I announced via Twitter yesterday that I had placed the order for the 250 copies of my book that would comprise the special signed and numbered first run. These should be in my hands in a couple weeks at which time I will set about making it possible for people to order them directly from me online. I will be holding some of them back for sale at live events. As of today, I have also made it possible for people to order print on demand copies or purchase as a download via Lulu. The product page for the book, which includes a preview (covers, table of contents, sample pages), can be found here:

http://www.lulu.com/content/pa...modified-looking-glass/7643061

Of course, copies ordered this way will not be signed or numbered - but I will happily sign them if you bump into me and have it handy. Due to shipping costs and Lulu's take on these sales you will generally get a better deal getting it from me directly but I wanted to make this option available as well.

I am in Las Vegas performing at Fright Dome through the end of the month. www.frightdome.com

It probably doesn't help that I have been spending less and less time online overall and have begun actively trying to reduce my time online even more as it often feels like a chore. My current impractical vision of an ideal would be to only have to deal with thelizardman.com and my email.

Anyway, this is my blog entry so I can go read some other people's entries. For a more BME related piece news, here's this:

I spent a few days last week intensively going over everything I ever wrote for my old BME News column, Through the Modified Looking Glass. I have compiled all of the published articles (except the two useless year in review pieces) plus three that were never published, re-edited them, added notes, and will be self-publishing the collection as a book. I am awaiting a proof copy now and pending approval of that proof I will be making it available hopefully within the month.

Also, I will be at the Black Hills Tattoo convention this weekend (performing friday & saturday) and in Philly for a personal appearance on the 26th at a pet store grand opening.

Yesterday was a very fun and interesting day. I got to do something I had never done before - I officiated a wedding. Sunday, August 2nd, 2009 in Carrollton, TX Chip and Cheryl James were married by a tattooed atheist freak in a ceremony that included blessings and recitals by a Celtic priestess and dogs as members of the wedding party. It was definitely an honor and a privilege to be part of their celebration.

The added bonus was that the ceremony gave me the excuse and the perfect day for a solid ride on my Majesty. I've been racking up miles on it around Austin pretty well but itching for good highway trip. Getting to and from Carrollton put a little more than 425 miles on the odometer - almost exclusively highway cruising. I was already very happy with the Majesty but this trip really sealed it for me. It rode very well and I was perfectly comfortable going for hours stopping only to re-fill the tank & grab a quick snack.

I'm working on another video, hopefully to be completed before I leave for Coney Island later this week. I've gotten some good feedback on the ones I have done thus far and I am really enjoying doing them in sepia and silently so that probably isn't going to change anytime soon. If I were to add sound it would probably be to just overlay some Lizard Skynard as a soundtrack. Speaking of which, things are starting to move with that project. We are looking to be in a studio recording late this year or early 2010 and possibly touring shortly thereafter.

If you are around NYC, remember I will be part of the Coney Island cast from August 7-16. So, please come down and support Coney and say hi. I will likely be doing a special evening performance of my own show as well, probably on the 12th which I would love to see you at.

And finally, some of my favorite people in the world will be touring with Dethklok later this year: Mastodon. I would go see a Dethklok show anyway but the fact that they keep going out with bands that I love and are my friends to boot is just fantastic (last year Chimaira, this year Mastodon).

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A couple of nights ago I was walking into Wal-Mart and a two girls and guy (early to mid 20's, I would guess) passed in front of me entering the produce department. One of the girls got ahead of the other two and then looked back and nearly shouted, 'Oh yeah, do you need tampons?' I have never been squeamish about menstruation and 'tampons' isn't one of the words that sets off my immature giggle trigger (if she had said douches or enemas, I might have cracked up laughing) so I may not have noticed this exchange at all if it were not for what happened next. Another small group of shoppers comprised of what I took to be a mother & father with their toddler was nearby and the kid looked up to say, 'What's a tampon?' That made me smirk.

It has been a good damn while since I last made a blog entry, but I don't feel much like playing catch up and mostly just repeating things I have put flickr and twitter. So, in terms of notable events my trip to Canada to perform with Orbax & Sweet Pepper and to appear at the Windy City Weekend was a great time filled with all of my favorite brain cell killing activities. On the way there and back I read two new books and re-read some of my favorite Hesse including Siddhartha. The new books were:

Sausage Factory: The College Crier's Infamous Interviews of the Freaks and the Famous - which includes an interview with me but frankly I am surprised it does because the rest of the people interviewed are so great. It is a huge compliment to me to be included. If you read my blog you probably recognize many of the others in this book and will likely really enjoy it.

Shooter: The Autobiography of the Top-Ranked Marine Sniper - a quick, excellent read. My only complaint being that at times I really felt it would have been better if the ghost writer / editor would have just left it raw instead trying to 'clean up' the writing and/or interject tangential topics and ideas. This story is, in and of itself, more than strong enough with excellent insights on the dichotomy of trying to be a first rate professional soldier and a regular human being getting through life along with a solid first hand account of action in Iraq.

Next month I will be officiating a wedding, spending nine days as a guest member of the Coney Island cast, appearing at tattoo conventions in Hollywood & Stockholm, and possibly (schedule is being worked on now) shooting for a fabulous new project that will talk more about once it actually happens.

I had an excellent birthday / Lizardman Day - thank you for all the well wishes, gifts, and general celebration.

The majesty is fantastic - today is one week with it. I've logged a little over 100 miles on it thus far.

I will be doing something via webcam with MTV Canada tomorrow. I should probably be setting up the software and preparing the shot. Speaking of Canada, before performing at the convention in Lethbridge next week I will be doing a show with the Great Orbax and Sweet Pepper Klopek in Calgary on 6/26 at The Distillery.