CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-04-23 16:05:29 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Yesterday, I had a run-in with the reality of how quickly, and with no warning, a person can become a ghost. While driving to work, a utility truck lost its trailer hitch sleeve. A 12lbs block of steel started bouncing along the freeway, at about 65mpg, towards me. I had the whole family in the car, and this thing was coming right for us.

I didn't want it coming through the windshield, but if it did, I wanted it in the center, away from all of us. I could not leave my lane, so I maneuvered the car the best I could to keep the bouncing threat in the center of the car. It came up just right, and got caught in my grill. A few inches higher, and it would have come right through the windshield. I was also a few inches off. 

If it had come through the glass, my right shoulder, and possibly more, would have been torn off. I spent two hours yesterday at my job, shaking, trying to getmy... more »

2013-04-18 18:41:05 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

I am a raging maniac for all things horror and Vincent Price. One of my all time favorites in the media of film is "The Haunted Palace". Despite what the opening credits of this movie say, it is in fact inspired by H P Lovecraft's novella, "The Case Of Charles Dexter Ward". If you get the chance to watch this classic masterpiece of horror, do so.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057128/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

2013-04-18 18:27:29 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Until it burned in 1939, Borley Rectory was one of the most haunted places in England. The tales told of this old church still chill the bone, and can give the shivers to even the most jaded skeptic.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borley_Rectory

2013-04-17 21:43:28 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Cool. I didn't even know about this community, until I saw Amy's message about needing a moderator. 

So, who am I? I go by the name Lark LaTroy, and yes, that is me in that picture to the left there. I do wear a kilt quite often, I was in the Coast Guard, and those are my medals on my chest. By day, I am a computer systems engineer, currently faking my way through being an Oracle Data Base Administrator for a telecommunications company. I've been in this biz for better than 25 years now, and I'm looking to retire, someday.

By night though, I'm a writer of fusion / erotic romance tales. My publisher is Silver Publishing out of South Africa, and my current works are NeoDruids, a series I've started about 10 followers of Druidism in modern day Boston. It is a very paranormal series, but also blends elements of fantasy, SciFi, horror, and adventure into the mix.My... more »

2013-04-15 21:47:38 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

A simple reminder of reality. Boston, does not need prayers. Boston, needs blood. Donate, now!

2013-04-03 20:02:39 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

+Karenne Lyn here's number 2. My favorite, so far.

2013-04-03 20:01:39 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

Book covers you say, +Karenne Lyn  ? I got a couple for ya. 

2013-03-11 15:03:53 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

On International Women's Day, I take the time to remember two of my heroes. Adm. Grace Hopper, and Astronaut Sally Ride. They helped make our world a little brighter, a little smarter, and a bit more advanced.

2013-02-22 17:02:06 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Happy 20th to Babylon 5. Fond wishes to those that have gone, beyond the rim.

2013-02-09 02:57:53 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Hi folks, thanks for the invite. Lark LaTroy here, author of fusion/erotic romance stories with hardcore plots. Married to my Sweetie for 30 years(this May), and a hopeless romantic at heart. I look forward to reading what you folks have to say about this thing called love.

2013-01-28 20:42:01 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

Not only do the pricks sell your information, for profit, but now, they want more information, that can easily lead to identity theft. Do ya really need any more reasons to dump Facebook?

http://idealab.talkingpointsmemo.com/2013/01/instagram-asking-for-users-government-issued-photo-ids-now-too.php?ref=fpnewsfeed

2013-01-16 15:02:46 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Okay, introduction time:

Lark LaTroy, pseudonym due to various jobs. By day, I am a computer systems engineer currently pushing my luck in a senior Oracle DBA role.

By night, I am a writer of paranormal / erotic romance stories, creator of worlds, and tickler of muses.

2013-01-16 14:59:48 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Thanks for the invite.

2012-12-30 20:50:12 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Hi folks, thanks for the invite. My dream life eh? Well, that's going to get a kick in the rear in 2013. My life currently is one of pretty mundane occurrences. By day, I'm a computer systems engineer currently employed as an Oracle Database Administrator for a satellite communications company. I'm going to celebrate my 30th wedding anniversary in May, Sweetie and I are deeply into dog training, and we finally have the house to ourselves since our son moved 3 hours away.

By night though, I'm a writer of tales of erotic romance with hardcore plots. A creator of worlds and characters. Weaver of words, and a person passionate about passion. In 2013 I start earnest work on my retirement job, of being a writer. I have not had anything published since April of 2011, and it is high time I pushed a lot harder.

Reports to follow.

2012-12-22 15:45:38 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Damn it! I hate this. I'm supposed to  do Christmasy things with Sweetie today, but my jaw is throbbing. I knew I should have waited till AFTER the holidays to get my wisdom teeth removed, but oh no, I had to hurry up because of the change in insurance. Even the pain killers are having very little effect on this, and it's been three days now. Grrrrr*OUCH*rrrrrrrr!

2012-12-21 14:41:27 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

Happy Winter Solstice everyone. Hope you have a great day.

2012-12-19 16:46:41 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

What a way to spend vacation. The day I've dreaded has arrived. In about one hour, I'll be laid back in a dentist chair having 3 wisdom teeth yanked out. Great. Last year my first week of vacation was spent fighting the flu, this year, I get to look like a deranged chipmunk with a gland condition. Don't expect to hear a whole lot from me over the next couple of days. I plan to be in a drug induced alternate reality with pretty smells and tasty colors.

2012-12-14 16:22:37 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Hi, thanks for the invite. A little about me:

I'm currently published with two books in my NeoDruids series at Silver Publishing. I'm working on building a micro-publishing venture over the next year, and evidently publishing all of my works through that. I despise the fact that my books currently are distributed through Amazon and Barns & Noble (motto: You didn't actually buy that, and we'll take it away from you when we feel like it.)

I hate DRM, licenses for books, companies that refuse to actually sell you a product so you can use it as YOU see fit, and dinosaur business models that are dying but gatekeepers keep fighting for them. FREE is not a four letter word, Peer2Peer and bittorrent are distribution methods, and making use of every tool of the internet is to every writers advantage. Remember, obscurity is the enemy.

2012-12-07 15:17:15 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Thank you for inviting me to join.

I am currently a traditionally published author, with two books at Silver Publishing. I am working on several projects right now for my soon to be open micro-publishing site. While it is true that my currently published works are paranormal/erotic romance, I also write SciFi, Horror, Western, Paranormal, and Adventure. (kind of all over the place, that's me)

By day, I am a computer systems engineer, specializing in Oracle Database Administration. By night, I am Lark LaTroy, writing stories of erotic romance, with hardcore plots, passionate about passion, Sweetie's bomb shelter, and cuddler of doggies. And yes, I'm a kilt wearing former member of the US Coast Guard.

Guys, the ladies LOVE the kilt!
Ladies, experience is the best teacher, so enjoy the experience.

2012-11-11 18:05:17 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

To all of you saying thank you

You're welcome.
Desert Storm Veteran U S Coast Guard 1986-1994

2012-11-02 16:21:24 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 2 +1s)

Omni Magazine is now online and downloadable

The entire collection of Omni Magazine is now available on the Internet Archive. The magazine contained writing by Isaac Asimov, Author C. Clarke, Ben Bova, Harlan Ellison and many more. I subscribed to this magazine as a young man and every issue was a surprise and a pleasure to get in the mail. If you like sci-fi, you'll enjoy reading this publication. Ebook versions are available as well as straight PDF copies. Enjoy ツ

https://archive.org/details/omni-magazine

2012-10-29 17:42:39 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

Jill Reese joins the ranks of The Order. In a beautiful ritual, she binds herself in marriage to her teacher and lover, Mitch Walker. As they sleep on their wedding night, Mitch has a fore-sight dream in which he sees a dragon arriving in New England. A dragon that becomes a lovely woman.
 
Durinllew is from the world of Dragon-Kind. Powerful, beautiful, and naive about the modern world, she has come in answer to the ancient call of the Druids. The problem is, none of the Druids know what she is talking about. The hunt is on to discover who called the strange woman and why.
 
Kolsomon is also of Dragon-Kind. Stripped of his dragon and banished to our world, he longs for revenge against his own people. If he can steal a dragon from one of his own race, he can enslave the world and finish the war he started long before history began.
 
The Druids will need all their gifts,in... more »

2012-10-29 17:41:00 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Mitch Walker is the newest member of The Order.  He receives 2 gifts that he struggles to master.  One of these gifts shows him the private desires of his coworker Jill Reese, the woman every man in the office would like to have.  Jill has a secret desire for Mitch, and this knowledge distracts the young Druid from mastering his gifts.

As Mitch struggles with his gifts, and feelings for Jill, a serial killer stalks the streets of Boston.  He kills at each full moon, in different areas of the city.  The Druids learn that the killer is conducting a dark ritual that will plunge the whole world into chaos if completed.  Mitch has an added stake in stopping the madman.  He knows that Jill will be the final victim, and she'll be the lucky one if the Druids can't stop the killer.
http... more »

2012-10-29 16:39:53 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Happy Samhain everyone. It's that time again, the Celtic New Year. Why not start it out with a really great story about modern day Druids in Boston, fighting to save the world?

https://spsilverpublishing.com/index/book_authors_id/38/typefilter/book_authors/?zenid=7d45be13bbb8b66eb101ccb9cf07f280

2012-10-15 16:49:21 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

2012-10-04 19:00:47 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Okay, frustrating as hell.

I installed #Chrome  on my #Ubuntu  system, and the menu bar for #Google+ does not stay anchored at the top of the window like it does in #Firefox  

Any ideas why?

2012-10-04 11:50:38 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

So, there was a presidential debate last night?

Meh!

Two lying lip flappers, flapping their lips, and lying. Big deal.

2012-10-03 21:11:03 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

How the DHS is wasting YOUR tax dollars. Do you feel safer now?

2012-10-01 21:08:29 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 2 +1s)

Hey, shrinks. It's October 1st, not April 1st.

2012-09-24 15:29:13 (5 comments, 3 reshares, 7 +1s)

Bets anyone?

2012-09-11 14:34:19 (3 comments, 12 reshares, 20 +1s)

#9/11 #twintowers #september11th

Everyone is posting "tributes" to 9/11/2001 today. So, I thought I'd join in. Of course my take on 9/11 is a little different. You see, I know it was a tragedy, I know many people died that day, I know the terrorism struck on our shores in a way it had never struck before. I get that as a nation, we cried, and grew angry.

Then, we got stupid.

September 11th is to me, the day we started to kill our one living document. Slowly, but surely, starting on 9/12/2001, the Constitution of the United States has been slowly torn apart. Out of fear, and through manipulation, this nation of frightened little rabbits, let the terrorist win. Oh, you didn't mean to, you just didn't think of the consequences of wanting to be safe. Safe, by the way, you're not. But in a vain attempt to sleep a little better at night, you gave up... more »

2012-09-07 17:16:37 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Hey, Authors Guild..

don't ever stick your big nose into my business. Not unless you like have a door slammed on it.

http://pandodaily.com/2012/09/06/are-you-there-authors-guild-its-me-reality/

2012-08-25 22:00:24 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

My heart is broken. When I was 8, mom and dad let me stay up all night, just so I could watch this man set foot on the moon. He became my boyhood hero, and I followed his life as much as he would allow. Today, I'm amazed at how sad the passing of this one man has made me, and the tears keep coming. I will miss you Mr. Armstrong.

2012-08-21 19:27:14 (12 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

I've been told that the words spoken by these, "men", don't change the image of men in general. I am however deeply embarrassed about how these pricks, represent the male of the human species. Women, you have my deepest apologies. As a man, I want you to know, some of us do have more than two brain cells to rub together, and we do make informed decisions based on actual science. We do not all think alike, regardless of our political leanings, and some of us are very aware that when it comes to women's health issues, we need to sit down and shut the fuck up. Some human males, are well aware that they will never experience what a woman goes through in her life. That we have NO RIGHT, telling a woman what she can and can not do with her body. I'm sorry if other, "men" have offended you, and possibly put you off when it comes to interacting with our kind. Take heart,... more »

2012-08-20 20:11:31 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Two Rescues Side By Side.

Duncan and TeddyFur guard the top of the stairs.

2012-08-17 16:02:51 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

An excellent article on failed doom and gloom predictions. A must read:

2012-08-11 23:52:47 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

#literaryplus +Literary+

Today's writing prompt. My favorite character is from "Here Be Dragons: NeoDruids Book 2". Her name is Durinllew, and she is from the world of dragon-kind. This is how I would like to meet her:
_____________________________________________________________
I stepped out of the cave onto a broad plain. The day light, subdued by a thick cloud cover, gave the scene a soft lighting. Behind me, great cliffs rose high into the sky, and extended in either direction for as far as I could see. Far across the plain, I could just make out the trees of a dense forest. In the center of the plain, between me and the forest stood a castle of many colors, seemingly made from cut blocks of various crystals.
 
She approached me from the direction of the castle. Her long, dark hair hung loose about her shoulders. She wore a dark green costume, trimmed... more »

2012-08-02 17:43:22 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Finally! A factual and accurate guide to life.

http://dailyfailcenter.com/12533

2012-07-24 21:19:21 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

It pisses me off that amidst all the noise about guns, shootings, moronic politicians, the passing of this fantastic lady has been mostly ignored:

2012-07-24 18:32:08 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Red Green is NOT a doctor:

2012-07-22 23:04:15 (9 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

My View On The Colorado Theater Shooting:

Knowing Your Limitations
 
Well, it has happened again. There has been yet another mass shooting in a public place. This time, in Aurora, Colorado, during a midnight showing of the new Batman movie, some nut with an arsenal opened fired on the audience, killing 12 and wounding more than 50. As with all these cases, the armchair vigilantes have come out in force again, telling everyone that will listen, that this is exactly the reason why more people need to be armed, and to carry concealed weapons. As a gun owner, veteran, and former law enforcement type person, I am going to tell you why this is bullshit.
 
First up, let us look at the situation, as witnesses that were in the theater at the time of the shooting have reported it.
 
1. The theater was full, meaning there was well over 100 people in attendance.
 2... more »

2012-07-22 21:02:07 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

My view on the Colorado theater shooting:

Knowing Your Limitations
 
Well, it has happened again. There has been yet another mass shooting in a public place. This time, in Aurora, Colorado, during a midnight showing of the new Batman movie, some nut with an arsenal opened fired on the audience, killing 12 and wounding more than 50. As with all these cases, the armchair vigilantes have come out in force again, telling everyone that will listen, that this is exactly the reason why more people need to be armed, and to carry concealed weapons. As a gun owner, veteran, and former law enforcement type person, I am going to tell you why this is bullshit.
 
First up, let us look at the situation, as witnesses that were in the theater at the time of the shooting have reported it.
 
1. The theater was full, meaning there was well over 100 people in attendance.
 2... more »

2012-07-19 18:06:39 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Good article on home state politics:

http://azhotops.blogspot.com/

2012-07-14 14:54:38 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

#Literaryplus +Shen Hart +Literary+
Book Cover contest JD Savage cover:

Title:  Daughter Of Shadows

Blurb: The immortal, Kenna, lived in the sacred forest long before the mortals came. The white men tore down her beloved forest, and built a new one, made of stone, steel, and glass. For three hundred years, Kenna has wandered the growing city, lost in the rush of humanity, never noticed, never seen.

Then Raymond appeared. A chance meeting throws Kenna into a whirlwind of discovery. With Raymond's help, she learns what it means to be mortal, why the city was built, and the reasons mortals kill each other. Most importantly, Kenna learns about mortal love.

2012-07-13 21:31:11 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

BTW, it's not just Facebook that does this. Big Brother is hiding in all social networks.

2012-06-25 21:30:39 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

This, IS NOT FUNNY! This kind of "humor" denies the fact that every year, over 100,000 men are raped, and they can't flee from their attackers. Rape, regardless of the victim, IS NOT FUNNY. Sandusky is in prison now because what he did to a group of boys, WAS NOT FUNNY. There is no "humor" in men being trapped, and raped.

Sorry folks, but knock it the fuck off! This IS NOT FUNNY!

2012-06-25 19:42:39 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Rotties, some of the greatest dogs in the world.

2012-08-21 22:54:26 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

2012-06-21 00:50:15 (2 comments, 3 reshares, 7 +1s)

George Takei – Google+ New Member

Okay, google+ fans, +George Takei  says if he can get 250K fans or more to “circle” him here, it will prove that google+ is not a ghost town and he will start being active on it. He doesn’t think it’s gonna happen. Shall we prove him wrong? Currently he is over 20,000 followers!

When Google+ was in its infancy, it openly courted celebrities to join – their weight could obviously help to popularize the network. and to some extent, it worked. Takei’s not going to single-handedly launch Google+ into Facebook’s orbit, but having more popular presences from other social realms embrace Google+ couldn’t hurt. 

Here's what you can do to join the effort: 

1. Circle +George Takei 
2. Plus-one and share this message to grow the movement. 
3. Write a comment below in support of +George Takei dumpingFacebook and moving to... more »

2012-06-15 15:34:29 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Ahhh, a quick little vacation. Gave myself a 4 day weekend for Fathers Day. Making the Marble Canyon run today. Have to make a quick stop over in Flagstaff to pickup the son, then on to the lodge. We'll be walking, swimming, and mule tripping the area Saturday and Sunday. Pictures, lots of pictures, to follow. Don't know if I'll be able to post while up there, coverage will be spotty at best. I'll give it a try though.