Changes

Yah, it's the same old story. Been away, haven't had time, blah blah blah

It's not really true though. I just haven't had the motivation to keep up a blog of any sort. It has been awhile though and I've decided to start working on it again. I've also started up a third blog (I'm an idiot, clearly) to chronicle any updates with a new little project/company I'm starting.

Bum/Star, or Bum and Star Productions, is something I have had rolling around in my head for a long time now and am really just starting to get put it in motion. In any case, things will be getting updated a bit more periodically now.

Keep an eye out here, Bum/Star, to see what's going on with that stuff. Just put up a small post detailing what it's going to involve. It's really everything I've said I was going to do with Reality Grounded but I'm rebranding it basically to keep it more uniform and in line with some other stuff. Reality Grounded will probably remain a small part of the Bum/Star brand but, more or less anything involving new or creative media such as podcasts and videos will be Bum/Star branded. Reality Grounded is sort of a floater for now.

Same goes for AZ Rogue Travels.....haven't really had the energy to focus much on that lately either. I have been travelling a lot more recently but have sort of giving up on travel blogging. It was sort of a pointless endeavor on my behalf. I will keep the site up just for the hell of it but I'm not going to be pursuing keeping it active any longer. Maybe just make it into a sort of vacation picture blog or something. I dunno...

[edit] I just wanted to point out that I did also update the photography page on this blog. I now have a small little slideshow up for your enjoyment!

Anyway, thanks

Serial Stories

I often have a difficult time just sitting down and writing, specifically when it comes to writing any sort of short story, it truly baffles me. Stories float around in my head, bending and warping, and they just sort of sit there. I don't really touch them. Occasionally I may pick one out and start to write it but once I've started the act of writing, the story goes away and I can no longer think on it.

This poses a real big problem for me. I want to write novels that people cherish and enjoy reading but I am wholly unable to focus on something quite so lengthy. This blog is really a place for me to experiment with my writing style and try to find things that work for me. I'm quite able to write personal thoughts down without any effort and on occasion I can write down small editorial-esque type pieces. I am proud of my writing, I feel that it is strong, well written and concise, but I need more practice with fiction.

I've devised a plan that will hopefully alleviate the issue of forcing stories out of my head by working on them more slowly and over a long period of time. Very much the same thing that Charles Dickens did with many of his novels. Though I don't have a particular public outlet, other than here, for any sort of exposure. I am hoping though, that regardless of whether anyone reads my stories, this method will allow me to work on a singular piece until it's completion.

Depending on how my day turns out I may kick things off tonight with a fresh story that started brewing in my head this morning. It's a bit of a departure for me in terms of subject, but then again I do like to float around with different ideas until one makes sense to me.

Wondrous Beauty of Life pt.2

Picking up where I left off in regards to what the new job will hold in store for me.

Thirdly, travel, the new job will involve lots and lots of travel around the greater Phoenix area which will work nicely with my sister blog AZ Rogue Travels.

Fourth, solitude, aside from all other things listed previously I will most likely enjoy this one above all. I will not only be making more money and travelling more often but I will be working on my own most of the time. I will be dealing with customers on a daily basis but as far as coworkers go, there will be little to no interaction. I work best on my own and this will prove to be the perfect job for me.

Moving on from the wonders of the new job I'd like to post a tidbit on some plans I have for Reality Grounded here. When things really start to settle down and I start to have more free time I am planning on starting a bi-monthly podcast. I don't really have many plans on what I will be doing with said 'cast but I'm thinking just a free-form whatever the hell I want sort of deal. It will be co-hosted by myself and my lovely wife-to-be.

I've been looking into necessary equipment to produce something of decent quality and have ultimately decided upon the purchase of a new Mac-mini to delegate strictly to my pursuit in creating an online media network.

Ultimately the plan is to work not only the blogs and podcast but also create more videos for the YouTube side of things, start a webcomic and more. It may seem a little all over the place but I really would love to take things further and maybe even create some sort of job/money for myself in the process.

That's all for now. I may post up something a little different later on tonight.

News and New Gear

Quick little post here about some new things I've got started and some new gear I got to help me out with it. First off, let's get right to the news. I'm currently developing a new blog, which you can find by clicking here, titled AZ Rogue's Travels. It is exactly what it sounds like, a travel blog dedicated simply to my home state of Arizona.

See I happen to take numerous little trips around Arizona when I'm sick of the city or I just need to clear my head and I always take loads of pictures and even sometimes video, so I decided why not actually put it to good use and try and get some recognition for it. So I now have this new blog setup and ready to go as soon as I can find some time to sneak off on a trip. (Hint: it should be pretty damn soon)

Secondly, I got some new gear in the mail on Friday from the good folks over at Timbuk2 whom I have previously spoken about. They hooked me up with two hundred dollars worth of stuff and I got to say it was a rather nice haul.

These bags came in the mail

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcneildd/5483342518/in/set-72157626158956720/

Bi-Fold Wallet, a 2Way cellphone/camera carrier and an On the Go Toolshed bag

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcneildd/5483343208/in/set-72157626158956720/

San Francisco bike route waterproof map, was actually part of the packaging, very cool

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcneildd/5483343966/in/set-72157626158956720/

The main attraction, a customized Timbuk2 Swig backpack

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcneildd/5482754371/in/set-72157626158956720/

Here's what I've got inside now

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcneildd/5483349466/in/set-72157626158956720/

And then inside that other bag lay these goodies

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcneildd/5482756519/in/set-72157626158956720/

And that's pretty much it for the haul, I got a some really nice stuff which I cannot wait to put to good use. The wallet is already getting it's fair share but the backpack I can't wait to take on a trip with me. It's extremely comfortable and carries the load perfectly, it's going to be great for taking out on photo-hike/writeups.

For now, that's all I have got, so see you around folks.

Oh How Time Flies

Life has become a rather hectic endeavor these past few weeks. For a rather long time work had been awfully slow which gave me more free-time throughout the day to read and write. Lately however, it's been anything but slow and I find myself having almost zero free time to focus on my interests.

I refuse to completely give up on my blog through Finnegans Wake but as it stands currently but am going to be putting it on a small hiatus. With the way things have been I just don't have time to try and read through the insanity that Joyce unleashed upon us close to a century ago.

As for my other ideas and projects I have currently planned, one in particular I intend to start focusing on in a big way. I've been mostly discouraged by my lack of proper equipment to really bring anything of value to the table but I need to get over this fear. There's more to quality than flashy lights and smooth silky voice, though honestly they don't really hurt, but I will do my absolute best to make do with what I currently have available.

Now on the same subject, Kickstarter, a community based funding project has intrigued me greatly. The only problem here is that again, as with my discouragement in equipment, I find fault in my own ideas. It should go without saying yet somehow flies over most people's heads anymore but if you never ask, you never receive. So I'm struggling with working up, within myself, the notion that my ideas are just as valuable as anyone else's.

This blog post here, written by Lizzy Bennett, Online Marketing Manager of Timbuk2, is what has most recently set off this series of explosions in my mind. Little explosions that my ideas truly are worthy of something and the reason why, is, I am that StrangeBum from Twitter, I am the one that sparked the little partnership between two of my favorite companies, Timbuk2 and Sanuk Footwear.

So that's where things stand for me currently. My life is filled with ideas that I truly think have some potential to get me to where I truly want to be. All it takes now is a little creative marketing on my behalf to get my name out there and also to just push through my insecurities and get something done.

Thank you for reading and with this, I am done for the night.