Right As Usual

I just returned home from a visit to the podiatrist. The stress fracture is nearly healed. I need to start working on putting weight on it (SLOWLY). I have another appointment tomorrow, with an ortho man about my opposite knee. I'm in a LOT of pain; can't sleep comfortably, can't sit, can't stand. I'm hoping that I can find out just what is wrong with it. It's making getting any work done difficult, if not impossible. Share

Antifa is putting ICE personnel in jeopardy. Do the family members have to DIE to get people to take this seriously? Share

There really is no such thing as Gender Neutral. The inherent differences in how men and women work, process information, and handle interpersonal activities is wildly different. Might be nature, might be nurture. Or, some combination of the two. Who cares. The fact is, on the job, men and women function differently - and, that difference proved fatal to some sailors. This isn't new - Abu Gharib was, largely, the result of a woman not doing her hob. Then, pleading 'poor little me' . That she wasn't stripped down to private, before being Dishonorably Discharged, was a disgrace. I'm not the only one that feels this way. She should have taken her punishment like a Woman, not a whiny little girl. Share

What's that, Michelle Obama? When they go low, we go high. Eh. Not so much. In fact, the recent events demonstrate that, when we are just minding our own business, they go low - VERY low.  I've written about this before, on Liberty's Torch. The more deranged Alt-Left (also known as Fervent Democrats) has made the leap to threatening family of Non-Leftists. And, feeling smug about their actions. Anyone who doesn't recoil at the extreme actions against politicians and their families is strongly advised to Unfriend me - not just on social media, but in person, as well. I'm saying it again - the line has definitely, absolutely, been crossed. If you do not openly and vocally disapprove of this, GET OUT OF MY LIFE . Beware the storm you have created and unleashed on the world. The unanswered question is whether conservatives–who far outnumber liberals in every survey–should adopt liberals’ methods. How about if we decree that anyone who supported Hillary Cli...

For a man who lived a full, if relatively immobile life.  From Michelle's Mirror. Share

With my story's Kindle Select pricing finally expiring, I changed the Amazon listing. I also published on Smashwords, and set the price to either $0.99, or whatever the reader wants to pay. Eventually, I hope to aggregate my shorts, and bundle them. Here's the link. Share

I've played around with Pixton before. It makes the process of creating comics/graphic output a breeze, even for us art-challenged types. I've decided to do a weekly comic, focused on my writing progress. It's not meant to be especially humorous, but just a light look at my life as a writer. Here's the link. Share

Schools have problems for different reasons. Seldom is it the teachers who are solely responsible for the problems. More often, the problems start at the district level. Most - not all, but most - of the really stupid directives are imposed on principals, teachers, and schools from on top. Here is one example. The most important thing to remember about this (and most other things in life): There is no Quick Fix for problems There are quick solutions - but they only provide the appearance of working. They will mask the true situation, and bite you in the a$$ later. There are inexpensive solutions - but, they usually are less effective than the model on which they were based. There are solutions developed by the people closest to the ground - they don't often scale well. There are solutions that take time - often, the most effective. However, when the problem is not solved quick enough, these are usually summarily dumped for something else. I'm going to suggest some...

"Smash Monogamy" was one of the rallying slogans of the 1960's Feminist Radicals. Many of my generation accepted that a long-term relationship with a single male person was stultifying and outdated, and, as a result, remained single. Some of them are regretting that today, as they face old age alone. Does marriage have down sides? Of course. It can be difficult to bond in an exclusive relationship with someone, particularly as the relationship may last for 25-50 years of one's adult life. That higher figure would be the length of a marriage between a couple married in their early twenties, and living to the current average - around 75 years old. However, the advantages, which include protection, mutual support, sharing child raising responsibilities, joined financial strength, and increased familial connections, can outweigh those restraints on individual freedom. An anthropologist examines the "It Takes a Village" hypothesis, so popular with Feminis...

I like mysteries. I grew up with: Agatha Christie (I loved that slice of early 20th century life shown in her books) The McDonalds - Ross and John D. Mary Higgins Clark (nothing beats her first book - Where Are the Children?) Rex Stout Ellery Queen and so many more The mystery world has shrunk. Dismally. There are some that still put out great books. John Lescroat. Michael Connelly. But, unfortunately, many - SO many - who are formulaic, derivative, and - Lord, I do hate these the most - Cutesie. As in a cat that solves crimes. Or titles that are puns or plays on words. Or the many, many Crafting or Cooking books. What they DON'T do is serve up a mystery - a murder or other crime without an obvious solution, but that can be solved if the reader is clever and pays attention to subtle clues. Don't get me started on the Violence Porn. /rant Share

I'm a Fuddy-Duddy. I already was, at a young age. Even in my teens, I was seldom one of the late night partiers. By 10:00, I was already yawning. In contrast to the many Owls (those who, like vampires, like the Night Life), I'm a Lark - up early, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Once I got past the adolescent stage of twisting myself into a pretzel to try to qualify as 'cool', I embraced my inner nerd, and lived a life more in tune with my natural inclinations: Reading - fiction, non-fiction, cereal boxes. Not watching television, for the mosts part, unless there was a specific show on. In my house, the TV was off for hours at a time. Not all that interested in popular music. Seldom knew the band's names or backstories. When I did feel like listening to music, I was perfectly content to listen to classical or jazz. I STILL don't 'get' the appeal of the Rolling Stones - to me, they're an over-rated bunch of poseurs. Dress is casual, and tending ...