Yup Santa arrived. A Christmas day wish for a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday, and peace on Earth to all.
Christmas Promise by John W. Howell ©2015
The morning is new,
Hark the herald angels sing. . .
He is here for us.
Category: Haiku
Friday JohnKu – AKA TGIF
It is Friday again and another tense week of proofing the next book. It seems that when you find one mistake there may be three others hiding somewhere in the words, the art, or even in a page number. It amazes me that any book can be written and published error free. I found the word “straffed” sitting in a sentence and keeping a low profile. The profile was so low the spell checker never found it. My eye hit on it, and I did a highlight with the Encarta dictionary. Sure enough one “f” too many. I can see the review now. “If only he knew how to spell strafed.” How the hell it got misspelled in the first place is anyone’s guess. I will now rest easy since I caught it. I have to wonder how many are still in there, though. If you want to really lose your mind put the word kidnaped in your prose. Microsoft hates it. Wants it to be kidnapped, Encarta for North America says kidnaped. So what does one do? Shoot yourself that’s what. Today’s John Ku talks when it is time to relax.
Relax by John W. Howell © 2015
Tense, tight, shoulders hurt,
Worried the work’s not perfect. . .
Need to release now.
Friday – JohnKu – AKA TGIF
Friday is here again, and only one day left until the weekend. I am so glad football season is finally in full swing. Our house has several teams we follow. In the pros we are Pittsburgh Steelers fans. My wife was born and raised there and I was born in Detroit. If you want to call me a traitor to the Lions I accept. If you think I’ve turned my back on the Cowboys, you’re right. Say I am disloyal to the Texans. Damn straight. I like my wife and the Steelers.
In college ball my wife went to West Virginia University and I to Michigan State. We like both. I also went to Notre Dame so we like them too. (we have a very hard time when Notre Dame plays WVU and MSU). Our daughters went to Baylor University and Indiana University so we are fans of both unless they play WVU and MSU and then we have major problems)
In any case we are very glad the mayhem has begun. Today’s JohnKu talks about football.
Football by John W. Howell © 2015
Waiting all summer,
The spectacle called football. . .
Over in a flash.
Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF
Friday has arrived and with it all kinds of people on vacation since most places are taking the fourth holiday today. There is no need to go on about the fact that we are all glad it’s Friday since there are only eight more hours to the weekend. Heck, the weekend is here and it’s a long one. There is plenty of time to get into the rest mode. For those of you lucky enough to have Monday off you have plenty of time to get into the comatose mode. I can hardly believe it is July already. The year is half over and it is going by really fast. I have to wish you all a Happy Fourth of July and hopefully a safe one at that. Today’s JohnKu (a term coined by Words4jp) is about the holiday
July Fourth by John W. Howell © 2015
So many years now,
Our freedoms have been preserved. . .
Celebrate the birth.
Friday JohnKu – AKA TGIF
Friday is here, and we all are glad to welcome the day as the gateway to the weekend. It is a great day in the week since it is Saturday eve. Only a few more hours and the hard work for this week can be behind us. That is unless you are one of those souls who can’t let it go for a couple of days. We all know who you are. If you are not working, you think your foot will fall off or something. You are a group of obsessive overachievers I have to excuse myself from this group even though I never stop working.I’m a writer, and we know writers are allowed to obsess over the never-ending task of writing. For the rest of you there seems to be some logic in taking some time off. Go ahead, remove your shoes and lay that computer down. After all, none of you will be on your deathbed saying,”my only regret is I couldn’t work more.” Today is the first day of the rest of your life (where the hell did that come from?), and you need to get started on a new objective to smell roses. I realize you can’t just stop. The withdrawal might be harsh enough to kill you. Maybe you can take baby steps. Try this
1. Put down the notebook and phone.
2. Go outside. (Yes outside with all the heat and bugs)
3. Find a flower. (You’ll recognize it by the fact it is in the ground)
4. Lean over and inhale through your nose like you are in a Pilates class.
5. Run quickly back into the house and congratulate yourself on completing the first rose smelling exercise. Next time we will try to find a rose.
Today’s JohnKu (a term coined by Words4jp) is about smelling the roses.
Rose by John W. Howell © 2015
Work is a blessing,
For the purpose fulfilling. . .
But not as a life.
Friday JohnKu – AKA TGIF
This week was excellent weather wise. I got a chance to do some more painting (no Virginia not on canvas) on the porch. Maybe next week I’ll take a shot of the final result. I’m a little reluctant since you won’t be able to see the difference as I did not do a before. Ah well, I’ll see how it works out. My publisher and I agreed to go our separate ways. I think this will be best for the two of us. I think they have some different priorities. I have completed the John Cannon trilogy and would like to see the two other parts published before I kick. I now have the opportunity to query other publishers or self-publish. I will need to look at all the alternatives and then make a decision.
This week’s JohnKu (a term coined by Words4jp) is about patience. I learned to be patient since it took over a year to work out a solution. I hope you like it.
Patience by John W. Howell © 2015
Action is what counts,
Unless some time needs be spent. . .
Patience is virtue.
Friday JohnKu – AKA TGIF
Lovely Friday again. It has been a busy week. Among other events, I went to a poetry reading and tossed out a couple of short stories to an audience of four. Almost made me laugh that in a town of four thousand there are four people who are interested in the written arts. Two of the four were fellow writers so it was a fun night and brought to mind the idea that no matter how small the group writers will still read. The poor souls who were the only civilians in the audience had a good time as well. At least they laughed in the right places and clicked their thumbs when it was over. The reading took place beside a marina overlooking some beautiful boats, and I would call the scene peaceful. All in all, I didn’t care about the quantity of the audience it was the quality that mattered. Today’s JohnKu (a term coined by Words4jp) talks about quality. Hope you like it.
Quality by John W. Howell ©2015
Quantity is good,
Until something needs fixing. . .
Quality shines through.
Friday JohnKu – AKA TGIF
This week was a doozy. I spent it all editing my fourth book and am not finished yet. I also have been working on the screen porch which badly needed an upgrade. The builder put in screens with aluminium frames and they almost melt in the salt spray. I have done replacement frames and find those are melting as well. The only thing left is a makeover with vinyl frames. I am surprised at how little time I have to work on things like a screened porch. After all the blogs, e-mails, tweets, edits, short stories, and post visits I find I have about an hour a day. I guess it’s better than nothing. I also have a patient spouse who understands. (Lucky) Today’s JohnKu (a term coined by Words4jp) is about time. I hope you like it.
Time by John W. Howell © 2015
When time seems endless,
The joy of relaxation . . .
Gives way to deadline.
Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF
Finally, the good weather is here for us locals. It is still forecasted to rain over the weekend, but the week has been fabulous. The beach is vacant, and you can move around in town. We will venture out to our favorite places again and enjoy the surroundings. The next big deal will be Memorial Day, and hopefully this little curse I bought from the medicine man will continue to serve up inclement weather over that holiday as well. Today’s JohnKu (a term coined by Words4jp) is about home and what it means.
Home by John W. Howell © 2015
Always welcome there,
Bringing burdens and troubles. . .
Eased, refreshed now go.
Friday JohnKu – AKA TGIF
Friday is here and with it comes the responsibility to begin to relax. Yes, it’s true. Everyone owes themselves some relaxing time. Think about all the stuff you accomplish for the week. Heck, just getting up five mornings in a row is worthy of an award. Beyond that is the fact that you worked all week. You wrote some nice stuff, and you were kind to some folks who didn’t deserve it. You made your boss feel good, and you supported your spouse. You were in meetings, on the phone and in your car. All this activity takes energy, and there has to be a recharge period or like a battery the charge may get too low to continue to power the machine. This week’s JohnKu (a term coined by Words4jp) is about recharge. Hope you like it.
Recharge by John W. Howell © 2015
The power is on,
To carry the spirit up. . .
Rest to continue.
