Don't Foreign Policy

 Most of my political thoughts, go to this blog. Some of them are about self-authorship. Some of them are. I don't know if this one is about self-authorship, but it is definitely a political post.

I just heard a compilation of the Biden ministration's message to Iran regarding the October 7 attacks on Israel. And primarily the keyword is Don't. 

No Value

I'm in a funky place, and I think most of it is around my job. I don't know if I'm valued as much as I think I should be. 

Last week, Russell promoted Cami to Senior Vice President. Why? I don't know. I can only think that he thinks she's doing a good job. I don't think she's doing a good job. In fact, I think she's doing a poor job. I think she is indecisive, she is confused, and I don't think she is someone you can trust. Obviously, Russell thinks differently. 

Self Authored Media

I was thinking about self authorship in terms of reporters and the news media. I heard a quote from Sebastian Unger's about what makes a reporter. He is a war correspondent and the author of a Perfect Storm. The quote, which I can’t find a direct quote of, was something to the effect of “a reporter someone who is willing to have his opinions and worldview destroyed by the facts.”

It basically means that facts outweigh opinion. 

Tweaking the Plot and Story

I am about 30,000 words into my draft of Sunset Perfect. I'm really thinking this draft has a very good chance of being the final version that I take all the way to publication. I changed up the model by which I am introducing the story. Instead of the hero being involved in the first partner, he comes into the storyline with the second murder. I also like the fact that he is an outsider to the professional football team, which means he has heard about professional football with the reader.

I also like the fact that he is an outsider to the professional football team, which means he has heard about professional football with the reader.

Lack of Involvement

I was thinking this morning about Russell and why I'm dissatisfied at work and with him as a boss. Sure there's the fact that he just promoted someone who I think is incompetent… And I also don't think he appreciates the work that my department does… But there's also a personal side to it. I think I'm gonna focus on that in this post.

One of the things that irks me a bit is his lack of involvement in aspects of my job. The PhD I got because he encouraged me to do it. Did I get a lot out of it? Yes. Am I glad I did it? Yes very clear. Did it help my personal development in my career prospects? Yes very much.  But ostensibly I did it because he asked me to. 

Shopping the Market

I read an article today in The Wall Street, Journal about the job market. Right now I'm testing the job market. I want to see if my PhD should be earning me more money then Russell is paying me. If I get an offer that is significantly more than what I am currently getting, I may consider it. 

I love the stability of my job, but I think I can do better in terms of pay. The problem is, according to this article, it is a horrible time for white-collar professionals to look for a job. Two or three years ago it was a terrific job market for white-collar professionals. Now, the landscape has changed significantly. One of the stats that resonated with me is that two or three years ago there were more job openings than applicants on LinkedIn. Now there are two applicants for every job opening on LinkedIn. I am one of these.

More Self Authorship at Work

I'm in the midst of a bit of a challenge at work. My last challenge was one that dealt with my transition from PhD candidate to PhD graduate (or will graduate in May, 2024). It's funny to have so much purpose pulled away so suddenly. I think I'm beginning to understand my purpose again, so I'm wading through that. 

But,  . . . and this is in terms of self-authorship . . . this new challenge is internal to my organization. So, Cami, who is not extremely well-liked by the organization, . . .well she just got promoted over every other person on the executive leadership team. So we are all VP's, and Cami was as well. Now, Cami is a senior VP. 

Touching and Relatable is Good

I know there are many who get fed up with these, but the truth is, they’re one of the reasons that I love to keep writing and producing novels. They motivate me like few other things. It’s like a spike of adrenaline to an otherwise staid and steady job. 

This first one, where the reviewer says that my writing is “touching and relatable”, is short, quick, and yet still quite inspiring. 

A Duller Discount

Anyone who wants to purchase my novels, feel free to contact me HERE or to purchase them full price . . . you can go to Amazon, HERE.

For those of you new to this experience, I have four novels, all thrillers for sure . . . well, maybe not thrillers, but definitely not dullers!

Bad . . . Like Real Bad . . . I mean Like REAL BAD

I knew it would be bad, I didn’t know it would be THIS bad. 

When I stepped on teh scale today I was expecting to have gone up. Last time I looked, before Christmas, I was 226. So I was prepping myself for 230, or 232 at the worst. What did I get?

236!!!