Grief

My Friends Sarah and Jonathan recently lost a baby. The very next day Sara blogged about it http://yellowitchgrl.livejournal.com/603654.html I think it’s awesome that she is able to deal with the pain of grief and journal it out and begin the healing process.
My own sadness at my father’s recent death has affected me different. At times I’m OK, knowing that is was a long battle and now he’s at peace. Other times I feel abandoned, after all now I’m an orphan. I’m not sure how to handle that new label.
As much as I like to write, it has suffered by my father’s death. I’ve ignored most of my self-imposed deadlines. I’ve put off revisions and starting new projects. I’m just not trying to think about life, etc.
Hopefully I will never know the loss of a child. I do not know how profoundly influence I am by Sarah’s words of hope. I know even as she began the healing process in her words, that process has affected me.

The Summer of our Recession

We are quickly approach mid summer, and I have yet to do something exciting. I have had days off, but no extra money. Even though I moved to Baltimore County about five years ago, I have yet to get a library card. The extra $$ in my wallet being no longer there, I am considering the move.
I was greatly delighted to see one of my words appear in a national blog. One of my favorite bloggers, http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/ had a poll yesterday. The poll concerned PETA's desire to rename fish "sea kittens." The blogger had a poll on what we thought fish should be called. He had a list of about seven and a category called "other." I always choose other. When the results were published, he gave percentages and included several of the other names. "Finburger" was mine.
Today, I left a comment at http://pimpmynovel.blogspot.com/ writing the first line in an Amish vampire book. Check it out!
Oh well, might as well have fun playing cut little games-it's for free!

Rain of Death

It's been raining in Maryland for many days now, which means...
The ground is getting saturated, which means...
Earthworms are now surfacing, which means...
Birds have an ample food supply, which means...
There will less mortality among baby birds, which means...
The bird population will be larger, which means...
A flu like the avian strain will be easier to turn into a pandemic, which means...
We're all going to die!

In the State of Awaiting Order

Last month I purchased a new digital caliper, for measuring gemstones (my day job). Last night just for fun, I read the instructions. I usually like to read the directions from things from China, this proved to be no exception.
The mode directions explained all the things this simple digital caliber can do. Before, however, you can use it, you must place the caliber, "In the state of awaiting order." There were no directions on how to do this, unfortunately.
Then it occurred to me. "The state of awaiting order," meant, in our archaic way of phrasing things, "On."
Wow!
I was somewhat disappointed. "The state of awaiting order," cries out for much more meaning than that. I mean, whole novels, self help books and CIA papers can bear that title.
Maybe I'll write a story with the title.

Big 3 bailout

OK, for starters I'm not a fan of the government bailout of businesses. I'm certainly not a fan of businesses whining for help from the government. If you messed up you business too bad! Isn't that what a free-market capitalistic society is all about? I know, what about the unemployment? what about lost pensions? etc.

Here is the Gary Lester fantasy solution! (You may print this out and send it to your congress person:

The oil companies should save the car industry!

Why, you might ask?

Here are my reasons:

1) As fast as Detroit loses money, the oil companies rake it in. Windfall loses for cars-windfall profits for oil. Are they related?

2) In the last oil crunch, GM produced an electric car. It started out somewhat ok, but before a greater level of development was achieved, the product was yanked. Many think that it was the oil companies that either paid and/or convinced GM to give up this wild idea.

3) Had this been pursued, GM would be making their 4th generation electric car which certainly be super efficient in many ways.

Big slow businesses that cannot adapt are like big hulking dinosaurs. Change or die! (Interesting that oil basically is the decomposed liquid remnants of these creatures).

Obama und alles

-OR- Why I voted for Obama

First, These aren't the reasons I voted for him: 1) He a Democrat and 2) He's an African American. These have nothing to do why I voted for him.
I felt that Mr. Obama is a very articulate person who inspires America as opposed to those that would use fear to rule over us. In his victory speech last night, Obama stressed that he expects Americans to work to make things right and it's not going to be easy.
Yesterday at the polls, I felt an excitement, an anticipation that I have never felt before. I reveled in the long line there. The line was full of diversity, Asians, Indians, African Americans, white Americans. There were Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Christians (just naming the obvious ones). Everyone there was very animated, excited. This election was not going through the motions.
This election was about hope and change. The voters I stood in line with felt it, I felt it. It was electric. I'm not sure this will ever happen again.
Reports from Europe shared this same excitement. Beth Arnold of The Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/beth-arnold/obamas-big-bang-in-france_b_141295.html) told a wonderful story how Paris embraced Obama. Kenya declared a national holiday. This excitement was not just felt in the voting booths across American, but stretched across the whole earth.
Whatever happens during the Presidency of Barak Obama, this election day, I felt Americans were excited and privileged to be Americans.

Thanks Kira!

I met a young lady today. She bought a book from me and wanted me to sign it. I looked up and she waited patiently. I was due to read any minute at the Baltimore Book Fest and did not have a chance to talk to her, and I didn't get a real chance to thank her. So... Thanks Kira!!!