Random thoughts

[game_byrd]

This is a really good and honest comic about the creative process.

I read this article this morning. It's about loopholes - finding them, exploiting them, and the ethics of doing so. For example, they lead off with suicide. The Catholic Church decreed it a sin that would keep you from entering heaven, and because you can't confess the sin after doing the act, you're guaranteed to go to Hell. People got around that by killing a child and admitting to it. Execution was the punishment, but before the execution, you were allowed to confess your sins. Voila! Instant state of grace and entry to heaven.

Today, at work, I realized have such a dirty mind. I’m reading through the day’s scrap report (something I have to do as part of my job is to keep abreast of how many and what kind of parts the production floor screws up in the course of making stuff, so I know if we need to order replacements). My mind is going to the wrong place for some of these entries:

• “Grease hole not drilled all the way through”
• “Pressure excessive and cylinder noisy”
• “O ring grooved”
• “Damaged finish”
• “Missing grease hole”
• And the final one: “Protective sleeve missing”

I was complaining to a friend of mine the other day that I wasn't being as productive as I wanted to be. I'd fallen into this pattern of getting home and goofing off on the internet due to the constant interruptions of the kids making writing difficult. Then after the kids had gone to bed, I'd be too tired and wound up to write. So he suggested I go to bed when the kids did and get up an hour earlier to write. That sounded like an awesome idea. So far this week, every night I've gone to bed when the kids did, then slept to my usual time. Heh. Not the expected solution, but it's actually worked wonders. I've been more rested and felt better, thus more able to concentrate despite the interruptions. Even though I'm not getting up an hour earlier, I'm still getting more done.

Is there anyone out there whom I owe a beta to? I've had four people ask me to beta for them in the last week and I have the nagging feeling I've missed something.