Monday, December 31, 2012

Written on the Last Day of 2012

Well, so far we have survived several Doomsdays and Apocalypses, including the one severely feared by many and prompted by the Mayans. Could someone honestly tell me why anyone gave a shit about the thoughts or opinions or, for the love of God, the prophecies of the Mayans? 

Anyhoo, we've made it this far. Of course, there are those who believe we won't see the end of 2013, or if we do, it will be a very different world. Some say many of the Nostradamus prophecies come to pass in 2013, and those are prophecies I am more inclined to provide some attention. I cannot say with a straight face I buy into all of it directly, but the N-man has been far more compelling and convincing than most of the others. Then, of course, we should pay some attention to what's been said by Cayce. He's a homeboy and all of that, you know. 

Regardless of the fate of any or all of us, today is the first day of the rest of our lives, and we all know there is no way of knowing for sure what might come about tomorrow. Hell, I don't even know what's going on today, although I suppose I will be in the truck with my co-driver and heading to Miami soon for a load of fish. But these assumptions are based on past Mondays and other memories, as well as rather mundane data. I mean, I could die along the way, never knowing anything further or what ever really happened. But if I survive this day, then I can assume I have at least one more to pursue. 

So, I have an assumption to work with. I think you, dear Reader, may have something similar. The chances are likely that most of us will make it to the first day of 2013 just fine, and unless we know we're meeting the End due to some doctor's prognosis, we'll likely see many more days from there. 

My father, Texas Jack King, died on March 1st, 2006. If he had survived, his birthday would have been tomorrow, the first of January. I say this only because, should he have survived, he'd be wondering what might be in store for him during the remainder of 2013. But because he has passed, he wonders many other things someplace else, or wonders nothing at all. We just don't know, and this is enough for now. If you are alive today, what is coming is so hard to know, and for those who are not, well...who knows? So, go with that. 

Go with the fact that those who are alive now must strive on and continue forward. Because today is the first day of the rest of your life, and what goes on from moment to moment is difficult to ascertain. If you want to rely on some sort of prophecy for your future, rest assured that you are surely going to die sometime in the future. 

Isn't that comforting enough? 

Yesterday, I released my latest publication, which was a short story collection. This is a collection of 12 short stories I have written over the past, say, 12 or 13 years. I have to say that, out of that many years, that isn't very many short stories. At least not for a guy who does as much writing as I do. But the short story thing isn't my thing, so that's about all I have to offer. I mention this because my writing is something that might outlive me. There's a good chance that the things I've written just might become something important to someone some day, even long after I am dead. The point is that these things help immortalize me to some point. They are something I have left for the world and are something that leave an impression where I no longer remain. 

Might I be remembered after I am dead? Perhaps by those who have known me long or by my children, and then their grandchildren, and this prompts some prophesying by me. Might there be grand or great grandkids down the way who might wonder who that guy is on the family tree? Sierra and Margaret are bound to have families of their own some sunny day, and their children will surely wonder about their family tree. Now, there is a chance these children might bounce on my knee some day, as the grandchildren of present (via Mary) do today. I have grandkids today, but these grandkids have other biological grandfathers they wonder about, or soon will. The children of Sierra and Margaret will wonder about me, just because of the biological family tree. Then, they might wonder about my father, mentioned above. 

My father is in many ways a mystery and I do not know much about him, so I can say anyone curious to know of me have at least some written record to follow, even if much of the record is fiction in nature. It still leads to some idea of who I was. 

I just hope that when 2013 starts out and the sun rises on that day, the future of humanity is worth pursuing. I worry about the future we cannot predict, largely because of the insanity we must endure daily, much of which is political in nature. I state that all I need to know about Islam I learned on 9/11, but it seems there are those who want to fellate that monster in order to gain its favor. Whatever. It often seems we live in some big Ed Show, being led down some chute by some carrot on a stick. But because I have no choice, I have to hope the world occupied by my children and their children is a better one than I occupied, and my world often many nice things. 

But, Dear God, why does it possess so many horrors? As we go from here to there, an instant at a time, what is in store for us? The Mayans didn't seem to know. Many believe You do not know, or just don't care. 

Well, tomorrow starts a new year, so for those of you who read this far, pursue the future with a renewed vigor and try to do better. I mentioned the Pygmalion Effect before, and January 1st often prompts this philosophy. I can prophesy tomorrow prompts hope for a new and better beginning. Run with that. 

Friday, December 21, 2012

Written on December 21st, 2012- The Pygmalion Effect

Today just might go down in history as the single most historically recognized presumed Doomsday assumed, to date. I recognize that is quite the mouthful, but consider this: It seems more people were focused on this day, this day marking the last day of the Mayan calendar (and I will never figure out why those bloodthirsty creeps got this much attention) as the day the world would end, than just about any other.

Someday, they'll look back at us and just shake their heads in wonder and bemusement.

Of course, other prophecies garner just as must attention or more, but this particular day was brought down to one specific day, while Revelations and Nostradamus aren't so ambitious. It just seems that people thrive on such tragic thoughts; so much so that numerous people wrote and published books about this one day.

Many people have looked at the moment as the opportunity to recognize our borrowed time in order to exercise free will and that, yes, we can be the architects of our future and make some grand changes. This date can act as a grand Pygmalion Effect; stating we can see that this is not our last day on Earth and that, yes, we can change for a better tomorrow.

Some have assumed the world will not end, but this will be the end of an era and another era will begin. Okay...but that seems cheap because anyone can say the future begins right at the moment when the past becomes so. But then, why not make it so?

This is a day when you can make a new change and decide that, from here forward, you will no longer be who you were yesterday. Many of us do this when the turn of the year comes, and we all make our New Year's Resolutions. But we all know the next year will come, so we push off those resolutions to the next year. I will quit smoking next year. I will stop this or that, or start this or that, next year.

But we do not have but one era per lifetime to act upon. This is much akin to seeing Halley's Comet. Unless you're really lucky, you'll likely only see that once, if at all. It only comes around once every 76 years or so. But this era thing apparently only comes around every 3,500 years or whatever those Mayans made this out to be. Maybe it's 2,400 years or 10,873 years. Whatever it is, most people will never see the change of an era in their lifetime.

We, for whatever reason, have this advantage.

Today, according to somebody, is the end of one era and the start of another. While this doesn't have to be the actual case, we can exert the free will and state it is, at least for ourselves. We can enact our own Pygmalion Effect.

What is that, you ask? The Pygmalion Effect is a rather verbose way of referring to a self-fulfilling prophecy. State a brand new and as yet unseen TV show is going to be a smash hit and it just might be. Convince the planet's most sentient species that political leaders must never be accountable for what they do or don't do, and you have the state of politics you have today. So, convince yourself simply through the personal goal that today marks your new era, and it just very well could be.

Today is a brand new day and the hope for a brand new tomorrow. Will tomorrow demonstrate the same old you, or your effort to make a better you?

I think I would like to start off, from right now, with a new and improved me. How about you?

But...what do I do now?

Sunday, December 2, 2012

A Bad Attitude Supporting the Tenth Amendment

Dear readers, you don't have an attitude that's bad enough. Now, I'm not talking about a bad attitude around your Mom or something, but in regards to how we cope with the latest political issues.

It's now common knowledge that the latest Presidential election was stolen and that corruption was the grease ensuring Obama's ride back into the White House was assured. Reports are flooding in, telling of voter turnout well exceeding 100%, with some reports telling of turnout exceeding 141%. Now, if 141 voters are coming in out of every 100 voters eligible, the democratic process is failing, so those who espouse Democracy espouse nothing.

Further, people like myself have been continually stating this past election was not about D or R, or the Obama train v. the GOP, but about the future of this country and our affinity for what makes us different. Look, if you believe the notion that American values such as a limited government with limited powers and maximum liberty is a bad idea, than by all means, vote numerous times for Obama. I hope you voted early and often on that day. But if you support the philosophy that government governs best when it governs least, and that governmental roles should be droll and simple at best rather than the rock star statuses of today, then one would have voted against Obama and for Romney.

Now, I cannot state Romney was the ultimate solution or the way of the future, but the Tea Party and other conservative groups endorsed him, which was good enough. The point was we needed to maintain a love for American Exceptionalism and that this is Us doing this, not it being done to and for Us.

This is where your bad attitude comes in: Because so many are now espousing and crying for the accolades of Socialism and benevolent dictators, it's time to tell them to go fuck themselves and state there are those of us who will not comply with the decimation of the individual human spirit and allow the future of humanity to end up subjected to the whim of a percentage of one percent. We will not stand back politely and watch people turn the state of the finest species in existence over to a small handful while the remaining billions are their pawns to save or dismiss.

If they say you're offensive, do whatever you can to ensure they know you're offensive by nature, and that you hope they recognize free people don't do coercion well.

"If you don't like the way I disagree with your penchant to destroy American freedom, then drop to your knees and lick my ass. Now there; what do you think of my attitude now?"

Stand up and stand for freedom and what made us a great nation. This country IS what it was originally created to prevent and combat. The United States of America is not a free democracy or even free at all in the spirit originally intended. Are we all shackled to the point of being only beasts of burden? No, but that sort of ultimate enslavement would never function. The hard-line Communists learned the hard way that people naturally resist the Iron Fists, and that chains and yokes are to be fought. But lead people by the nose with promises of better times when one admits (the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem) they are a victim and they need the powers to take care of them. People are standing in line to kiss the ass of Hugo Chavez, including several American celebrities, such as Sean Penn and Danny Glover.

I believe this country is now the most corrupted nation to ever exist on this planet. Thomas Jefferson once stated, "I do verily believe that if the principle were to prevail of a common law being in force in the United States (which principle possesses the general government at once of all the powers of the state governments, and reduces us to a single consolidated government), it would become the most corrupt government on the Earth."

This country is supposed to be the United States of America, with the states being the numerous central points of government while the Federal Government was a limited post with specific tasks. But now, we are one federal government with fifty little piggies vying to suck the sweetest federal tit. This is what led us to be the most corrupt nation and therefore the worst.

This is supposed to be the greatest nation because the several states (the more, the better) are supposed to be several sovereign states working together and holding up one another rather than several children seeking Mommy's favor. Each state should, as some state, be the laboratories of good ideas and the isolators of bad ideas.

So, I ask everyone, regardless of your political philosophy of choice, to demand we return to the notion of the Constitutional roles and that the Tenth Amendment be respected. If you believe Obama's way of Socialistic construct is the way, allow the states to accept or deny. If you believe conservative principles are the way to go, allow the states to accept or deny. Whatever you support, allow the supreme law of the land to prevail.

If Socialist ideas prove greater, the strength of the US Constitution would prove it. But we need the people to display a horribly bad attitude if we're going to return to the understanding that each of the fifty states must be who call the shots, not the Mother Ship of Washington. If you live in (insert state name here), then demand that state harbors its own maximum sovereignty and operates under the authority of the US Constitution, and that the Federal government does what is Constitutionally allowed and nothing more.

Therefore, regardless of what politics you espouse, the strengths of those political philosophies will support themselves or fail under their own power. So, support the Constitutional authority and that the Constitution is the Supreme Law of the Land, or suck it. Because if you stand there and talk your talk of this or that way is best and do not support our ways, then the only fair response to you is this:

Fuck you.

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Balisong or Butterfly Knife- an Argument Against the Legal Issue


This Writer Believes the Legal Issue is a Corruption Issue

There are numerous locations throughout the country, particularly in many, many cities, where the butterfly knife is not allowed. You can't have one, and you had better not be caught with one. The Butterfly Knife, which is an epithet of the Balisong knife, is illegal, banned, and considered a dangerous weapon by an ignorant and arrogant legal system populated by the very people who make it ignorant and arrogant. There is simply no way of getting around the fact that this knife is illegal because of the arrogance of people who think they are the superior elite, when in fact, these people have been duped by Hollywood and other showboats into thinking a knife (ladies and gentlemen, this is just a knife, very much like any other knife) can somehow take down the civilization they already believe is under their thumb.
To illustrate what this knife is and does, the Balisong knife has two handles counter-rotating from one another in order to enclose the blade between the handles, or to provide a reliable, open handle securing the blade. It is this function of this knife causing this writer to state for the record that this function makes this knife the safest and most reliable knife in terms of folding knives one can own. It is just that simple.
The overbearing corrupt within the legal system banned this knife decades ago after seeing Hollywood demonstrate the dramatic function of the knife. Through quickly flipping the knife opened and closed, it looks really cool and fun. This is likely what caused the Nunchaku to fall into the banned categories. Further, because of the dramatic appearance of this knife, Hollywood placed it in the hands of villains and bad guys and orcs and should have placed it into the hands of their versions of evil politicians who steal lollipops by plunging this knife into the necks of babies. That is just how much this makes any sense.
Some have gone on to say that it's bizarre the butterfly knife is illegal while numerous spring-loaded folding knives are completely legal and widely sold at the counters of convenience stores. Well, the argument to that is the same argument against banning soft drinks above a certain volume in ounces- the consideration is beyond the purview of the law and not in the spirit of this nation. If this is We the People, By the People, and For the People, why would we commit such overbearing restrictions against ourselves? The very nature of it is psychotic.
But in this instance, a knife is a knife is a knife. A knife is what it is, despite the attitudes of the corrupt who convinced themselves the people are theirs to own and control. So, for any level of the government to step from their Ivory Towers and tell us what knives we can and cannot have is a notion pulled from the Stupid Precinct of the Twilight Zone. It doesn't require a significant level of intelligence to understand why people shouldn't be running around with Samurai swords strapped to their backs (although it should be a social faux pas as opposed to a legal issue), but the butterfly knife is about the same size as any other legal folding knife.
For those with a three-digit IQ: The butterfly knife is about the size in terms of blade length as any average paring or steak knife.
Because the handle rotates around the blade and then can be locked with a latch, this makes it virtually impossible to accidentally open. Further, when this blade is opened, one is literally holding it locked opened, preventing the blade from accidentally folding closed, possibly onto the fingers. Many folding knives that do not lock open are inherently dangerous because they can accidentally fold when used, making them dangerous. Ergo, the Balisong or butterfly knife is not the dangerous weapon of monsters, but in fact one of the safest folding knives obtainable.
Why would the Nanny State desire to ban what is certainly one of the safest folding knives in existence? What, would it make these people happier if it came in Safety Green and Orange? The only answer seeming to come forward is blatant ignorance and arrogance.
In summary, this treatise is an argument not just for the legality of the butterfly knife for the reasons stated above, but also to argue against the inexcusably poor legislative behavior on the part of people who promised their constituents they knew better than that. For these people to step aside from their place and from the spirit of this land in order to state an object is illegal because some Bruce Lee Wannabe makes it look groovy resides at the height of corruption. This is akin to banning classical music because some serial killer in the movies was fond of it. Are they going to ban Beethoven's Ninth Symphony because Alex and his droogs enjoyed the mayhem while it played?
The fact that this knife is still banned in any way at all and not available anywhere knives are sold is a failure on the part of those who stand for American rights, so the issue should be revisited.

Monday, September 24, 2012

7 Things to Avoid Series of Articles

For those of you who are interested in my articles, some of you found some comic relief in the 7 Things to Avoid series of articles.

If you don't know about these incredibly astute and finely written pieces of literary art, they're merely humor articles focused on one subject or another, but written in a rather silly fashion. The one that seemed to catch the most attention was 7 Things to Avoid While on Fire http://voices.yahoo.com/7-things-avoid-while-fire-2425052.html?cat=41, although it was not the first. The first, if I am correct, was 7 Things to Avoid While Driving. 

There is a very helpful article entitled, 7 Things to Avoid When Eating Seafood, and this article comes quite recommended, particularly for those of you who enjoy seafood. http://voices.yahoo.com/7-things-avoid-eating-seafood-2548669.html?cat=22. Hey, your pants are in jeopardy. How? Hint: Ewww...

There is a festive, holiday article for April Fool's Day. For a laugh, go to http://contributor.yahoo.com/user/260067/roddy_j_dryer.html to scroll through all of the articles and find this one on the seventh of June. Oh, April Fools! No really, it's for the first day of April.

There are plenty of you out there with diet concerns (but not me, as these abs set off the metal detectors at the airport), so there is one called 7 Things to Avoid When on a Diet. This one is guaranteed to boost the heart rate of the reader.

Because of the state of the economy today (thanks to the Communists), there is an article called 7 Things to Avoid When Unemployed. There's also a life lesson in the article, 7 Things to Avoid Around Chuck Norris, because I wouldn't want to see any of you get hurt.

We're only a few months away from the end of the year, so there is an article entitled, 7 Things to Avoid on December 21st, 2012. We could all be dead before the end of the year, so lets know what to do, even though we'll all be dead.

Floridians will particularly enjoy and find useful the article, 7 Things to Avoid Regarding Bob's Barricades. This is important for those who value their car. But anyone, especially those who could use some tutoring when it comes to proper writing, would benefit from 7 Things to Avoid Regarding Cliches. But then, for those Floridians, the article called 7 Things to Avoid with the British Floridian might ring a bell.

Although many of us look forward to the Zombie Apocalypse (I think it would be a darling sporting event rather than issue), there is an article entitled, 7 Things to Avoid Around Zombies. Then, the latest article of this series is entitled, 7 Things to Avoid in Entry Level Management. This one is essential for those who are familiar with today's young and sometimes bizarre line of management graduates.

So, for those of you who might enjoy a good laugh, check out these articles. If you don't laugh, particularly while reading the On Fire one, you just don't know from funny.




Sunday, August 26, 2012

Albert and his family need a Tan Minivan

Because their late-eighties minivan is dead and smells, this family of six needs transportation. By going to this link- http://www.indiegogo.com/special-needsAlbert?show_todos=true&a=1029665, you can help secure them a new vehicle.
Their income sucks the major wang, so I just don't know what else to do in order to help them get reliable transportation. Any help anyone can offer would be appreciated, and helping spread the word is huge assistance.
I don't believe anyone needs to put themselves back a lot, but every little bit will help. So, please take a look at this and help us out. Because if they can achieve some level of independence through having reliable transportation, they can achieve even more.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Early online writing with Helium

Some of the earliest writing I've done online was with Helium. While I haven't written for them in some time and don't even recall the password in order to do so, these early articles can be seen through this link: http://www.helium.com/users/442857/show_articles. For those interested in my writing, this is another location where some of it is located.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Tangled in Climbing Nightshade

Of the three novels I have published, I have a special affinity to Tangled in Climbing Nightshade. While my first novel is one I have great confidence in, The Egocentric Predicament was rather dark. Not that I mind dark, since the theme of Egocentric was a confrontation of Human Trafficking, which is humanity's worst evil, but it seems many were discomforted by the dark.

I would ask those out there to reconsider and give the novel a try. I am sure those finishing it would not be disappointed. I know this because those who have finished it were glad they did. The Egocentric Predicament was published in 2008, and is available at http://www.publishamerica.net/sc/productsearch.cgi?storeid=*24adc608a4d4335a1575c341fbaf7811634e6084. Or, you can contact me directly to obtain it, as I have a few copies on hand. For anyone desiring a signed copy of this book, just let me know. I will send one to you for only ten dollars (mainly to cover shipping costs). For those who like e-reading, this is available  on Kindle.

Okay, back to Tangled. Tangled is primarily an e-book, published at www.smashwords.com, and is only $1.99. Within smashwords, I had greater flexibility in terms of costs, unlike I did with PublishAmerica. So, this is not available in print or paper, but is available in numerous forms of e-book, such as files for Kindle, Nook, pdf, and even Word.

Tangled in Climbing Nightshade is themed to confront the issue of Family Suicide. We all have heard several stories of someone in the family going berserk and killing everyone in the family before committing suicide. The issue with this is that we're left with an unsolvable mystery because those who were in the know of the problems are now all dead. I decided to pursue the mystery through this novel.

Yes, it does approach the level of darkness found in Egocentric. Of course it does, since this is a dark subject. But I feel all adjusted people would want to understand this situation better. So, Tangled offers my perspective on where this might come from, but through a novel's setting and format.

For those who are familiar with some of my work, I believe you'll find the cost of this (two bucks) quite the bargain. Since this first became available a couple months ago, there has been only one copy sold. I would like to see the numbers climb some, since I put nearly two years into the work. Please check it out and consider the two bucks for what I believe will be an unforgettable experience.

Just go to www.smashwords.com and search for Tangled in Climbing Nightshade or Roddy J Dryer. I promise you that you will be glad you did.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Sentience & Civilization

Sentience and Civilization is the title of the fiction I am working on now. The thing is, although my other three novels are published and out there to be seen, this one is actually my first work of novel length.

I first started Sentience & Civilization back in 2000. I was working at Disney at the time and had the idea. It's been so long now that I cannot even remember when I first started this work, but I've returned to it and then shelved it several times.

Sometime around 2006, if I remember correctly, I finished a second draft of this work. The thing is, the document was more than 325,000 words long. You see, this was originally intended to be several volumes (likely five), and sort of a Magnum Opus. But I shelved it after the second draft because I wanted to work on other projects and, as a result, improve in my skills before pursuing this.

New options in publishing would allow a work of this length to make it to market, so I want to complete the work.

Sentience & Civilization is a science fiction story, taking place several hundred years in the future. It will likely take me a good two or three years before it's done, mainly because it will likely exceed 400,000 words and be several volumes long. Because I don't get a lot of time to write, largely due to my working hours, it will take some time.

Spoiler Alert: Sentience & Civilization is a Scifi story featuring numerous races and species from throughout several galaxies who discover Earth and seek to help save it, and its primary species, from self destruction.

Watch for it in the future, should we survive the Mayan prophecies.

Roddy's Travel Articles

Go to http://www.examiner.com/hospitality-travel-in-orlando/roddy-dryer and check out the Disney-related travel articles, including the 11-part series, which is Roddy's Best Disney World Guidebook.

There are also several articles highlighting tips and information for those seeking to visit the Mouse.

Roddy's Yahoo Articles

Go to http://contributor.yahoo.com/user/260067/roddy_j_dryer.html in order to see the latest in Roddy's Yahoo articles.

The articles here range from short stories to political commentary, opinions, and humor.

Check it out. Do it now. Quit screwing around and just do it.

The works of Roddy

For many, discovering the writing of Roddy J Dryer is still something to experience. There are two novels published on www.smashwords.com, and my first novel, The Egocentric Predicament, was published by PublishAmerica. Also, there are numerous travel-related articles at www.examiner.com, as well as Yahoo! Voices.