Real men are always in control — of themselves, not others

I’m not blogging much myself lately, but if I were I hope I’d be writing stuff as meaningful as this article by Ned Hickson. I love the line about control.

Ned's Blog

Anyone who reads my weekly newspaper column or blog posts knows I try to keep life in perspective through humor. In fact, I’d say it’s one of the reasons my children are still alive today. While I joke about that, for many years humor was also part of a coping mechanism from a childhood witnessing both verbal and physical abuse by the men in my family — specifically, my father and older brothers.

The good news is that each of them eventually turned themselves, their lives and the lives of the people they loved, around. It wasn’t until I became a father that I realized the impact that a childhood witnessing abuse had on me, and how some of those wounds — as both a witness and recipient — had never truly healed.

I know this because I occasionally saw reflections of my father and brothers in myself as I…

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Problem solved: let private businesses refuse service to anyone anytime for any reason

Nothing more to say, this is on target.

The Matt Walsh Blog

Alright, let’s make this simple.

The simple answers are often the best. But there’s a problem with simplicity: it doesn’t give you room to grant a thousand exemptions, exceptions, and caveats to satisfy every lobby, satiate every interest group, heal every hurt feeling, and grease every squeaky wheel.

Simple is fair, simple is just, simple is consistent, but fewer and fewer people are interested in what is fair and just and consistent. That’s why our laws are so long and confusing and convoluted these days (see: Obamacare). Legislation is not written for the sake of justice; it’s written for the sake of pay-offs and power grabs.

Yesterday I wrote about the (now vetoed) Arizona religious freedom bill. I said that religious business owners — be they bakers or photographers or anything else — shouldn’t be forced to participate in gay weddings. They should have the right to choose who they provide services to, and how they provide those services.

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‘Tis the Season

Summer brings a lot of seasonal specific events and activities. Cooking on a grill outside is one of them. Mowing the lawn is another. For some, summer is the time for vacationing. I’ve decided to take a vacation of my own, but not from the regular routine, just from blogging.

I need to get organized generally as well as with my writing and cartooning. For the month of July I may post links or reblog posts I like, but I won’t be updating any new content for this site. Instead, I’m going to work on revising the novel I’ve written, as well as spend more time writing more humorous and/or thought provoking blog posts. I also need to get into some comic drawing.

For several months I’ve had the time to do all the writing I’ve wanted to do, and it has been nice. But I can see that trying to keep up with the schedule I’ve established of one comic update and three articles per week is simply more than I can handle right now. Handle while providing quality content, that is.

My previous post will give you some insight into my state of mind. I need to do like Ed said and set some goals and deadlines. I think that could be helpful. To begin with, I need to take some time off from posting and just work on planning and creating.

August 1st is a Thursday. I’ll post something new on that day. If I can figure things out then I’ll stay with my current posting schedule of Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. If not, I’ll let you know what the plan is on August 1st.

As always, thank you for being a part of this blog.

If there are any topics you’d like to hear my thoughts and perspective on, let me know in the comment section below.

The Economy of Time

Once upon a time, I think it was in March or thereabouts, I signed up to receive e-mail updates from Michael Hyatt‘s web site. I signed up for the option labelled “Once a week update” but I get three or four e-mails from the site every week. I’ve never put much effort into learning math before, so I suppose the error is in my understanding of the arrangement, not that his web site lied or his e-mail service is in error. Okay, you got me, I’m blaming his side of the arrangement completely. But I don’t mind, too much, because the content he sends is worth the time it takes to read it.

I’ve learned a few things from the articles Mr. Hyatt writes. They are usually about writing or blogging or personal development; areas that interest me. Occasionally he throws in some hipster mumbojumbo about buzz word type stuff that doesn’t interest me, I just delete those messages. If you haven’t asked it already, you should ask it now, “what does Michael Hyatt’s overactive e-mail notification service have to do with the economy of time?” That’s a great question. I have an answer, read on.

When innovation catches up to itself

“Writing”, 22 November 2008 (Photo credit: ed_needs_a_bicycle)

I’m recycling something I posted on my old blog a few years ago…again! I’m still adjusting to going back to a 40-hour workweek. If by adjusting I mean cutting out all time spent writing and cartooning. I’ve always said, always since a few years ago when I was in college and thought about it, that when you introduce a new activity to your routine, something has to be given up. Two events can’t occupy the same time space, usually. There are exceptions, such as eating and tasting, or watching and viewing.

Usually, as is the case for me, when you introduce an activity such as work, another activity, such as work (writing and cartooning have been my work for several months now), must diminish in priority. I’m contemplating making sleep be the loser and keep writing and cartooning, but I’ve been down that road before. Things will settle again and I should have better time for writing. Until then, here is another blast from the past. If you like what is written here, check out the book compilation of my old blog posts, Ajax’s Whimsical Revolution (eBook and paperback).

Monday Morning Make Me Laugh 15

This week completes my reusing of old cartoons for a Monday morning update. Which means I can’t lazy about anymore if I want this series to keep going. I need to generate new comic ideas, and quick. Next Monday morning is only a week away! If you don’t understand a few of these, don’t feel bad, I barely understand them myself, but when I do understand them, I laugh.

Temp jobs are the blind dates of the employment world

Image courtesy of digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net 

Blind dates seem to serve as great fodder for romantic comedies on TV and in movies. I’ve only ever been on one blind date myself. It’s not my cup of tea (but I don’t actually drink tea). This week has brought me my first temp job experience. It is a ten month contract working for a research and development department of a pretty well-known beverage producer. I signed a lot of confidentiality agreements, so I don’t know if I can even mention the name of the place publicly like this, so I won’t. I’m sure it would be fine, but isn’t it more fun for me if I pretend like it’s super secret? You don’t have to answer that question. But feel free to if you’d like.

It was this new working experience that led me to draw a connection between blind dates and temp working. Allow me to explain. What a useless phrase, of course you’ll allow me to. I’d explain even if you don’t, not because I don’t respect your opinion, simply because in a blog if you decide you don’t want the writer to explain, you just change the page. Perhaps I’m still recovering from my midweek agony and hydrocodone haze related to my kidney stone experience. Perhaps I shouldn’t be writing anything yet. I’m going to do it anyway.

How to pass a kidney stone in 10 days without even trying

If I had this information, I’d be happy. The information alluded to in the title, I mean. Unless we really analyze the words, in which case maybe it doesn’t mean what I want it to. Ten days is a long time to be passing a kidney stone, so if this means the time it takes to pass the stone, with all of the accompanying terror and agony, runs ten days, then forget it! On the other hand, if it means that from realization that a kidney stone is present until the time the stone is out of the body is less than ten days (and not in constant pain) then I can get down with that. I just passed a kidney stone. It was longer than ten days since I first learned I had one, but shorter than ten days worth of pain. I’ll just tell my story now.

Hibernation: Not just for picnic basket stealing bears anymore…Revisited!

Colorado – Estes Park: Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park of Estes (Photo credit: wallyg)

Occasionally I look to old blog posts to find inspiration for new blog posts. This usually occurs when my mind is blank of new topics or I’m not doing very well at managing the time to write something new. Somewhere in between those reasons is where I find myself now. I’ve found an old blog post, from my previous blog titled Ajax’s Whimsical Revolution, that is entertaining and left an opening for some extra commentary, so here is that post followed by the new commentary:

Monday Morning Make Me Laugh 14

Fourteen weeks of cartoons. Keep it coming! Here are a few comics I did over the winter along with some newer ones. Enjoy…

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