Because they don't have them at Publix

I was driving downtown and had to stop when I saw this at a convenience store. And where else but a convenience store to get the freshest, juiciest pig lips?

(I threw up in my mouth a little thinking about pig lips being juicy. Feh.)

Dang it, Al... quit taking my ideas!

I've been struggling the past couple of weeks over an essay on renewable energy I am trying to write. In a nutshell, I think the Birmingham metro region could make an opportunity out of the current energy crisis by becoming a leader in renewable energy use and technology.

Al Gore beat me to it.

I'm still going to write the article, but I highly recommend you read his speech.

He may be a policy wonk, but he has some good ideas. And we've got to do something, and soon.

And then there was a novel

And then there was a novel.

Or at least the first bit of one. And it's up, online, for anybody to read.

Can I get an amen?

I'm pleased with the results so far. It's a good looking site, it has good content, and I am hopeful of the reception Committed will receive. Only time will tell.

Jean and I spent most of the weekend tweaking arkirby.com even more, testing all the links, and getting Episode 1 ready for upload. A good time was had by all, and I can't thank Jean enough for all the work she has put in for this project. She's been my inspiration all along, and I could not have done any of this without her.

In any case, Episode 1 is up! Go read!

Keeps getting better

It just keeps getting better, I think.

Although there is a seemingly never-ending list of things to be done regarding the arkirby.com site (not to mention Committed), it just keeps getting better. We're tweaking bits and pieces here and there on an almost daily basis in an attempt to make the site visually exciting and incredibly user-friendly. And I think it's working.

But even the most attractive, easy-to-use site in the world is nothing without content. If there's nothing here for you to read, why bother visiting? So we're also working hard to make sure there is content that is interesting and fun. In addition to the Monday launch of Committed, I'll also be posting some new essays in the very near future. Likely something about animals. You write what you know.

So, this weekend will be big as we're finishing up details for Epiosode One, as well as doing some fine-tuning. It should be fun. Can't wait until Monday!

A week and counting

So here we are, one week to go from the launch of Committed. It's a heady time at arkirby.com!

We're just about set from this end. The copy is in the process of being editied, we're setting up the proper pages, and we're looking for some sort of benefit to give to the loyal readers who register for the site (perhaps a downloadable PDF of each chapter after it is posted?).

In any case, we've done a lot of work on the site, and there's more to come. I personally can't wait for the Committed launch. I hope you are as excited about this project as I am.

More to come!

Wow - It's really here!

Wow... I'm finding it hard to believe it's really July 1 already, and there's a website with my name on it that's actually available to the public.

What you are viewing is the result of almost two years' worth of planning and dreaming, as well as a couple of weeks' worth of blood, sweat and tears to make it actually look like something worthwhile on the web. Jean and I have been talking since August of '06 about the book I was going to write; we've been talking since January about how I was going to get it published. And arkirby.com is the result.

We are both very excited about what's about to happen on this site, as well as the site itself. Jean did a great job with the nuts and bolts of getting the site together, and I can't thank her enough for all the work she's done. Even though we've both put a lot into this, there's much more to do. July 14 is now less than two weeks away, and that means the official launch of Committed!

Read and enjoy!