Today Is Merely Halloween . .

But tomorrow Is NaNoWriMo Day!

While busily writing my non-edited novel during the entire month of November, I do not intend to abandon this blog completely, but entries will be short, perhaps no more than a statement of how many words I've written the day before, or perhaps occasionally an excerpt copied from the work in progress (WIP) and pasted into the blog.

You have been warned.

. . .

Making up one's mind is the ability to select a single course of action from the jumble of contradictory perceived possibilities erupting and tumbling all around within the brain and then convincing one's self that this choice is the best of the lot.

Yes, I originated the preceding sentence.

And I (somewhat shakily) stand by it.

Signed:
Gene Chambers

. . .

The NaNoWriMo team sent me an image of their logo.

What am I supposed to do with it?

. . .

Mind Altering Drugs

My few experiments (twice) with drugs (marijuana only) way back in the 1070s produced forgetfulness, a runny nose, and salt & sugar cravings, plus a solemn promise to myself that there would be no more such lapses of judgment. Thirty years later, I have kept that vow. So far.

A friend (we'll call him Bob) who persuaded me to take my initial try at smoking marijuana was at first perplexed that I exhibited no outwardly apparent effects. But then he said that it was because I was probably always high, meaning that my normal level of awareness was higher in its ambient happiness than the level of most normal people. And I think he might have been right about that.

. . .

Prediction

The media, the TV and the Published Word (printed magazines and newspapers) as well as the Internet blogs are already preparing the viewers and readers for the next big scare -- the tenth anniversary of Nine-Eleven, which is one year away, September 11, 2011. Throughout the days of the next year there are sure to be the most lurid and frightening speculations depicting upcoming tragic horrors set to occur on that most momentous date in American history.

What's worse, all the speculative hype could very well instill in the minds of the many radical nuts a slew of nefarious ideas as how to concoct a workable plot and then to create just such a terrible occurrence in emulation of the destruction of the World Trade towers.

. . .

A long-time friend (and fellow Amateur Radio Operator) sent me a photo of his simple, compact, but extremely effective Ham station.

Radio Station N9BLK

To which I respond,
FB OM 73

(That's the Morse Code equivalent of . . .
"Fine Business, Old Man, Best Regards.")

. . .

Words For The Day

Misogyny is hatred (or contempt) of women or girls. Misogyny comes from Greek misogunia from misos (hatred) and -gyne (woman). It is parallel to misandry -- the hatred of men or boys.

Misogamy is hatred of marriage. From Greek miso- (hate) + -gamy (marriage).

Those two words are confusingly similar in sound but have a tremendous difference in meaning.

__________

Writers who don’t know words are like doctors who don’t know anatomy.
--James Alan Gardner