Forward Progress

“There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect.”~ President Ronald Reagan

Recently I saw a post for Lone Star Metal magazine. They were looking for good writers. And although I really wanted to wave my hand in the air and say something, I had doubt in myself as to whether or not I was good ENOUGH for such and adventure.

Then today I received word from Lone Star Metal magazine asking if I wanted to be a review writer for them.

I still did not know if I was good enough and so I sent them the last CD review, which was for One-Eyed Doll “Witches” and after letting them decide, before I knew it….. I realized that I am now a contributing author to the website.

All I have to do is when I write a CD or an album review, is to send it to LSM, and they will have it published.

Wow!!! 

So yeah, I’m pretty excited about it all. I gave LSM all the “reviews” that I could find, and they already posted it on their website with a link back to here on this blog.

Apparently I AM good enough for this!! And other people believe in me too.

I’m looking forward to this next part of the journey. Although I feel as if I need to move it to another corner of the cyber world and allow for the reviews to have its own place. So if WordPress will allow, I will go for yet ANOTHER blog and it will remain strictly for album reviews.

Once I have it all set up and ready to go, I’ll mention it here. Those of you who wish to follow me there, are more than welcome. If you also know of a band or group that needs some exposure….. I’m your guy now. Let me know!!!

I’m excited. SOOOOO excited!!!!

Thank you dear readers.

Happy Birthday, Jodi Ambrose!

Ladies and gentlemen, please turn your books to page four. Thanks!

So I must make a fuss today in honor of the birthday of author Jodi Ambrose.

Jodi has been around just a little over a year now. At least to my knowledge. However (and with absolutely no complaining from my end) Jodi has turned into one of those kinds of friends that I cannot fathom being without by any capacity.

Why is that? Pretty simple: Jodi’s personality is infectious. It is so infectious that you WANNA get bit by the bug just to see what its like. And once you do, you just never think about leaving because it would be like leaving home.

This cool and charming sassy mouth has put her own mark into my brain. She’s definitely someone that I cherish having a friendship with. And for those of you who have been around even longer knows exactly what that means!!!

So as Jodi turns twenty-ish again, I decided to take time out and wish her a wonderful day and hope that her birthday is as beautiful all-around as she is.

You guys need to subscribe to her blog and join her on Twitter and  Facebook pages. Missing out on this wild and crazy gal could stand to be a horrible day.

Her books of course are still up for grabs as it is tied in with the fundraising website for the tournament in Boston. As well as available on Amazon.

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JODI!!!!! YOU ARE MY ROCK STAR!!!! Stay vulgar, stay beautiful, stay …… you!!!!

Jodi and her husband

Brushing Off And Keep Moving

“There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.”~ Malcolm X

Now that this battle is over, I can actually talk about it.

In the past couple of years, I have been fighting for creative control over a writing project that I had been in 2009.

I had started writing a short story about a woman who was adopted as a child and faced a lifetime abuse, and finally as a woman on her own she snapped and pretty much turn the town upside, slaughtering her abusers and killing anyone who dared to harm her again.

But I had trouble writing this story as I really didn’t have a lot of knowledge of the subject matter. Plus with the ethical problems of whether or not I should write this story at all.

So I had put it away to think about.

In late 2008, I was talking to someone in my social circles about this story and about the problems I was having writing it, much less finishing it. And they became interested and pretended to be concerned. So I shared the unfinished draft with them by e-mailing the document to them.

Shortly afterwards, I lost contact with that person. And about a year later, I found them again on a website that was there for young and beginning authors to share their creative stories.

I found my own story already posted by that old colleague. Names were changed and what not, but it was still the same story.

I contacted them to remove it, and I kicked and screamed like a child feeling so much hurt from the betrayal. But then the other person decided to fight it.

They copyrighted the story and even had it published in a small book. The story that I wrote was mixed in with a bunch of other compositions that they had written.

I fought back. Stating that it was MY story that was being used and plagiarized.

But today came the end of this battle. I lost. I only had a document file of a story that was similar to theirs, and I was unable to prove that I had written it first or had been the original author.

It sucks but I am looking on the bright side.

The ethical problems that I had with writing it in the first place, I can let go of. Neither am I responsible in any way to have to pay the other author anything over this matter.

It sucks knowing that the idea that I came up with was stolen in such a manner of deceit. Pretending that they wanted to see it, to see if they could help come up with something that I could get through it and finish the story and then their pledge that they would assist in getting in published somewhere because they liked what they read. Only to have them take original character names and places and replace those with their own and have it published.

I haven’t shared anything that wasn’t completed since then. Nor will I.

I have other projects that I can work on that I believe would actually make a good book, screenplay, or even film.

So I’m brushing off being knocked on my butt and moving on with other things.

Earning Extra Credit Points With Author Jodi Ambrose

“My philosophy of life: Wake up. Be happy. Hurt no one. Go to bed. Wake up. Repeat.”~ Jodi Ambrose

No this is not my personal way to kiss ass, this is extra credit. Doing above and beyond what was asked for.

Jodi Ambrose found this blog last May and she and I have been keeping in touch through one another’s blog ever since.

Not that long ago she gave an offer that I couldn’t refuse. It was her Tit for Tat offer.

So what did she want? The books that she has written about sex and intimacy, as well as one helluva enjoyable cookbook, were to be sent to me in the mail in trade that a review will be written on amazon.com.

That soon will come. This is extra!!

Jodi Ambrose discusses what is known as The List. At a minimum of twenty separate things about the opposite sex that you should know about. Basically these books are your guidelines to earning yourself lots more sex.

That’s right. Books for both genders on tips on getting laid, and getting laid a lot!!

Sounds good, doesn’t it??

Even though the terms of the exchange were firmly written in her blog, I actually had the balls to make a counter offer to her original deal.

She knew that I have been wanting these books for a long time but just never could put the money together to purchase them. After all, her original deal was to ship the books in the mail for FREE. I couldn’t lose! But noooooo… I had to go and make the counter offer that she autograph anything that she sent.

Signed. Sealed. Delivered.

Jodi Ambrose- 3. Dambreaker-0.

Oops! Uh-oh. I’m screwed and not in the way that is explained in the books!!!!!!!

I took great delight when I received the package in the mail that I nearly squealed like a 9 year old girl with glee. And I enjoyed the written messages attached within each book. And even though she warned me NOT to read the book written for women as to not to reveal their secrets, I will admit that I did thumb it through for a bit.

So enough about that. On with the show!! 

Sex: How To Get More Of It. A guy’s roadmap to paradise, in and out of the bedroom. 

This was the book that was targeted for males. Reading this book more closely than the other, I simply just have to agree with Jodi with each and every word written. Both serious and vulgar.

She’s got a way to use a dirty mouth to drive her point across into the male skull which most women think are thicker than their own. And though that may be true for some, the helpful hints and tips have no trouble getting through the cranial barrier and into the brain of even the oddest of men all the way to the intelligent, knowledge-seeking lovers.

Vernacular is key throughout the entire book. She’s gone through the painful task of forming The List for men. And as much as I agree with The List, it would behoove all male readers to NEVER stray from it, NEVER change it, just obey it! That is if you ever dream of getting laid again in your lifetime. No matter if you are married, in a relationship that is new, or single… these words to the male readers should open up the guy’s senses in what it means to understand a woman… even if its just for a fraction of an inch.

But understanding a woman’s mind isn’t what its about. Again, the point is how to get laid!! And I do not know of any man who wouldn’t want to have that kind of knowledge in their arsenal.

As I turned page after page after page I wondered why most men have issues like these. It’s like the warning levels on consumer products. If it has to be written, its because some dumbass did something well…… dumbass. So apparently there are men out there who would benefit from this book.

Intimacy: How To Get More Of It. A peek into understanding the male mind. 

Again, I was warned not to read it. But I did read through most of it and there was a reason for that. I wanted to find out just how accurate it would be. In other words, I wanted to see if there was at any point that I would totally and vehemently disagree with any statement, remark, or piece of advice that Jodi had to offer.

Sweet beans of unholy mercy! There was nothing in the book that I would dare disagree with!!

Yep. That’s what happens!

Much like her book written for male readers, the book written for female readers also contain The List. It slightly differs because males and females differ. Imagine that, huh??

Jodi Ambrose definitely has her shit together where it matters. Both for males and females. And she puts it in the easiest terms possible. Vernacular also for females is probably spot on as well.

So as far as it goes with the books on intimacy and sex, I found myself eager to get to the next paragraph to see what it would say to me.

Guys can in fact get laid a lot more. And girls can receive the intimacy that they desire just the same. Just stay on the map that was written by Jodi Ambrose!

The books prove that there is a possibility of getting wonderful, mind-blowing sex for as long as you really want it!

I’m glad she stumbled across my blog. I’m glad I decided to reciprocate. And now, if you don’t mind….. I will sit back and wait to see what my punishment (or reward) will be for reading both books. I’ll be hearing from her soon in one way or another.

I cannot wait to utilize the cookbook that she put together with her husband collectively. It looks like so much fun, and yummy to say in the least!!!

Her blog can be found in the Blogroll. Find all three of her books on amazon.com if you want the intimacy or the sex that you still want and just haven’t been getting.

The Literary Horse

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”~ Ernest Hemingway

I’ve recently got back on the literary horse. It is something that I have been wanting to do for a very long time now. And only this past week, I began the new adventure of writing short stories again. I am a little bit excited about it.

It’s been going well so far. I noticed that when I finally stopped to begin the project that I kept going for almost six hours and written 19 pages using Microsoft Word Document.

The first day though, I kept writing until my hands were practically numb from typing away on the keyboard.

I’ve written other short stories before, and I have been told by people that I should publish them. But I lost them in the move when I left my ex-girlfriend as they were stored on an old computer. But I doubt that even she could get to them as the mother board had died before I moved away.

I probably had enough short stories to publish a small book that would have been a collection of stories. But oh well. Time for something fresh!

Since then, I have had a few ideas of what I wanted to write about and what kinds of stories that I wanted to come up with. But this time, I’m composing the story in a different way than I have done before in the past.

As certain ideas or scenes come to mind, I am writing them. And then I intend on surrounding those parts with the rest of the story. I really wanted to concentrate on getting the raunchy sex scenes out of the way first before I write the other parts to it. I need to make sure that it doesn’t sound like just a fetish story.

I was surprised with myself though the first day. I normally have tons of problems trying to figure out just how to start writing with the first paragraph. For this project, I had no troubles at all. I pulled up a new document and went to work. I finished the opening section of the story and got done a few of the amorous parts.

I’m proud of myself for being able to do that.

I wrote more today and (according to the Word Document) I have started on the 29th page, and have over 13,000 words to it written. And I have yet to fill in the other parts to the story.

But I’ve learned my lesson. I will no longer go for a long stretch of hours. I will take more breaks in between and learn to stop once in a while. My hands and arms hurt after that first day of writing. Perhaps only write so many words a day and then stop would work better for me.

I’m hoping that this goes well. Wish me luck!!!

 

Getting Trapped With A Trapp

“We live by our imagination, our admirations, and our sentiments.”~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Outside of the fact that I had one really great night with SIX MINUTE CENTURY, I was also spending the weekend with romance author, Jessica Trapp, and her family.

I had met her in April of this year, when I went to Houston the first time to see SIX MINUTE CENTURY. As I said in my previous post, “Music & Books”. Jessica Trapp takes up the “book” end of the deal.

But we had met in a public place for a few hours at a shopping mall. Which was for safety for all who were involved. And believe it or not, I was glad it was like that for the first time.

This past weekend though… I would be spending my time with her and her family as she had invited me to stay with her for those days. We had such a great time back in April just hanging out, talking, getting to know one another personally, that she really felt that she wanted to cross paths again. This was her opportunity of sorts. As I was on the verge of not being able to go at all, after spending my very last dime and then come to find out I had no place to stay. Jessica was my savior!!! She offered her home for me to stay in during the time that I was going to be there.

As the days rolled on, and it was getting closer and closer and closer to showing up in Houston, I felt a bit nervous. And I could not figure out why. I had met her before- so why should I be nervous?? I think it was because of the fact that I had only met with her for a few hours. Now I was about to spend several days & nights in her home. Talk about getting the behind-the-scenes look on someone that you love and admire!! It is quite daunting.

What was I going to do or say? I hadn’t really had a chance to meet her family either. What was I going to say to them??

When I arrived and I was finally greeted by Jessica, things that I had been worried about just went out the window.

There was a lot of conversation. Plenty of personal and yet unique conversation. More and more with each turn, getting to know more about the area in which Jessica lived in, the way she grew up, her experiences. I found it all interesting. Although she probably thought that I was bored. That possible thought couldn’t be any farther from the truth. And I hope that she is not thinking that now that I have returned home.

Her family took me to Kemah Park to see Black Dog, a Led Zeppelin tribute band. It was really a lot of fun. The following day, I went shopping and ran through several different bookstores and had lunch before I was going to be picked up to go to the SIX MINUTE CENTURY show.

After all of that, I had wanted to go to the zoo. But the summer heat is just as bad in Houston as it is here. So instead I went along with the family to the John P. McGovern Museum of Health and Medical Science. Inside, there was a STAR WARS exhibit. And that was just totally awesome! All of those props that were used in all six movies. Plus costumes and wardrobe.

Lots of laughs were shared. I found Jessica’s husband to have quite the sense of humor as he would come up with one-liners from out of thin air it had seemed. Jessica’s son was able to hold conversations and you wouldn’t have believed he was as young as he was because he was able to keep the conversation in a higher level of intelligence than others his age.

Hanging out with Jessica was something that I had hoped I could do. And now that I have done it, I hope that I can do it again.

We had stayed in touch since our first meeting. She had always asked me for a hug. Apparently she believes that I give good hugs. So she wanted hugs from me. I hope that she was able to be satisfied with the scores of hugs and other affectionate gestures.

When the day came for me to return home. I found myself in a position where I had a lot of trouble facing the fact that I had to leave. With having a wonderful and fun night with SIX MINUTE CENTURY, and the remainder of the weekend with Jessica Trapp, it was so difficult for me to want to leave. In fact, I never had that feeling that I wanted to leave at all in the first place. I wanted to stay there.

There was nothing more important in the world than staying there. But I knew that I could not this time. But I know that there will be other times to go because I know that SIX MINUTE CENTURY will be playing again soon. Probably in November.

I had to remind Jessica that I was coming back then. Well, to be honest, she kept asking if that was my plan. But of course. I just simply had so much trouble because I couldn’t see any reason why I should not be in Houston. Maybe that’s something that I can work on or figure out.

The look on Jessica’s face when she departed from me that last time during my visit damn near killed me. I know now that she is only worried about me, and that she cares. But as I said, maybe something will come along and I will be able to get to  Houston a lot sooner and faster and I would be able to visit again. On both sides of the “Music & Books”.

But I hope that she reads this and finds out just how wonderful she is. And how grateful I am for everything that she and her family had done for me. Including her mother to sew up LK#1 for me!! Talk about “Saved In Time”.

Still though, I am honored and thankful. And I am so glad she’s around.

Jessica’s website is on the left. So go ahead and “Get Trapped In A Book!”. I’ve read them. Even as a guy, I enjoyed them. Hopefully you will too!!

 

Write or Die

“She was amazed at his body. His muscles were well defined and smooth that she couldn’t help but want to run her fingers up and down each curve of his body. She gazed at his well endowed manhood and became uneasy. She was a virgin; she did not really know what to do.”

A week or so ago, I was cleaning out my computer of old and useless files. Then I stumbled across a document that apparently was an erotic story about vampires that I had started many, many years ago.

It was incomplete but I looked it over anyways. As I was doing so, I was reflecting in my mind about how this project came to be in the first place and how it ended solely in my lap.

Back then, a former colleague of mine had begun writing this dark story and wanted me to look it over and give it my critique. I agreed and the file document was sent to me almost immediately. When I had opened it to read, the entire manuscript was just filled with errors to the point where it had become a distraction. Later that evening, I took it upon myself to make corrections to it. Once I was finished with that, I sent it back to the original writer and asked her what she thought of it. I did include one filling scene in the story to flesh it out some more so it wasn’t so quick for the main characters to be introduced, then suddenly the male vampire was doing his thing.

The following morning, I received an e-mail from her with nothing praise and excitement that I had made the story “better”. She then asked if I would collaborate with her on the writing of the story. Again, I agreed to help out.

But I ended up being more of a ghost writer than anything. With each part that I had written to add to the story, I would send for her approval. I should have seen it coming, but she never had any debate on what I had done with it and how the story was coming along. With each time I passed the updated document to her came more and more praise. But never any further input on how she wanted to write the story. After a few days that I spent writing, she would eventually give me complete creative control over the story. I still though, would share with her each new piece that I had written to it.

Eventually, the original author and I would have a falling out. It led to us going our separate ways. I was the one stuck with the story that was unfinished and had no further direction.

So then fast forward to about a week ago, this story emerges. I do no think that it is a bad story. Nor do I think that it is a literary gold mine. Its violent and bloody. As well as steamy and erotic. I’ve always tend to try and blend those in whenever I am composing a new story.

There are a few things that I think could be listed into the cons in writing anything further. The mixture between how a man writes and how a woman writes erotic content varies greatly in my opinion. Also, the main characters were given the awful, stereotypical names for both males and females. How I think its so cliché now-a-days to have a male vampire named “Lestat” and have a female named “Scarlet”.

Nothing more original was thought of in the development of these characters. I simply wrote more to what I already had. Even then, I felt the names of the main characters were actually quite lame. And this was something that happened over five years ago.

By now, the former collab partner has probably all but forgotten about this story and most likely doesn’t remember that it exists. And I am stuck with trying to make the decision of whether or not to complete it to the very end, or simply discard it. Knowing that I have already put in 49 unformatted document pages and over 21,000 words makes it difficult to just press DELETE.

Have you ever started a project and then suddenly forgot about it, only to have it resurface again still incomplete? What did you do about it? Did you finish it or did you trash it??

I am curious to know what others might think. Let me know.

Road Block Ahead!

Help!!

So here I am writing late in the evening, and I can’t budge. Only enough though to write this blog post, which is bound to be lame.

 

Writer’s Block has loomed over me like a cloud. But not in the ways that people commonly think.

 

I’ve been quite surprised and overwhelmed about how this blog has been coming along. I would think that its starting to show signs of progress and success. At least, that’s what all bloggers would like to believe. Trust me, when I see how many times this poor website has been looked at, I take notice and become absolutely grateful and appreciative.

 

My problem is not really knowing what exactly to write about. I do have several key ideas on topics that I wish to address. These topics to be concerned on a more serious level, rather than my blundering ranting and raving about something that is just bugging the crap out of me.

 

What I think the problem is, is the fact that once I have set my mind on a specific topic, I begin to go through everything that I want to say in my head until I can get a clear outline of what I will write about. But as of lately, All these different topics are still running around in my head, but they are blending in together. So by the time I prepare myself to write, I have to sit and think about what it was exactly it was in the first place that I had intended on posting. Because clearly, the thrilling thought that gets spun around in my head just before I get set to write was not the original idea in the first place.

 

When I was writing erotic short stories a few years ago, I would always get that blasted Writer’s Block from the start. I would stare at my computer screen and just have no clue on how to begin my tales of the flesh. I knew what was going to go on, but I could not master a simple beginning. Maybe it is not so simple… generally speaking?

 

The same goes with my poetry. An idea comes to mind, and here I am stuck trying to find those first few lines before I get greased up and flowing with prose.

 

I know that other writers feel the same way. They all get to that point where their minds just seem to shut off like a light switch for a while before they are able to get back to work on their projects.

 

The wonderful thing for me at least is that I know that eventually the clouds and the cobwebs will eventually clear. And I will be able to go on and write my posts and share them with the world. I do appreciate everyone’s patience, who actually is waiting on my next post.

 

But for now, good grief!! Major “headdesk” moment in 3…. 2….. 1………………………

 

 

 

Dream Vacation

I think I know now why they call them, “dream vacations”. I just spent the weekend in Houston, Texas. No, not the ocean like I said I would be at. There are reasons for that deception. I’ll get to that in a moment. But now that it is over, it felt so much like a dream.

I would have to say that it was quite difficult for me to keep things under wraps, so to speak. The whole intention of the so-called weekend getaway was to surprise a few people who live in the Houston area.

I had other things going on, but I won’t be so boring getting into them. Besides, who wants to talk “business” when its supposed to be a vacation?? So I’m just going to focus on solely, the “personal”.

During that time though, I got to do what I had only been dreaming of doing for many years now. For one, getting to a SIX MINUTE CENTURY show. But I will blog about all of those experiences in another post. Their lead singer, Chuck Williams was celebrating his birthday and they had a show. My entire plan was to surprise the whole band by traveling the 200 miles to be there. The other, was to finally meet in person, romance author Jessica Trapp.

To be honest, I never would’ve thought in a million years that these dreams would  come true. But they did. I am so grateful for those dreams to turn into a reality. I am above Cloud Nine at this point.

I had never been to Houston before. I had gone through it on the way to Galveston twice in my life and I thought that Houston was scary! Maybe it was just the traffic. So I knew this was going to be quite the experience for me. Nervous, excited, and totally stoked to go. I showed up far too early at the bus depot that it was just totally unnecessary and inhumane to be there that early. The excitement got the best of me for sure.

Three hours on the bus and I was met by one of my dearest friends, Lori. I had known her for about two years and now I was face to face with her. Then later meeting up with her fiancee, Michael. The bassist to SIX MINUTE CENTURY.

I had only been there for about five hours and I remember thinking to myself, that this was a great idea and I was excited for the next day to meet everyone that I had been in communication with over the Internet for so long. All of my worries were carried away. I was able to just chill out and relax and enjoy those who were hosting me for the weekend. Great and awesome people! I knew that the excitement would build.

Its so surreal when you are in non-verbal communication for so long and then you are directly in their face. There’s no turning back. There’s no delete button. No backspace key. It becomes whatever you make it and that’s the way it is.

I have no complaints though. I didn’t have any problems at all with anyone. And I was glad for it.

That same night, I was taken to a recording studio where SIX MINUTE CENTURY is hard at work recording their second album. So thrilling for me because I had never been in one before. I got to meet lead guitarist, Don LaFon later that evening. (See guys? I spelled it right!)

For me to have that opportunity as a fan to get to hear the new material was just so cool! I definitely felt like I was receiving the VIP treatment!! I’m probably one of the band’s biggest fans.

When I begin to like something and feel passionate about it, I go full force. The dedication stays with me until death!

That first day, I was awake for 21 hours before I was able to crash at the hotel. I literally sat there all alone in the hotel room, overwhelmed with positive energy, happiness, and full of emotion that I cried myself to sleep. Getting to see the entire band was going to be so awesome.

The 22nd of April was the big day. The reality was slowly creeping in that at long last I would be in the presence of great colleagues and get to see the band that I admire so much play live.

In the afternoon, I met up with author Jessica Trapp and her son, had lunch and spent the afternoon walking around in the mall and the surrounding shopping centers. 

I was totally nervous. I had so much trouble with being so scared that I would sound like an idiot. After all, she is a writer and it would stand to reason that her vocabulary would be more advanced than mine. I just hoped that I sounded like a decent human being when I engaged in conversation. To me, that was a lot of pressure.

Even with my nervous driving me insane, I still found a way to become relaxed and  comfortable. Even though the first impressions are always the ones that become impressed on the mind and opinions of others.

The world seemed to have stood still. Nothing else mattered. Yet time still melted away and I parted ways from Jessica in the late afternoon. It was a real fun time. I enjoyed her company. And as always, I was appreciative that she took me to lunch, and took the time to come out to see me. Even though I was probably quite a drive from her.

The night of the concert I will be saving for the next post. Yet it was another 19 hours of being awake and crawling into the hotel room at 5:00 AM? Yeah, all I can really say about it is, “that’s rock and roll for you!”. I’d do the entire day all over again and again and again and again if I could.

Saturday was a day of trying to recover. I think I kind of failed. Such the headache and fatigue crept over me like a blanket and I just was fumbling around so much like a goofball. But I was happy about it!

It literally took two days to get over it. But that second day was the day I was to return home on the bus.

I needed to get back to my own life and I needed to let others return to their routine of daily life as well. Not having my own mode of transportation and having to rely on others to get me where I needed to go, does become burdensome. I’m just so glad that I have wonderful friends who didn’t mind so much. I did exactly what I needed to do in order to gain some of the good mental health back into my life and stop worrying about the bullshit drama that actually surrounds me at home every single day.

There was a discussion about the possibility of me returning to Houston for the band’s next show and when that could be. It looks like near the end of the summer. It was also discussed about whether or not things could be done to make it happen on both sides with my wonderful hosts and myself. I think there’s a chance. I discussed my feeling that I would like to have a bit of a longer stay but I knew that it would mean a lot more. And besides, things worked out great this past weekend, having it being Easter. Those around me having the day off and all. If I were to go, I’d probably have a lot more free time on my hands all by myself until people are out of work and able to connect with me.

There was really not a lot of negative stuff happening around me. I lost my cd player in the process, and a favorite writing pen walked off somewhere in the city of Houston. But I have plenty of pens at home, and I was able to replace my cd player while I was there.

I was supposed to depart at 12:30, but things got fouled up when I heard that the 12:30 bus did not have a wheelchair lift. Instead, I had to wait until 3:30 to take the next one that did have a lift. I wasn’t sure what happened. I did what I was supposed to do on my end. So my hosts got to hang out with me at the bus depot.

And then Jessica Trapp came back for one more visit, bringing her entire family with her, on their way through town to celebrate Easter with someone else. She brought a bag full of goodies. Brought a few books that I did not have that she wrote and autographed them. It was a really nice surprise. (I actually came home with A LOT of stuff that was just given to me. I am thankful for everything and everyone.)

After the short visit by her, my hosts departed to be on their way as well to celebrate Easter with family. More pictures were taken. Hugs given. Loving sentiments traded. I just needed to let everyone know how much I appreciated them, and how much they meant to me. Their sacrifices that they made to make this all become a successful trip. Totally overwhelming for me.

And then, wouldn’t you know it? Drama has to set in while sitting outside in the sunshine.

Some bum came up to me and asked me for change and/or a cigarette. I told the guy that I had nothing. So he moved on to the next person standing about four feet away, puffing away on a cigarette.

He asked him for a smoke, and the guy told him to get bent because it was his last one. Just about that time I adjusted myself in my wheelchair and shifted my weight. Right when I did that, all this change came pouring out of my pocket and spilling onto the sidewalk.

That bum heard it, and came running after it. I freaked out. I mean, I had my stick with me. And we all know by now the history of the stick. But it was buried at the bottom of my bag. It would’ve taken me a very long time to dig through to find it, and possibly use it if I needed. I just wouldn’t have had enough time to do that and protect myself. This guy came running so quickly that I started yelling.

So lucky that Houston police was right there when it happened. They yelled at the guy and he tried running away, but the police officer did one of those running tackles from behind. Something that I’ve only seen on “COPS”. He was arrested and hauled away. Not sure what charges were given.

I saw that, and I got to witness a woman getting arrested for shoplifting at the mall on Friday morning. Such sad people. But I was okay. I wasn’t hurt.

I finally boarded the bus around 3:00 and was under the impression that we would be leaving at 3:30. But we pulled away from the bus depot at 3:15. Then being told over the intercom that we would be arriving at 6:45, I thought that the ride home was going to be miserable. It was bad enough that I didn’t want to go in the first place. Lucky for me, we arrived just three hours later. I think I finally entered my apartment at 7:00 on the dot.

So my personal thanks goes out to Michael and Lori, and Jessica… and of course, SIX MINUTE CENTURY. It was worth every ounce of energy planning this for so long, and worth every penny spent to get down there. I hope to have an even better time if I make it down there again in a few months. Now that I know the ropes of riding on the bus to and from Houston. It will get easier and be better each time I do it.

I met so many people and made new friends. It was definitely a wonderful time. I can say it over and over again. Hard to believe that I saw all these wonderful, beautiful people just YESTERDAY!

So I believe its called a dream vacation, because I had such a wonderful time and didn’t want to come home at all. Please Houston, if it was only a dream… NEVER wake me.

Note: SIX MINUTE CENTURY’s MySpace and Facebook pages, along with Jessica Trapp’s new website, “Getting Trapped In A Book”, can be found in the links in the blog roll. I highly suggest you check them all out.

Happy Birthday, J.S. Chancellor!

I am coming up on two months since I had started this little cyber oddity of composition. I can only speak for myself, when I sit back and think that it seems like forever and ten years ago.

About a month ago, I was somewhat introduced to an author by the name of J.S. Chancellor. Someone with whom I have shared a great deal of pleasant exchanges with. At the time, I felt that this blog wasn’t really going anywhere because I had never done this kind of thing before. With myself full of doubt, I did not think that any one would read this blog, much less subscribe to it. 

But with regards to J.S. Chancellor I had found that she too, had her own creative blog within the pages of this site. I remember sitting in total wonder as I read post after post after post. I knew that for one she is a great writer, and two she obviously knew better of what she was doing with this blog than I.

So I had implored upon her for help. Not really knowing whether or not it would become beneficial or a complete and total disaster for the simplest task of asking.

I was fortunate enough that she had in fact helped me along in this journey of weirdness that I have created. A great teacher, and the patience of a saint. Her instructions were clear and easy for me to understand this blog site better.

I am deeply appreciative of her kindness for the proverbial hand-holding and guidance. Even though I do joke to myself that she is “my blog mother”.

Today though, is her birthday. I will not disclose in how many years she has graced the Earth with her presence and wisdom, because that just would not be very couth of me. But I know that she is very excited for this day.

She is a wonderful example of “beauty and brains” in my most humble opinion. I am always looking forward to her next blog entry.

I promised her a month ago, that I would mention her in my blog when the time came.

J.S. Chancellor~ I am keeping my promise. Thank you for all that you have done!

I will share with the rest of you a quote that I just read of hers tonight. It moved me very deeply:

“My heart, the garbage disposal of my soul, should it ever demand any less of me, I’d cease to exist. Still, there are times when the damn thing just stinks of decaying waste. Let us hope this is not one of those times …”

The URL link to her personal blog can be found here as a part of my blog roll, “Welcome to the Asylum”. I hope that you will take the time to read it. And maybe perhaps subscribe to it, if you feel moved to.

Happy Birthday, J.S. Chancellor.