Far and away

For nearly fifteen years I've been deaf. Now I'm not going to tell you what it's like. Been there, done that. Telling you about the positive and negative aspects this change involved has already been written before. There's another aspect that I've had to deal with. Deaf people are by and large, shunted to the back of the social bus. A lot of my deaf friends have given up looking for work and being a productive member of society. 
I'm not at that point.
Many deaf people work 'behind the scenes'. Either learning a trade, such as electrical engineering or printing. If I had to count the number of deaf carpenters I've met, I'd run out of fingers. Which brings me to my next point of consideration.
There have been many posts by yours truly where I railed against the injustice of the crappy treatment I get in the retail business. The fact is, deaf people are ill-suited to working in a retail environment. This coming from a deaf guy who's worked in retail all his life. Imagine how stupid I feel!
And yes, waiting tables and tending bar is retail. You're selling something. Doesn't matter if you can eat it, drink it or wear it... That's retail. It also means there has to be a paradigm shift.
From time to time that phrase has come up in our lives, few of us actually knows what it means.
In a nutshell: it means to think outside the box.

I've met a few deaf chefs in my travels. Let that sink in a minute. Do you really need to hear the bacon sizzling? When I'm cooking, the other senses come into play, hearing isn't required.
Being poor for the rest of my life isn't an option. I don't wish for fame. (That'd be nice, but I don't require it.) Like a lot of things, the pieces are right in front of us, but we don't see it.
That microbrewery I inherited a while back. The class I took showing how to brew. The fact that people I've given the mead to come around asking for more. I've already decided to give this brewing thing a try. The climate I live in is good for ales and wines, lousy for lagers. No one knows what mead is. In fact, the mere mention of the word and I can see the lip sneer forming. (I read a lot of lips, it's the first thing I notice.)
When I say the words 'honey wine', everyone's facial expression changes. I also know A guy who is licensed to sell liquor in Texas. You see? If I don't know the answer, I know the guy that does... That's my superpower.

Opportunity is usually not recognized because it comes in overalls and looks like work.

First I'd have to recreate the mead. Not so tough... I have the recipe and thanks to that class, I have a few ideas about the brewing and rapid cooling process. Packaging, marketing and selling it. Well... I have two of those problems sorted out.

Sigh... It would be easier if you just gave me the money now. Don't make me get up and come over there.
 

On the fly

Starting this post a little early. AT&T and I are having a disagreement over internet access. What I might end up doing is heading down to the library to use the free wi-fi there. In trying to keep the bad news out of this blog, I sometimes end up doing more harm to myself than intended.
So the internet is down pending I send them money. Unfortunately I'm sending every penny I have to the mortgage company in order to keep the roof over my head.
Things are tighter than I've ever seen them, and that's saying something. A day late and a dollar short is how the saying goes. Trying to keep my head up, but the vultures are picking at my carcass. I'll feel better when I have my brush with the law behind me.
At the beginning of the summer I got caught in a speed trap. I paid the ticket and promised to take defensive driving, which I did. I don't have the money to get a copy of my driving record, to present to the court. I should have just paid the full amount of the ticket and be done with it... Oh, wait. I couldn't afford that at the time either. The way I'm going now, I will end up paying more money for the ticket. The only thing this has taught me is to take a different way to work.
The last time I got a ticket was over ten years ago. There is a little town called Windcrest inside the city of San Antonio. We've literally sprawled over incorporated hamlets and towns as the city grows. Anyway, Windcrest has a 20 mile and hour speed limit throughout its limits. Unfortunately that border is right along I-35. My intention was to get on the access road. Eventually getting onto the highway. As I left Home Depot, those sirens and lights came up from behind me. I paid the fine. The only thing that taught me is not to spend my money over there. There are plenty of places that will accept my meager paycheck.
Fast forward to present day. As I was going to work along with the other early risers, Officer friendly nabbed the last one in the pack of travelers, namely me. All this has taught me is to take a different way to work.

DIY?

Like all people who own a home, I've had to become a Do It Yourself kind of person. Trouble is, I consider myself something of a klutz. My family will tell you tales of my earlier exploits at playing junior mad scientist and if you give me any grief, I'll make you sit through a few stories. The first 10 times are the most painful, I promise.
But practice makes perfect. Or necessity becoming the stuff of invention... or something like that.
The first time I tried to put a light fixture on a ceiling fan, I almost electrocuted myself and shorted out the apartment. I've gotten better since then. One of the projects I did this summer was put a new fan in my kid's bedroom. I'm happy to say nothing has burnt down or shorted out.
A few days ago, I talked about putting in wood flooring. But what are the basic tools you would need for day-to-day stuff?
I'm a big believer of buying a tool that you will use over and over again. If I'm only going to use a tool once, I find a way to rent it.
The Basics:

Let's say you open your magic toolbox. What are the first things you should see?
A hammer, A pair of pliers, screw drivers both flat head and phillips and a tape measure. WD-40 and duct tape should be there as well.

Now let's go beyond that.
An L square: I bought this thinking I was only going to use it once or twice, but over the years, this has become one of my tools of choice. Need to make a angle cut? How about drawing a right angle or straight line?
Saw horses: You may be tempted to get the cheapest of these, but don't. The first one I brought home was made of plastic. As soon as my dog saw it, he said, "Oh look! A toy!" and proceeded to parade around the back yard with it in his mouth. It became his favorite chew toy.
The ones I have now are made of steel and have a 2X4 attached to help prevent kick backs. Which brings up the next tool you need.
A circular saw: Yes,one day you will have to cut a piece of wood with one of these.
A jigsaw: Just as you will need to cut a straight line, you will one day need to cut a corner or curvy line.
A level: Unless you're going into the Cabinetry business, you won't need a long level. Look for a torpedo level. It's about a foot to 18 inches long.
Bow saw: If you're like me, you have to constantly beat back the branches that are trying to get under my roof eaves. 
A socket wrench set: Useful for getting a rusty nut and bolt off or a whole bunch of other stuff. Get one metric set and one SAE. You'll thank me when you're putting your kids bed together or changing the spark plugs.
A ladder: Can't decide to get either a A-frame or a straight one? They make aluminum tri-fold ladders that can switch  if you need length or stability. 
Allen wrenches: Remember those funny L shaped things that helped you put together that IKEA furniture or desk? Those are Allen wrenches. Go out and buy one SAE and Metric set. You will be using both, trust me.
A Drill: Probably my most often used tool. I have the driver bits that allow me to screw/unscrew things fast.

That's the basics. You may find yourself collection growing depending on your projects. Use them well and don't forget the safety goggles.
 

A day off from my day off

Friday and Saturday were spent cleaning, sorting and throwing out stuff. Oh no, slick Willie is having a neat attack! Rather than throwing things out indiscriminately, I read or identify each scrap of paper. This slows me down a bit, but I find stuff that was misplaced. For instance I found my 2005 tax returns. Normally my tax documents are in a filing cabinet near our family computer, how it got mixed in with the photos of the family reunion, I'll never know. Side note: I was audited a few years back and got a copy of my missing tax returns sent to me, so I'm good.
At this point I'd like to thank my lovely wife for helping me with this project.  Minion # 2 and 3 helped out too, mainly as sherpas.
Sunday morning we got the bed out. 

Ignore the closet, it doesn't count

Vinyl tiles were from an earlier project

 A few months ago, some Pergo wood flooring came my way. 14 Boxes worth. There were more, but that's all the powers that be at Lowe's were willing to part with. Hindsight being 20/ 20, I should have asked for two or three more boxes. Let me show you why.

Oh hey look, the sun

 Floor laying 101: always lay the planks in the direction of the sun. If the sun comes in through one certain window, that's way you lay them. This hides mistakes and looks better when the project is finished.

Always start in the middle

One side finished

Now here's where I cheated. I finished a complete row of planks and pushed the floating floor the 3 inches over. This way I didn't have to rip cut (lengthwise) the planks. I was running low on material.
Looking back, I just realized I used a few terms people might not be familiar with.
A floor put down with no glue is called a floating floor. In the same way a house contracts and expands between summer and winter temperatures, the floor will go along with it. We've all heard of a house settling. That's all this is. A floating floor just makes sure your floor stays where it's supposed to. It will 'breathe' along with the house.
Normally you would trim a plank vertically to fit the length you need. A rip cut is a horizontal cut, turning a 2X4 into a 2x2.
Cutting the planks, you would need something that cuts in a straight line. A circular saw or a miter saw is perfect for this. You can get away with short cuts using a jigsaw, but only if you can cut a really straight line. Laser sights are not cheating, they are the weekend warrior's equivalent of spell check.

My wife cuts a straighter line than I do

 
 I've used several brands of wood flooring and wood laminate. Pergo is great and pretty easy to put in. Ever play with Legos as a kid? Same concept.
Here are some essential tools you will need: A rubber mallet, a pullbar, and a tapping block. An L square, pencil and measuring tape would not go amiss either.
Wherever you go to buy the wood flooring, they will have the items I mentioned above.
I was just thinking I could turn this into a post about tools every person needs for DIY projects. I still might do that. Here's what the floor looks like now.

Almost there

 All told it was about 8 and a half hours work. Don't forget to stagger your planks. the picture where I first started laying the floor down is a good example. This adds strength to the floor and looks nice. If you were to put the planks side by side evenly, you will break the boards when you walk on them, that much I can guarantee.

We figure two and a half boxes more and we'd be done

There is a special saw to get around door jambs and trimwork. I forget what it's called, but it looks like a spatula. Basically it'll trim the bottom centimeter or so off the door jamb so you can put that last troublesome piece in.

One transition piece coming up

I used the scraps with every layer of new flooring, thereby staggering the planks. Also, the pieces in the doorway are all scraps. Neat job, huh?

Some people will say, it's not the same color or style. Well, beggars can't be choosers. This stuff was given to me and I consider myself lucky to have come close.
Next time I'll talk about what tools every person needs in their toolbox.

Irony

This story is a few months old, but it resurfaced today. 

• The unofficial spokesman for the Heart Attack grill in Las Vegas dies of... a heart attack. Here's the whole story.

Talk about asking for it. From what I'm told, the food there isn't all that much to write home about.

• Two men were banned from an all-you-can-eat restaurant for eating too much. Umm... isn't that the point?

 It only takes one or two guys to ruin it for the rest of us.

• A man who worked at a stress ball manufacturer punches his boss and goes postal.

 Can't imagine why he got upset.

• A newswoman doing a story on ice safety falls into a frozen lake.

I can't make this stuff up people. Over the last couple of days I've been thinking about the ironic situations going on in my life. Then I'm trying not to get fired for opening my big mouth and letting all the snark fall out. It's tough trying to keep a straight face some times. As bad as you might think you have it, another person has a crappier job than you. Or worse luck, or bigger financial problems.
If I could only meet those sexually frustrated nymphomaniacs...

Idiocracy

Back in 2006, a movie called Idiocracy was released. Director Mike Judge (of Bevis and Butthead fame.) satirically lambasted the dumbing down of society.
The reason I bring that movie up is that I think Judge's vision of stupid becoming the accepted norm needn’t be set 500 years in the future. One only has to look at that reality show Jersey Shore, or better yet, the 2013 Miss America pageant.
Yeah, I usually find out about the pageant the day after it happens. These ladies won the genetic lottery, I get it. They are beautiful, smart and all things wonderful. Nina Davuluri is from New York, born and raised in the U.S of A. Her family lives in Syracuse. Her parents immigrated to Missouri back in 1981. Yes, she is of Indian decent. We all had to come from somewhere. Having been born in 1989, she is American. Hey teabaggers, there is a reason we're called the great melting pot.
Faux 'News' revealed their true colors (again) when their radio host Todd Starnes commented that Miss Davuluri didn't represent 'American Values' and the better choice would have been the blond, blue eyed gal from Kansas, Miss Theresa Vail. Then the bile laden tweets came out. I only read a few of them before I had to walk away. These people represented the lowest of the low, stupidest of the idiots.

The morons are dragging us to their level.

Case in point: A 12 year old girl from my wife's home town jumped to her death after being bullied by more than a dozen other girls online.
I'd bet money that poor girl had a very high grade point average. The teen years are tough enough as it is. Intelligent people feel emotions more intensely than others. My gut reaction is these girls had a pack mentality... a mob mentality.
My daughters got bullied in school. To an extent they still do. Constant communication helps stem the worst of it, but I can't be there for them all the time, no parent can. The only thing I can do is to listen, talk to them and help them cope with the pressures of being a teen girl. Often times I help them develop strategies for dealing with the idiots. And let's face it, there are a lot of stupid people in the world. I'm not saying my girls are the smartest people on the planet, I'm saying they are smarter than most of their classmates. Wanna compare test scores? My kids break bell curves. When dealing with these problems, I took a line from Dan Savage: It gets better.
(By the way, Dan Savage's project, appropriately titled 'it gets better', is nothing short of brilliant.) Go to You tube and check it out if you don't believe me.
My middle daughter lamented the fact that the boys in her high school were so boring because they were (in her words) dweebs and immature. I had to reassure her that the boys she would be interested in were in college. Not the frat boys, but the ones who had the dreams... the ambitions and goals.
Yes, intelligence is an aphrodisiac to my kids. What I also taught them was just because a boy is in a dead end job, doesn't mean you automatically write them off. Probationary friend zoned... sure, but don't hang around them if they don't have a plan.
Now back to the redneck hicks that believe Faux News: When I think of journalists and newscasters with a high caliber of morals and ethics, my first thought is Edward R. Murrow, Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, and Ted Koppel.
Glenn Beck, Bill O'Rielly, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh don't have a fraction of the integrity these real news reporters do. Faux incites and stirs up the masses with FUD. Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt.
One of the first things I wrote when I started this blog: I don't do fear. 
Fear of the unknown. Fear of the what if. Fear of the maybe. Blind fear of the unfounded.
I got your fear right here.
Think for yourselves people. Faux news is to real news what Wrestlemania is to the Olympics.
Those awful comments about Miss America 2013, Nina Davuluri? Read them here.
This open letter from Political Garbage Chute drops a few f-bombs, but sums up my feelings about this whole matter.
The rednecks and teabaggers are trying to drag you down to their level. Please be smarter than that.


 

taking the plunge

Recently an almost complete microbrewery kit came into my possession. The only thing I need to start this off is a stainless steel cooking pot, and I have a few leads on where to get one of those. In addition to that I have nearly two cases of mead that the previous owner made. I've read the books and learned there are a lot of things I need to know. It's one of those 'learn by doing' experiences. Signing up for a class in microbrewing was simple enough. Today I got to watch them make some pumpkin beer for Oktoberfest. The class ran a little longer than anyone expected. My wife and kids had to be picked up from a church sponsored BBQ, so I left the class a little early to pick them up. From what I could piece together, microbrewing is an extension of cooking. Following a recipe and once you've practised enough, create something on your own with a unique flavor.
Right now all our money is tied up in other things, but I may get the chance to do something later on down the line. When my English family members  come for a visit, nothing would give me greater pleasure than to serve them a glass of chilled honey wine or an ale worthy of their tastebuds.



 

Brain pan cooking

No, no... not zombie cuisine. My as yet unnamed sequel is gearing up for the finale. During lunch today, the leading edge to the climax started to appear on the pages. It's discouraging to have only two paragraphs to show for my time during lunch break. I suppose it's all in how you look at it. A regular writing session yields roughly six to eight pages. That's not to say I'm having writers block, but several factors come into play. When I'm on the clock, I work at a pretty high energy output level. When I sit down to eat, the bottom drops out on me. Literally, I nod off while typing. It must be a blood sugar thing. Still, I get some outlining done. Stuff gets blocked out... and the footnotes! When I hear a joke or a really good snarky comment, I quickly write it down. Later on I try to work it into the story.

So the Jabberwocky agency sent me a nice rejection letter. That does bum me out a bit, but I can see their point. Everyone is looking for the next Harry Potter. Choosing the right story can make or break the company. Even if the story is good, there's no guarantee people will take a shine to it. Publishing is a risky business. When you put yourself at the mercy of a publisher or agent, your hopes tend to rise and expectations soar. Then a rejection letter is all that more deflating.
That doesn't mean I've given up. Quite the contrary, I'm going to have to go in a direction that few people are brave enough to venture out to. It's what I'm already doing, but more so. 
There's a bunch of short stories that I'm itching to write. So far they're 'treatments', which is to say short paragraphs outlining the plot and storyline. The great thing is I don't have to finish what I'm doing with the TR sequel before I start a short story. My next body of work is going to be the short story collection. That's the thing with all the creative energy juice: the more you use it, the more you have. Okay folks, sneak peek time.

“It didn't take that long mind you,” Charlotte called out from just behind me. After much discussion the two of us settled on a mode of transportation for the journey to Fort Worth. My first thought was to travel by train, but we'd have to journey down to Austin, spend days waiting to catch a train heading in the proper direction, eventually getting to Fort Worth. Not quick enough for me. Charlotte suggested a stagecoach would be faster. For some reason I never took to riding in a wagon. Sore backside. Breathing dust and dirt. Not being able to see where you're going. There wasn't even an in-flight movie!

Charlotte gave me the look that told me I was being a whiner. Eventually we compromised. Sally loaned us a horse so Charlotte could ride alongside Salt and myself. A pack mule rounded out our entourage for our supplies and bags.

“We should get there in a day or two if the weather holds.” I commented. This stretch of the trail allowed Charlotte and I to ride side by side for once. All too often the path forced us to ride single file. Riding beside each other like right now, we had some of our best conversations.

“What's the future like?” She asked.

“I thought we agreed not to discuss specific events.”

“No,” her mouth smiling slightly as she spoke. “What are people like?”

This made me pause for a moment to think. “People are basically the same. A lot of people are good. Some people are selfish. A person you'd meet in the twentieth century would behave somewhat the same now. Why do you ask?”

Charlotte took a moment before speaking. “I've been thinking about that girl in Pensacola, Gemma. Are her people ever going to stand as equals?”

“Yes,” I smiled. “It'll take some time. A lot of arguing is about to take place. But it will change many people's minds. Women will get the right to vote and eventually get the same pay as a man does. There will be wars... demonstrations over who's better: man, woman, white, black... the list goes on. Nationality and religion is going to factor in too.”

“This must all seem so barbaric to you.” Charlotte remarked. Sometimes I think she did that on purpose in order to pick a fight or get me to talk. I'd end up revealing a little more than I wanted to and she'd get her curiosity satisfied. This time around I was ready for her.

“Actually a good idea or invention will stick around.” Charlotte regarded me with an amusing look. “Ben Franklin invented reading glasses. People in my time still use them. A man named George Washington Carver came up with a whole bunch of ways to use peanuts.”

“Who?”

Whoops. I fell for it again.

“If you haven't heard of his name, you will shortly.” I amended, but Charlotte wasn't about to let it go. “What did he do?”

With a small sigh escaping my lips, I answered. “A lot of his work is in soil conservation. More than anyone else, he's going to be responsible for southern agriculture to make a comeback.

“Tell me more,” she dared.

“He was black. A free man I believe.”

Charlotte looked at me with mild irritation. I knew what she wanted me to say, and I was being down right stingy with details about the future.

“What would you like to know?”

“Everything! Anything!” she giggled. “It's not like I'm going to go blabbing my mouth off to the world... and we have plenty of time.”

“So it appears.” I agreed. “Okay, first off: in my time we have fifty states. Alaska and Hawaii are going to be admitted to the Union sometime in the 1950's...”

We had a couple of days of travel in front of us. Might as well make the most of it.

“C'mere you.” I called to the mule carrying our stuff. A firm tug on the rope brough him over to where I could hobble him for the night.

“Why don't we give him a name?” Charlotte called out from the campfire. Taking care of the horses and setting up camp was a one person job. Cooking dinner would fall to the second person. To keep it interesting we would switch off. In order to keep the peace, I usually cleaned up afterwards.

“Oh I don't know...” I tried to sound bored. “We might have to eat him.”

The stirring ladle stopped momentarily as she decided whether I was kidding or not. “That's not going to happen.” Charlotte chimed in her sing-song warning voice.

Truth be told I was considering giving our pack mule a moniker that suited him for a couple of days now. “Let's see...” I thought aloud. “He likes to get dirty... Plays in the trash if we let him. Definitely not a morning person... I know what to call him!” Snapping my finger as I stepped in front of the mule. “I christen thee Oscar!”

Looking up from the stew dinner on the fire, she called out, “You're naming him after that poet, Wilde?”

“Nah,” I shot back. “I knew a grouch by that name.”

 

Time

Have you ever felt the world needed to freeze for 24 hours, just so you can catch up on things? Maybe we don't need the whole 24 hours at once. For instance when you have to be in two places at once. Yesterday I had to take my daughter to her orthodontist appointment. Of course I had to cover 30 odd miles in a few minutes. With rush hour traffic, that wasn't going to happen. So we got there fifteen minutes late. Not the worst thing in the world, but still...
Yesterday after work, I had to attempt to fix my wife's car. The battery won't hold a charge. I'm going to take it down to the auto part store when I pick up my headlight. They have test equipment to see if the battery is any good. While that's going on, I'll put the new light in.
Could the world just stop for... I dunno, an hour or two?
What I really need to do is take care of the floor. There is water on the passenger side. It could be condensation from the air conditioning, but it looks like I'll have to pull up the carpet to see where it's coming from.

Before

During

After

Do you think I went up in experience for this? Maybe. If I had the money burning a hole in my pocket, I'd fix the truck up the way it should be. The turn signal still doesn't work, but I suspect the bulb will have to be replaced. It's times like these where I need the world to stop while I catch up. There's still a big pile of projects that need to be taken care of. If I thought I could get away with it, I'd call in and catch up on all the crap I need to do, although I don't think one day will cover it.

 

What is done

Busy weekend. When you own a truck there are two questions asked the most often:
Can you help me move?
Can you give me a jump?
For that reason, I carry a set of jumper cables and some straps in my cab.
Now one of the man rules states that moving furniture for friends is to be compensated by one of the following:
Beer, food or gas.
The standard rule is one beer per flight of stairs and or heavy furniture. Since my buddy was moving from house to house, no extra beers were added into the price for moving.
Come to think of it, I didn't get fed or gas money allocated. Some one owes me for two days of moving his washing machine, comic books and couch. These are services rendered. Pay up bub, open a tab.
Now you might ask, what are 'man rules'?
This is the unwritten code men live by. People have tried to define it and there have been several attempts to put things down in writing.
Here's some of the rules to pay attention to.

• No cameras are to be brought to a bachelor party, period.
• Unless he murdered someone in your family, a friend must be bailed out of jail within 12 hours.
• If you've known a man for 24 hours, his sister is off limits... Unless you are going to marry her.
• Whining about the free beer in your friend's fridge is forbidden.
• On a road trip, the strongest bladder determines road stops, not the weakest.
• Buying a birthday present for another man is strictly optional, as is remembering the birthday in the first place.
• friends don't let friends wear speedos, ever.
• When you come across other men watching a sporting event, it's okay to ask the score, never who's playing.
• No two men shall share an umbrella.
• Only in situations of mortal peril are you allowed to kick a man in the nuts.
• Never hesitate to reach for the last beer or slice of pizza, but not both.
• Never talk to a man in the bathroom unless you are on equal footing. i.e. both urinating, both washing your hands. In all other cases, a nod is all that is required.
• There is no reason to watch ice skating or men's gymnastics.
• You may exaggerate an anecdote by 50% without fear of reprisal. Anything beyond that and people within earshot may call 'BULLSHIT!'
• When queried by a friend's wife, or girl friend, you need not provide any useful information as to his whereabouts. In some cases you may deny his very existence.
• The minimum amount of time you are required to wait for a buddy that is running late is five minutes. For a girl it is ten minutes for every point on the standard 1-10 hotness scale.
• Being the wingman for a buddy who is trying to hook up with a hot girl is your legal duty. If you end up hooking up with her less comely friend, (i.e. taking one for the team.) Your friend is required to keep his fat mouth shut. 
•  Before dating a buddy's ex, you are required to ask permission, in turn, he is required to grant it.
• Universal compensation for helping a friend move: Beer, food or gas.
• You are not required to like your girlfriend's cat.
• Before allowing your drunken friend to cheat on his girl, you are required to intervene once. If he tells you to fuck off, he's on his own.

There's more, but I don't know where I put them.
 

Something to learn

Never believe for a moment, not one second, you know everything. We pretend we're experts a lot of times, but we're not. The most we can aspire to is to be an authority on any given subject. Another person may know as much as you, perhaps more. Maybe they know a different point of  view. where you are an expert at ABCDEF, they may know DEFGHI.
In all my people watching, I witness brilliant people getting the brush off. To be fair, they allow themselves to be put to the side. There is a guy I know who bags groceries at our supermarket. I've seen him at a few cons and game stores. We've spoken to one another several times. He's a likeable fellow. One time he had his beard tied together with a rubber band, so I did the natural thing: I started calling him 'Captain Lou' after the wrestler, Captain Lou Albano. He stopped wearing the rubber band after that. 
One day not too long ago, I found out this guy was tutoring college students in calculus. What I couldn't wrap my head around was this: here's an obviously smart guy, who doesn't drive, doesn't have a lot of things. (On several occasions I wondered if he owns a comb or brush.) Now my sister will roll her eyes. I'm no fashion authority, but I have standards. They're low, but they are there. Moving on...
If you are smart or talented, shouldn't you be able to hold down a job worthy of your skills? A while back I heard about the math genius working at Subway. I talked about not finding a job in your chosen field and taking a lesser job to pay the rent. Now what about my friend, Captain Lou? I stopped him in the parking lot and asked him this. Why isn't he doing something he's clearly qualified to do? His answer was both cryptic and insightful. He said he had a lot of issues to work on. That could be anything from confidence to depression. It brought up another facet to consider: You have to want something bad enough. With most people, they have a desire or passion to be what they want to be. Others may want thier life to be a certain way, but don't want to work at it, or they're afraid of change. With a little reluctance I admit to being in a third category. Hating enough to change.
There are parts of my life I hate. That's a word I don't throw around much. When I waited tables, I did it because I needed the money and I was sorta good at it. Also, I considered it legalized begging. This is not to say all parts of my life suck. Parts of my life are pretty good. Certain facets suck a little less. Then there are the things that make me so miserable that I have to change them or lose myself in the process.
The trick is not to let the sucky things take over your life. When a pointy haired boss starts coming down on me, there is a little sliver of human inside of me saying;'I've got a secret and you can't crush it.' I relish the time I have when I'm working on writing. When I was hustling down at the convention, it felt right. Going into a room (in Mr. Confidence mode, no less.) and eventually sitting one chair away from the agent I wanted to meet, then actually talking to him afterwards and hopefully impressing him. That was me in my element. All the synapses in my right hemisphere were firing. I didn't care about food or water, my mental list checked off things I needed to do, and boy did I need to do them. So what's the difference between me and Captain Lou?
I want it, and I'm willing to work for it.
 

Goes without saying

My daughters are the joy that makes life worthwhile. Admittedly, I was a tad jealous when my first child was born. My world revolved around my wife and I at that time. I hate to admit it but, I resented the intrusion. For the small amount of food she ate, her body multiplied it ten fold as it came out the other end. She cried, she kept me from sleeping. She occupied all the attention of my wife. Privacy was non-existent. At the time I felt angry and resentful, that I was being pushed to the side. Then I read about Sudden Infant Death syndrome. She pissed and crapped and didn't do nothing, I reasoned. What if I just held my hand over her mouth and smothered the little brat? 
Looking selfishly at this intrusion into my life, I was almost willing to send her back to whatever dark place spawned this hell child.
Then something amazing happened. As I brought my hand up to cut off her wind pipe, she looked up at me with those cute puppy dog eyes and cooed. All thoughts of malice went out the door. A sudden realization hit me: here was a living, breathing soul I brought into the world and I was being a self-centered asshole. At that point, I stopped living and thinking for myself. From that point on, I started living for my children. That day I learned more about love and the ability to care. You get out of life what you put into it, and I'd forgotten that. So I spent time with my daughter, we celebrated victories and milestones. Held her when she cried, comforted her when she felt sick.
Immortality isn't found in a bottle, pill or surgery. If you want to be immortal, raise your kids in a way that brings honor and integrity to everyone's life. 
On the first day of school, my oldest decides to hop over a ditch in order to get to class. Like the graceful swan, she rolls her ankle and goes strait to the nurses office. From there she is sent home. Didn't even make it to her first class. With her ankle swollen reminiscent of a tree trunk (With big purple bruises.) she had to go home. The wife took her to the doctor and confirmed what we already knew: no breaks or fractures, just very badly sprained.
"She's your daughter." the wife quips. Oh, so now I get the blame. Seriously, I didn't think I was that bad. 

After the injury, before the bruising

 

Bruising and swelling, what a pair

Sunday busy Sunday

Tomorrow may be Labor day, but I have to join the real world. Schools will be closed, So will the banks. Not Lowe's or most of the retail stores.
My kids are sleeping in, the wife has errands to run. Work resumes for me after a pretty exciting weekend. Going back to my Clark Kent job is feeling more and more like a let down. All this great stuff is happening and my life is moving forward. This feels right. Simply put: my job is interfering with my life.
When talking to Howard Taylor, I framed it in his terms. He was working in the IT field (what he did for a living.) and made the leap to writing and drawing web comics. (what he's doing for a life.)
The look in his eyes told me he understood exactly where I was coming from. Perhaps it's wishful thinking on my part, but the unspoken words were, 'good luck buddy.'
Today was my last appearance at the con. There was one more thing on my to do list: Joshua Blimes and the Jaberwocky agency. If his agency didn't do speculative fiction or alternate history, I wouldn't have thought it was a good match. The fact that I got into the coffee klatch was something short of amazing. The underlying feeling was they didn't want to say no to anybody.
There was a good Q & A session and afterwards I had a chance to give him my card and let him know I submitted my query to his assistant. He wrote my name down. All in all I thought things went well. He got to see that, 'Here's a guy who's taking this seriously.' In the mean time, back to doing what I was doing, writing and working. Working and writing.
A lot of people were in attendance today. Here, let me show you what I mean.

The entrance

Behind the iron throne

See the difference?

This is what a book signing looks like

This is the line for a book signing

It's a big line

The dealers area was rocking

A good time was had by all

 Steve Jackson came up and lent us a hand at the Chaos machine. No, I didn't take pictures of that. Just as I didn't take pictures of any of the other guests I talked about. The reason for that is I wanted to treat them as human beings.
Before they became famous, they were ordinary people.

Wil Wheaton said it best: It's not about what you love, it's how you love it.

Three o'clock rolled around and I had to cut out. Real life was calling. I did forget my battery recharger, but with the help of my faithful sidekick, we got it back just in time to take kids back to their respective parents and I collected a microbrewery kit. There is a bit of reading I have to do, but I'm looking at four cases of mead sitting in my living room with all the stuff to make gallons of beer, wine and mead in the garage. This may or may not turn into a new hobby. I'm going to read up on it, figure out the cost to make this, and see if I'm actually any good at it. If not, I can still pass it on to somebody else. Who knows? When I told my friends, they were thinking: 'Party at Bill's house.' Little do they know I'd rope them in to helping brew the stuff. I'm told it's a two or three person job. Well, let's see how things turn out.