Earlier today, my darling wife told me to do whatever I wanted to do, and to enjoy my birthday. So, I did a lot of nothing this morning...dozed on the couch with a book in one hand and a remote in the other. I was watching a DVD on various attacks that can be done from the half-guard, but I don't really remember any of them at the moment. Next time, I'll stay awake...honest!
So, I ran a quick errand and then buzzed on over to my favorite noodle house for lunch. The sky was blue, the clouds were white and fluffy, and I had the radio up loud. It was absolutely grand. I sat at my table, ordered a HUGE lunch and proceeded to eat and peruse a handful of martial arts mags that I had just purchased for the occasion. That was a fairly blissful hour, save that I happened to be there right at lunchtime, so it was more noisy than usual. Otherwise, it was just great.
I spent the rest of the afternoon installing a DVD burner on my computer and then trying to clean off the hard drive so that I could actually use the thing. Seems we had pictures on there from a long time ago, and those things were taking up a ton of space. All's well now, and I'm hoping to be able to produce some cool stuff in the future.
The highlight of my day was the short message I received from my father. He left me a voicemail, and sang Happy Birthday to me. That was way cool. I plan to find a way to send that to myself so that I can put it on a disk somewhere. Of all the well-wishes that have come in today, that one is my favorite.
You know, I realize that there are folks out there who turn up their nose at Halloween. I know that many of them feel that the holiday is a reflection of some kind of devil worship, and that it's evil to celebrate it. Well, I've spent 37 years of having parties on this day, so it has always been a fun day for me. I mean, what kid wouldn't enjoy having costumed sack races with their classmates in the front yard every year? Let's not even talk about the candy...too much of that makes me sick nowadays, but all in all, it was always my favorite holiday.
In many old cultures, this day was the beginning of the cold months, and marked the time when farmers would start to prepare for the long winter ahead. The last harvests were brought in, and it was common for folks to get together and have Harvest Festivals before the winter rolled in. It was a halfway point beween the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice, and was recognised in old Celtic cultures as a time for remembering their dead loved ones. Things were different back then, and folks believed that on this night, the 'veil' that separated the physical world from the spirit world was pretty thin, so they figured that they could more easily communicate with those who had passed. That was part of their religion, and part of their daily lives. That's just how they rolled.
Today, the huge majority of us observe the holiday by dressing up our kids in costumes, taking tons of pictures, doing the T and T thing, and maybe having parties here and there where we get to dress up and have some fun. There's nothing wrong with that. Of course, there are those who have more sinister ways of observing the day, but that's their problem. It bugs me that their antics ruin it for the rest of us. Leave our cats alone, and stop vandalising our property! I have many friends who celebrate this holiday with much more reverence and positive energy than the average bear, and they don't bother anyone.
I always celebrate this day. I see it, as the Celts did, as the start of a new year. It's my birthday, so it is a new year for me! So after enjoying a birthday cake tonight, and dressing up as a Scottish Highlander (complete with sword, dirk, and sghean dhu in my stocking), I'm going to get to work on my resolutions for the year.
Happy Halloween, everyone! Happy Samhain (properly pronounced Sow-wen) to you! Happy All Saint's Day tomorrow! Whatever, just have a happy day!
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Taxes, Anniversary, and the Creature
This weekend was a very long one. Not in the good way. I spent much of it hunched over my computer with boxes of receipts, invoices, and check registers in my lap as I tried to get my taxes done. It was an ordeal, to say the least. It might have been a wee bit easier if I had done them back in April when I was supposed to have done them, but we had filed for the magical extension back then, and I figured I'd get them done 'eventually'. Eventually came pretty quickly when my Father-In-Law (our tax man) called and reminded me that the deadline was approaching. So I dug in and got to work.
Wow, what a mess! Every year, I resolve to keep better records, and this year is no different. However, after this particular tax session was over, I actually did sit down and print out all my statements and check registers so that I'll have everything on hand at the end of 2006! Yay for me! Anyway, I did manage to finish this year's taxes more or less on time. And we even got a small refund. Woo hoooo!
Yesterday was our 8/9 Anniversary. 8 years married, 9 years together. You see, we got married exactly one year to the day after we met. It made it easier to remember the dates. ;-) This year, it fell on a Tuesday, and we're in the middle of a hard workweek for her, classes and seminar preparation for me, so we just opted for an evening at home, watching the first season of Lost. She's always enjoyed that show, but I never got into it, so I promised to sit down with her and watch it from the start. OK, so now I'm into it. It seems far more interesting now that I've seen it from the first episode. Anyhow, darling wife was feeling sick, so we made a huge pot of chicken soup and watched the show. Special thanks to Mr. Lawler, who took over classes for me last night so that I could stay home with her!
This morning, I awoke to some truly hideous noises. I thought that the Creature from the Black Lagoon had stopped by to say hello, but it turns out that it was just me. Season allergies, you know. So my head feels like it's stuffed with snot, and I sound pretty icky. It's gross. Since I haven't had a whole bunch of company at my sprints lately, I opted to stay home and blow my nose a lot. Of course, now that I've done that, I'll have a room full of people at my noon class asking where I was. Figures. Ah, well. I didn't sleep that much, so I'm also hoping for a quick nap before I head out there to teach.
My Sifu, Master Art D'Agostino, is coming out this weekend, and I'm looking forward to learning some more stuff. This seminar is more about refining what we know than actually learning new movements, but that's all good to me. I always need help in fixing things, and I've got forever to learn more forms. I'd just as soon learn more applications and how to use the forms.
And I'm still waiting for the literary agency to let me know if they think my work will sell. Fingers are still crossed, and you wouldn't believe how hard it is to type this way. I'll keep you posted.
OK, then, back to bed. Just for a bit.
Wow, what a mess! Every year, I resolve to keep better records, and this year is no different. However, after this particular tax session was over, I actually did sit down and print out all my statements and check registers so that I'll have everything on hand at the end of 2006! Yay for me! Anyway, I did manage to finish this year's taxes more or less on time. And we even got a small refund. Woo hoooo!
Yesterday was our 8/9 Anniversary. 8 years married, 9 years together. You see, we got married exactly one year to the day after we met. It made it easier to remember the dates. ;-) This year, it fell on a Tuesday, and we're in the middle of a hard workweek for her, classes and seminar preparation for me, so we just opted for an evening at home, watching the first season of Lost. She's always enjoyed that show, but I never got into it, so I promised to sit down with her and watch it from the start. OK, so now I'm into it. It seems far more interesting now that I've seen it from the first episode. Anyhow, darling wife was feeling sick, so we made a huge pot of chicken soup and watched the show. Special thanks to Mr. Lawler, who took over classes for me last night so that I could stay home with her!
This morning, I awoke to some truly hideous noises. I thought that the Creature from the Black Lagoon had stopped by to say hello, but it turns out that it was just me. Season allergies, you know. So my head feels like it's stuffed with snot, and I sound pretty icky. It's gross. Since I haven't had a whole bunch of company at my sprints lately, I opted to stay home and blow my nose a lot. Of course, now that I've done that, I'll have a room full of people at my noon class asking where I was. Figures. Ah, well. I didn't sleep that much, so I'm also hoping for a quick nap before I head out there to teach.
My Sifu, Master Art D'Agostino, is coming out this weekend, and I'm looking forward to learning some more stuff. This seminar is more about refining what we know than actually learning new movements, but that's all good to me. I always need help in fixing things, and I've got forever to learn more forms. I'd just as soon learn more applications and how to use the forms.
And I'm still waiting for the literary agency to let me know if they think my work will sell. Fingers are still crossed, and you wouldn't believe how hard it is to type this way. I'll keep you posted.
OK, then, back to bed. Just for a bit.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Author, author!
Well, after nearly a six year hiatus, I'm officially writing again. At least, I'm editing that dusty manuscript that's been lurking somewhere on my hard drive. I managed to get the thing printed so that I could read through it without hunching at my computer for hours, and I've been going over it with my favorite pencils...red for new stuff, green for 'delete', and blue for 'move this paragraph over here'.
See, I started this story way back in '95 or '96. It's a swords-and-sorcery tale, and I can easily recall what prompted me to write. I was living in Lake Jackson at the time, working at one of the many local chemical plants. I've always loved to read, and I had just finished reading a great trilogy by someone or other, and was looking for a new author to read. I wandered over to the nearest bookstore and spied a ton of books by a particular author. If I liked his work, I figured I'd have lots to read, so I chose the first trilogy he had published. Optimistic, as always.
I finished the first book, and was pretty disappointed. I'd paid good money for that book, and it just left a bad taste in my mouth. The story seemed to drag on and on, and nothing was really resolved to my satisfaction. Nevertheless, I picked up the second book, reasoning that it would probably answer some questions, and that the story might suddenly get better. I'm sorry to say that it did not.
I remember standing up in my slanted little duplex (the floor did, indeed, slant slightly eastwards), slamming that second book on the ground, pointing a finger at the sky and saying aloud, 'I can write better than THAT guy.' I walked over to my computer, booted it up, and got to work. And it was a blast!
I've always enjoyed writing. Somewhere, I still have some silly stories that I wrote purely to amuse myself when I was 9 or 10 years old. As my little world came to life on the page, I found myself thoroughly enjoying the process. This was the first time that I had ever attempted anything longer than a short story, and at first, the task was daunting. But stuff kept happening to my characters, and there always seemed to be more to write. Sometimes, I'd look up from the keyboard, only to discover that it was 2am...just a few hours before I was due back at work. I found myself jotting notes down at work, at lunch, between classes at the martial arts school, wherever an idea struck me. Slowly, the characters took shape, the plot revealed itself, and everything started to come together.
Now, I'm no McKiernan, Tolkien, or Fiest. I have no illusions in regards to my writing ability. I am most decidedly not a literary genius of any sort. But I can string words together passably well, and I feel that I have some cool stories rattling around in my noggin. I'd like to get those stories out of there and see if anyone might enjoy them.
Honestly, sometimes I'll see a picture, or hear a snippet of conversation, or read something that makes me ask myself a question. From there, sometimes, a story emerges. It's kind of cool.
Back when I first started this particular story, I loved asking my friends, family, and coworkers to read my latest chapters. Any of those folks who're reading this now, thanks for tolerating my youthful enthusiasm back then...I know I was like a hyperactive puppy, just dying for approval. One fellow at work agreed to read some of my work. We had been trading fantasy novels for a while, and I was glad to have his opinion. He handed it back to me with the comment,'I didn't really know what to expect...I thought it would be like something a third grader would write, but this is really good!' A third grader? Hmmm. I thanked him for the compliment, but I still wonder why he would have thought that it would be so bad? Ah well. As I said, I'm no literary giant. I'm just an optimistic guy, working on a story because I enjoy it and hoping that some literary agency will give me a chance.
So a couple of days ago, I idly seached the 'net for literary agencies. Back in 2000, I had finished the first manuscript and set about looking for an agent, via query letters and emails. I got some favorable responses, and actually got accepted by an agent who has since been listed several times on various 'Do Not Use This Agent' lists. I was thrilled to have a REAL LITERARY AGENT be interested in my work! Of course, I got billed each month for submission materials and postage, and got several 'no's', so I finally dropped him. This time around, I decided to follow the advice of Mr. McKiernan, who said that 'money should always flow TO the author. Agents should only get paid if they sell your stuff.' So I found a literary agency that I had not queried back in 2000, and I liked what I saw on their website. They even had an online query form. I filled it out, and went back to work on my second chapter edits.
Holy crap, they wrote me back the next day! It was, of course, a form letter. But it was a form letter requesting 3-5 chapters of my manuscript! I stayed up until 2am last night getting those first five chapters edited to my satisfaction, and sent it off before staggering back to bed. Again, I have no illusions here. I doubt that I'm going to get a phone call from a frantic agent in New York, begging to Show Me the Money!!! But I think I've at least got a chance. Wish me luck.
Oh, and I'm still working on my taxes. Are goldfish deductible?
See, I started this story way back in '95 or '96. It's a swords-and-sorcery tale, and I can easily recall what prompted me to write. I was living in Lake Jackson at the time, working at one of the many local chemical plants. I've always loved to read, and I had just finished reading a great trilogy by someone or other, and was looking for a new author to read. I wandered over to the nearest bookstore and spied a ton of books by a particular author. If I liked his work, I figured I'd have lots to read, so I chose the first trilogy he had published. Optimistic, as always.
I finished the first book, and was pretty disappointed. I'd paid good money for that book, and it just left a bad taste in my mouth. The story seemed to drag on and on, and nothing was really resolved to my satisfaction. Nevertheless, I picked up the second book, reasoning that it would probably answer some questions, and that the story might suddenly get better. I'm sorry to say that it did not.
I remember standing up in my slanted little duplex (the floor did, indeed, slant slightly eastwards), slamming that second book on the ground, pointing a finger at the sky and saying aloud, 'I can write better than THAT guy.' I walked over to my computer, booted it up, and got to work. And it was a blast!
I've always enjoyed writing. Somewhere, I still have some silly stories that I wrote purely to amuse myself when I was 9 or 10 years old. As my little world came to life on the page, I found myself thoroughly enjoying the process. This was the first time that I had ever attempted anything longer than a short story, and at first, the task was daunting. But stuff kept happening to my characters, and there always seemed to be more to write. Sometimes, I'd look up from the keyboard, only to discover that it was 2am...just a few hours before I was due back at work. I found myself jotting notes down at work, at lunch, between classes at the martial arts school, wherever an idea struck me. Slowly, the characters took shape, the plot revealed itself, and everything started to come together.
Now, I'm no McKiernan, Tolkien, or Fiest. I have no illusions in regards to my writing ability. I am most decidedly not a literary genius of any sort. But I can string words together passably well, and I feel that I have some cool stories rattling around in my noggin. I'd like to get those stories out of there and see if anyone might enjoy them.
Honestly, sometimes I'll see a picture, or hear a snippet of conversation, or read something that makes me ask myself a question. From there, sometimes, a story emerges. It's kind of cool.
Back when I first started this particular story, I loved asking my friends, family, and coworkers to read my latest chapters. Any of those folks who're reading this now, thanks for tolerating my youthful enthusiasm back then...I know I was like a hyperactive puppy, just dying for approval. One fellow at work agreed to read some of my work. We had been trading fantasy novels for a while, and I was glad to have his opinion. He handed it back to me with the comment,'I didn't really know what to expect...I thought it would be like something a third grader would write, but this is really good!' A third grader? Hmmm. I thanked him for the compliment, but I still wonder why he would have thought that it would be so bad? Ah well. As I said, I'm no literary giant. I'm just an optimistic guy, working on a story because I enjoy it and hoping that some literary agency will give me a chance.
So a couple of days ago, I idly seached the 'net for literary agencies. Back in 2000, I had finished the first manuscript and set about looking for an agent, via query letters and emails. I got some favorable responses, and actually got accepted by an agent who has since been listed several times on various 'Do Not Use This Agent' lists. I was thrilled to have a REAL LITERARY AGENT be interested in my work! Of course, I got billed each month for submission materials and postage, and got several 'no's', so I finally dropped him. This time around, I decided to follow the advice of Mr. McKiernan, who said that 'money should always flow TO the author. Agents should only get paid if they sell your stuff.' So I found a literary agency that I had not queried back in 2000, and I liked what I saw on their website. They even had an online query form. I filled it out, and went back to work on my second chapter edits.
Holy crap, they wrote me back the next day! It was, of course, a form letter. But it was a form letter requesting 3-5 chapters of my manuscript! I stayed up until 2am last night getting those first five chapters edited to my satisfaction, and sent it off before staggering back to bed. Again, I have no illusions here. I doubt that I'm going to get a phone call from a frantic agent in New York, begging to Show Me the Money!!! But I think I've at least got a chance. Wish me luck.
Oh, and I'm still working on my taxes. Are goldfish deductible?
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Mission Possible
I was a spy today. I didn't know that I would spend the day being a spy, but that's just how it turned out. I had planned to spend the day doing taxes, dishes, running one Kung Fu class, then more of the same. My darling wife was away for an all-day training session, so I had Monkey with me all day, but he's generally pretty easy to work with.
After watching a Backyardigans episode, my imaginative young son informed me of the fact that we were now spies. I decided to go with it. I sat down with him and discussed our upcoming mission: Phase 1...go to the Kung Fu school, sneak in (while avoiding various imaginary booby traps), and retrieve a box of records (tax info for me). Phase 2...meet with our operative at the bank to retrieve some important papers (more tax info). Phase 3...go to the bookstore and find the books on the super-secret spy list (that I had printed for us). We chose to accept the mission, and had an absolute blast. All during the day, we held to our spy identities, avoided traps and detection from various authorities, and achieved our goals. It was a great day for the home team.
An unexpected pleasure rolled my way today as I got a call from my cousin and her parents. They were on their way back home to Indiana, and they wanted to stop by. I was thrilled to see them, but sad that we couldn't spend more time together. Even though the visit was short, I was really happy that they could take the time to come out and see us.
Before all this happened, I started going over some of my old notes from my novel this morning, and found more and more stuff to work through. I'm starting to see some new directions, and more importantly, some new questions. By asking myself lots of questions, I can figure out the answers...the answers make up the story. I shot a quick email to my favorite author, Dennis L. McKiernan, after finding a handful of written notes that I had taken during a short lunch meeting we had back in 2000 at a writer's conference. He gave me some invaulable advice back then, and I'm still grateful to him for taking the time to talk with me. Heck, he even asked me to describe a palm strike for him, and I showed him exactly what one of those looks like. So as I said, I sent him a quick thank you...and he wrote back within 5 minutes, I kid you not. What a guy!
And dear old Dad is on the mend. He's starting to get his strength back, and has been bellyaching to go home, as expected. Hopefully, he'll return home tomorrow. I'm sure he'll be up and around, terrorizing the neighborhood soon. The main character in the comic strip 'Crankshaft' reminds me a little bit of my Dad, except that Dad doesn't set the yard on fire if he barbecues. He is hell on a moped, though.
After watching a Backyardigans episode, my imaginative young son informed me of the fact that we were now spies. I decided to go with it. I sat down with him and discussed our upcoming mission: Phase 1...go to the Kung Fu school, sneak in (while avoiding various imaginary booby traps), and retrieve a box of records (tax info for me). Phase 2...meet with our operative at the bank to retrieve some important papers (more tax info). Phase 3...go to the bookstore and find the books on the super-secret spy list (that I had printed for us). We chose to accept the mission, and had an absolute blast. All during the day, we held to our spy identities, avoided traps and detection from various authorities, and achieved our goals. It was a great day for the home team.
An unexpected pleasure rolled my way today as I got a call from my cousin and her parents. They were on their way back home to Indiana, and they wanted to stop by. I was thrilled to see them, but sad that we couldn't spend more time together. Even though the visit was short, I was really happy that they could take the time to come out and see us.
Before all this happened, I started going over some of my old notes from my novel this morning, and found more and more stuff to work through. I'm starting to see some new directions, and more importantly, some new questions. By asking myself lots of questions, I can figure out the answers...the answers make up the story. I shot a quick email to my favorite author, Dennis L. McKiernan, after finding a handful of written notes that I had taken during a short lunch meeting we had back in 2000 at a writer's conference. He gave me some invaulable advice back then, and I'm still grateful to him for taking the time to talk with me. Heck, he even asked me to describe a palm strike for him, and I showed him exactly what one of those looks like. So as I said, I sent him a quick thank you...and he wrote back within 5 minutes, I kid you not. What a guy!
And dear old Dad is on the mend. He's starting to get his strength back, and has been bellyaching to go home, as expected. Hopefully, he'll return home tomorrow. I'm sure he'll be up and around, terrorizing the neighborhood soon. The main character in the comic strip 'Crankshaft' reminds me a little bit of my Dad, except that Dad doesn't set the yard on fire if he barbecues. He is hell on a moped, though.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
good news, and a sad note
I got some good news this morning...my Dad's cancer surgery went well, and he's fine. Whew. The last couple of weeks, I'd been worried about him. As tough as the old coot may be, cancer surgery isn't usually an easy thing. It all sounded like a pretty simple operation...plan A was a simple snip-snip, and plan B involved rerouting some plumbing. We were hoping that plan A would suffice, but either way, it seemed that there was every chance of success. But when it gets right down to it, I have to admit that my Dad's not a young fellow, and there is always a chance of something going goofy in surgery. I had a few moments of panic this morning when I thought 'Crap, I didn't even talk to him yesterday!' So I've been a little nervous today.
I got a voice mail from Mom, simply saying that it was done, plan A, and Dad's OK. And she's not supposed to be on her cellphone so she'll call me later. I still haven't received the full report, but I'm relieved, to say the least. It looks like he'll be kicking my ass on the bowling alley and golf course for awhile longer. I'm looking forward to our next visit up north, during which I'm sure our monkey will run everyone ragged.
In other news, I started reading David Gemmell's books again. After rushing through the first one I found in my closet, I went and dug up all the others, and I'm scouring half.com for the ones I'm missing. In doing a search for him on the internet, I was horrified to discover that he passed away this summer. Heart disease, at the age of 57. Well, crap. That's pretty disappointing. I had no idea.
I had a chance to meet Mr. Gemmell at a fantasy writer's convention several years ago, and I enjoyed hearing him speak during a panel discussion. Someone asked him about his heroic characters, and talked about having grown up around tough men, and he related one story of his time as a journalist. He interviewed an SAS operative (similar to our Navy Seals, I would guess), and asked how in the world the operative could do the things that he does on a regular basis. The man asked Mr. Gemmell to catch a coin that was thrown to him, which he did. Easy. Then he said, 'Now, pretend I have a gun to your mother's head. Can you catch the coin now?' Mr. Gemmell replied that it would definitely be harder that way. And the man replied, 'See, that's where we're different. Because for me, it's nothing more than catching a coin in the air.' Gemmell went on to explain that his heroes were known for being able to shut out the looming prospect of consequences of succeeding or not succeeding in a task, and simply perform the task with cool detachment. That kind of focus is necessary for getting the job done in high pressure situations, no matter what the job or situation might be. That message has stuck with me ever since.
Funny, but my Dad's always been like that. I just never stopped to think about it before.
I got a voice mail from Mom, simply saying that it was done, plan A, and Dad's OK. And she's not supposed to be on her cellphone so she'll call me later. I still haven't received the full report, but I'm relieved, to say the least. It looks like he'll be kicking my ass on the bowling alley and golf course for awhile longer. I'm looking forward to our next visit up north, during which I'm sure our monkey will run everyone ragged.
In other news, I started reading David Gemmell's books again. After rushing through the first one I found in my closet, I went and dug up all the others, and I'm scouring half.com for the ones I'm missing. In doing a search for him on the internet, I was horrified to discover that he passed away this summer. Heart disease, at the age of 57. Well, crap. That's pretty disappointing. I had no idea.
I had a chance to meet Mr. Gemmell at a fantasy writer's convention several years ago, and I enjoyed hearing him speak during a panel discussion. Someone asked him about his heroic characters, and talked about having grown up around tough men, and he related one story of his time as a journalist. He interviewed an SAS operative (similar to our Navy Seals, I would guess), and asked how in the world the operative could do the things that he does on a regular basis. The man asked Mr. Gemmell to catch a coin that was thrown to him, which he did. Easy. Then he said, 'Now, pretend I have a gun to your mother's head. Can you catch the coin now?' Mr. Gemmell replied that it would definitely be harder that way. And the man replied, 'See, that's where we're different. Because for me, it's nothing more than catching a coin in the air.' Gemmell went on to explain that his heroes were known for being able to shut out the looming prospect of consequences of succeeding or not succeeding in a task, and simply perform the task with cool detachment. That kind of focus is necessary for getting the job done in high pressure situations, no matter what the job or situation might be. That message has stuck with me ever since.
Funny, but my Dad's always been like that. I just never stopped to think about it before.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
First Tuesday in October
Well, it's my favorite day of the week...Tuesday! A day I have mostly to myself, hours to do whatever I want. I mean, as long as 'whatever I want' includes doing the dishes, housework, errands, phone calls, emails, and other stuff that pertains to running a home and a business. So, I've already got some of that going.
I haven't gone for my run yet, but I'm planning an interval set for later this morning. It's still pretty muggy out there, and I'm hoping that the sun will come out and burn off some of that humidity. This afternoon, I might head out to the gym and see what kind of trouble I can cause out there.
In the meantime, I'm thinking of spending an hour or so in an attempt to write a story of some sort. I don't know what kind of story at this point. I might do some work on one of my old stories, or on my old novel that hasn't seen the light of day in years. In any event, it might be fun to see what I can do. My 'voice' has changed appreciably in the years since I wrote my novel...I'm older now, and I've experienced a bit more. Looking at my old story with new eyes might be just the thing. I still have the goal of having a book published, so who's to say it won't be my rewritten first novel?
Our little one is a bit under the weather lately...he's got a raspy voice and some chest congestion. He hardly notices it, and has apparently enjoyed his 'new voice' at school. Whatever bug he's got doesn't seem to be bothering him much, as evidenced by the huge rips he brought home in the knees of his school pants. He's still playing pretty hard! I'm sure he'll be fine.
In other news, it's OCTOBER! My favorite month! I love the weather this time of year, and it always reminds me of the first months of school from when I was a kid...the parade, the Brazoria County Fair, my birthday on Halloween...all that fun stuff! It also makes me think of the Renaissance Festival and the campouts that Christina and I used to attend. All very good memories.
Well, I'd better get back to it. It's almost time to get that laundry folded before my run.
I haven't gone for my run yet, but I'm planning an interval set for later this morning. It's still pretty muggy out there, and I'm hoping that the sun will come out and burn off some of that humidity. This afternoon, I might head out to the gym and see what kind of trouble I can cause out there.
In the meantime, I'm thinking of spending an hour or so in an attempt to write a story of some sort. I don't know what kind of story at this point. I might do some work on one of my old stories, or on my old novel that hasn't seen the light of day in years. In any event, it might be fun to see what I can do. My 'voice' has changed appreciably in the years since I wrote my novel...I'm older now, and I've experienced a bit more. Looking at my old story with new eyes might be just the thing. I still have the goal of having a book published, so who's to say it won't be my rewritten first novel?
Our little one is a bit under the weather lately...he's got a raspy voice and some chest congestion. He hardly notices it, and has apparently enjoyed his 'new voice' at school. Whatever bug he's got doesn't seem to be bothering him much, as evidenced by the huge rips he brought home in the knees of his school pants. He's still playing pretty hard! I'm sure he'll be fine.
In other news, it's OCTOBER! My favorite month! I love the weather this time of year, and it always reminds me of the first months of school from when I was a kid...the parade, the Brazoria County Fair, my birthday on Halloween...all that fun stuff! It also makes me think of the Renaissance Festival and the campouts that Christina and I used to attend. All very good memories.
Well, I'd better get back to it. It's almost time to get that laundry folded before my run.
Monday, October 02, 2006
argh!!
Friday, September 29, 2006, 1:15am
I just spent over half an hour writing a decent blog entry. I fumbled my keyboard a bit, and managed to erase the whole thing. Wow. I'm not all that happy about it. Eh...as my son would say, 'Sometimes...that happens.'
In short, I wrote about my long interval run today (it went well, in spite of my asthma), and how I'm looking forward to running sprints with my students tomorrow. Half-marathon is approaching!
I wrote about the Boxing Class that I enjoyed this evening, and how I like learning new stuff. Some folks in my line of work wouldn't be caught dead learning new skills from other people...it takes away from their image as the unassailable masters of martial arts. But I like learning new stuff. And most times, I have to take off my black belt and get a bit of a beating to do so. That's fine with me. Until we get that whole Matrix downloading thing working, I'm willing to take some shots to the head and feel like a beginner again from time to time...it keeps me honest.
I wrote about our little getaway...we're off to a hotel for the weekend to celebrate my fabulous wife's birthday. Special thanks to her mom for watching our monkey while we're away. I hope she knows what she's let herself in for!
And I wrote about my father's upcoming battle with cancer. It's round two...he's already kicked cancer's ass once before, and it's back for a rematch. We're optimistic...Dad's a tough, tough man, and he's got a good doctor. I figure that I'll have my best chance to beat him at bowling during his recovery, but after that, all bets are off.
So that's what I wrote about. It was far more interesting and well-written the first time I wrote it, so cut me some slack please...it's late, and I need some sleep. I'll be more careful next time, I promise!
I just spent over half an hour writing a decent blog entry. I fumbled my keyboard a bit, and managed to erase the whole thing. Wow. I'm not all that happy about it. Eh...as my son would say, 'Sometimes...that happens.'
In short, I wrote about my long interval run today (it went well, in spite of my asthma), and how I'm looking forward to running sprints with my students tomorrow. Half-marathon is approaching!
I wrote about the Boxing Class that I enjoyed this evening, and how I like learning new stuff. Some folks in my line of work wouldn't be caught dead learning new skills from other people...it takes away from their image as the unassailable masters of martial arts. But I like learning new stuff. And most times, I have to take off my black belt and get a bit of a beating to do so. That's fine with me. Until we get that whole Matrix downloading thing working, I'm willing to take some shots to the head and feel like a beginner again from time to time...it keeps me honest.
I wrote about our little getaway...we're off to a hotel for the weekend to celebrate my fabulous wife's birthday. Special thanks to her mom for watching our monkey while we're away. I hope she knows what she's let herself in for!
And I wrote about my father's upcoming battle with cancer. It's round two...he's already kicked cancer's ass once before, and it's back for a rematch. We're optimistic...Dad's a tough, tough man, and he's got a good doctor. I figure that I'll have my best chance to beat him at bowling during his recovery, but after that, all bets are off.
So that's what I wrote about. It was far more interesting and well-written the first time I wrote it, so cut me some slack please...it's late, and I need some sleep. I'll be more careful next time, I promise!
new blog
It's been brought to my attention that there are many folks who don't have a Myspace account, but would like to read my blog. So I'm posting it here as well. Have a nice day!
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