The Ominousness of Death

The light of today is a bit dimmer this time around as a particular light switch in my life has been turned off.  My future though, still approaches at a frantic pace, so to the future my eyes will remain.  But never think for a moment that I did not notice the flicker and the diminished brightness of my life.  Goodbye, mom, and may your soul rest in peace now that it no longer has to hold up the pain that the end of your life showed you.

--

The Absense of Creativity in the Classroom is Killing the Future

After interviewing my teacher friend from North Carolina, I realized that most of the data I was writing my research paper on was almost null and void.  Since the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, there has been a new curriculum introduced, but again, it is being hamstrung by the politicians.  Only time will tell how much has actually changed, but honestly, I doubt much will.

My final paper was turned in on 12/8/14.  Its pretty long, but everyone that read it liked it, and some people who only read part of it wanted to read all of it....  As of right now (as I write this) I honestly don't know what grade I got, or the comments on it.  Hopefully I'll get it back from my teacher when I see her in the hallways.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy my final paper in English 1113.

The end of 2014, and the beginning of 2015

Another year, come and gone.  Doesn’t seem like its been so many, but I’ve almost witness forty of them.  So many ups and downs; rights, lefts, and wrongs; and everything in between.  The year of 2014 is hard to sum up in words.  It was a roller coaster to say the least.  I took a break from the blog, landed a job, and Lisa and I started working.

But the job never truly panned out.  We could never get enough hours to truly make it worth it, and when we did work, it was completely nuts.  We had a horrible boss and iffy coworkers.  There were many times we both almost quit, but we stuck through it.  Sometime towards summer though, two things changed....

(poem) - The Age of Rust

What is left for us
Those who dwell in the rust

Days pass by and still we persist
Its almost as if, we are still trying to resist

People still call it ‘The Man’
Because its all part of the Machine’s plan

Its rolling and churning
Doing nothing but destroying

Collecting money for itself
Putting all its riches upon the shelf

We all help it along
Even if you do nothing but smoking a bong

Because it feeds off all of us
In one way or another, in god we trust

What hope is there for a better tomorrow
I feel the death of us in my bone’s marrow

It gives me aches and pains
As fear seeps in, destroying memories within my brain

Is the past the thing I remember
Or did I gloss it all over in November?

I stare into the mirror’s reflection
And fear my face’s deep set aggression

For there is nothing but hatred within my eyes
For those that tell all the lies

Because lies are what got us here
Kiss all the rich people’s rears

We are nothing but the cobble stones
That led them all to there hedonistic thrones

Luckily there is a special place in hell
For all those that poisoned the well

Because poisoned it has become
In this existence that is nothing but bedlam

We strive and strive for things we can’t have
For our wounds, there is no salve

So go out and slave away
At minimum wage all day

As the people above your boss
Reap all the benefits of the life you’ve lost

While I ponder what is left for the rest of us
As well dwell in the Age of Rust.

--Dan

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

(poem) - The Dance of Love's Life

I’ve danced through life
To a soundtrack that only I’ve heard
I’ve invited you to dance
If you wish to learn

Many have taken me up
On this offer of life’s dance
Only to watch them stumble
Not being able to prance

Happiness is a way of life
That I’ve lived for quite some time
But I only know how to do so
Because I know Sorrow’s every line

So watch as I dance
And twirl around
Can you see me float
Far above the ground?

In real life
I cannot dance
But metaphorically
I do so at every chance

And amazingly I found Lisa
Who has taken my hand
As we danced
She donned my wedding band

Friends may come and go
But I’ve finally found a partner
Who will dance with me
Forever, and ever after

Somewhere along the way
I realized something very important
I’ve danced this dance I’ve danced
Felt pain at every appointment

So that when I got to dance with her
It was the dance that would enthrall her

Because she’s danced
The same dance as me
So that when we found each other
It would be so lovely

That we have both wept with joy
At true love’s beautiful envoy

--Dan

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

(poem) - A Kitten

Is there anything
A kitten can’t fix?
Especially if that kitten
Has a name like Nyx?

She’s come into our lives
And brightened every day
Suddenly we are all smiles
In every single way

I’m still behind
On what I need to do
But all that can wait
Because I hear a faint “Mew”


She’s quite a handful
And a bundle of joy
Kittens are far too cute
Its almost like a ploy

You fall in love with them
As you help them grow
Then they ignore you
Unless they need food in their bowl

Okay,
That’s alittle unfair
Some cats appreciate
You taking all that care

To raise them up
And to raise them right
So they aren’t scared
Of thunderstorms in the night

They’ll stick by your side
And be your one true friend
Curling up in your lap
Until the very end.

The unconditional love
Of a feline family member
Is one that you will cherish
Until the last day you remember

Very few cats
Have earned a place in my heart
Nyx earned her spot
From the very start

And as she sleeps
Here on my desk
I smile knowing
My future is now that much picturesque

--Dan

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

(poem) - I Belong in Her Arms

Is a dream a dream
(A crazy little dream)
If its based in reality?

What about pain?
(Is it pain?)
If its based within the mind?

Its hard not to scream
(Scream so loud)
When a dream involves pain?

Why does it hurt
(Its hurts so very much)
To have your heart broken?

I once had an ideal
(Such a great ideal)
Of what the perfect woman should be.

But the woman that was perfect
(Perfection on another level)
Broke the mold of everything that was

She changed my life
(Which needed changing)
For the better in every single way

And became my wife
(The perfect wife)
Making me the happiest man alive.

But I still remember the past
(Oh so very long ago.)
When heart break felt like it would kill me.

I remember those times
(Times best forgotten)
Crying over some foolish idiot not giving their all

I always gave my all
(Pouring my very soul)
To make sure that my love found its home

But it never did
(It grew stronger, harder)
And somehow found its way into Lisa’s embrace

This embrace
(This beautiful embrace)
Is something amazing that words cannot describe

Poetry
(No matter how you write it)
Cannot match the beauty of my wife’s soul

She survived
(Things I cannot imagine)
To be with me here, laying her head against my chest

How did either of us make it here
(This wonderful place we’ve found)
After going through so damned much without each other?

The answer is so simple
(Yet so very silly)
We survived what we had to, to be together.

Because this is where we both belong
And belonging is pretty awesome
When you belong in someone’s arms.

--Dan

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

Status Update of the Blog and Life 08/2013

There’s nothing like a little update on how everything’s going on the website, hopefully I can drum up a bit more interest in certain things while doing it.  We’ll see, though.  If you haven't checked it out, be sure to read the Press Release that came out on August 4th.

As of this last weekend, the 6th serial story in the Ballad of the Emerald Bard came to a close.  The next order of business in the Ballad is to rewrite the 2nd story.  Buried Secrets was a 5 part story that, I realize now, was poorly written.  Part of the grand experiment of this serial webfiction is to fix mistakes after they are published.  Its something I knew ahead of time I wanted to do, so here’s my first chance.

When College Comes a Knockin'

I wish I remembered the point in which colleges started scouting me and my fellow highschool friends.  I know they did, just a little bit, but yeah, I’m sure its nothing like what going on in our house now.  Part of me fully understand what exactly is going on.  But lets start somewhere else.

C.J. is getting college letters from all over the US.  Reading these turns out to be quite interesting.  About half of the colleges that have seen packets have truly interesting financial aid statements.  Obviously I need to do more research, but they all read in such a way that make me believe that the tuition/room/board free.  Part of me obviously doesn’t believe this, but yeah, its an interesting read, none-the-less.

What My Life is About

I always hate looking at my blog topic list and not seeing anything on there I want to write about.  Its not technically writer’s block, or being burnt out, its just...ambiguity I guess.  So much good is going on around me, so much fun.

This blog is going great, I’m loving my camera.  The hammock is such a great place to be, enjoying the hell outta my marriage.  Got my Kindle loaded with books to read, and am writing a novel while helping Lisa write her newest.  Exercise flows decently easy, though I need to do more of it, and I’ve got a great collection of stuff.

(poem) - A Child's Imagination

Dreams come alive
Within a child’s eyes
When they see
A Princess at Disney

Yes I know
It seems like a cliche of old
But imagination runs wild
In the mind of a child



It’s a truly beautiful thing
To watch imagination sing
And see the light
Of dreams shine so bright

It makes me want to create
Or start an intense debate
And suddenly the universe is small
Stars don’t seem far away at all

As your soul drifts upon the air
So very far up there
Amongst the dreams of better men
Who had far better acumen

Sometime or another
The child goes back to their mother
Who knows the truth
Because she thinks she’s a sleuth

But the true fact is
She is not the true wiz
Because reality within a child’s eye
Is where the truth doth lie

Because imagination is the key
That makes the future shine brightly
Cultivate that sense of awe
That’s how we’ll get our last hurrah

Because whatever we can dream
We can make as a team
But it all starts in a child’s eyes
Where all those dreams exist because they are alive....

--Dan

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

(poem) - The New Year Ahead

The holidays
Have come and gone
Leaving us
With their memorable songs

They are stuck in the mind
Repeating again and again
Like some
Horrendously memorable sin

But with their leaving
We can now see
A new year before us
A brand new journey

Time marches ever onward
Leading towards whatever end
But I know this year
I shall not bend

This year
Threatens to be
The happiest
In memory

I will get married
I will have a wife
Who will share with me
This amazing life

Hand in hand
We will face the stretch of time
And I will try to make
Every line rhyme.

--Dan

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

Is a Bad Attitude a Clinical Condition?

Since when did having a bad attitude become a clinical condition?  Seems like a crazy question, huh?  But I see it so much in today’s youth.  Someone simply has a bad attitude, and they are labeled as having a learning disorder.

I know its kind of a joke to some people, but has society gotten to bad with the idea that everything is a clinical condition that something as simple as a bad attitude, which can easily be worked through, is terms to send someone to the therapist?  There are days I don’t want to wake up, for whatever reason, and there are days I don’t feel like paying attention.

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!

(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!

(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 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) 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