low blog week

I have neglected my blogs this week, and I am sorry, but mom is in the hospital, along with my mother-in-law hospitalized, so the resolution chart and blogs have hit a low dip....it will get better...It has to get better....look next week for fuller, funner blogs.....ok Off to work.

Idol thoughts

Thought last nights Idol was pretty good. People singing songs by their idol helped, since they couldn't use the "I just learned this song three days ago" excuse.

Everyone did pretty well I thought. But here's a few of my random notes to the contestants
Colton-- great job, and thanks for being open about your faith, I find that very refreshing.
Holly-- I think your great, and loved your song choice, forget about what Steven & Randy say.
Heejun-- you were better last night than previously, but I still have trouble understanding you sometimes, need to work on diction...also may have been "Too little, too late"
Skyler-- Don't like Miranda, and don't like you much...sorry.
Jessica-- I think you have a great voice, but last night was by far your weakest song, I couldn't get into it at all...sorry
Josh-- Your voice is great, you did fine on the song, but I kept thinking how much I liked James Durbin's version of it last season so much more.
Deandre-- sorry man, I can't dig your falsetto, sound too squeaky for me...if it were up to me, you'd be heading home.
Elise-- No one can touch Zeppelin, you shouldn't even try.
Phillip-- You sounded great, but I didn't really know the song, something more familiar would have worked better for me.

Feeling discouraged

All right, I'll admit it, my New Years resolutions Chart hit a major snag last week. Getting slapped in the face with asphalt on the side of the freeway put a kink in everything. For one thing I'm a stress eater, and all my eating resolutions went out the window as I stressed...and ate.

As for my writing, I couldn't seem to get my mind to focus. Every time I sat down to try and write, my head would start bonging and I couldn't concentrate. So for the first time this year I didn't put in my 2 hours of writing last week.

My reading also suffered, because when I put on my reading glasses, the edge of the glasses rested on the sore on my cheek. This my seem silly, but it is hard to read when you're in pain, so I only got like half an hour of reading last week.

So needless to say I'm feeling discouraged today, and hoping & praying I can get my focus back this next week and not let the resolutions spiral out of control. It is going to be a rough week of fighting back.

Turning 200

Well, this marks the 200th post in the Growing old gracefully blog. You'd think I would celebrate with a huge flashy blog filled with videos and pictures. Or maybe I could give you a huge list of ten best this or that. I could up date you on my Bucket List (haven't done that in a while) or I could do an update on the new year's resolutions (not a good week on that front...Nuff said) Or I could rant about American Idol or give you early picks for DWTS.

But I am going to do none of those things because I am tired... Sorry, sometimes as you gracefully grow old you get tired. You have weeks that knock you on your face..really, you can see the pictures on my facebook. And at the end of that week you just want to snuggle in with your wife and plop in a Harry Potter DVD and watch as far as you can before you start dozing. So that's what I'm gonna do. Catch you netx week on the other side of 200 with Idol, DWTS and general blogginess.

Rough week...again

I do not want to seem like a griper. But this yer is turning out to be a monster year. It is as if the universe is fighting against me accomplishing anything. The face dive on Monday is just the latest thing. Due to the pain from this, and the placement of the abrasions, I am having trouble reading (my glasses rest right on the cheek abrasion) and writing (my brain hurts)...gonna keep pushing through. Please pray that I will have the relief of pain I need to get things done. Also continue praying for my mother-in-law. Her prolonged hospital stay is putting a strain on our whole household. Lots of tears and frayed nerves. Thank you all for your prayers.

Also pray for mom & dad as they prepare to move to assisted living. Thanks!

So how was YOUR day?

I hope your day was better than mine. It started as a normal drive down the hill, but ended with my face grinding into the asphalt. We had a winter storm this weekend, you see, so I was driving with chains on. I stopped to take the chains off, and my tire went flat...well mostly flat. I waited till it was light and then went to change the tire I couldn't get my jack out from where it was stored in my car, but another motorist who was having his own car issues let me borrow his jack. While in the midst of changing the tire I tripped over the jack handle and kissed the asphalt. Nothing is broken, but my face is badly scraped and my lip is very swollen. I do not recommend face diving on asphalt as a fun time. ...Hope YOUR day was better.

A plea for help

I hate doing things like this, but today I really need your help. I ran into a major financial snag this week, and I want to ask for your help. We are having a major winter storm and they are calling for a lot of snow, so I had to shell out $75 for some snow chains. This put a crimp in my budget at a pivotal time for my writing. There is a contest I was hoping to enter, and the deadline is Monday, and I am a bit short on the entry fee. So what I am doing here today is a long shot, but I am asking if you might have a few dollar to spare if you could donate to help me raise the $20 entry fee. As a thank you for a donation I will send you a digital copy of some of my work. 1 story for a $1 donation, 2 for a $5, 3 for $10 or 5 for a $20 (these or word doc file, not e-book copies)

Just click on the donate buttons below to donate and leave me your eMail address and I will contact you about which story or stories you might want. Thanks, and forgive me for being so forward in asking.

To donate in any amount

A few issues with American Idol

I am a huge fan of American Idol (don't laugh, you know you are too, even if you don't admit it). But I have a few issues with the producers, judges and host that I have to get off my chest. Before I get into the issues though I must say Kudos to Nigel Lythgoe for the professional way you handled dismissing a contestant. You are a classy man I'd love to meet.

Now to the issues. First to Nigel and the other producers. When you make the theme "songs from the year you were born" i think you should only allow song ORIGINALLY done in that year, not covers released that year. As a man who grew up in the 70's it bugs me to hear some 17 year old kid singing a song I grew up on, claiming it was from the year he was born, I had to disqualify Joshua from my voting last night for this reason, even though he sang his butt off.

Second issue is with the judges. First of all, you all are to sweet during the auditions...not everyone is awesome and amazing, some are just good, and some stink. You have gotten a little better now that we're in the live shows. But one BIG gripe..make up your mind; Last season when Pia was doing all ballads you told her to pick it up and show variety, now Jessica who probably watched last season tries to mix it up, and you tell her stick to ballads. That drives me nuts and probably the contestants too.

Last issue is for Ryan. I love you man, but please stop asking the judges who they think is in trouble. This is an insult to those contestants who didn't perform well. they have already heard once what the judges thought, why slap them in the face again right before opening the phone lines. Plus it makes the judges feel bad. We already heard what they had to say, why put everyone on the spot again?

Last suggestion, make Jimmy Iovine a judge, not just a mentor. he's the only one half the time who gives HELPFUL critiques.

My return to Stephen King

When I was a young teen one of my favorite authors was Stephen King. I believe the first book I read was Firestarter. After that I went back and read his earlier works and was a very devoted fan. I read everything I could find for a number of years. I started to become a little disturbed when reading Pet Sematary, it seemed that King was leaving the arena of psychological suspense that I so loved, and starting to head to pure gross out mode.

And for most of the 80's right through last year I pretty much ignored Stephen King's work, with a few exceptions. I read IT, although I didn't really enjoy it much. I read Eye of the Dragon, that one I did really enjoy, a totally non-King-like book. But aside from that I avoided King. But when I started putting Audiobooks on my iPod, I began getting into King again. I put The Shining on, it had been a favorite. Then I put on the Just After Sunset collection, a few gross ones, but mostly good stories. I added a few more of his shorter novels and really enjoyed listening to them. I am currently listening to 11/22/63 which has had some absolutely amazing moments in it, and overall I'm really loving it. So I welcome Stephen King back into my literary life. If any of you have King books you can recommend, let me know. I'm looking for more psychological thrillers than the really gross and graphically violent stuff. Thanks for your help.

My children amaze me

We are in the seventh day at our house without Nonnie. Nonnie is my mother-in-law. For those who do not know a lot about me, my wife and I and our three kids live with my in-laws. Nonnie is primary chauffeur, cook, doctor, hairstylist and probably several other things for our kids.

Last Wednesday evening she was airlifted to a hospital down the hill. And I must say, our kids are handling it better than Bekkee or her dad. They have been amazing, keeping up with their school work, and helping take care of each other. Especially my twelve year old Dakotah. She is an angel, and cares for her little brother and sister, even when they are driving her crazy. I love these kids. Couldn't ask for more!

ANOTHER crazy week

Well, any shot of 2012 being a normal, calm year was shot down this week. From the start of the week my mother-in-law was feeling sick. She didn't want to admit that it was getting her down...who does want to admit that?

On Wednesday afternoon my wife and father-in-law finally convinced her she needed to get checked, so she went to the ER at Mountains Community Hospital. They ended up helicoptering her down to San Bernardino. Three days later we still aren't sure of all that is wrong. Possible heart attack, pneumonia or some other lung infection. Needless to say, she could use your prayers, Thanks.

Also pray for calm this coming week....please.

Oscars Vs. Sales: What is Hollywood Thinking?

I am not a Hollywood insider, so I have no idea what Hollywood insiders are thinking. But I have noticed a disparity between what Hollywood considers great movies (Oscar Winners) and what the general public considers great movies (Top Box Office draws). So I decided to do a little research. My information sources were simple-- boxofficemojo.com for sales figures, and oscar.go.com for Oscar winner info.

I looked back over the past ten years: 2002-2011 for box office figures, and 2003-2012 for the corresponding Oscar winners. What I found was not surprising to me, but may be to some of you. First of all, all the top selling movies, except for Avatar in 2009 were part of a series (and I suspect there will be Avatar sequels), yet only one of the Oscar winners was part of a series. That movie, Lord Of The Rings: Return of the King was also the only movie in the last ten years to be the top selling film of the year (2003) and Oscar winner for best picture (2004). Before that Titanic in 97 & 98, Forrest Gump in 94 & 95 and Rain Man in 88 & 89 were the only top grossing movies to win best picture going back as far as boxofficemojo.com goes (1980). Now in the 80's I noticed a few of the best picture winners were at least in the top ten money makers, but that has certainly not been the case in the last decade.

I'm not going to give you the list of top money making film from the past ten years, but I am going to list the Oscar winning picture and tell you where they placed on the list of movies released during the year:
2002/2003: Chicago #10
2003/2004: Lord Of The Rings: Return of the King #1
2004/2005: Million Dollar Baby #24
2005/2006: Crash #49
2006/2007: The Departed #15
2007/2008: No Country For Old Men #36
2008/2009: Slum Dog Millionaire #16
2009/2010: The Hurt Locker #116
2010/2011: The Kings Speech #18
2011/2012: The Artist #85 (still in release, may place higher)

To me, I feel that these Oscar choices reflects Hollywood trying to say "look at the wonderful movies we can make, we are artist and so enlightened" and yet the things that seem to sell these days are action sequels or animated features. But if Hollywood were really concerned with making artist films and enlightened entertainment, couldn't they just stop making the fluff that sells, and only make the artistic films......No, money is still a central factor. Can't blame them.

Another blog on bullying

So today I read an article about Jake Lloyd. If you are not familiar with that name, I'm really not surprised. Jake was the young boy who played Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace. The article told how Jake's childhood after Star Wars became "a living hell" and how the bullies at his school would "make the sound of a light saber every time they saw" him. This made him drop out of acting, and throw away all his Star Wars memorabilia.

I am so sorry, but I have trouble feeling sorry for him. I know there are people out there who are bullied horrible, either physically or verbally. Kids who are struggling with homosexuality, kids who are handicapped or retarded are often bullied. Fat kids (like I was) are bullied. But for kids to pic on you because of a movie you were in, this is a simple case of "I'm jealous of you, so I will mock you to try and make you feel bad" And Jake let the stupid jealous kids win. He let them destroy his life, even though he was a star in the #4 money-making movie of all time. He could have totally turned the tables on the kids, but he let them beat him. For the average kid struggling against bullying, they have little they can do to turn the bullying around; but please mister child movie star, don't ask me to feel sorry for you because kids made light saber noises around you.

Oh, and Jake, May the Force be With You!

March monthly update

Well, here we are on the first weekend in March, and time for an update on my resolutions.
My reading is doing great, my goal of 1 hour a week has been almost a steady 2 hours a week, and I finished my second book of the year. I'm setting a goal of one book a month. This is aggressive, but I think I can pull it off. I'm starting Terry Brooks' Landover series.

My writing is also coming along well. I have finished my short story "Outpost 63", and am hoping to submit it to Analog magazine by the end of March. I am now writing a very emotional short story called "18"...the name has a double meaning, you'll have to wait till it's done to find out.

The one area I admit is still getting me down in my resolutions is the food related areas. January with its birthdays had me having extra desserts, and losing points there. February the week point has become the old fast food villain, driven by a few snow days keeping me off the hill and away from safety of home food. Also those damn good Shamrock shakes. Will Power!!! that's what I need. So here's to a March with more Will Power and less green milkshakes.

Setting goals

Pastor Rob (my pastor) did a series to kick off the year on "Setting Goals" and in timing with that I made my New Year's resolutions into goals. They are written down (as Pastor Rob emphasized) right in my blog. I also have a graph to keep track of how I'm doing. (I will update before the weekend is out, so you all can know how I'm doing too.

And this week I took the time to write down some of my goals for my writing, with time line of target dates. I think Pastor is right, you need your goals in writing, in a tangible form so you can see your goals and know how you are doing. So if you have something you want to accomplish, write it down, with a target date, and how you're going to get it down. Set goals, then achieve them!