How Not To Suck

There are a lot of areas in my life where my skills are somewhat subpar- Like Cooking, weeding the yard, hunting, and even organizing the house. Let’s face it: nobody wakes up and aspires to be bad at something. But we’ve all been there. But here is a secret. If you’re going to do something you’re not skilled at the best, you might as well aim for zero… or at least something better than bad. Because, after all, the second-best thing to zero is, you guessed it, something better than bad!

If you’ve ever burned toast so thoroughly that it resembled a charcoal sketch or danced like no one was watching (because they all left the room), then congratulations, you’re on the right track to not sucking!

You don’t have to be great; you just have to be better than bad. Celebrate those small victories! Because if we’re honest, it’s during those times when growth and improvement happen.

The Weekly Five: 7/28

I’m going to try a new thing here on the blog every Friday. In the old days of Social Media I would have tweeted or posted these via Facebook. But I still have a desire to keep this place active and two: I want to provide weekly updates outside of my newsletter. So each Friday I’ll be putting these out… We’ll see how it goes.

close up photography of bicycle chain
Photo by Miguel Á. Padriñán on Pexels.com

1. My Social Media Presence

Social media comes, and it goes. Heck remember XANGA, MySpace, and AOL Chat? Twitter and Facebook have been the dominate forces the last few years with Instagram and TikTok quickly growing. The problem is TikTok is probably going to be banned in the interest of national security, and Twitter is a complete disaster right now in my opinion. Personally, I miss the old days of twitter. The truth is I have to think about where my audience is at. So for author related things I’ll be on both Instagram and Threads. For friendships I’ll be on Facebook. If I do post on twitter it’s only going to be occasionally and for updates. I’ll decide at the end of August if it’s worth my time staying or leaving completely. Who really knows. But at the moment I don’t enjoy being there anymore.

2. Podcast Break

The podcast is taking a break. I try to take a break every 20 to 25 episodes. And since I just posted episode 47 I’ve decided to take that break now. I have a lot going on in August and it’s a brutal month to try and post and edit. It will be back in September with episode 48 and we’ll run until sometime in December. I love the podcast and it keeps me active in the pop culture world. So it’s not going away. I may even explore the possibility of turning things over to a guest host once or twice just to get some different content. So if you think you might be interested in hosting, let me know.

3. Kickstarter Fulfillment

The main reason I’m taking a break from the podcast is I’m about to shift into Kickstarter fulfillment mode on Aug 1st. I have a lot to get done and need to stay focused. The Kickstarter was definitely the hardest and most challenging marketing I have ever done. It was a learning experience. I’ll be dropping a blog post soon on the top five mistakes I feel I made.

4. Dusting Off Some Old Stories

Since I won’t be writing much in August other than on the collaboration project I’m doing with Steve Rzasa and Jason Joyner, I’ve decided to dust off some old stories and touch them up over the next month. I’ll be looking for beta readers, so if you are interested in reading a political thriller set in a VR world where gamers compete on behalf of politicians to see which party dominates certain campaign ad space- let me know.

5. What I’m Reading & Watching this Week

Right now I’m reading Star Wars: Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn. I haven’t read this series since the early 2000’s. There is so much I had forgotten so I’m glad for the chance to reexplore this trilogy. I’ve also started a reread of the Wheel of Time on Audible. I’m currently about 25% through the Eye of the World. This will be my fourth time through the Wheel of Time and I learn something new each time.

Since Ashoka is kicking off soon I’m doing a binge watch of Star Wars Rebels! I’ve stoked about this one. Thrawn is hands down my favorite Star Wars character so with Heir, Rebels, and Ashoka I’m pretty much Star Wars geeked out for the month.

That’s all I have for this week! I’ll be back next week to provide some updates on writing plans etc. heading into the fall.

Mondays Stink!!!

Ah, Mondays. The day of the week that nobody looks forward to. The day when the weekend is over and the workweek begins. The day when coffee is no longer a luxury but a necessity. Yes, Mondays stink. And if you’re anything like me, you probably feel like you need an IV drip of coffee just to get through the day- To quote Lorelai Gilmore.

happy coffee
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But why do Mondays have to be so terrible? Maybe it’s because we’ve spent the last two days living it up, and now we’re paying the price. Or maybe it’s because Mondays are just inherently cursed. Whatever the reason, there’s no denying that Mondays are the worst.

For starters, getting out of bed on a Monday morning is an uphill battle. You’re groggy, disoriented, and you’ve probably hit the snooze button on your alarm at least five times. And when you finally do manage to drag yourself out of bed, you’re hit with the realization that you have an entire week of work ahead of you. Ugh.

Then there’s the commute. Whether you’re driving or taking public transportation, Mondays always seem to bring out the worst in people. Drivers are more aggressive, commuters are more irritable, and everyone seems to be in a rush to get to their jobs. And if you’re anything like me, you’ll spend the entire commute fantasizing about all the different ways you could quit your job and become a professional trout bum.

But let’s not forget about the actual work. Mondays are usually filled with meetings, emails, and catching up on everything you missed over the weekend. And even if you managed to get some work done over the weekend, it’s never enough. You’re always playing catch-up on Mondays, and it feels like you’re constantly behind.

And then there’s the coffee. Oh, the coffee. Without it, Mondays would be even more unbearable. But even with it, Mondays still suck. You’re constantly refilling your mug, trying to stay awake and alert, and praying that the caffeine kicks in soon. And if you’re really desperate, you might start fantasizing about that Gilmore IV drip of coffee we mentioned earlier.

But hey, it’s not all bad. Mondays can be a great excuse to procrastinate. You know you should be working, but instead, you’re scrolling through social media, watching funny cat videos, and reading blogs about how much Mondays suck. And who knows, maybe you’ll even find some inspiration for your next meme or TikTok video.

And let’s not forget about the silver lining. Once you make it through Monday, the rest of the week will be a breeze. Well, maybe not a breeze, but at least it won’t be Monday. (Unless you’re like I was like week and have a week of Mondays.) And before you know it, the weekend will be here again, and you’ll have two whole days to do absolutely nothing.

So there you have it. Mondays suck, but they don’t have to be the end of the world. Embrace the coffee, procrastinate a little (or a lot), and remember that the rest of the week is just around the corner. And who knows, maybe someday we’ll all have access to that IV drip of coffee we’ve been dreaming of. Until then, let’s just try to survive Mondays one week at a time.

Shut Up and Just Listen

At the height of my struggle with anxiety, I remember how pompous some people were. Okay, pompous is too strong of a word. They meant well. But I remember telling a few people I was struggling, and the first thing a few did was quote scripture back to me. Now don’t get me wrong, scripture is comforting. It is life-changing. But what I needed in those moments was not for someone to offer words of wisdom or to quote scripture I already knew. What I needed at that moment was for someone just to listen.

woman sitting on wooden planks
Photo by Keenan Constance on Pexels.com

That’s the hard part. When you struggle and we scream out for help, it often feels like no one wants to listen. And even as I type this, I know that I as well suck at this. I suck at listening. When my wife was at the tip of dealing with hurt from toxic leaders in our church we were attending- I sucked at listening.

One of my goals this year is to offer less advice and try and listen when someone is hurting. Sometimes that is what people need more, and sometimes that is the last thing we think to offer.

Moving Day- And Random Thoughts on Pond Fishing

Today we moved my wife’s grandmother into a retirement community. She’s 89 and still getting around well.

In the world of retirement communities, this one is one of the best I’ve seen. I have a sinking suspicion she’ll enjoy it here. One perk is the pond! So, I’m hoping it’s a place I can take the boy fishing, and she comes down and give a few pointers.

I spent a lot of time out on her land fishing in the large fishing ponds she had on her property. I love pond fishing. Everyone gets excited about fly fishing, but there is something memorable about finding a good pond and casting your line.

Anyway, here’s hoping Baba loves her new place.