As some of you probably already know, I participated in this year's National Novel Writing Month challenge in November, in which you're supposed to finish 50,000 words of a novel in 30 days. Well, I finished my entire book in 27 days, ending up with 80,706 words! That makes two successful challenges in one year, since I completed the RPM challenge, back in February, as well. Woohoo for me! ;P

My novel is a Western, which is an unusual genre for me. I enjoyed writing it, though, and I think it came out well. It's now undergoing its second editing, and I'm tightening up the story as much as possible. I called it Three Ways From Sunday.

If you're curious, you can see my NaNoWriMo profile page, here:

Kai Starr's profile

The page has some neat things on it, including stuff about me, the names and ending totals of my writing buddies, and an excerpt from my novel. The challenge was a lot of fun, but boy, did it leave my brain sore, after all that writing!! (O.o)

I'm already almost halfway finished writing the sequel to that book, now, too. I'm calling it Deader Than Lester, though that title may change, depending on how the story turns out. I enjoyed the "writing-without-an-outline-and-on-the-fly" thing so much, that I'm using it for this story, too!

Anyway, for those who haven't yet seen it, here's the cover design I did for the possible (VERY limited-edition) ebook/Lulu-hardcover version of Three Ways From Sunday.



I may do the challenge, again, next year. It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed meeting some new friends, there. If you're already signed up with NaNoWriMo or will be doing so in 2008, please stop by my profile and add me to your buddies list! I loved keeping up with everyone's progress, and I'm very good at giving encouragement!

I think I've taken this test, before. I remember the cartoon. It's still correct, for me! (^-^)

Link: The Quick & Painless ENNEAGRAM Test written by felk on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Cool. I like being described this way, whether it's true or not. I don't even have blonde hair, but sometimes I wish I did. I do, however, shit gold bricks. So there. ;P

Link: The Song of Ice and Fire House Test written by Geeky_Stripper on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

And here's a no-name one snagged from a LJ friend:


1) What side of the heart do you draw first?
Left. Though it took me a minute to understand what this question was asking!

2) Can you dive without plugging your nose?
I do not dive. I can't swim and am aquaphobic. :P

3) What color is your razor?
Black, but I don't have to use it much.

4) What is your blood-type?
O Negative, iirc.

5) Who would you want to be tied to for 24 hours?
I couldn't stand being tied for 24 minutes, let alone, 24 hours. But if I must be tied and could be tied with someone else, it would have to be Kimi. I could endure anything, if she was with me. <3

6) What is a rumor someone has spread about you?
Just one? Hrm... One of the least harmful was that I banned someone from my forums whom I did not ban. Rumors about me are usually vicious, and are generally not true.

7) How do you feel about carrots?
Orange things don't excite me much, but I like to eat them.

8) How many chairs at the dining room table?
One, if you count the office chair that is sitting there right now.

9) Which is the best Spice Girl?
I'm sure I couldn't tell you.

10) Do you know what time it is?
Huh. Time is an illusion, a reference tool created by the human brain to provide it with a framework through which to view its surroundings and thus more easily understand its self-generated reality. ;P

11) Do you know all the words to the Fresh Prince Theme Song?
I don't know ANY of the words to that song.

12) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator?
Momentarily panic. Stifle panic. Try the alarm/phone that's in elevators for emergencies such as a claustrophobic little guy with a weak heart being stuck in the car. If nothing came of that, then I'd probably chew through the walls until I hit a floor, as I'm sure my short self could never make it to the hatch thingy in the top.

13) What's your favorite kind of gum?
I like bubblegum. The bigger a bubble it will make, the better!

14) What color are your underwear your wearing right now?
Black (I refuse to let myself correct that question's spelling and grammar. I might have to kill it. ;P )

15) Do you have a crush on anyone?
Oh, it's gone way beyond a mere crush. <3

16) Do you know how to use some words correctly, but not know the meaning?
I try not to use a word that I can't define.

17) Do you like to sleep?
A little too much! I'd sleep all the time, if I could. The dream world is far superior to the waking one, for me.

18) Do you know which US states don't use Daylight Savings Time?
Arizona, Hawaii, and at least a few of the territories stay on Standard time, year round.

19) Do you know the words to the song Total Eclipse of the Heart?
I know some of them, not all.

20) Do you want a bright yellow '06 mustang?
Yellow car?! YELLOW car?! YELLOW CAR?!? My senses are offended. A yellow vehicle should have Tonka stamped on it, somewhere. My Mustang must be black, black, black.

21) What's something you've always wanted?
Real eyelid creases. :P

22) Do you have hairy legs?
Kinda.

23) What does "Semper Fidelis" stand for?
"Always faithful," methinks.

24) Would you rather swim in the ocean or a lake?
I don't swim; I sink like a rock. So what you're asking is would I rather drown in the ocean or a lake. My answer is "Neither. Drowning sucks."

25) Do you wear a lot of black?
Yes, being that I am a freak, black is the shade I wear most often.

26) Describe your hair.
Long, straight, fine, silky, shiny black.

27) Do you have Entomophobia?
Not really. I dislike insects, but don't particularly fear them.

28) Are you an adult?
Most of the time, but I'd rather not have to be.

29) Where is/are your best friend(s)?
All over the place!

30) Do you have a tan?
Right now, no. I haven't been out much, this year.

31) Are you addicted to TV?
Before I got my present roomie, my ancient TV sat for weeks at a time without ever being turned on. So, no.

32) Do you enjoy spending time with your mother?
When she isn't abusing me, she can be very amusing.

33) Are you a sugar freak?
Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuugarrrrrrrrrrrr...

35) What sign are you?
Libra/Dragon/Danger!

36) Where do you wish you were right now?
With Kimi

37) Who did you copy this from?
Aric

38) How do you know them?
He's my buddy from the old webcomics days. (^-^)

39) Have you kissed anyone in the past week?
<3<3<3<3 <--that's my heart fluttering in response to the kiss-memory

40) What are your plans for the weekend?
Make room in our kitchen for my sister's discarded stove. Do lots of laundry. Talk lots with Kimi. Write. Make bbq steak and onion rings. Watch the birds and squirrels in the yard. Possibly make some music and/or record it, since Mr. Smokestoomuch has left the neighborhood. Maybe chase some frogs and geckos. Probably not much else.

Most of you probably know I'm the creative force behind Angels of the Sword, the band and webcomic. For those who don't yet know, well...now you do. ;P

Anyway, I posted this as a bulletin through this page and the Angels' MySpace page, and thought I'd echo it, here. My apologies to those of you who are on both friend lists and will see this, twice. Choose one to ignore, and don't smack me around too much, okay? (^-^)

New Songs on the Player at the Angels of the Sword MySpace page!

Got a need for some blues? Come hear some new songs-in-progress, and share what you think! No guitars in these yet, due to equipment problems, but plenty of keys and soul! Soul outweighs production value, eh? ;P

The first one is a rockin' blues number called "Pretty Please." Be prepared to have this song stuck in your head and shakin' your ass for a week. Afterward, slip on down into the darkness of the slow, jazzy N'awlins-style blues tune, "Let Me Go." Goes well with bourbon. Lots of it.

Come on down and get ya some blues! Guar-ahn-teed to please, or your money back!

Read the comic:

Well, thanks to my friend, Richard, for putting another idea into my head. This one was to think about signing up for the annual RPM musical challenge. The goal? Record an album--10 songs or 35 minutes of music--in 28 days. It's NaNoWriMo for musicians.

I'm actually succumbing to the challenge. Don't know if I can do it or not, but I'm going to try. I have 3 days to change my mind, anyway. ;P

Here's my RPM Challenge profile page. I get a blog, a gallery, and all kinds of goodies that I don't need but will probably use, anyway.

http://www.rpmchallenge.com/component/option,com_comprofiler/task,userProfile/user,926/Itemid,288/

I'm starting to get organized for it, though. I've compiled a list of 15 songs, from which I will choose 10 or 11 for my challenge album. I know I can play most of them well enough, but there are a few I really like that I'm not so sure I can do a good job with, so I needed plenty of songs on the list in case a few don't work out!

Here are the song titles I have, so far. I've included their type/genre in parentheses after the title. Some of the lyrics have been posted here or in my LiveJournal or on the comics site, and some haven't, but I don't expect anyone to remember the songs that have been posted, in any case. This list is mostly for me.

1. My Whole Life Is You (soft rock, love song)

2. You're In My Dreams (soft rock, love song)

3. Deep Blue (soft rock, creepy love song)

4. Stay 'Way From Me, Woman (blues, anti-love song)

5. Goin' Down On The Brazos (blues, anti-love song)

6. Never Look Back (soft rock, get-on-with-life song)

7. Come To Me (soft rock, love song)

8. April (instrumental, probably an interlude)

9. Diamond In The Rough (slow southern rock, needin'-love song)

10. Pretty Please (swinging blues, love/sex song)

11. Maybe Tomorrow (soft rock, hopeful song)

12. Among the Angels (soft rock, spiritual song)

13. Home By The Sea (folk, anti-war song)

14. I Want Your Stuff (swinging blues, love/sex song)

15. Shake My Shoes (rockabilly/blues, I'm-outta-here song)

As you can see, I have a whole lot of soft rock stuff in there, so I'm not sure how all the other stuff will fit with it. But we'll see, I guess. I could try just playing all of the ones I am sure I can play, one right after the other, and see how they sound in train. It might be interesting to intersperse the love songs with the anti-love songs, since there is no such thing as an "A" or "B" side to an album, any more. ;P

Anyway, I'm hoping I can get at least 10 useful recordings out of that list. I'm pretty well decided, too, that I'm going to use nothing but guitars and vocals, unless I absolutely have to have something else to make the song work. I want to keep them all as simple as possible.

Now all I have to do is choose a title for the album!!! (^o^) I may put up one or two of the finished songs on the Angels of the Sword MySpace page, if I like any of them well enough.

Damn. Somebody's fucking with my girlfriend, again. Why can't these assholes just leave her alone?! She never hurts or even bothers anyone. Not ANYONE! This pisses me off, to no end.

But they don't know what they're getting into, with her. She can not only stand up to them, but she can whip their asses like they've never been whipped, before. And I will be standing right there with her, though I'm absolutely certain she won't need any help. After all, the ones who do these things to her can't be anything but cowardly bullies. It's really easy to do crap to someone, when you're sitting in an little anonymous hole on the internet.

Try being an ADULT, for once, you cretin. Though, I'm pretty sure you'll fail at that, too. ;P

Wheeeee! Much fun with my Kimi, today! Though, I have to say, most of what we did was stay in bed. (~-^) So...I'm kinda stiff and achy tonight. In a good way, though! ;P

Anyway, while she was busy doing other little Kimi-type things, I thought I'd sit down and play around in Photoshop for a while. I ended up doing an album cover for Angels of the Sword, with an image that's been in my head for months, now. I had been putting off doing it, because I figured it would take a long time. And the finished art will take a long time. This little mockup, however, hardly took any time at all, and it looks a whole lot like I want the cover to look. I'll just have to re-do it, later, at a higher resolution, so it can be printed off and used for the CD cover.

The album, btw, is titled, "Transformation," the same title of one of the songs I've already written. That song and "Among the Angels" will definitely be on that album, but I'm not sure which others will. I kinda like the idea of keeping them within a "theme," so this one would be the more spiritual and oogly kinds of songs, and one will be more of a tribute to old blues and rock n' roll, that sort of thing.

Here's the cover layout:



I'm very pleased with how it turned out, and I hope the full-size version will come out even better.

Damn.

One thing I can't tolerate is cliquey "friends" who shit on me behind my back, and who haven't got the fucking guts to say the shit to my face so I can at least try to defend myself. That's no kind of friend, in my book. That's a petty, sniping child. I haven't got any children for a reason, and I don't want to have to deal with other people's overgrown ones. I've had more than enough shit in my life, as it is. I don't need new "friends" to add to it. If it bothers you that I'm saying this here instead of in a private message, FUCK YOU. Now you know how it feels. I could have done what you did and NAMED you. But I'm not that classy.

I really need to stop trusting people. Period. They always fuck me over, when I do. (O.o) No more trying to make "friends," here. This page is now for my existing friends and my fans. Unless you're a band/music-industry person or company, or a fan of my comics, don't request an add without messaging me and telling me why you want to be my friend. All others will be denied. I'm not going to try to be buddy-buddy with people who can't even be bothered to reply to my messages when I've gone out of my way to talk to them and compliment them and their work, or with people who take a piss on me when I'm not there to rebutt their shit.

Leave me alone. Leave my girlfriend alone. Go shit on somebody who fucking cares. I'm not going to take this shit any more from people who call themselves my "friends," and who claim they "care" about me. That is not the action of a friend, and certainly not the action of someone who cares. If you can't understand that, I don't need you in my life, anyway.

Well, I've messed things up, yet, again. I should just learn to listen to my lady, and not try to talk her into things she doesn't really want to do. It always turns out badly, and then I have to feel like a heel for being a naive idiot who expects everyone to love the people I love and understand them the way I do.

She's usually always right, but she never insists on having the last word or on being right...and especially not if that means twisting facts so she gets to be the winner. My last girlfriend did things like that, going so far as to lie and try to rewrite history so that she came out spotless and anyone who challenged her was the villain, regardless of any amount of proof of her error. She was unable to let anyone have the last word, either. That made it impossible to even try to get through to her. Her way was the only way, and there was just no point in trying to show her the error of her ways. You'd just get flayed for it. She would say things like "Don't even bother to argue, because I know you'll just be an ass about it, and you're still wrong, anyway." Of course, if I didn't argue, she automatically won. Either way, I was just shafted. (O.o) As bad as this sounds, I'm glad that relationship is over. I don't think I could have stood much more of it. I can put up with a lot of things, but being constantly stabbed through the heart isn't one of them. (O.o)

I'm eternally grateful that my current love is not like that. I've been through so many horrible relationships, always hoping for one like this. I kick myself every time I think about how much time I wasted with those other women, when I should have been a total bastard and stolen Kimi away from the boyfriends she always had when I was single. Even when we were just friends, she stood by me through everything. Even when I was a pathetic drunk and drug addict, she stuck by me, when literally everyone else abandoned me. When I was too hard for them to take, she was there. She's not at the top of my heroes list for nothing. I literally do owe her my life. Other women have given me lip service instead of love. Kimi is there, right there whenever I need her, no matter the cost or inconvenience or difficulty. She stands by me through everything, and I'll stand by her in that same way.

But I'm an idiot. Now, what happens but I pressure her into doing something that I think will be fun and good for her, and it turns into a bloody fiasco almost immediately. I screwed up, big time, and I wouldn't blame her if she kicked my ass for a solid month. But...she won't. At the very least, she's well within her rights to say, "Kai, I tried to tell you, but you wouldn't listen to me." She is perfectly justified in saying that, now, but she hasn't. And she won't. That doesn't stop me from knowing I was wrong, and I have the balls to admit it. It also doesn't stop me from feeling bad that no one is willing to give her a chance, the way they give me one. Is it because she's so beautiful? Is it because she's tough and smart? Is it just that she's a woman? Is it some weird combination of those things? Whatever it is, it pains me that it happens to her. Worst of all, this time, it was my fault. I know she forgives me for it, but I can't help feeling horrible about the whole thing, because it wouldn't have happened if not for me.

So...well, I guess all I can do is promise to not do it again, and try not to be such a wide-eyed puppy about everything, trusting people without question. I'll sit here and be quiet, and try not to cause any more trouble. (O.o)

I like this one a lot. Must get it recorded for her, asap!

"Pretty Please"
by Kai Starr (aka: Kaichi Satake)

I'm goin' down baby, goin' down, down on my knees
I'm gonna beg ya pretty baby, gonna beg ya pretty please
All I want is your good lovin', your sweet love is all I need

Well, come on, pretty mama, come sit right here by my side
'Cause I got some things to tell you, 'bout how I'm feelin' deep inside
I wanna take your hand, sweet woman, and lead you on a crazy ride

Now don't you read me wrong, sweet baby, just try, try to understand
Just hear me out, sweet darlin', before you go and start gettin' mad
I just want you to be my woman, and I wanna be your lovin' man

I'm goin' down baby, goin' down, down on my knees
I'm gonna beg ya pretty baby, gonna beg ya pretty please
All I want is your good lovin', your sweet love is all I need

Oh take my hand, little darlin, lead me upstairs to your room
We're gonna hang new stars up in heaven, put a new man in the moon
We're gonna rock the house, hot mama, 'til the walls go BOOM BOOM BOOM!

But I ain't just playin', baby, I ain't just hitchin' me a ride
I wanna stick around like honey, baby, I ain't just passin' by
I'm gonna be your man, sweet woman, be your man 'til the day I die.

I'm goin' down baby, goin' down, down on my knees
I'm gonna beg ya pretty baby, gonna beg ya pretty please
All I want is your good lovin', your sweet love is all I need

©2006 Kaichi Satake