Tag: writing

Donating Time to X,Y, and Z.

Happy New Year!! More importantly, it’s Blog Post # 108. It’s a time for renewal… of the mind, the body, and the soul (even though there’s no such thing). The mind is an illusion.

Thank you to everyone who purchased Jonah Chooses Amazing from September 26th to December 26th to support a great cause. Here is my $211.00 donation to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.

In case you feel like you missed out…

If I sell 200 more books from now until December 26th, 2024, I will donate another $200 to this worthy cause. There have already been some post Xmas sales so support a great cause. You can start your Xmas shopping for next year now.

Spoiler Alert

Q & A

Thanks for sending your questions about Jonah Chooses Amazing. I won’t get to them all but here are a few. If you haven’t read the book, be warned that there are spoilers ahead.

Why did Jonah decide to do all these things?

It’s open to interpretation. Guilt, regret, the need to prove something. Jonah is someone with a lot of free time. I think he came to the conclusion that he had been wasting it. The death of a parent can be a reminder that our own death is coming too and that time is running out.

Why didn’t you explore the relationship between Jonah and Claudette more? It seemed prime for some romance.

Because that’s not what the story was about. I actually enjoy a good romance. I am a rom-com fan, much to wife’s horror. However, this is a story about a much different journey, a journey of finding the self, and learning self forgiveness. I hate stories where a romance is automatically tacked on.

Can you explain the ending?

No… and yes. Again, it’s open to interpretation. A lot of the ending is implied and subtle. It shows he’s reached a point of moderation. He’s still up early… not as crazy early. He’s more comfortable in his daily life. The decision to go for a beer… that’s his evolution to enjoying life while also pursuing his goals. Fin.

Words of Wisdom

1. Use your phone less. Be online less. Enjoy real life.

In an effort to use social media less, I decided to leave Twitter (or X… or ex-Twitter… or the Social Media Format Formally Known as Twitter).

I hate when people make such a big deal out of leaving a social media platform, like they’re hoping people will beg for them to come back. People will go on and on about it. Some people will even post some grand final message and/ or Tweet, “This will be my final message as I will be leaving Twitter for good. The platform has proven to be a cesspool of nonsense and further evidence of the de-evolution of the human mind. It is filled full of uninformed opinions, intrinsic hatred, and is allowing for anonymous or protected outrageous behavior and unacceptable statements which I feel is lessening me as a human being. For this reason, I am leaving this evil inducing, fear mongering, superstition enforcing propaganda machine.”

By the way, I have actually left Twitter or X or ex-Twitter, or the Social Media Platform formerly known as Twitter. It was a difficult decision. I don’t want to make a big deal out it.

I first joined Twitter in 2012 after strong feelings of FOMO was keeping me up nights. It was a different time. The vibe was different. I remember I had an onion tied to my belt… which was the style at the time…

I also considered leaving Facebook. I posted this question on Facebook, “Has anyone deleted their FB account? What was it like?” I received no responses.

So, in the end, I decided to just leave Twitter or X. I’m now an ex-X user.

I just feel that X-lacks substance… which is kinda shitty.

2. Life should not be all work all the time. Pursue your passions. In the end, we’re all here ‘wasting’ our time before death. What are you ‘wasting’ your time on?

My co-worker recently skipped work to do a marathon.

What did The Boss say?

I was born to run.

Thanks for reading this post and starting your January off in the best way possible. It’s now time for the ending jokes. The first one comes From the Bottom of My Chart. Enjoy.

I recently attended a seminar on Lyme Disease.

It was a very popular Tick Talk.

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I was at Comic-con and Ross Bagdasarian was there to talk about his creation, The Chipmunks.

No one asked about Alvin or Simon.

It was a good Ted Talk.

Forge a New Path and Change Your @#$%in’ Password!

Happy Holidays!! It’s Blog Post #107. Thank you to everyone who has purchased Jonah Chooses Amazing so far. I’ve reached my goal of $200.00 to donate to the Heart and Stroke Foundation!! An update will be provided in Blog Post #108.

With the upcoming holidays, I thought I’d share an excerpt from Jonah Chooses Amazing, the year’s greatest gift possible.

“Happy George Michael Memorial Day Eve!”

“Oh yeah… I forgot you call it that. I hope ham is ok. Oh good, you found the tree and set it up. We can decorate it once I get the ham in the oven.”

Decorating the tree with holiday songs of yesteryear and hits from Wham was followed by setting the table and putting out the presents. Jonah had managed to get presents despite his recent troubles and a schedule that made Mother Nature look like a part time worker.

Q&A

Continuing with last month’s theme, I asked for emailed questions and promised to answer. I’m sorry if I didn’t get to yours or if the answer is delayed because I don’t want to give away any spoilers quite yet.

What is your writing process like? Do you write every day?

I do not write every day. I write when I have down time, when I’m feeling inspired, or when it’s been too long. No pressure. No deadlines. It’s what works best for me.

How is your health?

This wasn’t really the type of question I was looking for but since so many asked, I thought I should answer. It’s ok. I continue to have unexplained neurological symptoms. However, since September I have been feeling much better, much more like my self, with a very noticeable reduction in intensity and severity of symptoms. My doctor is very encouraged and optimistic of full recovery but that it will take time.

What’s your next book about?

It is called The Regrets We Can’t Have. It will be a series of short stories exploring regret, decisions, emotions, and human behaviors. It will look at how we see ourselves, how we want to be and act in certain situations, but how we so often fall short. I’m hopeful of a 2025 release. It could very well be the final book in human history not written by A.I.

Words of Wisdom

1. Celebrate. Celebrate the year that was with all its ups and downs. Celebrate the year to come. Despite the crazy state of the world, you and I are still here to enjoy it. That’s worth celebrating.

2. Don’t complain. When you order gelato that is the size of a golf ball and it costs three times your hourly wage, rest easy knowing that it hurts… just as it should. It should be a bit painful to indulge in things that aren’t good for us. In fact, instead of eating that gelato with the barbie doll sized spoon they give you, eat it all in one bite and get brain freeze. Let the pain flow through you.

End of the Line

This is my last post for 2023. We’ve come to the end of the year. It’s been a year of ups and downs for me personally. There’s been the challenges with my health which has also seen many positives as I seem to be making progress. There’s the sense of accomplishment and the positive feedback from completing and releasing my first novel, Jonah Chooses Amazing. Then, there’s all the things to be grateful for… and there are many. Friends, family, good times, and my wonderful wife Lesly. While we’ve come to the end of the line this year, I look forward to 2024, even is it means getting off this track and forging a new path.

Seattle U.S.A 2023

Thanks again for supporting this blog (by reading and sharing it) and supporting my novel, Jonah Chooses Amazing (by buying it, sharing about it, and most importantly reading it). I will answer some of your specific questions about the book in the next couple of blog posts. Happy Holidays and happy reading. Cheers. It’s now time for the ending jokes. Enjoy.

How many passwords do we need to have now? There’s a password for your computer, your phone, your bank, your government tax file. There’s passwords1 for every application, social media account, streaming service, and cloud. We need password1234 for Skyping, Zooming, Messaging, and Whatsapping. We even have a password678 for our app that manages all our passwords. Then they ask that these passwords be regularly changed and you can never use the same password44 twice. @#&% !! It’s crazy707.

In community health nursing, I have to have a user name and password for every program I access… which is a lot. They ask for a new password at least every three months while continuing to adjust the parameters of letters, numbers, and characters. The passwords8484 become so elaborate and safe that those who create them are also locked out. It’s crazy9918!!

There was a nurse at my work who retired early. In the exit interview, they asked why she was leaving. She said she loved her job but that she had run out of passwords for all the programs she had to use.

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I’m pleased to announce that Jonah Chooses Amazing is a finalist for RGM Publishing’s Book of the Year. Winner to be announced in January.