My New Office Space; Sort Of

Overlapping work spaces support neither productivity nor my creative juices. So I made some changes.

For the longest time I had wanted to move our desk top computer with associated desk from what has grown to be our prayer room. So I finally got to it.

I took a utilitarian space that is used for multiple daily tasks, the small kitchen in our upper unit (we have not had tenants, or even fiveants in our duplex for some twenty year). The upper unit is our personal space and the lower unit is where we cook, eat, entertain and do business; our public space.

So I created two computer stations in this upper unit kitchen space, one for the desk top and another at a small table for my lap top on which I do my writing. Left plenty of room for my wife’s ironing board and plenty of space in front of the sink which we use regularly.

My drafting table is clear, covered only in trace paper. I have been doing a bit of design regularly over the months and it has kept me from writing as the repurposing of a space back and forth I find tedious. Honestly, I find it somehow disturbing.

So, upstairs, a bit close but comfortable.

Now the writing is taking off. I set a plan for my blogs, resolved to stick to the schedule, giving each blog a monthly or quarterly goal. And then…

So my wife has a lap top on which see does work for our church. Every couple of weeks she spends an afternoon working on the lap top. Once in a while she goes to church and spends most of the day working her work.

So… there she is, my wife, set up at my new writing station working her work, my lap top pushed aside into obscurity. I am elated that she is enjoying the space. Particularly in the Winter since it is uncomfortably cold, drafty, downstairs at the kitchen table. And I have plenty of other tasks I need to do, far too many in fact, so I happily go about my way.

The next day, there she is again. No problem, she doesn’t have a whole lot to do. I am certain she won’t be long. I hold back on my excited anticipation to get back to my writing in full vigor.

Then the next day; there she is.

“Do you like this space?” I ask.

“Yes, it is so warm.” she smiles delighted.

I’m still happy. I even have both our printers in the same space, everything we need consolidated. She really likes that. She needs a printer.

Then the next day.

Then the next day.

I wake up late on Saturday, after working the night before, anxious to get on my lap top to write and take care of neglected business.

There she is working away.

I stare in disbelief.

“What are you doing?” I plead.

“What??”

“You never have this much work to do. You only work on your lap top maybe every two weeks! What are you doing?” I am pleading, almost crying because I know she really likes this space and I am upsetting her, but I created the space for ME!

“I made this space to write.”

So we are watch the TV show “Monk”: “Mr. Monk and the Airplane.”

The dialogue goes something like this.

Wine is spilled on Mr. Monk and he jumps back and says to his assistant, “Hurry, it’s going to stain.”

His assistant responds, “Here is your stain remover.” handing the applicator to him.

He stares at the applicator stunned and asks, “Can you do it?”

To which the assistant scoffs, “Why can’t you do it?”

“Because if you do it, then I don’t have to.”

I laugh and ask my wife, “Does that remind you of anyone?”

“Yes, you.” she answers and we both laugh.

You single guys don’t know what your missing.

So look for my blog posts, at least three a month amongst my various blogs, hopefully not all on the final day of the month.

I consolidated my Create Space account with my KDP account. Shooting for four books published this year.

Thank you for reading.

Here We Go Again

Just squeezing in my post for the month. Writing is a great expenditure of time and energy. Yes, people may claim I am taking it easy, or doing something that should only be enjoyed in retirement, but I beg to differ.

Yesterday, two days ago, was “to do list day”? They have a day for everything now. I am waiting for the “gossips cut your tongues out day”. You know the type, preaching self extinction cause we are all so evil; the ‘what do you mean I need to repent!?’ type.

Have you made your resolutions?

Indignation is all the rage, but it wont get us to outer space, or to Heaven. So if you want to write a great science fiction novel put your indignation aside and envision a future of achievers, willing to sacrifice, suffer and give their lives simply because they must to get it done.

That is the problem with the world today, they do not appreciate what it took to get us here, where we are, sitting idly before screens of various size and function.

I blame the baby boomers for this lack of generational adoration. Of course I do. I blame baby boomers for everything, especially the millenials.

My novels are, will be, life, not technology driven. Except that they will be written on a computer. Those typewriters were too difficult to maintain.

One story at a time on my weekly to do list. One short story a week, to pop off or edit. Extended periods designated solely for the novels, unless we can streamline our schedules, namely making the same or better money with lessening expenditures of time and effort, giving me more time to write. Then I can split the day between short stories and novels; and I keep meaning to write more Haiku.

More time to write; it is a dream I have; as we start even another business and lunge full bore into the home remodel.

So my blogs have suffered this past year. I failed to post even once on the blog that started it all.

If I knew then what I know now, I most likely would not have named my second blog as I did; “It’s a Dog’s Life”. Or perhaps the title is appropriate.

Discipline is what I need to expand upon, and creating a time table for my blogs may be the framework to achieve the goal. I will designate each blog as a monthly or quarterly. I will try to create each planned post the first week of each month, to give me plenty of time to edit before publishing.

I looked up and referenced a post I made five years ago. Wow! What was I trying to say? I may go back and edit all my work at some point, though that has grown to a humungous task.

The to do list has been growing huge, over the course of this past year, as I never take anything off the list until it is done. I am clearing away the old tasks quickly as the year comes to an end, the warm weather being highly beneficial to the work at hand.

The list, my writing goals just a few among so many others, has previously kept my writing from progressing at a healthy pace.

Prioritization, or lack thereof, may be something I need to master if my plans for world domination are truly to come to pass. Mastering prioritization that is, not the lacking. I already have that down pat.

Dost I jest?…

A real Magic-8-Ball moment.

Thank you for reading.

Happy New Year!

Lifestyle, or, I Got No Abs

I have been known to procrastinate. So I made a new determination to alter my schedule to facilitate productivity and healing.

“Healing?” you ask.

Yes, with my recent medical issues and some worthwhile advice from that font of wisdom YouTube, I have discovered through my own trial and error that sleep is very very important in healing your body. As is fasting.

I wake up earlier, get the weight of my prayers in, they keep me up late when I procrastinate over them, and then head to the gym.

Physical fitness and activity are my strategy to drive my productivity throughout the day, as well as being awake more during daylight hours. It is just hard to get things done after dark; except writing. But if I start writing after dark then it will be nearly morning before I realize what time it is.

Yes, as I attempt to cement down this routine, my body is thriving, and the creative juices are flowing ever greater. With this weather soon I will have only writing to do, as work on the house pretty much ceases with the cold.

Yes, the gym. It has been possibly ten years since I have gone. Muscle memory has failed me, or perhaps it is just that I got no abs. Couldn’t do a single sit up. My only defense is that it was an inclined bench. A bit embarrassing but the back is strong (probably why my back has been so tight this last year: the difference in strength of abs vs. back) and everything else is in good to fair condition. I have always had trouble with exercising the abs, and you need those abs in the bench press.

The Chuck Hammer sagas are front and center though I can get those short stories, and drafts of a couple other novels, out quick if I set my mind to it.

Almost failed to meet post this month.

Thanks for reading.

Have to once again recommend a high school classmate of mine’s autobiography. It is a truly valuable read. Will make a great Christmas gift for a young up and comer.

Here is another valuable read. It must be valuable or people would not be warning you

Getting Undressed

An apropos title for a high school classmate’s autobiography. An appropriate analogy to the overcoming of the internal challenges we all face in making the changes necessary to achieve one’s purpose and to bring success. Success, in this man’s case, not only for himself but for others.

“Getting Undressed –From Paralysis To Purpose-“ is a must read for any young professional. It is not simply about finding hope in what many would find a hopeless situation, or in keeping faith and a sense of purpose when an uncertain future lay before you, but it is a story that highlights the necessity to foster the ability to change and adapt to ever changing life situations; whether from getting through college to maneuvering through ever changing work environments. Particularly hard in a wheelchair back in the day.

Understanding what drives people is essential to writing a good story. Conciseness makes a story all that more enjoyable and powerful. This tale of a life being lived well excels in its ability to be concise, written with the purpose of uplifting the reader through personal testimony. I have read a few autobiographies, and while I found all fascinating, some lingered in minutia and took me forever to finish (between naps).

This book is a lean 200 pages with, most importantly, pictures. A good picture book is hard to find and always a joy when found. I am center top in the track team photo.

I was in a calculus class with David Cooks at the Jesuit institution we attended: Marquette University High School. I always admire his glow in the face of such a seemingly devastating turn of events. But it certainly was not easy, as I could see on his face in more trying moments. I am sorry if he felt he received any uncomfortable stares.

I am certain I stared much more at our Jewish underclassman than I did at David Cooks, if that is any consolation, simply because he was not only tall but chubby, …actually fat. I mean our underclassman, not David Cooks. I am sure I could provide some sound dieting advice for him.

I never knew that he was not Catholic. I mean David Cooks, not our Jewish underclassman.

Not sure what that Chinese guy was.

For an all boys school it was and is a very diverse supportive environment. A great place to attend high school. I am wondering if they need a new diversity director; a position David Cooks held for some time, as well as the position of head coach of the varsity basketball team. Perhaps I should throw my hat into the ring, for diversity director, not basketball coach. I am a white male after all, which should make me a shoo-in don’t you know.

Or would it help if I said I was female?

There was one part of his autobiography that confused me however. After making it into the Fuqua School of Business at Duke, on page 113 David Cooks writes; “I was no longer always the smartest person in the room.”

I am thinking back really really hard and I am pretty sure we were all in the same room when Mr. Lazowski was teaching calculus.

I am scratching my head.

The dog has fleas.

Thanks for reading.

Almost missed posting this month, but I am grateful that I can connect you with something of profound value. I highly recommend the book. And book him as a speaker if you hold such power.

You can order a signed copy from his site.

I had to pay $20 for the book! Lucky ya’ll.

Maybe he is smarter than me.

I am scratching my head.

Medical Emergency

This household is full of excitement as our favorite band is coming out with five new hits tomorrow, after seemingly disappearing for quite awhile.

I hope I will not be disappearing anytime soon, but a scare, or what they call a scare, I really don’t allow things to scare me but needed to act with the utmost prudence, sent me to the emergency room.

The rumors have been confirmed true. I am just too sweet, or “beyond sweet” in my wife’s words.

The demands of the garden and the vision I have for our small piece of this world, amplified by the time restraints brought by a coming Winter, have kept me working in the physical realm. I have had little time to write, or rather build up the motivation to write.

Now a whole new distraction of investing in what is at this time required to restore my health keeps me listening to various YouTube doctors. And if a doctor is on YouTube you know they must be right.

I will focus on finishing up the short stories and a tale of “Life on the Farm”. The title may be misleading here, but maybe not. I have no new stories growing in my mind. I have to get these out first. My regained memories, not in the news, required no input from outside sources to come to mind, just the healing properties of time and goodwill to all, even to those seeking my destruction.

In my book, as the expression goes, that really creates content of significance for a writer. It is easy to see the evil, but submitting to the good gifts you with understanding.

A Varidesk may benefit my condition.

Thank you for reading.