CRXCowboy's Thoughts From My Head

2012-01-02T21:59:00.001-05:00

I have posted a new book review at "Unleaded: Fuel For Writers."
"Vampire Empire: Book One The Greyfriar" by Clay and Susan Griffith
I was surprised and lucky enough that the authors picked up my review and shared it on their facebook page.

The authors' blog has some interesting photos of some of the locations in the book.

Thanksgiving vs Native American Heritage Day

2011-11-25T15:24:00.001-05:00

The following was taken from a Facebook post of a friend of a friend. It is quite the interesting read.

Donna Ann Farmer
Most of us associate the holiday with happy Pilgrims and Indians sitting down to a big feast. And that did happen - once.

The story began in 1614( I think) when a band of English explorers sailed home to England with a ship full of Patuxet Indians bound for slavery. They left behind smallpox which virtually wiped out those who had escaped. By the time the Pilgrims arrived in Massachusetts Bay they found only one living Patuxet Indian, a man named Squanto who had survived slavery in England and knew their language. He taught them to grow corn and to fish, and negotiated a peace treaty between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Nation. At the end of their first year, the Pilgrims held a great feast honoring Squanto and the Wampanoags. ( not sure about the spelling)But as word spread in England about the paradise to be found in the new world, religious zealots called Puritans began arriving by the boat load. Finding no fences around the land, they considered it to be in the public domain. Joined by other British settlers, they seized land, capturing strong young Natives for slaves and killing the rest. But the Pequot Nation had not agreed to the peace treaty Squanto had negotiated and they fought back. The Pequot War was one of the bloodiest Indian wars ever fought. In 1637( pretty sure) near present day Groton, Connecticut, over 700 men, women and children of the Pequot Tribe had gathered for their annual Green Corn Festival which is our Thanksgiving celebration. In the predawn hours the sleeping Indians were surrounded by English and Dutch mercenaries who ordered them to come outside. Those who came out were shot or clubbed to death while the terrified women and children who huddled inside the longhouse were burned alive. The next day the governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony declared "A Day Of Thanksgiving" because 700 unarmed men, women and children had been murdered.
Cheered by their "victory", the brave colonists and their Indian allies attacked village after village. Women and children over 14 were sold into slavery while the rest were murdered. Boats loaded with a many as 500 slaves regularly left the ports of New England. Bounties were paid for Indian scalps to encourage as many deaths as possible.

Following an especially successful raid against the Pequot in what is now Stamford, Connecticut, the churches announced a second day of "thanksgiving" to celebrate victory over the heathen savages. During the feasting, the hacked off heads of Natives were kicked through the streets like soccer balls. Even the friendly Wampanoag did not escape the madness. Their chief was beheaded, and his head impaled on a pole in Plymouth, Massachusetts -- where it remained on display for 24 years. The killings became more and more frenzied, with days of thanksgiving feasts being held after each successful massacre. George Washington finally suggested that only one day of Thanksgiving per year be set aside instead of celebrating each and every massacre. Later Abraham Lincoln decreed Thanksgiving Day to be a legal national holiday during the Civil War -- on the same day he ordered troops to march against the starving Sioux in Minnesota.This story doesn't have quite the same fuzzy feelings associated with it as the one where the Indians and Pilgrims are all sitting down together at the big feast. But we need to learn our true history so it won't ever be repeated. Next Thanksgiving, when you gather with your loved ones to Thank God for all your blessings, think about those people who only wanted to live their lives and raise their families. Oh , they also took time to say with reverence "Thank You"to what they understood as "The Creator" We know Him as Jesus.

Anyways, i hope this shed some light on the truth about the "American Thanksgiving"

NaNoWriMo - At Least I'm Writing

2011-11-24T20:43:00.001-05:00

I decided to delve into the world/culture of National Novel Writing Month. There are only a few days left, and I'm nowhere near the 50,000 word goal. However, I'm not stressing over it. I have so many other stresses going on right now - in short life happens. Work has gotten in the way, for various reasons, I had to pitch in around the house more than normal, taking the kids to swim lessons, etc. Needless to say, I have spent time writing, but it's been sporadic at best.

I have managed to plan much of my story using Free Mind (which I highly recommend). I do have some more to plan and more to write. There is of course the editing process to go through as well. I'm torn between editing it myself or asking someone to edit it for me. So, with only a few thousand words, can I still say I'm a NaNoWriMo Participant? I do have the web badge to prove it. That makes it so, doesn't it?

Could-a/Should-a

2011-10-25T13:29:00.002-04:00

I am currently at home helping my wife recover from some minor surgery. This entails housework, helping her, keeping the kids fed and relatively clean. Now, all of this would make one think that perhaps I might have some time to work on projects that have sat idle for quite some time.

I have said for a while that if I could have some extra time away from work, then I should work on these projects. I could list them all, but I think it would start to depress me at the sheer volume of unfinished works around here.

Although, I do have to point to my prior post where I participated in Flash-a-thon. Of course, that did not require me to move very much and I could do it in spurts around everything else I had to accomplish.

And, of course, I sit here now updating this blog (albeit while I'm eating lunch). So, there are things that I can do I suppose, but getting out into the yard, nailing down rogue nails on my deck, finishing a storage cabinet I promised my wife 5 years ago....*sigh* see: could-a, would-a, should-a

Flash-A-Thon!

2011-10-23T11:22:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I participated in an online writing challenge. I've never done anything quite like that before, but I definitely enjoyed it.

I surprised myself at how many words I was able to churn out in just an hour.

The following are the hours I was able to participate in:
http://www.dlthurston.com/blog/2011/10/22/flashathon-hour-4-prompt-from-james-morrow/

http://www.dlthurston.com/blog/2011/10/22/flashathon-hour-5-prompt-from-leah-petersen/

http://www.dlthurston.com/blog/2011/10/22/flashathon-hour-9-prompt-from-scott-andrews/

http://www.dlthurston.com/blog/2011/10/22/flashathon-hour-12-prompt-from-day-al-mohamed/

Lots of fun. I wish I'd had more time and more creativity to do all of the stories.

First Book Review for Unleaded

2011-10-02T14:48:00.003-04:00

I just posted my first book review for another web site: Unleaded - Fuel for Writers. The site is run by friends of mine, Day and Renee. After my last review here on my blog, Day asked if I could fill in for their book reviewer. I gratefully accepted. Please stop by the site and see what all they have to offer there. The title of this post links to my entry, and here is a link for the main Unleaded site: Unleaded-Fuel for Writers

The Urban Shaman by C. E. Murphy

2011-09-17T10:59:00.001-04:00

The Urban Shaman by C. E. Murphy is the first book of “The Walker Papers.” The story is a cross-over between Native American folklore and Celtic myths and legends. Murphy does a decent job of mixing the two in the main character of Joanne Walker. However, there is a back story referenced regarding the Celtic roots of Joanne Walker that would serve the reader better should Murphy have elaborated on it a bit more. The story mostly, and rightly so, focuses on the development of the shamanic powers of the main character, but Murphy's omission of the Celtic back story does little to help the reader understand how the newly learned Native American Shamanic powers of Joanne Walker help to defeat the Celtic themed Wild Hunt.

As an introduction to The Walker Papers series, The Urban Shaman is an entertaining effort by C. E. Murphy. The story does read well and leaves the reader curious regarding the next book in the series. Anyone reading the story would be advised to have reference books of Celtic legends and Native American myths handy, or at least Wikipedia.

Never Forget

2011-09-11T13:10:00.000-04:00

A decade has passed since a great day of mourning.
Our country united, sent our nation's symbol soaring.
Those who died are written in history.
Those who caused it, written in infamy.
A Firefighter just doing his job, ran into the flames.
He never came out and a hero he became.
A Policeman followed the the fireman into the inferno;
Little did he know he would too become a hero.
The ones who gathered their courage to fight above the field;
Their hearts died fighting, they would not yield.
And at the Pentagon, the first soldiers died in this war
Those after them will never forget what they're fighting for.
NEVER FORGET...Never Forget...never forget

Heat Wave Book Review

2011-08-23T20:42:00.004-04:00

Heat Wave by Richard Castle
Obviously, Richard Castle is a fictional author from the ABC TV show "Castle." The book, "Heat Wave" was released as a publicity piece, or even "stunt" if you will. Two famous authors have given critical blurbs for the book's cover: James Patterson and Stephen J. Cannell. Both of these authors have appeared on the TV show as Rick Castle's poker buddies.
Since the book's release, Stephen J. Cannell has passed away, but I believe the he was the ghost writer for this book. It's possible that both Cannell and Patterson both collaborated or wrote the book. The next book, Naked Heat, is already out, with the third, Heat Rising, coming out soon.
Heat Wave is a bit slow starting, but once the action starts a few chapters in, the story is a pretty easy read. If you have watched "Castle" you can't help but picture the characters from the show as the characters in the book. It is entertaining even though the writing is a bit sub-par. Unlike some authors I have read, I did not find myself re-reading a sentence several times to pick up the subtle undertones of the passage or comprehend the complex language employed. It is all straightforward if not force-fed at times.
Finally, Heat Wave is an entertaining read and is a must for fans of ABC's "Castle."

Rain

2011-03-22T22:52:00.003-04:00

It's funny how something so simple as rain can remind you of childhood memories. Tonight, it's reminding me of Spring afternoons spent at my grandmother's house listening to the rain patter on her tin roof. My father used to say how that noise would put him to sleep very quickly. And of course, my Granny's house reminds me of my Granny. I remember how she used to let me snack on her graham crackers that she kept to help her diabetes and how through her I learned to love butterscotch candies.
She was a great lady - never stirring up trouble, always loving. I could go on all night.
It's nights like this I have to say...."I miss you, Granny"

Declaration of Independance

2010-07-03T03:07:00.002-04:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_declaration_of_independence

"WASHINGTON – Preservation scientists at the Library of Congress have discovered that Thomas Jefferson, even in the act of declaring independence from England, had trouble breaking free from monarchial rule.

In an early draft of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson wrote the word "subjects," when he referred to the American public. He then erased that word and replaced it with "citizens," a term he used frequently throughout the final draft."

This brings a striking thought to mind! What if Thomas Jefferson, a horticulturist, political leader, architect, archaeologist, paleontologist, musician, inventor, founder of the University of Virginia, and of course, the third President of the United States, secretly harbored dreams of his own kingdom? Obviously, he was such an intelligent and revolutionary man, one might be able to see how he could simplify many of the country's problems if he were just the man in charge, like the President, and to stay in charge, like a King.

The artistic side of my mind begins to pull together all sorts of wild thoughts where perhaps Jefferson is the United States' first major villain, and others such as Alexander Hamilton the heroes who opposed him. Jefferson's mounting financial problems could be a turning point in this wildly imagined story in which mild political philosopher becomes enraged would be king. And finally, his death, caused by toxins in his blood and uremia from nephropathy, severe diarrhea, and pneumonia, even though attributed to old-age, could have been the result of his own mad experiments, or perhaps due to a successful assassination attempt by poisoning.

As always in my mind, history serves up some of the most delicious tidbits of information that make speculation regarding past years much more fun than the dreariness of today's sad realities and absurd headlines.

Van Gogh

2009-05-10T19:38:00.003-04:00

The headline "New Details Emerge on Van Gogh's Ear" drew me to the article - http://www.comcast.net/video/debate-over-van-gogh-s-ear/1115429620/Comcast/1114783404/
Apparently, it was not Van Gogh himself who cut off his own ear, but Gauguin, who was an excellent fencer. I found myself fascinated by this and even immediately went to Netflix to add "Lust for Life" to my queue. Why, I ask myself, am I so fascinated by this new information regarding quite the odd act on the part of the artist. I think perhaps that it thickens the thin line that so many have drawn between genius and madness. If it really was Gauguin that cut off Van Gogh's ear lobe, yes it was only his ear lobe, do we now paint this as a "lover's quarrel" between Van Gogh and Gauguin? Or, if Van Gogh really did cut off his own ear lobe after Gauguin left their partnership, was Van Gogh really the distraught party merely trying to get attention, instead of the eccentric painter performing an eccentric act? Either way, the news makes those interested begin to ask new questions about both artists, and that is, in truth, the real reason that the story drew my attention.

Schedules

2009-04-20T06:23:00.000-04:00

We live by our schedules - and some die by their schedules, literally. It would seem that our offices are incapable of functioning if we do not arrive at the office at our designated time. Although, some of us do have "flexible work" schedules, but we are still expected to arrive by a certain, if not unspoken, time. Of course, meetings happen, deadlines must be met (schedules within schedules). But, must we be subject to someone else's notion that we must be in a certain place by that designated time in order to attend those meetings, in order to meet those deadlines? In this day and age of technology, there are virtual meeting rooms, telecommuting, etc. One would think that with the idea of "going green" recently being pushed on us by the media, there would be more and more of these virtual workplaces giving more of us a flexibility to start working when we want and work the hours we want, as long as those meetings are attended and those deadlines are met. Then, I could work in my pajamas.

Heroes

2009-03-30T23:31:00.000-04:00

There are portrayed in movies and books great heroes, historical and fictional: King Arthur, and even Harry Potter. Some more classical heroes such as Spider-Man are coming to prominence in pop-culture again. There were once real men and women hailed as heroes - Lawrence of Arabia, Charles Lindburgh. Whatever happened to that thing that makes men heroes? Why are there no names coming out of our current wars hailing men as heroes. Sure there was Stormin' Norman back in the '90's, but how many can truly name one man or woman from the Iraq or Afghanistan compaigns that we would count as a hero? Has that thing died in Americans that names someone a hero? Have we become so complacent in our expectations that we feel we don't need heroes anymore?

Comics and....Politics?

2009-03-12T07:12:00.000-04:00

For a few years now, one of my morning rituals is to sit down and read a handful of online comics. I do this to start my day off with a smile, or at least a tiny healthy dose of "well, at least I'm not like these guys." However, recently, and yes we all know how recently, current politics have begun to creep into my comics. Not only is this happening in my online comics, but in the Sunday funnies as well. Ok, I probably just dated myself by calling them "the Sunday funnies," but nevertheless, the politics are there. Such commentary used to be reserved for Doonesbury, which I choose not to read because for me, the comic strips are a means, albeit brief means, of escapism. Reading about how a comic character was killed while in Iraq or how another's house was foreclosed on is definitely not a means of escapism, but instead a harsh reminder of the realities that may be facing myself or my neighbor. So, please, please, keep the Sunday funnies funny and leave the politics to the front page of the Post.

Laid Up

2009-02-14T11:57:00.000-05:00

As I sit here in a chair wishing the invisible little man with a large knife that causes my aches and pains as I get older would pull out his super heated magic dagger of pain from my lower back, I find myself thinking there's not much I can do right at this moment, besides revel in the pain, so I decided to start a blog. I'm sure there are plenty of other valid reasons that I could have chosen to start "blogging," but inability to do anything else, after I checked my email fifteen times, has led me to this path. The little gnawing in the back of my head says there's the leaky faucet to fix, the closet door that needs to be re-hung, and various other little projects around the house that cold Saturdays were made for, but that gnawing little voice is quickly silenced be the super heated magic dagger of pain. I wonder if the little man will get bored and go play somewhere else by at least supper time.