Written All Over Me

Well, it's over. My monthlong attempt to write a 50,000-word novel ended at midnight in failure, with my final tally hitting 36,523 words. Actually, I wouldn't consider it a failure at all because it got me motivated to write again. But now I plan to put it aside for awhile and then go back and look at how bad it is. Then I'll either edit it heavily or just start something else.

Welcome to December. We've got some seriously cold weather moving in here this weekend, capped off by some snow, or so sez the forecasters. I'm running with the Striders in the Mill Cities Relay tomorrow morning, when it's supposed to be in the teens out. Damn! Guess I'd better run fast.

Our new camcorder arrived the other day, but I haven't had a chance to play with it yet. Looks pretty cool, though. At some point, I may post some video clips.

Ever go years without a hearing a song you love and then hear it twice in the span of a few days? That happened to me with Led Zeppelin's "Achilles' Last Stand," a 10-minute epic on their underrated Presence album. A song that long isn't going to be played on the radio much; I have the vinyl version of that album but since my turntable isn't hooked up, I haven't listened to it in eons. So it was unusual that I heard it last Sunday on one of the local rock stations while driving to a holiday parade with the kids. And then last night, I was out for a few drinks with a bunch of people from work at a bar in Marblehead and I heard the song again; not sure if it was a satellite radio setup or an iPod or something more conventional, but it was among a collection of classic rock deep cuts (another good one I heard was Warren Zevon's "Lawyers, Guns and Money"). Anyhoo, the Zep tune is amazing: Check out this YouTube clip of them playing it at Knebworth in '79 on their last tour before Bonham died.

Dribs and drabs:

• A lot of celebrity deaths lately. Evel Knievel went to that big stunt ramp in the sky after dying yesterday at the age of 69. He had been in pretty rough health over the years, but it's really amazing he lived as long as he did. For you young'uns, check out his motorcycle jump over the fountain at Caesar's Palace in Vegas. Ouch.
• Another recent death was that of Quiet Riot lead yowler Kevin DuBrow, who was found dead at the age of 52 at his home last weekend. Quiet Riot dated back to the late '70s, when the lineup included guitar whiz Randy Rhoads, who went on to fame in Ozzy Osbourne's band and died in a tragic plane crash in 1982. A year later, Quiet Riot had a monster hit with "Cum On Feel the Noize," a cover of a Slade song that became one of the biggest videos on MTV. They also had a big hit with "Metal Health (Bang Your Head)." I liked them at the time, but grew out of them pretty quickly. DuBrow was pretty obnoxious, slagging off other bands in interviews, but he was a decent frontman. They tried to replicate the same formula on their next album, covering another Slade song, "Mama Weer All Crazee Now," but the song and the album both stiffed and QR soon disbanded before being revived by DuBrow years later. Ultimately, they became a punchline and an '80s relic. And I always cracked up at how he had way more hair in the last 10 years than in his heyday. Still, a sad end at a relatively young age for the guy.
• Another even more tragic death was that of Blue Jays pitcher Joe Kennedy, 28, who collapsed last Friday and died. Reports said the cause of death could have been an aneurysm or heart attack, but autopsy results aren't back yet.

Awright, time to get the kids dressed.