Category: Drama

Mischief

6/28/2014

As many of you already know, my mission for 2014 has been to reduce negative energy in my life, and try to focus on more positive, uplifting results. Sometimes, though, this leads to some unintended mischief. My personality type probably doesn't help. I am a writer, after all, so I love reading and writing books, and I don't mind integrating my fantasy into reality every now and then.

I had an incident a couple of weeks ago. It's not unusual for me to post things online related to issues I'm writing about and researching. I ran across a list of sigils on Pintrest and thought hey, this is a neat collection, and I'm using one of them in Obsidian. Other writers might like it, so I shared it on Facebook.

Big mistake. Oh, the writers and Supernatural fans got it. They thought it was awesome, but it completely and 100% freaked everybody else out. At first I thought OMG, they're scared of symbols, isn't that cute? Then it disturbed me because I realized that people really were taking things way too seriously. I thought they knew I was a writer. I thought they knew a bit of weird is normal out of me. I thought they knew how to make the distinction between fiction and reality better. I thought they knew me better than that. But most of all, I didn't realize that they scared that easy.

Well, the good news is that my next writing project is sci-fi. No supernatural there. Now, it's gonna be a lot of neurology and technology. I hope brains and big words don't scare them like symbols do. And by the way, when I shared this incident on Twitter, they thought it was hilarious that Facebook freaked over it. I saw pretty quick where I belong online (and am happy I've made appropriate adjustments!).

Still, it's out there now, Oh well. I'm gonna have so much fun at Halloween. Maybe I'll be a demon hunting alien. That sounds like fun. Or maybe by then, you'll realize it's all for the sake of art. You can't fear the darkness, especially in worlds and characters you create. You go where it takes you, and you enjoy the ride. My crazy is all on the table, both here and on Amazon, and I put it out there so you can join in - if you aren't too scared ;)

That's all today. Take care, and have a great weekend.

Bye!

Leaving Facebook

6/26/2014

It's true. I deactivated my Facebook account today. I've been thinking about it for a while now because there have been issues with lurkers, but somebody impersonated me yesterday and that was the last straw. I'm not getting anything but aggravation out of Facebook, and it was past time to pull the plug. Turns out Rick was right. There's no merit in that site.

If somebody wants to impersonate me, then they need to get over here and do the work that goes along with being me. They can start with paying the bills, cleaning the house, and going to work for me :) I bet that would cure them of envy real quick.

Seriously, you know how I am. I'm proud of being different, and the fact that my authenticity has been made a liability means it's time to disconnect the drama. So no more. If people were relying on getting information about me and Rick through Facebook, they'll have to resort to the old fashioned method: they'll have to talk to us. As for the others, they know where else to find me online if they wish. I get more responses and activity out of Twitter and Goodreads than I ever got out of Facebook anyway.

Not everybody on Facebook was bad, and I am sorry that the good have to suffer as well - but truthfully, I've talked personally to many of those people, so this should come as no surprise to them. They know the issues I've had, and said they understood my reasons for backing away. That I decided to leave altogether probably doesn't surprise them.

I'm just amazed at how relieved I feel. It's like a tremendous weight has been lifted. I feel good about it, and I'm happy that it frees me up to spend more time with other people and things that mean more to me. That time suck is closed. Thanks be to God!

In other news, I'm finally starting to feel much better. I think getting some rest and taking care of some things that have been hanging over me forever has done me a lot of good. I needed it, and thank God for the opportunity to rest and restore myself as I should have two months ago, when I should have. Maybe I could have prevented this relapse. But as with Facebook, better late than never, and at least I finally "got it."

That's all today. I just wanted to give you a heads up on what's going on. Click on "About Me" if you want to know where else to find me online.

Bye!

Why All The Drama?

10/3/2013

Can anybody explain to me why things are turning into high drama these days? Did I miss something while I was reigning in my life and getting Splinter ready for publication?

At first, I thought this might be the case. Since Labor Day, I’ve seen people making a huge, drama deal out of things that were, for all intents and purposes, no big deal. The first time, I passed it off as well, that knocked the slats out from under them and apparently they were affected in a big way by it. The second time, I thought it was people making something out of nothing. But there was another instance yesterday when somebody had explosive reaction to a simple request, and that made me wonder: what’s going on? Is there something in the water supply and Rick and I escaped it because we’re on a well? What is it? I shared my experience with Rick and he agreed that it was a big reaction to a small thing, and that we’ve seen a lot of this in a variety of places in recent weeks.

So what’s up, folks? Because when you make big drama out of minuata, it looks like one of three things:

1.      You’re hiding something;

2.      Something triggered a guilty conscious reaction; or

3.      You’re trying to stir things up.

Far be it from me to judge or even speculate. I’m not asking for the story, but I sense chaos swirling. Keep it on your turf, please. I have enough crazy in life. I’m not accepting any more. And frankly, I understand that everything isn’t my business (thank God), nor do I want to impose myself on it. I have my hands full with attending to my own life, thank you very much.

Just know this: these huge reactions are as good as a billboard saying SOMETHING IS TERRIBLY WRONG!! If that’s not the message you intend to send, present it more accurately. If you are throwing hints, I’m not asking questions, but realize that not everybody will be that gracious. Busybodies abound, and eventually someone will start digging. It won’t be me, but someone will come with a shovel to start excavation. Be careful. They might dig up more than you want.

Maybe it’s simpler than all of that : people being themselves. I mean, the President and Congress are doing whatever they darn well feel like. They're acting like a bunch of girls that are mad because the boy they like took someone else to the Homecoming Dance. If they're acting like that, why shouldn't everybody else do what they darn well please, and throw violent fits and blame games over the consequences?

Whatever the case, I’ve decided not to spend any more mental energy pondering it, because there’s no figuring it out, and I’m averse to wasting my time. But whatever it is that’s the source of the drama – big, small, anywhere in the middle, or absolutely nowhere – good luck with that.

That is all. Have a Happy Friday tomorrow and a great weekend.

Bye!

Breaking Down Breaking Bad - Finale Roundup

9/30/2013

SPOILER ALERT! If you have not seen the finale of Breaking Bad, please note that this entry contains spoilers.

So it’s all over. Walter White is dead, taken out in a blaze of glory as he took down the operation that he started. The empire is fallen. Heisenberg is no more, and his work is gone forever.

I think Breaking Bad answered the age old question of whether the ends justify the means, and it seems that the answer is no, they don’t. The ends weren’t even what Walt planned or expected. That he would eventually die – of the cancer or from being killed in this whole operation – was never a question. I think we all knew that in the end, he would die. The question was, who else would go down with him? Plenty of people, it turned out, but it’s when it hit home with Hank that things really started to unravel in ways that couldn’t be rectified.

There was no humor in this season. No funny moments of strange situations with drug dealers, incidents with Saul, Mike or Huell, running from police that aren’t even interested in them, Jesse digging holes in a meth head's back yard, awkward family conversations, or even the “scabby lasagna” dinner conversation that cracked me up so much with Walt, Skyler, and Jesse. It was nothing but painful consequences as this train ran away to its inevitable conclusion. Well, except for Badger and Skinny Pete with the lasar pointers on the Schwartz’s. I did find that clever and funny, albeit in a strange way.

And yet, though the conclusion was expected, there was still disappointment. Yes, I had hope that things would work out. That the bad guy’s good intentions would lead to something worth redeeming. Unfortunately, human nature followed its natural course. At least Walt was willing to admit to Skyler that he did it for himself and his own glory. I hand him huge points for finally making that admission. We heard him tell Jesse he was in the empire business. We saw his pride in killing Gus and taking the operation international with Lydia. It ceased being about securing the family’s financial situation long ago – perhaps even with the first batch. But at least he realized it. He said it made him feel alive even as death was eating away at him through the lung cancer. And so, he never apologized for it. He stood by it, until the police came charging into that lab to find him dead on the floor of what he started and finished, in a blaze of glory. Or more accurately, a blaze of bullets rigged to a garage door opener in the trunk of his car. That was a new thing, at least for me. And I have to admit that it was an amazing scene.

So who paid for this? Everybody. Walt’s dead. He might not answer for it in a court of law, but he answered for it with his life. The family looks to be living in borderline poverty, perhaps worse off than they were before. Maybe Flinn/Walt Jr. will get that money from the Schwartz’s on his 18th birthday. Maybe he’ll believe it’s a generous donation and they’ll be alright. Or maybe he’ll see through this one last lie and reject it, just as Walt rejected the Schwartz’s offer to pay for his cancer treatment – to take the right road out of his situation instead to cooking meth – and in similar pride, the ball will continue to roll for them. The family Walt wanted to help is worse off than ever; and really they are the only ones left, besides Saul, who’s in Nebraska, and Jesse going who knows where. So many people died to protect this and for what – nothing. Most of the money is going to be confiscated by the police. Walt decided in the end to not take the money that Todd’s uncle took from him, but instead to end it for once and for all. That was perhaps the best choice he made. He was never sorry for what he did, but at least he cleaned up the mess the best way he knew how.

That was another moment that got me. Walt saved Jesse, then asked Jesse to kill him. I really didn’t know what he would do, but I saw in that moment, when Jesse dropped the gun and said “do it yourself,” that he grew up. In the worst way possible, he grew up, and that perhaps is the only good that came out of this whole fiasco. He’s the one with a chance at a life. The question is, will the scars of this 2 year journey (for them on the show) hold him back, or propel him forward? I certainly hope it’s the latter. He’s the only one with hope for a better life ahead. I’d like to think that all of this, all the deaths, all the pain, all the hurt, led to this one good thing – of saving him, even as it ruined so many others. It would make this journey of destruction worth it on a small level. Because there’s no big picture where this leads to any good.

So take a lesson from this series. The ends don’t justify the means. Doing wrong never leads to right. It may seem to work out for a while, but it’s a lie. The deception will run out and all that’s left are consequences, and they usually you the worst, but others as well. We might not be comfortable with the ugly in life, but it’s there and facing it is better than turning a blind eye. We see now what it means to make right choices, and the devastating consequences the wrong ones can have on so many people. That web kept growing. It was unbelievable in the end.

Thank you, Vince Gilligan, for taking us on this amazing journey. You are brilliant and there’s no doubt that this show was groundbreaking in so many ways. We witnessed television history last night, and I’m proud to have been a part of it. Even as a viewer munching on Jiffy Pop and sitting in my recliner saying “Oh my God! Did you see that?” and tweeting my amazement at the journey that was Walter White. And thanks to AMC for bringing this marvelous creation to viewers. It was a great, edge of your seat ride, from start to finish. You never let us down. Yes, it was rough around the edges, but so is real life. I loved this show and, like so many others, will surly miss it. I hear there’s a new spinoff series in the works titled “Better Call Saul.” So who knows? Saul might reappear from Nebraska to bring us more adventures. We shall see.

That’s all today. Take care and have a great week.

Bye!

Questions Without Answers

4/12/2013

It’s been one of those weeks where it seems like every question is a hard one, and unfortunately I’ve been designated as the “go to” person for those thorny questions that just don’t have a clear answer. I’m not sure how I got this honor. People say I’m smart, but I think it might have more to do with the fact that I’m not afraid to make up an answer if “I don’t know” won’t do. And of course, it often won’t. Hence, my inventive instincts kick in and alas, the unanswerable continues to come to me for an answer. I don’t know why others aren’t comfortable taking what they know and extrapolating an answer. Maybe it’s my personality. Or maybe it’s because I’m not afraid to do it.

Still, despite my creative instincts, there are still some things that I just don’t get. Don’t call me a “know it all” yet people, because I don’t understand:

1.      Why charisma wins popularity but integrity isolates. I know people swarming with friends that don’t do anything for anybody but the almighty “I” and others that give and give, and people tell them it’s never good enough. Real story: I can tell you of instances when I took off work to go to funerals or to visit people when they were sick. “Thanks!” they said, but once they recovered I was relegated back to my place on the Christmas card list while they ran right back to their buddies that were too busy and couldn’t be bothered with “using their leave like that” or dropping a card in the mail. Why was my time out not good enough but their casual “oh, sorry for your loss” when you went back to work okay?

2.     Why is it fine for some people to “be like that” but others need to get their act together. This harkens to my last entry about how it seems people like some people and their problems more than other people and their problems. An undependable person that you can’t trust to show up when they say they will is thought of as a “swell guy” because he has that charisma and can light up a room with cheerful banter. “Yea he’s not dependable, but that’s just him!” People say. But his shy neighbor that always shows up when he’s needed is “shady” because “I just don’t know if I can trust him. He really needs to be more open and honest with people.” I tell you; it seems that character doesn’t matter anymore. Why doesn't "swell guy" need to clean up his act and keep his word? And better yet, why do people get angry and defensive if you even hint at such a thing? It seems to me like people pick their friends arbitrarily and they won’t get facts get in the way of what they want to believe.

3.      What's up with cliques? Why, people? They’re useless. You don’t have to be in one to have friends. I know because I’m not a group or clique person and I get along with people just fine. In fact, if I ask people questions then they usually tell me things because they know I’m not going to gossip or use it to create drama. Which brings me to my next item …

4.      Gossip and drama. OMG. Why even bother? I have enough to deal with without having drama stirred up by people being sensitive and/no nosy. As the saying goes, nobody’s got time for that. At least I don’t.

5.      Why are we quick to assume the worst of those we know and the best of strangers? Some people do. Here’s a recent conversation I had:

Them: “There was a bag in my yard this morning! Why would my neighbor throw their trash in my yard?”

Me: “You saw them do it? Why didn’t you ask them about it?”

Them: “No! I mean, it was between our houses. Do you think they pushed it on my side?”

Me: “So you’ve counted out that a stranger driving by might have thrown it out of their car and it blew into your yard?”

Them: “Oh. I didn’t think about that.” Pause. “Could that happen?”

Me: “I’ve seen bags blow in my yard a lot and its windy out today. But hey, you know your neighbor. If you think they did it …”

Them: “No! They probably wouldn't ... I mean, it probably blew in my yard.”

Why were they quick to blame the neighbor and count out a stranger being an igit? I don’t know. And yet, this is a small example of what I see often. People are harsh with those they claim to love and will grant eternity’s grace to strangers. It seems to me it should be the other way around: suspect the stranger, assume the best of the inner circles. But who am I to say? It seems human nature is drifting toward assuming the worst in a lot of cases. We see nefarious intentions everywhere.

6.      The weatherman can be wrong 50% of the time (or more) and keep a job. Could you keep your job with a record like that?

7.      Why does everybody want Friday off? Friday is my easy, catch up day because of staff shortages and slower calls/emails/mail. I want Monday off. That’s the day everybody comes back and it hits the fan.

8.      Yield signs. I saw somebody stop at one a week ago for the first time in I can’t remember when. People ignore them. We need to replace them with Stop signs.

9.    Wearing a watch on an airplane when you’re crossing time zones. I learned the futility of this when I went to Arizona. I think I was the only one on the plane wearing one. And yet, I was pestered to death. “What time is it in Charlotte? How long have we been in the air? How much longer till we land?” Why ask me these questions? The watch doesn’t control time and its ability to tell it was compromised. Next time, I don’t wear it or hide it in my carry on. Geeze.

10.  Why do thermostats even have settings below 70 degrees or over 75 degrees? You know people get uncomfortable at temperatures outside that range. Choices, schmoices. Build HVAC systems for reality, folks!

And finally:

11.  Why is everybody wearing yellow today? I’ll wear my new yellow shirt, I thought this morning. Then I got here and saw about 10 people coming in wearing yellow. What’s up with that?

I don’t know. These are some of life’s questions that I can’t even hazard a guess. So I suppose my inventive instincts aren’t that sharp after all. But maybe they do still work to a degree, because the beauty of being a writer is that I can pass the questions I can’t answer on to you, the reader, and let you be the judge. Heh heh heh.

That’s all today. Happy Friday to you. Have a great weekend.

Bye!

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Mischief

Leaving Facebook

Why All The Drama?

Breaking Down Breaking Bad - Finale Roundup

Questions Without Answers

Escape Reality

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