My writing experience: Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas, Either way it's...

My writing experience: Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas, Either way it's...: I see, online, many people voicing their opinions on the phrase Happy Holidays. Many Christians are upset and think that everyone should use...

Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas, Either way it's ok!

I see, online, many people voicing their opinions on the phrase Happy Holidays. Many Christians are upset and think that everyone should use the phrase Merry Christmas. Well I am here to tell you it does not matter which one you use, both are used to wish one well being during this time of the year, winter a cold darker time. How can wishing someone good tidings be bad? I do not see how. (and before I am labeled an Atheist I'll let you know I am a Christian.)
From a Christian perspective good tidings toward our fellow man should be considered a wonderful feeling. I mean the Angels themselves said they were bringing Good Tidings. They did not say Merry Christmas. Christmas did not come along till centuries after Jesus. Christmas is a holiday created by man with traditions of Christian and pagan origins. I do like the idea of Christ's Mass to celebrate God's gift, his Son, but I also know not everyone is a believer and you cannot force them to believe. And does it mean someone is pure evil if they do not believe? No, so why should we be upset if such a person wishes us a Happy Holiday? There is no reason to be. I would be upset if someone said you cannot say either phrase. I am glad we have freedom of religion, freedom of choice. I do not want someone saying I cannot believe in God or I have to do it a certain way.
Next time someone say Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas just know they are wishing you well, and well wishes are always good be they from a Christian or anyone.
So in closing I wish to say Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas.

My writing experience: The War of 1812

My writing experience: The War of 1812: I was looking at the calendar the other day when it hit me. Next year will mark the anniversary of the beginning of the War of 1812, what so...

The War of 1812

I was looking at the calendar the other day when it hit me. Next year will mark the anniversary of the beginning of the War of 1812, what some say was our second war of independence. I guess you can say it was since the main complaint for the United States was the impressment of its seamen by Great Britain (actually the United Kingdom even at that early time). Although things did not go as the US wanted them to go. (The treaty to end the war returned things to the way they were before without addressing the cause of Impressment. After Napoleon was defeated there was not need to impress sailors into the British Navy. Oh yeah, they did burn our capitol.) The war did show we would not be pushed around; we can and will fight back.

One thing we gained from the war was a proud naval tradition. With just a few "Fir built frigates", as one British Naval officer called them, we showed that we can sail and fight just as well as the British Navy. I know we could not compete in number of or size of ships, but those Frigates like the USS Constitution, United States, President, Congress, Constellation, and the ill fated Chesapeake did more to show the flag than anything else.

I have to say that I am proud to have served in the United States Navy. I also want to thank the Royal Navy, not for the war but for the tradition and spirit we inherited.

One of the projects I have filed away ready for work is the story of a fictional US naval hero from the early days of our Navy. I hope to complete the project sometime next year after I finish The Thunderhead Rebellion the first book in a Sci-Fi series.

My writing experience: Too Lazy

My writing experience: Too Lazy: Well, the title says it all. I have been too lazy to blog. I guess I have to get back to it. I have not been so lazy to not have done someth...

Too Lazy

Well, the title says it all. I have been too lazy to blog. I guess I have to get back to it. I have not been so lazy to not have done something. I have finished This, That, No Kitchen Sink a collection of short stories. It has a little this and a little of that. A little scary and a little funny. Two of the short stories were previously published as singles under C. E. Parmele but now are under Charles E. Parmele.
Check them out on www.smashwords.com. Well, I got to go eat dinner. Catch Ya'll later.

Jumping Genres, a bad idea?

Ok, Like many people out there I have an eclectic reading taste. I like to read almost anything from Historical fiction, Science Fiction, Thrillers, Horror, and much more. The question I have is this: Why can't I write in more than one genre? I know it is done all the time where a writer will write in one genre under their real name and write in another using a pen name. Why can I not write multiple works in more than one genre?  Anyone want to answer this?

How would bouncing from one genre to another change one's writing style?  I know that there are subtle differences in genre, like mysteries and thrillers you really need that feeling of suspense while something like humor would not -unless you consider waiting for the punch line suspense-. Why can't I write Historical Fiction, Sc-Fi, or a thriller using my own name? I ponder this daily and would love input. If you have some advice email me at ceparmele@gmail.com. Thanks

Starting to write late in Life.

My Son, my oldest, will start college this week at Washington State University, and my daughter will be starting the 9th grade next month. These two events have me thinking I am old and getting older. I have also realized that most writers started their careers at a much earlier age. Think about some of the big names, I mean I do not have to list them here we all know them. These people, these, authors, these writers normally start writing in their 20's (some in their teens), at most in their 30's. I know there are exceptions to this but we can all agree their are not too many widely successful that started in their 40's. (I know you can point some out, but I already said there are exceptions.)
I questioned this an wondered why? Ability? No, their are older people (more than you can imagine) who write way better than younger people. Yes, they may not write books, poetry, or other such works, but they do write in their jobs: reports, evaluations, and various communiques. They take pride and write some of the best flowing prose you can imagine. (You should have seen some of my evals in the Navy).
Is it imagination? I know people say that older people are not as imaginative as younger people. Not true, it is not because we lose our imagination, it is because we have to face reality to make a living and use are imaginations less. (We use our imaginations to take mental breaks during the day, but we call it daydreaming) I know my imagination is still as good as it was when I was a kid. (Except I don't draw spaceships anymore)
I guess why most of us realize that, well, it is hard to make a living writing and this concern can trump the dream. Yes you can work and write. but at what cost? time with family, relaxation time, or other?
I wish I could get a huge book deal and live off my writing. (Might, most likely, never happen). The thing is I write because I love it and I can exercise my imagination and feel young. I want people to read my works. I want a fan base. I want to have at least one person say "I like it, I love it."

The Last Run by C. E. Parmele (Me) for free

Well I have broke down and decided that fan base is more important that money when it come to starting out. Yes, I did have a few short stories out there for free but it is not enough so my first Novel is now free. Right now it is on Smashwords.com but it will be available on BN.com and Amazon soon. (I had to remove the versions on those websites to post it for free)
To all those who have purchased The Last Run I thank you it means a lot to me. Now others can experience my writing and hopefully my fan base will expand.

Didn't catch a darn thing!

I went fishing yesterday and I did not catch a thing. I did have a relaxing time.
While I was fishing I saw four very Stupid (and I mean Stupid) men riding in a small boat meant to hold at most two people. What was more shocking was the conversation the men were having about the weight limit for the little boat, 300lbs; two of the men cleared that mark by at least 100 lbs. It is one thing to do something not knowing it's wrong and dangerous another to do it deliberately. If those men would have went into the water (none were wearing life vests ) they would all have drowned in the cool water of Puget Sound and there would be nothing anyone could have done for them except call 911 and watch. I felt most sorry for the small electric trolling motor that was pushing 2 tons of stupid around the water.
I should have taken a picture.
Well a little work on the car today and then back to writing. Title for next work: The Thunderhead Rebellion.

Been sweating The Last Run's ranking, going fishing.

Well I have decided to go fishing tomorrow for a few hours. I have no other choice with the exception of  losing my mind from sweating my novel The Last Run. Well I think it is a good move and should help with writing the next book. If I catch any fish I'll let you know.

Going SciFi for my next work.

Well I changed blocks from my quarry of ideas so now my next project will be a SciFi piece. The draft is about 60 % complete and I should be finished within two months.
To give you a hint of what will be, just imagine the Revolutionary War in space. I have written biographies for the characters, designed and wrote up technology descriptions, the planetary systems have been created (In my mind. I am not God) and the ships are all ready to go (No they are not some hokey old sailing vessel in space)
While the story idea is based on the American Revolution the characters will not be dressed in that era's clothing. (There will not be illustrations. The description of appearance will reflect a hint of fashion from the era but nothing outlandish).  The Characters will not be named after or solely based on the founding fathers, they will be a mix of several individuals.
It will have mix of everything for everyone I hope! Well I have to get to work or it will remain a block of stone.

Stephen King's The Colorado Kid plus more on my typos

Just recently, like yesterday, I finished reading Stephen King's the The Colorado Kid. I won't tell you the story like some people do when they write a review. What I will do is tell you that it is a mystery that is not a mystery, a story that is not a story. Confusing?
Actually it is not. I learned that sometimes writers will be faced with what could be a story that is cut and dry but with a little leaving out of facts or implying something without basis, you can turn the story into a mystery when in fact the simple answer is the answer even though it does not seem so.
I also found myself thinking just because someone does something out of the blue and uncharacteristic they are not necessarily up to no good, it could be simply the "Spur of the Moment I want to do something different for a change." What influences the story and shapes it depends on the audience of course but mostly the reaction the writer wants out of the reader.  We see it every day in the news no matter the medium, ultimately it is colored by the person writing the article and the agency's agenda.
I learned two that sometimes it is best to just leave something the way it is to keep it from being tainted by those looking for a story. Why create dirty laundry for someone and hang it out there when there is no need to?
Speaking of create, I have found, or someone found for me, another typo in my novel. Somehow whether it be MS Word spell check or me on a roll and not thinking, I used creates when crates was what I meant. (If typos were holes in my submarine I would be on the bottom sleeping with the fishes.) I apologize to everyone and hope to have the corrected version up soon.
Thanks,
C. E. Parmele

My typo, My enemy!

Well today I will tell you about a couple things that really get under my skin and wound me deeply.
The first is the typo. You know, the misspelled word, the wrong letter, the wrong word or the left out word. I guess they may not all be considered typos, but I lump them together. I mean you are trying to look and sound professional, to produce a quality product and bam, there it is the fly in the ointment, the scratch on your new car, the flaw in the diamond, and the very booger in your cheerios. All of a sudden what looked good gets tossed in the trash. Who wants a booger? Not me.
The thing that is worse is finding out about the typo when you have uploaded your work and the whole world can see it.(It's like taking a bite of them there cheerios only to have a sibling tell you what they added to it for your enjoyment) Not good, it shows a lack of quality control.
When I was in the Navy I volunteered for Submarine duty (I was in the Navy for 12 years and was on 3 different subs. If you thought I might be crazy, well that should remove all doubt). A submarine and her crew depend on quality to ensure survival. Things are checked and rechecked and the men (and Women now) who serve on them learn to appreciate the extra effort and learn to expect quality in every thing. Though I have been out of the navy since 1997, I still think of quality control and I try to maintain this in my writing. Well you may notice I slip up. (I did not while serving in the navy)
In The Last run it has been brought to my attention I made at least 2 errors (I was hit with a bad headache when I found out). The first was during a dinner scene, I used dinning instead of dining. (apparently the people at the table were subjecting each other to loud noises)
The second has to do with a rewrite. Originally I had Beth be Lord Aubrey's wife but I decided this was not right and did not fit well. I changed everything in the draft during the rewrite that referenced the two being married. One sentence "He will not tell my husband will he?" escaped my eagle eye. (Yeah right, without my glasses I am lucky to read anything more than 3 feet away.) I want to assure everyone this is an error that will be revised and a new version uploaded and when you sync your device the new version should replace the old one. (I hope)
Errors are irritating and I feel bad when I miss them, but I have noticed that quite a few books these days have one or two typos and these are from major publishers and are in print! Still I can not just let this go without correction.
The second thing has nothing to do with typos. It has everything to do with my obsession with checking my books ranking daily. It is driving me nuts so I am laying of this for awhile and taking things as they are. If they go up? Great! If they go down? it's all good.
Well I'll catch you later.

Marketing, A salesman I am not.

One thing I will never claim to be nor have I ever claimed to be is a Salesman. I mean if I was hired to sell new cars I I was told to sell a brand new Rolls-Royce for the special price of one dollar and I had a week to do it, well let's just say the next Monday I would be out job searching. I am just not the type of person who would go into sales. I am not really a socializing type of guy. I am quite shy when it comes down to it. Yes people will say in social situations I may talk a lot but that is just nerves.
Now here is my problem, something I am not is hurting something I want to be. I want to write and have people read my creations but I find it hard to get people to my work. The new Rolls-Royce is stuck on the lot with the dollar price tag and I am hiding in my office, or the restroom (where would you be if your nerves were acting up?) Yes, people drive by the lot see the price tag but keep driving thinking something has to be wrong. Well there is nothing wrong except there is no one on the lot to explain the deal. I mean it is a perfectly good car with a lot of extras and styling (can you believe i am comparing my writing to a Rolls?) but there is no salesman to say "Hey check this deal out! No gimmick just a get to no me deal.".
If I could get people to read my books and not make a dime I would be happy but, well, I don't know. "It's free, can't be good" mind set come up to rear it's ugly head. (Damn Catch 22, A good book and movie by the way).
I will still write and still put it out there. I will try to market the book and myself (No, not that way. I'd go broke with my looks). In the end I may have a ton of books out there with only a few followers, but they will be my creations and if just one person enjoys just one of my books, then I can call myself a writer. (Never a salesman)

Pulling a block from the quarry.

Well here I am a few days removed from self-publishing my first novel online and now I am ready for my next project. Now it is time to find the perfect literary stone to carve the perfect literary statue.
Today I went into my quarry today expecting to have to cut out a new block to work with when I realized I have a couple of blocks waiting around for the sculptor to start working the stone. Well I looked at one, saw the stone had weathered some but otherwise it was solid with no cracks, a perfect stone, marble of my imagination that I could shape, polish, and refine to form a master piece. (I am glad the block is just a concept because if it was real stone I'd be suffering from back problems and a hernia.) I lifted the block and brought it to my studio and now I will begin the work and in the end I pray will become a work of art, a thing of beauty. I leave you now, my mallet and chisel in hand ready to work.

Beth, Ah Beth

I have to say that when I was writing The Last Run Beth was the hardest character to bring to life. The reason? She is a she and I am a he. I mean I am a guy and after 43 years I still have yet to figure women out so how the heck could I write a realistic character. After stressing a while I said to hell with it and did some research. I went out an rented all the chic flicks out there and watched the movies for 48 hours straight. I knew I was ready to write when I looked at my finger nails and thought I needed a manicure. I even started thinking a purse could hold more stuff than my wallet, I mean I could have several purses to go with different outfits.
Anyway I went to writing, I chose Elizabeth because there our many variations to the name's short-form, such as Beth, Liz. Lizzy, Eliza and so forth. I know some people prefer one name over another and still people would use the name the least liked. I used this to add some tension to Beth and her uncle's relationship. I also decided to have her be an orphan so she would have something in common with Stephen, Kindred Spirits. I know I may not have created the perfect female character, but I did not want her to be perfect. I did want to have the social barrier thing with her and Stephen, I mean common on what is more appealing than a "wrong side of the tracks meets up-town) relationship.
Ok, I have to say that since I have finished writing the book I have deprogrammed myself. I watched 72 hours worth of Westerns and War movies. I no longer wonder what nail polish would work to complement my clothes and am satisfied my wallet contains all I need.
Till next Time,
See ya

Stephen Hull our main protagonist

Well it is time to discuss the main man of The Last Run, Stephen Hull. First a little about his name. His Last name, Hull, is another thing I pulled from history, Specifically Captain Isaac Hull one of our heroes from the War of 1812. His first name, Stephen, is from Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey / Maturin series "Stephen Maturin" the Ship's surgeon. I chose the names because I have respect for the historical and fictional characters.
Personality: Stephen is stubborn especially when it comes to Beth. He does not like having restrictions place on him and that is why he ran away from his aunt. He loves adventure although he can be a little unsure of himself. He is constantly questioning himself about the death of his parents and friends thinking he could have saved them. He is a little shy. He would rather work doing something he enjoys than at a job that pays a lot of money. He is loyal. He looks up to the Skipper as a replacement for the father he lost.
I tried to make Stephen a toned down version of Tom Sawyer an adventurous spirit. I wanted him to have that self-doubt and show him fighting to overcome it. If you have read Tom Sawyer you will note he did not suffer from self-doubt.
In the sequel I plan on writing in the future you will see a mature Stephen using his knowledge he gained from his time with the Skipper to aid the Pacific War effort.
I hope you enjoy reading my book, The Last Run.

Ted "Skipper" Simms and John Wayne

I wrote yesterday oh how I used events from the early 1900's for the Skipper's background. Today I will tell you about something else about his character, his voice.
When I was creating the Skipper character I wanted him to be gruff, a little hard headed when it came to people he cared about safety. I wanted him to be no-nonsense and practical, I wanted him to be a student of life, someone who learned from both his successes and failure, but most of all I wanted him to have a voice, one I was familiar with from watching movies, I wanted him to be like John Wayne. I do not know if I was successful in doing this but I tried. To me John Wayne fit the bill of the Skipper, rough, tough and caring. I even tried to incorporate a sense of humor like the characters John Wayne played in the movies. I was lucky to grow up in a family where my dad liked to watch Westerns and of all I liked the ones with John Wayne. I was also lucky to grow up with a dad that watched war movies and again my favorites were the ones with, you guesses it, John Wayne.
I was only 11 when John Wayne died, but still I felt like I lost a hero. I still watch John Wayne movies and I feel that, in a way, The Last Run, is a tribute to the great actor. I know I didn't dedicate the book to Mr. Wayne, but here I want to thank him for many years of entertainment, and believe it or not, Life Lessons.

Why I wrote "The Last Run"

I guess if I want to share my writing experience then I should let you know why I wrote The Last run. The reason simply put, I wanted to write a book and torture the mind's of others through literature. No seriously, I have always liked to read and I have always had an active imagination and figured I could combine the two and what ya know, I became a writer. (A starving one).
I started to write different projects and became side tracked until the Idea for The Last run popped into my head. I was in bed drifting off to sleep when the idea hit me of writing about an old rum smuggler and World War two. I was tempted that night to start writing or at least write the idea down so I would remember it in the morning but I did not. Lucky for me I remembered the next morning and began to write. Over a period of a year I would write little bits at a time, read about different events from the 1900's and incorporate some of those events into the story to add background and form the character of the Skipper. It was like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, the picture is already there in your mind you have just got to get the right pieces in their proper place. After the year was up and the rough draft completed I put the project down for awhile, about 6 months, then I read it, noticed some pieces were not quite right so I rewrote those to make it fit into the Big Picture. It is that Big Picture I want to convey to the audience, I hope I have accomplished it.
My writing, like the characters in the book, except a few, is simple. There is no fluff, no extra wordy descriptions, no flowery prose that trails on forever just to say something simple like, Stephen Liked Beth, or like how the sea and Island look. I treat writing like a sculptor, I remove what is not needed to show the figure inside. Sometimes it is what you leave out that counts.
I plan on writing two other books related to The Last Run. One book will cover the Skipper's past, the other will cover Stephen's contribution to the war effort in the Pacific.
Right now I am working on setting up social networking pages and hopefully a new website.
Thanks for reading.
Oh if you can spread the word about this blog and my book, The Last Run.

And so it begins.

After a year, I guess closer to 2 years considering, I have finally published my first novel The Last Run. I have to say it has given me a sense of pride just to get it published even if though it was self-published. (Imagine a book publishing itself, has to be a great book to do that all by its self) Now I am suffering from what can only be called "The watched pot Syndrome". I check everyday, sometimes multiple times, to see how many copies have been sold, and like the watched pot nothing seems to be happening. It is frustrating but to be expected. Imean I have yet to really start pushing the book. I am just now coming up with an advertising campaign. We will see how it goes. If you want to know where tp find it check out Barnes and Nobles website, Amazon, or Smashwords.com, Search C. E. Parmele.
Thank you.

Taking small break

I need to catch up on writing so I am taking this week off. I have to finish a book or two that I am writing and a few short stories or I will never get published.

My love of Naval History. and Rabbits, why are they associated with Easter they don’t lay eggs?

So rabbits and Easter? Ok first let me start by saying I am not talking about a rodent as a Rabbit is a Lagomorphs. (Sounds like a B movie “The attack of the Lagomorphs).

Rabbits and Easter, the only thing I can think of is that rabbits hide in bushes leaving round little presents. Not Easter Eggs and you wouldn’t want to eat them even though they look like cocoa puffs. That is all I got on that subject.

Well now where do I start? Why do I like Naval History? Can I get by with the simple answer that I find it interesting? Probably not, so let’s start with some background.

Well I am the youngest son of a 20 year retired Air Force veteran; that would make you think I would be interested in the Air Force and enlist in that branch but I did not. I joined the Navy, one reason is because I am afraid of heights, and the other is because I wanted to serve in the submarine force. I love submarines, it is the closest you can come to being on a spaceship without leaving the earth, at least that is what I thought as a kid.

My love of Naval history did not start when I joined the Navy, but later after I reported to my first boat (that is what we call subs, boats) the USS Daniel Boone SSBN 629 as a third class electronics technician. At the time I was thinking about applying to the Naval Academy or ROTC and I figured it would not hurt to learn a little naval history. I was lucky that Capt Edward L. Beach USN (retired) published a book called ‘A 200 year History of the United States Navy’ an excellent book which I purchased and read front to back numerous times. (I bought this book in the late 80’s and I still have it)

I eventually lost my interest in becoming a Naval Officer (for various reasons. A shout out to my Friend Jose Rivera he is currently serving as one of those guys) but I did not lose interest in the History of the Navy.

I read biographies on John Paul Jones, David Farragut, Halsey, Nimitz, and many other Naval figures. I found I loved the early history the best, with heroes like Stephen Decatur, James Lawrence, William Bainbridge, Isaac Hull, and many others from the war of 1812. These officers and men were tough and they manned some fine ships like the USS Constitution, USS President, USS Congress, USS Constellation, and the USS Chesapeake. These ships showed the British navy, the most powerful navy at the time, that the US Navy was a force to be reckoned with and so did the Barbary States.

Our Navy was also one of the main reasons the Union came out on top in the Civil War. The Union Navy set up a marvelous blockade that strangled the south, nothing could be shipped in or out. (A few blockade runners managed to succeed in running the blockade, but not enough made it to be of significant help.)

I found the Spanish American war quite interesting. I know many people think of Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders charge up San Juan hill when they talk of the Spanish American War, but I think of two Naval Action: The Battle of Manila bay, and the Battle of Santiago, battles where the US navy demolished the Spanish Navy.

World War I, was mainly a British and German Naval war since the United States entered late but when we did it was our Destroyers that kept the German submarines from strangling the British isles.

World War II saw the United States Navy become the largest and greatest Navy the world has ever scene. Today we still have the Largest and Greatest navy. I find it interesting how a small Navy, brand new, built of wood with a inherited naval tradition (from Britain) would become the technologically advanced force it is today. That is 200 years of people fighting for change, people fighting against it, and events that forced change. I love it, it is something worth learning, it is something worth teaching.

Kids growing up too fast. And When should you take your dogs drivers license away?

A question that occurs to all of us who have dogs: “When do should you take your dog’s drivers license away?” The answer is right away. Come on it’s counterfeit. Who in their right mind would issue a dog a license? Now you have to consider something else. What type of dog would have a fake license? Probably a bad dog running around with a bad pack, but don’t give your dog away. I figure if your dog can pull off getting a fake license then it must be able to talk and a talking dog is worth money.

The other day I was watching a movie about the revolutionary war and I noticed the main character was a 15 year old boy. This boy was considered a man; well almost he was just shy of his sixteenth birthday. I started thinking about in the past kids grew up faster because they had to in order to survive. The kids would do more and more chores and gain more responsibility as they grew older. This declined as technology developed there was less of a need for the children to pitch in and help. Some parents still have there children do chores to help teach responsibility but not to the point as they did in the past.

Now our children have no need to worry about pitching in to survive and now they have plenty of free time. Kids today, at a very early age, want to be treated like adults, they want to grow up fast but most lack a sense of responsibility. This should be instilled by there parents but more and more often it is not. Now with technology and lack of Parental Responsibility our kids think they can do anything a grown up can do and more with out being responsible. If their actions cause a problem, harming others or breaking the law, they feel that all they need to do to make things right is say “I am sorry”. They do not think they should be held accountable for their actions but still feel they should be treated like an adult. Well as an adult you know “I am sorry” does not absolve you from being held accountable. You do something wrong you pay the price. This is something we as parents should teach our children from birth till their 18^th birthday and sometimes beyond. I am not suggesting any method of correction, but I am suggesting instilling a sense of accountability, responsibility, in our children.

Tomorrow: My love of Naval history and Rabbits, why are they associated with Easter they don’t lay eggs?

Why a Health Care Bill is constitutional according to the Constitution according to the Preamble. And Why life doesn’t have a sound track?

Ok we all have watched situation comedies and we have all heard that prerecorded laugh track. You know the one that is supposed to clue the viewer into what is funny. I understand the logic, laughter is infectious and hearing a group of people laughing can make you want to join in on the fun. Now imagine if life had a laugh track. Not good. There are sometimes when laughter might just do more harm than good, like those intimate moments with a significant other, Showering after Gym, anytime in a public restroom when bodily functions are accompanied by bodily noises. Imagine those time. How embarrassing and what an abuse of the laugh track. (Only the Disney Channel abuses the laugh track that bad.) So if someone decides to offer you a laugh track for life, just say no.

 We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

These words are the preamble to the constitution; the greatest legal document. If you notice the words there are two that standout, General Welfare. This means by definition to provide for the general well being of the citizens of our country. One thing that helps with the General Welfare is to provide access to affordable healthcare for everyone. Healthy and happy citizens help make a healthy nation.

My question how can a healthcare plan for the citizens of our country be unconstitutional when it provides for the General Welfare? By the preamble it cannot be unconstitutional.

As usual forgive my Typos.

Tomorrow: Kids growing up too fast. And When should you take your dogs drivers license away?

A look at my sanity

Well today I thought it might be a good thing to explain some of my Blog. You will notice that I start off with something weird then finish with something more serious. Well I do this for a couple of reason, one to exercise my sense of humor (what little there may be, two I think it is good to relax and open your mind before you get into something serious like The Constitution.

I always found that when I was in school I learned more from teachers that were relaxed and easing going, you know the ones with a sense of humor. I figure this should work for most people and try to incorporate this into my writing.

So no I do not have a weird obsession with rodents, hamsters are my favorite animals, well next to penguins. So no I am not into small rodents. I’ll leave that to certain actors (or where the rodents into them. Never mind I don’t want to know).

Besides liking to have a good laugh now and again I love to learn and even teach others what I have learned or tell people how I see things in the hopes it might be of some help. I may joke around even when I am writing about history or other subject I love but when it comes down to it I value these subjects and take them serious for these are the building blocks of our future.

I am blowing off proof reading this as I am running out of time till bed time. So Catch you all tomorrow. The topics: Why a Health Care Bill is constitutional according to the Constitution according to the Preamble. And Why life doesn’t have a sound track?

Social Responsibility and why are some of the weirdest and funniest looking animals in Australia? I'll give some examples.

Well here we are a new week and how better to start it off a holiday and a new Blog. Yes, once again I allow a glimpse into my inner self, the essence of me, what a person might call my psyche or mind.

Well over the weekend I have pondered many things and I have found myself wondering about God’s sense of humor. Yes he has one. How else to you explain the platypus? Why I was contemplating this? I noticed that besides the Platypus God had placed many other interesting animals in Australia. Yes the land down under seems to have a menagerie of comical looking beasts. Below I will list a few.

Platypus          I know I mentioned it already but come on? Tell me this animal was not put together with left over parts. It’s a mammal, has a duck like bill, a beaver tail, and lays eggs, and so it can be taken serious the mail has poisonous spurs on its hind legs.

Kangaroo        First off it hops has a big tail and a pouch to raise its young. Plus the real meaning of Kangaroo according to myth is “I don’t understand you” supposedly this is what the aboriginal peoples said when asked what the animal’s name was.

Koala               Natures true teddy bear that eats eucalyptus leaves. I wonder if they ever need cough drops?

Emus               The big ugly bird that is sometimes raised for meat. Keep KFC away from this bird. They would need a deep fat fryer the size of a hot tub.

Echidna           Related to the platypus, this is another animal that lays eggs. Kind of a porcupine anteater.

Australian Funnel-web Spider            Had to isolate this bad boy. A nasty Arachnid.

There are many others these are only a few. But think about they are all weird, except the spider

Look where these guys live, Australia.

Now on to my look at Social Reponsibility.

Our Constitution and the Bill of Rights, a wonderful instrument that is key to playing the song of freedom, gives us rights and power. This is good and when used responsibly there is nothing that cannot be accomplished. The problem is people seem to think that since they have rights they cannot be held responsible for what happens when they exercise these rights. They can care less as long as they can do what they want, when, and where they want.

We have our free speech, our freedom of religion, our right to assemble, free press, the right to petition these are our first amendment rights the ones we can actively use every day. These should be called our active rights. (Not getting into Right to bear arms) These are powerful weapons that can be used to bring about justice, to point out wrongs and make them right, to let the people be heard, to help shape our government. There is a problem these are all too frequently used with out regard to how they may negatively affect others. The turmoil it might cause in our society for no other reason than to spread hate.

We need to think before we exercise our rights, consider others, and consider what we are trying to say. We need to be responsible to society, to each other and use our rights in a responsible way. Maybe the Bill of Rights should have contained a responsibility clause but who would determine what responsible use is? The individual, each one of us.

Responsibility in politics and the media, plus why daytime talk shows are our best defense against space aliens.

First I still have the sinus thing so typos and grammatical errors, well I am sorry.

Ok let us start out with what concerns everybody, something that keeps us up at nights; Space Aliens. Come on how many times have you lay awake at night worrying about those little green or grey men from Zeta Reticuli, where ever that is. Well I am here to put those fears to rest. We have a defense shield, unintentional and manmade.  

First off understand that what protects us is also what let them little guys no where we are. A guy from Italy named Marconi invented this thing called the radio and man in his great wisdom used this contraption to transmit all kinds of stuff, like music, news and other entertainment. Well our far off neighbors were cruising around their little space turf and wham, they start picking up this weird signal from a little blue planet far away. Well they paid little attention until around the 1920’s they started picking up TV signals and they said “Hey let’s check this out.” About 20 or so light years away from earth they hit what I call the Springer, Maury, Montel barrier.

This is a protective shield of crappy TV that scares the hell out of highly intelligent beings. This barrier currently extends about 20 Light years from Earth and expands at the rate of 1 year per year. The aliens hit this area, see the shows and say’s “We were wrong these beings cannot be intelligent and actually seem to moving backwards in development. Do we contact these people and risk contaminating our culture? No let’s turn around now before it is too late.” I mean think about the shows and subject matter? Need I say more?

The second part of the blog. We teach our children not to call people names because it is not nice. We teach them so think before they speak. Can someone teach politicians and certain news outlets the same lessons? Just because some one or group thinks different than you, is it necessary to call them pinheads? I mean you are trying to show why your way is a better way and you are trying to sound intelligent; why act like a child and name call? Why?

Facts, Facts, not names.

Doing Taxes

I am doing taxes. It sucks That is the blog for today.

My take on the 2nd amendment and Why Sci-Fi is bad for traffic jams.

It was a sad weekend for our Nation and especially the people of Arizona. I want to send my sympathies and Prayers to those affected by this tragedy.

Okay let us look at why Sci-Fi is bad for Traffic Jams. Check out the scenario below:

A super sci-fi fan is heading home from his job as a programmer for some big software company.

He is driving an all-electric car one of the few futuristic things he owns and something he should have recharged the night before. He is driving along, hmmm, let us say I-5, 405, I-90, or 520, or any other high traffic roadways in the Seattle area. (Yes Seattle, come on he is a sci-fi nerd where else would he be?) He is put-putting along then wham, traffic just comes to a complete stop. He is in a hurry and wants to get home before his favorite show comes on. (He forgot to set up his cable box to record it.) He looks to his GPS the one with the pleasant female voice and the only female voice he’ll here all day besides the one gothic co-worker who works down the hall.

He tries desperately to find an alternate route to no use; he is stuck. He starts to stew.

To take his mind off things he thinks of different sci-fi shows and some of the fancy gadgets that will exist in the future, like flying cars. He thinks about how when he was younger he thought the flying car would exist by now and he feels let down, he stews a little more.

An hour or so goes by and he wishes there was a transporter to instantly, well transport him from one place to another. He realizes this will probably never happen and again he stews.

His anger is stewed enough where he dreams of phasers and photon torpedoes to blast away the vehicles in front of him to clear his way. This bit puts a smile on his face for a moment.

Hours later, the sun long set, his show half way over, and his car battery about dead the traffic lets up and he is free. Still stewing he hurries as fast as the Energizer Bunny can carry  him but 5 minutes his home his car dies. He wishes his darn car ran on something more futuristic some endless supply of power and he reaches the boiling point. Behind him he sees head lights approach right up to his bumper, angry he flips the bird to the newcomer. Blue lights flash and he really wants that transporter. Traffic and Sci-Fi bad combo.

The 2^nd  Amendment another highly debated part of the Bill of Rights. There are different interpretations as there are stars in the sky it seems. Some people see it as the right to posses a gun and use it how ever they want. Others believe it is to keep the government in check, still others see it a basic right for defense of family and property.

Intent is the key here. What was the intent of our founding fathers? To understand that, we need to understand the situation at the time the constitution was written. In the beginning of our country we did not have a real standing army to protect the country and its citizens from the external dangers (other nations)

And most towns did not have law enforcement. Seeing the writers of the constitution wrote the amendment so our nation would be protected. The intent was not for the citizens to raise arms against the government if they were to become dissatisfied. The constitution is written to take the dissatisfied citizens, the freedom of speech, the right to assembly, and change our representation (our lawmakers and therefore laws).

In our modern times with our Armed forces (including the National Guard our states’ militia) we do not have to rely on a militia to protect our Nation and way of life. Some may use this argument as reason to repeal (I don’t think it can done) the second amendment, I do not agree. Why I believe that there is virtually no need for citizens to form a militia to protect us today, I do believe in the right to bear arms to protect ones self and family. I also believe there our individuals who should not have access to firearms because they are either criminal elements, unstable, or both. There is the rub. How do you determine who should not posses a gun? Hard to do.

  I do not own a firearm, nor do I want to ever, but I will not limit some ones write to as longs as they are competent and do not intend to use it for criminal purposes.

Never should violence be used in our country to change our lawmakers, use the constitution not abuse it.

 Any errors are because I am watching the BCS Championship.

Why the ends don’t justify the means and why is cheese the last meal a mouse eats.

First I will apologize for this being late, sorry. Now on to main event; the crap I put on here that some might find entertaining.

First, why is cheese the last meal a mouse eats? Fairly simple, it’s what the trap was baited with. Do you think a mouse would want cheese for a last meal? I would want prime rib, baked potato with the works, Broccoli (yes the vegetable some consider evil), Corn on the cob, a big slab of chocolate cake, and an ice cold Coke to wash it down. But I am not a mouse so what do I know?

Why the ends do not always justify the means? Well if the means, the way you go about doing things, steps on toes of the innocent then the end result is not enough to justify it. Unfortunately this happens all over, from the individual person all the way to the corporation and even nations.

Dictators rule by fear then flaunt their own low crime statistics (not that the statistics are accurate, they are not) while the innocent are tortured and punished.

The company that mistreats its workers to offer low prices and big profits.

The government worker who kills the funding for poor to save money and receive a bonus.

The drug dealer who sells drugs to buy whatever they want.

These examples have victims that are not considered only the end result is and there are many more that I have not listed. We all have seen it, and some of us have, probably everyone, used the “Ends justifies the means” philosophy. No matter how you look at it if there is an innocent victim it is not right.

Well a weekend break and I’ll be back next week spouting off more of this stuff and boring the readers to heaven. Pardon any errors just a little tired.

A little of my history and why hamsters are short.

As per usual I will start with the simple stuff first. Why hamsters are short? Because they are rodents and if they were 6 feet tall how would they fit in a hamster wheel? Imagine filling the 50 gallon water bottle, kids won’t fill a normal size one as it is. What about when the inevitable when the darn thing passes away? How ya going to keep the kids from noticing that 300 lb Mr. Fluffy is not just taking a long nap before he goes to live on a farm in the country. How do you explain the big hole dug in the back yard?  Kind of hard to explain the Glad body bag.

Ok enough of the hamster talk let us talk about me or at least a little of my History.

I was born in 1968 in Ohio, Wright-Patterson AFB to be exact. I was mainly raised in Carrabelle, Florida a small fishing town on the Northern Gulf coast. Carrabelle is a nice quite town but said to say it did not have much to offer me, but that is just me. I joined the Navy right after High School and volunteered for Submarines, I always loved them.

I was stationed on 3 subs on of them twice. My first sub, and where I qualified and received my Dolphins, was the USS Daniel Boone SSBN 629 homeported out of Charleston, S.C. but refitted out of Kingsbay, Georgia. I was on that boat from 87 to 89 then I transferred to Bangor, Washington near Seattle.

The boat I was assigned to was the USS Florida SSBN 728, an Ohio class Trident submarine. I stayed on that boat till 1991 then it was off to shore duty as an Instructor for a couple years.

After instructor duty I was sent to the USS Michigan SSBN 727 for a few years then back to the USS Florida my last submarine. I was medically discharged in 1997 but that is another story.

I liked the sub service it had its ups and down, laugh it’s a pun, met some great and not so great people. I received some great schooling in Electronics and navigation systems. I loved being a technician, I loved troubleshooting finding out what went wrong and fixing it. If I had my way that is all I would have done in the navy, be a technician, but the needs of the navy said otherwise.

Now I am basically retired, I still consider myself a submariner and always will just like I consider myself a technician, it is in my nature. If something goes wrong, I want to know what, why, when, and if it can be repaired. Sometimes, when a family member or friend’s computer or other electronic device fails, I am asked to take a look at it. I act like it is a bother but I really enjoy it. I like finding the answer, probably why I like watching “House”, now there is a troubleshooter, a little too much of an Easter Egger for my taste though.

Well due to a pain in the neck, a real one not a person, I will cut this short and post it.

Tomorrow: Why the ends don’t justify the means and Why is cheese the last meal a mouse eats.

I really have to get away from these rodent topics.

Why we need to know our History, and Gift Certificates that might not be a good idea.

Ok let’s tackle the easiest on first. Gift Certificates great things for when you don’t now what to give or for those who have a habit of returning gifts. They are offered by many businesses for products or services; but there are a few that might not be a good idea to give or receive. I will list a few below:

Gift Certificate for Psychological Services  –imagine the message this sends.

Gift Certificate for Dental Work –It might be a good thing but someone might be offended.

Gift Certificate for Plastic Surgery –See above

Now let us look at a scenario. You are pressed for time, an important day is approaching and you do not know what to get for your significant other. By chance you are looking through some newspaper or magazine and “Pow” it hits you; there on a page is an advertisement for plastic surgery specifically a gift certificate. You remember your significant other complaining about a certain part of their body they wish could be better. After a moment, a very brief moment, you said why not. You bounce the idea off a friend or co-worker; they smile and say you might as well get one for Therapy and dental too. You think it is a great idea and charge out the door before the person explains that they were joking.

You arrive home with card and certificates in hand on the important day proud of yourself.

Here is why you should not be proud and why you will be the one using the certificate.

Upon opening the card (at first there is a smile) your significant looks at each certificate and the smile vanishes, or that is the last thing you remember.

You wake up in the hospital wondering why you are there. You want to ask a question but find your jaw is wired shut and your nose hurts like hell. Still not clear on what happened you check out but when you checkout you are told the stay was covered by your Dental and Plastic surgery gift certificates. As you go to leave you are handed an appointment card for a therapist and told the sessions were covered by the Psychology Certificate. Lucky you right?

The lesson here is never by a gift that insinuates your significant other has a problem it might come back to bite you or at least keep you from biting. No one likes being told about their flaws especially on those important dates.

Ok now that I got that crap out of my system let’s get on to history.

When I was in the Navy I had a shipmate who was complaining about his son’s report card, specifically the grade in history. It was not because his son did bad that his son had to take history in the first place. According to my shipmate history is useless. I was taken aback. I am a history buff and find history very useful; in fact I think it is the most important subject.

I think we learn from our past, mistakes and successes, and these lessons are what we should use to shape our future. When I see memorial with the inscription “Lest we forget” I take it onboard I try to understand the event, the people, and what I would do in the situation.

I believe if we forget our past, we limit our future.

I believe if we forget our past, we are bound to make the same mistakes over and over again.

I believe if we forget our past, we forget our successes and how to succeed.

I believe if we forget our past, we lose our understanding of our fellow man.

I believe if we forget our past, we forget ourselves.

History it is the stuff futures are made of!

Tomorrow a little of my history and why hamsters are short.

“The Constitution and Freedom of Religion” or “Why is it so cold?”

Yesterday, I said I would write on one of two subjects. If you read my blog or the title of todays, you know which ones. Well I decided to cover the simple one: Why is it so cold?

After considerable thought and research I have determined it is cold because, it is winter.

Ok that was short and sweet, maybe too short. So I guess I have to cover Freedom of Religion, probably the most controversial and debated Amendment of the Bill of Rights of the Constitution. Well it is part of the 1^st amendment which includes freedom of speech, right to petition, and assembly; so one can only expect to have controversy here, not as bad as that third amendment, that quartering thing, that is abused all the time. (Actually it isn’t but I could not resist.)

Most people think of prayer in school and “In God We Trust” on our currency, some are for some are against. The pledge of allegiance is another one, people get stuck on the “One nation under God”; I think that is a minor thing but others do not.

The main argument for people wanting prayer in School, “In God We Trust”, or the Pledge of Allegiance is that our founding fathers were men of God. Well yes and no, while most were, there were significant differences in there beliefs. Some of our Founding Fathers were Quakers, Catholics, Anglican, and an Atheist or two. Thomas Jefferson was thought to be a deist while John Adams was a Unitarian.  The Point here is that they had different views on religion but understood it would not be right for them to use the government to force their beliefs on the populace. They knew this because they had experienced what government sanctioned religion could do; it could limit freedom and opportunities.

At the time of the American Revolution and quite a few years before, the British (United Kingdom, depends on what year you are talking about) had a policy to limit who could hold office: such as government, Military, even Royal. Using laws such as the Test Act (not a written test. don’t you hate those?) that required an oath to renounce the Pope before one could hold office. Others that were excluded from office were Jews, Muslims, and pretty much anyone who was not part of a sanctioned government religion. (I.E the Church of England) Talk about being limited in what you could do. Lucky for us we have the 1^st Amendment; the law in the UK was changed in the mid 1800’s (It was the UK then all that Act of Union stuff had taken place by then.)

It is not just because of limiting of public office stuff that the Freedom of Religion was added to the Constitution (yes added to as part of The Bill Of Rights not written into the main part, but that is another story for another day), most people just don’t like being told what and when you can worship or even that you have to believe in God. Oh if you are thinking I am an atheist for arguing for the separation of Church and State your wrong I am a Christian and believe the only way to keep my freedom to worship is if the Government keeps their nose out.

I do think we would have had fewer problems if the founding fathers would have used a more modern and politically correct term like “belief system” this would have been a catch and would have included atheists so we would not have their beliefs jammed down our throats. Imagine debating politically correct language during the Constitutional Convention, we’d still be governed under the Articles of Confederation (no not the Southern Confederates).

So you can take away organized prayer in school, you can take away “In god we trust” from my money, and you can take “One nation under God” from the pledge of Allegiance, Just don’t take away my Freedom of Religion.

A New Year, A New Blog.

Well here we are just a few days into the New Year and I have finally started one of my New Year’s Resolutions, a daily blog, at least on the weekdays.

For all of you who do not know who I am, I am Charles Parmele but go by Chuck. If you want to know more just check this blog out and you will get a better picture of me, well my thoughts and how I perceive things. Keep in mind that the key word is perceive as in how I see things, how my mind process this based on past experience to come up with a final product, an idea.

I know that some of my ideas might not match up to other people’s, but that is ok I am an individual just as you are, and this is good. Also if you don’t like it I will not say “tough luck” like some people out there; if you can provide a logical argument I’ll take it onboard and who knows it might help me see things differently. Now if your input is something along the lines of “That is stupid” or “you suck” well guess what I’ll most likely do? You got it, I will ignore you. I will leave the post so others can enjoy your awesome literary abilities. I think it will be positive here though.

Now leaving on a positive note I’ll give you a hint of what I may write about tomorrow.

“The Constitution and Freedom of Religion” or “Why is it so cold?”