Monthly Archives: March 2011

Money comes in, Money goes out, never a miscommunication

So this week I got my yearly bonus from my Day job and that certainly felt good. My sweetie-wife has been laboring under a very slow desktop computer so it was time to do something about that.
Here computer needs are much simpler than my won, so I purchased a used iMac for myself and she will now use this machine. Luckily, the bonus covers it nicely.

I finished creating 3×5 cards for each chapter in Love and Loyalty and now I can start playing with the order of the chapters. I’ve read about writers use do this with card and I have never been one who has, but this is a novel situation for me. (Yes, that was an intended pun. I do not do that accidentally.)

The whole novel is now going to turn and be driven by the main character’s choices — so much stronger as a story that way — but that means I have to move something around and some cause and effect is changing. I am really quite excited by the re-write process.

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Punting our Problems

So, a few weeks ago the White House released its official budget proposal and while it offered some cuts it did not take a stand on the most pressing issue on our budget and that is the big three, Entitlements, Defense, and Social Security. Those three areas are huge and no serious attempt at taking on our spending problem can be amassed without addressing those three areas. Obama punted, plan and simple. He may have punted from practical political purposes, let the Republicans take the lead and the heat on these issues, but it is a punt and we need leadership not punting.

While we were in the throes of the nastiest recession in many decades I was willing to wait and let the man handle the crisis before judging him on the long term. Well, we are growing again, sadly very slowly and job growth is beneath anemic, so now it is time to turn to the long term health of our country.

In a few weeks, April I think, the Republican Congress will put forth their budget. They have promised to take on the big problem and I hope that they do. We will see. If they do not seriously address the big three, and I mean in the short term not some plan to fix them with massive changes years and years down the line, then we will know that they are not serious either.

 

 

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Quick post

Well, today during my lunch hour I took some extra time and had an MRI of my brain performed at my doc’s orders. (He does not feel that there are any serious issues beyond the migraines, but we want to rule out any nasty surprises.)

I started today with a mild headache, after the MRI — yes Brad I know nMRI — I have a severe headache, so severe that even new blu-rays can’t distract me.

Want to experience an MRI without bothering with a pesky doctor? Easy!

First crawl into a discard carpet tube so you’re loaded like a torpedo ready for firing. Make sure your head is exposed, because it goes into an old steel bucket (and just like a real MRI — yeah yeah nMRI– don’t forget your hearing protection). Have someone bring over a tweeting bird that’s just starting a cocaine bender, ’cause for the duration of the event you need the incessant chirping to counterpoint the rest. Now, once your head is fully in the bucket, have your friend go at it with a power-sander to the outside of the bucket. Changing it up every few minutes with whack from a lead pipe and throw in a few alarm klaxons and you’ll have an idea what an MRI is like. Primo for headaches, let me tell you.

I’m off to bed.

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Writer’s Group report

So tonight was another meeting of the Mysterious Galaxy Writer’s Group and I have to say we are bonding and coming together nicely. People are much more comfortable reading their prose out loud and the critiques are always in the proper spirit, helpful not snide or snippish. I have really lucked out finding this group.

I read out my experimental piece The Haunted Wood and it was well received. The general opinion seemed to be that this represented a real improvement in my prose style.

Ghods, that made me happy.

 

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