So I’m back it seems, though I’m not quite sure where I’ve been.   Mostly writing resumes, applying for jobs, interviewing, and trying to keep up with my current job at work.  Dealing with appliance issues around the house (heating unit, dishwasher, water heater all needed work or replacement in the past two months) has taken up a bit of time, though my wife usually has to deal with the repairmen more than I.  Friends have asked why I’m not writing, relatives have commented as well, so I’m back, shamed into the writer’s seat.  Keep reminding me, it seems to work.

My retirement ceremony is set for 28 April, preparations are underway.  It is an interesting verbal dance I have each week with my deputy.  “I don’t need a ceremony,” I say.  “It’s not for you anyway,” he says.  “Can’t we just…?” I try.  “No,” he asserts firmly.

I’d be happy with a handshake and an escort to the door.  Everyone around me insists that my wife and kids deserve closure, that friends will want to see me formally retire, that seniors and colleagues will want to say goodbye.  Okay, whatever…I will soldier on.  My real concern is that I think I will cry when I try to say goodbye to the Army publicly.  No that’s wrong.  I know I will cry.   I’m happy to be moving on to a new phase in my life, but twenty-eight years of Army gets in your blood.   I’m not sure how to face the changeover without expressing emotion.    I may even have to plan in advance what I’m going to say, something I NEVER do.   Whatever it takes I guess.
I ‘ll tell you how it goes.

I’m doing what I promised myself. I’m writing more. I have a lot of past experiences to put down in writing, a lot of current thoughts to share, a lot of future plans to explore. I’m still very excited and somewhat daunted about how much I have to write about. The problem is not knowing what I want to write, but deciding what I want to write next. I don’t really want to write travel memories every night (though there are scores of them, maybe hundreds), and I don’t want to delve into gaming worlds so deeply that my other “normal” friends are afraid to talk to me in public.

Talking to my techno-pal Jeffrey tonight about things we might be able to do to improve the readability of the Blog, apart form teaching me how to punctuate, I admitted that I’m not certain what I want to write about today. I mentioned that I thought it was probably okay if I didn’t write every night, though that would kind of defeat the purpose of a New Year’s resolution. The less than helpful Jeffrey said “Well, it would be kind of hard to keep up with the pace you’ve been going.” That is definitely NOT what friends are for!

“No Jervis,” I said, coaching Jeffrey in what he should have said, “it’s easy to do, anyone can do it. Get back to work.” That sort of thing. Such a simple thing to do, right? So he made the attempt. “How about…uh…GET TO WORK! We’ve got deadlines here! I’ve got a morning edition to get out in only hours, and I’VE GOT NO PHOTOS OF SPIDERMAN! Oh wait, wrong publication.”

But it’s NOT the wrong publication. That’s what I need to get me writing. A writing drill instructor. A personal trainer for blogging. That and an occasional comment or question or visitor rant and I’m all set.

Meanwhile, my discussion with Jeffrey led me to some discoveries that apparently everyone but me already knows. I asked if blaaaahhg was what you had when you didn’t feel like writing. The resident Technorati informed me that a blaaaaahhg is written by someone without anything worth saying. (oops, hope this doesn’t qualify). When you don’t feel like writing or have writer’s block, it’s called a webslog or slog or a bslog (with a silent b). I guess if you tell a tall tale that would be a BSlog.

Meanwhile, I guess I need to sit down and make a long list of all the things I want to write about and then just get to it. Requests anyone?

It’s gone now Matieu, thrown in the trash. You’ll never get to see rain gutters on the gingerbread birdhouse…but just so you can remember it…

As soon as the weather warms up I’ll get back to work on this.  Have to finish this year.  :-)  This is a photo looking across the dangling chain bridge, that will go from one fairy tower to the crooked tower…

The next photo looks across the bridge, into the woods at the unfinished playset.  The left tower roof is complete…the leaf deck is in foreground.

Cian posted YATS earlier (yet another time sink), I’m fairly certain that with almost no effort whatsoever we can populate an entire dictionary with similar acronyms and phrases to describe our lives. Anyone up to the challenge?

Setting up blogs apparently.   I finally decided I wanted to go off and start a Blog of my own, get a little writing practice, put a few meandering thoughts into print.  So I went online and found a free (not-to-be-named) host and spent a few hours using their free software.   I was happy enough with my pitiful attempt at setting up a Blog…until I told my friend the Rocket Scientist.

Now some people, when you say, “I set up a blog last night!” will say, “a what?”  Others will look you in the eye and say, “where on earth will you find the time for that?”  But my friend the Rocket Scientist (no really, he is) and his lovely wife decided that I needed a “Better Blog” using “Better Software.”  So, voila!  He spent much of his afternoon, building me a Blog site (this one in case you haven’t figured it out), so that I could put my thoughts into writing.  Now I suppose, I better get to it, and make myself worthy of his time and effort.  More misadventures Your Grace!!