Taking Time Off

Posted by Theodore Maestranzi on Apr 30, 2017 in Blog Posts | 0 comments

In two previous blurbs (Squandering Time and Staying Social) I argue for not wasting time but also not being a hermit.  In this little nugget, I am going to talk about taking some damn time off.  While life only gets messier as we grow old, I find it is important to not focus 100% on producing or driving towards the future you want.  Nor is it good to focus 100% on the present and your social obligations.  There needs to be a healthy blend of work and fun.  But, there is a third dynamic that needs to be expressed: freedom.  This is when you reboot, you avoid friends, you find a tree, and you just think/read/stare at clouds/let your brain cool.  So, work hard, play hard, and then enter a state of nothingness for some time.  Let your brain turn to mush and watch a dumb television show.

Haiku – Writing in the Corner

Posted by Theodore Maestranzi on Apr 23, 2017 in Haiku | 0 comments

A Petrified Vine
Suddenly, Aquamarine Light, Life
The Forest Breathes Anew

~Theodore Maestranzi

This Haiku took me way too long to write.  At the coffee shop: I read, wrote a journal entry, wrote another haiku, and then got brain busted on this one.  I knew what I wanted, and that was to focus on the color aquamarine, but I found it impossible to really drive to the heart of the haiku’s message since so many syllables were taken up by that single word.  Each time I tried to write it, I found myself struggling and trying to increase the density of each word to fully cover what I was feeling.  In the end, I like the way it ended up, but I wish I could share it with the person who inspired it.

Staying Social

Posted by Theodore Maestranzi on Apr 21, 2017 in Blog Posts | 0 comments

In a previous post about Squandering Time, I focus on how you have to leverage college to pursue a future of creativity (by not squandering your time).  I discuss how if you sacrifice fun times that would be full of video games, television, beer, and pizza, you would be able to make huge strides towards a future with creativity (the example is me in my MBA program with writing).

However, an important thing I failed to discuss was the aspect of staying social.  You see, I find that my social nature has been a striving aspect in my creativity process.  I see mannerisms, things that make people human, and apply those to my stories.  Without that influence, every single character would only be capable of mimmicking things that I do.  By people watching, I am able to pick up on what a person does in a situation and apply it to my characters to produce a more realistic experience.  Furthermore, the creative juices will explode in a social setting versus at home staring at a wall.  So yes, don’t squander your time, but don’t isolate yourself so much that you fail to consume reality.  Reality is necessary for any good writer.

Squandering Time

Posted by Theodore Maestranzi on Apr 16, 2017 in Blog Posts | 0 comments

Not everyone can go to college, but if you do, I suggest you try any and everything – not talking about drugs or sex here.  I am talking about the abundance of time that spontaneously appears when you are in college.  This is the one place stage in your life where you can literally stay up as late as you want and work on something/anything till you pass out from exhaustion.  I started writing during my bachelors program as a joke.  After I graduated and began the nine to five grind, I realized I wanted to do it fulltime.  So I chose to go back to get my MBA so I could devote upwards of 40 hours a week into my writing (I accomplished that goal and now have 5 completed manuscripts in my back pocket).  So, don’t squander your time…

Haiku – Sippin Java in the Sun

Posted by Theodore Maestranzi on Apr 15, 2017 in Haiku | 0 comments

Enticed by Pink Blossoms
Sunlight Warms the Bumblebee
Winter’s Over, Perhaps

~Theodore Maestranzi

Marinade or Cancer Cure

Posted by Theodore Maestranzi on Apr 13, 2017 in Blog Posts | 0 comments

In a video someone posted on social media.  The following items were listed:

• Turmeric
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Lemon Rind
• Organic Honey
• Pinch of Black Pepper

Now are these ingredients part of: A) “The Strongest Antibiotic And Anti-Cancer Remedy”, B) “An Organic Lemon Ice Recipe” C) “A Marinade”, or D) “None of the Above”.

If you selected A, you are correct!  That’s right, this amalgam of random items is the cancer cure we’ve all been waiting for.*  Got Strep Throat and no longer believe in the healing power of Garlic (my previous post on this topic: Antibiotics? Hell No, Grab Some Garlic) jump on the marinade train. You’re welcome readers, I just saved your lives.

*This will not save your life, it will possibly provide you with a delicious marinade or lemon ice recipe if done properly.

Solutions to the Weaponized Internet

Posted by Theodore Maestranzi on Apr 9, 2017 in Blog Posts, It's Just Business | 0 comments

Awhile ago, someone mentioned to me that when analyzing problems I was able to provide a tapestry of detail about the issue, but I was depressing them.  They further explained that my analysis showed a bleak future and that I offered no solution.  In turn, I responded with the fact that my goal as a writer is to display what I see are problems in the world and carefully make you aware of them in an entertaining format.  That, I am not a person who can produce a solution, but I am someone who has chosen to be the megaphone to rally the people around the problem, and in doing so, support those that are in a position to produce the solution.

But I did agree, if I had a possible solution, then I should present it.  That same person read my previous post (Weaponizing the Internet) and engaged me in discussion to see if I was just ranting and raving or if I had a better model.  Now, I sometimes forget where I have ranted and raved about issues – this blog is but a minor glimpse into the world of problems I discuss regularly.  Normally, I have solutions floating around in my brain box.  So here are some that would shift the way we consume: