Getting Ready for Halloween!

(Halloween Picture -- PHOTO COPYRIGHT 2015 BY JAZ PRIMO)

Can you feel it in the air? The Halloween spirit is alive and well. At my college office, we’re like busy bees collecting Halloween décor items, and we’re decorating as soon as we have new things in hand. Take a look below at what we’re already set up.  It’s awesome! (The photo at the top of this blog post is a picture that's just been hand-made and is hanging in my main office area. Thanks to Crystal for that!)

(Halloween Decorations #1 -- PHOTO COPYRIGHT 2015 BY JAZ PRIMO)

(Halloween Decor #2 -- PHOTO COPYRIGHT 2015 BY JAZ PRIMO)

 I even have some small items on my office desk that bolster my cheerful Halloween spirit. The autumn has FINALLY arrived around here and I couldn’t be happier. Below you can see a sample of the beautiful scenery around my college campus. It was such an amazing day when I took this photo late last week!

(Rose State Campus -- PHOTO COPYRIGHT 2015 BY JAZ PRIMO)

 Recently, I noticed that there is a place on the web where you can create a Peanuts cartoon character in your own image. They’re promoting the upcoming Peanuts movie that’s coming out in November, which I can’t wait to see because I’ve been a Charlie Brown fan since I was a kid. There was always something so identifiable about Peanuts that resonates deeply inside of me. Every holiday has a corresponding Peanuts animated feature to help bring us into the mood. I’m watching the Halloween special very soon, in fact!

Below you can see how I’d look as a Peanuts character. If you’d like to try one out for yourself, CLICK HERE .

(Jaz as a Peanuts Character -- Sort of like a Doctor Jaz Photo!)

 Finally, my latest YouTube video for the week of October 4th is up and ready for your viewing! Watch it by CLICKING HERE . Be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you think. I talk about the pending Halloween season, my upcoming Halloween costume, some of my past costumes, and my review of two popular TV shows in a segment that I’m calling “Like It or Spike It.”

Until later, enjoy life; be kind to those around you, and Happy Reading! Peace.

What’s On Your Fall Must-Watch List?

[LEGAL USE OF THIS PHOTO LICENSED AND SECURED VIA DREAMSTIME - July 2014 – Photo by Fedor Patrakov]

Autumn has arrived, and yet, it was just Labor Day only a handful of days ago. Where does the time go?

I know where some of it has gone. During the weekend of September 18 – 20, I attended the annual writers’ conference at Rose State College. My lovely publicist, Vicki Rose, flew down to attend the event with me. Both of us had a marvelous time, and I met a number of wonderful authors, both previously-published and aspiring. On top of that, all four of my session presentations were successful, and I hope that the materials I presented were helpful to the attendees. Between William Martin, Mel Odom, and William Bernhardt, there were more than enough talented authors present for attendees to glean helpful insights into writing and publishing.

Aside from the writers’ conference, I’m engaged in a number of diversions and projects. For one, I’m actively working to respond to the recommendations and edits from my editor, Laura, on my upcoming Bringer Unleashed, which is still scheduled for a November release date. For another, the season premieres for a litany of television shows has begun in earnest. Personal enjoyment aside, it’s important for artists to rejuvenate and fill their creative wells, which TV shows are great at stimulating inside me.

Here’s a number of the MUST-WATCH television shows that I’m dedicating my viewing hours to:

Arrow

The Bastard Executioner

Big Bang Theory

Castle

Deadliest Catch

Doctor Who

Dominion

The Flash

Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares

Grimm

Hell's Kitchen

Heroes Reborn

Last Week with John Oliver

Legends of Tomorrow

Lost Girl

Marvel's Agents of Shield

Masterchef

The Muppets

Star Wars Rebels

Supergirl

The Vampire Diaries

The Walking Dead

Which MUST-WATCH programs are on you watch list?

In addition, daytime career and after-hours endeavors as a history professor have kept me very busy. On the topic of teaching, I have a really good complement of history students this semester. However, the jury’s still out on whether or not they’ll be interested in receiving extra credit for coming to class in costumes on Wednesday, October 28th. That will be an excellent litmus test on how awesome they are. We’ll see…

Another endeavor that I’m putting energy into is my official YouTube Channel at CLICK HERE. There's already 27 subscribers, but I am anxious to see that number grow, so please sign up now.

My Official Jaz Primo Videos playlist is at CLICK HERE. If you haven’t watched my latest YouTube video for the week of September 20th, please watch it now at CLICK HERE.

Until later, enjoy life; be kind to those around you, and Happy Reading! Peace.

Late Summer Sunflowers

Sunflowers of late September. (Photos by Jaz Primo, Sept. 2014)

Fall is my favorite time of year. While enjoying the cool early-autumn breeze during one of my recent neighborhood aerobic walks, I welcomed the long-overdue cooler temperatures and overcast skies. Then I caught sight of some sunflowers in the waning stages of bloom and it generated a momentary wave of nostalgia. While I’m no fan of my state’s oppressive summer heat and humidity, I appreciate the beauty found in those vibrant sunflowers. They reminded me of Vincent Van Gogh’s iconic and mesmerizing sunflower paintings.

 My reflections were accompanied by the realization that with autumn’s arrival, everything was preparing to go dormant in anticipation of the winter. Though, at least in my portion of the country, winter is more than what the majority of the nation calls autumn. Honestly, this is a state of hard weather that matches the hard character of many of its residents; hard and unrelenting. But, I digress. Nevertheless, I considered the passage of time and how, like the sunflowers, our lives are marked by the increasingly swiftly-passing seasons. Then it reminded me how quickly time passes and how we should savor beautiful moments when they occur. As such, I savored the view of the sunflowers as I reveled in the early days of fall.

Sunflowers of late summer. (Photo by Jaz Primo, Sept. 2014)

And now for a quick update on how my new kitty, Tabby, is doing. My little furry tyke is taking nicely to her new home, complete with toys, multiple carpeted places to perch, and no less than two healthy dry kitten foods. She also made her first visit to one of the best cat specialty veterinarians in the central part of our state. Dr. Edwards and her kind staff were immediately smitten with Tabby, who seemed to appreciate the attention. Oh, and as with all kittens, Tabby has a curiosity streak a mile long. As you can see from the photo below, she has a strong affiliation toward recycling. In fact, she inspects the basket’s contents herself to ensure that it’s appropriate for recycling. But then, that’s kittens for you.

Tabby in the recycling basket. (Photo by Jaz Primo, Sept. 2014)

Enjoy autumn, and take a moment to gaze at the waning summer flowers.