Monthly Archives: November 2009

New Book Quiz

So here I am, filing away paperwork like a good little cog, when I get a comment from EireDuck, the creator of the book quiz. I blogged about that here.

So I did what any good cog would do. I took the quiz. Things have changed in a year. Post your new books here!



You’re A People’s History of the United States!
by Howard Zinn
After years of listening to other peoples’ lies, you decided you’ve
had enough. Now you’re out to tell it like it is, with all the gory details and nothing
left out. Instead of respecting leaders, you want to know what the common people have to
offer. But this revolution still has a long way to go, and you’re not against making a
little profit while you wait. Honesty is your best policy.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.


And we’re done

With NaBloPoMO! Whoo Hoo! One thing completed!


Looking Forward to December

On the surface, it appears that Health care and Afghanistan have one detail in common: money. How we pay for health care reform and the war is only one part of the equation. Who profits from these changes should be the second question. There is at least one other detail both plans share:

Both are throwing women under the bus.

Our vaunted health care reform seems to be removing federal dollars for abortion. The Afghan government has a less than stellar record for women’s rights. Neither health care reform nor the war in Afghanistan can succeed without taking into account what women need. Any attempt to secure some other goal–expanded coverage or more security–at the expense of women is not progress. It is regress.

So guess what I’m going to look into for December? Health Care and the War. Feel free to send me any links you think I need to read.


Words

Somedays, words are pretty easy things to grab. Then there are the days where I cannot remember how to spell the word “the.” Today isn’t either one of those days. While the words aren’t easy for me to grab, I can at least spell the word that are coming to me. I figure this is something i just have to type through.

Typing through–working through–instance of difficult is what I’ve learned the most this month. NaNoWriMo isn’t about writing the best novel, its just about writing. It is more important that “aspiring writers” develop a routine than it is to generate 50k words in a month.

It’s kinda like practicing the Saxophone. I played one as a kid, you see, and I never developed a routine for practicing it. I used my asthma as an excuse. One of our band directors–a nice old man whose name I’ve forgotten–told me to “practice your finger positions when you can’t breath but its practice time.” I did it once, and i felt so stupid, I stopped. If I had shown any dedication to that instrument, I would have stuck with it. I played that instrument until the end of my freshman year. After I got my “Art Credit” I quit the band and went on to “cooler things,” like playing D&D with my buddy Bill.

I am still learning to write. I’ve given up on being ashamed of it. Now I’m just starting to appreciate the routine of writing, even when the words don’t come as quickly as they should.


Saturday

My typical Saturday morning ritual includes: Listening to Morning Edition, Car Talk and cleaning the bathroom. I did both of these things, as well as washed a metric fuck ton of laundry. I would have liked to have done more around the house–clean up the study, bake banana bread–but I’m stuck with having a sparkling bathroom, clean dishes and fresh laundry.

There is something about a day full of a chores that drains one of motivation.

This, however, seems to have boosted my motivation slightly:

Its out on Tuesday.


Black Friday

Black Friday means its a month to Christmas. Typically, this is the time of year where I get crankier. Before my parents died, it was a bit of a joke. Every family needs a grump, and I did so without being a total jackass. When my dad died, my mom, Tony and I put up a brave front. When my mom died, Tony and I tried a variety of ways to keep our spirits up, but for the past two years, I didn’t bother.

In short: Christmas sucks.

I can pretend that it is about the over-commercialization of Christmas, the pressure of buying gifts and my hatred of Christmas music (I really do hate Holiday Music). The fact of the matter is I miss my parents. As much as I miss them, I don’t being an as is really the best way to deal with missing them.

Instead of wallowing in grief, this year I’m really going to make an effort not to be a grump. Who knows, maybe we’ll even get a tree this year.


I am also thankful for…

Motörhead**

**and MacOS X, which makes ö so easy to do.


What I am thankful for

Friends who share links and pictures…And the Muppets.


A Better Post


I got nothing

Shannon totally disapproves of this blog post.


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