Tips and Traps for hiring a contractor - R. Dodge Woodson
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin - Benjamin Franklin
The Wild's Call - Jeri Smith-Ready
Hide In Plain Sight - Marta Perry
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams (Reading to Stacy)
Last and First Men - William Olaf Stapledon
The Host - Stephenie Meyer
The Salmon of Doubt - Douglas Adams
Things have been quite hectic these past few weeks. School has consumed my life, as it should, but more so this semester as I am actually working hard towards graduation. The next two weeks bring with them project due dates and papers galore.
One the bright side however, I started my games and theory club at the elementary school. The children have responded well, as I have over fifty enrolled and an average attendence of between 20 and 30. It is getting pretty interesting to control all those children, but I will work something out.
Wish me luck.
-MH
Technology.. It just keeps getting better.
So, I have figured out a way to multi task even better than I already could. You see, I have heard all the hype about multiple monitors, but it always seemed such a hassle to buy, then hook up, then set up such a combination display. However, the idea of having such a large amount of screen real estate at my disposal was something I could never quite put out of my head. Then it occurred to me. I have a HDTV that has the same resolution as my monitor and it's about 40 inches bigger.
Talk about a light bulb. I have never been so excited to sit down and do homework or fool around on my Internet since they stopped charging by the minute.
If you have a big screen HDTV and aren't using it as your monitor, you are missing out.
Now all I need is an adult size Bean Bag Chair and I think I might have found my permanent new workspace.
-MH
As you can see, I haven’t quite lived up to my earlier commitment to Blogging on the regular. I guess I could say that I have been procrastinating quitting my slacking. I could throw out a lot of excuses (almost half of them would be valid) for my lack of journaling gusto, but no one is really going to care what kept me from writing anyway. So, here is my recommitment to regular blogging. Maybe I’ll even manage to post an entry or two before I need to recommit to my recommitment. We shall see.
-MH
So, I just couldn’t take the fact that this wasn’t an available feature, so with a little effort, a few hours, and a couple sideways glances from an ignored girlfriend, here is the final product.
For those of you who don’t get it, I shake my head at you and recommend the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
This was a quick read, almost an introduction of sorts into a series of books. I am not sure yet if I am interested enough to read on. Not that I didn’t enjoy the book, but I am not sure I enjoyed it enough to put its sequels ahead of my other reading selections.
I give it 4 out of 10, though I can see where it might have a draw to the less well read, Twilight series loving crowd.
In my humble opinion, this book ranks among the best books ever written. I do not have command enough of the English language to give this book an appropriate review. There are only a few moments throughout my reading history that have made me teary eyed, and the speech made by the speaker of the dead is one of those moments. The entire book is a philosophical exploration of the ever changing psyche of governing bodies as well as an introspective examination of personal philosophy the power of truth.
I give, without reservation, a Ten out of Ten. Read or forever regret that your horizons are not as broad as they should be.
This is a classic of science fiction, the beginning of the trek across the EnderVerse. Rereading it again was a pleasure, as it always is. I would recommend this book at anyone one who is a science fiction fan, and to anyone who enjoys an interesting, detailed and moving book. Yes, it is science fiction, but the science fiction aspect is not the central theme of the book, it is just the avenue of expression. I would whole hearted recommend this book to anyone, and mandate it for anyone professed fan of science fiction.
I give it a nine out of ten.
I read this book on a whim after reading a review in the Amazon Kindle Newsletter. I have been pleasantly surprised. If you are a fan of teen drama, i.e. The Twilight series or even Harry Potter, you might find this book interesting, as long as you don’t mind a little zombie in your drama. That’s right; this is a book about the hazards of living surrounded by the living dead. However, it is not nearly as corny as that sounds. The book sucks you in and keeps you interested, moving at a fast enough pace you don’t notice the telltale signs of a novice writer as badly as you otherwise might and they are few enough that they are easily overlooked.
I will give it 6 out of 10 for anyone looking for a decent teen drama. Don’t worry the gory parts are toned down even though it is a zombie story.
I used to be a BAM millionaire but now I have become an Amazunkie. Yes, I believe I might have just created a term to describe the way in which I scroll through the available books, hunting, craving the next wireless download, wanting only to collect and devour more and more. Sigh.
Well, I have finally gotten my Kindle, and it is everything I thought it might be. I have already spent hours reading on it, first just looking around and then reading the Stephen King novelette “UR”. Here is where my problems begin. What do I do now? What book should I read, where should I head next in my literary adventure? Does anyone have any suggestions? I think we should make this book club idea we have been bating back and forth and make it a reality. At least then I would have some direction while I previewed everything offered out there in the world of Amazon.
I am nearing the end of the first month of my new relationship with Stacy. So far, things have gone very well, much better than I could have ever predicted given the results of many, if not all, of my previous attempts at dating. Now, notice that I didn’t say failed attempts at dating. In fact, if the truth were known, I have probably been much too successful for my own good. However, the potential for long term success in these past relationships, while there, was often eclipsed. Timing or taste, attitude or maturity, or age and race, there seemed to always be something that would rear its head and interfere with any chance for substantial continuity. This new relationship, so far as I have been able to tell, lacks this until now ever present, though varied, impediment. We seem to get each other in a way that is lacking in just about every relationship I am or have ever been involved in. I know that it must most often be my fault as my aloof and often waspish attitude is most certainly a hard thing to over look when someone is getting to know me. It seems, however, that she has looked past that exterior and found something that she might be able to understand and enjoy for awhile. I can only hope my efforts to be better than I have ever been will be enough to make her not regret giving this recovering jerk a chance.
As I am sure some of you know, I have been working hard to bring my weight down to a level that will not only make me healthier but will make me feel much better about myself. I am steadily getting close to that goal. I believe that I have done just about as much as dieting can safely do for me, so I have taken the next step and hired a personal trainer to help me. It has been an eye opening experience. While I have been running at least five times a week until recently (I met Stacy and she messed up my workout schedule. I found a better way to spend my evenings) , I realized that I have quite a long way to go before I achieve the affect I am looking for. Over the past two sessions, he has worked both my upper and lower body to failure. I do not know if any of you have ever experienced this sensation, the inability to move your limbs or to even control them in any meaningful way. After a day or two of recovering, I already feel stronger and have noticed a little more definition. However, those days lifting until failure… They truly sucked. As in one of the most physically demanding things I have done in quite a long time. Now, I am also learning Muay Thai from this instructor, and I have to admit that I am becoming hooked. I am awkward and clumsy, but each time we train, I get a little less of both. I notice my muscles working together more fluidly and get a sense of accomplishment as I get a little better. Who knew how much logic and strategy went into sparring, a match of strikes and blocks that can become an intricate struggle between two opponents. It’s not chess, but it does give checkers or tic-tac-toe a run for their money.
Well, it’s been nearly a month; I guess I should finish the ten list I started. Then maybe I will be free from the less then subtle verbal nudging from my family to complete my train of thought. So, here goes nothing…
8. Recently I started dating a wonderful young woman named Stacy. I have to admit, it is quite a change to date a woman. The college drama is gone, and all that is left is a couple of adults, who take care of themselves, pay their own bills, and make their own decisions. It is the first time I have ever looked at a woman and was able to see a future past the next weekend. Now, I am not jumping in over my head or anything, but I think I have just finally made it to a point where I can see myself moving away from perpetual college student and into something more fulfilling, something I have been running away from: Adulthood.
9. Over the last few years, I have managed to make a significant change to myself. By that I mean I have lost nearly eighty pounds. I did it the hard way, and it took me a long time. I am have only recently made enough of a gain to change the way I actually feel about myself. I can’t tell you the change in my self esteem, the way I carry myself in a crowd. I had this image of myself, call it my matrix projection if you will, and I knew that I no longer lived up to that in the “real” world. So I began working on it. And I am getting closer.
10. I have rediscovered audio books. I have recently asked the magic computer fairy to leave me the entire ender series in audio book format. You see, there is a new one out, and I figured I might as well “reread” the other before I got to that one. However, with my schedule, where can I find the time to make it through the whole series? Then it dawned on me, I have to be awake at all hours, so I might as well have something to listen to, and what’s better than music to drown out boredom? Science Fiction! It never occurred to me how much longer it would take to listen to a book then to actually read it. What would normally take me just a few hours has turned into a week’s worth listening. Well, I am a patient man.
Written at the behest of my dear mother, however, I must admit it was rather thought-provoking to self assess in bullet point format.
1. 1. This is not my first blog entry. I have in the past attempted to chronicle my life in public journals, but an unfortunate realization sapped my motivation. You see, it was only on rare occasions something of social relevance (read “attention grabbing”) would transpire and my casual to sometimes inexplicably passionate evaluations of subjects spanning life, the universe, and everything seemed only to occasionally enrage but most often, most bewilderingly, remain ignored. Oh how frustrating it was. What point is there to bringing such sought after answers to the general public when they can’t even be bother to read them, let alone leave an educated response or even a simple thank you? The general public is currently fending for itself; I long ago washed my hands of them. I have not however given up writing and, probably unknown to most, continue to do so on nearly a daily basis. I have dozens of finished stories, a spattering of lyric and rhyme, and more than a few heavily researched diatribes on topics that have caught my interest (read aggravated or annoyed me). Hey, you never know when Q. Public might wise up and come a calling, and I want to be prepared.
2. 2 I have no mortgage, and two full time jobs. I am single and live my life with nearly no regrets. As for my masterpiece, let us just say that I haven’t quite found my medium yet. I care very deeply about my family and include in that list those few that have shown true friendship to me and mine. Recently, that list got shorter, which leads me to….
3. 3 I also have the ability to expunge. Like many genetic traits, this one must become more pronounced with each generation as unlike my mother, I do have the ability to expunge people. All it takes is a decision, their wrong choice between loyalty and disloyalty, and something in me just clicks and they … disappear. I don’t mean I can’t remember them; it is more subtle than that. For lack of better terms, they cease to exist in a significant way to me. Sometimes, depending on who it is, it genuinely upsets me. Maybe it’s a sense of betrayal; maybe it’s the days, months, decades of wasted time. However, eventually, and most often quickly, those feelings fade to nothing. Not to say this is easy to do, I really am a most forgiving soul, and will overlook most unforgivable indiscretions. There are a couple though, more important to me than to most others it would seem, that I can’t glazed over and forget, as once they are made, the very character and essence of the person changes. And every strategic game player knows there are times when you must cut your losses, no matter what it costs you…
4. 4 I play games. I don’t think this quite gives my passion and obsession the justice it deserves. I truly believe that within the mechanisms, both obvious and hidden, used during even the simplest of board games one can find the beauty of creation that is rarely, if ever, matched in the more permanent realm of visual art. It goes without saying that it is thing of beauty to watch two highly skilled players, be it at chess, poker, backgammon, tic-tac-toe, etc., battle head to head, knowing that hundreds of decisions are being made in split seconds based on criteria and information that the recreational player is unaware even plays a factor. However, for me, this is not the pinnacle of the gaming experience. It is when a child, playing with the pieces a toy, begins to understand that there is something beyond the ornately carved stallions and castles. That first moment, then a piece is move not at random, but with a purpose, as part of a plan. It is these moments, few as they seem to be, that give me hope for my human race and the main reason why…
5. 5 I teach. Not at the college level like my accomplished sister, or to those responsible for the minds of our future like my dear mother. I teach to a handful of students, those with an interest in things that that too many others find socially taboo. I teach children that which has been nearly removed from the class room since we can no longer leave any children behind. I teach children to think. I teach them that life isn’t as cut and dried as it seems on their multiple choice tests. I teach them that sometimes, to win the game, you have to mislead a little. I show them that sometimes, even if it’s scary, you have to risk everything to win, because less then that just gets you second place, and second isn’t always where you want to be. I teach them to make choices that extend beyond right and wrong. Too often there are more than a few choices that could benefit, and sometimes it’s better to take less now if it’ll lead to more later. At least I hope some of this is coming across.
6. 6 I play cards. I know, this make my mother cringe and most people shake their heads. But I have learned to ignore them, as they just don’t understand. It is a passion, but not an addiction. My bills are paid, my responsibilities are kept, and I do it as entertainment. And my entertainment sometimes makes me enough money to buy frivolous things that most people wouldn’t consider. Is that a good thing? I’m not sure. But I am pretty sure that it doesn’t count as a bad thing. It is just a thing I do.
7. 7 My secret? I think I am much smarter than I ever imagined, and much smarter than those around me ever considered and much, much, much smarter than my history suggests. Why is it that I can’t seem to succeed in the aspects of life that seem to count as achievement in the eyes of others? I don’t know what it was that caused it, but ever since that day I walked out of the testing center, knowing that I had done exactly what I needed to do to satisfy some arbitrary requirement for success, I just lost interest in proving to others that I am as good or better than they are. If someone challenges my mental agility, I ask them to pick any test, any game, anything they think they are good at, and to put their money where their laughable pride is. I am always up for some competition, but rarely find any worthwhile. I am always surprised at just how condescending people try to be as they turn and scamper away from my open challenge. And I don’t even want to get started on how many times I’ve been told I am just lucky as I continue to win. But hey, they’ve got a degree, so I acquiesce, they are my superior.