Posted: under Musings.
Yesterday, I went out to my mancave to have, what I consider, a good day away from the house doing fun projects. Wednesday has been, since April of this year, the day that I have breakfast with my neighbor. He is of similar age as me. That gives us a commonality immediately. We both have beards(although the comparison stops there. He has a beard to die for. I on the other hand ….?) We both work in the construction field. He learned his craft through the years and has become a fountain of knowledge with which I can realy upon. In other words we have become good friends and I value our time together. Hence on Wednesday we go and have brunch together.
Of late the morning starts with my friend arriving about eight o’clock in the morning. Usually we talk of the happenings since we last met. Then go on to a project that needs more discussion or expertise added to the mix before I plod on with the project. We are both retired. We do not have a need to accomplish anything(another reason why I like this guy). We both believe that just sitting and talking is an accomplishment that we could be satisfied with. IF we do anything other than that we need to count our lucky stars. Which we do! Often!!
I purchased a plasma cutting torch about a year ago. It wasn’t until yesterday that I had any interest in assembling the cutter and using it. With the help of my neighbor, J.R., we got it out of the packaging and set it up. What was I thinking!!? why did I wait so long? (I think it was because I had to wait to purchase an air compressor since I spent so much on the plasma cutter,,,LOL!!) This is a toy of the year as far as I am concerned. The torch cuts half inch iron like it is a hot knife through butter. Oh boy, what a feeling! I cannot wait to start a little art project with my son. (we have a kbox in the works and metal art could be added to it later) I talked to him about it and he was as excited about the possibilities as I was. The mancave is going keep us together. I have been searching for a commonality to reach out to my son. I am an older father. My interests may not be his interests. So far Kellen wants to have go carts with video games on the windshield. I think the new plasma cutter and the welder that I will set up in a day or two will be the glue that could possibly hold my son and I together during the tough years when he is trying to become a man.
I was usually angry with my Father. Through no fault of his I might add. I was my own worst enemy. Hopefully my life will be a guide for me in what “NOT” to do. Camping has been another commonality for Kellen and I. The way I have the mancave set up every time we stay there it is a camping adventure. It is my aim to keep that way for as long as I can. Somehow I need to find a weigh to entice, encourage, and invigorate his creative genes to work through the problems that one encounters everyday. Hopefully we will work together to understand how a plan is formed in the mind, created on paper, and built according to plans. This is one of life’s lesson that will help Kellen decide how to live his life. Find out what is important, do what you need to do the reach that end, and then make the plan happen.
Kellen will learn how to create, plan, and implement the projects at our mancave using all the tools necessary to make a space ship to the moon with all left handed threads if he chooses. Just like he will do in life. Hopefully we will have created a successful environment for us both to enjoy learn and grow in the years to come.
Oct 13 2011
Posted: under Musings.
Tuesday marks another moment to the end of my wait. I have been studying my typing habits since the NaMoWriMo contest became a personal goal at the beginning of this month. I had to do this because the latest posts on my blog produced a pain not known to this body prior to accepting the challenge to NaNo WriMo. It seems that when I sit in the wrong psotion to type I produce pains simialr to carpal tunnel syndrome. It might also stem from all of the jack hammering, building construction and general demolition work that I have been involved in for practically my entire life. No, it most likely is the typing!! Yeah that is it!! But I will perservere. I will work through the pain so to speak.
I recieved an email from my brother this date. He complained about the typing being a chore. It is a chore. Some of us are up to the task. Already from this post for my blog I can see the benefits of sitting erect when I type. My arms are definitely feeling better than they did a few minutes ago. (Note to self…may be I should study the proper posture when being creative. Hmmm I always thought my best thoughts came when I was in a reclinging position. Might have to revise that…eh?)
IT is fun going over an outline of my novel. I should make notes because I have definitely come up with some great ideas as I was dreaming…I mean… thinking about what it is that will be put down on paper? In the dreams it seems that the words magically appear. Good things reality is not supposed to be in dreams. It would be nice for the words to appear as I think them because I definitely cannot type as fast as the words come to my head. (IF this is a little incongruent in structure get used to it…this is how I plan to write the novel…what ever comes into my head I am going to type pulp. IT is going to be a story and I am going to tell it as fast as I can type it without pain or complaint…Ok, I know the complaining will not stop. It is embeded into my phyche.)
All of the people in my novel will be ficticious and a pigment(i know it should be figment…work with me on this one) of my colorful imagination. (was that illeteration?) Don’t tell me. I would not want to be deflated. I hope to impart drama, courage, human inter-action of family and friends with the whole western United states as the backdrop. It is going to be fun to write what I should have done in my life instead of what was done.
My novel will give me a chance to live the life to which I have never become accustomed. The hero will be full of angst. Wishing against everything that his foibles did not enter into the loved ones that he effected. The major character will be coming to the autumn of his life. HE is ready, willing , and able to meet this new season head on with a lot of nostalgia. I believe it will be fun to write a life that has an answer in stead of living a life that I have to find the answer. I think it will be easier to write a novel with an answer to his lfe already in my head?. My real life is much more complicated and is as yet, left with many unanswered questions. What is new?
Well the arms are still felling pretty good. Must work harder at my posture. Apparently it make a difference for my arms are not sore. Now I have to work on the big words like illiteration, metaphor, and any other words that real writers might use when describing how they go about their work. I, on the other hand, will have to rely on imagination rather than substance. Honestly, who would want to read a book about an old fat fart dirt head that never had a steady job? Well duh? ME!
Oct 11 2011
Posted: under Musings.
Yesterday after noon I left my humble abode to do an errand for a shut in friend. I live in a quite little neighborhood close to our child school and reasonably far from the business core of the city we live in. IT must be said that with the additional businesses that have been built since we purchased out home the neighborhood is not what it once was as far as being a quiet little neighbor hood. In fact one would say that we are in a center of a hub that connects everyone. So it makes it a very frustrating thing to leave the confines of our home to take on the day to day traffic of individuals who must not have a life since they are driving around like little Sims. Unaware of their own surroundings yet intent upon doing what they planned despite what is happening right in front of them.
Case in point…IT is now rush hour traffic on a sunny afternoon. Everyone is excited aabout going home as is normal. What is also normal is there is traffic everywhere. Imagine a six lane intersection grid locked with cars in both directions of travel in two of the three outside lanes used for turning left on a intersection that does not have a controled stoplight or stop sign. Both directions have the right lane or right turn lane free of traffic. Allowing all of the people that want to go through continue while the turning lanes to the left wait for access to cross the street when traffic allows. Since both directions of traffic have created a bottleneck with the attempt at making a left turn at non controled traffic light during rush hour traffic where there is a constant flow of traffic it stops any forward motion or turning of any traffic until such time as the right lane is free of traffic thus allowing the left tun lanes of the six lane higway to access the businesses that each is looking at while they are waiting to gain a safe access. This is a traffic designer nitghtmare .
IT is further complicated by the patrons of the businesses that are trying to exit the parking area to street access on a single two lane road of two way traffic. Now a person should understand that if a six lane road is clogged because of the inability to make a left turn it might be incumbant upon the cell-phone talking driver (it happened to be a woman but men are no better) that they will not be able to make a left turn either.??? The six lane road cannot make a left run because there is one lane of traffic constantly traveling through at legal speeds thus detaining all of the people behind these left lane turners.
I do have empathy for all of the people in the cars that are gridlocked on the six lane road way. They are going home and living their life. This little gridlock thing is the way of it and they deal with it everyday. Well this little SUV that was parked on a two lane road by a stop sign waiting for a left turn never had a clue that she was hold ing up the lives and burning the energy of our vehicles for something that was not going to happen until the rush hour was over.
IN my case it took twenty minutes for me to get enough of waiting since I could have made a right turn at almost any point during that twenty minute period. I finally pulled off to the right and drove off the shoulder and over the curb. I could see that I was not the first to take advantage of this particular little stunt. The curb area was all chipped up and the ground was bare from tire activity. It was a tad bit bouncy but the truck can take it. I don’t think I would have made it over the curbs with a corvette? As I headed towards the next light continuing towards my home I could see car after car doing the same thing that I had attempted. Unfortunately the driver that had held me up for twenty minutes was still at the stop sign waiting to make a left turn the last time that I looked in my mirror. Most likely still on the phone.??? I think this is a case of someone that thinks that they are awfully important. Of course that is what we have in common… I feel the same way! Yet, I would never sit at a gridlocked intersecton with my phone in hand to wait twenty minutes to make a left turn. OF course that is just me…..?
Oct 07 2011
