Why Don't He Write?

There is a scene in "Dances With Wolves" where Lt. Dunbar is inspecting a skeleton with an arrow through the ribs. Timmons, the mule skinner, ambles up and says, "Somewhere back east, somebody saying, 'Why don't he write?'" Type the part in single quotes into youtube and you will see something that I thought of this week. Why don't he write?

Sometimes in the frenzy of letter and journal writing, responses just get missed. My favorite Californian Bev reminded me of that this week. So dear friend, a letter is winding the tortured path from Northeastern Colorado to Davis!

I also thought the second half of the video clip was appropriate to me, not necessarily the flatulence (well, ok, the flatulence), but the fact that I am always writing in a journal.

So, specifically for Bev, who is a reviewer of some note, I am an intrepid reviewer now! I entered a giveaway at Goodreads and son of a gun if I didn't win!

This is the first review copy of anything I have received, except for papers from my students.

I am pretty excited to be part of a 'first read' group on this book. I have read to chapter 3 so far. Here is a link to the Goodreads page for this book -----> The Games. It will likely take me a few days to read and then write a review. I will be posting the review sometime soon.

Anyways, I know this review won't be nearly as exciting as some of the 'things' that Bev has seen, but, hopefully, I can write it up well.

Getting Organized in 2012!

I expect that everyone (well many people) start off the new year with a vow to do something different or better or what not. I'll admit that I am like the above mentioned "resolutionists". You know the drill, you vow to be taller or better looking or smarter or skinnier and within 2 weeks or less, you fall back into your old habits and well, things don't change that much.

I have a wonderful life. I wouldn't change much about it. I mean, I'm married to a beautiful lady, have 3 handsome sons, a good job, a decent house and lots of friends from around the world. But...I could do some things better. I'm 48 years old and haven't accomplished all I thought I would when I was a wide-eyed 18 year old. So, over the past weeks I've embarked on a soul-searching journey to see what I could do that would help me get back to realizing more of my dreams.

I need to be really honest about this. What triggered this examination of my priorities was the simple give-away Moleskine weekly planner I received from the European Paper Company . I mentioned in a post about that little planner that I am really sort of a planner geek. It all started in 1982 when I was a Colorado FFA Officer and we had a training session with a consultant from the Daytimer company. Later, when I started working for the Farm Bureau in 1988 and had more responsibilities, I needed to fall back on the concepts of planning I learned right out of high school.

I came upon this book in 1988:

Dr. Hobbs lays out a system of planning that takes into account the highest priorities in your life and weaves long term and immediate goals into your day. I did this religiously for quite a few years (not religiously like only on Easter and Christmas, but practically every day). Over time, I migrated away from using a paper planner and got captured by the electronica of Palm and Blackberry and discovered that I haven't always been working on my highest priorities.

So, I'm going a little old school and brushing off some of my old tools in order to keep my focus on the most important things in life. Here is a snap of the tools I am using:

Let me give you a little detail of how these work for me. The top book in the photo is the Bible. I am a Christian, so everything I do is influenced by my relationship with the Lord. I've joined with a pen-pal in Great Britain to read through the Bible in 2012. Here is the plan we are using.

The second tool is the Time Power book. This thing is full of tips and methods for gaining control of the events in my life. It points to the use of a datebook planner as a key. So I searched around and found an older binder and purchased a refill for the new year.

This planner paper is not fountain pen friendly, so I will be using a trusty mechanical pencil to record events and activities as well as planning for my priorities.

The final piece of my strategy is to spend time each day reflecting on what has happened with me and mine. Of course, this will have to be recorded with a fountain pen. I just happen to have a Quo Vadis Habana from Exaclair. It is a lovely notebook:

I write quite a bit in it. This is a snap of what I have written so far today.


I would love feedback from my legion of reader as to what you are doing in 2012 to accomplish your dreams!