We are Borg…

Funny conversation happened today, one that not only lends itself to the sheer level of weirdness that I have, but also reveals a level of the geek that my wife and I share with each other. Might I just say, our geek level individually is kind of funny, together however… it’s just down right scary.

Here, let me set the scene for you…

We are walking through the mall after binge watching 4 episodes of the Daredevil show (what better way to spend the first day of my summer vacation.. in which I got up and went to the corner store to get myself a job… wait.. wrong story..) when we ran into a friend of ours who happened to be out walking her granddaughter around. This woman is a very dear friend to my wife and has been like a second mom to her. My wife tells me about some of the happenings that go on in this woman’s life, and like a good husband, I half listen.

And such was the case with this particular grandchild. It turns out that it was not grandchild number 3, but number 5 and not from her oldest daughter but her youngest. Easy mistakes, sure.. but then my wife decided to help me understand the rank and file that this child fit into and she said… this is 1 of 3.

Instantly, I got this. Instantly I decided that as my grandchildren are brought into this world that they shall have such designations in their life. Instantly… everything was clear.

My son’s children will be 1 of 1, 2 of 1, and so forth, and my daughter’s will be 1 of 2, 2 of 2.. and so forth…

I was overjoyed with this… as I am sure Gene Roddenberry and Jerry Ryan would be also. I quickly shared my idea with my wife and my daughter (whom also happened to be with us) and got the gleeful look of overjoyed approval from my wife and the scorned look of disapproval and disgust from my 20-year-old daughter.

As we continued on our way I only had one regret in all of this…

I totally should have had more kids.

http://ift.tt/1OxEhuZ

We are Borg…

Funny conversation happened today, one that not only lends itself to the sheer level of weirdness that I have, but also reveals a level of the geek that my wife and I share with each other. Might I just say, our geek level individually is kind of funny, together however… it’s just down right scary.

Here, let me set the scene for you…

We are walking through the mall after binge watching 4 episodes of the Daredevil show (what better way to spend the first day of my summer vacation.. in which I got up and went to the corner store to get myself a job… wait.. wrong story..) when we ran into a friend of ours who happened to be out walking her granddaughter around. This woman is a very dear friend to my wife and has been like a second mom to her. My wife tells me about some of the happenings that go on in this woman’s life, and like a good husband, I half listen.

And such was the case with this particular grandchild. It turns out that it was not grandchild number 3, but number 5 and not from her oldest daughter but her youngest. Easy mistakes, sure.. but then my wife decided to help me understand the rank and file that this child fit into and she said… this is 1 of 3.

Instantly, I got this. Instantly I decided that as my grandchildren are brought into this world that they shall have such designations in their life. Instantly… everything was clear.

My son’s children will be 1 of 1, 2 of 1, and so forth, and my daughter’s will be 1 of 2, 2 of 2.. and so forth…

I was overjoyed with this… as I am sure Gene Roddenberry and Jerry Ryan would be also. I quickly shared my idea with my wife and my daughter (whom also happened to be with us) and got the gleeful look of overjoyed approval from my wife and the scorned look of disapproval and disgust from my 20-year-old daughter.

As we continued on our way I only had one regret in all of this…

I totally should have had more kids.

Writing, Breaks, and Questions…

So, I need to take a break from the project I am working on. It’s a reworking of a flash fiction I wrote called, “They Made a Mistake…“. It’s kind of a dark story, and one that although I am enjoying writing, is really difficult to write.  I’m turning it into a short story that is going to be about 10,000 words and once finished, will be one of the longer stories I have ever written.

So, here’s an interesting question… does that fall into the short story category? According to some, yes it does, according to others, nope. One place says 1.000 to 20,000 is a short story, another says nothing over 2500 words.

Then there is the whole… how do I publish it? Do I sell it (that would be cool), do I release it in parts on my fiction blog, do I release it as a whole on there (seems like it would be WAY too long to do that), or what?

If you have any comments, experience with any of this, or just want to throw in your 2 cents, let me hear (or read as it would be) what you have to say on the matter down below in the comments.

http://ift.tt/1HDsAyN

Writing, Breaks, and Questions…

So, I need to take a break from the project I am working on. It’s a reworking of a flash fiction I wrote called, “They Made a Mistake…“. It’s kind of a dark story, and one that although I am enjoying writing, is really difficult to write.  I’m turning it into a short story that is going to be about 10,000 words and once finished, will be one of the longer stories I have ever written.

So, here’s an interesting question… does that fall into the short story category? According to some, yes it does, according to others, nope. One place says 1.000 to 20,000 is a short story, another says nothing over 2500 words.

Then there is the whole… how do I publish it? Do I sell it (that would be cool), do I release it in parts on my fiction blog, do I release it as a whole on there (seems like it would be WAY too long to do that), or what?

If you have any comments, experience with any of this, or just want to throw in your 2 cents, let me hear (or read as it would be) what you have to say on the matter down below in the comments.

Vacation…

Well, I get a little over a week off between my last final exam (which I have to write tonight), and the start of the summer semester. I’m going to be taking Spanish I and Intro to Oceanography. I’ve been told Oceanography is an easy class, which is good, because I think I am going to need all the time I can get to learn Spanish.

Did I mention Summer semester is only 6 weeks long? Then I start Spanish 2 and College Computing. I don’t think there is a break there. So, after this next ten days, I am going to be back into the books and working steadily toward my Master’s degree (which is still a ways away.)

So, what better time than now to take a vacation!? Yep, vacation time. Or rather, stay-cation time. Sleeping in late, doing what I want, catching up on House of Cards and Daredevil on Netflix. I might even play a video game or read a book. *GASP* (yeah, I need to finish The Last Battle still)

Yeah, 4 months is a long time to put a book on hold.

I might even figure out how to use Scrivener.. wouldn’t that be an amazing thing!

Regardless, whatever I chose to do… writing will be a part of it, and so will tea. Lots and lots of tea. And maybe some coloring too… 

Stay-cations are the best.

http://ift.tt/1Dlqb4d

Vacation…

Well, I get a little over a week off between my last final exam (which I have to write tonight), and the start of the summer semester. I’m going to be taking Spanish I and Intro to Oceanography. I’ve been told Oceanography is an easy class, which is good, because I think I am going to need all the time I can get to learn Spanish.

Did I mention Summer semester is only 6 weeks long? Then I start Spanish 2 and College Computing. I don’t think there is a break there. So, after this next ten days, I am going to be back into the books and working steadily toward my Master’s degree (which is still a ways away.)

So, what better time than now to take a vacation!? Yep, vacation time. Or rather, stay-cation time. Sleeping in late, doing what I want, catching up on House of Cards and Daredevil on Netflix. I might even play a video game or read a book. *GASP* (yeah, I need to finish The Last Battle still)

Yeah, 4 months is a long time to put a book on hold.

I might even figure out how to use Scrivener.. wouldn’t that be an amazing thing!

Regardless, whatever I chose to do… writing will be a part of it, and so will tea. Lots and lots of tea. And maybe some coloring too… 

Stay-cations are the best.

Lucky Woman…

Yeah, I totally stole this from a friend of mine. He posted it to his page on Facebook, and I have to say, it is true… for both hs wife and mine.

Those are some pretty lucky women right there (or as we say in the South, “ri’chair”). Lucky indeed.

http://ift.tt/1PoMAGs

Lucky Woman…

Yeah, I totally stole this from a friend of mine. He posted it to his page on Facebook, and I have to say, it is true… for both hs wife and mine.

Those are some pretty lucky women right there (or as we say in the South, “ri’chair”). Lucky indeed.

Here’s My Opinion…

Here’s My Opinion…

Finals Finally…

Another Saturday. Another morning spent at Panera’s working on homework. I just got done working on some astronomy extra credit work, a kind of final review for the final exam. It was a nice little review that had me talking about galaxies (some of them even far, far, away) and star types (did you know there are several ways to classify stars), to Titan (the moon of Saturn, not the old dudes in Greek mythology).

But, this will be my last week coming to Panera’s to study for this semester. It’s kind of a bittersweet thing. Next week, if I come here, it’s going to be to work on my writing. Not the short haiku’s that I have been plopping out over the last week or two, but the deeper longer stuff.

I might even figure out how to use Scrivener, something I bought a while back and just recently started trying to figure out how to use. It’s a pretty neat program from what I can tell, but I know I’m only scratching the surface of it at the moment. The fun part is going to be importing all my work into it and organizing it so I can see where I am at with all those stories and books I have been ‘working’ on.

But, rest assured, when the summer semester begins, I’ll probably be right back here trying to study Spanish or Oceanography. Cause, you know, if you don’t know a foreign language, it’s always best to cram it into a 6 week summer class…

Seriously.. there has to be something wrong with me….

So.. here’s to finals week.

http://ift.tt/1aGcoy5

Finals Finally…

Another Saturday. Another morning spent at Panera’s working on homework. I just got done working on some astronomy extra credit work, a kind of final review for the final exam. It was a nice little review that had me talking about galaxies (some of them even far, far, away) and star types (did you know there are several ways to classify stars), to Titan (the moon of Saturn, not the old dudes in Greek mythology).

But, this will be my last week coming to Panera’s to study for this semester. It’s kind of a bittersweet thing. Next week, if I come here, it’s going to be to work on my writing. Not the short haiku’s that I have been plopping out over the last week or two, but the deeper longer stuff.

I might even figure out how to use Scrivener, something I bought a while back and just recently started trying to figure out how to use. It’s a pretty neat program from what I can tell, but I know I’m only scratching the surface of it at the moment. The fun part is going to be importing all my work into it and organizing it so I can see where I am at with all those stories and books I have been ‘working’ on.

But, rest assured, when the summer semester begins, I’ll probably be right back here trying to study Spanish or Oceanography. Cause, you know, if you don’t know a foreign language, it’s always best to cram it into a 6 week summer class…

Seriously.. there has to be something wrong with me….

So.. here’s to finals week.

Oh Flannery….

Flannery O’Connor.

Another writer who I have been exposed to this semester. Although, when I read “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, I already knew that story. I just couldn’t remember when I read it. Such is my brain and memory.

However, in both my English class and American Lit class, I have had to read something by her. Admittedly, I don’t like reading all that much, a comment that I have repeated on numerous occasions and has drawn me several quizzical looks from people (most notably my English teacher) who apparently have never heard such a thing. A writer who doesn’t like to read? Yeah, it’s a thing. It’s my thing. I own it. Granted, not sure what that says about me… but…

And back on track…

Flannery O’Connor is a wonderful writer. Even though I struggle with comprehension due to my attention problems (did someone say squirrel?)…

which cause me to struggle with the initial parts of the stories I read, he simple language and compelling settings tend to draw me in. It doesn’t hurt that he stories also tend to have some underlying darkness to them, either. She also has this way of creating this image in the beginning that has some form of twist to it at the end. Not always perceptible, and not exactly how you would think, but twisty. I like twisty in my stories. Is twisty a word?

Meh…

So, anyway…

Yep, new writer I am learning to appreciate.

I’m leaning stuff in college.

Go figure.

http://ift.tt/1Dw6zyR

Oh Flannery….

Flannery O’Connor.

Another writer who I have been exposed to this semester. Although, when I read “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, I already knew that story. I just couldn’t remember when I read it. Such is my brain and memory.

However, in both my English class and American Lit class, I have had to read something by her. Admittedly, I don’t like reading all that much, a comment that I have repeated on numerous occasions and has drawn me several quizzical looks from people (most notably my English teacher) who apparently have never heard such a thing. A writer who doesn’t like to read? Yeah, it’s a thing. It’s my thing. I own it. Granted, not sure what that says about me… but…

And back on track…

Flannery O’Connor is a wonderful writer. Even though I struggle with comprehension due to my attention problems (did someone say squirrel?)…

which cause me to struggle with the initial parts of the stories I read, he simple language and compelling settings tend to draw me in. It doesn’t hurt that he stories also tend to have some underlying darkness to them, either. She also has this way of creating this image in the beginning that has some form of twist to it at the end. Not always perceptible, and not exactly how you would think, but twisty. I like twisty in my stories. Is twisty a word?

Meh…

So, anyway…

Yep, new writer I am learning to appreciate.

I’m leaning stuff in college.

Go figure.

Middle Ground…

I don’t really have a middle ground when it comes to my personality. It might be a disorder… kind of like not having a middle name… which I am sure is not a disorder, or so I hear. This lack of middle ground in my life is quite a conflicting issue for me, mainly because almost everything about my life is ‘middle':

• I go by my middle name


• I am a middle child


• Both my parents are middle children


• I like to be in the middle of everything

Ok, that list is short, but I won’t bore you with the other details (it’s either that or I can’t think of any others, so we will just go with the aforementioned excuse reason).

However, in a conversation I had yesterday, I came to a realization or epiphany of sorts. When it comes to my relationships with people and things, I don’t have this previously mentioned middle ground. The reason I call it a disorder is because I think that has to be a problem. Not that I am trying to make a mountain out of a molehill or anything, but, I am a bit of an extremist (not the adrenaline junkie addict kind) when it comes to things. I am either all in or all out.

For instance, if I am happy with you, I’m all Chatty Cathy about things and I tend to be very open in my stance and posture. I will be jovial, probably a bit annoying and overbearing I am sure, and I will try to make sure you are enjoying my company. Well, mostly, I’m sure it’s more complicated, but again, for brevity sake…

If I am not happy with you. Well, it would take a moron not to figure that out. I am cold. Like 0 Kelvin kind of cold. I won’t look at you in the face, and I will do everything to avoid eye contact. I won’t talk to you and if I do, it is in short sentences consisting of one or two words (if I could get away with fewer, like grunts or what not, I will). My wife says I go into ‘Harley’ mode. Harley was our beagle that we owned and when she was upset she would sit away from you and turn her back to you, it was pretty funny. Well, when she did it… not so much when I do it.

That’s it. Just those two areas. I’m either ok with you, or I’m not.

There is a third area, but it’s not a middle ground, it’s more like limbo. See, if you are in limbo, it’s because I don’t think about you. That’s not a bad thing, it’s also not a good thing. It just means that you are not a forethought in my life at the moment. A good for instance is a friend I go to lunch with. It’s been since January since we have gotten together. I’m not upset with him, I just have a bunch of homework and I tend to do that at lunch, so I don’t even think about it. Then, something happens that reminds me of him and I’m like.. oh, I need to contact him. Hopefully, I contact him before he slips back into limbo… hopefully.

As a caveat to all this, it takes an awful lot to get on my bad side, mainly cause I have to care enough about you that you can hurt me. So, if I am not calling you, reaching out to you, or what not… but when I see you I’m all happy-go-lucky, you’re just in limbo. For that, well, I won’t apologize, but at least now you know.

And knowing is half the battle…

http://ift.tt/1IttzSf

Middle Ground…

I don’t really have a middle ground when it comes to my personality. It might be a disorder… kind of like not having a middle name… which I am sure is not a disorder, or so I hear. This lack of middle ground in my life is quite a conflicting issue for me, mainly because almost everything about my life is ‘middle':

• I go by my middle name


• I am a middle child


• Both my parents are middle children


• I like to be in the middle of everything

Ok, that list is short, but I won’t bore you with the other details (it’s either that or I can’t think of any others, so we will just go with the aforementioned excuse reason).

However, in a conversation I had yesterday, I came to a realization or epiphany of sorts. When it comes to my relationships with people and things, I don’t have this previously mentioned middle ground. The reason I call it a disorder is because I think that has to be a problem. Not that I am trying to make a mountain out of a molehill or anything, but, I am a bit of an extremist (not the adrenaline junkie addict kind) when it comes to things. I am either all in or all out.

For instance, if I am happy with you, I’m all Chatty Cathy about things and I tend to be very open in my stance and posture. I will be jovial, probably a bit annoying and overbearing I am sure, and I will try to make sure you are enjoying my company. Well, mostly, I’m sure it’s more complicated, but again, for brevity sake…

If I am not happy with you. Well, it would take a moron not to figure that out. I am cold. Like 0 Kelvin kind of cold. I won’t look at you in the face, and I will do everything to avoid eye contact. I won’t talk to you and if I do, it is in short sentences consisting of one or two words (if I could get away with fewer, like grunts or what not, I will). My wife says I go into ‘Harley’ mode. Harley was our beagle that we owned and when she was upset she would sit away from you and turn her back to you, it was pretty funny. Well, when she did it… not so much when I do it.

That’s it. Just those two areas. I’m either ok with you, or I’m not.

There is a third area, but it’s not a middle ground, it’s more like limbo. See, if you are in limbo, it’s because I don’t think about you. That’s not a bad thing, it’s also not a good thing. It just means that you are not a forethought in my life at the moment. A good for instance is a friend I go to lunch with. It’s been since January since we have gotten together. I’m not upset with him, I just have a bunch of homework and I tend to do that at lunch, so I don’t even think about it. Then, something happens that reminds me of him and I’m like.. oh, I need to contact him. Hopefully, I contact him before he slips back into limbo… hopefully.

As a caveat to all this, it takes an awful lot to get on my bad side, mainly cause I have to care enough about you that you can hurt me. So, if I am not calling you, reaching out to you, or what not… but when I see you I’m all happy-go-lucky, you’re just in limbo. For that, well, I won’t apologize, but at least now you know.

And knowing is half the battle…

Writers Gonna Write…

Writers Gonna Write…

Of Pearls and Swine…

I have 44 years of experience at life.

44 years of getting it wrong and somehow still making it, 44 years of getting it right and still screwing that up, 44 years of asking other people for help, and 44 years of lessons learned.

No, my experiences are not the same as yours, so obviously I can’t 100% understand what you are going through. Hey, but good luck finding someone who has. What I do have (invokes Liam Neeson voice) is a particular understanding that the boat you are in is yours, but the lake you are on… well, that’s something I can grasp. I also have an uncanny way of seeing things for what they are (I have been wrong on occasion), and hearing what you aren’t saying or are trying to hide (it’s not a magic trick or esp, I’m just really good at reading people along with a bunch of other stuff).

Unfortunately, added to all this is my desire to help people through tough times, or to try to walk along the road with them and point out the landmines that I have walked over (ok, so we are out of the boat metaphor and onto dry land). My tactic is not straightforward though. I don’t want to give people the answers, but instead try to lead them to a place where they can figure it out and make the answer their own (it’s the teacher in me, I’m sure). Oh, I’m also a bit cocky, snarky and apparently cynical. An abrasive personality in these kinds of situations, I’m sure.

But, I don’t have time to pussyfoot around stuff. My time is valuable, just as much as the next person, and since my advice doesn’t come with a prescribed per hour premium, I don’t want to dawdle over trivial crap. This has lead many to call my talks 2×4’s. Honestly, I’m ok with that. Most people need 2×4’s in their life from time to time. I do my level best to help someone, but I’m not changing my tactics, I’m not changing my style. I am who I am, so my help comes with that understanding.

See, compassion and mercy are not my strong points. Well, not the way that most would define them. I have a lot of compassion, it is what makes me want to help people. It’s just not that surface stuff that’s all, “Aww, let me give you a hug, isn’t the world wonderful, you’re so special” crap that seems more fluff than anything. And I have a lot of mercy. Lots. I can overlook a lot of offenses (which leads me to be walk on or abused), but again, it’s not this surface style mercy so a lot of people think I am just cold and disconnected.

But I do have a point where I am just done. Sometimes it’s the person’s actions, like when I spend hours with them and they return over and over to the same thing, which makes me feel as if I am wasting my time. Sometimes it’s something they say, more akin to the camel’s back snapping from that last straw, where I have finally just had enough and I am done (insert a dealer wiping and showing his hands as he finishes his shift.. seriously, I do that).

Which ever it is, somewhere in my brain that person gets marked as a swine (not literally, but that would be cool). My compassion just runs out. My mercy hits a wall. I feel bad because I really want to help, but I realize that when Jesus was talking about pearls and swine, sometimes, you just got to let that pig be a pig.

Yep.

Or… you know… something like that.

http://ift.tt/19JKot6

Of Pearls and Swine…

I have 44 years of experience at life.

44 years of getting it wrong and somehow still making it, 44 years of getting it right and still screwing that up, 44 years of asking other people for help, and 44 years of lessons learned.

No, my experiences are not the same as yours, so obviously I can’t 100% understand what you are going through. Hey, but good luck finding someone who has. What I do have (invokes Liam Neeson voice) is a particular understanding that the boat you are in is yours, but the lake you are on… well, that’s something I can grasp. I also have an uncanny way of seeing things for what they are (I have been wrong on occasion), and hearing what you aren’t saying or are trying to hide (it’s not a magic trick or esp, I’m just really good at reading people along with a bunch of other stuff).

Unfortunately, added to all this is my desire to help people through tough times, or to try to walk along the road with them and point out the landmines that I have walked over (ok, so we are out of the boat metaphor and onto dry land). My tactic is not straightforward though. I don’t want to give people the answers, but instead try to lead them to a place where they can figure it out and make the answer their own (it’s the teacher in me, I’m sure). Oh, I’m also a bit cocky, snarky and apparently cynical. An abrasive personality in these kinds of situations, I’m sure.

But, I don’t have time to pussyfoot around stuff. My time is valuable, just as much as the next person, and since my advice doesn’t come with a prescribed per hour premium, I don’t want to dawdle over trivial crap. This has lead many to call my talks 2×4’s. Honestly, I’m ok with that. Most people need 2×4’s in their life from time to time. I do my level best to help someone, but I’m not changing my tactics, I’m not changing my style. I am who I am, so my help comes with that understanding.

See, compassion and mercy are not my strong points. Well, not the way that most would define them. I have a lot of compassion, it is what makes me want to help people. It’s just not that surface stuff that’s all, “Aww, let me give you a hug, isn’t the world wonderful, you’re so special” crap that seems more fluff than anything. And I have a lot of mercy. Lots. I can overlook a lot of offenses (which leads me to be walk on or abused), but again, it’s not this surface style mercy so a lot of people think I am just cold and disconnected.

But I do have a point where I am just done. Sometimes it’s the person’s actions, like when I spend hours with them and they return over and over to the same thing, which makes me feel as if I am wasting my time. Sometimes it’s something they say, more akin to the camel’s back snapping from that last straw, where I have finally just had enough and I am done (insert a dealer wiping and showing his hands as he finishes his shift.. seriously, I do that).

Which ever it is, somewhere in my brain that person gets marked as a swine (not literally, but that would be cool). My compassion just runs out. My mercy hits a wall. I feel bad because I really want to help, but I realize that when Jesus was talking about pearls and swine, sometimes, you just got to let that pig be a pig.

Yep.

Or… you know… something like that.