Thursday – A Little Personal

August 13, 2015August 12, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 25 Comments

I thought I would give a view of our shipping channel which I took this last week.

This is a large oil tanker moving toward the Port of Corpus Christi to pick up a load of Oil that has come from the Eagle Shale oilfield. This is oil that has been extracted from the shale by the process called fracking. This fracking process is responsible for the low price of oil these days. It is not because of the abundance of oil from the process but the decision of OPEC to reduce the price of oil to make this process too expensive to be practical. The potential for fracked oil was over 30% of the use in the US. That strategy is working since exploration and building of new facilities has been slowed considerably.

On the left is the tail end of a ferry that connects our island to the mainland. The ferry cuts across the shipping channel and usually has to yield to the large tankers.

You can see the ferries better with this longer shot. Also, you can see a drilling platform to the right. These are built locally and then shipped all over the Gulf. This one has been brought back for rehab and retrofit for another deployment.

Here is a picture taken from this same spot of a platform heading out to sea after it was manufactured. This was taken a couple of years ago.

And finally a close up. You can see the size as compared to the people on the dock.

Top Ten Things Not to do at a High School Reunion

July 6, 2015July 5, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 39 Comments

This list is as a result of seeing some high school reunion photos and messages on a number of social media sites. I have never attended a high school reunion, so the information captured here has been matters of here say and recounting of others about their reunion.

Top Ten Thing Not to do at a High School Reunion

10 If you attend a high school reunion, do not pose for photos that you don’t know where they will end up. If you do at best, the photos will only be traded among classmates. At worst, they will end up on the “what the not to wear, eat, or drink” website.(Which will go viral and you’ll be getting calls from the Today show to appear on their segment called EXCESS)

9 If you attend a high school reunion, do not pretend to be what you are not. If you do, at best your little fib will be seen as a joke. At worst, your profile on the class newsletter will be featured under the title Most Successful Grad. (Which will be picked up by the news services and published by your newspaper)

8 If you attend a high school reunion, do not bring a date that you do not know simply because they are beautiful. If you do, at best your charade will be found out early with no consequences. At worst, your date will discover the true reason you brought them and will make an exit and a scene remembered for the next five reunions. (Only you passing away will halt the story telling)

7 If you attend a high school reunion, do not rent an expensive car for your grand entrance. If you do, at best you will look overly anxious to impress and get the opposite reaction. At worst, the valet will take your rental car for a spin and inadvertently leave the side chrome on the street fleeing a hit and run accident. (Which you will easily be able to explain to the judge)

6 If you attend a high school reunion, do not try to hide the fact that you don’t remember everyone’s name. If you do, at best you will look like a fool trying to check name tags without being caught. At worst, you will call someone by a different name, and the name will be associated by that person to an old flame or rival. (You will have lots a bunch of points on that one)

5 If you attend a high school reunion, do not take this time to argue fine points about your grades with your old teachers. If you do, at best the teachers will wish they had flunked you. At worst, one of them may remember you failed to turn in that assignment in the eleventh grade that will require you to repeat the course and nullify your high school diploma. (Try explaining that to your boss)

4 If you attend a high school reunion, do not think your old flame wants to begin where you left off just by smiling at you. If you do, at best you will be embarrassed to learn they are happily married. At worst, you will be a little too forward thinking all is forgiven only to be arrested as you leave the building for assault. ( Gotta remember no means no)

3 If you attend a high school reunion, do not assume the free drinks at the bar carry no consequences. If you do, at best you may exhibit a little tipsiness that everyone will think is cute. At worst, you will have the honor and resulting infamy of passing out on top of the Congratulations Class cake. (The clothes you’re wearing belong to your roommate as well.)

2 If you go to a high school reunion, do not offer to be part of the planning committee for the next one. If you do, at best everyone will forget your offer. At worst, you will be appointed chairperson with all the rights and responsibilities to make the nest one the best ever. (You will also want to get a Xanax prescription)

1 If you go to a high school reunion do not tell everyone you meet that “we must get together.” If you do at best, they will all wonder if you are having a breakdown. At worst, the ones you least want to see will stay in touch long enough to cop a free overnight on their way through your town. (Plus they have some kind of foot infection that requires you to burn your sheets when they leave)

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt Compliment/Complement

May 2, 2015May 1, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 16 Comments

SOC Badge by: Doobster at Mindful Digressions

Stream of Consciousness Saturday again. This week’s prompt is Compliment/Complement and can be used together or separately. If you want to join this fun, go to Linda Hill’s site and read the rules. Here is the link http://lindaghill.com/2015/05/01/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-may-215/ My interpretation follows.

“Hi, Sarah how you doing?”

“Very well, Jackson. Thank you.”

“I enjoyed taking you to the party.”

“Me too. You complement me.”

“Well, okay. You have lovely hair.”

“Huh? Oh, I get it you thought I was looking for a compliment.”

“You said complement me.”

“I meant you make me feel complete.”

“Whoa. That is some compliment.”

“Well, it’s true. You are a complement to me.”

“Thank you, Thank you very much. You compliment me as well.”

“Hum, as in make you whole?”

“Naw, as in saying nice things about me.”

“I think we should get going to the movie this is getting complicated.”

“I agree. Excellent Segway.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

“I think I’m getting it.”

Wednesday Story Day – AKA- Hump Day

April 22, 2015April 21, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 22 Comments

Wednesday Story Day again. Happy hump day and I hope the rest of the week goes like you want it to go. Last week we left Charlotte and Bob in Charlotte’s office. Charlotte just got off the phone with Melissa Bob’s mother and learned that Melissa has some information about Charlotte, which Charlotte doesn’t want others to know. Melissa more or less told Charlotte that helping Bob was quid pro quo for keeping her mouth shut. Let’s rejoin Charlotte and Bob and the point where Charlotte suggested starting to read the first chapter of My Struggles, which is Bob’s book.

“Okay, you want me to read it aloud to you?”

“I think that would be the best way Bob since your handwriting is something you can interpret more quickly than I.”

“Sounds good. Here I go. It was a dark and swarmey er stormy night when I was borned,”

“Excuse me Bob but that should be the word born. When I was born. For now, we’ll not go into the fact that was born is passive voice.”

“Born is present tense. I was not born today but twenty-five years in the past. Borned. What the heck is passive voice anyway?”

“Trust me Bob born is correct. Let’s move on. Passive voice is less preferred than active. You have a lot of passive voice and it slows the reader down.”

“Ahem, I don’t understand active voice. Let me continue reading. The nurse took my little hand that was brand new as was the rest of me and lifted me up from all the yucky stuff that usually comes with being borned.”

“Bob let me interrupt again. I love the idea of describing things as you go along. I think the reader would get you are a newborn given you are describing the night of your birth. You don’t have to say brand new and that ‘rest of me business.’ Also lifted is good enough. We will assume it is up.”

“Gee Charlotte you are picking my writing apart. I thought the idea of being new could be essential to what comes next.”

“Okay, Bob. What’s next?”

“The nurse threw me into a sink filled with water and made me cry until my voice went hoarse.”

“How do you know she did this Bob and how do you know your voice went hoarse?”

“My mom told me.”

“Well, then we should add something like according to my mom. A baby doesn’t make a credible narrator.”

“Why not?”

“Cause babies can’t remember things like the first day.”

“I do.”

“You do what?”

“Remember being put into the sink.”

“Oh, my gosh. I need a drink.”

“Here’s some water.”

Wednesday Short Story Day

August 13, 2014August 9, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 23 Comments

Wednesday is upon us already. We need to feel good about that. This week’s story was prompted by the realization that our children are grown and can make decisions and determine their own outcomes. Sometimes one has to be reminded since it seems like yesterday they were dependent on their parents. Such is not the case anymore. The title of the story is Dear Old Dad and I hope you like it. Happy hump day.

“Hey BB.”

“Oh Hi Megan I’m glad you called.”

“Why’s that? I hope you have a sitter for Saturday night.”

“Yeah, that’s not why I’m glad and yes we have a sitter. I just got off the phone with my dad and I really need someone to talk to.”

“Is he okay?”

“Oh yes, he’s fine. He just drives me up the wall sometimes.’

“He’s not forgetting his pants again is he?”

“No nothing like that. No it’s just he asks me the dumbest questions and I have a tough time understanding where he is coming from.”

“Like what?”

“Well, he asked if I was going to get tennis lessons for Joe.”

“Sounds like an okay question. What is the problem?”

“Of course I’m going to get tennis lessons for Joe. Joe is good but needs to get better. I just wanted to say to him, ‘no dad I decided to eliminate the tennis lessons and cut off food in the bargain to teach Joe not to be so success oriented.’”

“Humm. I see what you mean. What else?”

“He asked about singing lessons for Ali and I wanted to tell him we took the singing lesson money and bought a kyack, beer, chips and cigarettes.”

“Who boy that’s funny.”

“Since I live in Indiana, in one of the most-desirable tourist destinations he thinks I have a washing machine on my front porch. At least he is always wondering about facilities and education. I always joke about the rock where I hand wash the clothes, and sometimes I think he believes me.”

“Maybe he is just concerned.”

“Oh, I know that, it is just sometimes I wonder. I wonder if he can fully grasp what it takes to have a full-time career, raise three kids and support a husband who is also working

“What does he do?”

“He’s a writer. Novelist. In fact, he is the only Type A writer I know.”

“Yikes. No wonder.”

“What? Type A or Novelist?”

“I would say both. I think he probably sees the world from a different point of view and doesn’t have a clue on how the questions come across.”

“I know you’re right. I guess I just needed to vent. He can be a dork at times. I guess we all can.”

“Is a female dork a dorkess.”

“I don’t know. Is a female ass an assess? Goodbye Megan.”

“Goodbye BB. See you Saturday.”

Rave Reviews Book Club Spotlight Author -Kenneth J. Kerr

July 2, 2014June 27, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 21 Comments

I am very pleased to host the Rave Reviews Book Club spotlight Author Kenneth J. Starr. Like me, Ken started writing after a career in business and has published two novels. He has an interesting story about his self-publishing journey. If you would like more information about Rave Review Book Club just click HERE and you will be taken to the website. Welcome Ken.

About the Author

Hi. My pen name is Kenneth J. Kerr, but most people call me Ken. I am retired after a successful business career, which included extensive international travel and living overseas in Hong Kong and Tokyo, Japan for almost a decade. After retirement, I lived in Russia for a year as a Peace Corps volunteer. I began my writing career ‘late in life,’ just over two years ago. My second novel, “The First Madam President (and the dirty bombs)” was published in May 2014 and is available as an e-book or paperback on Amazon and as an e-book in all formats at Smashwords.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JYKNS3S
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/432665
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thefirstmadampresident
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kkerr19963
Website: http://kkerr19963.wordpress.com

My journey in the self-publishing world

When I decided to write my first book in 2012, I gave little thought to the publishing process. I was more concerned if I could write enough words to make a whole book. Finally, after several months I had a manuscript that had been written and re-written and edited by me a few times. Now it was time to go get it published. I spent time on the internet investigating the conventional publishing process, realized I needed to find a literary agent first and sent off a few letters to literary agents introducing myself and my book. Not surprisingly, I got no interest, a couple polite turn downs, but mostly no responses. I quickly concluded an unknown author and a first book face an almost impossible uphill climb to get into the conventional publishing world. So, I started learning about self-publishing, again online, and found this looked like a better alternative. I chose Xlibris, a company in Indiana, who offered me a variety of services at different prices. I chose a package of copy-editing, cover design, copyright and ISBN services, some limited marketing assistance and publishing my book as an e-book, paperback, and hard cover. My evaluation is that Xlibris did a good job of the publishing process and produced quality books for me. The marketing services were basic and, in hindsight, were not as valuable as I had hoped.

Since that initial experience I have learned a great deal about the business of self-publishing. For my second book, “The First Madam President (and the dirty bombs)” I used three self-publishing companies; CreateSpace.com for the paperback, and KDP and Smashwords for the e-book. I used KDP for the Kindle e-book and Smashwords for all the other e-book formats. All three companies offer a wide variety of services for a fee, but if you are willing to do your own formatting and editing and cover design, etc. all three companies offer their self-publishing services for FREE. I am very happy with the products they published for me.

Book Excerpt

The President had only met Ann once before, but her initial impressions of the young lady were very positive. She smiled inwardly realizing that the CIA Director had given Ann a more important role in this meeting.

“Ann, you and your Director were here previously on the suspected plot, and I said come back when you have more evidence that will stand up in court. Do you think we are there yet?”

Ann responded, “Madam President, with all due respect, you may be using the wrong standard. My team is tasked with following Al Qaeda, collecting intelligence, analyzing the intelligence and the situation, and preventing another terrorist attack on the United States. Sometimes we collect intelligence in ways that would not meet the standard required in a court of law. We may have that situation facing us now. It is highly likely that a cell of terrorists plan to attack sites in Washington D.C soon. It could be tomorrow, or the next day or several days from now. Hopefully, they are using fake explosives and will be unsuccessful. I don’t want to take that chance. And Madam President, I don’t think you should take that chance either. We have reliable intelligence that indicates an attack is imminent. I don’t believe you want to be known as the President who had intel about an attack and did not act. There are times when the standard for evidence useable in a trial, may be too high. This may be one of those times.”

The President stared at Ann. Everyone else in the room was dead silent, wondering how the President would respond to Ann’s comments.

TGIF is as TGIF Does

February 21, 2014February 20, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 25 Comments

Thank goodness it is Friday. It has been a hectic week. Right in the middle of everything my internet went down. After about two hours with the tech rep it was decided they had network problems. Was kind of funny since they swore up and down it was something wrong with my computer. You have to wonder about service protocols when I explained that:

My PC could not connect.
My wife’s Apple iPad could not connect.
My wife’s Apple Mac book could not connect.
The Femto cell which allows us to receive wireless calls could not connect.
The TV and VCR which are connected to the internet could not connect.
All our iPhones could not connect.

Yet, the tech continued under the assumption the problem was with my computer. FINALLY the engineering group got on the phone and did a download and upload path test. GUESS WHAT? The @#$%^&* problem was in the network. That’s not all. In the process, the tech did a hard boot of my router and reset all the values back to default. The next day we figured out all our Apple products needed a different frequency which we had set up originally. ANOTHER HOUR ON THE PHONE. Totally frustrating.

I did have to think that no animals or children were hurt in the drama and as a result, got over the feeling of being duct taped to a phone. So here is a little Haiku to take you to the weekend:

Been on hold an hour,

Internet is not working . . .

Told to visit web.

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.

Technology is as Technology Does

January 8, 2014January 7, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 20 Comments

Wednesday is upon us again. It seems like life is running quicker than I can keep up. I was minding my own business last Wednesday, enjoying a peaceful New Year’s day and I began to ruminate. (my wife says I do that a lot and no it’s not chewing grass) I was thinking on how life seems to change quickly and some of these changes go unnoticed until they smack you in the face. It’s sort of like going up to the McDonald’s counter expecting to order a quarter pounder with cheese only to see a full half pounder on the menu board instead. I’m not saying MacDonald’s has done this, but as you can imagine it would be a surprise. I guess I am trying to explain the surprises of life that catch you with your feet flat. Let me go to some real examples. Here are some of the break through items for 2014. These are taken from MIT Technology Review publication. You can go there for a lot more detail, but let me summarize:

Giant touch screens made possible by new films that will allow large size and flexibility of the screen. This will allow touch screens to be built with lighter more flexible plastic instead of glass
A deep learning chip which will help computers understand images. This could lead to cell phones being able to be able to interpret what is on the screen
Google Glass will expand apps to make the head mounted camera more functional. (This one will leave me in the dust. Don’t need to be accused of being more ugly)
Solar powered cars. Okay I can see the advantage, but even if the techies work out a way to have the car in the sun enough to charge, what happens at night on a lonely road?
Nanosponges that act like red blood cells to fight infections. The sponge carries the medicine to the site. This could allow concentrated therapy for infections
3D camera which brings 3D to the laptop and iPad with a built-in camera from Intel. This was introduced at the CES show this past week

So if you are like me, as of ten o’clock last night I had never heard of this stuff and now it is upon us. If you want more information go HERE.

Weekend is as Weekend Does

December 20, 2013December 13, 2013 ~ John W. Howell ~ 38 Comments

English: Christmas decorations illuminating th... — English: Christmas decorations illuminating the exterior of the Ellen Lovell House, also called Oakenwald Terrace, a bed and breakfast on the National Register of Historic Places in Chatfield, Fillmore County, Minnesota. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Friday is here. Hoo Ray. Now is the time to start planning for an outrageous weekend. Those of you who are working full-time need to take some of the bosses minutes today and really think on how you want to spend the weekend. Go ahead the company won’t mind. After all you think about the company and your job on your time off don’t you?. . . *crickets* . . . Of course you do. You can’t fool and old fool. So what’s it to be? Here are a few suggestions to get the old thought process working:

Christmas is next Wednesday so how about packing up the kids, grandparents, and go shopping at the mall? Yes siree that sounds like a joyful thing to do. Don’t forget you will be out and about with thousands of your closest friends, enjoying the Yuletide spirit. If you have any luck you will be given the privilege of buying what you really didn’t want at a price you really didn’t want to pay. As a capper if you are really lucky you and the family will pick up a mild case of the flu that will progressively get worse by Christmas day.

Maybe you would rather go to an exclusive bed and breakfast just the two of you. There you can settle into a quant room that sort of reminds you of your grandma’s house. A degree of authenticity will be found in the mix of mothball, old sock, and camphor smell that you know and love. The real nice part is the cost of the room is just slightly below your month’s rent, but breakfast is included. Speaking of breakfast you will be able to join about ten of similarly minded people all dressed like you and all on their phones. The menu will include fresh squeezed gooseberry juice, cranberry scones with homemade elderberry jam, egg white omelet, and decaf cappuccino with soy foam. You are living now.

A final choice might be a simple weekend home with a few friends. Y’all can start on Saturday with the favorite punch before the football game. You remember it from last year. It’s that milk kind of thing with a rum base and kerosene taste finish. A few of those and you are suddenly transformed back to your undergrad days. You can try as hard as you will, but resistance is futile. Luckily the rest of the weekend will be a blur of football game on the TV, a pickup game of touch football in the snow, several bottles of wine and drinks, something for dinner, exactly what escapes you, and finally to bed in the car in the driveway. (Why you can’t explain) Sunday morning will be all about trying to figure out how many of the guests were offended by whatever when on before you went to sleep in the car. You will tread carefully until the Bloody Mary kicks in and then you will find out the whole truth. Of course you will never do this again.

Hope your choice is at least as good as these. Have a great weekend.