Netflix, Nerds and Need

The word of the week is momentum.

April 29 - Silent Poems

A little over three months ago, I stopped writing haiku.

Nobody really noticed or said anything, which was fine really, as I'd been writing them mainly for myself for a year to see if I could create a new one every single day. Which I did: mission accomplished.

I gained a lot of experience in the form and really enjoyed what I came up with on a daily basis. I wasn't trying to set a record or anything, as there are many acknowledged masters of haiku and I'm not one of them. While that irks me ever so slightly, I realize that it's one of those art forms where one can spend a lifetime attempting to master it and never know if you've succeeded or not.

Something's off with this haiku...

For me, being able to express myself within some set limits meant I had to work harder at eliminating excess from my words as they flowed onto the screen. Did I mention I write exclusively on the computer? I find writing by hand to be far too slow when trying to get my creativity going and to have the flow etch itself onto the screen as fast as I can speak is very liberating.

As for the haiku, they're still there inside me somewhere and they'll be out again someday, I'm sure.

April 30 - Stalled

So far, neither of my two business projects have gotten very far. In both cases, I simply haven't been able to dedicate the time or energy to fleshing them out.

For my Internet business, I've run into a lack of experience which is translated into a lack of direction as to where to take my project next. I still think it's a great idea, but its execution has been plaguing me and I now have to reach out to a few folks to find out what I can do to simplify and streamline what I have to maximize my presentation. In other words, I need to make my business idea look professional and appeal to the clients I am trying to attract. It's far from easy and I really am at a loss in this aspect.

Frustratingly, my other business that has to do with a bicycle accessory already has a prototype, but I am again running into a lack of experience regarding how to market it. Not to mention reaching out to manufacturers to try to get quotes so as to get a realistic picture of the cost of the product - from there I'll be able to work out profit/loss ratios based on cost per unit and so forth. Another great idea that's the come mired in the details, so to speak.

I haven't given up on either idea, but for now they're both on standby. Sadly.

May 1 - Spring is in the air

It's a new month and change is upon us.

I'm really excited for this summer season, which will be over all too soon as they always are. 

The longer daylight hours lend their energy to me, giving my subconscious the crazy idea that I can get more done today - who wouldn't want that?

I think it's the energy that I'm looking forward to the most, being able look out the window and see that it's not yet dark and that I still on some level have the wherewithal to keep working of a day. I certainly have a lot to keep me occupied outside of my day job, so much so that all need to focus as well as to be sure that I take the time to enjoy myself this season. Last summer I spent most of my time inside of a  day pulling my novel out of the ether to spend it into being one word at a time.

This year, I want to be able to put down my virtual pen and get outside to play.

May 2 - A leg up?

My legs seem to have mostly recovered from my abortive attempt at running earlier this spring.

However, my right leg still seems to be giving me trouble: specifically the tendon over my knee is still quite painful and I can't kneel on it even on soft surfaces. I've talked to my doctor about this and he has recommended that I seek an alternate treatment such as acupuncture as we both feel that medicating it isn't the right solution.

I have to wonder if it's perhaps being exacerbated by my rides to work on my cycle, as I push down with a fair degree of force in order to turn the wheels as I pedal. Perhaps? I don't know but I'm going to see what I can find Out with a little observation and perhaps then seek the counsel of a sports therapist through my doctor. I definitely can't continue to much longer without finding a solution, as constantly babying my leg in order not to aggravate the tendon will really limit me doing much of anything outside this summer. 

Which would be a bummer.

May 3 - Netflix!

After waiting and waiting, we finally jumped aboard Netflix this month.

Mainly because the fourth season of Arrested Development is going to be released exclusively on Netflix at the end of May. I purposely kept myself away from finding out anything regarding the premise of the series continuation so I can see a completely fresh and just enjoy the heck out of it.

While I was exploring what Netflix had to offer tonight, I have to say I did find a few things that I'd like to see. TV series such as the most recent season of Futurama and Transformers: Prime caught my eye, as well as movies like Inglorious Basterds and Prometheus. There's a fair bit of content on there that I'd like to see, though again the movie library seems a little light given all that's out there and available.

But that's just going to be for when I'm relaxing; I'm certainly not going to watch episodes of any show back-to-back instead of doing things that really matter in my life. Netflix, like the rest of my media collection, has to take a back seat this year and settle for simply entertaining me when needed instead of functioning as a time filler, an idea that is more and more abhorrent to me these days.

May 4 - Star Wars Day!

Okay, okay, I know I said this last year but is still bears repeating:

May the Fourth be with you!

I've really grown to like Star Wars day, as it's really taken on a mein of geek celebration. Sort of like an unofficial geek holiday every year where people can express their unabashed love of whatever geeky thing that is close to their heart. For example, one of the managers today said they were a closet Star Wars geek and probably wouldn't have disclosed that little tidbit on any other day of the year, which made me smile. Wil Wheaton had something to say about being a geek that was quite inspired:

Star Wars is such a huge part of today's cultural landscape that I could go on quite at length about it - but I won't, because you probably know that already. Countless variations of memes circulate on the Internet daily, along with new Star Wars content including the upcoming movies from Disney and the endless line of books From the Extended Universe that I admit I'm not all that familiar with. You never know though, when some rare pictures of the original movie shoots may show up...

All the same, I think every May the Fourth is going to have a special celebration of some kind if I have anything to do with it. We'll see what I can cook up for next year!

May 5 - Temperature

The warm weather is finally here!

Temperatures here on Vancouver Island have risen precipitously from the low teens into the high teens and with them the Sun has truly become warm. This past Friday, I sat out on the patio at Moka House, sipping a tea and soaking in the rays. In no time at all, I was sweating, even wearing shorts and sandals - for the first time this year. It was great!

Right now as I write this blog, the temperature outside is 18°C, quite a lot higher than the low 4° only a week ago that I could feel even through the closed curtains of my room. The apartment I'm in is half in the ground, which helps to moderate its temperature as I've mentioned before. Being on the North side of the building also means it's not exposed to direct sunlight for most of the day, so even should we a unusually warm summer this year are placed will remain quite comfortable.

Summer will be great this year, as I'll be diving into finishing up my novel's third draft. It will be a repeat of last year in a way, in that I will be drafting lines and revising while the sun hangs high in the sky. There's going to be a lot to do in the next six months and I'm really looking forward to it.

I have four days off this coming week - four. I plan on spending most of my time finishing my online training for Staples, as I'm no longer beating my head against the brick wall of SQL, so that will be good. Apart from that, I have a birthday party to attend, a friend to train in tech, a novel to keep working on, a few side projects to dig into, and some good weather to enjoy. A busy week for only working one weekday of five!