Times Are Changing

The more I think about this past winter and the challenges that presented themselves, the more I agree with myself that I can't have another winter like that. Jobs, as we all know, are scarce everywhere. The one I currently have is a seasonal overnight Assistant Harbormaster on Cape Cod. And it's the Seasonal part that is the problem.

Don't get me wrong, I love the job ... it's fun and you can't beat the scenery. But the three months that I spent waiting to start working again (I was going to school) were the longest months that I've spent in a while. No income during that period made my out look very bleak indeed.

So, I think it's time for another change. I think I need to get back into physical shape and consider driving over the road again. My wife and I both need the income, and a year round job is definitely what the doctor ordered for this nasty case of depression I've been waging a private war against. But the rest of my family, Mom mostly, is going to have a hard time understanding this decision.

I am going to continue writing, and once my income level smooths out I will be taking online classes. I haven't given up on getting my bachelor's degree, or on being a writer for that matter. As a matter of fact, my story "Road Rage" has been tapped to be included in an anthology. I don't have solid details on that yet, but I will drop them in the soup here when I find out.

Just a quick update. Have a great day, it's time for me to get home and get some sleep.

Wind in the Whippoorwill

Yesterday, due to Mother Nature, my family in western Massachusetts came under attack. Not from a human enemy, but by the very wind itself. They were lucky to escape the localized damage of the tornadoes that ravaged the state from Westfield, through West Springfield, Springfield and Palmer. The most severe of the whirlwinds was on the ground for over thirty minutes. I, as my family will, mourn those who lost their lives in this storm.

Growing up in the mid-west (until the age of 12) I can tell you that the photos and videos that I've seen capture what can only be described as a West Kansas Twister; a rope of unrelenting devastation tracing it's way across the landscape as would the finger of God.

Today my thoughts are with the members of the affected communities, but especially with the Rix's of Westfield, and the Nolan's of West Springfield. There are entirely too many people, friends of our family, to list here ... my thoughts are with you all in this time of chaos and need.