A to Z Challenge 2013

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Happy Holidays

It's been a while since my last post, and part of that is because I'm pretty busy.  I'm working through my classes of course, but also just the usual busy times that life hands us.  The other part of that is because I've been thinking about this blog, thinking about where I want to go with it, and what I want to do.  Some good ideas have popped into my brain.

I am going to be absent for a bit longer however.  I'm on vacation from work after today, and I plan on spending the majority of the time with my wife and boys.  After the end of the year, I will be back with new ideas, new energy, and some changes that will help make this blog a great deal better.

I wish everyone Happy Holidays, a very Happy New Year, and I will see you all again in 2011.

Take care

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

All Kinds of Things On A Wednesday

Yesterday's blog chain post really got the creative juices flowing.  I struggled to get my word count under the 100 word limit, but it was a fun struggle.  And by the time I finished, I felt like I'd written something really decent.  It's been a while since I've done that - felt like I've written something decent.  But man, did it feel good.  I got such a thrill out of it.  So thanks Michelle, even if it was partly torture.

On another note, I was driving to work and as usual, a great song came on just as I got there.  I didn't have time to listen to the whole thing, so I popped inside and looked it up on YouTube:



Granted, the video is something a fan put together, but I thought it went with the song perfectly.  Five Finger Death Punch (the band that wrote this song) might not be your usual cup of tea, but when they can come up with something as beautiful as this song, I figure they can't be that bad.  Of course, I'm a fan of their other stuff too so maybe I'm a little biased.

Then I stumbled on another Far From Home video (yeah, I get caught up in YouTube way too easily) and of course I had to check this one out:



Since I play piano, this one caught my attention right away.  I'd never heard of Jake Oken-Berg before, but I'll probably look up more music by the talented fellow.  He definitely knows how to tickle the ivories and sing some soulful words.

Last but not least, if you haven't signed up for the INSANE contest Beth Revis is hosting titled the Epic Contest of Epic.  You will not believe how much stuff there is to win, and the grand prize is...well, I can't even describe it adequately enough, so you need to rush over there and get your entry in.  If you haven't been following Beth on her journey as she sees her debut book Across The Universe published, you've been missing out.  In less than a month, this awesome story will be in the hands of the masses, and it couldn't have happened to a nicer author.  Beth is so cool, incredibly talented, and I'm really happy for her.  Now get over there and enter the contest.  You'll kick yourself if you miss this opportunity.

Oh, and any other great songs/books/artists I'm missing out on?  Fill up the comment boxes, ladies and gents!

Monday, December 13, 2010

Blog Chain - The Devil Made Me Do It

There he is, ladies and gents.  This is the image of who must be driving me around these days (and no, I don't mean John Candy).  About this time of year, the little red devil perches himself on my shoulder and starts to whisper in my ear.

"Nah, you don't need to finish that up.  Ain't there somethin' on YouTube?"

"You'll get back to that scene, don't worry.  We got some games to play, remember?"

"Eh, that bad feelin' in your gut ain't guilt over your abandoned projects, my man.  It's just bad chicken from last night - trust me!"

The Procrastination Devil is one I fight on a continuous basis, but for some reason he really gets ahold of my ear as the year begins to wind down.  I find myself getting distracted much easier, and next thing you know I'm forgetting things.  This would be how I managed (for the second time no less) to forget my turn on the blog chain.  But I suppose late is better than never, so I'll put up my entry nonetheless.

Michelle M. has really decided to challenge us as the year comes to a close, with her question:

In 100 words or less, write a story using the words ride, post, soulless, local, dehydrator, girdle. Your story may take on any form you wish. The only two rules are 1. you can't simply list the 6 words; you must actually craft them into something creative, and 2. you must use ALL six of them.


I won't kid you;  this has really made me sweat, particularly since everyone else has done such a great job with it.  If you haven't read any of the previous entries on the chain, you need to work through them all.  There are some impressive writers here.  Despite my reticence however (that little devil is buggin' me to pass), I'll give it a go.



The ride past the post office brought bad memories; He still saw the twisted bodies, like old meat sitting too long in a dehydrator.  Tim usually avoided Main, but tonight it was the only safe path.  The feeble beam cast by his flashlight poked holes through the black curtains between streetlights, but it was barely enough to see by.  He glanced at the sign hanging askew, a ragged woman’s girdle covering one end.  The Local Pub now read as The Abyss, a bloody scrawl gleaming through the pale fabric.  He pedaled harder, ignoring the soulless groans coming from within.  



I was supposed to precede Sandra, but I have ended up posting after her anyway LOL.  Check out what she came up with though.  Actually, work your way through them all.  This has been the most fun AND difficult post I've had to write in a long while.