I have a problem.
No, I mean…I have a Problem. A big problem. An I-need-a-12-step-program problem, only I wouldn’t go because I don’t want to recover. It’s fun. I like it.
You see…I want to know everything. Ever.
Oh, not gossip, or basketball scores, or how many hairs are on my arm–I want to know all the cool stuff.
All of it.
Did you know there are no rivers in the northern half of the Yucatán peninsula? The whole thing is karst! Local people access fresh water from the cenotes.
In my novel Burning Bright (not available soon, sorry), Hiro falls in when a sinkhole–a cenote–forms beneath his feet. Some cenotes are connected.
He’s saved by a llama. Did you know llamas don’t have cloven hooves? Look at this picture. Cool, huh?
See what I mean? I love to write for many reasons. But the biggest one may just be that it gives me an excuse to study everything. Anthropology, archaeology, astrology…I could go on.
I can just see an intervention. They’d probably start in my browser’s bookmarks, because–well, where else?
I’d be in denial, of course. They’re trying to take my bookmarks!
“What is this link about glowing trees?”
“It’s research! I’m sure one of the planets Taro and Rafe visit will use that for street lighting! Like…Goodfella. Yes, that would make sense. Very pretty, very romantic…” *scribbles note*
“Fine. What about pixdaus.com? Seriously–it’s all landscape pictures. And some arty nudes.”
“Setting! I need those to research settings for my novels! See, this moody one is for Fidelis, and this awesome tree is for Flame, and–“
“Fine! Explain the acrobats.”
“Keen.”
“The glowing blue squid?”
“Flame at sea.”
“All right. The Monsters book on your bookshelf. And what’s this…witchcraft? Seriously? And saints next to it? What–“
“STEP AWAY FROM THE BOOKSHELF.”
Yeah, that wouldn’t end well.
I can’t help it. To me the cool people are the ones who know things. Neil deGrasse Tyson? I follow him on Twitter. I follow Bad Astronomer too, and he recently rewarded his followers with this link.
Did you know that thunderstorms make anti-matter?
Sorry. I just get carried away. There is so much awesome in this world. I can’t help but try to spread it around.
…hey there, need a fix? Try African Scarification History. Or the 2008 Instrument Flight Manual. How about Ask a Catholic?
Yeah, I got what you need. Have a gander at this lava lake on National Geographic.