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Some here who know me know that I am a lazy person. Several years ago I decided work is boring. Not only that, I learned when bones break at work, not only does it hurt, but the employers don;t care. There is always another employee to use up. So, I stopped doing that. Yes, sure the decision did cause some minor financial upset but I seem to have gotten by it.

I spend a lot of time on YouTube. Mostly learning videos actually. Languages, Science and Tech, free online classes from major Universities, etc. Years ago I also made a few fun videos for CS folk. Then I read some comments on other pages and some YouTube information pages (YouTube has whole books online to read, buried in their help pages). The big thing is monetization.

Monetization, you make videos, you get 10,000 views, then you are eligible to apply for YouTube monetization. If they like your videos (and they look at all of them) in a few days they will say yes or no. If it is a yes, you can then begin selecting which videos it would be okay for YouTube to attach commercial ads to. YouTube (which is owned by Google) selects the ads. If a viewer has an option of cancelling the ad and lets it run for more than 2 seconds, the adverttiser pays YouTube and YouTube pays a cut to the video owner. What could be cooler? My high school guidance counselor never even suggested making home videos for a living.

All anyone needs is a cheap pocket camera and an idea and the cash register begins to ring. And this brings us to my jealousy. I compete against true artists. I am a child with fingerpaints by comparison, competing for ad dollars against Van Gough and Rembrandt. I wish I had their creativity. They get millions of views, while I have only a few tens of thousands.

My voice is a monotone, so am I. I just is. They flower, bloom, then bloom again. Here is an example.
The Mother of Dragons (from Game of Thrones) does rap. Genius, I kneel.







And her White Walker?





One in ten views gets an ad. Four of ten of those let it run more than 2 seconds. Over one million views for each video. $$$$ Ka ching, Ka ching, just here those cash registers ring. And she does at least one video every day. With my laziness one a month is a lot. I am in awe. I am jealously in awe.

The title is a musical phrase my nephew uses when he jams with all his childhood buddies. He's lived in Pasadena, CA all his life (50+ years) in the Black neighborhood. The majority of his friends are Black and if you think you will never meet anyone famous your mistaken. His "playground" is full of musicians that boggles your mind!

All this conversation with my nephew came about when I told him that I had run into my old pal, Broken Fingers Malone" here in Bullhead City just recently. Broken Fingers and I jammed some 40 years ago in the La Puente/Pomona area of L. A. County. And I recounted this in an earlier blog titled "The Second Coming of Broken Fingers Malone".

Our memories go way back to a time when R&B and Soul was the music. I'm talking Otis Redding, James Brown and the likes of Carlos Santana. These were the tunes and bands of choice to play in clubs. We had a great band and we were once scouted by an agent that walked into this club we were playing and wanted to sign us to a contract to play in Las Vegas in the casino lounges. It was never to be.

My conversation with Broken Fingers was a kinda loose plan to "get together"!! Two days later I got a call from my pal and we jammed together that Saturday night. His talent centered around a Gibson electric acoustic guitar. When I arrived at his "pad" I walk into his studio and there was the old guitar of long ago. I looked at it and remembered. They were the thoughts of an old man playing music in the past and encountering the musical instrument that spawned those great memories.

Broken Fingers new talent was now his keyboard. He sat down and started doing some original compositions. They were what I always loved. Latin Jazz fusion. It was like meeting an old date. An old love, as it were. Broken Fingers talents have always amazed me. We cruised into a soiree just like old times. I swear it seemed like 1966 popped into his studio and our brains and bodies shifted to 25 y. o. once again. It was worthy of a Ray Bradbury short story where that stuff happens.

The night was filled with soft boleros that just seemed to make our hands glide on the piano keys and the congas. The congas I used that night were Jazz LP congas. The kind Louis Conte uses. Hey, I thought I sounded like Louis Conte. And it was like the 40 years that escaped from our music pal life suddenly rushed in. It was like it was never gone.

I mean, what are the chances that your going to run into a friend 40 years later in a remote area of Arizona where the the lizards are kept busy escaping Road Runners and the Colorado River swiftly sails by in a trance like swiftness cool and astoundingly clear.

We will jam again tomorrow night and a report will come forthwith!

This morning promptly at 9 am I started my rounds. This is Bullhead City, AZ and nothing changes. Life here fits me like a favorite pair of shoes. Well worn, in need of a shine and the heels at a severe slant just inviting a turned ankle but who cares. Certainly not me!!

My first stop was the Senior Center where I have a couple of cups of coffee and a stale donut. Ahh, life is good. Bullhead City is the the classic example of life in the U. S. There is practically no middle class. Your either very poor or your well off. The poor live in small carton like apartments and the well off live in gated communities. The best part living here is cheap so it fits us all just fine.

I walked in and sat down to enjoy my snack. There was a small Hispanic man over in the next table reading the Las Vegas paper. I mentioned last nights ball game between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers. His response was that he didn't like sports. Then he looked at me and said, "Were you ever in baseball with the Dodgers?" and I replied "Yes". He said, "Your Eddie Campos". I looked harder at the man completely surprised with his on the money remarks and I recognized the man. It was Broken Fingers Malone!!!

Broken Fingers was a young man I once knew. He played an electric Gibson acoustical guitar just like his favorite local musician, Arthur K. Adams. But that's another story. Broken Fingers stood up and we hugged like a video of 2 monkey siblings on FB when they were finally reunited. And the moniker Broken Fingers was tagged on him because he really played the guitar real good. And I mean real good.

It was great to see a person that I once liked as my friend and pal at one time in our young life. He bought a new Mercury Cougar that he called "El Coco". Broken Fingers real name was Danny Berumen and Danny and I used to cruise all over to jam with all the local musicians or just check out bands in other clubs. As we sat there we recounted the many stories in our ventures. The humorous ones that only could have happened spontaneously. We laughed and laughed like the 2 young dudes we once were.

Because they were gems I want to share a couple of these escapades with you. There was the story about this club we played at in a town called El Monte. The club owner had run out of money and when we showed up for our pay he informed us that he couldn't pay us. At that moment another guy walks in and he wants to be all friendly with the owner. The owners reaction was to pull a gun out of his desk and threaten this guy. It seems like the intruder was once a partner in the bar business and he backed out causing a severe financial burden for the guy we knew as the owner. We all recoiled but things turned out well when the intruder made a quick escape without a shot being fired.

Then there was another time we played in this bar that was owned by 2 brothers. They were a case. These guys thought they could hit on all the young sweetie pies that came in. One night this young lady started screaming for one of the brothers to get away from her. The girl jumps and screams, "Get away from me. Your old enough to be my father". The brother stood there for a couple of seconds and asked her, "What's your Mom's name. I may be"!! The whole bar was quiet and everyone was staring. When the brother finished his retort it brought the whole bar down!

And on and on. We talked about so many things that when we were finally finished we must have hugged about 5 more times. Ahhh! The delights of a young man and his pals. It was good to see Danny. He was one of those people that it seems like you could always see years later and things would still be the same. Friendly and full of happiness. We marveled at the fact we were back as pals again 40 years later and 300 miles away from our origins! We exchanged phone numbers and we will meet soon again!!

Its so far spendind the weekend at my dauther, In the morning or later today thay are having a garden-party

Nice..


Had a long week at work but then there is always the weekend..



Have a good weekend all

Most authors have the core, the kernel of their idea. It may be the climax of the trilogy - The Federation regains control of the shipping lanes and can continue trading - or it may be the central theme - Redhead women in New York are being attacked, and the assailant keeps their left sock - but whatever the premise of the story, the writer has a starting point. I doubt if any successful first novel came from someone thinking 'I'm gonna write a financial crime thriller'. You need an idea, at least.

J.K. Rowling knew how her seven book series would end and, with a few minor adjustments, it remained that way. In 1874, Lewis Carroll's 'starting point' was in fact, the ending of a nonsense poem "For the Snark was a Boojum, you see" and he spent the next two years writing the world's longest nonsense poem to 'explain' this single sentence.

I find that it's often a good idea to jot down some basic concepts before I start. However, I also find that I can get bogged down in the minutiae of it all, focusing on so trivial things, that I cannot see the woods for the trees. It's a bad habit, one that I have repeatedly pledged to discard... right before I spend three hours on my blog site, changing and amending the theme, or get sidetracked into creating an excel that will calculate tax on your salary in five different jurisdictions.

I guess I will never learn!

That said, I have a multitude of 'fantastic' ideas, but the vast majority of them are discarded. Some, because they are close to existing books, others because they don't have the mileage and even a few that, whilst I believe in the plot, I know my own abilities - know that I cannot write it in a way that would give it justice.

Attachments is such a plot. It's a near future crime thriller in which the bad guys are defrauding people by...

Ah! Now that's the problem isn't it? I know I cannot write it. I don't have the ability, but I'm hardly going to give it away. You're going to have to find your own Boojum.

Alice Coltrane...





Charles Mingus






Herbie Mann




Have a good week-end every one..

We all know that, for several reasons, you're supposed to tailor your cover letter to suit the job for which you're applying. A generic 'cover-all' letter is easily spotted by those who deal with incoming applications, even one that drops in the company's name in a 'strategic location'.

And, let's be honest, we have all had our fill of those 'dynamic and resourceful', 'hard working team players' and those who profess to be able to 'think outside of the box'.

Well, if you can 'think out of the box', why is your cover letter a carbon copy of dozens of others than landed in my inbox? Why didn't you take this opportunity to show me how far out of that box your thinking processes can take you?

But there's a fine line, isn't there? How far should you go with your personalisation and presentation of your true self?

Surely, your cover letter for a position as CFO of Simpsin, & Simpson - Lawyers since 1807, should read (and feel) completely different to the letter for CFO of DynaGame Solutions - Social Gaming for Teens.

Dear Mr Jenkins,
I wish to be considered for the position of Lion Tamer as advertised on your recent LinkedIn post.

As you can see by my attached CV, I have had extensive experience in feline mastery, including three years as Head Tamer at Bloggins Circus.

I hope to hear from you soon,

Yours sincerely,
GrumpyBum.

It's a perfectly acceptably 'standard' cover letter. But, with a role like this, could you, should you go further? Is this the moment to stand out and shine? Do you display your individuality and unique character here?

Dear Mr Jenkins,

Have no fear! My whip and chair are here at the ready, and I can assure you that your taming issues are solved. You can read all the 'blah-blah' about my experience in the attached CV. Better still, feed it to the lions and let me come along and show you how I interact with them, how I can work a crowd and how I still have 10 fingers and 4 limbs. I even have my own top hat!

I must dash, there are a few loose leopards in the street that require my attention...

Have a whip-crackingly fantastic day,
GrumpyBum

OK, you're sure to grab someone's (hopefully Mr Jenkins) attention, but you also risk being dismissed as a complete nutter?

So tell me, how far should you go? In what situations should you, not just say, but be more dynamic and when should you risk the chance of losing a position by sharing your true self in your cover letter?

I'd like to hear your opinions. In the meantime, please excuse me, I have a temperamental tiger to deal with...

Going to work this week a 05:00 in the morning and listening to

One charming night for the frist time..

You know the drill.

You've completed your masterpiece and convinced yourself that it's the next best seller. Yet those blinkered literary agents and publishers cannot see your brilliance. They are too narrow-minded, too scared to take a leap of faith and far too worried about their bottom line to invest in your future classic. Blind Publisher Syndrome lurks its evil head again.

You have put months of effort into your work - years maybe. Your very soul is in this killer read. It means everything to you. Why can't they see that?

DAMN THEM ALL TO HELL!

But wait! Ask yourself the following:
• When you go to the dentist, and you are told you need a tooth extracted, do you believe him?
• When your car is playing up and the mechanic informs you that you need a new 'oogleflugle' (well, that's what I hear), do you tell him he is incorrect?
• When you visit the doctor for a routine check-up and she informs you that your blood pressure is a little high, do you let her know that her opinion is a 'crock of...' whatever?

Not too often, I bet.

Maybe, you are unsure and wait a while until your tooth really starts hurting, maybe you ask another mechanic to look at your car, or maybe you get a second opinion from another doctor - after all, it is your health we're talking about here! But ultimately, you tend to accept the advice of the professional.

So tell me something. Why, when you've sent your valuable MSS to a dozen literary agents or publishers, do you scream about their tunnel vision, their myopic views and their inability to 'get it'? You've had a second opinion - hell, you've had eleven of them!

These people know their job. If they didn't they'd be out of work. They know the commercial value of your work and, most importantly, they are tough enough and detached enough to be able to inform you (politely, of course) that your life's work is, at best, not right for them and, at worst, way past Yawnsville and on the main highway to the beautiful coastal town of Suckington-by-the-Sea.

Blind Publisher Syndrome is, in the vast majority of cases, a writer's condition and not one that afflicts agents and publishing houses. However, there is a cure. It's not a simple one, but it works. It's called 'honesty'. It is the hardest, but in some ways the most important skill you need as a writer: Honesty about your own finished product, your own ability, your own myopic view about the 120,000 word pile of landfill on the table in front of you.

It's a hard ability to learn, but one that’s very important for your literary career because, if you cannot learn this skill, you're doomed to hawking your crisp, double spaced, 80gsm toilet paper around for another few years.

"Look!" said Edward, pointing through the grimy veranda window at the distant hills. "The sun is shining again."

The End

That's it! You have finished your magnum opus, pushed your chair back in smug satisfaction and, hands interlocked behind your head, closed your eyes and sighed contentedly.

Congratulations!

However, whatever you're writing, however many words have emanated from your fingertips, you're not finished yet!

Look, I'm sure you've read and reread it countless times. I'll bet that you've rectified many grammatical errors and revamped a number of weaker passages. That's great! But I can also guarantee that, no matter how many times you've checked it, your masterpiece still contains errors, inconsistencies and continuity issues.
Please don't be annoyed by what I say. It is not an attack on your ability, but a simple matter of fact. Why? Because you're not an editor or proofreader - you're a writer!

In the same way that an actor is only the face of the film, needing directors, producers, foley artists, grips, best boys and so much more to achieve their 'effortless' portrayal, a writer needs to have their work professionally proofread. Our job is to write, to get the narrative down, to give the characters the colour and interest and to join the dots between the plot points. It is the job of proofreaders and editors to make the necessary adjustments and to give it that final polish. That is their job, their expertise, and part of the reason why a publishing house takes a handsome percentage. This is especially true for self publishers. If you are the only one who has read your work, no matter how much you have checked it, you will be wasting time, effort and money by publishing it without investing in someone to proof it.

Initially, you can give people you trust have a copy of your work. Let them read, critique and aid you in the process. Just be sure to use friends and family whom you trust, and not sycophants who will just tell you how wonderful you are. Now is not the time for high praise and ego boosting. Leave that for your book signings.

Of course, you cannot hand in a pile of rubbish to your copy editor. Unedited, uncoordinated, unreadable waffle will simply be discarded - and you usually get just one shot at this. You are expected to have a slightly more than rudimentary understanding of grammar, style and spelling - these are your tools after all - but many established writers hand in their manuscripts knowing that there will probably be a handful inconsistencies and errors. As long as your work is not riddled with problems, you should be fine.

Even if you are also an editor or proofreader - you're too close to your own work. Because you understand the meaning of certain phrases or interactions and because you have read the passages countless times, you become blind to the words and, without even realising, can end up skimming things that you fully intended to analyse in detail. Even this post will probably contain elements I should change. I have skimmed through it three times, but feel free to share them below. :)

Don't be annoyed when people point out these errors. Thank them instead. You're a writer and, by pointing out your errors, they are helping you to improve your skills.