January 2010
7 posts
[Rabbit Hole Day] Further Disappointments →
Gentle Readers, I ask you: what is it with me and the 27th of January? You’d think my cognitive biases would have picked a different day to fixate on as my special “rotten day”. I’m really sorry I…
The Day-to-Day →
This keeps coming up of late, so I felt like I should blog about it. It is this logic which supports 50% of the the Internet. When meeting new people, or when people discover for the first time what…
In Response to This Recording: The Seminal Works... →
So, I write speculative fiction. That shouldn’t be a shock to anyone here. This also means I read speculative fiction, among a greater many other things. Again, not a shock. What might shock you…
The Power of the Blank →
Old writing wisdom (read: the Internet) holds that one of the most fearsome things a writer faces is the blank page. This is, supposedly, why one of the most tired little chestnuts a new writer can…
Review: Ink →
And now for happier topics: See Ink. No, seriously. You should. It’s likely this is the first you’re hearing of it, and it’s very unlikely you recognize any of the names involved in its…
That's It →
I’m done with you, Republican talking heads. For those not in the know, I apologize for ruining your morning, but apparently Rudy Giuliani, Mary Matalin, and a few other right-leaning chin-waggers…
Not Providence: A Metaphysical Pit Stop →
Hey everybody. So, first of all, the usual Tuesday announcement: Part 22 is up, and Book Two has come to its somewhat troubled conclusion. Now, the second part: Not Providence is going on…
December 2009
18 posts
Here Come the Countdown →
Alright, it’s done. Provided all goes well, I will be spending tonight in the company of friends (and, just maybe, family); and, together, we will be celebrating the end of 2009 and the beginning of…
Not Providence: Before 2009 Self-Destructs →
Part 21 is alive and kicking. From now on, Randall will be known as “The Negotiator”. Okay, not really. Enjoy the update, folks; the peacekeepers of Book Two will see you one more time in the New…
Review: Sherlock Holmes →
Short version: A well-crafted and visually enthralling reinterpretation of the Holmes mythos, with a high degree of attention and faithfulness to same; worth a watch for anyone who is willing to take…
Review: Christmas →
Christmas this year was nearly flawless. I won’t get into an itemized list of loot—I’m at least five years older than finding that awesome—but I will say that the gifts for all of us were very…
Christmastime, Pretty Baby →
I think my writing work is taking a nap for the holidays. That’s right; today is the last day of the grind, and then after a night with a houseguest it’s off to the Great Green North of Mendocino…
Not Providence: The Opposite of Holiday Cheer →
Time to open your present, Gentle Readers! …Oh, thanks for trying to save the wrapping paper, I really appreciate it… …nah, it’s okay… There you go! Aren’t you excited?! It’s Part…
“Myths, whether in written or visual form, serve a vital role of asking...”
– Michael Shermer (via lastchatwithphontaine) (via rememo) (via libraryland) (via nerdgasms) (via chrysilla)
My Perfect Day →
(Posted from my Formspring.me site; this one seemed worth sharing.) What would your perfect day look like? I would wake up early, 8 or 9, in a warm bed, with an overcast day outside. I’d…
The Christmas Spirit →
I’ve been having a lot of trouble this year with getting into Christmas. This is weird for me; Christmas is usually my favorite time of the year. Everyone’s merry and happy, families are together,…
Not Providence: Uploadageddon →
Alright, my assorted barnyard animals… It is done. Since real-life troubles and circuitous legalese have prevented me from having sale-ready, collated copies of Not Providence Book One ready for…
Not Providence: Pardon Our Nonexistent Dust →
Point the first: Part Nineteen is alive and kicking. Who pieced that together? Point the second: Things are going to look weird around tyler-hayes.com for the next few days. I’m doing some site…
A Subjective Smackdown from One of the Greatest →
I was sitting here in my little cave, fuming at my lack of success (you know, unlike every other asshole who ever tried to write a novel), and I found myself flashing back to my time in the retail…
The Trouble with Stopping →
Sometimes, it’s hard to make oneself stop editing. A manuscript can spring from you, full-formed and with all its sentences in order; but inevitably, when reading it over a second time, one finds…
Not Providence: 'Sup →
Part Eighteen is up, and I am too sick to really say anything more about it. I had fun writing it; you have fun reading it; let’s all have fun together, or possibly go out to the lobby. Part…
Bawdy Storytelling →
So, first of all: Not Providence will go up tomorrow, though perhaps not at the usual time; I didn’t get a chance on my lunch break to get the edited update converted for Web viewing, and may not…
Not Providence: Restate My Assumptions →
There are approximately five reasons I am willing to miss a Not Providence update (assuming I don’t individuate all the different reasons I or a loved one could be having a medical emergency). One…
A Research Request →
Dear Intertronic Communicator, A writer (that’s me) is beginning a Research Phase and is requesting Real Stories of True Horror. To wit: I am seeking information on gunshot wounds—actual gunshot…
Not Providence Once More →
Part Seventeen is up, on time and actually readable. Enjoy it; there may never be a Book Two, Part Seventeen quite like it.
November 2009
11 posts
An Artist's Lunch →
I’ve been thinking a lot lately* about the curious alchemy that goes into my writing. Not necessarily all my writing, but all my really good** writing: that weird mix of inspiration, time, timing,…
Not Providence over Breakfast →
Good morning, my fanatics. Part 16 is up, and it looks like somebody’s eyes are glued to their navel. As for me, work has already technically started, I haven’t finished breakfast, and I just got…
More from the Unfit for Society Files →
Those of you me know I am impressively hirsute; thus, it should not surprise you that my stubble regenerates at an alarming rate. I’m sunglasses and a track suit away from playing Russian Hitman #2…
The Longest Year →
This past weekend, I played host. To celebrate and “break in” my new apartment (how the birthday party didn’t count I am not sure, but I guess this completes the ritual), three of my closest friends…
Not Providence: Now with More Adjectives →
Part 15 is up. Yes, their Stroganoff really is excellent. I have again been in a dry spell for blogging lately, but was recently slapped with something I need to reflect on; so you’ll be seeing a…
Not Providence is Here, but My Wit Isn't. →
Part Fourteen is up and running, in which our hero has dinner. I apologize for being slightly late—everything was running five minutes behind today, my updates included. That’s all I have for…
Proof of Concept for My NaNoWriMo Hate →
Two years ago, I finished NaNoWriMo; a little under two years ago I determined after months of writers’ block and total lack of skill that I would never do NaNoWriMo again. NaNoWriMo is about writing crap, people; it’s about having fun writing terrible, purple, overwrought, cringe-inducing prose. What you write in November is 99% certain to not be a novel, and I would like to present...
Reviews: Where the Wild Things Are; Me and You and... →
Actually reviewing these movies cannot do them justice. Both of them are bizarre and heart-rending and quirky and sweet and painful, and display a mastery of directing emotion and just plain showing…
More from TED →
This one goes out to my little sphere of people who always hear from me on Yahoo and Gmail; did you know we were hacking society?
Not Providence... →
…is up. For those who don’t remember, Randall and company are in Fort Bragg, California, searching for a peacekeeper who has gone missing. Their efforts on this front have been stymied, however,…
It's Happening →
The weekend was a weekend of pleasant interruptions, spurred by friends visiting from out of town and a Halloween party to which I wore one of my lamer costumes (I don’t care who you are, coming as…
October 2009
5 posts
Miscellany →
(Because there were too many of these to just spam you with them on Twitter.) Something about this winter has me flashing back to Christmas season ‘06, and the events in my life are mirroring it a…
Your Daily Genius →
As a nerd and a budding transhumanist, I always find the stuff on TED fascinating to watch. These people are talking about the future, sometimes in very immediate ways, and watching these guys I…
Dungeons & Dragons Soda Collection →
D&D-themed soda flavors. This after the D&D line of t-shirts and the D&D footwear. Are we suddenly trendy again?
(Also, I need to taste “Bigby’s Crushing Thirst Destroyer”.)
No, I Haven't Forgotten →
If all goes according to plan, this will be the last in this recent glut of skip weeks for Not Providence. The moving is down to unpacking a box here, a box there, with the floor space mostly open…
One Last Gasp →
A news site* recently called GeoCities a “vintage Web hosting site”. How can things that happened when I was old enough to think erections were hilarious be “vintage”? The Internet has clearly…