I haven't posted in a while. I am going to try to put something up here each Friday. The topics will vary. It will be whatever is going on currently.
Lets see, well we buried my Mother just before Christmas, so that holiday was a somber affair. I really do think she is better off now. She had a long life. Much longer than her parents, but she was the first to go (aside from her brother and sister who died in childhood and infancy) in her family. No matter what a person believes, I know she isn't feeling any arthritic pain, isn't forgetful or confused and she isn't shitting out of her abdomen. This I am completely sure of.
I got to do something that I always wanted to do, but never had the opportunity. Jeremy, Kristan's boyfriend (now fiance) is a talented musician. On the day of my Mother's funeral, we all came back from the wake to the house and Jeremy had a couple guitars and a small drum set. We sat around and played a bunch of songs, just like a group. He is very good and his instruction is great. After he saw my skill level (which isn't high), he gave me some pointers and chords and I tried to keep up. It was fun. We did it again on New Year's Eve with a full drum set and I had brought my electric guitar. It was a blast, but my skill level goes way down after quite a few beers. Even Shauni's boyfriend, Alex got to play for a while. He is real good too.
My obsession with the AT and backpacking continues. I really want to get on the trail, even if it is just an overnighter. It is winter though, so I will probably have to wait for the spring. Turk wants to do something with us and we had tentatively scheduled a short trip in March, but after thinking about it for a while, we figured it would still be too cold in PA and the area. I still want to do something, maybe a few days during Shauni and Alex's spring break around March 21st.
I found a couple more Trail Journals to read. Two young girls that completed it this last summer. They started out together as a coincidence, but soon parted due to different hiking speeds. But they both made it to the end. Interesting. The more I read the more I think that long hikes are nice as long as they are about a month or so. These thru-hikers seem to be so beaten down by the time they hit Maine. Most just finish to finish. There are some that are so into it that they hate to be done, but others just want to be done.
The weather has been back and forth these last couple of weeks. A little snow here, then 60 degree temps. Today is a bit cold, but the sky is pretty clear and the sun is bright.
The semi-annual weight reduction is in full swing again. I really gained a lot of weight this holiday season. I think I was the heaviest I have been in quite a while, if not forever. I am diligently tracking my food intake and have increased my workouts, just like always. We are even having a 90 day fitness challenge at work to help keep me on track.
The new season of Wallyball started last Friday. Tonight are the first league games. Lisa won't be playing on the team this time. We have picked up Dee to replace her. The thing in her chin is a glandular odon-something cyst. It's benign, but they have to remove it and fix up her jaw bone. She will most likely lose from 4 to 8 teeth and they will be taking some bone from her leg to put in her jaw to help it heal. She goes in Feb 1st.
Well, that's it for now. I hope to be back here next Friday at the latest...
Friday, January 13, 2012
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Tears
Heaven's tears mingle with our own salty leaking
Our tears are sorrowful as we mark our temporary parting
The sprinkles from heaven are joyful as they welcome Clare into the fold
A reunion with those who have gone before her
Clare F. Harold 1932 - 2011
I Love you Mommy
Our tears are sorrowful as we mark our temporary parting
The sprinkles from heaven are joyful as they welcome Clare into the fold
A reunion with those who have gone before her
Clare F. Harold 1932 - 2011
I Love you Mommy
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Clare Frances Harold 1932 - 2011
My Momma died yesterday. Well, actually two days ago since it is after midnight. She had had some problems lately with a bowel obstruction that had required surgery and it ended up taking her life.
We thought she was on the mend, but everything turned for the worse and her heart wasn't strong enough to handle it.
Dad and Cath were able to be there when she was ready to go, but it wasn't easy for anyone.
She is feeling no pain now and is in a better place.
I love you mom. Miss you forever.
We thought she was on the mend, but everything turned for the worse and her heart wasn't strong enough to handle it.
Dad and Cath were able to be there when she was ready to go, but it wasn't easy for anyone.
She is feeling no pain now and is in a better place.
I love you mom. Miss you forever.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Novel Project: Day 8
Day 8
Imitation can lead to originality. Do short exercises imitating different styles. Try on a dozen voices until you find one that fits. Ape the sure hand of a master. But remember this: write from your own experience. Your experience is unique. As John Braine, author of Room at the Top, wrote, “If you’re to be heard out of all those thousands of voices, if your name is going to mean something out of all those thousands of names, it will only be because you’ve presented your own experience truthfully.”
I'm probably not going to be posting each day for a while. I've got my start and I continue to plug away at it. When a Day suggests something that connects to me, I will post it. For now, I will slowly make my way through the plot, the characters and writing a few chapters.
I am using my experience in this project. I have been obsessed with the AT lately and this book will take place on a good deal of that trail. I also want to throw in some things on self-reliant bushcraft and survival techniques which I have been studying and practicing for a while now.
Imitation can lead to originality. Do short exercises imitating different styles. Try on a dozen voices until you find one that fits. Ape the sure hand of a master. But remember this: write from your own experience. Your experience is unique. As John Braine, author of Room at the Top, wrote, “If you’re to be heard out of all those thousands of voices, if your name is going to mean something out of all those thousands of names, it will only be because you’ve presented your own experience truthfully.”
I'm probably not going to be posting each day for a while. I've got my start and I continue to plug away at it. When a Day suggests something that connects to me, I will post it. For now, I will slowly make my way through the plot, the characters and writing a few chapters.
I am using my experience in this project. I have been obsessed with the AT lately and this book will take place on a good deal of that trail. I also want to throw in some things on self-reliant bushcraft and survival techniques which I have been studying and practicing for a while now.
Novel Project: Day 7
Day 7
Although there are no rules about story ideas, I would offer you one caution: think small. One of the worst mistakes most beginning novelists make is thinking big, trying to come up with an end-of-the-world story, in the belief that big is better. That’s not true. Keep your story idea small and focused.
Look into your creative soul and search for a little story but one that has real meaning to you. We are all part of the human family. If you create a story that has deep meaning to you, chances are it will have deep meaning for the rest of us.
Well, my story is an end-of-the-world story, but it doesn't encompass a huge amount of the world. It is basically a get back home story with a good deal of anxiety and suspense. I hope to keep the cast of characters small and concentrate on these small groups of people and the struggles they face to get to their goal.
Although there are no rules about story ideas, I would offer you one caution: think small. One of the worst mistakes most beginning novelists make is thinking big, trying to come up with an end-of-the-world story, in the belief that big is better. That’s not true. Keep your story idea small and focused.
Look into your creative soul and search for a little story but one that has real meaning to you. We are all part of the human family. If you create a story that has deep meaning to you, chances are it will have deep meaning for the rest of us.
Well, my story is an end-of-the-world story, but it doesn't encompass a huge amount of the world. It is basically a get back home story with a good deal of anxiety and suspense. I hope to keep the cast of characters small and concentrate on these small groups of people and the struggles they face to get to their goal.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Novel Project: Day 6
Day 6
Analyze and learn. Take your favorite novel of the type that you want to write and read it again, as if it were a how-to manual for becoming a millionaire. Then read it again, breaking the book down into sections. Outline the action on large sheets of paper that you pin to your office wall.
Well, this is impossible to do in one day, but I am constantly reading and I usually have several books going at once. Right now I am reading three books on my Kindle (iPod Touch) and two other regular books on my bedside table. Some I read more than others, but I try to switch between each for a chapter or two. I now read with a writer's eye of plot, theme, structure and all that. I may get to outlining other books at some time, but for right now, I am concentrating on all the organization that goes with writing my novel.
There are lots of things to keep track of. After developing your plot, you have to work on fleshing out your characters and creating scenes and lots of other things. The obsessive planner in me is enjoying this part. It truly is a marathon and I am not in any hurry to finish. I am keeping an easy pace.
Analyze and learn. Take your favorite novel of the type that you want to write and read it again, as if it were a how-to manual for becoming a millionaire. Then read it again, breaking the book down into sections. Outline the action on large sheets of paper that you pin to your office wall.
Well, this is impossible to do in one day, but I am constantly reading and I usually have several books going at once. Right now I am reading three books on my Kindle (iPod Touch) and two other regular books on my bedside table. Some I read more than others, but I try to switch between each for a chapter or two. I now read with a writer's eye of plot, theme, structure and all that. I may get to outlining other books at some time, but for right now, I am concentrating on all the organization that goes with writing my novel.
There are lots of things to keep track of. After developing your plot, you have to work on fleshing out your characters and creating scenes and lots of other things. The obsessive planner in me is enjoying this part. It truly is a marathon and I am not in any hurry to finish. I am keeping an easy pace.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Novel Project: Day 5
Day 5
It doesn’t matter what kind of book you decide to write. There are no rules other than that the story has to be very, very interesting. It can be exciting, scary, fun, funny or sad — but it must not bore the reader.
And that is my plan. I hope to draw the reader in as my Protag struggles to get back home after a great disaster, encountering more hardship and disaster along the way. What he finds when he finally gets home will be climatic and troubling and I hope enjoyable to read.
And that is my plan. I hope to draw the reader in as my Protag struggles to get back home after a great disaster, encountering more hardship and disaster along the way. What he finds when he finally gets home will be climatic and troubling and I hope enjoyable to read.
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