Seen on the back of a Toyota Corolla on the way into work. You can’t see it in this bad pic, but there’s a little heart above the kissing fishies.

I love seeing complex ideas distilled down to simple images.

Hi, remember me? Yeah, I know, I’ve been away. Busy, dontcha know–planning a wedding and honeymooning and such makes it hard to find time for, well, anything else. It all went swimmingly, thanks for asking; we agreed that it was, for us, the most fun we’ve ever had at a wedding. That is, as my friend Brian would say, big juju. You know how everyone says that something always goes wrong at a wedding, and you should just prepare yourself to deal with it graciously, and so on?

Nothing of the sort happened for us. At least, nothing we were aware of. (It’s possible that our fantastic support group of friends, family, and other buffers kept any disasters from us. But I don’t think so.) It turned out exactly as we expected–no, scratch that, better than we expected. I couldn’t be happier. I wish it could have been three times as long, but it still probably wouldn’t have felt like enough time. It’s an astonishing thing to have all the people you care about most in the world, all in one place, all there for you. It made us want to throw more parties. Someday, when we win the lottery, we’ll make such shindigs a regular event.

Anyway, the reason I’ve called you all here today is to share this amusing piece about pitching PR strategies to bloggers. My favorite quote is this one:

It is crucial not to spam bloggers and to be aware of their likes and dislikes before you drop them a line. Canned, conventional pitch letters can be seen as offensive…When communicating with blogs, make sure to be completely open and honest about why you are contacting them, disclosing your organizational affiliation.

I love–love–the fact that this needs to be said. It reveals ever so much about PR firms’ approach to anyone who isn’t a blogger.

Now, being a journalist in the videogame industry, I deal with a great number of PR people. Some of my closest friends in the industry are PR people. So I know there are people who really do believe in the products they’re pitching, and who approach their jobs with professionalism, integrity, and honesty.

But this article makes it really obvious that there aren’t many.

My pal John Scalzi posted an entry on his personal blog where he invited readers to list 10 things they’ve done that most people haven’t. It sounded like a fun idea, and responding reminded me I’ve had an oddly interesting life. So here are my 10; feel free to add your own in comments or on your own blog! (If you do put it on your own blog, leave me a message to that effect in comments, ok?)

1. Headlined a punk rock show in a Masonic temple in Trenton, New Jersey. The opening band was a very young Less Than Jake, followed by a surprise appearance by Bobby Steele (formerly of the Misfits) and his band the Undead, who performed a 3-song set on our equipment. Their closing song was a freakin’ incredible rendition of “Last Caress” (which Steele wrote but Glenn Danzig stole and copyrighted under his own name) in which Steele paused before the final verse and slyly commented, “Often imitated, never duplicated.” m/

2. Hosted an hour-long interview with Marilyn Manson and David Duchovny, where I got them to interview each other. (You can read it here.)

3. Raced full-tilt down a pier in Biloxi, Mississippi, to call 911, because I thought a homeless guy had drowned himself. Subsequently got into a heated argument with all the pot-smoking asshats on the pier who were pissed because the cops were coming. The guy turned out to be fine, just a bit drunk–and the water was only waist deep. Oops.

4. Spent the night in a train station in Norwich, England, after seeing New Model Army and subsequently learning that the last train left as the last song was playing.

5. Was called “a really great bass player” by the really great bassist from Rancid.

6. Scored 1460 on my SATs: 730 math, 730 verbal.

7. Assisted in an embalming, and helped dress my deceased father for his viewing (his funeral arrangements included a request for his five sons to do this honor). I grew up in a funeral home, which is our family’s business.

8. Watched a packed room of some 2000 people singing along to lyrics I wrote, at a show where my band opened for the Mighty Mighty Bosstones.

9. Met and interviewed Police drummer Stewart Copeland, who told me, “Creativity isn’t like a resource, where the more you use it the less you have. It’s like a muscle: the more you use it, the stronger it gets.” This may be the best advice I’ve ever been given.

10. Had my name used for a character in a totally awesome sci-fi novel, and was thanked in the aknowledgements.

So let’s hear yours!