Monday, August 25, 2014

Low Productivity with Results

            The downside of being a self-employed introvert is that I have almost complete control over my schedule. How is that a downside? Sometimes I just can’t be hard enough on myself.

            See, vacations are great and relaxing and all that, but, in other ways, they’re also quite tiring. For people as introverted as me, they’re downright exhausting – I mean, I get tired just thinking about leaving the house.

            So, this week, there isn't much for me to talk about. I got some work done, but not nearly as much as I should have. On the bright side, I finally finished this wonderful chainmaille shirt:



            It has 46 hours of work in it and would have been completed in 5 days if I hadn't needed to wait for more materials. I'm very proud of how it turned out, though – it has a tricky double-layered part over the shoulders and the stag’s head transfers from one layer to the next – a process made doubly difficult by the weave going in opposite directions on each layer.

            Beyond that, my wife and I also took my grandmother out to an appointment and had lunch with her. It was the first time we've seen her in several months and it was great to chat and catch up with her.

            So, even in a week of low productivity, the week wasn't a complete write-off. It’s still strange to think that we’re so introverted that having a vacation tires us out enough that we need time off to recover from it. Hopefully next week will be more productive and I’ll think of something more interesting to talk about.





Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.






If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Monday, August 18, 2014

Cottage Time

            Once in a while, my wife and I get invitations to visit a cottage, but we rarely are able to accept – actually, this is the first vacation we've had since our honeymoon, two years ago. I suspect that this trip was partially planned around us, since we left for the cottage on Wednesday, shortly after our last show before the end of September – in other words, the first free time we've had all year.

            This particular cottage is owned by some family friends and I've come up here a couple times before with my in-laws. It is a wonderful, relaxing place to come – if I could, I’d live up here. Oh, and the view is great.





            Not that this is the exact view I've had the whole time I've been here. It is accurate for my previous two visits, however today is the first day I've really gotten a chance to enjoy being outside. It’s also the first time the first day that the sun has come out to play (it’s back behind a cloud again now). Much of the time here looked more like this:



            In spite of the weather, it’s still been a great vacation. The friends and my in-laws are a delightful to spend time with, even cooped up inside by the rain. Plus, during the precipitation, we got to hear and see this lovely loon:



            It’s kind of funny, though, because even though I'm on vacation, I'm still working away. My wife and I brought chainmaille to make while here and I, of course, am writing every day. Actually, of my five books (including my current work in progress), this is the third one I've worked on at this cottage. Without all the distractions of regular life, I get far more done here than I do at home, while, at the same time, being more relaxed.

            I can’t help but think how wonderful it would be to live like this all the time, without the hubbub of every-day live interfering with... just living. I wish everyone could live like this and experience the simple joy of slowing down and enjoying life for what it is, rather than what we've made it.






Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.






If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Monday, August 11, 2014

Us and Them

            It seems like it has become a tradition that I write a blog post while selling chainmaille at Festival of Friends. I don’t really have much choice – I’ll be getting home late enough that I really won’t be feeling like writing anything.

            So, while we were watching the crowds wandering the festival, my wife commented to me on how fascinating it is to see how many different type of people there are. Not that we were unaware of their existence before, but it’s not often that we get to see such a mix in one place.

            When people leave the house, people generally dress for where they’re going. If it’s work, they’re wearing their work clothes, to parties they wear fancy clothes. At the sorts of events we go to, people usually dress however they want to (admittedly, sometimes this involves costumes) and that allows their personalities and interests to show through. They are usually more comfortable and more personable when chatting. That’s when you really get to see how diverse our society is. What it tells me more than anything else is how no two people are alike.

            Yet, at the same time, we always are trying to group people into categories. Be it race, interests, gender, hair colour, clothing, music, country – it doesn't matter. We’ll slap a name on them and call them all the same. We even do it to ourselves; we find a category of like minded people, give ourselves a name and proudly declare ourselves to be part of the group.

            Suddenly there’s an “Us” and “Them”. I don’t even need to comment on what that leads to.

            Where does it come from, though? I think, at its very core, it stems from our own innate insecurities. Because without these groups, it is “Me” and “Them”. With how many other people there are out there, it’s nice to feel like there are some that are the same as us, who will stand with us against the massive forces of “Them”.

            The truth is, there is no “Them”. Only “Us”. It doesn't matter how we group and categorize people, because if you go into any one of those groups and talk to all of them, you will discover that the group is made up of people who are unique – just like you.


            I think it’s time we do away with these false ideas like “Them” and “Normal” and admit that each and every one of us is unique and completely alone. Just like everyone else. And because of our unique loneliness, we are all the same. There is only “Us”.





Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.






If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Monday, August 04, 2014

I Did It Again

            This blog is probably coming out late because I was up late and then the internet died. Why was I up late, you ask? Dungeons and Dragons.

            Yesterday we had a power outage that lasted for a few hours, during which my wife and I played Sorry! With my sister-in-law. Then we played Apples to Apples. After that, we started talking about what board game to play next and, silly me, I suggested playing Dungeons and Dragons.

            Why was that a silly idea you ask? Because of what happened the last time I suggestedplaying D&D to people when I didn't think it was actually going to happen. I ended up as a Dungeon Master.

            Not that I mind being a DM – I thoroughly enjoy it and I think it’s a great exercise for any author. It’s just that I'm a bit busy right now, what with moving (okay, so at this point it’s unpacking), ongoing renovations, making chainmaille and shows, taking on more work is a bit crazy. And, as I mentioned in my post last yearish, being a DM is a lot of work.

            This time, I know a lot more about running a game (which is a good thing, because the game’s designed to have 4-6 players (plus the DM) and I'm running it for 2), but I haven’t had to thoroughly plan anything out, so I'm making up everything as I go along. It’s a huge challenge, but, again, a wonderful creative exercise. Keeps me on my toes.

            Did I mention I'm trying to find time to get my family together, too, so we can continue the game we started last summer? Then I’ll be running two games at the same time. Talk about crazy.

            That’s the most important thing about life, though. You have to find time for the things you love. Otherwise, what’s the point.


            Oh, look! The internet is back. Quick, upload, upload, upload!!!





Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.






If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.