Friday JohnKU- AKA- TGIF

October 31, 2014October 24, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 25 Comments

Wonderful Friday. Such a nice day. Only eight more hours and we can kick back and enjoy the fruits of our labor. I really like lime as a fruit of labor. You can squeeze it, add it to agave distillate juice with some orange liqueur and agave nectar. Toss it into a shaker and shake till ice-cold. Pour into a mason jar, add a slice of lime. Put your feet up while on the veranda and tell the world how much you have earned this little gem. I only have about 1000 words until I can do that later today. Hope you all have a good weekend. I didn’t forget the JohnKu (a term coined by Words4jp). It is called rest. Hope you like it.

Rest only sneaks in,

After working long and hard . . .

Never stays too long.

TGIF JohnKu

September 5, 2014August 29, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 11 Comments

Well, here we are at the close of the week. It is fun to finally get here isn’t it? I think Friday might be my second most favorite day. Saturday is number one, but Friday is a close second. On the Texas coast this will be the first weekend after labor day. This means all the tourists have gone home and we get to have our beaches and town back to normal. It then becomes very peaceful and relaxed. There are only four thousand people on our island. This number can go as high as twenty thousand during the peak crush. So it’s no wonder things seem quiet. I have lived in hugely big cities in my life and I must say it is a treat to experience the peace and quiet of a small town. Todays John Ku (a term coined by Words4jp) hopefully catches the spirit. Hope you like it.

The crowds arrive thick,

Providing some sustenance. . .

Nice to wish god’s speed.

Friday JohnKu for Week’s End

August 15, 2014August 8, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 16 Comments

Friday is here at last. Seems like an eternity since Wednesday but that ‘s how it goes in the scheme of things. Sometimes the weeks go by in a flash and sometimes it feels like a five-day root canal. Unless you have a secret answer I have not been able to pinpoint just what makes time fly or standstill. It has to be all mental. Of course, I could think of occasions when time would fly and others where it would stand still. The time fly one is easy. Picture falling on a subway track and there is no way out except to run to an egress door which is five hundred feet away. Can you guess how fast the time will fly until the next train arrives? You can bet it is already here with you under it. Okay let’s turn away from that scene and go to one where time moves so slowly it seems to stand still. How about when you accidentally kick over the step-ladder and you are holding on the eve of your house and you have called for help. The help answers to the effect they are coming. How long does it take for them to get there and put the ladder back? Almost forever and just maybe after you thunder down into the hibiscus with a dull thud. The point is; has anyone given us anything more scientific to measure this stuff? Today’s JohnKu (a term coined by Words4jp) deals with science and is titled Answers. Have a nice weekend.

There are questions asked,

On the mystery of life. . .

Many Qs few As

TGIF Friday – JohnKu

July 25, 2014July 20, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 29 Comments

Another week of hard labor has been put to bed (after the next eight or so hours) and it is time to celebrate. As you read this I am in the San Francisco area attending the Passages Book Store Mystery Writers conference. This year’s faculty is pretty impressive. There is John Lescroart, Anne Perry, Valerie Plame Isabel Allende to name a few. Of course, through the miracle of WP scheduling this Friday JohnKu (a term coined by Words4JP) is still being published as it should on Friday. This week’s JohnKu deals with the subject of learning (which I hope I will be doing).

Knowledge does not thrive,

Cultivating is required . . .

Otherwise, it dies.

Friday Haiku

May 30, 2014May 23, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 21 Comments

Friday is finally here. It is always comforting to know the week is almost over. Also, it is nice to know the weather is finally nice enough to really enjoy the weekends. The summer season has to be the best. I’m not sure I have ever heard anyone up North say “I’m really glad winter is here.” Mostly people are glad to be able to move around and take in some outdoor activities. Of course, one can ski and enjoy winter sports, but after, facing a long cold winter is not usually everyone’s cup of tea. Today’s Haiku (or as words4jp calls it Johnku) encourages us all to take in the summer fun.

The sun is out there,

Ready to let us run free. . .

Need high SPF.

Friday the Weekend Eve – Haiku

May 2, 2014April 28, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 24 Comments

Friday again means time for a little Haiku to help celebrate the fact that we made it all the way. (Okay so maybe there is eight more hours of today, but still tonight be the night. Weekend eve . . . woo hoo). Hopefully you will have a restful weekend and will be able to hit Monday (just seconds away) with vigor. Here is today’s Haiku or maybe a Haiban (not really sure)

It is spring today,

Rivers made of snow cascade . . .

Daffodils now live.

Friday Again so Soon – Ha Ha

April 25, 2014April 22, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 21 Comments

We finally made it to Friday. I have to say this was one hell of a week. I am working on my third novel and have set a goal to write 1000 words a day. This week I fell short. Not because I didn’t want to write , but I was busied out with projects needing done and pets needing help. It wasn’t as bad as I thought not achieving my goal, so I now need to whip myself into a frenzy and get back on the horse. It reminds me of the old question when faced with something which you believe has dire consequences. “What is the worst that could happen?” Once you face that question dealing with the issue is more manageable. So when I was pulling my hair out about missing daily numbers, I asked myself, “What is the worst that could happen?” I figured the worst would be a week’s delay in finishing my book. Since I don’t skydive, if I finish my book a week later than planned, it is no big deal. I don’t think the world will even notice. Okay I feel better. Now to the Margarita. Oh I almost forgot the Haiku. Here it is:

Worrying too hard,

About phantom dire results . . .

Breathe in deeply peace.

Friday Haiku is as Does

February 28, 2014February 23, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 29 Comments

Finally Friday and time to get ready for the weekend. My favorite part of the weekend is not necessarily taking time off, but the thought time off is completely up to me. I have a self-imposed schedule that is a killer, but on the weekend it seems I cut myself some slack and goof off. It usually starts with a Margarita on Friday night to set the mood. It then works its way into actually taking time to relax. This is very hard for me and need to plan to release on a particular project. So this week’s Haiku hopefully captures this spirit. Hope you enjoy it.

The Line by John W. Howell

Friday is a line,

Drawn quite unnaturally . . .

Between life and work.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

TGIF is as TGIF Does – A HAIKU

January 10, 2014June 26, 2024 ~ John W. Howell ~ 19 Comments

As you know last week brought my book launch and a call for volunteers. I am very happy to report the volunteer docket is filled. I have thirty really nice people who are kind enough to help me out. (I know. . . which way did you come in? *drum bump-de-bump and symbol crash*) I am going to officially close the request, but if you really want to sign-up you can still do it at johnhowell.wave@gmail.com. I want to thank all of you who signed up to help with the launch of My GRL. I think we are going to have some fun. As a reminder the tour starts on Sunday January 19^th and runs until February 1. For all the volunteers, look for the material on the 16^th or it really could be a little before. The e-book go live confirmation will govern the material.

Since it is Friday, I think a Haiku is in order to more or less move us into the weekend. This is a Haiku I composed while waiting for my e-book to go live which seems to be my sole focus these days. The print version has been available since January 2 and the e-version is in some kind of holding pattern. Like a new father waiting in the hall for the birth of a child I pace the floor like a wounded animal checking and re checking the Amazon site for signs of my e-book’s birth. So here it goes:

Launch by John W. Howell

Launch child of paper,

Come on out digital kid…

I need to meet you.

The Best Workday Is as The Best Workday Does

November 15, 2013November 14, 2013 ~ John W. Howell ~ 20 Comments

Friday is the day we have been waiting for. We started out the week on Monday and made some personal notes to self that we would never ever party like a rock star again. Look at us today. We are working our duff off so we can go out tonight for another meeting of the Bacchus Brothers Social Club. WHAT IS WRONG WITH US ANYWAY? Did we not learn a valuable lesson last week? Did we not make it home in one piece? Did we not swear to the ceramic deity that we would never cast major dispersion onto the still waters again? Yet here we are looking anxiously forward to another Friday night and weekend. I think insanity has been described as repeating the same action expecting a different outcome. Okay so here is a question:

How many think that the number of drinks we had last week will not produce the same effect as before is we do it again this week? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? *Crickets*

I thought not. Of course the answer is, the same number of drinks in the same amount of time will produce the same results. You know the results:

Speaking into the ceramic microphone.
Calling train arrivals such as, “Poughkeepsie,” and “Pittsburg.”
Walking around with a headache so big you wish for bolt of lightning to take you out.
Hands shaking so bad people think you’ve got at least three of each.

Well, since we never learn, here is a little Haiku to help you through the weekend.

Find the light today,

Yesterday is not too clear. . .

Tomorrow is life.

Have a great weekend.