Authors


Christopher Moore - An extraordinarily funny author. Lamb is the most hilarious book ever written! (Practical Demonkeeping, Bloodsucking Fiends, Fluke, The Stupidest Angel...)
Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child - Co-authors of several entertaining books. (Relic, Thunderhead, Brimstone...)
Steve Alten - Wonderful adventure writer. (Meg, Domain, The Loch...)
James Rollins - Yet another adventure writer that's hard to put down. (Subterranean, Deep Fathom, Map of Bones...)
Wilbur Smith - Find me a better book than The Seventh Scroll! I dare you! (Elephant Song, River God, Warlock, Birds of Prey...)
J.K. Rowling - Yes, I jumped on the bandwagon, but how could you not? What a wonderful world she's created. (The Harry Potter series...)
F. Paul Wilson - There's no one cooler than Repairman Jack! (The Tomb, Legacies, All the Rage, Crisscross...)
Bill Amend - Amend is the genius behind Fox Trot, the funniest comic strip ever! So intelligently and hilariously written, it amazes me that Amend has yet to run out of ideas.
Wiley Miller - Non Sequitur is another extremely funny, and, in my opinion, thought-provoking comic strip. Far Side-like in its way of tackling every conceivable subject, it is also the best-drawn comic strip ever. It's unique above-and-to-the-side perspective is fantastic. One of my dreams is to have Wiley illustrate one of my books. He'd be perfect!
Jim Davis - Garfield. The first comic strip I ever read and loved, I still can't get enough of that fat, orange tabby! It takes an amazing talent like Davis to find new ways to make lasagna, naps, spiders, diets, and kicking a dog funny each and every single time.
Eoin Colfer - This author's prose is so intelligent, witty, and vivid, I have to remind myself that his are children's books! Colfer's personal website can be found here. (Artemis Fowl, The Arctic Incident, The Supernaturalist...)
Daniel Handler - The author of the popular A Series of Unfortunate Events, Handler is another author who writes so masterfully, I, again, have to remind myself he's writing children's books! (The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, The Wide Window...)
Brian Crane - Pickles, another hilarious comic strip. This one centers on a unique subject: an elderly couple. It's refreshing to see an oft-neglected demographic represented and Crane makes them very real. Also, Muffin the Cat and Roscoe the Dog are two of the most true-to-life cartoon pets ever created.
Jim Meddick - Creator of Monty. Formally known as Robotman, Monty makes me laugh out loud each and every single time I read it. Pure comic genius!
Matthew Reilly - Author whose action-adventure novels deliver the action at a full-throttle pace from cover-to-cover. His scenes elicit a lot of "yeah-right-that-could-happen" responses, but who cares? Entertaining stuff! (Ice Station, Temple, Area 7, Scarecrow...)
Jerry Scott & Jim Borgman - Zits.  Another great comic strip, dealing with the hilariousness that is adolescence.  Great characters and funny dialogue that perfectly captures the "angst" of the teenage main character, his friends, and parents.
Jerry Scott & Rick Kirkman - Baby Blues.  Jerry Scott, the writing-half of Zits, collaborates with a different artist to bring us a comic strip dealing with the hilariousness that is child-rearing.  Side-splitting situations that ring so true-to-life, it's scary.  It's certainly a subject with plenty of opportunities to make us laugh.
Kevin Fagan - The creator of Drabble, a funny look at family life, with a nerd still living with his parents as the main character...kinda sounds like me 'til I was 25...maybe that's why I like it so much!
Mark Tatulli - Heart of the City.  Another great strip, featuring a single mom raising her adorable, prima dona girl, Heart.  Love her best friend, Dean, and her nanny, Mrs. Angelini.  Great stuff!
Bill Watterson - Calvin & Hobbes.  Another one of my all-time favorites!  No description necessary.  Everyone knows and loves C&H!


Photography


PBase/nineteen7d5 - My photography gallery. Check out my other hobby and feel free to comment.
PBase/wildestdreams and Wild Images by Pam - My mom's photography galleries, the first being a viewing-only gallery, the second, a site to buy her pictures or her services. Great photographs on a variety of subjects and very reasonable prices, too.
PBase - General photography website. Lots and lots of photographs on lots and lots of different subjects.
Outdoor Eyes - General photography website featuring outdoor subjects (wild birds and animals, landscapes, etc...). Lots to look at and learn from. Great people, too.
PBase/cogard and Charlie O's Photography - Another viewing-only photography site, as well as a site to buy photos or photography services, both full of landscapes, wild animals, and portraits. Great photographer and friend.


Music


Off the Hook - My dad's and brother's website featuring Denver's greatest cover band, Off the Hook. You'd be hard-pressed to find a better band that plays as wide a variety of rock-n-roll hits as Off the Hook.
Collective Soul - The best rock band ever! Typically, you buy a CD for a couple two, three songs...tops. Imagine the sheer joy that comes from discovering that every single song on a CD is not only good, but outstanding. Music, lyrics, overall sound! These guys continually deliver!
"Weird Al" Yankovic - Laugh if you want...because if you don't laugh at this guy, there's something very, very wrong with you. "Weird Al" Yankovic is just plain and simply H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S! Not only that, but he's extraordinarily talented, too. It's one thing to parody a song...it's something entirely different to actually make the parody better than the original! His original songs are gems, in and of themselves. The man's a comic genius! Best song - "Living with a Hernia." Priceless!



Television



The Family Guy - A raunchy, laugh-out-loud funny, "this-ain't-your-father's-cartoon" show that I cannot get enough of! I love Peter, Brian, and, especially, Stewie. Stewie's voice is perfect! Created by Seth MacFarlane (who also provides all the male characters' voices, except son, Chris), it is consistantly entertaining and makes several references to pop culture that my generation grew up with. Despite the off-color humor, Family Guy does throw in a lesson or message at the end: family always comes first. Funniest bit (so far): Peter shopping for a potty-training book!
Lost - The official website for the show Lost. Phenomenal show with great acting, stories, and production values. It's going to be interesting to see where the creative team behind Lost takes the series.
I Love Lucy - TV Land's I Love Lucy website. The best television show ever! Nothing ever has, nor ever will surpass it! Great acting by Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz (underappreciated, I think, in Ball's shadow), Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. Always funny, whether it's your first viewing or your one hundred forty-seven thousand, two hundred and eighty-first viewing! It has stood the test of time!
Friends - The official website for Friends. Early on, I watched and enjoyed the show, mostly because of Chandler's one-liners. As the show grew, each actor gave their character's such a personable individuality, while maintaining the group dynamic, making you care about these people while you laughed at them. Great show! Favorite character: a dead-locked tie between Chandler and Joey.
The Daily Show - Funny, innovative, and intelligent, The Daily Show just keeps getting better and better! I've watched and enjoyed The Daily Show since the Craig Kilborn days (loved his "5 Questions"). With Jon Stewart at the helm, the show has become an award-winning phenomenon! Their correspondents are hilarious and have become so popular, some have gone on to do their own shows/movies (see next entry). This is a great show!
The Colbert Report - Insanely funny! Former Daily Show correspondent, Stephen Colbert, hosts this mock news show and may well give The Daily Show strong competition come Emmy-time! Colbert's deadpan approach works so very well. "The Word" and "Know Your Congressional District" are both priceless! The Colbert Report can be summed up in one word: truthiness ©
Scrubs - In my humble opinion, this show is M*A*S*H for my generation! Uproarious and intelligently-written, it is perfectly cast! John C. McGinley, who is always been a favorite actor of mine, is glorious! His character, Dr. Cox, gets all the best lines because nobody can match McGinley's delivery! He is masterful and should have awards littering his mantle, if he doesn't already.
Smallville - Finally, a translation of the Superman mythos that is watchable! Another drama with great casting, great writing, and superb production values, Smallville tells the story of Superman as a young Clark Kent, growing up in Smallville, Kansas. The show is true to the Superman story and treats it with respect. I especially love it when a scene has the John Williams theme from the Christopher Reeve movies playing in the background. Speaking of Reeve, it was wonderful to see him guest-starring on the show before his unfortunate passing.
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) - The best cable/satellite channel on the dial. But, let me tell you why: un-cut and commercial-free movies! It's so satisfying and refreshing to know that when TCM puts on a movie like, say, Alien, you know you'll get to enjoy the movie without having it chopped up because of the violence or language, edited for time, or interrupted with commercials for Snuggle or AFLAC. TCM treats movies as the works of art they are. Love Robert Osborne's and Ben Mankiewicz's bits of trivia and information preceding and following each film. Best of what they have to offer: Silent Sundays, which features a silent film, every Sunday night and 31 Days of Oscar, which features Oscar-winning and even Oscar-nominated films and actors during the month before the Academy Awards. For a wide variety of wonderful films, check out TCM!


Other


Outskirts Press - I simply cannot say enough about Outskirts Press! I researched several self-publishing companies and was most impressed with Outskirts. Based out of Parker, Colorado, Outskirts Press is a print-on-demand publisher and puts you in control of your book. They simply hold your hand throughout the publishing process, then help steer you in the right directions after your book is published. You are assigned a personal author's representative (mine, Michelle Colores, rocks, by the way!) and any questions or concerns you have, e-mail your rep and get an immediate answer. Outskirts makes the process fun and exciting. If you're an author who's struggled to get anything other than an impersonal form-letter of rejection from literary agents, look into self-publishing with Outskirts Press.
Orthopedic Professional Association - The orthopedic office where I used to work. Got a tib/fib fracture? Ligament tear? Carpal tunnel syndrome? Have I got the docs for you...if you live in or near the north Denver-metro area.
Bandzoogle - "Bandzoogle is a powerful service that let bands build, update, and promote their own website - no web design skills needed. It was built by a couple of musicians who also happen to be web designers. We give you the tools you need for success in one easy-to-use service." Designed primarily for musicians and bands, it's a fun and easy way to start your own website. Kudos to Bandzoogle!
U.P.I.A - The United Paranormal Investigators Association - A very cool website featuring tons of information on all things paranormal. Special thanks to Jeremy Wiley at the U.P.I.A for permission to use articles from his website!
Free Flash Intros - The website where I got the flash intro on my introductory page. A very, very special thanks to Adan Vielma at flashintros.com for all of his help. I couldn't have done it without him...literally.
J.K. Mullen High School - My alma mater. Wonderful teachers, classmates, environment, and opportunities!
The Daily Quip - Tickle your funny bone with an endless supply of jokes!


The Best of the Best


This section of the Links page warrents its on subcategory...cartoons! Go ahead, make all the jokes you want, call me immature, whatever. After books, cartoons are the medium that have had the most impact on my life. Now, understand, when I say "cartoons," I'm refering to the cartoons of old. I'm sure today's cartoons have their merits, I just don't have the tolerance for them. I'm talking about The Flintstones, Woody Woodpecker, Popeye, The Pink Panther, any number of old Walt Disney animated shorts, and, especially, Tom & Jerry and the Looney Tunes. Tom & Jerry was wonderful for its gorgeous animation and ability to tell a great, humorous story without talking...or very little talking, at least. Looney Tunes is just flat-out, all-around perfect in every way. Animation, stories, humor, memorable characters. But, what impresses me most about these shows: their ability to expand my horizons with regards to the world around me. They made me interested in classic works they would make mention of or utilize, especially classical music. I've seen them all, like, a million times, and I never tire of them! I'm envious of the brilliant minds that worked on these works of art. The only recent cartoon that could come close to these old-time favorites is Animaniacs. It could be counted among the greats only because it harkens back to the good ol' days of animation. And, please...don't write me and argue about the violence on these shows. It's cartoon violence, people!