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Life Update: Still in it

kerouac

Still around, still cranking out issues for CL, still having a blast with the wife and trying my best to do right by the pooches and the tripod cat. Working on another secret project which may or may not ever see the light of day. In the meantime, I did some copywriting work for a friend regarding a business idea I think might have legs; we’ll just have to see how that one shakes out.

On Sunday, Rebecca and I did a ten-mile bike ride around St. Pete with about 100 other folks (imagine how the local motorists felt about that one) touring spots relevant to the late Beat author Jack Kerouac. I’ve never been a big fan of Kerouac’s, but I’ve always been a big fan of great weather, nice people, and “fitness exercises” that begin and end at a bar, so there you go. We had a great time. You can read a bit more here (yes, there’s a goddam typo in the original headline).

Why, Hello There

scott harrell

I’m Scott, from St. Pete, Florida. Welcome to my blog.

I write cultural criticism, fiction, copy and other crap.

I’m a regular contributor to the Tampa Bay edition of venerable alternative weekly newspaper Creative Loafing and Pinellas County A&E website ARTICULATE.

Wrote some horror fiction under the pseudonym Ravis Harnell, and I’m currently working on a Florida crime novel.

Here is my Google+ page (yes, I love Google+). It’s mostly for links.

Here is my Twitter account, where I am probably most active in the social media sense.

Here is my Tumblr account–it’s basically just a mess of stuff other people have posted, along with the occasional sociopolitical mini-rant.

I can be reached at thedirtytrickscampaign (at) gmail (dot) com.

Real-Life Goblin Beheading Goes Terribly Wrong in Zimbabwe

Five people were reportedly killed in a mysterious explosion in Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe last week. According to some, however, the explosion was not mysterious at all–it occurred exactly at the time a local traditional healer beheaded a “money-spinning goblin” brought to the region by a businessman who hoped to increase his company’s fortunes.

Here is the story, on, like, a real website and everything. For me the two most interesting parts of the story are that A) It costs $15,000 to rid oneself of a money-spinning goblin; and B) during the three days before the explosion, as the local healers discussed and prepared themselves for dealing with the goblin, “Mr. Kamuyedza kept the goblin at home, and only brought it to Sekuru Shumba’s lodgings for destruction on the fourth day.”

So there was a goblin just, like, hanging around for three days. A real, physical entity? What the hell did it look like? Why are there no photos of THE GOBLIN THAT HUNG AROUND THE HOUSE FOR THREE DAYS?!

(Image by Tom Ray, used in accordance with Creative Commons licensing)

Debriefing: New Orleans

Rebecca’s birthday was just after Christmas, and she had never been to New Orleans. So, in Awesome Husband Fashion, I whisked her away to the Big Easy for a quick two-and-a-half day post-New Year’s trip, when things were slow at the restaurant where she works.

I’ve been to NOLA several times over the years to see and play shows, but I’d never really had a lot of time to wander around, see the sights, eat the food, etc. Eat is mainly what we did; my wife is beginning her new career in food, and this was basically a whirlwind tasting tour of the Quarter, CBD and the Warehouse District.

Here are 11 observations regarding the trip: Continue reading