Here’s my pattern for today so far – get some work done, take a break and critique a story, take a break from that and get some more work done, go back and critique another story. This is a weekly pattern I can expect to repeat for some time into the foreseeable future. It’s kinda nice, actually. More immersion into the world of writing, now with a bit more emphasis on improving my craft and helping others improve theirs.
If you haven’t already checked out Liberty Hall Writers, I highly recommend you do so.
Tags: health, liberty-hall, Writing
There are some up-sides to having a couple of sick days to oneself. Other than working revisions later this evening on part one of this writing project I’ve been working on, I’m done with it. The plan is to send it back this evening and then await the final verdict. I’m hopeful; it would be a great opportunity to do some writing on a more regular basis.
Wish me luck!
Update: And it’s away, two days before deadline. I can breathe a bit easier now, knowing that it’s done. Now I wait to see if they like it enough…
Tags: health, Writing
Yup, that was the ticket. Sleep and food were exactly what I needed, and I’m already making great headway with the writing this morning. With any luck, I’ll get another 1000 to 1500 words punched out today.
Back at it, then…
Tags: health, Writing
11 Apr 06 Bug
The flu finally caught up with me over the weekend, just when I thought I would be the only one in my office to miss catching it. I still don’t feel too great today, but I’d like to hold the rest of my sick days in stock, if possible, for those days when I need them again. Hopefully, I’ll get a chance to write something a bit more profound later today. I do actually one thought in the hopper. For now, though, I need to catch up on some work.
Tags: health
Well, the wife is very sick today, so we both stayed home from work – her so she can rest, and me so I can take care of her. The fever has her weak enough that she has a hard time getting around the house without help. The doc says it may be strep, but he also suggested mono. He tested for the strep, with the results due back tomorrow, and if things don’t get better by Sunday or Monday, we’re supposed to go back and test for the mono. Either way, she’s on antibiotics now, so hopefully that will help. Thank the Lord we finally have medical insurance again. It’s nice to not have to pay the exorbitant medical fees anymore.
Prayer for her recovery would be greatly appreciated.
Tags: health
Apparently, I’ve developed a handshake that it is to be somewhat feared. I had the privilege of meeting one of the higher-ups in my department the other day, where I found that all the work I have been doing at home has been paying off in unforeseen ways.
I’m one of those guys who likes firm handshakes. The type of handshake that I hate is what I call the Dead Fish Handshake. You know the one. Everyone has experienced the Dead Fish at some point or another. It’s the type of handshake where you know immediately that the other individual doesn’t really want to shake hands with you because all you get is their fingertips. Then, their hand just kind of flops in yours, like a dead fish, before sliding out of your grip, like a dead, wet fish. I really hate that. I much prefer a firm-gripped handshake because it conveys both warmth and confidence. A good, firm handshake communicates friendliness and openness.
Wherever possible I try to give others a firm handshake to say that I am genuinely pleased to meet them. I have found recently, however, that my firm handshake has become somewhat firmer – to the point of cracking the other guy’s knuckles. I didn’t mean to do it. I blame on all on the moving of hay bales, sawing (by hand) numerous boards for horse stalls, drilling hundreds of screws, and carrying water buckets. I just gave him my customary handshake and found out that I have muscled up a bit more than I thought.
Fortunately I didn’t actually hurt him, just surprised him a bit. He made a joke about that being a firm handshake and that cracking we heard being his knuckles. I guess I just don’t know my own strength…
Tags: health, human-behavior
Despite my sometimes-cynical attitudes, I am constantly amazed and disappointed at the level of laziness in our country. Obesity is on the rise, both for adults and children, regardless of the all the new diet fads. Anymore, it seems that all of society’s woes are blamed on some physical illness or condition, but the vast majority of doctors will tell you that obesity is a laziness problem. Rarely will you find someone whose weight can be attributed to a physical condition like hypothyroidism. Typically, the root problem lies with people eating all the wrong things and not exercising appropriately. In short, people are lazy and getting more so by the day.
We see this everywhere around us. People will sit in their cars for 15 minutes, blocking the parking lot lane just so they can get that slot that is 30 feet closer to the store, when they could park a little further away, walk to the store, and be inside in a matter of 3 minutes or less. Others will drive around on little scooters, built to give those with physical handicaps the advantage of mobility, only to hop off and saunter to the head of the line. In many cases it seems as though people work harder at getting out of work than they would were they to actually just do the job straight up. And then they have the brass to blame their condition on everyone else.
Personal responsibility is an important value to me. In my mind a person should reap what they sow, and if a person is too lazy to get things done, then perhaps that individual should have to go without some luxuries for a little while. We might even find that the obesity problem in this country would shrink a bit (yes, pun intended). I do not, however, think that government funding of awareness programs is the answer. We have seen that they do not work, anyway. Instead, more time and effort should be spent instilling good values into the next generation, teaching them what it means to work hard and take care of oneself, rather than teaching them how best to mooch off society and get the most reward out of the least amount of effort. I tend to think that good parenting leads to healthier, busier, harder working children, who one day grow up to be healthier, busier, harder working adults. At least, that’s the way it worked with me.
Tags: cynicism, health, laziness, obesity, responsibility
Mastering the spiritual disciplines begins, for me, with the physical disciplines. I’ve gained another 20 lbs. or so the past few weeks (even though my lifestyle and eating habits have not changed over the past year or so). As a result, I believe, I feel fatigued much of the time and my mind is constantly foggy. My goal is to exercise an hour a day at least four days a week, drop roughly 50 pounds, and get back near my ideal body weight.
I believe that to fully master the spiritual disciplines, one must also master the physical disciplines. It’s necessary to master one’s own body, to bring it into subjection, making it the temple of the Holy Spirit that it was meant to be. I need more discipline in my own life, and the best place for me to start at this point is disciplining my body. It’s going to be tough because I’ve grown used to the lack of activity, but in the end, it will all be worth it.
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On another note, I’d like to throw a question out to my handful of subscribers. I have been told numerous times from numerous sources that I am a gifted writer, that I am very eloquent in presenting my thoughts, even in a rough draft. As a result, I’ve been kicking around the idea of beginning a newsletter to share some of the lessons of life as I learn them. (If anyone is familiar with Scott Garber’s Unconventional Wisdom, it will probably be something similar to that.) The question is, if I were to do that, would anyone be interested in subscribing? At this point, I’m just curious as to what the interest levels might be, as it might be a while before I would such a project off the ground. Also, if there is enough interest, I’d be interested in getting ideas for titles for the letter.
Tags: health, holy-spirit, physical-discipline, scott-garber, spiritual-disciplines, unconventional-wisdom
