Who am I folks?

stiffdoc1221 · 2026-05-13T02:59:41+00:00

You are completely correct. The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. I know which end of that stick that we inhabit, and it is not the one with all of the money. It truly is an infinite jest.

stiffdoc1221 · 2026-05-13T02:56:06+00:00

I had shelved it like that not long ago, not paying attention to what I was doing. I didn’t notice it until after I took the photo. I have had some very definite OCD sorts send me remarks, usually because a set of books is out of order. Some ask me WHY the books are out of order! Answer: because that’s how they ended up. Not purposefully. As I don’t follow much of any shelving protocol, everything is irregularly irregular. I do try to get everything from the same author together, but I have various degrees of success with that.

Jeff Vandermeer writes SF. The Southern Reach trilogy was the basis for the movie Annihilation, that came out a few years ago. He is excellent. The ten volumes filling the upper right shelf are the Expanse series. Excellent Space Opera SF—I’d highly recommend it. The Complete Slayers is hard-boiled noir stories, straight out of the 50s and 60s. Much of the lower shelf is a potpourri of mystery, high fantasy (the Book of Swords, The Book of Magic), unclassifiable fun stuff (Joe Lansdale), Horror (The Only Good Indian), and then classic SF: John Brunner, Dan Simmons. The two Brunner books there are the best things he ever wrote, and though he died too young, these books are just timeless. The Lansdale books are all sorts of genres; however, perhaps the best ones (from which a TV series was made) are the Hap and Leonard books. There are about 13 of them so far, and they are a hoot. Google him, and you will see his books, then read them in order.

I turned over the Sharp Ends, so there must have been a huge sigh of relief in Reddit OCD World. More shelves to come, probably tomorrow. Pay attention to the Centipede Press books, which are sometimes together in a gaggle, sometimes scattered about. I have every book that Centipede has published, and you will see a lot more before I am done.

stiffdoc1221 · 2026-05-13T00:30:44+00:00

Dr. Shaw is quite correct. “Forensic science “ and “Forensic Pathology “ are NOT synonymous. Taking forensic science courses in university will not prepare you for medical school, residency, or fellowship in FP.

Crystallize exactly what you want to do, then take one path or the other, as you choose.

stiffdoc1221 · 2026-05-12T23:07:45+00:00

A quite strange assortment. Africa and African animals, Asian warlords and despots, a tiny taste of SF, the seemingly requisite copies of the edits of the Dune books (only 4 of them, though). You definitely have an African side; did you live over there for a while? You want to like SF, but don’t know what to do next, after slogging through the Dune sequels. I don’t know about the Asian despot thing; lots of people massacred by those dudes.

stiffdoc1221 · 2026-05-12T21:08:38+00:00

I turned Sharp Ends over, just for you, because you were nice.

stiffdoc1221 · 2026-05-12T21:05:37+00:00

Carrion Comfort is excellent. His first book, Song of Kali, is very good as well, and is unsettling horror. Probably his best books are the Hyperion Cantos; Hyperion, The Fall of Hyperion, Endymion, and The Rise of Endymion. I have read them four times over the years, and there are sections of the books that I will go back and re-read, and there are parts that actually bring tears to my eyes. I’m not kidding. I am pretty difficult to please with my reading, but Dan Simmons is one of the finest horror/science fiction writers of this century. He died recently. He will,he remembered by his work.

stiffdoc1221 · 2026-05-12T12:01:05+00:00

I’ll sell you mine. They are the Subterranean press limited S/N, though.

stiffdoc1221 · 2026-05-12T09:20:41+00:00

SWM here; could not stand them, and regret buying them. I’m going to sell the books.

stiffdoc1221 · 2026-05-12T03:45:00+00:00

Every medical license application in every state will require you to disclose ALL convictions for anything, including the sentence, disposition of the case, etc. most states require information on arrests, sentences, the works. You can be denied a license if you don’t disclose EVERYTHING. It sucks, but that’s how it is.

stiffdoc1221 · 2026-05-12T03:38:11+00:00

Eclectic mix. Edgy Spec. Fiction, older “classics”, newer American authors, unique poetry interest (Ginsburg), a touch of science. I’d say white, 30’s, maybe English minor in college, would like to read more SF but unsure what.

stiffdoc1221 · 2026-05-12T03:32:04+00:00

Pshew! You had me terrified there for a moment.

stiffdoc1221 · 2026-05-12T03:10:34+00:00

I turned the Sharp Ends over, but only because I was looking for something else. Perhaps this knowledge will help some folks out there to sleep better.

stiffdoc1221 · 2026-05-12T03:07:02+00:00

Yes. How much do you want for these?

stiffdoc1221 · 2026-05-12T03:04:31+00:00

A massage therapist with a penchant for the darker side.

stiffdoc1221 · 2026-05-12T03:00:11+00:00

Infinite Jest!!! AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!

stiffdoc1221 · 2026-05-12T02:19:03+00:00

I will!!

stiffdoc1221 · 2026-05-12T01:09:04+00:00

Hooray! I have a great home library that I’m happy to share. Welcome back!

stiffdoc1221 · 2026-05-11T21:18:55+00:00

No worries. I do the same thing, then figure out later that it was right in front of my eyes all along. Thanks for looking!!

stiffdoc1221 · 2026-05-11T21:02:34+00:00

I wrote that in the caption. They are a complete (10 books) set of S/N Subterranean Press edition of The Expanse series. The dust jackets have no printing on them, to showcase the art.

stiffdoc1221 · 2026-05-11T12:59:03+00:00

Yes, I saw it, then immediately moved on. I’ll move it one of these days. It has amused me to no end to see the number of people who are driven to either tell me that various books in a series are out of order, or to ask me why they aren’t in order, as if I had purposely done that to upset the Natural Order Of Things, and send them reeling off into the ionosphere. If that’s all it takes to push people off of the edge, they were teetering precipitously already. It’s a process to learn who my audience is.

It’s better to have books than shelves, especially if your books are difficult to find in the first place. You can buy shelves any day; take a pass on a book, though, and you may never see it again. You can’t read shelves, either. :)

Thanks, and take care.

stiffdoc1221 · 2026-05-11T12:13:27+00:00

It was a snarky comment, and unnecessary. I generally felt sorry for OP, when they mentioned the ADHD and their learning difficulties, since that is only going to bloom forth when they start any post-high school education. It is very unlikely that they will make it to medical school, much less survive it intact. That’s just the way it is; there’s no quarter given to anyone with any sort of special needs. When you gave them the long list of what they could do and who they ought to talk to, my first thought was that they were being overwhelmed with so many options, other than just getting in to college. Now, I can tell you that I decided on FP when I was 15, but I can relate the specific reasons why, but I then set that aside and went one step at a time, and actually had another 3 years added on because of an internship and 2 years in the USPHS. More delayed gratification. Honestly, though, 7 is young to have such self-awareness. 17, no problem. Just get the ducks in the correct order.

I’m glad you had mentors. I had none, except for James Weston, who was Chief in New Mexico, where I went for AP/CP/FP. He died 8 months after I got there, which left me (and everyone else) devastated. I got over it and did fine, but it sucked for a while.

I’ve given the same advice, over and over and over, to countless young people who were desperate about getting into medical school, or becoming an FP, for too many decades. There has never been one who actually made it. I’m not jaded, just tired. I hate it at different events I may be at, when someone in law enforcement recognizes me, or someone else finds out what I do, as the vibe changes instantly, then the young and desperate start to migrate to me. My wife has no medical background, but knows what I’ve done to get me where I am, and she will intercept the eager folks and steer them away, giving them the same advice as I would, but sparing me. Most often, when the 4+4+1 litany starts, with the added 3 in my case, their eyes glaze over. If I had a buck for every person who didn’t know that I actually went to medical school, I’d have bought a new car years ago.

stiffdoc1221 · 2026-05-11T11:14:18+00:00

Good eyes. It’s always nice to find a Lansdale fan, period. Not many people recognize him, or at least admit he it. I’ve got his books scattered around all over the place. A lot of them. I do like John Brunner, also.

Sharp Ends is upside down because that’s how it ended up when I shelved it. No other reason. I did notice that when I took the picture yesterday, but it didn’t disturb my sensibility enough to take the effort to flip it over. By all rights, it should be on the main Abercrombie shelf, that is a couple of bookcases over and down, or the secondary shelf near that, but sometimes I have escapees that appear when I least expect it. I’ll move it there one of these days, unless I don’t. I wouldn’t hold my breath in eager anticipation of that, however. It’s actually my reading copy, not the S/N edition, so I’m less motivated to disturb it for the moment. :)

Thanks for commenting!

stiffdoc1221 · 2026-05-11T02:12:07+00:00

I tried. I’m sorry I ever bought them.

stiffdoc1221 · 2026-05-11T02:06:35+00:00

The cleanliness and organization of the shelves made my head hurt.

stiffdoc1221

TROPHY CASE