C J

I can't say anything about alcoholism, but I know that lots of people have struggled for lots of reasons. I'm not anybody special, but I do a lot of thinking, and I read almost constantly, about important things, and one of the things that sticks in my mind is that people struggle and fail all the time, over and over. The one's who keep struggling and failing are the ones who end up succeeding. They say it's because they never stop trying, that persistence guarantees eventual success. I believe that as much as I believe anything. So, there's what I have to say. Hope it helps.

Good news, but be careful, this subject could become political pretty easy.

OK, I'm reading "The Copywriter's Handbook" by Robert W. Bly. Bly is considered one of the best copywriters in the business. I'm going to read the book twice so I don't miss anything. Then I'm going to read something else related to copywriting. I love reading, but only books that offer useful information. Bet you never thought you'd see someone on GA who didn't read fiction did you. It's an amazing world everywhere you go.

WoW! Incomprehensible is a great word. It can describe many things.....including trolls.

It seems pretty clear to me that Mars is not a place we can ever inhabit. There are a lot of reasons, but Zombie said the most important one. We don't have the knowledge to make Mars like Earth. By the time we might figure it out, Earth will have rid itself of us because of our abuse. The only chance we have is to take care of the planet we were born on. It's the one and only place that offers us the chance to survive. I think it's very much worth the effort. All the other ideas about terraforming another planet are little more than fantasies we aren't likely to come anywhere close to realizing if we don't keep Earth healthy for a long time to come.

It's scary how much damage get's done to the oceans. They make up most of the planet, and they control the climate for the most part. I wonder how many people think about how important the oceans are, and I get a little scared when I read about what get's dumped there, damaging one of our most valuable natural resources. Sometimes I think there's no hope for us. How can we survive our own ignorance? I so wish I knew. I wish everyone knew. It doesn't look like very many have a clue.

Yup, tangential. Desultory. Trifling even. I suppose everyone has their quirks. One of mine is getting people to see a side of an issue they would rather ignore. Sometimes they appreciate it and sometimes they don't. Either way, the idea is to get them to think outside their normal boundaries. When I want to talk just for the sake of talking, I like it to be mutual. If someone has other priorities then I respect that and find someone else to talk to. I suppose that's got something to do with not being 99 years old. It may also have something to do with not being 12 as well. Either way, I like the differences I see among people. It's one of the things that truly makes the world an interesting place.

Howdy from Iowa, I'm Chris, and I like everything. Well, almost everything. We can be friends, maybe. You have any pizza?

It's all exciting stuff. There will always be that human desire to improve things in some way. The new smart materials they are working on are amazing. They change shape depending on environmental changes. All sorts of construction will change a lot in the future. One of my favorites is self-healing materials. The idea that a structure could repair itself after being damaged is pretty cool. A storm damaged your roof? It will fix itself in a short time. The idea can be developed for just about anything. There is nothing that can be imagined that can't be accomplished. It might take a long time for some things to reach the point of viability, but it will happen. The only thing that worries me is there might not be enough time to do it all. One of the things that we seem to be failing at is maintaining the planet we depend on for survival. The big idea in that respect seems to be figuring out how to colonize other planets in time to save a few humans before the earth becomes unlivable. It's no fun imagining the earth as a big cemetery. Maybe, if people can pay attention long enough, we can still save our home. It's a thought. It's a dream. I hope it's a dream that comes true.

Hmm, good thing milk ain't as thick as pitch, making cheese would be impossible.. What would become of pizza? Scary thought!

Nope, not Andy, it's Chris, but I suppose you can call me anything you want to, as long as it's Chris, Christopher or CJ.

Hope you have the best day ever!!!

Stressssss.....it stresses me out. I don't always think about it when it happens. Sometimes I'm too busy working on whatever is causing it to pay attention. By the time I start thinking about it the problem is pretty much fixed. There's still some stress hanging on though, so I usually eat something, then go relax by myself and reflect on stuff. I like a quiet place for that. I might decide to go for a walk instead, most the time by the river where I can be alone with my thoughts. Too many things going on, too much noise, too many things trying to get my attention can cause some stress, and make it difficult to deal with the thing that needs my attention most. When I can get rid of all the distractions then it's possible to deal with stress in a more positive way. I can cover it over with music or conversation or games or anything else, but that only works for a while, and the problem is still there waiting for me. A little stress gives me more motivation to do what needs done, so jumping in head first is my best answer to stress. It's a little bit like tension, you know, when your totally ready for something physical, and you need to do something about it, so you either go to your room and shut the door, or head for the shower, but that's another topic, and I'm not going to start it.....

I don't hate twilight. I don't like it either. I don't think about it. It's just another story designed to entertain bored people. I'm pretty sure they're still bored when it's done.

I suppose I could carry some gaydar with me, but I might need to wear a lead suit or something. I had a similar problem when there were some guys working on the downstairs bathroom, and every time I got close their stud finder kept going off, so I had to stay away until they left. It's a good thing I'm not a carpenter.

It seems to me that whether the subject is fiction, designer clothes or anything else that's based on someone else's work, there is going to be a group of people with a negative view of it. Does it really matter anyway? Nothing ever has the approval of 100% of the world, whether it's original or not, and it never will. Generally, people like to see original stuff, whether it's a story or a pair of designer jeans. Even thought it may not be an exact copy, it's still riding on the accomplishment of someone else at it's base. Does that invalidate the value of their work? Not necessarily, but for most people I think they believe it does. That's the important point. What people believe is what drives their behavior, and no amount of reasoning or debating is going to change that. If you want to write fanfic because you love a particular genre then your doing exactly what you set out to do. If your doing it because you want to be recognized as a great author, then your probably going to be disappointed. Is it possible to change people's beliefs? To some extent, the answer is yes. It's just not very easy to do so, and that's why most successful people approach the issue from a different angle. Instead of trying to change unfavorable views to favorable ones, they adjust their work to satisfy the desires of their market. That's a much more realistic and efficient approach. It's the one that offers the greatest chance of success. People like original things. If they were interested in things inspired by what already exists they could do the work themselves. If they are looking for something new to entertain themselves, they tend to expect original, fresh material. In the end, you have to accept the parameters others set for what's good and what isn't. I don't know anyone who allows someone else to do it for them. You can talk all day about the virtues of cabbage, but your not going to change anyone's mind in the end, and they're going to eat what they want to and ignore the rest.

I never knew anyone who had a problem with seeing a penis. I have to wonder about the guy in the theater. How did he ever get through school? It would be nearly impossible without seeing a few now and then. My first thought is he's trying to conceal what is really a secret interest. You know, like that line from Shakespeare. I think that's the reason more often than not, especially when it has something to do with sex. I notice people get rather upset with these kinds of things, like they are offended by someone who reacts like the guy in the theater. That seems as extreme as what they are annoyed with. People have lots of strange reactions to things that make them uncomfortable, and most of the time there's an unintended message attached. If you can figure it out then you have more insight into their minds. That's a good thing. It gives you the ability to better understand human nature. Some will say they are too smart and in control to be subject to that, but I think they're only fooling themselves. Nature will always have the upper hand. Anyway, I don't mind seeing any body parts, and I don't know why anyone would. It's as true as anything, humans are always trying to represent themselves in what they believe to be the best possible fashion. It's unfortunate that most of the time the picture they present is something less than accurate. In that respect, any other animal is far superior to humans.

I like this post. It's especially appropriate for a website dedicated to writers. A good writer can express almost any emotion. They can also use words to express very precise ideas. That is, after all, what words are intended to do. The hard part is to develop the skills necessary to put words together properly. This is a major problem for a lot of people, whether they are writing or speaking. I think everyone has listened to someone talking and wondered what exactly they were trying to say. On the flip side I'm pretty sure everyone has had a hard time trying to say exactly what they meant. It's only natural, because nobody is born with great communication skills, it's something we all need to learn. One of the very best ways to learn these skills is, of course, reading and writing. It's like anything else you want to learn. Practice, doing it over and over, makes perfect. Well, close to perfect anyway. This sounds simple enough. The truth is it really isn't so simple in practice. The first thing you need to do is read, but not just anything. You want to read things that are going to push your ability and understanding a little past where your ability allows at the moment. If you only read things that are easy for you, then you will never improve your skills. Read things you wouldn't ordinarily read, like articles written by experts in their field. It doesn't matter what that field is as long as the reading is a little challenging. Of course, you can expect to run into some words you don't know or are unsure of their meaning. That's a very good thing, because now you need to look up the word to learn the meaning, and in the process your expanding your vocabulary. as well as learning about something you probably knew little about before. This process can become a little exciting, assuming learning is something that get's your juices flowing. Your going to do some writing too. This is just as important as reading, whether your a writer or not. It involves skills similar to those needed for reading, and will help develop your skills even faster. It's also easier in that you can write about anything you want to, so the subject matter can be more familiar. Once you've picked your subject, jump right in and write the first things that come to your mind with little consideration for grammar and all that. Hmm, why pay no attention to the details if your trying to hone your skills? Good question. The reason is that you want to write in the manner your used to so you can find the areas where your skills are lacking. When your finished with your piece, your going to read it. At least twice. You might be surprised to discover that your writing isn't what you thought it was, whether that thought was good or bad. When you read what you wrote, does it convey the thoughts you wanted it to? Most likely, some parts will while others will stand out as a little weak. Now you have something to work with! Your next job is to rewrite it, only this time your going to use different words and structures. Do it twice, in two different ways, working to express the same ideas but in different terms. Of course, your going to want to find new words that mean the same as some of the words you used in the first place. Not every word, just some that have several synonyms you can experiment with. You probably get the idea. Anyway, now that I've written way too much I can end this and go do something else. Just think about this communication thing, and learn new ways to use words. Make a game out of it. It's fun stuff, and the more you learn about it the more fun it becomes. Words are important, and so is how you put them together. There's no reason why day to day conversation should be any less expressive than a good story. Both require well developed skills, and when those skills are sharpened the world becomes a much more wonderful place.

There IS a lot of garbage out there, it seems humans can't resist leaving their junk where ever they go. I think there's litter on the moon and mars too, and probably on a few other planets. It seems to me we aren't making a very good first impression on whoever might be living there. You know, as many UFO's and little space men who've been spotted on earth, none of them seem to have left their garbage laying around. We need to learn from their example, and stop trashing things up. They might be more willing to talk to us if we respected their space more.

Oh no! We are all prisoners in our own galaxy!

Interesting stuff. Looks like it's not a good idea to totally believe anything when it comes to the universe. I'm not convinced there isn't more to learn about light itself, but I don't know a lot about it to start. It seems logical though that since light consists of particles that exert force on the things it hits, then just having light in space would mean there isn't a total vacuum there. I think it's possible there isn't anyplace that has a total vacuum, but maybe there is. Maybe there are other universes, which is one of the most fascinating possibilities to me. So many questions, so little time. I'm hoping for some fantastic kinds of discoveries. It's some of the most exciting stuff there is, even for a amateur like me.

Like with everything, cute and enjoyable are two subjective judgements. Personally I don't enjoy these kinds of shows, full of nasty stuff that wouldn't be amusing to anyone if they were living them. What is so fun about watching sick people do sick things? There's something deranged about wanting to see evil in action. As for the guys being cute or whatever, I wouldn't expect my heart to beat any faster if they were in the same room. The worst part of it all is, more people spend time watching something like this than they do trying to improve the world they live in. Sure, they say they do, but in reality they do not. It's more fun apparently to indulge in fantasies of the most degenerate sort. Very few people would be interested in spending their time filling their minds with useful and positive things. You get out of your mind what you feed it, regardless if it's fiction or fact, whether you want to believe that or not. I'm not interested in feeding my mind negative things, it get's enough of that from the news. Maybe if people stopped supporting these kinds of shows we would see a lot less of this kind of stuff happening in real life.

True, pizza wasn't much help to them, and neither was science, NASA, industry or the clergy. Looks like pizza might be as useful as anything else when it comes to meteors. I bet there was some pizza eating going on afterwards. It's a sure bet there isn't anything to stop them, and it's a little doubtful there ever will be. Even if there was, so far they don't spot them until they're too close to do much but run.

People can complicate the simplest things. That's why they depend on other people for things they should be able to take care of themselves. When the subject is people there are no experts, only other people who want to convince you their way is right. I don't think there are any "rules" when it comes to people. They are all what they are whether they, or anyone else, believes it or not. The amazing thing is they can become anything they want to. Too bad most of them don't know that.

I suppose it's banana but I could be wrong