Profile Name: Kami Alias: Risawn Location: Washington State, United States An avid Snowboarder, rabid NRA supporter, Starving Artist, Military Junkie, anti-fru-fru Glorified Private that basically posts incoherant ramblings and things better left unsaid. View my Complete Profile

2009 NaNoWriMo Participant

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Visited States Updated visited 45 states (90%) Create your own visited map of The United States Yep, I've got my map pretty much red. One little section in the south left, and of course, Hawaii and Alaska. So five states to go. I think I can do it in three seperate trips. How do I rate the states? The last chunk I saw (Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota) were likely seen in the wrong time of year. But hey, now I know what the Northern Mid West states are like in the dead of winter. Down right chilly! Labels: Roadtrip -Risawn: # 6:15 PM - |

1.25.2010

Saluting - You're Doing It Wrong Before I begin, I just want to make a point that this is not intended to be a diss on President Obama so to speak, although I have my disagreements with our President on different policies, most of them fiscally related, I try to refrain judgment on issues dealing with the military seeing as he is my Commander in Chief, though it hasn't stopped me at being borderline insubordinate with my chain of command before. It's the drill sergeant in me making a correction on proper protocol and form, and for getting annoyed with an intended puff piece 'getting it wrong'. What puff piece is that you ask? Courtesy of HotAir, I was directed to this article on Politico by Carol Lee that is basically a pretty glowing picture of President Obama on assuming his role as Commander in Chief. It's actually a pretty good piece that shows Obama in good light, likely an image enhancer to bolster his ratings amongst independents and conservatives. I have seen different articles with differing viewpoints that speak of both Obama's respect for as well as contempt of the military, so I take both with a grain of salt and try to filter out the bias. Unlike many conservatives, I do want Obama to succeed after all, at not driving our country off a cliff. Anyway, I thought the article was a good one, and if it is true then it gives points in Obama's favor, with one exception to the opening, which somewhat invalidates the whole thing in a way: Never a soldier himself, but suddenly their commander-in-chief, President Barack Obama wanted to learn the job from the ground up. Including the salute. Under the guidance of an expert, aides say Obama privately repeated his salute over and over again until he got it down. In a testament to how sensitive the White House is about the commander in chief practicing this basic military gesture, aides would not say who taught Obama how to salute. But every time he uses it, Obama is trying to convey an insider's respect for the armed forces without saying a word. "That attention to detail, that focus on the outward manifestation of what we expect, is compelling," said retired Gen. Paul Eaton, who advised Obama during the presidential campaign. "Whoever worked with him on that did a pretty good job." This article is accompanied by the following picture to demonstrate the President's attention to detail on performing this highly respected military custom. Photo Credit to AP The problem with that picture? It's not a very good depiction of a properly rendered Salute. I'm sure if you google pic Salute and Obama, you could probably come up with a number of better examples of a Salute then that picture right there. I'm just staring at it right now and I can see four things wrong with it. 1. The tip of the right forefinger should be near and slightly to the right of the right eyebrow, barely touching. Obama's forefinger is to the left of the edge of the brow and pressing into his face cocking up his brow. 2. His fingers and thumbs should be extended and joined, palm facing down so neither the back of the hand nor the palm be visible from the front. Obama's thumb is not joined with his fingers. See the Officer before him to have an idea of how a salute should be rendered. 3. Hand and wrist should be straight, elbow inclined slightly forward, and upper arm horizontal. Obama's wrist is not straight (granted, the officer before him is not horizontal, but he's also in a dress uniform, which are notoriously difficult to salute in, so he get's a pass) 4. The salute is rendered from the position of attention, and marching is a modified version of the position of attention, the left hand should be relaxed to the side, fingers curled and arm relaxed to swing with the natural flow of the body. Obama's left arm is cocked into his chest with fingers extended. Now granted, he is coming off a flight deck and probably moving with the flow of gravity which has him slightly off balance, which makes this probably a hastily rendered salute. That being said, if you are going to write a glowing article on how much attention to detail Obama places in rendering the hand salute, perhaps you should include a picture of him, well, properly rendering a hand salute. Each deficiency by itself is a minor thing, but all of them put together makes it come across as a person who doesn't know how to salute. Because otherwise, I'm going to take it as a fluff piece meant to bolster the president's image with the troop that has little merit to back it up. Saluting is not a very difficult task. Give me ten minutes and I can teach anybody how to properly render a hand salute. If you can teach a Private, you can teach anybody. So let's look at some other appropriate pictures of Obama saluting that might have worked better for this piece? Actually, his salute is quite snappy here, all the deficiencies noted previously are corrected (save for his forefinger not touching his eyebrow). Other then that minor deficiency, this is a perfectly rendered hand Salute. His salute is actually better then the soldier beside him (wrist is canted instead of straight). However, this is a politically charged piece that has come under attack from Obama using dead soldiers for a photo op. Probably not wise to use it in that light. From what I can view, another well rendered hand salute, aside from the closed eyes (caught in a blink by the cameras perhaps?) and the head tilted slightly forward. A well rendered salute, but not the best picture depicting it. At his Inauguration. Not bad. Ok, cheap shot on my part, but the President should at least have his hand on his heart for what I am assuming is the playing of the National Anthem. This is basic flag etiquette, and if he went through all the trouble of learning how to Salute soldiers as the piece suggests, he should know how to properly address our nation's flag during the national anthem. Ok, definitely not. However, this was from Obama the Candidate, not Obama the President, so I'll give him this. His salute has definitely improved. Learning how to Salute isn't hard, like I said, even a Private can do it. But if you are going to go into how much detail Obama puts into his Hand Salute, please show me an example of how awesome his hand salute is. Because I'm calling you blowing smoke up my ass. Or maybe that's why the aid who showed him how to perform a Salute wishes to remain anonymous? Labels: Military, Obama -Risawn: # 1:33 PM - |

1.14.2010

Belated Resolutions - 2009/2010 edition Better late then never, right? Every year I do New Years Resolutions. This year is no different. Funny thing, i usually post my resolutions on the web with my goals in mind and don't look at them again until the next year. So how was 2009 in the spirit of Resolution making, eh? Paint More - every year, I will add this resolution - I didn't paint at all. I don't know if I'll bother adding this resolution again. Because if I don't add it, I'll probably actually do it. Buy a truck - after this winter, I have discovered that it would be nice to have transportation after my little mazda kept getting stuck. that, and a truck would be nice to have. Yes, I'm keeping the mazda. gas prices will undoubtedly go up again. I bought a truck. I love my toyota tacoma, though I did have a brief fear I bought a lemon. I had to replace the Leaf Springs, and that is not an easy fix, especially for somebody who doesn't have the luxury of shopping around for a good deal. Get a Motorcycle License - I have a fear of motorcycles. I want to overcome it. I actually still want to do this, learn how to ride a Motorcycle, but I don't think its a huge goal for me, maybe it should go on my Bucket List Concealed Weapon's Permit - In the next couple of weeks, I need to do this. I left my state and didn't really see the point in getting one for Kentucky when I can't conceal carry in my job, and when I do carry, everyone knows I'm carrying. You can't exactly hide a rifle that well. I should do this for this year definitely. Get a real Job - This is dependent on what happens over the next couple of months. If I mobilize, that counts. I mobilized. It definitely counted. Date More - very important, I just need to work on my social life. I think I did well considering what my social life consisted of. I think my unit wishes I was more social. But I did do pretty well for me, and I think 2010 will be better. Max Out APFT - I should just make this a staple resolution. It will be easier if I mobilize, but I need to work at it even if I don't. I think I would be happier if I'm active and stay in shape. This is only Amber because I almost maxed out the sit ups (missed it by one). The rest, i was doing alright until Fort Lewis came a knockin', and I didn't work out for six weeks while I hid out in the woods sniping cadets with blanks. That was fun at times, I really should write up about it sometime. Run More - In par with above resolution, we can include Bloomsday, but only if I'm in town for it. Bloomsday didn't happen, because i was out of town for it, but I was doing really well at the beginning of the year. But I would put this in the green if I stayed with it. I'm great at running when i'm doing it, but if I fall out of habit, my running sucks. Get Into Rock Climbing - Good hobby that keeps me physically active. And it's fun! I've got a friend who's really into this and I went with him a couple of times. If I stay home, I will definitely have this more in teh green. Go Back to College - I might just be taking general ed courses or something, but I really would like to continue with my degree. I may never see a Bachelor's, but I need to do something. Didn't step foot in a classroom this year. Save more Money - I want more money in my savings account. especially if the economy goes down the toilet. It would just be a nice thing to not have to worry about as much as everyone else is. Somebody needs to make an intervention between me and my bank account to assure more goes into my savings. I'm doing alright, but I have a desire to want to spend it when I have it. Send out Christmas cards - this is a good way to keep in touch with people. I sent them out last year, I want to do it again this year. And I want to get more addresses too. I was just to damn busy with other things. Avoid the words Hope and Change like the plague - Holy crap I was watching the ball drop last night and that's all they were talking about was hope and change. Gag me, I'm just hoping Obama turns out to be a better president then i think he will be. You know, I wasn't really paying attention if I used the words hope and change or not. So let's see, 13 resolutions (man, I was asking for it with that number) 2 Green, 5 Amber, 5 red, one I'm not sure about, let's say I did more on the negative then the positive, so this year wasn't that great for resolutions. Which makes me wonder why I even bother making them. So, 2010, here it goes! Knock off some states off my States I haven't Visited Yet list - The states on that list are Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alaska and Hawaii. This will go on the green for sure, I'll be knocking off the first four states on this list at the end of this month. Read and Finish at least one book a month - I used to be a huge bookworm, but I have gotten more into writing then reading lately. I think picking through a book a month should be doable. Probably more then that actually. Run Bloomsday under an Hour Thirty - Only if I'm in town for it. There is a possibility I might not be. But if I'm not, I want to run and finish one road race close to it's equivilent. That means I need to train for it too. Which means running. Operation Zombie Plan - This is a thing I want to do, it's kind of a joke that I'll remain vague about until I unveil it, but seeing it on here will remind me next year if I completely forgot to do it. NanoWriMo - This happens in November. I did it successfully two years in a row. Let's go for Three! Write and Publish a Short Story - Short Story is key, as well as the publish part. That means a story under fifty thousand words (that is short for me). i think I can do this best with one of my existing characters. 24 Hour Comic - I want to do a 24 hour comic. My rag tag team of loyal readers would be appreciative. Give Comic an Ultimatum - Continue it or Kill it. This will be a green regardless. This year decides whether this comic lives or dies. I will finish the current comic arch at the very least, and if I decide to end it, I will try to give it some kind of close. Work on Social Life - I'm leaving this vague, but my problem is I'm a huge homebody, I love being in my space. I need to get out of my shell and get out more. Be More Active - I would like to train for Triathlon and put that on my to do list, but that would probably be raising the bar to high for me and then I'll give up before I even accomplish it. but I have this really good friend who is super active and I'm hoping he can help get my motivated to get off my butt. This goes with the Rock Climbing from Resolutions Past. Employment - I just need to get a decent job, or figure out what I'm going to do. Whatevs. Concealed Weapon's Permit - A holdover from last year. I want to get one. 2010 is going to be an interesting year regardless. I have several different routes that I can go, and they all are spawned from whether or not I'm a go on this upcoming mission this spring (I'm Alternate, and it's very much up in the air, though i should know more after this weekend I would think). If it happens, the rest of my year is decided for me. If it isn't, I have about six different routes I can go from there, and everything is kind of interlinking with everythign else. Like, if Plan A falls through, onto Plan B, if Plan B doesn't work, onto Plan C, if that's a no-go, Plan D it is. So I'm actually really flexible in a lot of ways. I got options. Which leaves this year over all Labels: New Years -Risawn: # 9:41 PM - |

Blogging Just Ain't What It Used to Be You notice how you get older, your thoughts change, your interests change, a lot of things seem to change. It's nice for things to change from time to time, but it's difficult to stay consistent. especially when you are like me and you get into something, REALLY get into it until you burn out on it, and then find something else. Alas, that is my curse. Meanwhile, this week I kind of took a break from the internet, a break for me at least. Didn't do to hot, lasted all of three days. I'll try it again, see if I can go for four next time. Just to help me get away from the internets. In other news, my traditional New Years posts didn't happen. I'll rectify that. Because that's just tradition. -Risawn: # 9:11 PM - |

12.30.2009

Another Year Gone (2009 in Review) NOTE - I started writing this, and then put it away. Well, I'm posting it after the fact. Oh well, better late then never, it has been past dated from 1/14/2009 Holidays are here, and you know what that means? If I'm not posting about anything else (which, well, let's face it, right now I'm not posting about anything else) I post all about my year. I have never NOT posted my quisessential new year's post, so this year it really is no different. And so, here are a bunch of questions where I answer them. 01. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before? Saw a Broadway Play. Actually, saw Two. Wicked was most awesome! Also went to a Renn Faire, that was cool too. 02. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Of course, what would I do with my new year if I didn't make resolutions? As for keeping last years? Um, we'll see with the next post, which will go up January 1st. 03. Did anyone close to you give birth? Sister gave birth. Also a good friend. 04. Did anyone close to you die? I will feel like an idiot if I miss one but no. 05. What countries did you visit? Canada. I hopped the border into Niagara Falls, which by the way, is the name of the city, NOT the water falls contrary to popular belief. I also saw a buttload of new states including all of New England. I am only missing nine states from my to visit list now. 06. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? Um, a full cycle? Ok, I actually have to be on the trail for that to happen, and that may or may not happen in 2010 so I can't count on it. Let me see. . . you know, how about MORE of a Social Life? But I really can't complain, I enjoyed this year for all it's quirks and downfalls, and lack of a social life is my own doing. It really hasn't been a bad year. 07. What date from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Doh, can't think of any. . . I guess no particular date is etched in my memory. October 31st was cool, I've never been to a water park on Halloween. It's usually quite cold on halloween. I was in Florida. 08. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Going on a thirty day road trip and putting 5000 miles on my truck seeing the country. And actually given the chance to do my job, wow, imagine that? I did alright, but I'm still a rookie. 09. What was your biggest failure? An incident came up in Ft Lewis this summer. Let's say i don't see the point in talking about it. It wasn't to great, but it involved a Cadet. And no, before you ask, Sex was not involved. I learned from the mistake and moved on. 10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I stayed relatively healthy and sane this year. 11. What was the best thing you bought? My Truck. I Heart My Truck 12. Whose behaviour merited celebration? I stare at this question and try to contemplate what it could possibly mean. I just realized that either a Canadian or a Brit wrote this survey initially. 13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? The plethera of privates I have to work with that just don't seem to *get* it. And Barack Obama. This guy is getting less and less hopey changey by the minute. 14. Where did most of your money go? Where does money always go? I'm not really sure. I'll say my trip across country, my truck, and Bills. Or an invisible hole that I can't see. 15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Cross country Road Trip! 16. What songs will always remind you of 2008? Anything by Lady Gaga 17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder? I'm doing pretty dang good right now. ii. Thinner or fatter? About the same. That's a good thing. Actually, I think I gained weight during the holidays. DOh! iii. Richer or poorer? I'm doing alright right now. Can somebody remind me there is a recession going on so when I come off mob without a job I don't spend all my money? 18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Worked out more, and got out of the house. 19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Write. This is such an addictive time waster that is both creative and useless in that I don't let anybody read what I write. 20. How did you spend Christmas? I opened presents at the parents, went to a friend's house and had christmas there, and then came back and had christmas dinner. The next day, we celebrated christmas with the whole Fam Damily. And we played Rockband 22. Did you fall in love in 2009? Hah! 23. How many one night stands? 24. What were your favourite TV programs? Didn't watch any TV shows this year. Didn't have time too. But I did discover Arrested Development, which is an awesome show, but has a few plot holes. I've got Veronica Mars on my 'to watch list'. 25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? I can't think of anybody that I can honestly hate right now. Some privates that annoyed me. But I didn't know them last year, and even people in the past that I got quite peterbed at I don't really feel I hate. 26. What was the best book you read? I really liked 1984. Actually, I found Sarah Palin's book a pretty interesting read too, and Glenn Beck. I don't really read fiction that much anymore, I'm more interested in writing then reading. 27. What was your greatest musical discovery? There was a few. Being on the road, I got quite experimental with music. For some reason, I'll admit to liking Lady Gaga. This chick is both bizarre and utterly fascinating. Am I weird for liking her? Usually i don't like this kind of gimmicky crap but I really like her. I don't get myself sometime 28. What did you want and get? Trail Time. And Disney World Tickets. 29. What did you want and not get? A Full Cycle. Day one to graduation. At this rate, it is never going to happen. 30. What was your favourite film of this year? You know, I really liked Avatar (though predictable). I also really liked District 9. I didn't really watch many and right now can't think of too many. I always do a movie post so I'll get to that in a bit. 31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I sat in my house and 'chilled'. I had the day off, I believe it was a Saturday or a Sunday. That tells you how well it stuck with me because I don't really recall what I did. Hmm. I turned 29. That's just crazy. 32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Hmm, a full cycle? Seeing a trend? there's always a trend with me. 33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? The same basic fashion concept I've had for the last 28 years. Dress for comfort, tshirt and jeans. When working, Army Uniform, which has been my fashion concept for several years now. Next year, I think I might be adding extensions to the mix. 34. What kept you sane? Chilling in the house. Writing. Though that might be making me insane. 35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I'm not really into the whole fancying of Celebrities / Public Figures thing. My nieces are all going "Ooh, Justin Beiber!" I think his hair looks retarded. 36. What political issue stirred you the most? Tea Party Protests. I went to two, one in cincinatti (great time) and one in Louisville (er, kinda cheesy). Mostly for the fiscal conservative issues which were really frustrating me. I hope it maintains its momentum without losing its original purpose and getting hijacked by people not true to its cause. 37. Who did you miss? Me Familia, it's been nice being home these last couple of weeks. Be home for good in about a month. 38. Who was the best new person you met? I'll have to say Malichi was a pretty cool guy I met. Met a ton of new people through my unit. I tend to lose track of them though. 39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009. Life's a journey. Enjoy the ride. ALT - It's not the destination, it's the journey. 40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. You know, I'll come up with one later and think, 'dude, I should have posted THAT!' But alas, I'm horrible at these kinds of things on the spur of the moment. Labels: List, New Years -Risawn: # 11:40 PM - |

12.09.2009

Lighten the Mood Email making the rounds right now, potential to go viral if it hasn't already, I don't forward emails but thought I would blog it if you haven't seen it yet. This is brilliant, unfortunately the outcome is to be expected. "Good news is that I truly out did myself this year with my Christmas decorations. The bad news is that I had to take him down after 2 days. I had more people come screaming up to my house than ever.Great stories. But two things made me take it down. First, the cops advised me that it would cause traffic accidents as they almost wrecked when they drove by. Second, a 55 year old lady grabbed the 75 pound ladder almost killed herself putting it against my house and didn't realize it was fake until she climbed to the top (she was not happy). By the way, she was one of many people who attempted to do that. My yard couldn't take it either. I have more than a few tire tracks where people literally drove up my yard." Scott Smith Classic. . . Labels: Christmas, Funny, holidays, Random -Risawn: # 8:18 AM - |

12.01.2009

On Afghanistan I'm not an expert on Afghanistan, I have never been there and I don't know what it's like from a personal point of view (though I nearly deployed there in 2001, a week later my orders were revoked, figures). I know things aren't going to well, Afghanistan has been notorious for being a nearly impossible theater to fight in ever since the Soviets waged war during the 80's. Being in the military, I want to fight to win. If we engage in military actions, we don't go to war until the war becomes unpopular and then bail, we go in with every intention of winning. However, with the issues going on in Afghanistan as of recently, things getting heated there, and with a Commander in Chief that seems to be steered by the anti-war wing of his base, my thoughts were this. Obama needs to make up his mind and do one of two things. Give GEN McChrystal the troops he requests with full backing that we are going to commit to this war until it is over, or get our people out of there. It was frustrating to me that President Obama seemed to take his time mulling over this decision for so long, and seemed to have his priorities elsewhere, like passing a health care plan that should probably wait for a better economy. I feel right now the President should be focused on two things. Fixing our economy and making a decision on what to do with our troops overseas. Those should be the most paramount things in his administration, not Cap and Trade (which will kill our economy), not Health Care Reform (people are resisting, and it's more of Health Insurance Reform anyway, plus, it will kill the economy). The Economy (and by extention, that 'three letter word' JOBS) and the war on terror (ie - overseas contigency operation) By 'dithering', in what he explained to troops was he wanted to make sure he was seeking out the best possible option to make sure he wasn't putting troops in harms way, meanwhile a delay in a decision was putting our troops in harms way, he wasted precious time focusing on other issues and apparently seeking the Olympics for Chicago and bowing to world leaders on a taxpayer funded world tour. And so, Obama has made his decision and is sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. Good for him, it's about time. And as long as he commits us to win this war, and not playing 'well, we'll send the troops there and see how it goes' and maybe we'll get them out of there if it doesn't look to good, I will support President Obama's decision. Mr President, the troops will be with you on this as long as you are behind us in providing full support. Now the next thing that needs to be looked at is reevaluating the Rules of Engagement currently in theater. If you are not willing to give us everything we got so we can win this thing, there is no point in sending more troops into Afghanistan. So please show us that you are actually committed and not playing politics with soldier's lives. War is never a PC event. It involves death, casualties and sometimes innocent people will suffer for it, but collateral damage is a part of war and always has been. War is a messy, dirty, ugly thing. Soldiers are willing to die for a cause they can believe in. Freedom and the destruction of the Taliban and Al queda are worthy goals in my mind. If it makes the world a little safe, sign me up. So only time will tell with how committed our President is to Afghanistan. As of this moment, he has my full support on this issue. I just wish he had made it a little sooner then now. NOTE - Check here for another great article at RWN about the right putting aside political differences and supporting the President on this matter. EDIT - He set a timeline. *sighs* Mr President, if you're going to set a timeline for withdrawal in Afghanistan as 18 months, 'taking into account conditions on the ground', why not get us out now? I hope that doesn't mean 'if things aren't going to well, we're getting out of there.' You never set a timeline in cases of war. Because whenever you make a plan, the first rule of war is the plan never goes as expected. that's why we have to either commit fully or withdraw now. The Cadets sensed your reluctance to commit. You can't have it both ways. But that's just one staff sergeant's take on the whole issue, and who am I? Labels: Current Events, Military, Obama -Risawn: # 1:39 PM - |

Coke vs Pepsi? How about neither, I'm not a cola fan, never have, never will be. Meanwhile, most of my family tend to be pepsi drinkers, unless they drink Diet. Then it's Diet Coke. I go for root beer myself, Henry weinharts is the good stuff, A&W is also recommended. But lately, carbonated beverages and I don't mix. At least, not without food. Labels: QnA, Random -Risawn: # 1:28 PM - |

11.30.2009

The Pros and Cons of Narcolepsy So, I brought it on myself. I asked people to give me a topic to write about and when I wasn't satisfied with the answers of 'ah, post whatever you want to post about', I was put up to the task. The topic? The pros and cons of Narcolepsy. Now, I don't have Narcolepsy, though granted I have suffered through similar symptoms in the past. Actually, if anything I suffer at times of Insomnia. Being such, I didn't think I was one to post anything on the Pros and Cons, and then I got to thinking, you know, I could think long and hard enough about it, I could probably come up with a few. So, from yours truly, a non-sufferer of Narcolepsy, I give you the Pros and Cons of this medical condition. PROS o you don't have to worry about that pesky Insomnia problem late at night. o you have a valid excuse for falling asleep in a boring class o forced to watch "An Inconvenient Truth"? Problem solved! o easy to play pranks on your friends by 'faking' an episode o great way to dodge the draft o ready made excuse for afternoon power naps o you can tell horror stories to kids about how you got your scars ala Joker in Batman(more interesting then 'I hit my head on a coffee table') o your friends won't be asking you to be a designated driver o make money shelling your sob story to pro Obamacare ads o make a fashion statement with medical alert tags o great conversation starter (hey, global transient amnesia is!) o claim disability and get a free check from the government CONS o people might freak out that you were slipped a rufie at the club o driving is considered hazardous o the bruises you are suffering really are from 'falling down the stairs' o sky diving not recommended, unless perhaps you go tandem o some jobs are probably not available to you, so employment limitations o you might get mistaken for being drunk o probably best that you don't do any extreme sports o health insurance is probably expensive due to 'pre existing condition' o your date percieves that your bored with them when you fall asleep during what they think is an exciting story o partner gets upset when you fall asleep during sex o there is no cure for narcolepsy If you have some to add, leave a note in the comments. And if you really have Narcolepsy, HAHA!!! (er, I mean, that's horrible. Honest. Give me some true pros and cons) PS - No, in case you didn't know, I am NOT a PC person PPS - Is this a funny post? Er, it sounded funnier in my head? Thanks T-man -Risawn: # 4:30 PM - |

11.28.2009

How many freakin' stories can one person write??? I finished Nanowrimo last night. You can see the thing in the sidebar now telling me that I had many days of absolute crap followed by a few days where I just wrote until my fingers were a mess. Actually, this is the best representation of how my writing went this month. Meanwhile, my story remains incomplete. Wow, you know, one of these days, I would like to plan something out that is relatively short, like 100,000 words or something, and actually finish the damn thing. Furthermore, I would like the story to be readable. In fact, I have been reading some of those 'how to' books, like how to write a novel, and one of them that was actually very interesting and I would highly recommend is Novelist's Boot Camp. You can probably see why I liked it already. Sometimes, when I write, I like to write merely for writing's sake. I almost always write for myself (unless I'm blogging or writing with others, which I haven't done in years). And what I really found helpful in actually writing for a purpose, like giving my characters a reason for existing, and why their story would be of any interest, is doing something of a foundation builder. And have I got a few! It starts off with Genre (which I generally nix), Macro Setting, Character, Opposition. I'll save you the time, all of my stories are either Alternate Reality or Fantasy. Or sometimes Alternate Reality IN Fantasy. I guess being that writing is a bit of an escape for me, and often I think, 'gosh, the world really isn't half bad!' after reading some of the crap I put my characters through. But that's how I develop 'em, right? Last Year's Nano, which I haven't finished and last checked is at 94,031 words (though I've got this sucker planned out where it should come in around 500,000), is as follows. In a society based heavily on eugenics and the right to progress one's family line, a seemingly ideal product of the society's intent is mistakenly routed in the direction of the non-breeders and finds himself living as the lowest of the low, and eventually finding himself as the voice of the oppressed. And one might wonder why I find books like 1984 so fascinating? Actually, though the background of the world isn't perfect, I've kind of taken the worst from different sides of society and created this alternate reality where my main character, Alex, basically goes through hell and is treated like an animal through most of his existence. Why do I do this? I don't know. But what's important is this story does have an ending planned out, and I think if I can ever get there, I'll go back through, do a quick clean up, hold my breath and throw it on the internets for the whole world to see. But not before. This year's Nano was written in the same world (IE - alternate timeline) as last year's. I just followed a character that is related to a character that knows a character that knows Alex. Did you get that? that's probably part of my problem as to why I can't finish anything. I'll start following one guy, write background stories in my head of another guy that he meets, and feel like I have to flesh that out a bit so I get to writing and 265,000 words later I've got a story that takes place parallel to the regular storyline and kind of weaves in and out, except it follows four different characters. And that's not even the Nano. This year's Nano goes as follows. A young boy is forced to grow up a little to fast through various trials and obstacles as he tries to protect his family from his cruel and malicious step father. Um, forgot the macro setting. I guess the setting is HIS LIFE, as it follows him from about 6 years old to about 38 years old. I stopped at about 13. It is entirely NOT readable. I made the step father as evil as I could think of and there is an ending where the villain gets his just reward, so there is a happy feeling inside of "Booyah, got what you deserved Bastard!", but what the main character (Rob)has to go through a lot of strife to get there. What gets me are there are people like this out int he world who would be like this guy if they could get away with it. Unfortunately, in this reality, people are not treated very good unless they are what I dub 'master class'. But I'm gettin away from myself. See, I tend to get sidetracked, which is why I haven't been able to finish all of my stories and tend to come back to them after a leave of absence. I have one from 2001 that I never finished. NONE of them are finished. I find though, that my best stories are the ones where I tend to go for humor by getting the main character(s) out of their comfort zone, and usually way out of their comfort zone. The above story(ies) are nto funny, but I have one that sounds hilarious just by by reading the builder. A spoiled, pampered celebrity socialite and a highly trained elite special ops soldier from two very different worlds somehow find themselves in each other's body, and are forced to live each other's lives until they figure out how to return to their original selves Hijinx insues. And a lot of raised eyebrows. Actually, I'm surprised by how readable this story actually is. Unfortunately, some guy in the special forces or a ranger would read it and tear it a part while telling me 'that is NOT how we do things.' But seriously, how would you do things if Paris Hilton was controlling your body? (and no, she's fictional, but has the same mentality to begin with). I hate a poorly done gender bending character swap story which has been done a lot, so I wrote one myself. And no, you can't read it. (It's not finished!) One I was doing hot on that was based purely on a homework assignment where I built a character from ground up is called "Satyr", has some moments of extreme discomfort (I think I would have to rewrite parts of it to make it work) and yet, probably has the most chance of being something I would consider publishing. Because, well, it amuses me. A popular jock finds himself 'awakened' to his true self as that of a mythithical beast known as a satyr and is forced to befriend the outcast coven of witches at his school who awakened him to reverse the spell. For some reason, I like to write jocks. Mostly cocky and arrogant and full of themselves male characters. And then I throw a monkey wrench at them and see how they handle it. The Satyr is like this. Being a mythical beast who forgets how to do certain things gets in the way of his social life. Of course, I think this story is hilarious, though weird in some parts, and one of these days I would like to post this story somewhere where people can read it and laugh at it with me. Though with my luck, half of the audience would read it, tells me it sucks and stare at me as if everything now makes sense and they finally get why I am so weird. But that will never happen. Why? Because it isn't finished. And I would only post something on the internets that is finished. Until then, you can ask me, 'so Kami, why are you telling us about your stories when you won't let us read them?' And I will respond 'because, writing takes up a good deal of my personal time, which is usually reserved for my social life, which explains why I have one, and now you can heed the warnings of why you shouldn't get into writing. It is addictive and it will eat your life.' Yes, writing is usually a solo activity and not something done with a group of people. And this is the synopsis of Four of my stories. At last count I had about 25 of them. The shortest? Well, I didn't get to far in Nano '2004. I made it to 1,373 words and got bored with it. But the plan is still there to tell the story. The longest? I'm guessing 555,000 words. Although, to be fair, that particular story is probably five seperate stories combined into one. And you can't read it. One of these days, I'm going to write a 'short' story, 'short' being the key word there, actually FINISH it, and publish it. Maybe next year's Nano it will happen? Yeah, 50,000 words is a short story in my terms. Labels: Nanowrimo, Writing -Risawn: # 12:49 PM - |