Life is just moving along! 4 July 2015

Elaine and I both have been writing more. 

I won’t go into what she is doing; I will let her talk about that  in her own time. I think it’s great. Something to satisfy her creativity. She is very good. 

I have put several projects that I had started on hold while I work on my current and newest one. My distant future sci fi, plus the several stories leading up to that particular one are all tied into the story I am currently writing. This one seems to make more sense to write first. 

I have a supernatural horror story that I’m part way through that I may try to revive later. I also have a detective type story that I like a lot and for which I have a decent outline. These I still plan on completing. The sci fi stories are my priority right now. It feels right, and the way I have tied them all together in my mind really makes me, drives me to get them finished. 

I published a short story on Amazon for Kindle. I did it to learn the mechanics of uploading a document and making it work. I have no delusions about selling any copies of my little horror story, but it was a good experience. 

I used the book cover designer supplied by Amazon to make a not terrible generic book cover, and up loaded that sucker. I had gone over it so many times for errors and spelling problems I was frustrated when I downloaded a copy and found several typos. I fixed these and resubmitted.  Now, 6 months later I was telling a coworker about the story. She wanted to know where she could buy it so I told her.  I quickly read the story again on my kindle and found two more typos!  I will correct these this week. 

I’ve sold three whole copies in more than six months. I bought one, my wife bought one, and one friend bought one. So far, everyone likes it!

I actually have a fear of telling people about it. I did just put it up to learn the process and not try to actually sell it. I’m not allowed to make it free, and the cheaper price I am allowed to charge is 99 cents. It has at least two typos. It’s short. It gets kind of graphic and violent at one point. I fear what people may think of me when they learn what I’ve written. 

I need to get over this. When I get my first novel finished I will have to be fearless. A need to start learning now, and that won’t happen unless people read my stuff and give me feed back. If it sucks I will learn to make it better, then the next story will suck less. 

Gene McKyle is the author name I am using. The link on my name will take you to that short story in Amazon. If you are willing to shell out the dollar the read the story and let me know what you think, it would be awesomely cool. Or and honest review. 
On the other hand, if you want you can email me at genemckyle@gmail.com or cooperkyle@me.com and I will send you a copy!

I just remembered that I put it on Wattpad too. The link is:  Three in the Trunk is the name of this short. It’s NOT porn. It’s horror. Really. Maybe I should change the name. 

Hamster Wheel

I feel as if I am on a never ending hamster wheel sometimes.  Working working working to pay for things that I really don’t need, but I already “bought” them so now I have to pay for them.  I can NOT get ahead, because there are MORE things that I need to get and pay for that I don’t really need.  But I do it anyway.

I want to simplify.  We work for years in jobs we grow to hate to pay for things that we don’t need and lose what is important.  Our time with family shrinks.  Our time to do joyful things, creative things, healthy things flies out the window.  The next thing we know is that we are too old to do anything that we really wanted to do.

I am in the process of listening to an audiobook of Ernest Hemingway short stories.  In his famous “The Snows of Kilimanjaro”, a writer lay dying of gangrene in his leg, thinking of all the things he wanted to write but never got around to them.  He waited too long, and now it was too late.

I personally do not feel that I have neglected to do what I have always wanted to do.  I have done so many things.  I have had several careers.  I have lived in different countries and travelled to many more.  I have loved, and still love.  I have lost.  I have wonderful kids.  I still love my job, and I make good money.  But, there is always a “but”, I would like to start doing things a little different.

I would like to spend more time with my kids who are still home.  I would like to travel more.  I would like to write, and maybe be able to support my family by doing something online, or writing.  I would like to do more Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and paddle boarding and boating.  I don’t need a ton of money.  Well, I need a ton to pay off all the things that I have purchased that I don’t really need, THEN I won’t need a ton of money.

I have taken baby steps.  My wife and I have started actions that will lead us eventually to a simpler life.  I have made a commitment to writing more and learning the craft to the best of my ability.  I am going to enter some of my short stories in competitions.  I am actually working on a novel.  I am researching how people who have become successful at writing in this age of Kindle and iBooks achieve their goals.  I know its hard work.  Going to be hard work.

I think I can make it happen.

Revamp

I think I need to revamp all my blogs. I have too many disorganized blogs. Perhaps if I trimmed things down I would be better at actually blogging. I think a simpler environment would not distract me all that much.

Keep one for musings, family updates, general activities.

One for writing. Keep tabs on projects, reviews, Link to writing sites and info that may be important to writers.

One for Brazilian jiu jitsu, family activity, nutrition and weight loss and health.

Sitting in the ID Card Office

Ah, the joy of waiting as a walk in at the ID office to get my son a new military dependent ID. I had wanted to make an appointment so we wouldn’t have to wait too long, but I completely forgot to make it! The punishment is having to wait.

Brandon’s ID has been AWOL for a year. I think we misplaced it when we were signing in a bunch of relatives to go boating at Hurlburt Field. Haven’t really needed it but it’s good to have.

Justin and Morgan AND Elaine’s ID’s are all expired. I am going to set up appointments for them so the wait won’t be as bad!

It’s interesting to do a little people watching in this type of situation. Listen to the lady whose husband didn’t fill out the correct paper work, so she can’t get her ID and has to get a power of attorney. Then there’s the two young active duty guys who have been waiting longer than us, and they come to find out that they are in the wrong office. Then there’s the couple with the sleeping new born baby, the wife on the phone trying to rearrange some surgical procedure because they weren’t going to be finished at the ID card office in time.

Brandon is taking the wait well.

Life’s Changes: An overdue Update

Well it’s hard to believe its been so long since I blogged anything! I get into these periods where I work and work and don’t do the things I’d like to keep up on.

Everything is just moving along. Roman is going to be 5 in October and is growing so much! He started VPK, is able to swim under water, and can operate an iPad better than most adults.

Morgan spent the summer with her Aunt Lara and Kelsey, and just started her senior year. She is planning on becoming a special effects make up artist.

Justin is at FSU studying to be a specialist in helping the blind, and is also doing very well.

Brandon is in 8th grade. He has been doing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and does great, and is learning tech stuff.

Lauren is in the Airforce. She is stationed at Eglin AFB which is very close. She seems to be doing well and enjoys her job.

Elaine is still doing therapy at Emerald Coast wellness. We both are working very hard to try to get to a point where we don’t have to work as much and can travel more.

I am very happy, and proud of my entire family!

Updates

Well, as I wrote in the last post several months ago, I am terrible at this blog thing!

I have started to get back into film editing.  Home movies, of course.  I used to do it quite a bit but kind of got away from it.  Now that I can use Youtube, Facebook, etc I can share with the family much easier.  Before, I had to burn a ton of DVD’s and send them out.

For my family who is on iCloud I can share via photo stream OR iMovie theater.

Pretty psyched.

My oldest daughter left for Air Force Basic training on sunday.  She called her younger sister and gave the address to write her.  I guess she is ok,,,,I am sure that it is a shock and she is stressing out with all the yelling and stuff, but I am sure that she is doing fine!

 

I will try to keep things more up to date and redesign this blog.

I am the Worlds Worst Blogger

Well, just a quick note,,,it has been a long time since I wrote. I have been so busy, and lazy.

I have been actually getting a good number of Go (baduk)games in, and I have ordered a custom stand up paddle board which should be done soon.

I also am planning on competing in IDPA (defensive pistol shooting), which will need practice and will be pretty cool.

Well, kind of boring and not much substance. I am at work and just felt like adding a post!

Lazy

Sometimes I would love to just sail away.

Sell everything, quit work, and just sail. Head south, past the Keys, into the Islands.

How does that sound? It’s something that I have dreamed about for a very long time. I love to sail, I love to travel, to meet new people, to be alone, to be self sufficient, to be without so many daily complications that aren’t truly involved with my survival and true happiness.

Imagine sailing from island to island, interacting with the locals, bypassing the crowded spots with the tourists and boat rentals! Imagine pulling your breakfast off of a line and diving in clear blue water to pick out your dinner! Imaging facing the fury of the sea, and making it through to the other side, when the sea is pacified and spent, and you can relax in the afterglow of survival!

Imagine the complexity of such a life, yet the simplicity! You have your boat, your floating house and transportation to where ever you desire, where ever you have the skill and courage to go. You have sails above you that can take you across oceans by the power of the wind! The sun provides your heat, the sea your life, the wind your power!

The magic of the ocean is endless, the stars above on a clear night on the ocean are infinite, the creatures of the deep are mysterious beyond the imagination!

Maybe someday.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my life, my family, my wife, my career! I can’t imagine my life without them. I would never trade!

But, maybe someday we can set that sail, and follow that star!

Decreasing Access to Mental Health for Political Reasons

Mental health clinics have noticed a sudden decrease in the Medicare reimbursement for mental health care provided to patients. Office managers, accountants, psychiatrists, psychologists and counselors have noticed this significant decrease in the money they receive from Medicare in a time that it seems the system would step up to fill the gap in the care needed for many people.

One would think that after the terrible incident at Sandy Hook and other tragedies around the nation, that the access to this care would be made easier, not harder.

There have been allegations that this cut in reimbursement (which, by the way, is definitely happening here in Florida, I do not know if it is nationwide) is a ploy by certain politicians to gain leverage to increase gun control. Some believe that the whole Sandy Hook tragedy is a ploy, a set up by gun control advocates to force strict gun control and take away guns from the common people.

I am not one for conspiracy theories, and I don’t buy into Sandy Hook being a set up with actors and photoshop and internet manipulation to create a disaster out of nothing. I think that the people behind this theory may be doing a huge disservice to the families who lost so much.

My question: why this decrease in reimbursement? If this is a political ploy, it is not in the best interest of the nation or the people that need help by professionals who may be able to help them. Do they want ANOTHER tragedy?

I do not have citations or fact sheets, I am just writing this off the cuff. There are many things in this world that I am not sure about. I lean towards the right to have guns, but I don’t think that there is anything wrong with making sure that only responsible individuals who know how to safely operate them are able to get them. I don’t think that President Obama is the devil, but I don’t support much of what he is doing.

I do know that many psychiatrists in my area are leaving private practice and going to do government work with the VA. This will help the vets who desperately need mental healthcare, but where does that leave the people who need this care in the civilian sector who can’t afford to see their psychiatrist because medicare has decreased their reimbursement, and in effect increasing copayment and decreasing access.

Does anyone have more information to shed light on any of these subjects? Any opinions? I am open to any intelligent discussion, and if anyone actually reads this and comments, that would be cool!

A Day of not Feeling Well

Man oh man I didn’t feel well today at all.  Just felt out of it, sore muscles, stomach a little sour.  Not concentrating well.  At work I had a hard time focusing on talking to the patients about their ailments.  I made it through ok, but still feel less than well.

I had sent a writing sample to be evaluated at a site that contracts for content copy.  I was awaiting the rating, because this rating dictates at what level you can write.  The higher the rating, the more assignments are available, and the pay is better.  After reading many posts in their forum I was sure that I would get like a 3 or a 2, because of my inexperience writing for this kind of thing.  In the forum I had the impression that most people got a 3 to start off with and then worked on getting a 4 rating with the ultimate goal of getting a 5 rating (professional).  The people that I read who had 4’s and 5’s appeared to me to be experienced writers who wrote well.

To my surprise, I was rated as a 4!  Now, I absolutely realize that this is just an initial rating, and that my writing will be evaluated again after 5 assignments, and it very well may go down to a 3 or worse, but at least I can feel good about it right now!

I have no illusions that I am anywhere near a professional level of writing!

Again, I find myself rambling!  In the next couple of days I am going to try and write a blog that will be of use of someone, somewhere!