Ryan on a Tangent

So here is the deal: I just received 7 HBO guides from both 1980 and 1982 (1 from ’80 and 6 from ’82 to be exact) and given my autistic spectrum mess of a mind I wanted to create some scheme to get more fully invested in these guides. First, let me explain my fascination. The period between 1975 and 1985, give or take a few years in either direction, is my golden nostalgia era. For me, this is the span of time wherein I find all my extant memories are good – or feel good after a healthy dose of all-healing time. Time. Sugar-coats the memory doesn’t it?  Regardless, everything from this period (ages 4 to 14 roughly) from the music to the television commercials to the movies to my sacred Consumer Reports and Wacky Packages, is magical for me now. I get goose bumply both inside and out, and make no apologies for it (though it can certainly drive my girlfriend mad from time to time). So. HBO guides arrive. I smell them. I fondle them with the kind of holy regard one migh...

.39 cents at the local Salvation Army, early '80's non-fiction paperback (1983 to be exact) concerning the Vietnam War. No-lose situation right? We will find out (I'm slogging through Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John LeCarre and I should probably finish that first; a little over halfway through and I have only the faintest idea what is going on, let alone who Karla is...ugh) soon enough and I'm psyched to get this ball rolling. "...Violent, deafening, treetop world of 1000 Viet Nam helicopter missions...its vertical plunge into the thickets of madness, will stun readers as well..." — Time Sounds like it might have potential and I will report back as I make some headway.

...to put it mildly. Just noticing that I set this blog in motion back in August of 2011; apparently I have just enough energy and attention bandwidth to fill out the bare minimum of blog profile data, but not the stamina to see it through even one measly post. Several weeks back I read something that felt 'inspirational' and 'eye-opening' regarding various techniques an author might use (or 'wanna-be' author as the case may be) to get the writing process started when in a funk: one said technique was, of course, simply write...anything for minimally 5 minutes every morning. I read this, felt inspired and tingly and all of that, then proceeded to...um  yeah you guessed it...do nothing whatsoever. Well, now it's 2 weeks on and there is that nagging thing buzzing around the back of my neck, that won't leave me be until I try this writing exercise and see what comes out (somewhat akin to an experiment in dietary fiber if you will). I suppose something nee...