One of the benefits of holding myself to a regular writing schedule is being able to quickly identify the things I should be working on. The first couple of chapters of THE CULT OF MAXIMUS feel a little boring to me, and that's mostly because my main character -- Officer Thomas Beck -- is so … Continue reading (Writing) Marvels of Character
Category: Self-Reflection
(Personal) Retaining Mindfulness Under Stress
So far this year has been an obstacle course, as I've mentioned a few times here. Work has flared up significantly as I shift positions and my company makes fairly major changes on an organizational and product level; priorities have been shuffled accordingly, and even though I'm getting better at juggling many things at once … Continue reading (Personal) Retaining Mindfulness Under Stress
(Personal) Where I Stand
I thought that 2016 was going to be different. With the launch of the Jackalope Serial Company and a host of opportunities for this little black geek to write stories for anthologies specifically for him, I had prepared for a big focus on storytelling. Now we're entering the middle third of the year, and the … Continue reading (Personal) Where I Stand
(Personal) Seeing the Future
The last time I went to an optometrist was about four years ago. When they checked my eyes, the doctor said she saw something that she would want to keep an eye on; she also wanted to know if I had any family history of certain diseases. That was the first time I heard about … Continue reading (Personal) Seeing the Future
(Personal) What I Learned by Being Alone
There's this idea in Buddhism about the Noble Eightfold Path -- after you've taken every step along the path, what comes next? You've attained Right View and Intention, Right Speech and Action and Livelihood, Right Effort and Mindfulness and Concentration. Where do you go from there? You attain Right View after that. Like the wheel … Continue reading (Personal) What I Learned by Being Alone
(Personal) April 2016: Spring Cleaning
It feels like when I sit back and look at my goals for this year and how little work I've done to actually move towards them, I have a laundry list of extenuating circumstances to account for that. In January, New Years lead right into the day job summit in New York which lead right … Continue reading (Personal) April 2016: Spring Cleaning
(Buddhism) Using Anger in Practice
Anger is uncomfortable, but we need to be more careful about how we get rid of it.
(Personal) San Francisco by Starlight – Walking for Suicide Prevention
The first time I attempted suicide was the lowest moment of my life. I was sprawled out on the couch of a relative stranger, miles away from home, certain that I would never see my family again. It was the summer of 1999, and I had been outed by my therapist to my mother as … Continue reading (Personal) San Francisco by Starlight – Walking for Suicide Prevention
(Buddhism) Taking Refuge
I'm not going to lie -- 2016 has been pretty stressful so far. The day job has been demanding and constantly shifting; racial and identity politics have been as contentious as ever; and the rise of Trump signalling the fall of the GOP has been one of the most depressing stories to follow. Meanwhile, there … Continue reading (Buddhism) Taking Refuge
(Political) The Third Rail: Anger in Activism
The 88th annual Academy Awards aired Sunday night, and like all good cinephiles I watched. It was a last-minute decision, though; with the eruption of protest against the Academy's decidedly monolithic nominations (all 20 acting nominations were white, and there were depressingly few POC, female and other minorities nominated in the other major categories), I … Continue reading (Political) The Third Rail: Anger in Activism
From the Desk of Jakebe T. Rabbit 