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My neighbor pulled up in my driveway after school. His son, a foster kid who’d been kicked around the system for a bit before he and his brother found a good spot, peered out nervously from the passenger seat. I asked them what was up while waving the boys over in case the son was here to play. He wasn’t. His dad was there to let me know about the school threats. The clowns were coming and they had a hit list of people to kill in the ‘copa.

This has to be the worst prank ever. It has spread across the country and developed into nationally covered news. Clowns are coming to kill us all. This article in the Guardian does an excellent job of explaining the clown epidemic and chronicling it back to the very first story. It all started with a sighting by a little boy. Whether or not he actually saw was he believes is debatable, but he clearly touched the hearts of many in some way. Often that response was for a prankster to further the mythos, leading to many schools including the one my boys attend, getting locked down from a clown scare.

Too far too fast. The power of social media is really beyond question at this point. They can make lowns come to life and scare you near death.

Some Thoughts:

1. I was right about the Cardinals.
2. Mindfulness is a very important and useful way to really check in on yourself and where you are at with everything.

Once a week I get to watch the Giants lose a winnable game. I get the same spot o’ fun with my Jets too. And Cardinals. Not the Bills though. They win the games they shouldn’t and make me smile. Go Bills. In the meanwhile, there are other games happening this weekend. Here is what I think will go down:

AZ over SF
I do not believe the Cardinals are actually as terrible as they seem. The defense feels lackluster and lacks the aggression of a year ago, but they play best with their backs against the wall. No Carson Palmer and a 1-3 record means backs against the wall.

GB over NYG
The Giants depleted secondary was exposed. It is only going to get worse when Rogers roles in 5 WR deep. I’m struggling to keep the faith with my team, just as the team struggles with getting Beckham in check. Maybe that at least will happen this week. It needs to happen soon. The Giants cannot fall further behind in that NFC East race.

OAK over SD
I’m starting to believe the hype on the Raiders. They are playing hungry and lean and fast. That is inspiring after seeing them struggle for so long.

BUF over LA
Sexy Rexy is a pro at holding on to his job.. and a lead. He will get his team out early against the Rams and hold on for the win a la the Patriots game.

DET over PHI
Lets stop annointing Wentz as the next big thing. We do that to every single NFC East QB and only Eli is going to the hall. So who is the guy? Dak? Wentz? That 1 yr contract dude in Washington? You like that? I don’t like that. I don’t like Philly here either. All praise the coming beat down.

Quick Picks:

BAL over WAS
CAR over TB
CIN over DAL
DEN over ATL
PIT over NYJ
MIN over HOU
TEN over MIA
IND over CHI

One of those nights where I don’t have a whole lot to say. I am behind on a handful of things, which feels like the fallout from a weekend where I didn’t allow myself any decent amount of time to myself. The time I did have solo largely went towards decompression via TV and video games. One should not do too much of that, but when is enough enough?

I feel like this is the week where I really need to start moving back towards being more in control of my responsibilities. This happens to be a time where I do not have too much on my plate. Better make the best of that situation and get back to the priorities.

Some Thoughts:

1. Chance the Rapper (wrapper?) sold the heck out. Cheap too.
2. The problem with video game series is that the timeline to really create anything meaningful is
3. Madea Halloween? Really?
4. It turns out I am really judgmental. The Buddhist in me needs to let go of a lot of that judgment and hate.

Last night Madam Secretary started up again. It is sitting there on my DVR next to half a season of Fear the Walking Dead, episodes of The Strain, Star Wars: Rebels, and a half dozen other shows of lesser importance. They all swim in the waters of my mind, compelling me to watch them. They are distractions, yes, but they also bring me a small measure of joy.

While these things are temporarily enjoyable they do take up a lot of time that I could be using reading, writing, heck even grading. It leads to a really important conversation about prioritizing inputs–much in the way I discussed Garbage In/Garbage Out. I cannot continue to watch 47 shows and have time for 47 books, games, etc.

So, what do I do? I have been reducing the number of shows I watch, raising the number of texts I consume, and learning to use my time a lot better. It has not made me a better writer yet, but I am becoming more discerning about my distractions, focusing on a better quality of activity and show than I have in the past.

Little improvements every day is the best anyone can hope for.

Some Thoughts:

1. I believe most people have forgotten that Trump offered his initial vp candidate the keys to the castle. He intended to be a brash figurehead and let the VP run day to day operations like America is a corp. Now on the eve of the VP debate it is important to see what the VPs have to say–especially if Trump somehow wins.

I’ve been thinking about the concept of Garbage in/Garbage out as it applies to multiple aspects of life. I’ve heard it most commonly applied to diet–capitalizing on the thought that you cannot have a great physique if you live on terrible foods. It is not hard to apply that theorem to writing. You cannot write well if all you consume is terrible writing. This would account for the high percentage of fan fiction that follows poorly written books. I am no literature snob. I’ll spend as much time between the pages of a Drew Karpyshyn fantasy or video game-based novel as often as I dive into anything considered classic literature. What I do focus on is good writing. Less garbage in = Less Garbage out.

Can we apply that theorem to personal relationships and the development of a social life. I am convinced that the majority of people fall into their friendships out of convenience and a general avoidance of awkwardness. Some people, though hard to be around, persist and create that sense of ‘man I wish he’d would go away’. I’ve been wanting to write a story about bad neighbors for a while now, but haven’t found the voice to tell that story. The way I see it the protagonist falls into an ever deepening series of personal relationships based on a connection to a specific neighbor and in doing so manages to step back from spending time with that neighbor–the guy who won’t go away–only to discover that he himself is that guy for everyone else in his deepening social network. It could be fun.

The last time I just had fun writing a story was one I published in World of Shadows about a worker who tries to solve the mystery of a theft that is pinned on him before it costs him his job. I’m freely streaming between ideas right now, so what I am really saying is it is important to have fun with your writing.

Maybe I should’ve just called this post Weird Writing Tips from the TalisFiles.

 

I’ve been up since 4:45 and on the road since 5:30. The first game required us there by 6:30 and the last ended slightly before 10. I’m a mess. The culprit: Bad planning abilities, but for the purpose of this 10 minute rule I’ll blame sports.

My three boys play many sports. Presently they are on 3 different age-level teams collected under the same Rams football banner. The games are in different places throughout the valley. This means on any given saturday I may drive between three games one hundred miles from each other. That leads to things like this: A post I can barely stay awake in order to complete.

I’ve been giving mindful consideration to how and why people are linked. Specifically I wonder what people are rooted to. I started thinking about this the more I traveled to San Diego for respite. Some of my extended family is there now and one in particular is quite fond of the look and style of the place, even going so far as to limit her shopping to Cali stores only. This is where the ‘real stuff’ is. This is what I mean in terms of roots.

I believe we attach ourselves primarily to place. This place becomes symbolic of the larger group or type we believe ourselves to be representative of. For me my home was once representative of my family and that shared understanding of who we are. It no longer feels that way or reasons I’m unprepared to share and I no longer wish to remain here. For others I feel like place can be a state or city. I myself find New York to be the one true home and very representative of who I am as a human. Sadly, I feel far less productive outside the city. Inside the city I am unstoppable.

We are anchored to place the way a ship is Anchored to the sea floor and though we may sway and drift in our understanding of who we are, place never lets us go and never allows us to forget.

Some Thoughts:

1. Yep, I ended quite a few sentences in a preposition. It was purposeful.

As I write this post I have no idea what happened in football tonight. This is a good thing. It means my hunger for the sport has sated. It could also have to do with the fact that I actually played ball tonight, participating in my (5th?) Maricopa High Alumni game. I didn’t go to MHS, but I play for the city team and get a lot of joy out of it. So, I write this with sprained fingers–a trademark of all of my play as of late–and a smile. We lost. We generally lose, but it felt good to be physically active again in a way I enjoy as opposed to the slogging nightmare of the gym.

I hate the gym. Maybe I’ll like it when the boys are old enough to lift with me. Probably not. I never liked the gym. I tolerated it in the way I tolerate a great many things in my life that keep my life slowly rolling forward towards true happiness.

I like being outside and running with a purpose.

The big red ‘Breaking News’ box on NFL.com reads, ‘Dez Bryant has hairline fracture in knee’. I suppose that qualifies as breaking news for the NFL. Bryant is king of the Cowboys and we of the fantasy and betting worlds lay out a lot of faith based on what he can do on any given Sunday (Monday or Thursday). It is a stark reminder that football does not matter. It is an entertaining game through which people put their lives at risk and, often slowly, deplete the number of quality years they have left in exchange for vast sums of money. This is not to say I don’t care about ball. I care quite a bit. Too much, probably. I care enough to have three fantasy teams (albeit with losing records) and to come here once a week to drop knowledge on the game.

mmm… drop.

CIN over MIA
The wheels won’t fall off the Cincy train until the Patriots arrive. Then things will go very badly for the next few weeks as part of a phenomenon I call post Patriot crash. Ask The Cardinals about that.

IND over Jax
Nothing much to say here save that Jax is till wack. They need to prove a lot before I invest a pick in their direction.

CAR over ATL
The Panthers are erratic and the Falcons are coming off a big win, but there is also this thing called post N’awlins let down. Ask the Giants about that.

OAK over BAL
Oakland is legit. They continue to ball so hard and perform at a level generally reserved for other scions of the west. I think it has something to do with a new team in town… Young talent might play a factor too.

NE over BUF
Sorry, Rex. Even if Edelman goes as the starter this is a win. Belicheck runs the best system in football. Even Madden knows his playbook cannot be stopped. Add to this a defense that is legit and we got problems.

NYJ over SEA
Jets are in disarray but they are not as nearly as bad as Fitz looked last week. I’m counting on the run game and a Fitz resurgence to power through this one. I also see Revis getting back on track here.

NYG over MIN
Despite a really surprisingly resilient and deep Vikings squad, NYG needs this more and they damn well know it. Beckham’s hype train on the sideline only means more passion for play and more urgency to win.

Quick Picks
DET over CHI
CLE over WAS
DEN over TB
AZ over LA
SD over NO
SF over DAL
PIT over KC

 

I really should be asleep. If not for that 3 PM nap with a seven year old curled up against my back I probably would be. I earned the fatigue by spending a good amount of time working on my novel and a bit more time sifting through a backlog of grading. It feels like I am always behind on grading, which is probably because I am. I have 140+ students and give them a ton of work. Heck, I’m upset with myself for not providing enough work. I’m more upset with myself for not figuring out a streamlined way to grade it.

I’m smarter than that.

I am also going into the midway point of a long youth tackle season with three teams worth of games to attend. It isn’t easy. I actively lobbied to get my youngest moved up to the mid-kid’s team in order to allow me to see more games (and have more time to breathe). No such luck. He is where he ought to be, and even though he isn’t happy with his situation all of the time, he is learning and growing from the experience.

By situation I mean losing season. They have not won a single game and it shows. It hurts. It is a pride-scarring thing for a kid who has only lost maybe 5 games in 3 years of playing year round sports. Losing is foreign but also necessary. I am just not a fan of doing it quite so much. The eldest is in the same boat. His team isn’t winning, but I’ve already told that tale in this pages. He is still ridiculously happy and loving life and sport and all things goofy. I hope he stays this carefree and engaged for a very long time. I hope they all do.

What I want is many more years of Taco Tuesday and kids who want to be around and hang out and watch shows and talk and play. I want to have a relationship with my kids now and later when they become men. I want to remain a part of their lives and I want them to remain a part of mine. Big asks, but I’m willing to put in the work to see it through.

Some Thoughts:

1. Had a solid family night with all six of the kiddos. I needed it. I need more of it in order to really get a sense of things moving forward.