It’s not like I’ve been blogging up a storm these past few months, but I’m going to be rather busy during the coming week so I probably won’t blog much. I’ll be attending a novel-writing workshop in the evenings all week long.

The workshop is being conducted by author Dave Wolverton, and I’m really looking forward to learning from him.

I watched “Ike: Countdown to D-Day” this evening. I found it very interesting, because there was a lot of stuff going on during the preparations for Operation Overlord of which I was not aware.

I’ve been meaning to read a good military history of World War II, but I just haven’t gotten around to it.

When it comes to professional basketball, I’m a Utah Jazz fan. I kind of have a residual fondness (probably inherited from my Dad) for the Boston Celtics, but the Jazz are pretty much the only team I pay attention to.

I’m sure it’s completely coincidental, but according to this “Mormon Name Generator,” my Mormon name is Alverice Stockton Malone. With a name like that, how could I not be a Jazz fan?

I don’t much like the L.A. Lakers. In fact, they are a team I have enjoyed rooting against in the past, when I had roommates and friends who were big Laker fans.

But this year, there’s the Malone factor. I’m grateful to Karl Malone for what he did while playing all those years for the Jazz, and I’d like to see him achieve his goal of winning a title.

So, for this year’s NBA Finals, I’m cheering for the Lakers.

I was thirteen years old when Ronald Reagan was first elected. I had already become interested in politics before that time — I remember rooting for Ford in the 1976 election — but because Reagan’s time in office spanned my teenage years, he’s the President who most influenced me as I was growing up.

What I remember most about him was the optimism he brought regarding the world situation. Back in 1980, it looked like communism was on the rise and democracy was floundering. But Reagan had confidence in the future of the United States in particular, and freedom and democracy in general. And the course of events since he was elected have proved him right.

Thank you, President Reagan.

I just got out from the movie, and I was not disappointed. If you liked the first two, you should like this one.

… to see a 12:01am showing of the latest Harry Potter movie. I arrived a little after 9pm, and already there were about 100 people in line.

At least I brought a book to read: Prime Obsession, by John Derbyshire.

Today’s Crossroads Journal, a biweekly newspaper serving Eagle Mountain and Saratoga Springs, published an article about me. (Basically, they just published a press release sent by the PR firm doing publicity for Writers of the Future.) (UPDATE: I just want to make clear that this is not about a new story I’ve sold, it’s about my first story sale, which happened back in February. WOTF is just starting their PR campaign for the anthology to be released in September.)

Here’s the text of the article:

EM man finalist in national writer’s contest
Dateline Communications
Press Release

HOLLYWOOD, CA — Eric James Stone of Eagle Mountain, Utah is a finalist in the international L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Contest, now celebrating its 20th consecutive year. As a finalist, he will attend the gala 20th Anniversary Hubbard Achievement Awards presentation ceremonies to be held in Hollywood later this year.

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Over at Times & Seasons, Adam Greenwood has a post in which he discusses his admiration for George Washington.

That reminded me of this essay I wrote back in 1999, so I figured now was a good time to recycle it:

The English have picked William Shakespeare as England’s “Man of the Millennium.” That started me thinking about who should be picked as “Man of the Millennium” for the entire world?
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