Writing posts
Country Roads If you have ever spent any amount of time driving in West Virginia, I am sure there is a chassis parts salesman somewhere who appreciates it. While it is true you can go from one city to another using our interstate or highway system, at some point you have to leave the big road behind. Country roads can be an adventure all their own. They can narrow to the point of becoming one lane with more turns, hills,…
The Prize In My Serial It is just past noon on Saturday, May 10, 1941. You have waited almost two and a half years for him to return. The line can only be described as organized chaos and you dance, impatiently, from one foot to the other waiting for it to move. You are surrounded by equally impatient school mates, each of you holding your quarter in your fist. The girl in the ticket booth—finally—announces that she is ready to take…
Writing with a GPS I am a geocacher, so I rely heavily on my hand-held global positioning system receiver—my GPS—or I did until I got my smart phone. If you aren’t familiar with the term “geocacher,” let me explain what that it. A geocacher is someone who uses satellites to find hidden Tupperware containers full of McDonald’s happy meal toys. (It is actually much more than that, so I would like to invite you to visit www.geocaching.com for the full…
Not Just Another Day As I did at Christmas, I would like to begin this post by letting my readers know that I will be dealing with a subject some of you might not agree with—Easter. Rather than offend you, I would like to give you the opportunity to quit reading at this time. If you do choose to quit reading, I would like to invite you back in a few days for brand new posts and, hopefully, a new…
Dad at the Hospital A few weeks ago, I received a phone call from my mother and, during our quick conversation, she said Dad needed to talk to me. I explained I was busy and asked if I could call her back when I got free. She said that would be fine. After finishing the task at hand, I returned her call. We spoke for a moment, then she put Dad on the phone. I knew something was wrong as…
Daylight Savings Time Parts of the world just experienced daylight savings time; I sure miss that extra hour of sleep. Thank you William Willet. Or was it George Hudson. It might have even been Benjamin Franklin who first suggested this travesty against dreamers. While Mr. Franklin is the one who first coined the phrase “Early to bed and early to rise…,” he never actually tried to implement the idea. It looks like old Ben is off the hook. In 1895,…
No One Wants a Top Fuel Writer The Christmas Tree lights take forever to change. The scent of nitromethane fills your nostrils as you wait, its fumes coursing through your veins until they reach your heart, causing it beat in time with the 10,000 horsepower engine that powers your aluminum engine. 2,250 pounds of precise engineering surround you like a carbon-fiber composite coffin. The rumble of the machine tickles your nerves, making you anxious. Your eyes stare past the front…
Pacifier Withdrawal Syndrome I am pretty sure my grandson is suffering from pacifier withdrawal syndrome. I also believe that there is a need for a support group—not for the little ones, but for the parents and grandparents. His pacifier has always been the one constant in his life, and now that it is time to give it up, he hasn’t found a new constant. He is more irritable than he has ever been and doesn’t seem to know how to…
Hairstyles I know when my wife is considering getting her hair cut when she begins showing me pictures of hairstyles. Our usual routine is for her to bring up the pictures on her phone, I will offer my suggestions and opinions, then she makes her decision. For the most part, the hairstyles she shows me are attractive, but there is one particular style that I absolutely detest. As far as I am concerned, it is the most unflattering hairstyles I…
The Cogs Have Aligned The cogs have aligned and I have finally chosen a genre in which to write. I have decided to try my hand at alternative history, or more specific, it’s sub-genre, steampunk. I’m sure there are some who read my blog that are scratching their heads and wondering what is this steampunk he is speaking about. Since the long version can—and has—filled books, I’ll give you the short version. We will start with a brief description of…