Monday Beginnings: Memorial Day 2015

    Happy Monday and more importantly Happy Memorial Day. I was planning to do a book review today but in light of the holiday it seemed more important to remember the troops who have fought for us and continue to fight for us. I'm not a bit proponent of war by any means, but I do support the troops. I support them because they didn't ask to be there but they are there fighting and dying for us.

    When I was growing up I remember the first Gulf War. I remember sending off a letter to a soldier in the field along with the rest of my class. I remember watching it unfold on the news at night certain we would win. Marveling at all the new technology I had never seen before. New things showing up on the news and in books all the time before my eyes was just so amazing, but all through it I kept supporting the troops and hoping for their safe return.

    Even through these last two wars I have been supporting the troops whether I agreed or disagreed with the war they were going into I supported the troops. I admit I didn't agree with the Iraq war but I still supported the troops. Like I said above they didn't ask to be send thousands of miles from home. They just got their orders and had to ship out. But they do it for all of us back home. So that we have the right to protest and say what we want for example.

    I have no issue with people protesting wars or decisions made by the government. But just don't take it out on the troops. They don't make those decisions they are just stuck following orders that they are given. They go where they are sent and do what they are told to do. It's not a democracy for them in the field, they just have orders to follow.

    So if you happen to know a soldier or sailor take the time out today to thank them for what they do. Because it insures that you have your rights every day. And they do it without a second thought to their own safety. I'll get off my soap box now. I hope you have a good Memorial Day and I am going to go make dinner now. *Tips his hat and walks out the door headed for the kitchen.*

Sunday Spirituality: Opening Thoughts

    I know I'm late but I slept in since it was Sunday. Despite being still stuffed up I feel pretty good. Just jamming out to music that makes me feel good. I still have to update my play list sometime next week with some new tunes. As you can see despite this being a spiritual column I'm not going to open it up as stiff and draft as some church services can be. I prefer to be laid back and relaxed. And just be open to whatever the higher powers wish to convey through me.

    One thing I do believe is that no one religion has all the answers. I think they all have a piece of the puzzle of what is right. Some more than others. For instance I like how the Buddhists study all the religions of the world, learning from all of them. As they set out on their spiritual journey. I think the world as a whole could learn from that. Even me as a Pagan could learn from the other religions.

    Plus it would foster better understanding and communication between cultures. Since we would all be walking in each other's shoes for a little bit when studying each other's religion. Better understanding how we each see the world. How we each interact with the world as a whole. It would probably even lead to us eventually ceasing to try saying one religion is better than another. Letting everyone worship how they want without saying the other believes the wrong way.

    I think all religions lead to the same higher power just a different face is put on it in every religion. To me there is one higher power but for us to understand it we have all had to put our own unique face to it. And that face has been different throughout each culture, but the force we are worshipping is the same.

    I think that is a good starting point for spiritual discussions for now. I look forward to your comments below. Let me know your thoughts on my thoughts. I'll reply next Sunday in this column and add more thoughts to the discussion as well. I hope everyone has a good Sunday and Memorial Day. For now I'm going to go find something to eat. *Tips his hat and walks out the door headed for the pantry.*

Story Time Friday: A Pause Before The End Of Heart Break

    I'm on a late start today and still behind but working slowly on getting caught up. I'll be there by the week's end. Just going to take some time is all. I'm enjoying basking in the sun from my window as I write this. Been getting more natural light in my room lately and enjoying it. I will be revising my schedule again this week to put in some television time at the end of the night. If anyone knows where I can find a dining room table set cheap please let me know. I want something good and solid so that I can start eating meals at the table like a normal person does. Maybe even start hosting dinner parties once in a while.
    But that is not what we are here today for, today we are here for a story. Today's story is about heartbreak and an end to it. As well as being part of something bigger. Along with seeing the beauty in something bigger. It will break your heart and maybe even make you cry. I'm giving you fair warning in advance. So without further ado on with the show.
Prompt:

A Pause Before The End Of Heartbreak

    She stands there on the rise over the city just staring out over it, admiring the beauty of it sprawling out before her. An hour before she arrived here her now ex-boyfriend had just confessed to having cheated on her throughout their whole relationship. It had come as a shock to her and when she heard his confession her whole world had come crashing down all around her. Which had brought her to her one sanctuary she felt she had left. This rise over the city where she had come many times before when she was younger.
    Now thoughts swirled in her head, like how many other people around her knew her whole relationship with Doug had been a fraud. How many were laughing at her behind masks. And even if no one knew what would they think when she told them about it, if she told them about it in the end. She had left a note when she left in case she didn't return from this sojourn.
    She just felt so broken and betrayed inside and didn't know where to turn. What to say or do. But up here she felt a bit at peace as she looked out over the city watching it like it was a living thing. She could feel it pulsing beneath her feet even from this high above. Almost like it was breathing in a sense. She watched lights flicker to life and go out. And traffic lights changing in orderly fashion. All the noises you would expect from a city made their ways up to her ears.
    As she stood there thinking whether or not she could go back. Could she fix her life without Doug in it? She wasn't sure she could or even wanted to. She began to cry all over again. Tears coming harder and faster than before. He had been her knight in shining armor, her everything. What would she do without him?
    Then as she was about to turn and go. The anger overtook her. She thought why should he get to go on being happy with nothing to regret or feel responsible about? Why should he be guiltless? With that she jumped from the rise above the city. And as she fell she felt the hurt again, but then felt the city reaching up to comfort her and make it one with her. And then there was nothing.
    I hope you enjoyed story time as heartbreaking as it was today. Feel free to leave comments below. For now I'm off to do more schoolwork and get lunch. I hope you have a good Friday. *Tips his hat and walks out the door headed for the kitchen.*

Throwback Thursday: Jeopardy

    I'm a little late today I know, but I was watching the last episode of Late Night With David Letterman. There have been a lot of historic moments in television this week. One of which is the 7,000^th episode of Jeopardy. Which got me thinking about my childhood at my grandparents' house. I know I mentioned it in a class I took fairly recently, but not sure if I mentioned it here or not. Anyways the tradition there used to be eat dinner at 5:30 PM then gather around the television for the news and then Wheel Of Fortune followed by Jeopardy.

    Then when I got out on my own I still made it a point to watch Jeopardy, even when I was married. We would play against each other on who would get the right answer. Then wager an amount on Final Jeopardy on who had the right answer to it. I have gotten out of the habit in recent years and find I miss it. I have to start watching it again. Even if I'm playing against myself.

    It was always nice sitting around the television as a family and watching Jeopardy. I would be constantly asked if I knew the answers. Especially during the kids tournaments. As I grew older I found I knew more and more of the adult answers as I read more and more books and magazines. I'm a sponge for knowledge after all and soak it up naturally. But I not only got answers right but learned from answers I got wrong. I also found things to study as I watched the show as well.

    With the age of the internet I found things I wanted to know more about from just watching the show so I would scribble down notes of things to look up online after the show or the next day online. It has led to some interesting lines of study and maybe one day a paper of sort for college. It is why I keep notes on what I find on Jeopardy topics.

    I don't see an end for Jeopardy in my lifetime. At least I hope not since it is such a wonderful show. And I hope you enjoyed my walk down memory lane with it. For now I need to get some coffee into me. Yes you heard me right I wrote today's column with no coffee in me. *Tips hat and walks out the door to get coffee.*

Wednesday In The Library: Nightmare Magazine

    Good Morning and welcome to hump day. It feels good to be back in the library and feeling like my old self. All be it running on little sleep since I have a friend coming over early this morning. That is part of the reason I'm getting this out early and the other reason is I have a 2PM appointment that I cannot miss. So if this gets put out late in the end that is why. But I'm working on it early in hopes of getting it out early. And since we talked about one of the magazines I read last week it got me thinking about talking about the rest of the magazines I read as we stroll each week through the library.

    This week we are looking at Nightmare Magazine edited by John Joseph Adams. It's an e-magazine so you have to have an ereader in order to get it. Though as I've written about before on here they do have special issues you can get in paperback format. Every month we are welcomed to the magazine with a note from the editor. In in there are announcements made about the magazine and authors who have written in it that are up for awards and such. We also get a small peek at what to expect as we dive deeper into the issue.

    Throughout each issue are stories and novelettes as well as samples from novels. Plus we get book reviews and author interviews. All in the realm of horror. So far nothing I have read in the magazine has scared me like Stephen King, but there are some nice creepy tales in the magazine. I also like the interviews they do with authors in the magazine, giving us a deeper look into the minds of horror writers. Plus they do tackle trends in horror as well in a column titled The H Word.

    I have become a bigger fan of horror because of this magazine, and wish Hollywood would take some cues from it. Some of what Hollywood is putting out for horror is not in touch with true fans of the genre. I do hope you will check out Nightmare Magazine in some form or fashion. It is a wonderful magazine and a great read that is hard to put down. I'm looking forward to reading it during thunderstorms this summer. For now though I need more coffee to help me wake up more. Might I suggest a journey into the magazine section of the library. *Tips his hat and walks out the door looking for more coffee.*

Tuesday Insights: Reflection On Me Being Sick (I Know A Common Theme Lately)

    Coffee is brewing and I'm starting to feel better. I know I haven't posted for a couple of days now and I apologize for that. Just been going through a rough time with this virus I caught. That is what doctors have diagnosed it has. Some sort of cold like virus. And I know me being suck has been a common theme lately, but since I seem to be coming out of it now I wanted to reflect on it while it was still fresh on my mind. We tend to forget how we are when we are sick after it is over with after all.

    I notice now that the first sign of me being sick is extra sleep and not just a little but a ton of extra sleep. Like many hours of it. Even days sometimes, which is when you all stop hearing from me for a while. And I can be very cranky and testy when sick though I try not to be. But when you feel like crap it hard not to. Nine times out of ten I have a hard time breathing since I'm so used to breathing through my nose. And my body gets sore in its own way trying to tell me to just relax and let it take over. I'm not very good at doing that. I like to be up and doing stuff, so my body has to knock me out nine times out of ten. Which usually me behind on everything.

    But once the sickness starts to pass I start having energy again as long as I don't overdo it. Which means for the most part I can do most of my regular stuff, but still no going out to the movies or anything like that till I am fully better. But it means I should be able to get back to following my schedule once more for the most part. Which means I will be catching up on school work fast and other projects as well. Though I'm putting exercising on hold for a week till I'm a little more recovered. And the blogs should be coming regularly for the rest of the week I think. I also have to change my original plan for Thursday's column after hearing some news about a show this week. You'll have to be there to find out what it is exactly.

    I hope you didn't mind me reflecting on me being sick too much, but I wanted to gather some insights while they were still fresh to gather. And the best way I know to do that is to write them out. So you get the benefit of seeing how I think. Coffee should be ready by now and I could really use a cigarette after being asleep so long last night. *Tips his hat and walks out the door lighting up a cigarette.*

Saturday Thoughts: I’ve Come Down Sick Among Other Thoughts

    I do apologize for there being no story yesterday. But unfortunately I have come down sick. Nothing serious just a cold, but it has triggered my body's first line of defense, which is making me sleep a lot. I'm hoping DayQuil help rid me of the cold or at least makes it so that I can be awake more. Even today I have slept a lot though I tried not to. It really is a pain in the ass.

    I'll try to be more on top of my game going into next week but no guarantees. That is why I won't be posting a schedule tomorrow of the upcoming columns for next week. And with me being sick school work is suffering, which bums me out. Even though I know the most important thing is getting healthy first. I'm going to try and get better by Monday or at least to the point where I'm not sleeping around the clock.

    But in other news it appears Marco Rubio can kiss his bid for The White House good bye. It was discovered earlier this week after an investigation into his finances that not is his lifestyle funded by a millionaire. But he has been stealing from his party by using his party credit card inappropriately. As well as using his home as a campaign headquarters and billing the campaign for it and hiring family members to work on the campaign which to be fair others have also done. But he billed a trip to Disney World on his party card. For those wondering what the party card means it is a Republican Party card for party business and campaign things. It is not for you to go wild with and buy anything you want.

    For now I've got to try and get some school work done. I hope you enjoyed your time here. I do apologize for being sick this week. Normally I'm better company. I'll hopefully be back tomorrow with a new column. *Tips his hat and walks out the door heading for the library.*