As Written By T.R.

As with so many other times in my life, I find myself again at my writing desk. Also, again, I find myself attempting to write with many fits and starts. That seems to be my lot in life, writing between fits of depression and starts of anxiety. Progressing only so far before the spectre of Imposter Syndrome makes its presence known, and in a bout of self-doubt, I chuck the whole of whatever it…

It’s that Time of Year Again…

Five pounds of coffee. Check Whiteboard cleaned. Check Office straightened Check. Desk organized. Sorta check… Time to get myself and my soon-to-be written story ready for NaNoWriMo. The yearly month-long challenge to write a first draft (for me) of a novel of 50,000 words or more during the thirty days of November. Just in case you didn’t know. Every year I plan on taking at least two weeks…

Collecting Parts, Or Not

Today the CPU I ordered arrived, and I couldn’t be happier. I bought an AMD Ryzen 7 5700G. I got the CPU first, not that the I order that I err… order parts in matters normally bit in this case I felt compelled. Because of the volatile nature of the market for almost anything PC-related, very few computer parts can be bought at Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price or MSRP (MSRP). AMD had just…

Reconnecting With An Old Hobby

Years ago, when I was in the Air Force, I was stationed overseas for a time. While there, I had a roommate that was a computer hobbyist. He had an Apple IIe and of course, he loved it. He convinced me that I should take up the hobby, as home computing would be the next BIG thing. And he was the admin of a public Bulletin Board Service on base, and if I wanted, he could set me up with my own page.…

When Opinion Becomes Mob Mentality

I want to say something about the rising anti-intellectualism that we see in the United States. This isn’t a “yelling into the bullhorn” rant, but rather my thoughts about where these ideas might have come from. From flat-earthers to COVID non-believers, our society is heading in a direction that I feel is dangerous. Myself and a significant number of my friends and colleagues. It’s…

It’s Been Over a Month Now…

Now that It’s been a month since I’ve consumed alcohol, I’ve noticed some positive changes in myself. The first thing that jumps to mind is relationships. My relationships have been a lot less strained, especially with my wife. She’s been such a huge help, mostly listening and supporting me when I tell her that I’ve been tempted to stop someplace and pick up beer. That was a daily practice before…

If Not Me Who? If Not Now When? When I rediscover the place that I am meant to be.

These Are questions I’ve asked myself many, many times over the last twenty years while I’ve been at work. Why wasn’t something done or not done? Who was going to finish a particular job or task? Why couldn’t a job be finished ahead of schedule? Who was going to work overtime? And on, and on and on… Like I said, for twenty years. I’m not a supervisor, nor a manager. I’m just a machine operator…

I Don’t Believe It

I always cringe, at least inwardly, when I hear somebody say, “I don’t believe in science.” I know that I’m not the only one who does. I say it as well, but not for the same reasons.

It’s been my experience when I hear that said, I take it to mean, “I find (insert scientific concept her) so far beyond my understanding that I reject it without pursuing it any farther.” It becomes a de facto…

White Hats and Black Hats

Way back in the day a person could do the the local movie theater and catch something called the Cowboy serials. The type of story that hasn’t aged well and is hackneyed and full of cliches. And one of the biggest of these cliches is the good guys always wore white cowboy hats and the bad guys always wore black cowboy hats. It was an easy way to know good from bad.

This past weekend I watched…

A Word on Journalism.

At work today I heard a coworker say something to the effect that journalists can say (write) anything they want to…

Another time I heard a professional say in front of her peers at her convention, that Journalists, “… twist words to what they want…” (Keep in mind that I was covering this convention on this particular attendants’ behalf.)

The ellipses are essential here because, at this…

On Math…

I have nothing to say.

Well, practically nothing.

Math and I don’t get along. That is to say, that I am one of those people that have a great deal of trouble when it comes to understanding math. So much so that I barely passed the two Mathematics courses that I needed to fulfill the requirements for my degree. When I say that I barely passed, I mean that I received a midling C. I really…

It’s Early in the Morning

It’s early in a beautiful, late summer morning. The breeze is light and warm. I have two short-form pieces that I’m working on and I could publish either one. But I decided to do this instead: remind myself why I write.

I just poured my first cup of coffee and I have one of my cats, James Joyce by name, staring on at me from the chair next to my desk. His litter-mate sister, Nyanerz, is busy…

Why I Find the STAR TALK Podcast So Good

Not too long ago, I started watching the Star Talk radio show. Hey, it’s the days of social media; it IS possible to watch radio. It’s a science show hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson and often co-hosted with comedian Chuck Nice. Focusing mostly on astronomy, Niel is especially adept at explaining complex topics in very plain and approachable terms. The subjects covered in the show form a wide range…

What Science Means (And Doesn’t Mean) to Me

One of the most important characteristics of #science Is that it’s self-correcting. If a hypothesis is tested and the results aren’t expected, the hypothesis is reworked taking into account the new results and tested again. Experimental results are carefully recorded and these further observations again compared to the hypothesis’s predicted results. It’simple elegance through critical thought.…

This Is What I’ve Been Thinking

Like so many people, I have always had more than passing interest in science. And like many people, I have a lack of math skills that would have allowed me to pursue a career in science. While earning my Journalism degree at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, I had to fight long and hard to get my below B grade for the two math courses I needed to complete my education. English and my…