James Pyles's Blog, page 102

Quoting: Better Than Duct Tape

One person who frequently lost his temper, finally learned to control it with the following method: Whenever he felt angry at someone, he would take a sip of water and hold it in his mouth for five minutes. Only after the five minutes passed would he criticize someone. During this time his anger subsided and […]

The Sacrificed

“I can’t do it, Erickson. I’m no killer.” Rafael Isaiah Johnson had traveled back in time 172 years to stop a global extinction event and save the human race, but the man he hoped to enlist as an ally, Austin Randolph Erickson had another idea, a murderous one. The two men, one a Hispanic-African-American who […]

Book Review of “The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack: A Burton and Swinburne Adventure”

Some months ago at work, a friend of mine and I got to talking about steampunk as a sub-genre of science fiction, and, long story short, he recently lent me his copy of Mark Hodder’s 2010 novel The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack: A Burton and Swinburne Adventure. Basically, Hodder takes real places (London […]

Quoting: The Mistake is to Not Try

Try to become as great as you can. Some people are afraid to accomplish because they might make mistakes — and those mistakes will be more serious than if they remained simple! This is not valid reasoning. Each person is obligated to develop himself to the best of his ability. The smallest person has potential […]

The Girl Who Could Do Anything

“Come on, Grandpa. Over here.” Three-and-a-half year old Jillie ran ahead of sixty-three year old Robert, who was starting to feel the icy talons of fear clutch his heart as his migraine interfered with his control. “Coming, Angel.” Wiping moisture off of his forehead and locks of long, graying hair, he knew the migraine would […]

Quoting: Countering Sadness with a Treat

Be aware of what situations and behaviors give you pleasure. When you feel excessively sad and cannot change your attitude, make a conscious effort to take some action that might alleviate your sadness. If you anticipate feeling sad, prepare a list of things that might make you feel better. It could be talking to a […]

The Goats and Graves Reparation

“On Wednesday, January 2, 2019, President Donald Trump sent the 101st Airborne to maintain order at the American-Mexican border near Nogales. That was fifteen years ago.” Professor Pauline Vasquez periodically pressed her thumb on the remote, advancing the slideshow in her classroom. “500,000 migrants, desperate to gain sanctuary, were being turned away by Army soldiers, […]

Contemplating the “Eve of Destruction”

Disclaimer/Trigger Warning: If you’re already nervous about what Donald Trump is capable of as President of the United States, you probably don’t want to read the following. Don’t you understand, what I’m trying to say? And can’t you feel the fears I’m feeling today? If the button is pushed, there’s no running away, There’ll be […]

Quoting: Who’s Calling Whom?

When we pray due to suffering, we usually think that the suffering comes because of external situations and hence we have to pray. But this is not correct. The very purpose of the suffering is that we should pray. By pouring our hearts out to the Almighty, we become closer to Him. Hence the suffering […]

Eira’s Lover

Aging widower Shannon Hart remembered the sound of the crackling of burning logs in the fireplace at home in the middle of a dark, quiet night as he stared across the low, rolling hills, watching fog freeze onto the widely spaced pine trees, a faint, unending dawn resting on the eastern horizon. Three weeks ago, his youngest […]