Monthly Archives: September 2011

Added

Posted on by

GoodreadsAs long as I’ve been a member of Goodreads (some time in 2008?), I have been under the impression that only books with ISBN numbers could be added to its hallowed database. Perhaps this was the case when I joined, but no longer! No siree Bob! What have I done with my new-found knowledge? Good question!

I’ve added Todd’s Story to the Goodreads database. Now you can add it to your library, give it incredibly uplifting reviews, recommend it to your friends, start a discussion about the book, and other sundry (and yet awesome!) things.  So, I say unto you, go forth, and read good!

Father.

Posted on by

When I opened this post and added the below picture, days ago, it matched my mood precisely.  I felt a connection to my Dad, through this image of his serenity, that I don’t often feel.

DadI’m hoping that I can feel that more as I continue to grow into this fatherhood business, and as I reach for wisdom. I’m not under any crazy delusion that I’ll grasp wisdom, but it’s a good road to walk, I think.  A good goal to strive for.

To be completely honest, I still sometimes have a hard time believing that I’m a Dad.  Since I’ve put on those boots, though, I have discovered a whole new level to the definition of the word “responsibility.”

I see you.

Posted on by

So, there I was, standing triumphant over the slain tyrannical warlord, my bloody sword held aloft in my left hand, totem of power, crackling with lightning, in my right. Looking over to the princess, chained to the wall, I said…

Huh. I think the coffee kicked in.I see you!

I’ve just uploaded the files for Fight or Flight #0 to the printer.  Then the review copy will be on its way into my grubby little paws. Much mad cackling will ensue upon its arrival, I don’t mind tellin’ ya. MUCH. Ahh, I’ve got that nervous excitement welling up in my chest, right underneath my sternum. This is just one of the good things that have quickly cropped up in seeming response to my decision to finish purging unneeded things.

So, keep your calendars nearby, dear readers (or in another tabbed browser window). I will soon have a release party to plan.

Concentration.

Posted on by

Thinking needs foods.After work yesterday, my brain did its best to crawl out of my sinuses.  I swallowed some naproxen sodium (thanks Wikipedia!) just in time to prevent it from becoming an all-out migraine fest.  I still had the disorientation and the sensitivity to light and sound, but the pain remained dull throughout the rest of the evening.

This made concentrating difficult.  It also explains why I was having such difficulty concentrating from about noon on.  Paying more attention to headache-related patterns is starting to show clues that I have an incoming brain buster.  And, really, I should follow my wife’s advice and just bring some headache meds to work.  Better to take them when the clues start than the actual headache.

Today, my mind feels clear and open and alert.  This bodes well for concentration.

I have chosen a goal on which to focus.  I never quite finished purging unneeded possessions through eBay and Craigslist and Amazon.  Each successful auction and advertisement gives me a bit of instant gratification in the accomplishment department.  As an added benefit, I seem to be pretty good at it, because people keep giving me their stuff to get rid of.

I have decided that by refusing to take any more things from friends, I can put a finite end on the project.  I have decided that I will aid my fellow concentrator, pictured here, in his execution of the same task.  So, let’s see if I’ve still got the overachiever mojo that I used to take so much pride in.

Posted in Uncategorized

Sifting through distraction

Posted on by

HunterIn an environment of interruption and shifting priorities, focus cannot be determined by prioritizing a project.  If focus is to be achieved, let alone narrowed, choice must be used.  The question of “Why are you working on that instead of this other thing?” must be able to be answered, without fear of recrimination, “Because I chose to work on this now.”  Because, really, when the phrase “all things being equal” applies to priorities, my focus wanders all over the damn map.

This morning, I’m arguing on the internet to wake myself up.

My amazing wife has suggested to me that I not think about my goals in terms of which I should accomplish, and which I should discard.  She has suggested that, instead, I think about them in terms of which I should accomplish now, and which I should accomplish down the line.  This feels like procrastination to me, but upon further reflection, all deadlines for these projects are self-imposed.  My feeling of having to get them *all* done *right now* is internal, and is not a part of the goals and projects themselves.  If I look at my goals this way, I can arbitrarily assign importance, perhaps based on length of time required to achieve the goal, and then choose a goal on which to focus.  I can do all of this without feeling like I am abandoning the other things that I’ve started.

I need to finish what I start, after all.

These are the times when the madness comes.

Posted on by

Do I delve once again into the depths of my own self-doubt, fear of failure, and fear of success? No, I don’t think that this lifelong battle needs to be rehashed here, once again. It is sufficient to say that I now know more about myself and my more adult coping mechanisms, and that I am pulling myself out of the quagmire. It only takes the smallest misstep to trip and fall headlong back into it.

Sleeping like a BOSS

Sleeping like a BOSS

Acelyn knows she’s the boss.  I’m convinced that she’s acutely aware of how in control she is of our sleep, of the relative amounts of pain in her mother’s arms, and whether or not Nikki gets to accomplish anything while I’m at work.  She then purposefully activates her cute in massive waves that leave everyone around her stunned for hours.

With Google+ coming on the scene, I’ve noticed that my social networking behavior has changed a bit.  I barely visit LiveJournal, and will probably be adding those with active accounts to my RSS reader.  I may even import its history here.  I keep in touch on FaceBook, especially when it comes to kid updates.  A lot of my extended family reads there, as well as friends that are out of town.  Most of my technical and political stuffs have moved over to Google+, which seems a more intimate and friendly interaction, thanks to the structure of its circles.  Twitter ends up being for announcements and retweets.  Overall, I’m pleased with this setup.

Aidan and Cian in their Fall duds.

Aidan and Cian in their Fall duds.

School has started again.  Hunter is incredibly excited about and pleased with his new school, which is a godsend.  An environment in which he can learn and not feel marginalized would be amazing.  Not that he doesn’t require -all- of the attention -all- of the time to not feel marginalized, but that’s neither here nor there.  While I’m getting on his case to pick up after himself, turn off lights when he leaves the room, and for the love of all that’s holy, CLOSE THE SHOWER CURTAIN, I’m silently rooting for him to blow us all away this year.  That boy makes me proud.

Aidan is starting Pre-K this year, and has already butted heads with his new teacher.  He loves doing homework and is very proud about which school he is going to, and that he’s going to a “big kid” school now.  I think I’ll always be grumbly about him being in his other home during the week, but the stability has done him wonders.  The feather in our caps of being able to do what the other family said couldn’t be done makes things a bit more tolerable.

Cian wants to be just like Aidan.  He loves doing his “homework” when the other kids are doing theirs, but hasn’t yet started complaining about not being able to go to school yet.  He can point out Hunter’s school as we drive past it, though.  Who knows where we’ll be when he gets to school age… wherever it will be, it’ll be another fun ride.