The family that plays together
Odds are you and the kids have a four-day weekend coming up starting tomorrow thanks to the Thanksgiving holiday. This is a great time to come together as a gaming family and spent some quality time erasing the Covenant from existence or watching Mario save the Princess...again.
I've long been a proponent of families coming together through gaming. As children get older, the things parents and kids can do together gets smaller. Either the kids that the activity is lame and boring or the parents can't wrap their heads around why this is fun.
It doesn't matter if you're playing those party games designed for the whole family or a first person shooter on co-op. It doesn't matter if you're playing from home and your children are playing from their colleges to homes via network. All that matters is that you are doing it together.
Video games are one of the few activities that families that can't be together for the holidays can still do. There aren't many hobbies or past times where that is true. This Thanksgiving I plan on eating a whole lot of turkey, do a whole lot of driving and then come home to play some video games with my children. The hardest part isn't finding the time, but realizing that they are getting to the age where they can actually beat me.
I, for one, treasure every moment with my family and it doesn't matter to me if it's in front of a television or at the playground. Family time is family time and it's the memories that you'll remember forever.
The misery of wage garnishment
No one every plans on not paying their debts back. That car loan, home loan or credit card bill; yes, these are basically loans, may go into default and you start dealing with creditors. Believe it or not, but creditors don't want to wage garnishment.
It requires at least two court dates, which translates to legal fees and once the garnishment is issues they can't do much more against you, so they're stuck with what ever money it is. If you end up in a wage garnishment, don't worry, you can't be fired from it, but it is embarrassing.
The lawyers send a notice to your employer telling them to send about 15 percent of your check to them. Your HR department knows, the big bosses know and possibly your direct supervisor will know as well. The garnishment will stay on your wages as long as you're getting a paycheck from them. When the debt is paid off, the garnishment will end.
Most state laws required that there can only be one garnishment at a time. Federal student loan and tax garnishments take priority over any others. If you have multiple garnishments, the first in line gets served first and the others have to wait until the other is paid.
Wage garnishment is miserable because they are taking money directly out of your paycheck, but it could be worse. If the garnishment is too much or if you are just overburdened with debt, then you can always file for bankruptcy, but the rules have changed much for that over the last few years.
Are horror eBooks good gifts?
As a writer, books are an important part of my life and often I would give books to people as birthday and Christmas gifts. I tried to fit the book with what I knew of their wants and interests. It served me well for many years.
I have many friends that love horror and since I have connections to many writers, I would often give them books from writers they've never heard of. Over the past few years, more and more writers have been going to eBook format and foregoing the paperback or hardback route altogether.
It just seems so anticlimactic to give someone a file instead of a physical book. It's like saying, “Here's your gift, just open up your Kindle Cloud and you'll find it in there." There's no smell of fresh pages and physicality to it.
Does that lessen the impact of the book? Does it seem like I care less because I send an eBook instead of a paperback? It's very possible that in the next 20 years, there will no longer be paperback books on bookstore shelves. Everything will be done online and electronically sent to your e-reader of choice.
Regardless of what sending an eBook as a gift feels like to me or the receiver, it's going to become the norm. I would rather provide a wrapped paperback or hardback book as a gift, but I guess a neatly folded amazom.com receipt will have to do. That doesn't mean I have to like it.
Arrow doesn't disappoint
When I first saw that Arrow was going to be a completely new show and not a spin-off of Smallville, I was a little disappointed. In fact, I didn't want the first episode when it aired because of it. Unlike Smallville, Arrow was supposed to be about a superhero without super power.
It's not secret that Oliver Queen as Green Arrow doesn't have super powers and instead uses skills and gadgets like Batman. The series creators have said that they plan staying away from all superpowers...including villains... for as long as possible.
In the several episodes that have aired, Oliver Queen has battled many bad guys, but they've all been perfectly normal just skilled. Deadpool as a masked swordsman and a few others have poked their head, but nothing to say that this is a world where superpowers exist.
I admit that I am now addicted. I love the Oliver Queen character who is much more three dimensional in this as opposed to Smallville. It's got a great cast, great action and so far the plot has kept me hooked. I am interested to see if they plan on having a big bad for season 1 or if the goal is just to gain familiarity with the characters and situations.
Oliver Queen's story has just begun and has become one of the most popular series on the CW and helps lead in Supernatural on Wednesdays. I don't think this one will be going anywhere anytime soon. I can't wait to learn more about what happened to Oliver on the island.
Staying fit on a time constraint
Even the most dedicated gym-goers are sure to have times when it just seems flat-out impossible to get to the gym and work out. Sometimes, this is completely the case and the gym-goer can use quick, at-home workouts to maintain conditioning. Other times, the gym-goer may find that rescheduling her routine can allow her to stay active at the fitness center.
If you have a busy week or two ahead, or are traveling, come up with some simple routines that can be done anywhere, and that are short and intense. Fortunately, short and intense workouts are very effective for maintaining and improving fitness, so being short on time does not need to be a roadblock.
One idea for a short workout includes running several quick sprints, interspersed with 10 pushups. Another idea is to do steps-up while holding dumbbells or kettle bells. Move at a quick pace for about 10 minutes, though keep safety in mind, and slow down if you are getting too tired to maintain a fast pace without injuring yourself.
When the busy week is causing extra stress, you can focus on exercise that helps you relax as well. Find some shorter yoga routines online that incorporate bodyweight exercises, stretching, and deep, focused breathing.
You might also want to look at scheduling your workouts for a different time of day. If you usually go to the gym after work, but have too many upcoming activities during that time, consider working out either before work or during lunch. This may require extra planning for showering, clothing and makeup, but it can be worth it to maintain your fitness.
How loss impacts parenting
When a parent loses a child, they often try and find a reason why God would take away their child. They need to find meaning in his or her death in order to make sense of it. In 2004, I lost my newborn primie son to an infection after six weeks.
The loss was devastating and to this day impacts my life daily. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about how he would have looked and how he would have made this world a better place. Loss of a child causes a parent to look at the world differently.
You realize that nothing is permanent and that everything can be snatched away in a moment. Fast forward many years later and I have three very healthy boys. It took a long time to come to terms with my son's death and find that meaning I had been searching for.
My son's death has made be a much better parent to my boys. I treat every second of the time that I spend with my children as precious. I refuse to miss school functions and try to give them as much fatherly advice as I can.
I realize that it can all be taken away in a moment and therefore I want to make use out of the time I have available. If something should happen to me tomorrow, I want my children to look back at me as adults and remember how much I loved them. I want to know that I am molding them to love their children and make them a focus in their lives.
The loss of my son was devastating and I would give anything to change his outcome, but I can't. All I can do his keep my son in my heart and let his brothers know that love transcends all boundaries.
Expecting cash for the holidays
When I first started freelance writing, I always assumed prompt payment from my clients. I mean, it was just how it worked. I did the job, they approved it and soon the money would magically make its way into my PayPal account. Woohoo! We eat for another day.
When the holidays came around such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, I knew I was going to need extra cash. Thanksgiving meant a ton of driving and a ton of gasoline and Christmas is...well...Christmas. My wife has always been a big Black Friday shopper too. As a writer, I found that while job opportunities were plentiful, payment and communication was not on these holidays.
Let's face it: it makes sense. These are people that have their own holiday celebrations to plan, stories to prepare either for closure over the holidays or shopping overload. I was around number 500 on their priority list. It would be a few days before Thanksgiving and I would be broke as a joke, but still have about $500 in unpaid work.
Inevitably, come Monday after Thanksgiving, I would get the e-mails and the money would start flowing in, but Thanksgiving was pretty much ruined. There were a couple years were I couldn't even afford to go to my family's festivities.
Needless to day, the moral of this story is to never count on sudden money from the holidays. Begin making plans weeks or even months before and start putting it away. It's just safer and you won't be left stranded without a turkey.
Season is not disappointing
As the Winchesters take a much deserved break for the Thanksgiving holiday, I am going to reflect on the events of this season an how they have renewed my interest in this show.
I will admit that the past few seasons have been lackluster at best. Once the primary story line of the Winchesters saving the world from Satan was over, the was obvious the show lacked direction. If you add in various management shakeups, then you get a recipe for disaster.
We can all agree that the Leviathan storylines was pretty lame and even though we had a dead Bobby, ghost Bobby and finally dead-ghost Bobby. The last two seasons in particular were so bad I had a hard time even watching them. What ever did happen to Frank anyway?
This season has brought all the greatness of the early Supernatural seasons. The storyline is new and exciting, the characters are familiar and that classic rock rebel vibe is back in full force. I missed Castiel and Crowley and their interactions. This season has been refreshing.
The brothers may be rehashing the same old conflicts that they always have, but at least there's no Dick Roman. I do find it funny that they have apparently completely removed any hint of the Leviathans in the real world and we only see glimpses in purgatory. You'd think the disappearance or murder of one of the wealthiest and most influential men in the world might get noticed.
I can't wait for things to return now that Castiel is back in the picture.
Is Taylor Swift dating Harry Styles?
You've got to hand it to Taylor Swift: The girl knows how to grab headlines, especially where her rumored romances are concerned. This latest one is a real doozy, too, and it's sure to set the pop culture world on fire. Supposedly, Taylor may or may not be totally into One Direction singer Harry Styles.
Directioners, calm down: Harry and Taylor have not confirmed anything. At the moment, this is all mere speculation. Swifty fans, you calm down too. Your girl will be just fine, no matter what.
But really, are Taylor Swift and Harry Styles hooking up?! Reports have hinted that these two are dating, but Swift (and Styles for that matter) are frequently romantically linked to people for no reason. What's the deal here?
According to Us Weekly, Harry and Taylor are most definitely into each other. Taylor Swift is single now, having split from boyfriend Conor Kennedy pretty recently. So, single, attractive, successful gal singer meets single, attractive, successful guy singer -- what's not to love?
One witness (unidentified, of course) tells Us Weekly that Taylor and Harry engaged in some serious flirtation during a rehearsal for The X Factor last week. Supposedly they "lit up when they saw each other." That in itself might be nothing. These two could just be close friends, after all. But wait! There's more! This same source also says Taylor Swift and Harry Styles held hands on the set and then...wait for it...Harry Styles "carried her to the trailer."
So, there's that. If Taylor Swift and Harry Styles are indeed a couple, they'll be the hottest duo on the planet (sorry, Kim K. and Kanye). Fans, what do you think? Is this a match made in heaven or another hit and miss?
The God’s Wife by Lynn Voedisch
A change in seasons is always a magical time, filled with promise of what might be. That is especially true as the rather somber days of late fall in Minneapolis transition to the holidays, which are, of course, imbued with a sense of fantasy.
So, with the changing of seasons from fall to winter seasons, I looked for a book that would mirror that sense of fantasy, and I found The God’s Wife by Lynn Voedisch. The book follows the lives of two women, one exalted by birth, and the other by talent.
Neferet was an ancient Egyptian princess, and Rebecca was a modern ballet dancer. Although these two women lived several millennia apart, they held a spiritual connection that is hinted at throughout the story, and fully explained only at the very end.
I enjoyed the way the story contrasted the lives and influences of these two women. I especially enjoyed reading about the life and religious practices of the Egyptian princess. Some of the writing seemed a little unpolished to me, with an occasional awkward phrase. I also thought more could have been done with the character of one particular villain in the ballet dancer’s life, but it may be merely that the story did not go in the direction I thought it would.
The story offers intrigue, suspense and a touch of romance, it kept my attention, and now and then, kept me away from tasks that I should have been doing. Overall, I would recommend this book for someone who is looking for a story with a twist.