When last I posted about choosing where you live I promised some methodologies. Left brain/right brain? Subjective/objective? Let’s not go there for now. Starting from the purely rational or practical approach, my recommendation is to do a simple self assessment of what is important to you (and any significant others involved–spouse, family, intimate friend, etc.). Are recreational opportunities important? What kind? Do you like four seasons? Do you like it dry or humid–or what is better for your particular physical condition? What about scenery–mountains, plains, rivers, lakes, etc. How about the economy–including job opportunities in specific sectors? Read the rest of this entry »
I promised an update on priorities within a week in the recent post, Making decisions. So here it is: I am focusing on writing a sci-fi book next. The story will be about the withering away of the military industrial complex and its replacement by the multinational Entertainment-Food-Cosmetic Consortium–sponsors of extreme reality TV. Which will lead to an unexpected peril to Earth from what initially seems like a much needed injection of more extreme programming but actually is a conspiracy to take over the planet.
More decisions: We have determined that Silver City is indeed the place for us; we will make a concerted effort to buy some land in the next couple weeks. Also, I have decided to start buying some ads from Google Adwords for my book website, Waiting for Westmoreland. Since I will be out of pocket for that, I am also going to start running some ads from Google and Amazon on this site. Look for ads and a privacy policy soon. Decisions! Ah, the power of the mystic law (Nam-myoho-renge-kyo) is indeed limitless.
Tags: blogging, decisionmaking, priorities, Writing
Remember unit-pricing (have you even heard of unit-pricing)? It’s something you will find on the little labels on supermarket shelves that tell you not what the the total price of an item is but what the price is per some unit of measure. It might be by weight (ounces, pounds, etc), by volume or by count. You don’t hear much about it anymore but it still can save you money in a time of rising food prices. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: saving money, shopping, supermarkets
Thirty-one years ago, among other reasons, I began practicing Buddhism to make better decisions. Actually, not just to make better ones but to decide period. I had no difficulty seeing alternatives but real difficulty choosing among them. Over the years I have become better at it but from time to time it still comes back to haunt me. Choosing a place to relocate to in retirement is no small decision–and it’s not mine alone. Nonetheless, my wife and I continued to evaluate one place after another, employing criteria meaningful to us. We have decided on Silver City, New Mexico Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: decisionmaking, determination, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, objective versus subjective, procrastination
This next installment on the topic of writing continues with the how part of writing that book. Missed the earlier parts? See part 2 here or go all the way back to part 1. The how relates in part with the what and the why. If you expect to make a living at this, you better know how to write well. Did you major in English? Did you take lots of writing classes in college? Do you already have a day job that entails professional level writing? Then you can probably skip this. Otherwise, you need to develop your writing skills. Many people argue that you can’t teach someone how to write–that one has to learn from doing. OK, but you can teach them grammar, style and other skills. Don’t expect Microsoft Word to adequately deal with that for you. If you are deficient in those areas, catch classes online, at your local adult ed or community college. Don’t want classes? At least pick up some style manuals and a copy of Eats, Shoots & Leaves in one of its many incarnations. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: grammar, reading, Stephen King, style, writing classes, writing groups
If you can’t guess what category this belongs in …. Anyway, out here in the Southwest, you have a different breed of rappers than the big cities of the North and the East. Out on the range, driving cattle, at the end of the day the cowboys gather round the fire. After a few tugs on the jug, to relieve the stresses of the day, one of the rangehands may break into a rap. In response to what rings true, what you often hear is, “herd up!” Yep, that’s cowboy rappin.’
Tags: campfire, cattle drive, cowboys, rangehands, rap
If I were a statistician or wanted to get really meaningful results, I might well design a better poll than the one on the right. But this isthe internet after all and I am not doing research for a paper. I just want to get you thinking. For example, if you happen to like the urban life you are in luck given current economic trends–the run up in gasoline costs won’t ding you too hard. On the other hand, living as far as you can from civilization may work for you in terms of utility costs as the effects of global warming kick-in with more. There are always trade-offs. Fuel costs for your vehicle versus fuel costs for you dwelling. Live off the grid or smack in the center of it. As internet technology advances, it may well be possible to live in the middle of nowhere but easily shop for stuff that Amazon will deliver to your door. Not so easy to get medical care though, in the country. The suburbs may be great while you are raising a family, but if you are a teenager with that first car, the gas prices today have to be pinching somebody. I will write more about this, offering some methodologies for those of you in a position to choose your own destiny.
Tags: city, country, gasoline prices, global warming, off-the-grid, small town, suburbs
Do you carry a balance on one or more credit cards? Big mistake. The highest interest rate for borrowing money is on revolving credit. Way higher than mortgage loans, student loans or even used car loans. Let’s say you carry an average daily balance of $3,000 a month on a credit card. At the current average rate of about 13.5% you would be paying about $400 annually in interest. On the other hand, if you paid off your bill in full each month you could get a rebate on what you charge each month. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: airline miles, credit, credit cards, deficit spending, interest rates, rebates, rewards, self-discipline, spending
A couple weeks ago I said that “Yes, you can write and publish a book.” To follow up on that topic, beyond will and determination I mentioned that some research will be required. Like anything else, you get out of writing what you put into it. Little effort produces little result. Ask yourself what and why before you get too far along in that effort. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: author platforms, becoming a writer, day job, fiction, genre, memoir, niche, non-fiction, publishing, sci-fi, self-publishing, writing a book
For those whose loved ones are there now or who suffer after effects from time they spent in combat, Iraq and Afghanistan remain an immediate concern. For others, like myself, the conflicts are an abstraction. The sufferings of the soldiers and the civilians do not pain my psyche. I have to remind myself again and again, despite regular news coverage, of the real pain that war causes. Am I alone in that respect? Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Buddhism, conflict, determination, humanism, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, peace, prayer, war, will