Right On or is it Write On?

It was only a few years ago that I began calling myself a writer even though writing has always been a big part of my life.  I mean I have been written up, written about, written off, written to, written on, written back, just to name a few.  The ironic thing about me being a writer is that my handwriting is so bad.  My penmanship is horrible.  I would have made a great doctor. Even I can't read it.  

 What saved me happened by accident.  In 1959 as a junior in high school, my best friend and I took typing class on a lark.  We were the only guys in the class.  It was great.  That is why we took it.  We were the only guys in the class.

I think what I like about writing is that I am facinated by words.  I love how words and phrases come and go in our culture.  One of my favorite words is Cool.  I've used it forever.  It is an effortless word to say and fits in any conversation.  Just change the tone or inflection to fit the situation.  The word Sweet sorta took its place a few years ago but thankfully did not  last.  I still hear it occasionally but not like in it's heyday.

Right On and Far Out had pretty good runs too.  I use to say Right Off and Far On just to see if anyone noticed but they didn't.  But then again alot of people don't notice what I say.  Heavy is another word that thankfully has gone back to simply describing weight.  I'm not sure where Dude came from but I don't hear it as much anymore and it seems to stay within a certain age group. I have to admit I am partial to Dudette.

Between texting, email, IMs and blogging, oral conversation in the world is pretty much becoming limited to the jerks who always sit behind me at the movies.

I have a two more good reads to recommend.. They are two really well written spy novels.   The Faithful Spy  by Alex Berenson.   and Critical Space by Greg Rucka 



Stay tuned for future adventures.

How Fast Are We Moving

It feels like the older I get, the slower I move but everything else around me seems to be speeding up.  We now know the Universe is expanding instead of contracting and it is speeding up rather than slowing as first believed.  It seems all our technology is geared toward speed.  When I first started thinking about this I did a little research into how fast some of this technology developed.  I thought the phone was a good place to start because here was something that has been around for a long time with out much change, then suddenly the changes were taking place daily. 

Alexander Graham Bell spoke the first words " Mr. Watson come here.  I want to see you." into a phone in 1876.  The first voice mail started in 1984.  According to my calculations, if Mr Watson hadn't been there, Alexander would have had to wait 108 years to leave a message.  Also in the first 84 years of the phone, only three upgrades were introduced.  Rotary dialing, then touch-tone and color.  The first cell phone call was made in 1973 yet cell phone service didn't begin until 1981.  That was a long to time to be on hold.  I know the feeling.

I don't why it is that we just can't get things fast enough.    I know people who stand in front of their microwave and holler "Hurry up."  We complain loudly about how slow our computer is working completely forgetting how long it took to find information or research something just a few years ago. I am also guilty of some of this behavior but I am trying my best to make changes in this area. I'm not sure what we are rushing headlong into but we are so obsessed with the end of the trip that we don't seem to care about the ride.  And I truly believe the ride is what it's all about.

A couple more good reads for you to check out.  Typhoon by Robin White is a post-Cold war story about a Russian ballistic-missile submarine and a American attack boat.  It is a page turner all the way.      



Also The Dakota Cipher by William Dietrich.  This is another fun read in the Ethan Gage series.



 Stay tuned for future adventures.

Technoloy or Tech not me

A few weeks ago I told ya'll I had some computer problems and how it upset me.  I am trying to do better.  I haven't had the urge to pick up my computer and throw it in the street in a quite a while.  Trust me, I don't want to go back to the #3 pencil and Big Chief tablet or manual typewriter.  I really don't want to have anything to do with anything that has the word manual associated with it.

The real problem I have with my computer is with the operator, the Captain of the ship, the man behind the wheel, the...ok you get it.  Me...I'm the biggest problem connected with my computer.   Here is an example of my computer prowess. If you will look to your right, just under the baby(cute isn't he) you will see my picture(cute aren't I) and below that, my Fabulous Followers.  If you look closely at the picture at the far right of the top row, you will see that my twin brother is a follower.  Of course I don't have a twin brother.  I was simply trying to email back to a new reader when I somehow managed to click on whatever and now I'm following myself.


So I am going to continue to muddle through as best I can.  I know the genie is out of the bottle, we can't put the toothpaste back in the tube now and I'm fine with that.  Technology is here and will continue to pick up speed  I'm just not really convinced that it is making our lives easier.


 I've got a new read to pass along to you.   Wrongful Death by Robert Dugoni.  This is a real page turner that will keep you up until the wee hours until you finish it.

Time and Time Again

Well there is daytime, night time, summer time, winter time, daylight savings time and on time.  Too little time, too much time and out of time.  Time in and time out, times up and time to come in.  Let's not forget down time, over time, time to go and time to leave.


Then there is slow time and fast times, time is money and times awasting.  Anybody remember Twine time, or Crying Time Again, Time of the Season, or This Could Be The Last Time?  How about there is no time like the present, times like this, dinner time, nap time and personal time.

Not to mention good times and bad times, and seems like old times.  There is Mountain time, Miller time and just plain ole time for a cold one.  Of course there is news time, prime time, New York Times and time for a word from our sponsor.  And the all important full time, half time and quarter time.  Did I say break time, past time and there is a time and place for everything.   Oops, I almost forgot my time, your time, our time and real time.

But anytime I hear "Hey kids, what time is it?"(I'm showing my age here or I should say my time on the planet so far) it's Howdy Doody Time.

Before my time is up I want to recommend a good read, Hot Springs by Stephen Hunter.  

This is the first one and still my all time favorite in the Earl, Bob Lee Swagger series.  This the one that started it all.

A Mental Workout

Today I thought I would pass along some tips I use to keep my mind alert and active so that I can spew out these words of entertainment in my blog. 

First thing after rising at the crack of noon, I spend a few moments jumping to conclusions, then proceed to skipping breakfast.  Next after some heavy sighing, I try jogging my memory for a while and let my mind run amuck.  Then its on to slamming the political views of both sides,  punching holes in various religious beliefs and finally pulling a few fast ones and stretching the truth.

That pretty much gets the heart started, the blood flowing and the lungs wheezing.  Back in the day, I would simply drink a six pack before lunch but alas those days are gone and I'm proud of it..

A new read I just finished that I would like to pass along to you is Infinite Possibilities by Mike Dooley.  It is non-fiction and will really get you thinking about your life and the possibility of living your dreams. He also has a website  www.tut.com

Stay tuned for future adventures.

A Nothing Day

When I checked my calender for holidays and saw that there was nothing listed for the 16th of July, I was surprised. There is some kind of weird holiday listed for every day of the month except the 16th, so I figured well hey, I'll just come up with something. Since there was nothing listed, I decided we would have National Nothing Day...That is until I started thinking about it. Doing nothing is harder than I thought.

Maybe I would just lie in bed doing nothing all day but that's not doing nothing because I'm actually doing something; I'm lying in bed. How many times has someone called you up and said "What'ca doing?" and you said, "Nothin'," even though you were watching T.V. or reading a book or staring out the window. Staring out the window is doing something after all. See, it's harder than it sounds.

I mean, even if I am just sitting here, I'm breathing. I'm thinking of something whether I want to or not. It may be impossible to do absolutely nothing. I'm telling ya, doing nothing is really hard, so today on National Nothing Day, if someone calls you up and says "Hey what are ya doing?" just say, "I'm working my ass off."

Before I go, a new read to tell you about. Once A Spy by Keith Thomson . This is his debut on the thriller stage and he does it with wit, energy and great style.
Stay tuned for future adventures.

It's Geek, not Greek!!

I could hardly wait for this day to get here after I first saw it on my calendar. I had thoroughly thought it out. First I would change my name to Rodney Apollo since he was the Greek God of Music. I would have a Gyro sandwich for lunch, while watching "The Fiddler On The Roof". I would then speed read the works of Aristotle and Socrates while dancing around the room hollering OPA at the top of my lungs. It was only at the last minute when I rechecked my calendar that I realized it was actually, Embrace Your Geekness Day. What a bummer? Of course not being Greek, it wasn't too bad.

Oh well, here is another good read I would like to pass along to you. Its The Owl Killers by Karen Maitland. An excellent story and very well written. It is a medieval mystery set 1321 England.

Stay tuned for future adventures.

National Chocolate Day

Well today is National Chocolate Day. Now here is a day you can really get into. At least I can. Chocolate comes from the Cacao tree found in rain forests, so as far as I'm concerned, its a vegetable. My mom always told me to eat plenty of vegetables so today I'm going to honor that request. I love vegetables like, M&M's,Snickers, Baby Ruth's, Butterfingers, Nestles Crunch, Twixt, and Hersheys Kisses.

Not only is Chocolate something you can really get into, its something you can really get on ya. I mean part of the fun about eating chocolate is getting it all over you. I am pretty sure chocolate is one of the Colonel's secret ingredients, why else would he tell everybody his chicken was "Finger Licking Good."


Of course Chocolate also contains caffeine, so by the end of the day I will probably be able to speed read the Bible at a red light.


And before I go, another good read I would like to pass along to you is The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson. This is the finial book in his trilogy and one of the best books I have ever read.
Stay tuned for future adventures.

Fourth of July

Well I l had a great Fourth of July, I hope you did too. I spent most of the day shooting my mouth off, blowing smoke and popping off about things that I know little about. The thing about it is I had a great 3rd of July and 5th of July also doing pretty much the same thing.

I think the thing I'm trying to say here is that I pretty much have a great day everyday, sanctioned holiday or not. I am getting to work with some extremely talented artist and get to spend a great deal of my time with my exceptionally talented wife who is a wonderful writer and professional creativity coach. I am very grateful for the life I am getting to lead and I need to remind myself more often about that very fact. I am going to do my best to get back to finishing Double Fault and be more regular with my blogging.

A couple more good reads I will pass along before I go are The Host by Stephenie Meyer. This is the book she wrote after completing the Twilight series and I found it to be a fascinating read and no it has nothing to do with vampires.


The other one is by a writer I have found to be hit and miss but I really enjoyed this one. Well told story with good characters, its Rain Gods by James Lee Burke.