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comicfan

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  1. comicfan

    End of a silent time

    By comicfan,

    Well my time alone is drawing to a close. Tomorrow my father returns from his vacation. While I had a small portion of it off I am torn about his return. He is home but I get a break from the dog.
     
    I have been busy turning out stories in the mean time. Charlie is getting ever closer to the end. I keep finding time to knock out short stories. Influenced by those authors I love both here on the site and those whose books I buy, I've written a number of things lately. I've gone in for vampires, werewolves, angels, simple family life, and a dozen other ends. Still find myself drawn to the fairy tales I loved as a child and keep turning them upside down.
     
    I am happy to see my love for Greek/Roman Mythology was well received in this year's Anthology piece for Legends. I still say if you haven't had a chance to read them yet, go do so. They really are worth the read.
     
    I've been on Weight Watchers now for 13 weeks. Twice I have screwed up and put on 4 pounds that I had lost but I am not discouraged. It is not like I am running a race. This is my life and there will be times when, hey, I want this or that or something has gone terribly wrong and my eating habits get hit. Even with the four pounds regained (both times 2 pounds and they have been lost again) I have loset a total of 20.4 pounds. I go in to be weighted tomorrow morning before I go to pick up my father from the airport.
     
    In the meantime I am just having a hell of time trying to figure out what I want to pick up for a friend's birthday. I want to spoil him a bit so trying to find one really nice thing for him. Other than that everything seems to be going well.
     
    Hope everyone has a good week.
     
    Wayne
  2. comicfan
    Okay, there are some people I know who read my stuff. I always say the best way to tell if you like an author's longer stuff is to check out their shorter stuff. There are so many wonderful things in the Fall Anthology. Nephy, Cia, Lugh, Frosty, Jian and so many others have put forth such totally different ideas when it comes to the word Legends. If you haven't read them, try them all. You never know when you might find a new author you want to read or stalk. And remember if you enjoy the work leave the author a comment. It can do more to encourage them to write than just saying to yourself that was nice and going on to the next one. If you enjoy it tell them that. Remember all of us are doing this for our own enjoyment but it is always nice to know someone is reading it and enjoys it.
     
    Thanks,
    Wayne
  3. comicfan

    Me time and work time

    By comicfan,

    I am not sure how to explain this without sounding like an idiot but here goes. Last year I moved home at my father's request so he wouldn't be alone. My mother had passed on the year before and to say me and my father get along, well it happens about as well as gasoline and a match. However, I being the person I am moved home. His health had taken a down swing and I didn't want him to have to deal with things alone.
     
    When I moved home I wasn't even in the door 24 hours when he went on vacation to see my brother. I had hoped I would have help moving back in and getting set up but I only had the day after I unloaded the truck off. I came home after getting the final load of my stuff into the car, returned to what was my parent's home and the next morning took him to the airport before reporting to my new job. He was gone for five days, returning with my brother, sister-in-law, and a puppy. I hadn't even unpacked yet so tossed things into rooms and tried to make space for them. When I moved in part of the problem was my old bedroom had been filled with stuff from my parents. I was still cleaning that out so I could move in. Forward to a year and half later. I haven't had a single vacation yet since I moved home. Whatever weekends or time that I have off I am asked to sit with him, take him out occasionally, or not to make so much noise. Instead of sleeping in my bed in my room I am still moving stuff out and donating it to the different charites. while I attempt to take back what was my room. In the time i have moved home i am still living out of boxes and things that are partially moved in.
     
    So my father left today to go see my brother. This time he is gone for 9 days. Today is shot but I have five days of the remaining eight he is away off. Care to guess what i am going to do while i have the place to myself and peace and quiet? lol. Tomorrow I open at work. I will be trying my hardest to keep up with the projects i have going but if for the next week or so things sort of dribble out you know why. I am determined to move in and stop the crap. No one to ask me to stop opening up and unpacking. No questions as to why I am donating that, or saving that, or even why I own that. I can clean out the stuff in the room, go through the stuff I brought with me and probably donate large parts of that as well. Life keeps moving on and well, I am out to clean out what no one wants here. Why save it till something happens and then be in a mad dash to get rid of it? Instead I want to make it possible to live my life. If by chance the opportunity for love comes around, though not likely one still holds out hope, I don't want to be tied down to a lot of things. Instead i want to be free to move on and go where life might take me.
     
    Enjoy your week all. I know I will.
  4. comicfan
    Okay last night was inventory. That means hours of counting, crawling around on your hands and knees, and twisting to get into corners no one wants to be in. You hand count dozens of boxes of candy, cds and dvds by the score, and other things you normally don't care about either. The job figured they would be done with the counts at the latest by 2 am. Of course they didn't figure on the idiots they picked out to work with us. It also didn't help that this old man pulled something in his back.
     
    To say it was a late night would be an understatement. I finally walked into my door at a few minutes to four this morning. By the time I let my body unwind and could even begin to think about sleep it was near five am. I figured I was safe. I didn't have work till 2pm today so I had no plans to be out of bed before noon at the earliest. I forget I don't live alone and that my father takes the schedule that is written as something cast in stone. I should only be so lucky. So anyway, he has hired someone to cut the lawn. I parked my car on the edge of the lawn last night on the street. Guess who he woke up at 9:45 to go move the car. I haven't been able to get back to sleep since but my back sure is letting me know it hurts.
     
    I know last night I blew Weight Watchers for the week. There were bowls of candy everywhere. When the whole group broke for dinner I had brought mine but couldn't get right to the break room where I left my lunch. Not that it mattered right away. They bought food for those of us doing inventory. Four pizzas (gone before I got down there), Four eight foot heroes - 2 American (there were three slices left by the time I got there) and 2 Italian (there were ten slices left when I got there), bags of doritos and potato chips, macaroni salad, cole slaw, and potato salad. I took one slice of the American and one Italian, tossed out the bread and ate the meat. Had a small amount of Doritos and fork full of the cole slaw. Of course having your break an hour into the night made sure everyone was hungry and looking for something by the time 1 am rolled around.
     
    Anyway my back has let me know I am not made to crawl around on my knees or spend so much time twisting to get under things to scan them. The things I did in my twenties and thirties with no problem are beginning to cause me pain in my forties. The joys of aging. Well not going to get any more sleep so going to go work on my story for an hour and see if I can complete another chapter. Here is hoping you all have a good day.
  5. comicfan

    September 11, 2011

    By comicfan,

    You can't escape the date or what memories it brings up. I was teaching when the towers fell. The principal stopped by my room and called me for a moment out into the hallway for quick comment. Her comment, "There is something happening in New York City. They think we might have been attacked. Remain calm and don't let the student's know." The joys of working in a private school. Your mind is now subdivided between an attack in the city and your students in front of you. By the time the second tower fell I had my break and slipped down to the principal's office where a group of us crowded around her television watching the recaps of the towers falling, the plane in Pennsylvania crashing, and the last one to be heard by me was about the pentagon. America was no longer safe from the craziness that existed "over there."
     
    I had a friend who was hurt that day, another who lost her brother, and my cousin's wife had just graduated from the police academy and that was her first assignment. It marks and changes how you look and react to things when it comes to affect you.
     
    So for this ten year anniversary I sat and watched some of the dedication ceremony from New York City. I couldn't bring myself to watch it all. Now I am trying to grab a nap. Tonight, I get to work inventory in my store till sometime in the early hours of tomorrow morning.
     
    While this disaster is remembered ten years later the country is dealing with others now. Natural disasters are leaving people hurt, homeless, and wondering what the world will deliver to their doorstep tomorrow.
     
    My prayers go out to all of them. Whether they lost someone in 9/11, from fires in Texas, or floods left by Tropical Storm Lee know there are people who remember, pray, and still offer help.
  6. comicfan

    Life's ups and downs

    By comicfan,

    Granted that life has its ups and downs but lately everything seems to be such extremes.
     
    I don't know how many have been following the fires down in Texas. It has gotten bad and a few of the people here on GA said it got close, but for one it got more than close. Rustle lost his home. The fire swept through and wiped it out. Luckily he was given notice and managed to escape with his dogs, a few items, and his partner. However their home is now gone. When tragedy strikes you feel bad but when it happens to one of your own you just want to do something.
     
    I am looking for something to pin good thoughts on. While I can't do something for Rustle at the moment I could do something to bring a smile to another GA member's face. Mark got the package I had created for him. He thanked me and told me how much the small things inside meant to him. I am just grateful to be able to reach out, even half way across the world, and bring a momentary smile to someone's face.
     
    Life isn't fair. I know this. There is far too much pain and trouble. However, if we all take the time to do just something small to make someone else feel better, make their day a bit brighter, help in some small way, I think that is the miracle anyone can create.
     
    While I wish I could make the problems of my friends, family, and even those I just barely interact with perfect, I'll take the moments when i can simply bring a little smile to their faces. If you spot Rustle let him know he isn't alone and that people are worried about him and his family. Sometimes that small act of kindness can keep people going when things seem so dark.
     
    Wishing everyone good thoughts and brighter tomorrow.
     
    Wayne
  7. comicfan

    Nightly Ramblings.

    By comicfan,

    So been on a bit of a writing jag lately. I crafted this really wild story that Frosty is still editing for me.I guess if this doesn't get me excommunicated from the church nothing will. LOL
     
    Then today I finally tackled one of the prompts I put up for people. If I can get all my handwritten notes typed up I will put that story up tonight. I'll forewarn everyone I am playing games with Fairy Tales again. I like twisting them to fit my own needs.
     
    I pulled out the recipe for the zucchini bread and then went online looking for a good peach cobbler recipe. I couldn't find one I liked so might just blend the best two and come up with my own. Wouldn't be the first time I did that. There is a reason why I keep my character, Charlie, as a baker. In some respects he is me. Then again so is Scott. lol. I think all writers imbue their characters with traits from either themselves of the people around them.
     
    Anyway today was a decent day. The sun finally broke out and at least there aren't puddle every where. Hopefully things will continue to dry out.
     
    My prayers continue to go out to those who are dealing with the flooding and the fires. I wish there was more I could do but prayers will have to suffice.
     
    I also offer up a few hopes and prayers to friends who are ill and need them. You know who you are. I won't put you on the spot. Just know my prayers are there and if there was a way to make you all magically better tomorrow I would do it.
     
    Have a good evening all.
     
    Wayne
  8. comicfan

    A hodge podge of stuff

    By comicfan,

    Lately my blogs have been spotty. Sorry about that. I have been all over the place trying to get things done. Seems I have problems popping up.
     
    1) If you have been reading the blogs you know I finally got stuff out in the mail to Frosty and Mark. Well, it seems I screwed up with Frosty's stuff and missed a zero in her zipcode. However, the rest of it is correct and even with the one error it does state it is to go to India. Somehow the package is now in Louisiana on its way to Florida following some sort of forwarding address. How Louisiana and India are alike is beyond me. I figured if anything went wrong it would be sent back to the original sender. Time will tell.
     
    2) We have been getting the downpours from Tropical Storm Lee. While parts of the United States are begging for rain and cooler temperatures, the North East is getting flooded, badly. Poor New Jersey and Connecticut are back to flood watches and the worst of it isn't suppose to happen till Friday.
     
    3) Keeping up with friends is getting scary. I have been worried and saying prayers for those in Texas. It seems the fires are just continuing to spread and I worry for people like Rustle who isn't sure what is going on with his home. I'm grateful he is safe and continue to keep him in my prayers. There are others who are facing health problems that I know from here as well who are also in my prayers. Life isn't always fair but occasionally you find friends who make it worth the hard trip.
     
    4) Well, this doesn't seem so important but having time today I took my father and even thought it was raining, went to the Davis Peach Farm. Picked up peaches - both white and yellow, some apples, and some zucchini. Guess who is going to be baking like crazy later. lol.
     
    5) Been a bit behind on my story but was working like a fiend. Chapter 23 is now up on Accident's Happen. I'm hoping my readers don't want to kill me after they read it. Also working on a new tale that I hope to have done before the night is over and then back to Chapter 24.
     
    6) I am less than a week away from my father going on vacation. Can I tell you how much I am looking forward to having time to myself? A chance to play catch up on my life without someone having a running commentary on it. Heaven.
     
    So I end this with prayers for those having problems. I wish everyone the best and please stay safe.
  9. comicfan

    Simply playing catch up

    By comicfan,

    Today has been a long day. I woke up with a headache and it just hasn't left me alone at all. I left work early and came home and slept for hours. Then made dinner. Guess what, the sucker is still with me. I hate summer colds. They are the worst.
     
    In the meantime I sat down and wrote out all my September and October cards. So all my friends with Birthdays, Anniversaries, and all my Halloween cards are done now. I also was a bit busy yesterday as I finally managed to tape up the packages I had for Frosty and Mark. Those got out in the mail yesterday as well as postcards for the two of them.
     
    Tonight I am going to make Banana Bread. I have to. The bananas are really really ripe and if I don't do something with them soon they will end up in the trash. Besides my banana bread is so good, if I do say so myself.
     
    I knocked out some writing since I've been up. Nearly finished the new chapter in Accident's Happen now. I also put up a new short story in my Inspired By collection. I am considering trying to do a Nephy and write two stories at the same time after Accident's Happen. I will get going on expanding the Anthology piece from the Summer one and possibly write the full story for The Key if there is any interest.
     
    Sorry, the blog might be longer if my head wasn't pounding so. Hope everyone has a good night. Enjoy.
  10. comicfan
    Hurricane Irene did what few storms do to the East Coast. She came along and caused havoc. It wasn't that she was too strong a storm, or too rainy, or too windy. She decided, like many powerful women before, that she would blaze her own trail and forget the path that was laid out for her.
     
    Irene was suppose to come up the coast and either make a glancing blow off of Florida or the Carolinas before smacking the end of Long Island on her way up to Boston. Well being a real child of Mother Nature, Irene decided to just go for broke and slammed herself into the Carolinas and then make her own way north. She came through Nassau and Brooklyn, letting her winds and rain play a little havoc across the rest of Long Island while she decided to mosey on up the Hudson River Valley instead of the course every computer and weather man had predicted. Irene just was determined to have her own way and wasn't going to listen to anyone.
     
    You might say Irene really knew how to blow. She managed to knock out over 440,000 privates homes without power before 9am this morning. Two blocks south of me had been evacuated, and by three blocks south most were without power. My own power, internet, and cable were rolling on and off as it came in and out. Felt like it was the tide. Here one moment and gone the next. Walking around in my yard I knew how lucky i had been. There were just a few branches down and no trees fell to take out my house or car. So Irene might be causing major headaches for others but not so for me. Granted she knocked out power just as I was about to take a morning shower but I had one just before bed so that was a minor problem. There wasn't much I could say was wrong at the moment. Then came that thing called work.
     
    I've complained before about work. What can I tell you? I use to love going in when I worked up in Connecticut. However since I transferred down to the island it has been nothing but a pain in the tush. They seem to have no little concern for the people who work there for them. I mean when you for a major company you expect them to at least consider what is best for those they have working there.
     
    If you turned on the television to ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, or even the local channel on 12 you were told to please stay off the streets. There are trees, limbs, and other liter all over the place. They want only emergency vehicles on the road if at all possible. We were told to watch the local store twitter account for updates as to when to be at work. The first told the early morning crew to be in for eight. That was then changed to 9, then 10, and finally all crew were to be in at 11am. Considering I was suppose to start work at noon I left at 11am to make sure I had enough time to get there.
     
    You know you are going to have one of those days when a sheriff's car pulls you over. No, not for speeding or not following the road rules, but to ask why on earth you are on the road at all. So I had to explain that I was on my way to work. One look at my outfit and he knew I wasn't a doctor, nurse, or anyone in the police force. So needless to say I wasn't what was expected on the roads. Thank god he just shook his head and let me go on to work.
     
    I got there at 11:45 am. We were suppose to open at noon. We had a customer right away. Yes you risk everything to run out in a storm to buy ..... a computer bag. Yeah, it makes no sense to me either. Then the power went out and we closed down for an hour. People kept calling to see if we were open. But the comments and things that happen during a storm drive me nuts. People wanting to know why they can't make a return on a item they bought four months ago. You explain that there is only a thirty day return period and you hear but there is a storm so you should just take anything back. What? How does that make any sort of sense at all? People are just really strange, and the wildest ones come out when the smart ones stay home.
     
    Grand total I think I might have done twenty returns in the nearly six hours we were actually open. in plain English the company spent more in payroll, power, and water to open up then they would have just paying the employees for the day and keeping the store closed. One of those penny wise, dollar foolish moments.
     
    I came home after a trying seven hours to make a quick meal for myself. My internet is still spotty. Not sure how long till all the wires will be fixed. So that is about all I have to say. Irene made a mess and my job took advantage of me. Wish I could say I had someone around to make it all better but still single. LOL. Anyway, I have work early in the morning so going to conclude this blog and head off to bed.
     
    For all the other survivors of Irene, I hope your problems were small and you too have not a hell of a lot to complain about. If you had more I hope you and your family have survived in tack and whatever loss you suffer is something that can be replaced or repaired. My best wishes and prayers go out to you all.
  11. comicfan

    Signs of Autumn

    By comicfan,

    It isn't even nine am as I write this blog. Yeah I usually write mine in the evening but I go to work shortly. I am sitting here with the room feeling cool and looking out the window into the yard.
     
    Across the street the neighbor has hung up yard signs that say back to school, have fall leaves on them, and pumpkins. My father is digging out his fall collection of flags for the yard as well. The mums my next door neighbor planted last year are already growing up to a large size and will be blossoming soon. To me these are the first signs of fall.
     
    I love the cooler temps. The chance to just go out and walk in a light jacket or sweater. To be able to enjoy the day without wanting to pass out from the heat. I think that might be one of the reasons I enjoyed school as much as I did. It meant I was done dodging the summer heat. i am more likely to be found sitting under a tree in the fall reading in the fall then out in the sun during the summer the summer. Just who I am.
     
    I am so grateful that we are beginning to head into one of my two favorite seasons. It gives me a reason to smile and look forward again. Enjoy all.
  12. comicfan

    The Power of Words

    By comicfan,

    The electronic age can be both a blessing and a curse. Most communication between individuals use to be done face to face, or at the very least by phone. Today people still keep in touch but now it is by text and chat. These can be great or absolutely horrendous.
     
    Take those sacred three little words - I LOVE YOU. They can be said with passion, with sarcasm, and have multiple meanings depending on how said and the body language. However, reading just the words alone and you are left to wonder if they were joking or take it exactly as it appears.
     
    Sometimes I can be a sarcastic bastard. I know it. I can be snarky if you catch me in the morning before my coffee. I admit it freely. But rarely do I do that in chat or text. It is so easy for it to be misinterpreted. I hate being misunderstood.
     
    I was once a teacher and I explained to my class that words have power, and when you speak you have to be careful. They told me words don't carry weight. I grabbed two of my A students and told them exactly what I was planning so they would go along with it. Then the following day presented the class with a little example of how words can either lift you up or destroy you. I was giving back tests that they had taken. Both of my students actually got 98's on the test but the class didn't know that.
     
    To the first student I gave the test face down and he looked at it and up at me. I turned to him and let him have it in front of the class. "I see you were slacking off this week. Only a 98. You know if you actually put some effort into your work you might actually get a hundred. I thought you were a smart student."
     
    The class sat in stunned silence as I continued to pass out the tests. When I got to my second willing student I handed them the test back and she looked at it and asked if she could retake it.
     
    "Oh, I wouldn't worry. I know that isn't your normal testing grade. Next time try come to me for some extra tutoring or extra credit. I'm sure we can get your grade up."
     
    The class sat looking at her. They all thought she failed but they watched as I "encouraged" her while I had torn down the "98" student.
     
    When I finished I walked to my desk. You could have heard a pin drop. I walked to the board and wrote WORDS across the board. Then I asked how many felt sorry for my 98 student and how many for my failing one.
     
    They all raised when I said the 98 student. "Why are you sorry for him? He passed the test didn't he?" The class was afraid to say a word. Then I let them all in on it. There isn't a student in that room who bullied or said a bad word to another for the rest of that year.
     
    Which brings me to tonight. I have someone i chat with fairly regularly on messenger. We were talking and for a change I went sarcastic on him. I didn't mean it but without being able to "hear" it and know I was joking he took it serious and left abruptly. I felt like crap but that is one of the things about an electronic chat, you don't have anything but the typed word before you.
     
    Here at GA I am more the Fool than I am anywhere else. I come here to unwind, have some fun, and talk to interesting people. I try never to insult anyone or be cruel. That is just who I am but I am hyper aware when here. I just want people to stop a moment when they read something. If it seems out of character for the person speaking remember to see if it can be said in a joking way, a sarcastic way, or even a loving way. It is just too easy to misinterpret the written word in a chat. A chat or text doesn't say Robert said in a joking way,"Bite me and die." All the reader gets is "Bite me and die." Is it meant as a common saying between friends, an insult, or what? Sorry to rant like this, but I just hate it when the power put behind the words isn't what was meant.
  13. comicfan

    Postcards

    By comicfan,

    Okay, I admit it. I collect postcards. No I don't mean I go out and buy them and put them in books. No, I don't go out and buy old postcards that others have written. What I do collect is postcards from friends. When people go away they often want to bring home some part of their experience to share with the people they left behind. Seems everyone takes pictures, buys shirts, or some other little thing that eventually gets lost among your belongings. However, when friends go away I ask for one thing - a postcard.
     
    For me postcards do a few things. One, it means the person actually thought enough of me to bring my address with them, find a card they liked, and a stamp, and mailed it to me. Two, it shows me where they went. Three, it allows me to share that event with them.
     
    Now postcards also give me a list of where people have been. Sometimes it is just interesting to dig out my collection and look and see where people have gone, done, and visited. Sometimes when I have money and time on my hands I take them out and flip through them, deciding where I too would like to vacation. Ever wonder what is in Maine? Where a great place to eat is in Florida? How about finding a really great book store in Connecticut? A museum of art work that can blow your mind in California? I have friends in Germany who have sent me postcards from Geneva when they went on vacation.
     
    Today I got a very special postcard. It is from Paris from a friend on GA, Bleu. The picture on the postcard is spectacular but again what makes this even more special for me is that he took the time to pick it out, write on it, and send it to me.
     
    I wonder how many other people collect something that means so much because it comes from others? Anyone care to share?
  14. comicfan
    Okay not many of us can write in a bubble. Most of us need someone to bounce ideas off of, check our stories over, and keep things going. If you are smart you create a little team of people you can rely on.
     
    However even the best laid plans occasionally go haywire. Take my own writing for example. My main story has been trudging along. Sometimes faster, sometimes slower but always going forward. One of the main reasons for that are my beta and editor. My major problem is my beta is on vacation. I'm trying to struggle on without him but you never realize how you can depend on someone till they aren't there. I hope he has been having fun on his vacation but I want him back.
     
    Okay, so as not to swamp my guys I do try to keep a few options open. However, like most people if something isn't broke why fix it? For majority of my short stories I use a very good editor however she has been moving. Makes getting my short works out hard too. . I love my friends because I can depend on them for so much. They help my writing be the best it can be, from picking up mistakes in grammar and punctuation, to noting where I have left a time line I have created. Makes it all sort of worth it to have them around and helping me. If things seem to be coming out slower, well they are. I'd rather wait to have them check it out then force it out and people go, um Wayne, you know this isn't what you normally do, this, this and this was wrong. Sorry, won't be doing that. So hang in there and like me, wait it out. Enjoy for now. Here is hoping Irene decides to leave the East Coast alone. I have writing to do.
  15. comicfan
    I admit that I am still one of the old ones who loves the feel of pen and paper. I will sit down to write postcards, letters, and cards to friends. I am insomniac and it helps me stay in touch with people. Today however was different. I literally sat down and wrote out 18 postcards, three cards, and two letters. I sat and wrote these things out. I've had people ask my why I don't just email them to the people involved. To be honest, because I personally enjoy getting mail. I might get lazy and not check my email but I always check the mailbox.
     
    There is something about getting mail that isn't a bill. I enjoy so much finding a letter from a friend telling me what is happening in their life. The postcard of someone traveling who takes that moment to fill me in. The joy of getting a birthday card, Christmas card, or any other card is one I can't always explain to people. I send cards for any occasion. You are pregnant, expect a card. I find out you are sick, here is your get well card. You and your partner have an anniversary, I'm so happy for you and yes here is the card. Christmas, Easter, Halloween, St. Patrick's Day, and even the 4th of July are just excuses to sit down and play catch up with the people I care about. Some live too far to just hop in the car and visit. So for me mail is still an important option. Sending along best wishes, photos, and putting stickers on the envelope are all part of what I do.
     
    Then today I have to admit to indulging in my other favorite pursuit. I found some new recipes of my mother's in a back drawer while cleaning today. I made copies into my recipe box so that I don't lose them. This year at Christmas when I send out the holiday cards I will be asking my family for their favorite recipes. I figure I will gather them all up, type it up, put it into a book, go down to Staples, have copies made, and send a copy of the book to everyone who contributes. I know i have forever lost some of the recipes my mother made because well she never wrote them down. I am hoping this encourages family members to go get these favorites before they are forever lost to them. Then we can all share them. So that has been my day today. Not too bad. Now to get back to my chapter.
  16. comicfan
    Well I couldn't sleep last night if my life depended on it. Been so long since I have had any sort of natural disaster to deal with I just wasn't sure what I should be doing. No, that isn't right, I wasn't sure what my father would allow us to do.
     
    So the yard flags are in, the yard sculptures are in, and everything is pretty much ready. Then again that was all done yesterday. If you have been reading my blogs (God help you if you have) then you know I was suppose to go the Scottish Fair today. Well we did. While most of Long Island and NYC are in panic mode the fair was coming off Hurricane Irene or not.My brother's friend and his son arrived at five after eight this morning and off we went. I took a few pictures to put up as well. I normally enjoy the Fair a hell of a lot. You watch the games, eat the food, and spend hours going booth to booth looking at the things that are there for sale. However, due to the rain and Irene coming more than half the vendors didn't show up. The games never really got going because not all the clans showed up. It wasn't as much fun as it usually is and then everyone kept stopping to talk about the expected hurricane. By ten am the rain had started. And we arrived home just before one this afternoon. I am wet and tired. My usual high from going isn't there this time.
     
    Then there is the fact my father and I were suppose to go out to eat after the fair. Well since the hurricane is coming and I didn't drive that isn't happening. In fact, we came home and I ended up going to use up some of the stuff I had been saving for the hurricane. Just don't like how the day has gone at all.
     
    The hurricane is still heading up here. I understand it has been downgraded to a level one but it is still a massive storm covering a huge area. Everything two blocks south of me is now being evacuated. Going to tough it out.Hope all is well everyone
     
    Final thought for now. Just stay safe and hope everyone makes it out alright.
  17. comicfan
    I grow older all the time. With age is suppose to come wisdom, but I guess sometimes I can't get out of my own way. In some respects i will all always be the child looking for acceptance from my parent.
     
    I have lived my own life for a long a time. I've had relationships, apartments, and moved to another state mainly to get away from my father. My life was thrown into a tailspin when my mother died. It was painful to return home to deal with all the things that happen when you lose a parent. I also found out where I stand with my sibling. After the funeral I promised myself that I would do as my brother wanted, never return home again.
     
    Of course I am also human. My brother lives with his wife midway across the country. I was a three hour drive from my parent's home. Eventually you get the calls you don't want to hear. "Since you mother died I am not in the best of health," and "I wish I had someone here to help me." Guilt plays havoc with you no matter if you are 18 or 88. While my father and I are like gasoline and fire, I gave up my freedom, my apartment, and the close friendships I had fostered and returned home. In a little over a year now I have been doing my best to still find approval.
     
    Knowing my father has a huge interest in our heritage, i took him to the Westbury Gardens for the Scottish Festival last year. While we enjoyed it, he cut it short because he couldn't walk like he use to and got tired a little over an hour after arriving. So you get the idea, to get to Westbury from my home is just over an hour drive. He asked if we could do this again because he enjoyed the Father/Son time. I agreed to make sure I would have the time off this year to go again.
     
    Fast forward to now. I have arranged to have the day off on Saturday to take him again. For the last month it is the one thing I have been looking forward to. Guess what, the quiet day of going out to the Festival, me finding the damn restaurant he has been wanting to go to, and making sure everything is ready just went out the window. Now it is no longer a Father/Son day. Without telling me he has invited my brother's friend, his son, and now they are bringing a guest. Now if he gets tired i can't simply get him to the car and go home because we aren't going alone. In fact I was informed I wouldn't even be driving. We would be guests on the only outing we would really be doing this year together. We will not be going to the restaurant he wanted to go to, and the surprise reservations I have made now have to be cancelled. Add to this mess the fact that, oh yeah, Saturday evening we are suppose to have Hurricane Irene arrive. I guess I am just stupid. I need to learn that no matter what I want, I don't matter. So why do I keep doing this to myself? I sure as hell don't know.
  18. comicfan
    I feel sorry for those of you who read these blogs, because you never have any idea where they are going to go. Truth be told, I never know what I am going to write about till half way into them.
     
    I got to talking to Mark the other night and mentioned that my father has a corgi who seems to be under the impression she owns me. All my life I have been around dogs. From the time I was a little kid there were poodles, beagles, dobermans, boxers, miniature pinschers, and now a welch corgi. That seems to be some list. I've been with big dogs and small dogs. They have all been family pets and your biggest fear, especially with the doberman and the boxer, was drowning because these dogs all think they are lap dogs and want to lick the heck out of you
     
    This year I lost my min pin, Fawn. She had been my bed companion, faithful listener, and friendly face when I came home. With her passing I figured I was done with animals but that was not exactly to be. Having moved in with my father because of his health I came into constant contact with his dog, JJ. The little beast has decided I belong to her. I walk in and there she is. She has this obsession with my feet and tries to lick my toes every chance she gets. Just not something you get use to. Oh well.
     
    Deciding I needed to get out for awhile I headed out to the local farm stand. I had been in chat today talking to Mikie and he mentioned he was in the mood for some Zucchini. Well that got me thinking. I picked up a bunch of fresh fruits and vegetables, and one of the ones I made sure to get was Zucchini. Now the next day where I know I will have a little time I plan to turn that squash into Zucchini Bread. I am so grateful that I have my mother's recipe to do that. Just one of those things that once someone mentions it you sort of want it yourself. Besides nothing is as good as fresh fruits, vegetables, or herbs you grow or get fresh. The taste is so much better.
     
    I had been worried about getting my anthology piece done but that is finally complete now. I had been concerned a bit that people weren't enjoying my suggestions for the prompts but then Cia did one that blew me away and Dolores did another prompt. If people aren't reading these short pieces coming out of the prompts you are really missing some wonderful story ideas. Any way, I am off to finish one and then go on to finish chapter 23. Been working on it but wasn't too happy so ripped it apart and starting over. All I can say is sometimes it is great to have something happen behind closed doors. Then you can refer to it and never have to fully show it.
  19. comicfan
    I've been personally having an off time in my life. Just one where you feel like, well somehow you are just not making a difference in your day to day life and don't know how to change that.
     
    Then you get that note or call from a friend that reminds you that you are able to touch people and make things a little brighter for them. Or more importantly they can come into your life and put a smile on your face.
     
    That is what happened to me today. Was just a horrible day all around and I wanted to sort of hide. Then I got home and found I had mail. I had a post card from a friend I had from college. That simple hello put a smile on my face. Then I got a package that wasn't really for me but something a friend asked if I would be kind enough to mail on to them because the items they wanted couldn't be sent outside of the US. Then I came on here to find KC kidding around with me and Rustle saying hi and that brought a big smile to my face. It is nice to know people can kid with me and like me
     
    Then I got a big kick out of talking to Mark. We usually just im each other but today we actually talked. I can say that he is a nice to talk to as he to instant message with. Just one of those people who helped turn my day around. All I can say is everyone needs friends and family who will help alter the bad days and make them into good one.
     
    Thank goodness for them all. They remind me how blessed I really I am.
  20. comicfan
    I had the oldies station on and that old song come on. I didn't know whether to laugh, sing along, or cry. Just been that sort of day today.
     
    I guess overall I can't complain. I am meeting my bills, have a job, and have time to do what I enjoy but I miss not being able to share that with someone daily. I guess that is why I strive to have close friends. As long as you know you aren't totally alone things aren't too bad.
     
    Anyway I also got to thinking about what it might be like to be a ghost. With all the stuff going around what would it be like to literally have no body? Hmm. My mind works in strange ways but don't be surprised if you find a story along those lines sooner or later. In the meantime trying hard to get through my next piece for the Anthology. Have a good one all.
  21. comicfan

    Pictures of a World

    By comicfan,

    I think we all have things that mean something to us. Places that have importance or ideas that play a part in our lives. I was chatting with someone and talking about my home here on Long Island and mentioned I was a only a five minute drive from the beach. It seemed to surprise them that I lived so close and that there was a beach. Okay, I'm about to be a little sarcastic but I can't help it. I live on an ISLAND so there is a BEACH around the island.
     
    However, I also know like so many people when you mention a country or a state for some people there is only one image and that is it. I live in the state of NY so for most people the immediate image is the New York City skyline and Manhattan primarily. However NY is also one of the largest states in the United States so there is a lot of other parts to it. I know when people mention other countries I do the same. I hear Britain and think London, France is Paris, and so on. I can't help it any more than others but that is just the first moment. I know there are dozens of cities, counties, villages all over the world and no one could be expected to know them all.
     
    Today however I decided I would start to take some pictures of things that have meaning. I will be posting the pictures shortly. The first is of a restaurant called Flo's which sits in Blue Point, NY. I know, first thought is, damn Wayne is off his diet again. The truth is this restaurant has been in business for 85 years now. It is only open from late spring to early fall. It has been a place my family has been going to eat now for 4 generations. My Grandfather use to take my father as a child. My father in turn took me and my brother. While neither of us have children, my Father has introduced it to my cousins who now bring their children. So it has a sense of local history and it is tied to my family and our past as well.
     
    The other sets of pictures are two from Patchogue, NY of the Great South Bay. This is the bay that sits between Long Island and Fire Island. It is beautiful in its own way and I want to take pictures from a few different view points. The next will be from closer to my own home area. So, seeing this is anyone else in the mood to show the beauty and history of things that are important to either your family or your local area?
  22. comicfan
    Well, this week I was bad. Really bad, at least when it came to staying on Weight Watchers. My father has been talking none stop about this new sandwich from Arby's that he wished he could try. I ended up being off from work so figured, what the hell, I drove the hour and ten minutes to the nearest Arby's to get him his sandwich. Now I bought him his, got a different one for me, and then figuring if I was in for a pinch might as well go in for the pound. Next door was a White Castle. I bought a bag of ten cheeseburgers from there and then hit the mall. Finally I went home. Figuring out the points for all of it I nearly cried. My sandwich from Arby's was 12, the shake I indulged in 22. the three cheeseburgers I ate were 15 points. In one trip 49 points. Realize I get 59 for a day. I knew I was going to diet hell and figured I would pay mercilessly for it when I hit the scale this week. Thankfully one day of being bad doesn't kill the hard work of the rest of the week. I ended up losing 2 pounds bringing my eight week total to 17 pounds off so far. I won't complain and humbly thank the diet gods.
     
    I have been blessed this week to get postcards from people as well. I love getting them. It is always so nice to open the mail and find something for you that isn't a damn bill. I took the opportunity to sit and write out two postcards in return. I always feel if someone is going to do you a favor, take the time and try to return it.
     
    I am still behind a bit on the chapter for Accident's Happen. My editor is home but my beta is still on vacation. I have about a paragraph or so to go and they get Chapter 22. For those waiting I do apologize.
     
    Finally, I was bad again. I stopped at the book store while I was out getting the junk food. Yes I bought the latest in the Mortal Instruments series. I know I am bad and my personal library is growing but hey, I don't drink, smoke, or anything else. I feel I am entitled to some sort of pleasure. Enjoy all.
  23. comicfan
    I have an addiction. It is one I feed as slowly as possible. I collect books, and I guess it is going to happen because I am an English major.
    I will admit I am not a snob. I don't have countless collections of Shakespeare, or the complete collection of the Bronte sister's works. I have some of them and some of all the authors I read while taking my courses. Now some of those have become favorites but that isn't the bulk of my private library.
    Fantasy novels are my down fall. Yes, I will admit it. I have a problem. I have the complete collection of the Brothers Grim, the works of Hans Christian Andersen, retellings of fairy tales, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, every book by Terry Brooks, The Mortal Instruments Series, The Harry Potter Series, and countless others. I find young adult fiction sometimes to be better written than some of the adult fiction. i have a group where we suggest to each other authors to read, series worth trying, and sites worth looking over. I hate to admit to buying a book because my library is filled with my favorite children and eventually I have to turn someone loose because, well, there just isn't enough room for them all.
    As if my book collection isn't enough I have a subdivision in this addiction. I collect comics as well. That one though is proving to slow down and may soon end. After reading and collecting comics since 1988, I might finally have had enough. The company I choose to follow is destroying the characters I love to the point I am losing interest. That is saying something after twenty something years and countless writers and stories. But at least I might finally get my library down to a nearly reasonable size. Face it, dating might be a problem because if i find a boyfriend he won't only get me, he is stuck with my library as well. Oh well. And I refuse to mention my cook books at all.
  24. comicfan
    Okay so there was an opening at my store for my old position of Operations Senior. I had done that job for four years before I had to move down to Long Island. Naturally there were no openings for it when I came here so I went into customer service where I had maxed out on the pay.There is nothing like being told you do your job very well, in fact you get a perfect score, but you can't have a raise because you are paid more than that position now.
    Well yesterday the boss mentioned to me that he needed to do my interview that day. No advance notice, no time to get my papers together, no nothing. Then again he also never made time for it before I left work. So today I am going back to work and I'll have all the papers I should have had if he had made the appointment for the interview like he was suppose to. The thing is I am to the point with the job that I am not sure I really care anymore. I really want to go back to teaching but can't find a job in that field to save my soul. Yes ladies and gentlemen, retail isn't a fun job at all.
    I am just happy at the moment I am paying all my bills but I sure as hell am not getting ahead at all. Wish me luck. Work is at noon today.
  25. comicfan
    I've made no secret of the fact that I joined Weight Watchers. It has been six weeks now and after a gain last week it was back to a loss this week. I think I can accept it all.
    Weight has been an issue for me for years, going back to high school. Through the younger grades I was one of those lean little kids everyone liked to pick on. I was average height but thin and wiry. I never really learned to fight but I could run like the wind back then.
    High school came and personal disasters had changed me. The weight came on and like a good nerd I got glasses. Then began the yo-yo dieting of up and down with the pounds. Finally in 2002 I'd had enough and joined the program with my mother. Who knew you could lose 80lbs and feel great. Then I moved to Connecticut, watched the Weight Watcher's I was with move away, and soon enough the weight started to slowly go on. When my mother died and my father's health took a blow that required me to move back to Long Island I didn't put on weight, I exploded.
    So now here we are again. Back on track, back on a Weight Watchers, and back to watching what I eat. I don't skip meals any more or only eat one time a day. Funny how some people look at those who are overweight and say they just eat too much. Actually the reverse can be true. We don't eat enough and our bodies think we are trying to starve so no matter what we eat it stores as fat and you just get larger and larger. So now I eat three meals a day, snack on fruits, and try to exercise daily. Six weeks into the program I am sitting at 16 pounds of weight loss and drinking enough water to float a boat.
    The one thing about this program that I really like is that nothing is off limits. I hate being told I can't have something because then that is all I want. If I want a piece of pizza, fine have it. I want a slice of apple pie, go ahead and eat it. The thing is now I limit what I eat, the quantities each day, and enjoy a larger variety of food then ever before. Dieting is just Die with a t added for effect. What I am doing is a program that shows you how to live healthy not just lose weight. So each week I go in and when I've been good I see a drop, and when I haven't followed it I either stay the same or gain. Only one to blame is me. Wish me luck.
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