I already posted this over at the new(ish) project’s website but wanted to put it here too. Why? Well, because I love pencils, that’s why.
Blackwing pencils in particular. I’ve always wondered how they’re made. Now, after watching this, I know.
See, I can still learn things. Not dead yet. Not even mostly.
With everything that’s going on right now, I feel a bit awkward coming here to talk about stuff I’m working on or to “promote” things. Still, if you do make things or have project you’re proud of, or whatever, I guess you shouldn’t feel weird telling people about them. Maybe. I don’t know. It still feels kinda weird. Anyway . . .
I’m happy to report on a couple good things I’ve been working on. First, let’s talk about the novel. Yes, I finished the first book in the trilogy I’m writing.
It’s called The Blue Fire Synthesis (that’s the cover above) and it’s available at Amazon right now. I know, some people have issues with Amazon. I’m not in love with them either. They do make publishing a book relatively easy, so that’s something.
As this is my first “published” novel I wanted to get it out there in as simple a way as possible. I also wanted the chance to reach the largest audience possible. For good or ill, that’s Amazon KDP. So, that’s what I did.
At the moment, there’s only a Kindle version. A print version is coming soon. Just waiting for the cover elements and then it’s good to go.
I’m currently around 50K words into the second book of the trilogy, so look for that to come out later this year. The third book I’m trying to get done by the end of 2026. Just in time for the holidays!
It will make a great stocking stuffer. Heck, get all three! A set for each of you! Let’s go!
And hey, if you like the first book (or even like me a little bit) I’d sincerely appreciate a rating or a review. If you’re up for it. Thanks!
Okay, so what’s the other thing? Well, as many of you know, I love coffee. So, H and I decided to start a coffee company. Well, it was mostly her. I helped a little.
It’s called Divergent Grounds and we have coffee (shocking) and tea. The site is still a work in progress, so I apologize for the state of it. Right now, it’s more of a soft launch, but we’re working on it.
But the coffee is great and you should get some and try it. You won’t be disappointed. Roasted to order and shipped pretty much anywhere. Enjoy!
Okay, that’s it for now. Try to stay kind and be excellent to each other. And, of course, May the Fourth Be With You!
If you read my earlier post you know I’ve been trying to get away from the Internet and all its distractions. In truth, it hasn’t really been that difficult to opt out of the doomscroll (or whatever you want to call it).
I enjoy being less angry after reading absurd bullshit online so I’m sure that has a lot to do with it. I do go on Instagram, or other socials, occasionally but the amount of time has been reduced drastically. I think it’s improved my outlook and general mental health.
Another thing that’s improved my outlook and general mental health is writing in a journal. It’s been over a month now and I’ve been writing every night before bed instead of looking at my phone or iPad. Over thirty days . . . in a row. Gold star for me.
My journal isn’t anything formal and I don’t really follow any set pattern. It’s more like I open it and just start rambling about things I’m thinking about. Good, bad, sad, angry, happy whatever . . . it all goes in there. I also find it particularly good when I’m angry or upset about something. I write it down and get it out of my head.
I actually feel better after doing it. I think keeping that stuff inside isn’t great for you and I don’t always want to talk about it or expose my family or friends to any of it, so getting it out on paper is a good form of self therapy for me.
Of course, I’m not saying actual therapy is bad or not helpful. It’s absolutely helpful. This is just what I’m doing now and it seems to be working, Also, I’m not having super dark thoughts or anything, I just get angry or frustrated or sad sometimes. We all do. Perfectly normal, especially given the circumstances of the world right now.
Why am I talking about this? Well, if you’ve read this far (thank you, btw) I’m talking about this because it might be of benefit to you too. If you’re having “thoughts” or “Thoughts” with a capital ‘T’ it might help to get them out of your head by writing them down.
You don’t ever have to go back and read what you wrote and the journal can just be for you. It can be your private place to say all the stuff you want to say in any way you want to say it.
Please keep in mind I’m not a mental health professional and if you’re in need of help, please seek it from a professional. They can help you and they sincerely do want to help. Please allow them to do so.
That said, writing things down has been very helpful to me. I’ve done it enough so its become a habit I actually look forward to. I’ve even expanded to writing in the mornings as well. What the kids call “morning pages.”
I dump out all the things from the night (dreams, thoughts, whatever) and plan (in some detail) what I’m going to try to accomplish during the day. It’s not a strict plan, more of an outline. Still, it seems to help me focus more during the day and get more stuff done.
The other takeaway here is just to do your best. Don’t get upset with yourself if you miss a day or if you don’t think you have anything to write. There’s been more than one occasion where I’ve just written “I don’t have anything to write today” several times in a row until other stuff finally starts to flow.
I’m fortunate having nothing to say doesn’t happen to me very often. I’ve never really had what people call “writers block.” Just lucky I guess.
But it’s important not to be scared of it happening or be frustrated if it does. Just do your best. Try just writing literally whatever. As long as the pen or pencil is moving, that’s good. And if still nothing comes, put the journal away and come back to it later in the day. It’s okay.
I hope you give this a try and I hope it works as well for you as it has for me. Best of luck. You’ve got this.
And as always, be kind to each other. We need that now more than ever.
With all that’s going on in the world it occurred to me being online a lot and trolling social media is probably a bad thing. Bad for my mental health, bad for my level of anger and just bad in general.
I can’t be angry or anxious or feel bad almost all the time. It’s no way to live.
So, with that in mind I’ve been taking a sorta break from most online things. I still post on Instagram and look at photos or watch YouTube videos, but I pretend most other things don’t exist and rarely, if ever, post anything. No Threads. No Facebook. No Bluesky and certainly no Twitter (I will never call it X. Fuck that).
One benefit of not scrolling all the time is, well, more time. I’ve got more time to do other things. One of the things is writing. I’ve been writing more. It isn’t hard to write more than I had been. Any bit would be more when compared to zero, which is what I had been doing.
One of the ways I’ve started writing again is by doing a journal. Every night before I go to bed, instead of looking at my phone or iPad or whatever, I write in one of my favorite notebooks (the Confidant from Baronfig if you’re curious) with one of my favorite pens or pencils (the Uni-Ball 207+ and/or the Blackwing 602).
No, this isn’t a commercial for those products, they’re just some of my favorites. I do love my pens, pencils and notebooks. Some might say too much. But that’s crazy. You can never have enough. Fight me.
Writing every day and keeping a journal (or whatever you want to call it) has been great. I really like doing it and I think it’s become a habit. It makes me happy.
I’ve also seen quite a few people talking about writing a journal first thing in the morning. Getting all the stuff out of your brain before you start your day. That sounds great too and I will probably do that at some point.
For now, though, I’m happy with my progress and don’t want to take on too much. I don’t want to beat myself up if I can’t journal two times a day or something. I’m happy I’m doing it at least once a day, every day. I’ll take the small victories where I can.
So, if you’re feeling some ways about some things: angry, anxious, afraid, whatever, maybe trying writing those feelings and thoughts down in a journal. You don’t have to show it to anyone or even read it ever again. It’s just for you. It’s just to have a place to put some of those feelings and thoughts you maybe don’t want to keep inside.
I really think it’s working for me. It might work for you too.
With the additional free time I’ve also been reading more and watching some shows. Currently, I’m reading The Foundation series by Isaac Asimov. It’s been awhile and I’m enjoying the Apple TV+ series so I thought I’d revisit the books.
I also read this great book called Make Time about, well, time and taking some control over your own happiness and satisfaction during the day and in your life. I don’t usually read this kind of thing (self-help or whatever), but these authors make a lot of sense. It’s definitely made me think about what I do during the day and how I spend my time.
Finally, I’m spending more time with my family, taking some walks and even making the occassional photograph. As always, you can find some of those on my Instagram.
Ok. That’s it for now. Be kind to each other.
Now that I’ve decided to get back to the blog and content that I own and control, one big problem with blogging continues to be the same after all these years (at least for me): What the heck to write about? It’s difficult coming up with topics and attempting, in your own way, to make sense of said topic or your particular “take” on it.
But I guess that’s a problem with all creative endeavors, you need to put in the work. And a lot of people aren’t willing to do that. But no, I’m not here to bash anyone or complain or anything like that. I’ve done that before, as many of you who read here know, but that’s not something I’m going to focus on today.
Really, I’m going to try not to focus on that too much at all going forward. I don’t want to be negative or come across as negative, regardless of how I feel in the moment or how things are going in the world. There’s already enough negativity going around. I feel it. I’m sure you do too.
Instead, let’s focus on the positive. . . I’m positive everything is fucked . . . No, come on. I’m just trying to be funny. Emphasis on funny. Because man, you just gotta laugh sometimes at the absurdity of it all. How did we end up like this? I don’t really know.
Okay, let’s remember to focus on the positive. But what can that look like?
Maybe it means not spending all of your time on social media seeing how things are going? Or maybe it means focusing more on local efforts in politics, or other areas, where your voice and contributions can have more of an impact? Maybe it means spending more time with family and friends enjoying your life as much as you can and not feeling like everything is going to come crashing down?
For me it means a combination of the above and, hopefully, this blog/website. I haven’t blogged “professionally” in a while, but I don’t think I’ve forgotten how. Yes, Blogger was an actual job not that long ago. My byline is out there if you search.
And no, I didn’t write a post once about how the iPhone would fail. Well, actually it was technically a post about how the iPhone would fail, I just wasn’t the one saying it. I was quoting someone else and reporting on their opinion. You’ll just have to read it. Or not.
Let’s just say I can do this. I know I can. In fact, you could say I’m positive . . .
Turning to darker topics for a moment, the devastating wildfires in California have left me feeling horrible for those impacted. Los Angeles was my home for over 20 years and my heart goes out to everyone there, including many friends and former colleagues, who’ve lost businesses, possessions, homes and precious memories.
It’s a horrible tragedy made even worse by some people’s callous disregard for human suffering and staggering lack of empathy.
If you can, here’s a link to a list of organizations where your money can help victims of these horrible events:
I know money is probably tight, just do what you can. Anything will help.
Until next time, be kind to each other.
Yes, I know the photo has been used before. I just like it. It reminds me of happier, more positive, times.
Hello friends. It’s that time. I’ve finally made a decision.
I’m going to be shifting my writing focus over to Medium for the time being. What does that mean? I won’t be writing anything new here. Instead, I’ll be ranting, raving and otherwise smacking the keys over at Medium.
Why, you may wonder? It’s a long story but let’s just say I’m trying to simplify my life, write more and potentially expand my audience. I think Medium has the best chance of helping me do those things.
So, if you enjoy my musings, please go to my Medium site and continue to enjoy. And tell a friend.
Thanks for a great time. I really appreciate you hangin with me all these years. I’ll see you on the other side.
Until then, try to be kind to each other.
So far, I’m enjoying 2021 much more than 2020. Sure, this new year isn’t without its share of issues. But things are still looking up and still moving in the right direction . . . in my humble opinion at least.
Which brings me to the update promised in the title of this post. Here goes: we’ve started posting new content at The Flickcast. Not just podcasts, mind you, other content too. Fun!
Starting to post content again serves several purposes, not the least of which is getting me into the habit of writing every day. That’s a good thing.
Plus, who knows, maybe some people will go to the site and it will generate a few bucks of income? It could happen. It’s happened before. We have pretty small overhead so almost anything would be good.
That said, if you feel so inclined, head over and read some articles and maybe click on one of the ads? I’d appreciate it.
Speaking of websites, there’s another one you should check out for sure: Hapa Grey. I’m probably biased (I am) but it’s one of my favorites. If you love bargains and deals and knowing about the latest trends, Hapa Grey is the site for you. Check it out.
Other than that, I’m playing a fuckton of D&D (in private and on Twitch), we’re not frozen anymore, don’t have to boil our water, my son hates doing school online, it’s basically been a year since we started quarantine and I almost got my first dose of the COVID vaccine.
Maybe I’ll get it tomorrow? Maybe. Hope you get yours soon too.
Until then, stay safe, wear your mask, social distance and try not to be a dick.
Image: Adobe Stock
I posted this on Twitter, but I thought I’d put it on here too. Why not? Although, I realize by posting it here it will also be posted back to Twitter. The circle of life . . .
The funny thing is, I haven’t forgotten about this blog. It only seems that way due to the complete lack of new content. What can I say? I’ve got a kid and a life and I’ve not really felt like writing much lately. Blah, blah, blah. Still . . .
Now I’m gonna say the thing that all people who’ve stopped writing on a blog have said so many times: I’m gonna start updating this site again.
One of these days.
Until then, have you checked out my photos on Instagram lately? If not, take a look. Feel free to like one or two of them, if you don’t mind. Thanks.
See you soon.
Hello all. My most recent plan was to start to write here frequently again. As you can plainly see, I was not entirely successful.
However, I do intend to give it another try. I’ve been working on a couple other writing projects and those have taken up what little creative energy I have. Now that I’m at a certain point with those, I can take a step back and focus a bit more on this site, which I’ve been posting at for over fourteen years now.
Fourteen years? Damn. That’s a long time.
In truth, I’m not even sure that’s completely accurate. I think it’s actually been longer. But still, fourteen years is a good stretch, so I won’t worry too much about it.
Anyway, stay tuned and I’ll try to be better about writing things for this site. Or, at the very least, put up some funny links or a cat video once in awhile. People still love that shit, right?