Steelers Football

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To paraphrase The Who, “Meet the new Steelers, same as the old Steelers.” They managed to lose to Payton Manning and the Denver Broncos.  How?  The same way they always play.  They kick field goals instead of scoring touchdowns when inside the red zone, and they allow the quarterback to get sacked multiple times. It’s … Read more

My First Writers’ Conference

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It’s been awhile since I blogged.  A lot has been going on, mostly boring stuff.  The biggest event was that we finally outsourced our policy printing after a year’s effort.  I felt like I’ve been juggling alligators the entire time.  I didn’t know much about this side of our business, didn’t know much about the … Read more

What a Day…

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The following happened today, no embellishments… I woke up and walked our dog, Matty.  My left foot hurt a little, but I didn’t think much about it.  In due course, I showered.  While I dried my foot, I found the reason my foot hurt–my left big toe was red around the nail.  Red doesn’t describe … Read more

Writers’ Groups and Caretaker Scene

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Originally, I was uncertain about the value of working with a critique group, but I have to say that it has been an invaluable experience overall.  To get the most out of the experience, I found that I had to sift through critiques that weren’t story centered like plot notes that, frankly, were complaints that … Read more

Mozilla Stops Development on Thunderbird…

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…or how to find something else to do besides writing. I read an articleon CNET that basically reported that Mozilla will stop development of its email client Thunderbird.  Of course, I use Thunderbird because it, along with the available add-ons, provides most of what I needed in email. One of the problems with Thunderbird is … Read more

Men In Black III

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As part of our 20th wedding anniversary celebration, my wife and I saw Men In Black III last weekend.  Overall, I thought it was an excellent movie, almost as good as the first and much better than the second.  I highly recommend it. I was dubious about yet another time travel movie/television episode/novel–to name a … Read more

Time…

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Who has enough? I know I don’t.  Looking at a typical workday, I don’t know how I find time to write.  Out of the day, 10 hours are removed for things like work, commuting, and personal maintenance (showering, brushing teeth, etc. –yes, this is important!).  That leaves 6-7 hours.  Anymore than that, I’m stealing from … Read more

Why I Write

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At my first meeting of the Round Hill Writers’ Group, Bobbi, the group’s organizer, asked why I wrote.  It started me thinking at a deeper level why I wrote.  Part of it was that my job required that I write more.  Back in 1998, I took a management position.  That transition required more communication.  Also, … Read more

Short Story: The Paperboy

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In August, 2011, one of the writers’ groups I belong to, The Round Hill Writers’ Group, set a writing prompt:  Tell a story about a paperboy.  I had just started attending the meetings, so I wanted to write the story, but I had nothing.  Seriously, nothing!  I like to write speculative fiction/science fiction, and I … Read more