Writing

Time lost, or not.

mikemjensen Green River, Worthless Observations, Writing Leave a comment

Hey kids!

It’s hard to understand how a month slips by, but it has. I’m still in Dutch John but some things have changed.

For one, the weather has greatly improved. We are actually deep into the spring and threatening to go into the summer. The snow pack is somewhere around 50% melted and we still have a lot of run off to deal with, but it’s about to be on the down hill side of things.

I have left my paved and civilized campsite and moved up into the dispersed camp site area. I have a beautiful spot that over looks the lake. It is dirt roads in and no services available. I would not have survived earlier in this season up here, but for now and for the summer; it is ideal.

Things have been unsettled since I’ve been here. Somethings I’ll explain as things develop but currently I am again without my truck. It has decided it no longer wants to drive back and forth on these bumpy, dusty roads. Hopefully we will come to terms and reconcil this little difference of opinions.

The season is just about to get rocking. Labor day weekend is upon us. With two months already spent here, I think the time is going to go quick. I hope I can keep all up to date with a more regular schedule of posts.

One important item to note today is the date itself. It is May 24th. 154 years ago, John Westley Powell began his expedition down this river on which I find myself. He and 9 others (Sumner, W. Powell, Bradley, O. Howland, S. Howland, Dunn, Goodman, Hall, and Hawkins) braved the unknown and floated out of Green River, Wyoming.

154 years ago, three of them recorded the day’s events as the sun went down. Much like I am doing today but electronically. They were sitting on a bank under cottonwood. I am in my trailer, on a hill side, amongst the juniper.

If they had not, the details of their journey would have been lost. Likewise for me.

They had no idea who would take an interest in the future. Neither do I. Maybe I’ll have something of interest for someone 154 years from now. Maybe even sooner.

I just need to write, and let it all fall where it does.

Salmon-chanted Feeding

mikemjensen Ain't Dead Yet, goals, Life's Truths, Vanity, Writing Tags: , , , , , 2 Comments

First a word. In this case “first”.

And then another, and another, and another. Before long, there’s a sentence. And then a paragraph, even if an improper one. And just like that, the writing has started all over again.

So much has happened since my last post, it would take like a year to fill it all in. So I won’t. However, this year won’t be so lucky, nor undocumented.

So welcome back to both you and me. I’ve missed you.

At the time of this writing, an uncle is finishing his run. Any day now the call will be received of his passing.

An unprecedented effort is currently being spent in the Pacific Northwest to preserve a particular Orca, J50, and the pod to which she belongs. Antibodies and dewormers are being injected. Live salmon are being released to secretly feed the young whale, and everyone involved is hopeful that the plight of this one whale turns people’s attention and care to preserving the ecosystem of our oceans.

Upstairs, new neighbors are moving in. A new start in hopefully a healthy apartment staircase community. One never knows at the start where the series of events leads. Will it be good, or will it be bad?

Where am I in my career? Definitely not the start. I’m too old to call anything a start.

The end? I sure hope not.

The time to relaunch? Yes. It’s time to pick up the race one more. I’m not Whale J50; but I’m hungry for salmon.

 

 

Post 4-001

 

 

Blog Cancelled

mikemjensen kayaks, lake powell, Road Trip, Shame on Me, Writing Tags: , , , , , , , 3 Comments

Hey Kids,

I know that the rule of thumb is to do it every day.

The true professional, or the person most wanting to succeed, must put in the time, put in the practice, or punch the clock as it were; every day whether you feel like or not. I’ve adopted this approach to writing and especially in writing this blog.

Every day I put effort into this blog to bring something thoughtful, humorous, or to share my own ideas, values, or personal achievements. But today I’m not going to do my blog. I’m sorry but I can’t. You see after traveling the two-thirds length of Utah and arriving for our maiden voyage on our houseboat, I did something really stupid.

We arrived at the lake, unpacked all of our equipment and loaded the boat docked in the slip, I returned to our vehicle to release the kayaks from their roost on the roof. Although the same wind that blew against us the entire road trip continued to howl, I removed the ties from one of the kayaks and turned to tend to the strap I had just removed.FHD1839

The kayak, carried in the wind, much like it would on the water, landed straight onto the top of my head and nearly knocked me down to the ground.

The blood flowed. My wife and her daughter came to save me from bleeding to death and we got the other kayaks unloaded and transported to the boat.

Since then, my head gash, my neck, and my pride are going to keep me from writing my blog tonight and sharing what could otherwise be seen as a rather stupid and embarrassing event.

Please accept my apology and continue to think I’m as cool as I try to portray within the posts of this blog and to believe that I never do the same things as stupid people do.

 

Post 3-134

So Long as It Has Sprinkles

mikemjensen Useless Observations, Writing Tags: 2 Comments

Hey Kids,

I consider myself a writer. I’m not killing it, but I enjoy writing and most importantly, I write.

I enjoy well written articles, books, and blogs. I love seeing people craft words in a way that make an idea become alive; sentences that wind their way around an idea that it takes the whole of it to get to its punchline conclusion.

From Hemingway’s 6-word short story to Rowling’s impossibly long single sentence descriptions- it’s all good.

I’m not the best raw speller of words, however. Some people just have the knack of guessing correctly. I do not. I’ll slaughter the construction of a word as good as anyone. Now with built in spell check, it isn’t as evident, but I struggle on a whiteboard.

And maybe it’s because of this known weakness within, but I really don’t get all excited when something is misspelled. I don’t get ape crazy with a misplaced your or you’re. Or getting there, their, or they’re mixed up. I don’t care if one spells through as thru, or night as nite, or doughnut as donut.

In fact, I like donuts. Day or nite.

 

Post 3-131

Sizzle Matters

mikemjensen Life's Truths, Writing Tags: , , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

Marketing rules says to sell the sizzle not the steak.sizzle

It seems, on the surface, to be disingenuous at the least and salesman sleazy at its worst. But outside of trying to sell someone something, there’s a truth to it.

Upon arrival at the apartments this afternoon, there was attached to the little clip by my door, the May newsletter. It contained a warning to clean up after your dogs on the grounds. A warning to keep your dog or cat (their words) on a leash. A warning to get your patio cleaned up. A notice about where the city will be placing dumpsters for spring clean-up. And an announcement for a kite festival this weekend, but the location is listed as: TBA.

Oh yes. And an invite to follow them on Facebook.

There was a picture of presumably May flowers but no attempt to make the overall look interesting. No interesting fonts, logo, or maybe even some positive news about something.

My goal is not to dog on this newsletter. I know it was most likely produced at the command of a management company, by employees who have too much to do already. Instead, my point is that when you are going to deal with people, be a person. Make at least part of it interesting or even pleasing to look at. This applies to a newsletter, a PowerPoint presentation, or a photo (photos are almost always more interesting if someone is in it- even if it you don’t know who it is.)

Talk like normal people talk, not like a lawyer, a doctor, or an apartment manager.

Have fun and don’t be afraid to try to be funny. Even if you’re the only one laughing- at least that’s one person laughing.

Steak as steak is just a chunk of meat. It’s when it starts to sizzle that people really get interested.

Sizzle matters.

 

Post 3-122

Write Now, Fish Later

mikemjensen Fishing, goals, Life's Truths, Writing Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

Today would’ve been a lovely day to go fishing. It rained all day yesterday and this morning we woke to blue skies and sunshine. Of course if I had been going fishing, I would’ve been gone long before the sunshine ever showed up.

I had thought seriously about breaking out the kayak. This past week I had received some new lures in the mail and I’ve been hankering to give them a spin. I watched the YouTube videos on their use, the strategy, and the secret methods. Yes the sunny Sunday was to be my fishing extravaganza.

But there’s this thing about working.whining

I know the day job is Monday through Friday. So the weekends are for fun, right? Except when you have decided to write yourself out of the miserable existence that is working for other people.

So I passed on the angling and took to the writing. Good progress was made and the sun streaked across the sky and back into the western horizon. Day over.

Work is the name of the game. Without it nothing happens; with it, anything can.

There’ll be other days to fish. With any luck, they’ll be during the week between Mondays and Fridays.

 

Post 3-085

Thoughtful Flashback

mikemjensen Alaska, Gratitude, Inmachuk Confabulations, Writing Tags: , , , 2 Comments

Hey Kids,

Roughly 37 years ago, a young man boarded an airplane. That airplane took him to where few had ventured- north of the Arctic Circle. That crossing changed him for life.

I was that young man.

Little time passes between the lessons I learned there make themselves manifest in my life. Stories, sayings, memories. They all waft in and through my life like guardian angels directing my course. But sometimes, the recollections seem like distant, faint dreams where one wonders if it really happened at all.

It was a seemingly small gesture combined with minimal expenses such as a color copy, a little of some employee’s time to inscribe details, and a stamp. But the certificate sent to me by Alaska Airlines those nearly four decades ago, found itself back into my hands today. A certificate confirming that I had indeed crossed the Arctic Circle on the 17th of May, 1980 enroute to Kotzebue, Alaska.img_20170208_212308518

The deluge of memories returned. A remembrance of those things so important so long ago. I’ve never been able to return to the gold fields of the north, but that paper did everything but buy my return ticket.

That stamp has paid for itself yet again. Nice job Alaska Airlines, and thank you!

 

P.S. I hope to soon tell some of those stories in a series of books I have mapped out. The working title is Inmachuk Confabulations.

 

Post 3-039

Goal and the Problem

mikemjensen goals, Life's Truths, Vanity, Writing Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

What is the goal? Finish the latest book.

Is this the only goal? No, I wish to also replace the income of this overnight job.

What is the problem? Time.time

As it is right now, I’m working 72 hours/week at the jobs. With travel and required lunches, that totals about 85 hours a week. That leaves me 83 left. If I sleep 4 hours each day, that would take off another 28 hours, leaving me 55. Within those 55, I need to make sure the sweetie feels loved, get some chores done, and pretend I’m part of the human race. I do think, however, that at least one hour can be devoted to writing activity and at least 30 minutes to the maintenance of this blog.

Why am I writing this down, I’m basically writing out loud. I’d love to have some outside pressure to keep me on track. Feel free to call me to task in the comments.

So this morning (2:45AM), this blog is written. One task for day #1 done. Later, I’ll find my hour and get some work done towards the finishing of Book 2.

 

Post #355

There is no Fat Lady

mikemjensen goals, Writing Tags: , , , , 1 Comment

Hey Kids,

The goal was to post every day. I failed.

I admit the failure but refuse to call it defeat. I had lost the battle a week ago and changed the post label from “day” to “post”. But today I openly admit it. The thing to do is to start again. And so I have.

Work has me on the ropes right now. Between the day job and the overnight job, my 49-year-old body is showing signs of weakness. I’m tired and the main casualty has been my writing.

In addition to the problems with the writing of the blog, any real progress on the second Porter Rockwell has halted, as well as work on my other projects. I am very frustrated right now. My day job has become a no-win situation and the night job is insanely idiotic in its managerial approach. Neither of these things are new developments, but I have allowed them to derail my goals.

Like my daily blog posts, the trick is not to accept defeat. Instead, it’s time for a reboot. Pick up where I stopped and restart.super-hero

The Porter Book needs some heavy rewriting. I have learned from the past that surges and marathons are not the answer. Consistent, daily effort wins out every time. Like the blog, it takes time each day, and that time has to be dedicated or it doesn’t happen.

The other projects need consistent effort as well. Maybe not daily effort, but something of a weekly quota.

Post 336 is a reboot. I hope to make at least another 336 before I need another.

 

 

Post 336