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Friday, March 30, 2007

Friday's Feast for March 30

AppetizerWhat are you proud of? Graduating from college and going out and finding my current job on my own.
SoupWhat is the best thing you’ve ever won as a prize? A 10 speed bike that the local fast food restaurant was giving away that they had actually paid my dad 10 bucks to put together before hand.
SaladName something you do that is a waste of time. I obsessively count stairs as I go up or down them, every time I go up or down them. This wastes a lot of time.
Main CourseIn what year of your life did you change the most? 1993. I grew two inches and lost about 40 pounds that year. I also grew emotionally that summer between 9th and 10th grade. 1993 was a good year.
DessertWhere is a place you consider to be very tranquil? Can't think of anywhere right off hand. I love the tranquility of a long stretch of road.

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Pencil for your thoughts?

My job isn't particularly hectic. There are certain times, however, when the pace speeds up and there are long hours of work. Yesterday was one of those times. About 10 hours of preparation and work to get ready for room sign up for next year. My boss told me when I walked in yesterday that she had an extremely hard task for me. She handed me 10 boxes of pencils and an electric pencil sharpener.
I had plenty of time to contemplate life while I sharpened those 240 pencils. I thought that somewhere in the Papermate company there is someone who works for quality control who does what I was doing every day they comes to work. I felt sad for that person and hoped that they were paid very well for their services. I also thought that no matter how hard someone works at quality control, some bad ones always get through. I found two pencils without lead in them, one with no eraser, and several that just looked worn when I took them out of the box.
I used one of those pencils until I had worn it down to the nub last night. The same could not be said for the packs of pens that we bought for the occasion. Talk about junk. They wouldn't write for some reason. If life ever turns on me and I need a job, I'll look and see if Papermate is hiring.

Friday, March 23, 2007

Fridays Feast for March 23.

AppetizerWho is your favorite news anchor/reporter? Why? Honestly, Brit Hume. I remember him reporting on ABC World News Tonight back in the day with Peter Jennings. He is a very intelligent man who has been praised for his journalism skills by our past two presidents. Very telling since they were a Democrat and Republican president, respectively.
SoupName 3 foods that are currently in your freezer. Frozen taquitos, Chicken, and I think my wife has some ice cream left.
SaladIf you were to have the opportunity to name a new town or city, what would you call it? Since there is a Truth or Consequences, New Mexico already, I think something like Truth or Dare, Arizona or Deal or No Deal, North Dakota.
Main CourseWhat will most likely be the next book you read? I'm in the middle of two books now but I am thinking of going and buying Stephen King's On Writing to get some help with my own book.
DessertWhat's the first thing you notice about the opposite gender? Don't really notice them since I am married, but back in the day, I would say their eyes or their smiles.

Great Feast this week. Don't forget to read some of my other posts. Especially the one I wrote yesterday. Comments are always appreciated.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

At the end of the day.

It has been one interesting week. A woman who was beloved in the community where I work and live passed away suddenly this week. I didn't know her well, but she affected many lives and her loss will be great. It reminded me of the fickleness of life and how we are not promised tomorrow.
The book is slowly coming along. I know I have a long way to go. The hardest part will not be in the writing of the book but in the editing process after. I am hoping to have 20,000 words by the end of the week. It is the largest single writing job that I have ever done. It is challenging to me both as a person and as a writer.
Several years ago, I worked as a security guard at a factory. During an 8 hour shift, I was busy maybe an hour and a half at the most. So I had a lot of downtime in between. My supervisor told me to bring books to read since I was waiting on trucks to be signed in and out. With nothing left to do other than listen to the radio, I got to read a lot of books. One day I got curious and kept track of how many pages I had read during a shift. It was something to keep my mind occupied. Then I wondered if I could read 1,000 pages in a week. It went on from there to see how many pages I could read in a month, a year, and so on. So beginning with the first day of January of 2005 I began what I call my Million Page Project. To see if I could read a million pages of literature. I have hit my yearly goals so far. As an added bonus, I get to read a lot of great books. Let me know what you think.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Fridays Feast

Appetizer Name two things that made you smile this week. I found time to read some really good books and to work on a book of my own.
Soup Fill in the blank: Don't you hate it when _you wake up two minutes before the alarm clock goes off__? (I really think that this is the worst feeling in the world.)
Salad When you can't go to sleep, what is your personal remedy to help yourself drift into Lullabyland? I interview myself in my head. I ask myself questions like I am giving an interview to Charlie Rose or something.
Main Course What is something about which you've always wondered but have not yet found a good answer? I always wondered why good things happen to bad people instead of the other way around.
Dessert What is your favorite pasta dish? Fettucini alfredo

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Fridays Feast

Appetizer What is your usual bedtime? Don't really have a set bedtime. Usually between 11 and 12 if I am not on call.
Do you like that, or would you rather it be different? I wish I could do everything I needed to do at night and still get some quality sleep time.

Soup When it comes to advice, do you give more or receive more? I usually receive but lately it seems as if I have been giving more. Now whether or not people actually take my advice is another matter entirely.

Salad Describe a memorable meal you've had. When my wife and I were literally down to our last few dollars until the tax refund came and had to stay at my parents house for a few days because we did not have enough food. We sold stuff to get gas money. When we finally got to my parents house, my mom made us some grilled cheese sandwiches. I would not have traded that grilled cheese for filet mignon at that moment. I will never forget it.
Main Course Name a work of fiction that affected the way you think about something. Huck Finn by Mark Twain affected me deeply. Also this little mystery called Cold Slice by L. T. Fawkes also affected me because at the beggining of the book the hero is down and out and pulls himself back into things. Which is something that I was going through at the time I read the book myself. It really helped me a lot.
Dessert What is your favorite type of fruit juice? I love apple juice and pineapple juice. I have learned however that if you drink a glass of grapefruit juice a day that it will change your outlook on life. Sometimes things that are good for you don't always taste good.

Hope everyone has a good weekend.

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

I'm Back

It has been quite a while since I did a regular post. I have been busy as heck at work. Going almost non stop for a while now. I just wanted to drop a quick note to let everyone know that I am still alive.

I went on a conference related to my job a couple of weeks ago. The keynote speaker at the opening event said something that stuck with me. He said that life is not about time, It's about choices. If you were to, God forbid, die tomorrow, the job that you work 40 plus hours for would have you replaced by next Friday while the people who love you would only miss you for the rest of their lives. If that doesn't make you think, then nothing will.

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Fridays Feast

AppetizerWhat does the color pink make you think of? The Breast Cancer ribbons in October.

SoupName something you thought you had lost, but later found. My hope in humanity and the goodness of people.

SaladIn 3 words, describe this past week. Not that stressful

Main CourseWhat are you obsessed with? Baseball and television I'm sorry to say.

DessertWhat kind of perfume or cologne do you like to wear? Don't really have a favorite. I wear all kinds because despite me saying no, my family insists on buying me 100 different kinds of cologne every Christmas. I won't run out until 2237.

It feels good to be back answering Fridays Feast after being away for a while. Have a good one.