Living Dangerously: Romania: Once More With Feeling

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Weston Ochse is a former intelligence officer and special operations soldier who has engaged enemy combatants, terrorists, narco smugglers, and human traffickers. His personal war stories include performing humanitarian operations over Bangladesh, being deployed to Afghanistan, and a near miss being cannibalized in Papua New Guinea. His fiction and non-fiction has been praised by USA Today, The Atlantic, The New York Post, The Financial Times of London, and Publishers Weekly. The American Library Association labeled him one of the Major Horror Authors of the 21st Century. His work has also won the Bram Stoker Award, been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and won multiple New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards. A writer of more than 26 books in multiple genres, his military supernatural series SEAL Team 666 has been optioned to be a movie starring Dwayne Johnson. His military sci fi series, which starts with Grunt Life, has been praised for its PTSD-positive depiction of soldiers at peace and at war. Weston likes to be called a chaotic good paladin and challenges anyone to disagree. After all, no one can really stand a goody two-shoes lawful good character. They can be so annoying. It's so much more fun to be chaotic, even when you're striving to save the world. You can argue with him about this and other things online at Living Dangerously or on Facebook at Badasswriter. All content of this blog is copywrited by Weston Ochse.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Romania: Once More With Feeling

I'm going to Romania in three days.

View from my hotel of Oradea and the Crişul Repede River

I’d been planning to attend TusCon 37 for the last year. I was guest of honor last year and it was a terrific time. Jim Butcher, of Dresden Files fame, is the guest of honor this year and I was keen to meet him. Plus, I was asked to write an appreciation in the program book for Ed Bryant who is the toastmaster almost every year. My appreciation isn’t what they expected. In fact, it will turn them on their ear. It’s titled “Ed Bryant: Teenage Pornstar” and is an expose into a man who you thought you knew. But alas, I can’t make it to TusCon this year, which means that I’ll miss Ed Bryant’s reaction when the police arrive; Jim Butcher playing semi-naked twister to Star Trek Filk music; and Yvonne bringing our Great Danes to the convention.

Instead, I will be returning to Romania for ten days. As many of you may remember, I was there earlier this year. I’d actually thought it was going to be my last trip. I even went so far as to say goodbye to the country. But a few weeks ago I was told that I needed to go, so going I am.

View of the same river in the spring (near Bridge Restaurant)

Knowing that there are a lot of you who would love to come with me, I will offer you this. Virtually every evening I will be at this restaurant (The Bridge), which is about a half mile from my hotel. If you can meet me here, I will buy you a beer (preferably Leffe Blond) or a glass of wine. We can have dinner of Pasta Piementese, preceded by a bowl of traditional Ciorba De Burta, or Romanian Sour Tripe Soup, which is actually amazing.

If for some reason you can’t make it, feel free to ping me on Facebook or email me around dinner tome 6-8 PM and you can be with me virtually. The Bridge has free Wifi and I'll have my netbook. Remember that there is a seven hour difference from American Eastern Standard Time to local Romanian time.

If you do come, dress warmly. The town of Oradea is in the Carpathian Mountains. It will be freezing temperatures, but character of the people is very warm.

Looking forward to seeing you.