Michael T. Miyoshi's Blog, page 6

Formerly Known as…

There are reasons for being formerly known as, but I cannot think of one for X.com.

Back in the day, women who got married would have a designation “née” and then their former last name. Like Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis (née Bouvier). It was a nice custom used so that people would know what a married person’s name used to be. It kept the ties to the past.

Nowadays people do not necessarily change their names when they get married. Which works for some people and not for others. There ar...

Remembering Your Drill Instructor

Marines say that you remember your Drill Instructor (DI) all your life. I am not a U.S. Marine, but I will always remember my DI, Staff Sergeant Rosario.

(I need to insert a short explanation here before I go any further. I know that there are female Drill Instructors. I often write ‘his or her’ instead of just ‘his.’ Or sometimes I trade pronouns in different paragraphs. I thought about doing one of those two things in this blog post, but decided that this particular blog post flows bette...

Running Alone in the Woods

I have stopped running alone in the woods.

Some people think it is crazy, but I like to run. I cannot do it every day, but I try to run as often as I can. My goal is at least three times a week, but you know how goals go. Sometimes you hit them. Sometimes you do not.

At any rate. I like to run.

Now I am not an alarmist or anything like that, but I have decided that I am not going to run in the woods alone anymore. It is not that I am afraid of the boogeyman or anything like that. Quite...

Aspiring to Be Mediocre

One of my friends and faithful readers has told me time and again that I should keep trying to become mediocre. That even though I am not there yet, I still might make it one day. And so I keep trying.

Some people would say, “With friends like that…” But that is not the way I think. I think that my friend is right. I should keep trying to be mediocre. I know. It is not a high bar. At least not for most people. But it is a worthy goal for me. My writing is suspect. Oh sure. It is reg...

Third Time Is a Charm… Maybe

Third time’s a charm. Or so they say.

I have tried writing this week’s blog post a few times. Well, this is the third. I think. Which is, of course, how I got the title. Third time is a charm. Maybe. Hopefully. Please be the charm.

At any rate.

There are certainly times when I have a stinker of a blog post. I know because some of my faithful readers and friends have told me so. Actually, they seem to tease me when they (the blog posts) are not so smelly and never say a word when the...

Help with Obnoxious Self-Promotion

I am not much for obnoxious self-promotion. So I am getting some help.

Self-promotion is something that I am loathe to do. It goes against my nature. Oh sure, I can do the false bravado and bragging thing with my family and friends, but for the most part, I do not like to talk about myself or think too highly of myself. After all, once I start to do that, I get knocked right back down. My family and friends see to that.

(I do wonder if I might have been somewhat of a braggart back in the...

To Write or Not to Write

To write or not to write. That is the question.
Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The indignation of critics and their critiques
Or to lay down the pen never to write again
And end the critiques. Ah to die, to sleep
No more to write. No more to hear the critics.
No more to suffer the heartache and pain
Of deadlines and writer’s block and idealess days
But what of ideas? What of the words that lie dormant?
What of the stories that will never be told?
To be silent, to rest – ay, there...

Save Often

When you post your blog, save often. When you post your blog, save often. When you post your blog, save often.

If you are wondering why I wrote the same sentence three times, I am about to explain. When you post your blog, save often. It is actually pretty simple. When you post your blog, save often. You see, it is a mantra. When you post your blog, save often. A mantra that I am going to have when I post my blog. (Bet you thought I was going to say, “When you post your blog, save ofte...

There Is No Part 1

When you have a sequel of any kind, there is no Part 1. Unless you are Star Wars.

I was on a kick about not being in a funk. Three blog posts on the subject. Apparently, I did the same with Kimchi a while ago. But with Kimchi I had four parts. Albeit, those posts were over about a year and only two were consecutive weeks. So apparently, writing blog sequels is a thing. Or at least it is a thing with me. Do not worry. This is not a fourth blog post about not being in a funk. It is a po...

Three Blog Ideas in One Night

I am definitely not in a writing funk. I had three blog ideas in one night! Three!

I may be taking the notion of not being in a funk too far. But I am in good company. After all, what movie making company does not make a sequel or five when the franchise is making money. Why not write three blog posts about not being in a funk? Of course, my blogs do not make mega-dollars in a weekend. But that is not the point.

The point is that I actually had three blog ideas in one night! Which defin...