Unpleasant

Said I'd see you, and here I am. Regretfully I must report that the week has not improved. I have been sick today in a particularly unpleasant fashion. Well, there you are.

I was able to go to lunch with a friend, which was the high point of the day. Other than that, I stayed at home.

I hope I'm better by tomorrow. I'm supposed to get my hair cut in the afternoon, and I sure need that done. It's hanging down in front of my eyes, and that's quite annoying.

And I was able to walk around outside a bit and enjoy the beautiful spring like weather. We didn't really have a winter this year. Not complaining, but it does make me wonder what the summer is going to be like.

Anyway, once again the time is late, so I'd better post this. Talk to you tomorrow.

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Up and down

It looks like it's going to be that kind of week. I was afraid it would be after Monday, but today confirmed it. Well, that's life. Up and down. Gotta live through the downs to make it to the ups. It's valley then mountain, valley then mountain, and keep moving forward.

How are things going for you? Having your share of ups and downs? Well, I'm in your corner, come what may.

I've been working hard on several projects, but there's still so much to do on all of them. Gotta keep on keeping on.

Yes, I'm giving myself a pep talk. Sometimes I need an encouraging word from me! Do you do that? Spur yourself on? I bet you do if you're a creative person. Creatives seem to need that extra push.

Anyway, need to post this before the day ends. So, good night, sleep tight, and see you tomorrow.

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Standing

I realized today that I don't fall in love anymore. Oh, I fall into like and maybe even lust, but love, no. Not that I'm cynical, or at least that's not the reason because I do know love exists. I know many people have it. And I love many people who love me. However, I don't fall in love anymore. No one new, I guess. Which is sad. Maybe.

Maybe it's age. Maybe I grew out of that. Not even sure I want it. Love always brings complications, and my life is complicated enough as it is. So I can't say I'm looking for it or are even open to it.

Isn't that odd? Well, maybe not. There's a certain comfort in being beyond new love. While it does mean your world will become smaller, it certainly is safer.

I wish I had more regret about this, but I don't. Life is as it is. I hope I wouldn't be resistant to a new love, but I'm not sure I'd be welcoming. I'm standing here in my life, trying to make my world through the world one day at a time, step by step. If a new love wanted to join me in that, well, that would be just fine.

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Grumpy

Look, I'm different. I'm the most different person I know or have ever met. After learning (after long hard years of sorrow) to accept me and all my quirks, I'm rather proud of being different. I've been successful being different and taking the path never traveled. It's not been easy, and I would have taken the easy way if I could have, but for whatever reason, the easy path wasn't an option. So there I am.

And if someone doesn't like me being different, well, dang it, I got a dang rocket with their dang name painted on the dang side.

Yes, I'm a bit grumpy today. Why do you ask?

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Things you should know

With the right rockets attached, pigs fly just fine. Remember this when people try to stomp on your dreams.

Shouldn't laughed, but I did

Heard this joke the other day. It made me laugh.

An elderly married couple were walking in the park the other day and noticed a young man and woman sitting on a bench, kissing passionately.

The wife asked, "Why don't you do like that man?"

The husband replied, "I don't even know that woman!"

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Twitter meme

A meme from Twitter full of info about me that you probably already know.

Political stance: Both feet on the ground. Registered Democrat, but vote all over the place. Financially conservative, but socially liberal.

Favorite movie: The Lion in Winter. Oh, and the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Favorite people on Twitter: @polarbear60 @ToriDeaux @ChristyBower @akhuck @dougmatlock @rosannecash @StephenPenner and a bunch more.

Why I write: Lord only knows. It sure isn't for the money, such as it is. I just always have. No explanation.

Religion: Christian. Baptist with a refreshing twist of lime, but open to all people because I don't believe anyone has a lock on God.

Person I most respect: Have to be my parents. They're both gone now, but they overcame a lot in their lives. And they loved me.

Favorite song: Hmm ... not possible for me to pick. I like a lot of different music. Depends on my mood, I guess.

Favorite bar drink: I like Bloody Marys without the alcohol in them. The tangier the better.

Favorite book: My current favorite book is Small Gods by Terry Pratchett.

Favorite TV Shows: Raising Hope is one of the best shows on TV. Leverage and White Collar. NCIS. Bones. The Big Bang Theory. The Mentalist. Castle.

And that's probably enough of that.

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Three from Twain

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."

"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first."

"Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry."

All quotes by Mark Twain.

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A few shots at the winged wonder

By Stephen B. Bagley

Ordinarily at this time of year, I make a few disparaging remarks about Valentine’s Day, or Passover as I call in my house, but never within earshot of any of my Jewish friends as they do get the joke, but they don’t think it’s funny, and I hate it when they get all Samson on me.

But this year, I’ve decided to direct our attention to that clothing-challenged archer who wings around shooting people with arrows to make them fall in love with people guaranteed to ruin their lives. I just don’t understand Cupid.

Oh sure, I get the metaphor that love is like a sharp weapon that pierces your spleen and makes you hemorrhage to death while your loved one runs off with your best friend, but beyond the obvious, what’s up with him?

Well, actually he’s up in the air because he has little tiny wings on his back. That’s fine, I guess, but he really needs to put some clothes on. He flies around more naked than the birds who at least have feathers. He has nothing to protect him from the elements. (People thought that the mythmakers were saying Cupid carried a quiver, but actually they were saying he shivered. )

Supposedly, Cupid was the son of Venus (Goddess of Love) and Mars (God of Candy Bars). It wasn’t until he was in Middle School that he learned his parents were mythical and didn’t exist. The other school children used to mock him by saying, “Who’s your daddy? And mama?” At this point, he took up the bow and arrow, but the school counselor disarmed him and sent him to military school where he was ignored because no one wants to look at a naked person all the time.

Not that his life was all bitter aloneness. In fact, while carrying out one of his mother’s bizarre revenge schemes — Venus had depths of crazy that even my girlfriends don’t have — he met and stalked a beautiful woman by the name of Psyche, who was a soul sister. (That’s a clever joke because Psyche is Greek for “soul.” Get it? Ha ha.)

Cupid and Psyche had their problems, of course, as any couple does when the man likes to soar around naked shooting people, but eventually they did marry and had a daughter whom they named Voluptas for no good reason. (They also called her Hedone, which doesn’t seem any better. I can see Psyche standing on the celestial porch hollering, “Voluptas Hedone, you get back in this house right now!”) She hated her parents, mostly because her father’s lack of modesty meant she could never have sleepovers at her house. She left home at an early age and had a wanton life, but no more so than any pop star or Congressman.

Mercifully, Psyche faded from history (or mythistory) at that point. Cupid, however, showed up a few more times, but marriage had changed him. He now carried two set of arrows, one gold-tipped set that brought love, and another lead-tipped set that brought hate. Some scholars think this is a pointed commentary on marriage. Other scholars wonder why we’re talking about this and think we should get a real job. The other scholars are often grumpy.

Anyway, I want you to think about all this when you get a card with Cupid on it. If you do and then find your Valentine’s Day is a bit less happy, then my job is finished. 

Copyright 2012 by Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved. No copying without prior express written permission. Excerpted from Return of the Floozy. Thank you for reading.

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Warcraft

So ... been playing World of Warcraft more than I should. And it struck me ... again ... that leveling up your character in WoW is false accomplishment. Not that WoW is bad, mind you, and there's nothing wrong with playing it. What I'm talking about is how easy it is to allow that accomplishment to take the place of accomplishing real life goals

And it is a time sink. WoW is designed to encourage to you play just 30 more minutes, to finish that dungeon, or complete that quest, and then you can stop, except each quest branch out to other quests (they call them quest trees) and other locations and so on and so on. Eventually you've spent your entire night on leveling up your mage/warrior/paladin/priest/warlock/shaman/etc.

Can't do that. Moderation in all things, as one of the Apostles said. Although I'm sure he never imagined computer games. But maybe so

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Time warp

Was busy all day, but as I look back, I wonder where the time went. Perhaps I was trapped in some sort of time warp that devoured my time to spit it out in some other universe. Maybe not.

Part of the time problem was that I was in my car driving from place to place. Drive time was significant. And then I was at a friend's house using her dryer because mine is broken. (Supposed to have a repairman out Tuesday. Hope it gets fixed then.) I did laundry. Dusted some more. Went to the bank. Went to the post office. Went to the library to return a few books. Went to the drive-in. Went to Staples. Went to the gym. Went to the water department.

Those errands aren't in order, but that's what I did.

Anyway, that's how I spent my day. In the car.

Tonight I watched movies on Netflix. Sort of. I had already seen Iron Man 2 so it was mostly just company and noise as I puttered around the house. Although I'm not sure what I did now. The house still looks like I need to clean it. And I didn't do any writing.

Time warp, I guess.

Anyway, it's past time for bed. I'm going there now. You go, too. To your bed, I mean. Night!

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The enemy

Perfectionism is the enemy of progress. We will never produce things that are without error. We must do our best and do it now and then move on to the next challenge if we are to make progress in this world. This applies to everything.

Everything.

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Churchill

Churchill, my fish, passed away tonight. He had been with me for nearly 10 years. I'm somewhat sad about it. Not like when my beloved dog Tai Ling passed away, of course. That just about killed me. And it's not like I took Churchill for walks or petted him or taught him tricks, but he had been a fixture in the living room aquarium for a long time.

I buried him in the backyard. No ceremony, but near where Tai is buried. Usually when a fish dies, I just discard it, but Churchill had been with me a long time. He was -- if there is such a thing, and I'm not sure there is -- a good fish. I'll miss him. Yes, I know you probably think that's a bit silly. Probably is, but I still will. And personally I think Heaven holds a place for all the creatures we love. After all, it wouldn't be heaven without them.

Churchill, S.I.P. (Swim In Peace)

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