Wow! That guy's good. - Why yes, yes I am

People, people, people. Please stop sending me hate-mail. I realize that I haven't been posting as much as I promised, but well, sometimes life gets busy. And when things get hectic, sometimes you have to remove some of the clutter until things slow down again. I have found that when life gets busy for me, posting is one of the first to go. The good news is that I have been keeping up with my writing in general, so all is not lost.

I emailed one of my favorite professors earlier this week and sent her my latest short story. When I had let my wife read it moments before sending it off, she was very emotional about it and begged me to change the ending. I refused and sent it anyway. We'll see how that goes. In my professor's reply she mentioned that she had made copies of one of my essays that I had written for her Advanced Composition class and gave them to her freshmen class with the idea of inspiring them to achieve such literary perfection. Apparently that was a bad idea. In short, three of the little guys couldn't handle the pressure and dropped the class, four more haven't shown up in the past two weeks, but have not officially withdrawn, and another two switched their majors from English to Accounting. I guess I just have that sort of effect on people. Yay me.

(Disclaimer: most of the above story is untrue in any way, shape or form after the words literary perfection. As such, it should be disregarded and/or taken with a grain of salt)

Yup, I'm a cutter

Well, the MMDC saga continues. I have now been at it for almost a full week and it hasn't turned out quite the way I planned. Some of the things that I have been hoping to accomplish are: pick up fencing or boxing, develop my writing, study anatomy and physiology, workout daily, study Spanish, practice on my guitar, play basketball, and, of course, spend more time with God.

However, I have had to work the past couple of days and random events have arisen that have prevented me from sticking to my carefully plotted schedule. Most days I get in a decent workout and I have my quiet time, but everything else has been pretty haphazard. Here's hoping next week goes a little more as planned...

The two cool things that have happened are that I started cutting at work and I just finished the first draft of a new short story. I have been wanting to be a cutter since I started with the Donor Network five months ago, and last night I made my big debut. It is a lot tougher than it looks. Some of those techs are able to slice, slice, slice and poof! out pops a tibia. But for me, it was like, slice... slice... oh crap... sliceslicesliceslice... slice... slice?... um... is this something we need? They tell me that I will get better with practice. Oh boy. I hope so.

The short story that I worked on is interesting for me because I wrote it in first person, present tense, not a usual style for me. I bought a book called Now Write! that has a bunch of short writing exercises in it, and so I am slowly making my way through this book trying different styles, but mostly using it for story prompts. I haven't read through the entire finished story yet, so I'm excited to do that sometime next week and look at it with a fresh perspective. If it's any good, maybe I'll post it here. So it'll probably stay offline.

At least I'm good at my job... sigh.

I don't know what this is a picture of but it fits my post

Before we begin, let me introduce MMDC to you. It is a new acronym that will certainly change the way I live. But more on that in a bit. It sure has been a while since I last posted. I am really hoping to get back into the routine of writing every day (except maybe Fridays, but those are negotiable). Let's discuss the events that have led up to this point.

Earlier I mentioned my new job with the Donor Network of Arizona. I am still working there. It is because of this job that my life is in a state of... upheaval. I suppose that's the correct word. You see, things are going well. My wife and I are getting along famously and we are definitely enjoying marriage. Our house is wonderful, our puppy is healthy and we don't usually worry too much about money. The problem is the job. Or rather, the problem stems from my job.

We have started a new schedule at the Donor Network where everyone is on call for twelve hour shifts that last from six to six. I signed up for the 6pm - 6am shift for two reasons. First, I am hoping to get more cases this way and in turn, more money. Second, it allows me to be home during the day with the dog and in the evenings with my wife. However, the problem arises when I don't get a case. Because then I am sleeping at regular times and I have absolutely nothing to do during the day. At first it was fun, but now I am feeling lazy (and rightly so).

So finally last night I sat down and made a list of goals. For the most part they were things I want to accomplish, but some, like spending time with my wife, were things I wanted to make sure I didn't neglect. Once I could see what I wanted, I started developing a plan to accomplish my goals. Today is Day One of the epic saga of Making My Day Count. Hopefully in 10 years we can have a reunion and celebrate Day 3650. I was going to make it some really cool acronym like "S.O.AR." or "D.R.E.A.M." but I have decided that I'm not that creative today. Instead I'm left with MMDC.

Meh.

Expect more update goodness tomorrow!

TGIF

I mentioned earlier this week that I will start posting both short stories that I have written and starts to short stories that I have not figured out how to finish. Any comments or thoughts are always appreciated. Today's story is a start of a story that I wrote nearly four years ago. This is the first time it has seen the light of day. Be gentle...


The shadows clung to the still night, hiding everything they touched, drawing everything into their cold embrace. He wrapped himself in them now. Eyes, like those of a cat, gazed from beneath the hood which covered his face. Slowly he slid through the darkness, his movements sure, as though he had walked this tree covered hill a thousand times before.



The sharp caw of a raven high up in the night sky brought him to a sudden halt. Lowering his head in concentration, he listened intently. His sharp ears could hear nothing but the normal sounds of the forest. After he was sure that nothing pursued him, he continued on. Silently, stealthily he made his way deeper into the forest, deeper into the darkness. He did not hurry, but with measured, deliberate footsteps pressed on towards the clearing which lay ahead.



Ever so gently, a soft light began to penetrate the darkness. It came from the clearing, he knew. He was getting close. He continued to walk towards it, towards the light which shown down on what lay in the center of the clearing. Slowly the trees began to thin and then he found himself at the edge of the clearing. The light was brighter here and yet it was soft and gentle, like the warm glow of a full moon. The light had no origin, it simply was. And it shown directly on the cold stone table which lay in the center of the clearing. He did not step towards it, but remained in the shadows. Parth Kentan was a very patient man, and now the waiting began.

My first time

So I got a new job. It is in my field of passion (medicine) but it is definitely out of my comfort zone. I now work for the Donor Network of Arizona as a tissue recovery technician. Essentially, I wait around for a call telling me to come into the office and then I head out with a team to recover skin, muscles, bones, veins or nerves from a person who has recently passed away.

My first case was hard. I imagine the first one is hard for everyone. But mine really resonated deeply within me. It was pediatric heart recovery case. We went to the hospital operating room and removed the heart from a deceased newborn. The whole procedure took about thirty minutes and then we left.

As I read over what I just wrote, it seems so sterile, so cold and removed. The truth is, I can't stop thinking about it. I can still see those tiny, lifeless eyes staring up to heaven. An almost happy expression frozen on its cherubic face, as if it died mid laugh. It almost looked alive, except for the eyes, I would have believed that. Its eyes had nothing behind them, they were empty and terrifying. I've never seen a dead baby before and I hope to never see one again. No one should ever have to see that. Encounters with babies should be happy memories. Mine haunts me.

I'm sure that one day, it will be just a sad memory. But for now, it is still fresh. I don't know why it torments me so. I had nothing to do with the death. I could not have stopped it nor could I have even prolonged it. The baby was not someone I knew and I am usually able to stay so detached from things. But I can't this time. Why is that? I pray for comfort and it is only when I am praying that I find solace. How I wish I could close my eyes and forget. But every time I close my eyes, I can picture that little baby lying on the cold steel of the surgical table and it still brings tears to my eyes.

I know that God has a plan, I think I just need to draw near to him for a while before I'm willing to listen to it.

Hey, who turned down the AC down here?

Yes, I know, two posts in one day. Start up a hockey team in hell...

Anyway, this article caught my eye. Actually it was the picture that really caught my eye. Theoretically this should have been a major step in evolution. This girl was born with four arms and four legs. Instead of being a major fitness advantage to her, doctors in India just spent 30 hours removing the extra appendages and repairing her pelvic area. If you won't concede that it is a win for Intelligent Design, it is at least another tally in the Loss column for the theory of Evolution.

She would have made a great goalie.

Are you just fiddling with me or what?

So I'm back. At least temporarily. I think. Sorry for that brief hiatus. I've got no excuses.

Anyway, I have decided to make some interesting changes. One day a week, I haven't decided which day yet, I will post an exerpt from a short story that I have written or am currently writing. Most will be exemplary pieces of writing which you will want to show to your neighbors and distant relatives. Please leave comments as you see fit. Others will probably be lacking in the greatness department. It happens. With those, keep your opinions to yourself. What do you know anyway? Just kidding. I appreciate all criticism, constructive or otherwise.

In addition I will not be adding anything else. Picture Tuesday will stick around but will probably be sporadic at best. All other posts are not gauranteed on their scheduled dates and may or may not be informative. The posts that do contain information may or may not be accurate and all sources will probably be fabricated. Look for an important update tomorrow.