The three images here are the end of my previous courses. They are the sensuality of life.

Greetings: An update on the previous month: March was not the greatest month of the year, but we are not even halfway through the year, so we do not know what the future brings. There were upheavals at work, and life has become mundane. So much energy is spent on work, even when I am not there, that I have no time for myself, or anything else, for that matter.

Trapped within an ancient Talisman, the blood of the forgotten tribes waits to be released. Before the United States was even a thought, two brothers fought against each other to wield its power. Now, the Talisman has been discovered, and the war between brothers continues in modern times.

Never enough time.

One of the most significant issues that I am having right now is time. There does not seem to be enough of it, and even when extra time is available, I tend to squander it. I feel dragged down all the time and it is making things very difficult. I know this is being caused by work, but right now, I can do nothing about it. I keep hoping that tomorrow will be a better day, but it does not tend to happen. My horticulture is not doing well; aside from creating the covers for my books, my creativity is not taking off, and I think that I am in a rut. I need to back off and relax, but I don't remember how.

Brian is the most intelligent computer ever created by man. Brian has solved many problems that plague the world today. Brian was just told to solve all the problems in the world. Brian has unlimited resources and the ability to act. Mankind is on the endangered species list, thanks to Brian.

Hey, Loverboy!

Look at the title of this paragraph, and you might ask yourself if I have suddenly gone gay and I am beckoning to my male lover. But that is not the case. I am just stepping back in time to the 1980s and the song Everybody's Working for the Weekend. Who sang that song? Why, Loverboy of course. I used to date a girl in high school who was absolutely in love with that band. She was very upset when I would not take her to see them. They just were not my thing. I have always been more of a Led Zeppelin for Pink Floyd type of person. But that's why they make both vanilla and chocolate ice cream. Strawberry, that is for you freaks. And let's not even discuss mint chocolate chip. Which, by the way, is my favorite.

Now, how did I go so far off track today? I think it might be because my brain is going in 50 different directions. Thankfully, it's not taking little bits of my body with it because that could be messy. There I go again, off on a tangent. Oh, look! A squirrel. I would say that this is not working out too well today. If you have not figured it out, every entry that I do is delayed by a single day. So, the information for today is actually being entered on Friday. This is where we came up with the title because even though it is Thursday, my mindset is already on Friday, and I am working for the weekend. See the way my brain clicks? If you understand it, you are a better person than me. But I seem to be going down that slippery slope again and rambling without end.

Today was a little better than the rest of the week. I was up nice and early, and I was able to get quite a few things done before I had to go to work. I even finished up the rest of the artwork through the weekend. Unfortunately, it is becoming a chore instead of a joy. When I finish my book and story covers, I'm going to give art a break for a while. At least the digital art stuff. It takes up a significant amount of the week, usually to the tune of more than five hours on the weekend at least, as well as a little time each day to finish up each project. So, I am going to toss the digital art to the side for a while and maybe touch it only once a month. I am going to move on possibly to sculpting for oil painting. I do have some stuff on my list for jewelry making. This weekend, I'm going to work on the garage some more and see if I can get an actual work area set up. I like my cubbyhole in the bedroom, but it is not suitable for production. I believe I'm going to allow that to remain in my studio and try and move my creative talents into the garage. That may become a problem with the summer heat, but I will deal with that when it comes. Oh, look, a project.

Twins against the bullies - a story as old as time.

Finally

It feels as if this week has taken a month to pass. Except for watering my garden, which failed miserably, I have had little time for personal development or action. Getting the blog done and keeping up with emails has been a struggle. Work is so taxing that I don't want to do anything in the morning as I prepare for the day, and I don't want to do anything when I get home because I am so tired. There has to be change.

Creatures of fantasy and horror take over the world. Inside one Florida bunker, toes working in a call center are unaware because the system and building went on lockdown.

The Pendulum Swings

The pendulum I am talking about is the mood swings. I was going back and forth between the extremes all day. I don't know exactly what was triggering them, but they were very annoying. It pulled away all of my motivation for the day, and that did not help with my moods. I have a very large list of things I want done and absolutely no will to do them. So today is going to be a bump on the log day, and I will have to deal with it.

In their search for power and glory, 3 college students embark on a journey to call the old gods. But whoever said that the gods were helpful?

I just can't this week.

I cannot get motivated this week, and that is how the week will end. Aside from cooking sushi, I did very little today. I worked on my writing, tightened up the book artwork, emptied out the fryer, and cleaned it. Aside from that, I sat on my rear end all day. I tried to get the webcast done, but it still does not look like I will be able to get it done with the equipment I have. I spent three hours trying to tweak it to make it tolerable. After that, I gave up in frustration. The greenhouse is a flop because nothing will grow. Laura suggested that it could be the seeds, so on the next payday, I may go down to Stuart brothers and buy some plants and see how they do. Other than that, I took care of a few Wasps nests and did nothing. I am dreading the week ahead and I just do not have any motivation. I really want to get the garage cleaned up and set it up to do projects and such, but I could not bring myself to do it. Maybe next week.

There are two images today. The first one of the Ladies in the Mountains is an artificial intelligence generation by Adobe Photoshop, and its companion program Firefly. I thought it was very interesting. I don't know what is up with all this artificial intelligence; some of it is awesome, and some of it is dangerous. I have friends who are writing books using this type of technology, and they are horrible. The second image is for the novel Cat God.

No time, yet again.

I was able to get a pin motion at a decent time this morning, but that did not help with my lap of forward drive. I could not get into the swing of the day. The same thing happened over the weekend, and it led to me sitting like a bump on a log. A similar thing happened today because when I hit work, I just stared straight ahead and concentrated on what I was doing. I did not feel like interacting or even dealing with those around me. When I got home, it was much the same, and I made my dinner and disappeared into the garage. I am becoming a little bit of an isolationist, and I'm not sure if that is good or not.

When Samuel wanders the woods and stumbles into an old-style Tavern, he should have been more careful about who he offered his time to. She is only a woman part of the time.

Bring it on, ya moody!

I do not know if it is environmental, work-related, or just the change of life as I get older and head toward my silver years. I am Moody as hell, and I feel as if I ride the pendulum swinging to the extremes of existence. The mood swings are getting more challenging to handle as they are happening more quickly. I remember when I was younger, I used to have this problem, but there was a significant amount of anger and violence involved. I would never go back to that, but the feeling is similar. If this is what it is like to cross the mountain's peak and start down the other side, I'm not sure how I will adjust to it. It appears that I only have the drive when I cannot do anything at all about it. As soon as I have free time and the ability to do anything, I no longer have to drive. That is annoying as hell. I will wake up in the morning with thoughts of what I want to do for the day in my head, and as soon as my feet hit the ground, those thoughts scatter. It is very frustrating.

Several friends recall encounters at a specific house, but each one remembers it differently, even though they were all together.

Finally resting

There is not a whole hell of a lot to say about today other than work with better than usual, so it left my mind free to relax a little. I don't know if this is a trend or if it is something that is just going to happen once in a while. But I will cross my fingers. In the morning, I was up early enough to work through my early routine, and I was not so exhausted when I got home that I could not go and kill zombies. As I was getting ready for bed, my friend Hollie asked for some help with a school project, and I took 15 minutes to do that. Then it was off to bed. What a boring life.

What would it be like to live in a world that is in constant change. Not a slow gradual change, but a constant change from one moment to the next.

Driving forward.

It is by will alone that I am moving forward at this point. The weekdays are getting monotonous and it is only the weekends that bring any comfort. The five days during the week are tedious and they have a cumulative effect as the week goes on. Each day of the week, I get more and more tired. And then I have to use the weekend to recover so there is no real rest. What does the future hold? I guess only time will tell.

Found hiding at the scene of a horrendous massacre, Christina showed no signs of anything being wrong. She was shy and quiet and continued as if nothing had happened. There was something wrong with Christina.

Drudging

I slept in very late this morning and did not have time to do my entire morning routine, and even when I got home I was too tired to do anything other than eat dinner and kill a few zombies. I did get another new high score, but I am getting bored. Tomorrow we move into the weekend, and I have a feeling that for the first day, I'm going to sit on my butt, and then, with a little bit of luck, I will knock things out of the park on Sunday. Time will tell.

They wandered into an off-the-pathway bar, looking for a little action. Perhaps they should have taken the name of the bar literally.

A day of rest

Even though it is the weekend, I had no energy or drive today. I sat around like a bump on a log and did nothing. I managed to clean out the garage, which has been on my list for a very long time, but other than that I sat and stared. When I say that I did not get anything done, I mean anything of substance that required movement. I watched my show well. I created the artwork for the rest of the novels and stories, which took the better part of the day. But I did not take care of the gardening, the yard, or anything else. With a little bit of luck, tomorrow will be a bit more productive. But even if it's not, it will be fine.

Exploration into genetic memory and science run amok.

I can't get into motion.

This was my second day off, and I expected to come out of the gate running, but that did not happen. Every step today was a fight. I took care of the black widows around the house and finished cleaning the garage and setting up a workspace. I started to work on the cubby, but I did not get very far; that will be the next project. I have to get myself comfortable up there. I exited the yard and mowed, which was a significant feat. But I did not get under the cart because I did not want to move it. I think I am going to put that up for sale. I still have to get the materials for the deck, but I can do that in the Jeep. Since I'm not getting them all at once, it should not be that big of a deal.

I worked on the artwork for the stories and books for about five hours, and I think that I am done. I did them very quickly, and I will have to check them each day to make sure that they are correct, but it is a start. I've taken a sabbatical from my writing for two weeks starting on the 1st of the month, and that will be over tomorrow. I hoped to get my head together, but that did not happen.

The rest of the day was spent staring off into space. I could not get into motion. Part of it was a horrific headache that kept dancing in and out of my brain, but that was not all of it. I have been in a walking mood swing since Friday, and it's stuck with me through the weekend. I have no idea what is causing it or how to fight against it, so I just forge onward.

For 20 years of my life, I was a gear jammer. I rolled along the American roadways, moving different things from place to place. I had some adventures, heartbreak, and amazing experiences, and I learned a lot about the world. But I also learned how to live on the road. I share my experiences and my knowledge for the next generation.

One day down.

Today felt more like drudging than any other day in a long time. Currently, I cannot separate work from home. I had worked on my mind before I started my day, and it stayed with me until I went to bed. I'm going to have to do something about that. I got up later than I wanted to, but I had enough time to do my morning routine but little else. I came home to Little Caesars pizza and some random game on the virtual reality. I got to try a new trial for Racket NX, which was pretty cool. Maybe one of these times, if we have money, I will get it for myself. But there are a lot of other things ahead of that. Besides that, I did some random environmental stuff and did a little bowling. Tomorrow is another day, and hopefully, it will be good.

Since mankind first looked to the sky, there has been a secret. A civilization, highly advanced, living on the dark side of the moon. They have known of our existence for a long time and are now they are coming to say hello.

Preparation Day

I faced a typical weekday, with a little extra time in the morning and a little extra time in the evening. Even though work was stressful and hectic, as usual, I was able to brush it off. The day's most significant action was preparation for returning to work on my books and novels tomorrow. I ensured that my writing tools were installed and operational and I gathered my materials in one place. Of course, I'm going right back to work on Awakening, And we will see where that novel goes. I have had time to reflect over the past couple of weeks, and I understand some of the story's weak spots, and I am going to rewrite those. My wife has always said it takes two artists to create a masterpiece. One to do the actual painting and the 2nd to tell them when they are done. I am going to have to find a proofreader. Because I believe that I may be judging myself too harshly, but that is a problem for later. For now, I am looking forward to getting back to work tomorrow. Of course, I have to add to the stress that I am going to be doing my interview for fleet manager tomorrow, but ironically, I am not nervous about that.

Seeking out the first vampire may not be the most intelligent of quests. However, when you discover that vampire's origin, the world can change.

Not great, but not terrible.

I dressed out for work today in my black suit and looked pretty good in it. I had my interview, which went as expected, but other than that, it was an extremely mundane day. It was very hectic, and time passed quickly, but there was nothing to sway the day one way or another. I went home to leftover pizza and an early bedtime.

I briefly considered running for president of the United States. This book is a real-life look at the problems of the United States with an answer to every one of them. The only problem is that the world is not ready to answer these questions. It is nonpolitical and based on reality, humor, and a direct look at the problems. Even the introduction is filled with snark.

Very Tired

I feel as if I am pushing a boulder up a hill. I am exhausted, working extremely long hours, and hoping for a resolution soon. One of the only problems is that you must first identify the problem to find a resolution, and I'm not sure I have done that yet. I am quickly building my hobbies, and they are helping me quite a bit. But I still feel like I may be sliding back down that hill.

All over the world, people are breaking out into song and dance, which seems to be choreographed. These events are getting larger and larger, and nobody remembers them after the fact. What is causing them? But more importantly, what are they distracting us from?

The Wall

I believe that I am finally up against the wall. I got to work two hours early this morning, then took a 2-hour lunch to the doctor. There were no real surprises, and a few lifestyle changes had to take place, but nothing that I did not expect. But I am running wholly exhausted today, and when I hit the house in the evening, I could not work on my writing. That means I have to play catch-up tomorrow. But there is another week behind me and another week ahead of me.

Scientists see it coming years in advance. It is a psychological thriller as the world prepares to meet the visitors from a distant Galaxy as they bear down on the earth. The massive structure and extensive gun ports bring about debate and argument. Will they be our friends? Are they here to conquer? Or will they pass us by? A look into the depth of the human condition.

Breathe!

The weekend has been great, and I did not sit on my rear end all day today. I was up early after having a cat experience and a good round of meditation before I even got out of bed. I hit the ground running, got my work lights assembled, and just went on from there. I finally have my upstairs cubbyhole set up and can do my webcast tomorrow. I did a few things around the house. I finished another project reviewing my movies and series and ensuring everything was appropriately labeled and in the right place. I ended the day by prepping a canvas for an attempt at an oil painting, which I will do next weekend once I have verified that I have everything I need. I was not feeling well, but it was still a decent day. I worked on my novel and the garage and began a new exercise routine.

When a mentally disturbed child wanders away from home and encounters a crashed alien vessel, the world takes an abrupt change. In what would later be called the Roswell incident, the course of humanity takes a change, but is it for the better or the worse? More importantly, is it by accident or by design?

Nope

I came out of the gate doing well first thing in the morning, but that quickly went downhill. I had a perfect morning, but as the afternoon came around, I lost all drive and became very Moody. I had a long list of things I wanted to complete, and I finished none. I sat down and worked on my writing and nothing else. Even while doing it, I knew I would face regret, but that did not matter. Tomorrow is another day.

Planet Earth is so fragile. One small earthquake opens up a passage between the upper world and what lies below. But now, those creatures, hidden for centuries, know of the upper world. They wanted for themselves.

Bad start

We're back into the work week, and that means that there is not a lot of personal stuff to get done. I was up early enough to do my morning routine and some writing. But other than that, it was just a work day and a bad one at that. When I got home, I did not even want to watch my show, so I ate dinner and stared at YouTube. Something's going to give, and I'm not sure what it is.

The device is found floating in space by a space shuttle mission. When scientists discover that it is the same mode of transportation, they are excited until they find out it only goes to a single location. And that location looks out upon the void of darkness in space. There are no stars, no planets, just endless darkness. That revelation could drive some men mad. And it does.

Just keep swimming

I have no energy and no drive. I was up in plenty of time in the morning, but everything was routine, and even dressing out in one of my better suits did not help my mood. By the time I got home and ate my Baconator, lovingly supplied by the wife and daughter, I was ready for bed. I am extremely tired, and I do not think that is going to change anytime soon.

The world around us is always changing. Some of those changes are big, and some are small. Once in a while, a change can happen in the past that affects the future. These changes bleed through the reality of our consciousness, and we will remember something that did not happen. This is called the Mandela effect. Until recently, there were only small indications of this phenomenon. But in 2024, the effect became more pronounced, and it is time to seek out the cause.

Float

Everything floats down here is a quote from Stephen King. I've never considered why that quotation from a horror author has such an impact on me. Today, I figured it out. As long as I am rising up and fighting against the machine, I feel I have worth. By contrast, if I am taking a beating and cowering against the wall covering my head, I am actively protecting myself and preparing for my counterstrike. I am still active in my own life. But when you float. That is something completely different. It is a form of surrender. You are not protecting yourself, and you are not active within yourself. You are just drifting wherever the tides will take you. And people wonder why Stephen King is called the master of horror.

They have come as friends and brought with them every answer this planet needs. They will do away with hunger, war, sickness, and everything else plagues the planet. But at what price?

Keep swimming

Exhaustion is a terrible thing. Right now, I just feel like I am treading water, but I have to keep trying to swim. The weekend is almost here, and I cannot wait, even if it is going to be a long weekend with no significant plans. Rowan got everything that he needed together for his movement to Japan, and Willow got to do her first Dungeons and Dragons campaign. The world is changing. I am not sure that I am ready.

The origin of the human race has been heavily debated for as long as we can remember. A desert reclamation project brings about the answer to that origin, but our intrusion into that answer sends a signal that brings about the originators. We may not be ready for those answers.

Under the weather.

I continue to feel under the weather, and my primary focus for the day was work. I was up late and tired when I got home in the evening. So, once again, my personal life has taken a back seat to my professional life. This is becoming a habit.

Mystery upon mystery as one young lady backtracks projects that should never have existed within the United States government. But the final project that she discovers could change the world.

Pushing through.

The wife dragged me out of my comfort zone today. I went through my closet and removed many of the clothes I no longer wear, and then we went shopping. I love to hit the second-hand stores and rifle through the fun things. But I was not looking for jeans and T-shirts. I was looking for obscurity. I wear basic black, which is about it, but that is not the case anymore because I have red pants and clown pants, multi-colored shirts, a nice set of spats, and two pairs of boots - one with a three-inch heel and one with a four-inch heel. Granted, I believe they are women's boots, but since I am male, they become men's boots when I put them on. It made for an exciting morning. We stopped by to get my protein for the week so I could cook it tomorrow. By the time we got home, everybody was tired, so that was the end of the day.

An accidental discovery of an ancient Pyramid under the Nevada desert marks the beginning of the return of the old gods.

Not a great day.

I had such high hopes for today, but that did not work out. I woke up with multiple cramps in my lower body, easily described as multiple Charlie horses, and that's it the tone for the day. I got into motion and as soon as the sun was up, I was out mowing the yard. That was probably not the best mood when you consider the cramps in my legs. After I got that done, I could get very little else done because I had to stand in a single position and continue to stretch my muscles. That continued through the rest of the day because any time that I would relax, a muscle would spasm. It did not make for an enjoyable day. I did, however, discover that doing my nails helped with my mood. It was an unusual form of meditation. Of course, now, my nails are purple. But there is nothing wrong with that. I'm a make that a usual Saturday morning ritual. Yes, I know that it is Sunday, but it might be an excellent way to start the weekend. We shall see. Anyway, I spent the entire day pretty much standing in one place and stretching. I moved everything I wanted to get done today to next week.

No one ever noticed the lighthouse. It stands there in full view, but the eye slips across it. When someone stumbles in to the lighthouse and activates the beacon, it becomes evident why this icon was hidden from the world. The ships that are led to safe haven, bring some interesting visitors.

A bit different.

I carry myself a little differently today. I am usually dressed in Gray or black so that I can fade into the distance and be unseen. But not today. My British hat, a purple shirt, a red jeans, green and brown spats, and my fingernails painted purple. It was quite shocking to those around me. But I have gone completely off my nut because I missed the days when gentlemen would dress out. When women would carry parasols and dress in layers. Don't get me wrong, I do not want a male dominated world, because male domination is part of the problem. But once in a while, we can dress to impress instead of just grabbing whatever is in the closet or the drawer and tossing it on. We can carry ourselves with pride and dignity. And if you can't do that, go for shock value. Give the world something to talk about that has nothing to do with politics or war. The biggest conversation today was that people liked the color of my nail Polish and that it brought out my eyes. A surprising revelation, but accepted nonetheless.

It is just an old building, but the elevator looks brand new. The black buttons take the rider two fantastic and interesting dimensions. But once you go down, can you ever come back?

Stress Management.

It is another day of waking up, going to work, coming home, and sleeping. The stressors of the day are pushing the edges of my limits. It is becoming harder and harder to manage these stressors. For now, I have a reign on them, but I am not sure how long that will last. We shall see.

She has lived on the streets for longer than she can remember. She has been used and abused and is far from innocent. One day, that abuse goes too far, and she knows that it is the end. She wakes up in a strange place, surrounded by unusual people and items. Now, she is one of the chosen ones, and her new life can begin.

Almost...

The weekend is almost here, and it cannot come quickly enough. Each day this week has been more stressful than the day before, and today was no exception. The one good thing about that is that time passes more quickly. That is always helpful.

I pushed through the day to get to the end of the drama, and I have uploaded my final story idea, as you can see above, and that concludes my writing project to get all my ideas into the world. Each of the stories that you see above on different days is a work in progress. Some are near the journey's beginning, and some are near the end. Each of these that are listed this month is novel length. I did not include the short stories; I did that purposefully. I will put up individually as time allows. However, those will go up in full, not just a description.

One more day...

I had to walk out of the office three times today to calm down before I said something stupid. I was at work an hour early and had to stay an hour late. In addition, I worked through lunch. This is becoming an everyday thing, and it isn't enjoyable. But just one more day and the weekend is here. With a little bit of luck, I will have the motivation to get some serious things done. I have a pretty good list of things I want to complete, and I hope to do them.

Into the weekend...

This was more of the same. I was at work an hour early, and I left two hours late. As I am sure you will recognize, this left no time for personal pursuits. I hope this will pay off somewhere down the line, but I do not know.