John Guthrie's Ready Room

Getting Ready for Pride 2024

As Hal and I grow older, Pride takes on new meaning for us. I am 60, and Hal is 70. We spent most of our lives in the closet or the shadows because society hadn't evolved enough for us to be included as equals. Sadly, in so many

More Writing Progress for Me

I am still a great writer who hasn't found his particular niche yet. That drives me to keep writing and probing my subconscious in search of that elusive viral story that will finally grab the attention I hope for. I won't stop trying. I battled through

Break On Through to the Other Side

I've written a lot about my mental health recently. The never-ending struggle takes its toll on me, and the last two weeks were especially rough. I have done some deep meditation and am starting to uncover things buried for a long time. These things have to come to

Radio Days

I have always loved radio. In the digital age, with everything available via YouTube or streaming video, I often turn on a radio to enjoy entertainment and information without visual overload. I know that a part of this goes back to my Navy days when I worked extensively with radios

The Road to Recovery

Anxiety and Depression are terrible things to deal with. I struggled with them for years and never even realized that I had them. When I look back, I wish I had sought help sooner. Instead, I tried to tough my way through whatever difficulties I encountered. In hindsight, that was

The Death of Medium?

I read multiple articles expounding on the situation with Medium. The indecipherable algorithm, the reduction in earnings that people have noticed, and the overall atmosphere around Medium.  Personal, I never achieved much money from writing on Medium. I resisted the Friend of Medium campaign, but I finygave in. People smarter

Starting All Over Again

I am learning to crawl and walk again regarding my writing. I have let everything get in my way for the last several weeks. When I let one thing distract me, I thought it was no big deal, but the next thing, followed by another, until I looked around and

Afraid to Write

I am afraid to start writing this story. I am more terrified than simply scared, to be quite honest. I thought I was taking a writing break to relax and focus on what was important to me. Instead, I find myself dreading this moment. I don't know what

A Test of Living Writer software

This is a test of LivingWriter for my blog. I signed up for LivingWriter's free trial to see how it works for my blogging routine. Although I have used Apple Pages as my primary writing tool, I always seek something new and exciting. So this is a grand

We Waited for an Apology that will never Come

I had a friend when I was in the Navy until I left the Navy. We had some fantastic times during Liberty Ports back in the day when we had the chance to get off the ship. When our ship was in Home Port, we would hang out until his

I'm So Over Israel

I might have an unpopular opinion, but I am so done with Israel over the Hamas war thing. I am tired of the USA always being the heavy in the Middle East chaos. Israel has done everything it can to alienate the rest of the world. Whatever sympathies existed for

Jordan The Cat

We have a new addition to our family: Jordan The Cat. We adopted him from the local shelter on Friday. He had an underdeveloped eye early in life but is absolutely adorable. Instead of the Three Stooges, we have the Fab Four here. Jordan The Cat seems happy, and we

I'm Too Tired To Be Angry Anymore

I used to love politics. The exchange of ideas and proposals debated politely and civilly is long gone and probably never to return. I am a Liberal/Progressive/Hippie/whatever the term of the day is, and I am sick and tired of the negativity that ruined our chances at

Reopening Old Inner Wounds and Dealing with them

I tried to communicate with an old friend last week, or so I thought, and have yet to receive a response. I wasn’t upset because I learned to deal with people as they are, not how I would wish them to be. My thoughts were that I hoped he

“I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” Douglas Adams

Douglas Adams is one of my favorite authors. The quote in the title inspired me. I gave up on trying to produce a story every day. That was more like work than pleasure, and I don't want to reduce my sometimes readable writing to a job. I generate

Sitting Under A Tree In Greece

When I was in the Navy, in the Summer of 1999, I had a liberty call in Rhodes, Greece. It was a beautiful place that I still consider one of my favorites. The markets and restaurants were excellent, and the people were so friendly to me. I was with a

A Weird Week

I've had a very unsettling week. I seem out of phase with reality, if that makes any sense. I cannot concentrate the way I am used to, and that worries me. I am calling to schedule an MRI next week, which may reveal some cause of how my

I Won't Argue About Religion

I am an Atheist. I hate the term because it implies that I have a set of beliefs, just like any other religion. Nothing could be further from the truth, but the term categorizes me unnecessarily. I believe in Kindness toward myself and other human beings and living creatures. If

07 March 2024 - A New Diet

Ever since I went to the hospital on Tuesday night with my blood sugar out of control, I have been on a diet that Hal put me on. I am adjusting slowly to this new approach, but it differs significantly from my past relationship with food. I love to cook,

Endless Campaigns

I deleted every news app last night before I went to the hospital. I didn't plan the hospital trip, but I was glad I took that step. I used to be an information junkie, the news fascinated me, but the longer I observed the news, the more I

Overnight Hospital Visit

All of my stories are on hold right now. I had to go to the hospital last night because my blood glucose spiked, and no amount of insulin seemed to get it back under control. I called the ambulance at about 1130 last night. Hal helped me tremendously but stayed

05 March 2024

I just sat down to start writing on my new schedule. I plan to write for at least 15 minutes to see how focused I can stay. I want to increase my writing time, but starting slowly and working my way up is best. I will go as long as

Dreamer’s World - The Ingredients To A Good Story

There are many secrets to a great story. Without these ingredients, most tales will fail miserably because nothing will hold the reader’s attention. Kindness is essential to a good story because it draws the reader in without threatening or unpleasant images, whether real or imaginary. Everyone wants to feel

04 March 2024

I learned to walk away from controversy and confrontation early in life. Fighting is only a last resort, and violence never solves problems; it only creates resentment and hatred. Even small things that used to set me off no longer bother me now, and I do my best to keep

My Ever-Changing Writing Process

Once again, I had to stop writing on my iPhone. I always fall back into that nasty habit but only blame myself. With everything going on last month, my room became disorganized, and I always needed more motivation to keep my desktop free of accumulating junk. I change my writing