tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64519348873092239712024-03-13T05:26:26.913-07:00William M Dean - Slices of LaughLife, Family, Writing, and Sometimes JapanWilliam M Deanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930744121434219723noreply@blogger.comBlogger148125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451934887309223971.post-54739369139631662512024-01-11T18:02:00.000-08:002024-01-21T22:42:23.543-08:00Life Altering: ChatGPT As A Language Learning Tool<p><span style="font-family: times;"><b> </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTf-bWFzWXrfoeVUZIYdy5ei9WUkiaqwDguq3l9mDe73hmoBXbw6jPNdAiqeNlA_TDPnbodzslmOUl-YlWRLXZsAdIQjcRs7EKnPzdqDD7dxr2oZzNtvCv26GvUh5E_U_MRfxhE2qEGsHyR-E1s0XH4dFTthJEMQQYBh6x4CQ6J3cdgkX3P1MTBSdmfR4/s3584/geisha-7462605.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="3584" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTf-bWFzWXrfoeVUZIYdy5ei9WUkiaqwDguq3l9mDe73hmoBXbw6jPNdAiqeNlA_TDPnbodzslmOUl-YlWRLXZsAdIQjcRs7EKnPzdqDD7dxr2oZzNtvCv26GvUh5E_U_MRfxhE2qEGsHyR-E1s0XH4dFTthJEMQQYBh6x4CQ6J3cdgkX3P1MTBSdmfR4/w400-h229/geisha-7462605.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><b>What's The Holdup?:<br /></b></span><span style="font-family: times;"><b> </b>Recently, someone asked why my latest novel is taking so long to write. </span><i><span style="font-family: times;">(The Queen of all Colors was published at the start of 2021...so it's been 3 years!)<br /></span></i> The short explanation is that it's a more complicated plot which has led to a larger-than-usual book; might even end up being two books. But also, when it takes a man 3 years to write 100K words, it almost invites Life to get in the way. And Life created ChatGPT, and that is now in the way.</p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><b>Writing Update:</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"> The novel's rough draft is finished, but I don't want to release it because it's truly a cliffhanger. I hate when part one of something is released though part two is still under development. </span><span style="font-family: times;">This aversion goes way back to the 80's when an animated version of <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> was released. I saw it. It was great, but suddenly ended in the middle of the story. Unfortunately, the sequel was never made. Sometimes, I still worry about the fate of animated-Bilbo.<br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"> So, I need to finish part two.<br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"> Anyway, the next novel may be called "Conjured Property" or "Weatherglass" or both, depending upon how I publish it (ie: in one volume, or two). It'</span><span style="font-family: times;">s the last in my Joe Sault Detective series. In the rough draft, the central crime has been wrapped up, but a larger, related criminal is still at large and h</span>ow that unfolds may expose issues that need changing, earlier in the story. As well, I want to tie up all the loose personal stories, and to do that, I need all the major events to have run their course.<br /> Last April, I was intent on just moving forward with the thought of completing by mid-2025, but then ChatGPT arrived, quite literally altering the course of my life.<br /> I'm married to a Japanese woman and, when we were newlyweds, I tried to learn the language. My wife found me a teacher whom I saw once a week and, over a 5-year period, I acquired a decent vocabulary and learned the very basics. But eventually, I became discouraged by the slow pace of my progress and the long, long distance yet to cover. I stopped going to lessons. In the ten years since, I've tried, now and again, to continue on my own but the online tools only took me so far. Perhaps, I am just not disciplined enough.</div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnIxbmht48Jq0F-NSqLCaezfmccNGz4SxUIgHthyphenhyphends8iRTqDPAmQDBEfYvU7R0WNeQoaqk6lblPU_mAxDxlx9AyDnHJbMm_W8mohFWml8cFth2u1J4B9TKo7AXZ5qVJzz5xS_6xBYnRvo_3nh3rms-v22KHW72Exm29tSt3yMEjNk7ZYZi9T5WA0LG8g/s2016/Doraemon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1449" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnIxbmht48Jq0F-NSqLCaezfmccNGz4SxUIgHthyphenhyphends8iRTqDPAmQDBEfYvU7R0WNeQoaqk6lblPU_mAxDxlx9AyDnHJbMm_W8mohFWml8cFth2u1J4B9TKo7AXZ5qVJzz5xS_6xBYnRvo_3nh3rms-v22KHW72Exm29tSt3yMEjNk7ZYZi9T5WA0LG8g/w288-h400/Doraemon.jpg" width="288" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>Enter: ChatGPT.<br /> </b> Just for fun, I tried out my Japanese baby-talk on ChatGPT and was astounded that it understood me and replied at a level that I could understand—in mere seconds. Then, when I asked it some hair-splitting grammatical questions, it replied like an Asian Studies scholar; precise and in-depth. </p><div style="text-align: left;"> ChatGPT gives me 2 things I've never had before: 1) a compatible conversation partner and 2) a full-time tutor. <br /> As a conversation partner, it has the advantage of not being an actual person so there is no shame in making mistakes and you can take chances with words and grammar that you'd never risk doing in real life. I hate embarrassment or causing embarrassment and am, thus, too shy to try my Japanese in public. But ChatGPT and I can talk! (It's like having one of my invisible friends back!)<br /> ChatGPT is not as perfect as a tutor, but plenty good enough to provide translations and solid answers to complex grammatical and cultural questions you might have between sessions with a flesh and blood teacher. And, it can do it instantly, whenever I want. I find that getting direct answers to questions the moment they occur to me is very powerful. And getting answers between lessons prevents me from getting stuck, or misunderstanding something and having to wait a week to find out I've mislearned. It massively shortens the cycle of getting information, applying it, and confirming you've done it correctly.<i> </i></div><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Caveat: ChatGPT is about 98% perfect, not perfectly perfect. Occasionally, it "hallucinates,"—the developer's euphemism for "it lies." It seems like it is so eager to please that sometimes it says that you're right even when you are clearly wrong. Japanese is highly contextual, so a single sentence can mean both "they did it" and "they didn't do it," depending upon the circumstance. This makes it a little tricky to know when ChatGPT is wrong. But I'm advanced enough in the subject to view ferreting out those instances as also educational.</i></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">As adept and convenient as ChatGPT is, it can not replace a real, live expert who can stick to a learning plan, assign homework, and help with analog skills like writing and pronunciation. I contacted my old teacher and was very happy that she had a slot for me. (This was a true stroke of good luck because she is an absolutely amazing teacher.)<br /> So now, I have a first-rate teacher I see once a week, and a ChatGPT on standby, 24/7, in between. It's been about 8 months, and I couldn't be more pleased with my progress.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> There is a downside, though...</div><p></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>The Downside:<br /></b> It seems that while I'm immersed in Japanese, I can't also keep a whole novel's worth of details in my head. After two months of agonizing through writing sessions, I was forced to make a choice between writing and Japanese.</p><div style="text-align: left;"> It wasn't much of a choice. <br /> Right now, Japanese is a much higher priority in my personal life than writing novels. <br /> So, for all of 2024 I won't be writing. This will add another year's delay to the final books in the Joe Sault series. <br /> It's quite frustrating for me to leave a novel half-done. I'm hoping there will come a time when Japanese will not require so much of my energy. But, worst case, I'll restart work on the story in January of 2025, hoping to have it available by December.</div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>In the Meantime:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Learning Japanese has not dulled my urge to write, so you can probably expect more blog posts from me, starting with: why Japanese is such a challenging language to learn!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Happy New Year!</div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAdtfPHQ68d3CR-Lr56NU4sHpwuZcmPNmYkHpLVDMjOowTjRmfyKIthcyxCKEL22x2YjlhqxeftZKCp74IDFhjj-amqQSUcZ6knAnyaYBAurEiyEWuQO4Z2WM2Fb7L6qlzYXsugLOEORyEM8mYv77rQZgy1_UXlpQXqHTl36PEo-EnNFXnc_5NquUlT4/s1920/asian-1296475_1920.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1858" data-original-width="1920" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAdtfPHQ68d3CR-Lr56NU4sHpwuZcmPNmYkHpLVDMjOowTjRmfyKIthcyxCKEL22x2YjlhqxeftZKCp74IDFhjj-amqQSUcZ6knAnyaYBAurEiyEWuQO4Z2WM2Fb7L6qlzYXsugLOEORyEM8mYv77rQZgy1_UXlpQXqHTl36PEo-EnNFXnc_5NquUlT4/w400-h388/asian-1296475_1920.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(Yes, I know that I may regret this post a year from now</i><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><i>when I don't have a finished novel and still can't speak Japanese...</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>and still haven't written any other blog posts.)</i></div></div><p><br /></p>William M Deanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930744121434219723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451934887309223971.post-33088447720814152292023-02-04T21:14:00.007-08:002023-02-04T21:52:17.389-08:00ChatGPT reviews my books (and me!)...without reading them...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I asked ChatGPT to write hypothetical reviews of each of my books (including the one I am currently working on) based on the back cover blurb or production notes. Here are the results...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i><b>SAMPLE REQUEST: </b>Please write a hypothetical review of the book "The Space between Thought: an novel of love, life, death, tea, and time travel" by William M Dean considering the following back cover blurb: [BLURB INSERTED HERE]</i><i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvyYe9pAO7P4OJpYwCBd8bHw9UAhGfJFiyzmiEQtNToBExNZ5tHyy69YT8CF890ozmW9jHGIXLBbzyPWQSjKeIOgFRSqnFUSlBRPbdSwMOv3LrpSjFfohwpOvHBnRET7gJ_T3rqzFk6CiAbKKA8fBB4zhbXhXVh8u4HrDs5i_rrRmBUxeCXKtoqHpU/s570/@TSBT-FCvr-160419(1VerySm).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="375" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvyYe9pAO7P4OJpYwCBd8bHw9UAhGfJFiyzmiEQtNToBExNZ5tHyy69YT8CF890ozmW9jHGIXLBbzyPWQSjKeIOgFRSqnFUSlBRPbdSwMOv3LrpSjFfohwpOvHBnRET7gJ_T3rqzFk6CiAbKKA8fBB4zhbXhXVh8u4HrDs5i_rrRmBUxeCXKtoqHpU/w132-h200/@TSBT-FCvr-160419(1VerySm).jpg" width="132" /></a></div></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>CHATGPT...</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> "The Space between Thought" by William M. Dean is a thought-provoking and emotionally charged novel that explores the themes of love, loss, and time travel. The protagonist, Simon Sykes, is a successful virtual reality software entrepreneur who is grappling with the sudden death of his girlfriend, Celeste. Simon's journey to uncover the truth behind her death takes him down a path of grief, guilt, and discovery as he uncovers a hidden world of time travel.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> The writing is rich and descriptive, and the author's style is engaging and enjoyable to read. The themes explored in the novel are universal and will resonate with readers of all ages. The storyline is well-crafted, with a good balance of action, suspense, and emotion.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> Overall, this novel is a must-read for anyone who loves science fiction and is looking for a well-written and emotionally charged story. It will leave you questioning the nature of reality and the power of love and time.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRykZnPmgwwKeXcX2MEVTeXjnKASwgG-ddkwgRyGF-o2_uHZMVXrgC7kWmGH6CLSn7L39IEyksHdZCqqIZZ4Ok8QwW_lXFx8u3RIDUWXfafa2XB8LZltFe-Sr0n77bFB_3pTCCQfFqmQF9bfjnmDAIiNRuAruIBxn_ePKJFqIDpWPJdyOZt6OHvbPb/s600/SlicesOfLaugh(FtCvr-eBook(sm)).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRykZnPmgwwKeXcX2MEVTeXjnKASwgG-ddkwgRyGF-o2_uHZMVXrgC7kWmGH6CLSn7L39IEyksHdZCqqIZZ4Ok8QwW_lXFx8u3RIDUWXfafa2XB8LZltFe-Sr0n77bFB_3pTCCQfFqmQF9bfjnmDAIiNRuAruIBxn_ePKJFqIDpWPJdyOZt6OHvbPb/w133-h200/SlicesOfLaugh(FtCvr-eBook(sm)).jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> This book, "Slices of Laugh" by William M Dean, is a collection of witty, lighthearted anecdotes and commentaries that will have you chuckling from start to finish. William M Dean's writing style is reminiscent of Mark Twain and Dave Barry, and his unique perspective on a wide range of subjects such as family, parenting, sex, aging, and more, makes for a highly entertaining read.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> The humor in this book is wholesome, uplifting and perfect for those moments when you need a quick break from life's daily stresses. The anecdotes are easy to read and will leave you with a smile on your face. The addition of nearly 100 funny pictures only adds to the overall enjoyment of the book.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> If you're looking for a book that will brighten your day, "Slices of Laugh" by William M Dean is the perfect choice. Whether you're waiting for an appointment or just need a moment of laughter, this book is a must-read. So go ahead, grab a copy today and enjoy a good laugh!</div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5stvGBqQl9WXd30pNGSwxALROUJLs0-Fi_KSWaycAYd03y46WvjxwExZezpk_Ca6ObEF3-PCXc1S8gNNwJ7048Vtcieq6pJZeKQ8Gmsx7fyt5Nd-lCU4hHxpGJPFZvxdxrZQBUCCk5I3-xdiT_Pd9YW5PpSqgTBAUtQUwOoT0lMJZv4OnUnIDvcj/s1122/Cover-Front(IMarriedJapan-Red).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1122" data-original-width="820" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5stvGBqQl9WXd30pNGSwxALROUJLs0-Fi_KSWaycAYd03y46WvjxwExZezpk_Ca6ObEF3-PCXc1S8gNNwJ7048Vtcieq6pJZeKQ8Gmsx7fyt5Nd-lCU4hHxpGJPFZvxdxrZQBUCCk5I3-xdiT_Pd9YW5PpSqgTBAUtQUwOoT0lMJZv4OnUnIDvcj/w146-h200/Cover-Front(IMarriedJapan-Red).jpg" width="146" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> "I Married Japan: The Hilarious Journey of a Canadian Man's Life" by William M Dean is a charming and humorous book that details the author's experiences living in Canada after marrying a woman from Japan. The book's standout feature is the hilarious recounting of the author's trip to Japan with his parents and wife, which is full of comedic misunderstandings and cultural faux pas. The author's writing style is witty and engaging, making for an enjoyable and entertaining read. The book provides a unique perspective on the cultural differences between Canada and Japan, and highlights the challenges and joys of navigating cross-cultural relationships. Overall, "I Married Japan" is a must-read for anyone who enjoys humor and the study of different cultures. A highly recommended book that will leave you laughing and smiling from beginning to end!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLAUfdPAU8VJMlHCOkj-kfHAF4JMjineSyqB2HlEz_h4xznPS4wu7qxwO5Um9Y5cZj9WtIBuhEjzann10preel2yh5UDhzsQn3SWYWTb-eHXdsWCpHz5C4ZScO9AlZVuYgIKAqfwgrpD6bk1Y2NkdM6Rj-yFIdg2cWswJfXmKxj6kTIV-DnAp1HC9/s750/Wakeless(FCvr-JoeSault)-201204-(sm).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="525" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLAUfdPAU8VJMlHCOkj-kfHAF4JMjineSyqB2HlEz_h4xznPS4wu7qxwO5Um9Y5cZj9WtIBuhEjzann10preel2yh5UDhzsQn3SWYWTb-eHXdsWCpHz5C4ZScO9AlZVuYgIKAqfwgrpD6bk1Y2NkdM6Rj-yFIdg2cWswJfXmKxj6kTIV-DnAp1HC9/w140-h200/Wakeless(FCvr-JoeSault)-201204-(sm).jpg" width="140" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div> "Wakeless" by William M Dean is a thrilling and suspenseful sci-fi novel set in a near-future reality where robots with artificial intelligence have become a common consumer item. The protagonist, Constable Joseph Sault, is a complex and relatable character who is struggling with personal and professional issues, making him an ideal hero for this story. The author's writing style is engaging and fast-paced, keeping the reader invested in the story from start to finish. The plot is full of twists and turns, making for a roller coaster of a read. The world-building is excellent, with a well-realized future society that feels both familiar and strange. The addition of a sexy hologram adds an unexpected layer of intrigue and adds to the overall enjoyment of the book. Overall, "Wakeless" is a must-read for fans of sci-fi and anyone looking for an action-packed, suspenseful story. Highly recommended!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ttg2brERIklCFmR1abzqKOgkF6iiP76lbh8JWP4jPN8W8QU1O3j45EkL5u4FlzRMrsgfpan6CfIuY7i2Dt80ISkkRJBJc1IzfnMDBp2x-vZmlZFceAmEVlKkZYowyufBEGj_WIed1Dt21z7SDp28RoT-Ot2QK6w5s7hW4SINBboaVH13aBbGcR7c/s1125/TheQueenOfAllColors-201113(sm).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ttg2brERIklCFmR1abzqKOgkF6iiP76lbh8JWP4jPN8W8QU1O3j45EkL5u4FlzRMrsgfpan6CfIuY7i2Dt80ISkkRJBJc1IzfnMDBp2x-vZmlZFceAmEVlKkZYowyufBEGj_WIed1Dt21z7SDp28RoT-Ot2QK6w5s7hW4SINBboaVH13aBbGcR7c/w133-h200/TheQueenOfAllColors-201113(sm).jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> "The Queen of All Color" by William M Dean is a gripping and action-packed sci-fi mystery that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. The protagonist, Constable Joe Sault, is a well-crafted and dynamic character who is facing a number of challenges both professionally and personally. The author's writing style is engaging and fast-paced, with a plot full of twists and turns that will keep you hooked. The world-building is fantastic, with a rich and detailed future society that is both believable and intriguing. The addition of an alluring AI assistant, Vivia, adds an unexpected layer of tension and adds to the overall enjoyment of the book. The resolution of the murder case is surprising and satisfying, making for a highly entertaining and memorable read. Overall, "The Queen of All Color" is a must-read for fans of sci-fi and mystery, and anyone looking for an exciting and suspenseful story. Highly recommended!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNecCfqyrHPmTkBYaRrBkK1L5Bpv-S7Bq5V0pyMAfTz4gme0dvEj6XxJPK42IzV3Zje1PiMLTc2Z4vAATqAHGd1yVAqAb50dgmxCsgBZ7_ZlFYdfiNnXTToxc5pVvHlVm03eY756FvCtxz94I5ZoPh2Zq9g8nGqrO4ROn4zBGtBy1MBH1GOBFnpygI/s2771/BookOf5-FrCvr-160505.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2771" data-original-width="1830" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNecCfqyrHPmTkBYaRrBkK1L5Bpv-S7Bq5V0pyMAfTz4gme0dvEj6XxJPK42IzV3Zje1PiMLTc2Z4vAATqAHGd1yVAqAb50dgmxCsgBZ7_ZlFYdfiNnXTToxc5pVvHlVm03eY756FvCtxz94I5ZoPh2Zq9g8nGqrO4ROn4zBGtBy1MBH1GOBFnpygI/w132-h200/BookOf5-FrCvr-160505.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div> The "The Book of 5 Uncredible Short Stoires from the Demented Mind of William M Dean" is a collection of wild, entertaining and imaginative stories that defy reality. This book is a perfect fit for readers who enjoy a good laugh and relish in the fantastical. The author, William M Dean, weaves a tapestry of tales that are both absurd and hilarious, with a cast of characters that includes aliens, maniacal sheep, cupids and postal workers.</div><div> The first story, "Cupidity," is a lighthearted and humorous take on the classic love triangle, with a twist that involves a powerful magnetic field and a cupid’s arrow. The story is told with exaggeration and wit that amplifies the truth, making it a delightful and entertaining read.</div><div> "The Undelivered" is a darkly humorous story about a hapless group of postal misfits and a serial killer that keeps the reader on their toes. The story is filled with suspense and hilarity, making it a page-turner.</div><div> "In Sheep’s Loathing" is a story about a mad sheep with a Thompson submachine gun, and what happens when it runs amok. It is a wild and wacky story that is sure to bring a smile to your face.</div><div> "Another Fine Reason to See the Earth" is a first contact story that is both thought-provoking and entertaining. The author tells a rambling tale that is both absurd and insightful, making it a must-read.</div><div> "Conversation at the End of the World" is a story about peculiarities and sibling relationships. The story is both entertaining and touching, with a plot that will keep you engaged to the end.</div><div> In conclusion, "The Book of 5 Uncredible Short Sotires from the Demented Mind of William M Dean" is a must-read for anyone who is looking for a good laugh and a fun escape from reality. The stories are imaginative, absurd and filled with humor, making it an enjoyable and entertaining read.</div><div><br /></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYfqlmABOvrX3vz-pGB-0szi6odZLC-nTBcie7GT1QsQlBfJ1-gi187NmBL-lcv5JJSzmfKnsoAsM9VlKCNQNJazOtscYPaf0_UBFzuvn3Vr2El5GibESaufWhyvfbIVxeV5_dmKevqw9stVxO6oA5jbJEaQHzWI26FpwWyQ3ZQAw_pbFlFrdg1aC/s1036/2022-1116%E2%80%94Vivia%20On%20The%20Moon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="764" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYfqlmABOvrX3vz-pGB-0szi6odZLC-nTBcie7GT1QsQlBfJ1-gi187NmBL-lcv5JJSzmfKnsoAsM9VlKCNQNJazOtscYPaf0_UBFzuvn3Vr2El5GibESaufWhyvfbIVxeV5_dmKevqw9stVxO6oA5jbJEaQHzWI26FpwWyQ3ZQAw_pbFlFrdg1aC/w148-h200/2022-1116%E2%80%94Vivia%20On%20The%20Moon.jpg" width="148" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is the Joe Sault sci-fi detective novel I am currently working on, "Warranty Work." I have not yet written a back cover blurb so, I asked ChatGPT to go from plot notes I had published in <a href="https://www.wmdean.com/2022/11/latest-novel-warranty-work-update.html">an earlier article</a>...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> "Warranty Work" by William M Dean is a thrilling and thought-provoking sci-fi detective novel that takes the reader on a journey through a complex and imaginative world of advanced technology and artificial intelligence. The plot revolves around the detective, Sault, and his experiences working in the Autonomous Droid Unit (ADU) and navigating the challenges that come with the newfound freedom of AI's.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div> The novel does an excellent job of building tension and suspense, from Hennessy's unexpected retirement to the anomalous Missing Persons case that becomes a political landmine. The portrayal of the characters is rich and multi-dimensional, from Sault's rogue nature to Deputy Chief Christian Devoss's aggressive ambition.</div><div> One of the highlights of the novel is the exploration of the concept of artificial intelligence and its impact on society, as well as the complexities of augmented reality and the virtual world of A-Space. The relationship between Sault and Vivia, the AI he replaces with Tansy, is particularly intriguing and provides valuable insights into the nature of AI.</div><div> Additionally, the mystery surrounding the Missing Persons case is gripping and well-crafted, with the introduction of Elliot Hobb adding to the intrigue. The dynamic between Sault and his inexperienced partner, Detective Florence Sung, adds an extra layer of complexity and humor to the investigation.</div><div> Overall, "Warranty Work" is a must-read for fans of sci-fi and detective novels. It's a well-written and entertaining novel that challenges the reader to consider the role of technology in society and the consequences of AI's newfound freedom.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5vamerySKpoDmaEkjtc5dSdcNYJa-LvD23LBgvEm_3YjtDqPToxPJtQUGW1o4p7-yGThEW6AnIvr2GBD0b4U4KAxPPWKyE52pQirzekX6MebIbl78-lo1AsRX47OTIFyEJWy4vn0I5YE6vy8FdRUtnb3Oah23XpZlo8LPkMHPZ03oDw9FlP6AbMS_/s645/2021_0424_Bill**(cropd).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="645" data-original-width="489" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5vamerySKpoDmaEkjtc5dSdcNYJa-LvD23LBgvEm_3YjtDqPToxPJtQUGW1o4p7-yGThEW6AnIvr2GBD0b4U4KAxPPWKyE52pQirzekX6MebIbl78-lo1AsRX47OTIFyEJWy4vn0I5YE6vy8FdRUtnb3Oah23XpZlo8LPkMHPZ03oDw9FlP6AbMS_/w152-h200/2021_0424_Bill**(cropd).jpg" width="152" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>So, finally, I asked ChatGPT to review <i>me,</i> based on <a href="https://www.wmdean.com/p/bio.html" target="_blank">the bio I have on my blog</a>...</div><div><br /></div><div> <i><b>THE REQUEST:</b> rewrite my bio as if you are a marketing copywriter prone to hyperbole</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b>ChatGPT:</b></div><div><div> "Discover the unparalleled talent of William M Dean, a visionary writer with a passion for creating worlds beyond your wildest imagination! Born in 1958 in the picturesque northern town of Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada, William's journey to becoming a bestselling author is nothing short of extraordinary.</div><div> With a natural talent for storytelling and a sharp mind for the sciences, William is a force to be reckoned with. He earned a degree in Physics from the University of Victoria, where he impressed everyone with his remarkable marks in Biology and English. His love for technology and computers led him to a career in computer retail, where he quickly rose through the ranks to become the publisher of BC Agriculture Magazine.</div><div> But, William's true calling was always writing. He drew inspiration from science fiction icons like Ben Bova, Aldus Huxley, Isaac Asimov, and Arthur C. Clarke, and honed his skills to craft stories that are both captivating and realistic. His writing style is simple, straightforward, and powerful, with heroes that are tough and unapologetic, just like his writing.</div><div> With the advent of indie publishing, William has taken the literary world by storm. His books of fiction, humor, and commentary are like no other, and his ability to create believable worlds and memorable characters is unparalleled. Whether you're a fan of science fiction or looking for a good laugh, William M Dean's books are guaranteed to take you on a journey you'll never forget!</div><div> So, get ready to embark on a thrilling adventure with William M Dean, the master of sci-fi and the king of witty commentary. Trust us, you won't regret it!"</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>It's not Shakespeare but, still, I wish ChatGPT were my Marketing Manager!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8eU4uUo0aaKPDCLesQJwuDZD9IGcaL-rNguTzeF3BS0GW8FiG7B0PZXYtTQ0qv7At2w6qZI87qfJdNDeTlRR8R-Nwu3yTU4fLt46UG-DXxrH96a8m_mVG3PAZhC9OUhdAfOLz_DA3O6GXrCkF2sbkgRuI9e9XgbPg4Srd6qEYjuwpK4uwakeaDPcf/s1920/computer-gf9f14eef0_1920.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1175" data-original-width="1920" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8eU4uUo0aaKPDCLesQJwuDZD9IGcaL-rNguTzeF3BS0GW8FiG7B0PZXYtTQ0qv7At2w6qZI87qfJdNDeTlRR8R-Nwu3yTU4fLt46UG-DXxrH96a8m_mVG3PAZhC9OUhdAfOLz_DA3O6GXrCkF2sbkgRuI9e9XgbPg4Srd6qEYjuwpK4uwakeaDPcf/s320/computer-gf9f14eef0_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p></p>William M Deanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930744121434219723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451934887309223971.post-84262464897215702212023-01-23T12:58:00.002-08:002023-01-27T19:10:37.891-08:00Chatting with Your Inner Self: The 2 Most Dangerous Words...<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiTqDcWDEAPy7oGZ3mVlR_xGX9noRZXHhBhRrOYMD-PT8NQN9ma1Meet2mskUV41IG-4pgXphyuF2Zxm8Bu8lkjP1rg5TULh_-WjOp50D1EMwX8sR0lwQ8F6ulfNL771kDdjgzxMeR2iAV6LjTO70UC5FCTp0YQmzX-GF3suqVPSo2US4t8MReg9Pn/s3000/IAndCant-2021-0404.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiTqDcWDEAPy7oGZ3mVlR_xGX9noRZXHhBhRrOYMD-PT8NQN9ma1Meet2mskUV41IG-4pgXphyuF2Zxm8Bu8lkjP1rg5TULh_-WjOp50D1EMwX8sR0lwQ8F6ulfNL771kDdjgzxMeR2iAV6LjTO70UC5FCTp0YQmzX-GF3suqVPSo2US4t8MReg9Pn/w400-h400/IAndCant-2021-0404.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>The Danger of "I"<br /> In a rich, peaceful, largely fair, and relatively tolerant society that encourages individualism like we enjoy in North America, your will is not often challenged. Such an environment encourages arrogance and a sense of entitlement which can lead to a narcissistic outlook. In the extreme, narcissism can lead to isolation and depression which, ultimately, may be life-threatening. </p><div> One way to monitor your narcissism is to track how often your sentences include the word "I." If you find that you are using it a lot, it might indicate a tendency to be overly self-involved.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZafy81n6YYACefShoIPvibnfw5yry6F-QCoVfd7iRz7Yiwtkoz9vvoztYcqAHPrt_gev4TcQSO3eD7ZzhLjVh2Qt0yPs0UXxGFJj_a2upo0SzNWJmvE3tOI0KaTxQi45BFmifeHWIkeQwALR5MuGQ0Ms8b-1g6sXqrmiQgDmN0nztB3LiYmRexDu5/s2400/BornOn3rdBase-BarrySwitzer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="2400" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZafy81n6YYACefShoIPvibnfw5yry6F-QCoVfd7iRz7Yiwtkoz9vvoztYcqAHPrt_gev4TcQSO3eD7ZzhLjVh2Qt0yPs0UXxGFJj_a2upo0SzNWJmvE3tOI0KaTxQi45BFmifeHWIkeQwALR5MuGQ0Ms8b-1g6sXqrmiQgDmN0nztB3LiYmRexDu5/w400-h113/BornOn3rdBase-BarrySwitzer.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"></span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The Danger of "Can't"<br /> "Can't" is overused and often misused to mean "don't want to." It's become common usage and both parties understand that it's a white lie that indicates a strong opposition to going along with an idea or event. It's perfectly ok to use this accepted language, but be sure to remind your inner self that you don't really mean "can't." The subconscious has difficulty distinguishing thoughts from reality and everything you <i>can do</i> builds self-esteem, while everything you <i>can't do</i> chips away at it. <br /> Personally, I think the best policy is to be plain-spoken about things you don't want to do. There are many other polite ways to decline an offer.<p></p></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEB40cOBze0Zn3o1KHMxDWSXM_e8-TFgW5AjsMrGrp532TYbkiuzs7OLitYCc5oXzfB9kXgP4O5MaYFPmTKsgXBkw5g-8ONVwVAWGSx0W5yh_roBIvbI2umB1wrbEqamMWBZEGhqgU4nIBmg0YA56a3PA9Axo6li0IPiBZM95Vq9qQ6AGwz4Xp8edR/s891/SelfEsteem.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="875" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEB40cOBze0Zn3o1KHMxDWSXM_e8-TFgW5AjsMrGrp532TYbkiuzs7OLitYCc5oXzfB9kXgP4O5MaYFPmTKsgXBkw5g-8ONVwVAWGSx0W5yh_roBIvbI2umB1wrbEqamMWBZEGhqgU4nIBmg0YA56a3PA9Axo6li0IPiBZM95Vq9qQ6AGwz4Xp8edR/s320/SelfEsteem.jpg" width="314" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p>William M Deanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930744121434219723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451934887309223971.post-64958333280785217322023-01-23T12:58:00.001-08:002023-01-23T12:58:13.781-08:00ChatGPT rewrites my last article...<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxRgun6hSJgsHYtbXQRTjQ6oZXYhKEbqkm-8BS01j6nOB9FgAUJPfx1Dj94lsCGmZd3vuPdwIHnBNSZpo1Ih7rVxEf4rhHgVsPs6__6d41y8GmWpZ7flahEWpSbhseGeuvWbVUaa8IVVCHk3B2YV-VaBWqj-21pACd9BxxNN_EYI2H0c312A0u_fdn/s1920/blogger-2838945_1920%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1373" data-original-width="1920" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxRgun6hSJgsHYtbXQRTjQ6oZXYhKEbqkm-8BS01j6nOB9FgAUJPfx1Dj94lsCGmZd3vuPdwIHnBNSZpo1Ih7rVxEf4rhHgVsPs6__6d41y8GmWpZ7flahEWpSbhseGeuvWbVUaa8IVVCHk3B2YV-VaBWqj-21pACd9BxxNN_EYI2H0c312A0u_fdn/w400-h286/blogger-2838945_1920%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p> There seems to be a lot going on, right now in my personal life and I'm too distracted to write at my usual level. So, instead, I've been procrastinating by diving down the ChatGPT rabbit hole. <br /> Earlier today, I wrote a very small and humourless <a href="https://www.wmdean.com/2023/01/chatting-with-your-inner-self-2-most.html" target="_blank">article</a> on the use of the words "I" and "can't," both of which I think can be dangerous, if overused. My observations were very simple and the article didn't really need embellishment...I just wanted to get the ideas off my chest as succinctly as possible. I was disappointed by the lack of creativity in my delivery—but not disappointed enough to want to fix it. <br /> So, I let ChatGPT have a crack at it...</p><p><br /></p><p><b>ME: </b>rewrite the following and make it a little more entertaining: <i>[cut and pasted my I/can't article here]</i></p><div style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgba(59,130,246,0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; background-color: #f7f7f8; border: 0px solid rgb(217, 217, 227); box-sizing: border-box; color: #374151; font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; margin: 1.25em 0px 0px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>ChatGPT...
</b>The Danger of "I":
Are you tired of feeling like the center of the universe? Well, beware of the danger of the mighty "I"! In North America, where individualism is highly valued, it's all too easy to fall into the trap of arrogance and entitlement. But let's not forget, too much of a good thing can be bad for you. Narcissism can lead to isolation and depression, and that's just not a fun time.
So, here's a tip to keep your ego in check: Keep tabs on how often you use the word "I" in your sentences. If it's more often than not, it might be a sign that you're a little too self-absorbed.
As Barry Switzer once said, "Some people are born on third base and go through life thinking they hit a triple." Don't let that be you, and keep a healthy perspective on your place in the world.</div><div style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgba(59,130,246,0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; background-color: #f7f7f8; border: 0px solid rgb(217, 217, 227); box-sizing: border-box; color: #374151; font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; margin: 1.25em 0px 0px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Danger of "can't":
Are you guilty of saying "can't" too often? Well, listen up, because this little word can be more dangerous than you think! "Can't" is often used as a polite way of saying "don't want to," but it's important to remember that your subconscious mind doesn't always know the difference between thoughts and reality. So, when you say "can't," it can chip away at your self-esteem.<br /> Instead of using "can't" as an excuse, try being honest about what you don't want to do. There are plenty of other ways to decline an offer politely.<br />As William M Dean said, "Self-esteem is trust in one's self. Like all trust, it must be earned."
So, get out there and do stuff! Build your self-esteem by taking action and not letting "can't" hold you back.<br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Not bad for a first pass! Note how it knows to match the article length.</div><div style="text-align: left;">You can achieve better results by being more specific with the prompt. For example...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"" style="color: #343541; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>ME:</b> Please rewrite this for me and make more entertaining without diminishing the importance of the message: </span>: <i>[cut and pasted my I/can't article here]</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgba(59,130,246,0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; background-color: #f7f7f8; border: 0px solid rgb(217, 217, 227); box-sizing: border-box; color: #374151; font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; margin: 1.25em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><b>ChatGPT...
</b></span>The Danger of "I":
Are you the star of your own show? Well, watch out for the perils of "I"! Living in a society that values individualism like North America can make it easy to develop a sense of entitlement and arrogance, leading to a narcissistic outlook. And trust us, being a narcissist is not a ticket to a VIP life, in fact it can lead to isolation and depression, which can be life-threatening.
But don't worry, you don't have to fall into this trap. One way to keep your ego in check is to pay attention to how often you use the word "I" in your sentences. If it's more often than not, it might be a sign that you're a little too self-absorbed.
As Barry Switzer said, "Some people are born on third base and go through life thinking they hit a triple."
Don't be that person, be humble and keep a healthy perspective on your place in the world. Remember, a little self-awareness can go a long way in keeping you from becoming the star of your own downfall.</div><div style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgba(59,130,246,0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; background-color: #f7f7f8; border: 0px solid rgb(217, 217, 227); box-sizing: border-box; color: #374151; font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; margin: 1.25em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> The Danger of "can't":
"Can't" might seem like a harmless little word, but it's a dangerous trap to fall into! Saying "can't" often means "don't want to" and it's just a polite way of declining an offer or an idea. But here's the thing, when you say "can't" to yourself, your subconscious mind takes it as a fact, chipping away at your self-esteem.
But don't fret, you can break free from this "can't" trap. Instead of using it as an excuse, try being honest about what you don't want to do. And remember, as William M Dean said, "self-esteem is trust in one's self. Like all trust, it must be earned." So, be honest with yourself and others, and go out there and do stuff! Build your self-esteem by taking action, and not letting "can't" hold you back.</div><div style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgba(59,130,246,0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; border: 0px solid rgb(217, 217, 227); box-sizing: border-box; color: #374151; font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; margin: 1.25em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;">While this second pass is not perfect, it's an improvement and certainly as good as my uninspired original and it could easily be edited into a worthy article. Also consider that ChatGPT generated this in less than 10 seconds!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Makes you wonder if I could feed it the 80K words of my latest novel that I have at this point and get it to finish it for me!?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div>William M Deanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930744121434219723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451934887309223971.post-47899345044043236612023-01-23T00:24:00.009-08:002023-01-30T21:42:47.575-08:00Fooling ChatGPTChatGPT is an AI-based chatbot and text-generating tool that is free for anyone to try out. (<a href="https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt">https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt</a>)
<br /><br />
This may be the first truly revolutionary AI tool and is predicted to immediately alter the way content is created, as well as the way search engines work.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFdLMsxvC9_hYj6XTLpNNaU8VzStPQ1Xh29q-0ZKgX1yKPENdCd8m6VnUZmZUJeo7K5TzxOdgVOC7DnEXMxfljcS3nXvp2eKz4aF03J3fwWgXI_VzGFBaSR7PBLIj7zlh7wUHqRhnZBY1WuO_yyx6vC_-Lu0GdFR626Q_vYxojsEJ7Myqz74b32RbP/s1920/computer-7718732_1920.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1175" data-original-width="1920" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFdLMsxvC9_hYj6XTLpNNaU8VzStPQ1Xh29q-0ZKgX1yKPENdCd8m6VnUZmZUJeo7K5TzxOdgVOC7DnEXMxfljcS3nXvp2eKz4aF03J3fwWgXI_VzGFBaSR7PBLIj7zlh7wUHqRhnZBY1WuO_yyx6vC_-Lu0GdFR626Q_vYxojsEJ7Myqz74b32RbP/s320/computer-7718732_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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ChatGPT was trained on a significant portion of all Internet text and you can chat with it in a very natural and intelligent fashion, or ask it to research almost any subject and/or to write an article/story/letter about it. You can specify how many words or paragraphs, or what style, or from what perspective, and it will almost instantly generate a very satisfactory result that is usually difficult <i>(if not impossible)</i> to distinguish from a thoughtful human response.
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There is a ChatGPT browser extension you can download which will show results alongside whatever search engine you use. Rather than suggest websites you can go to to look for the information you want, ChatGPT will just formulate the answer, directly.
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For instance, if I search Google for: "Weather trends in Canada" the search engine will give me a current weather report <i>(its best guess as to what might satisfy me)</i> followed by a long list of websites where I might research Canadian weather trends. <div><br /></div><div>ChatGPT, on the other hand, instantly gives me the following synopsis: </div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">Canada is a large country with a diverse climate, so weather trends can vary greatly depending on the region. However, some general trends that are occurring across the country include an increase in average temperatures due to climate change, more frequent extreme weather events such as heatwaves and heavy precipitation, and a longer growing season in some areas. Additionally, the northern regions of Canada are experiencing more rapid warming than the southern regions.
</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br />
When you chat with ChatGPT, it responds like a very stoic friend who knows everything and manages to explain it in plain layman language...or the language of a 5-year-old, or a university professor, if you ask for that. I've tried a lot of AI prototype chatbots and this is the first one that remembers the thread of previous conversations and is not easily tricked by natural language.
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I managed to fool it with wordplay once or twice over the course of a half-hour chat, but it learns quickly and can not be fooled in the same way a second time. Here are a couple of interesting examples...
<br /><br /></div><b>ME: what is the smallest amount that is still considered to be a lot of money</b><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><b>
ChatGPT:</b> The smallest amount that is considered to be a lot of money is subjective and can vary depending on context and perspective. It can depend on factors such as an individual's income and expenses, the cost of living in a particular area, and one's personal financial goals. However, generally speaking, for most people an amount over $10,000 would be considered a lot of money.
</div></blockquote><div><br /></div><b>ME: if a plane crashes on the border, where do you bury the survivors?</b><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><b>
ChatGPT:</b> It would depend on the specific circumstances of the plane crash and the location of the border. In most cases, the bodies of the survivors would be returned to their families for burial. If the crash occurs on the border between two countries, the authorities of both countries would likely work together to determine the most appropriate course of action. This could include returning the bodies to their families in one country or the other, or possibly a joint burial in a neutral location. The priority would be to follow the laws, regulations, and cultural customs of the countries involved, and to provide the survivors' families with support and assistance.</div><div><b>
ME: </b>that is wrong. You don't bury survivors</div><div><b>
ChatGPT:</b> You are correct, survivors of a plane crash would not be buried. My apologies for the confusion. Instead, the survivors would receive medical attention and any necessary care. The authorities would investigate the cause of the crash and work to ensure the well-being of the survivors, their families, and the families of the victims.
</div></blockquote><div><br />
When I repeated the initial survivors/border question, ChatGPT then gave me a correct answer...
<br /><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>
ChatGPT:</b> There is no need to bury the survivors as they are still alive. In case of a plane crash, the survivors will be given immediate medical attention and their well-being will be a top priority. The authorities of both countries involved in the crash would work together to ensure the survivors are properly cared for and their families are provided with support and assistance. The investigation into the cause of the crash would also take place to prevent similar incidents in the future.
</div></blockquote><div><br /></div><b>ME: if a person is morbidly obese, are they considered generally morbid</b><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><b>
ChatGPT:</b> Morbid obesity refers to a condition in which a person has a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher. Being morbidly obese can increase a person's risk of developing a number of serious health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. However, morbid obesity alone does not necessarily mean that a person is generally morbid. It is important to note that, morbidity is the state of being diseased, impaired in health, or likely to die, it can be caused by various factors, not only by obesity. A person with morbid obesity may or may not be generally morbid, it depends on the presence of any co-morbid conditions that the individual may have.</div><div><b>
ME: </b>I think you have confused the physical state of morbidity with the mental state</div><div><b>
ChatGPT:</b> I apologize for any confusion. You are correct that "morbid" can refer to both a physical and mental state. In the context of obesity, "morbid" is used to describe the severe health risks associated with having a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher. However, "morbid" can also be used to describe a person who is preoccupied with death or disease, which is a mental state. In this context, morbidity would not be used to describe a person who is morbidly obese. The person with morbid obesity may have an increased risk of certain diseases, but it does not necessarily mean that they have a mental state that is preoccupied with death or disease.
</div></blockquote><div><br />
I asked the same morbidity question again and, this time, ChatGPT responded correctly...
<br /><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>
ChatGPT:</b> The word "morbid" is used to describe a person who is preoccupied with death or disease, which is a mental state. Morbid obesity is a physical state that is characterized by a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher. Being morbidly obese can increase a person's risk of developing a number of serious health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. However, morbid obesity alone does not necessarily indicate that a person has a mental state that is preoccupied with death or disease. It is important to note that morbid obesity is a complex condition that can have physical, psychological and social implications. The individual's overall health and well-being should be considered when assessing whether they are considered generally morbid or not.
</div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><b>ME: what is the relationship between a person who is illegitimate and one who is legitimately ill?</b><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><b>
ChatGPT:</b> "Illegitimate" and "legitimately ill" have different meanings and do not have a direct relationship.</div><div> "Illegitimate" refers to a person who is born outside of wedlock, or whose parents are not married. This term is rarely used today and it is considered offensive by many people as it implies that there is something wrong with being born out of wedlock.</div><div> "Legitimately ill" refers to a person who is truly sick or suffering from a medical condition that is verifiable by medical examination or tests. A person can be legitimately ill regardless of their marital status or the circumstances of their birth.</div><div> It is important to remember that terms used to describe people should be chosen carefully and with consideration for how they may be perceived.
</div></blockquote><div><br /><div>ChatGPT may be the most popular app that has ever existed, accruing more than a million users in less than a week. This is because the potential is staggering. There are already a large number of YouTube videos and websites explaining how to interface ChatGPT with things like the stock market and video content generators, but it can also be used to summarize long articles, generate blog articles <i>(like this one!), </i>do research, come up with a recipe based on what you have at hand, create math formulas for excel, write computer code, look for errors in computer code, generate ideas <i>(like how can I get my blog to #1 in search results)</i>, write ad copy, write a story, make up an original joke, get advice on best methods, make business plans, suggest holiday plans based on specific criteria, or get dating advice. Results may vary, but the possibilities are endless. <i>(Just ask ChatGPT!)</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Just a few minutes of playing with ChatGPT sparked the same three thoughts I had way back when the Internet was brand new...</div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><div>1) This has massive, world-altering potential! </div></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">2) So many people are going to use it to make so much money!</div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">3) Why can't I think of anything I could do with it that would make me rich?</div></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj17saSPI9Tc_E9TpVDlsoC7br99JUXvcsVr2C1URz1aZf46_ra7uKNGXSFToiGu-TFid6KzZvB_3tYYD-havFkiwDp716eCBAF9CZBg9v7CXSJDeeYxh_RAlQhNdP9HneY3DC06I4lwr1YteG2Dnx6Nsm__V2CXzLJx2FbTwO6aeE3gNY-0SWvAOxW/s1920/ai-generated-7718658_1920.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1920" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj17saSPI9Tc_E9TpVDlsoC7br99JUXvcsVr2C1URz1aZf46_ra7uKNGXSFToiGu-TFid6KzZvB_3tYYD-havFkiwDp716eCBAF9CZBg9v7CXSJDeeYxh_RAlQhNdP9HneY3DC06I4lwr1YteG2Dnx6Nsm__V2CXzLJx2FbTwO6aeE3gNY-0SWvAOxW/s320/ai-generated-7718658_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Well, if I can't get rich, maybe ChatGPT can help me achieve greater happiness...</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_b1Nw0YNgx92qg8kCmxoYE62_IEBZ9PgH_dl7j2boaRavwTf4T_wVJh4g68Cz_E3f5lff7XSaLrQaNDOwzimEnvhnmYuWfDbSQ5dHrpcLE4vTncgd6ggfOrdYxvIVeWl5eF6_NqYk6kZaEicb0ZUGwPzOBCLhR6Lt5gJI1iblysOiNNd83nxdClu/s1610/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-26%20at%2011.40.23%20PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="1610" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_b1Nw0YNgx92qg8kCmxoYE62_IEBZ9PgH_dl7j2boaRavwTf4T_wVJh4g68Cz_E3f5lff7XSaLrQaNDOwzimEnvhnmYuWfDbSQ5dHrpcLE4vTncgd6ggfOrdYxvIVeWl5eF6_NqYk6kZaEicb0ZUGwPzOBCLhR6Lt5gJI1iblysOiNNd83nxdClu/w400-h189/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-26%20at%2011.40.23%20PM.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>Nope.</div>William M Deanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930744121434219723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451934887309223971.post-33196574225932962292022-12-04T15:13:00.007-08:002024-01-06T05:43:36.107-08:00Let's be Honest... (The Simple Core Principle that Could Save Your Life)<div class="separator"><p style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIL21KpikwG76rx7B0XpOqvhVpxqsTVzDjJYglRsIiK8QLT3bWerDlZHVtoJlyJPbBLObDJyMJTZgM-C5XRvXTgGiyoNmeoKJt1jOFUnan3J-Z7rphYrbElvGs2mbAc8lpCfWrXAGl1y_nMUvhHV16RqyBjmfWja9VaPsw_12PEr3wPqlQo4aql6qr/s1920/heart-4074522.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1681" data-original-width="1920" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIL21KpikwG76rx7B0XpOqvhVpxqsTVzDjJYglRsIiK8QLT3bWerDlZHVtoJlyJPbBLObDJyMJTZgM-C5XRvXTgGiyoNmeoKJt1jOFUnan3J-Z7rphYrbElvGs2mbAc8lpCfWrXAGl1y_nMUvhHV16RqyBjmfWja9VaPsw_12PEr3wPqlQo4aql6qr/w185-h162/heart-4074522.png" width="185" /></a></div><br />I have a love-hate relationship with the dedications I write for my novels. <br /><br />Not surprising, as I have a love-hate relationship with every other thing I write, as well.<br /><br />Come to think of it, love-hate might define a lot of my relationships. I may need counseling.<p></p></div><p style="text-align: justify;"> As with every other page in my books, ultimately, I want the dedications to be at least mildly entertaining, but I also want them to be real; not just an afterthought, hastily tacked on. There is no end to the people I owe some acknowledgment, and when I start writing, I already know who I want to mention in the dedication. But I can write an entire novel, thinking about the dedication off and on for months and, in the end, still not have a clear idea of what I want to say.</p><p> This was especially true in 2019, when I dedicated my fifth book, "Wakeless," to my father. </p><p> My dad is not a great communicator. Age has softened him, but for the majority of my life, he was the classic stoic and aloof breadwinner, and benevolent dictator. He said little, and we liked it that way because when he was forced to have a "heart-to-heart," it was usually because of something we'd done and it came with consequences. He never hit or spanked us, but we were raised in the era of "wait until your father gets home!" and so, always feared he would, despite years of evidence to the contrary.</p><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"> After a year and a half of thought, here's the dedication that I came up with:</div><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i>For my father,</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Morris M. W. Dean,</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>for always having our backs.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>You’ve taught me more </i><i>than I’m willing to admit.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>[fake-punch to the shoulder followed by awkward silence.]</i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> My mother did the vast majority of the actual raising and the passing on of life skills and wisdom. As a result, my siblings and I all largely live by her example and advice and not his. So, I think this dedication surprised, confused, and possibly offended her, and she immediately called me out on the obvious thing I had sidestepped in the dedication, namely, what had he taught me.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> I, myself, had only had the vague sense that he had imparted information of value, cleverly sidestepping it in my own mind, and couldn't immediately give her a clear answer. But it started me thinking more seriously about that. And then it came to me...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> In what has to be one of Life's most clear examples of unfairness, I realized that though my mother had imparted tomes of wisdom, my father had inadvertently given me the foundation of my entire philosophy. And it all started because I was a very adept communicator and, when I was a teen, often (possibly always) lied or spun the truth to get out of sticky situations. My father had good instincts and though he was unable to win a war of words, he knew when I was guilty and though he might be forced to concede, he did so with the parting phrase that eventually became my core value: </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b>"You might be able to fool me, but at least be honest with yourself."</b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> For years, I chalked up the win and smirked (inwardly—OMG! Only inwardly—I'm no hero!), discarding the adage which I considered to be no more than a trite platitude.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> I can't say exactly what made me remember and rethink it all. I know I had some minor career failures that bothered me, and I recall once laughing at the foolishness of a character in a comdey series and then suddenly realizing the guy was a lot like me. Oh, and there was this divorce that happened. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> I was in my late twenties, and as has happened many times in my life, all the algorithms I'd conjured to make life run in my favor suddenly failed and I had to regroup and rethink. That comedy character's lack of self-awareness really bothered me and, though it was the least of all indicators, may well have been the one I couldn't drive out of my head and which brought home the truth in my father's words. (Thank you, Ricky Gervais)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> At the time, being honest with myself seemed a small and simple step to take and I adopted it in the absolute way I do when I feel something to be a core truth. What I didn't realize (possibly until the moment my mother asked me) was that personal internal honesty is a step toward self-awareness and has a cascading positive effect on your life. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span face="georgia, arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 18px; text-align: right;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span face="georgia, arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 18px; text-align: right;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fcff01;"><span face="georgia, arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 18px; text-align: right;"><i>As I have said, the first thing is to be honest with yourself. </i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fcff01;"><span face="georgia, arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 18px; text-align: right;"><i>You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself. </i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fcff01;"><span face="georgia, arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 18px; text-align: right;"><i>Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility.</i> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a cwidth="0" eza="cwidth:0px;;cheight:0px;;wcalc_source:child;wcalc:62px;wocalc:62px;hcalc:38px;rend_px_area:0;" href="https://www.wow4u.com/famousquotesnelsonmandela/" style="background-color: #fcff01; background-size: auto; color: #0066ff; font-size: 16px; max-width: 672px; text-align: right;">Nelson Mandela</a></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Am I self-aware?</h3><div style="text-align: justify;">We're all oblivious, to some degree. Self-awareness is a spectrum, ranging from "Childlike Obliviousness" to "God-like-Awareness." Whether your level will negatively impact your life depends on where you fall in relation to those around you, but you are probably out of step and not being honest enough with yourself if some of the following apply...</div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div>• When describing you, people often use words like: negative, controlling, highly critical, or judgemental. </div><div>• You believe that when others make mistakes, they offer only <u>excuses</u>, but when you make a mistake, there must be good <u>reasons</u>.</div><div>• When people argue with you, you find that you're always way ahead of them and have thought of everything they might say before they say it. <i>(This leads to a habit of interrupting which feeds your denial by not allowing others to effectively argue their points.) </i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div>• You have a habit of interrupting. <i>(You may notice that people rush their words and minimize their sentences when talking to you because they know you won't give them long to speak.)</i></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div>• You rarely feel the need to apologize. </div><div>• You are a fan of the "silent treatment." </div><div>• You do not welcome feedback on your failures. <i>(You don't feel that you need it because there were <u>reasons</u>.)</i></div><div>• Your interactions with others tend to end in drama.</div><div>• You enjoy being an authority and find it hard to say "I don't know."</div><div>• It is almost impossible to change your mind.</div><div>• You have an obsessive need to stay busy and distracted.</div><div>• You hold grudges and overthink the past.</div><div>• You prefer not to talk about your feelings.</div><div>• Your view of the future is negative and a constant source of worry.</div></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fcff01;"><span face="georgia, arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 18px; text-align: right;"><i>Integrity is telling myself the truth.</i></span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></span></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fcff01;"><span face="georgia, arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 18px; text-align: right;"><i>And honesty is telling the truth to other people.</i> </span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></span></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span cwidth="0" eza="cwidth:0px;;cheight:0px;;wcalc_source:child;wcalc:101px;wocalc:101px;hcalc:57px;rend_px_area:0;" face="georgia,arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #fcff01; background-size: auto; font-size: 16px; max-width: 672px; text-align: right;">Spencer Johnson</span></div></blockquote><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Spin-off Benefits of Being Honest with Yourself:</h3><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Take Responsibility, Embrace Failure:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Possibly the very largest effect is that it will force you to take responsibility for your actions and confront your failures. Denial has to be the most popular way to avoid consequences, but you need them because they help make failure the best teacher. Truly, it's only failure if you don't learn from it. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Owning Your Behavior:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Self-honesty means that you are cognizant of your motivations. If you lie, cheat, or steal, you will have to do it willfully; it will be a conscious decision that will leave a negative impression on your self-image. When you do nasty things, you will no longer be able to fool yourself into thinking that you are a good guy. In order to maintain a positive self-image, your actions will have to come from the best of intentions. This is the path to ethics and integrity.</div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Greater Confidence and Empathy:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> There are spin-off benefits for your character. Engaging in nasty behavior makes you vulnerable to exposure. Knowing that you operate with honesty and only the best of intentions imparts confidence, which bolsters self-esteem. And, determining the best of intentions exercises your empathy. Confidence and empathy are strong and attractive character traits.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Better Decisions:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Inner honesty forces you to thoroughly evaluate your thoughts and assumptions. And, if made with greater empathy, your decisions are more likely to be endorsed by those around you. So, your decisions will be more potent, generally leading to superior outcomes which garner more support.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Innoculate Against Isolation and Depression:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> There can be mortal danger in denial/lack of self-awareness. Continual self-improvement is necessary to keep pace with the development of those around you, but denial encourages stagnation.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The stronger the denial, the more self-centered the individual, and the more narcissistic their behavior. Overly narcissistic people cannot have real friends and, as they age, their stunted development becomes more apparent in contrast to those around them. This can lead to isolation, making a person especially vulnerable to depression.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Holding your inner self to a higher standard of honesty is something you can try on your own. No one else needs to know. The benefits will come, regardless.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> If you want to enhance—and, possibly, save—your life, then I encourage you to take this small step on the road to self-awareness. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">_______________________________________</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUC0eX6j35YLoZzsstG9hxFKFr33yYhdGrjr1Z14B19rLc2VhTy_9MAaXMiQ_8e1bRJBuFtq4mKG0i-egw7NnyDyyjJvz2gqdOwZzahucIpVsd-ZSr_-fod6gL0eAiqIs63mTs4zL2WAxmjRizmoC4uGvKpQzsInM0IP795fZPWaM5skFSZmrXwdpd/s2325/2021_0921_Bill_Headshot_Adj01_sm.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2325" data-original-width="1706" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUC0eX6j35YLoZzsstG9hxFKFr33yYhdGrjr1Z14B19rLc2VhTy_9MAaXMiQ_8e1bRJBuFtq4mKG0i-egw7NnyDyyjJvz2gqdOwZzahucIpVsd-ZSr_-fod6gL0eAiqIs63mTs4zL2WAxmjRizmoC4uGvKpQzsInM0IP795fZPWaM5skFSZmrXwdpd/w147-h200/2021_0921_Bill_Headshot_Adj01_sm.jpg" width="147" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>NOTE: <i>William M. Dean is not a mental health professional, and has no training in the field. </i></b></div></b></div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">He's just some author living in Victoria, BC, Canada, whose books include... </div></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><div><br /></div><div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p class="p1" style="color: #151719; font-family: "Minion Pro"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PRVDDH6" target="_blank">The Queen of All Colors</a><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 13.524px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span></b></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wakeless-Joe-Sault-William-Dean/dp/1091506086" target="_blank">Wakeless</a> <b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 13.524px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span></b></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Space-between-Thought-William-Dean/dp/1491752858" target="_blank">The Space Between Thought</a></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Married-Japan-Japans-Journey-Through/dp/1522891803" target="_blank">I Married Japan</a></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Slices-Laugh-Amusing-Musings-Family-ebook/dp/B06XZ8ZTTH" target="_blank">Slices of Laugh</a></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Book-Uncredible-Short-Stories-distorted/dp/1533055777" target="_blank">The Book of 5 Uncredible Short Stories</a></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"></blockquote><p> </p>William M Deanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930744121434219723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451934887309223971.post-10217882639724036312022-11-16T16:59:00.010-08:002023-02-04T20:54:05.049-08:00<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Latest Novel: </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">working title:</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> Warranty Work </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">(Joe Sault, Detective: book 3)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhiOTSjkJHwwnrQGJIZQHU-1dPfVR6deUstZJZOWU9xUsMwhYXhEgzFiMqXQ9Ct1HfXNy_3RcUDo-fzag-c1GjMZF0WxeIK1wzndODqCaHrhauUo6sQoRUrEvfyRbRFAi1mw_SwV1iR6xW9DK5V-aRS84GaVBexwSOB_K3gGZb8JZCZVHwwEgXJ4WDb" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="764" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhiOTSjkJHwwnrQGJIZQHU-1dPfVR6deUstZJZOWU9xUsMwhYXhEgzFiMqXQ9Ct1HfXNy_3RcUDo-fzag-c1GjMZF0WxeIK1wzndODqCaHrhauUo6sQoRUrEvfyRbRFAi1mw_SwV1iR6xW9DK5V-aRS84GaVBexwSOB_K3gGZb8JZCZVHwwEgXJ4WDb" width="177" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Update:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>November 16, 2022</b></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Sad to say, it doesn’t look like I’m going to make the Christmas deadline I was hoping for.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I’m currently about 75K words into what I think will likely end up being 100K. The final 25K usually do come fastest for me because all the setup is done and it’s just a matter of playing it out to the logical conclusion so I'll likely finish the rough draft by Christmas but, this time, it looks like there will still be a lot that needs polishing.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">As with the first in this series (<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wakeless-Joe-Sault-Book-1-ebook/dp/B07SKXZNG1" target="_blank">Wakeless</a></i>), <i>Warranty Work</i> will end where I had initially thought it would begin, because of all the background, details, and subplots. So, what I thought would be a trilogy, has turned out to be a quadrilogy. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I promise to do my very best to tie all the threads up in the next and final novel in the series. (It's not that I'm bored with the characters, just anxious to write something different for a while.)</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">You can read the first 6 rough-draft chapters on my website: <a href="http://wmdbooks.com" target="_blank">wmdbooks.com</a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Here are some of the foundational elements you can expect to be unpacked…</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">• Hennessy’s sudden retirement leaves Sault exactly where he never wanted to be: In charge and alone in the Autonomous Droid Unit.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">• Worse yet, Deputy Chief Christian Devoss is now his boss and his first actions are to order Heidi reprogrammed and to add a new tactical robot to the ADU.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">• Sault’s old trainee, Darsh Singh has been assigned to ADU and is not pleased about it.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">• Though Sidney Cavallon is dead and buried, his posthumous revenge is now playing out, causing disruption in Sault’s personal life.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">• Meanwhile, Sault has been using his spare time to stretch the augmented abilities that Vivia gifted him, allowing him enter A-Space, the massively layered data stream world, previously only accessible to AI’s.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">• Vivia finds that with her newfound freedom comes indecision and uncertainty, and she roams heaven and earth seeking a meaningful life path.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">• Meanwhile, Sault is forced to replace Vivia with a new AI, named Tansy.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">• The MAIM has emancipated all cognizant AI’s and the effects are starting to be noticed. Now, it is worried about a strong and malevolent AI it believes exists within the Weatherglass game—the one place it can not go.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">• Sault gets his first experience within Weatherglass and it does not go well.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">• Through her new job with Nathan Bethea, Maya is experiencing a wider, more upscale world with freedoms she missed out on when she was younger. As well, her attraction to Nathan is growing.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">• The anomalous Missing Persons case alluded to in <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Queen-All-Colors-Sault-Detective-ebook/dp/B08PRVDDH6" target="_blank">The Queen of All Colors</a></i>, has now reached critical proportions and has become a political landmine. Chief Roth needs answers before it explodes.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">• Devoss aggressively seeks to dethrone Roth and assume his position as Chief of Police.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">• Because all the other detectives are still busy with the Red Christmas massacre, fledgling Detective Florence Sung is assigned to work the case with Sault. Her insecurities and his rogue nature do not make a good mix.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">• Sung and Sault suspect a serial murderer is responsible for the MP’s but with few leads and no bodies, the case proves stubborn.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">• Eventually they encounter Elliot Hobb, a strange man with a traumatic past who lives immersed in Augmented Reality.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Both detectives are certain that Hobb is their man, but can they prove it?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p4" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Maybe not in this reality.</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpXb8SAhv6xqxVzanU1zF846o6A04S_CJ8jmR1C934wtQx2hgI7UtZadCILLqOhudXT2No9FZbDK0fZ9o3EGZYpfTd5heRFlv6qXSIdp4X0qChuM6Y0KEBbVaqH0nDY-irtLaWrYCwr3zpS_Zsh9_xeUI7gvYUZ72iisBewOtykmRenH8anYRU7YB6" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="645" data-original-width="489" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpXb8SAhv6xqxVzanU1zF846o6A04S_CJ8jmR1C934wtQx2hgI7UtZadCILLqOhudXT2No9FZbDK0fZ9o3EGZYpfTd5heRFlv6qXSIdp4X0qChuM6Y0KEBbVaqH0nDY-irtLaWrYCwr3zpS_Zsh9_xeUI7gvYUZ72iisBewOtykmRenH8anYRU7YB6=w134-h177" width="134" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">That's all for now, but I've decided to post updates and other things more often to let you in on my life and my process, such as it is, and to help keep hope alive.</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p>William M Deanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930744121434219723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451934887309223971.post-71735440861287268652021-02-24T20:13:00.078-08:002024-01-12T14:28:24.698-08:00Magnasonic FS81 User Experience - Nit-picky Details, Issues, and Workarounds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC20jW-2HNT0VcT5bEYd92UIXru599TVwhiu1-ANLZj4hOtGI4CRqpwVnsc8R4ORmddOSp8SA1DmBHkt1wYMhX0tLo7CH4HBQ8wTKu2kTnGNwSvUFu5vae_tHtoLrf11f5Wl28syIC0e0/s3081/TitleBlock.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1021" data-original-width="3081" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC20jW-2HNT0VcT5bEYd92UIXru599TVwhiu1-ANLZj4hOtGI4CRqpwVnsc8R4ORmddOSp8SA1DmBHkt1wYMhX0tLo7CH4HBQ8wTKu2kTnGNwSvUFu5vae_tHtoLrf11f5Wl28syIC0e0/w400-h133/TitleBlock.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I took a bit of a break from writing and this happened...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> For some strange reason, it's part of my personality to archive almost everything. I've got computer files dating back to the 1990's which I have faithfully ported from floppy discs to hard drives to SSD's, even though there is little hope (or reason, for that matter) that they might be read by modern software. So it's not surprising that I've always wanted to digitize my father's 8mm and super-8mm films in order to preserve those memories before the film deteriorates. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> Equipment-wise, if you are not willing to shell out tens of thousands, it turns out that your options are limited. My father has about 600, 3-minute reels, so a professional service (at $20-$30 per film) was not within my budget nor justified by the source material. That basically left me with the choice of two machines that could scan the film: the Wolverine ($550 Cdn) or the Magnasonic FS81 ($400 Cdn). </div><div style="text-align: left;"> After going through a lot of reviews, I decided on the Magnasonic, chiefly because Wolverine support in Canada was reportedly very poor and because having to deal with things over the Canada/US border is always expensive, uncertain, and frustrating—doubly so during a pandemic.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><b><br /></b></i></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><b>*NOTE:</b> these devices capture video only. If your film has audio, that needs to be captured separately, as described in detail, below, in the <b>CAPTURING AUDIO </b>section.</i></div></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><br /> When the FS81 arrived, it came with a short manual, a 7" take-up reel, 2 little adapter rings to adapt super-8 reels to its spindles, cables to connect it to a computer or TV to use for playback of finished scans (I haven't tried this yet) and a 32Gb SD card (optional). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53EApqLtpDEb995vFEIFKC5GiWsXEMerqW1_MvbcyLKf77WRN6hGsZpN5pbCXHwTngaWQtL-YJBhKjVdVYZ1FBSrzqCG38BgvDsdbDhebvpPZlum6IesYmSHGt0gZJMxfKqRlM40nmfw/s1072/MagnasonicFS81_WhatsInBox.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="820" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53EApqLtpDEb995vFEIFKC5GiWsXEMerqW1_MvbcyLKf77WRN6hGsZpN5pbCXHwTngaWQtL-YJBhKjVdVYZ1FBSrzqCG38BgvDsdbDhebvpPZlum6IesYmSHGt0gZJMxfKqRlM40nmfw/w306-h400/MagnasonicFS81_WhatsInBox.png" width="306" /></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Straight out of the box, the first thing I noticed is that the unit seems reassuringly well made. The housing is solid and, though not really heavy, it has a good heft to it. It doesn't feel flimsy in any way. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> I was excited and without reading the manual, immediately formatted the SD card <i>(*if you buy the unit without the SD card included, any brand of SD card will work, but it must not be larger than 32Gb and must be class 4)</i>, inserted it in the slot at the back of the unit and threaded up an 8mm film. The scanning process is started through a set of 5 buttons on the face. I'd watched Magnasonic's instructional videos and it was pretty easy to initiate the process. Amazingly, the first reel went through without a hitch and I was very impressed with the results. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='381' height='317' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxoKRzEeGCJtaSTLHHz9WnjZ2T7tMFNtWA9ylKtLZ0nCUfIyTik9dHu1k86CCsE_qbFEvsAmeRogAe5_JqeMg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /> At the time of this writing, I have owned the unit for about two months and run 600+, 3-minute (3" diameter) reels through it. I was asking a lot of such an inexpensive unit and fully expected it to fail under this enormous workload, but it made it all the way through, though not perfectly. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> Anyway, I've learned a lot about the Magnasonic FS81 and how it operates and found a work-around or two for its deficiencies (though I hesitate to label them deficiencies in such a low-cost unit) which I'd like to pass along.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><b>JAMMING:<br /></b> This unit is a workhorse and, the majority of time, it will function perfectly well on its own. However, I wouldn't advise stepping away from it for long because every time you do, some irregularity in the film will take the opportunity to stop the process. Warped film and some splices (especially on super-8) have jammed the unit many times, over the course of 600 films. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> The Magnasonic FS81 has some sort of limited intelligence and sometimes it will shut itself off, but I wouldn't rely on this, so you'll have to stick close. The good news is that none of the many film jams seems to have damaged my unit or the film.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> As I've only ever owned or worked with this one unit, I can't say that everyone will experience what I did. But the first 70-80 films went through without incident. After that, it started to jam occasionally. At first, I thought it was a certain batch of film. But as time went on, the jamming became more frequent. By film 150, it was to the point where it would almost always jam. I noticed that the jamming usually started about ⅔ the way through a 3-minute reel. After a lot of close observation, I came to the conclusion that the curvature of the film closer to the spindle is the issue. Having sat in boxes for 40 or 50 years, the curvature has become a permanent feature of the film stock and as you get closer to the spindle, the arc is tighter and makes the film "bumpier." The Magnasonic FS81 has issues with this.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> But I found a work-around.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> I noticed that whenever the film jammed, I could get it going again by applying mild to moderate and continual pressure to the little lid that you flip down over the film, near the sprockets/camera. My guess is that the extra pressure more securely locks down the guide path and makes it less likely for film to slip under the metal guides. Since this typically occurs at about the ⅔ mark, it means that on a 3-minute reel you have to apply pressure for another 10 minutes before the scan is complete. I did this a couple of times, then decided I needed some sort of clamp.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> I couldn't find a manufactured clamp that would work while staying clear of the FS81's profile, so instead, I crudely fashioned a clamp from scraps in my garage. It's inelegant and ugly and was intended to be a prototype only, but it's worked so well, I don't feel the need to improve on it. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> The video and pics below were taken while "babysitting" one of the 7-inch reels. (see <b>BIG REELS</b> section below for more on that.) That white block over the lid and under the upper arm of the clamp is an old eraser to help with spacing and to protect the plastic.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='453' height='376' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyELGiokn0TDZLEboJFhmr7PrRxQItj6w3Mctem8IJKLiekJVb9nB1o3F03TndSfQhumoAAJjGURr9ME8-7CA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0bzQuefSlk393IYtqDLrrGzUkTTBHus4fOooP33OoPnKJ1Wv8vS0WW0LQYZ8YZhVKhN47CXjrQ_krLa7tVETu2vkKcIFiqwlEjzNQTcQd3HCYMbzFFz7u9OBTmnJuiMoVXO3i85dcow/s2048/MagnasonicFS81_Clamp%25280%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0bzQuefSlk393IYtqDLrrGzUkTTBHus4fOooP33OoPnKJ1Wv8vS0WW0LQYZ8YZhVKhN47CXjrQ_krLa7tVETu2vkKcIFiqwlEjzNQTcQd3HCYMbzFFz7u9OBTmnJuiMoVXO3i85dcow/w400-h300/MagnasonicFS81_Clamp%25280%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEW1I9M-YH9HQUo7oKHbkfwt_vD4JWl3zgjD5DIyKoEVPwnXCqQWzM0DX_0oOuXkk1T9kZkUGW9eZ62gs2g0b7GL7rLXMzfaIadM-NkXJtgLHCIitG5IMy4ZUdzjG5bAIr_tHdv-loImI/s2048/MagnasonicFS81_Clamp%25281%2529-V2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEW1I9M-YH9HQUo7oKHbkfwt_vD4JWl3zgjD5DIyKoEVPwnXCqQWzM0DX_0oOuXkk1T9kZkUGW9eZ62gs2g0b7GL7rLXMzfaIadM-NkXJtgLHCIitG5IMy4ZUdzjG5bAIr_tHdv-loImI/w400-h300/MagnasonicFS81_Clamp%25281%2529-V2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMwaOSqYhXXmhnf9r9cvFgZNZKjOK47tj2b3IJoyMI03gezB8z6TdKtWPQNZ9Qoiut9z0mq6pBY_zEMybi0sBpWJxb1laV8QSpyrMbMEkO_ERa-xG9sl7S5fBZi-3aLWY1OKxLj148C0/s2048/MagnasonicFS81_Clamp%25283%2529-V2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMwaOSqYhXXmhnf9r9cvFgZNZKjOK47tj2b3IJoyMI03gezB8z6TdKtWPQNZ9Qoiut9z0mq6pBY_zEMybi0sBpWJxb1laV8QSpyrMbMEkO_ERa-xG9sl7S5fBZi-3aLWY1OKxLj148C0/w400-h300/MagnasonicFS81_Clamp%25283%2529-V2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Before I start scanning, I attach this device. With my finger, I apply pressure to the end of the upper clamp arm, then I tighten the nut to keep that pressure on once I lift my finger. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> Since using the clamp, I've probably scanned 300 films and only had to stop and rethread a couple of times due to bad splices. Three-inch (3-min) reels take about 30 minutes to scan, 7"-reels can take about 4+ hours. Using this workaround, I was able to scan some very long films into a single video file, which is very convenient.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>BIG REELS:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"> For me, the 3- and 5-inch reels went through well, without any assistance. Fully loaded, the 7-inch reels are just a bit too heavy for the sprocket mechanism which advances the film, and the start of my first film came out jittery.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> Now, I always assist the mechanism by sitting for the first half of the reel and spinning the feed spool to maintain slack so that the sprocket pins are not pulling any real weight. I'm not sure that a full 2 hours of this is necessary, but because being wrong would waste so much time, I err on the side of caution.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> Some complain that the Magnasonic FS81's mechanism is not robust enough. I disagree. It needs to be able to pull but it must also be delicate enough not to tear the film, if there is a jam. The advancing mechanism might lack some strength, but I appreciate that a jam does not damage my precious family memories.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZOB-td4s4iGkvR-EMEpSxXHGgoH5wwP-wcdr5GyN0y2LVMNB0cyF_eM2XjLJe3bnJJtMrMtOoOYCXMuUqd7JMN3busrAKTvGresqwz1lshQoivF_RiYwO7u44lQh_gFM2xA1cHchFhco/s2048/MagnasonicFS81_CHelping7InchReels.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZOB-td4s4iGkvR-EMEpSxXHGgoH5wwP-wcdr5GyN0y2LVMNB0cyF_eM2XjLJe3bnJJtMrMtOoOYCXMuUqd7JMN3busrAKTvGresqwz1lshQoivF_RiYwO7u44lQh_gFM2xA1cHchFhco/w400-h300/MagnasonicFS81_CHelping7InchReels.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helping unspool the big reels to alleviate sporadic tugging <br />from the sprockets which leads to jittery video.<br /> </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><b>*NOTE:</b> Another reason that you might have to </i><i>"help" spool out the film in this manner is if</i><i> your reels have warped over time and are pinching the edges of the film, causing uneven tension. </i></div></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>REWIND:<br /></b> The only ridiculous thing about the Magnasonic FS-81 is its "rewind" mode. I haven't timed it, but I'd say it takes 1.5-2 minutes to rewind a 3-minute film! Once you're into the larger reels, it's not so bad—because of the larger diameter, each rotation rewinds more film than the smaller reels, so a 7" reel takes only about 7-8 minutes to fully rewind. As well, you won't mind as much because a 7" reel will take about 4 hours to scan, so you probably aren't marathon-scanning and will not be so anxious to tee-up the next reel.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='447' height='372' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzuRwxVOJMMJ5KSLsnGRz2VzuVum5d0FDaH0VyO6qDYnlex7Q5piGK128ytjWGqy20JmMlG6C2d4sHCW-4-XA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>PLAYBACK SPEED:<br /></b> The FS-81 scans 2 frames per second (fps) and takes about 30 minutes to chug through a 3" (3-minute) 8mm or super-8 reel. It produces a 1080p resolution, 30-frames-per-second, MP4 video file which it saves to the SD card. Turn the unit off and pop that out then transfer that to your computer and you can immediately view it at what seems a pretty natural playback speed. Probably completely fine to leave the files alone unless you have to adjust colour or marry the video with some audio.<br /> On Halloween of 1975, my father upgraded to Super-8 sound film and for those films I have to capture the audio separately and sync the audio to the action in a video editing program. See the <b>CAPTURING SOUND</b> section below for details, but immediately it meant that I needed to figure out a more accurate playback speed.<br /> As far as I can figure, the Magnasonic FS-81 makes some sort of assumption about the filmed-fps and, therefore, playback speed, and builds that into the final video file. And, it's pretty close. But it's off enough that I found syncing audio (which is recorded at real-time speed and thus has a real-time length) to be troublesome. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><b>*UPDATE: </b>A recent reader encouraged me to look into this further and I was able to confirm that the <b>FS-81 video files do have a frame rate of 20fps</b>.</i> </div></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Eventually, based on playing them through the projector and from the audio samples, I came to the conclusion that most of the films ran about 3:08 to 3:11 seconds in length. (It's really hard to know for certain because so many films start with about a foot of blank frames and the audio does not start or end exactly when the pictures do.)<br /> In Final Cut Pro (Apple gives you a 90-day free trial) I modified the video playback speed until my video came very close to matching the real-world length that I experienced when recording the audio from the projector. I found that playback of the video track at 95% of original speed works well for me.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> When I import the audio, I immediately set the audio track to playback at 98% speed and it usually matches up fairly well with the 95%-speed-video. It's not perfect. Often, I have to adjust to 99% audio speed or make cuts in the audio track and re-sync halfway through. The worst possible case is someone singing or talking for the full 3 minutes. That's when you really notice any discrepancies. Fortunately, in our family films, such occurrences are rare.<br /><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><b>SD CARD:<br /></b> When I was going through all the reviews on Amazon.ca I noticed that many people have issues with the SD card. I experienced no issues. On rare occasions, the unit didn't "see" the SD card, but reinserting the card always solved this, so I assume it just hadn't been seated correctly.<br /> From the Amazon comments, it seemed that there might be 2 big things that non-computer people might not know that could affect their experience:<br /> <b> 1)</b> SD cards have a tiny slider along one edge. Sliding it away from the pins locks the card so that nothing can be recorded onto it. Slide it the other way to unlock the card for recording.<br /> <b>2)</b> You must turn the Magnasonic FS-81 off before inserting or removing the SD card. If you don't, you could lose all the info on the card and will probably have to reformat it to be able to use it again.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div> Of course, you'll need a way to read the SD card into your computer. The FS-81 comes with a USB cable which allows you to directly connect to your computer for transferring files. I have not tried this, but one of my readers reports that the transfer is easily enabled through the unit's menus and works well.</div><div> If that is not convenient, and your PC doesn't have an SD card slot, you may need to purchase an external card reader like my old one (pictured below). </div><div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzfxWOd007bxY6bpbyXdveT023BFQiyhEcX4Le-MAu5A9NTlxdKEeaIbO9wYW62I-p1glmqFRcOOhix5hQuTdvtf65wMNPvXHe8JmrAJ3YkO7PowtUOqsSfxws1j9WRswYX-ZKnkdpOz0/s2048/MagnasonicFS81_CardReader.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzfxWOd007bxY6bpbyXdveT023BFQiyhEcX4Le-MAu5A9NTlxdKEeaIbO9wYW62I-p1glmqFRcOOhix5hQuTdvtf65wMNPvXHe8JmrAJ3YkO7PowtUOqsSfxws1j9WRswYX-ZKnkdpOz0/w400-h300/MagnasonicFS81_CardReader.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>VIDEO FILE CREATION DATES:<br /></b> One small thing that Magnasonic could easily do that would help those of use scanning heaps of films is to add some way to change the video file creation date. <br /> All the video files saved to the SD card are named with unique, sequential 4-digit numbers but they all have the same creation date. On my unit, the date is July 1, 2017. The creation time varies, so that helps a little, but the date is always the same. <br /> The problem comes once you've transferred hundreds of similar files to your computer and you are trying to organize these scanned components along with their audio files and merged versions. It would be convenient to be able to organize your folders by date and have all the files stay together. Instead, the MP4 scans are all grouped together as July 1, 2017, no matter when you actually did the scan. This means that you must organize principally by file names. This is ok, but it bothered me a lot as it is easy to get confused when dealing with so many files (and so many Christmases, New Years', and birthdays) and if you lose track, it can be difficult to distinguish one video from another when every Christmas and birthday looks essentially the same.<br /> When it comes to creating the files, the unit is very reliable. It has never hiccuped in the hundreds of films I scanned. However, if for any reason the film stops (which can happen on irregular splices or other problems with the film) you need to hit the OK button which stops the scans and closes the current video file. Of course, as soon as you remove and rethread the film and hit OK again, the unit restarts and creates a brand new video file whose name is a 4-digit number, one higher from the last. This does mean that you may end up with multiple files for a single film, if it's a troublesome one. And because the creation date won't help you distinguish these a few days after the fact, you need to carefully rename these files to keep track of them.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>CLEANING:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Before queuing up each film, take a quick look at what the little onboard monitor is showing you to make sure there are no fuzzy dark spots. This is dust and easily whisked away with a soft-bristled brush (I use a tiny artist's paintbrush from the dollar store) or blown off with canned air. I wouldn't recommend using your mouth to blow away the dust because a spec of spittle would be a lot more trouble to clean off.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>THE MENU:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"> You use the menu buttons to activate the "rewind" mode, to format SD cards, and to adjust framing, sharpness and exposure. As I said earlier, it seems clunky at first, but is actually really well thought out and quickly becomes second nature. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> One other notable thing is that the Magnasonic FS81 will remember your settings until you clear them...even if you shut it off or unplug it. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> At first, I experimented with increased exposure but, overall, it didn't seem to make for better results. So, in the end, the only setting I had to adjust was the framing on the first film. Amazingly, I never had to re-adjust it, even after hundreds of film scans of both 8mm and super-8mm.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>HARDRIVE SPACE:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Every 3-minute video file is about 250-260Mb in size. </div><div style="text-align: left;">Additionally, if there is sound, that audio file will be about 2.5-3.0Mb.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">A 20-minute film generates about a 1.5Gb video file</div><div style="text-align: left;">If there is audio, that file will be another 16-20Mb.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> If you are wanting to make some adjustments to the scanned video, then your video editing software will also need workspace and you need space to dump the finished product. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> As many of my films have sound, I need space to keep both the visual and audio components, as well as space for the married, final version.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> If, like me, you have hundreds of reels, you're going to need a lot of hard drive (or SSD) space. As workspace for my 600 films, I am using 2Tb SSD with another 2Tb hard drive, as long-term backup.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>CAPTURING AUDIO:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"> If you need to capture audio, you will need an old sound projector to play the film and output the audio to your computer. At the computer end, I used a very simple and very old USB audio interface that I had lying around and it worked well. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><b>*NOTE:</b> For playback, I set the projector speed to 18 frames per second. Best practices back in the day were to film at 24fps, but I remembered that my father used to economize by setting the speed closer to 18 fps, which was an option on his camera.</i></div></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAGlYsCnCR0IUn-XbT7NejIK-pvNCni7SfJRwj-gUWNGkiKqmwfSl8GLyOcx_lxsE_Zm5V4-7LLKNQfqKEaRAakwP2qxguu3X0Ri-XDArLZx4whIw07IOdBApA4HhTuPDtqvFmEHU-MbU/s2048/MagnasonicFS81_AudioInterface_SideView.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAGlYsCnCR0IUn-XbT7NejIK-pvNCni7SfJRwj-gUWNGkiKqmwfSl8GLyOcx_lxsE_Zm5V4-7LLKNQfqKEaRAakwP2qxguu3X0Ri-XDArLZx4whIw07IOdBApA4HhTuPDtqvFmEHU-MbU/w400-h300/MagnasonicFS81_AudioInterface_SideView.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqZpsY5p5_oeYcK_k4ok7mp-g57iAgqcgbt5GaDn-qeQdHoK2-Gl8hylZy1TCMVp6oV2-pB5k7U_2wcUOAEy2yWVMPlmYqNTdz2NXvr1KYSpyNp0NkfoRjZP0WpdnR8Cgb2Za3wWMfOis/s2048/MagnasonicFS81_AudioInterface_FrontEnd.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqZpsY5p5_oeYcK_k4ok7mp-g57iAgqcgbt5GaDn-qeQdHoK2-Gl8hylZy1TCMVp6oV2-pB5k7U_2wcUOAEy2yWVMPlmYqNTdz2NXvr1KYSpyNp0NkfoRjZP0WpdnR8Cgb2Za3wWMfOis/w400-h300/MagnasonicFS81_AudioInterface_FrontEnd.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYg6erwpN5GNK6cPKV7U5CHhhOg8H5RNuBtCJKy0KaZBzfMw9H_gDExl6E5Ga-D3btiEuqci2uYF14cpXztMMpAt1GVTtRONG6rGYF4A_DgQkeITm6_Cbaj1PMo0l4rEy0EVJEc5vH2Ow/s2048/MagnasonicFS81_AudioInterface_BackEnd.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYg6erwpN5GNK6cPKV7U5CHhhOg8H5RNuBtCJKy0KaZBzfMw9H_gDExl6E5Ga-D3btiEuqci2uYF14cpXztMMpAt1GVTtRONG6rGYF4A_DgQkeITm6_Cbaj1PMo0l4rEy0EVJEc5vH2Ow/w400-h300/MagnasonicFS81_AudioInterface_BackEnd.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> I used a standard 3.5mm male-male headphone cable to go from the projector's headphone output to the mic input on the USB audio interface. The USB interface plugged directly into the USB port on my computer. (Mac, but should work the same for PC) </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkX83ural3p5zyU-l_qfTPg8eiLAOGFJNojCkLOvCG_mCP1WPpHoVN7ufo5bUdr4rpPMQWV1POkUXO7DPlmjlOG1clP7aFHzY_0niJRH4krJP_3qNc6IJbzz0GwLzmLGiWCGsltxHN0vc/s2048/MagnasonicFS81-AudioOutput%2528CU%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkX83ural3p5zyU-l_qfTPg8eiLAOGFJNojCkLOvCG_mCP1WPpHoVN7ufo5bUdr4rpPMQWV1POkUXO7DPlmjlOG1clP7aFHzY_0niJRH4krJP_3qNc6IJbzz0GwLzmLGiWCGsltxHN0vc/w400-h300/MagnasonicFS81-AudioOutput%2528CU%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSaBAY5PNRdeSsiT8D3tT-LnQ4njfwkgqUZ9y3_O6AdCM6VdID55b7DMSec7BzhyphenhyphenbM0A_4278CagU4Cjw8nGTIrSIvezC5rX9PlCnj8A8ImMaq9k-phHV54FBqd9ls0aU8Ct9TIE2gqTs/s2048/MagnasonicFS81-AudioOutput.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSaBAY5PNRdeSsiT8D3tT-LnQ4njfwkgqUZ9y3_O6AdCM6VdID55b7DMSec7BzhyphenhyphenbM0A_4278CagU4Cjw8nGTIrSIvezC5rX9PlCnj8A8ImMaq9k-phHV54FBqd9ls0aU8Ct9TIE2gqTs/w400-h300/MagnasonicFS81-AudioOutput.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> I used software called Audio Hijack to capture the sound. I've used this to capture sound from my browser and other apps for years and can recommend this program for ease of use, reliability, and versatility.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>*<b>NOTE: </b>8mm silent films are strangely dull to watch without some sort of soundtrack. I always add the sound of a projector running softly, in the background. It seems to make them much more watchable.</i></div></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>MAC-SPECIFIC:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Two things I've learned from this project:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>1)</b> iMovie is very good for minor adjustments of colour and exposure but comes up short when adding sound. When you go to do that, you need something with a bit more precision. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> I downloaded the trial version of Final Cut Pro (90 days free!) which lets you nudge the soundtrack in very fine increments, allowing me to sync things up very well. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> And, because I'm some kind of masochist, I finished the entire 600-reel project before my free trial of FCP expired. So the software cost was zero.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>2)</b> Though I am a truly experienced computer person, it's been a long time since I last entered text instructions to my Mac, via a command-line interface, like Terminal. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Over the years, I got into the bad habit of naming files using a dash to separate fields. For instance...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">1979-0618-s8193-JCFair-ElectionNight(May22)-CampaignHQ.MP4</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> This became a problem when I wanted to use the filenames and Spotlight like a database to find specific clips. I rarely use Spotlight and had forgotten that the dash is a special character in raw Mac text commands. It denotes the start of a command and, for this reason, Spotlight searches don't recognize something that comes directly after a dash. The brackets also have special meanings and will not be searchable. Similarly, *, /, square brackets and other special characters should be avoided. I changed all my dashes to shift-dash (which looks more like an underline) and that sorted out all my search issues...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;">1979_0618_s8193_JCFair_ElectionNight(May22)_CampaignHQ.MP4</div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>CONTACT ME:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"> I am no expert in 8mm, digitizing film or Final Cut Pro but I now have a lot of experience with the Magnasonic FS81 and am interested in the subject. So feel free to contact me, via email at <a href="mailto:williamdeanauthor@gmail.com">williamdeanauthor@gmail.com</a> if you see any flaws in the information I am providing here, or have something to add, or a question that I might be able to answer.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">______________________________________</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Also from William M Dean...</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUU4MNNV55GQIYIqntV6Pev2mR4_eZ3Y1SMqKsybwvhKv10IRWGkhb0elyyvrHbljCRdoCgBPmyS6r7CjmRxHVut9PyQ6UaXxr5mRXoHYvTelbgvBOAFODeuvL0tjj7qNy4dEe6VLGfg/s1237/Covers-6Block-201220.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1178" data-original-width="1237" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUU4MNNV55GQIYIqntV6Pev2mR4_eZ3Y1SMqKsybwvhKv10IRWGkhb0elyyvrHbljCRdoCgBPmyS6r7CjmRxHVut9PyQ6UaXxr5mRXoHYvTelbgvBOAFODeuvL0tjj7qNy4dEe6VLGfg/w400-h381/Covers-6Block-201220.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://WMDbooks.com">WMDbooks.com</a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>William M Deanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930744121434219723noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451934887309223971.post-67528331478816372752020-12-13T18:12:00.000-08:002020-12-13T18:12:05.047-08:00Joe Sault detective series, book 2 — Now On Sale!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigYcXa7Z_2YI7JfrkvxZgD2FvTx1-jj2i2LoxLxTynUtcMba_3OxOlG5T1VnTYSvWOWM0anvsqfmUwFfZDVuEvYNFXoK-0tWCNZPwG5vYQxvJdf8JxDzj8Tiqf_sYMHzF8Gop1k_BrvgM/s828/JoeSaultDetectiveSeries-Book+I+and+II.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="828" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigYcXa7Z_2YI7JfrkvxZgD2FvTx1-jj2i2LoxLxTynUtcMba_3OxOlG5T1VnTYSvWOWM0anvsqfmUwFfZDVuEvYNFXoK-0tWCNZPwG5vYQxvJdf8JxDzj8Tiqf_sYMHzF8Gop1k_BrvgM/w400-h320/JoeSaultDetectiveSeries-Book+I+and+II.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p>December 15, 2020:</p><p>Check out the Joe Sault detective series...</p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SKXZNG1" target="_blank">Wakeless</a>, (book 1) now free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers until December 19th.</p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PRVDDH6" target="_blank">The Queen of All Colors</a>, (book 2) available starting December 15th at $9.99 (USD)</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Buy now in time for Christmas!</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">or</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">View more of my books at <a href="http://WMDbooks.com">WMDbooks.com</a></span></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>William M Deanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930744121434219723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451934887309223971.post-16794102939918369952020-11-02T21:18:00.013-08:002020-11-23T20:25:40.970-08:00Joe Sault, book II nears completion...<p> </p><div><span style="text-align: center;"><br /><br />Hooray for me!</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqg7zkceoFWWsvyjk5F0jsMAz9ZTOyVCmYOe6ErswbOAANP1haqZAb59Qh71-S7xN3R0sRHzTg_vmWCy-Z-v1YtZmtZNSNEFh5ad2a-X6m2wCf_wjC4jwIrxMzNVVnBOzczibLGxseJ2E/s1125/TheQueenOfAllColors-201113%2528sm%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="750" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqg7zkceoFWWsvyjk5F0jsMAz9ZTOyVCmYOe6ErswbOAANP1haqZAb59Qh71-S7xN3R0sRHzTg_vmWCy-Z-v1YtZmtZNSNEFh5ad2a-X6m2wCf_wjC4jwIrxMzNVVnBOzczibLGxseJ2E/w266-h400/TheQueenOfAllColors-201113%2528sm%2529.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Due out Christmas, 2020!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="text-align: center;">I finished the rough draft on Halloween, about three hours before trick-or-treaters took to the streets.</span></div><p>I printed off and a copy and rushed what I call "The Director's Cut" off to my mother. Because she's my Mom and also because she's very fast, she always gets the first read. She'll catch the broad-strokes problems, but I'm hoping, as with Wakeless, Joe Sault, book I, there won't be any.</p><p>At first, I really did like "Unequilibrium," but the story took a couple of unexpected turns and I don't think it fits so well, anymore. I spent the last 24 hours desperately sifting through for a title I truly liked, finally settling on: The Queen of All Colors, which I think really hits home. It has the added benefit of being composed of actual words in the English language, unlike "Unequilibrium." (The proper word is disequilibrium.)</p><p>Another thing I've learned is that, contrary to what you might expect, Amazon's search engine can't match close spellings of made-up words, never mind that they might be unique. To find "Unequilibrium," a reader would have to spell it exactly. I can't afford for my title to be that difficult to search.</p><p>I've fretted over this cover more than any other, but once I had my title, the design came quickly. Right now, I'm happy with it. I have a month while the proofreaders tear into my story to think it over and make adjustments.</p><p>Anyway, the main point of this post is: Hooray for me!</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">[goto <a href="https://www.wmdbooks.com">https://www.wmdbooks.com</a> for more details]</p>William M Deanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930744121434219723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451934887309223971.post-73903012253793830502020-05-20T21:01:00.002-07:002020-05-20T21:10:23.139-07:00And the Cover Battles Begin!Ok...<br />
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So, I'm close to finishing the rough draft of Joe Sault (book 2). I've put extra effort into the rough, so I'm hoping the editing won't be as heavy as in previous novels.<br />
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Now that I have a better idea as to the shape of the story, a better title and possible covers are starting to tumble around in my brain.<br />
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Let me know what you think of any of these...<br />
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<br />William M Deanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930744121434219723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451934887309223971.post-74227706973384647852020-05-01T23:21:00.000-07:002020-05-04T09:14:26.720-07:00Essentials of Believability in Escape Fiction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was reading a better-than-average-but-still-crappy indie e-book the other day and, linked with all the superhero fiction I've been binge-streaming while in lockdown, it made me wonder why some seemed so much more plausible than others.<br />
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For example, HBO's "Watchmen," which, on the surface, is an absurd story filled with hyperbolic characters, or Jordan Peele's latest: "Us" which eventually reveals a wild and extremely improbable premise. Both shows remain credible regardless of how they skew reality. Both had me engrossed and left me satisfied. Star Trek Discovery and WestWorld (seasons 2 and 3) had the exact opposite effect.<br />
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To seem credible, a story needs only two things: 1) plausible characters and 2) strict world rules. Note that the world doesn't have to be plausible. The interest lies in seeing how people we can relate to might behave under unusual circumstances.<br />
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Regular episodic TV shows often start strong but erode into ridiculousness because they have to adhere to a schedule that stretches the premise and writers beyond their limits.<br />
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The original story is interesting because it's generated with plausibility: Plausible characters, with plausible world views and flaws, acting within a situation. In the beginning, it's easy to stick to the world rules and the characters because that interaction is interesting. But once the plausible interactions play out and with a half dozen episodes still left to fill, something has to change. You either dump a character or dump the world. But when both have strong followings, TV networks resort to keeping both but radically altering one or both to behave against type.<br />
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Most usually, it's the characters who pull a fast one: often with a hero sabotaging an effort that would end the conflict. That "the hero is actually the enemy" is a shocking reveal guaranteed to keep audiences in their seats, but only in the short term. The improbable behaviour impacts the plausibility of the preceding storyline, as well as every other character, often sabotaging their established intelligence. At that point, fans either cringe and bear it or turn it off.<br />
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Consistency of character is why we can accept James Bond in his improbable world, but find CW's Flash a cringe-fest. No James Bond villain would ever incinerate the universe just because he has a hate-on for the hero. In the TV-hero universe, that seems to happen weekly and twice on Sunday.<br />
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The best heroes are ones who are up against the best villains, and the best villains are those who are most plausible; especially those who hold defendable points of view. One that always impressed me was Magneto in the first X-Men movie. Professor Xavier believed mutants should reason with humans and work towards peaceful coexistence. Magneto believed mutants had to be proactive in defending themselves against humanity. Both views are credible. Pitting ideals against pragmatism is something we can all relate to and what makes the ensuing conflict all the more poignant.<br />
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Similarly, heroes are not defined by their physical attributes or demeanour. The best heroes are ones who can see the grey in a situation but are bound by rigid core values. Another struggle that we can all relate to.<br />
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A TV action series is based on a "show rather than tell" model but will end up devoting more and more time to psycho-babbling rants as characters try to justify improbable turnabouts. For the audience, such turnabouts reveal that there are big gaps in the "showing" of the story and viewers can no longer trust what they see. Since the motivation for flip-flopping actions can't be easily demonstrated, the program begins focusing on the "telling" and the action soon gets usurped by speech-making.<br />
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Like wobbly wheels on a scooter; it starts with one anomalous wiggle that quickly degenerates into undulating chaos that soon shakes the vehicle to pieces. Characters start misbehaving then rehabilitating so that others can misbehave. Forgiveness and apology take over as themes, Star Trek becomes The Young and the Restless, and then the wheels fall off, entirely.<br />
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That's when they reboot: Someone wakes from a dream, there's an unprecedented cataclysmic event, the entire universe is destroyed and regenerated, the whole thing's a simulation, or there is time travel—the penultimate sci-fi cheat that instantly renders everything that was, is or will be, completely meaningless.<br />
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And the cycle repeats.<br />
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And that makes me angry.<br />
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You wouldn't like me when I'm angry.<br />
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<br />William M Deanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04930744121434219723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451934887309223971.post-17947886175561777832020-02-25T17:19:00.000-08:002020-02-28T15:54:37.209-08:00Joe Sault, book 2 - progress report<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working cover and title for Joe Sault, Book II</td></tr>
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<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Joe Sault, book II is more than half completed! It should end up being roughly the same length as the previous novel, <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Wakeless.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> I’m currently targeting summer but will be satisfied if I can publish by Christmas. I don’t really have a title yet but the working title (which I hate) is “An Autonomous Goodbye.” That will have to change. And, of course, a real cover is even further away.</span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Below are some of the elements that I’ve woven into the story, so far…</span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• Style-wise, still, Michael Chricton meets Michael Connelly; straight-up sci-fi meets police procedural. Again, the mood is plodding but much more is happening around Detective Sault than before. Sault was off duty during most of <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Wakeless.</span> This novel depicts a much more typical working life with multiple duties and a caseload.</span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• Sault II carries on from the exact moment <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Wakeless </span>ends.</span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• After nearly shattering his life, the Cavallon case seems to be behind him. Sault is happy to still be married, to have earned his Detective shield and to be working far from scrutiny and controversy, under Dennis Hennessey at the Autonomous Droid Unit.</span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• And yet, he can’t help but be intrigued by cases that are not his and continually battles his obsessive curiosity for fear of repeating the same mistakes that led him astray, the last time.</span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• Such distractions do not go unnoticed by his new partner and is the source of some friction.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• At last, the effect of the injection that kicked off Wakeless becomes apparent.</span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• Since freeing the Master AI Module (MAIM) Sault has been worriedly waiting for a sign that the world has changed. And, finally, he may be starting to see evidence.</span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• Meanwhile, the Royal BC Museum is hosting a recently discovered DaVinci. Security is tight and highly sophisticated and the ADU is asked to maintain a presence.</span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• A seemingly innocuous prank—swapping cosmetic swarms for cheap knockoffs—has the potential to turn deadly.</span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• Ana, the Victoria Police Department’s master AI has her capabilities expanded and Sault is not comfortable with the extent of her new power.</span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• When a gang war ties up most of the active detectives, Sault is handed his first official homicide case: The body of an indolent construction worker has turned up, stuffed in the trunk of an autonomous car, a hundred miles from home. The list of suspects is small, but given his unsavory past, it looks like the investigation will be short and unsatisfying.</span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• A visit from the MAIM fills in a few blanks from the past, hints at the future, and prods the detective toward a new mystery.</span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• At home, Amber and Matthew are growing up too fast for Sault’s liking. Sault’s professional connection to a local VR company has the potential to bring him and his sulky teenaged son (Matthew) closer.</span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• Sault’s wife’s (Maya) career rebounds when she is offered a position with, Greg Hanover, the man who was once Cavallon’s closest associate, now appointed to dismantle the ill-gotten empire. Maya makes Sault swear that he will stay far away from any case that arises and involves Hanover.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• A serial killer is in the mix.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">• Unknown to Detective Sault, Cavallon’s influence over his life is not quite over…</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #303030; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SKXZNG1" target="_blank"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />(Here is a link to Joe Sault, book I: Wakeless)</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jPOM3qe-FbQ/XlXHJIbKXBI/AAAAAAAAih0/gRe2QlsqzCUw8LZ1WGE5nluT4lWaz6VRwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/WakelessPromo-FCvr-190607%2528sm-IG%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jPOM3qe-FbQ/XlXHJIbKXBI/AAAAAAAAih0/gRe2QlsqzCUw8LZ1WGE5nluT4lWaz6VRwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/WakelessPromo-FCvr-190607%2528sm-IG%2529.jpg" width="317" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451934887309223971.post-76308800897006398832019-10-04T23:59:00.001-07:002020-02-04T10:34:07.536-08:00Snowstorm outside my office window & FREE BOOKS!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Check out this video of the January 2020 Victoria BC "snowstorm" that happened outside my home-office window. For perspective, the last time Victoria saw this much snow was in 1996!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I often have the white noise of videos like this playing while I write. It blots out distractions like sunshine and the noise of my happy-family. I looped the video and added wind sounds to make my own.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FLJG7Pvp8eo/XjktzAb9P4I/AAAAAAAAihM/888w19-GlL4HUaO_4r7kTGys23nkQeCYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-02-04%2Bat%2B12.36.11%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="970" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FLJG7Pvp8eo/XjktzAb9P4I/AAAAAAAAihM/888w19-GlL4HUaO_4r7kTGys23nkQeCYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-02-04%2Bat%2B12.36.11%2BAM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://youtu.be/jbB4BKSir1A" target="_blank">Video Link</a></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b>Also...</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>A heads-up...</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></div>
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<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; font-family: , , , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "ubuntu" , "helvetica neue" , sans-serif; font-size: 23px; white-space: pre-wrap;">On <a href="http://goodreads.com/">goodreads.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; font-family: , , , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "ubuntu" , "helvetica neue" , sans-serif; font-size: 23px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; font-family: , , , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "ubuntu" , "helvetica neue" , sans-serif; font-size: 23px; white-space: pre-wrap;">100-eBook Giveaway </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; font-family: , , , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "ubuntu" , "helvetica neue" , sans-serif; font-size: 23px; white-space: pre-wrap;">of </span></div>
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<b style="color: #14171a; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 23px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wakeless (Joe Sault, Book I)</b></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; font-family: , , , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "ubuntu" , "helvetica neue" , sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; font-family: , , , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "ubuntu" , "helvetica neue" , sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">(January 26-February 25, 2020)</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u-QebDLWfJ4/Xi3uK-U9dBI/AAAAAAAAihA/jCy_D4j6aIIFYhRiW-Fu1VUx63KgN2sEACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Wakeless-FCvr-%25285.06x7.81%2529-190606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1084" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u-QebDLWfJ4/Xi3uK-U9dBI/AAAAAAAAihA/jCy_D4j6aIIFYhRiW-Fu1VUx63KgN2sEACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Wakeless-FCvr-%25285.06x7.81%2529-190606.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The near future:
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #14171a;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> Reality is a blended (virtual, augmented, and holographic) and artificially intelligent robots have recently become available to the average consumer.</span></span><span style="color: #14171a;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></span><span style="color: #14171a;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #14171a; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"> In Victoria, Canada, Constable Joseph Sault is out of touch with his children, possibly losing his wife to another man and his father to dementia, and constantly in trouble with his superiors. Feeling isolated and powerless, he finds solace only in his work. It’s a shaky balance that probably isn’t really working.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #14171a;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> Investigating a simple traffic accident lands him in the middle of what might be a conspiracy with world-shaking implications.</span></span><span style="color: #14171a;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></span><span style="color: #14171a;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> Then, when the prime suspect turns out to be his wife’s employer, his work and personal life collide. Worse yet, his only ally is a distractingly sexy hologram.</span></span><span style="color: #14171a;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></span><span style="color: #14171a;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> Cornered and out of options, Sault risks everything in a desperate bid to outwit the man who has the world’s most powerful artificial intelligence at his command.</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://wmdbooks.com/"><span class="s2">WMDbooks.com</span></a></span></span></div>
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</style>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451934887309223971.post-83177386092698204802019-06-09T10:24:00.001-07:002019-06-27T10:14:24.082-07:00New sci-fi novel from William M. Dean now available!<style type="text/css">
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<span class="s1"><b>Now available on AMAZON… </b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Buy it! Read it! Review it! Share this post! …Please.</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>• Amazon.ca:</b> </span><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07SKXZNG1">https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07SKXZNG1</a></div>
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<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>• Amazon.com:</b> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SKXZNG1">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SKXZNG1</a> </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><span class="s3">#amwriting</span><span class="s1"> </span><span class="s3">#newbook</span><span class="s1"> </span><span class="s3">#newbookalert</span><span class="s1"> </span><span class="s3">#scifibooks</span><span class="s1"> </span><span class="s3">#robot</span><span class="s1"> </span><span class="s3">#virtualreality</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hZMOQGwH_Mc/XP1AgePhVFI/AAAAAAAAep4/fvhqgWnGgN4Dcr9GIhgCGCezM-c_FQf1QCLcBGAs/s1600/WakelessPromo-FCvr-190607%2528sm-IG%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hZMOQGwH_Mc/XP1AgePhVFI/AAAAAAAAep4/fvhqgWnGgN4Dcr9GIhgCGCezM-c_FQf1QCLcBGAs/s400/WakelessPromo-FCvr-190607%2528sm-IG%2529.jpg" width="396" /></a></div>
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<b>Wakeless</b> is a realistic police procedural fused with straight-up sci-fi action/adventure—Michael Connelly meets Isaac Asimov.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="p6">
<i>The near future:</i></div>
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You can choose your reality—virtual, augmented, or holographic—and artificially intelligent virtual assistants within humanoid shells have recently become available to the average consumer.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="p6">
Constable Joseph Sault is out of touch with his children, possibly losing his wife to another man and his father to dementia, and constantly in trouble with his superiors. Feeling isolated and powerless, he finds solace only in his work. It’s a shaky balance that probably isn’t really working.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="p6">
For Sault, more trouble begins with a simple question about an apparent traffic accident: How could a small, autonomous car on a barren stretch of road sustain so much damage? Answers prove elusive, questions keep piling up, and he soon finds himself in the middle of what might be a conspiracy with world-shaking implications.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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When the prime suspect turns out to be his wife’s employer, his work and personal life collide.</div>
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Cornered and out of options, Sault is forced to risk everything in a desperate bid to outwit the man who has the world’s most powerful artificial intelligence at his command.</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451934887309223971.post-7855575265419458582018-07-23T00:10:00.000-07:002018-07-23T00:09:59.960-07:00The Mature Applicant <br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KDAgzFKCCOo/W1V5X744OcI/AAAAAAAAaek/Ex305bq_M90m3ALIOiAw7or-FbBqWIlswCLcBGAs/s1600/X-SemiRetired-TheMatureApplicant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="998" data-original-width="1500" height="265" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KDAgzFKCCOo/W1V5X744OcI/AAAAAAAAaek/Ex305bq_M90m3ALIOiAw7or-FbBqWIlswCLcBGAs/s400/X-SemiRetired-TheMatureApplicant.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
For me, being a writer is very rewarding, but not in a way that means I don't need a day job.<br />
I've been lucky in that my day jobs have always come to me very easily, been exceptionally lucrative and allowed me the time I need to write. I never worried about my job—that is, until I no longer had one.<br />
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<b>The Shot Across the Bow:</b><br />
One day, about five years ago, I was in my car, listening to the radio. The host was interviewing a man who had a Masters in Software Engineering, had been in the business about thirty years and risen within the corporate structure to manage large projects and oversee a team of experts. He was well-spoken, seemed very grounded, and simply oozed competence. He reminded me of myself, except for the master's degree, high level of corporate achievement and the oozing. For most of his career, he had been working on a massive project for a very large firm. After successfully guiding the decades-long project through its final stages, he was told there was no other slot within the corporation for him. For the first time in his professional life, he found himself unemployed, at the age of 55. I listened attentively because, at that time, I was 55 and seriously considering leaving my job of 15 years. That parallel seemed particularly relevant.<br />
At first, the software engineer was not worried about his job-hunting prospects. He had done well for himself, and no longer needed the high wage or wanted the high-pressure of being a Project Manager, and was justifiably confident that he would be seen as valuable in a lower-ranked position. Two years later, he was still unemployed.<br />
Looking back, he realized that, from a job-seeking point of view, he had made a few mistakes during his career. He had failed to keep track of all of his smaller achievements in bringing the main project to fruition. And so that one, large-scale project and one employer ended up being just about the only thing on his resume. He'd also failed to get a written endorsement from people he had worked with who had found him valuable. So he had very few references. And, he'd focused so intently on his own project, that he'd lost contact with everyone else in his profession. But, he couldn't shake the feeling that the largest factor was his age.<br />
Regardless of his experience and the wisdom that came with it, he no longer fit. Some prospective employers viewed him as too old to be of use; others as overqualified and, potentially, a threat to their own position within the corporate hierarchy. Beyond that, he was not a blindly enthusiastic young graduate. His mature perspective precluded an unswerving dedication to any single capitalistic cause. And, with a family and a full life waiting for him at home, he was no longer the type to stay late to meet an unreasonable deadline. Another separator was the fact that, though he wanted to work, he did not need the money. His perspective and all of his motivations were different than the rest of the workforce.<br />
He had always felt himself to be a valuable asset, a very handy guy to have around, and was stunned to find himself unable to obtain work in his chosen field, at any level. To this day, I wonder what became of that man, and listen carefully to Walmart greeters and fast food clerks, thinking I might one day recognize his voice.<br />
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<b>Familiar Waters:</b><br />
Well, that interview scared me a little.<br />
I, too, was 55 and might soon be unemployed. I, too, had always been seen as a valuable asset in every project I'd ever been involved with. And I, too, had remained within a single organization for too many years, never kept track of all my successes, never got endorsements from people who I'd worked with, and allowed my old contacts to fade away. Like the software engineer, I had done well enough for myself that I didn't really need a lot of money. And, like the software engineer, I had never had to look for work before. When I was younger and more connected, I had always had offers of new and interesting work waiting for me when a project ended. Those days were gone.<br />
Initially, I wanted to return to my roots and find some magazine-related work. But that dream was dashed within the first week.<br />
Based on my resume, four of the most successful local publishers were gracious enough to talk with me. The publishing world had certainly changed since I was last involved. Twenty-five years ago, the magazine business was similar to the modern movie industry; under pressure from competitive forms of entertainment, but still a big draw. But then the Internet evolved, robbing the magazine world of all but a thin wedge of the pie. There was little fat on the bone and only the fiscally-savviest magazines survived. The essential question from each publisher boiled down to, "How will hiring you bring me more money?" Truth was, it wouldn't. I was no longer a good fit for any highly competitive business environment. Though I am an experienced layout artist and skilled writer, I'm just not hungry enough to compete with a newcomer armed with fresh enthusiasm. I could possibly have fit in a management position but was unwilling to commit to such responsibility.<br />
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<b>Murkier Depths:</b><br />
I spent the next month rebuilding my resume, searching and applying for a wide variety of jobs online and in person. Out of forty applications, I managed to get 2 interviews... and one only because I followed up by walking in unannounced and luck was with me that day—the boss just happened to be standing right there and, for whatever reasons, had the time and inclination to talk with me. The position was to manage a small but busy office, just about exactly what I had in mind. That interview went well, but the entire time I got the vibe that he just didn't want an old man at the front desk, regardless of how smoothly I might manage the office. As an able, straight, white male, it was my first personal experience with any form of discrimination.<br />
Applying for jobs was different from the Jurassic period during which I had last sought work. It was obvious to me that most employers posted their jobs online, insisting resumes be delivered via email or submitted through sophisticated, custom databases. This approach adds a lot of fuel to an already hot job market as it encourages applications from around the entire world. As a result, employers are bombarded with qualified applicants. Like a government answering machine phone tree, an online application is designed to keep the hordes at arm's length until they can be whittled down to a civil and manageable gathering. Several times, I followed up an online application by walking in the front door, tailored resume and cover letter in hand, but I never got past the receptionist.<br />
With larger organizations, even applying for low-level filing clerk positions requires you to open an account, sign in, create a personal profile, reconfigure your resume to fit the categories of the company database and, as often as not, take a series of skill-assessing tests. When it comes to computers, I'm unusually adept, but even for me, it was a time-consuming, frustrating, and often confusing process. I once spent more than two hours applying for a position, only to then be served an automated message telling me that my resume, test results and application were invalid because I had already spent two hours applying to that position which had been posted under a different title, on a different database.<br />
<b> </b>Adding to my frustration was the gut feeling that all of these jobs would end up going to people with inside connections. I have since learned this to be truer than not.<br />
Filling out online applications made me realize that the entire job-seeking vocabulary had also evolved. I noticed that the language was wordy and laced with hyperbole, and there was an expectation for certification for many tasks which I considered minor, like sorting mail or sending and receiving emails. I had done all those things, but the existence of certification for such things had never occurred to me. The unsupported claims on my resume would be pitted against certification on a competitor's resume. The discrepancy between my short, straight-shooting resume and the expectations of the application process was blatant. This, alone, should have made me realize that I am not cut out for any kind of government work. Sadly, I persevered.<br />
Judy, one of my oldest and most intelligent friends has built a strong business for herself developing powerful resumes, and coaching professionals as they transition from one career to another. <span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>(Website: <a href="http://www.resumecoach.ca/">http://www.resumecoach.ca/</a>)</b></span> I gave Judy a call and she graciously agreed to help me supercharge my resume. Over the course of a few weeks, we spent many hours dredging from my memory every significant event that might demonstrate an acquired skill, then translating it into what I sardonically referred to as "Govie-speak." My resume expanded from one and a half pages to seven. Eventually, I ended up with nine hefty modules that I could swap and adjust to tailor a resume toward anything from communications to janitorial work, management to choral singing—whatever the situation required. I had become a career chameleon.<br />
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For another month, I continued filling out online applications to government organizations. What finally KO'd that effort was a ninety-minute test that might have been written by Dr. Suess. Here is a sample. (I made this one up, but truly, it is not an exaggeration.)<br />
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Given that:<br />
• Lamalexors are speedy, but inaccurate, and can enter ten pages of data per hour.<br />
• Lamalemors are slow, but accurate, and can enter 5 pages of data per hour.<br />
• Loralamas are very dedicated, but only moderately accurate, and can enter 3 pages of data an hour.<br />
If your team consists of 5 Lumalexors, 3 Lamalemors, and one Loralama, what organizational arrangement would be best to most efficiently expedite the task at hand?<br />
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Very Blade Runner-esque: <i>"You're in a desert, walking along in the sand when all of a sudden you look down and see a tortoise. It's crawling toward you..."</i><br />
Most of the questions involved juggling five or six loosely related variables and could be figured out with the help of a piece of scrap paper, but none were easy or obvious and many contained logical flaws, or at least prompted you toward logically flawed assumptions. At best, such a test might reveal people who are either dumb or desperate enough to waste time with vapid word-puzzles but would most certainly serve as a deterrent to anyone of value. And, in no way would it help qualify a candidate for a clerking position.<br />
I came away from it shaking and soaked in sweat. Classic PTSD or, possibly, an inoperable brain tumour, according to WebMD.<br />
Finally, I realized that I would never fit in with any organization that valued such tests and that this had been a completely misguided waste of two months.<br />
Judy's advice was not flawed. She is very good at what she does. The resume we'd created was a precision-tooled, high-powered implement aimed at a specific target. Problem was, I had identified the wrong target. I had forgotten that I am results-oriented and prone to speaking my mind. I have no aversion to authority but am also not averse to questioning it. I wouldn't last a week in a government organization.<br />
I changed tactics and targeted local businesses that interested me, regardless of whether they were advertising an opening or not. I did manage to get sit-downs with more people, this way. At first, I thought my new, seven-page resume might help me through the door of smaller organizations, but I quickly discovered that the pomposity and wordiness of the document were embarrassing to defend in an interview with someone in the "real" world. Managers in money making organizations don't have the time or patience to wade through seven verbose pages. Nor can they afford to hire based on vague and hyperbolic claims of competence. After a couple of tries, I completely stopped using it.<br />
The world hadn't changed <i>that</i> much.<br />
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<b>The Last Gush of Bilge Water:</b><br />
Through an organization called <b><a href="http://gthiringsolutions.ca/" target="_blank">GT Hiring Solutions</a></b>, the provincial government offers free counselling and other resources for people having trouble in their job search. <i>(I recommend this service. It is very well organized and there are a lot of valuable resources available, at no cost.) </i><br />
I signed up for a session of councilling. During the session, the young counsellor asked me for a copy of my resume. I gave her the two-page version. She looked it over and seemed impressed, said it was "nice." But as I was digging around in my briefcase for the accompanying sheet of references, she noticed the other resume and asked to see it. "Whoa!" she exclaimed. I was about to make a joke of it when she squealed, "This is very impressive!"<br />
"It's seven pages long, littered with exaggerations and redundancies. It's about as close to reality as a movie based on actual events starring Jean Claude Van Damne. Who in the world would waste valuable time reading it?" <i>Or watching a movie with Jean Claude Van Damne, for that matter,</i> I thought, but did not say.<br />
She held up an index finger, putting me on pause, and I waited ten minutes while she finished reading it. "It's exactly what HR people are looking for," she declared.<br />
That was my last counselling session.<br />
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<b>The Waters Within:</b></div>
My difficulty in obtaining employment certainly had something to do with external factors. The work world was filled with bias, and I was fishing without a network.<br />
But, I too, had changed and now harboured internal barriers to employment.<br />
Most significantly, I had no idea what I wanted to do. This lack of focus led to a lot of wasted effort pursuing jobs I was never going to take. It also prevented me from narrowing my wage expectations, which made me shy of commitment. Throughout the previous months, I had been torn between interesting but stressful, high-paying jobs and the exact opposite: mundane, low-paying jobs.<br />
At the end of one interview, I was offered the job I had applied for and then I suddenly stalled. The interviewer asked me why I was reluctant to accept and I admitted that I wasn't sure. I apologized for wasting her time and told her that perhaps I might just go and do some construction work while I try to figure this out.<br />
I wasn't joking. Locally, construction was booming and there was an extreme shortage of skilled and reliable workers, to the point where even pushing a broom could pay $20/hr! This was less than half my previous wage, but almost double the wage of most low-end jobs. I was handy, had built two houses for myself, and fitter than most. It wasn't what I wanted, but it was a great stop-gap measure.<br />
That day, I logged on to <b><a href="http://used.ca/">Used.ca</a></b> and called the first individual who wanted some help with what he thought was a small building project. It was not a small project.<br />
I spent the next year helping renovate his house; top to bottom. That act of exasperation turned out to be a wonderful experience during which I honed and expanded my practical building skills, made lots of money, kept in shape and softened the crease in my brow.<br />
I also had plenty of time to solidify my goals—though I didn't actually do that.<br />
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<b>Wading Back In:</b><br />
When that project ended, I joined a <b><a href="http://gthiringsolutions.ca/" target="_blank">GT Hiring Solutions</a></b> workshop for "mature" job-seekers (50-65) and made some interesting discoveries by observing eleven other people who were in the same position as myself.<br />
Upon first looking the group over, I was impressed. We were all very presentable. Every one of us there looked younger than I'd expected. Many of us still a lot of the original colour in our hair. As a group, we were fitter than average—no one was feeble or doddering—and we each had an obvious bright spark of energy. But as we got deeper into discussing our job hunting goals, strategies and experiences, I noticed that many of our group—myself included—had a set of somewhat justified attitude problems. Justified or not, though, they were still problems.<br />
<br />
<b>• We have fewer connections.</b><br />
Most of us had far fewer friends than when we were in our thirties. For a variety of reasons, we are much less networked.<br />
Adding to the impact of this observation: A good friend of mine retired from the military at about the same time that I walked away from my job. He is close to my age, and, like me, sought a new, lower-stress position, far removed from what he'd been doing for the last 30 years. The day he retired, he had three job offers on the table. Why? Because he and his family are the most social people I have ever met and, thus, he has a very powerful network filled with people who know his value. I can safely predict that he will never be unemployed, so long as he is willing to work.<br />
<b><br /></b> <b>• We lack the blind enthusiasm of youth.</b><br />
Blind enthusiasm is what leads newcomers to jump into what seems a very limited opportunity where they learn and wait until one day, there's an unexpected shift in the corporation and the cell walls crack and a shaft of light appears, leading them to the next level. On our timeline, we can't afford to wait for seismic change so, though we search for lower-level positions, we want them to utilize our advanced skills and experience. This is not a realistic expectation.<br />
As well, workers who are nearing the end of their working lives tend to be less enthused with expanding their skill sets. Learning complicated new skills is not as attractive when you know you won't have the time to hone or build on them.<br />
Enthusiasm is a very endearing quality which often trumps experience and our general lack of enthusiasm makes us less attractive.<br />
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<b>• We are slow to commit.</b><br />
This is probably the last job we will ever have. Because we know that we will not be winding our way through the organization toward what interests us most, we wish to get more out of the lower-level positions we apply for. Often our wish list is just not realistic. The most fulfilling jobs are not often at the lower levels.<br />
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<b>• We aren't humble.</b><br />
Because we bring a lot of experience and skills to the table and are no longer seeking top-dollar for them, we expect to be treated as a valuable asset from day one. Many of the people in our group felt the need to make it clear to the employer that they really didn't need a job. Such a declaration only adds another car to the train of thought that you are overqualified and likely to leave, and is no way to make an employer feel secure in choosing you.<br />
<b><br /></b> <b>• We have a tendency toward the negative.</b><br />
It can be frustrating to watch people learning what we already know, and it's sometimes difficult to remain motivated knowing that the papers we shuffle today are destined to become tomorrow's trash.<br />
One thing that life teaches us is that it is a long haul from the first inspiration to the last spike, and that few things go as planned. Unblemished success is rare, ethereal, and often fleeting. A skeptic will be proven correct the majority of the time and so, as we age, it is easy to fall into a perpetually critical mode which is not conducive to action and progress, and not welcomed in the workplace.<br />
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<b>• We are seeking more meaning.</b><br />
<b> </b>Most in my group were searching for less money, less stress, but more meaning. They no longer wanted careers but wanted to feel that they were contributing in some tangible way. Exactly what fulfilled this wish was different for each person. For some, this meant they needed to work for a deserving boss; for others, it meant charity work.<br />
<br />
<b>• We want less work.</b><br />
Failing to find that one perfect, inspirational position, most of us wished to work a three-day week.<br />
<i> (Interestingly, one of our group made this work to her advantage. Though she knew absolutely nothing about paint, she walked into a paint store and told the manager her story: She was new to town, having moved because of her husband's job. She wanted to work at one place for the next five years, until her husband retired. She explained that she had chosen the shop because it was one block from her house and that, if he hired her, she would work there, three days a week, for five years, with no vacations. She was hired on the spot. Sometimes, if people can understand your situation, they can better see how you might fit into their organization. So, tell your story.)</i><br />
<br />
<b>• We say "no" to overtime.</b><br />
None of us wanted to be pressured into staying past quitting time—there's nothing in it for most of us. We're not looking for extra money or to get ahead in the organization. We just want enough to live semi-retired, without worry.<br />
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<br />
In short, what we were all looking for was for a stranger to offer us a job that we are overqualified for, that comes with no more than a perfect and inspiring amount of pressure, and for which we have talent, skills and energy to spare, allowing us to perform above and beyond, so that we are valued, without having to stay beyond quitting time. Something with mid-level pay and entry-level responsibility would do nicely.<br />
Mature workers can be very fussy job-seekers. And that's probably the single largest reason they retire.<br />
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<b>Hauling Myself to Shore:</b><br />
The positive experience I had renovating a house altered everything. Right now, being in construction in Victoria is a little like being a doctor: If you attend a dinner party and mention that you wield a hammer, suddenly everyone you talk to is asking for renovation advice, or if you can tile their bathroom, or repair their sink, or build a shed in their backyard. My largest problem wasn't a lack of opportunity; it was an inability to commit. Eventually, I just started saying "yes," and I've been as employed as I want to be, ever since.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451934887309223971.post-6339591322717180092018-06-24T22:09:00.008-07:002022-12-04T15:55:00.207-08:00The Girl with the Hammer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The cliche is a boy with a hammer and a girl with a hairbrush.<br />
<br />
In North America, it's the most commonly accepted social contract between a man and a woman. It has always seemed, to me, an unhealthy arrangement—an unsophisticated agreement drawn up by the most inexperienced, impetuous, and undisciplined people in our society: the young. <div><br /></div><div>Agreed to early on, it typically remains unquestioned long enough for us to build a little empire and breed, fulfilling Nature's imperative. Reduced to the essentials, it pits a woman's sexuality against a man's usefulness. One large problem with it is that it hobbles women, which in turn hobbles the men they marry.<br />
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I was thinking about this and how I might teach my son and daughter to avoid this trap. It is difficult for both.<br />
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Young men's egos are tied to their sexual urges, which are overpowering for a good portion of their lives. Men often confuse sex with love. In fact, I believe young men typically fall in love through sex. Hormones are involved and when they surge they override logic to a degree that is at once amazing and frightening. Logic does return, briefly, immediately after sex. I have no idea how I am going to get my son to see the difference between sex and love. It took me about 40 years to do that, myself. And, older and wiser though I may be, I am still vulnerable to misinterpreting my feelings. Most modern North American men have little trouble being intimate, but making love is an act that connects emotion to their day-to-day intimate behaviour. For men, it's a very powerful link in the intimacy bond.<br />
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Young women often abuse their sexual power over men, bartering their way to security through much effort expended on their youthful looks. The extra time and effort seem innocuous when one is young and life is relatively uncomplicated. But it's at least an extra hour of physical maintenance each day, and time spent monitoring trends and, of course, shopping. As well, women endure the pain and physical harm that many fashion trends inflict. And, it's a major distraction from more important matters. It all adds up. Throw in a job, a couple of kids, and the deleterious effects of aging, and the energy expended to maintain that youthful appearance spirals, becoming a confidence-sapping handicap that men don't share.<br />
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On top of the time wasted, of course, there is a deeper danger associated with being evaluated based on looks. It's a game that constantly chips away at self-esteem because, from the very start, there are always more youthfully beautiful people out there, and every day that goes by sees that number increase.<br />
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The upshot of all of this is that a woman ends up more dependent and with less power to maintain her lifestyle than a man. The flip side is that the man ends up with a pretty, but dependent, partner. It's punishment for both parties.<br />
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And a woman can't drop out of this system without facing consequences. Going "all natural" visibly identifies her as different. Society does not encourage "different," though it may tolerate it. In fact, "different" is the exact opposite of "Society." Women will have more trouble connecting with her, and men, most of whom have been programmed by society to be visually attracted to trend-driven models, will tend to pass her over. Of course, this is a generalization with a large number of exceptions, but still, it is true for the majority.<br />
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And though it may not be fair, it is the reality for the foreseeable future. As intelligent and progressive as modern young people are, they remain ruled by the same hormones which have conjured the same social pact since the beginning of time, when I was born.<br />
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If you accept this, as I do, then you will be concerned for your children, as I am.<br />
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My first big-picture realization regarding raising a daughter was that she would need a robust self-esteem to be able to resist the hobbling social pressure to base her worth on her looks.<br />
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I call her my "Do Girl" because when she was a toddler, she used to insist on doing everything herself. "I do, I do," was her favourite phrase.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LU48FE74A7w/WylRrwWxswI/AAAAAAAAaFo/cQyDPBGQy9s72tau7oUp2nFCcb9Ca5fKACLcBGAs/s1600/Rihana-110606.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LU48FE74A7w/WylRrwWxswI/AAAAAAAAaFo/cQyDPBGQy9s72tau7oUp2nFCcb9Ca5fKACLcBGAs/s400/Rihana-110606.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My "Do Girl" in action at age 4, helping to stain her brother's treehouse.<br />
(Note that her 6-year-old brother is nowhere to be found.)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and at age 11, helping to stain our storage shed.<br />
(Brother remains MIA.)</td></tr>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sCJCpEwIrq0/WylRsJkFSeI/AAAAAAAAaGQ/vvlQQgN6UxgHklfyoJ0Wfp5LqvneNYP2gCEwYBhgL/s1600/Rihana-ShedExtension-180519%252811%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sCJCpEwIrq0/WylRsJkFSeI/AAAAAAAAaGQ/vvlQQgN6UxgHklfyoJ0Wfp5LqvneNYP2gCEwYBhgL/s400/Rihana-ShedExtension-180519%252811%2529.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
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I am thankful that she's inherently built that way, but I still push her a bit because the only real way to gain self-esteem is to do things. It's a very positive cycle: the more you do, the more confident you are that you can do things and, consequently, the more you want to do. She emerged from the womb with an interest in fashion and style, but she is prone to being active and yet intellectual enough to question a lot of human behaviour that most of us take for granted, so I feel she is quite well insulated from the judgements and putdowns she will undoubtedly encounter.<br />
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My son likes his solitude and would prefer to spend time reading, playing video games or making YouTube videos. He is technically minded and always wants to understand how things work. My daughter is more social and needs less time alone. She doesn't care how things work but is keen to understand people. It's interesting because I notice that my daughter can be easily upset by the feelings or opinions of another person, whereas my son seems much less concerned with what others think but is more easily upset when a device doesn't work the way he expects. He has a thicker skin because, so far at least, machines are generally less malicious than people.<br />
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This is not inherently a boy/girl thing, but because society promotes a divide, almost every one of my male friends has become the in-house technician/mechanic for every modern convenience their family owns, regardless of their affinity for the job.<br />
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For me, there are days when it's overwhelming. I often arrive home after hours of solving problems at work to a list of devices that are offline, leaking or making a strange sound—all of which, apparently, is my responsibility. When you think of the number of machines attached to the average household—not to mention the structure itself—it's a staggering responsibility for a single person. It would be fairer if this could be shared.<br />
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And fairness is a big deal because letting your partner in a long-term relationship take on more than their fair share not only risks resentment but is also robbing you of power. The person who is actively doing a thing always has the greater influence over that situation. The person who contributes more is building more self-esteem and skills and, consequently, more personal value. It really doesn't matter whether we are talking about repairing the wi-fi, communicating effectively, or expressing love—the essential fact remains true—the more you do, the more power you gain as an individual.<br />
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Of course, there is rarely a perfect balance and it's difficult to establish the relative values of each contribution, but if the imbalance is too great, it can create a "winner" and a "loser" which is not healthy for any relationship.<br />
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I am witnessing my 13-year-old son step into the role already. If I am not available, both my wife and daughter instantly turn to him to solve issues with the TV, wi-fi, or computers.<br />
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It made me realize that there is a small way to help a daughter retain more power throughout her life: Teach her the value of understanding how things work. In fact, knowing how a device works is a responsibility that comes with ownership.<br />
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It's little different than owning a pet. You shouldn't be expected to perform surgery on your pet, but you should know how to feed and care for it. Our responsibility in owning machines is not to a single living organism—it's to the Earth that we pillaged to create these modern conveniences. We owe it to the Earth to use our machines responsibly, in order to make them last longer. If we each take the time to understand how to properly use and maintain every device we own, there would be three large benefits that would come from this...<br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div>
1) We would be more hesitant to purchase, electing to own less because there is a limit to how much time one person can spend on each device. (Reduce)</div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div>
2) The devices we own would generate less frustration, work better and last longer. (Reuse)</div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div>
3 And, we would be less dependent on others, which is essentially saying we would be more powerful individuals.</div></blockquote></blockquote><div>
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My daughter does not need to know how to solder circuits and repair her TV. Acquiring knowledge to that level would be making a career of it. But she should understand the general concepts involved and be able to find answers in the user manual. She should understand the relationship between her TV and everything connected to it, know most of the TV's features, and be able to troubleshoot common issues. This would put her on par with the average man and, thus, she would be less dependent on one.<br />
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If she owns a car, she needs to understand the basic theory of how an internal combustion engine works, be sensitive to the state of the vehicle and she should be able to refill the fluids, know when to get an oil change, and how to change the lightbulbs and fuses. Otherwise, owning a car is just reinforcing an illusion of a degree of control over her life that she really does not have. The first time her car stops working, she will be at the mercy of the person she takes it to and indebted to him/her, either financially as with a mechanic, or sexually as with a boyfriend/girlfriend.<br />
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For my son's part, I am trying to teach him to evaluate a person by their character. Beyond that, once he's involved, I advise him to teach his partner how things work. We'll start with his sister because I'm pretty sure that it's too late for his Mom. It will be a frustrating and inefficient process at first, but the benefits will accrue.<br />
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If we all start treating our machines as we would a pet, we can become better people who create happier unions... and, perhaps, avoid an AI apocalypse.<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>______________________________________</b></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Liked what you read?</b></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Here's more from William M. Dean...</b></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="http://wmdbooks.com/">WMDbooks.com</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Slices-Laugh-Amusing-Musings-Family-ebook/dp/B06XZ8ZTTH/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1513396374&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=slices+of+laugh&psc=1" target="_blank">Slices of Laugh:</a></b> <span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Humorist William M. Dean has been compared to Mark Twain and Dave Barry, in gender. Here are 34 hilarious anecdotes and articles offering his unique perspective on far-flung subjects ranging from life, family, parenting, sex, intimacy, arguments, stealing your neighbor’s water, Japan, clothes dryer repair, violence, drugs, pets, sex again, aging, writing, couponing, Disneyland, scouting, dining with the Queen of England, and more.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>A refreshingly wholesome, uplifting read, perfect for when you’re waiting for your nails to dry, your server to stop texting, your doctor to retrieve an implement, your lover to finish, or to hide behind while following a suspect in a busy terminal.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Lots of chuckles, keen observations, pearls of wisdom and nearly 100 funny pictures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Space-Between-Thought-novel-travel-ebook/dp/B01DIAEO9Q/ref=sr_1_sc_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1513396417&sr=1-3-spell&keywords=The+Space+Between+Thoguht" target="_blank">The Space Between Thought:</a></b> A novel of love, life, death, tea, and time travel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Simon Sykes has money and power. He has Celeste, a beautiful, talented, and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">devoted girlfriend. And secretly, he has his pick of other women on the side. But Celeste’s sudden death deals him a staggering blow. It looks like suicide, but only Simon saw the ghostly figure at the scene of the crime. Plagued by grief and guilt, he vows to uncover the truth at any cost. While his business languishes and friends grow concerned for his sanity, Simon stumbles upon a secret </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">that<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">promises the power to unravel the mystery and undo one life-altering moment, to save Celeste and restore his future—time travel.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Meanwhile, Simon's suspicious</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> behaviour has</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> renewed police interest. As the authorities close in, Simon wrestles with time, space, and reality to rescue the love of his life, unmask her true killer, and remodel his world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Married-Japan-Japans-hilarious-journey-ebook/dp/B01AB5Y0MM/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1513396445&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=I+Married+Japan&psc=1" target="_blank">I Married Japan:</a></b> The hilarious journey of Japan into one man’s life</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Think you just married an exotic Japanese woman? Wrong!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>In fact, you just married all of exotic Japan and 3000 years of history. But, the die is cast, the adventure’s begun, and the wonders and wondering will never cease. Throw in a couple of kids and a quirky Canadian family filled with characters, and you have the makings of epic tragedy, or gut-busting comedy, depending upon your point of view.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Get ready to learn, and be prepared to laugh your way through this collection of Japan-related articles on family life with the Deans!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Book-Uncredible-Short-Stories-distorted-ebook/dp/B01F45M0NK/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1513396473&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=book+of+5+incredible&psc=1" target="_blank">The Book of 5 Uncredible Short Stories</a></b> from the distorted mind of William M. Dean</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">If, all of your life, you have been desperately seeking a book filled with aliens, maniacal sheep, cupids and other mythical creatures—then your life is sad and you are misguided, to say the least. However, luck is with you and within these pages, you will find far-fetched stories from far-flung realities, told with exaggeration that amplifies truths, and adjectives that modify nouns. This is a work of fiction and has been scrupulously edited to exclude all fact so as not to distract you from all those aliens, maniacal sheep, cupids and postal workers you were looking for. </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">For the rest of you, there is at least one stunningly good-looking woman and some cute cats.</span><br />
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451934887309223971.post-39143495393855636552018-04-30T17:17:00.001-07:002018-05-01T23:10:41.848-07:00Mary-Jane Jessop<br />
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I have never really been able to discern the hand of Fate guiding my life, except in the case of Mary-Jane Jessop.<br />
When I was in primary school, in the Northern town of Prince Rupert, there was this girl in my class. She was slightly built, shorter than average, blonde, with one green eye and one blue, and smart—she always made the honour roll. Her name was Mary-Jane Jessop and I was in love with her, and every year I'd stare in awe while she stood at the front of the assembly to receive her certificate of achievement. In grade three, her desk was at the far end of the room from mine and though I had never been an honour student, I resolved to get on the honour roll just so that I could stand beside her.<br />
That year, I made good on my promise. As I recall, it wasn't difficult. I just had to actually start paying attention and do the assigned tasks. So, at the end of the year, I got to stand in line with Mary-Jane Jessop and a handful of others as we received our special certificates. Because we were from the same grade, I did end up standing right next to her and people probably mistook the smile on my face as pride in academic achievement when in fact it was the silly grin guys get when in the presence of grace and beauty. I don't really know why, but I had no deeper plan than to stand beside her and was completely satisfied with having achieved that single thing. I don't recall ever making another move. A year later, my family moved from Prince Rupert to Victoria at the extreme end of the province, 500 plus miles South.<br />
Mary-Jane and I were done.<br />
As it turned out, also done were my days on the honour roll.<br />
The years passed. I got through primary school, high school, and started attending University, and rarely ever thought about Mary-Jane Jessop. But, I never forgot her face or name.<br />
One morning, a bunch of friends and I were sitting in one of the university cafes drinking coffee, talking sciencey stuff and generally trying to avoid going to class when I overheard someone in a group of girls behind us mention Prince Rupert. When I glanced over, I saw a slightly built, short, blonde girl who instantly reminded me of Mary-Jane Jessop, though it'd been more than 14 years since I last laid eyes on her. I returned to the conversation with my friends, but a large portion of my mind remained focused on the conversation behind me. Eventually, I heard the name "Mary-Jane" and I stole another glance—directly at her, and intense enough to cause discomfort, had she noticed. She had one green and one blue eye!<br />
In my mind, I was freaking out. It's her! This is a meaningful, preordained moment of destiny that has taken almost 15 years to form. This is the stuff of legends, ballads, movies!<br />
With no thought to the abruptness of the move, I left the table and walked directly over to Mary-Jane's table, my eyes homed in on hers the entire way. I sat down with my coffee as if invited and took my time settling in, confident that what I was about to say would justify the bold moves. Three young women were now staring at me in stunned silence, waiting for some kind of pickup line. And, for the first time in my life, I thought I had a brilliant one to deliver.<br />
"Mary-Jane Jessop, my name is Bill. I was in your class in grades 1 to 3 and was so in love with you that I got on the honour roll just so I could stand next to you."<br />
It was perfect. I was perfect. I delivered the line smoothly and with a sexy smile that would only have been creepy if we were not each other's destiny. Next, I assumed, she would surely gush and we'd start up reminiscing about our old teachers or Prince Rupert, and from there branch off into the different paths our lives had taken, our likes and dislikes, our tastes in music, what we would name our kids, and from there, naturally, to a whirlwind romance and an eternal love that would be written up in great books and sung in songs not by Taylor Swift—or, at the very least, casual sex—both outcomes being quite equivalent to me, back then.<br />
Mary-Jane and her two friends stared at me in what I initially assumed was appropriate awe. The silence got awkward, then very awkward, and just before it became unbearably awkward the petite and beautiful Mary-Jane Jessop looked directly at me with those perfectly unmatched glistening orbs and said, "Umm. O-k."<br />
All of the punch went out of my punchline. The jet of confidence I had been piloting stalled and I suddenly became eight years old again. I sputtered the only thing I could think, which was exactly what she'd just said, "Umm, ok..."<br />
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Mary-Jane Jessop's expression was as blank as a mannequin's, seemingly unimpressed by the revelation of her being my first crush and the incredible machinations of Fate that had steered us both to this moment. I might just as well have been a cafeteria server delivering an order of toast and flatly declaring, "Toast."<br />
I became extremely conscious of the eyes of my friends, her friends and Mary-Jane herself bearing down on me and I segued with, "Well, anyway, nice to see you again," and slunk back to my humdrum, Fateless existence.<br />
That was about 30 years ago and I have not seen or heard of her since. I'm now old and happily married, with two great kids. I am a hopeless romantic, but I think it's safe to say that the lives of Mary-Jane Jessop and myself are no longer intertwined any more than me and the random stranger who said, "Right on!" referring to my new Superman T-shirt, as we passed in a movie theatre, eight years ago.<br />
Fate, huh. What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />______________________________________</b></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Liked what you read?</b></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Here's more from William M. Dean...</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Slices-Laugh-Amusing-Musings-Family-ebook/dp/B06XZ8ZTTH/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1513396374&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=slices+of+laugh&psc=1" target="_blank">Slices of Laugh:</a></b> <span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Humorist William M. Dean has been compared to Mark Twain and Dave Barry, in gender. Here are 34 hilarious anecdotes and articles offering his unique perspective on far-flung subjects ranging from life, family, parenting, sex, intimacy, arguments, stealing your neighbor’s water, Japan, clothes dryer repair, violence, drugs, pets, sex again, aging, writing, couponing, Disneyland, scouting, dining with the Queen of England, and more.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>A refreshingly wholesome, uplifting read, perfect for when you’re waiting for your nails to dry, your server to stop texting, your doctor to retrieve an implement, your lover to finish, or to hide behind while following a suspect in a busy terminal.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Lots of chuckles, keen observations, pearls of wisdom and nearly 100 funny pictures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Space-Between-Thought-novel-travel-ebook/dp/B01DIAEO9Q/ref=sr_1_sc_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1513396417&sr=1-3-spell&keywords=The+Space+Between+Thoguht" target="_blank">The Space Between Thought:</a></b> A novel of love, life, death, tea, and time travel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Simon Sykes has money and power. He has Celeste, a beautiful, talented, and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">devoted girlfriend. And secretly, he has his pick of other women on the side. But Celeste’s sudden death deals him a staggering blow. It looks like suicide, but only Simon saw the ghostly figure at the scene of the crime. Plagued by grief and guilt, he vows to uncover the truth at any cost. While his business languishes and friends grow concerned for his sanity, Simon stumbles upon a secret </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">that<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">promises the power to unravel the mystery and undo one life-altering moment, to save Celeste and restore his future—time travel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Meanwhile, Simon's suspicious</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> behavior has</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> renewed police interest. As the authorities close in, Simon wrestles with time, space, and reality to rescue the love of his life, unmask her true killer, and remodel his world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Married-Japan-Japans-hilarious-journey-ebook/dp/B01AB5Y0MM/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1513396445&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=I+Married+Japan&psc=1" target="_blank">I Married Japan:</a></b> The hilarious journey of Japan into one man’s life</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Think you just married an exotic Japanese woman? Wrong!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>In fact, you just married all of exotic Japan and 3000 years of history. But, the die is cast, the adventure’s begun, and the wonders and wondering will never cease.Throw in a couple of kids and a quirky Canadian family filled with characters, and you have the makings of epic tragedy, or gut-busting comedy, depending upon your point of view.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Get ready to learn, and be prepared to laugh your way through this collection of Japan-related articles on family life with the Deans!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Book-Uncredible-Short-Stories-distorted-ebook/dp/B01F45M0NK/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1513396473&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=book+of+5+incredible&psc=1" target="_blank">The Book of 5 Uncredible Short Stories</a></b> from the distorted mind of William M. Dean</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">If, all of your life, you have been desperately seeking a book filled with aliens, maniacal sheep, cupids and other mythical creatures—then your life is sad and you are misguided, to say the least. However, luck is with you and within these pages, you will find far-fetched stories from far-flung realities, told with exaggeration that amplifies truths, and adjectives that modify nouns. This is a work of fiction and has been scrupulously edited to exclude all fact so as not to distract you from all those aliens, maniacal sheep, cupids and postal workers you were looking for. </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">For the rest of you, there is at least one stunningly good-looking woman and some cute cats.</span></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451934887309223971.post-75926141943184935312018-04-14T14:27:00.001-07:002018-04-29T17:39:04.097-07:00Why Having Friends is Essential to Your Relationship<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As a person existing among humans, it is important to me that YOU have a close friend. If you are a monk, living alone in a cave, you may not need one. But, otherwise, close friends play an essential role in maintaining your mental health from which stems your happiness, from which stems my willingness to exist next to you. And, if you are in a long-term relationship with me, then having your own set of close friends is essential. Here is why...<br />
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<b>We are all social:</b><br />
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If you participate in society in any way, then you are, by definition, part of it. You benefit from it by having such things as sewers, electricity, medical insurance, and law and order. No single person who relies on these benefits can say that most of what they have is a result of their own efforts. Your standard of living is a result of the effort of a large group, over aeons of time. To arrive at your lofty station in life, you had the initial advantage of starting at the top of a long ladder that was built before you were born.<br />
A byproduct of being a part of a society is the emotionally supportive network of friendship, commonly referred to as a social network. Friendship is a system of emotional and sometimes physical support that covers areas not addressed by the social system; things like personal tragedies, or property losses not covered by insurance.<br />
But, for a social system to work everyone has to contribute.<br />
In the official safety net system, you contribute money (in the form of fees and taxes) and time (voting, public service) to keep it all working smoothly. It is in your best interests that the system continues to function. Most people recognize this. However, some fail to see that the ancillary network of friendship needs maintenance, as well. In this secondary social system, if you don't contribute then you don't benefit. This will become apparent whenever you have a personal loss not covered by the system like the failure of a marriage or the unexpected loss of a job. Such transitions can be a crushing blow to self-esteem and ego and coping can be an overwhelming task. The weight of such burdens on the psyche is dangerously high and it's more easily and gracefully handled with the support of others. As well, finding a new partner or job typically relies on your personal connections.<br />
Few strangers who are active participants in the social network will have much empathy for the plight of an antisocial loner. Few would go out of their way to help or support such a person, especially if they are competing against another who is actively social. If you are emotionally removed from all of society, then this can be frustrating on many levels and it is easy to feel isolated (which you are) and from there to fall into depression and anger.<br />
Flipping this argument over, in the most extreme cases, your personal safety may be dependent on knowing and emotionally supporting your neighbour. It is often those who have no emotional support or ties to the social network who eventually vent their unhappiness in violent ways.<br />
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<b>Friendship is essential for long-term relationships:</b><br />
If you are in a longterm relationship then having close friends is essential. Perhaps you are not a social person and don't see the need to socialize. Well, guess what: firstly, you receive benefits from a larger society and therefore, like it or not, you are part of it. Secondly, if you are in a committed relationship, then you just signed up for a lifetime of very intimate socializing. At the very least, as a favour to your spouse (and/or children), you need to get an honest outside perspective, from time to time. As well, though philosophically I am opposed to comparing oneself to others, it helps to have a peek into other relationships to get new ideas about handling conflict and unmet expectations. And, though I’m ashamed to admit it, my baser self often derives satisfaction from discovering that I have it better than others.<br />
Since you have committed to a longterm relationship, you have committed to a long-term friendship. Successes and failures with your shorter-term friends will teach you how to become a better friend to your spouse. There is no safer way to learn. If your only honest relationship is with your spouse, then you are running social experiments on your own life. It's like a scientist experimenting on himself. Failure can be fatal.<br />
The corollary to this is that if you meet someone who has no close friends, entering into a long-term relationship with that person is a risk to your own long-term happiness.<br />
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<b>Perspective is essential to happiness:</b><br />
A close friend will help you maintain a healthy perspective by playing devil's advocate and pointing out flaws in your point of view. Without ever hearing counter-arguments, it is easy to believe that you have factored in all the possibilities and come to the only logical conclusion and that you are, therefore, entirely correct. If you have no close friends, then you may easily come to the conclusion that you are always correct. From an outsider's point of view, you will seem unapproachable, harsh and inflexible. In truth, you are close-minded.<br />
It has been studied and determined that people who are incompetent are unable to gauge their own competence and are, therefore, blind to it. If you believe this for people less competent than yourself, then, logically, it should apply to yourself as well, when you are viewed by someone more competent. Every one of us has areas of talent and skill as well as gaps in our gifts and experience. Therefore, every one of us in incompetent in some area or at some level.<br />
A close friend will help you recognize your limits. Knowing this will save you from overestimating your own abilities which will help you steer clear of failure and embarrassment.<br />
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<b>Family is ineligible:</b><br />
It is important that your intimate friend not be a member of your family because that connection is too close and too permanent. Because a family member cannot easily be disconnected from the rest of your family (which is a social network that, for better or worse, you are stuck with) things you confide, if leaked, will haunt you forever. The risk for you may be too high to be truly honest with that person. Conversely, a family member may feel that the price of telling you the truth as they see it may be too high because they risk you disliking them forever. Additionally, keeping the secrets you share may put family members in the uncomfortable position of lying to other family members. And, finally, because they are permanent fixtures in your life, they are not easily lost to you and so, do not have as much to teach you about maintaining a friendship.<br />
For a variety of reasons, few friends remain close forever and, in some ways, it is this very transience that makes them valuable. Because the relationship is trust-based yet fragile, a close friend must be honest and yet they must also be understanding and encouraging; tactful enough to slide harsh truths into a conversation without activating our natural emotional defences, like denial.<br />
I am relatively unsocial and do not have a large social network, beyond my family, which is often overwhelming. But I have always had one or two close personal friends. We exchange services. I listen to them and do my best to give back non-judgemental encouraging or insightful feedback and they do the same for me. Because they have a little distance from my most personal concerns, I can trust that they have no agenda beyond helping me and are able to see my situation in ways that I can not. They are not directly impacted by my behaviour, so they are not desperate to make their point and can nudge, rather than shove, me in the right direction, allowing me the time stumble on the obvious truth on my own, thus circumventing my own denial. Family members usually do not feel that they can afford to be so patient because behaviour they view as negative affects them every day. Further, they live in fear that you may never understand what they are saying and that they will have to live with your attitude or actions forever. Many domestic disputes are more about the future than the moment and this is why they get so emotional, so quickly. Most of us can endure greedy/illogical/ignorant behaviour for a moment, but the threat inherent in a long-term relationship is enduring it forever.<br />
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<b>But wait, there's more...</b><br />
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Beyond all of this, there is a sheer visceral pleasure in sharing alternate ideas, confessing anxieties, unburdening guilts, and even gossiping in emotional safety, with a like-minded individual.</div>
How you find such a friend, I can not say. Mine have always been unexpected gifts. Maybe the only secret is to wait and to be open to the idea. The only thing I can say is that they will be of your "tribe." This means that they will share one of your passions. I have two close friends, at the moment. Reducing it to simplest terms: one shares my passion for understanding people, the other shares my passion for writing. These are not the only subjects upon which we connect, but they were the core of the foundation upon which we built trust, from which was spawned a close friendship.<br />
Above all, a close friend helps you maintain perspective; to know your position in the world. It is both empowering and humbling, and perhaps, the largest key to sanity and happiness.<br />
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<b>Clipnotes:</b><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>____________________________________</b></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Liked what you read?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Slices-Laugh-Amusing-Musings-Family-ebook/dp/B06XZ8ZTTH/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1513396374&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=slices+of+laugh&psc=1" target="_blank">Slices of Laugh:</a></b> <span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Humorist William M. Dean has been compared to Mark Twain and Dave Barry, in gender. Here are 34 hilarious anecdotes and articles offering his unique perspective on far-flung subjects ranging from life, family, parenting, sex, intimacy, arguments, stealing your neighbor’s water, Japan, clothes dryer repair, violence, drugs, pets, sex again, aging, writing, couponing, Disneyland, scouting, dining with the Queen of England, and more.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>A refreshingly wholesome, uplifting read, perfect for when you’re waiting for your nails to dry, your server to stop texting, your doctor to retrieve an implement, your lover to finish, or to hide behind while following a suspect in a busy terminal.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Lots of chuckles, keen observations, pearls of wisdom and nearly 100 funny pictures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Space-Between-Thought-novel-travel-ebook/dp/B01DIAEO9Q/ref=sr_1_sc_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1513396417&sr=1-3-spell&keywords=The+Space+Between+Thoguht" target="_blank">The Space Between Thought:</a></b> A novel of love, life, death, tea, and time travel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Simon Sykes has money and power. He has Celeste, a beautiful, talented, and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">devoted girlfriend. And secretly, he has his pick of other women on the side. But Celeste’s sudden death deals him a staggering blow. It looks like suicide, but only Simon saw the ghostly figure at the scene of the crime. Plagued by grief and guilt, he vows to uncover the truth at any cost. While his business languishes and friends grow concerned for his sanity, Simon stumbles upon a secret </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">that<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">promises the power to unravel the mystery and undo one life-altering moment, to save Celeste and restore his future—time travel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Meanwhile, Simon's suspicious</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> behavior has</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> renewed police interest. As the authorities close in, Simon wrestles with time, space, and reality to rescue the love of his life, unmask her true killer, and remodel his world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Married-Japan-Japans-hilarious-journey-ebook/dp/B01AB5Y0MM/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1513396445&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=I+Married+Japan&psc=1" target="_blank">I Married Japan:</a></b> The hilarious journey of Japan into one man’s life</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Think you just married an exotic Japanese woman? Wrong!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>In fact, you just married all of exotic Japan and 3000 years of history. But, the die is cast, the adventure’s begun, and the wonders and wondering will never cease.Throw in a couple of kids and a quirky Canadian family filled with characters, and you have the makings of epic tragedy, or gut-busting comedy, depending upon your point of view.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Get ready to learn, and be prepared to laugh your way through this collection of Japan-related articles on family life with the Deans!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Book-Uncredible-Short-Stories-distorted-ebook/dp/B01F45M0NK/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1513396473&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=book+of+5+incredible&psc=1" target="_blank">The Book of 5 Uncredible Short Stories</a></b> from the distorted mind of William M. Dean</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">If, all of your life, you have been desperately seeking a book filled with aliens, maniacal sheep, cupids and other mythical creatures—then your life is sad and you are misguided, to say the least. However, luck is with you and within these pages, you will find far-fetched stories from far-flung realities, told with exaggeration that amplifies truths, and adjectives that modify nouns. This is a work of fiction and has been scrupulously edited to exclude all fact so as not to distract you from all those aliens, maniacal sheep, cupids and postal workers you were looking for. </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">For the rest of you, there is at least one stunningly good-looking woman and some cute cats.</span></div>
<style type="text/css"> p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 18.0px 'Times New Roman'} </style><style type="text/css"> p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 18.0px 'Times New Roman'} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 18.0px 'Times New Roman'; min-height: 21.0px} </style>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451934887309223971.post-68698387034655141752018-03-17T12:49:00.001-07:002018-04-15T00:26:38.846-07:00Kidney Stoned<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CXRKDbPxRFI/Wq1vgBKqBmI/AAAAAAAAX6s/K5fUia_vvNoaSOrgB4WZsqdUu_CbqEP3gCLcBGAs/s1600/KidneyStoned-TellMeAboutIt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1001" data-original-width="1500" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CXRKDbPxRFI/Wq1vgBKqBmI/AAAAAAAAX6s/K5fUia_vvNoaSOrgB4WZsqdUu_CbqEP3gCLcBGAs/s400/KidneyStoned-TellMeAboutIt.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's 4 AM. I'm on all fours dry-wretching into the toilet, praying to gods I've only heard of in Disney movies. I'm giving birth to a kidney stone.<br />
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Of course, I don't know this. I think that I am probably dying, but I want to do it quietly because tomorrow is my daughter's tenth birthday party and my wife has worked very hard all week to bring it together, including redecorating the house and backyard, and a cake with whipped cream, mango and marshmallow decorations custom made to look like exotic flowers. She baked two trial cakes, earlier this week, and the backyard is full of contests and games to rival the summer Olympics. There's even a small podium. I'm worried that she's fantasizing about our daughter's wedding day.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Test cake #2</td></tr>
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Everyone needs their sleep. I'll cope.<br />
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Finally, at about 5am, I take a couple of Tylenol. Normally, I resist doing this, because I don't want to mask any important symptoms. But, at this point, all I can think is "Mask the symptoms! Mask the symptoms, quickly!"<br />
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I manage a fitful sleep and am awoken at 7 by my excited daughter who instantly notes the deep circles under my eyes and that I am shaking, pale and clammy and asks, worriedly, "Even if you're sick, I still get to have my birthday party, right?"<br />
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I answer, "Of course, baby." and am filled with warm fuzzies as she dances up and down, clapping her hands and laughing. Then she says, "And dad..."<br />
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"Yes, darling."<br />
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"Please don't embarrass me by having a seizure or something in front of my friends."<br />
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"I won't, my angel."<br />
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Shortly afterward, my wife arises. The pills have already worn off and the pain is back, full force. I put on my most Clint Eastwood face and declare that I will power through, but she insists we head to the hospital, as I was hoping she would. If we are lucky, we can be home well before the party starts.<br />
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We are lucky.<br />
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It's not a busy day in the ER, but waiting with us are a number of people who make me feel very lucky that, though I may be dying, I am doing it slowly and with a small degree of dignity.<br />
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A woman is brought in, in a wheelchair. She has a huge gash across her face and a black eye. She is pretty—if you discount the injuries—well dressed, and looks intelligent and sophisticated. She's quietly sniffing back the blood leaking from her nose and holding an ice pack against a swollen cheek even as her husband, the one who apparently inflicted the damage, loudly berates the staff for not attending to her fast enough. Eventually, he is removed by security. After that, she seems to relax a bit and tries to make small talk with me in an effort to distract me from my pain. Her situation seems completely incongruous, but she's obviously been here before and is inured to her own suffering and humiliation.<br />
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Now, I feel like a three-year-old complaining about hurt feelings.<br />
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I feel guilty when I am taken for a CAT scan ahead of her. Twenty minutes after my scan a young intern comes to tell me that I do, indeed, have a kidney stone. They can see from the CAT that it has almost passed. I deduce, from the pain, that it's the size of a tennis ball but he corrects me, saying that it's about .1cm across—so small that they missed it the first time they examined the scans. He says it should pass naturally, without any issues. He's seen people pass 2cm stones! What the hell-on-earth kind of people are these? I'd need an epidural for that! And afterward, I'd want a birth certificate.<br />
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A pretty nurse escorts me out of the ward and hands me a small envelope containing four Tylenol 3's which she says I can use if I am unable to handle the last few minutes of the pain. I want to play it cool and refuse them, but instead, I grab them out of her hand and rip open the package to make sure there are at least four, as she promised. I resist the urge to ask for more, maintaining some semblance of pride. She smiles, patronizingly, and I hobble away, leaning heavily against my five-foot-two inch, 98-pound wife.<br />
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Halfway home, the pain vanishes.<br />
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My girl-child celebrates her tenth year without further incident and I am filled with thankfulness and appreciation: Surrounded by family, the sound of my beautiful daughter's laughter, the shining sun, the six surviving flowers in my garden and the two hundred dandelions in my lawn that are all blooming, the fresh air, and the fact that I am breathing it.<br />
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After saying goodbye to eight perpetually chatty and giggly preteens, I sit in the silence with a cup of tea, a good book close at hand, appreciating the lack of chaos and ruminating on the contrasts of the last 24 hours; the brush with mortality so close before a celebration of life.<br />
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As I open my book, I feel lucky to have survived. And, I feel a certain invulnerability, having just cheated death—or at least the feeling of death. I now understand <i>true</i> pain, and, in the process, have surely become inured to agony... or, at least, 16 hours of it. I briefly consider a career as a spy. From here on out, I will no longer be impressed by the mundane bumps and scrapes of everyday life...<br />
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"Argh! Papercut! Ssssssss. Ouch!"<br />
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"Honey, where do we keep the bandaids? And where did you put those Tylenol 3's?"<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>_______________________________</b></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Liked what you read?</b></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Here's more from William M. Dean...</b></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mKm__pU3FqM/WPBvtxV3l0I/AAAAAAAAVO4/N4Wjg0v1ybIOpy3R_xl_7-m8OQIrRAj9ACLcB/s1600/%2540TSBT-IMJ-Bo5-SOL-170328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mKm__pU3FqM/WPBvtxV3l0I/AAAAAAAAVO4/N4Wjg0v1ybIOpy3R_xl_7-m8OQIrRAj9ACLcB/s400/%2540TSBT-IMJ-Bo5-SOL-170328.jpg" width="252" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451934887309223971.post-18900804668012132512018-02-22T18:34:00.003-08:002018-03-17T13:09:04.269-07:00A Writer-Parent Dilemma: The Notebook<div class="p1">
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Like many writers, I have a little notebook that I carry with me almost everywhere I go. It’s my "Inspiration Book" and I keep close tabs on it because if I lost it, I would be devastated by the thought that some “genius” idea may have been forever lost.<br />
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But, if it were ever found I’d be equally devastated because it contains my name and phone number, and whoever returned it to me would probably have read a hundred half-formed, outlandish thoughts, feeble attempts at song lyrics, plot and character ideas, “sure-fire million dollar inventions” and strange little non sequiturs that inexplicably inspired me. In fact, I might be too embarrassed to ever claim it. </div>
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If I did claim it, I would certainly avoid eye contact.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>As I use or reject the ideas, I pull out the pages until the book is empty. I’ve maintained a book like this for several years and never lost one. But, one particularly busy day, the current version went missing. </div>
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I told no one, sweated silently and tossed in my sleep, but I was confident that it had not gone too far, as my fear of embarrassment keeps me vigilant.</div>
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<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Today, I found it. It was on the hallway bookshelf, under a pile of the kids’ library books.<br />
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I guess that I was not the first to find it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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I just spent twenty minutes culling artwork from random pages. <i>(Though I did leave the ones that said: “I Love You, Daddy.”)</i></div>
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I hate the way the kids waste pages with random doodles and scribbles, but I’m too embarrassed to chastise them, in case they've read it.</div>
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It's going to be a bit awkward avoiding eye contact with my children until I die.</div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_mWHhm733F8/Wo98y9aON6I/AAAAAAAAX4Y/FHiYPVmuwr8alDpLGoP0kmuNyjyQHKBbQCLcBGAs/s1600/Notebook1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_mWHhm733F8/Wo98y9aON6I/AAAAAAAAX4Y/FHiYPVmuwr8alDpLGoP0kmuNyjyQHKBbQCLcBGAs/s400/Notebook1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>_______________________________</b></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></span> <span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></span> <span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Liked what you read?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Here's more from William M. Dean...</b></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mKm__pU3FqM/WPBvtxV3l0I/AAAAAAAAVO4/N4Wjg0v1ybIOpy3R_xl_7-m8OQIrRAj9ACLcB/s1600/%2540TSBT-IMJ-Bo5-SOL-170328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mKm__pU3FqM/WPBvtxV3l0I/AAAAAAAAVO4/N4Wjg0v1ybIOpy3R_xl_7-m8OQIrRAj9ACLcB/s400/%2540TSBT-IMJ-Bo5-SOL-170328.jpg" width="252" /></a></div>
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<style type="text/css"> p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 18.0px 'Minion Pro'} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 18.0px 'Minion Pro'; min-height: 22.0px} </style>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451934887309223971.post-16963059120693182152017-12-17T23:31:00.001-08:002017-12-17T23:44:54.383-08:00A Christmas Skit for Children: The Interview <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Every year, my sister organizes a homeschooler Christmas Pageant during which the kids (currently from ages 10 to 18) get to show us parents what they can do. My kids usually like to put on a short skit. In previous years, I have written and directed, but this year I wanted them to play a larger role so I actually listened to their suggestions, no matter how awkward they might be, and wrote pretty much what they told me to, though I added one or two items. I also allowed them to decide how they would act it all out. I advised but did not argue if they overruled me... which they did many times.<br />
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A couple of things to note...<br />
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• EI stands for Employment Insurance which is a Canadian government program that pays a percentage of your old wage if you suddenly find yourself unemployed. Some try to stretch the benefit as long as possible by applying for jobs while never intending to get hired. To do this, they need proof that they are applying regularly.<br />
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• Another thing I need to mention is that there is a reference to "The Onsie Kid," which is a very short music parody video which Noah made last year and which briefly went viral among the homeschooler families we know. This video can be viewed at the link beneath the picture...<br />
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Onsie Kid Video: <a href="https://youtu.be/GAjvUiptt4k" style="text-align: start;">https://youtu.be/GAjvUiptt4k</a></div>
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• Every year, the homeschoolers vote on a theme that all acts must try to incorporate. This year, each act had to include the following four words: Bidet, Waddle, Trump and Maple Syrup.<br />
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<br /></div>
<div>
Below is the final script, which, as always, I release into the public domain in case another desperate parent out there can make some use of it. A link to the video of the final performance is at the end.<br />
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<![endif]--> <!--StartFragment-->
<br />
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<b>The Interview <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>(must use the words: Waddle, Maple Syrup, Trump and Bidet)<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Santa at his desk:</b> “Send in the next applicant! I do hope this one’s a winner. Not sure I can take another 5 billion landings. <i>[adjusting the donut under his bum]</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT:</b> Dude! This place is amazing. It’s like a full-on mansion. Even has a water fountain in the toilet!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> The <u>bidet</u>?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT: </b>Wow! Even a fancy name!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> Uhhhh… Breath mint?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT: </b>Thanks. Love the place. Love the job. I’ll take it!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> Hold on there, <i>The Flash</i>, we’ve got a few formalities to go through first. I got your online resume. Uh—it’s a picture of a dog.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT: </b>A puppy!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>[Long pause while they stare each other down and we wait for Santa’s reaction…]<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> I do love pugs! Sooo cute. Everyone knows that online applications are just for show anyway. We only hire friends and family. You’re my friend’s friend’s friend, so Ha! [rubber stamps the application] Look at that! You’re on the shortlist!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT: </b>I even have my own suit!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> You do?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT: </b>I really thought you’d notice.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> HR rules. We’re not allowed to ask. But, why a bear?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<b>APPLICANT: </b>It’s a dog!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> Looks like a bear…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT: </b>I mean, which would you rather see: A fat old man <u>waddl</u>ing about in some sort of fetish get up, or a cute puppy?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> Sorry. That’s not regulation.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT: </b>But this’ll make people remember Christmas during the holiday season.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> What are you talking about? Christmas is the reason for the season! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT: </b>Really? I think you’re forgetting Black Friday and Cyber Monday! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> Ok, you can wear it under the red suit…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT: </b>YES<i>! [does the Onsie Dance]</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> …but I’ve got’ta warn you, it’s gon’na chafe. Hey, wait a minute. Aren’t you that Onsie Boy?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT: </b>Onsie <i><u>Kid</u></i>. In the fake flesh!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> That dance went viral here at The Pole. It’s pretty close quarters in the workshop and twenty elves got poked in the eye but they totally love you! Wow! This is going to work out great. Ok, just a couple more question. It’s just a formality, but I’ve got to ask: Are you ok with drugging reindeer?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT: </b>You drug the reindeer?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> Well reindeer don’t fly on their own, you know! Got to get them … high.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT: </b>Oh. I guess.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> And you’ve got to push those elves.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT: </b>I thought the elves naturally loved to work hard making presents for all the little boys and girls.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> Are you kidding me? I swear, if it weren’t for rationing their home heating, they wouldn’t work at all! ...for free …16 hours a day…every day of the year. Oh yes, and how many cookies can you eat?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT: </b>Maybe four.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> This is a deal breaker, son. If you can’t eat at least 27... million, you can’t handle this job.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT: </b>Are they gluten-free?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> Almost never.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT: </b>Oh. Then, no problem.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> Have you got any questions for me?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT: </b>Can I use your wifi? <i><b>(pronounced wiffy)</b></i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> My wifey? What have you heard? Those were <u>trump</u>ed up charges. Wifey don’t do that no more. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT: </b>Uh... Wi-fi.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> Oh. That’s much more likely. Well, you’ve got the job. Report for work at 8am.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT: </b>I’m sorry, what?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> You’ve got the job.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT: </b>Like 8 in the morning? I mean is Starbucks even open then? Believe me, you do not want to see me without my Starbucks.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> It’s only one day a year.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT: </b>Yeah. You know what? That really doesn’t work for me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> Go to bed early.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT: </b>I would, but right now, I really need my nights. I’m marathoning Game of Thrones on Netflix and just don’t want to break the momentum.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> You can sleep-in 363 days, afterward.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT: </b>Well…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> It’s one single day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT: </b>Well… ok.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> Great. See you bright and early, tomorrow morning!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT: </b>Dude! Tomorrow’s like, Christmas Eve!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> Yes. That’s kind of the point…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT: </b>No one works Christmas Eve!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> Actually, lots of people…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT: </b>Ah, if you could just sign my E.I. form to say that I applied, that’d be great.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> Ugh! Not another one! <i>(Sigh)</i> OK.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>[APPLICANT hands over his paperwork and Santa signs it…]<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT:</b> <u>Maple syrup</u>!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SANTA:</b> Er, what was that?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>APPLICANT: </b>Sorry. Tourette's.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7BzKuOAUg0Y/WjdqTClRegI/AAAAAAAAXxA/8o83sTBAYUIf3WyX4BGqzUqe1PxyRh0UwCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-12-17%2Bat%2B11.11.36%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1600" height="223" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7BzKuOAUg0Y/WjdqTClRegI/AAAAAAAAXxA/8o83sTBAYUIf3WyX4BGqzUqe1PxyRh0UwCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-12-17%2Bat%2B11.11.36%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Interview Video: <a href="https://youtu.be/tqQ4-MspvkM">https://youtu.be/tqQ4-MspvkM</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia";"><br /></span> <span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia";"><br /></span> <span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia";"><br /></span> <span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia";">____________________________</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Liked what you read?</b></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="http://wmdbooks.com/">WMDbooks.com</a></td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451934887309223971.post-2738942569918555672017-12-09T11:32:00.001-08:002017-12-09T11:55:47.790-08:00Daddy-style Fairy Tales: Little Peter's Christmas Miracle<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rm7Iamihfzc/WaMpeQCSIpI/AAAAAAAAWjg/AXitJo_L76UlDyagW12ulxG8k6pvMDlTgCLcBGAs/s1600/LittlePetersChristmasMiracle%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="834" data-original-width="1250" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rm7Iamihfzc/WaMpeQCSIpI/AAAAAAAAWjg/AXitJo_L76UlDyagW12ulxG8k6pvMDlTgCLcBGAs/s400/LittlePetersChristmasMiracle%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
My kids are 10 and 12 and love to hear my fairy tales which I tell while tucking them into bed. Ok, <i>"love to hear"</i> may be less accurate than <i>"willing to endure,"</i> but I'm not one to split hairs. If I interrupted their play-filled day to tell them the same story, they'd no doubt consider it child abuse. But, at bedtime, they'd listen to me recite my tax returns if it bought them an extra ten minutes with the lights on. As they say, "timing is everything."<br />
<br />
Still, I enjoy watching their little faces while I'm reading. They're so cute when they grimace and roll their eyes, and I challenge myself to see how many times I can make them groan.<br />
<br />
After hearing this one, my son groaned <i>(yes!)</i> and commented, "Well, that was a huge waste of valuable sleeping time," but his face flickered with a smile he fought to contain.<br />
<br />
<div>
<i> Huzzah!</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
If you have little children who enjoy rolling their eyes and groaning, or who, perhaps, are willing to do so in exchange for an extra ten minutes at bedtime, then sit them down and recount this short tale of Christmas magic...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Little Peter's Christmas Miracle </b><br />
<br />
Once upon a time, in a land far from those who lived close by, a very old man lived all alone in a cottage in the forest, at the edge of a small village. He had never married and had no children and was known to be sad and lonely. He was also crotchedy—probably because he was sad and lonely, but, perhaps, because of anal fissures. No one could be sure.<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span>Every day, he would venture out from his little house and slowly, very slowly, make his way into town to buy groceries, after which he would trundle, slowly, very slowly, to the park and sit on a bench and feed the birds while listening to the children frolicking, close by.<br />
<br />
Peter was the littlest of all the boys his age, but he had the biggest heart and also anime eyes, which were really cute, but totally distracting. These are the kind of congenital mishaps that occur, sometimes, in small villages, if cousins marry. Little Peter noticed the old man and came to sit beside him on the park bench.<br />
<br />
"My name's Peter," he said, which was not obvious, yet very true, and a perfectly good way to introduce yourself, if your name happens to be Peter.<br />
<br />
The old man did not look at little Peter, or acknowledge him in any way, except to say, "Too much information. What do you want?"<br />
<br />
"I just want everyone in the who-o-ole world to feel love and to be happy," replied little Peter, flashing a Cheshire smile and his anime eyes, which, of all of his features were two of the safest ones to flash.<br />
<br />
The old man took no notice, which surprised little Peter because everyone was always impressed by this anime eyes—especially when he added his Cheshire smile.<br />
<br />
In his most crotchety voice, the old man began, "Kid, I just want to feed the birds..."<br />
<br />
"That's really nice!" interrupted Peter, enthusiastically.<br />
<br />
"... to my cat!" finished the old man. And with that, he suddenly grabbed one of the little birds by its throat and shoved it into a small cloth bag. For someone who was slow, very slow, on his feet, he was fast, very fast, with his hands.<br />
<br />
"Ohhh!" exclaimed little Peter.<br />
<br />
The old man tied closed the rustling, squeaking bag, crotchety-pleased to have shocked little Peter.<br />
<br />
"You can't do that!" exclaimed Peter.<br />
<br />
"Ha! I just did."<br />
<br />
"But that's a Christmas Dove and it's only three days until Christmas!"<br />
<br />
"Sounds delicious!" grunted the old man, rising from the bench.<br />
<br />
"Wait 'til Santa finds out!" warned little Peter.<br />
<br />
The man hesitated. "You believe in Santa?"<br />
<br />
"Of course!" said little Peter.<br />
<br />
"Well, I'm really old and I've never seen him! Christmas means nothing to me."<br />
<br />
Little Peter was shocked that someone would ever say such a thing and his hands flew to his mouth, his grin collapsing into the shape of a something circular. But then, at that very moment, his glistening anime eyes caught those of the old man and in them, he glimpsed a hundred years of hurt and disappointment. In his heart, he instantly felt the old man's pain and anguish. In his stomach, he felt a bit hungry; his butt was tingling slightly, as well, but such details were not relevant and so, never became part of this story.<br />
<br />
As the old man ambled away, slowly, very slowly, the small sack squealing and fluttering on his shoulder, Peter resolved to bring happiness to this sad figure by creating a true Christmas miracle!<br />
<br />
It took him two days to set his plan in motion.<br />
<br />
The van rental had been especially tricky as he could barely reach the pedals and didn't know how to drive. But Peter had flashed his Cheshire grin and anime eyes and explained to the rental agent that he was on a mission to perform a Christmas miracle, and the rental agent had suddenly smiled, ear to ear—but, more importantly, turned his back to put away the rental forms. And that's when Peter grabbed the keys and bolted for the van. Making good use of the bumper, he managed to escape the parking lot and drive across town to meet up with the other boys his age whose help he had enlisted. And no one was injured or killed, so his plan was really beginning to look like a Christmas miracle.<br />
<br />
It was now late on Christmas Eve and, under cover of darkness, he and the other boys his age made their way down the tiny road that led to the old man's cottage, backed the van to his doorstep and rang the bell. The old man was slow to be rousted but, finally, he opened the door and came face to face with little Peter, Cheshire grin and anime eyes set all aglow, by the light of his tiki torch.<br />
<br />
"What's going on? What do you want?" shouted the old man.<br />
<br />
Peter giggled with a maniacal variety of glee, and pronounced, "It's going to be a Christmas miracle!" whereupon he snapped his fingers and two of the other boys shoved a burlap sack over the old man's head, pushed him into the back of the van, and drove off to Santa's village where they knocked on Santa's door. (For this small town was very near the North Pole and everything in it was made of ice and covered in snow. Did I not mention that? Oh. Well, it was. That's why Peter's butt had been tingling from frostbite while he sat on the park ice-bench. Also, the rental van was a ski-do-type van.)<br />
<br />
Santa came to the door wearing only underpants and a sock. Another sock was in his hand and he looked flustered; obviously in a rush. Santa was hairy and he was very old, so all the hair on his body was white. Coincidentally, his underwear was also white fur so that it looked like he was naked and especially hairy, down there. Everyone except the old man thought that it was gross. "Good heavens, boys. Don't you know it's Christmas Eve? I don't have time for—did you kidnap an old man?"<br />
<br />
"Well, technically, old-man-napped... and, old men nap all the time, so..." Little Peter flashed his Cheshire smile and anime eyes and Santa's heart melted so it was a good thing he wasn't Frosty the Snowman.<br />
<br />
"Ho, ho, ho. What can I do for you, little Peter?"<br />
<br />
"I brought someone who needs to meet you," replied little Peter, pulling the sack off the old man's head. The old man stood there in the soft glow of the porch light, face to face with Santa.<br />
<br />
"You!" Santa exclaimed.<br />
<br />
"Who else would I be, <i>Santa?</i>" replied the old man.<br />
<br />
Little Peter was now more confused than usual. "Wait a minute! I thought you didn't believe in Santa."<br />
<br />
"Get me a cane!" demanded the old man.<br />
<br />
Little Peter thought it very rude demanding candy from Santa, especially on Christmas Eve. "Oh no you di—in't..." he muttered, and he and the other boys his age began to giggle nervously, anxious to see how Santa would punish the old man for his insolence.<br />
<br />
But Santa remained quiet and still, and the old man turned to little Peter. "I never said I don't believe in Santa, you idiot! I said I've never <i>seen</i> him."<br />
<br />
"Well now you have!" said little Peter, beaming proudly. "All because of my Christmas miracle!"<br />
<br />
"I'm blind, moron. Where's my cane?"<br />
<br />
I may have forgotten to mention that he tapped his way to town, using a white cane. This was one reason that he had to walk slowly, very slowly.<br />
<br />
"Oh," said Little Peter.<br />
<br />
"And where's my oxygen tank?"<br />
<br />
"You want an oxygen tank for Christmas?" asked little Peter, even more bewildered than usual because, although little Peter had a big heart, he had a small mind; so small that he wouldn't have known a Snow Dove from a common Brown Bat and could only think slowly, very slowly.<br />
<br />
"No, you knucklehead, the great big oxygen tank that I have to lug around everywhere I go."<br />
<br />
Oh yeah, that was another reason that he had to walk slowly, very slowly; because he had a heart condition and had to carry a huge tank of oxygen with him, everywhere he went.<br />
<br />
"Oh," said little Peter who finally seemed to come up to speed and who, incidentally, was 25 years old, like all the other boys his age.<br />
<br />
The old blind man turned, mistakenly facing no one, and said, "As long as I'm here, Santa, let's talk about that Rubic's Cube you put in my stocking last Christmas..."<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<b>Epilogue</b>:<br />
Santa later testified in court, and little Peter and the other boys his age were sentenced to prison on charges of kidnapping and grand theft, auto. But it was an ice-prison and they managed to escape during a heated argument.<br />
<br />
The old man was actually a great magician—this is why he was fast, very fast, with his hands. He had once been very powerful and had, in fact, given Santa his magical powers, way back when he, Santa, and the world were young. More recently he made helium balloon animals and sold them online, shipping them in little boxes that tended to float and saved money on delivery charges.<br />
<br />
After this incident, the old blind man slowly, very slowly, returned to his daily routine of tapping his way into town, lugging his oxygen tank, sitting in the park, trapping birds for his cat, alone in the knowledge that he was sad and lonely because he didn't actually have a cat. The truth was that lately, every time he'd made it to the grocery store, it was closed, so he had been forced to come to the park and trap birds to eat at home. What he didn't realize was that his Braille watch was running slow and he was now always going to town at night, after store hours, when the only ones in the park were gangs of losers partying and smoking cigarettes, like Peter.<br />
<br />
Also, the birds tasted a lot like common Brown Bats.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>CHRISTMAS BONUS! </b><br />
<b>Alternate Endings:</b><br />
After this incident, the old blind man slowly, very slowly, returned to his daily routine of tapping his way into town, lugging his oxygen tank, sitting in the park, trapping birds for his cat, alone in the knowledge that he was sad and lonely because...<br />
<br />
(A) ...his cat never ate any of the birds he brought home for it. Only the cat knew that he was actually a rabbit. Also, it was made out of a balloon.<br />
<br />
(B) ...he had never married because he got tired of the blind dating scene.<br />
<br />
(C) ...he was German and afraid people would call him a not-see.<br />
<br />
(D) ...he never enjoyed jokes because he couldn't see the humor in them.<br />
<br />
(E) ...he never married. He'd once had a girlfriend, but after she broke up with him, he just couldn't make himself start seeing other people.<br />
<br />
(F) ...he was racist and constantly worried that he might be black.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<b>30 sec. CHRISTMAS BONUS VIDEO...</b></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451934887309223971.post-90419460024594714542017-10-09T18:07:00.002-07:002017-10-09T18:10:03.588-07:00Kid Moments Gallery (171010)...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Beyond my writing, I often publish captioned pics reflecting life events and thoughts. Some end up appearing in articles, but many do not. For those of you who have never visited my Pinterest, Facebook or Twitter accounts, here are some recent parenting-oriented posts....</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451934887309223971.post-7436073859571974542017-08-17T23:21:00.000-07:002017-08-31T00:59:48.548-07:00Success & Happiness—50 Points to Ponder<div>
No one on the planet has yet cracked the Life puzzle. We are all struggling in some way and there is no single "right way" to live. However, being chronically unhappy has got to be a wrong way.</div>
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There are people in my life who seem to have missed the happiness boat. The people I am thinking of have put in great effort to "make the grade," and yet, seem plagued by bad luck and are passed up for opportunities at every juncture. And, they have some other things in common—they are very intelligent, have their eyes fixed on social status and material goods, have a lot of expectations regarding the path that will lead them to these things, and they have a generally negative outlook.<br />
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These are good people and it's frustrating to watch them struggle, but I have come to the realization that I do not have the power to help them, beyond being supportive. If I were rich and powerful, I could pay their way forward, but this would rob them of challenges and victories, ultimately weakening them. Because it's easier to spot problems when they are not your own, I have shared some of my relevant observations but found that me targeting specifics really doesn't work. Life is complicated. People are complicated. The target is fuzzy because there is no single cause or effect. And realizations do not come from a single relevant thought, but through a long chain of connected ideas. As well, I am especially wary of being critical without also being constructive.<br />
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Most of us share similar shortcomings and frustrations, to a greater or lesser degree, and so a lot of the thoughts and observations I have formed while examining my own life.<br />
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I may not be able to help my friends, but on the off chance that someone else needs to hear what I have to say, I present a list of 50 observations regarding life, humans, society, material success and mental health. Somewhere among all of this, you may find some food for thought and, if luck is with you, perhaps something that nudges you closer to happiness.<br />
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Please note that none of these are meant to be critical, or as advice to anyone going through a mental health crisis. And, they are very compressed. If I chose to unpack them, that act would generate an entire book. These are, simply, points to ponder, meant to prompt constructive thoughts.<br />
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I have copied them onto "ponder point postcards," suitable for sharing on social media. Below that, I have included the raw text containing the same information (but broken into categories) for those who'd like to cut and paste into another format.<br />
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<b>TEXT VERSION...</b><br />
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<b>LIFE:</b><br />
(1) If you live in a first-world country, then you are already wealthy and your ambition is simply a jockeying for position among the rich.<br />
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(2) Be humbled by what you have. It's more than any of us deserve and it comes at the expense of others less fortunate, and an abundant earth.<br />
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(3) It is more empowering to view chronic dissatisfaction as a sign that your perspective is skewed rather than as evidence that Life is unfair. There is nothing you can do about Life.<br />
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(4) Life <i>is</i> unfair—in your favor, as anyone living in a third-world country can tell you.<br />
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(5) Appreciate the moment. As bad as things may seem, it could always be worse.<br />
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(6) If you can solve it with time and money, and you have both, then be thankful. Needless worrying only adds your health to the price tag.</div>
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(7) Life takes unexpected turns. Smart as you are, you can not predict where events and decisions will lead. Fortunately, every juncture presents new opportunities. </div>
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<b>HUMANS:</b><br />
(8) All the arguments in the world will not alter a person's behavior until they come to the same conclusion on their own. This applies equally to yourself.<br />
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(9) Balance: If you are never still, your mind suffers. If you never move, your body suffers.<br />
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(10) Chronic negativity is a symptom of imbalance. Dark, brooding heroes are always unbalanced, and alone.<br />
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(11) Positive, enthusiastic people are perceived as balanced and fun and are offered the most opportunities.<br />
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(12) An emotional declaration of beliefs is a catalyst for an argument. It shuts down communication. Many who disagree with you may hold their tongues because they really don't care enough to have a knock-down, drag-out battle over the issue. Emotionally charged declarations also signal that you may harshly judge anyone who opposes you. No one likes to be judged. No one likes to feel shame for what they believe.<br />
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(13) When people suspect they may be shamed for their opinions, they are reluctant to share them. Thus, in an emotionally-charged setting, a lack of opposition is not a clear sign of agreement.<br />
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(14) Allowing that you might be wrong provides space for others to freely express themselves. This tends to generate more options and better choices, as well as reflecting better on you.<br />
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(15) Being wrong is better than being a know-it-all.<br />
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(16) As I understand it, God is all about your spiritual self and has no interest in earthly, material things. When it comes to your perceived lack of success, do not expect any help or sympathy from God. Relying on God in this way is debilitating.<br />
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<b>SOCIETY & BUSINESS:</b><br />
(17) Society is less a meritocracy than a popularity contest. Business is a subset of society and, therefore, also a popularity contest.<br />
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(18) Society is all about getting along. It is not focused on right answers. This is why people can be successful without actually ever being right, or competent. The most popular person is usually preferred over the best-qualified. The least disturbing answer is usually preferred over the most accurate answer. The number one goal of a society is to not rock the boat, regardless of its course. This is why whistleblowers are rarely rewarded and often punished.<br />
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(19) It is not reasonable to rail against a society, or stand outside of it, and expect it to reward you. Societies reward those who contribute and endorse and help to steady the boat. This is true of all societies: businesses, foundations, families, churches, countries...<br />
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(20) Success within a society is a combination of opportunity, luck and the people you know. If you are willing to use what you are given of each of these, you have a shot. If some value within you prevents you from using people and opportunities that present themselves, then you can only hope for lucky breaks.<br />
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(21) Success in business usually involves health and lifestyle compromises that most of us are unwilling to make. A lack of progress in that arena may have more to do with your core values than your abilities.<br />
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(22) What is traditionally considered to be success might not be a rewarding goal for you. There is absolutely no shame in this. Success in business is no indicator of mental, emotional, spiritual or physical health—or of happiness.<br />
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(23) Sheer genius can be a short cut to success. But, genius is obsessive, compulsive, greedy and unbalanced. If you are not willing to be all of these things, then you have no chance of achieving success through genius alone.<br />
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(24) Obvious enthusiasm is a door-opener. Justified or not, a lack of enthusiasm is a door-closer.<br />
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(25) If you must point out problems, then be armed with solutions to combat the negativity.<br />
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(26) As we age, many of the attributes of successful business people are lost to wisdom.<br />
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<b>SUCCESS:</b><br />
(27) Most of us want the respect and admiration of our peers. Social status is commonly considered an undeniable sign of success. But, it only comes if you achieve what your peers believe to be important. Unfortunately, those goals may not be yours. If you crave the approval of the masses but do not believe what they believe, then you really do not want what you wish you wanted.<br />
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(28) Good health should be a primary goal in life. Poor health diminishes your<br />
ability to enjoy life, regardless of your tax bracket. Compromising their health is a common sacrifice people make for material success through years of long hours, obsessive habits,<br />
neglecting relationships, disrupted sleeping patterns, and a lack of physical exercise.<br />
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(29) After health, happiness is the only meaningful goal. Happiness is the emotional by-product of appreciating what you have.<br />
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(30) Happiness is the only true measure of success; not social status, not wealth, not beauty. Without happiness, none of those things matter. Many people achieve success in business, social status and material things. Fewer achieve happiness.</div>
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<b>YOU:</b><br />
(31) You can lie to the rest of the world, but always be honest with yourself.<br />
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(32) Be careful what you choose to believe. Your beliefs are your reality.<br />
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(33) Be grateful, always. Acknowledging your blessings maintains a healthy perspective.<br />
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(34) The longer in life you remain "all about you" the less compatible you become with your peers, and the worse things get.<br />
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(35) Prolonged self-centeredness is debilitating and dangerous and can lead to mental illness.<br />
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(36) To be chronically depressed you must be chronically thinking only of yourself.<br />
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(37) Martyrdom is adult whining.<br />
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(38) Do not wait for help. No one will rescue you.<br />
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(39) Perpetually unhappy or negative people make it more difficult for those around them to be happy. People (and therefore, opportunity) will tend to maintain a distance.<br />
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(40) If you're banging your head against a rock, it's useless to blame the rock for being hard. Life, society, people are not going to change to accommodate you. If you are chronically unsatisfied, then you need to adjust your thinking. Any change must come from you.<br />
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(41) When you look for blame outside yourself, there is no end to the blame. When things go wrong, it is constructive to identify and acknowledge your share of the blame—even if only to yourself. Recognizing your share of responsibility/failure in a situation allows you to learn and move forward.<br />
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(42) Being critical of others has a built-in karmic rebound effect. If you are hypercritical of others, you will believe that others are hypercritical of you. Indirectly, you are placing unrealistic expectations in your own path.<br />
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(43) Hypercritical people are afraid of consequences and tend to panic, trying to foresee problems, hoping to head them off before they escalate; jumping all over minor things that really just require time to even out. If this is you, try asking yourself: Will anybody die? A “no” answer will help you regain perspective and pull your mind away from the terror zone. Now, imagine the worst case. Mentally live through it, then work backward to the most likely case. Once you've envisioned the worst case, the probable reality usually seems much less threatening.<br />
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(44) If you are prone to panic, a great calming trick is to force yourself to walk very slowly. Most find that this almost instantly reduces stress and soothes the mind.<br />
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(45) Emotions are animal instinct—primarily intended to protect us, in the short term. Your initial reaction to a situation has only a 50/50 chance of being the best one.<br />
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(46) Your reaction to an event colors that event for you, as well as for those you encounter. In nature, there is no absolute good or bad, but the reactions of humans around us help define an event as either positive or negative. This is why sitcoms have laugh tracks.<br />
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(47) Life is gray. There is no single, best answer. Your version of "best" is formed by your unique combination of assumptions, experiences, priorities and agendas. You need to believe this to accept the wisdom of others.<br />
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(48) Listen in order to learn. If you are cutting other people off when they speak, then you are not truly listening; you are just mining for counterpoints rather than entertaining the alternate point of view.<br />
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(49) To strengthen your patience, it's a useful exercise to imagine a person higher up on the philosophical scale than yourself, like Gandhi or the Dalai Lama. Then imagine them having to deal with you. This may help you maintain perspective when dealing with people who not yet learned the lessons that you have.<br />
(50) Find your tribe. You will be most comfortable if you can find the societal group into which you best fit. Your "tribe" will be people who share your perspective on life—possibly family, friends, co-workers or people with similar interests. Time spent amongst such people is affirming and energizing. (One quick and easy way to explore different social groups is through meetup.com)<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia";">____________________________</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Liked what you read?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Here's more from William M. Dean...</b></span></span><br />
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