March 21, 2011

• News and Notes for March 2011

   

  XANGA BLOGATHON:  On one of my infrequent visits to Xanga over the weekend, I stumbled upon THIS ENTRY by John, the CEO of Xanga. He proposes a "Xanga Blogathon" this week. John writes:

  "I'll be blogging Monday - Friday next week on my blog, at http://john.xanga.com. Come join me!...I'll be posting a roundup of all the participants, and we'll do some neat things to drive traffic to participants."

  I've participated in Blogring topic posts. I've participated in (some) blogthings. I've been around the world on Xanga over the years, and this is the FIRST time I've ever seen a challenge from John. Since this is the first entry he's written on his own blogging site since Sept. of 2010, and since Xanga is a lot smaller now than it was when I was really "active" here a few years ago, I felt proud to be a Xangan and figured I'd make an attempt to post "examples" of the quality posts I create for my blog on a daily basis this week. I will even make an attempt to spread around my patented "letter/comments" if time allows.

  I was afraid I "missed" the beginning of the Blogathon, which could have started on the first day of the week on my calendar, Sunday, but since John didn't post since last Friday, I'll "assume" that today, (Monday) is the beginning. I'll "tag" him to let him know I'm participating, and I've already linked to the entry.

  Today, I'll post one of my "monthly update" posts, the "News and Notes" column, which details where I'm at in my "personal life." Throughout the week, I'll post a NEW "PhotoPost," an "ElectricPoetry Post" with new poetry, and one of my "Serialized Novels and Reminiscences" with an adventure from my ongoing memoirs. (It'll either be a new chapter of DrunkStory, My Sexual History, or else a new short story.) I won't even try to notice that my last two entries got less than 10 comments each. At least they were QUALITY  comments!

  WEATHER/HEALTH: For a few moments there, I was afraid the rainstorm over this past weekend might contain "black rain" but so far, no reports of that, and hopefully, there will not be any meltdowns in Japan any time soon. I mentioned to a coworker that back in the late 80s, I never felt fear after the meltdown in Chernobyl. Maybe it's because Japan is right across the pond we call the Pacific, and there were reports of radiation coming to our shores here in SoCal on Friday. I stayed indoors all weekend. The rain is scheduled to last for the next few days. We've had more rain in SoCal in the past four months than I can ever remember. I feel good. No heatlh worries. I'm taking my walks (when the weather permits!) and waiting for Spring. (With warm weather, so I can go down to the pool, not MORE rain.) (Well, at least there isn't any snow here in SoCal during the winter.....yet.)

  WEALTH: The light at the end of my "debt tunnel" is pretty bright right now. I should even have the $800.00 I need to pay taxes next month in the bank and I shouldn't have to borrow from work. If I do, then I'll be able to pay the money back really quick. In about four months, I'll have paid off all my hospital bills from my back to back operations in 2009/2010. I've increased the amount taken out of my paycheck each week for my 401k plan to almost double. I'm 58 in May, and the folks who run our company are all in the same age bracket. We figure that we'll all retire about the same time (sometime around age 65) and then they'll sell the company. So that means I'll retire around 2018 or 2020. That is, if something unimaginable doesn't rear it's ugly head instead, and if there are still funds in the national Social Security account (which I've been paying out since 1970, I might add!)

  WORK: At work, a project for which I won the manufacturing contract last year has been going strong, and we completed prototype control and power panels last week. Other projects are hitting us like the rain outside, and it's good to be busy. However, I've been pulling down 12 hour shifts (I'm on salary, so no overtime pay, natch) and I'm pretty tired when I get home.

  Not too tired to go to work in the yard on weekends (weather permitting) and I'm almost done with re-pebbling all my rock beds around the mobile home. I've removed and cleaned all the rocks which weren't on plastic sheeting. I've weeded, sprayed weed killer, and sheeted all areas except one, and now I need to go buy more limestone decorative rocks.

  XANGA: See the first entry. Also, I want to mention that what I wrote in a pulse about "Xanga seeming like a party at which I sometimes find myself alone in the corner" a few weeks ago is true. I still would like some degree of Xangalebrity, but I do admit that I haven't made too much of a "presence" of myself on the service since 2009 or so. I do thank those others "in my corner" who are always supportive of and always comment on my Xanga blog! JUST TO NAME A FEW (from recent comments and in no particular order) Jurgens (zeal4living), Ann (hesacontradition), Kat (betrayed1959), Donna Lou (DonnaLou), Eden (Shining_Garnet), Gretchen (gottobereal64), Leigh Ann (NightlyDreams), Alex (Roadlesstaken), Michael (Ro_ad88), Tamy (WildWomanofTheWest), Eve (adamswomanslost), Linda (an_OM_aly), Allison (Diva_Jyoti_3), Emily (BoureeMusique), Scott (RazielIV), Victor (recklesseagle), Monica (endlesssummer128), Turquoise (leaflesstree), Kelly (webofsimplicity). There are others, but I think I got most of you guys who regularly comment whether or not I return the visit, and you are the guys who stopped me from quitting blogging altogether.

  CREATIVITY: Now the real EXCITING news. Back in 2001, I created the "Cultural Blender" image of 50 or so cultural icons in a blender, which I use as the title graphic on my "Cultural Blender" website. I last updated the site in 2008.

  In 2007, I used my then new Vegas Video Editing Suite to create the "Cultural Blender" movie, which I still think is possibly my most ambitious "MikeVideo Internet Movie" ever made. It can be viewed HERE. The completely animated cultural mashup contains about a dozen historical cultural icons like Shirley Temple, John Wayne, Elvis, Marilyn, and Jesus, with music and images.

  On Friday night, I obtained Version 10 of Sony Vegas Movie Studio, the latest and greatest edition of the software, which is almost as good a program for the amateur as the Avid professional editing suite which Hollywood editors use. My first project is "Cultural Blender 2" which is almost finished. I am presenting less icons but with more footage of each. This edition contains (so far) the Ford Mustang, Muhammad Ali, McDonalds, and Mad Magazine. The first Cultural Blender movie took over three months to assemble. I did this one in a weekend. The "premiere" will be here on my Xanga Blog sometime this week in celebration of not only my own creativity, but of John's "Blogathon". I really do think I supply some of the best content here on Xanga, and anywhere on the internet for that matter. Well, time to start the week at work, and I'll be back to check my comments soon!

  Michael F. Nyiri, poet, philosopher, fool

  (Getting better, not older, with time.)

  • 10:27 am
  • 60 Comments