There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something.

This post originally appeared over at the now-deceased Snobbery blog. Figured I’d repost here, as folks seemed to like it, back when it went up on January 20, 2014.

“I liked white better”*

Are you a Tolkien fan? You should check out Sweating to Mordor, then. It’s a lot of fun following Eric’s exercise adventure and the Fellowship’s journey. Eric dives into all kinds of detail in Tolkien’s creation and illustrates his topics with photos taken with antique cameras. It is several levels of cool.

Weekend Linkroll

It’s a sad weekend here in the U.S. as we all try to process the latest story of (to paraphrase Ms. DiFranco) some boy reaching for the available arsenal and sauntering off to make the news. Heartbreaking stuff. My sympathies go out to all involved.

The first two links concern the shooting. The rest don’t. Hopefully, those three will bring a smile to your faces. We all need a smile.

Guns do not kill people. They just make it easier to kill people.
Margaret and Helen discussing the topic. I disagree strongly that now is not the time to have this conversation. If not now, when?

Set a date and time to have a conversation about gun policy in the United States.
And, along those lines, a White House petition you can sign if you also think that it’s finally time to discuss gun policy in this country. And before you get all freaked out about me wanting to take all your guns away, understand that I own guns, I’ve had training in their use, and I know how to use them. I have no problem with responsible gun ownership. But I also have no problem with that ownership being regulated. I had to go through more trouble getting a driver’s license than I did acquiring guns. That’s just crazy. (If you disagree, fine. But if you want to troll me over this, don’t bother. Your comment will never see the light of day.)

A Bunch Of Sad, Insecure Dudes Attacked A Woman And Everyone Got What They Deserved
Anita Sarkeesian is my internet hero. She rocks hard.

Jim Hines’ Pose-Off with John Scalzi
It’s for charity and it’s awesome.

Jordan Hawk’s Link-O-Geek
This week, Fellowship of the Wraiths. Kind of adorable.

Hooker Headers and Thrush Pipes

Okay, so this post isn’t going to be about muscle cars, other than metaphorically. Sorry, car folk.

When I was in high school, getting a muscle car and fixing it up was something a lot of guys aspired to. Motorhead girls weren’t quite as common. But that’s not the point of today’s post. The point is that these hot-rod guys were fixing up their cars to go faster, sound louder, and catch people’s attention.

So, it is with hookers in stories. I just finished reading Stephen King’s Secret Windows last night, and one of my favorite essays was his conversation with his son, Joe, about writing good first lines for stories or novels (known as hookers in the trade), lines that grab the interest of the reader right off the bat. He listed a lot of his favorites, and that got me thinking about some of mine.