Month: April 2018

Worth A Read: The Road by Cormac McCarthy

A beautifully tragic tale of a Father and Son as they journey South towards the coast of an America laid to waste. So with that said, is it worth a read?

Prevailing themes and a story archetype that works

The premise of The Road is simple. The Road represents a journey. It is a path that must be followed at all costs. Always in sight, always in mind. With all other devices striped away, it allows the reader to focus on the relationship between Father and Son and begs the question, how far would you go to survive? The vivid descriptions of each encounter paint a beautifully realized world shrouded in eternal darkness, a world familiar yet a dream all the same. My favorite theme of the book is the idea that “we carry the fire”. That after the world ends (and perhaps before), who carries the last light of humanity? When adversity comes, will we rise or will we fall?

Father and Son 

The relationship between Father and Son is more than a heartwarming tale of a Father’s love for his son and his willingness to do whatever it takes to keep him alive; it’s a lens through which to see the world. The Father has lost hope and left to his own devices, his actions would not be questioned. He does what he needs to do to survive and that’s that. The Son however, questions every moral decision made and every misdeed done. He is the lens that we lose throughout our lives. And some could argue he represents our younger selves, who is to say?

There is a stark contrast between Father and Son yet they are both the “good guys”. It’s a refreshing perspective that I’m surprised isn’t used more in storytelling.

Worth a Read?

Yes. It is one of the best books I have read in recent memory. This book is the definition of “it’s about the journey, not the destination” and it’s a beautiful message. Is it sad? Yes. Does it cause your face to crinkle in disgust at times? Yes. But it is so very human. When you remove the luxuries of society you can begin to see who we really are. If you want a look in the mirror, look no further than this book.

I give this book 5 out of 5 potatoes: A must read before you die.

There it is, my review of “The Road”. If you like my content, consider buying me a cup of coffee. I appreciate the support and it helps fund my endeavors.

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

A walk through the woods

“Two roads diverged in a wood and I -I took the one less traveled and that has made all the difference” – Robert Frost

IMG_0076

The city has its moments yet it is a place of chaos. clock in, clock out, sleep, eat, work. We forget to breathe. We close our eyes and take a deep breath, we listen.

IMG_0064

At first we are met with silence, a gentle breeze rustling our hair. We hear the birds chirp merrily as they build their nests. We stop, kneel, and notice the moss growing on the rocks.

IMG_0093

We walk further and find a path. We follow the path, not knowing where it leads.

IMG_0112

We find a creek and listen to the trickle of water. The sun shines through the canopy of trees and we feel its warmth, a blanket of joy as we lose ourselves in the moment.

IMG_0104

Our steps begin to slow, our panic subsides. Time fades as we continue down our path. And for a moment, we see the world through another’s eyes.

Hope you found this relaxing. If you like my content, consider “buying me a cup of coffee”. Your contribution will help support my creative endeavors and help me achieve my dreams.

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Was it worth it: A reflection piece.

It’s been a while since I’ve done a reflection piece. I’m happy with my update post (I based the design off of developer patch notes) but it’s not enough. I’ve worked hard to free myself from my shackles and be a better person and for the most part I have. Yet I am still living dual lives. I thought over time the “Old Mike” and the “New Mike” would merge yet that hasn’t been the case. It turns out however far I run, life always seems to have different plans.

I find success only to have it ripped away from me over and over again. My world has and I suppose will always be in a state of chaos. It’s by no lack of effort on my part but rather always a series of unfortunate events. The straw that broke the camels back was when I had a contract with my dream company. Most of my life has built towards this moment, reaching the finish line. I saw the good in the business world and truly believed that I had finally made it, only to be cut down by the political nature of Corporate America. And I am at a loss. I pick myself up and have nowhere to go.

And here I am, split between being honest and being correct. My world has been a firm handshake, a quick smile, and language so polished that it’ll make your ears bleed. And I’m tired of it. With over 300 contacts on LinkedIn, it might be time to hang up the towel. What I’ve built has become ash and I feel nothing. The money is nice but at the end of the day, it’s an obsession not worth having. I am tired of being used as a tool, or worse, a weapon. I learned as much as I could so that I could help others yet that same intelligence has only ever brought misery. The more I learn, the more I wish I didn’t know. Americans bathe in ignorance and it’s tough to see.

During my search, someone I trusted introduced me to Amway disguised under the pretense of “Alticor”. I went through the process and saw how some choose to make their money. An honest answer is it made me feel dirty, so I walked away. Is this the right answer, I can’t really say. The business model is sound and works for those with enough motivation, yet the reverse pyramid is still a pyramid. And at the end of the day, I must follow my heart. Corny, yes, but the truth nonetheless.

I don’t know who to trust anymore and it’s a damn shame. I love my friends and I love myself and for me that’s enough. It’s when I’ve put my faith in my professional network is when I’ve been hurt. Interesting to say the least.

This said, I am done hiding. It’s time to find just what all I am capable of. I am finally doing what I want and while I sacrifice the security of Corporate America, I don’t want to die in a cubicle. I thought I could waltz into an organization and change the world, yet I realize that change starts at the grassroots. My whole goal with writing and now photography has been to give myself a voice. It’s liberating to talk and have others listen. Now that I have, I want to focus on what I care about and not worry so much about reputation. So, cheers. Let’s build something together, it’s time I finally got my priorities straight.

A late night musing and I have to say, it felt great. I’ve been feeling anxious since graduation trying to find my place in the world but I came to realize that it has always been the route of the entrepreneur. What that will look, God only knows but in my never-ending pursuit of happiness, this is worth pursuing. Thanks for all your support throughout the years, it has meant the world to me. As I continue to grow, may you grow along with me and if I can inspire just one person from the work I do, then I’ll have done my job.

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

The life of Mike: An update post

So it’s been a while. My blog has been expanding quite a bit since graduation and there have been a lot of changes. I’m trying a new format for how I relay the information, so hopefully you find this helpful.

Changes since January:

  • Site now has a Patreon as well as advertisements
  • Site has been upgraded from a personal account to a premium account
  • Site theme has been updated to accommodate for photography and the occasional original videos
  • Bought camera so I can actually take photos
  • Learning basic coding to help with edits
  • twitter feed has been integrated into the blog to make for a more personal experience
  • Goodreads reading list has been added so you can see what books I’m reading at the moment.
  • Added my personal mission statement to the navigation menu

In addition to these changes, I also plan to eventually add a contact tab (currently figuring out the best way to implement) and am adding Ko-Fi to content centric posts (so not this).

Patreon and Ko-Fi:

I’ve been struggling for the past few months figuring out ways to monetize my blog in a way that builds a stronger community. As much as I love writing, writing well takes time and effort. At the moment I am hopping contract to contract in the Hellscape that is the current US job market. As such, I am looking at ways to become independently sustainable. I realized the problem with Patreon is the subscription. I like with Patreon that I can set long-term rewards and will keep the page as I still think it’ll (eventually) add value to the site as it grows. But I also realize sometimes people read content and simply want to chip in some money but don’t care for rewards and don’t want to pay every month; that’s where Ko-Fi comes in (it’ll be a “buy me a coffee” button). With Ko-Fi you simply click the button, pay what you want for the post, and that’s it. Most of the money spent goes into the blog and it’ll allow me to create better content and to do so more frequently.

Upcoming Posts:

The plan is to do a Corporate America series! The series will be a few articles such as a look at contracts (small business vs. corporation), reputation (the in’s and out’s, why integrity is important, etc.) and How to spot a manager from Hell (a tale of modern day managers and a look at when to leave a company). I also want to post about the gun “situation” in America, however, I also don’t want to get burned at the stake (this article has been years in the making and might be a few more years in the making). Come May, I have a lot planned for mental health awareness month but want to keep that a surprise. And finally, more poetry and fiction! I’ve been enjoying what I’ve wrote thus far and am glad you have as well! I have a few stories I’ve been bouncing around, it just takes time to write and edit (I’m only one man).

In Other News:

I have decided rather than trying to build a team for this site, I am going to keep the site my own. While an editor would be nice, quite frankly I do well enough on my own that the cost would far outweigh the benefit. As for the writers, if need be, I will have the occasional contributor (however, at the moment, there is no need).

That’s it! Thanks for reading! It’ll be a while before another post like this, so sit back and enjoy the content in the coming months; I have a lot planned and am glad you can join me on this journey.

 

With love,

Mike

%d bloggers like this: