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Thoughts and takes on the way life presents.... |
| Thoughts and takes on the way life presents.... |
| Talk Tuesday! If you were looking into making a full-scale career change, what are some things you'd consider? Would you go back to school? Would you just pick a field that interests you now that maybe didn't interest you as much in the past, and try to get in on the ground floor? And how well do you think you'd be able to do this time around, especially if you still had to work full-time at your current position, and/or raise a family, and/or hold up social obligations? Career change would hint that the person is facing a mid-life crisis. At least that is how it occurred for me when I chose to pursue a ground up career change. It was not worth it. I did not consider kids. I did not consider cost. I did not consider the down side. I was all in and ended up without the skill sets needed to complete my goal. So what did i get? Missed time with the kids, debt, and a failure funk that lasted a good long time. If I could do it over again, I would have taken that path 10 years earlier so that I could have had a recovery time or a better chance at success. These decisions require the freedom to go all in. You can't really go all in when you have obligations to anyone or kids. My advice to anyone wanting a ground up career change? Only do it if you are independently wealthy or a lot of disposable income where you can afford the things that go off dream (the outcome will never look like your mind picture). Only do it if you are alone and don't have the people baggage to support while you try to be superhero. If you look at it, the only ones who can do ground up are those that have a one track mind and either prepared for years or are independently wealthy. The one guy I know who did a ground up with success is the guy who was divorced, had the money saved, and focused only on getting through law school. He never did remarry, he is now successful but it took 20 years. He is now in a relationship but won't marry her. Those brain neurons never did get reconnected. |
| Creative Saturday! Conduct a brief four question interview with yourself...but do not use four out of the following five words in your questions and responses: who, what, where, when, why. How do you see your life going over the next five years? I would like to have something I create on TV or in movie theaters. How old are you? None of your business How much money do you make? Not enough How did THAT happen? I have that much power. |
| The Wildcard Round! Today's winner, selected by Virtual Dice at some point this weekend from all eligible entries, will receive the Variety Merit Badge. List three random bits of useless knowledge, and tell us a little about each one...maybe they hold some specific significance to you, or it's important in your line of work, or how they relate to a particular hobby you have. Be creative and have some fun with this prompt...don't be afraid to show off a little! When all the office equipment is going down in cascade rapidity, shut them all off and wait 30 seconds and then bring them back up one at a time. This may take all of 10 minutes. It will feel like forever, because this usually happens at the end of the day when the document is nearly complete and has to be filed with the court within the next 30 minutes. Beware of cats on catnip. You will know this because they get wide eyes and run around like a wild one You have to be careful because your toes will look like food and get hunted. Cherries are good sources of nutrients. If you get bored with cherries, try raspberry. You could live a long time just on these two fruits alone. You do not need anything else. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. |
| Motivational Monday! My mother, born on this day back in 1954, once told me when I was young, "It doesn't matter what you do when you grow up; just make me proud." What's the best piece of advice your mother (or other strong female presence in your life) has given you? I had to ponder this one for awhile, and there isn't one all encompassing sound byte. You would think that the grandmas or aunts would have chimed in with brilliant advice. But no, my parents came from a long line of non-demonstratives and non-talkers. They were doers, not wishers. I will say this, they did not leave us helpless. We grew up with chores, tending a garden, tending farm animals, working hard, studying hard, being respectful, being resilient, being self sufficient, being loyal, being faith-filled, being count-onable. And that counts for a whole heck of a lot. In a disaster, when the chips are down, do you want someone who can work beside you to rebuild, or someone who sits on his/her butt wondering what to do next? So no fancy sound bytes, just good, wholesome upbringing. And it was enough. I got the memo. |
| The Sunday News! This week in the UK, police we called on approximately 50 students because they were wearing improper uniforms. Should students be required to wear uniforms in schools, for any reason? And should these uniforms require very specific standards, or should families be allowed a little leeway regarding lesser items like accessories, jewelry, and shoes? Have you ever had to wear a uniform to class? How would you feel if you had to purchase an expensive set of clothing for your child to wear, only to be told it wasn't enough, or that he or she was wearing something improperly? I put my kids in private school for the first couple years and then the school lost its collective mind and tried to steal my daughter, so I pulled her and put her in public school. I don't mind uniforms. They were a good idea. It discouraged sexualizing kids at an early age. It discouraged boys from wearing their pants on the ground. Loved that. And expense is a myth. When the uniforms are outgrown, they are sold to the next class for a moderate price. Some schools sold the uniforms at wholesale. Here's the thing, if you can afford pants on the ground and boobs hanging out clothes, you can afford a uniform. Expense of the uniform is always the argument of the uninformed -- and it's hogwash. Uniforms are cheaper than street clothes, wear longer and are easier to maintain. You do not need five uniforms, only two or three. It will lessen the cost all around because you will only need two or three Sunday/go-to-meeting outfits and the after school stuff can be garage sale specials. Families on a budget will find about a 50% savings on their kids clothing budget with uniform schools. Complainers will always complain and idiots will always do that which does not make sense -- so why listen to their arguments to begin with? So is the real question, should we have an opinion and exercise authority on how another family dresses their child, raises their child, etc. Yes. That's what communities do, that's what laws are for, that's how kids are protected. Do we have a right to tell another culture how to do business? No. But we can learn from a practice that works. In this case, on uniforms, we should learn. |
| While at Omi International Arts Center in Ghent, New York, artists Alex Schweder and Ward Shelley built a house that spins and tilts in agreement with the wind, and the shifting weight of its inhabitants. Then they resided in the structure for five days, and will spend another several days living there this fall. Write a poem or story inspired by the image or idea of living in a structure that is constantly spinning, and which tilts up or down as you walk through it. What kind of vocabulary or pacing might mimic or reflect the sensation of spinning? How can you play with emotional weight or levity to create shifting feelings throughout your work? It's a boat! On land! Why? A poem about a boat on land? Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 14 hundred and 92 on a boat that would dip and twirl like a wayward girl He stepped off with a mighty roar and planted the boat in New York Maybe I should have gone with the Queen Mary. That's in drydock in New York right? Maybe Columbus's crafts are at the bottom of the ocean....now my head hurts with all this thinking. I go now. |
| So I heard a commotion in the kitchen....a lot of pounding and proclamation of "Not on my watch." Tom confirms that the Spider Queen has been eradicated from our house. I know you were expecting more, but that's all you get. |
| I've been entering contests and wonder why I bother. Rules are broken all over the place. Why are there rules about ratings, when writers don't have to follow them? The other rules are also disregarded, but they still get the wins. I wonder if I cheat.... It's a thought. I can't believe it. My stories are so much better than the winning entries. The difference? Fantasy genre preference. I can't stand writing about dragons and fairies. God in heaven, a break please. I must remember to label it a fantasy genre whether it is or not. that should sufficiently satisfy their mental bias for a certain genre. I just did. Let's see if it works. proof that these contests are rigged: the winning entry, although well written, did not utilize all the prompts. Fantasy is the gig that gets the most wins in the contests. sometimes comedy steps up and takes a win, but usually it's fantasy. JMO As I read through this on September 27, I am struck by how right this observation is. I read the winning entries and still think "Mine was better" in 9 out of 10 instances. |
| I played the Game of Thrones in July. It is proof once again that you have to know the judges. Week 2 I would say was fair. The others, I just don't get it. Next year, I will have to skim the judge's ports to see what they call good. |
| Prompt: Ice truckers. I like this show. Semi trucks travel across frozen lakes in Alaska and Canada. Trucks jack knife and slide on the water and if they break through the ice, it won't end well. Would you like to drive a truck across the dangerous ice lakes or be a passenger on one? What are your thoughts on this? So I live in Minnesota where Ice fishing is a big deal. When the ice gets a foot thick, the fishermen and their kids go out on the ice to catch some fish. There may be a few women who go, but there are certain biological issues that have most women saying: No freaking way! I mention this because we had a real life ice trucker thing going on. My dad had a 2 ton pickup and piled me, my husband and my brother-in-law in the pickup to go out and check out the ice fishing hole. As soon as I heard the first pop, I was in a whole different atmosphere than everyone else. I may have been the first woman on the moon that day ... but I digress. So as we are sitting there looking at the ice fishing hole and listening to the ice pop, and listening to me whimper, my dad finally had enough. Everybody get back in the truck we'll head back. I felt my chances were better on my own walking back to shore, plus somebody had to survive to raise the kids. Well, the husband got out to walk with me. Then Denny felt his chances of survival were higher with walking than riding in a truck with the ice popping all around. Dad made it back to shore. He thought he was pretty smart. I wonder if he ever got anyone to go ice fishing with him after that? |
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