Some writers feel like they are not in a "career", because their last name is not King, or Steinbeck. That is like saying there are no other scientists because the names Einstein and Hawking are taken.
Writers are responsible for everything, because without us, there would be nothing to write about.
We are the front line in every career path. We make and break politicians. We enable schools to exist. We capture history. We spread the knowledge. We capture the news.
Every occupation requires writing. Every occupation was preceded by writing, and every occupation is furthered through our chosen medium.
We educate, entertain, enlighten, and enrich our world. In short, if not for writers, our world would be a very dull and ignorant place.
Writers recorded our first glimpse at history. They gave us portals into long ago by carving words into stone. They taught us math, science, and even how to laugh and to cry. They worked for kings. They worked for religions. They worked for us.
Are all writers going to become famous? Probably not, but it is my belief that our chosen profession has a much greater risk of that infliction than many others. Who is more in today's conscious, Shakespeare, or one of the actors who portrayed his work?
Without writers how would anyone know of Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan, or Moses? How would we know what their lives were like, what they ate, or who they loved?
Next time you feel like you don't make a difference: pick up a book, read an article, or look at the packaging on any product, and bask in the shadow of the author's mighty pen... you may even be that author.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Spring
I caught her peeking in my window earlier today, executing a perfect pose. She was beautiful beyond any mere placement of words. Long forgotten primal urges stirred, and the need for breath stilled. She was perfect. Spring had arrived in all her glory.
Spring in Florida can be nearly impossible to detect. It is always green here, and the birds don't forsake us. I miss her when she slips past.
Spring in Colorado is not something one can miss. It arrives like the blaring of trumpets. Willows grow buds, robins return, and the iron grip of winter's cold is broken... she is magnificent. She is an apology for winter. One long overdue. An event one looks forward to with longing.
She still makes my mind wander at her arrival, filling it with awe at the splendor. She is not a fake. What you see is what you get.
I welcome her with open arms, and fervently pray she isn't leaving any time soon.
Spring in Florida can be nearly impossible to detect. It is always green here, and the birds don't forsake us. I miss her when she slips past.
Spring in Colorado is not something one can miss. It arrives like the blaring of trumpets. Willows grow buds, robins return, and the iron grip of winter's cold is broken... she is magnificent. She is an apology for winter. One long overdue. An event one looks forward to with longing.
She still makes my mind wander at her arrival, filling it with awe at the splendor. She is not a fake. What you see is what you get.
I welcome her with open arms, and fervently pray she isn't leaving any time soon.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Depression
Depression: A hole into which one's soul falls while they are not paying attention.
A bottomless pit that has only one path of escape. The door is always open. One has only to walk through to know they have been there. It isn't hard to pass the treshold, but that walkway to it is a real bitch.
I remember telling myself that "this" would never happen to me... Guess what? Someday and never have an address, and if a person isn't careful you can get there in a hurry.
The cure? Find the door and walk on through. It isn't the trip that is difficult, but the temptation to turn around and go back is. Find your interests and dive in head-first.
I have to take small steps, yet each foothold away from that portal is another foothold away from it.
I have come to the conclusion that I am not immortal. My body will wear out. There is an expiration date on this child. I am in no hurry to find out what's next while I still don't know all there is to know about "here".
I have made a deal with myself. I refuse to give up. I refuse to give in. There are still people out there that I can torment with my feeble wit... aren't you lucky?
I have a novel in me. Part is written, and part is still firmly residing between my ears. I have other projects to work on as well.
I might even surprise myself and get it all done.
Life is an open book. whether you are reading it, or writing it turn the pages.
A bottomless pit that has only one path of escape. The door is always open. One has only to walk through to know they have been there. It isn't hard to pass the treshold, but that walkway to it is a real bitch.
I remember telling myself that "this" would never happen to me... Guess what? Someday and never have an address, and if a person isn't careful you can get there in a hurry.
The cure? Find the door and walk on through. It isn't the trip that is difficult, but the temptation to turn around and go back is. Find your interests and dive in head-first.
I have to take small steps, yet each foothold away from that portal is another foothold away from it.
I have come to the conclusion that I am not immortal. My body will wear out. There is an expiration date on this child. I am in no hurry to find out what's next while I still don't know all there is to know about "here".
I have made a deal with myself. I refuse to give up. I refuse to give in. There are still people out there that I can torment with my feeble wit... aren't you lucky?
I have a novel in me. Part is written, and part is still firmly residing between my ears. I have other projects to work on as well.
I might even surprise myself and get it all done.
Life is an open book. whether you are reading it, or writing it turn the pages.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Rolling in the Sleep....
There I was, sound asleep,when my son decided to play a new game... loudly. We have several computers in our house. Why he had to pick the one in our room was just rude!
Being sucked out of lala land by cannon fire, grenades, and a couple thousand machine guns is not the best way to revisit the land of the living.
At first I was mad, how dare he! Then, as the fog cleared,I became interested. This sounded pretty cool. Great audio track... it had to have visuals that matched.
I opened my eyes and rolled over.
He was printing out papers for college.
Coffee, I need lots of coffee!
But that game sure sounded good....
Being sucked out of lala land by cannon fire, grenades, and a couple thousand machine guns is not the best way to revisit the land of the living.
At first I was mad, how dare he! Then, as the fog cleared,I became interested. This sounded pretty cool. Great audio track... it had to have visuals that matched.
I opened my eyes and rolled over.
He was printing out papers for college.
Coffee, I need lots of coffee!
But that game sure sounded good....
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Quiting breathing, or if you prefer Smoking
Why is it that all of our lives we are told to learn, and yet we never somehow manage to corner that market? Parents, teachers, relatives, and friends all tell us things born of experience,and yet until we suffer the consequences it refuses to sink in and "teach" us.
I think it is safe to say that in my own experience, learning can be painful. I absolutely remember a day in junior high where medical professionals came to class to show us what a human lung looked like when it got intimate with cigarettes. I swore it would not happen to me... that's what I get for swearing.
Luckily for me it was Emphysema that found me first as it could have been much worse.
Breathing is a very natural thing to all living beings. We take it for granted. We abuse the privilege. Take that privilege away, or alter it, and the world looks quite different very quickly.
Pick up a five pound sack of potatoes and walk to the checkout with it. If the trip is longer than ten or fifteen feet your lungs go into overdrive, feeding the heart and muscles the oxygen they must have to perform. If for any reason they are unable to perform this simple task, one we seldom realize they are doing, bad things happen.
Panic quickly follows a fun dose of asphyxia with the heart pounding out a feeble attempt to feed water to a community that needed air. Unpleasant? An inadequate word to describe such a thrilling event.
Imagine working under those conditions in a construction environment, knowing that sooner or later blacking out was a very likely event... being on a ladder was no longer an option. Now imagine telling your family you can longer support them. Are you having fun yet?
If I could give this world one thing it would be to live like this for one day. Tobacco would no longer be an industry, and the world would be a far better place.
Give yourself the gift of clean air. It is a free gift, and will cost you nothing, but in turn it will give you everything. This is NOT a gift that can be given to another. It doesn't work that way. It is a personal gift. One that keeps giving long after the wrapping is gone.
I think it is safe to say that in my own experience, learning can be painful. I absolutely remember a day in junior high where medical professionals came to class to show us what a human lung looked like when it got intimate with cigarettes. I swore it would not happen to me... that's what I get for swearing.
Luckily for me it was Emphysema that found me first as it could have been much worse.
Breathing is a very natural thing to all living beings. We take it for granted. We abuse the privilege. Take that privilege away, or alter it, and the world looks quite different very quickly.
Pick up a five pound sack of potatoes and walk to the checkout with it. If the trip is longer than ten or fifteen feet your lungs go into overdrive, feeding the heart and muscles the oxygen they must have to perform. If for any reason they are unable to perform this simple task, one we seldom realize they are doing, bad things happen.
Panic quickly follows a fun dose of asphyxia with the heart pounding out a feeble attempt to feed water to a community that needed air. Unpleasant? An inadequate word to describe such a thrilling event.
Imagine working under those conditions in a construction environment, knowing that sooner or later blacking out was a very likely event... being on a ladder was no longer an option. Now imagine telling your family you can longer support them. Are you having fun yet?
If I could give this world one thing it would be to live like this for one day. Tobacco would no longer be an industry, and the world would be a far better place.
Give yourself the gift of clean air. It is a free gift, and will cost you nothing, but in turn it will give you everything. This is NOT a gift that can be given to another. It doesn't work that way. It is a personal gift. One that keeps giving long after the wrapping is gone.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Television-- New Shows to me
I have found a couple of gems in this years line up.
The Lying Game is at the top of the list with ten episodes in its first season that left me upset that the season was interupted until January... damn the luck. The writers of this one renewed that hallowed tradition of the season ending cliffhanger, with a vengence. Well worth your time to check this show out with my full recommendation.
Once Upon A Time, though off to a warm start, over heated to a boil and has me waiting impatiently for the next episode to arrive. It puts a new twist to all the old favorite fairy tales, and will have you swearing retribution on villans to a whole new level... the queen is truly evil, but I have to think she may have been out done by another character that hasn't quite come into the light completely as yet.
Terra Nova, dinosaurs, need I say more? Well, as a matter of fact, I do... I am a life long fan of all things involving giant lizards so this show was right in my line of interest from the start. I am still on the fence with this one, but retaining high hopes.
Grimm has only begun, but I liked it from the first and only episode that I have seen. Internet TV is a wonderful thing, and allows me to catch shows as they become available.
The Secret Circle is another good one to catch if you can. Well written, and acted, it confirms my thoughts that the CW network has magic and knows how to use it.
I have some faves in the not so new line up that I will post on soon, but that is all well and good for another post.
The Lying Game is at the top of the list with ten episodes in its first season that left me upset that the season was interupted until January... damn the luck. The writers of this one renewed that hallowed tradition of the season ending cliffhanger, with a vengence. Well worth your time to check this show out with my full recommendation.
Once Upon A Time, though off to a warm start, over heated to a boil and has me waiting impatiently for the next episode to arrive. It puts a new twist to all the old favorite fairy tales, and will have you swearing retribution on villans to a whole new level... the queen is truly evil, but I have to think she may have been out done by another character that hasn't quite come into the light completely as yet.
Terra Nova, dinosaurs, need I say more? Well, as a matter of fact, I do... I am a life long fan of all things involving giant lizards so this show was right in my line of interest from the start. I am still on the fence with this one, but retaining high hopes.
Grimm has only begun, but I liked it from the first and only episode that I have seen. Internet TV is a wonderful thing, and allows me to catch shows as they become available.
The Secret Circle is another good one to catch if you can. Well written, and acted, it confirms my thoughts that the CW network has magic and knows how to use it.
I have some faves in the not so new line up that I will post on soon, but that is all well and good for another post.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Television... the change has done me good.
I watch all my TV on the Internet now. Two years ago I had no idea what Hulu, Sidereel, or IMDB were. Cable was once our means of access, but the times they are a changin'.
It can be frustrating to learn how to use these formats, especially given that they have a horrid tendency to experiment with the commercials, making them more annoying and less avoidable. Sidereel carries links to video sites on which you can watch your shows, but be forewarned: Not all links are safe, or connected to the correct episode let alone the show you are attempting to view. Some links will try to divert to media unsuited to a PG audience though not often in my experience.
Hulu.com pauses for commercial breaks at least on the free site. Sidereel has them on each page as you search for your content, and more and more they block the controls so they play at volume with no pause enabled.
On Sidereel.com you are given links to the actual video hosting sites such as Videobb, Megavideo, and several others. Each has its own faults and querks, making viewing either a hassle or an even bigger hassle depending on if you choose to pay for their services or take the free, but much more heavily commercial route. Videobb has begun running commercials before the video begins that are not stoppable, mutable, or vaguely endurable... Any attempt to abort their play, re size the screen, pause, or otherwise change the experience usually winds up getting them restarted all over again.
Free is free though so I guess I'll live with it until I can afford better.
Also the free services are timed, normally they time out around 72 minutes. (The exception is Hulu which will play non stop.) After they timeout there is a waiting period also usually 72 minutes. Using careful planning one can switch to the other provider to weather the wait time while still viewing your show. Plan on utilizing your right to fast forward by clicking ahead on the load line at the bottom of the screen.
Quality of the video is varied and may cause swearing and switching to other links... audio probably will drag on a few links, and some are grainy in the video department. Hulu is normally very high quality but the commercials are mandatory.
One of the perks to these services is the library of videos available. Not all TV programs are there, but you will be surprised by the number of old programs at hand. New shows vary as to how soon the become available. A few are next day. Others are anywhere from a week to a month later. The CW is one (As far as I know) that is only available on their own Website.
It can be frustrating to learn how to use these formats, especially given that they have a horrid tendency to experiment with the commercials, making them more annoying and less avoidable. Sidereel carries links to video sites on which you can watch your shows, but be forewarned: Not all links are safe, or connected to the correct episode let alone the show you are attempting to view. Some links will try to divert to media unsuited to a PG audience though not often in my experience.
Hulu.com pauses for commercial breaks at least on the free site. Sidereel has them on each page as you search for your content, and more and more they block the controls so they play at volume with no pause enabled.
On Sidereel.com you are given links to the actual video hosting sites such as Videobb, Megavideo, and several others. Each has its own faults and querks, making viewing either a hassle or an even bigger hassle depending on if you choose to pay for their services or take the free, but much more heavily commercial route. Videobb has begun running commercials before the video begins that are not stoppable, mutable, or vaguely endurable... Any attempt to abort their play, re size the screen, pause, or otherwise change the experience usually winds up getting them restarted all over again.
Free is free though so I guess I'll live with it until I can afford better.
Also the free services are timed, normally they time out around 72 minutes. (The exception is Hulu which will play non stop.) After they timeout there is a waiting period also usually 72 minutes. Using careful planning one can switch to the other provider to weather the wait time while still viewing your show. Plan on utilizing your right to fast forward by clicking ahead on the load line at the bottom of the screen.
Quality of the video is varied and may cause swearing and switching to other links... audio probably will drag on a few links, and some are grainy in the video department. Hulu is normally very high quality but the commercials are mandatory.
One of the perks to these services is the library of videos available. Not all TV programs are there, but you will be surprised by the number of old programs at hand. New shows vary as to how soon the become available. A few are next day. Others are anywhere from a week to a month later. The CW is one (As far as I know) that is only available on their own Website.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)