DerosbyBrothers.com

Happy New Year and welcome back to all 3 of our fans.  I hope you left the holiday season in a better place than you entered.

I’ve never been much for New Year’s Resolutions, resolutions of any kind, epiphanies, moments of reflection, or deep thoughts in general.  I know I’ve got the soul of a master procrastinator and the attention span of a goldfish, so I’ve always dismissed the practice as a waste of time.  This year I figured a little self-improvement couldn’t hurt, so I’ve made a list.  I’m curious to see how this year turns out. 

1.)  Draw more.  I started to get back into the swing of things in November and December, but got tied up in the Holiday madness and of course put this on the back burner.  I’ve found over the years that I’ve got quite a few back burners on my stove and it’s time to move a few things back to a front burner.  I’ve had ideas kicking around for nearing on 15 years now (not to mention Alan’s projects) and think it’s about time I started putting pencil to paper again.   This also includes the various assorted headers I plan on adding to our little page here.   With any luck and a little motivation, you may start to see them soon.

2.)  Play a few video games.  I was having a blast playing games and writing up reviews, but haven’t really made the time to play much since the summer ended.  Not only am I going to play some of the PS3 games I’ve collected in the last year (I’ve still got to crack the plastic wrap on a few of them), I plan on finishing them too, which leads me to item no. 3.

Assassin's Creed II

3.)  Finish what I’ve started.   Whether it’s drawing, reading, or playing video games, I can’t tell you how many unfinished activites I leave in my wake.  At work, I make it a point to not only see projects and quotes through from start to finish, I try to give them the attention to detail they need.  I’d like to apply that to my life at home as well.  So does this mean that I’ll be able to return ”Under the Dome” to Alan or “Resistance:  Fall of Man” and “Assassin’s Creed” to Keith?  I’m not holding my breath just yet, but that’s the goal.

4.)  Read more.  I made it about 1/2 way through Stephen King’s “Under the Dome” before I was distracted by a shiny object a few months ago.  Not only will I start from the begining, I’ll finish it this time around.  I’ve already set this item in motion with the acquisition of issues #0 and #1 of Lady Mechanica, my first comic in about 15 years.  Read through both in record time and plan on reading them again before issue #3 shows up.  Thanks to Erika and Vanessa of Girls Gone Geek for the tip on this one.  Great choice ladies.  I also recommend you check out their blog, as it’s a blast.

Lady Mechanika

5.)  Share the blog love.  I’ve met quite a few friends with some fantastic blogs over the last few months and plan on some gratuitous plugs this year.  Whether it’s E and V (mentioned above), Dan the Honorary Derosby Brother from Down Under from Its A Dan’s World, tribute blogs like Dave H’s Suicide Squad Task Force, a page dedicated to the DC comic of the same name, Aaron’s Iron Fist Fan page, I hope to share some of the great people and stuff I’ve found with our fans.

It's a Dan's World

6.)  Take the kids sledding this year.  I’ve been vowing to do this one since Nick was born and 14 winters later have yet to accomplish the mission.  I think it’s time to introduce the newest generation of Derosby and Dyer kids to Killer Hill.  Killer Hill was our sledding spot of choice growing up and was a half-overgrown snowmobile trail in the woods half-way between our house and the Waterville airport.  The walk to the top of the hill was a 20 minute hike through the woods, but worth every step.  The trail was treacherous, winding through the trees with an occasional stump or rock exploding through the snow right down the center of the path.  We ended up hauling at least one wounded comrade back home in a sled every time, but we turned out okay.  Right?  Okay, maybe not.

There, that should be good to start with.  Don’t want to overdo it.  The over-achiever gig doesn’t become me.  Any suggestions?  Any resolutions of your own?  Please feel free to share with us.  Again, thanks for tuning in and welcome back to DB.com.  Here’s to one hell of a 2011.

Craig.

My apologizes, to all of our loyal readers, for not posting sooner.  I started “Under the Dome” by Stephen King and wanted to have my next post be the review of this book.

Under the Dome was probably one of the best Stephen King books I have read since the Dark Tower series (and some of those within the series were just ok).  The best comparison is with The Stand.  A small town in Maine, Chester Mills, is completely covered with an unseen dome.  It cuts this town off from the rest of the world and the people inside must deal with life in a quarantined area.  I won’t tell you much about it because I don’t want to spoil any surprises but King does an amazing job at character development.  I found myself hating, HATING, one of the main antagonists Big Jim Renee and couldn’t wait for something bad to happen to him.  Of course, the book is over 1000 pages so you do have to wait a while for it to happen, but it is worth it.

If I were to rate it with other Stephen King books, it would be right up there with IT, Needful Things, The Stand, and Wizards and Glass.  I definitely recommend it and you won’t be disappointed at all.  Don’t let the size worry you.

Now back to my nonfiction books.