Monday, January 29, 2018

Opinionated Facts

            We humans have a very bad habit of assuming our opinions are facts. It seems a strange thing to do, but we do it nevertheless, and, once they’re formed, we will defend our opinions ‘til the end of the world, often regardless of other information.

            The fact that a man lies dead in his bed is indisputable. Yet, with no other information than that single sentence, you just formed an opinion about the cause of his death. If you readers were to express those opinions to each other, there’s a good chance you would end up arguing about it. Some would say the man died of natural causes, comfortably in his bed. Others would say he was murdered. Some might even posit that an accident occurred where he slipped and bumped his head on the side of the bed.

            A few more facts would only fuel the argument. The dead man is splayed on the bed, face down. It can be argued that this is how he sleeps, possibly tossing and turning. Of course, it could also be that he was killed, and that’s how he landed – or perhaps he was smothered. The splayed position also works for someone who has fallen.

            A glass of some clear liquid lies spilled on the floor beside the bed. That may sway some of those who believe that this was a natural death to the side of the murder-believers, but the staunchest supporters will insist that he could have knocked it off the bedside table as he slept. On the other hand, it could be poisoned. Is it even water? Perhaps the man had been drinking, which led to that fateful bump on the head.

            Facts are points of information, but what they mean is so often opinion. This is evident in the scientific process – when an experiment is designed, it is done with the intent of proving a specific theory – which means that there is already an opinion about what the results will reveal. If there is any room for interpretation in those results, what do you think the findings will be?

            The more we discover, the more humans become aware of this discrepancy. It has led many to believe that there is no such thing as reality – that facts are only there to support reality. This has led to all kinds of confusion and even beliefs that the facts, themselves, may be changed to suit one’s needs.

            However, there obviously is only one reality (the one I believe in, of course), otherwise we wouldn’t be able to interact in it. The real trouble comes from the facts – or, rather, either the lack of facts, or the way the facts are presented. For there is far too much information in the world for one person to discover on their own, and the only way to get a sufficient amount of facts is through someone else’s opinion.

            That means we are required to trust someone else’s opinion in order to gain the information we require. That seems reasonable enough – only, why would you trust the opinions of someone who has a different opinion than you?


            So, the facts are that a man lies dead on his bed. He’s splayed face-down, and there’s a spilled glass of a clear liquid on the floor. There’s also a red silk scarf wrapped around his neck. How did he die?





Check out my YouTube channel where I tell the stories of my D&D campaigns.

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



Also, make sure you check out my wife's blog and her website.


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, January 22, 2018

Writing Life

Sometimes the words go down one sentence at a time,
Sometimes they go in leaps and bounds.
Sometimes you drag the words from the depths of a chasm,
Sometimes you wonder where they’re coming from and if they’ll ever end.

But the words keep on coming.

There are times when the words are good,
There are times when the words are bad.
There are times when you think the words are the best you’ll ever write,
Only to come back later and hate them.

But the words keep on coming.

A time will come when you must read the words,
You must judge their merit and change them.
A time will come when you must destroy the words,
When you must give up on rearranging them.

But the words keep on coming.

After an eternity the words will be complete,
The pages filled and grammar thrice-checked.
After an eternity you can see the end,
At last, perhaps, you can rest.


But the words will keep on coming.






Check out my YouTube channel where I tell the stories of my D&D campaigns.

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



Also, make sure you check out my wife's blog and her website.


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, January 15, 2018

Make it Your Own

            One of the ways I survived the school system was by taking assignments and making the suit myself. I was always an incredibly odd person, and I tended to find projects boring and stifling. Most of them were along the lines of “Read these books and then tell us what they say in your own words”, which is stupid. It’s intended to prove that the student has learned from the material, but it’s really reaching how to find creative ways to reword things so you don’t plagiarize.

            So, whenever possible, I found loopholes that would allow me to make projects truly my own. In tech class, when instructed to make a boring mousetrap car, I made a mousetrap car that was conveniently a sword once I took the wheels off. In drama, when told to write a play about a situation that could actually happen, I time-traveled it back to a medieval setting so I could actually write something interesting. However, my crowning achievement in this was when I was 16 and I was instructed to make “visual essay”.

            This was in my Introduction to Sociology, Psychology, and Anthropology class (try saying that ten times fast). We were to research a nation of our choice and prepare a visual display that presented the information – the example we were given was a mobile with snippets of information balanced and hanging from threads. We were then to make a presentation on our research, and there were bonus marks for bringing in a snack from the researched culture.

            I started off annoyed at this project, but then an image for a project started to form in my mind – and I became delighted by it. I was pushing the boundaries a little, but that’s when I did my best work. Instead of choosing a country I was particularly interested in, I chose one that fit my vision: Fiji.

            Then I started to construct a paper mache palm tree. A 6 foot tall paper mache palm tree. It took a very long time, even with the help of my parents. From the tree hung several paper mashe coconuts. It was completed the night before the presentation.

            The next day, I stood before my class, with them and the teacher gaping at this monstrosity beside me (and munching on the Fiji-related coconut-based snack I’d brought in). I pulled out a knife, and cut open the paper mache coconuts, revealing inside the points of information and pictures on the required research topics. It was one of my strangest projects, and will always be one of my favorites.

            The favorite part of the story, though, came when the marks were being handed out. The teacher handed me my grading paper, saying that it was a really neat project, but there was no visual presentation of the information like there was supposed to be. I just looked confused and said, “The information’s all there in the coconuts.” She paused for a moment, a look of dawning realization on her face, then calmly changed the mark to 100%.

            And that’s how it came to be that I created a 6 foot tall paper mache palm tree. It sat around the house for years after that, until someone finally had the heart to get rid of it. But, in the intervening years, that tree did have one more glorious moment in the sun (so to speak). It was the middle of the winter, with some snow freshly fallen, and I looked at the tree in the house beside me and said to my friend, “You know what I’ve always wanted to do, ever since I made that thing...?” And he said, “Let’s do it!” And that’s how one of my favorite pictures of me came to be.



            I call it “Tropical Canadian Vacation”.





Check out my YouTube channel where I tell the stories of my D&D campaigns.

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




Also, make sure you check out my wife's blog and her website.


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, January 08, 2018

D&D Brings People Together

            When Colleen and I signed up to start playing Dungeons & Dragons at a local board game cafe almost two years ago, I honestly had no idea what to expect. We’d played D&D with friends and family before, and enjoyed it, but the games had never lasted long. It seemed likely that a pay-to-play game with a set schedule would have a good turn-out. It was also a bit experimental for me because I find socialization to be extremely taxing, so it was a test to see if I could handle it.

            We were very surprised when we got to the game and discovered that we already knew one of the other players – a member of a home-school group we’d run some chainmaille workshops with. As more players came in, I was impressed to see such a diverse age range. Here we had a group of people with the youngest being twelve and the oldest in their forties. All had different amounts of experience (both with life and D&D), but we all had interest in the same game.

            The fascinating thing is how well the group got along, right from the start. We were a random group of people who had signed up for this game, and from the moment we started playing it was like we’d known each other for years.

            I may have passed it off as chance, but when we signed up for the follow-up game, the same thing happened. Two of the players from the previous game had been replaced, but the newcomers were welcomed in and got along well with everyone.

            Then, last spring, we signed up for the third game being run by the same Dungeon Master, and it happened again. We had one of the other players from the first game and three brand new ones, and this group got along even better than the others. And when, over the eight or so months that the game ran, two of the players had to leave, the players that replaced them fit in well and also got along with the group.

            Now I’ve seen it happen again, this time from the perspective of the DM – the one running the game rater than playing in it. A group of random people were brought together, from teens to forties. A few knew each other, but they were mostly strangers – yet here they were, playing a game together and becoming fast friends.

            It’s been amazing to experience and observe. We’re generally expected to only get along with people in our own age-group, and it’s supposed to be hard to make new friends – yet, here I have evidence that this isn’t the case. All you need is a set time and place, and a good tabletop role-playing game.


            Dungeons & Dragons brings people together.





Check out my YouTube channel where I tell the stories of my D&D campaigns.

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



Also, make sure you check out my wife's blog and her website.


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, January 01, 2018

2017

            Egadz, is it that time again already? The years certainly seem to be getting faster as they rush past. And what an eventful year it’s been.

            The year started off with rats, then went on to form new friendships, have lots of Dungeons & Dragons (including a 12 hour marathon for Cystic Fibrosis), and drew to an exciting close as I started a YouTube channel.

            Alongside all of that, I started a project – well, more of a system of goals, really – at the beginning of last year, and it has lasted all the way until now. While I haven’t mentioned it before, I’ve hinted at parts of it.

            Essentially, I noticed that the best way to get myself to do something is to do it every single day. It’s part challenge and part... well, part that once I get on a streak, I really don’t want to break it. For example, I have written every single day for coming up of seven years now. Imagine how horrible it would be if I missed a day and had to start over again!

            And now I’ve expanded that list. Since the beginning of last year, I have also read and exercised every day. On top of that, I’ve also worked every day on learning two new skills: drawing and coding – both with fair success. And I’ve been practicing piano as well, which more along the lines of continuing learning a skill I’d given up on several years ago (because I’d never worked hard enough at it. To be fair, this one I didn’t do every day, but only because a piano wasn’t available on my vacation).

            To keep track of all of this, I’ve made a spreadsheet with Google Sheets with little boxes that I check off every day when I complete a task. I even have a colour-code for “rating” how well I felt I performed on that task for the day. Pretty neat, I think, and overall a huge success! So, as a New Year’s gift to all those out there seeking to set goals for 2018, I’m giving you this idea, that you might do with it as you see fit.


            With that, I wish you all a Happy New Year! May this one be better than the last.





Check out my YouTube channel where I tell the stories of my D&D campaigns.

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




Also, make sure you check out my wife's blog and her website.


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.