I haven’t written anything about the Virginia Tech murders because, first, I haven’t been writing at all, and, second, because everyone else on the web has been blogging their minds out about the tragedy. I thought at least one person ought to just listen quietly. Besides, what can I say that others haven’t already said, except pray for the victims, their families, and the family of Cho Seung-hui.
The People We Want to Blame
April 24th, 2007Roll Call
April 23rd, 2007For the last six months, I’ve considered where I’m going with this website, what I’m doing with it (not a whole lot), and whether or not I’m going to maintain it in the future. When I started this enterprise, I had great ambitions for the site, the blog, and everything else, most of which have not come close to being realized. Sure, a large part of the problem is my own procrastination, but another part was the question of what I’m trying to do and how effective this blog is at accomplishing it.
Along the way, I’ve received a lot of encouragement from several individuals. Even now, I’m reluctant to shut the blog down completely. I’m still struggling with several issues relating to this blog, and writing in general, and I don’t want to make any rash decisions.
So I’ve decided to do this: I’ll restart the blog and continue it until July 1, 2007. I may make some changes in the website and the blog and I may not. It just depends on how much time I have in the next ten weeks.
Meanwhile, I’d like to do a roll call. If you’re reading this site, post a comment here. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy, just a quick note saying whether or not you’re finding anything of value here. In the end, it will help me decide whether or not to pay the web hosting bill when it comes due.
Regards,
The Fisherman
And now Number 2 . . .
February 15th, 2007Some time ago, my brother-in-law urged me to enroll in a website tracking feature sponsored by a search engine. I followed his advice, thinking I’d soon be getting e-mails cataloging the thousands of hits to my site and warning me about bandwidth restrictions. Well, I haven’t received that e-mail yet, but I did receive an e-mail announcing that my website was number 2 on the Yahoo search engine and number 5 on Google (based on a search of websites with the same or similar names).
Again, it’s not much—I mean, the name is somewhat unique—but I diid finally manage to beat out a certain Alaskan fishing retreat with a similar name.
All in all, it’s better than a stick in the eye.
The Top Twenty . . .
February 15th, 2007Recently, the editors of Writer’s Digest announced the winners of their 75th Annual Writing Competition. Amazingly, my essay “The Light of Earindel’s Star” finished at 19 out of a field of over 3000 entries. You can see my name, as well as a list of the top 100 finishers, here. No one sent me a check, but I did receive a very nice letter that didn’t contain a single threat.
If you’d like to read the essay, I’ve restored it to it’s original place on my website.
The Winds of Change
February 13th, 2007Actually, it’s more like whispering breezes, but there are changes coming to this website. I’ll post more about these changes, and maybe even implement a few, this weekend.
9-11
September 11th, 2006It was the beginning of the end for me.
Most of us remember where we were on the morning of September 11, 2001, when terrorists hijacked airliners and flew them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Myself, I was sitting in my office at the law firm where I worked, preparing for a hearing later that morning in bankruptcy court. It was one of several hearings I had over the next few days, and I was anxious about not having enough time to prepare for them. I had arrived early that morning, probably a little after six a.m., early enough to be the first person in the office.
As usual, I was working in silence. Maybe I had a CD playing; certainly not the radio or the televison.
Long Distances (A Short Story)
September 1st, 2006[What follows is a short story I've been working on this week. I had hoped to publish it on the writing page of the main website, but because of a computer crash the programs necessary to make that happen—and, yes, there are several—are not longer available on my computer. As soon as I get the necessary software loaded onto my new computer, I'll probably move the page.
This story is an experiment in form and style. I do that occassionally, and this one worked better than most. Which is why I put it here.]
Computer Blues . . .
August 28th, 2006These machines live on the tears of broken lives and dying dreams…
From “Tip the Scales” by Rise Against
My laptop computer crashed awhile ago, leaving me without a means of updating my blog short of bullying the kids off the computers at out local public library. Naturally, the situation was critical, requiring my constant attention and several pleading, groveling phone calls. By the time I was done, I managed to acquire a new computer, a new monitor, a new video card and… well, you get the idea.
With my mind and my hands focused on all the tasks associated with rebuilding my computer identity (and it only takes one crash to prove just how much of our lives and our psyches are invested in these annoying little electronic boxes), you’d think I’d have little time for anything else. Still, in the midst of this electronic apocalypse, I’ve managed to land meaningful, full-time employment. I’m not sure how that happened. Maybe it took place at night or in the early afternoon or some other time when I’m known to be sleeping. No matter, the consequence is very real: I can no longer hide within my house, having my groceries delivered and generally living like a character from a Faulkner novel.
I’ve been outed—out of my house, at least.
It is said that energy, like work and natural gas, expands to fill a vacuum. My new computer system runs faster, has a bigger monitor, downloads and uploads like a dream, makes my breakfast … you get the idea. So, here’s to hoping I can update this blog a little more regularly now that my computer runs faster than I do…
Bill Gates Is NOT the Prince of Darkness?
August 7th, 2006I’m sure you’ve heard by now that the University of Toronto conducted a study on Toronto teenagers, the results of which proved that electronic messaging devices like Instant Messenger do not erode the grammar skills of teenagers and may, in fact, improve them. (You can read more at the University of Toronto’s website.) While this seems to be breaking news across the nation, it comes as no great surprise to me. What does surprise me is how many people, having lived through similar experiences, have forgotten then so quickly.
Paraphrasing Santana (the philosopher, not the rock star): don’t learn history and you’ll repeat it within your lifetime.
Painful Lessons
August 4th, 2006My church regularly sponsors a summer camp for teenage girls. The purpose of this camp is to inspire young women to think about good choices and to recognize their value as young women. For most girls, this camp is a positive experience, an opportunity to stay up all night with friends and do whatever girls do when they get together outside of the eyesight and arms’ reach of their parents. It’s fun to see these girls come back from camp, faces graced with sly smiles and eyes speaking of secret fun known only to one another.
Yes, Girls’ Camp is usually a good thing. But not always.