Writing & Tall Tales

I like to write. I am a striving-to-be-writer. My fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction can be found here.

A Line Runs Round The World – Part II

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A couple of months ago a very kind person let me start a story for her. I thank Cameron Garriepy for that, and you can read about it back on my post titled Story Circles and Lines. Back then another kind and talented person, Kate Shrewsday, took up my story and continued it, and then others took up the call after her. You can read all those parts of the story circle on Cameron’s blog starting with Kate’s second part. All of that is great and I really admire those who followed up, but I felt empty. Empty because although others may have completed the story, I had not completed my story.

And that is where this Part II comes in. I really hesitate to do this because I don’t want to diminish in any way what Kate and the other folks did. But I feel that I need to complete my story, and there are either three or four more parts to that story. So what we have here is the second part. The other ones will hopefully be coming very soon, but for now you have Part I on Cameron’s site and Part II here. Oh, and when they are all done I will republish them all together. But that is later. For now, without further rambling …

A Line Runs Round The World – Part II

Fire In The SkyThere was smoke blowing in from the south west, and the smell of battle. I could tell that it was a battle and not just some other sort of fire because the smoke contained the distinct scent of blood and hot metal. Metal that was being used and push beyond its breaking point in a race for survival. The odor of exhausted metal, if there was such a thing. And that smoke blowing in brought no comfort.

This was around the middle of my fifth year walking, and I was more often than not overlooked by those not on the path whether they were looking directly at me or not. At first I was surprised that it didn’t matter if I walked past soldier or civilian, guard or gardener they reacted, or failed to react to me in exactly the same way. I never touched these outsiders for why should I? What did they have to offer me? Money did me no good for I just took what I wanted, which wasn’t much. And besides that, I had left my wallet behind me. So far back. How far? I took it out of my pocket while sitting on a bench, back when I still stopped to rest, took it out and left it sitting on that bench. My wallet with what little money I had, what little papers there were that said who I was and why I was. It may be there still.

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My Blog, My Birthday and The End – Exercise #31

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We have finally arrived and the end – day 31. When I started this exercise I had no idea that I would get as tired of it as I have. Not tired of the writing itself, I still really enjoy that, but tired of the topics for the A Caboose at the Endexercises. Yup, totally my fault for not looking a little further down the line in terms of what would be asked – but it did force me to stretch a bit.

Well the exercise for today (is this the final exam?) is to tell you why I blog. Why does all this exist at all? In fact though, I have alluded to that answer more that once as the weeks wound on. My blog, this site, as it stands now is a way for me to flex my writing muscles while at the same time imparting some useful information occasionally. Not much of that useful stuff has happened over the past month, but then again nobody is perfect. If you do want one of my more useful posts recently, go back and read the one about professionalism – and then go fill in your Gravatar information! That is still driving me nuts.

Anyway … Long ago the purpose of this site was purely computer professional in nature. It is where I would write articles on things going on within the computer field, such as virus outbreaks or Microsoft Outlook email problems, or on the elements of web design, running a small office, or even book reviews.  What the site has morphed into over time is just more of my writing on whatever I want. All my more “technical” writing is over on other sites and blogs, so while there may be pointers to it here, there is no reason to repeat it all. I do still have my other sites, Michaels Trains, Charleston Rail, and Just British, for some of my other interests, but those are hobby sites and not updated anywhere near as often.

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Traveling the World – Exercise #29

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I have not done near as much traveling as I would like to. I have stayed mostly within the southeastern area of the US and have only been out of the country a few times. Cruising in a HammockBut today’s exercise, number twenty-nine of thirty-one, is to tell you about the places I have travelled. My travels have not been that many or varied, but I will give you a brief rundown.

Let’s cover the United States first. I was born in Louisiana and currently live in South Carolina, so that covers those two states. I also lived in Georgia for a while, so mark that one off. Family in North Carolina and Tennessee have assured plenty of visits to those two, and Disney World a few other trips have covered Florida. But only the top half of Florida – I have never been further south in the great peninsula that Orlando and Tampa. Finally can round out the that corner of the US via some travels back and forth through Alabama and Mississippi, though no real time spent there. Oh! While we are down that way we can tack on a business trip to Dallas, thereby hitting Texas.

As for the rest of the country, I have had business trips to California, and a personal trip to Washington State and Oregon. That Pacific Northwest trip was a great one with lots of friends and classic cars. Back on this side I have toured through Virginia, Maryland, Washington DC, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. And stuck my toe into Rhode Island. You ask how I did all that and didn’t touch Pennsylvania or Delaware? Well, I did touch them, but only on the throughway and turnpike. That doesn’t count. Just as flying over many other states doesn’t count.

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