I know I have nothing to say. That's a line from something by either King Missile or John S. Hall. It's also on a t-shirt that Lindsay made for me which is awesome. Sometimes I get ideas that I think would be good things to write about, but then I forget them. Those ideas never make there way here. Because I forgot what they are. So instead of writing good things, I spew randomness at the 'world' with reckless abandon. I doesn't matter too much though, it's not as though this is the most popular blog in the 'sphere. I could write about space aliens, government conspiracies, miracles, my vast wealth, or any number of fictional things and the impact I make would barely be a ripple in the vast ocean of misinformation on the Internet.
I'm sure that there are space aliens out there somewhere, though I doubt that a human or any other creature on earth has ever seen one. It's not likely that they ever will either. Actually, if you think about it the right way, we -- human beings -- are space aliens. After all, we are creatures of this planet who have the ability to leave. We can actually go into space in our own special little vehichles. That's awesome. Of course, we can't go very far. We're quite dependent on the resources that we have on Earth, and we don't really have a good way of getting those things elsewhere. Liquid water is particularly necessary, but as far as we can tell, it's not readily available on our nearby neighbours in this solar system.
I can imagine that if we ever found life on another planet (or life-supporting object in the universe), we humans would probably call it alien, even if we are the ones invading it's space... ha ha "space," "aliens".... get it?
Anyways, like I was saying, the government would probably totally cover it up if a space program ever found intelligent life on another planet, because clearly most people in the world would totally freak out at the idea. Alien cults would take over as the most popular religion, Jesus wouldn't be white anymore! He'd be green, and that's just too un-American. Not that I'm an American, I'm Canadian, but Canada would probably follow the USofA's lead in this type of circumstance.
Here is a youtube video:
Showing posts with label Writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Writing. Show all posts
Sunday, 27 June 2010
Sunday, 13 June 2010
Writer's Block
I found this wine at J. Webb Market. It has a picture of Shakespeare on the front and a long and eloquent quote on the back extolling the values of good wine and going on at length about the horrors of the affliction known as "Writer's Block" It's quite a tasty syrah, lighter bodied than I am accustomed, but not so light that I think it's white. It's kind of fruity and coffee-y, and I'm definitely a fan.
I am drinking wine and listening to "Children's Music" because I really like They Might Be Giants. I have Here Comes Science, and Here Come The 123's. They are very rad. I don't think it's "children's" music though, it's just cool tunes that are about interesting things.
I am drinking wine and listening to "Children's Music" because I really like They Might Be Giants. I have Here Comes Science, and Here Come The 123's. They are very rad. I don't think it's "children's" music though, it's just cool tunes that are about interesting things.
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
So, what's new?
Things change, though not always drastically. The accumulation of small changes eventually develop into a major change though. I still work for a local Tech Support company, as I have for a little over two years. When I first started, my only computer knowledge was some basics about Linux, minor troubleshooting of Windows systems, and what Mac OS looked like. Now, I'm a CompTIA A+ Certified tech, I have a good knowledge of hardware troubleshooting, I can clean a computer virus like a motherfucker, and I know that this is not a long-term career for me.
I've finally been given a writing task at work and I haven't been more content with my job in the entire time I've worked there. Client computers and phone calls interrupt me on occasion, and that's to be expected. It's a not-horrible diversion that forces me to get up and move around every hour or so.
I went through the original documents that I'm expected to work from, modify, update, et cetera, one of them was workable, though I think I killed an entire red pen in my first run-through. The formatting was somewhat workable -- I could at least tell what the intention was. The entire 38 page document was rife with typos, mixed persons, and inappropriate comments. I think with my first draft I've managed to keep the feel of the original, but refine it to the point where it might be usable in a corporate environment.
The second document, on the other hand, was almost entirely un-usable. I will probably have to completely re-write at least %75 of it. I don't mind, really I don't; especially since I wasn't given a hard deadline for the project. A particular challenge I might face is that the two documents have a significant amount of overlap in the topics that they discuss, but I don't really like the idea of copying and pasting between the two. I would like them to remain distinct if at all possible.
I've finally been given a writing task at work and I haven't been more content with my job in the entire time I've worked there. Client computers and phone calls interrupt me on occasion, and that's to be expected. It's a not-horrible diversion that forces me to get up and move around every hour or so.
I went through the original documents that I'm expected to work from, modify, update, et cetera, one of them was workable, though I think I killed an entire red pen in my first run-through. The formatting was somewhat workable -- I could at least tell what the intention was. The entire 38 page document was rife with typos, mixed persons, and inappropriate comments. I think with my first draft I've managed to keep the feel of the original, but refine it to the point where it might be usable in a corporate environment.
The second document, on the other hand, was almost entirely un-usable. I will probably have to completely re-write at least %75 of it. I don't mind, really I don't; especially since I wasn't given a hard deadline for the project. A particular challenge I might face is that the two documents have a significant amount of overlap in the topics that they discuss, but I don't really like the idea of copying and pasting between the two. I would like them to remain distinct if at all possible.
Sunday, 16 May 2010
Books?
So apparently there exists people who are proud of the fact that they don't read. I have difficulty understanding something like this because so much of human culture is tied up in our literature.
There are people who hear the words "Big Brother" and think of a crappy television show rather than George Orwell's 1984 AMZN. Reading exercises our imaginations, a well written story can steal entire days from our lives and be even more emotionally stirring than mere television. Particularly the type of television programmes that I've been seeing lately. Sure, CSI can have engrossing stories and moving characters, but there isn't nearly as much room for imagination in a medium like T.V.
A good book can trigger my imagination so strongly that I find myself feeling that I know the characters. I can identify so strongly with each protagonist that I find myself imagining completely tangent story lines within the realm of the tale. I've never felt that connection with television. Possibly because the screen acts as a barrier; there's that fourth wall separating me from the story. I can accept the show for what it is, but I can't get as emotionally invested in the production.
There are people who hear the words "Big Brother" and think of a crappy television show rather than George Orwell's 1984 AMZN. Reading exercises our imaginations, a well written story can steal entire days from our lives and be even more emotionally stirring than mere television. Particularly the type of television programmes that I've been seeing lately. Sure, CSI can have engrossing stories and moving characters, but there isn't nearly as much room for imagination in a medium like T.V.
A good book can trigger my imagination so strongly that I find myself feeling that I know the characters. I can identify so strongly with each protagonist that I find myself imagining completely tangent story lines within the realm of the tale. I've never felt that connection with television. Possibly because the screen acts as a barrier; there's that fourth wall separating me from the story. I can accept the show for what it is, but I can't get as emotionally invested in the production.
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Creative Outlining.
I) Introduction
a) Meet paul at home
b) Meet Sally at home
c) Paul and Sally meet
d) Paul and Sally decide to have an adventure meeting friends along the way
e) Minor drama amongst the group ensues
f) The group overcomes difficulty to become a stronger unit.
II) Climax
a) Paul and sally get into trouble
b) Paul and sally with the help of their friends get out of trouble
c) The group finds their way home.
III) Conclussion
a) Paul and Sally return to their origins
b) Nothing much else has changed in their lives.
c) They lose touch with each other and die alone.
Paul is sitting at home on the couch watching television, it’s a dreary afternoon and he’s quite bored. Paul has been doing pretty much the same thing every day for the last month and he is thoroughly sick of it. Today something different will happen he decides! He gets up off of the couch, put on his pants and a coat and goes for a walk. He walks all over the town he lives in, uptown, downtown, midtown, even cross-town. He thinks that it’s pretty much exactly the same as it was last month when the desire to do something different came over him last.
Sally is doing yoga. Not out of any desire to get fit, or be healthy, but it is something that she knows how to do and it passes the time. After her yoga, she has a shower and gets her running clothes on. Sally always goes for a run after doing yoga because it makes her feel good. That’s pretty much her only motivation in life; feel good. Fortunately Sally is a nice person and the things that make her feel good are fairly harmless. Sally likes to run and eat good food, and work at her job, and give generously to her favourite charities.
At a corner street in this small town, right where midtown meets cross town, Paul is sitting on a conveniently placed park bench, watching people as they move past him. A girl that Paul thinks is quite attractive runs past, so he whistles at her. It is impulsive, and not the sort of thing that Paul normally does, but he cannot un-whistle at this girl.
Sally notices the boy on the park bench as she runs past, and when he whistles at her she is shocked. This rude person needs to learn that it is impolite to whistle suggestively at defenseless women who are running through the streets. She turns around and returns to Paul where she promptly slaps him across the face. “That what you get, you rude boy!” she says as he holds his cheek in pain.
“I’m sorry,” says Paul, “My name is Paul and I just think that you’re a very attractive lady and I didn’t know that you would slap me and I’m really sorry will you go for a walk with me tomorrow?” The words tumble out of Paul’s mouth too fast and Paul regrets them as soon as he says them, expecting at the very least a sound rejection, and possibly another slap.
Sally does not slap Paul, or even reject him, instead she says. “You can come for a run with me tomorrow if you like. If you are ever rude to me again, however, I will slap you again and we will not be friends. You can meet me here at eleven thirty in the morning.” Sally smiles a little bit and then continues running.
Paul is amazed that this has happened, and also somewhat concerned that he’s planning on going for a run with what appears to be a very fit person tomorrow. He is certain that he will be incredibly embarrassed in short order. He goes home to think about what he’s just done.
It is the next morning now; Paul is putting on his shoes and attempting to mentally prepare for the run that he, somewhat foolishly perhaps, agreed to. He knows that no matter how prepared he is mentally for this excursion, he is in no way physically prepared for it. “Fuck,” he says as he locks his apartment door behind him. “Fuck,” he says as he gets on the bus that will take him to his destination where midtown and crosstown meet; Where he is going to meet Sally.
“Fuck,” says Sally as she pulls herself to her feet. She has overstretched one of her yoga positions and something in her leg is now quite sore. Sally decides that it won’t be necessary to visit a doctor, and that a nice walk will help alleviate the discomfort. She leaves her apartment and heads out on her usual route.
As Sally approaches a particular corner she realizes that she is supposed to be running with the boy she met yesterday, Paul. She alters her course so that she will arrive on time. When she meets Paul he is pacing anxiously. He sees Sally and smiles, but it is quite obvious that he is expecting something bad to happen. He thinks that may have been a plot by Sally to humiliate him extra hard for his whistling the previous day. He has decided that she is going to laugh at him for actually showing up and perhaps slap him some more for being a silly moron. He is wrong of course. Sally sees Paul and smiles back. She approaches him and sits down on the bench near him. “I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to run with you today.” She says, and Paul winces in anticipation, “I’ve hurt myself doing yoga, how about we just walk instead.”
Paul is stunned, he had expected rejection outright and thought that even in the best case scenario he would have to do a lot of exercise before humiliating himself and eventually getting rejected anyways though possibly not beat up.
I got to about I) c) before I kind of faded out. Boo!
a) Meet paul at home
b) Meet Sally at home
c) Paul and Sally meet
d) Paul and Sally decide to have an adventure meeting friends along the way
e) Minor drama amongst the group ensues
f) The group overcomes difficulty to become a stronger unit.
II) Climax
a) Paul and sally get into trouble
b) Paul and sally with the help of their friends get out of trouble
c) The group finds their way home.
III) Conclussion
a) Paul and Sally return to their origins
b) Nothing much else has changed in their lives.
c) They lose touch with each other and die alone.
Paul is sitting at home on the couch watching television, it’s a dreary afternoon and he’s quite bored. Paul has been doing pretty much the same thing every day for the last month and he is thoroughly sick of it. Today something different will happen he decides! He gets up off of the couch, put on his pants and a coat and goes for a walk. He walks all over the town he lives in, uptown, downtown, midtown, even cross-town. He thinks that it’s pretty much exactly the same as it was last month when the desire to do something different came over him last.
Sally is doing yoga. Not out of any desire to get fit, or be healthy, but it is something that she knows how to do and it passes the time. After her yoga, she has a shower and gets her running clothes on. Sally always goes for a run after doing yoga because it makes her feel good. That’s pretty much her only motivation in life; feel good. Fortunately Sally is a nice person and the things that make her feel good are fairly harmless. Sally likes to run and eat good food, and work at her job, and give generously to her favourite charities.
At a corner street in this small town, right where midtown meets cross town, Paul is sitting on a conveniently placed park bench, watching people as they move past him. A girl that Paul thinks is quite attractive runs past, so he whistles at her. It is impulsive, and not the sort of thing that Paul normally does, but he cannot un-whistle at this girl.
Sally notices the boy on the park bench as she runs past, and when he whistles at her she is shocked. This rude person needs to learn that it is impolite to whistle suggestively at defenseless women who are running through the streets. She turns around and returns to Paul where she promptly slaps him across the face. “That what you get, you rude boy!” she says as he holds his cheek in pain.
“I’m sorry,” says Paul, “My name is Paul and I just think that you’re a very attractive lady and I didn’t know that you would slap me and I’m really sorry will you go for a walk with me tomorrow?” The words tumble out of Paul’s mouth too fast and Paul regrets them as soon as he says them, expecting at the very least a sound rejection, and possibly another slap.
Sally does not slap Paul, or even reject him, instead she says. “You can come for a run with me tomorrow if you like. If you are ever rude to me again, however, I will slap you again and we will not be friends. You can meet me here at eleven thirty in the morning.” Sally smiles a little bit and then continues running.
Paul is amazed that this has happened, and also somewhat concerned that he’s planning on going for a run with what appears to be a very fit person tomorrow. He is certain that he will be incredibly embarrassed in short order. He goes home to think about what he’s just done.
It is the next morning now; Paul is putting on his shoes and attempting to mentally prepare for the run that he, somewhat foolishly perhaps, agreed to. He knows that no matter how prepared he is mentally for this excursion, he is in no way physically prepared for it. “Fuck,” he says as he locks his apartment door behind him. “Fuck,” he says as he gets on the bus that will take him to his destination where midtown and crosstown meet; Where he is going to meet Sally.
“Fuck,” says Sally as she pulls herself to her feet. She has overstretched one of her yoga positions and something in her leg is now quite sore. Sally decides that it won’t be necessary to visit a doctor, and that a nice walk will help alleviate the discomfort. She leaves her apartment and heads out on her usual route.
As Sally approaches a particular corner she realizes that she is supposed to be running with the boy she met yesterday, Paul. She alters her course so that she will arrive on time. When she meets Paul he is pacing anxiously. He sees Sally and smiles, but it is quite obvious that he is expecting something bad to happen. He thinks that may have been a plot by Sally to humiliate him extra hard for his whistling the previous day. He has decided that she is going to laugh at him for actually showing up and perhaps slap him some more for being a silly moron. He is wrong of course. Sally sees Paul and smiles back. She approaches him and sits down on the bench near him. “I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to run with you today.” She says, and Paul winces in anticipation, “I’ve hurt myself doing yoga, how about we just walk instead.”
Paul is stunned, he had expected rejection outright and thought that even in the best case scenario he would have to do a lot of exercise before humiliating himself and eventually getting rejected anyways though possibly not beat up.
I got to about I) c) before I kind of faded out. Boo!
Monday, 25 January 2010
Writing is hard.
Sometimes you can spend an entire morning staring blankly at a page, unable for force out even the most bare of syllables. Try as you might, you cannot find the will to write. Sometimes you feel like quitting, other times you do quit. Mostly though, you sit and stare. The blank page is hateful, cruel, and not a very nice thing. It needs to be filled with language to temper its evil. So how does one start when the universe contrives to stifle your creativity? Start with a word, on a particularly bad d that word may be bland an uninspiring, but it's a start none the less and a word almost invariably leads to another word.
"The"
The what?
"The... butts."
Really? This may have potential! What about these butts?
"The butts... smell?"
Of course! How could I have not realized! Go on, tell me more!
"The butts smell, so... I... cleaned them..."
Yes, yes, continue!
"The ashtray was filthy, I knew that my roommates were starting to get annoyed, and since I was the only smoker in the house it was my responsibility to take care of my ashy mess. I know this, I was also aware just how much more they would tolerate before their passive aggression would turn to outright hostility. I'm a good judge of character I must say. If I didn't take care of this today, I might find myself looking for a new home tomorrow. Did I wan't to find a new home?"
You see how one question leads to another, and all questions derive answers that invoke more questions, at least I assume this to be the case...
Naturally, a person probably wouldn't choose house hunting over a clean ashtray... because even a new place would need to be cleaned on occasion.
"The"
The what?
"The... butts."
Really? This may have potential! What about these butts?
"The butts... smell?"
Of course! How could I have not realized! Go on, tell me more!
"The butts smell, so... I... cleaned them..."
Yes, yes, continue!
"The ashtray was filthy, I knew that my roommates were starting to get annoyed, and since I was the only smoker in the house it was my responsibility to take care of my ashy mess. I know this, I was also aware just how much more they would tolerate before their passive aggression would turn to outright hostility. I'm a good judge of character I must say. If I didn't take care of this today, I might find myself looking for a new home tomorrow. Did I wan't to find a new home?"
You see how one question leads to another, and all questions derive answers that invoke more questions, at least I assume this to be the case...
Naturally, a person probably wouldn't choose house hunting over a clean ashtray... because even a new place would need to be cleaned on occasion.
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
Over/Under
Whelmed. I like that word but I find it strange that the common Internet definitions of it often include "Overwhelmed" as a definition. That is questionable to me. In fact, I am underwhelmed with any positive emotions by that lazy definition. See how that works?
If I am underwhelmed, then I have not yet reached a state of whelmedness, and if I am overwhelmed, then I have surpassed by some measure my long sought-out whelming. Being whelmed is like being full, or like having all of something that you can handle, but not more. It should be thrilling, not scary; It should be fulfilling and not beyond your reach. Being whelmed is like surfing on the edge of disaster, any more and the crash would be spectacular, any less and it would be boring.
If I am underwhelmed, then I have not yet reached a state of whelmedness, and if I am overwhelmed, then I have surpassed by some measure my long sought-out whelming. Being whelmed is like being full, or like having all of something that you can handle, but not more. It should be thrilling, not scary; It should be fulfilling and not beyond your reach. Being whelmed is like surfing on the edge of disaster, any more and the crash would be spectacular, any less and it would be boring.
Monday, 7 September 2009
It's aliiiiiive!
I'll probably write a bit more tomorrow. Today I received a gentle reminder that I like to do this. So this is what I'll do.
Lindsay and I went for a walk today, it was nice. Now that my gout has subsided to negligible levels I can walk without any serious pain. I've started walking to work. It's good exercise, but not a lot of it. I've noticed that my belly is getting a bit larger than I would like, so hopefully walking regularly will help reduce that issue. I've never been a super active guy... Sure I went for bike rides when I was a kid, but mostly I've been pretty sedentary. I'm likely paying a bit for that now. I should start doing daily exercise again. Yup. I should.
What I should do, however, is not always what I do do. Boo.
I can't see my keyboard very well right now... It's dark outside. And a bit cold.
I complain a lot. even when I don't have much to complain about.
Tomorrow I will attempt to get my High School transcripts.
Lindsay and I went for a walk today, it was nice. Now that my gout has subsided to negligible levels I can walk without any serious pain. I've started walking to work. It's good exercise, but not a lot of it. I've noticed that my belly is getting a bit larger than I would like, so hopefully walking regularly will help reduce that issue. I've never been a super active guy... Sure I went for bike rides when I was a kid, but mostly I've been pretty sedentary. I'm likely paying a bit for that now. I should start doing daily exercise again. Yup. I should.
What I should do, however, is not always what I do do. Boo.
I can't see my keyboard very well right now... It's dark outside. And a bit cold.
I complain a lot. even when I don't have much to complain about.
Tomorrow I will attempt to get my High School transcripts.
Monday, 24 August 2009
Plagiarist
Lindsay has been doing a lot of reading lately about plagiarism. It's a serious concern for artists I would imagine. Perhaps my views on software piracy relate here, people justify software theft by saying that it's just 1's and 0's on the Internet. Well a book is just ink stains on paper, should I be allowed to scan a best selling novel and sell it for my own profit? A painting is just pigment on a medium, can I copy Pablo Picasso's work and sell it as my own?
Computers are a strange beast. They contain so much stuff, but there's really nothing about that stuff which can be identified or differentiated from the computer its self. So when I install a program on my computer it essentially becomes a part of the defining characteristics of "my computer". This is why proprietary software companies deliver an End User License Agreement (EULA) with the software. Almost every EULA says essentially that you don't own the software that you've just purchased, you only have the right to use this software in a specific way.
That may be a part of the problem with Software and Piracy. EULA's aren't necessarily recognized as binding, and certainly not on a global level. I'm sure if the logistics could be sorted out we would have to sign a proper contract before buying any new programs for our computers. Software developers don't really have much in the way of legal protection yet for the tools that they work very hard to produce, so instead we get Digital Rights Management (DRM) and watchdog groups like the Business Software Alliance (BSA).
It's too bad that people think that they deserve something for nothing, but they do. Until a time when people can be trusted not to steal, there will always need to be people willing to help prevent theft and organizations that can help report it.
Computers are a strange beast. They contain so much stuff, but there's really nothing about that stuff which can be identified or differentiated from the computer its self. So when I install a program on my computer it essentially becomes a part of the defining characteristics of "my computer". This is why proprietary software companies deliver an End User License Agreement (EULA) with the software. Almost every EULA says essentially that you don't own the software that you've just purchased, you only have the right to use this software in a specific way.
That may be a part of the problem with Software and Piracy. EULA's aren't necessarily recognized as binding, and certainly not on a global level. I'm sure if the logistics could be sorted out we would have to sign a proper contract before buying any new programs for our computers. Software developers don't really have much in the way of legal protection yet for the tools that they work very hard to produce, so instead we get Digital Rights Management (DRM) and watchdog groups like the Business Software Alliance (BSA).
It's too bad that people think that they deserve something for nothing, but they do. Until a time when people can be trusted not to steal, there will always need to be people willing to help prevent theft and organizations that can help report it.
Wednesday, 12 August 2009
Books I should be reading.
I have a pile of books that have been accumulating for a while now. I've read a small part of each of them and I want to finish them, but I'm having difficulty choosing a starting point. (Actually, I just made the decision now on which I will read first, but I'm still lost for number two...)
Seven Steps on the Writer's Path: The Journey from Frustration to Fulfillment By Nancy Pickard and Lynn Lott. Looks good, and I'm about a third of the way through it. This is the next book I will finish reading. So far the advice has been very straighforward and honest sounding. I hope I can absorb the lessons in the book into my everyday life.
An Appeal to the Toiling, Oppressed and Exhausted Peoples of Europe By Leon Trotsky. In the first few pages I've noted that the style in the title has not dissipated in the writing. It should be an entertaining read!
The Selfish Gene By Richard Dawkins. It's been on my 'to-read' list ever since reading The God Delusion. Dr. Dawkins is a very passionate writer from what I've seen, and the subject matter in his books is often of great interest to me. I'm not a biologist or a scientist, but I appreciate the work that emerges from the sientific professions greatly.
The Caged Virgin: An Emancipation Proclamation for Women and Islam By Ayaan Hirsi Ali. A purchase spawned by the reading of Infidel. I have a deep respect for the bravery of this woman. Holy shit!
Sams Teach Yourself TCP/IP in 24 Hours by Joe Casad. A bit of a departure from the other books on my list, but interesting none the less. The "24 hours" line is pure marketing, it's a series of 24 one hour lessons. The actual learning part will probably take me a wee bit longer.
The NIV Holy Bible by Zondervan. It seemed easier to read than the King James version.
The Koran by N. J. Dawood. I can't let the Bible be my only Monotheistic text...
Seven Steps on the Writer's Path: The Journey from Frustration to Fulfillment By Nancy Pickard and Lynn Lott. Looks good, and I'm about a third of the way through it. This is the next book I will finish reading. So far the advice has been very straighforward and honest sounding. I hope I can absorb the lessons in the book into my everyday life.
An Appeal to the Toiling, Oppressed and Exhausted Peoples of Europe By Leon Trotsky. In the first few pages I've noted that the style in the title has not dissipated in the writing. It should be an entertaining read!
The Selfish Gene By Richard Dawkins. It's been on my 'to-read' list ever since reading The God Delusion. Dr. Dawkins is a very passionate writer from what I've seen, and the subject matter in his books is often of great interest to me. I'm not a biologist or a scientist, but I appreciate the work that emerges from the sientific professions greatly.
The Caged Virgin: An Emancipation Proclamation for Women and Islam By Ayaan Hirsi Ali. A purchase spawned by the reading of Infidel. I have a deep respect for the bravery of this woman. Holy shit!
Sams Teach Yourself TCP/IP in 24 Hours by Joe Casad. A bit of a departure from the other books on my list, but interesting none the less. The "24 hours" line is pure marketing, it's a series of 24 one hour lessons. The actual learning part will probably take me a wee bit longer.
The NIV Holy Bible by Zondervan. It seemed easier to read than the King James version.
The Koran by N. J. Dawood. I can't let the Bible be my only Monotheistic text...
Thursday, 16 July 2009
My daily routine.
For your approval, something about myself.
I’m not really very interesting though. I’m also terrible at remembering details. My past is a haze really, a few points stand out but the details and events leading to those points are clouded and ephemeral. It’s tough to tell a story that has nothing but a couple of climaxes with no back story, build-up, or denouement. I suppose I could invent the filler.
I had finished my last graveyard on Friday morning. I stayed awake for the rest of the day on Friday, but I was exhausted, so I can’t recall much of it. I went to bed around 9:00 a.m. and woke up in the morning on Saturday ready to put up with another day. I wasn’t very happy were I was living. Brian and I make better friends than roommates for each other. The house was a mess and I wasn’t going to clean it. Instead, I watched television. Or maybe I played video games. Either way I was doing a great job of being a lazy slob. I was a smoker, I ate nothing but junk food, fast food, or some bastard combination of the two. I was probably a good fifteen or twenty pounds heavier than I am now. I was continually lethargic, had a nasty smokers cough, and was prone to illness.
As was my usual routine then, I drove out to my Nanny’s house to see if she wanted
to go to the grocery store with me, or just give me a list of things to pick up. I think that day there was just a short list: Four loaves of brown bread, and a big jar of mayonnaise. I retrieved the items and sat for a little visit. I would sometimes have a cup of herb tea while I was visiting, along with a few cigarettes.
After visiting Nanny, I went over to my parent’s house to hang out, maybe even score some dinner. There wasn’t much going on at the homestead though, so I went back into town. Before going home I stopped by Timmy Ho’s for a dozen doughnuts and an extra large triple-triple, plus another for Brian, if he was home he would want it. He was, and he did. We played some more video games afterwards. Eventually we got bored.
The logical course of action at this point was to go see what Sam and Aaron were up to. Not surprisingly they were up to pretty much the same, except instead of video games, they were watching every episode of Sex in the City. I was kind of getting in to it when Brian suggested we go to the bar. I didn’t really want to, but he said “trust me,” so of course, I had to at least give it a chance. When Brian says those two words the rusults are either catastrophic or fricking awesome.
This was the day that I met Lindsay. I’m glad Brian dragged me to the bar that Saturday. And I’m glad that Lindsay has a friend that did the same. My routine has shifted greatly for the better.
Wednesday, 8 July 2009
Okay! Writin' stuff
I have a notebook in my pocket. Ostensibly this is so that if I have a sudden inspiration to write, or some random idea jumps in to my head and I must tell the world about it, I have a place to take notes. I can jot down a bit of an outline so that the thought or idea doesn't get lost in the monotony of the rest of my day. This would work really well if, however, I also carried a pen. I'll have to work on that. “Working on it” seems to be the theme of this new hobby/habit/life that I'm trying to develop. Writing is hard, and I waver. I would waver more if it were easier though. I would get bored. I would think that it's pointless. I would make all sorts of wrong-headed assumptions that trivialize the pursuit.
This post wasn't planned, as you will likely be able to surmise.
So I'm glad that writing is hard. It challenges me and forces me to think. It makes me try to touch type. I'd forgotten about touch typing until just now. I usually focus on the keyboard when I type, now I'm looking at the screen. The process is much slower than I'm used to, I have to think about where each of the letter on the keyboard are. It's kind of neat though, with practice I can imagine myself sitting down at the computer and simply watching the words appear on the screen. My thoughts would flow through my fingers without any conscious effort.
Abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
it took me about 20 seconds to go through the alphabet just then, touch typing. You care, trust me.
Abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
~10 seconds while looking at the keys.
I remember in grade eight or nine in “Computer Science” class, we were required to study touch typing. Back then I thought it was pretty pointless, I could see the letters on the keyboard, why shouldn't I use that resource. Gosh! But now I think about it, perhaps the teacher was right. If I learn this skill, I will not only have a new marketable talent, I will be faster and more efficient with my time. Rather than read things twice – once when I type it, and once to make sure that I typed it correctly – I will need only to read once, and see the mistakes as they arise!
This post wasn't planned, as you will likely be able to surmise.
So I'm glad that writing is hard. It challenges me and forces me to think. It makes me try to touch type. I'd forgotten about touch typing until just now. I usually focus on the keyboard when I type, now I'm looking at the screen. The process is much slower than I'm used to, I have to think about where each of the letter on the keyboard are. It's kind of neat though, with practice I can imagine myself sitting down at the computer and simply watching the words appear on the screen. My thoughts would flow through my fingers without any conscious effort.
Abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
it took me about 20 seconds to go through the alphabet just then, touch typing. You care, trust me.
Abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
~10 seconds while looking at the keys.
I remember in grade eight or nine in “Computer Science” class, we were required to study touch typing. Back then I thought it was pretty pointless, I could see the letters on the keyboard, why shouldn't I use that resource. Gosh! But now I think about it, perhaps the teacher was right. If I learn this skill, I will not only have a new marketable talent, I will be faster and more efficient with my time. Rather than read things twice – once when I type it, and once to make sure that I typed it correctly – I will need only to read once, and see the mistakes as they arise!
Friday, 3 July 2009
An exercise in descriptive verbiage.
The base roughly one fifth of the total height of the object, and silver in colour. It has the reflective quality of dull metal and a very slightly rough visible texturing. The width of the base is approximately half again the width of the rest of the object. The edges of the object appear vertical, there is some slight curvature where the base meets the upper portion suggestive of one cylinder on top of another.
The upper four fifths is mostly transparent, though there is a line of green that runs from near the top down to at least the begining of the base, this line is not perfectly straght it curves slightly in all visible directions while remaining uniform in its width. The green line appears to be smoothly textured at first glance, but on closer inspection there are small dark brown lines extending from the surface of the green in a sparse, yet, uniform pattern. Near the upper most termination of the green line the colour is much darker, nearing brown. As the line nears the bottom of the object it becomes much lighter. The green is quite vibrant, it seems even more so in contrast to the dull base section of the whole object. At one point in the transparent area there is a horizontal break where the shape changes from being only very slightly refractive to fairly heavily refractive of the objects behind it. The curved green line appears to break at this point and begin again slightly to the left of its breaking point and slightly thicker where it is below the intersection.
Connected to the upper most extreme of the green line there is an orange downwards pointing near-conical shape similar to an upside-down, imperfect, pointed arch. The orange area has some light visible texturing, like long tiny wrinkles. Similar to the green line, this orange object is darker at the top than at the bottom, but this is not quite as noticable of a difference. It is equally vibrant in nature. near the top portion of the orange -- the widest part of the conical shape -- there appears to be more visible shadows, as though the shape had to be folded in some way to take its current position. The top level of the whole object is not perfectly level or smooth, there is another horizontal line that is far less defined that the one mentioned erlier, and slightly above that there is the terminating edge of the orange area. The orange has several more visible folds and extends in a slightly ragged manner approximately one millimeter above the slightly defined horizontal line. The entire object is approximately eight inches tall in total.
The upper four fifths is mostly transparent, though there is a line of green that runs from near the top down to at least the begining of the base, this line is not perfectly straght it curves slightly in all visible directions while remaining uniform in its width. The green line appears to be smoothly textured at first glance, but on closer inspection there are small dark brown lines extending from the surface of the green in a sparse, yet, uniform pattern. Near the upper most termination of the green line the colour is much darker, nearing brown. As the line nears the bottom of the object it becomes much lighter. The green is quite vibrant, it seems even more so in contrast to the dull base section of the whole object. At one point in the transparent area there is a horizontal break where the shape changes from being only very slightly refractive to fairly heavily refractive of the objects behind it. The curved green line appears to break at this point and begin again slightly to the left of its breaking point and slightly thicker where it is below the intersection.
Connected to the upper most extreme of the green line there is an orange downwards pointing near-conical shape similar to an upside-down, imperfect, pointed arch. The orange area has some light visible texturing, like long tiny wrinkles. Similar to the green line, this orange object is darker at the top than at the bottom, but this is not quite as noticable of a difference. It is equally vibrant in nature. near the top portion of the orange -- the widest part of the conical shape -- there appears to be more visible shadows, as though the shape had to be folded in some way to take its current position. The top level of the whole object is not perfectly level or smooth, there is another horizontal line that is far less defined that the one mentioned erlier, and slightly above that there is the terminating edge of the orange area. The orange has several more visible folds and extends in a slightly ragged manner approximately one millimeter above the slightly defined horizontal line. The entire object is approximately eight inches tall in total.
Wednesday, 1 July 2009
This is harder than it looks.
I spent today in an attempt to write all day. I'm petering out now. I wrote pretty steadily from 10:00 a.m. to around 2:00 p.m. Then Lindsay and I went to the Dog and Duck Pub for lunch and had greasy burgers (A Garden Burger in Lindsay's case.) that were quite tasty. Then we came home and I wrote a couple more paragraphs in a story that I've started. Now I'm writing here, I could try to write more of my other story, but I think that I have to let it stew a little more. Tomorrow I will continue with it. I think that I should try for between half and a full hour of writing every day, probably more on my days off. I need to be careful to to burn myself out like I have today though. That will take practice and commitment on my part. I think I'm ready for it. I'll try to keep the blog up to date too, though I can't make any promises.
In other news, I've scheduled my next CompTIA A+ exam. July 13, at 2:00 p.m. It will be good to complete that particular project.
In other news, I've scheduled my next CompTIA A+ exam. July 13, at 2:00 p.m. It will be good to complete that particular project.
Sunday, 28 June 2009
Nothing so verbose today.
I've started reading a book that my Mother/Sister gave me for a gift-giving-occasion at some time in the past called "Seven Steps on the Writer's Path: The journey from Frustration to Fulfillment" by Nancy Pickard and Lynn Lott [AMZN] It's really freaking good! I should have read it when I first received it. I'm trying to take the lessons in this book to heart, I don't have any evidence that it will work, but a lot of what they are saying (at least in the chapters that I've read so far...) makes sense.
I've been unhappy for a while now in several aspects of my life, and I'm starting to accept that unhappiness and that is feeding my want to correct it. I have something I want to write, and I'm doing research now so that what I write will be accurate. I'm also reading more technical writing, and thinking about what techniques I can see that writers are using to communicate complex technical ideas to people who aren't necessarily technically inclined. I've been writing short articles for my workplace that describe our procedures, and documenting the assorted hints and tricks that we use in the Bench Technician field.
I'm also going to finally finish taking my CompTia Certification. I know enough to get it I think, and I damn well need to stop procrastinating and being afraid of change.
Afraid of change....
Damn, I need to write more. I didn't expect those words to come out this time.
I've been unhappy for a while now in several aspects of my life, and I'm starting to accept that unhappiness and that is feeding my want to correct it. I have something I want to write, and I'm doing research now so that what I write will be accurate. I'm also reading more technical writing, and thinking about what techniques I can see that writers are using to communicate complex technical ideas to people who aren't necessarily technically inclined. I've been writing short articles for my workplace that describe our procedures, and documenting the assorted hints and tricks that we use in the Bench Technician field.
I'm also going to finally finish taking my CompTia Certification. I know enough to get it I think, and I damn well need to stop procrastinating and being afraid of change.
Afraid of change....
Damn, I need to write more. I didn't expect those words to come out this time.
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
I wrote this yesterday...
I'm sitting in my basement behind my drumset, My snare drum is acting as a desk, and my throne, an office chair. It's a pretty good start I'd say, because I'm finally writing. I've always wanted to write, but I guess I've never really sat down and done it. That was a foolish mistake on my part. I know that I'm creative, I know that I can - on occasion - be eloquent. I have a good vocabulary and passable knowledge of grammar. I enjoy text. Not just the reading of text, but the shape of letters, the process of transforming these little squiggles into cogent thoughts. Why in heck haven't I been serious about this in the past?
I'm twenty-eight years old. By the time my father was twenty eight, I was born and my sister was possibly on her way. My parents became adults long before I will, and that's not a bad thing. I think I'm kind of jealous. I know that Mom and Dad worked their assess off for Jessie and I, and I'll be forever grateful for that. I've heard that this has been a trend for a while now, that children stay with their parents longer. Thinking about where I am now, I'm not so sure that this is an entirely positive circumstance. As much as I'm grateful for the fairly privileged life I've had, I can't help but think about what I'd be like if I had to "grow up" sooner. What would my life be like if I'd had a kid before I was ready for one. What if I never got the job at LP. So many "what ifs" that I can't help but ask myself.
I don't dwell on "what ifs" though. It's not particularly useful. I may not always be the most motivated or active person, but when I do act, I don't like to waste any effort.
I'm going to return to school. I've wanted to get into technical writing for a very long time now, and I've wasted a lot of that time in not writing. Pretty foolish thing for someone who fancies themselves a "writer" I'd say! I'm pretty sure that I have no idea the extent of the challenge that I'm undertaking, but I know that the goal is something that I want. I'm getting pretty sick of wasting my time in not doing what I enjoy.
And I do enjoy writing, I'm having a great time even right now as I consider which word or phrase I am going to type next. Or when I realize that I've misspelled something like "realize". Or that by going back and adding "or phrase" the sentence will become more clear, more realistic, and overall, a better sentence. Writing is fun for me. I think that the big reason that I don't write more often is that I'm kind of self conscious about it. I can have difficulty deciding precisely what I want to write
I'm twenty-eight years old. By the time my father was twenty eight, I was born and my sister was possibly on her way. My parents became adults long before I will, and that's not a bad thing. I think I'm kind of jealous. I know that Mom and Dad worked their assess off for Jessie and I, and I'll be forever grateful for that. I've heard that this has been a trend for a while now, that children stay with their parents longer. Thinking about where I am now, I'm not so sure that this is an entirely positive circumstance. As much as I'm grateful for the fairly privileged life I've had, I can't help but think about what I'd be like if I had to "grow up" sooner. What would my life be like if I'd had a kid before I was ready for one. What if I never got the job at LP. So many "what ifs" that I can't help but ask myself.
I don't dwell on "what ifs" though. It's not particularly useful. I may not always be the most motivated or active person, but when I do act, I don't like to waste any effort.
I'm going to return to school. I've wanted to get into technical writing for a very long time now, and I've wasted a lot of that time in not writing. Pretty foolish thing for someone who fancies themselves a "writer" I'd say! I'm pretty sure that I have no idea the extent of the challenge that I'm undertaking, but I know that the goal is something that I want. I'm getting pretty sick of wasting my time in not doing what I enjoy.
And I do enjoy writing, I'm having a great time even right now as I consider which word or phrase I am going to type next. Or when I realize that I've misspelled something like "realize". Or that by going back and adding "or phrase" the sentence will become more clear, more realistic, and overall, a better sentence. Writing is fun for me. I think that the big reason that I don't write more often is that I'm kind of self conscious about it. I can have difficulty deciding precisely what I want to write
Saturday, 11 April 2009
So Here I am.
Happy zombie Jesus day!
I'm in Golden for the Easter weekend, visiting family and generally relaxing. Right now I'm thinking about procrastinating.
I'm not actively planning on procrastinating, I'm thining about the fact that I procrastinate. This is probably due in part to my desire to do things correctly the first time. My excuse is that I'm not ready yet.
I'm not ready to take my second CompTIA exam
I don't know enough about physiology to exercise properly
I don't know enough about writing to write.
Damn.
It's not enough that I can see the thing that is holding me back. I have to figure out how to get past that and just fricking act.
Let's start with writing. I should be witing in this space at least once a day. I think the problem is that I forget that the space is here. I wonde what I should wrie about. I want to be a technical writer I'm pretty sure, but I'm worried that I don't know how to be one. I need something to write about. That's something to think about.
I'm in Golden for the Easter weekend, visiting family and generally relaxing. Right now I'm thinking about procrastinating.
I'm not actively planning on procrastinating, I'm thining about the fact that I procrastinate. This is probably due in part to my desire to do things correctly the first time. My excuse is that I'm not ready yet.
I'm not ready to take my second CompTIA exam
I don't know enough about physiology to exercise properly
I don't know enough about writing to write.
Damn.
It's not enough that I can see the thing that is holding me back. I have to figure out how to get past that and just fricking act.
Let's start with writing. I should be witing in this space at least once a day. I think the problem is that I forget that the space is here. I wonde what I should wrie about. I want to be a technical writer I'm pretty sure, but I'm worried that I don't know how to be one. I need something to write about. That's something to think about.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)