Waiting Room Humor: I’m Here for a Hearing Aid

Waiting roomYesterday I had my monthly visit to the ear, nose, and throat specialist. It’s a joyful trip that includes getting off work around noon (sometimes I go back to the office) and sitting outside in the hall before the door opens from their lunch.

Without fail, people still check the door to see if it’s locked… as if I’d be sitting on the floor in front of the door with a book if it was open. Yesterday was no exception. What made this visit more special was that it must have been a coupon week for patients over the age of 70. Not a one could have possibly have been in their 60s. One little old lady shouted out to her caretaker that she was born in March of 1915. Yeah, really old.

The humor arose when the deaf people all started to try to talk to each other. Normally not funny, I know, but read on to see how it happened.

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To Post, or Not to Post? Seriously, That’s the Question.

I hope hope most of you are aware that I’m a non-fiction writing major at the University of South Florida (go Bulls!) and wrapping up my Junior year this Fall. Good, because I am getting tired of typing out Professional and Technical Writing so many times.

One of the benefits of so many literature and writing courses is producing writing material. I’m checking to see if there is any interest in checking out my work and using it as bonus content on the blog to defer some content to other days. That said, here is a sample of my last paper for Expository Writing, which earned a 96%, and I know there are two typos in it to take care of before posting the entire thing. Here goes nothing:

Boob Tube or YouTube?
Technology has a way of shaking things up from time to time. The staple of the music industry for decades was the vinyl record, which gave way to CDs, which have been left on dusty shelves since the advent of online music sales. No one wants to buy an entire CD of second-rate songs when they only want the one smash hit to listen to until they can sing it backwards. The next big revolution is targeting television and the way we watch programming. Why would anyone want to sit in front of the TV with all of its commercials and drawn-out programming?

10 Things About Blogging That Are Not Intuitive: Your Content

Last issue, we explored how important the location of your blog, both physically and it’s address, is to the success and reputation of your blog as a body of work. Today, let’s nail down some tips on content.

Find Your Brand, Theme, or Niche

A vitally important part about blogging is what to blog about. Naturally. There are business blogs, helpful blogs, blogging blogs, gadget blogs, mommy blogs, and portfolio blogs. My personal favorites are gaming blogs, particularly those about World of Warcraft. Within each topic and niche comes the full spectrum of fantastic design, content, and passion. The ability to do your blog well has a lot to do with finding yourself within your blog and showing that to others. Even the most professional, anonymous business blog can convey enough passion and insight to make a following.

One of the reasons the term “blogger” brings negative reactions from friends and relatives who are up with technology is that there are so many bad blogs out there. [Read more...]

The Forbidden Journey: A Short Story

Damage after the chaosA ruler watched one day as nearly two dozen warriors from a neighboring kingdom reigned chaos over an entire country, one considered to be a mutual enemy. This brought much delight to the ruler. The world trembled at such a display of brazen violence.

Not too long after (if any time is acceptable), people began to forget what  happened that day and how many lives were lost. Wars sprung up, people fought over the wars, and political offices were won and lost over “moving on” or staying fast.

At the height of the divide, the ruler decided he would like to visit the spot of the opening blow. [Read more...]