www.markholder.org

In a previous post, I mentioned I have resumed writing. It's good therapy and a fine creative release. Here's an update on my efforts: I've completed one story and submitted it to the William Faulkner Literary Competition. It's a short piece and I don't expect anything to come of it, but I'm pleased with the story and submission. A new short story has been started, a ghost story set in the South. This is quite natural, as I'm a Southerner who loves a good ghost story. It's set in a nearby town with Civil War history. What began as a short story is now looking more like a novel. The idea is simple but as I was making notes, it dawned on me that this is much more than a short story. I plan to finish the aforementioned story before jumping into the longer piece. Lastly, I'm taking notes furiously as ideas come. I'm very much enjoying the return to writing. Unlike during previous attempts to write, I...

By Willi Heidelbach, CC BY 2.5 , Link I am the proud father of a young son who, for the last two school years, has a won writing contest his grade level. Last year's piece was a retelling of the Great Locomotive Chase of the Civil War from the point of view of the engineer of the stolen train. This year's tale was of a zombie apocalypse in which I defended home and hearth with a large iron skillet. I cook with a large iron skillet and have full faith in its ability as a defensive weapon against the undead. My son has inspired me to take up writing, a practice I pursued as a younger man with little to say and not much experience to draw from. At midlilfe, I have more to reflect on and put to paper. I have a short story completed and am outlining another. After working in spreadsheets all day, I look forward to going home and working in a word processor. (That's not entirely a joke) My method begins with the Vim text editor, a piece of software more suited to programmi...

I've recently begun watching Curb Your Enthusiasm. I'm years late to the party but better late than never, I say. It's a very funny show and one I enjoy watching. And, as with everything I enjoy, there's something strange going on. Larry David and I are a lot alike. Not physically, we're opposites there, like Disney villians or Pinky and The Brain. Our likeness comes in the form of a shared eccentricity, one part neurosis, one part paranoia, and the rest comprised of all the weirdness around us. eam of conscuious talking? Check. Answering my own questions? Check. All the constant yelling and name calling? Absent, thankfully. I like peace and quiet in the physical world to offset the storm in my mind. then there are the little things: a love of spongecake. Good Chinese food. I even carry a small Swiss Army Knife with scissors like the one Larry used to cut Judy the doll's hair. s strange to see a character who reminds one of oneself, but at least my ...

I lost my Dad this week. At 82 years of age, he'd lived a long life pretty much on his own terms. Congestive Heart Failure kept him in and out of hospitals for the last six months, and in ICU for two weeks. It was in ICU where he realized the end was near. We had our most meaningful conversations there, in spite of his growing weakness. Lots of "Remember when" stories, a few "What if" stories, and sadly, very few words of final wishes. Fortunately, he'd mostly settled that with my stepmother. I and a few other family members were present at the moment of his passing. There is no greater closure than to be holding the hand of a loved one as the end comes, and I'm forever grateful to have been there when the end came for Dad. A few hectic days followed, mostly involving legal documents and such. Tonight, my wife, son, and I went to see a ballet and returned to find our cat of 17 years dead on his blanket. I'm one of those "pets are family to...

After several years on a Chromebook, I've made a return to Linux. Truth is, I'm on a Chromebook that now runs Linux. Support for my Lenovo reached End Of Life a year or so ago, meaning it no longer received security updates. It also seemed a bit slow compared to earlier times, and so the research began. I knew I wanted a Debian-based distro but it had to be lightweight enough to run on the Chromebook's modest hardware. After consideration, PeppermintOS was chosen. Installation was a bit of an adventure, as I had to take the 'book apart and remove an internal screw to disable Write Protect in order to install an alternate operating system. Once the hardware hack was complete, it was time to test with a live session, which went well. Time to install. Installation was a nonevent. PeppermintOS is fast, light, and actually runs better than ChromeOS. As with all things Linux, I have access to programs far beyond those offered by the ChromeOS platform. My favorite is Gn...

Our winter in the South has been an odd one. A short spell of below freezing temps early on, followed by spring-like conditions for the majority of days, and now, in mid March, more below freezing temps. Luckily, we've had no snow this year, which happens to be the 30th anniversary of blizzard that struck the Deep South in 1993. Southern California, however, has received snow much like we did three decades ago. People stuck in their homes due to the snow experienced the same lack of preparedness I did. No food, downed power lines, inability to drive. Pardon me while I have a panic attack as I recall the experience. This event effected me profoundly and the ramifications continue to this day, one of which is prepping. I'm not a doomsday prepper (if SHTF and it's TEOTWAWKI, I'll be damned if I'm going to hang on as long as possible in that situation) but I do keep a small supply of food, water, flashlights, etc. We're more likely to lose power in a thunderstor...