Milestone Tradition Ends With Anew – And Resolutions Be Damn.

Milestone birthdays 21st, 30th, 40th, 50th, 55th, and so on usually consist of throwing a big hoorah party with family and friends.  Or perhaps  traveling via a Carnival cruise ship to exotic exciting Barbados, offering endless fun filled days basking in the shimmering glow of the sun while floating on the clam coral blue waters – or digging your toes into the warm white sand as you sit on the beach and sip leisurely on a tall refreshing drink recommended as one of the favorites the local natives enjoy.  However, sometimes traditions are meant to be broken or at least amended.   No need to wait to proclaim a New Year’s resolution, that you may not keep,  instead opt for a gift worth giving onto yourself and others.   That said…

Well, wouldn’t you know it, a milestone birthday for a certain Writer has arrived and not wanting to be a follower or just feeling its time to break with tradition, I’ve decided to give myself one of the best gifts I could possibly give or receive, a self-serving meant to be shared gift - the gift of accomplishment.   In my case, that gift would consist of the completion of my novel;  starting with a jumping off point of publishing 2-4 novellas to be followed by the ultimate goal of accomplishment, so look for it, the suspense (novel) I will soon be sharing.   In the meantime, Happy Birthday to me.

Oh Where oh Where Is Scripted TV, Oh Where oh Where Can It Be?

With reality television shows springing forth at the speed of sound – and multiplying as fast as rabbits in heat - the list is  endless with titles from A-Z: A Dating Game to zBlow Out.   It is very difficult to select a favorite television show these days, unless its label as a “reality show".  It seems every week a new reality show springs forth designed around someone trying to make a come back or remain in the limelight: Flavor Flav,  Flavor Of Love or Denise Richards, It's Complicated; or some unheard of trying to make a name for themselves: Jon & Kate, The Bachelor, or Wife Swap.   Apparently those that can’t act, do reality shows.   Either way, it is becoming all to familiarly boring.   Most of these shows are just cookie-cutters of one another, basically if you’ve seen one you’ve seen the other.   Ironically, knowingly being followed around by a camera crew, isn’t reality – its really just people performing for a camera at their own home or in a selected setting, footage which is clearly edited for television.  

Someone mention that the reason the boob-tube is bombarded with the screaming hollering foolishness of reality TV is because it is cheaper to produce than scripted television.   What the heck?!  Just because some producers are too cheap to open their wallets does that mean viewers must subscribe to cable or satellite just to see a television series, which is only there in re-run syndication?  Although there seems to be an unbelievable market for the annoyance of  fist fights, hair pulling, cursing, and name calling; Why can’t they air series that speak to the remaining viewing audience in ways that have an entertaining engaging plot or storyline instead of being  reminiscence of a Jerry Springer smack-down episode.   There are a few scripted-series on the air, but clearly reality shows outnumber them hands down.  Its as though the Writers are still on strike, and they’re throwing anything at the viewers.   And what’s being pitched isn’t worth the 30-60 minutes it fills the screen on a weekly basis;  just 5 to 10 minutes into one of these reality shows gives one a great appreciation for books.   Reading is fundamental and an easy way to escape reality,  reality TV that is.
Stay-tuned for additional installments.

Love That Snow

~ Love That Snow or A Southerner Moves to North/East ~

December  8:  6:00 P.M. It started to snow The first snowfall of the season. The wife and I took our cocktails and sat for hours by the window watching the huge snowflakes drift down from heaven. It looked like a Grandma Moses print.  So romantic. We felt like newlyweds again. I love snow!

December  9:  We awoke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow covering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic sight! Can there be a more lovely place in the whole world? Moving here was the best idea I have ever had! Shoveled for the first time in years and felt like a boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks. This afternoon the snowplow came along and covered up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got to shovel again. What a perfect life!

December 12:  The sun has melted all our lovely snow. Such adisappointment. My neighbor tells me not to worry. We willdefinitely have a white Christmas. No snow on Christmas would be awful! Bob says we'll have so much snow by the end of winter, that I'll never want to see snow again. I don't think that is possible. Bob is such a nice man. I'm glad he's our neighbor.

December 14:  Snow, lovely snow! Eight degrees last night. The temperature dropped to minus twenty.  The cold makes everything sparkle so. The wind took my breath away, but I warmed up by shoveling the driveway and sidewalks. This is the life! The snowplow came back in the afternoon and buried everything again. I didn't realize that I would have to do quite this much shoveling, but I'll certainly get back in shape this way. I wish I wouldn't huff and puff so much.
December 15:  20 inches forecast. Sold my van and bought a 4x4 Blazer. Bought snow tires for the wife's car and two extra snow shovels. Stocked the freezer too. The wife wants a wood stove in case the electricity goes out. I think she is silly. After all, we aren't in Alaska.

December 16:  Ice storm this morning. Fell on my rear on the ice in the driveway while I was trying to put down salt. Hurt like hell. The wife laughed for an hour. I think she's very cruel.

December 17:  Still way below freezing. Roads are too icy to go anywhere. Electricity was off for 5 hours. I had to pile the blankets on to stay warm. Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to irritate her. I guess I should have bought a wood stove, but I won't admit that to her. God, I hate it when she is right. Can't believe I'm freezing to death in my own living room.

December 20:  Electricity's back on, but had another 14" of the damn stuff last night. More shoveling. Took all day. Damn snowplow came by twice. Tried to find a neighbor kid to shovel, but they said they're too busy playing hockey. I think they are lying. Called the only hardware store around to see about buying a snow blower and they're out. Might have another shipment in March. I think they're lying. Bob says I will have to shovel or the city will bill me. I think he's lying.

December 22:  Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 more inches of the white stuff fell today, and it's so cold it probably won't melt until August. Took me 45 minutes to get all dressed to go out to shovel and then I had to pee. By the time I got undressed, peed and dressed again, I was too tired to shovel. I tried to hire Bob who has a plow on his truck for the rest of the winter, but he says he's too busy. I think he's lying.

December 23:  Only 2" of snow today. And, it warmed up to 0. The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house this morning. What is she.....nuts???  Why didn't she tell me to do that a month ago. She said she did, but I think she's lying.

December 24:  6". Snow packed so hard by the snowplow, I broke the shovel. I though I was having a heart attack. If I ever catch the SOB who drives that snowplow, I'll drag him through the snow by his family jewels. I know he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shoveling and than he comes down the street at a 100 miles and hour and throws snow all over where I have just been! Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas Carols with her and open our presents, but I was busy watching for the darn snowplow.

December 25:  Merry Christmas! 20 more inches of the darned slop tonight. Snowed in. The idea of shoveling makes my blood boil. God, I hate the snow.  Then, the snowplow driver came by and asked for a donation and I hit him over the head with my shovel. The wife says I have  bad attitude. I think she's an idiot. If I have to watch "It's A Wonderful Life" one more time, I'm going to kill her.

December 26:  Still snowed in. Why the heck did I ever move here? It was all her idea. She's really getting on my nerves.

December 27:  Temperature dropped to -30 and the pipes froze.  

December 28:  Warmed up to above-50. Still snowed in. The wife is driving me crazy!!!!!

December 29:  10 more inches of snow. Bob says I have to shovel the roof or it will collapse. That's the silliest thing I have ever heard. How dumb does he think I am?????

December 30: Roof caved in. The snowplow driver is suing me for a million dollars for the bump on his head. The wife went home to her mother. 9" predicted.   

December 31:  Set fire to what was left of the house. No more shoveling.
Author Unknown

 

CASTASTROPHES IN U.S. ARE ALWAYS LESS IMPORTANT Darfur's Situation Is Disturbing, But Action Needed In U.S.

Darfur's homeless 

Reading Angelia Jolie’s call for action (in a Newsweek editorial) to the situation in Sudan,  gave me pause for thought.  And although Jolie has some valid points including, “Holding perpetrators of mass atrocities accountable is the best way to ensure justice today and peace in the future.” I wondered who do WE, the American people get to hold accountable for its current and continued catastrophes?
Hopefully Jolie isn’t implying that President Obama should wage yet a third war against Sudan.  As there has been quite enough unnecessary bloodshed to last all mankind a lifetime.   Though American citizens seem to think we are the saviors to each and every war torn nation,  it is quite apparent the U.S. didn’t learn very much from the Vietnam war, practically the need to value American lives as much as some seem to think the U.S. should value the lives of Foreign countries – tragically other nations  don’t seem to be duty-bound  nor compelled to save our U.S. Troops that are still being sacrificed in Iraq and Afghanistan; yet we (America) are suppose to feel obligated to do so for others.  America by no means needs to become involved in yet another war in an effort to save yet another country unwilling or inapt to fight its own battles.  Simply put, we don’t need more slain U.S. Troops,  more American widows/widowers,  nor do we need more American orphans.
Appreciate that (we) Americans are not heartless human beings and as incredibly disturbing as the situation in Darfur may be,  it needs to be understood that the situation here in the United States of America is incredibly disturbing as well, and if we don’t get help soon – we may very well become another third world country whose seeking the help Darfur supporters are demanding from us now.
A reader replied to Jolie’s editorial with: “…we are and should be the President's first priority.  He is the President of the United States and serves the American people first.”   That in and of itself is a truth far too many seem to forget; and that is what should be inscribed on U.S. Currency, as a reminder to everyone who has forgotten which country the President of the United States presides over.  “… I will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”  Just wondering when the United States will take precedence over all others.
While Jolie is calling for action from the White House, just wondering if, General Martin Luther Agway the Nigerian military officer and commander of the combined United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur still believes what he said, a week before he was scheduled to leave Darfur? When he declared that the genocide in Darfur was over.  "…people trying to resolve issues over water and land at a local level. But real war as such, I think we are over that."
In Jolie’s Newsweek editorial, she offers recommendations to improve the U.N. Security Council's responsiveness, ‘while urging the United States to make clear its willingness to act on its own if necessary’.  Some may take issue with the latter of her suggestion.  If the U.S. chooses to stand alone, they could very well be setting themselves up for isolation and destruction.  You can not retain allies (in or outside the UN) if you refuse to maintain alliances with them.  With that said…
As we continue to save the world, Jolie as well as others that support (all)causes abroad, may wish to keep in mind, that at some point the United States will have to consider taking care of the United States and the citizens that reside on U.S. soil.

Detroit’s Ruins

photo above shows a homeless man encased in ice

Clearly we can’t solve the world’s problems in a single blog post or a 30-minute episode as they did in television’s yester-year, nor can it be done in the first year tenure of a Presidency, so until the next episode, lets just continue to make an effort…

Author, Writer, or Pimped?

For as far back as I can remember I’ve always had a great passion for reading the works of other Authors and for story-telling in and of itself, so much so that I genuinely thought I wanted to become an Author – and I still do wish to become a published Author.  However, several years later and still without my own published works, other than a 52 page gift book of, Short engaging quotes of love and affection, Internet Marketing projects, and Content writing projects; realization is beginning to sink in – how can I complete a novel when I don’t even seem to be able to compose a freakin blog post without wanting to pull out my hair.  Am I trying too hard or not hard enough?  Am I inapt or just haven’t found my true Author’s voice yet?  I’ve never wanted to give up my heart’s desire, I’m just wondering if I have the capabilities of fulfilling my dream.
What the heck made me think I could write, or continue to write and make a living out of doing it?  Just because I love doing it, just because nothing else I’ve ever done in life has made me feel this charged.  Is it enough to eat, sleep, and breathe the written word?  Or is an Author truly something special – are they born or breed to be such?  I not certain, I just know I’ve spend numerous years professing my desire to become a published Author – I have several unfinished manuscripts.  I’ve even gone so far as to proclaim that I am a Freelance Writer, starting my own writing service – which initially wasn’t doing as well as I’d hope, but has started looking more promising, and I will commit to a serious marketing campaign before the end of the year to ensure that in 2010 the business will have a higher success rate.  In the mean time, I’m curious, how the heck do people think of the zillions of tantalizing topics they post to the zillions of blogs, on a daily basis without spending endless amounts of time thinking of what to write, not to mention the research involved and still have time to devote to serious writing or to their regular job?  Do they have some magical writing program that I can purchase, do they have a new revised Thesaurus that I don’t have access to, or is it simply a talented gift they possess, that is far beyond my grasp?  I’m wondering too, if I missed a step because I’m not making the mass amount of income that other Writers profess to be reaping.  Don’t get me wrong, I have found some success with Internet Marketing, Reputation Management, and the SEO services that I offer, and although Internet usage has been on the rise for some time now, writing projects seem to have become quite lean during the last few years, especially when it comes to the pay rate.   In an effort to supplement my income, I’ve begin searching the web for writing jobs, and there are quite a number of them listed.   The only thing is, the pay rate for those jobs is insulting.  I have never been naive about the financial riches rewarded to Authors/Writers, but lets be honest, .01¢ - .05¢/wd is freakin ridiculous.  At those rates, I guess I’m not a Writer; and as far as I’m concerned anyone who agrees to write for rates so ridiculously low can’t consider themselves Writers either, and I can pretty much guarantee an Author would never compromise themselves or skills to write for pennies a word.  I may not be able to write the next best-seller right now, or be the greatest Internet Marketing Writer on the planet, but I know what pimping is, and any employer offering pennies for a writing project is attempting to pimp the Writer, and obviously isn’t expecting quality work. 
I recently responded to an ad for a “Social Media/Website/Blog writer”, and received the following response from the poster after inquiring about the rate for said writing project: “I'm not looking for someone who applies for a job with negativity on their tongue.”  This coming from a guy too lazy or inapt to even bother to capitalize the word “I” throughout his four paragraph response, in which he still neglected to answer my question.  BTW, here’s my inquiry: “I would like to know what the rate or project budget will be for this assignment? If the rate is at an insulting penny per word rate, I must thank you but I really wouldn't be interested in participating.”  Perhaps its me, but I don’t read negativity in my request to know how much I’d be paid for providing unique content that would enhance someone’s business.  I’ve wasted too much of my time and effort applying and submitting samples only to learn the job pays only $3 apiece for 375-400 word articles that as the ad expressed, “expects each of them can pass the scrutiny of Google's duplicate contact checker”  or $1 for a 500 word article.  I’m trying to write and earn a reasonable wage doing so, and although I follow a blog entitled Chrystal’s Corner, I can assure you I wasn’t standing on it when I applied for any of the writing assignments, so what makes these employers think they can pimp me or any other Writer?  Check out the interesting answer about rates from Chrystal Online as well as, one of the employers: “If you want to thank someone for reformatting the sweatshop for the white-collar, work-at-home, 21st century world, thank Google ... it's all an unintended consequence of the Adword and Adsense bastardization of the Web.”
There is a difference between an Author and a Writer – a Writer wrote this post, the Author is still seeking the realization of a dream – publication of a novel, neither wishes to be pimped at pennies per word.