Mad Macedonian

Why I No Longer Have Cat (or any) Scratcher Fever

In March 1984 I got my first job, at a bookstore in my hometown. In October 1985 California began to sell lottery scratch-off tickets. For the next 15 years I sold them on this job. For the last 11 years, as store manager, I also dealt with the ordering and returning side of things, via the paperwork. Until about a decade ago I also regularly bought tickets, occasionally winning fifty to $100, but never more.

I saw how the game evolved, the machines, the way the tickets were made, so as to prevent fraud, and how the game was played.

My fondest memories, however, involve the patrons of Willy’s Bar, next door. The place is a legend in Pomona, and I saw the same patrons day after day, for years, until our store closed in the mid-90’s, and I went to the Claremont store.

Is Gun Ownership and the 2nd Amendment in Danger?

In the wake of Obama getting re-elected, gun sales are through the roof, nationwide.

I have friends who are gun owners, supporters of the NRA, and defenders of the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

I spent the afternoon, yesterday, at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historical Site,  in La Porte, TX.,saw the Battleship Texas, explored the Monument museum, and enjoyed the spectacular views from the observation deck of the monument.

On this stretch of land Texas won its independence and, yes, guns, small, and large, short, and long, played an important role. :-D

There are several cool displays of related artifacts in the museum, and many paintings where guns play important parts in the scenes displayed.

There is great concern over what will happen in Obama 2, related to guns, and the right to bear arms, and the discussions have already begun:

Within hours of winning re-election..."the United States supported the U.N. in its bid Wednesday to reignite talks over an international treaty regulating the $70 billion global conventional arms trade".

Will Obama Go After Second Amendment Rights? Glenn Beck & NRA Head Examine What Lies Ahead

Sept.11 - Never Forget!: I Have Changed, have YOU?

In memory...

One September Morning

One September morning
...The entire world awoke
With no inkling or forewarning
Cherished dreams would die in smoke.
...

Another Tuesday
Like so many others...
No one apprehended that day
Would affect so many mothers.

One September morning
Terrorists tried to destroy
Our country without warning,
However, it did not work, their ploy.

Another Tuesday
That will live forever;
The bravery and sorrow of the day,
We will not forget, not ever.

One September morning
Love reached out calling
Even as we all began mourning,
Our nation was not falling.

Another Tuesday
When God was in control
Although throughout that dark day
The catastrophe tried every soul.

One September morning
Remembered by history;
A brilliantly promising morning
In a place proud and free.

Another Tuesday
When America found unity...
No matter what people might say,
We still have our liberty.

One September morning
When the whole world did cry
With new respect aborning
For the noble flag, we yet fly...

Jo Ann Joyce Anita Jordan
© September 8, 2002

 

Thank you Hopeful Jo, my friend, for this  awesome, brilliant, touching, moving, poem...

 

Folks, if you want a thought provoking daily read, including poetry, and photos, please give her blog a look!

 

Thoughts on Review by Freelance Writer Friend

Recently, my friend Amanda Socci shared a 4 part series on my "Creative Voice", on her blog.

It was 2 parts Interview, and 2 parts analysis.

My Creative Voices and What One Writer Thinks of Them - In 4 Parts

I want to talk a bit about the 2 part analysis.

Those parts comprised her personal opinions on my writing voices and suggestions for the future and gave me much food for thought.

She is right when she says that one's creative "voice" is drawn from one's "own personal experiences, education, upbringing, employment, and about a million other factors".

In my case everything from growing up the only son, essentially fatherless from age 9,  helper to mom, avid reader, and studious student, with a developing sense of humor, varied interests and hobbies, to those people I have known, jobs I have had and places lived, throughout my life, have all played a part in shaping my creativity.

The first thing about her analysis I noticed was how she saw that my usual humor and creativity was affected by the circumstances of my life in recent months.

The truth is that, even though I've done some great stuff on this blog and Meowsings, the past 2 years, posting frequenccy, regular posting subjects, poetry, humor, and story telling, all were affected by the circumstances of my unemployment, then breaking my ankle, and my worries for the future.

I share my thoughts, feelings and worries on this blog, Meowsings,on facebook, and in correspondence with supportive, encouraging friends, and I have begun to realize it's time to positively focus on the future, personally and creatively, as I move to Houston, Texas, in 2 weeks.

It's time for me to step back, as Amanda writes, up to the virtual microphone, once again entertaining my intrigued and enthusiastic readers, by doing "cartwheels in writing", hoping to garner some laughs along the way, as I transform into, as she describes me, "the clown he was meant to be, none other than Groucho Marx himself."

 

Dear Mr. President: No One Does My Writing For Me

The other day President Obama attacked the ingenuity, creativity and drive, of the Americn Buisinessman and woman.

“If you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own.”

By extention he attacked all of us who want to do great things with the talents given us by The Great Creator, whether it's start a business, or turn our writing into books, or put it to other creative media uses.

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney responded: "Obama attacks success" and These Hands Ad.

Glenn Beck gives a powerful response.

Rush Limbaugh gives a powerful response.

Zombie, of PJ Media: 

"President Obama’s instantly infamous “You didn’t build that” speech is a major turning point of the 2012 election not because it was a gaffe but because it was an accurate and concise summary of core progressive fiscal dogma. It was also a political blunder of epic proportions because in his speech Obama unintentionally proved the conservatives’ case for limited government."

The Ultimate Takedown of Obama’s ‘You Didn’t Build That’ Speech

 

The Journey

I was 42 years old when I finally began to be a creative writer.

All through my 20's and 30's, I had convinced myself that I was too busy helping my family, too busy with work, didn't have the free time, or extra money and not knowledgeable enough, to embark on a new path other than being a Bookstore clerk and later, manager.

Truth be told, being a writer never really occurred to me in any serious way.

I was comfortable in the lonely life I led, reading books, listening to my music CD's, watching my videos, watching TV, going to the movies every weekend, not interested even in the types of things my peers engaged in for a social life.

Then one day online friends helped me realize that I had talent as a writer and it occurred to me that I would age whether I began to write and blog and that I might respect myself more and build personal and creative, confidence as one of the first bike bloggers online, a poet, storyteller and amateur journalist, than as someone who stayed mostly alone, blocked and yearning.

We are never too old to learn new things, or be "young at heart". This just means being willing to be a beginner.

It took courage to allow myself to go online in 1998, to leave my bookstore job in 2001, to move to Orange County in 2002, to become a blogger that year and expand my horizons as a writer, rediscovering talent that had lain mostly dormant since the 1980's and early 90's, when I was getting comments published in comics, erasing words in a glossy Star Trek "History "Book and writing my own version in their place and surprisingly, getting an autobiographical piece published in a Star Trek Anthology.

It took courage to allow myself to begin what has been a decade long journey of learning how to express myself as a writer and find ways to build a bit of a social life, online and off.

I had to focus on taking one step at a time. I could not think of the distance I had to travel before I could call myself a poet, a storyteller, a photographer, a journalist.

PYTW 34 - Dear Mad Macedonian: A Love Letter

Prompting Yourself To Write 34

I put all the blame, for the mushiness to come, squarely on Julia Cameron!

It was her idea, afterall. :-D

There it is, in Week 5 of her book Walking in This World...

"Do I allow myself to have passion? Take pen in hand and write yourself a love letter. Be as specific and as affectionate as you can imagine."

OK, so there I was, yesterday evening, in a Del Taco, in Orange, Ca., with nothing better to do, while scarfing down my meal, but to just start writing, come what may, or april, I mean it IS april afer all. :-D

2 hours later I was spent.

Dear Mad Macedonian: A Love Letter

Dear Kiril The Mad Macedonian:

I love you! I love you! I love you!

I have loved you as far back as I can remember, probably going back to when you wrote your first story, and did your first book report and science project, in your 2nd elementary school.

Probably since you gave MLK's "I have a Dream Speech", also in that elementary school.

I loved watching you discover the joys of reading, beginning with the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, Star Trek and all those scary John Saul novels, back when all he could think to do was find gruesome ways to kill off kids and teens..

I loved watching you discover your love for history, news and politics and use your imagination to "broadcast" a baseball, or basketball game, as you tossed a tennis ball against the wall, or a basketball against the side of the roof, in your backyard.

I loved how you wrote your own extended "History of the Federation" within the pages of the first Trek reference book ever published, by erasing and writing over, much of what was in the freakin' book!

I simply adored your emerging, peculiar, sense of humor as a teen and 20-something.

Your serious side, growing up, helping your Mom and neighbors and being  a neighborhood watch volunteer, impressed me and made me proud, but your letters to the editor of local papers, or to comic books, that got published, made an even greater impression on me.

Who am I?

I'm your creative side, that part of you that loves to write...write poems and tell stories, write opinions and tell funnies and do research for essays and reports.

I'm your imagination...proud, bold, unchained and unafraid!

I was horrified and extremely worried when, by the time you had turned 30, and your parents had died, and you were alone, your creative, imaginative and adventuresome, spirit seemed to mostly take a powder.

You let yourself be "On Call" for your family for far too long, until you were almost 40!

That stiffled me, your creativity!

Except for a self portrait, published in a Star Trek Fan Anthology in 1990 and a few letters to the editor in the 90's, there was nothing for far too long.

Imagine the hope that sprang up in me when you bought a computer in 1998, adopted a kitten and turned it into your creative muse online!

Why did you let your creative passion almost die?

Even back then, in those 3 decades, some thought you weird, as they do today, but remember, The Great Creator made you to become who you are, and He didn't think the design was flawed!

I know your sense of humor flourished, despite everything. :-D

Even though your initial creative efforts were almost completely lost, you didn't let that mistake totally defeat you and when you moved to Orange County I was overjoyed when you discovered your talent for poetry and re-discovered your talent for storytelling and writing essays and doing research.

 

Thoughts About the Future on Birthday 52...Part 3

52 years ago, earlier this month, I poked my head into this world at around 830am, and the other day I shared some thoughts going forward, and this is part 3...

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm, wrote Emerson.

Well, I have enthusiasm about my Cat writing, I just have to find ways for it to reach a wider audience.

Follow my Bliss?

My "Bliss" is writing: Cat writing, poetry, storytelling, humor, essays, and more.

Change everything except my loves?

Not sure what that means but I'm trying to change, and improve my life, and personal circumstances.

I'm committed to making works that I love, and believe that the help I need will come my way.

I believe that my creative energy will trigger creative responses.

I have faith in my writing.

Thoughts About the Future on Birthday 52...Continued

 

52 years ago, earlier this month, I poked my head into this world at around 830am, and the other day I shared some thoughts going forward, and this is a follow-up to that post.

Has fear played a role in what I have, and have not, accomplished as a writer, and blogger?

Afraid I'm not good enough, or knowledgeable enough, fear of failure, fear of trying something new?

Fear of not being accepted?

Maybe a little.

I love myself, and who I am!

I love my talent as a writer, amateur journalist, PJ Pundit, poet, humorist, and storyteller!

That love will conquor all my fears, and allow me to move forward creatively.

My life is difficult at the moment: No job, recovery from a broken ankle still in progress, no real social life, not much support, and networking, developed, related to my writing, but I feel there is opportunity for growth, and prosperity, and success, personally, and creatively, amidst all this, if I can only recognize it, learn new ways to attract readers, network, and create, and take advantage of it.

Writing is the right thing for me to do, and I believe a creative path will emerge that will show me the way I need to go, even as I may find an appropriate, good paying, job not related to my writing skills.

By being joyfully creative about what I do I can stop worrying about what others think of this blog, or Meowsings, and focus on creating the best material I know how.

 

Thoughts About the Future on my 52nd St. Patrick's Day

52 years ago, earlier this month, I poked my head into this world at around 830am, and my immigrant Dad promptly floated on Cloud 9, down to the Hospital Gift Shop, bought the prettiest card he could find (Not read, just find that looked nice!), and presented it to Her Ladyship in thanks for her hard labors on my behalf. :-D

I've seen a lot, & experienced a lot, in my life, and wish my parents were here, & healthy, in mind, and body, to see who, & what, I've become.

14 years ago Nikita Cat was born somewhere on the streets of Pomona, Ca., & he, & his Mom, & littermates, ended up in a local shelter where, a month later, I rescued him.

How was I to know that, within months, he would become my first writing, & creative, muse, & that this would lead to our becoming bloggers in 2002, becoming more, and more, active in the Cat Blogging Community, starting in 2004, & eventually leading to a stand alone Cat Blog, Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat, in Jan. 2010.

I'm a writer, poet, and storyteller, who has dreams, and asperations, of doing more with my writing than just being a blogger.

As I heal from my broken ankle, I hope to find ways to move on with my life personally, careerwise, and creatively.

I know it won't be easy, especially living alone, but I believe it is the right thing to do &, God willing, I will succeed beyond my wildest dreams.

Creativity is not, & never has been, sensible, claims Julia Cameron.

If I want to write, then, I should write! :-D

Because I really want to write is that what I was meant to do by God?

Julia also writes that by doing what we are meant to do money will come to us, doors will open for us, & we feel useful.

I hope so.

I just hope someone even reads this post, and my blogs, and trust that something will come from people discovering them.

I know I feel useful through my Cat Blogging.

By making myself available to "The Universal Flow", I hope to thus be able to find, & take advantage of, opportunities to thrive as a person, & creative writer.

Listening for the next right thing creatively is what I've been doing for almost a decade.