More storms are on their way to Las Vegas

Rain appears to be the theme of the year. There are two more storms on their way to Las Vegas. We expect one to arrive Tuesday afternoon or evening. The second is predicted to arrive Friday or Saturday. This is only February and we've already had more rain then in all of 2009.

Rain and clouds make good theme for poems. I've written several rain poems over the past few weeks. Most of the rain poems were Haiku, so I think I will try using other poetry forms, since I'm using different poetry forms in February the rain will make a good subject.

The rain can get a bit tiresome, especially driving in it. I think I've written one poem about driving in the rain. It's about time I wrote another poem on that subject, especially since I probably going to drive in the rain to Henderson tomorrow afternoon. I have an appointment for an ultrasound of my left breast about 2:30 PM.

I can't change the appointment simply because I think it's going to rain. It may rain later in the evening rather then the afternoon. I'm not counting on if, of course, because in the past few weeks each time I've had important business to do, I end up driving in the rain; therefore, I may as well get used to driving in the rain.

The Last day of summer 2009

Today is the last day of summer 2009. It's warm here in Las Vegas, but in Colorado it's snowing. My sister-in-law called me this morning from Colorado, they're planning on coming to Las Vegas the first week in October. At least, they are if the can get over the passes.

Tomorrow fall begins and the weather should be cooler in Las Vegas. The first day of autumn doesn't always mean it will be cooler for a couple of month, but I'm hoping for cooler weather. I do have to admit though that this summer hasn't been too difficult to handle. The power bill rose over $300.00 only once during the season. The last bill, the one I'm paying on October 6 was under $300.00, so I'm happy or as happy as I can be under the circumstance.

The Ultimate IZEA Fun Pack Contest

To enter the Ultimate IZEAFest Prize Pack Contest create a 60 video answering one of these questions: (1) "Why do I Want to Hang with BenSpark at IZEAFest 2009?” (2) "How will IZEAFest 2009 Change My Life?”" or (3) "What Am I Most Looking Forward to at IZEAFEst 2009?” You also need to create a post and embed the video in the post, so click on the link to the contest. The winners will be Tuesday, August 11, and announced on Monday, August 17.

The Ultimate Prize Pack includes a pass to the kick off party at Bush Gardens on October 1 and Blogger Takeover day at SeaWorld on October 4. In addition, there is a Runner up prize, so enter for that as well. Click on the contest page now and check it out.

Writing on the Last Day of May 2009

I'm writing on the last day of May 2009,
which is a partly cloudy day
something to give thanks for
because my air conditioning unit
isn't working
and clouds means a somewhat cooler day.

I'm writing on the last day of May 2009
and there are seven months to go in the year;
seven months left in a mixed year,
when my situations is looking both up and down,
sometimes the situation looks better,
sometimes the situation look worse,
and sometimes the fog is so think that I'm not sure.

I'm writing on the last day of May 2009,
and I think I've came to the end of this poem
because I can't think of anything else to write.

Five months into 2009

We're five months into 2009, so far its been an interesting year. I'm worrying less then I did last year at this time. I'm griping less then I did last year at this time. I'm writing more then I did last year at this time.

I began 2009 driving a Kia Sephia and I'm still driving that car. At this moment, I'm waiting for a part to fix a switch which operates the taillights and the dash light. All right, if I asked my mechanic to order the part from the Kia dealer instead of looking for one at a junk yard I would be driving the car at night. However, ordering the parts from the dealer is expensive.

I receive my first Social Security check in my bank account this year. I'm still on a fixed income, but there is a little more income coming in with the Social Security check. I need to increase my income a little more, so I'm going to have to figure out how much I can earn and still draw Social Security.

I'm praying more then I did last year at this time. Everyday I place everything in God's hands, so I'm less worried. There are just some things in life that I have not control over, I've accepted that and I'm doing my best to take care of the stuff I have control over, which are my emotions. Everything else is in the Divine hands.

2009 is the International Year of Astronomy

This is the International Year of Astronomy 2009. It is the 400th anniversary of the Galileoscope, the telescope Galileo used to study the sky. It is, also, the 400th anniversary of the publication of Kepler's Astronomia Nova. In addition, it is the anniversary of the publication of Huygen's Systema Saturnium (1659).

Let's celebrate these events by going outside and looking at the stars, the sun, the moon or the planets. At the very least, write a story, a poem or a blog entry relating to these events. Can't you just imagine the way Galileo, Kepler, or Huygen would react to today's advances in astronomy? How would they react to the moon landing, the Mars probe or the orbiting space station?

One Writer's Reflections on 2008

2008 was both an interesting and stressful year. All interesting years are stressful because boring and mundane years are uneventful. Many happened in the world and in my life during 2008.

The most interesting event during 2008 was the U.S. Presidential Election. America has a new president, which will make for some interesting headlines and late night comments in 2009. The next most interesting event in America was the gas prices. The best thing that I can say for the price of gas was that it reminded me of a yo-yo.

In my personal life, I had all my upper teeth pulled and a new false plate put in. The dentures should generate numerous poems. I may even use them in a short story or a piece of flash fiction. I haven't decided yet. In addition, I got a new job. On the down side I didn't get as much writing done as I wanted, but I did learn a great deal about myself and the way I work.

For an eventful, interesting and stressful year, 2008 wasn't that bad a year. Last year could have been worse. All though, I suppose you can say that for any year in which the economy goes down and people are looking for jobs.

I'm going to look for ways that I can make 2009 a better year. I suspect improvement in 2009 will come on individual levels and each person needs to find ways to make the year better.

A New Year with a New writing Plan

‘Idál (Justice), 1 Sharaf (Honor), 165 BE – Wednesday, December 31, 2008 about 9:48 AM Pacific Time



I planned to make this entry on January 1, 2009; however since that is not the New Year I celebrate. I normally do not make my goals to begin on that day. January 1 is when I start reevaluating all my goals in preparation for setting new goals on March 21. I am not going to change the way I set and reevaluate my goals now.



One of the goals, I need to reevaluate is my blog entries. The original goal required a daily blog entry. I have not did that, so I have to consider revising the goal or taking another approach to getting online. I do not want to change the goal from a daily entry to an every other day entry. Therefore, my only other option is to take another approach.



Between January 1 and March 20, I need to see what the obstacles to the daily entries are and find a way to work around them. My new writing plan includes the following items daily word count, daily blog entries, novels, shot stories, poems, submissions and research. Some of those I do not have to work on daily, but at least every other day.



I know I will encounter tests and difficulties, even after I finalize my new writing plan. I am not anticipating trouble, I am facing the fact the life intervenes in everything a writer does. Once I finalize my goals then the difficulties may become more intense because my perseverance and resolve are being tested. Life happens and a writer must anticipate that.

Writing Sunday Thoughts

This is the last Sunday in 2008 and this morning's paper listed the top ten news stories of the year. Since I did not take a paper or watch the T.V. news for most of 2008, I'm not going to comment on them yet. Now I am more interested in reviewing my goals and deciding which to keep and which to discard.

This is the beginning of a new week and the end of an old year. This is a time of reflection and evaluation. As a writer, I am evaluating my 6th decade list and my writing plan. I will start with the 6th decade list, which I began on my 60th birthday December 24, 2006. In 2007, my world fell apart when my mother went into the hospital and the list went out the window. In 2008, Mom and I were recovering from 2007.

There were events in 2008 that caused more stress, but most of the year was spent in recovery from 2007. From my vantage point, 2009 will begin better then 2008. How the year will progress is another story, but I don't have to worry about that now. I'm looking forward to 2009 and achieving some of the goals on my rewritten 6th decade list.

Sunday thought flow through my mind,
reviewing last week,
and reviewing the old year.