%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 |  My second blog. What you get are pieces of me; my humor, my memories: be welcome. |
|
MY BOOK! http://www.lulu.com/davidmac73 This picture was in the header of my first blog and I wanted to bring it back. Me and my sweetie on our wedding day....it is my favorite picture. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** This is my second Blog on WDC. The first Blog, Random Thoughts, is finished and done and I loved almost every minute I spent doing it. This blog will be somewhat different than the first because I want to use this space for my humor and my memories. The humor may sometimes fall flat and the memories may, at times be boring, but isn't that the way it is with life. Please join me here and partake in these pieces of me and if sometimes you find the jokes unfunny or the memories dull, then please come back another day and maybe you will find something to your liking. After all, like my daddy always said: "Some days you get the bear, some days the bear gets you." Thank you, vivacious   for this neat new logo for my blog! Yup, this about says it all, I think!** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** I thought that Independence Day was the appropriate day to put this great new siggy in my blog....Thank you sultry ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Please check out Scarlett's Newsletter for Bloggers: The Blogville News
** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Thank you, Startiara  for this lovely Siggy!! ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
| From the time of birth, all creatures have one thing in common, one experience which each and every one of them will share and that is: Death. My ole daddy use to say: "Ain't none of us getting out alive." And so it is...none of us shall escape this final experience and it is the one thing that each man, woman, child and all the animals of the earth share in common. As for humans, there are almost as many ways of coping with death as there are people on the planet. All religions espouse some form of afterlife so for any believer in ANY religion, death is but a doorway into a different existence or place. With most of us, when someone we know and love dies, we mourn their passing. Our sorrow is based, many times on the knowledge that the person who has died will no longer be a part of our lives. We will be cut off from this loved one by death and we cry as much for our own loss as for the actual death of the person. There are also many different reactions to death when faced with it ourselves. Many fear death and will do anything to stave it off. Many others will actually welcome death. Maybe they have lived to a ripe old age and because of illness, they seek the peace and release that only death can bring. Still others try to deny it...to push it out of their mind and pretend it does not exist....whatever they need to cope. For me personally, death is like an old friend. He was an old friend who was once, years ago, denied but who, when he comes again, will be welcome and we will dance the dance. Many who have witnessed a lot of violent death will tell you about the images of the dying that haunts them. For me, though it is not the images so much as the smell. There is a distinct smell of death that stays with a person all their lives if they have been exposed to a lot of it. Even now, so many years removed, those smells come back to me in my sleep and I will wake up in a cold sweat, still able to catch a wafting odor in the darkened bedroom. Death is something else too. For writers, death is a wonderful hook on which to hang their personal tapestries of words. Upon looking back at all the short stories I have written, I found that death plays an important role in almost every one of them. Why is this? I think its because none of us actually KNOW what comes after death, since none of us have been there and come back to make a report so that very absence of knowledge, opens the way for writers to "fill in the blanks", to create their own description of life in the Afterlife, so to speak. I have done this many times and in many different ways. Sometimes I make death a funny adventure and sometimes I make it a very scary landscape....depends on the mood. I am not alone in this use of death as a plot twist, there have been many very famous authors over the years who have done the same thing. Poe, King, Koontz are three who come readily to mind, though I am by no means comparing myself to these talented writers. Now if you decide to write about the "life" of your character after his death, you have the luxury of peopling the landscape of your story with many interesting types of characters...again...no one knows for sure so go with it. 1. Angels--You can have terrible and frightening angels or funny angels. You can have angels with everyday problems we face ourselves and you can make them comically human....great characters. 2. Demons and the Devil....the same holds true with these as it does with angels. I love describing the devil as some mysterious, corporate, CEO type...that can be very funny. Demons can be among the scariest characters you can write about but, like the devil, they can also be among the funniest, if you put the effort into it. 3. Heaven-- Think of all the different ways you can use Heaven in a storyline. It can be a place of clouds, harps and happiness. It can be a big city or a quiet farm. Heaven can be just the opportunity for a second chance at life....the sky's the limit, or better put: Your own imagination is the only limit as to what you can do. These are just three facets you can use when writing about death, there are many more. I think that is the key to this whole topic....Death, inevitable though it may be, is something every writer should embrace at least once in their writing career and have fun with. Create something based on the Great Unknown....After all...None of us are getting out alive! |
| It is offical! A new high in all time lows has been achieved by the Fox network. Just when I thought that television programing could not get any worse, Fox steps up and proves me wrong once again. By now I know that most of you have come to the same conclusion I have and that is that TV programing is set to the lowest common denominator, but damn I had no idea that the lowest denominator were people with the IQ of a brain-damaged slug! Fox has proved this point with its new show set to air sometime this summer. Are you Smarter Than a Fifth-Grader?. Yes, you read right....Are You Smarter Than a Fifth-Grader is just what it sounds like. Contestants will be quizzed with questions from fifth grade text books and they will even have a panel of "experts", a group of snot-nosed, eleven year olds, to help with hints when the adults get stumped! Can you believe that? What Fox is betting on is not only will folks flock to watch this crap, but that the contestants themselves will have trouble winning the big money by answering questions on the level of an eleven year old child's text books. Have we really become that stupid as a nation? Have we reached the point where Fifth grade questions really STUMP US??? Of course I guess there are exceptions. For instance, do you know what we call a Fifth-Grader in Polk County? A Graduate student. But, for the love of God the rest of the world out there beyond Bubbaville has GOT to be smarter than that....don't they? It seems that game shows have shed IQ points right along with all those reality shows. I use to love watching Jeopardy. A person had to actually have a few working brain cells to play that game. What have we got today? 1 against 100, Show me the Money and Deal or No Deal. If you have watched any of those shows you will know what I am talking about...if you haven't...don't bother. Now of course some would say that a guy who plays Deal or No Deal must use his brain but I guarantee you that the "brain" he is using is not the one in his HEAD. I mean, really, what would Deal or no Deal be without 26 drop dead, georgous women in short dresses and plunging necklines.....BORING, THAT'S WHAT IT WOULD BE!! And before you make some wisecrack...YES, I watch it and YES, I do now know the names of all 26 girls and their various hobbies, likes and dislikes. But, I can tell you right now that I could care less whether the contestant wins or not...I merely cheer for them to keep playing so the girls are on stage LONGER!!! I know, I know...I'm a pig! Live with it, it's who I am! So there you have it...my thoughts on American TV. As bad as it is, I just know it can probably get worse. As a matter of fact I have a great idea for a Reality show myself.... What if we take all the Democrats who are going to run for President and all the Republicans who are going to run for that office and we put them into two houses full of cameras then follow them around daily as they first try to win their party's nomination then the office itself. We can call it: "So, You Want to be a President!" Then we can have America call special 800 numbers to cast their vote for who should win...it would be GREAT! You think the networks would go for this? |
| Thanks to the delightful entry made today by PlannerDan in which he talked about his good buddy of the four legged varity: Max, I have decided to do an entry about my own good buddy: Sherman. Now for those of you who don't know Sherman through my past blogs, let me tell you about my bud. Mel brought Sherman home one night from work. Yeah, that's what I said: From work...go figure. You see she was standing outside late one night, taking a break and she saw this little boy dragging this small puppy down the street. The kid had a heavy, thick chain wrapped around the small puppy's neck and was bodily dragging him along. Well Mel being Mel, stepped up and asked the kid what the hell he was doing treating the baby puppy like that. The kid said he was getting rid of the thing and if she wanted him, she could have him.....Thus it was that Sherman came into my life.... Now when I first saw him, of course I loved the little fellow, who could resist a baby yellow Lab puppy (he was about two months old). Here is what Sherman looked like when he arrived and laid claim to my house...not to mention....US. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Now I would have been perfectly happy had he stayed just this cute but that was not to be, as I soon learned. Seven months and untold bags of dogfood later here is what I had. This is Shermanator, the Gooberdog! ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Well, as you can see, the cute little puppy grew to giant porportions and it was not until a couple of months into the growth spurt did we finally figure out that Sherman was not a purebred Lab. Nope, he is of mixed parentage....his daddy was a bloodhound. Now this curious mix has definately left its stamp upon poor Sherman's personality. He turned out to be, in Mel's own words..."Such a dang GUY dog." By this she means he inherited that happy, go lucky spirit of his daddy, the hound and the hunting instincts of his momma.....well if the hunt involves a doggy treat that is. According to Mel, Sherman just reacts to everything like a Guy. I think she is referring to Sherman's distinct lack of common sense and his pechant for getting into trouble at every turn. But I have to admit, he is like a guy in many ways. For example he likes nothing better than taking a nap and when he sleeps he is truly in his happy place as you can see by this next picture. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Well he does, from time to time get into trouble and it is usually by doing something so outragous that it just leaves us speechless. When we catch him he just gives us this look as if to say: "What,what??" Take for instance, a time not so long ago. It had been raining and I had simply left the back door open so that he and Mollie (our black Lab)could simply come and go outside when they needed to do their business. I didn't worry about it too much, after all, Mollie hates the rain and only goes out when she can no longer keep her fat little legs crossed...SHE HAS TO GO! I didn't realize how much Sherman liked rain....I know now. Mel and I had retired to the bedroom to watch a movie. After about an hour, Mel came out and made her way into the front room just to check on them and there was Sherman...relaxing after a hard playtime in a newly discovered mudhole. As you can see....it was not a pretty sight. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Mel ran back into the bedroom and grabbed the camera to get that shot, meanwhile I came out and blew my top! I could not believe the bozo had come back into my living room while covered in mud. Not only that but he layed right in front of my desk! But a funny thing happened...right in the middle of yelling at the Dufus dog, I started laughing. I couldn't help myself..he is indeed such a damn GUY DOG! I could almost see myself as a kid getting into trouble for the same thing. Besides...how could anyone stay mad at a face like this.... ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
| Warning: Today I am feeling a bit political/ philosophical today so please take the following with a grain of salt; it is just me musing out loud and wondering....Why? Why is it so very important for America to install a Democratic style government in Iraq, one modeled after our own country's government? Why do we think that doing this will solve all the world's problems? To me that is rather egotistical of us. If the truth were known, much of the world got along quite well without democracy for hundreds of years BEFORE there was an America on the worlds stage. Why do we now believe that introducing our own form of government to these folks will end their problems? Indeed, I believe that in some cases this would magnify those problems rather than solve them. Now don't get me wrong, democracy works great for us and I would not want to live under any other form of government but then I don't live in the Middle East or Africa and I grew up UNDERSTANDING the concept of democracy. For people in those countries, who have never known democracy, the whole concept is a foreign one. What you find happening when democracy is introduced to these places is that the people try to bend and conform the ideals of democracy to their own, more recognizable beliefs. In Iraq, for instance, you have a "democratically" elected government that still operates along the tribal guidelines....Sunni against Shiite. Calling the government "democratic" does nothing to curb the violence one tribe or group visits upon the other one. It's like putting a fresh coat of paint on an old junker car....it looks better to the eye but it still don't run worth a crap. Now this is not a case looking down upon the poor, uneducated natives who are unable to grasp such an elevated form of government. No, indeed, I wonder how we would fare if the shoe was on the other foot. What would happen if we had civil unrest and civil war in this country to the point where a coalition of other countries sent in armies and imposed peace on us. Then how would we react if they decided we needed a different form of government that what we had lived under for over two hundred years? I think we would have chaos here just like they are experiencing in Iraq. Can you image someone telling you that instead of a democratic government, we would now be expected to have a Feudal system or a Monarchy, and maybe even a Tribal system of rule. No, I think that unless a country's population naturally evolves into a democratic form of government then it will never work. Each nation has to do what works for them....not us. Now it is possible that Iraq may, in the future come up with their own version of a democratic government but even then I am sure there will be major differences in what they embrace and what we call democracy. In order for democracy to actually work it must evolve and mold itself to the people who seek to install it in a given country. A mirror image of our own government has no more chance of working in Iraq than their old system could work here in America. They have to find their own way. It is entirely possible that democracy will never work in that country, so why are we so intent on forcing it upon them? You know how, over the past thirty years or so, many people have written about the dangers of the One World Government and how it is an evil concept that lends itself to becoming one great dictatorship....well...if we make the whole world democratic, isn't that a step closer to One World Government? Besides, if Democracy is the best form of government for EVERYONE then how do you explain China? Now before you say that they are moving toward democracy, stop and think about it. What they are actually doing is moving toward Capitalism, which though it flourishes in a democracy, really is independent of any one form of government. So I ask again...Why are we so very intent on making Iraq or any other nation democratic? Personally I would let them decide for themselves and as long as a country did not threaten my own country, I would let them live however they pleased. Okay, now that I have given you all huge headaches from reading my drivel, I will back outta here slowly and go lay down until this mood passes!  |
| Something passing strange happened today. Just a couple of hours ago this strange, glowing, orb appeared in the sky. Not only was there light emanating from its surface, but heat as well! At first I hid under my desk, thinking that it was a final assault by the Galatic commandos from the planet, Stupid but then I remembered that I was off work today and those guys only show themselves at Wal-Mart stores. Then it hit me...THIS WAS THE SUN! Mother of God, we are saved! Can you tell I am a bit happy with this recent turn in the weather? Kind of a pity really; I had just finished building the large boat to hold all our animals plus Mel and myself. Hell, I had even included an ice-breaker on the bow. Now I can look forward to running my air-conditioner next week...such is the joys of living in Texas. I would like to take a moment to thank Nada for pointing out a new writer in her blog. I just finished reading some of the stories in Bernie Thomas 's port and I got to tell you, if you like humor writing done really well, you really need to go over there and check this guy out....he is one of the most talented writer's of humor I have found on this site. He is right up there with partyof5dj as far as I am conserned.Mel downloaded some pics we took of all the ice which landed upon us during this last storm and I hope to have them ready by tomorrow's blog. Right now I am going to go outside and soak up some long overdue UV rays. That's a lie....I am actually going to read some more on the site then maybe take a nap...don't want to overdo the whole Outside thing you know. |
| Where do you stand on the issue of Online friendships? As far as I can tell, there are two major points of view on this subject. First there is the group who always makes the distinction between "online" friends and "real" friends. People in this group tend to view the acquaintances they have met online as different than friends they have made in their everyday world. Some will even tell you that those online friendships are not real or they are not as strong as friendships with people they actually see on a daily or even weekly basis. Then you have the other group. People in this second group tend to see absolutely no difference between "online" Vs. "real life" friends. To these people a friend is a friend...period. Personally, I belong to this second group of folks. Since 1999 I have made many, many friends online and to me they are the very same as people I have known for years in my own hometown....they are my friends. It has been about two years since I have talked to my buddy Riggy and his wife Theresa but I know that if I pick up the phone today and call him and say: "Hey bud, I'm gonna be in Homa next week, let's get together for the weekend." He would be overjoyed and Mel and I would be welcome with open arms....that's what friends do. Our friendship was founded long before we finally met. Meeting him was just icing on the cake, so to speak. The friendship grew and matured from our time online, without ever having to meet. The same goes for ccstring. He and I became fast friends online and have only actually met face to face once in our lives. Irregardless of that fact, if he were to call me tonight and tell me he needs me in Maryland...I would be on the road before daylight....it's what friends do. There are a couple of folks who live in Houston who fall into that same category. We have met face to face maybe a half dozen times but we are still good friends. For all of us there just isn't any difference between online and real life friends. If you are one then you are automatically the other...that's how we see it. I have made the same kind of friendships here at WDC; Nada ,zwisis, PlannerDan and Scarlett comes quickly to mind and there are others also and I will make many more the longer I stay here. Each and every one of them are my Real Life, Online and Off.....FRIENDS. Now this is not to say that those folks who make distinctions and who tend to keep online friendships at arm's length are wrong. I don't think there is any right and wrong way to look at this thing. There is just the way that makes the most sense to you personally. I am curious though; What do you think? How do you see online Vs. Real life Friendships? Personally, I believe that anytime you open yourself up to a friendship it can be a chancy situation. Whether it be online or in person, you always stand the chance of being let down by a friend or having disagreements, that does not change with the location of the friend. The thing is, making friends is a very human reaction and something most of us do instinctively. We all have a need to share our lives with others, to interact with like minded individuals. Online or in life. This is what makes us human and it is what we do. So please, if you have a moment, tell me how you look at this issue and how you treat it when it happens in your own life. I really do want to know...and don't worry about the length of your comments. |
| Off Subject: I would like to give a great big THANK YOU to two people today. Voxxylady and as much as it pains me....ccstring. Yes CC I did get something in the mail today...you turkey! Both these fine folks took pity on me and my whining paid off. They both sent me WDC Bumper Stickers!! Oh and Voxxy....thanks for the autograph too, I know it's gonna be worth big bucks one day. ******************** Now I know why people go crazy during long, drawn out bouts of winter weather. Okay, right off the top I will freely admit that what we are going through down here in my part of Texas is considered mild by folks from up in the frozen North. But, you know what? I don't care! It has been raining almost without let up since Sunday and that damn rain has been freezing since yesterday! As I write this it is still raining. For the moment the temp has risen just above freezing but come tonight it will be back down there and the roads will once again ice over. I did not go to work today because at five thirty this morning the world was one big icecicle. I have sit here all day, looking out the window, vainly trying to will the sun to actually break through the heavy, gray, clouds that seem to blanket the earth....no luck. Tomorrow I don't care if there is a glacier sitting smack in the middle of the road....I'M GOING TO WORK! Anything is better than this. How do you people do it? Hell I even have new found respect for ccstring. Well at least now I understand why he is such a raving lunetic; He lives in Maryland, for God's sake. Yes, after this week I can truely understand how some people come to snap during winter. After just a week of pukey weather I can grasp the notion of "Cabin Fever". It is weird isn't it. It seems that in this weather, when all you can do is stare out the window at the grayness of the world, each failure, each missed opportunity in your life is magnfied to monstrous porportions until you just want to crawl between the covers and sleep until summer. AFTER JUST ONE WEEK???? God, I would never make it up in Montana with Party would I. Mind over matter is not helping a lot either. I have tried to imagine myself sitting on a beach on one of the Flordia Keys, a drink in hand and banging out a short story on an old royal typewriter like "Papa" Hemingway. It helps for a few moments but the effect soon fades in the face of dripping icecicles from my porch. In an effort to reinforce this particular fantasy I am growing my beard and because of the unfortunate habit of hair to grow gray with age, I am looking decidely like that great author....damn. I will let it grow for another week before posting a pic and letting you be the judge of what it looks like. Except for you CC...YOU DON'T GET TO HAVE A DANG OPINION! I will also post some pictures of the ice whenever Mel comes home and downloads them from the magic picture box into the magic word box. Can you tell who the brains of the family is? Now, if you will forgive me, I must go and open a vein and watch the ice reform on my window....Gawd!  |
| The truth is..I just hate people! Wait, no that is a tad too harsh. I don't hate all people, no I think what I hate are large groups of STUPID people. You see I can take stupid when encountered in ones and twos because I can usually side-step these folks fairly easy...even at work. At work I can see one of them coming and usually dive into the buggy bay or busy myself updating the security log...anything I can find until they stagger off to make SOMEONE else miserable. It's the large herds that, from time to time, descend upon me at the Wal-Mart front door that makes me want to rescind all gun laws and re-write the law covering murder, in the state of Texas. Now many of you who have read my blog before may already know this about me and I have a reason for bringing it up again today. You see we are in the grips of South East Texas' answer to the Ice Age. For a solid week the various news agencies around this part of the state have been beating the Panic Drums over the impending vice-like grip of winter that was about to fall upon us. People in my part of Texas just are not use to this kind of weather. Indeed they have a hard time even identifying ice unless it is floating in a glass full of bourbon. Every news cast trumpets the sub 30 degree temps and the rain.....RAIN+ FREEZING TEMPS= ICE!! Ice on roads, ice on cars, Ice on sidewalks....we are slip sliding away, to use old song lyrics. So herein lies my problem. You see the news media had everyone in a high state of panic and were swarming into Wal-Mart to indulge in what American's do best: PANIC BUYING! Here are some examples of what I had to deal with yesterday and today: 1. Customer: "Do you have any electric blankets left? I really need one in case we lose our power." 2. Customer: "Oh God, have you heard any news reports? Is the electricity going to freeze?" Me: "electricity? Freeze?" Customer: "Yeah, you know...when the ice forms on the lines and freezes the electricity." 3. Another customer, as he exits the store, stops and tells me: "I don't care how bad it gets, I am ready now." I look in his basket and he has it full of bags of food....FROZEN DINNERS! So you see now why my Stupid meter is pegged in the red? People in this part of Texas just should not be subjected to ice....unless it's in their glass of bourbon. I did make it home without mishap, thank God. I burned up the highway at a steady 15mph all the way to my drive-way. Twice on the drive home I was entertained by bubbas doing really nifty 360degree spins before lining out straight into the ditch. Did I mention about Texans and Ice? No, down here we aren't too swift about driving in the crap either. Now not all of Texas is like this. Those hardy folks up around Dallas don't have near the trouble with ice as we do. They actually get this kind of weather every winter. In fact I bet PlannerDan is laughing his butt off at this right about now. Oh and speaking of laughing: Mel has been chuckling almost nonstop ever since she learned that the Governor has put the National Guard on standby because of this ice storm and has alerted the Red Cross to be ready to help when needed. She never misses a chance to point out that in Michigan this weather would be called: SPRING! I always come back with the logical response: "WELL YOU AIN'T IN MICHIGAN ARE YOU MISSY!!!" To which she collapses again in fits of mirth. I have decided that if it is this bad tomorrow they will just have to do without this ole cowboy. I am going to call in and stay nice and warm under my electric blanket...even if the power DOES freeze!  |
| Warning....the following is a reprint from my old blog. I was in there today doing some housekeeping and found this thing so I decided to be lazy today and reprint it here. This entry is one of my personal favorites and I plan on moving it to my "Essays from a Blog" folder in my port. ************************** I love doors. Have you ever stopped and wondered about doors, how they came to be so important to us and what we use them for? Doors come in all shapes and sizes, from tiny and narrow to great, arching, mammoth double doors through which great numbers can pass at once. The thing I particularly find intriguing about doors is that, even though they are the entrance way into someone's domain, you can not tell by looking at the door what lies behind it. They rarely give a clue as to what you will find behind them. A door is a sort of boundary marker. It gives silent declaration that you are leaving the public sphere and entering someone's private space and along with that transition comes a certain obligation not only to the one entering the door, but also for the host who is accepting the traveler's presence. For example, when we pass through a door into the domain of a stranger it is incumbent upon us to practice some modicum of manners. While in the stranger's home we try to abide by his or hers house rules and show them common courtesy and respect. If we find that we have nothing in common with this person and we dislike what they do in their home, we respectfully back out and leave quietly. We pass back through the door and we move along in search of another, more interesting door. Life in Blogville is much the same. When you open the Blog Page you are confronted with a long list of "doors"... 1500 widely varying doors greet you as you stroll down Blogville's main street. Of course you see the doors that lead to the domains of people you know and you always stop in for a short visit, exchange pleasantries and catch up on what’s happening in their world. But, you also see the doors of many strangers; people whom you have never visited before and you are intrigued. Out of curiosity you enter a door to a domain you have never visited and you walk into their home. Here is where the rules of common courtesy comes into play. As you enter their domain, you find yourself in a type of “foyer” which is the Intro to their blog. Here you can hopefully find out something about the person you are visiting and maybe discern whether or not you would even be welcome there. If there is little, or no information to guide you in that intro then maybe you forge ahead and move deeper into their domain... you read an entry. Now, at this point you are well into the stranger’s home, he has welcomed you and bid you to read. It is as this point you discover something more about the writer and whether or not the two of you have compatible ideas. If everything is good, you enjoy the writing and you had a good time visiting this person, then by all means leave a note. Let them know you were there and you enjoyed yourself. If, on the other hand, you find the writer objectionable and their words disturbing to you, then simply turn around and show yourself out through the same door by which you entered. Now this is not to say you can not express a difference of opinion. Behind ALMOST every door in Blogville there resides a person who is tolerant of points of view different from their own. The trick is to express that difference much the way you would while visiting in a home out in the real world; with courtesy and respect. Many times you will find that even though the two of you hold different beliefs it will not stop either of you from having a healthy dialogue. You might not like someone’s personal views on some things but it does not have to mean you can not respect the person. Behind the 1500 doors in the city of Blogville you will find widely varying and wildly divergent philosophies, beliefs, and morals. Be willing to learn about the person through reading their thoughts but be respectful while in their house. You will discover that the doors of Blogville can serve to widen your horizons and deepen the understanding of the world around you... and who knows, you might make a friend in the process. Oh, and about those doors... well my favorite door is the double swinging doors...easy to enter and just as easy to exit, so I hope you folks will come on in and find out if you like my home. |
| "Why am I here"? Do you ever ask yourself that question? Do you ever find yourself pondering just what it is you are doing with your life? Lately, I have asked myself these questions more and more. Sometimes I think I know the answer and sometimes I just shake my head, bewildered. 1. I am here because I love to write. 2. I am here because I want to sharpen my skills among other serious writers. 3. I am here to give a jump-start to a career that, until now has been more illusion than fact. 4. I am here to share what I have written already and what I may write in the future. 5. I am here to be read. Does these things hold true for the rest of you? What are your reasons for being a member at WDC? Have you ever just sit and considered why? For myself, this blog is a way to sharpen my writing skills, nothing else. The blog is an ongoing writing exercise for me and I am constantly learning how to express my ideas in ways that can be readily understood by others. The happy byproduct of writing this blog is the fact that I have managed to make some very close personal friends while writing entries. The blog is important, but it is only one facet of what I do and why I am here. For myself, if I am not consentrating on getting published, then I am just wasting my time...and yours. I think what I had to do today is remind myself why I am here and to not let the politics of this site sidetrack me from my ulitmate goal of being a published author. I hope everyone who reads this feels the same way; Don't sweat the small stuff like content ratings and who does what to who...just keep our eyes on the prize and strive to be published. |
| Just last week I suffered through one of the most traumatic episodes any Guy can live through. No, I did not blog about it at the time because I didn't want to come crying and snotting to all of you for sympathy...after all, I am strong-a manly, man. I do not need to be coddled after such greivous wounds to my very soul. I know, about now you are asking yourself what on earth could have befallen our beloved Tor that was so terrible and traumatic? Well I will tell you...in two words....the most horrible thing a man can be forced into enduring....CHICK FLICKS! Yes, my friends, for the sake of domestic tranquility, your's truly was forced to sit through a showing of "The Lake House" with Sandra Bullock and Kenau Reeves! Yeah, I know, I still get a little queasy with flash-backs of the night myself. For a solid month this smelley waste of film has been poluting the air waves on Direct TV Pay-for-View and for almost a month I have managed to avoid having to rent it. "Not tonight, honey, tonight is the night I have set aside to trim my toe nails and do something about that pesky toe-jam." "No, no, honey, can't watch it tonight. Remember, tonight's the night that great special is showing on National Geographic you wanted to see: The Mating Habits of the South American Fruit Worm, we can't miss that can we? There's bound to be an Emmy awarded this show!" Once I even used the ultimate excuse, used only by a guy who is truly desperate... "Oh no honey, we can't watch that show tonight. I think this would be the perfect time to do a conference call with your mother and sister. After all we haven't talked to those dear ladies in almost 24 hours!" It is really amazing the lengths a man will go when his back is against the wall. Well last week my luck ran out....I came up dry when I cast about for a suitable excuse and before I knew it we were sitting down, popcorn in hand, and watching the opening credits roll. This is akin to the condemed watching the firing squad march smartly out and line up in front of him. For those of you lucky enough NOT to have seen this movie yet.....DON'T DO IT! Even for a chick flick, this thing scaled new heights of Suckiness. It is supposed to be the story of two people who inhabit the same house....FOUR YEARS APART! Through some magical quirk of rancid sappiness, they are suddenly able to converse via letters left in the mailbox of the house. One person can even see the flag go down as the other one takes out their message...then they see the flag go up as a new message is left for them. This whole weird, wacky, quirk in the space-time continuium is never really explained....its like, Hey, can't everyone do this? The plot was written much like Stan Lee of Marvel Comics would have written Steven Hawken's Theory of Everything...get the picture? Well I lived through it without too much phyical damage...Mel didn't bop me too badly for my snide remarks cause she was too busy overworking her hanky. Unfortunately I cannot say the same for my emotional well being. I am afraid the scars will last for some time to come. I did the only thing I could do to try and counter-act the damage of having to watch this vapid tale of Love and Angst....I have been watching The Gladiator every night for a week. I think I might pull out of this thing with only minor scars...pray for me! |
| Those of you who know me well, know that there is nothing I like more than helping others. I especially enjoy helping my closest, good buddy, CC. To be able to shed some light on matters for the buckethead is what I live for. So, in keeping with the spirit of aiding the challenged, I have done some online searching and I have discovered something that my little buddy might not be aware of. Now you all know by now that he got that butt-ugly dog for his daughter for christmas....AND HE EVEN PAID FOR IT!!! Hopefully he didn't pay by the ugly or that thing would have cost him as much as a new truck. Anyway, I did some online searching, like I said and I discovered a little known fact that I am sure that CC would love to know. It seems that his dog was featured, not long ago, in a Government Public Service ad with an Anti-Drug message. I did some further digging and I found the proof...here it is...... "THIS IS YOUR DOG": ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** "THIS IS YOUR DOG ON DRUGS!" ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** See, I told you CC would be grateful to know this...his dog is a celebirty! Who said Ugly don't pay?  |
| Today was just one of those drop dead beautiful days which we here in East Texas have from time to time. The low this morning was a crisp 31 degrees but it warmed up nicely through the day to reach about 60 with a light wind and not a cloud in the cobalt blue sky. It's days such as this which we get as reward for living through nine months of sweltering heat that is our summer. Unfortunately, I was inside most of the day, having to work but dang it was still nice. I want to apologize to many of you out there; my blog reading and commenting has suffered the past few days. I have become wrapped up in my own portfolio and have spent a lot of time tweaking stories getting them ready to travel out into the cold cruel world and be handled by those nasty editors and stuff. I have also been doing some reviewing on the side. Now if any of you have recieved a review from me you know that I have my own reviewing style. I will rarely point out spelling or punctuation mistakes in stories. Why? Oh that's easy. I don't do much of that because I am the worlds worst when it comes to the correct use of the english language so how the heck can I tell you guys how to do it? No, I look at any story from the point of view of a Storyteller. I pay attention to the ebb and flow of the story and the words. Does it draw me in, hold me and make me believe I am there in the story? These are the things I notice. I leave the spelling and punctuation to the really smart people here...they're the ones who help me with my stories. I can not imagine what my poor stories would be like without the helpful reviews I get from some really good editors on this site. Well it's getting late and I still have to get another one of my babies packed up and ready to send out into the world...not sure where this next one is traveling to but as soon as I have a destination in mind I will let you all know. I think this time I will pick one of the "slicks" to send a story out to. Slick being one of those well known, large magazines and the "slick" part refrers to the type of paper they use....don't ask. As always, I will keep everyone informed on the progress...whether you want to know or not! |
| I want to thank everyone who so far have read my new story and I want to especally thank all of you who took the time to review it for me. Your reviews were quite helpful and I will be doing a rewrite in the next day or two. Oh and also a very special "Thank you" to windac for the neat awardicon she gave my little story. Something I must point out here....My story has been on display, so to speak, in my blog for two days and from that one entry the story has garnered 42 views and 9 reviews. On the other hand, I put it on the Review Request page this morning before I went to work and I have gotten not one single thing from that page! Made me kind of scratch my head...if you can't get a review from a page where you REQUEST a review, what the heck good is it? I think I shall steer clear of that page from now on and just advertise in my blog, it seems to generate more activity that way. Okay, now for news on the Submitting front: I just submitted my second short story to Glimmer Train (thank you Dan). You are allowed three so I am two thirds done on that site. .I sent in "Journey Into Darkness"  . So, now I have TWO stories out there being read...okay I'm starting to get excited.Well since I neglected a lot of blogs yesterday and so far today, I guess I better get busy and do some reading. I hope you guys have a wonderful day and SUBMIT SOMETHING...GET PUBLISHED!! |
| Today has been quite productive for me for a change. We got up early and ran into town to do some errands and a little shopping. When we arrived back home I was in the process of bringing bags into the house when I was struck by a story idea. Well not really an idea, but more like the mental image of a wolf and an Indian. Don't ask me where it came from because I have absolutely no idea. This is just the way stories come to me. So after all the groceries were put away I sit down at the computer and opened up word and began to type. The results were that, two hours later I had finished the first new short story that I have done in some time! Perhaps the word dam that has been blocking my brain has broken just a bit, who knows. Anyway I really would appreciate it if you could find a moment to give this thing a look and let me know what you think of it.
All things considered, its been a dang good day at Casa Tor and I hope you each have a wonderful day as well. |
| One final word on my entry yesterday if you don't mind: I said in that entry that it was not my intent to debate anyone on the subject, just to state my opinion, well today I learn that some think I am just too obtuse to understand the constitutional questions involved. I had to laugh, I think my Political Science professor in college thought the same thing but I still managed to eek out a B in the class. I think he was just glad to be rid of me! At any rate, the subject is closed and now I must move on to other topics dear to my flinty little heart! ****************************** WHAT THE HELL KIND OF STORY DID I WRITE, ANYWAY? Genres: Urban Fantasy, Suspense, Surreal, Supernatural, Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction, Science Fantasy, Magic Realism, Horror, Dark Science Fiction, Dark Fantasy, Bizarre. Fiction genres accepted include a) Adventure: Historical or Theme Adventure, Western, Detective Thriller, War, Suspense Mystery; or b) Fantasy: Science Fiction, Post-Apocalypse, Horror and Sword & Sorcery. All genres must have a recognizable hero as the protagonist; no anti-heroes are accepted. Genres: Urban Fantasy, Surreal, Speculative Fiction, Bizarre. What you see above are the lists from just THREE different magazines as to what they will accept in the way of submissions of short stories. Am I the only one who gets dizzy looking at this crap? This is the hardest part of the process for me mainly because I find most of my stories do not fit very well into any one genre....WHAT THE HECK IS SPECULATIVE FICTION ANYWAY??? Some stories I write kind of drift between two or more genres most of the time and never land squarely in one or the other. So what's a guy supposed to do? I guess it is my own fault because I am not a trained writer. I am, as I have said over and over, simply a Storyteller. My stories tend to touch on any number of genres and probably none well enough to be pegged into a specific slot. So how do I make the choice? A little help from you guys would be nice about now.....remember, you are talking to someone who is dumb as dirt so type slow and use small words...PLEASE! |
| "War, huh, yeah What is it good for Absolutely nothing Uh-huh War, huh, yeah What is it good for Absolutely nothing Say it again, y'all War, huh, good God What is it good for Absolutely nothing Listen to me Ohhh, war, I despise Because it means destruction Of innocent lives" For those of you who are not music fans or are not older than dirt like myself, These are lyrics from the 1970 hit Motown record first recorded by Edwin Starr. Of course others went on to record the record such as The Temptations and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, but it was Starr's version that was first heard and made the record into the biggest selling protest song of all time. I heard that song today for the first time in a long while and it brought back a lot of memories and it made me think. The thing that struck me as I listened to it was the fact that nobody on this earth knows the truth of the words more than the men and women who have actually fought a war. The protesters of that time and even those of today who mindlessly mouth the words have no idea how true they are. No, unless you have walked the walk you can not know the depth of useless horror that is war. Now having said this I must add that it is impossible for the people who fight a war...any war, or the people who protest those wars to judge wither a war is Just or Legal or Won or Lost. These things are judged by history and on a national scale. People are just the grist which feeds through the millstone that is war. It is not a warrior's duty or right to judge the righteousness of a struggle, their duty is to fight it....nothing more. Now for those of you who say "We support our troops fully" and at the same time vow to march in the streets to protest the war they are fighting, let me tell you what that does. It makes the enemy fight a little harder, to hold on a little longer. It encourages then to not surrender and in the long run soldiers who might not have died otherwise will fall. I have read where this opinion was referred to as "knee-jerk" and reactionary. Well let me tell you I believe this opinion because I have actually TALKED to men who were on the other side in that other long ago war. These men, every one of them, freely admitted to me that there were times when they were BEATEN, times when all they wanted to do was to surrender and end the war but whose commanders were heartened by those protestors who marched in America's streets. They just knew if they held on a little longer, fought a little harder.....America would quit. They were right. I see the same thing happening today...the same road being traveled. In Iraq and Afghanistan they know that if they hold on a little longer...fight a little harder....America will quit and they are right. You see, I take offense to the segment of the population who refer to the administration as "Evil" and "Criminal" for going to war as they have. Maybe I find these names offensive because I was called the same thing so long ago for another war, but besides that, I feel that only History can decide what was evil or criminal. It is not for those who simply disagree to bandy those terms about. ON A PERSONAL LEVEL........ Strictly on a personal level and speaking only my own point of view, I decided that going into Iraq when we did was a mistake regardless of Weapons of Mass Destruction or not. No, the enemy was in Afghanistan, not Iraq. I was against going there mostly because it took from our ability to prosecute the war in Afghanistan by opening a second front. Stop and think about it; we have fought all this time on two fronts, in two different countries, with an all volunteer force....that has not been done, to my knowledge, in recent history. No, we should have focused all our attention on Afghanistan but we didn't....so that was that. After all, I am not the commander-in-chief so it was not my decision to make. The whole purpose of this entry is NOT to debate those of you who feel differently about the subject, it is merely to state my own beliefs and point of view. Like I said earlier, I have seen this same sort of thing before only the faces have changed. Well in some cases the faces have changed, in fact many of those who protest the loudest are some of the same folks who marched in the street during that other long ago war. You know what is funny about that? Over the years I have actively searched, trying to find ONE person who would admit to being one of those who threw eggs, who shouted "Baby Killer", "Murderer" but I have not been able to find one person who is willing to admit it and there were THOUSANDS of them in the streets....go figure. No, the last time I watched in silence. I let their loud, strident, voices silence me but not this time. This time I am going to state my opinion just the same as they have. I have that right don't I? This blog entry is for me.....to say what is in my heart, though I will never protest against those who disagree nor will I spend time calling them names....that's their game. IN CONCLUSSION..... I want to end this with one more word about War. I started the entry with the words of a protest song and I told you that no one knows how true the words are more than the people who have actually put their ass on the line and fought one. Now I want you to read some more eloquent words spoken by a young man in Afghanistan. "We have entered a crucible of the soul, of war's horror and it will change us. It has changed us already. Where will it end? Who will we be then? Myself, I feel its weight nightlong inside my skull, as spectacles of slaughter re-present themselves with such ghastliness that I dare not even shut my eyes. Part of me is dying and something evil grows in its place. I do not know what it is but I fear and hate it. I fear and hate myself." These are the words spoken by a young soldier in the Afghan Campaigns of Alexander the Great over 2,300 years ago! They still hold true today. But here we are....in another war. We will always be in one war or another but for you folks who have mouthed the words about how horrible war is, remember, no one knows better how horrible it is than those who actually fight the wars for you. Support those who fight and support the country who sends them to fight, that is my wish. On second thought....disregard this and continue on with the way you were. After all, it is your right as it is mine to disagree with you. |
| Some of you have said, in comments to previous entries that I seem to have a plan for my big push to get published....well....somewhat. You see for Christmas I recieved a $75.00 gift cirtificate from Amazon.com and so did Mel. So what I did with mine was I ordered, among other books, Writer's Market for Short Stories 2007 and I also ordered a year's worth of Writer's Digest magazine. Both these are full of not only the names of magazines and publishers and what they are looking for, but also have tons of helpful tips on getting published. Now when they get here I am going to pick from either or both of them, a place to send my first short story. Then, each week I am going to choose a place for my next short story....I will do this each week until all my short stories and my novel is out there somewhere. Now....when I start getting the rejection notices in I plan on buying frames for each one of them then I will start over with the first story and find the next place to send them all. There you have it...my great plan.....Wear them all out writing rejection slips until I finally wear one down enough and they give in and actually print one of the stories... HEY, IT WORKS FOR ME!!! |
| I had to take a personal day from work today and sit here at the house and await the arrival of the repairman. Our Central heating unit went out over the holidays and this was the first day a repairman was avalible to make a house call. Well he has come and gone and the house is now in the process of thawing out....I hope the fish live after the ice in their tank melts. Mel had to go to work early this morning and of course like the good husband I am, I got up early too just to see her off. The thing is since early this morning the TV has been showing nothing but Gerald Ford's funeral. ENOUGH ALREADY!! For four and a half hours and counting they have been "burying" Ford! For crying out loud, whatever happened to: Go to the church, have a service, go to the cemetary and have the graveside service...then go home and GET ON WITH LIFE. I mean...come on, the guy was 93 years old; Was there someone out there who was surprised that he died? Are we seeing a new national trend with Celeb funerals? Nationl tours of the body with stops in various cities seems to be the big thing nowadays. Hell, James Brown not only had mulitpule stops and viewings, but the body was also subjected to wardrobe changes at each different location! It seems to me that we Americans never miss a chance to overreact to any given situation, we revel in excess don't we. I think its funny how the News Media are all falling over themselves trying to praise Ford now that he is dead. These are the same folks who, when Gerry was alive, did nothing but hammer him. Was there ever a report about Ford that wasn't accompanied with stock footage of him tripping and falling? Now, to hear them tell it, he was the Father of the Country or something. Now don't get me wrong...I liked the guy. He was a good president...as presidents go. The man didn't ask for the job, but while he was there he did the best he could...what more could we ask? Hell, he was of such sterling character even Teddy Kennedy said nice things about him. The thing is...enough already...he's dead and its time to move on. In the spirit of moving on myself..... Are the rest of you missing zwisis's blog as much as I am? Oh and what about Nada , where is she and what part of the ocean does she find herself in today? Further news: partyof5djis back on the blog page and going strong...I have really missed his entries so go over there and welcome him back to the blog wars! Also, if you are looking for a funny piece to read today, please check out "Invalid Entry" by Mike Wonch....this was a funny read!Okay, that's about it for me today. I am headed over to Google and compile a list of magazines I can send my short stories off to. The first one may go out as early as Saturday. |
| Today was a good day. Now it's not everyday you will hear me say that shortly after coming home from work. Today was definately the exception to the rule. Yes, ideed, all the commandos from the planet Stupid were very subdued today. Maybe they were hung over from a night of frolick and fun at one of the local watering-holes or maybe they have just begun to realize that Christmas is over and now they are going to have to work hard the rest of the year just to pay for all the crap they bought this year...who knows. All I know is that it was a quiet day in Wally World and brothers and sisters, that don't happen often. On a sad, personal note, today cigarettes went to almost $50.00 a carton! For me that can work into over $200.00 a month!!! THAT'S A DAMN CAR NOTE!! I refuse to pay that kind of money for my habit. So I stopped at the Tobacco Barn after work and I invested in a new pipe and a bag of Black Cavindish tobacco. I am now offically a damn pipe smoker!! On the plus side, Mel says I now LOOK like a writer when I am smoking my pipe....go figure. The other day Budroe sent me this thing and I want to share it with all of you. It pretty well sums up all my wishs for each of you this New Year.....My Wish for You in 2007 May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal your debts. May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills. May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips! May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires and may happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy. May the problems you had, forget your home address! In simple words ............ May 2007 be the best year of your life!!! Thank you Budroe, you always say it so very much better than I ever could. |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
I will give you till Tuesday, my official check in day. LOL