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Charlotte Gainsbourg & Beck : Heaven can wait >>

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John & Jehn : Oh my love >>

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Dear Friends,
The world has a proud tradition of two-man bands, of which we are proud to be a part.  And as a two-man band, we Gentlemen are naturally fans of other two-man bands.  We would like to share some of our favorites with you.  Today we inaugurate our Great Two-Man Bands in History feature.  We hope you enjoy.

Great Two-Man Bands in History
Volume 1: Hall & Oates

These two need no introduction from the likes of us.  Suffice it to say that “Rich Girl” has been stuck in my head since November 2007.  The Councilman can confirm this.  And we do hope one day to emulate this album cover. Take a listen to genius here:  www.myspace.com/hallandoates.

Yours very truly,
Andy Bean (Oates) & The Councilman (Hall)
The Two Man Gentlemen Band

You’ve all been waiting for it (maybe) and finally it’s here, a sneak preview of the next book in the Duos series! What follows is a partial rough draft of one of the MANY stories you will find in Deux (pronounced day-ucks)

“Excuse me sir, would you like to buy a hot dog?”
No thanks.
“C’mon you look hungry.”
I’m sorry but I’m kind of in the middle of something.
“What is more important than keeping from starving?”
I’m running a marathon here.
“Oh really? No wonder you’re so hard to keep up with. Pushing this cart is not easy you know.”
I gotta say I’m impressed.
“So will you buy a hot dog then?”
No way.
“I have ketchup.”
All hot dog vendors have ketchup.
“Mustard?”
That too.
“Ah but do they have honey Dijon mustard?”
Not necessarily…
“How about spicy honey Dijon mustard?”
Well no, that is pretty unique.
“I have 17 different kinds of honey Dijon mustard.”
Well it only takes one, I’m not going to put them all on a single hot dog, that wouldn’t make any sense.
“Ah so you will buy one?”
You sold me on it big guy.

Need I say more? Download it now! Then download it again! Then email this link to your friends so they can download it too! What are you waiting for? Go download it now, read, and enjoy!

I’m on a roll, and you know what I haven’t done in a while? A Covers by Lovers post! That’s right, today’s post is dedicated to covers of none other than Simon and Garfunkel, an American classic duo who stays dear to everyone’s hearts. My favorite song by the duo is probably The Only Living Boy in New York, but they’ve got a number of other jewels as well, including today’s covers of Bridge Over Troubled Water, Mrs. Robinson, and Cecilia.

This first one is a cover of Mrs. Robinson, from the film The Graduate. Unfortunately I’ve only had the misfortune of watching this movie twice while very tired, which ended up with me yawning during the opening sequence and waking up during the end credits–don’t judge me, ’cause I’m gonna get around to watching the whole movie one day.

However, I still remember the song, and the first cover from a youtube duo named ShannonandNatalie has everything I love about the original: the folk overtones classically associated with Simon and Garfunkel and the harmonies in particular. The six-string along with electric bass provides a full sound that is hard to come by with a lot of acoustic covers. Additionally, I really enjoy the female voices in place of Simon’s and Garfunkels’. I don’t post a lot of female covers here, mostly because I think more guys post covers than girls, but their two voices have a really sweet sound that works well with the entire piece as a composition. Check it out here:

The next cover is also of Mrs. Robinson, from a duo under the name PomplamooseMusic. This cover is a more lively and modern take on the classic. I love the girl’s voice–it seems familiar, and I can’t pin down what artists exactly she sounds like, but I bet it’ll ring some bells in your head. The beat is taken up a bit and the guitar rhythm is skewed a bit from the original. What I love most about this piece is not only the additional instrumentation used–bells and a piano with hammers showing, for instance–but the multiple video tracks. It allows you to see the entire process of making a track and the work that went into creating this wonderful piece. This duo really loves music and you can tell they’re enjoying every bit of it! Here’s the vid:

The next cover is of the song Cecilia by youtubers LocalNativesBand, and what I really enjoyed about this version was the alternate instrumentation. They use everything from a tree to a chair, record it live outdoors, and have a great time doing so. On top of all that, they’ve got some great harmonies that sound really nice. I think it shows real creativity by the artists, and I hope you think the same. Check it out here:

Up next is my personal Simon and Garfunkel favorite, The Only Living Boy in New York. Trust me, I’ve tried for ages to find a great cover of this, and this is the only one I actually like. The others are good, but I like this one most because it branches out a little bit. The artist, okojim takes a lot of liberties with rhythm, and it makes it all the more fun. I also love the playful little riffs he does on his guitar. Watch here:

This next song also has a special place in my heart. It’s Bridge Over Troubled Water from their final studio album of the same name. I found a great cover of this song by Johnnie Cash and Fiona Apple on a post by our friend on the blogroll, Cover Lay Down. I like that version a lot, but I like these ones as well. The first cover comes from youtuber SmashSmay. I think he’s got a great voice which is accompanied by a rich and vibrant piano. The emotion in his singing is so full and it sounds Groban-esque at times. I hope you enjoy it as well:

This last one is my favorite. It’s another cover of Bridge Over Troubled Water from youtube user eeevee. I think it is very far removed from the original, and I think you’ll agree. It’s performed by what sounds like a live piano in the background with an electric guitar taking the lead. There are no no vocals, but only electricity flowing through this piece. There are many liberties taken, and you can tell the guitarist takes this classic hit and makes it his own. It reminds me of Lenny Kravitz’s rendition of the Star Spangled Banner on electric. It’s powerful and personal, but still faithful. Enjoy it here:

Now, it’s time to watch The Graduate. But first, check out the originals if you want:

Mrs. Robinson
Cecilia
The Only Living Boy in New York
Bridge Over Troubled Water

Ho acquistato di recente questo cellulare dual-sim dual-standby della Samsung, di cui vale la pena spendere due parole.

Il telefono è di importazione, garanzia UE, non commercializzato direttamente da Samsung Italia (per un discorso di brevetti).
La confezione da me acquistata (in un negozio Vodafone italiano) reca scritte in polacco (compreso il manuale, piuttosto scarno anche nella versione inglese scaricabile da qui), ma il software del telefono supporta fortunatamente la lingua italiana e ha il T9 in italiano.
Nella confezione troviamo la batteria al litio da 1000 mAh, l’auricolare stereo ed il caricabatterie modello ATADS10EBE con spina italiana. L’auricolare funge anche da antenna per la radio FM integrata. Il telefono può ospitare 2 sim, funzionanti contemporaneamente (dual-standby) ed è presente uno slot per schede microSD (fino ad un massimo di 8GB).

Il Samsung C5212 è un cellulare candybar GPRS EDGE Dual Band. non è UMTS e la versione da me provata non legge le usim h3g nemmeno in roaming su TIM (ho provato su entrambi gli slot SIM1 e SIM2). L’EDGE vale solo per la SIM1.

Uno dei pregi di questo telefono, che salta immediatamente agli occhi, è la dimensione del display TFT QCIF di ben 2.2 pollici. Tra le caratteristiche principali la radio FM (con possibilità di registrazione dell’audio), il bluetooth (con supporto auricolare, scambio file, stampa…), fotocamera da 1.3 Mp, lettore mp3 ed è inoltre dotato della utilissima modalità Offline che consente di scollegarsi dalle reti GSM senza spegnere il telefono. La memoria interna è di 50MB espandibile fino ad 8 GB tramite microSD.

Le rubriche di entrambe le sim vengono unificate in un’unica comoda rubrica. Per ogni chiamata in arrivo o sms ricevuto il telefono vi indica la sim interessata. E’ possibile assegnare un nome e un simbolo a ciascuna sim e scegliere quella predefinita.
Comodissimo il tasto laterale che consente di scegliere la SIM in uscita quando si manda un sms o si effettua una chiamata. E’ possibile disattivare momentaneamente la ricezione della sim secondaria, ma non di quella impostata come predefinita (volendo è possibile impostare come predefinita l’altra sim, ma questa operazione comporta il riavvio del telefono).
E’ possibile ricevere/effettuare chiamate su entrambe le sim contemporaneamente, avendo la possibilità di switchare tra una linea e l’altra in conversazione (sempre tramite il comodo tasto laterale).

Queste sono le lacune che ho riscontrato sinora:

- mancanza dell’utilissima funzione Mobile Tracker tipica dei cell Samsung (imho mancanza grave);
- impossibilità di inviare MMS dalla sim secondaria (mentre riceve gli mms su entrambe le sim);
- se si risponde ad un sms, il messaggio di risposta parte dalla sim attualmente selezionata in uscita e non da quella su cui si è ricevuto l’sms;
- se si tenta di richiamare una chiamata persa, la chiamata parte dalla sim attualmente selezionata e non da quella su cui la chiamata è stata ricevuta;
- il telefono non ricorda con quale sim abbiamo chiamato i vari numeri;
- in rubrica non si può memorizzare la sim predefinita in uscita per ciascun contatto;
- falsa indicazione della durata della batteria (le prime tacche scompaiono quasi subito, ma la batteria dura fino a 3 gg e l’ultima tacca dura parecchio il che rende difficile fare una stima sull’autonomia residua);
- il manuale è scarno (non esiste in italiano per il momento);
- su alcuni modelli è possibile che il telefono si blocchi in accensione sulla scritta “Inizializzazione SIM”: per risolvere questo problema dovete disattivare la richiesta di inserimento PIN sulla sim secondaria (oppure dovete essere molto veloci a digitarlo senza sbagliare);

Per quanto riguarda le configurazioni mms potete prendere spunto dal modello SHG-D880 (duos).

Maggiori dettagli gli trovate qui sul sito Samsung (in inglese).

Mel Gibson y Danny Glover

La página de Internet Manolith publicó lo que, a su juicio, han sido los mejores duos de la historia del cine. Y nótese que utilizan ese término, y no parejas, para que no se preste a dudas. No se habla aquí de parejas románticas, sino de equipos que han demostrado funcionar perfectamente de esta forma, o que han sido lo suficientemente disfuncionales como para ser entretenidos. Si bien de algunos no podemos discutir – como Paul Newman y Robert Redford – de otros podríamos objetar seriamente. Por otra parte, no está ahí el dueto por excelencia: Santo y Blue Demon.

Para ver la lista, sólo da click aquí.

PARA LOS AMANTES DE LA MÚSICA FRANCESA: JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU Y CONJUNTO GILLES BINCHOIS

por Eva Sandoval el 11 Feb 2009 | URL Permanente

Jean-Jacques Rousseau ha pasado a la historia como filósofo y escritor más que como músico, aunque en su juventud ejerció el oficio de copista y llegó a copiar más de 15.000 partituras. Como dicen los grandes maestros, la mejor forma de aprender los rudimentos de la música es copiando las obras maestras de los compositores anteriores. Eso nos da una pista de por qué las pocas obras que están grabadas de Rousseau y que conocemos son tan buenas.

Mañana jueves en Té para tres presentaremos la primera grabación mundial de Les consolations de ma vie, un conjunto de arias, romances y dúos que Rousseau compuso al final de su vida. La localización en una librería de Londres de la primera edición de esta colección puso en alerta a los responsables del Museo de la Ilustración y la Modernidad de Valencia (MuVIM) para que éste adquiriese para sus fondos bibliográficos el mencionado ejemplar. El vendedor publicitaba el libro como “Volumen in-quarto de 199 páginas de partituras de Rousseau grabadas sobre papel verjurado”. El ejemplar, decía el reclamo para la venta, se encontraba en muy buen estado. Y en efecto, así era. El MuVIM adquirió para su fondo histórico el ejemplar, un libro cuya edición fue posible gracias al apoyo de 388 suscriptores, entre los que se encontraba la mismísima María Antonieta, que se quedó para su uso con 10 ejemplares.

El conjunto Capella Saetabis dirigido por el también filósofo y músico Rodrigo Madrid se encargan de esta grabación que mañana presentaremos. Y siendo nuestro programa literario como es, o como intentamos que sea, hablaremos del Diccionario de música que Rousseau publicó en 1768 y que Akal reeditó en 2007.

Fuente:  http://blogs.rtve.es/teparatres/2009/2/11/para-amantes-la-musica-francesa-jean-jacques-rousseau-y

 En estos últimos meses, especialmente desde que empezamos nuestra blog paraparejasnosotros.wordpress.com, me he encontrado con una infinidad de consultas referentes a los problemas de pareja. Parece increíble lo difícil que se puede tornar una relación cuando no ponemos de nuestra parte para que esta funcione, estamos mas dispuestos a romperla que a luchar por ella. Será porque siempre escogemos la solución más fácil?, Será por temor?. Yo sinceramente creo que en la actualidad la razón es el facilismo, motivo por el cual optamos por romperla en vez de luchar por ella.

 Las parejas se separan siempre aduciendo algo, con esto no quiero decir que muchas veces hay una razón valedera para hacerlo, pero también en muchos  es una cuestión de facilismo.

 Creo que los problemas que mas aquejan a las parejas son:

• Comunicación
• Fidelidad
• Celos
• Aburrimiento
• Sexualidad
• Formas de vida

 Seguramente hay muchas mas pero me pasaría mucho tiempo describiéndolas, Así mismo las que yo he nombrado no tienen un orden definido, así que tratare de poner o exponerlo de la manera más clara.

• 

  Comunicaciòn

   Comunicación; Que significa comunicación, como la palabra lo dice lo más importante es comunicar, dejarle saber, decirle, contarle, lo que sentimos a la otra parte y esto a veces resulta muy difícil por muchos motivos. Personalidad, timidez, temor, etc. Pero si nosotros comprendemos que esto es un pilar importante entonces hay que aprovecharlo.

• Si hay algo que té molesta por más insignificante que parezca, díselo, porque sino lo haces, con el tiempo este problema va ha ser peor y seguramente afectara tu relación de una manera que no lograras comprender.

• Celos: Otro gran problema en la pareja. Con esto no quiero decir que no sintamos alguna pequeña dosis de ello porque también es algo natural, pero de ahí a sentir esos celos enfermizos eso es otra cosa. Muchos de nosotros somos celosos en exceso, y lo peor de todo es que ese sentimiento revela normalmente una falta seguridad en sí mismo(a), autoestima baja. Esas escenas de celos que llegan  al extremo de agredir, ya sea físicas o verbalmente, son una causa mas para la ruptura de la relación. Así que antes de actuar, piensa.

•  
  

  Aburrido(a)?

  Aburrimiento: Clave en el asunto, me aburro con solo mirarlo(a), no hay nada que me entretenga, no encuentro coincidencias con el(ella), prefiero salir solo(a), guau que problema?. Un motivo mas para que la relación se termine. He escuchado de muchos casos que mientras fueron enamorados, novios, todo fue de maravillas, pero una vez casados las cosas ya  no caminaron como al principio. Sexo ni pensarlo, ya no existe esa pasion inicial. Entonces que debemos hacer?. Difícil de decir, creo que lo mejor seria asistir a una terapia, si la comunicación entre ustedes no resulta.

• 

  Sexualidad

  Sexualidad:

  Tema central en la relación, la sexualidad es una parte importante de ella y como en muchos otros casos al comienzo todo es de maravillas y con el tiempo estos momentos se hacen cada vez más distantes. Porque este tema es tan complejo? a que se debe que muchas personas se quejen de que su pareja no piensa nunca en ellos cuando están haciendo el amor. Todo esta en la motivación, algo que nunca debe faltar. Siempre que busquemos nuevas formas, lugares, situaciones, haremos de nuestros encuentros sexuales siempre placenteros, Otro gran problema es la cantidad, cuanto es bueno, que es mejor cantidad o calidad, todas situaciones valederas que solo nosotros como pareja podemos resolver. Si a ti te gusta algo, decírselo no esta demás, esto siempre ayudara a que la relación sea más satisfactoria.

•  
  

  Diferentes

  Forma de vida:

  Recuerdo mucho algo que mi madre decía, uno siempre debe de tratar de mantener una relación con personas de su misma condición. Seguramente para muchos esto suena algo fuerte, pues tiene visos de discriminación, pero el tiempo me ha enseñado que ella tenia razón. Es algo muy importante que a veces por ignorancia o exceso de amor  no lo tomamos en cuenta. He visto en muchos casos parejas separarse precisamente por este simple motivo. Solo puedo tratar de mostráselo con un pequeño ejemplo: Invitas  a tu jefe con su esposa a una comida en tu casa. Llega él con  su esposa, de pronto la tuya aparece con un buzo un poco viejo, se sienta a conversar no percatándose de la situación o lo que es peor no entendiéndola, pues para ella, eso que a ti te parece un desatino, carece de importancia produciéndose como es lógico una disputa entre ambos. Ella de haber tenido una educación  similar hubiese estado vestida de acuerdo a la ocasión, proporcionando a la reunión el nivel que se merece.

 En cada uno de los casos las respuestas serán diferentes, pues se trata de seres humanos inteligentes, a los cuales diferentes problemas los aquejan de forma diferente. Lo más importante es trabajar para que nuestra relación sea una buena relación y nos lleve a sentirnos bien en compañía de la otra persona.

Para Parejas...Nosotros! Carlos Guerrero y Sara Sara

Размер телефона – 106х52.5х16.9 мм, вес – 120 грамм. Модель по эстетике, впечатлениям очень похожа на первый DUOS, Samsung D880. Массивный слайдер в одном цветовом решении, крышка аккумуляторного отсека из металла, она глянцевая, покрыта лаком. Аппарат отлично собран, механизм автоматической доводки приятен.

В аппарате применяется TFT-экран с разрешением 240х320 точек (диагональ 2.4 дюйма, 36х49 мм), он отображает до 262000 цветов. Картинка в помещении выглядит хорошо, она яркая и приятная. По качеству цветопередачи это один из лучших экранов на рынке. Большая диагональ делает шрифты крупными, хорошо читаемыми. На экране помещается до 10 строк текста и до 4 служебных строк. На солнце информация читается, но краски блекнут.

В памяти аппарата можно сохранить до 30 радиостанций, диапазон доступных частот – от 87.5 МГц до 108 МГц. Есть автоматическая настройка всех станций, но для отдельных каналов нельзя назначить свое имя, они всегда отображаются в виде частоты, цифр. Радио работает и в режиме громкой связи. Реализация радио нормальна, не все радиостанции аппарат принимает хорошо, но в целом все на нормальном уровне, сравнимо с телефонами других производителей. Радио работает в фоновом режиме. Можно записывать сигнал с радио, отключать его через предопределенный интервал времени.

Источник: http://www.mobile-review.com

Except in my case not an actual Audrina by name. 

But a partner-in-crime none-the-less.

Meet CC -

She has been the hair to my makeup of late and her work will now appear along with mine on the BEAUTYlicious page.

The empire is growing….. World domination is soon ours

ps…. if you like the natural beauty look above, i’ll of course take credit for the work… if you don’t, go read someone else’s blog

Welcome to your weekend! Even the pouring rain can’t dampen this girl’s spirit! Wohoo!

I came home from work STAR-ving (yeah, fruit doesn’t have a ton of protein!) so I paired up a fabulous duo for a snack: Grilled Cheese and Ketchup!

This was the meltiest, cheesiest grilled cheese ever! Actually, it wasn’t even grilled it was broiled! I topped a slice of WW toast with slices of provolone and muenster cheeses then popped it under the broiler until it was brown and bubbly!

Everything’s better with ketchup…that’s a fact, Jack! (Ben is shouting at me to give him credit for this, because I am indeed copying what he had for dinner last night!)

Now we’re off for another great duo – Beer and Blueberries! Yep – we’re off to our favorite restaurant, Granite City, to try the Blueberry Ale!

…featuring a subtle blueberry and fruity flavor, this unique brew is made with 100% real blueberries.”

Oh yum, oh yum. Do you like fruity beers? I must say – I think they are VERY tasty! Framboise Lambic anyone?

Have a SUPER evening!!

What follows is an interview that took place on May 21st, 2009. Ms. Cynthia Dropwater invited Erik to her countryside home to sit down and discuss his new book ‘Duos’ over a cup of hot cocoa.

Ms. Cynthia Dropwater: First, I want to thank you for obliging me by coming to my home to do this interview. But let’s get down to business. Why did you decide to write Duos?

Erik J Skinner: That’s a good question, Ms. Dropwater.

CD: Thank you, Erik. May I call you Erik? Please, call me Cynthia.

EJS: No, that’s alright. I had a pet bird named Cynthia and… It’s a tragic story. I’m sorry, it’s not your fault, I just need a second… (takes a sip of cocoa as he wipes away a tear) Feel free to call me Erik though. What was your question again?

CD: I’m sorry to hear about your loss. Please, take as long as you need. When you are ready, I think your fans would like to know what inspired you to write ‘Duos.’

EJS: Thank you… (blows nose into handkerchief) What inspired me to write ‘Duos,’ you say? Well, to be honest with you, I told a bunch of people I was going to write a book and I didn’t want to look like a jerk by not writing one after making such a big deal about doing it in the first place.

CD: Um… How can I put this delicately? Uh… You have a bit of uh… um… snot hanging out.

EJS: Ha ha, gotcha. It’s just a bit of rubber cement. I was lying about the bird thing earlier.

CD: So your bird Cynthia is alive and well?

EJS: I’ve never owned a bird… I just didn’t want to call you Cynthia. No offense.

CD: None taken, Mr. Skinner. Duos is mostly a mix of sci-fi and fantasy. What kind of preparation and research did you have to do?

EJS: I did a surprising amount of research, actually. By surprising, I mean that I would be doing research and then think to myself, ‘Why are you looking up what powers a leprechaun has?’ Then I would just end up making up my own rules for the fantasy world I have begun to create. I mean, leprechauns can’t really [SPOILER ALERT] turn people into piles of potatoes, as far as I know.

CD: You haven’t met the leprechauns I know.

EJS: (slurps loudly) Could I have another cup of cocoa?

CD: Speaking of leprechauns, I hear you are receiving a backlash from the LAA [Leprechaun Alliance Association] against your Duo “This Tall.” Do you care to comment? Of course. Would you like some marshmallows this time? I have them in mini.

EJS: Yes, marshmallows would be wonderful, thank you. Listen, I’m above the LAA, as far as I’m concerned. If they want to sling mud, let them. It will only get on my pants and shoes anyway.

CD: How many?

EJS: How many leprechauns? I don’t know, there’s gotta be something like two or three thousand…

CD: Sorry, I meant how many marshmallows.

EJS: Oh, right, of course. Can I see how big they… ah, I’ll have eleven. Thanks.

CD: No problem. Eleven it is. Duos defies conventional narrative and script structures. What caused you to rebel against traditional means of storytelling?

EJS: The main cause is that I suck at conventional narrative and script structures. Er, what I mean to say is that I wanted to do something unique and memorable, and when I stumbled across this crazy Duo structure I knew instantly that it was ‘my thing,’ so to speak. I’m sorry, eleven is way too many, could you take two of those marshmallows out?

CD: My apologies. Eleven does appear to fill the cup. While I dig out these marshmallows, why don’t you discuss your choice in cover art? It was a unique choice, and one that lead to this interview for Birds and Words magazine.

EJS: Oh for goodn- At least use a spoon, would you?

CD: My apologies. A spoon would work better. Gosh, you are clever

EJS: No worries, it happens to me all the time. So yes, the cover. Readers may note that [SPOILER ALERT] there are no actual birds in the book. There is an instance where a man is hypnotized into thinking he is a parrot, but I don’t think that counts. Also, the bird on the cover is a crane, not a parrot. So to answer your question, I chose to put a crane flying over the sun on the cover to symbolize the struggle each of us endure and overcome each day to survive in today’s fast-paced take-no-prisoners society.

CD: (hands Erik a fresh cup of cocoa) Duos is often seems satirical and absurdist in its humor. Did you intend on making Duos comedic?

EJS: Yes. (takes a sip of cocoa)

CD: Are you naturally witty or did you really have to try?

EJS: Just now? I didn’t really think “yes” was particularly witty… but yes, that was a natural witty remark. Didn’t have to try on that one.

CD: Oh, how I envy your cleverness… Seriously, which of the Duos is your favorite?

EJS: My favorite Duo is one where God gets trapped in a particle accelerator. Unfortunately, that one isn’t in the book.

CD: Does that mean we can look forward to a Duos II?

EJS: Indeed it does. In fact, you can consider this the official announcement that there will be a sequel to Duos. I won’t reveal the actual title yet, as I’d like there to be an air of mystery about the project.

CD: Did you cut any Duos from the book? If so, why?

EJS: There were several Duos that I had to set aside for this first book, mostly in the interest of how long I thought it would take me to write the book at the time. (takes a sip of cocoa) Had I known, I surely coul- (starts coughing)

At this point, Mr. Skinner choked on one of the nine marshmallows in his hot cocoa. I successfully performed the Heimlich maneuver but the ordeal left him too drained to answer any further questions of consequence. I’d like to thank Mr. Skinner for his time taken to interview for this article, and apologize for the esophagal hardship my marshmallows incurred

Cynthia Dropwater is a columnist for the countryside literature newsletter “Birds and Words” in which she reviews books with birds on the cover.

Buy Duos now in paperback form or as an e-book!

As I was writing, I decided that I would write a set number of stories. I had already written about a dozen duos at this point, and I realized that several fit into categories (for example, the three time travel stories went together). I decided I would write three duos per category. To help figure out these categories and the stories, I wrote each title (or brief premise) on an index card and put them in stacks of three by category…

Index Card Grid

For some reason I decided on 14 categories, 42 total duos. As I continued writing, I decided that was too many for this first book, so I cut it down to 12 categories (36 duos). Anyway, I would use the index cards again later, but as I wrote I made up a spreadsheet of all the categories and duo titles.

Spreadsheet of Duos

I later entered this into a google docs spreadsheet to keep track in a more colorful way… but I don’t have a picture of that, so we’ll just move on. Finally, when all the stories were complete I had the daunting task of figuring out what order the duos would go in. This is where the index card came back into the picture.

With 3 duos in each category, I knew I was going to split the book into thirds, each third containing one duo from each category. There were some categories that had to be in a specific order (time travel, jesus and afterlife) and others that had to come earlier or later in the book due to references to other stories. Aside from that, there were still about 15 more duos to put into place. For the most part I just shuffled them around, but I also tried to alternate as much as possible between the more ordinary and the more outrageous.

From there, it was time to start formatting the actual book. I used InDesign, which I had never used before… but I think I have a pretty good handle on it now. The standard smallest book size on lulu is 6×9, so I printed out a sample to see what it would look like size-wise.

6x9 Sample

6x9 2-Page Sample

Once the order was locked into place, I could really start to hammer out the actual form of the book. It went through a few tweaks here and there (especially with margins, I’m sure there’s an automated way to change everything, but… yeah, oh well) and I even did some rewrites specifically to make the form of the words on the page as appealing as their content.

The last step was the front and back covers, but that’s a story for another article.

Buy Duos now in paperback form or as an e-book!

So, I wanted to thank people for specific reasons, but to do so in the actual book was kind of ridiculous looking once I actually did it. So here are “detailed acknowledgments.” Also, this way I can also thank anyone who helps out after the book goes to print and so on. Anyway, here it goes.

Rene Youssef – Though I’ve only known Rene a short time, if there is anyone who is the cause of this book existing other than myself, it’s her. When I first wrote ‘Light Bulb’ she said I should make a whole book of those kind of stories. And look what happened. She’s been there almost every step of the way giving me feedback on even the smallest of details. I won’t even list the things she affected on the book, there are just too many. Thanks Rene.

Shelly Skinner – Also known as my mom, she went through and proofread everything. That helped a lot. Plus she will probably buy a copy, so that’s something I am grateful for as well. Thanks Mom.

Joshua Bonner –  Josh gave me a few notes on some of my stories as I was writing that helped a lot. Then came his critique of one of my drafts, 5 pages of notes. Great stuff that really helped focus some of the stories and add another layer of clarity to everything that needed it. He made a few line and story suggestions, some of which I used verbatim, some I used in my own sort of way, and others I didn’t use because they were terrible and didn’t work at all. Just kidding. He also caught a few formatting mistakes, but I would have caught those on my own, I swear… Thanks Josh.

Baine Barreda – Baine has provided feedback and encouragement throughout the whole process of writing the book. Mostly the encouragement part. Very encouraging. Thanks Baine.

Courtney Hanson – Courtney gave one of my drafts a good read through. She caught a mistake which I am grateful for. However, there were many mistakes that she missed. So what were ya doin’ kiddo? But seriously, her encouragement gave me even more fuel to get this book thing a happenin. Thanks Courtney.

Ashley Johnson – Ashley suggested that I should write a story about pirates. So I wrote ‘Cap’n.’ Then she suggested I should write a story with dogs. So I wrote ‘Lab Lab.’  Finally, I was looking for another fantasy premise to go along with pirates and she suggested leprechauns. So I wrote ‘This Tall.’ So really, if not for Ashley, 1/12th of this book may not have happened. Or rather, that 1/12th would have been about three other things and not what she suggested. Thanks Ashley.

Samantha Terry – Sam helped me come up with the name for the story originally called ‘Color.’ Lame, right? I liked her suggestion ‘Rough Light of the Lawless,’ but it was a bit misleading. I liked the ring of it, but it needed to be more over the top. So I added a bit more to it. ‘Marshall Quinn and the Rough Light of the Lamented Fallen.’ Now that’s a title. Thanks Sam.

As I said in the book itself, if I missed anyone, sorry, thank you as well!

Buy Duos now in paperback form or as an e-book!

Now available on scribd.com is Duos Trios: Heroes and Villain, an absolutely free* mini-e-book containing three (hence trio) Duos from ‘Duos.’ As you may have guessed, the three Duos in this outing are about superheroes and a supervillain. I suppose from the title, it could have been about historical stories of war, or medeval tales… but no, it’s comic book stuff. Not an actual comic book though. Just characters that could be in a comic book. A superhero comic book. Enough is enough, just go check it out already!

Then go buy the full book in paperback or in e-book form!

*as opposed to just regular free

Some of you may notice the art work throughout the book. I drew everything (all 3 drawings, holy cow!) and here’s how I did it…

First, I drew the picture on a piece of paper. Simple enough right?

Crane Sketch

From there, I took a picture with my iPhone and brought it first into photoshop. I cleaned up the image so that it was as high contrast as possible and then it was off to Illustrator. In Illustrator I used the Live Trace feature and tweaked the setting to get the best representation of my drawing as possible. Then I adjusted the shapes (deleting and tweaking anchor points mostly) to make things as clean as possible.

Live Traced

And from there it was ready to go into InDesign (or Photoshop again in the case of the cover) to beauty up the book a bit. Now you’re probably wondering “3 drawings?” Well, obviously the first is the crane flying over the sun that can be found on the front cover and first page of the book. I also used the sun by itself to make some of the book’s blank pages not quite so blank (hey, each page costs 2 cents per book, so why not throw some ink on em?) There are also the limes and the “text box” on the back cover. I drew these two on index cards:

Lime Sketch

Text Box Sketch

These went through the same process, more or less, as the crane. Some things were slightly different to get them where they needed to be in the end (duplicating, rotating coloring, filtering, etc.), but it was essentially the same basic stuff. (quick note: these are the actual photos that I pulled into photoshop and illustrator to do the live tracing)

And that is how I created the art for this book.

Buy Duos now in paperback form or as an e-book!

The title pretty much says it all… nonetheless, here goes some body text to this tom-bloggery (like tom-foolery, but for blogs).

The book is now only available in ebook form on scribd.com! You can purchase it for the same price it was on lulu ($2) and the same deal from the previous postaroni still applies as well!

Hello everyone, I’ve got some great news for anyone interested in my book, ‘Dous.’ Especially for people in Colorado.

First, I have dropped the price of the digital download to $2 bucks. That’s like two songs from itunes, but with a billion times as much reading. Maybe that’s a drawback for people who don’t like to read. Also, the ebook is now ONLY available ate scribd.com: Check it out!

Second, a special deal for anyone here in Colorado (or who I will be seeing over the summer on tour): if you buy a digital copy from scribd, I’ll give you up to 3 signed paperback copies in person for only $10 each. That’s about the same total price as buying just the paperback from lulu, but you won’t have to pay for shipping ($6 to ship one book? Ridiculous!) So just e-mail me (erik.j.skinner@gmail.com) with your scribd order number and the number of paperback copies you’d like!

So head over to scribd now and get yourself a digital copy of ‘Duos.’ Thanks!

Throughout the writing process, I’ve listened to only a handful of albums. Over and over. It’s not that they actually influenced my writing as far as message or anything goes, but they helped keep my brain focused on writing somehow. Here are the three albums I listened to…

Simplified - Reggie Watts

Sounds of the Universe - Depeche Mode

The Hazards of Love - The Decemberists

First there’s Simplified by Reggie Watts. I saw Reggie on Jimmy Fallon a few weeks ago and was blown away. I immediately went to his website and was hooked (I even left a comment about his performance on Fallon). I needed more, so I bought his album off of iTunes. I hardly ever do that. It’s mostly R&B, or something like that. All I know is it makes me slightly question things about myself. I’m not sure what that’s supposed to mean.

Then there’s Depeche Mode’s Sounds of the Universe. It gets me my electronic fix (the last set of albums I used for this were the works of Daft Punk). Only problem is that at times, I think there’s something wrong with my stereo or headphones before I realize it’s just part of the song. Not to say there is anything wrong with the albums, I’m just kinda stupid aurally sometimes.

Finally there is The Hazards of Love by the Decemberists. I was never really into the Decemberists (in fact, I don’t think I had ever listened to them before) but my buddy Ollie recommended the album to me, so I checked it out. What I like most about it is its similarity to Scenes From A Memory by Dream Theater (one of my favorite albums) as a concept. Basically the album is one story told by several songs with recurring themes throughout. Also cool about it, that doesn’t happen in Scenes From A Memory (at least not as overtly), is that different vocalists sing as different characters. Also the one track where children sing is both beautiful and haunting, to me anyway. Anyway, this album I probably listened to the most as it basically just chilled my brain out and let me focus on whatever I was writing.

I’ve listened to these albums at least 5 times each. Maybe more like 15 times. Between 5 and 15 times. I may have just fallen asleep to them as well, though. Anyway, all three are some great music and you should check them out on amazon or itunes.

Buy Duos now in paperback form or as an e-book!

Mother’s Day is now gone and past until next year, you missed out on buying her a copy of ‘Duos’ because it only came out like 3 days ago, but she doesn’t care, she’s hurt, sad, and disappointed that you didn’t get her the book she’s been wanting her entire life for. But don’t worry, at least you have a chance to redeem yourself with one of your parents this year.

Father’s Day is coming up soon (June 21st, for those who didn’t know. It’s ok, I didn’t know either until I looked it up for this post) so why not bring him the joy of laughter with a copy of Duos? “My dad isn’t big into reading,” you say? Tell him it’s the perfect book to keep next to the toilet. I’m not afraid to admit it, this book is great bathroom reading material.

Give Dad the gift of the century.

Come and support the new book in Facebook form!

It be a public group, so invite your friends of all shapes and sizes! Hell, invite your enemies too. And the people you don’t necessarily hate, but would rather not spend time with outside of work.

Facebook it up, folks!

And of course, don’t forget to buy a copy!

Yes siree, I’ve finished the book at last! Go and check it out now:

Check it out, brothah! (or sistah)

Now that the book is available I will be posting extra content (behind the scenes kinds of stuff) right here on the website. Stay tuned!

Hey, why not put an update here on the website? Click through to read more…

Last Monday I set a schedule for myself that put me on track to finish the book and have it up on lulu.com on May 22nd. Not necessarily to sell to the public yet, I would still have to order a proof copy and all that… Anyway, as of this morning I am 14 days ahead of that schedule (that’s almost two weeks!) which will puts me on track to ordering a proof before week’s end. That’s pretty exciting.

I have revised/rewritten/written, or whatever you may call it, 3 and a half drafts so far. Why a half draft? I counted this last pass as a point five draft because it was purely a formatting/typographical revision. There’s still a half draft to go, which is a creative pass. I don’t anticipate actually making any changes, but who knows. The last set of creative changes I made may not make as much sense as I think they do. I’m some sort of genius though*, so I’m sure it all works.

The next steps to take? I’m not sure. I think something about ordering a proof, registering for copyright, purchasing a distribution plan… Anyone want to help? No, I take that back, if you help I’ll be obligated to pay you upon the book’s success…

So that’s where the book is at right now. Fascinating, I’m sure. Stay tuned for more updates, and maybe a sneak peak at the cover or somethin’.

* Said jokingly.**

** Okay, half jokingly.***

*** I was completely serious.****

**** No, I was kidding, gotcha again! Ha ha. *****

***** But really, I’m a genius.