Jamie Wakefield

I finished the last of the Twilight books and was pleased that I had read them. While not stunning works of fiction, I do have to say they held my attention and I read them every free chance I had. I think one of the reasons I liked them so much was because it was more than a Buffy clone but more like reading Vampires/Werewolves/ and Superheroes. Especially the last book of the series. The final showdown was like Legion of Super-Heroes VS Legion of Super-Villains. With horse sized wolves thrown in for good measure. That sounds cool just typing it. Now I have the intern (Diana) addicted as well. Unlike Wendy and I, she actually loved the first book. I consider the first book something you have to suffer through (like braces) in order to get the set-up for the next three books which I thought well worth it. She’s on book three already. As for my writing, I continue to send out query letters to agents. Last week I got my first hit with an agent asking to see a partial. If she likes the pa...

So on Facebook the other day, a friend asked “Should I get an iPhone? Can people who have one weigh in on how much they like it?" And one person responded with something along the lines of “The iPhone is for kids and lemmings! Get a (insert other phone here) which does all the things an iPhone does and more!” To which I reply – poppycock. I have never been in love with phones. I didn’t even get a mobile phone until 2006 and lost it within six months. I never utilized its full functionality and never tried. I never texted anyone because using a 12 button keypad for 26 letters and 10 numbers was just beyond me. I hated it. Why the iPhone is the greatest invention since the personal computer. We’ll start small and move to the amazing. 1. Texting is so easy I use it all the time. I have a full keyboard and have no problem figuring out how to use it. 2. It syncs with my contacts and calendar in Outlook so I always have all my phone numbers, addresses and appointments with me. It’s like...

Just so people are clear, I am fully onboard with everything having to do with saving wildlife, keeping the environment clean and moving to renewable energy. I find wind, tidal, solar and nuclear power all fascinating and the sooner we get off burning oil and coal the better. I also love "Time" Magazine. I read most of the articles in it when it comes every week and I think if anyone wants to appear smart, all they need to do is read "Time" cover to cover every week. You'll have a full grasp of social issues, trends, politics, wars, starvation, emerging nations - you name it. All you need to know about the world is in there. I love it. Just to make that perfectly clear. What I hate is fear mongering. The latest issue of "Time" magazine has a cover that states "Vanishing Act: How Climate Change is causing a new age of extinction." The main focus of the piece is on Madagascar and its unique ecology, that like Australia and the Galapagos Islands...

I only have randomness for you this week. Chuck Liddell lost this weekend at UFC 97 and I think his time is done. He never learned to ground and pound. He never learned Jiu Jitsu, he stopped using leg kicks. He relied on his speed and the barrels of TNT at the end of his arms to knock people out with brutal efficiency for years, becoming an MMA Legend. So why is he done now? Performity of MMAJunkie explains it best and opened my eyes to why Chuck has lost four of his last five fights. http://mmajunkie.com/news/14604/performifys-picks-for-ufc-97-silva-vs-leites.mma “Counter-punchers traditionally have a very steep fall off at the end of their careers. They build their primary fighting style on the fact that their speed and power enable them to punish opponents at every opening. When their hand speed reduces to the point that they can no longer effectively counter, they cannot usually shift their lifelong striking philosophy to become a lead puncher. When their power reduces to the poin...

Was able to eat a substantial dinner last night and was ravenous. Twelve escargot, tons of bread dipped in the sauce, pate on toast, a huge plate of fries, etc. In other news, I am reading "New Moon" the second book after "Twilight" and the writing is much better. I'm actually a little interested now. Today is recover from our trip to Paris, catch up on news, email, stolen TV episodes and maybe, if I'm really ambitious, a shower. This week and next I plan on contacting a doctor about having a battery of tests done. Thank you all for the support.

About five years ago I watched "Hero" and thought "hmph. Whatever." It did not move me. I didn't get the point. My friend Michele was stunned by my reaction. I was on ten milligrams of Lexipro at the time and it controlled my panic attacks. It also dulled all of my emotions. This is going to ramble a bit...(a lot) but bear with me, there is a point... I think. Weeks ago. I have just given a sigh of relief, watching TV on the couch with Wendy. Wendy turns to me "You look content." "I feel normal. And it is wonderful." I know what normal is. I used to feel it all the time before my massive brain altering panic attack about five years ago. Then I was put on medication, which saved me. It was great. Miracle drug. But with side effects. Like ballooning up 40 lbs and no longer enjoying anything beyond a superficial emotion. I rewatched "Hero" recently and cried. I've cried a lot this week and I'm not sad. I'm glad. Movies move...

A friend asked me in an email a few minutes ago if I had read Stephen King's "On Writing." Which reminded me of what I meant to post earlier. (Heart still going 120 beats a minute sitting still. Oddly, the only thing I feel like doing is posting here.) I know that some people get rejected 200 times before getting a three book deal and sucess. I don't mind the rejections...wait, that's not true... I think I mean, I accept the rejections and they don't surprise me. It comes with the territory. I loved "On Writing" when his wife pulls his manuscript out of the trash and he submits it (Carrie) and gets a two hundred thousand dollar contract. Two Hundred Thousand Dollars. I won't print his name here but,since I'm such a free-writer these days, I have to let out this stream of thought. Honestly, I would like to vomit my entire brain onto this website. Do you know what makes a writer? Someone who HAS to write. Right now, I cannot write enough. Conti...

I wrote something about my mental state on a very private board in a very private place and I think it came out well. Someone responded with this. "Really, you need to read tropic of cancer and any Hemmingway book from life in Europe late 20s early 30s.... you sound just like all those authors. http://books.google.com/books?id=xXq99F ... er#PPA1,M1 Just read the first paragraph" Was I just compared to Hemmingway and Henry Miller? Are you kidding me? Holy cow did I need that this week. I will soldier on! What do I mean by that? This. Dear Jamie Wakefield, It is with kind thanks that we respond to your submission to The ... Literary Agency. We apologize for the delay in our response, and we thank you for your patience. Please be assured that we have carefully considered your project. Unfortunately, we don't feel the manuscript is right for us at this time. Because we receive more than two hundred submissions per week, it is necessary to be extremely selective on a very sub...

I don't know why, but man-made Global Warming is like a religion to people and I imagine that if I post this I will recieve Jihad like death threats. People just get so pissed when you try to present them with alternative data. I don't understand it. This is a letter I sent to Time magazine they declined to print. As a news magazine, do you ever feel the need to examine the other side of Global Warming? There are some very reputable scientists that disagree with the political organization known as the IPCC. How about questioning why the IPCC blatantly uses unqualified environment activists instead of experts like Paul Reiter in the field they want studied? How about examining Al Gore’s scary chart that actually shows a completely different conclusion than the one he presents the audience? How about examining the actual percentage of greenhouse gases humans cause to go into the air and contrast them to the percentages of wildfires, volcanoes and cows? You do a disservice to you...

So much pain. Nothing hurts like going crazy. I'm starting to think it's not psychological but physical. Big thanks to Wendy who has been the absolute perfect girlfriend for going on five days now, saying all the right things, feeding me small bits of food and not judgeing me for my weakness and failures. I don't know how she does it. I slept for 66 hours in a row this week and ate one egg and half a piece of toast. Something is wrong with my brain and I hate it. So, I was able to stay awake for all of two hours yesterday and watched "Lie to me" and "Dollhouse." Both of them were the best episodes of the season. I didn't think it was possible for anything to exceed the best episodes of Buffy, Angel or Firefly, but they did. Lie to me was stunning. Dollhouse explored a whole other dimension I didn't think was possible in the framework of the show. It was...fascinating. Of course, I am still bat shit fucking crazy so maybe that's influencing my...