A Brief Interruption

I'm off to ride RAGBRAI this week. I'll return to posting (sporadically) next weekend. 442 miles of riding, here I come!

Catch Up

Going to post some things I've found interesting over the past week, but was too lazy to put up sooner.

I've been off Twittering and by the time the day is done, most of what I've wanted to say has been condensed to 140 characters and posted here.

I'm going to try do better about blogging - real blogging - not just posting videos and links.

But for now...enjoy the following videos and links.

Rough Month - Spartan Life - Big Changes

The past month has been rough. I fell off the wagon of ambition I was riding high on since the beginning of the year. Workouts stopped. Diet crumbled. Blogging became sporadic (at best – I “blame” Twitter).

And to top it all off, the life of easy leisure I was living finally caught up to me in a big, bad way.

I’m broke.

The budget I had in my mind (not a good place for anything – especially something as important as this) wasn’t at all accurate. Between that fact, and my tendency to spend, spend, spend, the world I lived in (not the real world) crashed.

I’m not going to go into details, but with the help of my brother, a new – honest – budget has been created. A check from the BEST MOM IN THE WORLD helped with a slight (exaggeration) money issue, and now I’m back on track.

Only it’s a different track.

It’s a life of more responsibility (because I have to face it: I was NOT being responsible). Rampant spending is over. All unnecessary expenses must be cut. Free time must now involve additional work at second (maybe third) jobs to bring in the funds necessary to pay the bills. It’s a life-changing time.

A more Spartan life.

I have a ton of stuff. Literally. I probably have two thousand pounds of comics, movies, books, CD’s, toys, etc., sitting on shelves gathering dust. There is no need (and no money) to add to this collection.

Instead, I will work hard to fill the hole I dug.

I will do this by finding that lost ambition I used to power me through some tremendous health and wellness changes at the beginning of the year. I’ll resume the blogging to stay accountable for my actions. The entertainment component will still be a part of my life – there is no getting rid of it – but it will come out of the past, out of the collection of materials I’ve gathered and ignored over the past 10 years. Leisure and laziness must become things of the past. Work and effort and responsibility are the Pirate’s new tools.

Lack of Posts

I know it's been a few days since I was up here posting. It's not that I haven't had stuff to say, but its been mostly short story reviews and exercise woes. I suppose that'll be the case when running three blogs, each with its own specific purpose, all a part of my one life.

I just haven't spent much time the past few weeks living the entertainment life. It's been a life of exercise and work. I'll get back to fun.

(And there's always the sporadic Tweets that appear to the right, on this very page, to keep you informed of my more daily, singular thoughts.)

The Bee

I'm busy as a bee this week, what with work, exercising, and...well, those two are keeping more than busy. I haven't abandoned the posting here - it's taken the form of Twittering - which you can view on the right hand side of the page. I'm also still making posts on the other two blogs: A Year of Stories, Pirate and A Year of Loss and Health, Pirate.

Brevity the Busy Bee. That's me this week.

I Tweet

I have joined Twitter to give you even more pirate-y goodness. (Three separate blogs weren't nearly enough.) For those of you not in the know, Twitter allows you to post brief messages -140 characters or less - via your mobile devices (or off the web). It's a way to follow a person as they go through the everyday motions of their life.

You can see the Escaping Tweets on the right hand side of the blog under the information About Me. If you already Twitter, you can follow me that way as well (search "escapepirate").

I've always thought Twitter to be quite interesting, and it now offers me the opportunity to keep writing even when I'm far away from computers - like that week of RAGBRAI each year.

This should be fun.

New for '09

First and foremost – this blog will be updated more frequently. 54 posts in 2008?! 42 of those in December! Unacceptable.

This is a journal of my life.If I don’t record it, who will?
Updates – notice the new title logo? Yeah? It’s not the only change. Updated the profile image and information as well.

This is a journal of my life.If it doesn’t look sweet, what does that say about superficial me?
NEW BLOGS – did he just say new blogs?! That’s correct! You now have 3 separate pages of pirate-y goodness to devour. Follow one, follow all – you can now follow the aspects of my life you find most interesting.

This is a journal of my life. So is this: A Year of Stories, PirateAnd this too: A Year of Loss and Health, Pirate
Changes – more reviews, more creativity. While I’ll still offer up random slices of life and rants, I hope to include more thoughtful reviews of the entertainment media that brings me such joy. I also hope to add some sketching, photography, and of course, writing – that ART stuff – into my rather routine existence.

This is a journal of my life.If I don’t entertain – you the reader and me in the least - what’s the point in posting.
Happy New Year!

Last of 2008

This is it. The last post of 2008.

I'm off to a New Year's party at my uncle Steve's. It's a good one. Family. Games. Fun. Just the right way to end the year.

Check back tomorrow and what you'll see won't be quite the same.

Enjoy.

End of the Year 2008 - Part II

Okay, so I'm having a bit too much fun playing around on the computer today...

The blog will be different because of it. Starting tomorrow there will be new content, images, logos - a whole mess of newness for you. And these aren't even additions I alluded to earlier.

Maybe, just maybe, I'll stop long enough to each lunch.

Changes Are A-Comin'

I guess I wouldn't say changes so much as additions. I'm not going to spoil it now, but for the few who follow what happens here, on January 1st, 2009, you are going to have a whole lot more Pirate.

The changes additions I'm adding will hopefully motivate me to make the changes in my life I want for myself. It will be a lot to do at one time, but I find that I'm only successful when I'm busy. So busy I will become...witness a renaissance, pirate.

Stay tuned...

The Tenth Day of Christmas: 250th Post

Wow. Two hundred and fifty posts on the blog since I started it about a year and a half ago.

My first post seems like such a long time ago. I think (look) back to my life then, and while it's not much different from what it is now, it is different in some major ways.

I do spend a lot of time thinking about the past. And that's kind of depressing. Looking to the past is just inherently depressing, I think. It's the future I should be thinking about. What will my life be like a year and a half from now? And more than just wonder about it, I should be going out of my way to make sure the next year and a half is better (different) than my life now.

Okay. So maybe I'm thinking too much on what should be just another Wednesday - new comic book day - night.

Up Late and Wandering

I'm up late (for me) and had the urge to look back through my blog. There's some fascinating things I'm noticing again for the first time in over a year(!) -

I used to blog about a thing I called The Stacks. I would list all the media I was currently working my way through...only it appears I never got anywhere with any of it. Example from my last post on September 17, 2007:
---
Books:
Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson - finished
The Dark Tower (Dark Tower book 7) by Stephen King - finished
On Writing by Stephen King - still on the bookshelf
Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay - still on the bookshelf
The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam by Ann Marie Fleming -still on the bookshelf
No One Belongs Here More Than You by Miranda July -still on the bookshelf
Tumble Home: A Novella and Short Stories by Amy Hempel - still on the bookshelf
Pretty Little Mistakes by Heather McElhatton - still on the bookshelf
His Dark Materials – Book III: The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman - still on the bookshelf
The Road by Cormac McCarthy - finished

(3 for 10 finished)

Magazines:
Paste issue 32, June 2007
Corel Painter: Official Magazine #5

(not even sure if I still have these magazines - though I'm sure I do, only where?)

DVDs:
The X-Files: Season 6 (TV series) - not finished
Weeds: Season 1 (TV series) - finished
Deadwood: Season 3 (TV series) - nope
Futurama: Season 2 (TV series) - nope
Black Snake Moan - nope
The Replacement Killers - nope, not done either
Spawn: The Animated Collection (TV series) - no
300 - nada
Rome: Season 1 (TV series) - sorry, no
Heroes: Season 1 (TV series) - finished

(2 for 10)

Comics:
Blood: A Tale (TPB) - no
The Other Side (GN) - no
Beyond! (TPB) - no
Pearls Before Swine: Lions and Tigers and Crocs, Oh My! by Stephan Pastis (Treasury) - finished
Grendel Archives (TPB) - no
Grendel: Devil by the Deed (TPB) - no
The Goon vol. 1: Nothin’ But Misery (TPB) - no
The Goon vol. 2: My Murderous Childhood (And Other Grievous Yarns) (TPB) - no
Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm (HC) - no
Scalped vol. 1: Indian Country (TPB) - finished
Showcase Presents: Batman and the Outsiders vol. 1 (TPB) - no

(2 for 11)
---
And this stuff was on my pile to read/watch back on September 17, 2007! And it's not like I haven't added to that in the past year.

I spend entirely too much money on stuff still patiently waiting on shelves. I'm up to 13 bookshelves full of stuff in my home. I'm literally surrounded by unfinished purchases.

Also, there were labels for posts about weight loss (no success there) and bike riding (haven't done that almost half a year) - things that have fallen by the wayside.

All is not lost. In fact, I have some plans for next year, plans that might reinvigorate this blog (and the joy I get from writing)...

Stay tuned.

Last Post of 2007

This will be the last post of 2007. I know I really let the blog fall apart in the end there, but...

In 2008 I have big plans for myself: Writing. Painting. Weight loss. Girlfriend(s).

It'll be a brand new year.

A new me.

I'm excited.

See you in 2008!

November the First

Wow, it's already November. Where does time go?

It doesn't seem like all that long ago I started this little blog running. And sure, I've posted less and less as time's gone by, but I still enjoy having an outlet for my thoughts. I'll keep it up as long as I can. Mabye some day I may even get back to regular updates...time will tell.

And He's Back!

Yes, I am back - alive - in a new home - my home - and the Internet is up and running again.

DSL through the phone company (urg!) seems to be working fine after a bit of a struggle getting set up. I won't go into any detail because I did eventually figure it all out (obviously), but it was somewhat frustrating.

The point is...yay! I have access to the web again.

I still have a ton of unpacking to do that will keep me pretty busy, so this week I'll try to ease myself back into the routine of a blog. There will be some changes, but I'll explain them as they come.

It's just wonderful to be connected again.

Where Have I Been?

No. I'm not dead, or gone. I've simply been in the process of moving.

And that means the blog has been put on the back burner. Unfortunately, this message isn't my triumphant return.

Another Great Escape, Pirate is now on hiatus until I get settled - and get some Internet service in the new place.

I hope to be back up and typing in about a week. I'll have plenty to say by then.

Until later...

Trapped! for Another Week

I am trapped again, not free to escape. Depending on the amount of work I have this weekend, I'll try get some of the escapes typed up ahead of time so that I can simply post them on Thursdays instead of skipping this feature all together.

Again, I'm sorry that I do not have an adventure for today. Thanks for being patient.

A Realization

I am so far behind on my reviews and thoughts and posts in general that I have decided to simply compile a collection of lists to post. For some things that I've already started to write about, I'll just post what I've got and be done with it. For others I'll just name what I've seen or read - maybe add a quick sentence or two. I'll post these quick bits this week with the hope that next Monday, August 20th, I'll be back on track.

If you see anything that you would like to know more about, just post a comment and I'll write more/answer any questions.

I know it's a bit of a cheat, but with the new job and the massive amount of work involved, I will only fall farther and farther behind. It has always been my intention to stay current with my life, and right now I'm still back in July, review-wise.

It'll be nice to be back in the present day.

Kansas City Bound

I'm off to Kansas City for music and gambling. I won't post again until I return Friday afternoon.

Shrinking the Pile will go up in the afternoon on Friday, so don't you all worry. You'll get your weekly fix of how fat I am.

Remember, if you are bored, you can always contribute some scenarios for Great Escapes.

I Am Returned...Again

I am back again from RAGBRAI. And there is no more going back this year - the ride is over.

My last two days of riding were fantastic! Taking a break of three days in the middle of the week fully recharges your batteries.

I'll resume regular posting on Monday. Tomorrow is my Shaver grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary, so my catch-up posts may not be done until Sunday night, or even sometime early in the week.

I'm just happy to have survived another year of RAGBRAI. Whoo!