Michael Robert Dyet's Blog, page 35

A Christmas Wish - Moving the World a Few Degress Forward

Hmmm, what should my one true Christmas Wish be this year?

It is three days before Christmas which compels me to ponder my Christmas Wish for the year ahead. It is not easy to narrow it down to just one. It’s not that I am a greedy person or that I have a lot of unfulfilled wishes. The difficulty is that, when I survey the news headlines, there are so many situations in the world I wish I could change.

U.S. President Donald Trump is shutting down the U.S. government until it agrees to fund his wall along the Mexican border. It is sizing up to be an epic standoff.

I wish that Trump would go ahead and build the wall – as long as he is on the other side of it when it is finished. Sarcasm aside, I wish that time would speed up so we could be rid of Trump earlier.

By the way, did you know that there is a How Long Until Trump Leaves website? I kid you not. It has a countdown clock which, as of this moment, sits at 759 days, 10 ours, 16 minutes and 9 seconds. You can also buy a “F*$# Trump” ball cap for $19.50.

Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is selling his former Manchester brick mansion for $4.1 million. A lot of money to most of us, but little more than pocket change for a star athlete earning what he does.

I wish the gap between the rich and the poor was not widening with every passing day.

Russian president Vladimir Putin issued a warning this week about the rising threat of nuclear war. He blames the U.S. which he accuses of irresponsibly pulling out of arms control treaties.

I wish that political leaders of major countries would abandon the politics of rhetoric and focus on helping the forgotten and downtrodden people in their countries.

Yahoo News advises me that Prince Harry is Grump and No One Knows Why. The report includes a photo of him looking pissed off. He is wearing a poppy in the photo which suggests he has been grumpy for at least a month and a half.

I wish for a one year moratorium on any new reports on Harry and Meghan.

In all seriousness, perhaps the best Christmas Wish I could make is that we all come to realize that the crazy mixture of states of affairs in our world is akin to colours of the rainbow. We need all of them to make up the spectrum.

The moral: There will always be fools and wise men, greed and generousity, good and evil, absurd and sublime. Which of these prevail is up to each of us individually. The choices we make each day move the world a few degrees one way or the other. Over the course of a day, a month, a year, the balance will shift for the better if we stay the course.

Merry Christmas and a healthy, prosperous New Year to all. The best is yet to come if we make the right choices.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog.

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2. Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

A Christmas Wish – Moving the World a Few Degrees Forward

Hmmm, what should my one true Christmas Wish be this year?

It is three days before Christmas which compels me to ponder my Christmas Wish for the year ahead. It is not easy to narrow it down to just one. It’s not that I am a greedy person or that I have a lot of unfulfilled wishes. The difficulty is that, when I survey the news headlines, there are so many situations in the world I wish I could change.

U.S. President Donald Trump is shutting down the U.S. government until it agrees to fund his wall along the Mexican border. It is sizing up to be an epic standoff.

I wish that Trump would go ahead and build the wall – as long as he is on the other side of it when it is finished. Sarcasm aside, I wish that time would speed up so we could be rid of Trump earlier.

By the way, did you know that there is a How Long Until Trump Leaves website? I kid you not. It has a countdown clock which, as of this moment, sits at 759 days, 10 ours, 16 minutes and 9 seconds. You can also buy a “F*$# Trump” ball cap for $19.50.

Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is selling his former Manchester brick mansion for $4.1 million. A lot of money to most of us, but little more than pocket change for a star athlete earning what he does.

I wish the gap between the rich and the poor was not widening with every passing day.

Russian president Vladimir Putin issued a warning this week about the rising threat of nuclear war. He blames the U.S. which he accuses of irresponsibly pulling out of arms control treaties.

I wish that political leaders of major countries would abandon the politics of rhetoric and focus on helping the forgotten and downtrodden people in their countries.

Yahoo News advises me that Prince Harry is Grump and No One Knows Why. The report includes a photo of him looking pissed off. He is wearing a poppy in the photo which suggests he has been grumpy for at least a month and a half.

I wish for a one year moratorium on any new reports on Harry and Meghan.

In all seriousness, perhaps the best Christmas Wish I could make is that we all come to realize that the crazy mixture of states of affairs in our world is akin to colours of the rainbow. We need all of them to make up the spectrum.

The moral: There will always be fools and wise men, greed and generousity, good and evil, absurd and sublime. Which of these prevail is up to each of us individually. The choices we make each day move the world a few degrees one way or the other. Over the course of a day, a month, a year, the balance will shift for the better if we stay the course.

Merry Christmas and a healthy, prosperous New Year to all. The best is yet to come if we make the right choices.

~  Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Metaphors of Life Journal: Occam's Razor

Hmmm, in a world where complexity multiplies with every passing day, is it possible that simplicity remains our greatest instrument?

Recently, I came across a couple of references to the principle of Occam’s Razor. If you have not heard of this concept, it is a problem solving principle which holds that the simplest solution tends to be the correct one. It follows that if you are faced with a problem, you should select the solution with the fewest assumptions.

The principle is credited to William of Occam – a 13th century English Franciscan friar, philosopher and theologian. However, the research I did suggested that Occam was not the creator of the concept.

It seems to date back as far as ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle who was known for the phrase The more perfect a nature is, the fewer means it requires for its operation.

Occam captured the essence of the principle and stated it in a way that was more readily understood. However, his statement of the principle was still rather complicated and was stated in Latin. The principle has been abridged over the years to what we know today.

The articles I read assert that Occam’s Razor has over the years formed the basis of humanity’s investigation into the universe. The way we see our environment is largely based upon it. We use it as a laser beam to illuminate the mysteries of our world.

Occam’s Razor has a particular appeal to me. I have a natural inclination to search out simplicity. In a world of bewildering complexity where change is the only constant, simplicity is my saving grace and place of refuge. I strive to strip back the layers of modern life to find the simple truth that lies at its core, although that is not an easy thing to accomplish.

Truth in our time is an elusive commodity. It is often said that there are two sides to every story. In my experience, you are lucky if there are only two sides. Most stories have multiple sides each with varying degrees of validity.

Some would argue that this deeper truth is irrelevant. Those who hold and wield power in our society like to believe that truth is whatever they chose to make it – and the rest of us must get on board with that idea or be swept aside. But that is a subject for another post.

My attraction to Occam’s Razor derives in part from the fact that there is a metaphor embedded in it – namely, that the razor edge of truth is found in the simplest explanation. Metaphors have a tendency to endure. This particular principle, and the metaphor within it, has survived for over 600 years and is likely to be around for another 600, assuming humanity lasts that long.

I am fully confident that Occam’s Razor will survive my lifetime and I found that quite comforting. No matter what else changes or evolves of mutates, I can always rely on the Razor to remain sharp, true and immutable.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog.

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2. Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Occam’s Razor

Hmmm, in a world where complexity multiplies with every passing day, is it possible that simplicity remains our greatest instrument?

Recently, I came across a couple of references to the principle of Occam’s Razor. If you have not heard of this concept, it is a problem solving principle which holds that the simplest solution tends to be the correct one. It follows that if you are faced with a problem, you should select the solution with the fewest assumptions.

The principle is credited to William of Occam – a 13th century English Franciscan friar, philosopher and theologian. However, the research I did suggested that Occam was not the creator of the concept.

It seems to date back as far as ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle who was known for the phrase The more perfect a nature is, the fewer means it requires for its operation.

Occam captured the essence of the principle and stated it in a way that was more readily understood. However, his statement of the principle was still rather complicated and was stated in Latin. The principle has been abridged over the years to what we know today.

The articles I read assert that Occam’s Razor has over the years formed the basis of humanity’s investigation into the universe. The way we see our environment is largely based upon it. We use it as a laser beam to illuminate the mysteries of our world.

Occam’s Razor has a particular appeal to me. I have a natural inclination to search out simplicity. In a world of bewildering complexity where change is the only constant, simplicity is my saving grace and place of refuge. I strive to strip back the layers of modern life to find the simple truth that lies at its core, although that is not an easy thing to accomplish.

Truth in our time is an elusive commodity. It is often said that there are two sides to every story. In my experience, you are lucky if there are only two sides. Most stories have multiple sides each with varying degrees of validity.

Some would argue that this deeper truth is irrelevant. Those who hold and wield power in our society like to believe that truth is whatever they chose to make it – and the rest of us must get on board with that idea or be swept aside. But that is a subject for another post.

My attraction to Occam’s Razor derives in part from the fact that there is a metaphor embedded in it – namely, that the razor edge of truth is found in the simplest explanation. Metaphors have a tendency to endure. This particular principle, and the metaphor within it, has survived for over 600 years and is likely to be around for another 600, assuming humanity lasts that long.

I am fully confident that Occam’s Razor will survive my lifetime and I found that quite comforting. No matter what else changes or evolves of mutates, I can always rely on the Razor to remain sharp, true and immutable.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

"Hunting Muskie: Rites of Passage" Sneak Preview - Winter Solstice

As we approach winter solstice 2018, it seems like an appropriate time to give you a sneak preview of the story of that name in my short story collection Hunting Muskie: Rites of Passage. In that story, intersecting threads of fate from one tragic moment connect the lives of three characters even as another life-altering event is unfolding.

The story alternates between the perspectives of the three characters. This preview focuses on Edana as she endures a sleepless night on the eve of her husband’s funeral.

Edana: fathoms deep—December 21, 7:10 p.m.

such a long night this is going to be, richard. i have to bury you tomorrow. commit your body to the earth, your soul to heaven. until then i have to keep myself centered. between life and death.

six feet under. i insisted on that. not necessary, they said. the law only requires two feet. damn the law, i told them. six feet under whatever the cost. they nodded, humouring me, the grieving widow. i tried to explain. he was a ship’s captain. it’s only right. a fathom down.

they still did not understand. nor can i, for that matter. why you had to die while they live on. a reckless bastard who runs red lights. a gutless man who did not give a damn. he should have stopped. a few minutes more—you might have survived. but he could not be bothered. he lives on while I have to bury you. where is the justice in that?

Edana: angry wind—December 21: 8:00 p.m.

it has been snowing for hours, richard. the storm of the season, they say. as if that matters one iota. what matters is this—two children to raise on my own. what am i supposed to do now? two children, two lost souls entirely dependent on me. i just want to scream.

but instead, i just sit at the window. watching it snowing hour after hour. trying to lose myself within the angry wind. can wind be angry? you said it can be at sea. i want it to be the wind of my grief and my anger.

i’m transfixed suddenly by a ribbon of smoke. curling and folding from the rooftop smokestacks. it billows and rolls. dissolves into the ash of the night sky. is it you reaching out to me? repeating the dance over and over as i watch? symbolic cremation.

Edana: storm petrels—December 21, 8:30 p.m.

i know what you meant now, richard. about losing the sense of time while you’re at sea. it feels like time has folded in on itself. seems like years since i touched your face. and years to go before this night ends. it’s a kind of madness.

i thought death was only absence. but it’s presence too. an unrelenting hum. like hydro wires in my brain. it has given me this terrible headache. will it leave when you’re buried? i don’t want it to. it’s all i have of you. can’t i hold onto that one connection? like those birds that follow your ship. your sea-friends, you call them. storm petrels. i want a storm petrel to follow me.

where is he? that soulless man who left you to die? is he suffering? i want him to suffer. he doesn’t deserve mercy. he’ll get none from me.

If you’re intrigued, check out the book trailer video on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPIXP...

~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog.

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2. Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

“Hunting Muskie” Sneak Preview: Winter Solstice

As we approach winter solstice 2018, it seems like an appropriate time to give you a sneak preview of the story of that name in my short story collection Hunting Muskie: Rites of Passage. In that story, intersecting threads of fate from one tragic moment connect the lives of three characters even as another life-altering event is unfolding.

The story alternates between the perspectives of the three characters. This preview focuses on Edana as she endures a sleepless night on the eve of her husband’s funeral.

Edana: fathoms deep—December 21, 7:10 p.m.

  such a long night this is going to be, richard. i have to bury you tomorrow. commit your body to the earth, your soul to heaven. until then i have to keep myself centered. between life and death.

  six feet under. i insisted on that. not necessary, they said. the law only requires two feet. damn the law, i told them. six feet under whatever the cost. they nodded, humouring me, the grieving widow. i tried to explain. he was a ship’s captain. it’s only right. a fathom down.

  they still did not understand. nor can i, for that matter. why you had to die while they live on. a reckless bastard who runs red lights. a gutless man who did not give a damn. he should have stopped. a few minutes more—you might have survived. but he could not be bothered. he lives on while I have to bury you. where is the justice in that?

  Edana: angry wind—December 21: 8:00 p.m.

  it has been snowing for hours, richard. the storm of the season, they say. as if that matters one iota. what matters is this—two children to raise on my own. what am i supposed to do now? two children, two lost souls entirely dependent on me. i just want to scream.

  but instead, i just sit at the window. watching it snowing hour after hour. trying to lose myself within the angry wind. can wind be angry? you said it can be at sea. i want it to be the wind of my grief and my anger.

  i’m transfixed suddenly by a ribbon of smoke. curling and folding from the rooftop smokestacks. it billows and rolls. dissolves into the ash of the night sky. is it you reaching out to me? repeating the dance over and over as i watch? symbolic cremation.

  Edana: storm petrels—December 21, 8:30 p.m.

  i know what you meant now, richard. about losing the sense of time while you’re at sea. it feels like time has folded in on itself. seems like years since i touched your face. and years to go before this night ends. it’s a kind of madness.

  i thought death was only absence. but it’s presence too. an unrelenting hum. like hydro wires in my brain. it has given me this terrible headache. will it leave when you’re buried? i don’t want it to. it’s all i have of you. can’t i hold onto that one connection? like those birds that follow your ship. your sea-friends, you call them. storm petrels. i want a storm petrel to follow me.

  where is he? that soulless man who left you to die? is he suffering? i want him to suffer. he doesn’t deserve mercy. he’ll get none from me.

If you’re intrigued, check out the book trailer video on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPIXPHZgpTc

~  Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Metaphors of Life Journal: Still the Spark of Ignition After 156 Years

"Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity."
- Charles Mingus, American jazz bassist, pianist, composer and bandleader.

Hmmm, is elegant simplicity the true measure of technological success?

I had to have my car towed to the garage last weekend. You know how it is when you are waiting for the diagnosis of the problem – particularly when you have an older car. You hope that it will not turn out to be a major repair with a big price tag attached.

When the call came, it was good news – new spark plugs and a minor tune-up. Even as a breathed a sigh of relief, my first thought was: Spark plugs? Do cars still have spark plugs? I thought they would have been replaced by now by a high tech, computer module.

For those of you not familiar with car mechanics, a spark plug is a device for delivering electric current from an ignition system to the combustion chamber of a spark-ignition engine to ignite the compressed fuel/air mixture by an electric spark. Thank you, Wikipedia. No, I do not really comprehend the processes involved. I just know a car will not start without them.

I started wondering when the spark plug was invented and by whom. Turns out it dates all the way back to 1860. Belgian engineer Jean J. Lenior, who developed the internal combustion engine a couple of years earlier, is credited with the invention.

In a time when technology is increasing exponentially, I find it reassuring that the spark plug has endured so long. It restores my faith in the principle that good things remain good things and do not need to be improved upon.

I rented a car for three days while my mine was awaiting repair. It was a Toyota CH-R which had a bewildering display of buttons and dials with indecipherable icons. I had to consult the User’s Manual to figure out how to use the defrosters. I kid you not.

Turns out the car has a climate control system that literally runs itself. I suppose I should be impressed by that innovation. But I was not enthused with the idea of turning over control of that simple function to a computer. It made me feel redundant.

I also cannot help but think: Have we become so lackadaisical that we cannot be bothered to adjust the defroster settings? Technology aims to make our lives easier and that is a good thing. But when it encourages us to be lazy it may be doing us more harm than good.

I am happy to be back in my nine year old Hyundai Accent. She does not run as whisper quiet as the new Toyota CH-R. She creaks and groans when we go over a speed bump, has a few rust spots and has had a number of her original parts replaced. But we have been together for seven years. I am not inclined to break up with her while she is still alive and kicking.

Back to the humble spark plug. I doubt you will find it on anyone’s list of the greatest technological innovations of all time. But perhaps it should be. The fact that it has a lifespan of 156 years and counting is a strong claim to fame.

I declare the spark plug to be an enduring metaphor for making the complicated awesomely simple. That is all too rare these days. All hail the humble spark plug!

~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog.

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2. Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Still the Spark of Ignition after 156 Years

“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.” –  Charles Mingus, American jazz bassist, pianist, composer and bandleader.

Hmmm, is elegant simplicity the true measure of technological success?

I had to have my car towed to the garage last weekend. You know how it is when you are waiting for the diagnosis of the problem – particularly when you have an older car. You hope that it will not turn out to be a major repair with a big price tag attached.

When the call came, it was good news – new spark plugs and a minor tune-up. Even as a breathed a sigh of relief, my first thought was: Spark plugs? Do cars still have spark plugs? I thought they would have been replaced by now by a high tech, computer module.

For those of you not familiar with car mechanics,  a spark plug is a device for delivering electric current from an ignition system to the combustion chamber of a spark-ignition engine to ignite the compressed fuel/air mixture by an  electric spark. Thank you, Wikipedia. No, I do not really comprehend the processes involved. I just know a car will not start without them.

I started wondering when the spark plug was invented and by whom. Turns out it dates all the way back to 1860. Belgian engineer Jean J. Lenior, who developed the internal combustion engine a couple of years earlier, is credited with the invention.

In a time when technology is increasing exponentially, I find it reassuring that the spark plug has endured so long. It restores my faith in the principle that good things remain good things and do not need to be improved upon.

I rented a car for three days while my mine was awaiting repair. It was a Toyota CH-R which had a bewildering display of buttons and dials with indecipherable icons. I had to consult the User’s Manual to figure out how to use the defrosters. I kid you not.

Turns out the car has a climate control system that literally runs itself. I suppose I should be impressed by that innovation. But I was not enthused with the idea of turning over control of that simple function to a computer. It made me feel redundant.

I also cannot help but think: Have we become so lackadaisical that we cannot be bothered to adjust the defroster settings? Technology aims to make our lives easier and that is a good thing. But when it encourages us to be lazy it may be doing us more harm than good.

I am happy to be back in my nine year old Hyundai Accent. She does not run as whisper quiet as the new Toyota CH-R. She creaks and groans when we go over a speed bump, has a few rust spots and has had a number of her original parts replaced. But we have been together for seven years. I am not inclined to break up with her while she is still alive and kicking.

Back to the humble spark plug. I doubt you will find it on anyone’s list of the greatest technological innovations of all time. But perhaps it should be. The fact that it has a lifespan of 156 years and counting is a strong claim to fame.

I declare the spark plug to be an enduring metaphor for making the complicated awesomely simple. That is all too rare these days. All hail the humble spark plug!

~  Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Metaphors of Life Journal: Fortunately, Unfortunately - Sisyphus and the Boulder

Hmmm, what is a writer to do when life turns him into a disgruntled character?

When I was a child, I had a favorite book titled Fortunately, Unfortunately which spun a story of a comical series of fortunate and unfortunate events. I’m not sure why, but I loved that book. This week I found my life imitating this very scenario.

Unfortunately, my chronic back problem flared up Thursday morning. Fortunately, I was able to stretch it out enough to go to work. Unfortunately, it tightened up again that evening. Fortunately, Advil and I are on a first name basis enabling me to go to work on Friday.

Fortunately, my chiropractor has Friday hours. Unfortunately, he had booked the day off. Fortunately, he arranged for someone to cover for him and I was able to book an appointment. Unfortunately, I also have a squeaky belt in my car which started up again. Fortunately, I have a garage I trust and was told I could bring my car in that day for an adjustment.

Fortunately, the IT Department at work gave me a laptop upgrade Friday morning. Unfortunately, as I was logging off to leave for my afternoon appointments, I discovered that my Outlook Calendar was blank – all appointments and meetings lost in cyberspace! Fortunately, no one heard me cursing a blue streak.

Unfortunately, the squeaky belt needs to be replaced and is located behind two other belts that need to be removed for the replacement to be done. Fortunately, I saw the wisdom in having all three belts replaced at the same time. Unfortunately, the garage was booked up and could not do the work until next Wednesday.

Fortunately, after leaving the garage, I had time before my chiro appointment to pick up some groceries. Unfortunately, I forgot that it was Black Friday and the mall parking lot was a zoo. Fortunately, a good spot had just opened up and I only took out one of the three little old ladies in my way as I accelerated to grab the space.

Unfortunately, on my way to my chiro appointment after shopping, I took Bovaird Drive forgetting about the 410 bridge construction that creates a big traffic snarl. Fortunately, I had time to spare and made it to my appointment on time with only minimal expletives uttered.

Unfortunately, the “Check Engine” light came on during the drive home. Fortunately, that usually indicates that a sensor needs to be reset and driving the car is still safe. Unfortunately, this time the car started coughing and threatened to stall indicating it is likely an ignition coil crapping out. Fortunately, the car windows were up so no one heard me cursing like a drunken sailor.

Fortunately, I was able to get the car home. Unfortunately, the garage was closed by the time I got home and called them. Fortunately, I had no major plans this weekend. Unfortunately, I will not be able to use my car to drive to work until the repair is done which means I’ll have to rent a car for a few days.

Fortunately, I have a healthy sense of the occasional absurdity of life and am only mildly freaking out. Unfortunately, next week is going to be a very expensive and stressful week.

So what is a writer to do when life turns him into a disgruntled character? Take refuge in metaphor, of course. Some days we become Sisyphus rolling the boulder up a hill only to have it roll back down inches before we reach the top. The upside is that this series of events will eventually find their way into one of my stories and repay me for the week of frustration.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog.

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2. Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Fortunately, Unfortunately: Sisyphus and the Boulder

Hmmm, what is a writer to do when life turns him into a disgruntled character?

When I was a child, I had a favorite book titled Fortunately, Unfortunately which spun a story of a comical series of fortunate and unfortunate events. I’m not sure why, but I loved that book. This week I found my life imitating this very scenario.

Unfortunately, my chronic back problem flared up Thursday morning. Fortunately, I was able to stretch it out enough to go to work. Unfortunately, it tightened up again that evening. Fortunately, Advil and I are on a first name basis enabling me to go to work on Friday.

Fortunately, my chiropractor has Friday hours. Unfortunately, he had booked the day off. Fortunately, he arranged for someone to cover for him and I was able to book an appointment. Unfortunately, I also have a squeaky belt in my car which started up again. Fortunately, I have a garage I trust and was told I could bring my car in that day for an adjustment.

Fortunately, the IT Department at work gave me a laptop upgrade Friday morning. Unfortunately, as I was logging off to leave for my afternoon appointments, I discovered that my Outlook Calendar was blank – all appointments and meetings lost in cyberspace! Fortunately, no one heard me cursing a blue streak.

Unfortunately, the squeaky belt needs to be replaced and is located behind two other belts that need to be removed for the replacement to be done. Fortunately, I saw the wisdom in having all three belts replaced at the same time. Unfortunately, the garage was booked up and could not do the work until next Wednesday.

Fortunately, after leaving the garage, I had time before my chiro appointment to pick up some groceries. Unfortunately, I forgot that it was Black Friday and the mall parking lot was a zoo. Fortunately, a good spot had just opened up and I only took out one of the three little old ladies in my way as I accelerated to grab the space.

Unfortunately, on my way to my chiro appointment after shopping, I took Bovaird Drive forgetting about the 410 bridge construction that creates a big traffic snarl. Fortunately, I had time to spare and made it to my appointment on time with only minimal expletives uttered.

Unfortunately, the “Check Engine” light came on during the drive home. Fortunately, that usually indicates that a sensor needs to be reset and driving the car is still safe. Unfortunately, this time the car started coughing and threatened to stall indicating it is likely an ignition coil crapping out. Fortunately, the car windows were up so no one heard me cursing like a drunken sailor.

Fortunately, I was able to get the car home. Unfortunately, the garage was closed by the time I got home and called them. Fortunately, I had no major plans this weekend. Unfortunately, I will not be able to use my car to drive to work until the repair is done which means I’ll have to rent a car for a few days.

Fortunately, I have a healthy sense of the occasional absurdity of life and am only mildly freaking out. Unfortunately, next week is going to be a very expensive and stressful week.

So what is a writer to do when life turns him into a disgruntled character? Take refuge in metaphor, of course. Some days we become Sisyphus rolling the boulder up a hill only to have it roll back down inches before we reach the top. The upside is that this series of events will eventually find their way into one of my stories and repay me for the week of frustration.

~  Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.