Zachary Ricks's Blog, page 9

Day One.

WARNING: POLITICAL DISCUSSION AHEAD. WORSE, POLITICAL DISCUSSION FROM A CONSERVATIVE VIEWPOINT. ALSO, A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF MY FAVORITE BURRITO. If such is not your cup of tea, then please feel free to take a look at the ongoing GSG NaNo Gaiden podcast (today’s episode from Philip “NorvalJoe” Carroll is particularly good.) Or pick up a copy of “Battlehymn” or “The Sinner’s Trail” in the store. Kids Love ‘Em!

Okay – you still here? Have a seat, grab a mug, and settle in. This is going to take some time to work through.

This should probably start with an admission of my own mistakes. Prior to the election, I was convinced that we are a center-right country, and that the country was waking up. Increased deficit spending, no budget out of the Federal Government in years, Benghazi, Fast & Furious, Solyndra, Quantitative Easing, The Chevy Volt… I had thought that people would recognize the dire straits that we’ve been in for the last four years – more. I started recognizing trouble maybe five years ago. The Patriot Act had no sunset clause. Increasing violence on our southern border. The jailing of our own border guards.

I thought that the country was waking up. I thought the country by and large reflected my own values. And I was wrong.

No, I was worse than wrong. I was horribly, fantastically, cataclysmically wrong. Fundamentally mistaken. I was a fool. Hopelessly naive. I volunteered, I made calls, and I thought that if I was doing this, that others must be even more motivated and more pumped up, and I was looking forward to an upcoming stinging rebuke at the ballot box. I couldn’t have been more wrong. And there is no excuse for that.

Tuesday wasn’t a setback. Tuesday was an x-ray. And if you happen to be someone who’s right of center, who believes that government governs best which governs least, who believes in personal responsibility as well as accountability for those at the “top”, then I’ve got to tell you, it looks like we are no longer the majority. Not in any meaningful way.

Which changes my plans a little.

Yesterday, I HAD planned on drowning my sorrows in a Freebirds Quesarrito. For those of you who aren’t within reasonable distance of a Freebirds, let me break this down for you.

First, you take your choice of tortilla. Flour (white or wheat), spinach, or my own personal favorite, cayenne. Now, normally, you take this and put it on a warmer and off you go to beans and whatnot. Not here, my friend. We are rolling Quesarrito-style. And for a very reasonable fee, the local Freebirds will take a handful of cheese (mixed or monterrey jack), spread it over one half of the tortilla, fold it over, and stick THAT in the warmer, toasting the tortilla and melting the cheese. Once it comes off, your Burrito Engineer (my term not theirs) will then UNFOLD the quesadilla and add your burrito selections to THAT.

Cilantro Lime Rice

Black Beans

STEAK!!!

(and if you’re really feeling the need for a bit of comfort food / solace to the soul)

BACON!!!

Roasted Veggies – onions and bell peppers

Roasted Garlic!

Salsa, tomatoes, or pico de gallo! (PICO!)

Your choice of sauce! (Habañero, and plenty of it)

Diced jalapeños!

Roasted Corn!

Sour Cream!

Wrap that sucker up, encase it in not one but two layers of aluminum foil, and add a Mountain Dew. Enjoy.

That was my plan at about 10:00 AM yesterday, when I got a note in my e-mail asking if I’d be interested in attending a special episode of a certain conservative pundit’s show which tapes in Dallas. Space was limited. I told my wife that it was crazy to think about heading up there for that. To which she said “what’s crazy about that?”

“I’m not doing that.”

“Why not?”

And less than thirty minutes later I was in the car and on my way. I’d e-mailed, saying I was willing to participate, but I didn’t have confirmation, and wouldn’t until closer to show time. What I did know was that if I wasn’t already in the car and moving, I wasn’t going to make it in time. So, somewhere between Waco and West, Texas (home of my family’s favorite kolache bakery – have you noticed a distinct interest in food here? I think I need to talk to someone about that), I got the confirmation and arrived at the studio with ten minutes to spare.

Now, what happened at the show was what happened at the show. I’m not going to talk about that. The important things that happened there happened off-camera. At the end of the taping, as we were leaving, one of the other attendees asked about something she’d heard the Republican nominee say about marketing America to the world. That people wanted to come here, but they didn’t know why. Her question was, why aren’t we marketing America to Americans?

And everyone at that point starts to talk about education. And that’s almost right. I’d use another word for it.

It’s not education. It’s evangelism. It’s not marketing. It’s missionary work. It’s telling a story about who we are and how we came to be this wonderful country full of opportunity and freedom. It’s explaining the values that we hold dear and why “we hold these truths to be self-evident”.

I’m skipping so much. The hours up and back listening to Tolkien’s The Two Towers. The phone conversation with my Dad. The insights I had in the car – insights that fill me with hope, and also with not a small amount of fear and awe. The struggle in my own mind as to whether we are, in fact, fighting The Long Defeat. Holding George Washington’s own copy of Don Quixote in my hands, and also being handed a Wiliam Tyndale bible that was in the British Museum as a relic years before the Declaration of Independence was written. I’m skipping a lot.

It’s hard to accept, but my home country has suddenly become enemy territory. And don’t get me wrong – it’s been hostile to my viewpoint, to my values, to my religion, to things that I hold sacred that go beyond what building I happen to spend a lot of time in on Sundays. But until Tuesday night, I didn’t realize how different I was from other people. I didn’t understand my role, and what I was supposed to do. I have never felt that those who didn’t agree with me were enemies. But apparently, that’s how they view and describe me.

So be it. Sometimes you have to wear the black hat. And so I shall OWN this black hat. And I will make it look good.

And it’s not my first time in the mission field. I’ve been here before.

Before yesterday, I didn’t realize that I was at war. Not by my choice, but in the words of one of my favorite Futurama episodes, “War were declared.” It’s not a war of bullets (thank goodness). It’s a war of ideas. And it’s one I’m picking up my keyboard and fighting. It’s one I’ll be fighting in my neighborhood with the people who should be closest to me – the ones I have, to my shame, not taken the time to sit down with and get to know. It’s one I’ll be fighting with my congregation – with people who I should and will be serving. It’s one I’ll be fighting in my city, and in my county, and wherever I am. This is it.

Yesterday was enlightening. It was eye-opening. And I have hope, though that’s not quite the right word either.

Today I have conviction. Today, I have a black hat.

And a Freebird’s Quesarrito. Because I’m not starting this revolution on an empty stomach.

GSG NaNo Gaiden Podcast – Ep 08

Today’s GSG Gaiden Episode is from my favorite voice actor – Philip “Norvaljoe” Carroll.

Don’t be intimidated, use your time wisely, and get that word count crankin’!

You can find more of Philip’s writing at thepriceoffriendship.blogspot.com.

Enjoy!

For anyone disappointed about last night’s election…

I had the great pleasure of going to FreePac in Dallas this year. Great time, good people. Stephen Kruiser of PJTV gave a great speech there, and it seems like a good one to review. If you’re feeling down today, give it a watch.

http://www.therightscoop.com/full-speech-watch-stephen-kruiser-at-freepac/

GSG NaNo Gaiden Podcast – Ep 07

A little distracted last night… but luckily I had to get my daughter to school by 5:30 this morning.

Anyway, Doc Coleman has today’s advice about getting big word count in small chunks of time. So, get out there and find ten minutes, and punch out 100 words. Every time you do that, you’re 100 words closer to your goal.

You can find Doc Coleman on the Galley Table podcast, and at Swimming Cat Studios.

GSG NaNo Gaiden Podcast – Ep 06

Today’s advice is good and timely, and is all about self-editing.

Short version: Don’t.

Brought to you by Richard “Mainframe” Green, of the “Geek Out with Mainframe” podcast.

Enjoy!

GSG NaNo Gaiden Podcast – Ep 05

Your Antagonist wants something. Wants it bad. And is working towards it. Maybe he wants the girl. Maybe he wants world domination. Maybe he just wants to smash something. Which makes him interesting. His wants make us want to watch him. He’s working towards something.

What does your Protagonist want? I know I just asked you to write it down two days ago, but this bears repeating. Give That Protag A Goal!

GSG NaNo Gaiden Podcast – Ep 04

Here’s Day 4. Big thanks to Laura Nicole, author of “Absolution” and one of my partners in crime at Flying Island Press. Push forward on those weekend days, and don’t give up.

You can find more of Laura’s stuff at scrivenerscircle.com, and find her short story: Stonebriar Case Files: Bad Alchemy at Flying Island Press.

Go for it!

GSG NaNo Gaiden Podcast – Ep 03

Welcome to Day 3. By the end of today, you should be 5,000 (5,001, I guess) words into your new novel.

You’ve been writing for at least two days, maybe three by now. So, how well do you know your characters? Do you have a protagonist? An antagonist? A relationship character?

If you were asked to sit down write now and write out in a sentence what your protagonist wants, could you do it? Discussion of the Hulk. Coffee and Sandwiches. 

 

GSG NaNo Gaiden Podcast – Ep 02

Big Big thanks to Jeffrey “Dark Lord” Hite for today’s episode of the GSG NaNo Gaiden Podcast.

Two ways to handle NaNoWriMo – Either blow it up early, sprint, go for it, and bank those words. OR Pace yourself so you don’t get burned out later. You know yourself better than we do, so one of those methods should work for you. Go for it!

GSG NaNo Gaiden Podcast – Ep 01

Day 1 of the GSG NaNo Gaiden Podcast. By the end of today, you should be at least 1,667 words into your new book.

I explain both why you should be shooting higher than that, and why if you aren’t there, this is not the time to panic.

If you want to participate in this podcast, days are still open – check the calendar.

And go write!