Oh yeah... uh... OK... bang...

The single most fascinating person in all history (outside of Jan Zizka, the blind guy who defeated the Pope's armies), to me, is a guy by the name of Nestor Makhno (no, no links, you go if you want). Makhno was a Ukrainian revolutionary who, during the Russian Revolution, fought against both the Bolsheviks (off and on) and the Royalists. He was a reader of a guy named Bakunin which made him, theoretically, a libertarian-anarchist. He wrote the book on infiltration tactics (wedding party doing a ceremonial march down the street, they get into their target location, rip off the wedding clothes & start shooting up the place), his army marched behind the traditional black flag of anarchism, he'd liberate towns from one side or the other and tell the people "okay, you figure out how you want to run yourselves" and go off, he didn't like the communists and had to escape when the Bolsheviks won, then ended up in Paris where he worked as a carpenter and stage-hand at the Paris Opera, at film-studios, and finally at a Renault factory. He died there in 1934. What's funny is the smear attempt by the Soviets even into the Cold War about his character. So to this day you have to take what people say about him with a grain of salt. he was supposed to be a drunk, an anti-semite (oh come on, one of his best friends was Emma Goldman for God's sake). Why no movie about this guy? Cripes that's a damn EPIC.

Hey you really get a pantheon of people nobody ever heard of around here huh? Nestor Makhno, Opal Whitely, Henry Darger, B. Traven. I should maybe call this the "most famous people you never heard of" blog. Or something.

Mrs RW is in Portland, Oregon - OH and am I jealous. I hear that's a great little town. She likes all the coffee shops she's seen so far because Mrs RW bleeds coffee if you stab her. In all my business travels I never got to Portland. Wah.

I've decided the tomatoes that are growing in the garden like WEEDS are going to go into about two dozen jars of marinara and spaghetti sauces and I'm going to can them all & put them on the shelf. You are jealous. I know, I know.

I should break the 20,000 word threshold any day now. But I've already gone back to kill whatever adverbs and adjectives that are getting in the way of all the good terse goin' on. This is a city story, after all. With skinheads and a beautiful waitress and guns. Anyway I really got a kick out of Elmore Leonard's famous "Ten Tips For Writers." Especially the part about the hoopdedoodle. But because of his rules I had to A. Change the opening. B. "Find" every use of the world "suddenly" and delete it (nyah-nyah, there were only 3 in the first 15,000 words), and C. Get rid of the hoopededoodle. I know a lot of writers hedge about cutting adverbs and adjectives, but just try it. Go put "ly" in your "find" and cut it every time it's a modifier and see if it doesn't read better. IT DOES.

I've long ago gotten over being so protective and egotistical about my work that I refuse to learn something or try something new. If you're an established author you can have a lame try now and then and still get another chance. When nobody knows you that first time at-bat has to be a hit. At least a double. Otherwise it's no-go. I have the swing. let's wait for that one pitch.

Next month the Yankees are in town and I'll be at one of those games. Last year I went to 2 of the 3 when they were in town and the White Sox won both by something like 35 to 6 or something. Replay!