New Years Disillusions

With Christmas now safely behind us and we prepare ourselves for another year, the questions begs to be asked.  What is your news years resolution?  Bah!! I say Bah!  How long have we had these damnable resolutions anyway?  In my experience these "resolutions" have done more to harm a person than they have to help them.  For instance, if you make a goal to quit smoking year after year always saying "this is the year" Well my friend every time you fail at a supposed resolution which we as a society are encouraged to honor your psyche falters and your self image plummets.  Recognize this "New years resolution" for what it is, a marketing scheme set up by the corporate America to tell us what we should do with our bodies.  By now all the commercials should be flooding into your mind of how they push this on us.  Every year its the same song and dance commercials saying you are too fat, too weak or too unhealthy. Don't get me wrong I encourage all people to improve themselves and their health at every chance but...do it for the right reasons not because they're offering a sale on nicotine patches or weight watchers. Do it for you, for your family but don't do it for the commercials and marketers do it when you you want and how you want, don't wait for some stupid arbitrary date.   Remember my friends you are beautiful no matter what the one-eyed demon (television) says, we are all children of the cosmos, perfect and complete we just need to have a little faith in ourselves.  So turn off your TV and listen closely to the quiet voice beckoning you to be happy.

Holiday Reflections

As I sit at my writing desk pondering all that has transpired over the past couple weeks i am left a realization, a Eureka moment hit me.  Throughout my adult life I have loathed the Christmas season, for a myriad of different reasons but primarily the consumerism infuriates me.  It is also important to state that throughout my adult life I have worked in the restaurant and retail industries.  Have you ever been in a place of business the day after Thanksgiving and heard Christmas music playing?  Well take to time right now to say a word of prayer to the poor souls that had to listen to Jingle bell Rock and Frosty the Snowman for a month straight.  This year has been unique in that my exposure to the a fore mentioned music has been minimal thus altering my view of the holidays.   This year was the best Christmas I remember having in a long, long time thanks to my sheltered way of dealing with shopping and socializing.  This however doesn't touch on my core disdain for the Season, which is people.  Now don't get me wrong I like people well enough, just not people around Christmas.  For instance I was standing at the self check-out line at Albertson's and a women was in front of me with two small children trying their best to make a great escape.  The mother is being patient and firm whilst waiting for an open station. Out of the blue a couple sneak past her and jump her place in line while she is tending to her children this happens three more times before I step in and put an end to it.  I just want to know truthfully why people around the holidays become hateful and rude. Is it the pressure of the holiday or the cold?  Because it's like a switch that gets flipped every year like clockwork.  Please help me understand this social phenomenon.  Do you see the same behavior or am I just a Grinch?

Flash Fiction Update

Greetings friends, as the holiday flies towards us at break-necks speeds it is important as ever to sit back and enjoy a good short story to get your mind off all the hubbub.  Take a moment and read about Bernen's newest adventure, and the last as a child(from here on out it gets a bit more adult). We will be posting more of these stories after the holidays have passed keep in touch and keep reading.

 To read the story follow this link.

http://www.bernenspipeshop.com/blog.html


Merry Christmas
Nathan J Lawcynell

Too tired to rant...

It wasn't that long ago when I had an opinion for just about everything, particularly politics.  I wasn't embarrassed or ashamed about my social views and I was even bold enough to even talk religion.  I kept up on current events and watched the news (Daily Show, Stephen Colbert) in order to keep my bitching relevant with the times.  Now everything is different, a fire has burned out inside me, a passion for knowledge died away leaving me cold and empty.  At first I was concerned, I mean it was my trade mark to be witty and relevant about news and events but all that changed when I just woke up and didn't care, it was like a blindfold being removed.  I just realized this morning that its not that I don't care about current event or politics or war or the occupy movement, or starving children all around the world; its just that I'm too tired to stand on my soapbox day after day trying to share the truth with people, trying to open their eyes to how the world really is.  Maybe that zeal and cynicism will return in time but then I just ask myself;  Where are we going and why are we in this hand basket?


Until next time...
Be well and be aware.

Flash Fiction Fun

I am currently working on an ongoing story for a friend of mines store.  The story follows a fictional character named Bernen who grew up on a tobacco farm in North Carolina sometime in the early twentieth century.  This story is illustrated be Jeff Cochran who manages to capture the feel of the story and really bring it to life.  I  encourage everyone to experience this form of storytelling it's challenging and rewarding.  If you care to read the story go to http://bernenspipeshop.com/blog.html remember that updates are added every two weeks or so.

Bad driver stories wanted

    I am continuing with my project and would like to gather as many bad driver experiences any of you my have had. These experiences will be used in a serial killer story I am working on. Be as long or as brief as you wish and have fun writing it.  Thank you all for your input.  What do you hate most?  No turn signal? Speeding up when you try to pass?  Anything works give me your story, I know you have one.  Bad drivers are everywhere. 

Until next time Be well and be aware

War on the horizon?

Could it be that as we still recover from our most recent war in the Middle East ,  another more horrible war waits just below the horizon.  I am not the most informed, or the most educated with regards to these topics but I do know the turmoil with Iran and its neighbors have been a hot topic for many years and my bones are telling me a point of no return has been crossed an event horizon if you will.  As the world's police force the US will certainly intervene with our children's lives at stake.  I am not one to preach doom and gloom I am however feeling something in the air, a static or charge resonating through me   Could it really be happening?  I hope and pray that its not, we have had enough blood shed, our children deserve better from us, our children's children deserve better from us...

Until next time
Be well and be aware
N.J. Lawcynell