Happy 2013!

Its hard not to get caught up in the whole New Year thing.  All the celebrations, all the joy.  All the hoping and wishing that this coming year will be better than the last.  That’s what truly makes the holidays worth it when they arrive.

But truly, its that moment after X-Mas and just before New Year’s Eve that I sit back in awe about.  All the craze of buying the perfect present is over.  Yeah sure you have the after Christmas sales, but they are nothing compared to Black Friday, yeesh.

(poem) - The End of the Holidays

Another Christmas
Has come and gone
Presents have been opened
Wrapping discarded on the lawn

Apple cider flowed
The spice was an intense flavor
This is one Christmas
I have truly savored

I spent it with family
Old and new
Enjoying this life
Is what I learned to do.

Dreams were made
During the nights
As we all avoided
Any nightmare’s plights

Now
The melancholy aftertaste begins
As this year
Comes to an end.

What will
The next year bring?
Happiness and sadness
Love and a wedding.

Dreams will come
And fade away
To be relived
On another day

Yes, it is truly
That time of year
When it is into the future
That our gaze tries to peer

Yet it will all come
As it may
All we can do
I live for each day

For the holiday season
Is drawing to a close
And soon we will put away
All the mistletoe

The songs will vanish
And the cheer will subside
As we all snuggle into the homes
Which we reside

I for one
Will remember this holiday
For it was special to me
In every way.

I bid you farewell
With all the happiness you deserve
And that you hand every one
Of life’s mean ass curves

Happy New Year to you all
Every single one
May your best dreams come true
And may your happiness be won.

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

Where Does Art Reside?

There is something beautiful about art, and something artistic about beauty.  I’ve always believed the two go hand in hand, yet I do know there are forms of art that shun beauty, yet have a beauty all their own.  I’m sure there’s tons of quotes putting the two together in some lyrical fashion, but, in the end, I feel that quotes do either that much good when they are combined.

On the wall, above my desk is a print of a painting.  Its called Dangerous Deception by L. Daniels.  It is probably the most beautiful portrayal of a Bengal Tiger I have ever seen.  I fully believe the Bengal is the second most beautiful creature that lives.  They are complete poetry in motion.

Merry Christmas - 2012

Is it really already Christmas again?  Haha, just kidding, we’ve been being prepared for this moment for a very long time, the stores have had their Xmas trees out since September, so its no real surprise at all.  Its been a very long road of Christmas music, and other things that have made sure we are very well prepared for this date....

I have a ton of memories dealing with Christmas as a child, and later in life, it became something that represented something else, family and life....  I know it sounds strange, but let me get into the story.

(poem) - Doomsday

Well....
Looks like we survived
Yet another
Doomsday contrived

Hard to believe
That it is so
But the world is still turning
Just as it did ages ago

Human life continues
For better or for worse
At least until we have
Another doomsday to traverse

I wonder what
The next crackpot will dream up
To make all the doomsday preppers
Find reasons to bottle water up

The specific dates
Are fun to watch
Because as they pass
We laugh at someone’s botch

Either way
I’m glad to be alive
And knowing each day
I will continue to strive

To be the best I can
And enjoy life for what its worth
Because maybe one day
Someone will be right about the end of the earth

But that day
Is not today
So its time to give thanks
And truly pray

Look at your life
And be thankful for what you have
Ridicule the people later
Take this moment as a salve

Heal your wounds
And prepare your life
Know that it continues
With all of it’s strife

So take this moment
And look around
You are here today
Safe and sound

Breath in deep
Just one time
Taste the air
And enjoy the rhyme

For today could be your last
Remember that, and hold it close
Live your life happy
Enjoying it to the most

Because it doesn’t take
A nasty prediction
To end your life
Without predilection

The memes have already begun
So smile away
For today was not
Doomsday.

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

The Hating of Dreamers

Why is dreaming of a better world such a bad thing?  Why is it taken as a bad thing?  I’ve never understood why people just don’t want to put aside their differences and put together a world where we can all work together....

Yeah, I’m a dreamer, I fully admit it.  How can I not be?  I’ve watched this world tear itself a part, day after day, minute after minute for over three and a half decades.  There is no end to the pain and suffering, and there is no end to the coverage of it.  This is the stuff that drives ratings?  This is the stuff people want to see?

An Empty House

There was a moment, when being home alone was such a great concept.  You figure, as I blog from home, and I spend much of my time blogging in seclusion, that having the whole house to myself would help engineer more creativity.  Yet for some reason it doesn’t.

I guess its true them, I’m too much in love to be alone.  That’s one thing, I don’t think, any of my exes ever got.  I don’t like to be left alone.  Being in love with a person, really moves that person to the forefront of my life.  That person become my muse.  And without them casually interrupting me for something as simple as a kiss, I get distracted and start missing them.

(poem) - How My Day Starts

There’s nothing quite like
Waking up every day
Going to the computer
And blogging away

If only that was
All that it entailed
There’s so many other things
That get me derailed

Socializing and commenting
Reading other blogs
You have to do these things
To power your cogs

Discussions and talks
Everyone has many names
These are all forums
No matter the claims

And here I sit
Making friends from everywhere
When writing like crazy
Is what I hold most dear

I suppose its good
Being all for the best
It takes an audience reading
For ideas to digest

My life has a new crazy
The creation has sparked anew
I cannot understand
How I deserve you

I write and I write
And its all just for fun
Yet readers come back
Again and again

I’m humbled and excited
A duality of pleasure
And I will continue to write my best
For every measure

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

A Spicetarian Diet.

Okay, I know I’m a picky eater.  I’ve gotten it all my life, but what DO you call it when a person doesn’t like the taste of meat or vegetables?  I mean, besides a crazy person?

I personally call myself, jokingly, a spicetarian.  I love spices, they make things edible.  In the end, I’m gonna list some stuff, and don’t go, “EWWWW!” before you give them a try.  You never know how good something might be before you try it.

The Beauty of a Woman

I personally think, that the human female form is the most beautiful thing in the universe.  The curves, the strength, the way it moves....  Poetry in motion.  Beauty at its best.  Maybe I am partial because I am a guy, but honestly, there’s nothing sexual about it.

But people perceive me saying so as being sexual.  Being an artist at heart, both as a writer and a photographer, I enjoy lines and curves and beauty.  I find it inspiring and wonderful when I can find beauty no matter where I find it.

(poem) Sins of the Past

Is all the pain
That I have felt
Equal to or more
Than the pain I have dealt?

Surely it is less
But who can honestly tell
That we take
More than we give hell?

Its been an amazing life
To be sure
I just pray
There is no more pain to endure.

Luckily
The loneliness is gone
Replaced with a wife
And her teenage fawn

The past is behind me
The future is so bright
How did my life
Suddenly turn out right?

Did I pay
For the sins of old
I swear that I have paid
The sum total of threefold

I guess I shall see
As time goes forever on
If it was enough
For me to have a happy dawn

That will spread
Throughout the noon of my life
And continue through
The afternoon with my wife

So we can
Grow old together
And never worry
About nary a blunder

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

Quality Content is King, We Proved It

There are so many people, on so many websites, clamoring for ‘help’ with blogging.  They all seem to be asking the same questions, “How do I drive traffic?”  And it seems like everyone always answers the same thing, “Write quality articles!”  But what exactly does that mean?

Obviously I can’t completely answer that question for everyone.  Here at ABN, we write whatever we want to write about, so I’m not sure this advice would apply concretely to bloggers that want to write about SEO or technology reviews, but maybe, just maybe, those that write those sites will gain insight into writing by my own experience here.

The beginning of December

Life is full of what ifs and entertaining scenarios that didn’t happen, but might have.  As a fiction writer, I tend to dredge these kinda things up, and think about different variations on life, and what might have been or even could have been.  You can even turn this to the future, and think about what still might be, and the different paths you can take.

Now that December is here, and we’re hurtling towards Christmas at harrowing speeds, and Thanksgiving and Black Friday are over and done with, I can’t help but think about the past, and what all might have been, and what all could have been.  All this ends up making me appreciate there here and now better.

(poem) - What If? I run out of ideas....

The other day
A friend of mine mused
What if I were
To run out of topics to be used.

I smiled and laughed
And said no worries
Then got to thinking
If I am truly that hungry

To write an article
Almost every day
Seems an impossible task
In every way

There are only
So many ideas
Maybe I will
Suffer from a lack of choices

I wonder what will happen
If my well ever runs dry
Will I turn my back
And try not to cry?

I’m sure that somedays
There will be lack of inspiration
But what if I run out
Will I have a coniption?

I’m on pace to write
Over three hundred posts
In a single year
Am I being too ambitious?

Should I slow down
Or should the train keep rolling?
Is this fear valid
Or do I need consoling?

Only time will tell
If I can keep this up
What will I find next
In inspirations beat up cup?

I know I don’t show signs
Of slowing down soon
Because I’m enjoying
Making my wife swoon

The poetry I write for her
Is simply a joy to construct
And the controversies I publish
Are enjoyed, to my luck

At least I know
My schedule is way far out
As I write this
I have to laugh outloud

At least a month will pass
Before this is read
And another month of posts
Have I already bled.

So worry not
Because I do decree
If I start to stop
I will warn all of thee

Because I care about my readers
And they seem to care for me
So I will not just fade
Into obscurity

I will write and write
And write some more
Because writing for you
Is something I adore.

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

A Value to Love

How did I suddenly become so happy?  And how long will this last?  Most of my life has been this ball of craziness, running from places I hate, and that hate me, to places of extreme beauty.  I’ve lost so many things in this life, so many failures....  Its quite amazing to look back at it all and just marvel how it all fell apart so many times.

But things have to fall apart for you to rebuild something better.  Seems I’ve always been a master at picked up the pieces.  I’ve had so many people need my help through life, picking up their pieces.  So many friends have come and gone, so many times have I helped these friends with the fallout of something or other, only to have them go back through that revolving door.

Genealogical Research is Fun!

Genealogy is an extremely fun hobby.  Even though I only dabble in it from time to time, its amazing to learn all the stuff that happened for you to get born.  In the end, you never know what you’ll find.  I know some people that branch way out and find links to celebrities, or famous people in their past.  I know, I was hoping to find a link to a very infamous family secret....

Luckily its very easy to get started, Ancestry.com is a great place, and its pretty much free.  Sure you can pay for more access to stuff, but the main thing is the family tree maker, and that is most definitely free.  After that, its all about searching and cross referencing.  Its hard not to feel the joy of searching through history, and finding links to other people, making the tree bigger and bigger.

(poem) Sanity in an Evil World

Even as I dream,
I wake up crying
Knowing that the world,
Is outside dying.

Someone is out there
Being lied to by a dove
Someone else is getting hit
by someone they love

This world is an evil
Masochistic place
Where evil parades around
With a sadistic face

I long to scream
And make it better
Yet noone raises a hand
Or writes a letter

I can’t believe
How scary life truly is
When it all seems to fly by
Without much flavor or fizz.

How can I stand up tall
And enjoy all of this life
When everyone else
Seems to struggle with the strife?

The answer is simple
Yet completely sad
My life is my own
And not to make you mad

But what others do
Does not concern me a bit
For everyone else in the world
Seems to be throwing a fit

I’ll lie in my hammock
And sway in the breeze
While reading my Kindle
Enjoying a book about zombies

And all you silly people
Can keep on fighting for your fictions
While I enjoy my own life
Oh, did I mention?

That I’m in love
With my wonderful wife
And completely enjoying
This crazy life

Maybe you should stop
Flaming out in the night
Embrace your neighbor
And help them with their plight

For humanity is doomed
By humanity’s own hand
For we strive and struggle
To battle over simple land

All you do is
You fight and kill
And you want me to believe
Its not just for the thrill?

None of your Saviors
Would be proud of the way
You wake up in the morning
And do nothing but plot and slay

God gave us this life
To completely enjoy
But you waste it away
To shamefully destroy.

So just stay away
From my life and lease
Because you’ll find nothing here
But wonderful peace.

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

The Scars of a Past Relationship

There’s nothing quite like the smallest things in the world to make you realize you are happy.  I’ve talked before, about having some bad girlfriends in the past, one the most overall.  Today I want to talk about trust, what it means to me, and what my experiences have been like because of trust, and the lack there of.

I’m currently sitting at my desk, typing away, and the Victoria's Secret Christmas Catalog is sitting so close to me, I’m having to put my trackball/mouse in an awkward position because its in the way.  Its there because it came in the mail today, and we’re going to look through it later and see what all my fiancé might want for Christmas out of it.

Ignoring the Flame of Creation

It saddens me to no end when people give up on something they enjoy.  I’ve seen it happen over and over again, for whatever the excuse.  I guess its because I’m so goal oriented, and so artisticly driven, but something feels like it dies inside every time I see someone give up.

Writing and music are the easiest examples.  I can see the joy in people’s eyes when they play music, but seeing them set down a guitar, just because they don’t have time, or it never went anywhere is just sad.  There’s something beautiful about creating, even if its just for fun.  How else will your soul truly sing?

(poem - Deeya) - Howl in the Night

For those of you who are reading, or have read Running With Wolves, the third chapter in the Ballad of the Emerald Bard Saga, you know that Aloucia of the Fae, and El'Mindeeya Do'Katal have a 'history' that's alluded to.  The following poem is a song Deeya wrote for Aloucia while they were together, way back when they were first exploring a romance together.  So please enjoy this glimpse into the beginning of their doomed relationship, long before Deeya realized that Aloucia was a being that belonged in the wild, that could never have any form of leash around her neck....

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The Difficulty of Humor

Humor is an amazing little trait.  Its hard to say that its natural, when so many people work so hard at it, and achieve it.  But it does seem to be something that some people have naturally.  I personally have to work at it, just a tad, when I’m writing.

It seems that I’ve been writing far too serious stuff for me to calmly interject humor into just anything I write.  Which is sad, because I’m pretty humorous in person.  I partially wonder if it’s a thought process thing, since writing to me is so far removed from talking.  Both are quite natural to me, but this writing thing feels a bit different because its more of a monolog.

Racism Is For the Ignorant

Hate has been around for a very long time.  It seems that since humanity has began, people have hated one another for whatever reason they can.  One thing about society growing, is the fact that most of these lines are starting to blur or disappear.

Admittedly, I will always be able to stand by my friend David, and we’ll be able to be told apart by the different colors of our skin.  The fact is, we both know it.  We both know that not only is there a pigmentation difference, society sees us in different ways.  He joking laughs how he’s the only black man he’s ever known that hasn’t been in the back of a police car.  Its just a sad fact of being alive today, no matter how good the joke is

(poem) - Fear of the Storm

Nothing like a good storm
To wash everything away
All the bad, all the good
All will be okay

Just as long
As lightning doesn’t hit
Something important
Like a power outlet

There’s nothing quite as sad
As the computers fateful, “POP!”
To make you know
That you are full in the dark

Its happened to me
Far too many times
I often dread seeing my home
In the weather alert’s lines.

Rain might wash it all away
But the electricity is something to be feared
For you never know
What destruction will be reared

Hopefully the storm
Will pass on by
Without leaving much
To clean up with a sigh

Rain nourishes
As it falls upon
Just wish it didn’t come
With all those extra electrons

Sounds like the rain
Is letting up
So it is time
For me to go sup

So I say,
“Let the rain fall upon my head
And pass me quickly by
Not fulfilling my utmost dread.”

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

Insomnia, my long lost friend....

Insomnia sucks worse as you age.  At least that’s how its been for me.  Seems like so long ago, but I wrote a poem entitled Insomnia:

Insomnia, my dearest friend

The only friend that stays, in the end

Sleeplessness has stayed with me through thick and thin

It has always reminded me of the feeling of pain beneath my skin

It holds me tightly through the night

And listens to me sobbing about my plight

About how everyone important to me leaves

Giving me the rest of my life to greave

Luckily I have, at least, my friend Insomnia

To remind me, just how much I miss ya

A Great Love

I love random acts of love.  I’m sure most people would simply say we are still in the ‘honeymoon’ phase, but after a year, we are still very much enamored with each other.  There’s nothing quite like sitting here, concentrating on something, then BOOM, being drawn into a kiss.

Much of my poetry of late has been very mushy, and romantic, and centered on Lisa.  The reason is pretty obvious, as I’ve never been so happy.  Finally finding someone that understands me, in her own odd way, has been the greatest gift ever.

Post #100

One hundred posts.  Doesn’t seem like such a big deal as I write this one, but wow.  What a journey.  I know there’ll be many other milestones along the way, but this blog has truly been an amazing experience.

When I first started A Brainless Nod, I thought it would be a fun way to get me writing again.  Sure, I’m writing a novel, but its hard to really set a schedule when its just you and words that seem to stretch on forever.  Blogging has an instant gratification to it, that is such an amazing experience.  But I never thought it would take on a life of its own.

(poem) - A short but sweet dedication

I remember a time
When I wasn’t blind
Where life and death
Were not of the same breath

And chocolate tasted
Like life that was bested
And wine it did flow
As the wind did below




Yet now I sit
Blinded by love’s wit
Enjoying life
With an unprecedented wife

Sipping wine from a glass
Eating chocolate in mass
Trying to remember
A time much happier

Yet I simply cannot
For I am simply besot
With a wife who is so fair
And a love that cannot compare

This is my life now
And this is my new vow
We will reap the love that we have sewn
And enjoy the pleasures we have never known

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

The Future of Humanity depends on Humanity

Why can’t people give up on their prejudices?  Why can’t humanity work together as one?  A blog entitled Rum-Punch Drunk, that I follow very closely asked a question that make me fully ponder that question.  We got into a debate in the comments of a particular post, and I just couldn’t seem to get across in just a few words what I was feeling.

No matter how you cut it, or slice it, or look at it, religion is tearing this world apart.  Science and technology is heading in so many amazing directions, taking us not only into the future, but also more into a global community.  But noone will let go of things they can’t back up without faith long enough to see how great humanity can actually be....

The Start of the Descent into Winter.

All Hallows Eve.  I still have yet to find refutable proof that Halloween is not the only holiday left that has not been perverted by Christians.  I know, I know, such a horrible thing to say, but seriously think about it alittle bit.

Every major holiday, around the world, that’s celebrated in multiple countries, normally has a religious influence.  Admittedly my range of holidays is mainly in the US, but I know that Christmas is celebrated all over.  I always find it funny to think that it was once Yule, a celebration of pretty much being half way through winter, and getting closer to being out of the darkness and cold.  In most places, long before Christ, it was a time for family to come together and share what they had, especially warmth.

Live without excuses, like you mean it.

I cannot believe how hard it is to actually instill values in another.  I never thought it would be easy, but I’m starting to feel like I’m talking to a brick wall.  Values and work ethic are something you need from childhood.  The idea that you will constantly be judged by your peers, and your employers, should be with you always, at least until you can understand, you will do better than they ever did, or can.

When I worked, and when I was in school, I was never late, and I never missed a day, unless I was so deathly ill I could not move, or I thought it would be dangerous for me to do so.  I still remember barely getting to work with Walking Pneumonia, getting on my forklift, and driving straight into a wall because I was too weak to operate the steering mechanism....  I left early knowing that it would be very bad for me to try to do operate heavy machinery.

A Disorder, or Just Being Mean

Why do people have to spread a bad mood?  I know the Metallica song, “Misery Love Company,” but seriously, why would anyone do that intentionally?  It seems like the main phone calls we get are from someone who just HAS to make sure everyone is in a bad mood....

A while back, in another blog, I mentioned the Borderline Personality Disorder, or BPD.  I honestly have issues with ‘clinical problems’ because these are just things people have always had, we just finally gave it a name, and now that it has a name, we can now medically treat it....  Most disorders don’t need to be treated, they just need to be gotten over, but sometimes, you run across bad ones that need some kind of intervention.

(poem) - The End of the World

I swear I will stay with you

As our love is unfurled

Even if we stand

At the end of the world

The sun will set

On another dying day

And I sleep soundly knowing

I loved you in every way

I slip into the dream

And you are waiting for me there

I cannot escape you

For you are everywhere

You smile at me

While I sleep in your arms all curled

Because you know I’ll be there

At the end of the world.

We wake together

Witnessing the sun rise

We know today holds

Absolutely no goodbyes

And as the day goes on

We enjoy it all the more

Because it is each other

Whom we most adore

Around the sun

The clouds have swirled

Shading us together waiting

At the end of the world.

The world may end tomorrow

Yet it may end this day

I know that you will always

Give thanks and pray

For all that we have

And all that we do

Because our most publisised phrase

Is, “Baby, I love you.”

And yet the Earth continues on

Spinning and whirled

And nothing between us changes

Even, at the end of the world.

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

((as always, my photography is taken by me, copyright be me, so please do not use without permission))

The First Love, is only the beginning.

There is nothing like falling in love, especially the first time.  Part of me will always envy those first loves that get married out of highschool and live their lives together happy for another sixty to eighty years.  To bad it hardly ever works out like that.

I remember my first love well.  She broke my heart in so many ways, but most of those ways were important.  I had great potential as a person, yet I was squandering it.  I had dropped out of college in the first year, was living with my parents, and spending eight to ten hours a day writing a novel that wasn’t completely thought out.

Blogging, Blogs, and Bloggers

Reading blogs has been an odd way to spend my time blogging, but it has been very important.  I’ve tried to learn from what others have done, and been inspired by people’s blogs in the process.  I am honestly stunned at what I’ve found, and I’m amazed at how far the culture of blogging has come.

It almost seems to be the way you’d think about it, but I think the term, “Only Bloggers read Blogs” is kind of the truth to an extent.  There are definitely those out there that find a particular blog and stick to it, even though they don’t blog themselves.  I mean, I have some family and friends that stop by every now and then to read something, but for the most part, I get more feedback and sociality from fellow bloggers.

An essay on poetry

Once upon a time, I was scared of poetry.  I thought it was silly, and that there was no true way to get a clear and consistent thought across using such a format.  Rhyme and structure, beats and verse....  Its all very daunting.

Then I tried it.  Its very easy to get swept up in a poem, and get side tracked.  One of the hardest things is to just go back and read it, and see if the flow works well.  Also tough to stay away from, what I call, the cheater rhymes.  The best example is The Tyger, by William Blake:

What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

Always look up

Its really hard to find something good to write about when people walk all over your life.  Heck, its hard to want to do anything but complain.  I hate when those who think they are entitled to be in your life mistreat you, bring you down, or just outright use you.

How could you not wallow in such things, get swept away by the emotion of the situation?  In the end, you have to some how rise above it all, or they win.  Some things are far more easily said than done.

(poem - Deeya) - Encroaching Darkness

For those of you following Ballad of the Emerald Bard: Buried Secrets, you know that Deeya has had a trap sprung upon her, and she's in a very dark place.  So, I went in and pulled out an old Deeya poem that reflects what she's going through, not knowing if she's going to pull though, yet having to pick yourself up and keep trudging along.  I hope you enjoy Encroaching Darkness, a poem that Deeya has performed 'live,' at one of her venues.

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My Opinion on Domestic Violence

There are many, many, many causes out there to blog about and bring attention to.  So many horrible things happen to so many people so often, that its impossible to single out any to bring light to, to bring attention to, so that someone might be able to do something about it.  There’s one in particular though, that I’ve run into so many times in my life, I simply cannot ignore....

Domestic Violence, it has many connotations, but in the end, out of women that I have met in my life, I can point to near all of them and tell you about some form of abuse that they’ve had to deal with, from a husband, boyfriend, or loved one.  Its sickening, truly sickening, how many stats there are on the subject.

A Rambling Update.

I hate forgetting what you are going to write about, but then...getting maced with perfume by the step-daughter will wipe your memory pretty much instantly.  Wow perfume burns in the eye for a very long time.

Today I spent time learning about other blog formats, and even though I’m having issues with my floating social media bar at the bottom of the page, I have to say, I’m going to have to be satisfied with Blogger here for awhile.  I just hope I can work out the issues with it soon, as its my current visual project.

A Parent's Performance

George Carlin once said:

“obedience and respect shouldn't be automatic. They should be earned, and based on the parent's performance. Some parents deserve respect, most of them don't, period.”

I’ve always lived by that quote, because I’ve seen way too many parents who simply just don’t deserve the respect they think they should be getting, and I’ve seen some parents get say more respect than they deserve.

It’s a truly sad fact of life, but some parents just aren’t good parents.  Luckily, somehow, I got two great parents.  In their own way, they’ve been the two people I could count on to give me the support I needed, when I needed it.  And sometimes they’ve tried to help me too much, and I’ve had to tell them no.

Campfire Tales

Every great now and then, you come across a story, or a song, that truly sparks something in a child’s imagination.  Something that starts you wondering about life, and the things in it, and all the mysteries that lie all around.

I remember when I was just six years old.  My father owned a skating rink and listening to the song the Legend of the Wooley Swamp by the Charlie Daniel Band.  I first heard it was the dark of night and I was in the record booth in the rink, one of Dad’s employees told me to listen to the song, it had just come out on a 45.  I was 6, and the record booth was really dark.

(poem) - Autumn's Thrall

Fall has struck
With a resounding bell
And oh....
How it doth make my heart swell

The cold of the day
The chill of the night
The trees turning color
Is Autumn’s delight



Every summer I long to feel
The cold tendrils in my hair
Or sharing body heat
Deep within our lair

There is no doubt
This is my favorite time
For I have wrote about it
Line after line

I never get tired of
The darkened grey skies
No matter how depressing
To not actually see the sun rise



All Hallows Eve
Is just around the corner
Full of spirits and ghouls
Which makes me ponder

On life’s great existence
On all life’s fun
I want to jump in a pile of dried leaves
After a short run

The smell of decay
Lingers in the air
But it is an aromatic scent
A potpourri fanfare

Yet the worst will come
Winter at its best
Eventual it will creep in
This I can attest

So enjoy Autumn
While you can
For before long
It will be Christmas yet again



And people will be filled
With Greed and Kindness
And all the stores
Will become pockets of stress

But that is far away
For now it is Fall
And I will enjoy this season
For I am Autumn’s thrall.

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

Dating a Teenager's Mother

I remember several years ago, a colleague at work turned to me and said, “You shouldn’t go for women who had children.”  I remember looking back at her and said, “Finding a woman at my age without children...yeah right.”  I remember the conversation well, and how true it was then, and still is.

Falling in love is hard enough, even though when it happens its way to easy to just fall.  Lisa and I fell fast, and hard, and it was wonderful.  But quite a few people were startled by it all, watching from the outside.  Not least of which, was a teenage daughter caught in the middle.  But here’s one thing I’ve learned, if you are to have a mother love you, then you have to love the child as well.

A Nice Little Forest for Photography

I love photography, I love going out and having sessions somewhere.  Finding landscapes that are truly wonderful.  I admit, that I’m not the best when it comes to shooting models.  But I’m learning, and I know I can still get great shots with perseverance.

For this adventure, Fall had just started, Lisa went over to her best friend’s house, and my step-daughter and I tagged along.  Unfortunately all the batteries for my camera was dead, so I used my fiance’s cell phone.

Where poetry comes from.

I was very good at creating from misery.  The loneliness of life in an empty house I was about to lose to foreclosure will do that, I suppose.  I always knew/believed that I would be better at creating while I was happy.

Indeed that assertion seems the case, but I find it hard to write those haunting poems I did before.  "The tortured soul always bleeds better on paper," as the saying should go.  Now all my poems are too mushy really share.  Even the erotic ones kind of lose their bite because the way they come off as all nice and stuff.

Foreshadowings of the End

I personally think its cute how people start talking all these plans when the subject of the government failing comes up.  Everyone has their own scenarios, most go the way of the new show Revolution, which is turning out to be a fine show I might add....

So many rumors persist about all sorts of militia movements, and uprisings if a certain president gets elected.  I know if any of it happens, I wouldn’t even want to be in this region of the world, because so many people are going to be warring against one another....  The depth of hatred would boil over, and civility would die along with civilization....

(poem) What I see in her eyes.

There’s something about her eyes
That makes my soul fly
The way she looks at me
Makes me feel wonderfully

Her laugh is what I live to hear
It makes sure I am always near
Jokes come out all the time
They add the spice like thyme

And though spice is not needed
It makes our love life more honeyed
And oh how she loves her honey
For which she’d commit larceny

I still can’t believe I found her
And she took me from my winter
Bringing me into the sun
Of love so intensely one on one

I’m glad our nights are long
For that helps our love go strong
As the trust flows freely
I find myself thinking humbly

About my life and about my past
And how it all moved by so fast
And brought me to this slice of heaven
After a life of love’s famine

Now being treated to such a feast
I stare off to the East
Watching the sun rise on this wonderful chapter
Hoping it will not move any swifter

Because I want to enjoy this moment
Feeling my hearts every movement
As it beats just for my wife
And the outlook is so good for our life.

She saved me and brought me to this
For that she deserves my every kiss
For my love is hers till the end of time
And beyond, so goes the rhyme.

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

Blaze your own path.

I learned a very long time ago to follow my own path.  It seems what I’m destined to do.  Somewhere along the way, those people that kept telling me what I should be doing, gave me enough reason to turn my back on them, and simply walk away.

I come from a small town in Texas, where the status-quo is to work your ass off the rest of your life and retire.  Give your life to the company, and hopefully one day you’ll still be able to enjoy what is left of your life.  In all honesty, I cannot find a positive way to say that....  So yeah, I found a high paying temp job, worked there a few months, when it was over, I pooled my money and left.

Sixteen hundred miles later, I was standing in the most beautiful place I have ever seen.  Though it was a struggle, I clawed out my life there, and worked so very hard to keep it.  While I was there, I was immersed in beauty, and learned the skill to see the true beauty in life which in turn showed me how to  truly believe in this amazingly beautiful thing called life.

A Rambling Rant (please forgive)

I understand that hindsight is always 20/20, but I really wish people would think before designing things.  I know this blog post is going to come out as a rambling rant, but I don’t care, sometimes people just need to get things off their chest.

What is the obsession with putting carpet in the bathroom?  Honestly who thinks this is a good idea?  Its really horrible when its done in a ‘trailer home’ where the floors are wood below the carpet.  After so many months of getting out of the shower and being even a little bit wet, the floor starts to sag and has to be replaced....  Its bad enough in a house with a foundation, that carpet will mildew over time, and become a health hazard no matter how much you clean it....  Carpet in a bathroom, yeah, that a definite fail.

Thoughts on Science

I truly wish some people would accept science.  There is so much beauty out there in the world, and its so wonderful to just understand it better.  And the best thing about science to me is, it takes so much imagination and thought to truly comprehend.

Birds are amazing creatures, they flit and fly and do such amazing things that make us humans so friggin’ jealous.  But I can’t help but look at them and see their history.  To think, their ancestors were the dinosaurs.  Its evolution at its purest, and its so amazing to just look at them and see the skeletons of those ancient, huge creatures.  Those little creatures have survived so much through the eons....  But how is it not amazing to think, the Dinosaurs didn’t become extinct, they evolved and survived, to thrive again.

What is the 'perfect' body?

What is the perfect body? Is it pencil thin, is it curves, is it physically fit, or is it just being ‘well endowed’? I know I could lose a few pounds, but I’m glad I’m not a stick figure. I love my curves, as does Dan. I have, what they call, an hourglass shaped body. And even though its by no means perfect, I feel perfect within my body.

But I do honestly believe, that ‘society’ at large is telling me that I’m nowhere near beautiful. You can open any magazine, and see any advertisement, from makeup to perfume, and it shows the ‘perfect’ girl. Much of it is photoshopped, I’ve seen Dan pull off some amazing tricks with photoshop.... Quite a bit of what you see in any social media today is not real. Changing eye color, moving facial features around, putting on makeup after the face, even slimming down is all possible with the power of photoshop.

(poem) - Love This Life

Pain is something
We all must feel
For it is a part
Of simply being real

This life is amazing
And totally inspiring
How can one live it
And not think of aspiring?

Something great
Is just around the corner
All we have to do is get there
And learn not to falter

Keep your feet
On unsteady ground
Never worry too much
And just follow the sound

The sound of happiness
Flowing to your ears
Of friends and of love
Listen to it with happy tears

Let it fill your soul
And fill your life
Because one thing is for certain
You will get through the strife

And live a life
Happy and carefree
If only you simply
Let yourself be

Cheers to you
On your fantastic journey
Life is amazing, even if
You fall on your fanny

Just remember your past
Enjoy your present
Look forward to the future
And strive to be prudent

For you need to be
As excellent as you can
But to be excellent
Just learn to laugh like a madman

Because life is a blast
A true thrill ride
I know this
Because I live my life untied.

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

The Only Thing Bigger in Texas is....

There are many stigmas people collect over the years, as they age and they add things to their personality or person.  Tattoos have become more accepted, but some of the locations on the body are quite stigma still.  Visible tattoos will keep you from getting some jobs, while certain locations brands you as slutty or a punk....

I’ve seen the stigmas affect the old, as people start thinking you are senile, and I’ve seen the stigmas that affect the young, how they won’t be heard, no matter how good their ideas are.  I still remember having to fight major stigmas when I was young, and it never mattered when I was proven right, I was still a kid and just got lucky....

Music

Music is a powerful thing.  I fully believe it has to be considered a major part of the human experience.  I never met anyone who did not like music in some form or another, which is a good thing.  Music is something that resonates on something much deeper than just the flesh.

I fully believe music is an example of people having souls.  I went into the human soul in the post The Weight of the Soul, but only in so far as I brought up the debate.  I mentioned music, but only briefly.  In all honesty, I think that music just about settles that debate.

The Digital Age is Here.

Its so amazing how the digital age has changed just about everything we can comprehend.  Besides making the generation gap far more evident.  I still find it hard to imagine that I now have friends all over the world.  I remember the old days of ‘pen palling’ and how it was such a huge failure with me and my friends, now its alive and well more than ever....

But, I did mention that generation gap thingy.  Many people don’t see how you can have honest to goodness friends who are so far away.  I wonder if its just the idea of not getting the whole instantaneous world wide connection, or the thought of sharing personal and intimate issues with someone you have never met personally can possibly happen.

Moralist Values, and the lack of.

I’m so thankful that my parents laid the groundwork for my moral outlook on life. I was taught right from wrong, taught faith in a higher power, and gained insight on how children should be raised. Moral values are key to living a good, solid life, full of the happiness I have found with Dan.

I am astounded now, how people simply have no morals, and yet they still exist just fine. One of the biggest things I don’t understand is how some families seem to teach these morals to one kid, then celebrate another kid not having any morals worth repeating. Admittedly, I only have one child, but I’d be damned if I favored the one that broke laws, both man made and those of a higher power, over the kid that tried hard to make it in life with their morals held high.

Addressing my current state.

I’m tired of spreading hate, and tired of having hate spread.  Its truly a shame when it hits so close to home, in a more than literal sense there.  I mean, I have such happiness in my life, but then as I’ve always know, when people see something that’s truly beautiful, they try to destroy it.

I’ve seen it happen time and time again, to so many people.  Everything is going great, and people just start picking.  There’s been songs about it, there’s been songs about the condition of people just having to cause drama to keep themselves occupied.  I’ll never fully understand it.

(poem) - Envoy of my happiness

How did I not know
My life was so bad
Before I had you
As my bride?

The day to day
Meandering pace
Of simply avoiding
The mirror’s face

To have a schedule.

Schedules.  Why are they so feared by some people?  I like a tad bit of order to the chaos of the day.  Its not like they are concrete things that cannot be flexible....

I enjoy my schedule, I am trying to be diligent with it, and treat this blogging thing like a job.  I try to make sure I spend equal time networking and writing each day, so as not to fall behind, or get lackadaisical.  But in the end, I still feel I’m falling behind in my own way.  I want to write more fiction, yet I think I write just about the correct amount of time with the blog.  Hopefully I can balance this out more soon, though I’m not sure how without spending yet more time here in front of the computer and away from Lisa.

Why I Use a Camera.

 Most people that know me, know that I do more than just write.  I love photography.  Somewhere along the way I got passably good at it.  Well, definitely not just somewhere, I know where I got it from, but still, this blog is more about what fun it is to get a good shot, and how I got them.

Remember to always get a good angle.  That’s the key.  There are many ideas about symetry and other things, and you always have to be conscious of that, but when it all comes down to it, the angle is always the key.

The Thing About Lies.

Dan has told me over and over that he believes lying is the worst sin committable by humans. He talks about how undermines human society, and will be one of the possible downfalls of the human race. "How can we honestly trust anyone, when so many people lie as outrageously as they do?"

Sure, everyone lies, its an unavoidable aspect of existence, I don’t know how many times I’ve lied in my life, I’m sure its more than I’d care to admit...but there is a line I will not cross when it comes to lies. I will lie to protect friends, protect family, bury secrets that need to be buried; you know, things that you have to protect.

An Essay on Writing - Part 2/2 (Trial, Error, and Accomplishment)

(( Continued from Part 1/2 ))

I know that some planning is key.  Once upon a time, I wrote a short story that people absolutely loved.  So I wrote another, then another.  People loved the story, so I decided to write more of them for people.  Then a friend of mine said, “You realize your main character changed names?”

I remember writing the stories and thinking in the third, “Its time to give this guy a name.”  I thought I had written the first two stories trying to keep everything nameless, but after rereading it, I didn’t.  In fact, other details changed, like eye color....  It was my first time trying to write a series and realizing I need an Outline.  So I went back, reread those stories and took tons of notes along the way.  Then I went back and rewrote the first two stories, and started to conceive and plan the rest of the series.

An Essay on Writing - Part 1/2 (To plan a story)

How far should one go to create a backstory for a novel?  There are so many examples of how far some people have gone and its so hard to choose the distance one should take.

In my fantasy novel, I am currently writing, I knew I had to create a new world.  I then narrowed down that the action will take place only on a specific continent, so I mapped that out and just kind of glanced over some interesting places the characters were going to visit.  Then I had to try to figure out what kind of fantasy it was, did it have dragons, did it have griffins, or was it just like earth, with no real fantastical creatures?

(poem) - A Dream of Love (forgive me for the mushiness)

I once dreamed a dream
Where lovers united
I’m guessing it’s a common dream
Everyone wants love ignited

Yet this one was different
In a very odd way
They lived and loved forever
Day after day

There was no arguments
There was no pain
They went to sleep in each others arms
And awoke the same, again and again

Love,
By its nature
Is full of arguments
Because two people will bicker

But this dream continued
On through the night
And never did there arise
Any form of plight

A utopia of love
Between two people
Could there ever be
A more important temple?

It seems I have found
This odd ball thing
When my wife looks at me
My soul doth sing

She is my one and only
My home is in her arms
There is nothing at all
That sets off any alarms

Don’t let your dreams die
Any form of horrible death
Because you never know who might stop by
And give them life’s breath.

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

What Controls the You?

There have been many philosophical debates over the millennia, most of them are valid arguments, and need to be looked into to understand the human condition.  “I think therefore I am,” the human soul, what could be a better debate?

What about the one about why humans act the way they do?  All my life I’ve watched human beings defy common morality, sacrifice themselves for the greater good, or humiliate themselves for money.  The problem is, trying to understand the large decisions, is far too complicated, so I wanted to get down to the basics.

I believe there are three major aspects to how we exist.  We interact with this world through our Body, which has a central processing unit called the Mind, both of which somehow have tethered a Soul to this mortal coil.  My question is, “Which one of these, controls You?”

What To Blog About

Dan has wanted me to blog for some time but just what would I blog about? He told me I should blog about vampires. There is so much I could blog about vampires but since I write about them all the time I thought I would write about something else. But just what would I write about?

I thought about this for days, finally I thought about writing about cooking. Yes I know there are many blogs out there about cooking but you see, I love the movie Julie & Julia , but I don’t cook much. Dan does most of the cooking, I’m amazed at what he can do with spices, and how he cooks with wine. I do help him make dinner and lunch but I have really no cooking skills.

I started looking on Pinterest and cookbooks online for recipes that my family would like. Dan is a VERY picky eater (no veggies, he hates the taste of meat, he calls himself a ‘spicetarian’ but I have no clue what to call a diet like that) and a teenager that can eat me out of house and home. Dan swears she’s about to hit a growth spurt with the amount she’s currently consuming.

(poem - Deeya) I Have Loved

(( In celebration of the 3rd part of Ballad of the Emerald Bard - Old Debts coming out tomorrow, I would like to share this older poem.  I've often mentioned that Deeya was a character and I wrote poems for her to be songs.  This is one such poem, and is kind of relevant to the story, Old Debts.  Here I also include an actual performance with the emotes, so you can get an idea of what it was like to see Deeya perform live. Please enjoy, and if you want to see the story jump straight to the Ballad of the Emerald Bard Page with a Table of Contents to the whole story so far!)) ))

--

I am a Gamer

Are video games more than just a pastime?  In the end, I have to argue the pastime thing about many things.  Take a look at books.  Are fictional books just a pastime?  Lets take a closer look.

I have to admit, that escapism is a type of pastime, but reading a book does more.  There are educational values, because many novelists like to use words that you would never ever use in regular every day speech.  I’ve learned so many words just from reading.  It also teaches you to pay attention, because many books have subtle plot twists.

Einstein said

"If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales."

An Etymology of the Emerald Bard

For those of you wondering about where Deeya came from, I decided to write a blog about it.  If you haven’t checked into the weekly serial you can catch the entire series HERE, and they will continue to come out every Saturday at 7pm CST.

Her original name was, “El’Mindeeya Do’Katal, the Emerald Bard of Kelethin.”  She was created in an MMO, and was a true Role Play character.  The MMO went into decline, and I pulled out of it.  It was truly a shame, but the company that ran it, Sony, just did not understand its fanbase.  It’s a tragic but true thing about online gaming, that will hopefully one day be addressed by someone.

(poem) She is my everything.

She is my wife
She is my life
She will not be cut away with a knife
She is my everything

I wake in the morn
I feel her in my arms so warm
And quickly forget my dream’s forlorn
As my eyes meet hers, my soul takes wing

I go through the long day
Knowing that with me she’ll stay
I do not have to soothsay
To know she’ll fulfill my yearning




I look at her with so much love
While my heart flutters like a dove
She makes me rise above
She makes my soul sing

We make a solid team
And we hardly every scream
She is the woman of my dreams
It is my soul that she is saving

Saving from a lifetime of woe
I love that she loves me so
To save me from a life so hollow
With the love of such a loving being

There is no strife
With her as my wife
This is an amazing life
She is my everything.

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

(poem) - The Most Important Birthday

A birthday is a wonderful thing
But a birthday of someone you love is special
I can stand for so much
How can it be anything other than cheerful

Another reminder of time spent together
Another passing milestone
Towards that forever we promised
Proving that promise really was set in stone

Another birthday has come for you
I love you my dear
Through all the ups and downs
We made it yet another year

And, even though its impossible
My love for you has grown even stronger
And even though I can’t understand how
It will continue to grow as we stay together longer

Autumn has come
The leaves will soon change
The air will get colder
And marriage to you seems less strange

I wish I could have gotten you more
For this special occasion
But we both know
This relationship is the perfect heaven

I love you with all my heart
And on this day of days
All I can give you is thanks
And a ton of praise

Because you are the one
That I have lived my life for
The only woman
That I can truly adore

You are my entire world
My entire life
And I shall see you through
All this world’s strife

I will hold your hand
Through all the bad
And make sure you are
Nothing but glad

You are my fiancé
You ARE my wife
To cut me away
Would take more than the sharpest knife

I love you Lisa
And on your birthday
I want you to know
By your side, I will forever stay.

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

Metric Milestones

Milestones are such simple little things that always seem to mean so much.  Just a round number most times, they tend to radiate an accomplishment.  There are so many stats on this blog thing, so much to keep track of.  I have surpassed 1000 page views, and I’m very happy about that milestone.

But now what’s next for me?  I am actually close to getting 1000 pages views per month, maybe that will be it.  I know I’ll keep track the next two, 2000 and 2500 total page views.  And I’m steadily approaching 50 posts.  I currently have 86 published comments, so that’s approaching 100, which will be a nice one, though I don’t see a stat about how many were mine....

This Journey

What a journey.  Soon I shall pass the 1000 page view mark, and I couldn’t be more happy.  I know many people surpass this mark much faster than I have, I’m still very proud.  How could I not be?

Our blog here is definitely a little labor of love, and I’ve had so much fun doing it.  With The Ballad of the Emerald Bard up and running on Saturdays, I’ve become even more proud.  Just to know people are stopping by and enjoying what they read, and then coming back later for more is a true honor.

The Weight of the Soul

Ahhh, the philosophical debate about the soul.  I personally think it’s the most important debate human kind can muster.  Do you have a soul?

I believe I do, for sure.  I am moved by music, moved by scenery, I can be moved to tears easily, as well as inspired enough to move someone else with my own creations.  I believe we can truly channel our soul into our creations, and pulse them with energy, enough to almost make it alive.

(poem) A Scratch

There’s something about being touched
Something nice and discrete
It swells your soul
And makes it charge to greet

A simple feel
Of fingers intertwined
Makes you realize
Your soul is in a bind

A bind of love
A bind of lust
All you know is
This sense you can trust

It will take you away
To that wonderful place
That poets dream of
Where sensuality is encased

Pain can be introduced
As it is part of that sense
But I do not like it as much
As it puts me on defense

But other like that sort of thing
And I absolutely never judge
For without a little scratch down the back
It would be hard to get my fiancé to budge

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

Truly the most wonderful time of the year.

Halloween is starting to arrive, and its so wonderful. I love the fall, I always have. The smell in the air, the beauty of the trees losing their foliage, and All Hallows Eve. The chill in the air, which takes away the oppressiveness of the heat of summer.

There is also something wonderful about the items in the shops, the fun of dressing up, and the traveling around to see neighbors, you typically disregard, as they hand out candy. It just seems that this holiday is the only time community truly comes together to have good fun.

(poem) For my Step-Daughter

Never thought I’d live to see
A daughter’s birthday
It always seemed impossible to me
To have a teenager make me feel this way

But alas
I do,
Despite all your sass
I love you

No matter how you hack it
You were the baggage this relationship taunted
But in the end, I must acquit
Because you are the daughter I always wanted

 I missed the first decade (and a half) of your life
Which pains me to know end
But I honestly feel no strife
Because we have become such fast friends

I know I’m just a silly old man
But from this day
I shall do all that I can
To never let our friendship decay

You have your life in front of you
But the same can be said about every day
But as sure as the sky is blue
I hope you have many a happy birthday

 Enjoy this life as best you can
Chase your dreams
But never chase a man
And simply learn to bask in the moonbeams

 I don’t remember my own sixteenth birthday
I’m sure you’ll forget things, as well
But never forget to dance and play
Because that is the only way to excel

 Always remember what Einstein said
“Imagination is more important than Knowledge,”
The talent of imagination is not widespread
And only knowledge is a privilege.

 So enjoy this day with your new step-dad
I know I will enjoy it with you, my step-daughter
Happy birthday and don’t be sad
Or else I shall almost kill you with laughter.

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

Remembering a Wedding

Why are weddings such stressful things to plan?  It makes absolutely no sense.  You want a celebration of your love with friends and family in attendance, but it turns in to a huge drama-fest of trying to make sure everything’s perfect.  But why?

Surely its not an ego thing.  It seems like it when you watch the shows on TV about it.  How people have to have a weddings that’s better than another persons.  Its sad when you see it, but it definitely happens.

Bad Cop, Horrible Cop

To serve and protect.  Words synonymous with the police force.  But I’ve often wondered about police themselves.  They are normally so feared by the public and such an avenue of corruption.

Now I fully admit, I’ve met some good and great cops.  I’ve know some that I knew I could call on and trust.  But I’ve also known the opposite.  I’ve met good for nothing cops that cast a shadow of shame across law enforcement in general.

There was a great movie line, from one of my favorite movies of all time, if not my all time favorite, The Chase , that stated how the only people cops come in contact with, on a day to day basis, is the worst of society.  Pimps, pushers, liars....  Soon you start feeling everyone is that way.  And this I see the most of.  Sometimes a cop will automatically think the worst in someone, for whatever reason, and treat them like a criminal when that someone doesn’t deserve it.

(poem) To Live.

When shame is the name of the game
Then how do you tell, what it is they sell?

It always seems as if people’s dreams
Do nothing but oppress instead of impress

This is a sad way to be, because you can never be free
From humanity itself, because there is no elf

Which is sad for me, because I love fantasy
To live in another world, found in books unfurled

But no, there is only this world I know
So the best way to deal, it to simply be real

And simply tell all the haters to go to hell
And live life the best you can, be you woman or man

Live with morals close to your heart....
Because truly Living, is an Art.

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

(poem) A silly poem about Blogging

Blogging
Its all about the passion
Even if it is
All about fashion

To sit right down
And write an essay
Throw it on the Web
For everyone to read today



Maybe it will inspire
Maybe people will smile
Some hope to make a change
To push people the extra mile

Some are amazing to read
Some are horribly bad
Its public expression at its finest
Nothing could make people more glad

Freedom of Speech
A heck of line
Look up blogs on the Internet
Know that its going fine



Though some people get censored
Some get flamed out
Others rise above
And blog about their cat

Either way it goes
I’m enjoying this experience
To simply write away
And try to make it make sense

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

One of Those Mother-In-Laws

So, its starting to look like I’m going to inherit one of “those mother-in-laws.”  She completely thinks I’m not good enough.  She goes so far as to suggest other men for her daughter, my fiancé.

But then it goes deeper.  Its not just a mother-in-law situation, its something much more.  The drama the woman exudes is astounding.  And I honestly have no clue where to begin.  I guess I’ll begin with the hard part.

Optimistic Pessimist

Optimism in this day and age is such a ramshackle term.  The world seems to be going down in flames, yet having a favorable outlook about it all seems silly.  I think that’s the reason why I call myself an Optimistic Pessimist.  Most people try to split the middle by calling themselves realists, but I’m definitely not that.

I believe everything will work out for the best, though there will be pitfalls along the way.  My current example: the battery went out on the car, a dead battery is either the thing that charges the battery, the alternator; or its just a dead battery.  If it’s the alternator and you don’t check it and you replace the batter with a new one it will kill the new battery, as well.  So when does it cross the line FROM optimism to say that we should check the alternator just in case?

The reason I create.

Have you ever had a dream that overwhelmed you?  I’m not talking about a nightmare, I’m talking about thoughts of a story that has swept you away, and after you came out of the dream, you just kept adding to it, or editing it, as you went through your day?  Ever see a story or a movie, and think to yourself that you could have done it better, or that it would have been better with certain tweaks?

Unfortunately, I am like this.  I say unfortunate, because sometimes I can’t enjoy certain stories because I see the plot holes, or something that’s just incorrect, or something that the author/director changed to fit what they needed to, even though they had set up something before that doesn’t justify it.  Okay, maybe that last one was a bit confusing due to pronouns.

(poem) Strive

Delusions of grandeur
Dreams of greatness
They can be seen on the horizon
Yet be as elusive as Nessie of Loch Ness

They are figments of the imagination
Yet things for which we strive
Some people fully believe
To achieve them is to be alive

We walk this Earth
Striving for a destiny
Yet most are doomed
To an existence kin to a zombie.

I’ve watched dreams thrive
I’ve watched them die
I’ve achieved my happiness
In the blink of an eye

I crave so much more
Yet that is not as important
As simply learning to live
Within each and every moment

Goals are great
Dreams are good
Enjoy this life
In every way you would

Pain is temporary
As is life
Your dreams are your pinpoints
To move you from strife

Achieve what you can
Smile every day
For maybe sometime
You can enjoy where you lay

I enjoy my dreams
And strive to achieve them
Go strive for your own
I'm imploring you with this poem

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

A Passion in Beauty

There is so much beauty in this world.  But beauty is so subjective.  I definitely know where I find beauty, and I’ve found it in so many places.

Let me start by saying, I do not say the word ‘beauty’ lightly.  In today’s society, so many words are thrown around in so many different ways, that they all seem to lose their importance.  The definition of beauty states “deep satisfaction to the mind” or “high spiritual qualities are manifest.”  When I say beautiful, I don’t mean sexy, or even pretty, I mean moving to the soul.

I’ve found beauty in my fiance’s eyes, I’ve found it standing on the top of a mountain, with the vastness of the Earth far below me.  I find beauty laying in my hammock in the back yard, I’ve found it in a great book that has consumed my time.  But more importantly, I find beauty in passion used to create.

(poem) The divine blessing of life

I’ve stood upon the mountain top
And looked down upon the Earth
This is where I found God
Where I found life’s worth

Most people see such beauty
In the eyes of their child
Others when simply
Trekking through the wild




It’s hard to look past
The beauty of nature
When you find inspiration there
You fill find nothing so pure

I can’t help but create
When touched by beauty
The blinking icon on the page
Has anything so taunted me?

I want to share my dreams
With the entire world
They are marvelous stories
When they are unfurled.




I’ve moved people to tears
Made them flood with emotion
With the written word
The world can stop its motion

I’ve gone to beautiful places
With a pen and pad
And let inspiration rush over me
Writing among proverbial dryads.

There is absolution nothing more calming
Than laying in the hammock
On a warm windy day
Watching clouds run amuck

Swaying in that breeze
Listening to the sound of the world turning
Fills my soul
With gentle yearning




To dream a dream
Recreating forgotten lore
Oh to be a Bard
In the days of yore

To spin tails
To play the lute
Allowing people to relive
Deeds of great repute

Yes, I found religion
In the beauty of life
Why can’t others find the peace of God
Without the damning strife?

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

Olympics

The Olympics are wonderful venue.  Its so amazing to what the human body can accomplish.  Its also wonderful to see the 204 different countries competing together.  No matter who wins, no matter who loses, it’s a great way to see a great part of humanity.

It is a shame they cost so much, especially in such a time of global recession, but they are fully worth it.  I do wish it was easier to catch certain events, as they only show a handful on the prime time rebroadcast of the Games at night.  Its funny to find myself rooting for my own home team, considering how I feel about this country, but I know they got it right, and all the Olympians all seem like great people.

Acheivements

Human achievement is astounding.  How can anyone not just step back and marvel at what we have done in such a short time on this planet.  Nothing on this planet before humans could even build their own shelter....  We’ve tamed nature in so many ways, and somehow we haven’t managed to kill everyone and everything on this planet yet.

And yet, it goes mostly ignore by all, especially the media.  I had to learn that there is another Mars Rover today on a blog.  A blog....  Not the news, not the media, but someone sharing an obscure link from YouTube on the landing of the vehicle....  Pitiful.

But that’s been the entire history of the space program here in the US.  Completely ignored for the most part, unless some kind of drama occurs.  Most of the footage from the Apollo missions, shot live, were not broadcast....

(poem) Rambling about inadequacy

Passing the time
Watching it go away
Is this what I should do
Day after day?

My life is completely on track
Yet I’m hungry for something more
I know what I should do now
So both of us don’t end up on the floor

But will it work
Can it pay off
Only time will tell
If we can fill the trough

Outside of here.

Expanding one’s horizons is such a nice thing to do.  Its amazing to see what’s out there, even if its just reading about it.  Today I learned about some things in another country that I never knew existed.  I was simply amazed and shocked at things.

But then, I’ve been looking around at other countries for awhile.  There’s so much out there in this world.  History that has been kept from me, especially as I’m from the US and we’re taught that we’re the best and there’s nothing else worth seeing out there.  It’s a sad fact of life, living here.

(poem) The people who Hate.

There is always one
Who will hate you
One who will throw your happiness
Into a busy avenue

I know these people
I know them well
When they speak
I can hear the bells of hell




They ring loudly
In my mind
Thoughts of murder
Rage making me blind

But then I smile
Into their face
And do their job better
At a quicker pace.

I wonder why
They are so intimidated
By one such as me
I’m always so timid

Yet this is what they do
They pick out your superiority
Even if its not flaunted
And plan its atrophy

The United Hate-breeders of America

Ignorance is such an amazing thing.  It permeates life here in the United States.  I have to believe that it is elsewhere in the world, but the way it erodes society here, is just dauntingly unbelievable.  Ignorance here is a weight that crushes souls and grinds civility to dust.

You can take this whole Chik-fil-A thing for a good example.  Today I saw a bunch of Facebook posts of ‘good Christians’ cursing and using derogatory comments to defame and tell the gays of this world to die horrible deaths....  It honestly makes me ashamed to be a human when I see these things.  How can there be such hate in this world, and people using such terminology as using ‘free speech’ as an argument.  Freedom is freedom to do anything that’s not harmful....  Yet these people want to take freedom away from others....

(poem) Why I live my life.

As the seasons rise and fall
And everyone tries to make sense of it all
We watch the sun rise and set
As life fades we try not to fret

So we try to live life without regrets
And to be good to our pets
Yet most don’t know how to enjoy
All that life has to employ

Shame comes and goes
As does pain’s throws
Yet we life through and trudge on
And wonder if our last name will fade into anon

I asked for all things that I might enjoy in life
And I was given life
So that I might enjoy all things
No matter what it all might bring

This I hold true to
No matter what or who
Might try to bring me down
Because life is too short to constantly frown

So smile I do, as much as I can
Since this life began
And live by a creed that most dismiss
Because there is nothing in life I want to miss.

From watching my step-daughter
Try not to die from laughter
And enjoying my wedding to her mother
Being that woman’s one and only lover

Sure I’ve had my downs
But I fear them less than clowns
Of course, that goes without saying
Clowns send a lot of people to praying.

I’ve loved and lost
And each time felt the cost
But it all paid out in the end
For my life now has the perfect bookend

I knew it would all be worth it
No reason at all to throw such a fit
What a ride it has been
And it will continue to be, until the end.

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

Gender inequality?

Here’s an age old question, what are the differences between men and women? Would you be shocked if I said there really wasn’t any?

Yeah, I figured you would be, but hear me out. The only real difference is reproductive rolls. Besides that, what other difference is there? Well, the answer to that one is easy, most of the differences come directly from those reproductive rolls.

Escape of a lifetime.

What is it about traveling that makes people more worldly? I guess the answer is obvious, but it is pretty amazing at how those who have left their home and moved far away have so much more wisdom and insight.  In my home town, everyone is so stuck in a rut, and I can see that in other places, but never as bad as that place.

I admit, I’m not as much of a gypsie as some people, but I was born in Texas, lived in North Carolina for eleven years, lived close to Little Rock, AR. For a year, and now I’m in Oklahoma. Rural OK at that. Its been a wonderful life, and I’ve been amazed at what I’ve seen and how far I’ve come, but I still find those people, whom are older, yet they just don’t seem to have this experience with life.

On the Subject of Taboo

Why is Taboo so taboo? So many things in life need to be shared, yet are described as so socially unacceptable. It seems so crazy that people get ostracized to much for something that should be so common place.

Know your body, and dress accordingly. That is a mantra I wish people would take up. I’ve seen so many people, dress in spandex, then they are borderline morbidly obese. Its nasty. Yet that is not taboo, as a sexy woman showing a bit of cleavage.... A while back, I met a woman who was extremely baffled by the male lust for her breasts, when in her words, "They are just utters...."

Science Fiction Fan

I enjoy science fiction.  I really don’t understand why some people can’t.  Einstein said that the “true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.”  To me that proclaims that what human’s can dream up, is close to what human’s have achieved.  It keeps us looking to a future that might be, and inspiring those who have the knowledge to put it all together.

Even if some of it is escapism, such as John Carter, it still has some significance.  The ability to sit back and enjoy someone else’s vision has such interesting artistic merit.  Star Trek was a great place to have people think about what the most promising theories now could look like in the future.

(poem) They Struggle, Hidden....

Sometimes in life
We meet those people
Filled with strife
Not helped by the steeple




But can you help them
As they hide their tears
Struggling to hide the stem
Of that which creates their fears?

They have a turmoil
Deep within their soul
That makes life dreadful
An emotional steamroll

Can you stop someone
Who is making their final stand
Before they find themselves fallen
From the Earth’s wonderful sand?




Can you make them care
About what life has to offer?
Can you make them dare
To face all this life’s horror?

No matter how bad it gets
Life is worth living
There will always be duets
That will keep you singing

If only you can make them see
How great it all truly is
To live this life so free
Once you break your own bond’s kiss.

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

Misquotes to destroy a nation by

Henry Ford is quoted as having said, “Make the best quality of goods possible at the lowest cost possible.”  For those that KNOW that quote they will recognize something missing.  We’ll get to that.

That exact quote was hanging from a wall of a plant manager for a company I used to work for.  He lived by that rule.  Another great quote he had, sitting on his desk was from Harry Truman, "I don't give them Hell. I just tell the truth about them and they think it's Hell."  Another great quote, but the first one always bothered me.  It became a quote that would haunt me for the rest of my life....

The Yin of Yang.

I cannot count the times that everything good and amazing in life is countered by something bad.  I’ve lived my life waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak.  I have a constant worry that it’s all going to unravel somehow and balance what else is going on.  But all along the way, I think about how interesting its going to be as I watch it all happen.

After 2 months of it being in the shop, we got our car back out.  Spent $1,800 to get it fixed.  There is nothing as frustrating as getting into a car and hearing a click as you turn the key instead of the wonderful sound of an engine roaring to life.  We dealt with the problem for a very long time.  Finally we put it in, after a ton of things being fixed on it, we were excited to get the thing back.  I crawled into the car, and turned the key.  Ahhh, the wonderful sound of that click.... *sigh*

A Hobby's Collector

The word ‘hobby’ has such a range.  Collecting things noone else collects, creating things, writing, blogging, even gaming....  The list just goes on and on.  So many people take their hobby seriously, its quite odd at times.

I’m not different, I mean, here I am blogging away, while trying to finish a novel or three, surrounded by odd artwork and figurines that most consider quite nerdy things.  At least my hobbies don’t take over and dominate my life.  It is always crazy to walk into someone’s home and see nothing but a certain thing repeated over and over and over.

But that begs the question, when does a hobby cross the line into becoming something crazy?  I know Lisa has her own ideas about my hobbies.  Certain themes of my collectibles are not allowed in the Livingroom, even though I’ve secretly put some there in strategic locations and made it look pretty cool.  In my childhood room I had comic books from the ceiling to the floor all the way around, with a few posters from movies and comics and such mixed in here and there.  It was like my wallpaper.  I admit that was a little crazy, especially as they made a GREAT hiding spot for scorpions, they loved to hide behind the X-Men comics....

That Changed Everything....

The past always creeps in when you least expect it.  I’ve always found it amazing how a coincidence will bring a new perspective on the past into view, just as you never wanted it to.  Hindsight is always 20/20 they say, and its never more so the case than when something new comes to light.

Do you change your point of view, change your old memories?  No, that’s never the case.  Normally one just has to assimilate the information.  The old memories are hard written into the brain.  Nothing will change the warmth of the original memory, even if its become diluted by a sharp pain of new information.