ghunterhanks

Committed at Last!

ghunterhanks — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:42:46 +0000

The new lease is signed, the utilities are set to start/stop, and the addresses are mostly updated. An increasing amount of my worldly possessions is packed in boxes…. Packing and scutwork and chores, oh my! Big moving day soon.

There’s still a ton of stuff to do, of course, but the feeling of limbo is gone, replaced with momentum towards clearly-defined goals (you know, progress.) It’s much easier when I can measure progress (boxes stacked, pages written, etc). More self-doubt than I wanted to admit is gone, too. Of course there will be moments of doubt. Quitting my full time, steady employment to write for a living is a risk, and it’s often human nature to doubt ourselves whenever we don’t have lots of evidence of success. The planning and waiting are finally over, though. I’m going to write the best I can and live more in balance while I do. This opportunity is a gift; not everyone gets a chance to follow his or her dreams.

Stress Reduction Techniques

ghunterhanks — Fri, 18 May 2012 03:55:27 +0000

The single best stress reducer is exercise. I always feel better, and it works on multiple levels: physical benefits immediately (like lower blood pressure), feeling in control and capable, and better health for less stressful issues later . Currently I’ve even got a specific, dated goal: strength and cardio training to carry all those boxes on big moving day.

Another thing that lots of people find soothing is to work in the garden. My mom has started seedlings for a few vegetables. I’m very excited about transferring them to containers and gardening a little this summer. Tangible rewards for success, too!

Other good things for stress relief include:

listening to soothing music (Johnny Coltrane right now)
single point of concentration (a candle’s flame while counting breaths works well)
talking with friends
something fun like watching a light-hearted movie

Come to think of it, most of these things are ways or parts of living in balance or living well. Huh. Living life in balance may be the opposite of stressing out. More on that soon!

Life in Transition

ghunterhanks — Thu, 10 May 2012 18:19:03 +0000

I’m smack in the middle of major life changes, and it’s … stressful.1 Not a complaint! I’ve chosen to write for a living and to move back closer to family in N.C. while I do. It will be a great, challenging, and much more balanced life than previously. But right now is just the in-between. I’ve stopped teaching for a living (income plummets!), but haven’t gotten settled into the new groove yet. I’ve found a new place to life, but haven’t moved there yet. Most of my worldly possessions are going into boxes in the next couple of weeks. I’m determined to exercise more to be in better shape to tote those boxes. My eating and sleeping patterns are wonky. Tons of stuff needs doing and anything could go kerfluey.2

It will be alright. I’ve needed to say that a few times the last couple of days. It will be all right, I’ll write, alright? This isn’t the first time I’ve changed situations in some way, and it’s worked out just fine, even great, in the past. It will again, not exactly like planned, but sometimes the differences are even better than imagined.

Anyway, the point is that if you find yourself in transition, you might remind yourself that you’ve gotten through stress and changes before. It will be alright. Just stick to your course.

1 On the widely-used Holmes and Rahe stress scale, that currently adds up to a little over 200… I can make it go higher! Oh wait, low numbers are healthier… next time, stress management!

2 According to my friend Donna: kerfluey [ker-flu-e] adj. 1. lacking coherency or order 2. unraveled in inconvenient or mildly disastrous ways

End of the Semester Blur

ghunterhanks — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 16:17:30 +0000

If you teach or learn, probably right now is a blur as the end of the semester approaches. I have a huge list of non-school tasks… which I’m not doing much of this week because of all the papers to grade. Like you, I’ve survived this tidal wave before, and we will again, but wow, I’m ready for this to be done.

One thing I did manage was to publish the second Kindle ebook! “The Wraith, the Ring, and the Teleporting Teen” is available now!

What People Say You Cannot Do

ghunterhanks — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 18:40:58 +0000

“The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do,” according to Walter Bagehot.

This could be all about what’s forbidden or contrary, but this also applies to the dreams or new ideas that the nay-sayers scoff at.(1) Sometimes I’m angry and determined to prove them wrong. Sometimes I see something more clearly and can see at least some of the steps to get there. It’s risky to ignore advice from level-headed friends, but people should follow their dreams.

Slowly.

Cautiously.

Step-by-step with multiple options, fallbacks, and fail-safes.

Sometimes with a longer time-table than desired.

But.

Follow your dreams.

FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS.

FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS!

(1) My other quote of the day sums up the relevant grammar… As Winston Churchill said, “Ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put!”

Success! New Kindle Ebook Published!

ghunterhanks — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 14:46:22 +0000

You can find “The Wraith, the Ring, and the Teleporting Teen” on Amazon’s Kindle page in a day or two when it goes live. I’m trying not to sound too giddy, since many people have done more impressive things, but I’m pleased with the short stories. Most adults and young adults who read fiction might like them, unless they really dislike urban fantasy or action.

The ebook (my second) is the next step toward the big goal of earning my living as a writer. Thanks to everyone whose words of encouragement help keep me going! I’m finishing up the semester soon, and then working full time as a writer will give much more time and energy to write.

Think you might possibly want the book? Check out the preview on Amazon. You own at least one device you could read it on…. If you happen to be a KDP select member, it will be in the lending library. I’ll probably post when I know it’s available for sale and borrowing.

In the meantime, it’s fun to say, “I published an ebook this weekend!”

Real Motivation

ghunterhanks — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 13:29:24 +0000

External motivation matters. Who doesn’t want a really comfortable place to live? (As I write this morning, the repairmen are working on the AC). Or the approval of those we love? Still, the inner drives are potentially strongest. I work hard because I feel good about myself when I do. We’re wired to do what feels good. Joy and self-worth are just higher needs than the physical.

So what makes you feel good about yourself? What gives you a sense of accomplishment? Where’s your joy? I’m not advocating blind leaps of life change, but the things that make you feel proud of yourself are the things you can usually find the energy to do. Do them!

If you want to read more, the psych terms are extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. Also, Abraham Maslow had great insight with his hierarchy of needs. Explanations are widely available; I referred to the wiki entry awhile ago when writing to my nephew.

The RAS and Lamp-Posts Part 2

ghunterhanks — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 15:10:18 +0000

Why did I ignore lamp-posts until I needed them? There’s a part of the brain called the RAS (Reticular Activating System). It does several things, but one function is to act as a filter between sensory input and consciousness. This is so we aren’t too overwhelmed or distracted by the input we don’t need. An example is how people at an office get-together can focus on the people talking to them and ignore the many other conversations in the room. Unless, of course, someone across the room says your name. Your name is always important, so it gets through the filters. A good explanation of the RAS can be found at WiseGEEK.

The take-away point: It’s okay to set goals that we aren’t exactly sure how to achieve. Once it’s important, people start noticing lots of little hints, clues, and things that will help. Don’t rule out trying for something just because you can’t see every detail of how yet. The lights were there all the time, but I couldn’t see them until a goal made them important. So dream big, and let the light shine in.

The RAS and Lamp-Posts Part 1

ghunterhanks — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 15:06:44 +0000

For a Kindle ebook, I decided to photograph a lamp-post for part of the cover. A pole with the light on an arm (instead of just the vertical pole) will make good composition. It then became important to find lamp posts.

Before it was important, I drove around town every day during the daytime. How many lamp posts did I notice? Zero. Now that it matters, I noticed a lot in one day. They’re everywhere, often on the power poles. In the park. In parking lots. At the car dealerships. On street corners. Also, I’m remembering lamp posts I’ve seen without paying any attention at the time. Next step is to go out with the camera.

Violent Computer Games

ghunterhanks — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 15:05:50 +0000

“This video game is rated M for Mature.” That didn’t used to bother me much because on the computer, I knew I could just turn off the blood and gore. Make no mistake, it was still a violent game. Many animated goblins and trolls were hacked and slashed in the making of this hero…. I really, really like strategy and tactics, and for most game developers that means empire building, warfare, and combat. I’m not going to pontificate from the moral high ground. I play a variety of games a couple hours a day, and some of them are violent.

I believe the game developers go for the M rating because many serious gamers assume that only the M rated games are for them. Gamers shop for the M rating to get a complex, challenging game, so developers throw in a lot of garbage to get the rating. (See the movie post.) Maybe we could be better consumers here….

Most of the games I played three or four years ago allowed me to choose blood and gore like any other option. Allowing the gamer the choice seems like a good idea! If the gamer really wants to see the animated enemy’s head explode, okay, he or she can choose that. I’d rather turn that graphics option off, however.

The option to turn off the mess isn’t a complex programming graphical issue either. The same computer games include toggles for various other graphical issues. For example, I can toggle multiple source lighting, reflections, ripples on water, and smoke particles. Generally, these are a matter of realism or artistic quality versus processing power.

Clearly the game developers are making realism or aesthetic choices by putting out what they think their target demographic wants: gritty, gory realism as part of “serious” game play. Maybe there’s a lot of machismo in there, or a reaction to attempts to censor or condemn violence in games. (It’s an easy target for politicians.) Just as clearly, my personal solution is simple: don’t buy any more gory games unless they (at minimum) include an option to turn off the mess. I do somewhat miss ye olden days when the game-generated evil trolls just fell over with a minimum of fuss. It would be healthier if developers and gamers would press the delete key for the worst of the unnecessary garbage.