Blog No. 374
Communicating with people is a really complicated thing in 2020. I suppose it has been for some time and that before things like telephones or radios, it was much more complicated. Maybe I’m combining difficult and complicated. Now, it’s complicated, then, it was difficult. What were the ways to keep a conservation going? In person, letters, passing on a message? I’m sure there was some form of semaphore or flower arranging that had their own deep meanings and methods, but I don’t know much about that, and I’m talking about keeping in contact with people as you drift apart. Continue reading “Was it on email or chat?”
I can hear some (maybe one) of you now. You look up at the title and mutter to yourself, ‘so what?’ Who doesn’t work on a Monday, right? I don’t. Not normally. I work for a rental place (a place where the public can rent a room for events) and it makes way more sense for us to work Tuesday to Saturday than the “normal” Monday to Friday. I know way more people in a variety of jobs who don’t do the “normal” week. But that’s just a little side complaint from me. The whole concept of the dreaded Monday gets under my skin way more than what’s reasonable. What about the forgetful Saturday, the timid Wednesday, or the exaggerated Sunday? Day jobs can suck any day of the week. Sure, weekends are awesome, when you get them. When your days off are Monday and Wednesday with the occasional Sundays, the system breaks down. 
Welcome to the long post where I look back on my previous year on this blog and as a writer and feel things. Those of you who have been with me for a while (hi mom and dad) know the story of this blog all too well. Some time back in 2010 I decided that I should have a blog. I was still in the “I want to be a writer but I don’t actually write,” phase, so it fizzled out rather quickly. Then, at the end of 2012 something clicked and I actually started to do this thing (for real). I started writing stories to go up on 
It’s 2020. Nine-year-old Ben is really excited about all the really cool future stuff. Current Ben is terrified with what some of the new future stuff could mean for us (like deep fake and AI). It’s all writing fuel, though. I’m currently listing out all the things I didn’t get finished this year, that I have to get done early in the new year (or was just before I started to write this). The list is long and includes some things that are more long term (or long term for finishing, but I may have to get started soon). It’s jumbled and there are overlaps and loose ends all over the place. Some of it is erroneous (or out of date) but with all the issues, it’s a requirement for me to get my head around the new year and the new and old projects I have to get done. 
It’s the last post of the 2019! Hopefully your family had a lovely holiday (whatever the celebration). If that’s not in the picture, I at least hope it was a good week. But, let’s not dwell on all that. This is the post where I look forward to next year, my plans, hopes, and predictions (even if they rarely turn out how I think). I suppose it’s all baby steps forward. As long as I’m not moving backward (making progress) then I’m doing okay, even if I don’t reach my targets. It’s all fairly arbitrary, but goals help keep focus and (I guess) inspire. I find them helpful. I did a little thinking about what will be in this post, and it looks like there’s going to be a lot of picking up things that fell off this year. I’m going to try to not talk too much about 2019 since I’ll be doing my yearly review in a few weeks, but there will be a little overlap. It always happens. 
No, I’m not talking about Hanukkah. For those who are celebrating next week, I hope it’s great. For me, the next eight days are my time off. Every year between Christmas and the New Year, my day job is closed. The actual dates fluctuate and since we are a rental facility, there are always a few shifts during that period, but, we are closed for the regular staffed hours. This year, we are closed from the 25th to the 2nd (the 2nd is our de-decorating shift). I have from tomorrow until the 28th before I have to go back. There’s Christmas in there and I’m definitely going to take at least one day to do nothing but play video games with my brother, but the rest of the time is free to work. 
I had to go into work on Monday. I usually get the day off and make up for it sometime over the weekend. The shift started later in the morning, so I went for breakfast at one of the places I wrote about earlier in the 