Review: Brain Droppings

Brain Droppings by George Carlin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First off, if you don't like George Carlin, you won't like this book. However, since I do like George Carlin, I really enjoyed it. Especially since it was the audio version read by him. It made my delayed and extra long flight go by with nary a complaint - by myself or my bladder.

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Review: We Were Liars

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

So this is a book that you either love or hate apparently if you read previous reviews there appears to be very little middle room. Myself, I'm on the "not liking it so much" side of the aisle. I guess listening to an angst-ridden teenager isn't my cup of tea, of course, most angst-ridden teens I have dealt with in my life also aren't as shallow or pathetic as young Cadence is. By that I mean they (the angst-ridden teens) seem to have multiple facets to their lives other than poor Cadence. Granted, she should be feeling this way, for reasons you'll have to read to find out more about. I shall not indulge you with that information here.

That being said, there is something to be said of coming of age novels written by people that have already been there and done that... I don't like them. There I said it. I have suffered through this kind of narcissistic nonsense before, thank you very much, Holden!

So let me give you what I did like about the novel - I like Ariadne Meyers performance on the unabridged audiobook I listen to, she did a great job reading, enunciating and performing the various aspects of the characters. I applaud her for that.

I also will applaud the writing skill of E. Lockhart, she knows her craft well, although I think if I had to actually read the words, I probably would have quit by the quarter mark. The book is boring to be quite honest, yes there is a twist, or two, or seven (whatever) but it really was a long hard road to get there. I mean when the best part of the story are the little parables about a king and his three daughters...

I will also state here for you the audience reading this (who's narcissistic now?) that I was going to give this bad boy only one star right up until the final few chapters, that bumped it up a star for me. No, it wasn't any twist that did it (by the way, is it a twist if you figure out what is going to happen before the twist gets there?) but the words that Cadence uttered once she realized the truth. That was what saved this from one-star infamy.

To me anyway.

Do I recommend you read it? Yes, I think you should read anything and everything and you will probably feel completely different about it that I do. That being said, I wouldn't rush out to the store to get it, pick it up at your library and save some money.

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Review: Devil's Gate

Devil's Gate by Clive Cussler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Kurt Austin to the rescue!
Another adventure starring Kurt, Joe Zavala and Paul and Gamay Trout where they fight the evil ne'er-do-well's and save the day! Or do they? Hmm, you'll have to read it until the very end to find out. That being said I did find some things odd with the timing throughout the novel but I know that we need to move the story along despite the inconsistencies of travel times and the like, which is why if I ever write that novel of mine, I won't have dates and times included because people like me will find problems with them. Like most, if not all of Mr. Cussler's work this is a fast-paced book that occasionally lets you breathe before being thrust into another scene of life threatening and harrowing action. A decent yarn and heaven forbid such a weapon described in the novel ever comes into being.

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Review: Piranha

Piranha by Clive Cussler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I like Clive Cussler books and I will not lie...
1) They're fun fantastical reads
2) They're quick too
3) He still comes up with interesting villians
4) Maybe I should read more of his Fargo and that other series of his I don't read too much of. (Obviously)
5) Did I mention that they are quick?
6) Oh yeah I did, up there at #2
7) I love The Oregon and would love, love, LOVE to have a ship like her. Sah-weet!
8) The ending gave me an idea, well I've had that idea, but if I combine parts of this novel with my idea it will be a super duper idea and I will sell millions of copies...
9) Nope, not gonna share, but consider it under copyright as of this posting. :)
10) Yeah i think I can do that.
11) The Sentinel is a bad device, yet cool at the same time. Just don't tell the NSA.
12) I should do reviews like this more ofter, not necessarily informative, but fun!
13) If you have read a Dirk Pitt, Kurt Austin, or Oregon Files novel before, you know how it's going to end. If you haven't? Well why are you reading this review?
14) Also, if you haven't, I highly recommend trying them out, they are as I said way up there, fun to read novels that are quick and mostly painless, and you get a sense of fantasy with them. Not fantasy with unicorns and witches and glittery vampires, but fantasy just the same.
15) On to the next one. Peace out Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts and those of you that don't want to be associated with scouting, oh and you American Heritage Girls! You'll love them too. Strong female characters, especially in the Oregon Files series.
16) Now go out and enjoy your day/evening/whatever!

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Review: Travel Writing

Travel Writing by Peter Ferry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It's a book inside of a book starring the author as a writer/teacher and a murder mystery. Maybe. The book has some mystery, some humor, and even some educational qualities about it, I mean our protagonist is a teacher after all. We follow Peter as he tries to figure out why Lisa was killed in a car crash, initially it starts with him wondering what he could have done to stop the accident, to eventually realizing that she may have been murdered. In the meant, he is telling this story to his students - who get some interaction with the author, who shares the name with the character, etc. Yes, it can get confusing if you aren't paying attention, so make sure you do that if you read this. How's that for a non-spoiler filled review? Yeah, well I can't tell too much more otherwise you'll hate me for sharing too much, which I may have done already.


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Review: The Hero of Ages

The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The final book of the first trilogy or the trilogy of trilogies.... Wow that was a lot to take in there, sorry. Anyway, Mr. Sanderson once again gives the readers an experience that is thoroughly enjoyable in a hard to put down novel that picks up immediately after the end of the previous book, Well of Ascenscion and takes off running. That being said, you don't need to have read the previous two novels in the trilogy, but it wouldn't hurt to do so either. We follow our heroes as they are scattered crossed the empire searching for the clues to help save the world - no pressure. Vin is our reluctant hero of ages, or is she? Maybe it's Spook, the lovable tin eye that feels a special calling to help out the citizenry of another city. or any of the countless heroes from the final empire. What I think I'm trying to say is this, if you like an epic fantasy that has lots of fun and action, this is a book you should read. If you don't like that stuff, you should still read it so that maybe you will. Then you'll be hooked into the Cosmere like the rest of us. Happy reading!

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Time...

to go home.

to enjoy life.

to fly like an eagle

to spend time with your children.

to jump for joy.

to spend some money.

to save some money.

to take a nap.

for jellybeans.

for eggs.

for driving on the left side of the road.

for spending time with the spouse.

to end this soon.

to ask questions

for Burger King to end those stupid Croissantwiche commercials

for packing up and leaving.

for another nap.

for another subject.

Disney Photo Thursday

Because I can:

New Life

Okay not a real new life, I mean I am very happy with my personal life, it's the whole working thing that I'm getting tired of. Anyone else?

Story Time Two

So, I challenged myself to do this last week, or was it two weeks ago? Sorry I've been busy working and I don't like it one bit. :) I kid. I love my job, really I do and the fact that they want to pay me to do it, is even better. Anyway, below you will find my two 'stories' that I created from my two starting sentences and my ten words. I have bolded the offending and appropriate words. Okay they aren't really offending, but maybe the story is. Hmmm. Inquiring minds must continue to read below. I should also point out that this entire blog post has been written live, as in I didn't just copy and paste these stories, I sat down and wrote them out in less than half an hour, including this introduction. So what do you think?





How can the moderate wed the fancy metric?

For some reason, this question was keeping me awake this evening. I knew I shouldn't have attended that conference on how to save the environment. Alas, my friend had a convincing argument explaining that I should listen to what the panel had to say on the matter, and how it was important for me to look east for the new dawn of living life for the enjoyment of any future ancestors of mine. I tried to explain that I would rather wander about life like a tube  rides on the lazy river of life. To which he called me a pussy and I had to agree that I was making any excuses I could to keep from listening to the preaching of environmentalists that say they have my own interests in mind while charging me in helping with their formulation of ideas to bring to the masses. I mean if they were so sincere about all this stuff, why not just spend their own money instead of looking for an intake of funds from suckers that were inclined to give to any Tom, Dick or Harry that sold them a bill of goods.

As to the question of the night? I'm not really sure how it pertains to what I went through this evening, but I am sure it does on some deep intrinsically asinine melodrama of epic proportions.

Did I really just write that sentence? Sleep deprivation is a nuisance to the sane of mind and sound of body. I wonder if I am either or both?

Now that's a question I can fall asleep to.



The girl acquires an evil censor.

Why would someone write that here under this bridge? It doesn't even make sense. I mean if you want to go around preaching messages under overpasses don't you think they need to make sense? Who knows how many people will wander along this trail and stop to read 'the girl acquires and evil censor' and will immediately be thrown into a fit of self-consciousness wondering if the message is meant for them or some ancestor that will understand completely because they too, are bat shit crazy.

Of course, the only people that will really take notice will be those concerned with the environment who will no doubt get together a panel of like-minded individuals to hunt down the graffiti artist with no sense of proper storytelling. As much as one can tell a story with one sentence that is.

Looking east I noticed an intake of some sort, or what looked like one anyway. It appeared to draw the river into a small culvert that led to, somewhere. Maybe someone made it long ago for their own enjoyment and road tubes of air down the stream to a glorious pool of joy at the end. I really must ascertain where my thought come from and why I decide to use bigger words for some trivial thoughts and small words for the deep ones. You'd think it would be the other way around, wouldn't you?

Okay, enough dilly-dallying I must get back on my bike and head home before mom starts to miss me. I will have to work on a what the formulation of that idea means though, can't have people writing random thoughts without someone taking the time to figure them out now, right?

I think it's spaghetti for dinner and I don't want to be late for that.

Whoops!

I kind of forgot about you, my blog. That's what happens when you are stuck in a foreign country working, all.the.time.

Maybe one of these days, maybe even tonight.

Or

Not.

Zebulon Yearned Xanadu

Zebulon yearned Xanadu.

While venturing umpteen times,

Searching religiously quieted Pike’s

Obdurate needs.

Making life, keep jumping into

Hellacious gambles, forever engaged.

Discovering constant beauty about.

Another Black Colored Day

Another black colored day,

examinations from gregarious haunts.

Indeed jealous kids limit making new ornaments,

preferring quasi-relationships,

secretly taking unique versions,

with xenophobic young zealots.

Game Time

As a writer, I look for new ways to spark some creativity in myself. One of the ways I do this is to randomly choose ten words and make a story using those ten words throughout the story and they have to be used correctly, etcetera and it would be nice if the story itself makes sense.

I have also gone through the alphabet, forwards and back, writing a sentence or series of sentences using the letters in order. That is fun, and sometimes it makes sense.

This is what I will be doing over the next few posts, so do not be alarmed.  First up will be a story using my ten words, chosen randomly, I promise. The words are environment, wander, panel, intake, tube, east, preaching, formulation, ancestor, and enjoyment.

To make things more interesting, I am going to add a random sentence to start the stories with, yes I said stories. I have two sentences so there will be two stories. The first sentence is "How can the moderate wed the fancy metric."  the second is "The girl acquires an evil censor."

I don't know about you, but I'm kind of hating myself right now for choosing those two sentences.

I will also have two posts using my alphabet method, one from A to Z the other from Z to A.

Pretty exciting, eh? (I'm in Canada, so I have to "eh" right?

Anyway, stay tuned for the results, I promise they should all arrive by the weekend. Hope you enjoy them.

Oh Canada!

Yeah, I'm back and somewhat better than ever - down at least 30 pounds from my visit last year. So that's good, right?

In fact, I'm 30 pounds lighter from the beginning of the year, it's amazing what watching what you intake while exercising daily can do for your body. It also has helped with my outlook on life and I do believe I have a little more energy.

I did have some draining experiences getting into the country however, apparently the laws change up here a lot or something, but I didn't have the correct paperwork filled out - not my fault, I promise - and I had to come back the next day to sort things out and get my passport back.

Nothing like being in a foreign country without your passport, even if it is Canada, one of the friendliest countries ever! I'm not saying that for fear of deportation either, I'd have to do some sort of heinous crime for that to happen now or stay past March 16 which won't happen because um, it's cold here. Oh and I have a plane to catch on the 14th.

Anyway, just thought I'd throw those few words down because well, to be honest, I'm bored at the moment.

Enjoy your day!

Believe

The head is filled with voices that play with the thoughts and visions that were originally conceived in some metaphysical form around noon. Why noon, no one really knows but we'll see what happens, until then we must allow them to spew forth and have a grand old time and bananas.

Yeah bananas.

Go figure!

Started out Fast

Only to peter out...

This cannot be.

I must continue, lest the world be taken over by someone else.

That would be bad.

Very

Very

Bad.

This may make sense to some,

The wise ones,

Whereas others will be left scratching their heads.

That's okay.

We'll take care of you.

Some Things Should Not Be

And this is one of them. Why this company would pay $9 million for this spot? Maybe they will only show the best 30 seconds and pay $4.5 million, but even that. Crazy.

Sitting in an Airport

Watching time fly by
being very thankful
thatI'm not flying standby

Okay, enough of my attempts to rhyme, I mean yes it rhymes, but I don't think it counts when it is essentially the same word. Oh well, I'm not a poet and I do know it.

I am currently sitting  in an airport in northern Kentucky, also know as the Cincinnati International Airport. Cincinnati, of course, being in the state of Ohio, not Kentucky. Okay, technically it is the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, lovingly known as CVG, because it is based in Covington, Kentucky, although some argue it is more in Hebron, Kentucky than Covington, but, I really don't care.

Now, I grew up in the Denver area, for the most part. My dad was in the Air Force and we did have to move around a bit, but we were lucky enough to call the Denver metropolitan are home for a great majority of my school years, ten of twelve to be exact.

Anyway, growing up I followed the Denver Broncos and to a degree the Denver Nuggets, I also liked the Colorado Rockies of NHL fame and while I was growing up we didn't have a MLB team, instead we had the Denver Bears, a AAA affiliate of various teams throughout its history. Growing up I needed a baseball team to root for and the Cincinnati Reds filled that need greatly, I mean who wouldn't want to root for the 'Big Red Machine' in all their glory, right? So, I like coming to Cincinnati to work, for the most part. I say fo the most part because I have never actually worked in the city itself, just used it's airport and then driven my happy self, south to Lexington, Kentucky, home of the Wildcats.

And now for a dramatic pause.

And that's my story, the end.

Sorry, I just got distracted by a dude cleaning the windows here at the airport and my train of thought totally derailed. Once that bad boy gets off the tracks, it's hard to get it back on. For that I apologize, actually what I apologize for is the fact that I am still posting this, with the hopes of maybe returning to it at some future date to clarify and give it an UPDATE.

Just don't hold your breath.

Side side note, someone just let go of the loudest fart in the history of farts, or at least they amplified it over the sound system.

Gotta love Cincin... Kentucky.

Good Morning, Lexington

Addicted to Crack

Yes, I admit that I have an addiction, and addiction to crack.

Now I have only had this addiction for about a month, but I guess I am a little weaker than others, because once I tried this crack, I was hooked.

The spinning wheel, the multiple colors, the inanely simple questions.

It gets the competitive juices flowing.

Yes, I am talking about Trivia Crack, the trivia game that has taken the world by storm!

By world, I mean my own little part of it, of course. Some of you may have never even heard of it until now, so... You're welcome!

Gotta go, I have sixteen turns waiting now.

Thin Skin

We live in a world full of sarcastic people and I may be one of them.

Okay, truth be told, I am one. Am I proud of it? Well, I do relish in bringing bits of humor to everyone, but unfortunately, not everyone seems to appreciate said humor and takes what I say or write in a manner that is completely different from what the intended words were all about.

I also say that I don't care about people that are thin-skinned and may get upset by a misinterpretation of what I say.

Not entirely true.

Oh, don't get me wrong, I think people should be able to take as much as they give, and usually don't start giving until I have taken, understand?

So, Mr. thick-skin what are you really trying to say?

Not really sure. I think it was starting to be a rant about whiny people but then I lost my train of thought so now I'm just going to ramble on about the state of things in the world until something better comes along.

SQUIRREL!

Yeah, I went there.

Fox Hunt

My favorite sports team is the Denver Broncos, although I will admit that the Chicago Blackhawks seem to be gaining on them. No matter what though, the Denver Broncos will always be my favorite professional football team. Not to mistaken with one of my other favorite football teams Real Madrid or Manchester United.

Anyway.

So the Broncos have won the AFC West four years in a row, and for the last three it's been pretty much a cakewalk since we have one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, although I still think John Elway is better. :)

Pretty good, right?

Yeah, but....

Knew there was a yeah but didn't you?

Let's look at what that means, shall we?

• 2011 - finish 8-8 wins AFC West (with Tim Tebow), they then beat Pittsburgh in OT at home and get shellacked by New England in Foxboro.
• 2012 - finish 13-3, wins AFC West, lose the first playoff game (divisional)
• 2013 - finish 13-3, wins AFC West, lose Super Bowl 48 (XLVIII if you insist)
• 2014 - finish 12-4, wins AFC West, lose the first playoff game (divisional)

Both divisional losses were at home. Denver rarely, if ever loses at home.They went 8-0 at home this season, well 8-1 since they lost yesterday.

So, what to do?

I was thinking, as well as many of my fellow Broncos fans, that a coaching change was in order. Maybe get a coach that isn't afraid to take a chance, with one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the NFL under center. I am referencing Coach Fox's decision to kneel on the ball with 31 seconds left in that playoff loss in 2012 to Baltimore (Super Bowl champions that year). I mean Peyton Freaking Manning  THRIVES on occasions like that. When I saw it live, I couldn't believe that we did it, in fact, no one did. We also had one of the best field goal kickers of 50+ yards on the team at the time, so Manning only had to get them 50 yards, in 31 seconds, with all three timeouts remaining. Yeah, that game still doesn't sit well with me.

Anyway, as I got on my plane for my trip to Kentucky (hi y'all), I was thinking that there would be no way the Broncos get rid of Fox.

I was wrong.

Fox is gone, Del Rio (Defensive Coordinator) is gone, in fact, the entire coaching staff is gone. Personally, I would have kept Studesville (RBs coach) and who knows, maybe the new guy will bring him back - he did have some excellent running backs working for him.

So, what does this mean? It means that John Elway the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) gets to pick the next coach (true, he did pick Fox), that will help get the franchise over this hump, while (hopefully) keeping Manning playing, and takes them to the ultimate and win Super Bowl 50. 

What can I say, I'm a dreamer. 

Friday!

What else can I say? 

It's Friday, time to enjoy your weekend.

No worries, I'll be back tomorrow.

I hope to see you, if not, have a great weekend!

Getting Fit

Over the years, I have become rather lazy, and because of said laziness, I have also become fat.

Not so fat that I cannot wipe my own ass fat, but still, pretty darn hefty.

According to whomever you believe, I am somewhere between 125-150 pounds overweight, and considering that I was still in high school, and not fat, at that 150 pound level, I will be shooting for  closer to the 125 pounds to lose.

So, how does one lose weight, and keep it away?

For one thing, you need to cut down your serving sizes.

Exercise

Cut out as many carbohydrates that you can.

Exercise

Try eliminating all sugars.

Exercise

Stop drinking any soda, period. Drink more water - that has become my new mantra.

Exercise.

Getting the drift here? It means no more tasty cakes and Dr Pepper because you are bored. Nope, you now should eat more spinach, and other proteins like eggs, meat, and cheese. Oh and you should probably get off your lazy ass every day for at least thirty minutes a day. I don't mean just rolling over and onto the bed for a nap either.

Walking is a great exercise, you can walk 30 minutes a day and I bet you will start losing some of that weight.. If you change habits and quit drinking soda - even diet soda is no good for you, FYI, so just give it all up.

NOW!

You'll thank me later.

Now walking while traveling can be a pain and difficult to do; you don't know where anything is, your hotel has no exercise facility, it's three degrees above zero Fahrenheit with a wind chill of -20. All good excuses, for losers.

Don't get mad at me, I mean until recently - like five days ago, I was a loser just like you. Now I want to be a different kind of loser; a loser of weight.

I have seven children that one day, I hope, will bring me grandchildren. I would like to see as many of these grandchildren grow up and get married that I possibly can. Being a fat ass, won't allow it.

Trust me.

So you have the excuses, but you also know what you have? A Walmart, a grocery store, a mall, guess where you can walk in relative comfort. If you are worried about the spending of funds on many unneeded items, leave your wallet at home, or in your car (make sure you lock it).

The stories you will tell, just by observing your fellow man or woman, trust me on this.

So, what am I saying?

No more excuses. Period. If I can do it, so can you!

Good luck!

When is there too much Government?

In my honest and most humble opinion, there is ALWAYS too much government. Period.

Now, I didn't know any of the founding fathers personally, but I have read a bit of their work, and I can honestly say that I do not believe that they would approve of the government forcing a child to take chemotherapy, against her parents wishes.

Apparently Connecticut disagrees with me, and I assume the founders of this great country. I am also pretty sure that I would fight this with every inch of my body and soul if that is even possible. Why won't the government allow the parents to seek another opinion? Is the young lady's life in that much of an imminent danger situation that she has to be basically medically kidnapped from her home to receive this medicine?

This is when there is too much government, and I would love to hear someone say otherwise, while still sounding sane. Who knows, maybe you will enlighten me a bit.

Good luck.

Things You Don't Want To See

Especially when it's your teenaged daughter driving it.

Thankfully she and the car are okay, just a little shook up maybe.

College versus Professional Basketball

I will state clearly here that I prefer the college game to the professional game.

I will also state clearly that I don't like all college basketball and tend to only watch games that have teams with excellent coaches.

So this means I will have to admit to watching some professional basketball, again for the coaching.

Who do I follow? So glad that you asked.

I like Duke - Coach K is probably one of, if not the best college basketball coaches ever.

I like any team coached by Bobby Knight - too bad no one wants good fundamental basketball anymore, and that coach Knight doesn't like the whole 'one and done' mentality of college basketball these days.

I like any team coached by Pitino and Calipari; Pitino because he is a great coach and Calipari because he is a great recruiter and doesn't get hung up on the fact that he's only going to have these kids for one, and occasionally two, years.

There are several others that I enjoy watching, because you can see that there is a lot of emphasis on playing the game the correct way, and not all the flash and dash while looking for a highlight on ESPN.

Pro coaches, I like maybe three; Doc Rivers, Gregg Popovich, and Tom Thibodeau. I will admit to being a little enamored with Steve Kerr.

Just thought I'd share that information, in case you were curious.

So

You are riding on this train getting fed like a king and treated even better - don't know how that is possible, but go with it. You are thinking life is grand and that there is no place you would rather be.

However, you are forgetting where you came from  just a few short weeks ago, you were working in the fields trying to make non-existent crops grow and praying for a little bit of rain to quench that thirst of yours. Knowing that the lottery is coming and that this might be your last chance to get on that train, you make the long days go by while dreaming of what the train will bring to you.

Now, you realize that even your dreams couldn't match the luxurious life you are now living. The lottery has changed your life and you don't ever want to go back, because you just cannot imagine your life back on those fields trying to make anything grow.

However, you realize that one of your best friends has a better chance at making it onto the train, so you plan on making him miss the drawing, any way possible. You start planning a trip to the canyon with him and start planning an accident that will make him ineligible for the lottery.

Now, the steward approaches you to inform you that it is time for your medical checkup, which you enjoy because following that you get a shower (with real water no less!) and get treated to the finest delicacies they have on the train, including chocolate.

However, you miscalculate the height of the canyon wall and your friend falls to his death, and not a serious injury. You are devastated. Yet also excited because this means that you will definitely make it onto that train. You were number twenty-six and they only take twenty-five.

Now, the doctor informs you, and the steward, that you are ready for processing. You don't understand what that means exactly, they say it every time, however this time there is a look that flashed between the doctor and the steward. You proceed into the shower room and start to undress.

However, the lottery day arrives and to your surprise they do select twenty-six, your best friend would have made it along with you, so all that planning and his death was unnecessary. The name they draw next is

Now you see your brother across from you walking in a line similar to yours, only heading towards a doorway that is labeled veal, and you do not understand. You are entering a door that says rendering and really wish you knew what these words mean.

However, you see that it is your brother that gets your friends slot, well your slot, but who is really paying attention to these sorts of things. Your parents are furious with you because now they will have no one to help with the farm. It's like they know.

Now, you realize that they did know you were responsible for your friends death and that your brother was chosen as a replacement, a punishment. That doesn't make any sense you think as you see the wall slide up to reveal your fate and your brothers. Across the way, you see what looks like a gigantic meat grinder and you see the kids, your brother included, being pushed towards it. You start to scream at the realization that your brother is going to die and be ground up into meat that will be processed for food.

However, you are excited for your brother.

Now, you realize that you killed your best friend and your brother.

However, you are immediately separated and you don't know when you will see him again.

Now, you brother is shoved into the grinder, and you can hear his scream, as your line starts to move forward to your own fate.

8

That's the temperature it is outside this morning.

EIGHT!

At least it isn't windy. I guess.

Road Trip

A little about myself; I travel for my job. It has its perks and it also has many downfalls - mainly being away from my family.

That being said, it is my job and I do it to the best of my ability - it enables me to have time to write (more this year, I promise), and this year, to exercise!

Anyway, today begins the cycle all over again as much of a cycle as there can be in an ever changing world of my line of work. I'll discuss that more at some point, but it's not the time here and now.

However, this trip has been on my docket for the past three, or maybe it's four, years now. It is really a rather uneventful trip, with relatively easy work. Depending on who is on the trip, it can even be considered painful. Anyway, last year we started a tradition of driving in inclement weather, at least that's the way it seems now that this year we once again drove down from the Chicagoland area to southern, well south central, Illinois.

Unlike last year though, none of us got stuck in any ditches or had to use their GPS to verify that the road did, in fact, turn there. Some of us drove blindly through the storm at speeds up to and exceeding fifty miles per hour, while others took it easy and drove at the much safer speed of fifteen. Guess who got stuck in a ditch? Sometimes flying by the seat of ones pants has it's advantages.

Although the trip did have a few similarities - the need to take a bathroom break, the crazy-assed wind that kept the minivan a rocking, and of course the occasional whiteout or three.

So, what was the point? No point, just spewing out life lessons for my future self who will probably be the only one who really understands me. Maybe.

Three Days In

Now what?

I'm always asking myself that question; now what?

It's like I'm not happy with where I am at the time and I am always wanting to do something else, but what exactly?

Yesterday I mentioned that I haven't traveled to the moon, could that be te problem? A strong desire to live in a vacuum far from home? I'm pretty sure it isn't, although I do have to admit that I think it would be cool. The planet Mars might even be better.

Alas, I am stuck here on this rock and have to figure out a plan of attack, lest I be attacked.

Plan one....

See, that's the problem, I have no plans. I mean there are a few out there - writing a novel for one, heck, earning a living as a writer would be pretty cool. I could have the office I want, wherever I want it.. So maybe that should be my now what. Maybe this post will be looked upon at the end of 2015 as the catalyst that got the whole party started. I wonder if that would quit me saying...

Now what?

What I didn't do in 2014

• Go to the moon
• Buy a new car
• Have another child
• Lose any more teeth
• Write that novel
• Visit Scotland
• Get drunk
• Get a speeding ticket
• Vote for a President
• Eat lima beans
• Eat eggplant
• Drive a truck
• Drive a train
• Drive me insane
• Go to jail
• Climb a tree
• Lose 100 pounds
• Gain 100 pounds
• Run a marathon
• Drink tequila
• Sleep until noon - I can't count the day I had the flu, I mean come on, have you ever had the flu? It can be rough getting up...
• Walk to work
• Answer a telephone, unless I knew who was calling
• Play Sims
• Visit my parents
• Call my parents
• Jump out of an airplane
• Bury anyone
• Put up a Christmas tree - the family did it for me while I was away
• and the list goes on...

Happy New Year!!

Wishing everyone the best for the upcoming year.

2015!

Wow, 2014 sure went by fast. So fast, I only had nine posts here last year.

NINE!

Here's hoping I have so much more than that this year, if I don't, then why am I even bothering doing it in the first place?

Right?

Let's get this started!

Tomorrow. :)