John Loeffler's picture
John Loeffler from Brooklyn, NY is reading Gallatian Canyon by Tom McGuane June 30, 2012 - 11:00pm

Hello everyone. My name is John and I'm from Brooklyn, NY. I stumbled onto this site from a facebook link from Chuck Palahniuk and I'm incredibly grateful. The site is awesome and I figured it was time to introduce myself.

For my day job, I'm a City Letter Carrier for the USPS, as well as serving as a union rep in my station. As far as my writing goes, I've only written short stories so far, but I'm hoping to work myself up to a novel length work this year. They all trend toward genre fiction, from sci fi to horror, with the occassional attempt at literary.

For hobbies, I'm learning guitar, I love baseball(Yankees) and football(Jets), and have been an on-again, off-again gamer over the years, but writing is starting to take up a lot of oxygen from all these other pursuits. As for reading, I'm generally a genre guy for fun but I majored in English in college so I love the classics. Favorite authors include H.P. Lovecraft, Jeff Long, C.S. Lewis and Stephen King.

Beyond that, there's obviously more to tell, but I can't imagine everyone wants the full bio right up front. I look forward to participating in the community here and engaging fellow writers for, honestly, the first time in my life!

 

Kirk's picture
Admin
Kirk from Pingree Grove, IL is reading The Book Of The New Sun July 1, 2012 - 1:01am

Nice to meet you John. I think everyone is in bed already for the night. So here's your pop-quiz:

  • What is the animal that you feel best represents you as a writer? Why?
  • What is your favorite book with a green title?
  • Your favorite Taco Bell menu item?
GaryP's picture
GaryP from Denver is reading a bit of this and that July 1, 2012 - 5:17am

Yay, quiz!

  • Honey badger, of course. 'Cause honey badger don't give a shit.
  • Mystery of the Green Ghost (Three Investigators, bitches).
  • Oh, man, so many to choose from. This morning, for a good hangover cure, chili cheese burrito with sour cream (and a Dr. Pepper).

What'd I win?

 

Oh, and hi John. Sorry you got stuck with Tebow (sucka!) ... go Peyton! Ah, crap, I think his neck just fell off. Can we have Timmy back now?

John Loeffler's picture
John Loeffler from Brooklyn, NY is reading Gallatian Canyon by Tom McGuane July 1, 2012 - 8:02am

Thanks for the welcome. 

For Animal, I'd go with a bear. Lumbering, difficult to stir, ferocious in bursts and sleepy for long stretches at a time.

Books with a green title, I'm assuming you mean the actual color of the text on the cover. If that's the case, The Big Short by Michael Lewis. Its an excellent book, but its absolutely infuriating. If you mean green thematically, Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix, because a Pheonix itself is an example of renewable energy.

Taco Bell used to make, though I'm not sure that they still do, a Chalupa that was a hard taco smothered in cheese and wrapped in a thick soft taco that was absolutely the best thing on the menu. I always got the name wrong when I ordered from Taco Bell, so I inevitably ended up with something completely different and the mystique of that meal grew in my mind. I haven't had it in years and I'm wondering if it even exists anymore.

Gary, trust me, Tebow'll do just fine up here. Our offensive line is really build for a running game, so Tebow can really put pressure on a defense. We know he can throw, he did it against Pittsburgh, he just needs to work on it to be consistent. If he does that, in three to four years, I wouldn't be surprised if the Jets dropped Sanchez and made Tebow the starting QB. Besides, the team loves the shit outta him already, which isn't something you can say for Sanchez. And yeah, sorry about Peyton. That's a lot of money for someone who you don't know can withstand one good solid hit. On the flip side, he might be fine and you guys might have just gotten the greatest quarterback in damn near forever. August is just around the corner (I can't wait), so we shall see.

Michael J. Riser's picture
Michael J. Riser from CA, TX, Japan, back to CA is reading The Tyrant - Michael Cisco, The Devil Takes You Home - Gabino Iglesias July 1, 2012 - 8:48am

Welcome!

I'd add something more personal or interesting, but I'm sort of asleep.

Dwayne's picture
Dwayne from Cincinnati, Ohio (suburbs) is reading books that rotate to often to keep this updated July 1, 2012 - 3:04pm

Hello and welcome.

avery of the dead's picture
avery of the dead from Kentucky is reading Cipher Sisters July 1, 2012 - 6:03pm

"because a Pheonix itself is an example of renewable energy."

You win.  I shall accept no other answers! 

I also welcome you. 

avery of the dead's picture
avery of the dead from Kentucky is reading Cipher Sisters July 1, 2012 - 6:06pm

Also:

"Chalupa that was a hard taco smothered in cheese and wrapped in a thick soft taco that was absolutely the best thing on the menu"

I'm wondering if you mean the cheesy gordita crunch.  Because I am a Taco Bell professional, and that's all I can think of.  If so, yes, they still have those.  If not...I'll need more information.  What kind of cheese? 

John Loeffler's picture
John Loeffler from Brooklyn, NY is reading Gallatian Canyon by Tom McGuane July 1, 2012 - 6:50pm

It was the Cheesy Gordita Crunch, thank you. Next time I'm at Taco Bell I'll have to order it and see if it lives up to my memory of it. Also, this is Taco Bell we're talking about, so the term "cheese" is being pretty generous.

Matt Attack's picture
Matt Attack from Richmond, Va. is reading As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner July 2, 2012 - 3:35am

Welcome. Picture. Approved. Etc

 

Kirk's picture
Admin
Kirk from Pingree Grove, IL is reading The Book Of The New Sun July 2, 2012 - 8:31am

See, that's funny because it means two things.

Utah's picture
Moderator
Utah from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry July 2, 2012 - 3:31pm

I only realized there was a second thing when Kirk brought it up.

John, welcome!  The picture from Matt Attack up there implies he is willing to put out.  If I were you, I'd say no.  He's way too into personal trimming.  He'll try to turn it into a sport, and before you know it you're studded with ingrown hairs.  Just FYI.

At some point, someone might stop by and deliver a welcome meme.  But I can no longer guarantee that so don't be too disappointed if it doesn't happen.

John Loeffler's picture
John Loeffler from Brooklyn, NY is reading Gallatian Canyon by Tom McGuane July 2, 2012 - 4:09pm

Being a gamer, I appreciated the picture. Being an occassional WoW gamer, I thought it was hysterical.