29 Aug

Hard Times

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…made harder with no real internet.

Greetings,

Things have been stressful of late, thanks in no small part to a couple bad auto mechanics and some generally low-moral people I’ve had to deal with lately. I still do not have a good internet connection, and this made for some interesting times after a lost connection cost me the ability to service my websites. It took several rounds of emails to address this problem, which highlighted the need for phone support by webhost companies. Most had phone support at one time, but like almost all other aspects of business over the last couple of years, the desire for maximum profits and minimum work ethic has led to phone support becoming a techno-unicorn. It is still difficult as hell to post even these blog entries, and nearly impossible to make any real edits to the website for the time being, but with luck, this will be a temporary inconvenience.
Luck being the key word.
Life is getting rather strange out there, in case you haven’t noticed. Even those that do know what is transpiring are too busy attempting to survive, while also being manipulated on every side by every media source in order to separate and conquer. It is getting harder and harder for the average person to make a living, much less those in the creative fields. This is not just true for me – I observe things over time, and have seen the economy and quality of living decline for artists and the average man over the past several years in a fashion that would have been described as insane once upon a time. Recent times have been strange and stressful, perhaps more than they have been since the narcissistic abuse I suffered and its aftermath, and there are times where I wonder if I still have the strength and resolve to face them in the way I am accustomed.
Time will tell I guess.
I still have plans of starting a Youtube channel for my writing, a counterpart to the channel I created for my art. I was delaying acting on this until I could perhaps make a title sequence to use for the channel, but I am thinking I may just dive in, and add graphical elements as time goes on.
Again, time will tell, I suppose.
Well, it’s getting late. Time to go.

Until Next Time,
~Namaste

5 Aug

Sweet Miracle

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Oh, sweet miracle
Oh, sweet miracle of life
-RUSH

Greetings,

There have been a good deal of stressful events in my life of late, both with my recent move to the Eastern shore of Virginia and otherwise. Although I could possibly make this statement at almost any point in my life, these recent times have proven this to be especially true. I think it would be fair to say this recent and present period could even be defined as constituting a life crisis. I have faced such challenges before, and my continued existence is enough to show my success in dealing with those dire times. In the past, I would often have to face such troubles alone, and I was fortunate enough to have the strength and endurance required to succeed. Then, on this day in 2002, I survived an accident in such a way as to be the sole known survivor of that type of accident by two insurance companies. Needless to say, this impaired me on many levels, chief among them being my physical abilities.
This, and the passage of time, would make handling the events of the recent few months incredibly difficult, if not impossible for me to deal with on my own. I have had the incredible good fortune to be supported by not only those in my family, but in good friends and the support of our local church. I am honored to know these people, and were it not for their support and understanding, would be facing a difficult and troubling future. After having to deal with years of narcissistic abuse and its after-effects, I have been blessed to have empathetic people around me, and feel a sense of balance in the world again. I do not believe I will ever be able to express the depths of my gratitude, but I will do what I can to carry the spirit of their generosity forward.
I hope the same for us all.

Until Next Time,
~Namaste

23 Jul

Mission Accomplished

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Greetings!

It has been a tough couple of weeks, but I am finally in my new home/studio, thanks in no small part to my friends and members of our local church, who helped move the amazing amount of material things into a second floor space.  Between the physical demands of the move and the stress of dealing with hostile forces with the seeming intent to make the move as difficult as possible, I was pretty much done in by the third day of the move-in, and their help was invaluable.  Much appreciation to all involved.

Except for the people at my former location.

Those people are dicks.

Anyway, everything that needed to come with me is now here, and thus begins the Great Unpacking.  Most of my furniture is in place, short several bookcases which I have yet to purchase, and now I have to sort through the various boxes and totes, a necessary yet tedious process.  The end will be more than worth the effort, however.  I will have more space to work, and my little one has access to both a pool and small playground, which of course pleases her greatly.

I have a great many projects lined up, and will begin working on a number of them as soon as the Great Unpacking, and its cousin The Purge of 2024, are complete.  So, I’m basically working so as to be able to get to work.  Still, it will be good to be able to work in a more pleasant atmosphere.  Environment is key, boys and girls, and I am determined to keep mine as positive and as lucrative as possible.

Until Next Time –

~Namaste

5 Jul

Movements

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Greetings, all.

I’ve never been sure why I open my blog this way, as I have no idea how many actual viewers I have.  I could find out, and perhaps one day I’ll be curious enough to investigate, but it will do for now.  Contrary to the rantings of the ex, I do have more of an audience than some of my sales would indicate, a matter I will address with fervor in the future.

I’ve been working my ass off for the last several weeks, moving my belongings and furniture in preparation for yet another move.  Although a positive thing in itself, this move became necessary a couple weeks ahead of time, due to the actions of some small-minded narcissists.

Yes, I do seem to attract those, don’t I?

Only now, I make their lives a living hell, as it should be.

In this case, said narcissists were the owner of the complex where I was living, and also employed doing their maintenance and apartment turnovers (a job I took simply for the benefit of reduced travel times and rent), and my former boss, a little pot-bellied shit from Montana who delighted in insulting and berating his employees during hour-long de-motivational meetings.  I discovered the truth in how they would hire those they thought were desperate in order to retain control over their lives.  For the most part, this was true, but unlike their other employees, I had more than that job going for me, and bigger plans for my life.  So, when they began to make things intolerable, I left for a better job.  In return, they decided to have a snit, and it then became necessary to leave for a better environment.  This was greeted with predictable behavior, and I was quick to shut that shit down.

Come this Friday, I will begin the strenuous transition in to what I plan to be my last apartment. Once that is done, I will not rest, but will begin to once again turn out the creative work that has been languishing in creative Limbo for the last few months.  I will be starting a video series on the life of a horror author, which will serve as an insight into the life and mind of Yours Truly. I will post the link to the channel when I post, of course, so stay tuned.

Until Next Time,

Namaste

19 Jun

Vapor Trails

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Greetings, all,

The inevitable hand of Fate has attempted to give me the finger, only to find it broken off at the knuckle.  These things happen, and I’ve learned to roll with them and keep on trucking.  Fortunately for me, I was able to finish the Audible version of Strange Stories, Twisted Tales before life became hectic, and delayed the project yet again.

I won’t begin the recording of my third book, ‘Permutations of Reality’, until after I have set up a new studio for all my creative projects.  Great things often have small beginnings, and despite the turmoil and stress, the events transpiring now are important to my overall life-plan, and should mark the last time I rent before finding a more permanent home.  Once the move is complete, I foresee a massive explosion of creative projects coming on both the writing and visual fronts, and I can hardly wait until that moment arrives.

I have also planned to begin a YouTube channel for my life as a writer and other topics, similar to the one I have for my visual arts projects, and this will also have to wait a bit before I can make that a reality, though it is very tempting to record some videos of the current situation for editing later. Entertainment value aside, I think such a channel would go far in revealing the life and processes of this particular writer, and might even be of some use to those experiencing similar events.  Again, a project I have hungered to begin for some time, and once I have finished this current move, one I will pursue with vigor.

So, lots more to come.  The next month will be trying, to be sure, but once it is in my rear view, I expect to make up for the time I’ve lost creatively for the last several years.  I am anxious to experience such a creative explosion, and look forward to writing my first post from my new studio.

Until Next Time,

~Namaste

2 Jun

Audible Update – New Release

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Greetings all,

I know it’s been a while since my last update; I have been working every available hour on projects both creative and otherwise for the last several weeks. and the days have just flown by.  The result of all this work has been the completion of two painted furniture videos for my YouTube channel, and the completion of the audio files for the Audible version of Strange Stories, Twisted Tales, which I uploaded for reviews several days ago.

This work has now passed review, and can be found here.  This volume contains some musical transitions and sound effects, and I was much happier with the final result.I hope any listeners do as well.

Until Next Time,

~Namaste

20 Apr

Audible Update – Nobody’s Hero

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Greetings.

After a great deal of trial and error, I decided to change up my recording workflow in an attempt to speed up the process, a move which seems to have been successful.  I managed to record and process ‘Nobody’s Hero‘, the quirky superhero entry from ‘Strange Stories, Twisted Tales‘,in just a bit over 3 days. The last day of processing was more extensive than it needed to be; a week of overhead painting left me sore and exhausted, and I took a few hours off to regain my energy,.

Overall, the new workflow means a faster overall turnaround time, obviously, but it proves to me that while I might sometimes be slow, I am still capable of learning new tricks, and enjoying that journey, something that has existed within me for as long as I can remember, and a defining quality I hope I never lose.

I have but two tales left to record from that tome, and will continue to open myself to improving the narration process as I go, as I both enjoy the process, and have since childhood, but also for my absolute distaste of AI generated narration, which motivates me to keep going when my butt starts to go numb from sitting in front of the microphone.  I will continue to post updates on my progress as usual, and hope to have this puppy ready for release soon.

Until Next Time,

~Namaste

14 Apr

Audible Update – April 2024

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Greetings,

Forgive the lateness of my post; things which start off hectic have increased, and just about every minute of my day is now occupied with one project or another.  Still, I push on, and have finally completed recording all the material I lost from the Great Disk Disaster of 2023.  This means I can now begin to record the remaining stories from ‘Strange Stories, Twisted Tales’, including my favorite of the collection, which is appropriately titled ‘The Last Story’.

I have been pleased with the results of my latest efforts; this round of recordings have been clearer and more consistent, and the addition of title music and chapter transitions have given the work a new dimension, in my opinion.  I can but hope any listeners will feel the same.

Until Next Time,

~Namaste

3 Apr

Another Orbit

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Greetings,

I never know how many people I am actually welcoming; I haven’t posted notifications for my posts on social media lately, though I do my best to remain active on what channels I can.

Things have been moving quickly, and I have had to burn some serious calories in order to keep up, working on a number of projects simultaneously, as I have mentioned earlier.  I did take a day to celebrate another orbit around the sun, as most do, but now it is time to get back to work.  Once I finish recording ‘Easy Prey‘ from Strange Stories, Twisted Tales, I will have finished re-recording stories I lost in the Great Disk Disaster, and will be able to move on to new material.

It has also crossed my mind to take another look at my recording of my first novel, in the event I need to replace that one as well.  The long range goal to make my recording services available through Audible for freelance projects, and the best way to do that is to deliver the highest quality possible.  It is my hope to reach a marketable level by the time I finish recording my third novel.

On the writing front, I may have to delay the production of my next book, a non-fiction work aimed at male victims of domestic abuse, until I can move to a more habitable environment. This may not be a significant delay, if any, if events continue to move at their current speed. I also have my next two fiction novels planned, and will give more details on those as they develop.

All in all, it looks as if this new orbit will be an interesting, and busy, one.

Until next time,

~Namaste

31 Mar

Happenings

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Hello all,

It’s been an interesting couple of weeks.  Life has converged as it has a way of doing into a high energy state, and I’ve had to burn a good number of calories in order to keep up.  This has had the unfortunate side effect of leaving no time for recording for the last week. With luck, I’ll be back to finishing ‘Easy Prey’ for Audible by the end of next week.

In addition to the audio work I am doing for my written work, I have begun creating videos for my artistic work, which has made it necessary to learn the software needed in order to produce them.  I enjoy the process, though I do wish I had more time in order to perfect these aspects of my platform.  This is the goal, of course, for regardless of the form, I’ve always done better, both financially and emotionally, when I have been able to work for myself. Despite the setbacks, this remains, and I work to bring that goal to reality.  This means that the coming year is going to be a busy one, and I am looking forward to the many positive things to come.

Until next time,

~Namste