Submit Your Old Books 'Into the Wild' - No, Not the Movie

Tonight I did something for my eternal soul. No, I didn't try to find old Jim Jones videos on YouTube.

I released a book of mine Into the Wild. What does that mean? Well, at BookCrossing.com you can take an old book you've read (or one you haven't, in my case) and write a web code on the inside cover...and just leave it somewhere.

Sounds like a hoot, eh? It actually is, if you take the time to sign-up and do it. Now, I'm not an early adopter of this system, called 'Bookhopping', but I'm the only person I know who's done it, so I have to brag a little bit.

For my book, I chose to release Jonathan Franzen's 'The Corrections.' What I did was, I typed in the ISBN and picked a place where I would leave it in my hometown of Athens, GA and tomorrow at 7 pm I'm just going to drop it off and hope for the best!

Doesn't sound like an instantly gratifying existence, but I think it's the sort of thing I'm looking for. Whoever happens to find this book can go to the BookCrossing web site and type in a few words about the book and its location and pass it along.

Karma awaits. I hope that it goes pretty far, but since I'm leaving it at a bar, I just hope that it doesn't end up in a urinal. Go to BookCrossing.com to learn more about BookHopping.

Hulu.Com - It's Almost a Palindrome

I just saw over at The Consumerist that Hulu.Com is up and running for the general public.

Watch NBC and Fox shows for free on the web! I assume that it's the attempt of '50 content providers, including FOX, NBC, MGM, Sony Pictures Television, Warner Bros., Lionsgate, and more to deliver premium programming across all genres and formats, television shows, feature films, and clips.'

Or, more succinctly, an attempt to cripple or even end the need to download on iTunes and to show the YouTube generation that studios aren't so goddamned craggy! For some reason, you can also watch movies (that you probably already own), like The Big Lebowski or Jonah: The Veggie Tales Movie (I know I do!).

Just to prove it, here's 'The DeBarted' from one of the most recent Simpsons episodes:

Britney Spears's HIMYM (Not what you're thinking)

Over at Defamer, you can see the first photo for Britney Spears's coming appearance on the CBS excellent sitcom, How I Met Your Mother. Apparently, her only scene occurs with Ted Mosby, Architect.

Coming Soon!

I have not really had oodles of time to spend on blogging over the last week-and-a-half or so, but suffice it to say that I'll have some more stuff to talk about in a few days! Thanks for being patient with my inability to sit at a computer for very long periods of time.

Absence Makes the Heart Grow More Fond

The world is an alluring place, and I have to say that I've fallen victim to it time and time again, which is why I haven't been able to blog as constantly as I would like.

That being said, here I am, to give you updates and highlights of the world of ME. Boy, blogs are a great place for the self-centered! Just kidding. Sort of.

I've officially applied to UGA's grad school for English Education, and right now (as we speak) I'm working on two items that I will have to turn in with my transcripts: A Statement of Purpose and a Resume.

After that, I'll just have to wait for the results. Like the results of a paternity test (which I swear I've never taken!), this could change the entire trajectory of the rest of my life.

Other than rocking the app, I've been revising the third novel, now entitled 'Alone in the City'. It's a much better title than 'The Marquis Man', but it might not withstand another edit. I'm still searching for a great title, and I've always been bad at naming things. My imaginary friend when I was a kid was name Guy. Hey Guy. Hey there. Talk to me?

So far, the editing process is going well. The book is completely different from the first draft, in that I've cut out a lot of the sort of humdrum sequences and replaced them with more poignant sections. Writing a novel is a cinch compared to editing one, I'm learning. The basic story is the same, but the things I've chosen to point out to the reader have changed.

I hope it turns out well. I've sent off a query letter to a publisher I really respect, a publisher, I might add, which had published Elmore Leonard in the past. I'm excited.

For those who don't know, a query letter is just a one page document letting a particular publisher know that you've written a book and want them to take a look at it. It's sort of a dutch oven for the publishing community, something that is not quite shit and is nonetheless unleashed on you out of a place you formerly thought was safe. Bye!