10 Minute Rule

A good friend of mine put together this wonderful assignment on being an e-patient. The idea is that students should become informed about the medicine and treatments available to them should they fall ill. There is more to it than that, but the general gust is about becoming informed consumers in all aspects of your life. That assignment got her students thinking about cancer, and being a part of those conversations got me thinking about health and why we (read: me) are unhealthy people in the first place. I don’t feel like we are very proactive in our healthcare. I’m not talking about coverage, I’m talking about taking good care of ourselves. I suppose I am a culprit more than most, because I am blessed with a good metabolism and decent health, so I take advantage to eat like a pig and exercise not at all. I fear that if struck with some major malady, I would work like a beast to get healthy and fit. I fear that by that point it will be too late, yet I struggle everyday to convince myself to exercise and be healthy. Every day I lose that fight.

People don’t do optional, especially when optional means working harder. It is a matter of priorities. Would I rather spend 30 minutes a day working out or would I rather spend that time playing video games, reading a book, catching up on work, watching Breaking Bad, writing, or any number of enjoyable things I do. The gym makes it more of an obstacle when you calculate real vs. perceived time. Real time includes travel time, change time, and minor factors such as escape time (the time it takes to extract yourself from your home when you have kids who insist on going with you). So a half hour at the gym could mean an hour or more in real time.

This sounds like an excuse to be lazy but it is more of a rationalization of value. In a society predicated on immediacy, exercise is an irrational act–unless your life is at stake. Eating healthy–cooking food and the like–is equally irrational, given the number of expedient options both available and steadily reinforced through the mass media. It is more likely you will see 10 commercials about fast food options on any given channel (especially kid channels and food channels) than you will a commercial advertising the benefits and availability of healthy options such as salad. In short, we are programmed to be lazy junk food eaters. We are programmed to value such things before the healthier option and it is economically reinforced by the ease of financial access to unhealthy options vs. healthy options. An apple will cost me twice as much as a Twix bar. A monthly gym membership can be the cost of a single video game, and a full year membership will buy me a ps4 and an xbox one. Why then would I be inclined to make the leap to healthful living before I actually need to?

I spend hours each week thinking about this. I once sat for a full 5 minutes trying to decide if I wanted to do push-ups or not. Ultimately I didn’t do the push ups and instead ate some lemon cake. In the short term the cake was good, but my gut is bad, and my boys do find occasion to make fun of me when topless. Maybe that guilt will motivate me. Nothing else so far has.

Quite the week of pigskin last week. There were some terrible injuries, which may dash the playoff hopes of some teams and ignite others. My ability to pick as of late has been grievously injured, but I’ll keep trying. I, like my Giants, am hoping for a major turn around…still.

TB over CAR
I still believe in Revis, even if the coach doesn’t use him right. I think TB worked out the kinks and should work out a win this weekend.

DET over DAL

KC over CLE

MIA over NE

NO over BUF

SF over JAC

PHI over NYG
Vick is back. It didn’t go well for the Giants last time he showed up. Never does.

NYJ over CIN
NY hasn’t won back to back games all season, but a fool and his data are soon parted. I’m taking the Jets here. Geno will screw it up at first but show up when it matters. That’s the Geno Way.

OAK over PIT

DEN over WSH

AZ over ATL

GB over MIN

SEA over STL
I really hope they play Percy Harvin. Fantasy points aside, this is the best chance to bring the guy in slowly against a team that, frankly, sucks.

I have an on again off again love affair with modern fiction. I just feel safer in cyberspace or in the clutches of a dragon. Something about the unreality of it all says that I can expect clear rules and scenarios that don’t devolve into senseless madness. Rarely in a fantasy novel does a gunman stalk through a kindergarten classroom picking and choosing who dies. Perhaps there is more to it than that though. I, being no psychologist, am hard pressed to uncover the deeper truths of my own psyche. I can only say that it feels comfortable out there and less so when writing the lines of the modern day. This is why I feel such a swell of confusion at that writerly proverb, Write what you know. For, how can I ever really know a world where a trio of precogs uncover what crime you intend to commit before you do it, or a world where a slip of science unleashes an army of creatures who are not alive yet not quite dead?

Often I hear the term derivative applied to the works of some authors–myself included. The critics suggest that a writer lifted the cloth of one story, stapled them to another and called it a new creation. This happens often, and is often purposeful, but I suspect it does happen as a result of a shared awareness of the world around us as well as our reactions to what we see, hear, and even read. When we experience new things and have the same background of previous experiences it is possible to come to the same conclusions. Therefore two authors came simultaneously arrive at the same plot. What will differ in that plot is the characterization, for those characters arrive wholly from the specific day-to-day experiences of the writer.

I encourage writing the stories that come to you. Don’t worry about being derivative or doing something already done–everything has already been done. Focus on the people and tell that tale. Perhaps write what you know really means write who you know, for in those relationships you will find your uniqueness.

I started thinking about the people of Emil Torath and my mind floated to Ikrivain. I decided to spend 10 minutes questioning the idea of who he is–or at least who he thinks he is. These moments appear in every novel in some form. The character questions or reveals their identity and then reflects on that identity in the middle and again at the end as a way to show the character’s growth throughout the novel. So, here we go with part 1:

Ikrivain

If you’ve heard of method acting then it shouldn’t be much of a stretch to imagine method writing. I consider myself a method writer. I descend into the story world and try to write my tales from a street level. I’m living in two worlds right now–that of the Shadowrun Universe and my own Emil Torath. The reason I go deep down is to gain an understanding of how the world works for the average resident. I suppose this approach is a result of a micro-sociology background or maybe it is just the result of reading too many books about world shaping events. It is all well and good when what your characters do in a story shapes the future world, but lets not forget that everyone needs to stop for a beer and maybe use the restroom once in a while.

This is not an invitation to write bathroom scenes.

What is printed in a story must be of crucial relevance to character development, and pooping rarely is. On the other hand, descending into the mundane daily routine of a world’s characters reminds me of how a larger even can lead to the departure from the daily grind. For example, years back the world of Shadowrun tackled the idea of what would happen if the internet shut down. We chipped away at some of the street level tales, but mostly focused on the higher order stuff–what would the corps do and what not. Even our street level stories were about those who discovered extraordinary power or meaning through the event. When I descend into a story world it allows me to think about the doorman whose door lock shuts down during an event like the network crash before he can let an important resident into the building. That resident may decide to exact revenge on the doorman for not breaking down the front door. That resident may demand our doorman get fired. What is the ripple effect of that? What is the story that can be told there, and is it story worthy?

This is the sort of slice of life writing exercises that I feel allows a writer to gain a holistic understanding of the way their world works and the way that major events can effect people who are otherwise unaffected by the bickering of Gods.

Some Thoughts:

1. Thanks refs. I’ve been hating for years, but that call to give the J-E-T-S a first down and 15 extra yards in overtime today was like rain in the desert. Jets for the win and one step closer to first place in the AFC East. Nice.
2. May be looking at the first Fantasy Football loss of the year. I failed to get to the computer in time to start the receiver I wanted to start and the result will effect the outcome. Stay Tuned.

I got myself all jazzed up to scribe something profound tonight and… Nothing. The fact is, being profound is more about right time, place, and mood than any deep level of intellect. This coming from someone who considers himself pretty damn smart, but doesn’t take himself serious enough to do anything epic with it. So, I just decided to slide open my iphone timer, put ten minutes on the clock and see what words fall out.

Tonight we spent the evening at one of Maricopa’s major annual events, the Stage Coach Days. We turned out around 6, two hours into the event. By then the lines were going strong for the handful of food vendors, but something seemed off. A brisk walk through Pacana park keyed me into what my ‘spider sense’ already figured out: Maricopa’s little event is suddenly little. I’m still processing this. Maybe the words will form in the following few paragraphs. It seems like my small town is undergoing a transformation of sorts. When we first moved here everyone came out for the events. We needed bussing to and from, because there was never close to enough room to park cars. Now it seems easier to get spots, to get on the rides, even to get food (30 minute wait times down to 15). This is because nobody is there. I was able to have several different conversations with people I know, because I could pick them out of a thin crowd. This never happened before.

Here is my theory #1: When there is no form of entertainment in a small town, people gravitate towards town events. Said events bristle with folks looking for a way to connect with the town in an intimate way. Now that we have this sweet multitainment area with food, a club, laser tag, movies, bowling, etc, the need to head for the big ole town event has passed.

Theory #2: The shifting landscape of the real estate market has turned Maricopa, AZ into a squatter town. I’m talking about a place where investors buy houses and rent them to college kids and the working poor who cannot afford the cost of these city-based events and would rather stay in their Giant Homes and take advantage of a lifestyle they could not have before now.

Both theories bear the familiar flaws of 10 minute thinking, but both may be elements of a larger truth. In a few weeks we’ll see if there is a major turnout for the halloween event. If not, I may have to revisit this theory and make one of those odd attempts at being profound.

I grew up loving sports. I was a baseball kid until I was a basketball kid until I was a tennis kid until I was a football kid. Through every transition I knew that sports were going to be the pinnacle of mano y mano competition for me. No chess club or mock trial victory ever filled me with the pride of a sports win. Tonight I discovered that Grambling University did the unthinkable. The players on the GU football team quit. They are refusing to play tomorrow’s game against Jackson State. In fact, they are refusing to play another snap moving forward until things at the school turn around. I was shocked. Then I started reading about it more and thinking back on some of the conversations I’ve had at conferences geared towards recruiting minority professors. That is when I discovered the story within the story.

Grambling is a historically black college with a longstanding history. The school has struggled over the years to maintain its aura of collegiate pride. See, faculty don’t want to come to Grambling, and the political infighting there between what is commonly known as the new and the old black aristocracy are waging an open war across the quad. Long story short: Black kids aren’t preferring black colleges any more. Tag this to a sinking economy and a broken dynamic between athletics and academics and you get this mess.

The very reason for creating race-based scholarships was to infuse the traditionally homogenous colleges with much needed diversity. Educators believed that a diverse student population better served the learning of individual students. I agree with this philosophy. On the other hand, I understand why the African American population–a group that was first formed almost wholly out of the slave trade–would want to have a place to capture and reflect on a racial identity that we were denied the opportunity to realize for so long. So yeah, I get the need for institutions like Grambling, but the majority of the community it aims to preserve does not. As a result, the institution is in serious decline, and the football team is serving as a reminder of the longstanding legacy of black pride by doing what my forefathers did: Protesting for what we believe in.

Pablo Neruda famously quipped, “It so happens I am sick of being a man.” This poem entitled, Walking Around, whispered in dulcet tones, speaks to me of the responsibilities of masculinity, of adulthood, of fatherhood. I wonder about these things openly, questioning the perceptions of me and what I want–even need–to be. I’m no more qualified than the next person to define what it means to be a man. I can talk about the fatigue of the role and maybe a bit about why mid-life crisis happens.

I suppose I’m about two years out from my MLC. At some point you recognize the life you have is not at all the life you intended in that pressure cooker of high school. Not everyone enters into this confusion with a frown. Things could’ve gone very differently in my life and I could have a differently life entirely. I’m happy with where I am, but the Mid life culprit is rarely how happy you are, but instead it it the devastating realization that your failures are 100% about the stuff you didn’t do when you could’ve. That is the part that’ll drive you mad.

Some Thoughts:

1. Never finished those picks, so here we go:

DEN over IND
I’m close going with Indy here for a couple of reasons. As much as Peyton really wants this game, I think the Indy defense wants it more–not for Luck but for themselves. They want and need a win here to right the ship and set them up for the season. A win here means a playoff hope. On the other hand, Von Miller is officially back, so that’s that.

SF over TEN
The home games vex me, however I feel like SF is getting back to form, and this game allows Colin K to take another turn at being Superman.

STL over CAR
I’m still not a believer in Carolina, no matter what they did to the Giants. My 90 yr old aunt might have been able to do that to the Giants if her hop wasn’t so bad.

WSH over CHI
Washington came alive a bit last week. I saw that, though they couldn’t beat the Cowboys yet, they are ready to put wins on the board.

I’m going to be able to cover about half the games tonight. Some situations aren’t in doubt while others are clearly up for grabs. For example, the Giants game is a big deal for both teams. Still, Frazier feels okay starting a QB in a new system against their pass rush. Maybe Coach Frazier feels like the Vikings D is good enough to hold down Eli. I mean, everyone else has. That’s cost me a few picks this season. Yet I continue to believe. I’ll believe again this week.

NYG over MIN
The Giants can’t suck that bad, right? I mean, right? At least this latest ‘I’ll start the dude off the street’ nonsense ought to give them enough bulletin board material to give a damn.

SD over JAC
SD won’t see this as a trap game so much as an opportunity to get their offense on track and they could be very daring in the run game. This doesn’t bode well for me from a fantasy perspective, as I’m relying heavily on Rivers in the absence of Vick.

KC over HOU
In the land of not having hope, Houston is king…

DEN — IND: TBD

SF–TEN: TBD

CAR — STL: TBD

WSH – CHI: TBD

BAL over PIT
PIT is better than the Giants. Not the Ravens. Although the running game is in straits, the team still has a defense that can keep them in games if not win them outright. Pit, on the other hand, gave up pressure to the G-Men. NOBODY does that.

GB over CLE
I don’t see the value in explaining this…

MIA over BUF
BUF is starting your mom at QB. Seriously. They have NO ONE. Practice Squad guy was hurt last week and now its up to the walk-ons, like some bad college film.

NYJ over NE
Jets don’t win back to back. They don’t really lose that way either this season. Maybe the Pats will. Brady has no weapons.

DET over CIN
This will be a shootout, especially now that the NFL is fining Suh for clean hits. This week he was fined over 30K for a hit to the chest of the QB. It wasn’t late. It wasn’t deemed dirty on the field. Still, since his helmet made contact with the QB’s chest, he owes 30K. Where are you supposed to tackle? They claim he lowered his head when he delivered the blow. Sure he did, because if he held his head up, he’d have made helmet to helmet contact and likely been ejected. Play your game, big man. Go get me some sacks.

ATL over TB
America’s team is a terrible reflection of the state of American politics: Finger pointing, backstabbing, and poor performance. Still, if we reach back into where all of this started to go wrong in American politics, we find Florida at the center. Beat Florida and good stuff is sure to follow. ATL does that this weekend behind an epically bad Bucs defensive outing from a coach who doesn’t know how to use his players–especially Revis.

SEA over AZ
Sorry, AZ. No hope.

Some Thoughts:

1. Proof that sex sells: The Fiat commercials are actually selling those terrible automobiles. I bet the Yugo creators are slapping their foreheads in disgust right now.

I regret to inform you all that I am a shameless capitalist. It’s true. I haven’t written anything (besides this blog) in several years that didn’t result in a paycheck. I feel like being a writer should be about much more than getting paid. In truth, getting paid should merely be the way to support your writing habit (and your family if need be). So, I’m abandoning the quest to write and publish my fantasy epic. I’m going to release it here instead.

The world’s story centers on a book called the Torathae. It is the de facto bible for a world known as Emil Torath. The only problem is nobody seems to know the Torathae exists or what it fortells. So, I decided to tell a story about a critical time in the world. Specifically I wanted to tell the story of people at crossroads in their lives. Tharsis Drennan is barbarian born and is now on the cusp of Knighthood under the banner of his adopted family. Elin is an ascendant (or God Born) and on the cusp of being revealed for what he truly is and Kishara is King Born, a lineage that affords her little privilege but a clear life path–one she does not wish to take. Koric is born of a line thought to be stamped out, but given the events being stirred up in the border lands, he is now on the edge of an opportunity to recapture what his family lost. Finally there is Ikrivain, a thief rescued by Elin and made to be a squire who is battling between the choice of betraying the man who saved him or refusing the soldier who would have his head.

If these characters weren’t enough, I’m considering another character to tell another side of this story. She is the one who begins the story connected to the Torathae and knows a little of its secrets.

Six narrative leads in a story is a tall order, but the beauty of the internet is that length is not an issue. I can write to my heart’s content, and I can do it purely for the love of storytelling, without having to worry what my editor thinks.

This is the first step in what promises to be a wonderful next step for me in my life. I’ve been stunted the last few weeks, working to make time for this story and others to bubble to the surface. I believe we’re getting closer.