Is your life happening by accident?

Perhaps I should be asking, ISN'T your life happening by accident? Let's just for a moment, consider things that are easily left by the wayside.

Have you ever on a daily basis, considered your finances, your daily living expenses? How about your bills? Your retirement savings?

Of course you have. We have all had to. Maybe not so much the retirement part, especially if you are still young. But one has to take care of these expenses or one is not long to live this relatively easy life we have during these very modern  times, even in this great country of ours called, "America". And yes, these times are relatively easy. Take the person with the most difficult life here and put them back 3,000 years ago and see how well they fare.

But how much do you attend to so called, "luxury" expenses? Such things as entertainment, refreshments including both food and drink beyond mere subsistence? What about your emotional or spiritual concerns? What about your happiness scale of how much life is worth living? Not paying attention goes both ways. You can not budget for them and not have them, or not budget for them and have them and lose control over them. Both can be bad in entirely different directions.

We tend to lend our concerns to the most immediate elements in our lives and forego the ones that are in many ways just as important, but seldom giving much thought to those "luxuries" because they are not of such immediate concern. But these are not forgone conclusions for they too are important to living the Human Experience. We hear much through life about the “spiritual” or religious side of things. But we do not hear so much about the other side of that equation. And there is another side to it.

Sadly for some, those foregone conclusions could be considered one's family, it could be they are only concerned for their own creature comforts and that is what guides their every living moment. When really they should be more concerned about their family, their obligations, their work or profession, or simply maintaining the dwelling they live in.

For most of us however, it would be in consideration of our family. But what about ourselves and own personal comforts. Look, it could be just giving enough consideration to the family dog or pet. Having or playing with your pet has been shown to greatly increase the quality and even duration of people. You just have to stop and ask yourself form time to time, "what is it I am forgetting in my life?"

For many of us and I think for our betterment, the answer is, "Me". We all have to consider ways to make life livable for ourselves, as well as those in our lives. But not just about those in our lives It is really about balance, though.

There is something about life in these times that puts us in the mindset that everything is going too fast around us, taking up too much of our time and so makes for a good excuse for avoiding those things we find most difficult (or boring) to deal with. That is to work out how to have enough of everything in life that we need as Human Beings.

There are indeed a great many demands put upon us in our daily lives. But if you go back in time and read what our predecessors had to say about the life they were living, it was really much the same for them, too.
I have read deciphered hieroglyphics from ancient Rome and found that it was just the same for them. For instance, they had the same complaints parents have always had for their children: "they just don't listen", ”they are too self-absorbed", "they have no manners", and "they are only concerned about the here and now". Politics, civil and social situations were also much in the same with the same concerns and problems.

Times are always faster paced than when we were younger. It’s the nature of the beast of making your way through life from beginning to the end. Not to mention we simply tend to slow down through life. And that's OK!

And so it goes...on and on.

I think the key here is in the balance. One has to consciously weigh out the various elements of one's life. Consciously. Remember to take the time for yourself, just as you do for every one and every thing else that you feel responsible for. Remember that you too are important. Just be sure to understand that you are not all that is important. Weigh out if you are overbalancing your concerns toward yourself, or others.

Do you sacrifice too much for others? Because that can lead to a rebound effect if you're not careful and in the end, time and pressure included, it can break you. Take time to release those pressure, to enjoy some of what life has to offer you. You don't need a fancy four star vacation, sometimes it can just be about enjoying a moment during the day. Appreciate that sunset, that beautiful tree, an exchange of pleasantries between two people on the street. You work hard, maybe you can't play hard, but play-- some.

Getting through the difficulties of life is not about that once a year two week vacation (if you even get one, I haven't had one of those myself, since the 1990s. It's really more about having a special moment, multiple special moments, each day. Special moments every so many moments throughout every day of your life.

Simply put, one needs to plan to enjoy the trip, the journey, not just the destination. Besides, sometimes the destination turns out to be just not what it was cracked up to be. But if you've enjoyed the trip to get there, what does that matter? Some no doubt, but then you haven't put the entire weight of the thing on that one part.

Also, take care for your future self. Do today what will do well for you tomorrow; just as in the past where you have hopefully done then, for yourself today.

It never really ends, until it ends. So help it along. Life is one big continuing ending. Some say that the moment we are born we begin to die. Disconcerting perhaps, but work with what you've got. Help that ending along as much as you can.

On the other hand, if you are too absorbed with only your fun times now, reflect on what got you to where you are now. If you now have the leisure time and the influence, power, money, resources (or none of those and so you are free to do as you will to be able) to do anything you like, do not forget the other side of the coin. If nothing else, it makes you appreciate more the good times you are now having now.

Life is good. But Life is also a piece of artwork, much like a painting. Or a relationship. You have to ask yourself, “is my life framed like a Jackson Pollock painting, with parts of life flung hither and yon with apparent (though possibly not) total abandon?” “Or am I more like a Rembrandt painting, with a perfection of each brush stroke and palette given much thought, with great attention to detail and a concern for every breath and sigh?”

Well, it’s up to you.

Life is good. Or it can be.

But a good life doesn't just happen by accident.

God in your pocket?

First a couple of things important to me.

I'd like to say to my son, Happy Birthday! I know exactly where I was and what I was doing on this day twenty-five years ago. Happy Birthday Son! Cheers! We'll talk....

Also, "Expedition of the Arcturus", my latest short science fiction story (first released on the Sci Fi magazine web site PerihelionSF.com) is just today also released as an audiobook on Audible.com and iTunes. It is about Earth's first deep space generational / colonization ship. Don't believe everything you are told....

Okay now....

Memories... recording your day. All day, everyday?

God in your pocket? Parents on your shoulder?

Now, this is another one where I wasn't sure if this was an Entertainment piece or Commentary. Because its both. It's about entertainment type devices and one in particular, and there are even newer ones than this. But that device (or the ones similar), are going to change how the world works. We can certainly include in this the Google Glass.

Allow me to me explain....

I have had a few discussions with my son over previous conversations we have had. Some, we had only just had a few minutes before. And we disagreed on what was said. This is also a situation that has plagued married couples, friends, coworkers even, most likely forever. There are a variety of situations where you know you were right in a conversation (or the other person believes they were) yet, there is simply no way to accurately prove it. This even goes into toxic relationships and spousal abuse situations where one spouse lies to cover up some misdeed on their part and leads the other person to thinking they are crazy, basically. Doing that to someone in my book  is truly evil. But it happens. All the time in some relationships until inevitably in the end, someone is found out.

My ex has a condition where she can't remember certain things that have happened, whether it is from "switching" personalities which I suspect, or simply put, some of her experiences slip into what we used to call her "Black Hole" in her mind. Either way, I got in trouble sometimes for things I had said but she didn't remember, or that she had not said and remembered saying because what she remembers would put her in a better light, which is typical of individuals who "switch".

Due to either emotional or physical mental issues or both, she could not always remember things that had happened; or she would do or say things she would later simply not remember; or misspeak and later believe she had said something she hadn't. I can't tell you how many times I got in trouble for having "forgotten" that I had been told something, only to find out later that she had never said what she claimed she had said. And there were other formats of that same situation where I was in the wrong but hadn't done anything wrong. It's always challenging living with someone who has a condition like this, but it's far more difficult when you don't know what's going on as it hadn't yet been diagnosed. To this day it hasn't been, but it's quite obvious to myself and other family members, what is going on there for reasons I won't go into here. It was a lucky day when a friend was there who also heard what originally had transpired and spoke up to say those words never were spoken as claimed.

The point is, it's not a conscious thing and it is interesting, but it's not we are here about today. The point here is, how could you rectify these situations? Well, we're technologically at a point in time where there is an answer and more are becoming available on a frequent basis.

Last year, Woot.com had a device up for sale (woot.com has different on sale items daily until they run out), called a sylvania SMPK2312. Cost was $9.95 plus shipping. I've seen it elsewhere for $19.95 plus shipping. It is labeled as an MP3 player, something you can listen to music on. It has 2 Gigabytes, rechargeable battery, and works as a memory storage device (USB flash drive). Using your PC, you can even edit lyrics associated with a song on it, so your lyrics will be shown when you play a song you have set this up for. So, its slightly versatile.

Now, why do I mention this device? Actually, I had pretty much the same device a few years ago, but that one only played music, pretty basic. However this newer device has one other feature, a built in microphone allowing (allegedly) up to thirty hours of audio recording to the device. THIRTY hours! Now I can't find if it will actually do thirty straight hours of recording, or will simply hold thirty hours of recording, needing a recharge in there somewhere, I should think. But the write up, from what I understand, indicates you can turn it on in the morning, and turn it off when you go to bed (be careful, you might want a second one for night time recording); thus, having recorded your entire day.

Just think of the legal ramifications. Say your boss fires you illegally and tells you that, but how could you prove it? "Well, your honor, Judge dude, I've got an audio recording of it." Please check legality of this kind of recording for your state and consider that many times this may only be good for you personally to have a copy of transpired conversations (see below). But, will this change laws at some point if everyone is recording everything everyday?

Or perhaps you could argue that you didn't know it was recording and it is evidence found by accident and neither you or the defendant knew it was running and so maybe it would be allowable (I don't know, I'm not an Attorney, and I don't even play one on TV, besides, maybe that's just TV talking).

Still it's something to think about and maybe to look up.

So, interesting little device, right? But that's not why I'm mentioning this. My point in all this, is that we have now gotten to the point, especially if this device allows thirty straight hours of recording at a time, wherein we can record our entire day; then if need be, immediately play it back to use as either a proof of previous recording that day (or conceivably a little from the previous day), for any conversations, or audio occurrences that may have transpired within the reach of its mic.

So what, you say?  Well, I'll tell you what.

Have you ever tried to remember where you put something and couldn't remember, but you know you just told someone where you were putting it? Then, when you ask them (typically my kids in this situation), they don't remember where either, if they even remember the conversation at all. Probably because they weren't really listening to Dad in the first place. Well if you had this device running, you could simply play it back and voila! There you are, talking about to your kids and sure enough its where you said it was going to be! Or more likely you remember it incorrectly and really hadn't mentioned it at all and now what?

In the past I have had innumerable conversations with ex-wives and more recently with my kids, where it would have been worth paying good money for a recording of what had just been said, not infrequently only a few moments ago.

"I didn't say that Dad." Or spewed at you somewhat in a fit of passion (and not the good kind), "That's not what I said, that's not how I said it, that's not what I meant; I mean in the context of what I had said, IF ONLY YOU REMEMBERED IT CORRECTLY!" Yeah, whatever....

And, so on. Now if I'd had one of these devices on me and running, had I merely fired it up in the morning and kept it on and on me all day, I could have at any time then, stopped it, played it back, and prove what WAS actually said, rather than there and then having had a separate argument over what was actually said rather than what the point of the entire discussion actually was about. If you see what I'm saying. Trouble with that situation is you really need another backup piece to record while you are playing back your recording.

But basically, Marvelous! Right? Maybe.

Yes, I'm sure there is a downside. Like, if you are dating and pull this out over a topic, or conceivably use it with your spouse, it really could end with an icy time in bed that night when if you had just sucked it up and let yourself be deemed wrong, bed time might have proved to be a somewhat more salacious endeavor.

You'd really have to learn to pick and choose carefully how and when you use it. If nothing else, you could always play it back to yourself so at least YOU know you aren't going crazy. Now that is something I would have paid for in my last marriage because I KNOW I wasn't wrong that often. My memory isn't all that great, but it's not all that bad, either. Logic even dictates sometimes that you had to be correct, but in the face of continual disagreement, you start to question your mind and at some point, even your sanity.

On the other hand you could find yourself in a situation where your wife or girlfriend says, "Hey, pull out that device and play it back, THAT will prove me right." And if it doesn't, well, you may end up in the dog house anyway, having not done anything wrong at all. Being right, frankly, isn't ALWAYS what it's cracked up to be.

Still how handy would this device be in an abuse situation, say for battered wives who begin to think themselves insane because their spouse is fooling with their reality, lying to them, giving them the "I never said that" thing." A truly evil bastard. This kind of device could lead to these situations resolving much more quickly. You don't have to play it back for your significant other, but you can play it back for yourself, or the police.

So, God in your pocket? Parents on your shoulder?

It's been said for years that you are raised by your parents and if you are raised in a religious family, you will forever until the day you die, have either your parents, or God sitting on your shoulder watching everything you do. In other words, you will always have a tiny voice inside your head questioning your actions, God, or parents. If we think someone is always recording our actions, wouldn't we tend to temper our actions more? Wouldn't we eventually internalize that? Surely, a police state like that is a terrible thing to consider. But if we know that those watching us, Big Brother, really is just, us? How will that be? We had better get used to it, because we're just around the corner from it becoming a reality.

We are in interesting times, Ladies and Gentlemen. And at some point these kinds of devices will change interpersonal relationships forever. Trust me.

Playing telephone in Life with the world and one another

I wish you all a very pleasant and reflective Memorial Day holiday. It's good and well on this day to solemnly consider for a time the sacrifices made by those who stood against those powers who sought to put an end to our country and as well for the mistakes we as a country have made and therefore lost our forces to battles that perhaps we should never have been involved in. That latter is the more solemn consideration, for sure.

We all make mistakes from time to time. But on a National level, the mistakes need to be as few and far between as can be made possible. Because it affects so many and so much through time and perception. Perception of others toward the United  States. Perception of ourselves toward who we have become. And the perception of who we have become at this time in History by those who shall follow us and reflect back on our deeds and actions. And motivations. And Humanity. How we are perceived by others is far more important than we tend to give it weight. The weight of importance, of reactions, and of delayed reactions.

Perception is a difficult thing at times to deal with. It can be overwhelming at both a national, world stage level, as well as in a more intimate, interpersonal level.

Have you ever played, "Telephone" at a party? Basically, it's where you tell someone a secret and it's passed down the line, everyone trying to remain as true and accurate as possible to the original statement. Then, from the last person in line, you hear what they say they were told and compare it to what was originally said and sent down the line.

Typically in comparing the two ends, you get two very different statements.

Well, consider this. When you're in a romantic relationship, you are actually playing "telephone", with your mate. There are far less involved, it is only the two of you. But some of the communications you receive from one another are not just from words, but actions, looks, and other people's comments. Indirect actions, even. But the concept is the same. You start with your thought, and by the time it reaches your partner's conception of what you are communicating, something about it has almost always changed in the process.

Last year I was watching Kofi Annan, once head of the United Nations, on The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. He was talking about how hard it was when he was head of the UN, to try and explain between the leaders of the US and Iran how, what one Iranian leader had said to its farmers in the countryside of Iran, shouldn't be incorrectly interpreted by the American leaders in Washington DC, from considering directly what was said. Sometimes, what was said in the countryside was merely an attempt for the leader of Iran to explain to an uneducated farmer, topics such as Nuclear power.

For that explanation to then be understood by the leaders in America well, it simply doesn't translate well; or in fact, at all. Kofi Annan said that he had so much trouble in pointing out that, that what was said to an Iranian farmer shouldn't be listened to or reacted to by the leaders of the US.

It was like playing "telephone" between two world leaders. That is one side of it.

The other side is considering communication simply from one entity to another. That's talking at the country sized level. Now drop it down to individual sized level. Every person on earth has a different understanding or filter of the world, from every other individual.

Certainly, we all have a somewhat general understanding or we could never communicate at all. Still, that being said, we really don't all FULLY understand exactly what any other person is saying. On an international stage, this is very disconcerting.

Now, apply that concept into the tiny confines of a romantic relationship. Tiny confines from an outsider's perspective perhaps, but from an insider's perspective it can become an overburdened, intolerably huge affair. How do we ever truly communicate? How can we truly know the other person? Or, other nation for that matter.

Kind of scary when you think about it. Right?

Gun Registration - What? I mean, Why? Or, why not?

Now before I say anything political, let me remind you that you can still pick up five of my most popular short stories today on Amazon. Check Friday's blog for details. Okay, here we go....

Something just occurred to me, regarding the Second Amendment.

"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

Doesn't that sound more like it's talking about one state protecting itself from another state, if not the country altogether, from another country. Remember the Civil War? God knows, Canada is a scary place to Americans. Everyone is so damn nice, just how can you trust those nearly Limey bastards? And let's not even talk about Mexico. Then there is North Korea....

The Amendment says "the security of a free state", not the security of a free citizen.

No background checks? Why? First we don't have a "well regulated militia". The Amendment says a "Well Regulated Militia". Isn't registering your gun, "well regulated"? How is it infringing your right to keep and bear them? You can still have them.

As I see it what this outcry is about is because of Czechoslovakia back in 1967 when the Soviets (who don't exist anymore) rolled in with tanks, went to the police stations, gathered up the lists of gun owners, when to those homes, took the guns and therefore, effectively disarmed the entire country. But no one I talk to about this topic, even remembers or knows about that anymore.

So what are they screaming about?

Journalistic Integrity

I get these things. Why can't professional news media get it? Or politicians? Or political mouthpieces, or loudmouths? I am referring to Fox News. They seem to be the worst for this kind of behavior, pushing agendas, pushing the limits of journalistic integrity (I doubt they can spell that). But there are others. I can forgive some, sometimes, but not to these extremes we are seeing now a days. Edward R. Murrow should be turning in his grave. 

First of all, I am NOT a paid Journalist. But lacking resources or payment for what I write for free many times, I at least try to be honest and accurate. When someone has corrected me on this blog I have checked out their contentions and made the corrections, many times even leaving the original and noting the mistake in the text. I don't delete their posting even when they are being condescending or obnoxious and I don't take credit for correcting what they found if at all possible (but if they post anonymous, it's hard to give credit where credit is due). 

So here it is....

I've been called a Liberal. I'm not.

I've been called by a liberal, a conservative. I'm not. 

I just believe in the truth as I can best uncover and conceive of it. 

I prefer to have life be good, to maintain the status quo except for where it can be made better.

In some cases the status quo needs to be destroyed. In other cases, maintained. However, I know that I have to use my knowledge, my intellect, the newest information I can find in relation to it, along with a consideration of how History has shown any efforts to effect change, in order to change the status quo.

I want to make my life better whenever possible. but I think we should take some calculated risks to continue to strive to make life better not just for me, but for everyone.

When I profess anything as fact, I should strive to prove first to myself that it is, indeed, fact. Buy checking that item via another second source, disconnected from the first and then from a third source, a source as opposing to the first as possible. Or three primary sources with objective or unimpeachable reputations (if there are indeed, any left).

I do not think I should act hysterically and before I have all the facts in and act or speak. And if I speak, to make it clear this is my opinion and not yet a fully realized one.

I do not think I should speak negatively when there are positive ways to view and explain things.
I should not misrepresent facts. I should not color things to seem to be what I know them not to be or simply that they are not. I should not make things up or lie for my own benefit. When I do make a mistake I should correct myself.

I should not blow things out of proportion to make a buck or push myself into the forefront while misleading the American people and causing them to respond to incorrect information thus affecting the path of America in an incorrect direction.

Who raised you that you as professional Journalists, that you don't get these pretty simple things that your parents should have instilled in you as a child and your mentors in journalism should have beat into you as reporters of the news in the Public Trust?

Free ebooks Spring Giveaway - Friday May 17th!

First....

Starting today for five days (Friday May 17th through Monday), several of my ebooks on Amazon.com will be available free of cost to anyone. Please feel free to grab one, or all if you haven't already. 

-Expedition of the Arcturus (Sci Fi some might say, apocalyptic even and somewhat related to recent true life)
-The Conqueror Worm (Tween Horror)
-Mr. Pakool's Spice (Zombie Horror)
-The Mea Culpa Document of London (medieval macabre), and 
-EarVu (Horror/Sci Fi in the Lab).

And soon the audio book version of - Expedition of the Arcturus 

The Conqueror Worm, The Mea Culpa Document of London, (and soon, Expedition of the Arcturus) are also available as audio books, but are not included int his promotion. Have fun!

Cheers!

I was just looking at some of my stats and rankings on Amazon Author Central. 

In Kindle ebooks I was at 37.014 on April 25th for no apparent reason I can fathom. But hey, thanks! 
Non-Kindle books (print, maybe audio too, I'm not sure) - 113,112. 
All Books - For Sci Fi/Fantasy 4,354. 
All - Fantasy 3,633. 
All - Sci Fi 2,961.


Hmmm if I keep going will I get to #1? lol
Kindle Sci Fi 1,926
Kindle Horror 1,276. This one peaks a lot time and again. My highest number this year was 1,049 on Jan. 14th.

Hmmm... maybe I should write another Horror story. Perhaps a nice tale from my childhood. Or worse, Junior High years and how I was not even wanted by the Freaks and Geeks until High School when I was a leader in the Freak community. lol

I've been watching Freaks and Geeks from 1999/2000. Fun show. In Jr High I wanted to join the Chess Club (Geeks). Not even they wanted me. I could only join if I could beat their best player, they said. Funny how I remember and can see it in the basement where they met, of our Jr High.

Of course, I lost. Really not cool of them (Thanks, Mike Wise who later built a home PC in a wooden foot locker at home back in 1969 or so).

But in their defense (and as with everyone who knew me most of the first half of my life), they just thought I'd screw around and not be serious, focused, or dedicated. They, were wrong. And through my life I've been a not too bad chess player though I'm a bit rusty now. For years I'd only play against non humans after one particularly bad loser's fit of angst when I beat him that put me off playing against people with bad temperaments.

Again...Cheers!

Starting tomorrow - Free ebooks for Spring Giveaway!

Hi there!

Starting tomorrow for five days (Friday - Monday) I will be offering some ebooks for free. Check them out tomorrow for more information.

Expedition of the Arcturus

(Sci Fi - some might say apocalyptic even and somewhat related to recent true life)

-The Conqueror Worm (Tween Horror and beyond)

-Mr. Pakool's Spice (Zombie Horror)

-The Mea Culpa Document of London (medieval macabre), and 

EarVu (Horror/Sci Fi in the Lab). Art by Artist Marvin Hayes

Like I said above, stop by tomorrow for more, or just stake them out and pick them up tomorrow. Or just catch my blog tomorrow morning.

Cheers!