Brick by Brick

What are God's little plans?

James Drury — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 19:37:00 GMT

Everyone seems to talk about God's BIG PLAN for their lives. What do I want to be when I grow up? Is God calling me to be a missionary? Should I go into full time ministry? When focusing on these BIG questions we often overlook the little questions. What lesson will I learn today? How can I trust God more?

We've finished a months-long study of Joseph and thanks to the gift of being able to know the end of the story, we can see God's BIG PLAN in saving the fledgling nation (just a large family at this point) of Israel. God set Joseph up to eventually be the head-honcho of Egypt, gave him wisdom to interpret Pharaoh's dream, and manage the bountiful harvests for seven years to last out seven years of famine. That's a pretty BIG PLAN.

But what about all the little steps along the way?

I think it's safe to assume that Joseph didn't speak much - if any - Egyptian before being sold into slavery. While in Potiphar's house, Joseph must have studied Egyptian to become quite fluent, along with learning to run a household - and not a small household, either. Balancing the books, managing other servants, and all the other duties required a lot of study for Joseph.

In prison, Joesph again is set in charge and again I am sure this was a bigger job than we imagine. I imagine this prison to be the Egyptian version of Club Fed - where political prisoners are kept until Pharaoh could figure out what to do with them. We only learn about two but I am sure there were many, many more prisoners in this prison. Joseph must have learned some basic skills while still in his father's house but nothing that would completely prepare him for these tasks.

I'm left with the conclusion that God placed Joseph in these situations not to teach him humility, although we can all do with a bit more humility. God was not teaching Joseph to be a suffering saint and like it. We don't have any indication that Joseph complained or anything other than when he says to the butler, "But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into this dungeon." Not exactly a pity-party, is it?

During all of Joesph's hardships - slavery, prison - he keeps his focus and manages to not just survive but to thrive and prosper to the best of his abilities.

Makes me wonder about all those folks today that keep saying "I hate my job. Life stinks and is so unfair."

Are we wasting time feeling sorry for ourselves? Do we just do enough to get by? Do we escape into fantasy, saying "If only I were as rich as Donald Trump. If only I were as lucky as Bill Gates." As if these two, and any other successful individual, just had money and power and other goodies given to them in their Christmas stockings without ever lifting a finger. Yes, Bill Gates was at the right place and the right time in history to sell what became a very successful operating system used worldwide. But that wasn't given to him. He worked, and did his sales pitches, and beat out the competition to use the opportunity. Donald Trump has risen, fallen, and risen again with his fortunes. Just because we know the end of the story doesn't mean it was easy for the main character.

So what about a poor, working individual like me? Perhaps I won't code the next BIG THING or build a big tower in the city. But am I squandering the opportunities I have in front of me by wishing for easy success?

Example: I drive three hours a day commuting to work and back home. I can sit in my car, fuss at the other drivers and generally feel sorry for myself. Or I can use that time by listening to audio books like the Bible, listen to great preaching (plug: SermonAudio.com ), or learn another language. When I'm at work I can complain about my job or my boss to coworkers or I can talk about Jesus and be a positive influence. Will God find me faithful in the little tasks He has given me or will He find someone else to use?

Joseph was a slave for years and in prison for more. Do we have the patience to wait out three more months of a job that may not be great? And beyond that patience, do we have the desire to please God so that we do more than just "tough it out" and instead run with the opportunity?

To make this year better than the last, I want to stop complaining. In reality, aren't all complaints against God? Who am I to say that my situation isn't right and that God made a mistake?

January Thaw

James Drury — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 19:31:00 GMT

We just got our snow and it's already melting away. As I type, the temperature is dropping to about 44 degrees (14 C). Most of December was spent in the single digits so the beginning of this year is somewhat warmer than expected.

Speaking of the unexpected.... A post from me! Who would have thunk it?

Don't get your hopes up, however. There's no telling when the next one will be.

I've figured it out

James Drury — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 03:38:00 GMT

.I have figured out why it seems like I have been away from this blog.

See, I've gained a little weight over this last year so my perception of time is completely different than yours....

OK, so I've been slacking off. But it is true about the weight gain and I am slowly doing something about that. Like buying pants with bigger waste sizes.

Meanwhile, I continue my daily regiment of non-exercise by driving long distances for the soul purpose of sitting still in front of a computer. Sometimes I talk on the phone, too!

Don't laugh: It takes a lot of effort to carry around a 5 ounce headset! Let's see you wear one day in and day out.

And while I drive my ridiculously long commute I've decided to practice what one preacher said many years ago: Get in the Word.

His illustration was something like this: As a boy living on a farm he would help his mother out in the kitchen before he was big enough to do other chores. As his mother would sift flour with one of those hand-cranked sifters, the wire mesh at the bottom would get all clogged and the flour would not come out. He would then take the sifter to the pump and run water over the sifter until the sifter was clean again. It was the continuous action of the water that would clean out the clogs. He wouldn't scrub it or anything else but let the water run over the sifter.

In the same way, we should let the Living Water flow over us and through us to clean out all the gunk in our lives. The only way for that to happen is to be in the Word of God. A lot.

Often we just read a verse or maybe even a chapter. That's just not enough.

So I've loaded up my mp3 Bible and have been listening to the New Testament so far. It takes about a week to get through from Matthew to Revelation, depending on traffic. I'm going to stick with this for a few more weeks before adding in the Old Testament.

Listening is definitely different than reading and while listening while driving isn't what I would call serious study, going through the New Testament this way has helped me put some of the pieces together better than before, such as which parables belong in which gospel account, and how many of Jesus' miracles are repeated. I "know" these things but going through an audio version uses a different part of the brain, I guess, so it sticks differently. Plus, the continuous washing always reveals something more each time.

I'm eating better all the way around, too. As a field technician I would, more often than not, stop at a fast food restaurant for lunch or dinner - or both! Thus my extra gravity. Working in an office (and being on a tight budget) is forcing me to evaluate my eating habits in both calories and dollars. One of the first things to go was sodas or "pop" for my Ohio in-laws. Instead of a daily 20-ounce or even a 1-liter I have none. I define "none" just like the diet sodas define "zero calories" - it's there if you actually look. All summer I think I had 5, maybe 6 sodas of any size. That's less gunk right there.

So maybe I can trim the fat of both my physical and spiritual bodies as we get into fall. Since I'm in my late 30s (for EXTREMELY large values of 30. If you count in BASE-12 then I'm only 34!) it's not too late.

Already I've posted more frequently than I have for a while! Once I get down to a size svelte, I'll be posting like crazy!

A Tentative New Start

James Drury — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 20:02:00 GMT

Wow! Has it really been so long since I posted anything? It's been almost one year. What a slacker!

Where to start? Well, I'm working again. I tried my hand at creating a job and a business. FAIL! So I'm back to working for some one else. At least it's a paycheck.

I am glad I tried to go it alone but perhaps our economy right now isn't exactly the best time to start a business. It could be, depending on the business - just not telecommunications. Or at least, not me.

So I'm working at a BIG COMPANY as their Telecom Support / Administrator. You need a new extension? Your name changed? Talk to me. I'm also gearing up for some major upgrades and changes to their system. It's a 6 month contract and will carry me through to November. We'll see what happens after that.

No promises on how often you'll get an update. We'll just have to try it out for a bit.

I Want One

James Drury — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:36:00 GMT

What's better than a full scale Gundam? How about a wedding underneath?

Yes, that is exactly what it looks like. Click on the picture for more wedding photos.

Google Voice running out of numbers?

James Drury — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Like everyone else, or most everyone else, I've signed up for a number from Google Voice. This is a nifty way to cut down on long distance costs, get voice mail, and one published number that can follow you either at home, mobile phone, or office number. You give out your Google Voice number and their server calls you one any or all three. There are even web widgets you can place on your web page so someone can enter their phone number and call you. Whoot!

Since we live in a fairly rural area, just about every other town is a long distance call and I figured Google Voice would be quite popular here.

But the system is so popular that there are no more numbers available in our area code. Even Vermont still has more numbers available. That's too bad and I do hope Google buys more numbers in the good old state of New Hampshire. I do wonder, though, just how many people are hoarding numbers.

So be quick and sign up in your area before all the local numbers disappear!

My new hobby

James Drury — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:02:00 GMT

The weather has been beautiful these last few days and I'm sitting in an office. I have one window that I can't look out because I keep the blinds mostly closed in an attempt to block the majority of the sun's rays and keep my rented space somewhat cool. The air conditioner doesn't work very well and certainly cannot maintain a constant temperature. So I set the thermostat to about 70 degrees. The system runs during the cool of the night but slowly warms up to near 80 during the day. Yes, that means it runs 24/7.

Mice scurry overhead on the other side of the drop ceiling. I hear their little footprints as they do whatever mice do on top of drop ceilings. One morning I came in to find a dead mouse behind my chair. It was only a baby and was probably the smallest mouse I had ever seen. I scooped it up and gave it a quick burial at sea. It's actually to the septic tank but the nautical term sounds so much prettier and I don't want to ruin Finding Nemo for anyone ("All drains lead to the ocean, kid").

I have a new VoIP phone sitting on my desk that I set up for another client in the building. It's pretty cool and actually works! It's from a new vendor I've recently sign up to start selling and was my first sale. Unfortunately, the small business it was designed for isn't doing much better than mine and the end user hasn't been back. We went round and round to get the phone set up, port an existing number, and set up a new toll free number so it was a great learning experience for me, plus setting up the router and Ethernet switch for VLAN tagging and QOS. But it's sitting on my desk, not theirs and my invoice is waiting to be paid.

What's also great about my office is that I get about 6 or 7 wasps buzzing around during the day. I have a small vacuum cleaner that I use to capture them. The vacuum has a clear plastic container and I can watch them buzz and crawl around. The machine isn't strong enough to kill them, just capture. I think the wasps are coming in around the window which leads me to believe that the air my AC unit has been working so hard to cool is leaking out and warm air is coming in with the wasps. I can't wait for winter!

I picked up a USB headset some time ago and finally plugged it in and installed Google Talk. Now I can do voice chats with my wife when I'm at the office except for the fact that she turned off Google Talk on her PC so I never know when she's online.

So if you're looking to save some money and are interesting in a new VoIP phone to run over your broadband connection, let me know. I can probably give the first taker a good deal on a slightly used phone.

Blogging is not Billable Time

James Drury — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:51:00 GMT

Things have been quiet around the old blog this summer. As the title says, I can't bill anyone for the time spent blogging so I'm not doing much of that right now. I'm busy trying to earn a dollar or two.

That said, I know I should at least post something once in a while so here you go!

Darin Petty, an old friend, has started his own blog. Stop by and read Darin's take on various subjects. This post is quite interesting.

Darin has been scolding me via email that I haven't been writing enough so I guess I better get cracking!

Building a Business

James Drury — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 04:59:00 GMT

So I'm out on my own, trying to make a buck or two and unfortunately that's about all I've earned in the last two months.

Well, It's been a little more than that. How about I said I earned as much in two months as I used to earn in one week? That's a little more accurate.

Still: Ouch.

But no bailout money for me. No Unemployment. Just hard work, which is something I'm not really good at doing. Where are the jobs that pay me to play video games? Surf the web? Drink Mountain Dew? I've never found that job.

Actually, things are beginning to fall into place. It's been a slow time putting the "back end" of my business into place but I now have several vendors lined up and I'm partnering with one of the local telephone companies to provide MAC (Moves, Adds, and Change) work for their existing customers and as a reference to install new phone systems. Pretty sweet deal, really. It's not actual money in my pocket, but it does give me some good networking opportunities and more chances to sell and install systems. God is Good.

I told someone this week that I'd rather be lucky than good. I don't remember where I first heard that but it seems to fit me pretty well. You can review my "2 by 4" Moment which I think explains it mostly. By "luck" I mean "God is awesome and did something" so don't go thinking I believe in anything else. If the proverbial "they" can redefine the words we use then so can I.

Anyway, little opportunities like this keep falling into my lap without much effort on my part. Now I have to start acting on them since God won't just issue me a check or hand me a winning lottery ticket. I must admit that sometimes that sounds really, really appealing (see a couple of paragraphs up about my dream job) but I know that sort of event really, really will not happen.

So fun and excitement continue around here.

Wow! I'm really falling behind!

James Drury — Mon, 04 May 2009 02:50:00 GMT

Well!

It's been a while since I posted anything. Funny, but now that I'm an unemployed bum I have even less free time than when I was working. Let's see what's been going on....

A four month long contract position ended in March, leaving me high and dry. Since then I've been double-minded about my own business. I've been throwing my resume around but no one is hiring... at least, no one is hiring ME! So I'm registered with the state as a sole proprietor for the installation and maintenance of business communication systems. That was the easy part. Now I have to actually go and find work for my self.

To anyone thinking about starting a business: If you even *HINT* to your state that you are starting your own business you WILL NOT receive unemployment compensation. Period. Oops on me but what was I supposed to do? Lie? Out of the question.

At first, I was not going to apply but a friend urged me to do so. "Why not? That's what it's there for" was the basic argument. Turns out it's not for anyone actually interested in doing something. I should just sit on my couch and watch Oprah and claim I'm sending out resumes.

Oh well.

Meanwhile, the Wilds have opened up a new campground about 7 miles from our house! Whoot! I've been helping get things organized for this summer a little (very little, don't think I'm bragging here) so that takes up some time.

And I've been helping friends around town clean up their yards by cutting up fallen trees. Some have been damaged from last December's ice storm while others were just dead or dying. Still, free clean up for them equals free firewood for me! If this keeps up I'll have a good supply for winter. I'm not an expert with a chain saw but I can (sometimes) get a tree to fall exactly where I want it to go. The other times it falls exactly where I DO NOT want it to fall. At least I haven't hit any power lines!

And my telephone services earned me a little last month so I'm not completely hopeless! Hmm... Telephone and tree removal service? Not exactly what my business plan says but hey, ya gotta go where God leads, eh?

On the home front: Little Girl is almost walking. She'll rush around the house holding onto walls and furniture but will only take a step or two without holding on to something. Still only two bottom teeth with (maybe) a third coming in down there. Talking up a storm of gibberish with some words and phrases mixed in. She calls for her (slightly) bigger brother, says "wow! What was that?" and a few other strange things she's picked up from the other kids. We taught her to sign "more" several months ago so she could tell us if she was still hungry and wanted "more". Now she signs and says "more" at the same time. She has a favorite book which she'll hold up to you and beg to have it read. If you don't, she'll get angry and growl. If you take the book and sit in the rocking chair she'll laugh and wiggle and can't wait to sit in your lap. And she loves looking at pictures of people.

Yikes! We're getting ready to home school a high school student next year! Fun and exciting!

That's it for now. I'll post something else this year. Yes, definitely this year.

Bionic Woman

James Drury — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:18:00 GMT

Those of you that know us know that my wife has been going deaf. It started 10 years ago when her hearing level dropped suddenly. The doctor confirmed she has otosclerosis then and her hearing stabilized. Whether that was due to anything we did or just how it worked we don't know but things were mostly normal after that.

This summer her hearing again dropped to where she reported almost no hearing in one ear and significantly reduced hearing in the other. Our house was full of "huh" and "what" for several months and not a few "Did you say [enter ridiculous statement here]?" While those last ones were often funny the whole effect was rather disturbing and somewhat disrupting to our household. Movie nights were especially difficult when she insisted on turning the volume up to 30 (compared to the normal volume of about 15) and still couldn't hear was being said while the rest of us sat with our hands clapped over our ears.

This month we decided to get hearing aids. Not exactly the best time considering our finances but they were desperately needed. I am happy to report Melissa, with her new bionics, can hear again - even whispers behind her back! Wow. No more secrets from her!
The first thing she noticed was how loud our house is during a normal day: The microwave, the fans on the computers, and yes, the kids! She commented "I can hear the mouse buttons click!" Funny how you take some of those things for granted.

These little units are awesome! We've ordered a Bluetooth device so she can answer the phone via a pendant around her neck that routes the call to her hearing aids. The technology is pretty cool, especially considering the small size of the units.

I had threatened to get her a tin-horn to stick in her ear so she could hear at church but I think these are better. So hurrah for modern technology!

And now not only can I say I married a Rocket Scientist, I can say my wife is a CYBORG!

Once again Sci Fi comes true (mostly)

James Drury — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:05:00 GMT

There are hundreds of examples of science fiction becoming reality from submarines to moon landings to lots of more mundane examples. Star Trek communicators? Now we all have cell phones. Light sabers? Well, I'm still waiting for mine.

In the meantime, we have the increasingly popular Flashmob. I recall Larry Niven coining the phrase to describe when people would teleport to a location to see a newsworthy event, causing extra stress to local infrastructure and possibly getting themselves hurt in the process. It's the future version of 'rubbernecking' - slowing down and gawking at an accident along the side of the road.

In Niven's future, the police would reroute the teleport terminals in the immediate area of a situation to automatically deposit the curious into holding cells for later processing. We still don't have teleportation but we do have near instant communication, allowing many people to show up somewhere simultaneously.

Granted, the above example of a flashmob isn't exactly the same as Niven's vision but neither are many examples of science fiction predictions. Still, the future is very quickly becoming the present.

The book review that never was

James Drury — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:25:00 GMT

It has become apparent that I am not to finish the book Brisingr.

We first procured a copy from our town library less than a month after the book was published. My son devoured it in less than three days. I started reading but our copy had to return to the library before I could complete it. And I was almost done, too.

So I went on line to download the audio book version. Only problem there, or problems, were the forty other people waiting to download. Humph. I had to wait.

Well, I finally got my email notice that my turn had come and I could download my audio book. Only problem was I received the notice over one weekend when we were away. You only have two days to download before your turn expires and so I lost the opportunity to do so. Placing another hold on the audio book would place me behind another forty people so I had no choice but to wait again.

Finally, last week I downloaded Brisingr and have been listening as much as possible. This morning I finally caught up to almost the exact same place I left off reading months ago. I decided to listen all the way through again since it had been a few months and I have decided I enjoy audio books while driving. As it is almost lunch time, I thought to listen a bit more.

But between when I ended listening this morning and when I tried to start up again just moments ago my subscription expired and thus I can't finish the story. That's the downside to using the library - they use protected WMA format for audio books that expire after 7 days or so.

Good news is that there's only one person in the queue before me so there's a good chance I'll be able to download it again within a few days. But what are the odds that it would stop now, right when I'm within a few pages - or minutes of listening - of getting to where I left off before?

So what lesson is God teaching me today?

Hairstyle Malfunction

James Drury — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:48:00 GMT

You know you're going to have a bad hair day, or month, when your hair stylist yells "Oh NO!" when cutting your hair.

I've been using the same person for several years now and haven't had any problems. To protect the innocent all names have been changed. For example, "Melissa" has been changed to "My Rotten Wife."

My Rotten Wife began cutting my hair as usual, with the clippers on the back of my head. We have one of those clipper kits with several different attachments to obtain the desired hair length. My hair is pretty easy; she uses one attachment for the back and sides and another for the top. Switching attachments, she begins on the top of my head. She's completed two strokes down the center when she says those fateful words:

"Your hair must have grown a lot since last time. I'm taking off a whole lot more OH NO!"

Yes, My Rotten Wife grabbed the wrong attachment and cut my hair just a wee bit shorter than normal. Actually, a lot shorter.

After taking several pictures of my reverse-Mohawk My Rotten Wife cut the rest to a matching length. Still, it feels very strange to have such short hair. Not that my hair was ever very long (OK, it was in the 1980s but EVERYONE had long hair then!) but it's almost half the length it normally is. Oh well.

I offered to cut her hair but for some reason she refused.

And if anyone is really wondering: No, I'm not mad at my wife. We laughed about this for quite some time. And no, you won't see the pictures posted here.

Let's Sing the Bunny Song!

James Drury — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:29:00 GMT

From the "What was I thinking?" department: we have a rodent in our house.

My daughter has wanted a bunny for years and after receiving an email that someone was giving some away for free, my wife relented of her "No Pets Allowed" policy and went and picked one up.

Now, the main reason for not having a critter is that we tend to go places on the spur of the moment and having to find a critter sitter or other care just doesn't seem that easy. So we've opted not to have any extra family members. Until Now.

So when Melissa told me she was thinking of getting a pet my first reaction was "Who are you and what have you done with my wife?"

And the rabbit may have been free but all the stuff we've purchased has nearly hit the $200 mark! But The Girl was thrilled to have a bunny so I guess that makes it all worthwhile.

My philosophy has always been that pets are an excellent emergency source of meat so having a rabbit is just fine. Naturally I wanted to name him "Stew" but my daughter picked "Lewie" instead.

Lewie is a Holland Lop, bunny brown, and about three pounds. He's bigger than I expected but he shouldn't grow much more - unless we over feed him.

What's funny is that the two little ones in the house have absolutely no fear and will go up to him all the time. Even eight month old Baby Girl will chase him around doing her "army man" crawl. Every time she sees Lewie she starts this high pitched (higher than normal, that is) squealing and just beams. It's really cute. But she grabs too hard because, well, she's only eight months old, so we have to watch her. But Lewie doesn't seem to mind and will bound out of his cage and meet her face-to-face sometimes.

I showed the Little Guy how to let Lewie sniff the back of his hand so now he does it all the time saying, "Now Lewie knows me." He doesn't grab like his little sister but he does jump around "I'm doing what Lewie is doing!" which scares the bunny just a little bit.

So far we haven't noticed any allergic reactions in anyone, which has been the second reason for not having any pets. I expect to start sneezing any minute now with both the hare hair and hay dust floating around. We'll see.

I predict...

James Drury — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:02:00 GMT

I'm a bit late for 2009 predictions but here they are nonetheless:

Apple will continue with the ever smaller and inappropriately named iPod versions by introducing the iPod Yocto, the smallest iPod to date. It will be made of exactly five engineered molecules and forgo wired connections. Users will either use Bluetooth headphones or have the unit implanted directly into their brains. Customers will praise the five-terabytes of storage and the new user interface, although the buttons are too small for some users.

Microsoft will release a new Xbox game console, the Xbox Revolution. It will have the exact same specifications as the Xbox 360 and cost the same. Industry analysts will complain that "Microsoft is going around in circles."

Nothing will be resolved in the Middle East. That's not much of a prediction, is it?

Completing the thirty-year cycle, scientists will abandon Global Warming in favor of Global Cooling, as was in favor during the 1970's. Environmental groups will advocate policies to tax companies that are endothermic and to create a new BTU credit program. Heat producing companies will be able to sell their extra BTU's to offset the heat-reducing companies. Al Gore will continue to get rich.

To end the worldwide recession, Democrats will back a bill to instantly reduce all prices by fifty percent. Wages instantly follow, except the Minimum Wage. The Federal Reserve will set interest rates to a negative number, actually paying individuals and corporations to take out debt.

Space Aliens seek to live in the United States. Congress sets immigration limits far below the number requesting permission. Illegal Aliens take low paying jobs away from humans. The Mexican economy collapses.

Increasing the reach of the "Nanny State", New York City begins taxing sugary, fatty foods. Oh, that already happened.

Doctors announce that saliva causes cancer, but only when swallowed in very small quantities over a long period of time. (Not original but still funny.)

With the United States finally switching to all digital television broadcasting, Radio soon follows. The U.S. Government begins a program to provide Digital Radio Converters to help ease the transition. The converters receive digital signals and rebroadcast via low power analog signal. Mobile users continually step on each others' frequencies, causing increased reports of road rage.

Oil prices remain in flux and many homeowners install pellet stoves to offset heating costs. Riots break out when it is discovered that the pellets are imported from Saudi Arabia.

Ethanol as an alternative fuel fails when too many vehicles experience sudden fuel tank ruptures. American autos just can't hold their alcohol.

Satan worshipers demand and end to the manufacturing and selling of deviled eggs and ham.

State of the Blog

James Drury — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:38:00 GMT

I've not said much about my writing lately simply because there hasn't been much progress. I'm still working on it with a few more short stories and one longer that will likely never see publication. Why? Because I'm still learning.

Some people seem to be born great writers. That's not true, but it appears that way. They show up suddenly with thousand page novels that need very little editing and are instant successes. That is really the exception to the rule.

Most writers, at least they used to, start off with short stories submitted to magazines and other publications and slowly build their style, voice, and story telling ability. Then longer novels appear.

I am obviously not in the first camp (which doesn't really exist anyway) and I haven't broken into the second with anything being published yet. So what am I?

I'm a hack, but you knew that already. Well, maybe not a "hack" but certainly I'm too undisciplined in my style and story telling to really be effective. If you've known me personally for any length of time you know I can tell stories - Remember "mouse milk" anyone? If you don't, perhaps I'll post a version here someday. But there's a disconnect between verbal speaking with facial gestures and voice inflections and the written word. It takes practice, some people more than others, to write well. So I practice.

What does that mean? For one thing I'm still enjoying myself and that's the main point. Will I ever see anything in print? I'd like to but I'm honest enough to know nothing I've written yet is really worthwhile. I think I'm closer with some works than others. It's like my painting. I'm better at landscapes and trees than with drawing and painting people mostly because I've had less practice. I'd like to think I'm talented enough that I could learn to draw people well (well enough, anyway) if I really tried. and I'd like to think my writing will improve, too. So more practice.

And more discipline. That's the real key. I don't know about others but I'm thinking up thousands of rabbit trails and have a hard time focusing on the real plot and direction of a story. It becomes a question of what to leave out as much as what to put down on paper.

I'm not in the habit of making new year resolutions because I have too much fun breaking them within minutes of stating them so I won't resolve to be published by the end of 2009 or anything like that. It won't work. But I will continue working and learning the craft of writing well. And, if God wills, I'll actually get better.

Morally and Financially Bankrupt

James Drury — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:30:00 GMT

Porn makers want a bailout.

No, really. That's it.

In these times of government bailouts of everyone and everything, why not have nationalized smut?

Now, I'm no expert in this, but it seems to me that if you own XXX number of this type of DVD, how many more do you need? It's not like the technology changes. Are there fans, like Trekkies, that follow the story lines and really get into the characters? Maybe I'm just naive but I would think that a porn movie from 5 years ago would be just as good (bad?) as one made today.

It's hard to predict if our fearless leaders will go for this or not. Washington has been selling itself on a regular basis so perhaps they will take offense at this all-too-close-to-home industry in an attempt to maintain their thin disguise of propriety.

Great Balls of Fire!

James Drury — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 00:47:00 GMT

So I really am not crazy!

Last night, as part of our home schooling we were watching the original King Kong (my wife is a slave driver when it comes to home work!) when I happened to see out the window a blaze in the sky, shooting East to West just above the trees.

"Wow! What was that?" I exclaim and rush to the window. Of course, it was gone by then but my older son claimed to have also seen it and the Little Guy ventured to look outside for the next hour, claiming to see it each time.

I did not get to see the explosion as reported but what I did see was quite impressive.

I expect a knock at the door any moment. When I answer I am sure I'll see little green men.

All is well

James Drury — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 20:30:00 GMT

And the lights came back on last night. Whew! Ironically, or perhaps "logically" the power lines were fixed just moments after I acquired all the correct gage wire, conduit, plugs, and outlets to wire the generator properly into fuse box. I'll be ready next time.

I'm really amazed, as I thought we'd be out a lot longer. The Power Company is doing a fantastic job restoring service as quickly as possible. With 320,000 households without power on Saturday the number of outages is now down to about 70,000. That's still more than the total outages from the dreaded Ice Storm of 1998 but that number is rapidly decreasing.

I still know several people without power and we're expecting more snow and such for the next few days. Please pray for everyone who is without power and for the safety of line crew. I have heard of a few deaths related to carbon monoxide or fires so the need is still great.