Writing

Well, my quiet, keep it to myself, goal for the new year has begun. I had told myself that I need to get my creative thoughts moving again after having set them aside for a long slumber. At the end of the day, writing technical documents tends to wipe out your mind and a mind-numbing activity, whether it's having a drink, watching TV, or playing with the kid, is usually the best remedy for a nice relaxing evening.

I used to write. A lot. Creative stuff, at that. I was a Literature major, so I was constantly reading, researching, and writing papers, essays, poems, and general rants. As I moved into the business world, those extended writings turned into lists because that's what the working world does to your thought process. Then even the short lists I would write would get tossed aside and forgotten about. I now have been reduced to writing down what we need from the grocery store and that's about it.

So, I told myself that I would dedicate this year to getting my mind moving again. The easiest way to do this would be to compile a list of 10 books I've been meaning to read (or ones that looked interesting, at least) and actually read them. Well, so far, I've finished 2 and I'm about halfway through a third. I've also got 2 others that I've already gotten about 20 pages into (this is a bad habit I picked up in school - I'm usually in the middle of 4 or 5 books at once).

However, the ultimate benefit to all this is that I've already got the 1st page of a short story started. Nothing great. Just thoughts and some lines that I thought of this morning while I was dragging a razor across my face trying to get ready for the day.

But, that's the thing. It's been a long time since I've sat there doing some monotonous task and had story ideas or artistic thoughts run through my mind. So, my ultimate goal was to get my thought process moving and it has. I gave up a long time ago the notion that I would be an author. The words may only get stuffed away in a journal somewhere, but for now, it's the type of therapy I need. I need to be able to sit there and say "I created that out of thin air".

Lists

I have always loved compiling lists. I don't necessarily follow them, but I love getting things down on paper and organizing my thoughts and ideas in a clear and concise manner. So, in 2010, I've decided to start making my 10 things in 2010 list(s).

10 things to accomplish in 2010, or my 10 in 10 lists:

- Read at least 10 books
- Find at least 10 non-standard books to read to my son (none of that Max and Ruby shit)
- Put a stamp of approval on 10 signature dishes
- lose (at least) 10 pounds
- Come up with activities to do as a family
- and that's about where I'm at right now.....

I've really fallen off the grid with my reading habits. In school, it was common to have to read at least 4 books a week. Taking a full time job, maintaining a house, and keeping up with an active 3 year old into consideration, I've fallen into the trap of T.V., magazines, and the internet.

My mind is starting to feel like mush and I feel I don't have a creative outlet anymore. By the time I get home from staring at test scripts and spreadsheets and Web pages all day, I've barely got enough energy to get dinner ready and play "action figures" with my son. So, the comfort of the couch and the heroin-like appeal of mass entertainment suits my interests quite well. I just have to focus on keeping my eyes open in order to absorb all that is thrown at me.

Enough is enough for me. I like television and movies and entertainment, in general. But, it's doing harm to me and my family. My son is catatonic when a favorite show comes on and don't get me started about Idol and all the shit-stains it produces. My wife is in another world when this show is on (which should be 4 out of 5 nights now that it's just started back up).

I want to get back to being forced to think. I want to read books to my son that don't quite end with "Happily Ever After." I want to sit around the dinner table and talk about what went on in the world, in the city, in our lives. (We currently do this, but it feels so disjointed because the TV or other entertainment item is always on or in focus and we don't usually eat at the table.)

What I get are snippets of my family's life. Just bits and pieces. I've already started getting out of the trap. But, only by a little bit. When I feel that my son has watched too much TV, or I have to stand in front of him to break his attention, so he'll answer me, I turn the set off (to many protests) and get a game off the shelf and sit on the floor with him and play.

I'm not perfect in any of this, by any means. I just want to be able to open a book, go for a run, get my family outdoors, talk about the day with as little effort as it takes to turn on cable and settle into a nice cozy couch.

I'll have to come back and revisit this post in a few days and clean it up. I don't want to come off as negative. I just know that the trappings of comfort and entertainment are very very easy to get used to and I want to lead a richer, fuller life. Hopefully, my family will follow.

What I like about Christmas...

In 50 words or Less

- New Snow
- Twinkling Lights in a darkened room
- Seasonal Winter Ales
- Fireplaces
- New food recipes
- Avoiding Crowds
- Cleaning up the house for Santa's visit
- Cinnamon
- Sweaters

Eh, who am I kidding? I like the week leading up to Christmas. Morning traffic is a bit thinned out and so is the office. The workload even lightens up a bit. There are new recipes that bloggers all over the place start sharing. The best recipes can be found over at http://www.suburbanbliss.net/ where Melissa's husband, Logan, has been posting a different drink recipe for every day leading up to Christmas. I love finding a quiet spot somewhere off in the corner at my parents' place on Christmas Eve and take solace in the fact that only 1 of the 6 maniac kids running amok has to actually come back home with me.

I have no idea what to expect in the coming year, nothing is set in stone, but I know my son will be in awe of the fact that Santa remembered to pick up the latest Wolverine toy even though Daddy said we had to leave it at the store.

There's a good chance I may soon join the unending ranks of the unemployed this winter. I try not to think about it, but it's sitting there like a 900 pound gorilla waiting to greet me each morning. I'm just hoping it doesn't treat me like a Samsonite carry-on when my current project finally wraps.

Until then, I'm going to try to sample as many of Logan's 12 days of Christmas cocktails as I can and think about the look on my son's face when Wolverine is finally staring at him face to face.

Next list to come: New Year's Resolutions...I promise I will blog more often than every 6 months...

Summer's Almost Here!

Wow, it's been half a year since I last posted. Whoops!

I've been scatterbrained for the last several days dealing with a new project that I'm helping out on, so I figured I'd try to clear my head a bit and jot down some things I've got planned for summer.

- I've gotten myself into restoring vintage Schwinn's. I've got to repaint and rebuild a 59 Panther for myself and then it's on to fixing up an old Grape Krate for my brother and a Little Lemon Peeler for my son.

- I'm going to be playing in a couple of golf outings this summer. I've been playing almost 20 years since my grandfather took me out to Ridgewood Golf Course for the first time. After getting out last weekend for the first time in about a year, I've come to the conclusion that I still pretty much suck.

The problem with my 50/50 ability in golf is that the teams that I joined have it in their heads that I'm a 'ringer'....it's kind of a joke, but I don't want to completely blow the perception, so I think I'm going to try to get to the range at least twice a week and hit a round at least once a week until these outings come and go.

- My fitness plan is to get my ass on one of my bikes and ride at least 10-15 miles a week and pick up the kettlebells again. I have such good intentions, but, lounging around is so much easier.

- I'm going to try to not worry about my job. It's hard to know what to worry about from one day to the next. I've seen so many people let go over the last several months, but there is still a lot of work to get done. I'm just not sure what decisions are going to be made, so I can't fret about where this is going to end up. Either, I'm going to be employed through next summer or I'm going to end up making videos about puppets and skeletons like Glittergirl.

- I'm going to take advantage of the outdoors this season. Our bikes are all tuned up and I picked up a trailer for my son, so I hope to get out on the trails a lot this year.

- Here's hoping this little bit of writing helped to break my writer's block, so I can finish writing a script for an application that I have yet to see :-)

My Badass Online Self

I've got to give a shout-out to Dr. Zombie http://doctorzombie.blogspot.com/ for helping me lose about a half hour of productivity by introducing this.

I went to Marvel's create your own superhero site (http://marvelkids.marvel.com/create_your_own_superhero ) and doctored myself up a bit for the online realm.

Here are the comparisons:

Mojito in Real Life. (pretty badass)

Mojito Online. (real badass)

Booger - An Introduction (A play by Mojito)

- Curtain Opens

Actors: Papa Libre, Mama Libre, Mojito Jr., Beverage King

Stage Setting: Family Room of Mojito Manor
- Stage Left: Papa Libre, sitting with his back turned, chatting on Facebook with Beverage King
- Center Stage: Mama Libre on the couch struggling with one of Mojito Jr's nostrils.

Papa Libre: "Beverage King is typing out dialogue from Orgasmo"
Mama Libre: "Mojito Jr. has a ginormous boogy in his nose! I've got to get that out!"
Mojito Jr.: "No, no, no, no, no, no, no!"
Mama Libre: "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! Got it!"
- Mama Libre wipes booger on a napkin and rests it on the couch to be thrown out later-

Beverage King (in chat): "So, how are things?"
Papa Libre (in chat): "Oh, things are good. We're spending the holidays at...hold on a second"

Papa Libre turns around to look at the scene behind him.

Mojito Jr.: giggling maniacally runs behind a chair
Mama Libre (disgusted): "Jr. just grabbed the booger off the napkin and is trying to eat it!"

Papa Libre turns back to the computer to finish typing.

Papa Libre (in chat): "Mojito Jr. just ate a booger and is laughing hysterically behind a chair."
Beverage King (in chat): "Ha ha ha."

FIN

- Stage Light Dims
- Curtain Closes

Pawn Shop Guitars and Candy Bars

I've been telling myself for the better part of a decade to just sit down and learn a little bit of guitar. God knows, I've got enough instruments to get me going. I've got some hand-me down guitars from my brother and uncle. I've also got a really nice Telecaster.

For some reason, though, I want to learn on a banged up piece of junk Pawn Shop Guitar. There's just something mythical about them. I've always eaten up the stories about great guitarists who pick up an axe at some sleazy shop and usually take this instrument to new heights in their career.

Take, for example, Clapton's Blackie (one of them) or Stevie Ray Vaughan's SRV1. These Strats were both, supposedly, purchased at pawn shops while they were on tour. I know Clapton had extensive work done on his, but how cool is that? Here's this guitar that some guy (someone probably like me) figured was worth giving up for 50 bucks and it ends up in the hands of a master (don't flame me...I know these guys aren't the end-all, be-all, but they're pretty damn good - alright?).

I really shouldn't be looking for a guitar at this moment...what with Christmas, Mojito Jr's b-day, and work pressures, but why not? I think I'm now at the age where I don't take knowledge for granted and now with the way technology is, there really are a lot more different ways to learn than trying to follow a doped-up guitar teacher.

I came across some software that seems pretty straightforward in its teaching method...something that was definitely missed when I took lessons a few different times. A computer program doesn't cut you short by 15 minutes every session and it doesn't make excuses as to why it doesn't want to teach you a certain song or chord progression or why it's late.

I think using an old beaten up guitar to learn next to a brand spankin' new software program would make for an interesting lesson plan.

Now, I just have to get Mrs. Libre to hear me out....