Wow. So guess what I have not been working on (besides posting - haha)- writing my book! It is so hard for me to work on one project at once. I think I might have been overly ambitious at writing 5 pages a day. I did however write 8 pages in total, which is more than I had written in about 3 years. For that I am happy. I did several hours of work and I know I have a manuscript I can open up and start writing in again.
I have been working on stuff though. I had 3 huge piles of stuff I had to sort.
1) I managed to sort all the games in my in-laws basement, re-organize the games closet, then help set-up and run a garage sale with all the games among other items.
2) I sorted through all my old books, deciding which ones I wanted to keep and get rid of. I sold the ones I didn't want at the garage sale.
3) I sorted through all these papers from college and high school. I now need to sort through the stuff I am keeping. blah! haha
I have managed to hang up a bunch of accolades and good vibes things on the wall near my desk. I am currently looking for a job, and these are reminders to hang in there!
I have been applying to jobs. Jobs, jobs, jobs. Luckily I have an amazing wife who helps me with my job search!
Basically, I have been busy doing so many projects with things that just needed to get done. This is totally cool with me. The next project I really want to work on is finishing this giant scrabble board. I have the blocks; I am looking for a router. I have the bits, but I am afraid my drill won't do the trick and will just f up the blocks. I am pretty sure my buddy will let me borrow his, as long as he still has it.
Life is good. I am going to keep on working. I might be distracted this week. Even though I haven't been playing video games, Portal 2 comes out this week. I might have to keep playing that until I finish it. So I can get back to all these projects!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
A Novel Month
I have told my wife over and over again that someday I am going to write a book. I am inspired by National Novel Writing Month (http://www.nanowrimo.org/ ). Normally this happens in November, but there is no time like write now. I have after all been trying to get out of the habit doing things tomorrow and not today.
When I was in college I took a short story writing class. The best way for me to start writing was to do exactly that - start writing. I figure I should just do the same now. For the entire month of April I will be writing five pages a day. I am allowed to write more if I wish and Sundays are optional. I must however write five pages each day Mondays through Saturdays.
I want this dream to become a reality. I often have that Marty McFly mentality that I'm going to be no good. But I will always be no good unless I try to do it. My former teacher said that writers write. It sounds obvious, but it's true. If I just write I will be a writer. Even if I do suck at least I can say I did it, which is more than I have been saying of late and a big reason why I started this blog in the first place. So here goes nothing... I mean something!
When I was in college I took a short story writing class. The best way for me to start writing was to do exactly that - start writing. I figure I should just do the same now. For the entire month of April I will be writing five pages a day. I am allowed to write more if I wish and Sundays are optional. I must however write five pages each day Mondays through Saturdays.
I want this dream to become a reality. I often have that Marty McFly mentality that I'm going to be no good. But I will always be no good unless I try to do it. My former teacher said that writers write. It sounds obvious, but it's true. If I just write I will be a writer. Even if I do suck at least I can say I did it, which is more than I have been saying of late and a big reason why I started this blog in the first place. So here goes nothing... I mean something!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Building My Dream Home
I have long wanted to build my own dream home. After many discussions with my wife, she is totally on board with this idea. We would like to move into our home and stay there... forever. Well, that's our hope anyway. Often you spend months looking for the perfect home, but there are always things you like about one better than the other. It just makes sense to design it ourselves.
This would allow us to get the floorplan we want, have it be energy efficient, and focus on the things that matter most to us. When we were married family and God were what it was all about. To us our lives should be no different from what we envisioned for our wedding. Our home then should be no different as it is a part of our lives - a big part!
Home conventions are not for unconventional people like my wife and I. We want something that is unique. If someone came to my home and saw that I have a 2, 3, or 4 stair cases then they would not be surprised. They would say, "this house is so you." And it wouldn't just be stair cases, it would be the respect for the earth, the energy efficiency, the garden, the face that everything would have a place built for it so you aren't cramming things in. It would have meaning and purpose. And someday when I am on my deathbed I would want to be comfortable in my own bed in my home that served me well.
I know I want this home to embody all these things, but they are feelings. I can only evoke the feelings I want to feel from my future home by experimenting with designs. Certain things will just hit me. Down below is a picture of what I have at this moment; it definitely will change. There are things about this design that fit, that make sense to me. But there are things I know that are off, and it's because of feelings I have regarding it.
By the time we get ready to build this home we will have kids. Their opinions will be so important! I can't wait to see the final product, but it's a process that will require time, patience, family, God, and TRUST!
This would allow us to get the floorplan we want, have it be energy efficient, and focus on the things that matter most to us. When we were married family and God were what it was all about. To us our lives should be no different from what we envisioned for our wedding. Our home then should be no different as it is a part of our lives - a big part!
Home conventions are not for unconventional people like my wife and I. We want something that is unique. If someone came to my home and saw that I have a 2, 3, or 4 stair cases then they would not be surprised. They would say, "this house is so you." And it wouldn't just be stair cases, it would be the respect for the earth, the energy efficiency, the garden, the face that everything would have a place built for it so you aren't cramming things in. It would have meaning and purpose. And someday when I am on my deathbed I would want to be comfortable in my own bed in my home that served me well.
I know I want this home to embody all these things, but they are feelings. I can only evoke the feelings I want to feel from my future home by experimenting with designs. Certain things will just hit me. Down below is a picture of what I have at this moment; it definitely will change. There are things about this design that fit, that make sense to me. But there are things I know that are off, and it's because of feelings I have regarding it.
By the time we get ready to build this home we will have kids. Their opinions will be so important! I can't wait to see the final product, but it's a process that will require time, patience, family, God, and TRUST!
Friday, March 18, 2011
Ancestry
One ongoing project I have been working on is figuring out my ancestry. I knew a little about my dad's side, but virtually nothing about my mom's. I am not the best at this ancestry stuff, but luckily I have a local expert - my wife!
She has been fantastic in helping me look up information regarding my family. Within the first week of doing research she tracked down my great-grandfather's and a bunch of relatives I didn't even know existed.
In June we were in Ireland and my wife had discovered quite a bit about her Irish heritage. I knew I had a little in me, but didn't know much about them. Well, I found out this week that I have more Irish in me than originally expected. Maybe that's why Guinness and Murphy's are the only two beers I am crazy about!
Ancestry.com has been a great help. There is a great community of people on there passionate about the past. If you can find the right people, not just the moochers, it can be satisfying. I feel like Indiana Jones when I do this kind of research. I hope it brings past the computer and to real life places. History will come alive!
I promise I will post pics!
She has been fantastic in helping me look up information regarding my family. Within the first week of doing research she tracked down my great-grandfather's and a bunch of relatives I didn't even know existed.
In June we were in Ireland and my wife had discovered quite a bit about her Irish heritage. I knew I had a little in me, but didn't know much about them. Well, I found out this week that I have more Irish in me than originally expected. Maybe that's why Guinness and Murphy's are the only two beers I am crazy about!
Ancestry.com has been a great help. There is a great community of people on there passionate about the past. If you can find the right people, not just the moochers, it can be satisfying. I feel like Indiana Jones when I do this kind of research. I hope it brings past the computer and to real life places. History will come alive!
I promise I will post pics!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
HS Videos/Book/Art
1. High School Digital Scrapbook of Sorts - I did manage to find a good program to convert all my videos to open in imovie. This rocks. I have been thinking about how I want this thing to look. My wife is currently working on a video project where she has interviewed her family members about certain stories and growing up and is putting that all together. I was thinking I could do the same. I could interview each of my friends, ask about certain stories, etc and then do a mash up. So everyone would be telling the story. It would be like a VH1 special. I love the High School Years.
2. I started writing a book. I wrote about one page. That is all I ever manage to write, one stinking page. I know I am capable of writing more. I think the key is to just write and don't stop. Don't think about what you are writing, just let it flow. You can always think and revise. I need to stop writing with logic and start writing with pure unbridled emotion.
3. LIACWOA - My wife and I managed to add some white lines to our Scrabble board to spiff that up. We basically just need to get these wooden letters made!
2. I started writing a book. I wrote about one page. That is all I ever manage to write, one stinking page. I know I am capable of writing more. I think the key is to just write and don't stop. Don't think about what you are writing, just let it flow. You can always think and revise. I need to stop writing with logic and start writing with pure unbridled emotion.
3. LIACWOA - My wife and I managed to add some white lines to our Scrabble board to spiff that up. We basically just need to get these wooden letters made!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Converting Videos
There is a special project that I am working on that I forgot to include on my chalkboard list. There are quite a few I have forgotten; I will add them eventually. Anyways, this special project involves me converting old file formats (.avi and .mpg) to .mov so I can open them in imovie. After many attempts I had success!
I discovered that the Apple has a bunch of freeware/shareware on their website. I ended up using the EM Total Video Converter.
Here is a link to the downloads dealing with video:
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/video/
Here is a link to all the cool downloads:
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/
I discovered that the Apple has a bunch of freeware/shareware on their website. I ended up using the EM Total Video Converter.
Here is a link to the downloads dealing with video:
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/video/
Here is a link to all the cool downloads:
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/
Saturday, March 5, 2011
What are all these projects anyway?
For my first week of blogging I managed to figure a lot of things out. Most of them were technical things that take a lot of time, patience and reading. Ultimately having finished those things will make doing this blog much easier.
I realized that after my first post I explained why I am doing these projects, but I didn't exactly explain the projects themselves. There is a list (that could grow at any time) of the projects that I wish to be working on. I figure as I finish those projects, they will come off the list and go into the Hall of Projects - or something groovy like that.
Sorry this post is a little long, but it states what all the projects are. I will update this post as I update my list.
1. LIACWOA Art - WTF does this mean? This is a joint project suggested by my wife back when we first got married and I just loved it. It's based on this quote "Love is a Collaborative Work of Art." It features some things that my wife and I love doing together. More on that in the future, with full video coverage.
2. Write a Book - This is pretty obvious I would think. I am always telling my wife that I would love to write a book. I remember learning about Herman Melville. He was apparently reading a book and said he could do better. His wife said to just do it. My wife always says the same thing.
3. Write a SS - Similar to the write a book, this is supposed to be my first step into writing: writing a short story.
4. Create a BG - I love board games and would love to create one. I own so many board games and there are so many good ones out there I don't know if anything I made would be any good. However, I would still make one - even if for just my family's amusement.
5. State Art - State Art is all about having a visual representation of all the states I have visited.
6. Nightstand - I have started refinishing a desk that I picked up on the side of the road. I pick up stuff like this off the road all the time. People throw away good stuff. I don't see any reason for me to buy new furniture when there is a perfectly good stuff just waiting for me.
7. Postcards - I have quite a few facebook friends. Some I visit on a regular basis and speak to, some I knew but don't really talk to anymore, some I am friends by proxy, and some I don't remember how I became I friends in the first place. I read an article about an author(?), I want to say it was an author, who plans on meeting on all of her facebook friends in person. I don't want to do that exactly, but I do plan on getting all the addresses of my facebook friends and sending them a postcard facebook update.
8. PIF Mail - It stands for Pay it Forward mail. I don't know what this means yet. It's a bunch of unconnected thoughts floating around in my head.
9. Design Home - It's pretty much my dream to design and build (with my own two hands) my own home.
10. MSOFTD - This is another youtube channel that I started where I play a small clip from a song so that people can guess the song. I got this idea from the Dick Bartley radio program. I call this Mystery Song of the Day. So we'll see how that goes.
11. Web Series - I always wanted to direct my own Hollywood movie. I know this is probably not a reality, although I will always have that dream of me winning an Oscar. But I have started watching a couple web series, and they are awesome. So I figure that I have a camera and I have the internets - so why not?
12. Bike - There is a bike path located behind my apartment complex. I want to ride as far as I can discovering what is on the path. This will happen when it's warmer for sure.
13. Create VG - My buddy and I are going to create a video game. It might not be the most spectacular thing on the planet, but it will be ours.
I realized that after my first post I explained why I am doing these projects, but I didn't exactly explain the projects themselves. There is a list (that could grow at any time) of the projects that I wish to be working on. I figure as I finish those projects, they will come off the list and go into the Hall of Projects - or something groovy like that.
Sorry this post is a little long, but it states what all the projects are. I will update this post as I update my list.
1. LIACWOA Art - WTF does this mean? This is a joint project suggested by my wife back when we first got married and I just loved it. It's based on this quote "Love is a Collaborative Work of Art." It features some things that my wife and I love doing together. More on that in the future, with full video coverage.
2. Write a Book - This is pretty obvious I would think. I am always telling my wife that I would love to write a book. I remember learning about Herman Melville. He was apparently reading a book and said he could do better. His wife said to just do it. My wife always says the same thing.
3. Write a SS - Similar to the write a book, this is supposed to be my first step into writing: writing a short story.
4. Create a BG - I love board games and would love to create one. I own so many board games and there are so many good ones out there I don't know if anything I made would be any good. However, I would still make one - even if for just my family's amusement.
5. State Art - State Art is all about having a visual representation of all the states I have visited.
6. Nightstand - I have started refinishing a desk that I picked up on the side of the road. I pick up stuff like this off the road all the time. People throw away good stuff. I don't see any reason for me to buy new furniture when there is a perfectly good stuff just waiting for me.
7. Postcards - I have quite a few facebook friends. Some I visit on a regular basis and speak to, some I knew but don't really talk to anymore, some I am friends by proxy, and some I don't remember how I became I friends in the first place. I read an article about an author(?), I want to say it was an author, who plans on meeting on all of her facebook friends in person. I don't want to do that exactly, but I do plan on getting all the addresses of my facebook friends and sending them a postcard facebook update.
8. PIF Mail - It stands for Pay it Forward mail. I don't know what this means yet. It's a bunch of unconnected thoughts floating around in my head.
9. Design Home - It's pretty much my dream to design and build (with my own two hands) my own home.
10. MSOFTD - This is another youtube channel that I started where I play a small clip from a song so that people can guess the song. I got this idea from the Dick Bartley radio program. I call this Mystery Song of the Day. So we'll see how that goes.
11. Web Series - I always wanted to direct my own Hollywood movie. I know this is probably not a reality, although I will always have that dream of me winning an Oscar. But I have started watching a couple web series, and they are awesome. So I figure that I have a camera and I have the internets - so why not?
12. Bike - There is a bike path located behind my apartment complex. I want to ride as far as I can discovering what is on the path. This will happen when it's warmer for sure.
13. Create VG - My buddy and I are going to create a video game. It might not be the most spectacular thing on the planet, but it will be ours.
Friday, March 4, 2011
State Art Part 1
I started my first project this past week. I call it State Art. Basically the idea is to show a visual representation of all the states I have been to by including a photograph of myself in each state. (I am missing some states as I had no digital photos; also I don't have a photo from WI even though I have been there!)
Saturday, February 26, 2011
The Beginning
So here goes nothing.
I have decided to start a blog based on all these ideas I have floating up in my head. I think of them and I ponder them and I just let them sit. And why? Because I tell myself that I don't have the time to do them. Well, now I just have hundreds of ideas floating in my head and nothing to show for them. I have however spent many hours wasting my life on facebook, youtube and other fine internet sites. It's time to stop making excuses and just start putting these ideas into motion.
Each week I plan to spend a certain amount of time on the project of my choosing and then post pictures, videos, words, etc. on the progress of the projects. Maybe the ideas will turn out to be complete crap, but I won't ever know until I try them!
The term brain crack means... well, I first learned about it from this vlogbrothers video
-> http://www.youtube.com/user/vlogbrothers?blend=1&ob=4#p/search/2/XeqlCTACUA0 <- which actually stemmed from this zefrank video
So if you want to see cool projects get done, if you want to suggest projects that I work on, if you want to contribute to and do joint projects together then participate in this blog.
On a side note. My name is Mike Wode, as in there are two separate one syllable words that form my name. But people who meet me combine my name into one two syllable word. People that have never met before and are from totally different groups and time periods in my life. Thus you get, Mikewode.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)