Friday JohnKu – AKA- TGIF

March 2, 2018March 1, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 71 Comments

Friday is here, and I am in the bunker on the lower level of the house. The rest of the space is taken up with saws, hammers, and flooring people. I can’t complain much since I have the internet and electricity. I am separated from my beloved refrigerator which right now sits somewhere in the middle of the kitchen. Well, we can’t have it all. I’m hoping the kitchen gets completed today, but sometimes that is a danger. (hoping that is)

The trek down the long road to completed repairs is almost over. I must say it has been an experience to remember. Each repair crew has different ways of doing business. Some are neat and tidy, and others seem to relish the saying, “You need to break eggs to make an omelet.” Somewhere in between is the finished product. We will be glad to do without the noise, concrete chips, plaster parts, wood splinters, aluminum bits, dust mounds, paint splashes, grout blobs, nails, and footprints. In short, we will be glad to make our own mess.

We are the fortunate ones. There are still families who have no home and still doing battle with the insurance company. Others have taken their settlement and run. It is estimated that our community lost a third of its full-time residents to Hurricane Harvey damage and will not return.

Today’s JohnKu talks about our sense of home. I hope you have a super weekend.

Taken for granted,

Our home is a safe haven . . . .

Being together.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

February 23, 2018February 22, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 72 Comments

Friday is here. (YAY) With the arrival of Friday starts the last project on our Hurricane Harvey reconstruction list. I am shuddering because this one will involve a lot of inconveniences, dust, and barking dogs. It is the total replacement of the floors on two levels of the house. It will require moving the furniture, lifting the baseboards, and then ripping out the previous floor. Obviously, this will need to be done while we are living here. To give you an idea of the before and after here is a photo of before.

The reason I picked this shot is it will give you an idea of the complexity of the project. All the baseboards have to be taken off. The objects on top of furniture have to be moved to someplace. Then the furniture moved as well. In addition, the refrigerator (in the background) has to go somewhere as well. The pantry and closet (white doors) floors need to be done too. Then the floor has to be taken up and the new one installed. Finally, the baseboards have to be reinstalled, caulked and painted. This action has to be duplicated throughout the house. So when the job is finished, I’ll take a shot of this area and we’ll see how they do. The flooring is delivered and needs to rest in the house for a couple of days so it gets used to the environment. (I hope it likes us)

This week’s JohnKu talks about inconvenience. Hope you have a great weekend.

We must face challenge,

Even inconvenience . . .

In moving forward.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

February 16, 2018February 15, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 53 Comments

I’m glad to see Friday come around. We had a cold and rainy week. I know the rain is needed but I certainly missed the sun this week. We are expecting another cold front this weekend so I think the cycle one day sun, six days cloudy will continue. For an area that has over 325 days of sunshine a year, this is unusual.

One nice thing this week. Gwen and I decided (Well, we think we have decided) on the cover for our collaboration, The Contract. Here is a peek at the design as it stood last week. We asked for a few little adjustments so this is not the final but will give you an idea. We hope you like it.

Today’s JohnKu talks about collaboration. I hope you all have a super weekend.

Collaboration by John W. Howell

Working together,

Takes a give and take approach . . .

The end is worth it.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

February 9, 2018February 8, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 68 Comments

Another Friday is upon us. Unlike last week this one feels like it flew by. I guess we can never explain from one week to the next why some are quick and some seem to drag.

This week was pretty productive. Gwen and I got the cover for The Contract finalized. There are a few little tweaks left but all in all, it is how we want it. We also received the last of the Beta reads and the suggestions were outstanding. So we are finished with the Beta phase and if our editor is reading, it will be your turn come the first of March. We are now in the process of blurb production and marketing plan development.

Today’s JohnKu talks about what it takes to publish a book. I hope you all have a nice weekend.

A Book by John W. Howell

Looks like just a book,

Behind the words agony…

Forgotten when launched.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

February 2, 2018February 2, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 63 Comments

Friday is here and not a moment too soon. This week has taken it’s time to get to the gate of the weekend. I can’t put my finger on why so slow, but the week just seems like it went on forever. I think it may have something to do with the fact that the weather has been so bad. Why not blame the weather for everything? Doing that will give Obama a break since he is blamed for everything else.

Today dawned with a full moon and a gorgeous sunrise. That is the bellwether for a terrific day. This is also Superbowl weekend. With it comes the fervent hope for an Eagles victory. Hey, hold on you Pats fans. I know it is a sacrilege to root against Tom Brady but hell, someone has to do it. I’m not a big Eagle fan since my Steelers didn’t make it, but they are the underdog after all. Who doesn’t cheer the underdog? The sad part is Sunday is the last game of the season. Wah! I sure love my football and will miss it. Today’s JohnKu talks about the game. I hope you have a great weekend.

Preseason starts up,

Before you realize it. . .

Superbowl Sunday.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

January 26, 2018January 25, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 44 Comments

Another week under our belt. The Friday milestone has been reached. This week has been productive from many points of view. More beta results for The Contract (Gwen Plano co-author) have come in and contained some excellent comments. We also got the first rendition of the cover and are excited about what will be the eventual finished product. I have continued to keep attention on my next book, and the story is developing well.

This week has been one of chilly weather. We have been recipients of some of the results of the Arctic blast. The whole country has been affected by the same movement of cold air. We in the South see temperatures which are below seasonal averages. We can only hope the Jet Stream shifts to the North. This week’s JohnKu talks about the temperatures. I hope you have a great weekend.

We huddle and shake,

And hear of an Arctic mass. . .

TiKi’s as igloos?

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

January 19, 2018January 18, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 66 Comments

Another work week down. This one was quite chilly. We had temps in the 80’s on Monday. By Wednesday we were in the 30’s, and the schools were closed due to sleet. I think I have said we are not built for this kind of weather. Today is supposed to rain with a high in the fifties. We can use the rain so no complaints here.

The week saw a continuance of editing The Contract with Gwen Plano. We are so fortunate to have some outstanding Beta readers. They have given us meaningful input, and we are sure the story will be better as a result.

Today’s JohnKu talks about the weather. I hope you have a super weekend

The forecast is rain,

Then snow, sleet, below zero . . .

Can’t they choose just one?

Friday John Ku – AKA – TGIF

January 12, 2018January 11, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 70 Comments

This was a typical week regarding no holidays, yet Friday seemed to come pretty quick. I guess it must be my age. I am happy to report that four Beta-readers of The Contract by Gwen Plano and me have already sent their input. (Not due until mid-February) These folks are very dedicated to the task. We have received some excellent feedback. The beautiful part is they report enjoying the story which I think is the whole point in writing.

I have started my sixth book. It is a story featuring Ned Tranes from the John Cannon series. Ned is the chief of police for the city of Port Aransas. He is ex FBI and has been involved in some special operations for the government. I only announce it here so that I won’t get to somehow waffle. I am doing my 1000 words a day on it and expect the first draft will be done by May 1st. That will be just in time to turn to the launch of The Contract. (If all works well and the creek don’t rise)

This leads me to today’s JohnKu which talks about finishing projects. (Which we all see as a challenge from time to time). Hope you have a great weekend.

Starting many things,

Is the easiest of tasks. . .

Finish. Ah, the rub.

Friday John Ku – AKA – TGIF

January 5, 2018January 4, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 43 Comments

Another Friday with the distinction of the first Friday for 2018. This one came pretty quick given the fact that last Monday was a holiday. I don’t know about you, but this Friday does not feel any different from last Friday. I guess it would be pretty unreasonable to expect to wake up in the new year and have it feel different from last year.

I can say that our weather has taken a turn for the worse so far this year. We have been under the Jack Frost thumb. We don’t expect it to last forever so we’ll hold tight and ride it through. Today’s John Ku talks about hold the course in adversity. I hope you have a great weekend.

Life tends to challenge,

And no one knows why this is . . .

Remember don’t quit.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

December 29, 2017December 28, 2017 ~ John W. Howell ~ 39 Comments

Another Friday. This year has no more Fridays left. Sorry folks but you spent them all. The good news is next year there a reload of fifty-two Fridays is just waiting for the stroke of midnight. Then we will have a fresh batch of things of which to look forward.When you think about it, there are few other desirable things on the planet that replenish like Friday. Each week we use one up and like magic without doing anything, the next week has another. Try doing that with an ice cream cone.

It is a marvelous thing. Of course, you could say the same about any other day of the week but face it. No other day of the week has such appeal. Fridays are golden.

So here is looking forward to an entire year of them. Here is the John Ku for this week. It is about Friday.

You seem far away,

When Monday interrupts life. . .

Then you save us all.