Just scraping the rust off the top so it won't look completely abandoned

Hi you who may wander by!
I'm far from home, interning, doing computer work. Still writing. The big question is what to do with my life.
I have more updates on my website: www.gradyhouger.com

I do have one short story to share with you. (Yes you random visitor! And also you five people who know about this site.)

WRITING DERIVED FROM PENCIL MARKS ON THE WALL
About

While falling a sleep I wrote on the wall. Writing on the wall is a great joy, made possible by a injudicious comment uttered by the apartment wall's owner, who, while on the topic of painting the room said; "You can do anything."

On Board the Pirate ship Lulliby

The realization hit me like a load of sodden casks. The ship was doomed to sink. Rocks where everywhere, scraps of vessels between them and mines had already damaged ours. An explosion sounded behind me, I whorled to see a ploomb of white smoke jetting off into the sky, lofting a star. My eyes swept from the scorch mark on the deck to the recieding point. Yes, the rats had launched their space shuttle. They knew when a ship was doomed. And now I was without any technically skilled crew.
"Hai Priest, show ye present!"
"Wha, how it be?" The man of the cloth came out of the forecastle, where he was given to laying in his hammock all day.
"We're done for truely, the ship be fated to sink here."
"Ah will ye tell what cargo we be holding now at last?"
"Tis no matter if I do; It's metal floor plates, union made, for the Banzii Spider Company, to be delivered to Prince Dust, at the destination I failed to reach."
"Ah Captain, now you wish to talk. What's the value of the gold you would have received? Is it no the same as the value of the cargo you carry? And now what's it worth?"
"I know the dogs all taste the same, what be your point?"
"There is value in things beside the things you might trade or steal."
"Agreed, although I wouldn't have before; yet I knew."
"What's the value of prayer?"
"Well if my gold, my cargo and my hull when empty be all worth the same, how about your prayer, when mirrored by a magic spell, or any of the warm fuzzies ye feel during the happy moments of life?"
"Fair, but you know, there's one that lasts no matter where it lies."
An explosion cut our conversation short, and cut the Priest off entirely, the blast from the mine cut straight up through the deck and there wasn't any left of my sole passenger. I heard the sound of water filling the hold, the end was a sooner one. I peeked in the hole.
"Whell God, my ship has a hole in it. This be a prayer I be making. A captain's soul is his ship tis said. I understand yer name be Jesus and ye be after souls. So here be one for ye."
From my pocket I drew a gold piece, smelt it and tossed it in the hole.
"First Mate!"
"ya" he answered faintly from the aft cabin. I found him seated in my chair.
"We be sinking. Not much to do. I've a suggestion, though, as yer Captain, you could make your peace with God. Tis worth it I find."
First Mate Dragon Waste was not the type to do much. As far as slackers go he can give Falannigan a run for his money. Yet now he pulled out his heavy pistol and shot me. I looked up from the floor as the smoke cleared.
"Sorry Captain. That wasn't as enjoyable as I thought it would be."
The ship was starting to tilt, and quickly it slid into the water, front first and hit the shallow bottom. I had fell on the wall, I looked up at Dragon Waste climbing above me through the rear window. My chest leaked as the ship did as I climbed after him. We sat on the windows. Stuck. "Gold is money, but have ye ever thought about the value of gold?" I rasped.

Open Source Medicine

Ever go to a Doctor and have them say "You'll be fine in a week or two, just take it easy and drink plenty of water. Call if it gets worse." Or worse, they don't know what's wrong with you, but they tell you not to worry about it. Maybe you don’t have the money to go to a doctor in the first place. Maybe there aren’t any doctors around to go to.

Every industry has history, tradition and practices that are built on what came before. Sometimes this makes things less efficient, being stuck on a rut that doesn’t allow for innovation. Being a medical doctor is expensive and takes many years to achieve. Even nursing takes a lot of education. Some jobs in medical industry pay very well, and overall health care is a solid influential business. And it works. America has the best healthcare in the world. Doctors know what they are doing and are effective at healing people.

There's also an entrenched attitude both with doctors and the regular people they work with; medicine is mysterious. It's hard to learn and you should really leave it to professionals. After all, you don't want to make a mistake and kill yourself do you? Well, I have a different attitude. I'm a computer guy, in hobby and profession. I'm a collage student; I can learn detailed and complicated information. With a couple computers and an internet connection anyone can teach themselves to be a professional computer builder/repairman, programmer and administrator. Another thing you can find for free online, or for a small fee, is weapons instructions. How to build and use all sorts of bombs, guns, and blades. What I wish I could download is a manual, a simple, easy to use training guide for how to be a medical doctor. Start with first aid, and explain as you go how the body works, and how increasingly more serious injuries are dealt with. How bacteria and viruses work, and most of all, how to diagnose common illnesses. How more serious problems differ from common ones. Tables of medicines, what is used to treat what, and most importantly, how the drugs work, what they are actually doing with your body. If all this information was tied together in a simple format where the 'how to fix' parts are tied to how the body works I think a document could be created that would allow the common 'man on the street' to take care of simple and recoverable medical problems, and be able to go to a doctor well informed when a more serious issue arises.

The reason I think this way is because of doing computer tech support. Amongst ourselves computer people complain about 'idiot users' who need to use computers to do their work, but don't know how their computers work, and don't want to learn how. It's very frustrating to answer the same simple questions, and those who have the patience for it try to teach users as they go along so you don't have to fix the same problem again. Information for important things should be freely available, or at least easily accessible. Just like many people have computers and need to learn how to use them responsibly, everyone has a body, and should know how it works and how to do simple diagnostics and repair at the least.

There is medical info available online, you can look up diseases and symptoms. It's not always easy to know what's backed up by traditional medical science and what's just guessing. There's no solid training manual checked and ok'ed by doctors and nurses. I think we really need one. Anyone can learn. People who are poor, or who happen to live in 3rd world countries need medical training. It could mean people don't need to go to the doctor for 'easy stuff', leaving the medical profession to concentrate on serious and complex cases. It would help people see if they are interested in medicine enough to want to learn more and become a MD. And finally, an accessible manual of medical knowledge and people who are familiar with it will help people be better prepared for mass disaster. We really shouldn’t be ignorant.

Winter Poem

White snow, smoothness covering the dead nakedness of the earth.
Hectic busyness like sleep interrupted by constant phone calls.
Beautiful events filled with holy meaning. Then;
Pay with plastic. You're obligated to make someone happy.
Happy times with family. Or will they speak to each other?
Cold and wet are all around. The ground stores water for a year of green.
The lights are so pretty when they blink. But can we see the stars?
Tired tires spin pointlessly. a ton of steel, plastic and flesh slides into a tree.
Black branching branches against a grey sky.
Nature shows us less, and it is beautiful.

winter drive poem

Snow
Cold
VRAAAA!
Motionless

I sit
Noisily
Suspended
On a slope

Kind hands
Push behind
I creep up
And drive away

Strangers
Kindly helping
Kept me from backsliding
Into their stuck cars

Bringing Back Soap Operas

No, I don't want a revival of low quality relationship dramas; I'm remembering the origin of the term. Soap Operas came about by soap companies funding shows for women which included ads for their product. So:
1. Get a corporate sponsor
2. Write some entertaining fiction that mentions their product, and some themed ads
3. Profit!


This does happen in various forms still, and is a controversial topic in some circles. There's the argument that sponsorship corrupts your artistic vision. I think your personal focus is the issue, not the way you get paid, and a well made and revisable contract can keep both parties satisfied.

Think of the benefits. A company large enough to afford sponsoring something will already has a marketing department that could play agent for you. The point is to join mediums; a companies products and someone's fiction, the company helps get you into the market, where you make their product appealing.

The trick is getting the right fit, a company with products you can support, and you having the talent to make their venture worthwhile.

An old media opportunity like this has came, gone and could be again. I like the old radio stories. Wouldn't it be great to hear "And now..." "...Brought to you by..."

TV, radio, print, comics; come on, who's game? I'd like to sell some soap!