Saturday Song: Nilsson, "Good Old Desk"

Harry Nilsson was one of rock music's genius talents. His voice ranged over five octaves and his lyrics were inventive. Though he never became overly famous, he influenced many artists during the years of his life.

One song I relate to is "Good Old Desk." Being a writer, I spend most of my days sitting at one of a trio of desks in my home.

Listen to the song here:

As far as I could find out, there are no desks mentioned in Holy Scripture. Even so, writing is something done by both people and God. Exodus 31:18 (BBE) tells us, "And when his talk with Moses on Mount Sinai was ended, he gave him the two stones of the law, two stones on which was the writing made by the finger of God."

The books which were written by people used to be in scroll form. Solomon himself mentioned them in Ecclesiastes 12:12 (BBE), saying, "And further, my son, take note of this: of the making of books there is no end, and much learning is a weariness to the flesh."

Various men became the Lord's writing team, putting into print the Word of God. As Daniel 9:1 and 2 (BBE) informs us, "In the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldaeans; In the first year of his rule, I, Daniel, saw clearly from the books the number of years given by the word of the Lord to the prophet Jeremiah, in which the making waste of Jerusalem was to be complete, that is, seventy years."

The heavenly Father has his own set of books, as Revelation 20:12 (BBE) tells us. "And I saw the dead, great and small, taking their places before the high seat; and the books were open, and another book was open, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged by the things which were in the books, even by their works."

Writing preserves the truth, as I've written before. Therefore we can test and trust the Bible. Oral tradition becomes distorted as folks add to it or omit things they don't like from it. But the written word stands firm.

On Monday, I hope to post about why Adam and Eve didn't die immediately when they ate the forbidden fruit.

I NEED A HOLIDAY!

Did you know that my first blog post was in July of 2008? Did you also know that I've been blogging regularly since then? As in any activity, a break from it refreshes the soul of whoever practices it.

From 2008 until today, I've blogged for two reasons. One was to bypass editors and reach people with my views, The second reason, important to prove my diligence to Canada Pension Plan, was to promote my books.

Being able to publish one's musings without editorial censorship gives common folks such as myself a platform, small though it is. I've enjoyed being able to present my views to the public without some editor saying they won't print it. I can publish my writing instantly as well. There need be no waiting for somebody to approve what I've written first.

During the seven years I've been blogging, I tried not to blatantly flog my three memoirs. I've published excerpts from them but I've refrained from making wild claims or saying that people will miss out on the most fantastic writing the world has ever known if they don't buy them. I hate it when people play head games with me so I don't do it to others. Neither do I have gimmicks to lure in customers. What you see is what you get when it comes to my paperbacks.

I suppose some folks would say I was foolish for not using high pressure sales tactics. After all, they get results. But doing that also alienates people. I'm sure we've all bought something because a sales person kept saying how much it would help us. Often times, it doesn't do much for us at all.

Though I've tried my best to let my writing sell my books, sales have been dismal. Because of this, I wish to devote the summer to writing short fiction stories and enter them in contests. As of late, all my writing has been done to promote my memoirs. Not having to write and edit my posts will free up my time to create the scenarios which have been floating around in my mind. It might not look like it to some readers but I do make the effort to edit my posts and find links online when I need them.

So I hope all of you readers have a wonderful summer filled with fun, sun, and good times. I plan on using my laptop to write with and to enjoy the fine weather which we occasionally receive here in Alberta. I'll start posting again in September when the weather starts getting cold.

FIFTEEN YEARS OF QUIETUDE

What a blessing quietude is. Being able to sleep at night undisturbed by booming car stereos and flatulent vehicles is becoming a rarity these days. Thanks to the sovereignty of God, I have enjoyed peace in a rural setting for the past fifteen years.

I used to live in Edmonton, the capital city of the province of Alberta. The first twenty-three years weren't too bad but the last seven were miserable. Churlish people moved in next door so after almost three years of their noise, I moved. The condo was even worse so after eight months, I moved to an adult-only high rise. The suites were being converted to condos so there was always the noise of renovations going on. I moved nine months later to the main floor of a house and discovered that the neighbours were running a vehicle towing service out of their home. I endured their idling trucks and parties for almost three years before I moved again.

God providentially answered my prayers in June of 2000. I had received a large pay-out from the government because its clerks had been underpaid. A house in the hamlet of Radway was in the perfect location. As I prayed, it was on the outskirts of town with no close neighbours. At the time, there was a store, a drug store, and the Greyhound bus came through the hamlet daily. By the Lord's providence, everything fell into place.

Apart from those annoying magpies, I've lived in perfect quietude. Though the store and drugstore are gone, I now get rides on the Thorhild County bus with some seniors. The Greyhound bus doesn't come here anymore but I go with the New Horizons Seniors club and the seniors from Newbrook to shop in Londonderry Mall at least once a month. Transportation is still a big problem for me to obtain but I'd rather live out here than back in Edmonton.

Why do I feel this way? Living here is like being on a permanent writing retreat, minus the other writers of course. I can do my work without having my thoughts disturbed by some idiot who figures the entire neighbourhood needs to hear his favourite tunes. Being close to nature also inspires me. Even though the sewage lagoon sometimes stinks up the town when the wind blows from the southeast, I'd rather be here than in Edmonton with its exhaust and barbecue fumes.

I wrote at length about my move to the country in a book called How I Was Razed: A Journey from Cultism to Christianity. You can read more about it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Powell's Books.

TWENTY YEARS ON DISABILITY

Should I be proud or ashamed that I've spent the past twenty years on a disability pension? That all depends on your view of social issues. Thanks to my government job which I worked at for fourteen years, I have enough to live on and some money to spare. On the other hand, writing hasn't been profitable for me.

I'm proud of my pension because I worked for it. Unlike the Alberta's Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) pension, my federal disability pension isn't a gift from the government. Though I am searching for writing work, I can fall back on my right to what I've worked for.

On the other hand, some folks think I just laze around all day. It would be enjoyable to do that rather than searching for writing opportunities and places to promote my three books but that's not the way it is. Canada Pension Plan expects me to be actively seeking gainful employment. It isn't like many welfare programs or AISH where people only need to report if they found work or not.

When I was laid off because of my eye operation, I saw it as my golden opportunity to be a writer. As a child, I loved entertaining girls at school and my sister with the silly tales I made up. Being able to write and search for opportunities all day appealed to me. I work too slowly at conventional tasks anyway so being able to work from home was a boon.

My golden opportunity hasn't provided me with the gold I had hoped for. Though I've written scores of articles and published three books, sales have been minimal. I plan on continuing with my writing career but I no longer harbour the idealistic expectation of hitting the big time. If I can stay on my pension for six and a half more years, I can retire knowing that I tried my best to get my writing in front of readers.

I wrote about my writing career in How I Was Razed: A Journey from Cultism to Christianity Check out my paperback at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Powell's Books.

Tweet others to this post, please.

FOURTEEN YEARS OF PARADISE

Today marks the fourteenth anniversary of my moving away from the noise and lousy neighbours of Edmonton. After much prayer, I put a bid on a house in Radway. By God's grace, I've had more than just a quiet place to live. This home has been my sanctuary from the dread of what inconsiderate neighbours would do next.

Back in 1993, a family of churlish people moved next door to the house I had bought in Edmonton. Whenever I complained about their dogs and their sun inviting noisy kids over, they became increasingly hostile. Because of the two years of constant tension and worry of what stupid stunt they'd pull next, I decided to sell my bungalow and move to a condominium. From what I heard, they had strict rules about dogs and noise.

Was I ever in for a rude awakening. The cars in the parking lot were close to each unit and their noise as they warmed up drove me mad each morning. The rumble of traffic from two main thoroughfares also grated on my nerves. Even the furnace bothered me. When it ran, it sent a loud hum through the entire unit.

One of the condo owners was an amateur mechanic. I often had to listen to him revving car engines as I tried to concentrate on my freelance writing. This man became hostile when I suggested he stop repairing cars and turn down their radios as he worked. The condo board president was of little help in convincing him to stop too.

I thought going back to renting would be a good idea as apartments for adults have strict rules against noise. I was horribly mistaken. The high rise apartment building  vibrated like a tuning fork with every car which drove past it. Furthermore, the apartments were being sold as condos. This meant that the new owners were renovating their new homes day in and day out.

Moving to the main floor of a rental house didn't help me find a quiet place to write either. The next door neighbours ran a tow truck company from their home. Large diesel vehicles often vibrated the house from one end to another as their owners ate supper or lounged around at home. Those tow truck owners became huffy when I asked them to turn down the loud music in their backyard and when I complained to the bylaw officer about their monstrously-big flat bed truck.

What a wonderful change it was for me when I moved to Radway. This house I bought is on the edge of town and I have no close neighbours. I'm across the tracks from the hamlet and there's a farmer's field behind me. Apart from magpies in the warmer weather, I'm not bothered by much anymore. Writing is so much more pleasant now that I have the solitude and the peaceful surroundings to inspire me.

I wrote in more detail about this wondrous gift of God to me in How I Was Razed: A Journey from Cultism to Christianity. It's for sale at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Virtual Bookworm Publishers.

MY WRITING PROCESS – BLOG TOUR

Thanks to Traci MacDonald for letting me be a part of this blog tour. It's my first time at this so please be lenient with me if I mess up. Thanks.

1)     What am I working on?

At the moment, I'm promoting my most recent book called How I Was Razed: A Journey from Cultism to Christianity. As the subtitle suggests, it's my testimony of being in a toxic house church and how God led me providentially to the correct understanding of himself as well as the Bible. Because nobody mentored me, I knew nothing about dangerous false gospels. No one invited me to church either. I found my spiritual nourishment through radio shows, particularly The World Tomorrow. When a friend finally did invite me to a Bible study, it was led by a self-proclaimed prophet with decidedly unorthodox views of Scripture. Now I want to warn naive believers away from the false gospels which the apostle Paul spoke of in Galatians 1:6-9.

2)     How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Instead of a didactic exposition of the wrong doctrines I learned and the correct ones biblically-literate teachers taught me, I believed that showing how I was deceived and then corrected would be a better way to instruct people. Unfortunately, various apologetics radio hosts and teachers didn't help me promote my testimony. Neither have many Christians expressed interest in my story.

3)     Why do I write what I do?

I've always liked telling stories. As a boy, I couldn't play sports with the others due to my poor vision. So I ended up telling funny stories to the girls at recess. I love the process of converting ideas into articles, reviews, and stories. Fiction is particularly exciting for me since I can let my imagination loose. It saves a lot of research work.

4)     How does your writing process work?

I usually get an idea and let it ferment in my mind. If it seems exciting enough to write about, I type a rough draft on my PC. Then I listen to my screen reader speak what I've written aloud and make corrections as needed. Once I've used the spell check function and made it as cohesive as I can, I submit it to a publisher or upload it to my blog. I also query editors before I write articles so I won't have a great bit of prose with nowhere to send it.

Next Monday (June 23) I have author Deon Lyons lined up to present his writing process answers here.  Deon Lyons, with his lovely wife of 32 years, lives in Central Maine, where he had been gainfully employed as a successful regional sales rep throughout Central Maine for over 25 years.  Mr. Lyons lost vision in his left eye in 1960 from a bout he waged with infancy retinal cancer. He maintained vision in his right eye until 2010, where at the age of 50, suffered from a central retinal arterial occlusion, which robbed him of his remaining vision. Shortly thereafter, Deon made the commitment to learn touch typing, and with the help of assistive technology, has enthusiastically rediscovered the digital world, along with a lifetime passion for writing. His creative works revolve around fiction, poetry, personal essays, short stories and a personal blog  . In the past year, Deon has self published a novel entitled Sully Street, along with a collection of poems. He has also recently taken steps to enroll in a community college in the fall of 2014.

Deon's writings have been published in local newspapers, online magazines, and have appeared in periodic online publications associated with both blindness organizations and his writer's groups. His constant message of inspiration and hope has appeared in local newspapers, on several Internet radio shows and has rewarded him with enormous insight from these opportunities.

Over the past four years, Deon has also been afforded vocational and independence rehabilitation, again  through the state's DBVI program. He has received extensive training in independent living, as well as orientation and mobility lessons. Through his life's experiences these past few years, he has entered this next chapter in his life with optimism,determination and hope.

With incredible inspiration from family,friends and the amazing folks in the blind community, he strives to continue moving forward with his new found aspirations for many years to come.

On June 30, I hope to have Ruth Snider, a member of the InScribe Writers Group, with her replies to the questions for this blog tour. Ruth L. Snyder was privileged to spend the first 10 years of her life in southern Africa where her parents served as missionaries. From there her family moved to Canada, settling in Three Hills, Alberta. Ruth enjoyed her years as a "staff kid" at Prairie and is grateful for the biblical grounding she received there. She now resides close to Glendon (the pyrogy capital of Alberta, Canada) with her husband and five young children. Ruth enjoys writing articles, devotionals, short stories, and Christian fiction. She is a member of The Word Guild and The Christian PEN. Ruth currently serves as the President of InScribe Christian Writers' Fellowship.

On July 6th, I hope to have Michael B. Birtchet's answers here. Mike is a musician living in Portland Oregon. He also is the author of Slow Time, a science fiction novel. I don't have the link for his book at this time but I'll be sure to put it here next week.

TWENTY-SIX HOURS WITHOUT POWER

Electricity is such a constant and useful part of our lives that we're helpless without it. I had this fact amply demonstrated on July 12 when a severe weather system knocked out the power to my home for twenty-six long hours.

It started while I was shaving at about 8:30 A.M. As soon as I finished, I called the power company to report the outage. As I had no electricity to run my computers and the UPS back ups wouldn't last for more than a few minutes, I listened to two audio magazines on cassette.

At 11:00, somebody from the alarm monitoring company called to ask about why my system sent a low battery alert. I explained that we had a power outage and that I had to get off the line as there was a thunder storm overhead.

I called the power company after lunch and felt discouraged by the recorded list of blacked-out areas in the province. After being on hold for a half hour, I spoke to a man who told me the repair crews were working "flat out" and would restore service as soon as possible.

As Canada Pension Plan expects me to seek some sort of gainful employment each working day, I considered what writing-related tasks I could do while the power was out. A woman from Edmonton ordered a copy of When a Man Loves a Rabbit (Learning and Living With Bunnies) on the previous Thursday but I was too ill to fill it promptly. Fortunately, the blackout didn't effect my accounting as I still use old-fashioned books. I wrote a receipt, packaged the paperback, and placed it in my bag, awaiting posting the next day.

The power continued to be out all evening. I had wisely bought a gas stove the previous year so I was able to make hot drinks and cook supper. When I moved to this house ten years ago, I foolishly had an electric stove installed without realizing how many times the power would be interrupted.

After supper, I listened to a battery-powered radio with a built in dynamo power generator. As I have previously posted, I used my computers' battery back-ups to power compact fluorescent bulbs in order to have ample light in the house. I could have watched a small black and white TV too but I don't care for the local programming.

My security system had been making squealing and bleeping noises since the early afternoon. I became so annoyed with the din that I put duct tape over the intercom speaker grills to stifle the racket. This was only marginally successful.

The power was still out by the time I went to bed. Having no electricity to run the pump in the well, I boiled some water, that I keep in large plastic bottles for such emergencies, and washed my face in it. I had also collected three large pails of water from the down spouts so that I could flush my toilet.

Though it's dangerous to do so, I slept that night with ear plugs so I wouldn't be awaken by the alarm's intercom. It was still whining faintly when I woke up the next morning.

After breakfast and boiling more water so I could shave in comfort, I phoned the power company again. The recording said that service in some areas would be restored the next day while other areas would be out indefinitely. I called several local folks in Radway, who weren't effected by the outage, for permission to temporarily store my perishable food in their fridges. One man loaned me the key to the seniors centre, since its fridge was almost empty, and drove me there with my bag of thawing food.

When I returned home, I was astonished to find that the power had been restored. I walked all the way back to the seniors centre, retrieved my groceries, and returned them to my fridge.

I learned from this blackout that my emergency preparations weren't as adequate as I supposed. I need some way to keep my food cold during prolonged summer outages and a hand pump connected to my well so I can have potable drinking water. I also must have a larger storage battery connected to my alarm system. Power outages of more than a few hours have occurred in the past and the built-in battery failed quickly.

I realized too late that I should have had my old lap top set up so I could continue editing my How I Was Razed manuscript. My hope is to have this book in print by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, my Inscribe page features my two previous books and a short blurb about my writing.