SEX, BOMBS & BURGERS

Man oh man, the past few months have been an absolute whirlwind. Since wrapping up at the CBC at the end of October, it's been a non-stop blitz of activity: heading over to the UK for the launch of Sex, Bombs and Burgers, the crazy run-up to Christmas (which is prime writing-about-video-games time) and of course the Consumer Electronics Show. Last week was spent tying up a few loose ends from that whole event, which included talking about CES and some of its more obscure technologies on CBC Radio's Spark, as well as writing my mega-feature on the future of the adult entertainment industry for AskMen.

This week, it's down to business. Sex, Bombs and Burgers is scheduled for release by Lyons Press in the U.S. later this year, which means I've got a few weeks to put together some revisions that I've been wanting to do. It won't be anything major - just a tweak here and there, as well as a few new pages in which I'll answer some of my critics (I promise not to use the term "eat it" anywhere in this new section) and possibly set up the mysterious next book. Cue spooky music.

In that vein, just a heads up that Penguin Canada will be releasing Sex, Bombs and Burgers in paperback in March. I chatted briefly with an editor there about adding revisions and how they were possibly going to tinker with the book's subtitle, but that was a few months ago. I'm not sure where that's at but one thing's for sure: since it's in paperback, the book will be cheaper so now there's no excuse not to buy it!

Similarly, new versions are on the way in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Last I heard, the new version - which will likely have a new cover - is going to arrive in July. It's looking like the text will be exactly the same as the first version though, as Allen & Unwin (the publisher) doesn't like to mess with the content. More details when I have them.

Otherwise, it's just about time to get cracking on book #2. One of the things I was worried about when I left the CBC was that I would end up spending too much time on freelancing and not enough on the next book, which so far is exactly what has happened. I had that post-job panic of, "Oh lord, I have no income!" and ended up over-assigning myself. Clearly, I'm going to have to learn some self-control if I'm going to achieve my goal of having broken the back of book #2 by the end of this year.

In any event, here are the 10 things I've learned or discovered in the 2.5 months since going independent:

• Obsolete technologies such as scanners and faxes are still necessary for all those damn writing contracts you have to sign.
• Playing video games all afternoon is fine if you don't mind writing at 2 a.m.
• Doing the dishes is now a welcome distraction from the things you really have to do.
• Showering and wearing clean clothes: both are optional activities.
• Weekdays and weekends - there's no real difference anymore.
• Friends aren't as amenable to going for late-night drinks on a Monday or Tuesday as you may be.
• Going to the movies is much cheaper during the day.
• I could go for a drive to Pittsburgh, just for the hell of it, whenever I want.
• You do have to carefully weigh difficult financial decisions, such as whether or not to buy new socks.
• I am indeed capable of sleeping till noon.