Ben Winch

Ah, a new spring time avatar!

Thanks for befriending, Ben. I look forward to some interesting discussions over books!

Greetings from Poland , Ben!
Thank you for adding me and looking forward to discussing books with you .

Hi Ben! Thanks for the friend request. I enjoyed our conversation and hope for more. :)

Hey that's a good idea - organize into shelves - something to do at work that might give my work a little semblance of meaning.

That's a helluva photo you just put up!

the interweb lockdown thingy i am experimenting with is called "stay focused". it is a free downloadable extension you can add to google chrome (that's my web browser of choice). i'm guessing there's probably similar extension apps for firefox (but probably not IE). i'm also certain there's probably something you can buy that would manage all of them but i like free. :) anyway, i'm still figuring out how to use it but basically you have a few different options: you can set a certain amount of minutes per day for "free" web browsing of blocked sites -- so say, facebook, goodreads, zooborns -- stuff you wouldn't need for work -- you set this list yourself. or you can "go nuclear" which basically locks you out of the internet (you can choose the whole thing, everything but what's on an allowed list, everything on the block list) for a certain time period. it will nag at you if you try to give yourself more time, and laud you if you cut down.

definitely worth checking out for free (they obviously would appreciate donations but i'm holding off until i see that it actually works -- i have 80 minutes left today and it's 5:27 pm here. :)

what's this? ben winch is in my newsfeed! hurray! now to keep my fingers crossed that there's a review to read when i sign back on tomorrow -- i put one of those interweb lockdown things on my browsers so i would be more productive, and it's shutting me down in ten minutes.

if there's no review, it was still nice to see you! hope all is well in loveland! :) mo/xo

I'm going through a nonverbal phase. Pay no attention to what I say.

Babywipe wrote: "You talk too much, now shut up and bend over."

What a harvest!!!!

You talk too much, now shut up and bend over.

I like the new profile photo. That spot looks very restful. And I assume from your smile that you are not lost in the wilderness.

Richard wrote: "Thanks for accepting the friend request. I look forward to more reviews like that great one of Poe!"

Hey no problems Richard. Glad you liked the Poe review and I'll try not to disappoint. (Poe is pretty serious inspiration, however.)

Thanks for accepting the friend request. I look forward to more reviews like that great one of Poe!

Just got a massive shipment of books to unpack so I'll make this brief... Yeah, save the brain juice, I'm all for that. And sure I'll let ya know if some new short storyist blows my mind. (Have you read 'The Decapitated Chicken' yet?) And, uh, I don't have a driveway. Bye for now.

aha! thank you for the heads up! :)

you are right: i am truly dedicated to the short story form, and i'm keenly aware that this seems to be counter to the "big book" loving literary public. i started moby dick last year, and was enjoying it but i lost it because it was so big, and didn't conveniently fit in my satchel. and i am not good at liking what the kids like today -- you'd think i would have been all over the lydia davis stories, but i only really liked the weird ones. :) as for mr. loory, we can agree to disagree, but i appreciate the point that i should focus on my own work. time's a-wasting. and i should stop giving out all this great brain goo for free. :)

i will still write you a letter at some point though, because i like to rant about books, to people who like books even if they don't love the books i am currently ranting about. :P

i liked one of those steve milhauser stories a lot. it had a frog wife. i am still thinking about it every day. for the rest of the collection, well, i always think that even if i am not bowled over, if i am learning something about writing it's worth my time. and i think i learned quite a bit there. the tiptree is a fine writer -- obviously mentally conflicted but very inspirational. i still have a bunch of books that you turned me onto to get out of the way, but do let me know if there's anything really edifying will you? if you remember? :)

mo
xo


p.s. i will come park in your driveway in my RV, and bum your power and wifi someday. i take this gypsy business seriously. :)

p.p.s. i am aware the above involves crossing over at least one massive body of water. :)

Maureen wrote: "p.p.s. have you read this steve milhauser fellow? i am madly in love with one of his stories. i am also reading james tiptree, jr, who is kicking my butt a wee bit. i wish i had one of the voice re..."

Hey again Mo. Nah I haven't read either of them. I'm not much of an expert on American writers - they're just above the English on my 'over-hyped under-deliverers' list. But if a name keeps nagging at me I'll usually follow it up. That Tiptree is pretty sexy-looking for a sci-fi writer.

Was thinking the other day, you're one of the few short story fans I've met on here; half the other folks here seem to read 'em the way most authors write 'em, as time out from the main event.

Speaking of which, nah, you don't owe me a letter, so long as you aren't bummed that I criticised that Loory fellow. And gypsy is good.

p.p.s. have you read this steve milhauser fellow? i am madly in love with one of his stories. i am also reading james tiptree, jr, who is kicking my butt a wee bit. i wish i had one of the voice recognition software dealies because my fingers are too tired to type a letter, which i think i owe you. but this is a fragmented missive and i hope it will do for now. :)

i never noticed that you replied to this. i think reply should automatically appear on my wall, but whatever. you have a big posse now. look at you roll! :)

mo
xo

p.s. i would like a teleporting machine. do you have a line on one of those? failing that i've decided i need a driver's license and a motor home before i die in the gutter. the other day somebody characterized this as a gypsy lifestyle, and hey, i don't think that'd be at all bad.

Maureen wrote: "did i tell you i finally got a copy of quiroga's decapitated chicken and other stories? i bought it used from betterworldbooks and some pages are falling out so i'm going to have to do emergency su..."
Good to hear it! I was just about to recommend that very book to Kris. Hope you like it.

did i tell you i finally got a copy of quiroga's decapitated chicken and other stories? i bought it used from betterworldbooks and some pages are falling out so i'm going to have to do emergency surgery, but i'm excited to read it. :) mo/xo

Kris wrote: "Thanks so much for accepting my friend request, Ben. I'm enjoying our Cercas conversation tonight - looking forward to many more book discussions with you. :)"

Hey no problems Kris. I thought I'd already befriended you, but maybe I was just following your reviews.

Thanks so much for accepting my friend request, Ben. I'm enjoying our Cercas conversation tonight - looking forward to many more book discussions with you. :)