Stubbing it out after 25 years

With all the other positive change happening in my life, I've decided to make another: After more than 25 years, I've decided it's time to quit smoking.

The reasons for my decision are many, but the main one is this -- it's just time to do it. I've tried quitting a number of times before (with varying rates of success, but obviously never entirely successful) but I think why it never stuck before is because I was always quitting for someone else, and not for myself.

Now, however, I'm doing it for me because I want to, and not because someone is badgering me into it. I'm doing my research (looking at alternative and holistic cessation methods rather than popping pills) and I have a quit date set of August 4.

With luck, determination, hard work and self-control, perhaps R.J. Reynolds will have one less customer because I decided to quit and not because death took me off their mailing list.

Library provides inspiration

Jean, my youngest daughter and I went somewhere Saturday morning I haven't been in years -- the Homewood Public Library. It's a shame it's taken so long for me to get there, because we came home with some really good stuff. Jean's selections included a couple of yoga titles and some audiobooks to listen to in the car. Juliana picked up a couple of books for tweens which she finished in a single sitting. I picked up the Marvel Zombies 2 trade paperback, a couple of old "Avengers" TV shows on DVD, and a book I should have been reading on an annual basis for years: The Writer's Market.

As I sat up last night thumbing through the tome, I was looking generally for potential publishers for Committed, but I ended up looking through some of the magazine publishers as well. To be honest, I was surprised at how many different magazines there are -- and for so many different audiences!

So now I have a new source of inspiration for my writing. I'll soon be giving the freelance market a whirl. Seems like a great way for me to add to my income, as well as getting some of my work published. I know it won't be easy, and I don't expect to get everything accepted. So bring on the rejection letters!

Creative productivity

It's a busy week on the creative side for me, and I'm digging it.

Work continues apace on Episode 31 of "Committed". It's a good bit, with more Liv and Tal and their daughters, plus a tale of conspiracy regarding that most Birmingham of landmarks, Vulcan. I think it's going to be a good one.

On a more business-related side, this is also the week I do the layout for the Magic City Blues Society newsletter. We did a redesign last month, and I enjoy working on the new product. I am looking forward to getting it finished so I can move on to the million-plus (so it seems) other projects I've got going on.

Back to work!

A testing day ahead

I think today will be a test.

I've never been particularly good at time management, basically because I'm easily distracted. I'll start working on something, get my attention drawn to something else, and before I know it the day has gotten away from me. This particular trait creates a number of problems, the most significant one being that I never seem to get anything done.

I've know for years that I work best when I work with a schedule. A to-do list is good, but I find that I often wander from item to item without completely finishing what I set out to do. However, if I set aside a specific amount of time to do a project, I'll usually get it done. That's all well and good. Unfortunately, another of my traits is an occasional lack of self-discipline, which usually results in two or three days of good scheduling and productivity before I subconsciously decide it's too much work and start to let it slide. Before you can say "Day-Timer", I'm back in a morass of unfinished work and piles of dirty dishes.

When I was single, letting stuff slide wasn't that big of a deal. But now, with so much going on -- not only in my own life, but also in the shared life I live with Jean -- I can't afford to get behind. There is simply too much I want to do!

So I started making some changes. On June 12, I began making a daily schedule based on a weekly one that was broken down into time slots for a number of different items. There's time for general housekeeping, writing, projects and so on. And it's working. The house is looking great, I'm more productive, I feel more creative, progress is creeping along with the Benz, etc. Things couldn't be much better.

But now this week comes along. This is the week I work on the newsletter for the Blues Society, which usually means that I don't sleep much and get pretty aggravated about anything and everything. I'm also striving very hard to get back on the weekly publication schedule for new episodes of Committed, which isn't as easy as it might sound. It's hard to fit in writing time for a 2,500-word piece of fiction every seven days, especially with a full-time job and a number of other projects competing for my time. And, of course, we're continuing to Deluxify the house. It's a fun project, but it is a lot of hard work as well.

So I have a big week in front of me. This morning, I woke up thinking about all that needs to be done, and I started feeling panicky -- and almost overwhelmed. But I'm not going to let it get to me. I've got a schedule, and I'm sticking to it. Nose to the grindstone and all that.

Yeah, I've got a lot to do. But I think I'm figuring out how to get it all done.

Little o' this, little o' that

Oh, so many subjects on which to opine, and such strict self-imposed limits on my writing time. But such is the way I am finding that I have to deal with things. On to the blather!

• City Stages is over. Didn't miss it a bit. Hope it sticks around and brings in some acts next year that I might actually want to see.
• Father's Day was great. Seriously. Jean had a card waiting for me when I awoke, we got some great stuff done at the house, I got to see my eldest daughter's choir tour homecoming concert, there was a great late lunch with family, and finally a relaxed and groovy evening at the house including dancing on the deck to "Aiko Aiko." It was, in short, a dadgum good day. Might well be my best Father's Day ever. Thanks to Jean, Katie, Juliana, Mom, and everyone else who made it possible.
  
• Iran is just a mess, and moreover, it's bad timing. North Korea, too. I think the G20 should, in unison, let these two countries know that they need to cool it for a while because the grownups are busy. There's this whole global economic crisis and significant problems with the earth remaining habitable much longer. You kids act right and we'll deal with you later. Don't make us come in there!
• The process of making the house "Deluxe" continues. There's a whole story behind this, and it doesn't mean spending a ton of money. It's more of a culling process, getting rid of clutter -- not just in the home, but in life. It's way cool, and I look forward to continuing the ongoing deluxification.
• On to someone I consider the antithesis of Deluxe: Richard Scrushy. Good to see last week that justice is one step closer for the man who killed his own dream and the retirement plans of millions of HealthSouth stockholders. If there is any real justice, he will get out of prison a broken man who can only get work cleaning port-a-potties after heavily-attending summer music festivals. Oh, and he has to use his tongue.
  
• Last, and hardly least, work continues apace on Committed. Episode 31 should be posted by Friday. We're about 3/4 of the way through the story, and it's getting exciting. And, I hope, funny. Oh, and I can't forget about it being commercially viable. After the episodes are complete, I'll be editing them into a manuscript for submission to a variety of publishers. Lots to do before I reach that point, though.

It's looking to be a good week. I'll also be working on the July newsletter for the Magic City Blues Society and possible getting some stuff done on the Benz. Busy is good.

Haiku for my 1987 Mercedes

From death of one Benz
Life is granted to one more.
Surgeon or Frankenstein?

City Stages? Don't think so

Top five reasons I won't be attending City Stages this year (in order of ascending distaste):

1. Doobie Brothers
   
2. 38 Special
   
3. Styx
4. REO Speedwagon
5. Lynyrd Skynyrd

To paraphrase the famous line, what we have here is a failure to entertain. These so-called "headliners" could barely comprise a one-day redneck fest at Verizon Wireless Music Center, much less Birmingham's "world class music festival".

Ah, but such is what we are offered. No wonder the event is in such poor shape.

Twenty years ago (has it really been that long?) City Stages was unique. Hell, it was fun. It was great to see so many people enjoying themselves in downtown, and there was always good (and more often than not, new) music to hear. Back in the day, City Stages was an annual event for me. I would take off all day on Friday and Monday and make a big weekend out of it. Some of the best shows I've seen in my life have been at City Stages: Dave Alvin a couple of times, Shelby Lynne, David Byrne... the list goes on and on.

I haven't been in a couple of years. Two years ago, my wedding got in the way (although Jean did e-mail an invitation to Rickie Lee Jones who performed that year), and last year we just didn't have enough interest in going.

This year, however, I don't think I would go even if someone handed me VIP passes for free. You couldn't get me to go see Lynyrd Skynyrd (if you can call it that -- are there even any of the original members of the band still alive?) for... well, I don't think there is anything that could get me to go see that show. Same goes for the rest of the bands listed at the beginning of this article. The acts I would like to see I can see for much less money in a more intimate venue like WorkPlay or Bottletree, and I don't have to jockey for position so I can use a sweaty porta-potty.

So, good luck, City Stages. This year, at least, you'l have to get along without me. Maybe next year -- if you can get back to what you were in the past, and assuming you're still around -- things will be different.

Enough whining already!

When my eldest daughter was but a tot, she had a horrible habit of whining incessantly when things did not go her way (as they so often do when you are four years old). I would tell her "no" for something -- a toy, a snack, whatnot -- and then she would begin. Pleading, whining, sometimes even tears.

My standard response to this behavior was to say, "I can't hear you when you whine," and then I would go about my business until she stopped whining and settled down. Only then would I address whatever it was she wanted.

What brings this to mind is the latest attempt by conservatives in general (and Republicans in particular) to bring some sort of attention their way.

The current (and now hopefully almost over) dust-up over David Letterman telling a joke about Sarah Palin's daughter is the most recent attempt for the right to get some media coverage. Unfortunately for them, it is getting about as much response as my daughter's whines. A scheduled demonstration yesterday brought out approximately 15 people -- fifteen! -- to rail against Letterman and CBS. The demonstrators were outnumbered by media, and were often out-shouted by a few vocal counter-demonstrators.

I can understand their frustration -- even Obama swatting a fly gets coverage these days, and I suppose it seems quite unfair to those on the right. But I believe there is a larger issue that conservatives just don't get -- the public, more and more, understands that there are significant problems to be addressed, that the status quo doesn't work, and we need people who are trying to create solutions.

The right isn't doing that. Conservatives seem only to want to pander to the electorate (such as bringing in Palin as a VP candidate to try to win over Hillary supporters), show token evidence of inclusion (making Michael Steele chairman of the Republican party -- "hey, we've got a black guy too!"), or distract people from the real issues of the day (Letterman and most of the Clinton years).

I think people are tired of it. At least I hope they are.

Back to my daughter: Sometimes, the whining wouldn't stop. Those times I would just mostly ignore her. But on occasion, if she was being particularly bad about it, the whining session would end abruptly with a smack on the butt.

One would think that with the smacking the Republicans got in November that they would stop whining, too.

After what seems like forever, a new episode!

It only took a month (ha!) but I finally posted a new episode of Committed on my site. I'm pretty pleased with this one, especially the back-and-forth between Tal and Toby. I think the bit about the neighbors is pretty good, too.

In any case, stop reading this right now and get over to arkirby.com to read the new episode!

The best laid planssometimes work out okay anyway

What a weekend it was to be. Last week, I got almost caught up with the yardwork. This weekend, Jean and I planned to spend the morning on Saturday sprucing up the outside of our home, trimming, weeding, planting, and all sorts of good stuff. Then we would go to the Blues Society's Junkyard Juke for an afternoon of blues and beer outdoors. We would get up on Sunday and hit the yard again.

Then the rains came. And came. And came some more. The rain on Saturday morning was ridiculous at our house. A small river ran down the side of Oxmoor Road, and we weren't getting out of the house, much less working in the yard -- unless we started some new extreme aquaculture project.

Then Jean came up with the idea of rearranging the house. I sighed. This is a fairly regular project at our house; so much so that we even wrote a line about it in our wedding vows. But, as I swore in those vows, I smiled and got to work without a complaint.

But there was something different about our rearranging this time. It seemed more purposeful somehow. And as we worked, things kept getting better and better.

The rain finally stopped, and we headed out for the Junkyard Juke. We drove around Avondale for a while trying to find it, and finally stopped and got out of the car. There was no Juke to be found. We wandered around for a few minutes, called a friend to check the MCBS website to find the new location (He never called back. I guess Halo is more important. Bastard.), and got back into the car.

We eventually gave up on finding the event and headed back home, with a stop for falafel on the way. We ended up having our own little music festival on the deck the rest of the night.

It rained again Sunday, and we resumed our rearranging. Things fell into place quickly, and by four o'clock, we were finished with our bedroom, a second bedroom, our office alcove, and the living room.

As we sat last night in our bedroom, it was almost like being someplace new. The room had an entirely new atmosphere. And even though we'd purchased nothing -- we simply moved furniture from one room to a different one -- the space engendered a feeling of indulgence. As we said to each other last night, it was DELUXE.

If it's this good now, I'm really interested in seeing how things will be once we get the painting and so forth done.

Long story short, I did nothing I planned to do this weekend. And for once, that was a very good thing.

Knee-jerk reaction is spot-on

When I read yesterday in USA TODAY that Sammy Hagar had teamed up with Joe Satriani, Chad Smith and Michael Anthony to create a new "supergroup" (their words, not mine) named Chickenfoot, my first reaction was "Why?", quickly followed by "Good Lord, what a horrible idea."

The reaction was not just a response to what might possibly be the worst band name of all time. It's just that I don't think these guys have anything new to offer. And a quick listen (all I could handle was a quick listen) proved my knee-jerk reaction to be spot-on.

Satriani is a great guitarist, and I'd have to say he is the one true "star" of the group, even though the other members are likely better known by the public in general. But other than Satriani, it's a B-list group. Michael Anthony langushed in the shadow of David Lee Roth and the brothers Van Halen. Hagar was a decent solo artist, but he could never get Van Halen back to their Roth-era heights during his tenure as lead man for the group. Chad Smith also is a long-term replacement, following founding member Jack Irons as drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

So what you have is a bunch of under-the-radar old guys trying to ... well, I'm not sure what they're trying to do. I think the guys in this band, and the music listening public in general would be better served if Sammy and the gang went back to Cabo San Lucas and played weekends at Sammy's bar.

Life inhibits art, at least for a while

So, another long silence has come and thankfully gone. It's been almost two months since I've posted, and nearly that long since I've put up an episode of Committed. Life, as they say, has gotten in the way and instead of imitating art, it has been inhibiting it.

What it boils down to is that there has just been too much to do during the past several months, including major repairs to our deck (done by yours truly), continued work to restore an older Mercedes-Benz (also done by yours truly), the completion of Jean's yoga instructor training (I didn't do that, but I was very involved and it definitely affected me), and, of course the coming of the pleasant days of late spring which are plenty enough reason in and of themselves to blow off some work and enjoy the weather before true Alabama summer arrives.

Things have slowed down a bit, and I'm working over the next couple of weeks to bring writing to the fore. I'll be doing this by actually making myself stick to a schedule. I'm tired of waiting for the muse to strike, so I'll force the issue.

Not dead, at least not yet

I love Mark Twain. Particularly this quote: "Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated."

On the same line, I'm not dead. Neither is Committed, although it might seem so. I know it's been almost a month since I a) put up an new episode or b) posted on this blog. Life has gotten in the way of writing. There's been a death in the family, the loss of a pet, a blown engine on a car, taxes... I could go on and on. But I won't. Let it suffice to say that I am still working on Epsiodes 29 and 30 (they're going to be good ones, too) and there's much more to come!

Newspapers: A dying breed?

Interesting program on NPR today, especially for a former journalist as myself...
Today's "Talk of the Nation" focused on the state of journalism in America, with a focus on the closings of the Rocky Mountain Daily News in Denver and the Post-Intelligencer in Seattle.
Both papers ceased print operations within the past two weeks. When you combine the closings of these two papers with the statement from the Pew Center for Excellence in Journalism that the outlook for journalism in the United States is "bleak", one has to wonder:
Are we seeing the extinction of a business model here?
With the internet and cable responsible for many news options available to the public, can newspapers survive?
Call me an idealist, but I certainly hope so. More on this later.

Episode 27 is now up

It's been a long week, but a good one, culminating with the posting of Episode 27, "The Bachelor Pad of Doom."

For the first time in a long time, there have now been two episodes posted on consecutive Fridays. Woot!

I like this episode. I think it gives a little more insight into Christian. And there are some sexy parts with The Professor as well.

Now on to Episode 28!

At least I'm not the only one

So I'm not the only person in the area who thinks Davis Cup tennis and transit funding are related.

In this article from al.com, John Archibald also links the two. If we can do such a great job on a small thing like a tennis tournament, why can't we do it with the big stuff?

Ah, questions that deserve answers.

Better late than never, right?

So I lied on my last post.

Not only did I not get Episode 26 posted until 10 days later than I said I would, I didn't get an e-mail out until a full 10 days afterward.

But it wasn't time spent in vain, and it wasn't an outright lie. I thought at the time that I would have an episode out the next day. But as I revisited it, the piece changed direction on me, and it turned out to be a bear to write. My original idea was nothing like the final product. But I think the changes from the original to the finished episode were much for the better. The writing is some of my favorite in the book so far.

In addition to Episode 26, I also put up a new piece dealing with international tennis and federal transportation funds. There's a combination for you.

I hope to knock out Episode 27 early this week and have it up by Thursday. If it happens, it will be a first for the site. To date, I've never posted an episode early.

I'm pleased with the changes to the layout and navigation, although I think there are still a few minor points to hammer out. I think Jean will be looking at that this weekend.

Long week gets longer

It's been a long week, and it's getting longer

It's Friday afternoon and I am still working on Episode 26. Outside projects have taken up a lot of time during the past two weeks, and I am fairly well behind in my writing.
Last week, it was working on the video for the Australia job that took all the time. This week, it's the March edition of Magic City Blues News. But the newsletter is put to bed, and I'm should have the new episode sometime on Saturday. I'll be sending out an e-mail announcing the posting.

At long last, updates to arkirby.com

It took a few more months that expected (mainly because I never made the time to do it), but arkirby.com is now updated!

I am many things -- writer, husband, bartender, father, etc. -- but one thing I am not is an experienced webmaster. As such, little things I do to my site often have unexpected consequences. For example, several weeks ago I quite unintentionally deleted all the navigation from my site. Oops. But as of yesterday, that particular issue has been resolved. Other changes include:

• All episodes of Committed are now in Scribd format
• Easier-than-ever episode navigation

In addition to these updates, in the next couple of weeks I'll also be making changes to all the Scribd pages so they are uniform, and it looks like I'll be adding a "videos" section to the site as well.

"Committed" makes Scribd's Hot List

So somebody actually is reading the thing...

As of February 21, Episode 9 of Committed, "Tal and Liv Make a New Friend" made the Scribd Hot List! In this episode, our heroes meet Gnorr, the alien who gives them their powers.

According to Scribd's website, the Hot List "is comprised of documents that have received a considerable views, likes, comments, and favorites in a short period of time."

So exactly what is Scribd? For me, Scribd is to documents as Flickr is to photos. They put it more eloquently: "Scribd is the place where you publish, discover and discuss original writings and documents. More than 50 million people each month are finding or sharing fun, functional or fantastical writings and documents on Scribd.com and tens of thousands of other websites that have embedded Scribd's document reader... We built a technology that's broken all barriers to traditional publishing and in the process also built one of the largest readerships in the world."

I use them because their iPaper app lets me embed PDFs into the web pages on my site, which keeps me from having to create more than one page for each episode. Finding Scribd a few months ago was a godsend for my sanity.

So, thanks, Scribd!