Category: Writing

39! Some frustrations but books!

I’m thirty-nine years old!

I was unable to take my Security+ exam!

…sonofabitch.

I stood up from my desk to get Cooper, the golden retriever, a calming chewie to keep his barking down when I had two minutes before the start time. Little did I know (because they only wrote in chat and did not speak) the proctor had logged in early and decided that my coming back into frame was enough to declare my test time invalid. Before the exam would start.

Yes, I’m appealing for a redo and should hear something soon. But to say that I was angry was an understatement of…epic proportions. I basically shut down to keep from shouting at everyone, since no one around me deserved to receive my grumpiness. I’ve calmed down enough to be socially acceptable (as much as I am normally, anyway) and I’m making the most of my time off from the post office and not studying for 9 hours a day.

On a high note, I’ve found books to read for the next month!

I have no idea what the Swifts book is about, and I’m not one for Young Adult stories, but it caught my attention (understandably) when Sarah pointed it out at the bookstore. That, and finding a new (to me) series to try out rounded out my birthday.

I’ll give myself a month to read “Colonyside” and set a reminder to write up an opinion piece, but if you’re a science-fiction reader and fan of John Scalzi: the first line is a damn good hook.

“I’m not dead yet.”

You know what…all right, Michael Mammay. That’ll do. If it turns out that I’m reading out of order, I’ll post a correction and hurriedly catch up.

And now…Cooper taking the good seat for the fireplace.

Stay safe out there, folks.

-JB Swift

Snow Day in Louisiana

While any readers in more Northern climates might be scoffing at the excitement, I will unashamedly talk a little about the consequences of an arctic blast reaching the Gulf of Mexico: snow on the ground, and it’s actually fluffy!

Six inches of snow is predicted for the next day. This being the South, and thus beyond the reckoning of most of its inhabitants, no one knew precisely what to do about the weather. Normally, this would not be a detractor for me and the Post Office. I’d be walking out in that and honestly wouldn’t mind (until Reynauds kicked in and my hands started to hurt and curl in on themselves), but schools have been closed for today and tomorrow.

Bundled up the children and chucked them outside for as long as they could stand the 24 degrees with 51% humidity. That’s a lot drier than they’re used to, but then again, they’re not used to snow being on the ground. While it’s not the first time they’ve had snow, it’s a rare enough event to cause psychotically happy moods and a need to go racing out the door.

They lasted twenty minutes before Han discovered that, like her father and grandmother, Reynaud’s disease is genetic and hurts even when you warm back up.

A for effort, kids. They made the most of the little snow they’ve had so far. By mid-afternoon, they’ll be wanting to go back outside, having forgotten the consequences of the weather and soon to be running back inside as the temperature plummets.

It was also a first for Cooper to see snow, and like the children, the puppy lost his goddamned mind.

That area was blanketed just a few minutes before I snapped the photo. I’ve never seen a Golden get the zoomies quite that hard before.

I, on the other hand, have had enough experience with the cold weather to know that my hands won’t let me enjoy it for too long. I did go out there and played a bit –because how often do I get to hurl snowballs at my children? -before heading inside and handling the indoor responsibilities. Prepping for winter meals such as stews, soups, and so on.

I’ve managed 30 minutes of writing time today, and another 30 minutes of studying for the certification exam, but due to listening to the Silmarillion again, I’ve started up on a small project for those late-night hours when I can’t sleep due to minding the fireplace but can’t get the brain to focus on the story: map-making.

I have no idea what it’ll be used for, but it’s something to keep up the creativity and thus ward off the insanity. I also came across one of WordPress’ ‘Writing Prompts’ that caught my interest, so there may be two posts today. I’ll get another writing sprint in while the children have their afternoon “it’s snowing, oh crap that means it’s cold and we’re not acclimated to that!” playtime.

Y’all bundle up out there and mind the cold.

-JB Swift

01/19/2025 A Busy Week meets Forced Time Off

The past week has been frustrating in assigning priorities, but now that I’ve been ‘forced’ to stay home for a few days, I’ll be able to hold myself to my daily goals!

The week was full of myself saying that before I could sit down at the desk and write, I needed to make progress in my house project: handling the bigger cleaning chores before Sarah came back from her trip. Between that and minding the gremlins we had created, it’d be near 9 or 10 PM before I could make it to the keyboard.

Responsibilities are not fun, but it’ll be satisfying when Sarah comes home to clothes folded and put away, floors cleaned, and (if I’m lucky) the kids’ rooms not looking like tornados had come in for visits.

Another reason I’m trying so hard to make it into remote work as a cybersecurity analyst: I like house-spousing.

What else had happened during the week? Plenty!

Han discovered my learning how to bake and helped me figure out two recipes: shortbread cookies and hand pies.

Apparently, hand pies are meat pies but large enough to function as full meals. Got it from a Hobbit cookbook.

The next four days look like I’ll be staying at the house while Louisiana handles an artic blast that the residents are nowhere near prepared for, so with luck I’ll be able to sit down and write or study. Or we’ll have the power knocked out; one or the other.

Y’all stay safe in the weather.

-JB Swift

1/02/2025 Kicking off Resolutions!

1: Keep up with daily blog posts, even if it’s just a check-in.
2: Daily word goals for SWRPG novel and personal novel.
3: Keep self at low-key energy and not allow stress to control the day.

I wish I could hold myself to a loftier new year resolution, folks, but after all these years, I’ve learned the wisdom surrounding the concept of resolutions: they’re not for big and life-changing struggles.

In the past, I would’ve said “I’ll get my book published this year!” and would genuinely strive to accomplish that goal. I’d also suffer burnout and depression at the fact that the story I wanted to publish was getting away from me, because I was focused on ‘finishing’ the story, not ‘writing’ it.

This time, I just want to write those stories. If they are finished before the year is out and I can get them published, I’ll figure out what to do. Until then, I just want to enjoy the story that’s in my head. I have other, more stressful things to handle in the coming months, so adding such a lofty goal seems…counterproductive.

The daily blog post goal is doable, I know. I’ve done it before; I just kept losing my way on maintaining it. This time around, I’ll work to actively make a posting, even if it’s like it’s stated above and I’m just checking in.

Kind of like today, where I will show off an accomplishment: I made bread!

My first baking attempt that didn’t ruin the dish.

01/1/2025 Happy New Year, folks!

Just so we’re clear: I’m alive!

Still grumpy, but alive!

We made it to midnight here at the house but endeavored to keep it a low-key milestone. 2024 was a tried and true kick-in-the-teeth year, folks. I’m not sure what 2025 will bring but I’m promising myself to not push myself too hard this time around. There are writing goals, to be sure, as well as career goals and wishes.

December wound up being the most progress I’ve made in several stories, as well as a study-heavy month while getting ready for the Security+ exam and hopes of a different line of work. I’m not sure how I managed that, but I’m not questioning it.

I hope all of you stepped into this new year without holding on to the stresses of 2024 too tightly, and you take the time to breathe and ready yourselves for the coming months. Check in on your people, especially yourselves.

Stay safe out there, folks.

-JB Swift

PS~ Old Man Corgi!

12/01/2024 A Quiet Post before Peak Season

To say that I’ve been “too busy to write” would be both an understatement and, ultimately, a false analysis…

I’ve been officially elected as Local Branch President of my postal workers’ union! I take office in January 2025, and local management has grown to hate me personally while maintaining their professional aloofness. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

But when I get ‘here’, I try to put that hat back on its hook. I have to do that all the time at work, now. Here, I get to be the traditional nerd and writer. With that, I have an update!

“Pawn Predicament” is over 50% finished! I set the goal to be finished next Star Wars Day. The website’s ‘chore list’ is erratic and lengthy, but I’ll be tackling each entry as I can and will continue building the series.

I’ll have to get back to putting up the Christmas decorations, but before I go, an obligatory picture of the new Golden Retriever, Cooper!

He’s a psychotic puppy, but he’s adapting to the Swift life.

Stay safe out there, folks!
-JB Swift

The Uphill Battle of Responsibilities (Old and New!)

Never let it be said that I will shirk my responsibilities, but I keep getting told to not forget my responsibilities to myself and my own well-being.

That well-being is best handled by letting myself have time to write, but the moment I sit down and think about it, there’s a moment of pure terror as I start to get overwhelmed by everything in my head.

Is there a hill I can run screaming towards?

…oof. I need a secretary, or a program that’ll function as one and whack me with a stick when I start to wander off.

It doesn’t help that more ideas keep cropping up and crowding my attention span, but that’s what you get when you pare down your writing/creative work to the minimum for several weeks. But I have a morning to get at least three or four things done.

That list doesn’t include checking in with players in my campaigns and setting up the next Side Arcs or finishing out Solo Arcs for other players. They’ve been so patient with me and I’m stupidly grateful.

So, what do I do when I am confronted with the Sticky Note Secretary?

Why, ponder a different and completely unnecessary project, of course! Specifically: taking the knowledge I’ve gained about lightsaber fighting (I’ve been teaching Basics and Shii-Cho with a few likeminded local nerds) and trying to put it into a new style that is based on my Kung Fu education.

Soon to be filled with notes that’ll never see the light of day!

Not that this will take over my free-time, but I will occasionally jot down notes after practice and having figured out a possible form.

Now, to use an hour for writing sprints before I feel guilty for using my time for myself!

Stay safe out there, folks. Take care of yourselves.

-JB Swift

Three Months Later…

I’ve finally had a quiet moment to remember that I have a website!

Holy hell, it’s been a whirlwind of a time over the last three months, folks.

I’ve been fired from the Post Office, enrolled in a Cybersecurity course, made Interim President of my local union, got my job back, and then I had to scramble to keep the new plates spinning along with all of my other ones.

I’ll be honest, folks. I’ve been exhausted for weeks, and I keep finding things to look into. Somehow, I still write, though it’s been sporadic (at least one paragraph a day) and it has to compete with both an upcoming newsletter for the local and some eight grievances a week (which are 25-30 pages each) and my own physical exhaustion from the day-job work.

I went from having absolutely nothing to do to having to plan out every half-hour on some days.

But I’m still here! I’ll have to set up a reminder to make a daily post (and pencil it into my calendar), but the practice and daily life-writing will do me good. At least the daily writing prompts have gotten more interesting!

Stay safe out there, folks.

-JB Swift

07/25/2024 Suddenly Busy, So… Vacation!

The past week has been a whirlwind.

After hearing that our union local’s president was stepping down, I called the other officers and told them I would take the job.

Two days after that announcement was made public, my postmaster called to say I had my job back.

Two people emailed me to say they wanted to join the Sidewinder Stories campaign, and one old player stepped up to say they wanted to contribute to Dungeon Mastering.

Online school has ramped up considerably and pulling my attention back to my desk to pore over my study guides.

In all of this, I carve out bits of time to write and make for 600 words in every 30-minute sprint.

So what to do when suddenly the world has gotten overwhelming?

A vacation! To Florida! In late July… during storm season…

I didn’t pick the dates.

Onward! There’ll be photos of the beach!

Stay safe out there, folks!

-JB Swift

07/07/2024 Day of Rest

Nearly three straight days of working on the property, practicing the recently-learned Kung Fu form (Tong Long Tao Dow, I think it’s spelled), drilling the Shii-Cho lightsaber routine, along with back-to-back camping sessions, player discussions, and writing sprints.

Photo by Cooper, the helpful golden retriever.

I need to remember that just because I’m not pulling 60-hour work weeks, I don’t need to push myself to my own limits every day. There’ll be another writing sprint later tonight, but I’m going to rest a while.

Stay safe out there, folks.

-JB Swift