California.  It was a jury duty summons.  I’ve been on a jury once in my life and I must say it’s really not that bad.  Though it does kind of get in the way as far as your daily life.

When I got the letter, I wasn’t too surprised.  This was the third time I had received one.  The last time, I was just within a year since my first summons, so I was able to get out of it.  This time, I had to call a number instead of visiting the court house.  So, I was a reserve juror, so to speak.  After calling back for the past few days, I found out this morning that I wasn’t needed and I had fulfilled my jury duty responsibility.  I was glad.  Though, it wouldn’t have been a bad thing to serve again.

It can be a pain, but everyone has to do it at some point.  Justice is what it’s all about!

And yes, I’m back from my little “unoffical” vacation!

I thought I’d post a little poem I finished just in time for Valentines day.  I’m not one to celebrate this holiday (never have any real reason to), but I thought I’d take my stab at writing poetry.  Keep in mind that I don’t write a lot of poems and it doesnt ryme.  It was just for fun!

It comes without warning,

To consume your heart,

To bring you closer together,

To unite.

Sometimes it ends in heartbreak,

It hurts so much,

It feels like a failure,

It feels like a loss.

But it’s worth it in the end,

What doesn’t kill makes us stronger,

What we learn is invaluable,

What we love will grow.

Do not feel foolish if you lose,

Do not hide or run away,

For as they say,

Better to not have loved.

The Fray’s new music album was released today, titled, “The Fray.”  I have to say how much I’ve enjoyed listening to their new songs so far.  I had to get the super duper version with lots of bonus content.  I really think it’s better then their first album, “How to Save a Life,” and I really like that album too.  What I like most so far are the sounds and melodies.  The words, well I’ll get them down eventually, but I always focus on the sounds of the instruments and how they flow together first.  I can tell already that I’m going to enjoy this album for a long, long time.

World of Warcarft.  I have gotten sucked into it again!  Not really surprising, since it’s really an innovative MMORPG.  It’s simple, yet dynamic and the interface works well.  I found the collectors edition on ebay and decided to bid on it.  I only over paid about 3 dollars, so I feel like I lucked out.  I’m playing the trial version of WotLK(Wrath of the Lich King) right now.  Of course, I may have to wait to start up my account after the free trial is over.

As for the site, I’m taking a break from it for a bit, but I’ll be sure to add another chapter of “Wade” soon enough.

Wade is back!  That’s right, I finally got my myself to finish the next chapter of “Wade.”  I think I brought in a new cool twist to the story and now it’s starting to pick up the pace a bit.  I’m really happy to have the next chapter posted.  I am also ready to announce that I am considering making it into a short story format.  I wasn’t sure where the story was going at first and I didn’t know if it was going to become a novel or not.  This will be my first short story that isn’t a romantic comedy and the best part is that it will be my first free online story!  One of the reasons I wanted to use this story in this way is so that you can see my process.  For those of you who have been following “Wade” since the beginning, you’ll notice my writing style improve.  That is because I’m posting each chapter with minor editing.  The story is still in it’s raw form, you could say.  Once the story is finished I’ll edit it myself along with a few friends and family.  Then the finish product will be uploaded to the site.  Check the download page or click this link to read the story: http://www.scottdavidbrown.com/projects/wade.pdf

When “Wade” is finished, I’ll probably have another free project that I’ll work on while I’m working on “Fallen Raven.”  It may be another short story or perhaps something else entirely.  I hope you all are enjoying “Wade” as much as I enjoy writing it.

I’ve recently decided to revisit “Fallen Raven” and see if I was on to something with that project. I’ve left it alone for a whole year. Sometimes as a writer it’s good to take a break from a large project. Now I feel like I have a fresh perspective. Sometimes when I go back and read my previous work, I wonder what I was thinking. Other times I find that my writing skill has increased. So, I have begun another editing stage for “Fallen Raven.” I just thought it was worth doing. Plus, come on with a title like that, it deserves to be published! I’ve read through the first couple of chapters so far. I like the beginning. I may just end up making some drastic changes though, you never know. “Fallen Raven” was supposed to be a new and improved version of “The Last Rejection.” At least, an improvement on the basic idea of what my first book was about. However, I may rethink the idea, or I could just stick with what I’ve got. That would be easier then to change major plot points in the novel.

I know I should finish the next chapter of “Wade,” but I’ve gotten lazy on it. I do like Jack Wade a lot. I think he’s a really cool character, so I will eventually get back to work on it. I have no excuse now that I have so much free time on my hands. But, I’m not sure this whole police procedural idea is working. The question is, “Does this feel realistic enough?” I’m not a cop, nor do I have any law enforcement background, so sometimes I wonder if it’s enough to say I watch a lot of Law and Order. But, I do think it gives you a taste of my writing style, though i usually stick to sci-fi and romantic comedy. I’ve always like the film noir style.

Sadly, my next short story project has hit a snag. I have the introduction and prologue finished, but I’m sort of stuck on the first chapter. I’m just not sure about the structure and do I really want this to be too much like my real life story? Even if I add some creative license to the story and say it’s fiction, people will probably still think it’s totally based on my life. Who knows, maybe I’ll just set this project aside until I finish “Fallen Raven.”

So, I’m going to try to focus on my second novel again and probably “Wade” too. Don’t forget to visit the new web forum for this site!  http://scottdavidbrown.freeforums.org/

So my friends, I’ve decided to bring back my old video blog, except the old videos are gone.  I only had two anyway.  I’ve been thinking about this for a long time and I really did like YouTube when I first started using it a couple of years ago.  I’m amazed at how much attention I was able to get just within the first week I started video blogging.  I guess sometimes it’s more fun to see my silly face and hear my voice then to just read my posts.

As of right now I’m reduced to some low quality blogging because my old webcam doesn’t work with Vista.  I’d ask Bill Gates to buy me a new one, but somehow I don’t think he will.  For now, my cell phone will have to do.  I think the video quality is pretty satisfactory, however the sound quality is something left to be desired.  I suppose I could have tried just doing an audio blog but I don’t know of any site called “YouHear” or “YouTalk.”  Maybe someone should get on that?

Expect to see more video blogs in the future.  I hope you don’t mind me using my cell phone.  If you are going to complain about it, then you can spend the money on a new webcam for me.