Reading a "Candy" book vs Reading a "Meat" book

I like reading what I call "candy" books because they are sweet, uncomplicated pieces of work. They have a set dialogue, are linear and follow a pretty straight forward story line. In other words, they are predictable. Boy meets Girl....falls in love...gets married and they both live happily ever after. I do know that life is not like that. It is complicated and messy. Even in the "candy" books you have to have some conflict, otherwise you garner no interest. I usually go through "candy" books in about a week if I'm busy doing a lot of other stuff. If I'm not busy, and the story flows well, I can finish a "candy" book in a few hours.

A "Meat" book, however, definitely requires at least three weeks to read through because the words are so dense and full of meaning. The story lines are complicated, and sometimes a bit hard to read without wanting to dig deeper. You can always tell with a "Meat" book that the author took considerable time both writing and researching the material. The dialogue is not always linear, and it doesn't always follow a straight forward story line. You have to use your mind to comprehend some of the passages. You can't rush reading a "Meat" book. Those kind of books you need to savor. I have to admit that most, but not all, the "Meat" books I've read have been well worth the time and effort I put into reading them. Some of the passages still stick with me. I learn more from a "Meat" book than I've ever learned from a "candy" book.

I have written both. None as yet are published. I am still finding my audience.

Tax Time

I am currently working on my taxes. Yes, I do know that time is growing short for this. It is the most dreaded time of the year because I now see how little I made the past year. It doesn't get any easier knowing that Uncle Sam needs his money. In fact it's too easy to get confused by all the forms and the pressure to do it all on-line. I am not comfortable with this at all. I am very much a Luddite when it comes to exposing my personal information. Yet I know I've had to in order to find work.

I am struggling with "Big Brother" wanting to know everything about me. I don't like having my privacy being violated. "Big Brother" doesn't need to know my physical state, my mental state or medical status. They just don't. Yet this is exactly what "Big Brother" wants. I feel like I'm losing control of my own well being....and that's scary. Maybe this is why this is the most dreaded time of the year for me. I do hate having to relinquish control to a third party who will do God knows what with my personal information. Yet I know that some of my personal information is already out there ripe for the picking and there is not one thing I can do about it.

I do long for the days when you had a good paying job, and you didn't have to worry about someone stealing your identity. It is way too easy to do nowadays....no matter what anyone says. You can only do so much to protect it. Paper is still the best way, if you're really careful, to secure your personal information. Too many eyes see it electronically despite the assurances of encryption.

I hope for a better tomorrow, even as I struggle to pay my taxes and give Uncle Sam his due.

Fighting against time

I haven't been feeling well lately. Actually I've been struggling to do much of anything. You can say that I'm fighting against time and dwindling resources. Yet I have also been fighting against the perceptions of people that feel that I've given up. I haven't. They just don't realize how hard it is....and they won't until they are in the same situation I'm in now.

I have decided that I'm not going to dwell on my current state which is growing worse. Instead I'll focus on achieving some goals that I've set for myself. My biggest goal, of course, is to find a sustainable position that will both utilize my writing skills and make me enough money to support myself and my family. I have in the past month or so, gone in a different direction with my job search. I decided to see if I can't work for myself and contract myself out to various companies. I know I did try this last year, and have helped a lot of people, but am still struggling to find work that I can do. I don't like having to quit a job, as it leaves a bad taste in both my mouth and my former employers' mouth.

I know that part of my problem is my inability to focus on one thing and my lack of verbal skills. I am a good writer, but it just doesn't translate into my voice very well.