G.A. Albrethsen's Blog: Age of Restoration, page 4

Being aware of goings on

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If you ever walk into a restaurant and notice the guy sitting in the far corner, that’s me.

I’m sure it falls under some phobia or category of paranoia, but I like to be aware of my surroundings.

When I’m in a crowded room, the best place I’ve found is with my back against the wall where I can watch people coming and going.

No, I didn’t have a traumatic childhood. I’m not a detective or a secret agent. I’m just a guy who likes to know what’s happening around me.

That might be the reason why I have my email, Skype, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, etc., open all the time. If I’m on the internet, I’m usually sitting on Google News, occasionally following an interesting headline link to its source.

If not that, I’m checking what Gold, Silver, oil and the Dow Jones are doing. It’s become my week day routine.

While there are probably more indicators I could be looking at, those I’ve mentioned are readily available and up until recently (say pre-2008), are pretty good bellwethers of the economy at large.

The downturn of 2008 caught a lot of people off guard and unprepared. Fortunately for me, the business I was in had a tendency to thrive more in bad economic times. While it was never stress free, we made it through, and I made some financial decisions then that I’ve not regretted.

You see, some place, somewhere, there are people whose action or inaction eventually affect our lives. We’d like to think everyone of them has our best interest at heart, but aside from such a wish being utterly false, I don’t even think it’s possible. That would require a unity in this country, if not the world, that has never existed.

I said I wasn’t going to stray into politics on these pages, and I won’t. I bring up the topic, because regardless of who you are or what you believe, knowing all you can know about what’s going on can only help you when life takes a left turn.

I don’t believe we could ever afford a personal head-in-the-sand mentality, but now’s certainly not the time to adopt one. If more things were rosy and bright, rather than gloom and doom, with more gloom and doom in the forecast, I’d say, you’d might get away with taking a week or two off from life. Just unplug and getaway like everyone says.

If we’re talking getting rid of distractions like video games, “reality” TV and following what Justin or One Direction are doing, then unplugging is just fine. However, not knowing what’s going on in your own life, your family, your neighborhood, your town, is never a good thing. More and more, it’s not a good thing on the county, state or national levels either.

Unfortunately, work and family responsibilities don’t just poof out of existence or move to the background. Most of us have plenty to do without spending whatever time we might have trying to stay informed. But not knowing what you can is folly. What you don’t know can hurt you, and badly. Ignorance is only bliss until it slaps you upside the head.

So, how do you stay informed?

Are you on Facebook or Twitter, posting photos of what you or the kid did last night? Both have access to information. Most governmental agencies and officials, local and not-so-local, are involved in social media, too. Wouldn’t take much to get those on your feed, and take only a few more minutes a day to scan them for something noteworthy.

Knowing more about what’s going on, and doing what you can to prepare or hedge against it, can only help. So you spend some time and money on things you might never really need. Big deal. Most of us do that anyway, on things we thought we really wanted.

I realize it’s getting harder to know where to go for accurate information, or who to trust. It’s going to take some time. But it’s worth it. You might feel a little wary, and a little less devil-may-care, but older and wiser has its perks.

Then when the zombie apocalypse comes, you can spirit you and yours to the mountain top bunker and pick those brain eaters off one by one. Can’t do that if you’re caught flat footed in the middle of an episode of Honey Boo Boo or Dancing With the Stars, now can you?

Wearable “computers” are real!

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Those of you familiar with Dick Tracy know the watch phone has been in the works for decades.

Well, as of yesterday, the earliest version of that gadget is real, and will soon be available to anyone who wishes to plunk down $299 for it. Except, by the looks of things, it won’t really be a phone. It will connect to a specific kind of phone, though, which is cool, I guess, if you have that particular phone.

Not to be outdone by the erstwhile wristwear, Google has been touting the development of Google Glass, its own version of wearable technology. Instead of the wrist, though, this goes on your face.

Its functions seem to be richer and fuller than the watch described above, but early comments have dubbed the cutting edge technology as creepy. Just how many pictures will people wearing Google Glass be taking as they walk around Venice Beach, and just how much winking will they do as they take said pictures?

Like most good futurists, none of the developers of these products seem to be troubling themselves with the age old question, “Should we do this?” after having already emphatically answered yes to another query, “Can we do this?”

Not to worry, however. At least in the United States, our federal government will no doubt spring into action with all kinds of rules and regulations that will ensure, among little else, that those who actually want a Google Glass or smartwatch, will pay dearly for it and then be able to legally do precious little with it.

That said, I should clarify my position on this. I’m all in favor of wearable technology. I think the idea is a good one. So good, in fact, I incorporated some jewelry tech in The Wise and the Mighty. Paz actually gets to demo a necklace which has a HUD (head up display) only she can see, which can give her all kinds of useful readouts, as well as make and receive “calls” only she can hear.

Wearable technology could well be the next huge area of micro computing. Just like anything else, time will tell.

One thing I know for sure. A 1.6 inch screen isn’t going to do it for me, unless it’s sitting on the bridge of my nose, so that I can actually read what’s there. In that case, it better have my prescription, auto tinting when outdoors, and have the computer box sitting somewhere less conspicuous than on the right front side of the spectacles.

I might be a geek, but I don’t want to look like one.

What’s next? A virtual pocket protector?

What good is a review?

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Virtually every how-to book or blog post I’ve ever read regarding self-published book promotions points to reviews as a “must have.”

Potential readers, they say, look at reviews as part of their decision-making process.

And those reviews better be overwhelmingly five stars, or those same potential readers will pass on your book for something else.

Now, on the surface, all of this might sound very logical and sound. Of course you’d want reviews. A review means, by and large, someone has not only taken the time to read your book, but were moved enough to write about it. Given the ratio of readers to reviews a given book can have, any review should be noteworthy. And if the book does get rated with five stars, well, that’s the ultimate.

Or is it?

Dig a little further, and you’ll find other books and blogs, perhaps by readers rather than authors, that deride the five star review, because they “can’t be trusted.”

I read someone’s take on reviews once that basically broke the five star review down into three categories: paid reviews, friend and family reviews, and reviews from fellow authors. In other words, not one single review was legit, because they either had money, kin, friendship, or some other ulterior motive for their existence.

If that is the pervading thought among readers, then five star reviews wouldn’t be all that great, now would they?

Then, throw into the mix something so taboo I cringe to even bring it up (okay, not really) : authors responding to a reviewer. Essentially, the unwritten rule goes like this: reviewer of unknown talent or intelligence can unload their vile ignorance on an author or book, but the author can’t respond at all. Even rationally. Even to ask questions or engage the reviewer in a more enlightened way.

To me, that’s an exercise in futility. Reviews are so important, some will say, that one bad review can sour the deal for 1,000 potential readers. Yet, we, as authors, can’t do anything to set the record straight? On the other hand, one bad review helps to bring balance to the force, and while idiotic or unimpressive itself, the author is supposed to either shrug it off with a “Meh,” or actually embrace it.

Sorry, but neither idea makes any sense to me.

When something makes no sense, I tend to wonder why. I start asking questions. Questions like, what if reviews aren’t the end all to everything? What if it doesn’t matter what people write there?

In this ever changing world of producers vs. consumers, I’ve got to believe that more and more of us can find ourselves on both ends of the spectrum. We might have a product out there we’re hoping to be a hit, and at the same time, consuming someone else’s product. And, as such, we’re bound to have our own opinions about other people’s work.

But does that mean the author, or the potential reader, should put much stock in what we think?

As time goes on, the more I wonder. We’re in a society now where anyone, regardless of who they are or what they know, can praise or pan anything, in 140 characters or less, for crying out loud. They can cause Twitterstorms and Facebook wars and Pinterest battles (I think I made that one up) at the click of a button.

So what? Does it truly mean anything?

Here’s a recent case in point. I’ll be the first to admit, Ben Affleck as Batman doesn’t send shivers of excitement through me. Whoopee-do. But will I not go see the movie just because of him? Probably not. If anything, I’ve got more curiosity now to see if he can pull it off than I would have if the actor picked had been universally accepted.  I’ll warrant a guess that all of the snarky commenters in social media will be watching the movie, too. And with expectations so low among them, Affleck will have to be really bad or most people will think the movie was better than they hoped for.

Just because we all have an opinion, doesn’t mean it’s right, or that it should affect the opinions of millions of others. Ultimately, people have to experience and find out for themselves.

That’s why, for me, the few free chapters Amazon and others offer of the book are much more valuable than a hundred reviews. I get more out of reading those than any other thing. I don’t know the reviewers, so how can I trust their judgment, one way or another? But I do know what I like to read, and if the book can’t capture me in three chapters, then I’m probably not going to read it.

Okay. I can’t say ALL reviews are meaningless. There are some people who do take the time to think things through and explain their reasoning. Those kinds of reviews, five star or one star, do add value.

But can I really put much stock in them, as author or reader, if they’re largely off-the-cuff remarks? Should I expect anyone else to, either? I hope not.

I and the editor didn’t just spend eight months to a year of our lives writing, editing and revamping a book, doing all that is humanly possible to eradicate spelling and grammar errors, to provide a coherent, entertaining and thought provoking story, just to have someone come along and within a few hours or days determine the book’s fate.

I’d rather readers rely on the merits of my own writing, thank you very much, then the writing of a stranger. Why bother, if one or two reviews can trash it? If the reader cares about their money at all, too, that’s the way they’ll ultimately base their decision. Read the sample chapters. Reviews are a dime a dozen. Good clean prose with a good hook is getting harder and harder to find.

And so are blog posts about this topic, for that matter.

I have something to tell you

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I’m not writing the third book of the Age of Restoration series.

Not yet, anyway.

Why?

Good question. Thanks for asking.

Before book two (The Wise and the Mighty) came out, I started to write book three. I was twenty chapters into Same Mind, Same Judgment before the final edits of The Wise and the Mighty came back. Unlike what happened with the first book, there were extensive changes to be made to book two, and unfortunately, those changes affected at least half of the chapters I’d written in Same Mind, Same Judgment.

That’s one reason.

Another reason is as I tried to correct those chapters, I realized I didn’t like the direction I was going, anyway, so that pretty much derailed the project all together.

Those of you who have at least read the first book, The Foolish and the Weak, will have heard about New Columbia, the mysterious hidden civilization few know even exists. Well, in book two, after a series of events, Paz, our main protagonist, her mother, Paloma, and Paciencia, the young woman from New Columbia sent to aid the Kirkegaard clan, set off for New Columbia.

There is a question, however, as to whether or not Paz and Paloma will be allowed into New Columbia (since they would be outsiders, and thus forbidden by New Columbian mandate to enter), even though the transformations taking place in Paz have something to do with New Columbia, and Paloma has extensive knowledge about the place she has been hitherto unwilling to share.

So, in Same Mind, Same Judgment, one thing the book will need to answer is whether or not they get in, and how.

The how part isn’t so hard, I don’t think. I’ve got that down. It’s just how to describe New Columbia, and whether or not book three would be the time to do it, which has proven problematic.

It’s not like it should be that difficult. It’s not like no one has ever described a wondrous, vibrant society before . But instead of a Utopia-type of place that turns out to be Dystopian, really, with a few in charge and the rest following like sheep, New Columbia is the real deal. So, it appears I need to think a little longer upon how to present that.

Thus, book three is on the backburner for the time being.

However, that hasn’t stopped me from working on other parts of the series.

While the three books I’ve mentioned follow the experiences and exploits of Paz, the other books in the series will have different protagonists, though all are related to Paz. They each are mentioned in varying degrees in the first three books.

Okay. If book three isn’t coming out next, which one is?

Another good question. It’s going to take some time to get to the answer, though, so please bear with me.

Feeling I should wait on the third book for now, I began the fourth book, which has a working title of The Golden and the Gray (I’m not entirely happy with the title yet, so we’ll see whether it sticks). Just like in book three, I didn’t like where it was going, so I started completely over, then abandoned it, too.

Why? Well, I don’t want to give anything away, but suffice it to say, I’m having similar issues as I did with book three in describing New Columbia cropping up in book four.

I can say that the fourth book will chronicle what happens to Franklin Kirkegaard after a certain event takes place in book three. This event is hinted at in the book three excerpt available at the end of book two.

If you’ve read The Foolish and the Weak, you might be scratching your head about this one. Isn’t Franklin a bad guy, if not THE bad guy? Why does he get his own book?

Well, let’s just say I believe Franklin deserves a little more than what he will get at the end of book three, and want to carry that on into book four.

Unfortunately, just like book three, I need to do a little more thinking about what that will look like, and how that will all play out.

After book four, I started another book, one I wasn’t thinking to write at all, but after seeing how many romance books were in the top 100 paid and free lists on Amazon, I thought, maybe I should try my hand at a love story.

The idea was to tell the tale of Paloma and George Kirkegaard’s courtship. This would take place between Paloma’s own book, which I’ve not started, and the The Foolish and the Weak.

I think, though, I’ve decided against that book, at least for now. If ideas come easier than they have been about what to plot the book around, it might still see the light of day.

The latest project, then, has been book five.

Interestingly enough, it’s the one I’ve had in mind the longest. It existed before the main premise of the Age of Restoration series did, but I put it off in order to bring you the story of Paz first. Lately, though, book five’s storyline has been pushing into the forefront of my thoughts, nearly yelling at me in my head, and so I guess now is as good a time as any to get it going.

Just as I did with book three and four, I’ve already started book five once, didn’t like it, and started over again. Right now I’m on a track I like, so we’ll see what happens as I continue.

Book five will tell the story of Thomas Kirkegaard Sr., the grandfather of Paz and namesake of Paz’s brother. In books one and two, he has been regulated to the periphery, but in book three, he will make a significant contribution to how the story ends.

Because of that, I got to thinking that it might be good for the reader to know something about him first. And since I didn’t really want to take time in book three to do all of that, I thought, why not go ahead and write his book now? And maybe, in so doing, I could help build more excitement for book three.

Plus, as it currently stands, at least, book five, which I’m titling The Warping Man, includes something about Wilson Kirkegaard’s trip to Alaska, which should be of some interest to those who have already read books one and two. Wilson Kirkegaard is Thomas Sr’s father, and has been mentioned prominently in the first two tomes. We inch closer to his own book in book five.

There you have it. A heads up, as serpentine as it might be, as to where the Age of Restoration series is headed. Stay tuned here for updates on book five’s progress.

I’ve got something to tell you

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I’m not writing the third book of the Age of Restoration series.

Not yet, anyway.

Why?

Good question. Thanks for asking.

Before book two (The Wise and the Mighty) came out, I started to write book three. I was twenty chapters into Same Mind, Same Judgment before the final edits of The Wise and the Mighty came back. Unlike what happened with the first book, there were extensive changes to be made to book two, and unfortunately, those changes affected at least half of the chapters I’d written in Same Mind, Same Judgment.

That’s one reason.

Another reason is as I tried to correct those chapters, I realized I didn’t like the direction I was going, anyway, so that pretty much derailed the project all together.

Those of you who have at least read the first book, The Foolish and the Weak, will have heard about New Columbia, the mysterious hidden civilization few know even exists. Well, in book two, after a series of events, Paz, our main protagonist, her mother, Paloma, and Paciencia, the young woman from New Columbia sent to aid the Kirkegaard clan, set off for New Columbia.

There is a question, however, as to whether or not Paz and Paloma will be allowed into New Columbia (since they would be outsiders, and thus forbidden by New Columbian mandate to enter), even though the transformations taking place in Paz have something to do with New Columbia, and Paloma has extensive knowledge about the place she has been hitherto unwilling to share.

So, in Same Mind, Same Judgment, one thing the book will need to answer is whether or not they get in, and how.

The how part isn’t so hard, I don’t think. I’ve got that down. It’s just how to describe New Columbia, and whether or not book three would be the time to do it, which has proven problematic.

It’s not like it should be that difficult. It’s not like no one has ever described a wondrous, vibrant society before . But instead of a Utopia-type of place that turns out to be Dystopian, really, with a few in charge and the rest following like sheep, New Columbia is the real deal. So, it appears I need to think a little longer upon how to present that.

Thus, book three is on the backburner for the time being.

However, that hasn’t stopped me from working on other parts of the series.

While the three books I’ve mentioned follow the experiences and exploits of Paz, the other books in the series will have different protagonists, though all are related to Paz. They each are mentioned in varying degrees in the first three books.

Okay. If book three isn’t coming out next, which one is?

Another good question. It’s going to take some time to get to the answer, though, so please bear with me.

Feeling I should wait on the third book for now, I began the fourth book, which has a working title of The Golden and the Gray (I’m not entirely happy with the title yet, so we’ll see whether it sticks). Just like in book three, I didn’t like where it was going, so I started completely over, then abandoned it, too.

Why? Well, I don’t want to give anything away, but suffice it to say, I’m having similar issues as I did with book three in describing New Columbia cropping up in book four.

I can say that the fourth book will chronicle what happens to Franklin Kirkegaard after a certain event takes place in book three. This event is hinted at in the book three excerpt available at the end of book two.

If you’ve read The Foolish and the Weak, you might be scratching your head about this one. Isn’t Franklin a bad guy, if not THE bad guy? Why does he get his own book?

Well, let’s just say I believe Franklin deserves a little more than what he will get at the end of book three, and want to carry that on into book four.

Unfortunately, just like book three, I need to do a little more thinking about what that will look like, and how that will all play out.

After book four, I started another book, one I wasn’t thinking to write at all, but after seeing how many romance books were in the top 100 paid and free lists on Amazon, I thought, maybe I should try my hand at a love story.

The idea was to tell the tale of Paloma and George Kirkegaard’s courtship. This would take place between Paloma’s own book, which I’ve not started, and the The Foolish and the Weak.

I think, though, I’ve decided against that book, at least for now. If ideas come easier than they have been about what to plot the book around, it might still see the light of day.

The latest project, then, has been book five.

Interestingly enough, it’s the one I’ve had in mind the longest. It existed before the main premise of the Age of Restoration series did, but I put it off in order to bring you the story of Paz first. Lately, though, book five’s storyline has been pushing into the forefront of my thoughts, nearly yelling at me in my head, and so I guess now is as good a time as any to get it going.

Just as I did with book three and four, I’ve already started book five once, didn’t like it, and started over again. Right now I’m on a track I like, so we’ll see what happens as I continue.

Book five will tell the story of Thomas Kirkegaard Sr., the grandfather of Paz and namesake of Paz’s brother. In books one and two, he has been regulated to the periphery, but in book three, he will make a significant contribution to how the story ends.

Because of that, I got to thinking that it might be good for the reader to know something about him first. And since I didn’t really want to take time in book three to do all of that, I thought, why not go ahead and write his book now? And maybe, in so doing, I could help build more excitement for book three.

Plus, as it currently stands, at least, book five, which I’m titling The Warping Man, includes something about Wilson Kirkegaard’s trip to Alaska, which should be of some interest to those who have already read books one and two. Wilson Kirkegaard is Thomas Sr’s father, and has been mentioned prominently in the first two tomes. We inch closer to his own book in book five.

There you have it. A heads up, as serpentine as it might be, as to where the Age of Restoration series is headed. Stay tuned here for updates on book five’s progress.

Not all is what it seems at ageofrestoration.com

I’ve made a couple of mentions of this on Twitter already, but figured it wouldn’t hurt if I widened the net a little with a post here about the new and improved ageofrestoration.com!

As an indy author (which aside from an awesome editor basically means I’m a one-man-show), my trying to keep up with all the different ways one can promote one’s book has been a chore.

Especially when what you have to throw at this promotion is your time, as opposed to dollars. Your promotion is only as good as your promotion knowledge and skills, which is largely limited to what you have read about what other self-published authors have done.

I do feel good about ageofrestoration.com, however, mostly because I did it myself, without help, did it more or less the way I wanted to do it, and got to combine design skills with what I’ve learned about CSS and HTML.

Don’t ask me to repeat it, though, since I think I’ve already begun to forget!

At any rate, just like the Age of Restoration book series, and the first two installments, The Foolish and the Weak, and The Wise and the Mighty, not all is what it seems at first glance at the site. When it first loads, you see a nice large size version of The Wise and the Mighty‘s book cover, but that’s it. It won’t take much, though, to find the hidden links and information, so don’t despair. It’s there.

So, go ahead and check out ageofrestoration.com, especially any of you who have read book one in the series, but haven’t quite gotten around to book two yet. You’ll find some excerpts from the book, along with small summaries about things such as what the book is about, the place where a principle battle takes place, as well as bios on characters, both old and new. Oh, and of course, there’s several different ways to buy the book, which includes Kindle, Nook and iOS devices.

Once you’ve taken a gander, if you wouldn’t mind passing the word around. It’s been nearly six months since book two was published, so it’s high time word of its existence got around. As far as that goes, book one has been out for nearly a year and eight months, and it could always stand some more love, too.

A programming note…

When I started this blog, it was mostly to promote my books, to showcase my writing skills, and potentially talk about other, unrelated things.

I was trying to write about things that interest me which have some bearing on the content of the books.

Unfortunately, I think, posts about current events or flat out politics, began to dominate these pages more than I truly intended.

While current events and politics do play a role in the books, they aren’t the only things. There is so much more to it. And in reality, talking here about the events of the day somewhat misses the point of the books in the first place.

So, for those who have enjoyed the political ramblings, I’m revived a site I’d let lie dormant for quite a while, called whyiwontbepresident.com. If you’re interested in current events, political, satire, etc., I’d encourage you to go over there from now on.

As far as this blog is concerned, I’m going to take another stab at making it creative and book promoting. Nothing so heavy handed as, “Buy my book or else,” but more showcasing of my writing, such as excerpts from the books I’m working on, maybe story ideas, and things dealing with the creative process as I see it.

Hopefully, over the upcoming weeks and months, you’ll get the idea of where I’m going.

This IRS commercial writes itself

Tired of the hassle and expense of fraudulent social security numbers, black market green cards and other illegally obtained official government ID?

Afraid you might get caught when your ID numbers don’t match up with the names and faces of the real people they belong to?

Well, fear no more, U.S. person! There’s a better way!

It’s the not-so new, but recently revealed, IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)!

If you are 1) a non-resident alien who has a tax liability in the United States and/or 2) an alien living in the United States who is “not authorized to work in the United States,” you qualify!

That’s right. Skip the worries and the outrageous prices for illegally obtained federal ID.

The IRS will automatically assign an ITIN for you!

All you have to do is to send in a tax return. It’s that easy.

Since you already have someone else preparing your taxes, someone who knows exactly how to get you thousands of dollars, this couldn’t be easier!

How much would you pay for such a convenience? $100? $250? $1,000?

Well, silly, you’d pay too much! You can get this ITIN for the extremely low, dirt cheap price of…wait for it…absolutely free! Yes, you heard us right, that’s zero down, zero now and zero later!

But wait, there’s more!

You can also get multiple returns sent to multiple non-resident or unauthorized aliens to the same address, for no additional cost! Yes, you too can have nearly 24,000 bonafide certified real IRS checks totaling over $46 million sent to your door, for free, just like this one Atlanta resident did last year.

“Es facil! Si se puede!”

Don’t think you have to live in Atlanta. No, the IRS will do this for you, regardless of where you live.

Nothing could be easier! So, what are you waiting for? Amnesty?

Send in your tax return today. Get out of the shadows! Learn to live again.

Fine print.

Offer not extended to U.S. persons living outside the U.S. (yet), and not available in stores.

For the actual csnnews.com story, go here.

If you prefer the Huffington Post’s version, go here.

Or, if you really want it unfiltered, here’s the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration’s very own report (in pdf).

The street where I live: a short story

We live in a decent neighborhood.

I say decent, because years ago, when it was newer, it used to be awesome. My family has lived here for several generations now and I used to listen to the stories my grandparents would tell about how things were when they were my age. Kids played in the streets, using their imaginations and the things around them. They fought against Indians, robbers, spies, aliens and monsters, solved mysteries they invented themselves, found friends who were hiding, and played all kinds of games that required hand eye coordination and a knack for strategy.

Oh, what fun they had.

Now, not all was good, mind you. My grandparents also talked about a couple big fights that sprung up with some other neighborhoods that went on way too long. They also talked about another period, one that lasted even longer than the fights, where food, money and work were scarce. Scary times. Some people didn’t make it. Most did, but nearly everyone felt the hardship.

I suppose it’s possible that their accounts were a little bit exaggerated, but I know that their stories are at least somewhat true, because I experienced the tail end of those times myself. Now, those days, like everything else, live on only in memory.

A while back, along the time my parents were born, it was decided our neighborhood should form a Home Owner’s Association (HOA). This was before the big fights or the lean times. A neighbor on the other end of the street had rented a room to someone, and in a short time, the tenant proposed the idea of collecting money from each household in exchange for neighborhood improvements, like a formal park, with a proper picnic area, along with some other amenities.

In addition, one of things they proposed was a fence be built, thus turning our neighborhood into a gated community. There would be a guard or two at the entrances, and a neighborhood patrol during the evening times.

To pay for it all would take some money. Since there were only 48 houses at the time (two more were built later), the fees would be two-percent of the household’s annual gross income.

Well, in those days, two-percent was a lot a money, but many of the families here were fairly well-to-do, and they knew that other neighborhoods weren’t as nice as theirs was. They knew they had worked hard to keep their yards up and their homes clean, and that they’d taught their children to clean up after themselves and leave other people’s property alone unless they got permission. They’d help a neighbor at the first sign of trouble, and pretty much stayed out of each others’ way, otherwise.

Still, two percent seemed like a small price to pay for an added sense of security, and with a park and other nice things, the money would be an investment for the future.

So, a document authorizing the forming of a HOA and the collecting of fees was drafted, tweaked, and then voted on by the neighbors. It was not unanimous (six either voted against or failed to vote at all), but with seven-eighths of households in favor, the HOA idea passed with overwhelming support.

No one knows for sure how it happened, but the tenant who originally proposed the idea, not an actual homeowner themselves, was put in charge of running the HOA, making sure everyone paid their dues, and that the money was appropriated responsibly.

In the beginning, things went pretty well. The park was started, so was the fence, and other things, too. But then came the first big fight, followed by the lean times, then the second big fight came.

Apparently, other neighborhoods got to looking around and decided they liked what they saw. But rather than doing something to clean up their own neighborhood, they decided they’d just come in and take what they wanted. As you can no doubt guess, that didn’t go over very well. The first time was more or less a rout—our neighborhood, who wasn’t really in the fight initially, joined the fray and it was pretty much over after that.

Because the fight cost money (lawyers and legals fees I suppose), the tenant decided the HOA fee should be raised so the unexpected expenses incurred could be paid off. No one really noticed, because the tenant had arranged to take the money directly out of each wage earner’s paycheck whenever they got paid. Since people’s earnings were kind of going up, too, it was impossible to tell. The tenant was supposed to notify the homeowners when they did such a thing, but the tenant either forgot, or decided it was best not to bother with such a thing.

Well, the scarce times hit, and that put a lot of the HOA amenities on hold. The streets in the neighborhood were in need of repair, too, and so was a couple pedestrian bridges spanning creeks. The tenant suggested the higher paid households, those lucky enough to still have jobs or other resources, should pay a little a more, and those who who had lost income or hours, a little less. There were another set of households that had very little left, and so fees weren’t collected from them at all. Instead, some of the money collected by their wealthier neighbors were given to the poorer ones.

The roads and bridges got more or less repaired or rebuilt, but even though more money was coming in from some, it wasn’t enough to take care of all of the needs of the neighborhood. The original promises of the HOA weren’t kept, as other, more urgent items claimed higher priority. Instead of the homeowners deciding what those priorities should be, however, it was the tenant who made the decisions.

Finally, the lean times were over, but not before the second big fight took place. In fact, some neighbors claim if it weren’t for the big fight, the lean times might have never ended. Others thought otherwise, but essentially, by the time the skirmish with the invading neighborhoods were over, peace once again reigned, and a period of prosperity was ushered in.

In the meantime, to keep up with the burgeoning expenses, the tenant continued to raise the HOA rates. Before anyone knew it, it was above ten percent. Originally, during the discussion about the HOA, the tenant claimed he did not foresee a need to ever go above two percent, because that amount would be more than enough to take care of the expenses of the park, etc. How could they have known there would be these fights and an economic downturn? Never mind that they had claimed to be an expert at HOAs, and that in almost every case they knew of, the HOA had vastly improved the living conditions of the neighborhood who formed it.

Unfortunately, the homeowners failed to take action when they could have. Times got better, and no one had the heart to rock the boat, after all the fighting and misery of previous times. Incomes were on the rise, the quality of living improved, and while there were skirmishes here and there with other neighborhoods, peace was more or less maintained.

At the same time that incomes were going up, so was the HOA fee. At one point, it grew as much as twenty-five percent for the wealthier households, while it was somewhat less for the kind-of-wealthy homeowners. There were still a few neighbors who didn’t recover from the lean times, weren’t able to find a job, and thus continued needing assistance from the others. The fact they didn’t really go looking, or want to work, was not lost on those who were paying extra so they could have the basics, but the tenant, when asked about it, said the haves should impart of their substance to the have nots with a humble heart and a willing mind.

Meanwhile, the park and other amenities were still not finished, and the fence never really began, though a security guard did get placed at one of the entrances into the neighborhood.

Regardless of all this, the majority of neighbors continued to keep up their yards, clean their houses and teach their children to be polite and play nice. Even without the amenities promised with the HOA, the neighborhood was a great place to live. Some neighbors sought to abolish the HOA, saying it was a waste of their money, especially when they had so little say in how the dues were spent, but somehow, the tenant always managed to either allay their fears, or put off their accusations of misappropriation or impropriety.

A time or two, some neighbors actually asked the homeowner where the tenant lived to kick them out, but the neighbor always refused, saying the tenant always paid their rent on time, and had actually made it possible for their own property to be improved on because of it.

Therefore, without further recourse or remedy, the homeowners would either shrug their shoulders and go back to their own lives, attending to what they could control, or they moved away. Eventually, two more house were built, one on a large lot, another on a small, but pretty one, and their fees were added to the rest.

No one is exactly sure when it happened, but something else started to occur. This happened primarily after I was born, so I can testify to a portion of it. There were neighborhoods not really involved in the previous fights who nonetheless desired the big yards and nice homes that our neighbors had. Why they didn’t just improve their own neighborhoods, I don’t know (maybe it would have been harder to do), but instead of coming in and fighting, they just started coming in the less guarded entrance and taking up residence on the property reserved for the park.

Now, the tricky thing about that was, the park was land which had once belonged to each of the property owners. The tenant, however, had said they would need a portion of each homeowners’ land in order to preserve for the park, so the HOA became in charge of the property, even though the property owner continued to pay property tax on it and was responsible for its upkeep.

Well, the infiltrators from other neighborhoods just started coming in and claiming the land. At first, the homeowner affected was successful in running the infiltrator off, but after a while, the tenant stepped in and said it wasn’t up to the homeowner to decide, and since the land actually belonged to the HOA, the tenant was the ultimate authority. The tenant had no problem with the infiltrators, since they, too, were not a homeowner, and so they sympathized with the infiltrators’ position. Besides, the infiltrators were only there, seeking a better life than what their neighborhoods were able to provide.

Without security, and with the complaints of the homeowners going unheard, the infiltrators continued to grow in numbers. In the meantime, money from the HOA was diverted to helping them settle in and take care of their necessities. They weren’t allowed to build homes on the land they claimed, but they were given nice tents which overtime became more and more elaborate with more and more amenities. Finally, an apartment complex, funded by the HOA, was built on the land to accomodate all those who were there.

Clashes between the homeowners and infiltrators, now apartment dwellers, continued to mount, mostly due to the administration style of the tenant. Whenever there was a conflict, the tenant was more likely to side with the apartment people than he was the homeowners, even though the apartment people really had no say in the dealings of the HOA. While the tenant had originally stated the apartment people would pay HOA dues, they never really did, since most of them were still too poor to afford the fees. Besides, the tenant said, they didn’t own a home, and it wasn’t their fault they weren’t making more money, since nearly all of them were now being employed by the homeowners themselves, to do all kinds of things, like landscaping, household chores, child care, etc.

See, in order to keep up with the additional HOA fees the tenant imposed, the homeowners felt compelled to send out more of their family members into the work force in order to pay the fees, and still maintain the quality of life they were accustomed to. Where only one household member needed to work before to make ends meet and still have disposable income and savings, now at least one other of the household was working, too. Since that fell on the adults, the children needed looking after when they weren’t in school, and since the apartment dwellers were there and looking for work, the homeowners felt they should get something out of the inconveniences the apartment dwellers were causing them.

More time passed. As the apartment dwellers, while not homeowners, were treated by the tenant as if they were homeowners, that encouraged other outsiders to come to the neighborhood. Many of them were friends, relatives or former neighbors of the apartment dwellers, so they stayed with them, up until the point they could move into an apartment of their own. After a while, the tenant decided more apartments should be built, and to do so, more money from the HOA was used.

As this went on, a paradox began to develop. Many of the apartment dwellers worked for the homeowners and were paid salaries, albeit not much more than minimum wage. At the same time, though, those same apartment dwellers were not paying rent for the apartments they lived in, or buying their own food and other necessities. Those were being subsidized by the HOA, which in turn, got its money from the same homeowners who were employing the apartment dwellers. The tenant was well aware of this, but since they weren’t a homeowner, it didn’t directly affect him, and so they turned a blind eye to it.

Whenever there was a decision to be made within the HOA, not only were the homeowners given a vote, but so, too, were the apartment dwellers. No, they didn’t own property in the HOA, no, they didn’t pay dues, and yes, they were the ones primarily spending the revenue from the HOA fees, but they liked the tenant because he had been so kind and generous to them (albeit, with the homeowners’ property and money). Thus, while they weren’t nearly as rich as the homeowners, or as numerous, yet, since they were granted say and voted as a block, the decisions made were almost always what the apartment dwellers wanted. If they didn’t get passed what they wanted the first time around, they merely brought it up again later, after they had a chance to work on the homeowners who had successfully voted it down.

To do this, they normally played on the generosity and goodwill of the neighbors. After all, the neighbors were good, decent people, and for the most part, had been willing to help in whatever way they could. In the past, when it had not been required by the HOA to pay a fee, they had helped one another during times of scarcity. No, it had not been fun, and no it was never optimal, but it was enough to get everyone through until an upturn began.

The HOA, the tenant had claimed, would prevent these downturns from happening as often and as bad as they had in the past. Then, when that didn’t happen, they said it would soften the blow of the bad times. When that proved untrue, they still insisted that it would have been worse had they not been there or if the HOA did not exist.

All this time, the homeowners put up with it, not knowing what else to do. Unable to take any more, some moved to other neighborhoods, though they never did find one better than the one they left behind. Others lost their homes because they could no longer pay for them and because they refused to be aided by the HOA. When those homes were left vacant, some of the apartment dwellers moved in, but continued to be employed by the remaining homeowners and receiving help from the HOA. These one time infiltrators, now homeowners, helped to vote in more and more restrictions of use on the properties in the neighborhood, saying it was for the betterment of the neighborhood, even though the rest of the homeowners didn’t really mind what others did, as long as it didn’t infringe on what they wanted to do. The apartment dwellers, having a say, helped to vote these restrictions in.

And that’s pretty much where we are now. There’s rumors that more people from other neighborhoods want to come in, some by force, some like the earlier infiltrators. There’s also a rumor that the tenant has been working with the leaders of HOA’s in other neighborhoods to facilitate this. Why should the good things acquired by the fortunate few not be shared with others who are less fortunate? Should opportunity be limited to where a person lives, or how much effort they put into things? Some believe that those who are prosperous were born into privilege, and that luck of the draw should not dictate who has wealth and who doesn’t. In other words, everyone should be equal. Everyone should be a homeowner.

What do I think?

I think I need to start looking for a place where there’s not a HOA and start over. This neighborhood is still better than many others, but it’s a shadow of its former self. As long as the hardworking decent people live here, the infiltrators and apartment dwellers of the world will continue to come, because the tenant and the HOA not only allows it, they encourage it. There is no other explanation. To say otherwise is to claim incompetence, because the HOA does not accomplish its stated task, or insanity, because reality is not what some would claim it to be.

I’ll do everything I can to improve this place, for as long as I can. At some point, though, you just have to get the heck out of Dodge.

Smallville’s ending

The clip I’ve posted above is the last two minutes of Smallville, a television show which ran for 10 seasons on the WB/CW. In case you didn’t watch the series, or can’t guess by the title, Smallville chronicled the life of Clark Kent during his high school years and then later, his eventual moving away from home to Metropolis, and being hired on at The Daily Planet.

The overall theme of the series, as I see it, was to show how Jor-El, Clark’s Kryptonian biological father, and his adopted parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent, prepared him to become Superman. Throughout the series, Clark faces different trials and tests, many of which are brought on by Jor-El, but does not don the iconic blue and red suit until the series finale. Even so, he has powers throughout the series, he confronts and vanquishes super villains, many of which he shouldn’t really encounter until after he’s officially Superman—in fact, he does so much, I was left wondering more than once, “Just what is left for Superman to do?”

Apparently, the answer by the Smallville creative team was, “Not much,” since the series finale ended in a way that was, for me, very anticlimactic. As you can see by this post, nearly two years after the fact, I’m still traumatized by it.

I can’t remember exactly when, but somewhere before the end I thought I had figured out where the series was going, and how it would end. In my mind, it only made sense, and would have been a much better way to bring down the curtain.

If you haven’t seen the clip, feel free to take a look. I’ll just keep going and you can catch up.

Okay, so here’s the long and short of the ending. It’s now seven years into the future (which at that time, meant 2018), arch nemesis Lex Luthor is now President of the United States, Clark is bumbling around The Daily Planet, and Clark and Lois, though they attempted to do so earlier in the episode, are still not married. It appears, however, that tying the knot is imminent, but then Clark gets called away to a bomb threat inside some nearby building and rushes to the rooftop where he slow mo’s bursting through the door, tearing off his glasses, and ripping open his shirt to expose his Superman costume underneath. The “S” on his chest morphs to a 3D version, and then the credits run in much the same fashion as they did in the original Superman movie.

So, how would I have ended it?

Well, if nothing else, I would have used this next clip, which actually preceded the final scene. It would have required a major rewrite of the entire episode, if only to add in all the time I cut out, not to mention the dialogue of the final scene itself, but it would have been better.

Final scene is this:

You have the Fortress of Solitude, but instead of Clark arriving at superspeed to talk to Jor-El, he’s already inside the Fortress.

You see, he’s actually been in the fortress since he first left the farm with the crystal for the frozen north years ago. He’s spent the intervening years in what amounts to a Kryptonian simulator, going through scenarios Jor-El throws at him as if they were real. With the knowledge he has gained and the experience he’s earned, he’s now ready to face the world as Superman. Thanks to what seems to be the prescient aspects of Kryptonian technology, he already knows many of the people who he will meet and the villains he will face. He is not only armed with super strength and intelligence, but he has a foreknowledge of what will come. This not only serves him strategically, but it also helps him morally. He can always choose the high ground because he has confidence in how things will turn out.

Jor-El tells him he’s ready, he takes the suit from Jonathan, who tells, him, “Always hold onto Smallville,” and then he flies out of the fortress to face his destiny.

The End.

Now that would have been epic. It would have capped ten seasons of good entertainment, without disturbing much of previous Superman lore, and we could have avoided the cheesier ending. It would have been truer to what all of the seasons and episodes before the finale had been building to. It would have also left a lot of people going, “What just happened?” but that’s perfectly okay to me. And I would have had a memory to bring a smile to my face every time I recalled it.

Sigh.