Sameel : You’re welcome… I know what it feels like to have people tell you to get over it when things are rough or when you go through certain things. It isn’t the easiest thing in the world sometimes especially when you go through things that have lasting effects. I have been through some things and have had people say things to me that even many years later I still think about.

Believe me it’s normal… In my case when I had people tell me that I wouldn’t amount to anything (That’s the PG version of what was actually said) after I dropped out of school I basically used it as motivation to prove them wrong. I won’t lie to you I’ve been a struggling writer for years and have found it difficult just to be paid, let alone make a decent living. Despite that I’ve made something of myself and for the most part I have proven my point to those people who said I wouldn’t amount to anything.

It isn’t easy for those who simply say things like “Get over it…” to understand sometimes but it isn’t always that easy. It takes time and by that I mean both time in how you cope with things and actual time to let things subside. It does get easier with time but depending on what you’ve been through in life I don’t know if you can say that you ever really forget about things. As far as me I have said here on Vizzed many times how I don’t consider what I’ve been through something that I enjoyed or something that I necessarily look back on fondly but I do think that I would not be the person I am today had it not been for what I’ve been through in life. It’s is those struggles, setbacks and things that you go through that although often times not pleasant and enjoyable, help mature and shape you as a person in the long run if you let it

It may not seem like it right now but it will get easier in time. I’m glad my advice could be of help to you. If you ever want advice or just someone to listen feel free to PM me.

Best of luck to you.

warmaker : I love being an American… I will say though that there are times when I do get scared for the country and where it’s going but scared to the degree that I don’t vote because I see our voting process as a broken and flawed system. I voted in 2000 and 2004 and that was enough to convince me that it just wasn’t adequate.

I do know and speaking from the experience of someone who is disabled and doesn’t have the easiest time trying to get things done, that I would like to see our healthcare system nationalized. I don’t know if President Obama’s policies are necessarily the way to go. I’m not too familiar when it comes to things like insurance policies and red tape and such. I do know though that if there were a system similar to that of Canada’s where every citizen was guaranteed health insurance and was guaranteed the care they needed things would be much better. Another thing that I would like to see done is more jobs brought back to America and not outsourced, even telecommuting jobs which is becoming more and more the norm. It would obviously boost our economy and help us get back to where we were before the economic clasp and maybe at a point where it is stronger and more stable than it was then.

There have been times though where I have been so scared for the country and where things are heading that I have said that if I could afford it that I would consider moving to Canada for a while to see what the differences are. It seems like sometimes that the powers that be in Canada know something that we don’t and it seems like you never hear anything negative coming out of Canada. Where as here in the US no matter what’s going on politically, who’s in charge or, what’s going on in terms of current events there’s always something out there that stirs up anger and gets people fighting over things. It just seems really negative when you get down to it.

I have three relatives that I know of who served in the military, I would also like to see those who serve in the military and defend us better taken care of when they come home from active duty. As far as I’m concern for those who go and put their lives on the line for us, they and their families should be able to get anything that they need especially in regard to medical care and benefits. Just one man’s opinion.

GameBoy1023 : Oh this is a tough one because I have fond memories of playing both in my youth. I would say SNES had a smoother look to it’s games and much like NES had a lot of cult classics depending on what one’s taste was. NES though will always be something that was groundbreaking.

I miss the days of playing Mario and Punch Out almost religiously. I had a lot of surgeries when I was a kid (I’ve had ten total) and when I would be laid up I would love sitting there playing games. I can’t say which one I would pick over the other because I’ve had just about every console from that era minus Turbo Grafix 16 and every console even up to today has it’s own merits. I think it all boils down to what a gamer’s taste is.

I haven’t been able to play my PS3 for a while, had a problem with a firmware update and I need to get my HDD replaced. So thinking back I guess that is one thing that I kind of preferred is that you didn’t need a HDD back then to play games and if you had a HDD in a more current console it didn’t prevent you from playing if you had an issue with your HDD.

If I could and had the financial resources to do so I would make a room in my house (providing I had room) into a mini arcade with all the consoles that I had up to the current generation. I still miss playing Atari. Misses those days.

Sameel : Well I guess this is a subject that I am very familiar with. I have been through more than my share of stressful situations and have myself found it difficult at times to cope with everything. I have at times handled things in good ways but I have also at times handled things in some not so good ways which lead to more problems overall.

As I have gotten older one of the primary things that I do to cope with everything that life may throw at me is to use the gift that I believe god gave me and that’s to write. Writing definitely helps and as I’ve said many times it can be quite therapeutic. It doesn’t matter what the subject is, it could be as simple as keeping a journal of your thoughts as a means of simply venting your frustrations, worries, fears, and concerns.

Although things have been rough for me over the years one thing that I also do to try and minimize the stress of everything is to remind myself that things could be worse and that no matter how bad things may be or, things may get, there is always someone out there who is experiencing worse circumstances,

Either way it isn’t a fun thing to deal with stress especially if you have to deal with stress on what seems like a daily basis. One thing I wish I relied on more during a period of my life when I wasn’t making the best decisions was my writing. Once I came to realize that my ability to write was not a fluke and was a gift it started making me a better person because I was able to straighten myself out and, when stressful situations would arise I would often times (and still do) throw myself into my work. It does make things easier to deal with. I know that I wouldn’t wish some of the stuff that I have been through on my worst enemy.

Best of luck to you.

+Ace+ : Sometimes it happens when I am recording DVDs. I’ll put a remote (Or several) in most cases next to me or nearby and I’ll do what I have to do then forget where I put the remote and ask myself where I put it. I have just accepted it as something that happens due to just not thinking and or being often over tired but it happens at least once a week to me on a normal week.

It is normal it happens to everyone I guess it’s just part of life and that sometimes we all have our little things that can annoy us and or, annoy others. I wouldn’t think too much of it though. It could be worse.

jmc1097 : That is very difficult to say. Despite how it looks sometimes I would hope that at least some semblance of world peace is possible. The problem is there is just so much hatred and bigotry in the world. It also doesn’t help when there are some in various facets as public figures who use their positions in such a way where it seems that they only spread the wrong message rather than being advocates for peace.

I think one of the key things that would be a good step toward peace would be universal tolerance. For years in his stand up routines George Carlin would spend time talking about how society focuses too much on our differences and how he’d rather focus on the things that make us the same. He referred to these as little nuances. Although light-hearted and quite humorous, Carlin as usual actually touched on a vital issue and it reminds me all the time of what the concept of Political correctness was truly meant to be. Carlin will forever be known as a visionary with one of the greatest minds ever. He was known for his vast use of language and often offended some, he openly admitted that he wasn’t for everybody but if you really look beyond his use of language and humor, often Carlin spoke out against many of an injustice and spoke out against hypocrisy and bigotry. He was and is a man who I have cited many times as my idol. His wisdom and insight is sorely missed.

This is what it boils down to in my mind. We as a society need to focus on what makes us the same. Instead of focusing on what makes tempers flare and our differences politically, instead of labeling people either due to a disability or their race, religious beliefs, or, income level, or, sexual orientation, instead of focusing so much and with such fury on the things that separate us, we as a society should focus on those little nuances. If we as a society were not so quick to judge, no matter what the reason and were more tolerant, sensitive and understanding of one another and more kind to one another the world would be a much better place.

This may seem like a bit of an odd topic for me but one of the things that I have gotten into more and more as I’ve gotten older is watching a couple of daytime talk shows. Part of the reason I watch certain shows is based on the topic of those shows mostly. I am a writer and even though most daytime talk shows stay away from the subject of my genre I do find some topics very interesting especially when it centers around current events and such.

Three talk shows I watch regularly are Steve Wilkos, Jeremy Kyle and Ricki Lake. Normally I record these via my DVR and pick a day where there is nothing going on and spend some time watching those shows. I don’t watch every show but I do try and watch the shows with topics that interest me especially the ones regarding current events. It also seems that the three shows appear to venture into more serious topics than some other shows which is why I watch them when I can. I did use to watch Jerry Springer when I was younger but I can’t really bring myself to watch that anymore. It just seems as if that show is all about raunchiness and I guess that was okay in moderation but I think now it’s beyond bad taste now. It’s been several years since I’ve watched that show so I don’t know if things have changed.

I know that there was a time when Springer was kind of compared to Morton Downey, Jr. I have fond memories of watching Morton Downey when I was younger. Downey didn’t always rub people the right way but I was always impressed with how he stood up for what he felt was right and was a no-nonsense type of commentator. Springer seemed to start out that way but changed and like I said it seems like his show is all about raunchiness.

What are some of the talk shows you watch past or present and why?

What are some of the talk shows you like to watch and why.

Totts : I think it is part of human nature that we get irritated when we see what may be similar traits in our relatives or friends and it may very well be true that when one attacks someone that there may be an underlying issue that, that person may not want to admit. I know that I have been in those shoes before and I know that for instance when I have seen my nephews slack off in regard to their schooling, it really aggravated me because among other things I am a high school dropout and I so badly don’t want them or my nieces to repeat the same mistakes I made. Although my reasons for leaving school had very little in essence to do with academics it does irritate me. I do think that a difference is I have admitted my mistakes to them and have told them that if circumstances were different that I would have finished school when I was still in school.

I didn’t want to tell them the real reasons I left school but I was honest with them about it at the same time. Hopefully they won’t let me down. It has not been an easy go of it for me for almost 14 yrs and I am trying again to finish school somehow. I hope that they will see that even many years later I still wanted to finish somehow, if nothing else for the satisfaction of knowing I did it. It’s hard because their young and their at that stage where they think they know everything. I was once at that stage where I was cocky, unauthentic and thought that I knew it all. The world has a way of humbling you really fast sometimes and I don’t really remember much about a time when I wasn’t getting my butt kicked by life. I just want things to be easier for them because I know how hard it has been for me and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

I will also admit that there have been times when I have been unsure of myself to such a degree that I have trouble functioning at times. Although I have accomplished a lot as a writer in the years since I left school I admit whole heartedly that I am not happy with where I am professionally and am not real content with my life overall. It isn’t necessarily fun when you know you have a gift to write and despite a solid body of work there are times when you do doubt whether or not you are on the level of someone who is more established in your field and or, on a higher level. Even after being a writer for most of my life I do have doubts sometimes and will admit that, the self-doubt probably has prevented me from reaching where I want to be in some ways.

I have always looked at my struggles as a writer, specifically the struggle just to be paid for my work as simply paying dues and working my way up. I hope that at the minimum when all’s said and done that I will have redeemed myself in many ways from what I once was, a screwed up teenager in large part due to my work. I have said many times that I credit my writing with helping me straighten myself out. I thank God every day for that.

XxEzraxX : Well in my dad’s case he was let go from his job but in typical retail fashion they were looking to cut back to save costs yet instead of being honorable about it they look for an excuse to fire you which is what they did with him. The problem is my dad has proven legally that he was let go for the wrong reason. Although he proved that it’s still been difficult for him finding a job. He got back into doing flea markets which is something he did when I was growing up and such just to try and make ends meet. The problem like I said is here locally there is a high unemployment rate which is higher than the national rate. It also doesn’t help that because my Dad is in his 60’s it makes things even rougher because companies are looking for longevity above all.

It is discrimination as far as I’m concern but companies have a habit of simply saying “We’ve chosen to pursue other Qualified candidates.” It’s frustrating because like I said he a lot of experience and I fail to see how someone with over 30+ years experience in multiple fields could not be as qualified as someone in their 20’s or 30’s. As far as I’m concern it is unacceptable.

As far as me… other then the fact that the industry that I chose for my vocation just so happens to be an industry that is extremely difficult to make a living, I am also disabled which limits what I can and can’t do physically. There have been many times both before and during my family’s current hardship that I have said that if I could I would gladly take a midnight to 8AM shift at Wal-Mart stocking shelves. If I could physically and were confident enough that I would be given the job I would do it in a heartbeat; not only to help myself but my family as well.

As someone who has been single for years, the current economic climate makes me in a way feel glad that I’m single because I wouldn’t be able to support someone and a family with the way things are right now. I am pushing 30 so I do want to be able to meet someone, settle down and, the whole nine yards eventually. I just want to be able to be financially stable first even though I know I’m not getting any younger.

Giegas : That is a tough one because I watched a lot of television growing up and still watch a lot of television and classic television shows on my streaming services. Rather than giving you one answer I will try to give you a consensus top ten without numbering the shows.

Married…with Children
Full House
Family Matters
Perfect Strangers
Family Ties
Who’s the Boss?
All in the Family
WKRP in Cincinnati
The Simpsons
Cheers

To be honest there are plenty of other shows that I could put in the list but it would take me at least three or four days to write it all out in detail and such. These though are some of my favorites. I use to be able to do Al Bundy impressions when I was younger before my voice got too deep. Even all these years later I still watch Married…With Children almost daily. Some of the other shows I would like to see offered on the streaming services that I use. Most of the ones I listed are on one the streaming services but there are a few on this list and others that I didn’t list that I would like to see again. Makes me wish that along with the streaming services now available that TV land would do their own streaming/on demand service. If they did I think that it would give Netflix and Hulu a good run for their money in terms of offering classic TV.

Singelli : Well for me the big thing is to correct some of the mistakes I made in my youth. I look at some of these things as unfinished business like my want to finish school either by getting my diploma or by getting a GED. May seem simple to some people but for me it’s been a struggle for almost fourteen years. In terms of my professional goals well, I would like to be able to make a steady living off of my work, that goes without saying obviously but if I could simply make a steady living where I can somewhat comfortably support myself and a family I would be okay with that. Being a Boxing writer who is from New York I also have one goal and that is to cover a Boxing card in person at Madison Square Garden.

For a Boxing writer from New York to have been to The Garden only twice in his life, neither for a Boxing event is something that I consider to be a sin that I need to correct. I have covered many cards that took place in The Garden over the years but I haven’t done so in person. To me that would be justification for all the all nighters, the years fighting for credibility and respect, the struggles in getting paid, if I could just get one night where I can cover the sport I’ve loved my whole life in the Arena of all arenas I will feel vindicated. Then and only then will I give myself any sort of credit for what I have done with my life. I might even say something along the lines of “Not bad for a high school dropout who was told he wouldn’t amount to anything.” Even if it was for one night only, it would all be worth it.

SunflowerGaming : I wrote about the wrestling business for several years so I was somewhat involved in terms of covering it. I haven’t written about the business since 2003 but I still keep tabs on it. Although I had my reasons for going to Boxing fulltime when I was covering both at the same time, I’m still a fan deep down. To be honest I am glad I walked away from the business when I did because it just isn’t the same type of product overall not just Vince McMahon’s company but the business as whole. There is very little legitimate competition among the wrestling promotions that are currently active because no one can really compete with the budget Vince McMahon has.

The limited exposure of those who are trying to compete with Vince McMahon hurts the business overall because guys on the independent circuit who are working for anywhere between $25-50 a night are forced into obscurity merely because there just isn’t enough spots on Vince McMahon’s roster for everyone.

The lack of real competition and thus the limited options for the wrestlers makes things stale. In terms of the storylines, from a writer’s perspective I have not been enjoying Vince McMahon’s product for sometime but I watch out of force of habit if nothing else. The product from a creative standpoint needs to be overhauled and things need to change in order to bring interest back by and large, Ratings are down, pay-per-view events are badly overpriced and it just gets to a certain point where people will be loyal to the product but they will be loyal to a certain point. Things have to evolve in order for things to keep going. In contrast to the opinion of some I am not saying that one of the reasons or the main reason that the product is stale is because they have gone to a PG content format. I grew up in the 80’s and the product back then was not what one would consider edgy or reality based and it was garnered more toward children by and large. I do feel however that the wrestling business overall was in a much better position than it is now going back 25-30 years ago.

Back then there were no pyrotechnics, some flash in terms of characters but the main focus was on the in ring product. The storylines were important obviously to get from point A to point B but there was more emphasis on the physicality of wrestling as opposed to the storylines that intertwine. It’s just an observation from someone who has been watching wrestling for his entire life and covered it for some years.

One of the things that I liked about back then as compared to now is there wasn’t as many pay-per-view events and when there were pay-per-views the fan was basically guaranteed closure to the major storylines. Now of days it seems more often than not that with as much as twelve pay-per-views a year that most of those events are used to further storylines rather than bring closure to storylines. When you charge the consumer $44.95 to $54.95 a month for pay-per-views and you don’t give those consumers a conclusive finish to storylines it’s just not responsible to those who spend their money to support your product. Especially when you take into account the economic recession it’s no wonder that people aren’t watching and buying as much as they once did. It’s hard to expect fans, even the die hard core audience who will support your product through almost anything to keep reaching for their wallets to continue to pay overly expensive pay-per-view prices for a stale product that doesn’t give conclusive finishes often to storylines. It’s just not a responsible way of doing business and that is why the business overall is suffering.

There have been high points and low points in the wrestling business through the years but the major difference as compared to the early 1990’s when the business had a low point is there was more competition back then among wrestling promotions and there was an adequate alternative for the fan who preferred one product over the other. Now there is no competition really so the fan is more or less forced to eat what they are fed for the most part.

As for me I have had people ask me several times in the almost ten years since I stopped covering wrestling when or, if I would be getting back into things. What would it take for me to get back involved in some fashion with the business? I always say that I will always have a love for the business and I will always be a fan of the business but it just doesn’t seem like there will ever be a point where the business will be at a high as it was in the 80’s and the late 90’s. Competition is needed in the field in order for the business to survive and without competition the business will continue to stagnate by and large. I just don’t see an upside to getting involved in it again but would be more than happy to listen to any offers that might come my way. The writer in me would be a fool not to even though I am a journalist first and foremost.

DARKANINE : Politics is truly a cutthroat topic and it can indeed get personal even if it’s not originally intended to be so. So too can topics of one’s religious beliefs and such. It can be really tricky to talk about issues like that without offending someone or, having at least one person take issue with something that you might say.

The fact is in regard to politics there is so much fabrication out there that it makes it very difficult to actually know what’s true, what’s half true and, what’s outright fabrication. It is this way because there are so many interest groups out there with keen interest on who gets in public office and such. It truly blurs the lines and although most people who participate in elections stand firm to their political affiliation, because there is so much nonsense out there debates can turn heated and personal rather quickly and before you know it you might actually end up fighting about things that have absolutely nothing to do with what you were debating originally.

I have talked several times on Vizzed about how I feel the concept of political correctness and it’s true meaning and intention seems to more and more be disregarded and often ignored especially when it comes to politics. The mere “Us vs. Them” kind of mentality that our political system conducts itself in essence can really bring out the worst in people even if those people only have good intentions. It’s just human nature to want to stand up and fight for your convictions. I have been put in that position more than once as a writer of having to stand behind something that I have said in my work. It’s never good when you offend someone but sometimes no matter what you do or how delicate you say something it will happen.

This is why I always give a basis behind my opinions so that even if readers don’t agree with me, they know where I am coming from and why I say what I do in relation to the subject of a column. The one thing that I think should be practiced more in society is tolerance. If people in general were more tolerant of our differences and knew how to talk to one another and, be kind to one another the world would be a much better place. I know it may sound a bit too sentimental but that’s how I feel about it. There is far too much hatred and bigotry in the world and that often times can spill over to the realm of politics where people will use something political as a cover to spread hate speech or to further their cause.

It really is a true shame especially in the times we live in that there remains that kind of problem in society. It’s sad. You’re young and things may offend you more easily because you’re young, I know that I was that way when I was your age. The best advice I can give you here is if you are discussing things like politics and or social issues and the people you’re talking to try to turn it into a personal thing, try not to take it personally and don’t allow it to get under your skin. It isn’t worth bringing the worst out in you. It’s a lesson I learned long ago along with many other lessons that I needed to learn. It’s much better to just try to let stuff like that roll off your back.

jlh : Pretty much… One of the main reasons I watch the news as often as I do has nothing to do with my being involved with media. I live in the south and have gotten use to watching the weather reports even when there isn’t anything really going on because it seems like no matter what time of year it is, the weather bounces rather than being consistent except in the summer months. So often you’ll get a few days of moderately cool to maybe a little cold weather and then it’ll feel like summer again. For someone from the northeast I never really liked that much especially since it’s hard to get in a Christmas like mood when it can be 80 and up outside.

We did have one year not too long ago where it got legitimately cold for about a month or two fairly consistently. It was the closest thing to an actual cool season that I’ve seen down here. If I could afford it I would gladly move back up north. Storms like they just had up there are truly rare, the main thing they really worry about is snow and on occasional heat wave. It’s certainly better then dealing with Hurricanes most of the year.

rcarter2 : As far as extreme stupidity a better word that could be used is ignorant or ignorance so long as it’s used in proper context and not in an insulting manner. As I’ve said there are better ways to get points across without being harsh or, resorting insulting others. There have been times as a columnist and commentator that I have to be harsh on certain things, certain topics, and certain situations. Even when I need to be hard-nosed in regard to my work I try as best as I can to not insult people particularly when a column concerns a particular person or while answering my readers. It can be a delicate balancing act at times but it can and should be done by everyone not just writers and public figures. My apologies if my previous posts took somewhat of a political tone, was merely trying to answer questions.

catfight09 : First let me say that you are young and you are about the age that I was when I was going through a rough period of my life and really ended up screwing my life up. I do not judge and I can understand both your side and your mother’s.

Back when I was your age my parents were separated and I was basically put in the middle of it. For several years I felt like I had to play referee and peacemaker between them. It seemed as though whenever I wasn’t in school I was trying to keep peace between them. When I could get away from that I would but I wouldn’t make the most rational decisions and would say and probably do things that I wouldn’t do otherwise. Simply put because of the situation that I had to deal with I didn’t really have a structure and any rules that were set on me I more or less laughed at.

It’s natural when you go through adolescence that you rebel against authority and think that you know everything. I know I did and I now know as a mature adult with his head on straight that I was very wrong about what I thought back then. I gradually went through a downslide ended up going through a lot, ended up hanging out with the wrong people and, ended up dropping out of school. There is a lot I can’t remember about that period of my life and the stuff that I do remember isn’t something that I am really fond of. My parents were separated for most of my teen years and although they eventually got back together I had damaged myself at that point.

I am not saying that you are 100% wrong but I can understand what your mother is saying. The internet has a lot to offer and a lot of it is very good but, it can also be a very dangerous place. Unless you know someone personally or know of someone’s background the fact is you really don’t know who you’re talking to. It’s a lesson that everyone learns eventually. It may seem like nonsense to you but your mother isn’t wrong either and she in all likelihood only has your best interest at heart.

I am approaching my 30’s now and I am still trying to come back fully from the damage I did to myself in my teen years. I don’t blame my parents one bit for anything that I went through. The fact is no one is responsible for the choices I made other than me. I obviously wish that my parents never had their falling out back then and wish that I didn’t go through a lot of things that I did but it’s not their fault.

I was never really a bad kid but when my parents separated my world was kind of flipped upside down. Rational reasoning and thinking took a back seat and like I said I admit that I was a screw up. Despite my parents being separated both of them were there for me but the problem was I was set in my ways, didn’t want to listen to reason and rebelled. It was a big mistake. I can’t tell you how much I wish I would have listened to them or my other relatives back then. My life probably would be a little easier today that’s for sure.

Please don’t dislike your mother for looking out for you. I am an uncle to six kids and I would do and at times have done the same thing your mother has. Set rules and try to give them structure. I can understand wanting to have more freedom but too much of anything is no good. I can also understand wanting to fit in with everyone else. Believe me when I tell you as you get older fitting in becomes less important. Just worry about yourself and the people who are important. It may seem a bit over baring right now but your mother is doing the right thing.

As for what you should do… Well if I were you I would listen to your mom but try to talk with her to try and reach a compromise. I would also thank her if I were you for being involved and looking out for you. Not everybody is that lucky. I had both my parents but I allowed outside influences and my own stupidity to dictate much of what I went through in my teen years. Believe me when I tell you if I could go back in time to my teens I would do a lot of things differently and would prevent myself from making the mistakes I made before it happened.

I know that it may not seem like it but your mother has your best interest. One last bit of advice please stay in school. You’ll thank yourself later on. Best of luck to you.

jlh : Well I think it would be a tad hypocritical of me being in the media to not like or watch the news on a daily basis. There are certain things however about the news and being in media that do get under my skin sometimes. Such as how some networks use deliberate sensationalistic tactics to generate ratings rather than concentrating and presenting the facts in an unbiased fashion. This is particularly true when it comes to politics and how politics is covered on television. I also think that tabloid media gives those of us who actually do research and try to do right by readers a bad name.

There are however some very informative news programs on television and some publications that are worth watching and reading for an unbiased view of current events. I just wish that it was more of a universal standard in media overall. I think at the minimum people would be more informed rather than sometimes basing their opinion on a network or journalist’ own opinion. Unfortunately much like everything else in this world it seems that all you really need to do is follow the money.

Perhaps if a network’s primary motivation wasn’t ratings and therefore money that maybe the public would get a better unbiased view of current events especially in regard to politics. Just one writer’s opinion.

XxEzraxX : That actually sounds like what my dad has had to deal with while he’s been looking for work. He has over 30+ years of solid experience in several fields yet some places have called him for interviews and turned him down several times.

It is frustrating because he has a lot of experience and on a level playing field there is no way that he should have been unemployed for as long as he’s been. I think it is a reflection of the country’s recession and slow economic recovery but it’s still frustrating. The unemployment rate on a national level may be somewhere around eight or nine percent but where we are state wise it’s probably around or over ten percent.

It’s especially frustrating when my dad gets called back by a company that has turned him down before and they ask him to repeat the same process that you are describing. You would think especially in the time we live in with everything being so high tech that they would keep the stuff on file so that you wouldn’t have to repeat the same process. After three or four call backs from a company that has turned you down it’s very frustrating.

As far as me, I would just like to get to a point where I can make a decent living off of my writing but for the time being I would just like to get a steady paycheck from my work even if it isn’t necessarily a decent living.

I pull a lot of all nighters when things are normal and put an awful lot of time and energy into my work. It’s frustrating from the standpoint of putting so much time and effort into something that you love doing yet because of how things are and how the industry is you almost feel guilty if you bring up the concept of being paid. It really is a catch 22 because although I want to be paid I don’t want to risk losing any potential exposure that might come my way. So I basically work for little or no money with the hope that someone who represents a solid company will see my work and more or less write me and say something along the lines of “You’ve suffered enough, come work for us and we’ll pay you a salary.” I can live with working for someone or some company without getting adequate benefits but just to be paid would be something I’d appreciate. If I were being adequately paid I could pretty much go and buy insurance.

I have been writing for most of my life. In that sense it can get a little demoralizing because like I said I put so much time, energy, and effort into my work when things are normal. I hold out hope though that eventually I’ll get the offer of a solid spot that I need to make my life a little better in terms of financially.

Good luck on your next interview. Hopefully next time they won’t give you that kind of response. You deserve better than that.

bobq : Living in the south especially in the sunshine state you always have to be alert for Hurricanes both during and after the official hurricane season. I rode in a car for eighteen hours during hurricane Charlie in 2004. My father waited until the last minute to evacuate when it looked like we were going to get hit directly.

Well to make a long story short we took off and headed east and in essence drove right into the path of this thing which had turned away from where we lived. At the end of the day we had spent eighteen hours more or less driving around the entire state getting back to where we live around 3am the next day.

Although I was as stiff as a surfboard and so sore for at least four days after it and, although I was angry with my dad for waiting until the very last minute to evacuate, it’s better to air on the side of caution when it comes to things like this. I will say however that had I had things my way I would have booked a flight up north two days out before the storm was suppose to hit so that my family and I were well out of harm's way before it even got to a rush last minute decision.

It just comes with the territory of living in the south. If I could afford it I would gladly move back up north. Despite the storm that the north just experienced, it is rare that the north gets hit with hurricanes. The main thing that you have to deal with up north is the threat of snow during the fall and winter months. It seems like the lesser of two evils when you really get down to it. Just one guy’s opinion.

jamjdckr : Well in my case when I was sick as I mentioned I actually thought there was something more seriously wrong with me and I did think that I was going to die so I can relate to what you’re saying. It was a real scary thing to deal with especially since I do not like nor do I trust doctors very much.

My faith got me through that scary experience. I don’t want to make it seem as if high BP wasn’t a serious issue because like I said it was but, the whole experience did serve to open my eyes to things and made me realize that I needed to make some changes in my life. I’m not sure if it was a renewed belief in religion as much as it was finding a relationship with God but it served to open my eyes.

It may not seem like God hasn’t been there during your struggles but believe me God is always there for you. For me there have been many times and situations/circumstances that I’ve been through that I have had my faith tested. Even when things have been at their absolute worst I always knew god was there. There were also times as I said that I was very angry with god but as I’ve matured and have had time to sit and reflect on things I have come to accept that as I said before God makes you strong in some ways but there are things that he puts you through to help you become stronger in other ways on your own.

Although many of the things that I have been through in life have not been enjoyable, I do believe that I would not be the person that I am today had it not been what I went through. It was really all part of the maturing process and developing my character. I don’t think I was ever really a bad kid growing up but I went through a lot in my teen years and became someone who I wasn’t growing up before that and it took a long time to realize things but I’m glad I got there.

There was also a time for me where I didn’t see certain things in my future and thought that I would be doing something else with my life and such. Although I wrote sporadically when I was a kid, mostly for school and such I never thought that I would make it my vocation. I also kept the fact that I was a writer to myself for years and didn’t tell my friends or even my family for a time. This is one thing that I really regret now because as I’ve gotten older I realized that instead of trying to be something I wasn’t when I was a teenager and bs’ing people what I should have done was let them see what I was really capable of doing and let them see what was in some ways a hidden talent of mine.


I thought I would end up doing something else. Looking back on things all these years later I don’t really know why I kept things to myself. There were a few friends of mine who because they were around me outside of school knew that I wrote but I pretty much kept it to myself. I guess one of the reasons I didn’t let people know was because I might have felt embarrassed. I was someone who was told he could only do third and fourth grade level work yet I was a published writer before I ended up dropping out of school. This also was a mistake of mine but at the same time I felt like I accomplished things that no one could take from me. I was also someone who was told by some teachers and some people who he thought were friends that I wouldn’t amount to anything so I guess that had something to do with it. I also never realized that one of the most rewarding things I would be doing besides my writing would be offering advice to people and hopefully by sharing my experiences that it might help people avoid some of the mistakes that I made and or give some perspective on things.

I don’t know if it was part of God’s plan but I can honestly say now that I can’t really see myself doing anything else other than my writing. If any advice I offer serves as help to someone that is also something I will feel good about.

I wish you the best of luck.