Month: November 2024

Music…

100 Years

The Battle for Everything

Five for Fighting

and Words

I’m 15 for a moment
Caught in between ten and 20
And I’m just dreaming
Counting the ways to where you are

I’m 22 for a moment
And she feels better than ever
And we’re on fire
Making our way back from Mars

Lyric excerpts from Musixmatch.

A number of years ago a friend read through my Facebook posts and felt the angst and passion I poured into my thoughts.  While we didn’t agree on everything (no two people ever do), he both encouraged me to write but also suggested that I change my medium.  He observed that my writing may be better suited for a blog and pointed out that WordPress would make it fairly easy.

Spewing words about social justice and yearning for fairness and equality filled those early days when I started to find my voice.  I could’ve very easily diverted the firehouse from a Facebook post into a form on a website.  However, being the prototypical test engineer, that idea violated my sensibilities.  A blog couldn’t simply be a collection of disjointed posts; it yearns for cohesiveness, its own voice.

Continue reading “Turning 100” →

Music…

The NeverEnding Story

Don’t Suppose

Limahl

and Words

Turn around
Look at what you see
In her face
The mirror of your dreams

Make believe I’m everywhere
Hidden in the lines
Written on the pages
Is the answer to a never ending story
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah

Lyric excerpts from Musixmatch.

In many times, I’ve told the story about my aspiration to write.  To be completely honest, I can’t tell you if this calling started upon learning English, though chronologically that’s when it happened.  Was it causal or merely correlational?  My early reading expanded my imagination and horizons.  It inspired me in the way that little else did.  Thus, I started awkwardly at first in high school, though I don’t know if there’s any copy of that writing anywhere.

Years later, I kept an online journal in Geocities.  I stopped writing in it, though it is also long gone now.  There are some services that have mirrors of it on their servers, though I can’t imagine why.  The vast majority of personal websites on Geocities were little more than garbage.  If you search hard enough, you’ll find a shadow of that page.

Continue reading “The Origin to my Story” →

Music…

Goody Two Shoes

Friend or Foe

Adam Ant

and Words

With your heartbreak open
So much you can’t hide
Put on a little makeup, makeup
Make sure they get your good side, good side

If the words unspoken
Get stuck in your throat
Send a treasure token, token
Write it on a pound note, pound note

Lyric excerpts from Musixmatch.

I’ve worked in technology for my entire career.  The technology industry often tolerates their employees dressing casually; I exploited that and often wore jeans, shorts, t-shirts, or even occasionally tank tops.  My friends from work mostly dressed the same.  An occasional peep may wear khakis and polo shirt to the office.  Raymond, who attended prep school, grew accustomed to wearing slacks, buttoned shirt, and tie; he continued this tradition at work.

As my (then) girlfriend and I settled into our lives, she received an invitation to a wedding from a friend; it would take place in Youngstown, OH.  She asked if I would consider attending the wedding with her, and I happily accepted.  However, the discussion did not turn to the logistics of arranging our time off or travel plans.  She marveled that I had never seen me really dressed up.  Therefore, she naturally asked if I had proper attire; I confirmed that I owned a suit.  She followed that question by asking about the shoes.

Continue reading “Angst over a pair of shoes” →