Bringing Sexy Back...

I've taken a bit of a sabbatical this summer.

I'm sure that a great many of you readers who know that I'm a teacher would probably just quip "Well, you're a teacher; you get like three months off and do whatever you want to do." You would be right, if you were only talking about the weekends. Truth be told, this was perhaps my busiest working summer I've had since becoming a teacher.

But for all the working that did occur, I did take time to really to enjoy the family, traveling, and catching up on some movies.

I don't know where the blog's going to go this year. A couple of ideas are still rattling around the ol' noggin, but it is what it is.

I'll leave you with a pic of Lukers, in all his coolness. He starts his first day of school (4-K or preschool) tomorrow.

Damn I'm getting old...

Decisions, Part II

With the wheels in motion, Ash tucked the iPhone into her "nestling" pocket. It was a custom job sewn into the heavy terry robe, located several inches below her navel. She gave sexting a new meaning.

She couldn't help but smile as she thought about what would be when the flash of steel and flesh passed in front of her. Searing pain and the tell-tale coppery taste quickly replaced the guilt-ridden smile.

"What the hell's so damn funny?" Jake was Jake. He grew up poor white trash in a nuclear family of five with Daddy earning six figures. Jake was a bit of an anomaly: All the money in the world couldn't clean him up, nor would it ever teach him life. The money gave him a sense of entitlement where none belonged, and Jake simply took what he wanted.

"Nothing Jake..." It was amazing how fast she could reply in such an even tone. She'd never take this off of anyone else, much less an asshole like Jake. But he was her first. There was something special there. Or there was.

"I'm going out with the guys to Billy's bachelor party. I'll be back tomorrow for lunch. Pick up my dry cleaning tomorrow." He so slightly pinched her chin, turned her face to kiss her cheek, but as his lips approached her, her intoxicating smell enthralled him, and he pulled her up.

He grabbed an ass cheek firmly, pulled her close and dived into a mouthful of kiss. Ash struggled at first, then fell into that trance of automatic reciprocation. Right as she was drifting into bliss, he abruptly pulled away, smacked her ass and quipped, "Damn baby, you still hot! Sheee-it! I'll see you tomorrow. And don't forget my dry cleaning!"

Maybe it was his way of saying sorry. Jake was still a good kisser, Ash thought, but she was quite tired of his hands.

BzzzZZZzzzz!

Oh my, Ash silently quipped.

Decisions, Part I

The hot water caressed his body as Phin slowly finished lathering up.

The carnal thoughts filled his mind. What if. What might. What will. The soap slowly slid down his body, emptying into the drain below.

As he began to shampoo the hair, Phin felt the scratch upon his neck and remembered how it got there. A guilt ridden smile, one where you knew it was wrong but still did it, carved itself into the cavernous cheeks.

The water shut off and he immediately could hear the tell tale buzzing of a new message. Toweling off his hand, Phin tapped the screen to open the message.

Quid pro quo.

Always something for something. The smile left, leaving only the guilt. It would take another forty-eight hours to do everything she wanted. The bar of soap was, once again, looking quite inviting.

Time Marches On...

"Reloj no marques las horas..."

I can remember in the movie, Selena Quintanilla's character complaining to her dad, "But I don't want to sing in Spanish!"

While the movie doesn't really have anything to do with this post (it's an interesting flick and should be required viewing for any South Texas resident), the lyrics do.

Lately, it seems I can't find enough time to do all the things I want to do. Shall I make a list?

1. Family

2. Work (homework)

3. Guitar

4. PS3

5. Blogging

6. Reading

7. Sleeping

8. Showering

9. A full night's rest.

Call me old, but damn if there ain't enough time in the day to do all the things I want to do, and just not have enough time. Obviously there are things that must be done every night. But what about nights when I gotta add to the list washing dishes, or running some other errand? It just doesn't happen.

Maybe I'm feeling a bit of stress from the packet I received in the mail just the other day. It's that time of year again, and in the next two weeks, I have spent from eight to twelve hours grading packets that have to be back in the capitol on an exact timeline. I've been an ass the last few years and put it off until the last few days, but a-ha the miracle of Internet allows me to profess my intention of maintaining a disciplined schedule of scoring said packets.

I guess I shouldn't complain. I love doing things with my family. The fact that my list is even that long is almost embarassing when I think back to the incident of a few days ago.

Ever have problems managing your time? Feel free to share.

Shazam!

eBooks: Right or Wrong, Part III

So the recommendation has arrived...

But a brief word before I actually state it.

I've been reading various blogs, reviews, and up and coming tech stuff and it's overwhelming. At the recent CES, eReaders were basically the big thing and there were so many. It's kinda the hot novel tech item of the season and is still rising.

One blogger mentioned using a tablet for all it's features. This really caught my interest, as isn't that what the iPad is going towards, just sans the actual keyboard (which you have to pay extra to get?!!).

I wanted an eReader that was color (for my comics), played pretty much as many media forms as possible (text, literature, pictures, video, and music), and preferred touch screen. Damn, I wanted an iPad!

Or did I? My employer recently obtained new laptops for all the professionals and as such, were getting rid of the old laptops, Gateway M275's. Not exactly a bad ass machine, but for what I was looking for...

It has a stylus-operated touch screen, fold & swivel screen that converts it into a tablet, WiFi built in, and does...well...everything I wanted. It beat buying a watered down netbook. It beat a singular purposed eReader. The only shortfall? Battery. Sure, Steve Jobs mentioned that I'll eventually get to a power outlet to plug in, but 2.25 hours of batter life (that's without WiFi) is pretty slim, especially when your on vay-cay and not near a free outlet. Of course, not only did the Gateway beat the netbook and eReader in performance, but also in price. I dropped half a Franklin ($50 in layman's term) and even picked one up for my dear brother.

I've been reading the last few days, breaking in my library and building up my arms to read with a 5.5 lbs. book. Sure it's heavy, but I'm pretty sure my "tablet reader" will whip up on any netbook or eReader out there.

At least for now. I'll have gotten my money's worth in two years, then I can bug the wifey for a new toy...er, tool.

Shazam!

The Marathon is Halfway..

Call it a footrace if you will, but it's been fifteen days since I committed myself to writing for thirty days straight.

I have to say, today was a bit of a breaking point. So easily could I have stayed on the PS3 and mindlessly play MAG without a second thought.

But I didn't. I really wanted to keep this commitment.

Something like this isn't easy, it's like a marathon. You start off slow and keep up the pace. You drive on, even if the desire to slow down or quit hits you.

Thanks for sticking with me through this journey. I promise you, I've got some stories building up. Really. Along with that, I'm closing in on the next biggish topic.

Shazam!

eBooks: Right or Wrong, Part II

So, our discussion continues.

As you can tell by the the various iPad articles and statements, it has been received by a most varied audience. Love it or hate it, it's quite interesting and will nonetheless cause the market to slightly shift (maybe more, too early to tell) to include tablets, such as this pictured Joojoo.

But what about eBooks? Perhaps one of the most interesting comments I read was from Steve Jobs, saying:

[responds to query about issue of battery life] You know there isn't...You end up plugging it in, you end up docking it, or whatever your going to do with it. It's not a big deal; ten hours is a long time. You're not going to read for ten hours.

Now, in his defense, this was right after the presentation, and I'm sure that the interviewer got the CEO of Apple johnny on the spot with his questions. It wasn't an attack but a careful probe. But it's not like Steve Jobs needs my help.

While most interesting, none of this helps the quandary of whether or not eBooks have place. So let's do this quick.

eBooks do have a place. As of right now, 2010, it honestly goes to a privileged bunch. You know who I'm talking about. The six-figure income family with disposable income; the poseurs with disposable income; or the wanna-be de rigueur, who will put themselves in debt just to look the part. Sure, there are exceptions to rules and this is no exception; snazzy collegians, die-hard readers, and solvent retirees (or near) may quite well partake in the early adoptions of these eBooks.

Price and battery life are the primary issues; secondary to that is the formats that the device will encode/decipher. The iPad goes for $499 USD for the base model (16 GB with WiFi) while the addition of 3G hardware adds $150 USD; the price goes up for additional storage. The Amazon Kindle goes for $259 USD, and the Sony Reader starts at $199 USD and goes up from there.

My friend said that while these are nice, they will never replace a good old fashioned book. I happen to agree with him. Something that has worked for over a millennium obviously works, and does so well.

So, now that leaves us with the recommendation.

That's for next time.

Shazam!

Personal Saturday

I've been trying to avoid the whole talking about me and my life, but I think that just takes away from who I am and my history of writing.

As such, I present Personal Saturday. Think of it as almost a personal song about today, or even a week in review (but not always).

Either way, I hope you enjoy and keep coming back.

Eleven days comes so fast,

I feel like I'm writing it off, my ass.

Nearing the halfway mark,

The writing isn't quite as stark.

iPad came out earlier this week,

I dunno if it's what I seek.

I keep checking on netbooks galore,

But don't blame me, I'm a tech whore.

Dyl's game of hoops today

was tough one, you could say.

Triple teams and fouls that hack

we lost but 'cause we lacked.

My night will end the day

as company comes, Wii will play

Just Dance is the game we chose

Don't worry, we won't take off clothes.

The ice in my rum is nearing its end

So now I give this to you to send.

Thanks for reading, revisit on the morrow;

I only ask your attention to borrow.

Shazam!

Warm Running Down Your Leg...

I'm thinking it's not just a guy thing.

In the last six months or so, I've seen and read many a comments about going No. 1 in the shower.

Take your pick: Too lazy, it's funny, forgot to go. Whatever the reason, it's obviously something that a lot of folks out there are going ahead and doing.

Am I guilty? Well, taking the fact that you are reading this hear, I'll allow you to arrive at your own conclusion.

Having said that, here are a few admissions posted on one of my favorite blogs, Post Secret.

The shower scene is probably my favorite, but again, it's just a snap shot of life. So do you...you know...go No. 1 in the shower?

I really don't want to know.

PS - This video really is hilarious. Just funny. Watch. Then laugh. Thanks to K.A.D. for being my muse.

Shazam!

Not just Kris's fav book...

So I downloaded Airframe in ebook format to read at leisure on my PSP. The book is as good as I can remember it.

So what are we talking about here? Wasn't I going to discuss another football movie? Change of schedule...don't sweat it.

I really like Crichton. Really. I just don't like how he ended his books the first half of his career.

SPOILER: Crichton, in my humble opinion, likes to build and build and build, then drop you off with the ending. At least he used. Take Andromeda Strain. Read the first couple of chapters. The build up, the gradual increase of suspense and detail to intricacies, is what makes Crichton so appealing to me: details. That cliff that Wile E. Coyote drops off chasing the Road Runner is what happens towards the end of Andromeda Strain. Before your panties get twisted, know this: I still like Crichton, just not his endings. END SPOILER.

I'm rereading this novel, just because. I've gotten into ebooks lately (any of my Facebook friends might realize this) and love the convenience of it. I don't have much free time during the day and my PSP allows for any time reading convenience.

As this is my fourth or fifth reading, I've come across a few similarities in this and a few of Crichton's other novels. It's almost formulaic how their are certain characters, roles, that are fleshed out exactly and fit to serve a specific role. Doesn't take away from the story, but read a few of his novels four or five times and let me know if you come across the same thing.

Down and dirty, this novel is good stuff. Set in the mid 1990's, it tracks the effects of a seemingly innocuous decision gone bad. Really bad. Crichton sets up the scene nicely and the story really flows. One interesting feature of this novel is the seeming lack of techie terms. It's there, but perhaps not as stark and overcoming as say Timeline or Disclosure. Mayge I'm such a tech nerd that I get it automatically. Whichever, it's a great read; driving pace and leave you guessing who is who and how the outcome will be reached.

Best of all? The Coyote won't be waiting for you at the bottom of the cliff.

Shazam!

Unrequited, VI

He could feel himself floating, the road flowing beneath him.

Time seemed to stand still.

Birds paused mid-flight. Traffic stopped. Silence filled the realm.

Leila was saying something, but the view was too beautiful to be ruined with speech.

Declan remembered that last ride he and Moira took down this road.

They ate some Chinese that night, and Moira begged to take a ride. No helmet, she begged. I want to feel the wind in my hair, she purred. Declan didn't need a second opinion. The warm air embraced their bodies as they sped down the road, making bike weave through the various beaters and high end Beemers. The two bodies shifted together, a carnal waltz making the ride that much more fulfilling.

As per their usual cat-and-mouse game of lust, Moira liked to nibble on his ear as Declan went through the gears. She giggled when he would miss a shift, then would squeeze him closer almost apologetically.

The last thing he saw was gentle waters of the river.

Unrequited, V

The drive down 290 went quickly, blending into I-35 without much pause.

The song blared in his helmet, wailing guitars, and the vocals detailing all the troubled him now.

"...Soft lips are open, knuckles are pale..." as Declan shifted, hit the throttle, and the engine whined with anticipation.

Immediately, his phone began to ring. Damn, though Declan, she's gonna stop me.

"Yes?"

"Dec, what are you doing?"

"C'mon...you wanted to go for a ride, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but you're going like 85 right now! Slow down!"

"Sorry...you know what today is right?" And with that, he hung up on here on the song resumed.

"...Feels like you're dying...You're dying...You...Your sex is like fire..."

The marker would soon be within sight.

Unrequited, IV

The lo mein was good, but the moo shu was better. He drained the hot and sour soup from the styrofoam container, then found Leila staring at him.

"C'mon...Let's go for a ride. You need to get out for a bit and..."

"No, Leila, I can't. I just...", interrupted Declan.

"Just what? Sit here and rot? It's been a year, Dec. It wasn't anyone's fault. Everyone has moved on. Toshi, James, Juan...even Kim. You keep wanting to blame yourself, but..."

"But what?" retorted Declan. He stared at Leila. He didn't want to pick a fight, but sometimes it was just easier.

"Okay, let's go."

"What?" exclaimed Leila.

"Now, on the bikes" teased Declan. I hope this works, he quickly planned through his mind.

The whine of the Ducati beconed Leila, and the resulting burnout only hinted at the burn that was to come.

Unrequited, III

The whine of a Ducati is unmistakeable. Declan lived is a nice little neighborhood in South Austin, but what was perhaps the nicest was all the little curves and undulating hills here and there. He didn't condone reckless driving, but the course to his house from pretty much anything more than a quarter mile away was a thrilling drive.

The 696 shifted, increasing intensity. Leila was almost there, with the Chinese. His stomach growled in anticipation.

He sat next to the window, antipating Leila's route. If you looked to the west, you could see, through a patch in the limbs, the road that could lead you to Declan's house. He saw the blur of red flash through, followed by the slight pause of noise, then its eager return.

Declan's eyes were drawn to a photograph on his grandmother's antique shelf. In it, you could see Declan and Leila, wearing graduation gowns sitting astride matching red Ducati 696's. A present for our four years of hard work, Leila justified. Declan didn't need much justification; he remembered his Japanese classmates bragging about their brothers and sisters rides. The loud and gaudy paint jobs on the motorcycles always caught his eyes. Declan can always remember the day that Ren, Takumi's older brother, offered him a ride on his Suzuki Hayabusa. Money be damned, Declan didn't care that this dragon with two wheels was either stolen or paid with illicit money. The 500 horsepower beast catpured Declan into the realm of two-wheeled freedom.

Before he could realize it, Declan's typical stoicism had broken into the half-smile of old. The whine of the motorcycle faded into the whiteness of background noise, until it's abrupt absence startled Declan; Leila was here.

Unrequited, II

The flashing cursor blindly urged him to type something, but nothing was coming to Declan. At least, nothing that the recipient would understand.

He shook his head absently, picked up the iPhone and quickly responded to Leila:

Bring Chinese tonight. Lo Mein, not Chow. XXOO.

Any bystander would think that Declan was taking to his girlfriend, but Leila was a very lovely and faithful girl friend. You guys are...Pluto-nomic, is what Aunt Caitlin would say. Pretty much everyone got the gist.

As he hit send, Declan's finger brushed up against the scar along his thumb. He set the phone down and traced the scar, following it down to nearly his elbow. Declan lost count after the the cast came off how many times people queried about it. The running joke was a cat did this to him. It wasn't a lie; it was a bitter truth that Declan could not forget.

He could feel the wind whipping through his reddish locks, the arms wrapped around him, the warmth of another pressed upon his cheek, a whisper...

The keyboard suddenly leapt simultaneously along with the vintage wooden chair. It's antique hinges and springs creaked in protest, the seat swiveling round and round, no longer hindered by a seated person.

Unrequited

We accept the love we think we deserve.

Declan couldn't comprehend it for a moment. For much of his life, he had been alone. Declan's parents died in the infamous Trade Center attacks, when the second tower collapsed. He left New York to live with his next of kin in what seemed like a backwoods cesspool called Austin.

Now that he'd graduated, his plans weren't quite as clear. Declan forgot for the moment that things really were never that clear. The words remained constantly burned on the monitor as he finished up a few internet postings.

He felt the buzz in his pocket. Declan tugged out the iPhone and gave it a quick tap. Moira again, thought Declan. He loved her like a sister, because that's pretty much who she was. She lived on the ranch across the road from Uncle Finn and Aunt Caitlin. They'd taken many a rides on horseback on those late summer evenings. Declan even helped her father with hauling hay as it was. Moira was the first friendly face that he connected with, but that quickly evolved into something more.

Movie was good, dinner sucked. TTYL! I<3u

But for now, those words on the screen brought back the image of Leila. The vacuum once again clenched its iron fists around his heart.

Writer's Block

Anyone who's done any writing knows the feeling. That overused cliche when you're in high school and you are looking for that reason to sit around and not write? Well, here I am. Perhaps I've just got too much stimulus and can't focus on any one thing for longer than a few minutes,but that's just where it is.

So for being a loyal fan and still checking in, I present you with....

Random Facts!

1. Michael Jackson died. So did Farrah Fawcett. So did Billy Mays. So did someone's Grandma, Granpa, cousin, uncle, aunt, sister, etc. People die. It's tragic, but let's remember the context.
2. I took my son to the putting green yesterday and we even hit a few balls. First time since April. Nice without pressure.
3. Houston Astros is still my favorite MLB team. Regarless of thier current standing.
4. Steve and Bobby Forrest are nice guys.
5. Breakfast tacos with your brother and sister-in-law is so underrated.
6. Lunch with your sister and brother-in-law is also underrated.
7. Washing dishes is so overrated.
8. I don't have an excuse to go watch Transformer: Revenge of the Fallen yet...
9. Potty training is...well...potty training.
10. There will be fireworks at Sea World.

Hopefully, more in a day or two. Something a bit better...

Cheers.

By Any Means Necessary...

Malcom X had the right words, but perhaps he and I are seeing things differently.

I just got done reading an interesting article about a home run in softball called back for a truly heinous reason. Of course, anyone who reads Rick Reilly knows his tone and I really enjoy his articles. But I digress.

At what point do we does winning come at the cost of setting aside our values? When does being right mean more than doing right? Ahh, the confusions of life...

Why this and why now?, you may be asking. Reading the article and having a couple of things happen in a day can do strange things to a person. No, nothing that life altering mind you, but simply the opportunity to really reflect and think about the decisions that a person makes.

I doubt anyone truly enjoys being wrong, nor does anyone truly love the joys of losing. Sometimes that as mundane as an argument with your poker buddy. Sometimes its as large as altering the outcome of a major game. Whatever the seeming scope and breadth of the situation, either have both a correct and a right outcome, which may be the same or not. In the case of the called back homer, the Busch-League call was correct (to a certain extent, but read the article for that) but wrong.

So if you get into an argument like I did today, don't be a jerk about it. Sure, you may be right, but what are you going to win? Sometimes it's just better to accept the situation and shrug, smile, and say okay. Of course, my other mom Deby would just smile her smile and know that she was right.

So Malcom wasn't referring quite to the same as me, but let's imagine if everyone to this train of thought to being good people.

And Renee would simply say "I told you so."

Teacher's Summer: Day 13

Ah, the joys of summer. For all of you hard working folks that don't have summers off, I get to join you on certain days.

As I missed my usual Wednesday entry, I thought about what I did the last few days. See, I was not stuck, but attended this really cool workshop in San Antonio about teaching strategies for struggling readers (this works just as well for regular readers). Obviously I learned so much that I wanted to share, so here we go...

If I didn't scare you off, thanks for staying. The point is that even though most teachers have the summer off, we still have work to do. Obviously this is done in a different capacity. I'll be attending almost two weeks' worth of training through the summer (three down!). I'll be working on various lesson plans, trying to incorporate the trainings and what I've learned.

And I'll be enjoying my summer as best as possible. What else have I done?

I've been playing guitar. Those of you long time readers (yeah Kris and Nelson!) know that I've been playing close to eight months now, and barre chords are coming along nicely. Starting to incorporate more picking (really depending on tablature right now) into the whole chord work. Dylan's bass playing is really coming along. He jests about giving lessons to some neighborhood kids, but he's just teaching them some basic stuff. Dyl does know how to play along to four or five songs, all the while singing. Life is a musical wonderland!

That's about it. I've started my short story and with it, I've kept my focus and written my minimal most days (I am on pace as I wrote more on certain days, but sometimes I'm away from the computer). Hopefully, I can get some valuable feedback from a few folks next month (Kris and Ice Pick, I'm thinking about you guys...).

That's about it for now. Want to say something? Go ahead, I'm too tired to complain. I still got to work out and I am going to watch this movie, The Shooter. Hopefully it's pretty decent.

Final Quote: "Ain't no cure for the summertime blues." - Eddie Cochran

Writing Quickie

Here's an idea. If you continue to read this, then you are *cough* obligated *cough* to complete the exercise.

This weekend, after talking to my buddy Kris about a few things, I figured maybe we could get something a bit more interactive. Finish the sentence. However, whichever. Finish it.

EDIT: If you get a chance, vote on the poll. As always, comments are welcome.

While I was hoping to win the $20 million dollars, I only won $1,000; I now plan to _______ .

Final Quote: "If you want to feel rich, just count the things you have that money can't buy." - Proverb