This business of making stuff up

It makes you think about how we have months named after Roman emperors and days named after out of date gods.  (Which is really cool actually, and if you abandon that, you're left with French Revolution-type names like "Fog," and "Heat," although apparently the Bulgarians, Romanians and other Eastern Europeans call their months that as well.) 

And the perfection of certain English words.

"Moonshine," for instance.  Perhaps only bettered by "hooch." Hooch.  (What in the world can I use...moon...stars...sun...oh, God, be original...
...
...
...maybe it'll come to me later.)

And to top it all off, you have to strive to make the stuff up, but you don't want to reader to think about it.

Salome is up at Jersey Devil

The July issue of Jersey Devil has my story "Salome" in it.  (Link on the sidebar).  I've had too much caffeine and right now my mind is like Natalie Wood jumping around and singing "I Feel Pretty" in "West Side Story."  But it can't last and maybe later I'll be able to settle down and get some work done.

Happy July 4th

In most places July 4th is midsummer.   Here in Las Vegas we think of it more as the end of the beginning of summer.  We'll get some rain and then it will be hot and then school will start and then it will still be hot.  Not suprisingly, New Year's is more of a traditional Las Vegas fireworks holiday than July 4th.  Also, as many places do, we live under the even-more-traditional illegal fireworks hypocrisy.  In my county, you can't buy or use anything but sparklers and noisemakers.  In the next county over, you can buy anything you like but you can't set it off.*  I only ever buy sparklers but I'm quite happy to sit in a lawn chair and watch the neighbors' illegal fireworks.

When I was a kid the local paper printed a facsimile of the Declaration of Independence every year on July 4th.  (I suppose they still do it, I just don't read a physical paper anymore.)  Anyway, here is my version.  Turner Classic Movies will be showing "1776" tomorrow around 5 pm my time.  I haven't seen the movie, but I saw a stage production of it at Williamstown, MA one year.  This is from the 1997 Broadway revival.  Enjoy, and have a happy 4th: