As per the sparkly water norm, a fresh post to be had at I Are Writer!
Been going through a lot of pressure for the past few weeks, ranging from the malady featured in this video to the darkness featured in this video. Suffice to say, this has put a major damper on what to write for a post today.
I did have an idea pop into my head while I was motoring 'round town the other night: Audio Spam! Spam for your ears! But alas, that has fallen by the wayside, only because it requires just a tad more effort than I'm presently capable of performing.
And why the lack of capability you may ask?
Well...to tease this week's post on yonder Tumblr blog, I'm shooting blanks at creating a tagline/hook for my anthology "What Is Life?", and until I can come up with one, I can't move forward with the e-book. The main reason why I'm shooting blanks is that the aforementioned pressure issues is wrecking havoc on my quiet time at work.
Yes, I can actually do quiet time at work, because I have enough mundane tasks that allow me to go on autopilot and think at the same time. However, since mid-April, the budget crisis has morphed into 600+ layoffs statewide, (with more to come after July 1st), which at my place caused roughly 116 people (so far) to lose their jobs. The bulk of these losses have been at the facility that I've been doing payroll for the past 10 years at.
So when people tell you there's no collateral damage with out-of-control spending because all the politicians want to help every single illegal alien and every lazy refuse-to-work slob in the country, don't you believe it. My state is living proof of the collateral damage. Hell, my work life is living proof of the collateral damage. I got laid off 13 years ago and it me 2 years to get over it. Silver lining is me sharing it with you today. Today, I never in my wildest dreams that I would be thankful for a dead-end job, because that dead-end job has protected me from being sliced. No one can bump into the job class because it's at the top of the heap.
So the pressure at work is basically dealing with 116 people who were laid off, plus all the residual non-self inflicted headaches that come with it. Which in turn means that having a clear head to do any kind of direct and indirect work involving my writing is almost non-existent. The pressure at home, which I've explained about last week, is starting to sink in, and frankly, it terrifies me. Going blind is not a good thing to have in your future, especially when you're only 16 days shy of 51.
One of the few ways I successful deal with this pressure is to have the shortest fuse known to man when it comes to dealing with stupid. The other way is to take a few moments out of my crummy day to appreciate the finer details of life: children from the age of zero months to about 10; small animals like Chip & Dale, our resident chipmunks; the various birds that visit our front yard; the baby birds that have taken up residence in one of the birdhouses in the front yard; and the weekend in my neighborhood.
Robin Williams said it best, "Reality...What A Concept".
Yup.
(c) 2016 BOOKS BY G.B. MILLER. All Rights Reserved.
That's a lot of people. We are becoming such a welfare state.
ReplyDeleteAny writers you could bounce ideas off for the tagline?
And they're looking to slice even more with the upcoming budget.
DeleteThe problem is that the anthology is thematic in nature. The four stories represent the four seasons: Spring (birth/rebirth), Summer (adulthood), Autumn (older adult/senior citizen) and Winter (death), which makes it difficult at best. I'm more then willing to entertain suggestions. And, I think I'll give your idea a shot on FB. Thanks.
Well, thank gawd for dead-end but secure jobs, eh? Hang on!
ReplyDeleteI know, it's so weird to be thankful for a dead-end job. But, I am. I also feel for my co-workers because they're getting so F'd over it's not even funny.
DeleteI love the way you reflect on life and its advantages. That is one way of appreciating what we have. :-)
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London.
It definitely is. I try to find a silver lining, no matter how small, in almost every thing that happens to me.
DeleteI can relate, but not in quite the same way. I have a house full of builders and issues with leaking roofs etc. I have no time to quietly think, and therefore write or be creative in any way, and after a while it gets damn depressing.
ReplyDeleteI also have that problem during the holidays, in that after I've done the family socializing and what not, it's usually impossible to get enough noise reduction to catch up on some writing.
DeleteThat's a lot to be going through, G - hang in there.
ReplyDeleteSadly, it is. Thanks.
DeleteToo much focus all over on the wrong issues it seems, and people are hurting as a result.
ReplyDeleteGot that right. There's a special session going on as we speak, and apparently the guv'nor is turning the screws to get concessions as he's proposing to layoff up to 2900 state workers.
DeleteRelax on this fine Hookey Day in New England!
ReplyDeleteHey, you could be older than that like me! Hope it feels more like an achievement for you!
I'll be 51 in two weeks, so that'll be a definite achievement.
DeleteBelieve me the day will come when all this stress and trauma will be behind you. When I was 50 I never dreamed it possible.
ReplyDeleteI'm certainly hoping so.
DeleteWhat is Life?
ReplyDeleteFlying by the seat of your pants (and how to keep them on)
Now that's a good definition.
DeleteThat is a LOT to be dealing with. I wish I could help. Hang in their G.B., medical science is advancing quickly. Maybe in a few years they'll be able to 3-D print some new eyeballs for you.
ReplyDeleteNow that would be interesting.
DeleteThat's a lot of stuff going on. I hope at least some of it improves. Taglines are hard enough to come up with when you have no stress. I could only imagine trying to come up with one when you have all of that stress hitting you at once. We both wish you luck in finding your muse and avoiding a stress-induced heart attack!
ReplyDeleteThanks. I have something of a tagline, but I may wind up skipping it for the cover. For a standalone, I think its easier to come up with one as opposed to a thematic anthology.
Delete