The Writer's Poke

Guilleabeau is a world traveler who has been to every country in the world. He's also a pretty good writer, and this, his third book, is his best to date. I think a lot of people are happy to live routine lives; maybe some in that category would still be inspired if they read this book. I'm sure many people happy with their routines would not be inspired, because hey... thinking that you can have a non-routine life, if you really wanted it, is kind of threatening to some people. Anyway, Guilleabeau is quite clear: If you want to go on a "quest" in your life, the only limitation to what you can accomplish if your own imagination. Some people just aren't that imaginative. Their loss. If you are the imaginative type, and if you're willing to make sacrifices to live your dreams, read this book. It will help you focus/refocus on what you need to be doing with your life. http://www.amazon.com/The-Happiness-Pursuit-Finding-Purpose/dp/0385348843/ref...

Sometimes the past smarts. We pledge to “never forget,” But what have we learned?

Afternoon sleep mode – Recharging for night warfare, a blessed way to live.

The large lady slurped Coke, ate chips, filled out puzzles -- Her heart beats, for now.

Is it at all possible to have a meaningful, purpose-driven, organized life? I've been working on that for years, and I'm not sure I'm any closer to the goal. I suppose life is just about trying to move forward, but I'm no longer sure that "moving forward" and "progressing" are the same things. Ever feel like you're moving forward only to find out you're on a treadmill?

Squirrels recognize Fall. Running here and there, searching for nutty goodness.

Twenty years ago, I had a roommate named Larry. Larry was a full-blown southern-Illinois cowboy. He wore the cowboy hat around the Eastern Illinois University campus, and he knew hundreds of different line dances. I was into Megadeth and KISS at the time, but it was the era of grunge, and metal seemed like it was dying, if not already six feet under. So, thanks in part to Larry, and in part to Kurt Cobain, I decided I'd give Country a shot. Country didn't stick me for long, but I did manage to give it a fair shot -- at least a few months. I even joined Larry and the girls of 8J at a honkytonk in Champaign, Illinois, before finally admitting that Country was not the uniform for me. In a certain sense, music is a sort of uniform, and it's easy to define yourself (or to allow yourself to be defined) by the type of music you listen to. Even today, I'm sure people label me as a "Hair Metal guy," although I'm not really sure what that label means in 20...