Local News Blurb
Tonight at 6:00: Oklahoma’s obesity epidemic has expanded to the English sparrow population: how one small-town woman is responsible.
Category: Life
On Writing Again
As I mentioned a while back I’ve started writing again, and not just inane blog posts. I have a story in progress right now. It’s so short it could be considered flash fiction, and it is the first creative thing I’ve finished since 1992. That’s kind of appalling. Thousands of people across dozens of worlds have been bouncing around in my head for 23 years and I haven’t told you about any of them. I thought about why those ideas were trapped for so long, and it boils down to two things: fear and time jealousy.
Brr! It’s Cowd.
[My poor little garlic shoots are snowed under, except for this one hardy fellow.]
Our birds and plants have absolutely no idea what’s going on. In early January, we were bathed in 70 degree temperatures and covered by clear, sunny skies: a warm blanket of Solar Love. Late February has been a whirling dervish of ice, wind, and gray: an iron maiden of Frigid Hate. I’m ready for Spring.
Rest In Peace, Leonard Nimoy (1931-2015)
Leonard Nimoy died today after a long and fruitful life. I didn’t know him. I knew his work and the characters he so richly brought to life.
He helped shaped my world view through his portrayal of Spock, and I’m a better person for it.
“Popularity is the very crumbs of greatness,” he quoted in a commencement address he delivered in 2012. He was a great actor and a fine human being, and I feel small today from the knowledge that he is gone. The world is a bit darker today.
LLAP, Mr. Nimoy. Thank you.
Random Friday: So Cold
Because this week has been one of those weird busy/not-busy periods, I woke up yesterday convinced it was Saturday. Thus, Thursday was a huge bummer. This short post is a sample of the resulting cranial rampage.
Remoteness
Working from home has become a polarizing issue as more companies adopt the practice (or rescind it… I’m looking at you, Yahoo). After seeing an endless stream of articles intended to help more sociable employees take the plunge successfully, I decided to post my own take on the subject: from the perspective of an introvert.
Qualifiers
Featured Image: A Page Out of Time, by Heather Lee (Creative Commons License)
I am a writer.
That sentence is difficult to say because I always try to qualify it with something like, “I want to be a writer.” I’ve been writing since I learned how to put pen to paper. You can ask my mother; she still has all the stories I left around the house for her to find when I was little. I wrote for school assignments, I wrote between classes, I wrote during the summer, I wrote for fun. And then I stopped.
Get Up!
Featured Image: Winter Sunrise, by Heather Lee (Creative Commons License)
After my post on routines, a few people asked me how I managed to go from sleeping 14 hours a day to watching the sun rise every morning. The short answer is time, obstacle removal, and orky help. The long answer is below.
The Garden Begins
It’s a stunning weekend here in Oklahoma, one of many in an astonishingly mild winter. As we get closer to the traditional last-frost date for where we live (typically around March 31st), it’s time to start really thinking about what we want to plant this year. We actually started thinking about that last summer, since you always have to plan a bit ahead if you want to have any real success with a garden. There is, of course, a small wrinkle.
How to Tweak Your Daily Routine
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working to change my morning routine. The goal is to get up early and sneak in a workout before my day gets rolling and I have to focus on braining for a living. The reality has turned out to be a bit of a challenge.