Tyler Colins's Blog, page 14

Head Scratching

 . . . trying to figure out what today’s post should be about.  My onward move to getting my life organized [finally]?  My snail-slow progress re the sixth book in the Triple Threat Investigation Agency series? The new merch for two of the books?

Two plush velveteen blankets, by the by.  It’s unfortunate I’m not crazy about the covers (though “Forever Poi” isn’t too bad); I might be tempted to invest $62 in one.  Well, if I win the lottery, perhaps I’d just spend a few hundred and buy one of everything—new décor for the newly painted apartment. 

I am so NOT anywhere near where I’d hoped to be with my blog and book.  Of course, things have been crazy-busy [but aren’t they always, one way or another?].  There’s a part of me that would love to retire and focus solely on my writing and editing; I’d enjoy that.  But maybe my body would go into [extreme] shock if I weren’t working like a madwoman 24/7, as it has been for decades. 

I envy writers and bloggers who write profound and/or enlightening posts.  Truly.  I believe I’m a very good editor and writer, but the latter only in terms of my books.  When it comes to conceiving concepts for posts, much less writing them, I suck.  Big time.  I’m like the deer in the middle of the freeway, caught in the Mack truck headlights. 

Hats off to my fellow writers; keep writing and entertaining/educating me.  Maybe your proficiency/talent/cleverness will one day rub off on me.    In the meanwhile, I’ll just keep scratching my head and hoping something—any little something—will pop into my head so that I can provide a not overly dull/unimaginative post. 

A Quick & Simple Heartfelt Post

A most Happy Easter to those of you celebrating this commemorative holy time or for those of you simply enjoying the arrival of funny Mr. Bunny and his nummy-sweet treats.

Here’s to pleasant moments with family and friends … and remembering and honoring all the wonderful people, events, and everyday things in our lives we’re blessed to embrace.

Here’s to happiness . . . with a bit of a beat. 

At a Loss

On a few levels.

Loss of my mom.

Loss of sleep.

Loss of [manageable] time.

Loss of understanding why coworkers are not upfront about not having your work when you were on bereavement leave (and it takes an incident for that truth to come out).

At a loss knowing what to post about.

At a loss trying to figure out how to get back on top of things.

At a loss pondering the state of the world, politics, and human nature.

At a loss . . . wondering if spring will ever arrive or if, in July, we’ll simply slide into summer. 

I’m sure all will fall into place again at some point.  Speaking of “fall” though, right now, it feels like I’m hanging in a wishing well by my fingertips, struggling not to drop into the groundwater . . . or whatever else may be waiting below.

Here’s to wishing—to be embraced by the straight and narrow, the norm, the predictable, the routine . . . and welcoming the loss of loss.

The Not-Forever Journey

In our younger years, when mortality is simply a word in the dictionary, we tend to think life will never end . . . that we’re invincible . . . that those close to us are so resilient, they’ll live forever.

As we age—acquire maturity and wisdom—we recognize how fragile, and quick, life truly is.  We blink, and 20 years have passed.  Another blink, and 40 have whizzed by like a bullet train.

My mother’s 96 years ended in perpetual sleep this week.  The tears have dried now, but the sadness—emptiness—will remain for a while.

We had an oil-and-vinegar relationship.  And the last many years were not easy ones for me as a caregiver for a variety of reasons but now, that is—as the saying goes—water under the bridge.

I’m glad I was there at the end, to hold her hand as she traveled from this earthly realm to an otherworldly one.

Rest in peace, Mom.  May God be with you.

The Forever Journey

. . . seemed like an appropriate title.  It seems my life—your life—is a never-ending journey.  One that takes a forever yet can be over in a blink.

On this end, mom-care visits are still happening.  Too much mental/emotional baggage is still holding me back from truly embarking on my life, one free of obligation and guilt.  But that’s another story.

This post is about my current trek within that forever journey.  I’d made a recent/quick decision to take control over a [tiny] part of my life . . . but it’s one I’m certainly now questioning, because it’s proven so very overwhelming.

After many (many!) years of not having fixed up the place, I decided to have the floors stripped and re-varnished, and the walls painted.  Cost aside (I’m questioning that, too, because I’m not earning a VP’s salary—heck, I’m not even earning a VP’s EA’s salary), I sucked it up and went for it.

Wow, who knew there’d be so much work involved?  Who’d have imagined that moving all the furniture would prove that difficult?!  Obviously, not me!  Who knew you’d have to spend three nights away (I kind of figured one, but three)?  Who realized local hotels cost $300+ a night?  Not me, and ouch.  So, I went for a “boutique hotel”, more of a B&B really . . . but . . . yeah . . . you get what you pay for. 

After beating myself up (yet again), I decided to focus on the positive aspects.  I’d had enough semblance of thought to bring Lysol.  This was/is good.  There was a functional TV.  This helped divert attention—if you like watching news channels all night long.  One that made me stop wanting to smack myself repeatedly in the head: at least the shower was amazing.  It was clean, roomy with a seat, and the water was instantly and wonderfully hot.

The day this is posted is the day I will have returned home to new floors.  Won’t have moved what’s left of the furniture back though.  Have to wait another day.  Then the painting fellow arrives Sunday morning.  Hopefully, that project won’t take too, too long (and I’m not going anywhere, if I have to sleep on the balcony wrapped in multiple tarps).

Maybe, just maybe, come the next post, I’ll have managed to move all the stuff that’s crammed into the bathtub and shower, and jammed into the small bedroom closet—an open-the-door comedy-show explosion in the making.

I’m sure, one day, I will laugh—or at least snicker—at this current, crazy, but not-brief-enough trek.  Maybe while I’m sitting admiring the new floors and walls, and thinking, yeah, it was worth it. 

Third Time’s the Charm

So the saying goes.  Doesn’t really apply to this post, but it is the third time I’m posting about Hawaii.

There’s another snowstorm blowing white flakes past the icy window, as it did the week before, and the week before that.  While it’s pretty and peaceful, it has me dreaming of other white stuff: sand.  Like that soft, silky powder found on Oahu beaches.  Those trodden by thousands of tourists’ feet in an endeavor to catch rays, leap into sapphire waters, and/or get some serious down time before returning to the world of work and worries.

My eating habits are predictable here.  Same stuff day in, day out.  The weekly (yawn-inducing) menu rarely varies.  When I’m visiting my Hawaiian “home”, I tend to be more adventuresome.  I love trying new foods, and always do.

The last trip, however, had me hooked on a different version of my favorite food: pizza.  Garlic-kalua-pig.  Holy moley, was it good!  So good, I pretty much ate it every other day.

But I did have my veggies.  And my salads.  And my “international” delights.

Then, came the treats—the shave ice, traditional versus “fancy”.  And something I hadn’t had since being a kid (they’ve been hard to find here over the years, but are easily obtained in Hawaii) … those delightful, nummy-sweet Hostess cupcakes.  Heaven!  Like, can you spell y-u-m-m-m-m?

I had one of the must-have drinks—a Mai Tai—of course.  You know, it didn’t really appeal to me, but it sure looked pretty, especially sitting under a palm by the beach.

   Cheers to more trips and warmer days!

Still Reminiscing

Another wintery storm blew in last night and is lingering this morning.  The white fluff sure looks pretty.  Too bad it’ll turn to gray slush.

I’d say you’d never see this kind of weather in Hawaii, but I’d be lying.  They get snow, too, especially on Big Island, which has eight climate zones (including “polar tundra”).

Last week, I shared some touristy shots, this week I thought I’d share some of the lovely birds and lizards I so enjoy seeing. 

That’s it, that’s all, my friends.  A simple post with simple pics.

Enjoy your weekend and for those of you living in these northern climes, stay warm and safe!

A Distant Dream . . . ?

It’s already been over four months since I got to visit Hawaii again.  It seems like a distant delicious dream.

Sometimes, you have to wonder if taking a trip and $pending the money for it is worth it.  You get there, de-stress for 10 or 14 days, or whatever, then you head back home—and the stress returns.  Threefold.  (I wasn’t even off the plane and there was an “urgent” message from my mother’s long-term-care home, which did not turn out to be urgent.  Needless to say, however, the BP had shot through the roof and I was triple stressed by the time I stepped out of the airport limo.)

I decided to take a look at my photos.  Yup, I was there.  It wasn’t a dream!  Yeah, now I remember.  It was hot and humid . . . and heavenly.

And how I wish I were back there again, de$pite the co$t!

The shots I’m sharing are typical, touristy ones, but they’re pretty good (I’m not a bad photographer, if I do say so myself).

Perhaps they’ll take you to a another realm—if only for a moment.  Away from the icy / snow-blanketed / frigid / foggy / cold / gray / bleak / wet / damp / lifeless place you may currently be residing in.  And if you’re fortunate to be living in Hawaii and similar climes, count your blessings. 

Me, I’m going to dream of warmer, brighter times . . . they’re just around the bend (I’m keepin’ the faith).

N = 1/2

N as in one-half the size of M . . . as in the em- and en-dash.

Last week, we reviewed the main reasons for using the em-dash.  It only seems fair to give the en-dash its due too.

The en-dash is the length of the letter “N” (the em-dash the length of the letter “M”).  It’s used to signify date or number ranges .

The findings represented data collected 1999–2003.

“Please read pages 493–567.”

The director expected 35–45 employees to attend the after-hours meeting.

It can convey “to” or “and”.

Lee took the Kingston–Ottawa bus.

The HR–IT session was well attended.

Use it in place of the word “versus”.

The gang went to the local bar to catch the Leafs–Senators game on the huge wall screen.

The Brady–Cleaver match was scheduled for nine that evening.

An en-dash can be used for scores or votes.

The college football game’s final score was 20–17.

Even though the votes were not all in, the governor insisted she had won: 29929–29833.

Use it for those lovely grammatical devices called complex compound adjectives.

The effects of the medication were long-lasting.

Marjorie, a part-time employee, was considered kind-hearted by fellow team members.

Hmm, there’s a thought for a future post: compound adjectives.

. . . But maybe I’ll just aim for something more fun (if not frivolous) next week. 

M&M

Actually, that’s em and em . . . not quite as delightful as M&Ms, those nummy little globular treats (I’m partial to the Minis myself). 

Time for another grammar/punctuation post—just a wee one, kinda like my Minis.

I thought I’d do a two-parter, the first being about em dashes and em spaces and the second about en dashes and en spaces.  Yeah, kind of a snoozy topic, but worth reviewing for us writers . . . since a few of us don’t necessarily use either correctly. 

“Em”, in a nutshell, refers to the width of the space—the same typographical width as a lowercase “m” character.  Typographical, by the by, is simply a fancy word for the arrangement/appearance of printed matter.

But while we’re [sort of] on the topic of typography—for those that might be remotely interested—the em space is utilized as a basic unit of measure for websites.  The default font size is set to ems; fonts on the page that are larger/smaller are delegated as multiples or fractions of said ems.  They can be used to create optical adjustments between elements or to avoid recurring spaces.  Put another way, to avoid hitting the spacebar several times to move a word or character, you can use an em space (with an appropriately sized scale) to literally shove the word (or sentence) farther along that line without repetitively pressing that spacebar.  Yeah, a bit of a mouthful . . . and earful.

The em dash has different punctuation functions.  When used like a comma, you can offer extra information (examples, details, explanations).  Used like a colon, you can provide explanatory clauses or descriptions.  The em dash can serve the same purpose as parenthesis, or brackets: to add additional facts or list items/details.

In Q3, the comestibles company—given it had just merged with a wine company—would be increasing its workforce and hours of operation.

The wide range of craft beers on the counter—ale, lager, stout, pilsner, and porter—brought smiles to the overheated guests upon stepping onto the pergola.

Hudson’s boutique officially opened on Friday and offered a vast selection of hats—fedoras, Panamas, trilbies, bonnets, caps, and bowlers.

Is spacing used with em dashes?  Not with books or journals.  Yes, with newspapers and magazines, and some websites (it depends on their practice).

An em dash (again, one em or “M” wide,) is used to communicate changes—sudden disruptions in thoughts or a [quick/unexpected] switch from one speaker/character to another.

As they stepped inside, Jerry looked around the dimly lit cabin with trepidation, but his best friend Arthur—he was excited.

“If you’d told me Marty was coming—”

“Hey! I had no idea he was coming,” Lee interrupted angrily.

There are other uses for the em dash, but these should do for now.  Too much information is—well—too much. 

As I often say, if you’re truly interested in learning more, the internet offers no shortage of information—rules and guidelines abound!