Author: Logan Lo

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personal

Straight-up meritocracy

The little things to make it / you better

Rainy night on the UWS in New York City

There’s a place in Brooklyn called the E-Waste Warehouse where anyone can drop off old electronics.

So, recently rented a car, cleaned out my cellar again, and hauled out boxes and boxes of old computers and junk to them.

There’s something satisfying about bringing items that you know will be put to good use – or at least not arbitrarily thrown out to the landfill.

Wrote once where this author said that It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do a little.

This’s good cause I can’t do much, but the little things, that I can do.

Speakinga the little things, was given a slight (really slight) promotion in my wrasslin class.

Per most martial arts classes, the more experienced guys often show the newbies the basics, which frees the coach to teach more advanced moves to the others.

Done it a few times and teaching’s the best way to learn things so I credit that to my (slight) advancement.

One newbie I helped teach is this Austrian dude who’s been killing it on the mat and he’s only been there for maybe six months. I actually showed him a few of the beginner moves way back when.

He’s been there 1/5 the time I’ve been there, but goes almost daily and seems to have a natural knack for it. He’s already better than me.

Anywho, we line up by order of skill. He often lines up lower than me and others that have been there longer than he has, partly outta respect to me, and partly cause he’s just a nice fella.

While I like that’s he’s so humble, the reason why I like my wrasslin class so much’s cause it’s an absolutely pure meritocracy. No bureaucracy, no egos, no teacher’s pet, no crap, etc.

Just straight-up meritocracy.

Honestly, how often does that happen?

So I politely tell him to line up ahead of me and he demurs for a moment before he does.

Don’t want or need to be better than him. Or anyone, for that matter.

Just wanna be better than I was the day before.

———-

It’s been a year since the Japan disaster. They still need help.

Like I said, the little things, yeah? I wish them to be better than the day before:

  • Text JAPAN to 80888 to donate $10 to Salvation Army Aid Efforts
  • Text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross Earthquake Relief
  • Text TSUNAMI to 50555 to give $10 to Convoy for Hope
  • Text JAPAN to 50555 to donate $10 to Global Giving
  • Text JAPAN or 20222 to donate to Save the Children’s Japan Fund
  • Text MED or 80888 to donate $10 to International Medical Corps

Thanks to Call-to-Action for the list.

Location: 3AM, wide awake in my bed
Mood: ever awake – I’m always #@$@# awake.
Music: those people keep a-movin’ – And that’s what tortures me
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business

At least it was a nice day for a drive

UWS church in NYC

It’s been a really busy week and it’s barely Wednesday

The thing with what I do is I send out proposals all of time and hope that one of them sticks. Had about five things out and didn’t hear anything so I continued with all my projects and personal tasks.

Then they all came through, which is good for scratch but not good for being able to much of anything else. Think I finally was able to shut off my brain at around 3AM

Spent yesterday all over Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island. My damn lying GPS just made it worse.

At least it was a nice day for a drive.

Location: surrounded by papers
Mood: busy
Music: you don’t live downtown no more And everything must come and go
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personal

The person with the answers’ worth the wait

UWS church in NYC

Was asked to be one of the photographers for my new church opening on the UWS. It’s flattering to be asked but maybe it’s more my Syd than me.

A photographer once told me that at least half of the difficultly of taking pictures of people’s the walking up to strangers and shoving a machine into their faces.

You “take” pictures – no one “gives” them to you. It’s aggressive by its very nature.

The thing’s that I’m not an aggressive guy. Most people’s responses to my taking pictures is a why-not kinda shrug.

Dunno if this’s a good thing or bad thing but I’m leaning toward the former.

Whiskey Tavern in NYC

Went out to see the family over the weekend and the wife came with. Spent most of it building a PVR for my pop.

Time Warner has two numbers for building these things and I called the local number (718.358.0900) versus the toll-free number (866.606.5889) as it seems to be a shorter wait.

The lady on the first one – after 15 minute wait – said, “Hold on, I’m going to send a signal to your box.” I told her I had a series of numbers that I was supposed to read to her and she told me she didn’t need it.

30 minutes later, I’m back at the Time Warner repair center returning a fried box.

This time, called the second number and – after a 90 minute wait – got a guy who chuckled and said, “She fried your box, huh? Dunno why they keep putting the local numbers there. Those guys don’t know what they’re doing.”

No. No they do not.

Moral of the story? The person with the answers’ worth the wait.

Whiskey Tavern in NYC

Afterward, met up with Gio. He was having a party at Whiskey Tavern downtown to celebrate his 40th birthday as well his recent engagement. He and I had many the random meetings in the big city together.

As usual with him, the poison was on his tab and all of our people were there. My liver wasn’t speaking to me afterward. Ran into a number of old faces and it was good catching up – even ran into three people that read me here (hola!).

Anywho, there’s this saying that every pot has it’s cover. Maybe that’s true.

Met the future Mrs. Gio that night and told her I wished the two of them all of the best.

Life’s hard enough without your person.

Location: bedroom, writing
Mood: disappointed
Music: you give me no reason why you’re making me work so hard
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personal

He wouldn’t hurt a fly

Entrance to Subway on 50th in New York City

[The shooter] was the last person I would’ve expected to do something like this.

Another school shooting.

Remember where I was at the first one; was in my law journal office in law school when a blonde stuck her head in and asked everyone, Did y’hear the news? Some things stay with you.

In any case, the above quote is from a young man interviewed by GMA the day after this Monday’s shooting.

Isn’t that what you *always* hear after a school shooting or some other great tragedy. What does that tell us?

It’s tells us that people have no idea what other people are capable of.

We all have our three lives, yeah? Our public lives, our private lives, and our secret lives. They’re the three faces we all wear and it’s our private and secret faces that people find surprising.

My boss recently read my book and I think – because of all of murder, mayhem, and cursing – that, while he enjoyed it, it took him by surprise.

My writing’s parta my private life, I guess. As for my secrets, we all have them and I’m no different. Suppose that everyone thinks that what we do by our lonely makes us better people.

But y’never can tell until the day comes that you show the world your other faces if that’s actually true.

As for me, always assume that people are capable of anything, both for good and evil.

To live any other way’s a sucker’s bet.

Location: tonight, church
Mood: artistic
Music: life goes on. As I bail through tha empty halls
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personal

The hours drag but the years sprint away

Westin Hotel in Jersey City

Her: (after applying make-up) See the power of make-up?
Me: You always look good.
Her: Awww, you don’t have to say that.
Me: It’s not like I married you for your personality.

We took a trip out to Jersey for her grandmother’s 90th birthday (and other reasons) this past weekend and stayed over at the Westin in Jersey City. It’s nice to get away from city, even if it’s only across the river and for just a bit.

90 years. Find that pretty astounding, actually. I’ll be 90 in 2063, which seems like a lifetime away but it’s only 18,615 days away.

It’s a weird time in my life where the hours drag but the years sprint away.

While out there, we managed to grab a couplea episodes of the BBC show Sherlock, which puts Sherlock Holmes in the 20th Century. Truly somea the best writing on television. Do yourself a favour and try to catch it.

Speakinga writing, am hit with a massive case of writer’s block. No joy.

While out in Jersey, drove by the place that my ex used to live and s’funny when you look back on your life and remember the different versions of yourself like they were different people.

It’s always me but it is not I.

Cake at Fire and Oak, Jersey City
Coffee at Fire and Oak, Jersey City

Location: getting to the post office
Mood: rejuvenated
Music: all these places have their moments with lovers and friends I still can recall
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Categories
business

Thanks for downloading 1,636 copies of my book!

Bicycle in NYC

So I’ve just finished my first marketing campaign for my book and here’s what I’ve accomplished in 48 hours:

  • Amazon.com downloads: 1,567
  • Amazon.co.uk downloads: 40
  • Amazon.de downloads: 29
  • Amazon.fr downloads: 0

All-in-all, expected a total of 500-800 downloads and this totally blew away my estimates. And here’s what I’ve learned:

The French dislike my work
This is disappointing because I feel I support the French: I eat their fries and their bread, utilize a French press with regularity and support the French little coffee place down my street, and enjoy Pepe le Peu. How’s about some reciprocity?!

Social marketing really works
Put up some ads here and there which got me about 300 downloads – about what I guessed – however, people mentioning me on their FB page or via email forwards garnered me the vast majority of the downloads and this was completely unexpected.

Stuff y’put out online is powerful and stays forever. Note to self: redact mention of womanizing and rum intake in this blog.

Discovered I know five distinct groups of people

  • One group, without my asking, put up postings on FB and elsewhere; they took my undertaking and made it their own.
  • Another group, when asked, immediately started telling others.
  • A third group, when asked, declined.
  • A fourth group, when asked, completely ignored me.
  • A fifth group, was never asked and also never said a thing.

I’ve got to say that this was all a bit surprising. Some people I was sure would help did not and some people whom I never even thought to ask took it upon themselves to help. Eye-opening.

And speaking of reciprocity, two of the people that completely ignored me, I go out of my way to help all the time. Also eye-opening.

Again, think it’s that divergence of our very basic definitions of friendship.

It’s actually given me some clarity on things, so, while it was disappointing, it’s still beneficial cause it’s helped me figure out what to do with my time. And we all know Bicycle in NYC

Location: the basement of my brain, thinking of a sequel
Mood: grateful
Music: It’s not so bad And I want to thank you
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personal

Download The Men Made of Stone for Free today (2/20) and tomorrow (2/21)

The Men Made of Stone
The book I wrote – The Men Made of Stone is available today and tomorrow as a free download as of right now.

If you have Kindle or Kindle app on an Android tablet/phone, iPad, iPhone, you can download to your device and just read it there.

If you don’t have a Kindle, you can still download and read it online via their cloud reader. Later, if you get a Kindle or device that reads Kindle this book will always be there.

So essentially, you can download it today and tomorrow and have it forever for the price of free.

I think that’s a good deal for something I worked on for almost a decade. It’s the best thing I’ve ever written and I think most people that have read it already would agree.

BTW, to clarify what it’s about, it’s revenge novel – a la The Count of Monte Cristo that just happens to take place in NYC’s Chinatown in the 1990s.

If you’re reading this blog, I can only assume that you:

  1. Like my writing, or
  2. Have stumbled here completely by accident looking for a pair of shoes oddly named Logan Lo (I’m not making this part up), or
  3. Are my mother.

For the first two, click here and download my book. If nothing else, you’ll have a good book for when the mood strikes you to read about friendship and revenge.

If you are my mother, then do not. It is the best thing I’ve ever written but still…it may be a bit too much for you to take.

Murder, mayhem, potty-mouth and all that.

Location: taking a day off at home
Mood: proud
Music: take these lies and make them true somehow
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Categories
personal

We are made in our sleep and by our lonely

Great occasions don’t make heroes or cowards; they reveal them

Buskers in NYC

This fella named Brooke Foss Westcott once said that, Great occasions do not make heroes or cowards; they simply unveil them to the eyes of men. Silently and imperceptibly, as we wake or sleep, we grow strong or weak; and at last some crisis shows what we have become.

This is onea my core beliefs, that we create our three lives in our sleep and by our lonely, and they’re often hidden, many times even from ourselves.

We find out, only at some great calamity, if we’re rubies or rubbish.

Don’t watch sports. At all really – think it has something to do with the fact that no one ever invited me to play.

But I’ve been watching a few basketball games to see about Jeremy Lin. It’s truly impressive.

Think he had suspicions of what he was made of all this time but never knew for sure. He only became who he was meant to be when the occasion finally presented itself. Before then, he kept getting passed over and ignored for years. Yet he kept on going.

This reminded me of something my father told me once when he was a lawyer gutting fish for a living. He said that he knew what he was made of even if others didn’t.

He also told me – at the lowest point of my life – that he’d only be disappointed in me if I stopped.

Y’either keep going or stop because of the suspicions you have inside. For me, there’s no stopping anytime.

———-

And here’s a video from my buddy. I miss making videos myself but I’m stretched pretty thin as it is.

Location: running to meet a client in the Village
Mood: ambitious
Music: you’re on a roll, no one gets it, no one gets it
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business personal

The Men Made of Stone / Writers write to be read

The Men Made of Stone ebook cover

So, about that project I was telling you about previously – it’s the manuscript I’ve been working on for the past decade or so.

Just finished it.

Well, more accurately, I finished it, an editor’s okay-ed it, a copy-editor’s read it and my wife thinks it’s good. It’s called The Men Made of Stone and I put it up on Amazon as a Kindle ebook a month ago just to test a few things out and now I think it’s ready for everyone.

It’s a crime drama, which I wrote in a radically different style than I have this blog or anything else for that matter. It’s the story of two ambitious men named C and Jack that climb up opposite sides of Chinatown organized crime – but nothing in that world is ever as it seems.

The cast of characters includes Danny the Priest – who never kills on a Sunday – and Trigger, Cloudy, and Slim Grey, who have no such qualms.

You can read a sample of it online by clicking here.

And here’s my fancy-shmancy Amazon Author’s Page.

Now, while you could buy a copy now, I’ve kept the price “high”- at $2.99 – so that I could get some marketing things in place and also potentially get some good reviews.

Note that if you’re an Amazon Prime reader, you can download it now for free.

However, if you’re not, I’m giving it away on the 20th and 21st and then dropping the price to $0.99 on the 24th because I believe – honestly – that for writers, the problem isn’t piracy, it’s obscurity.

Put another way, Writers write to be read.

Of course, you could buy it now to get started but really, we both know that I’d just blow that money on rum and chili. In that order.

It’s only available for the Kindle and Kindle app for now (sorry) but I’m going to be publishing it for Nook and the Apple store on April 21st. There are a whole buncha reasons why.

In any case, that’s all for now. I’ll drop you another reminder later on or so.

Location: about to run to see a client
Mood: accomplished
Music: its a winding road I’ve been walking for a long time
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business personal

Taking and teaching online classes

Garbage truck in Times Square, NYC

Made a huge pot of chili yesterday as I went through my emergency stash the other day. Was not a good idea to have as much as I did right before my fencing class as I moved like lead. My arms look like a leopard’s coat with all the bruising.

The beginning of the year’s usually pretty slow for me so I’ve been taking all of these required classes for my licenses while I’ve got the time. Somea them’re mind-numbingly boring.

Dunno if I ever mentioned it, but I actually taught two of the courses myself:

I’m not saying I’m some phenomenal speaker but the ones I’ve been listening to are just dull as dull can be. Man, crack a joke or something.

But I suppose it’s better to be able to watch them from the comfort of my own desk than out there in the world.

The things I do to avoid actual human interaction…

One month supply of homemade chili

One month supply of homemade chili (which I will go through in two weeks).

Location: UWS
Mood: bored
Music: Why can’t you understand? Whoa, I won’t sleep tonight
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