The Illusion of Permanence

We spend a lot of time trying to preserve the illusion of permanence.
I haven’t given it a lot of thought over the years – a luxury of youth and a culture of denial, I’m sure. But let’s face it, I’m getting on in years, and the evidence of our transience is poking its head out at me more and more.
This feeling isn’t particularly new. Over the years, I’ve seen buildings come down and be replaced. Sections of Europe, Africa and Asia have changed names and borders drastically since I used to draw maps for fun in my teens. People I’ve known are gone from my life, either because they’ve moved, or gone through some more permanent change of status.
And to think – this has all been brought front of mind because our dog Katy is dead.
I know nothing in our world is permanent, but you can’t go through life without assuming that SOMETHING that’s here now is going to be here tomorrow. I’ve known for over a year that Katy was going to be gone “soon”, but how soon, no one could actually KNOW. I trust our vet enough that it’s not TOO farfetched to consider trusting him with MY OWN LIFE (you may not realize this, but veterinarians have to go through more schooling than your usual doctor), but we asked him when Katy was 12 how much longer she had, and he thought maybe a year of 2. She made it 4 more.
I had to approach those 4 years as though Katy was going to be around “forever” to all intents and purposes. When it was time to buy her food, I went with the usual 6 month supply – I didn’t say “You know, she might be dead in a month – let’s just buy 1 week at a time.” Same with her medications.
Part of the bio I have included in my various postings, ePublications, and even my physical POD books on Createspace, mention our “nine-pound westie who…” keeps us all in line, or some such thing. I did this without considering that all these things would be out there with information that was no longer valid. The evidence that neither Katy, nor anything else lasts forever is everywhere.
So, even by trying to pretend that nothing will pass, our efforts to ignore mortality just help to bring it home even more. But then, how else could we achieve anything as human beings, or leave a legacy, if we didn’t persist in this illusion that somehow, what we leave behind will last forever. What would be the point?
Just saying….

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William Mangieri’s writing can be found in many places, including:

·         His Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B008O8CBDY

·         Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/william-mangieri?store=book&keyword=william+mangieri

·         Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/NoTimeToThink

Connect with him on Facebook at:   http://www.facebook.com/NoTimeToThink

Katy - Sixteen Years a Dog

Katy was JUST a dog.
Let’s get that out in the open from the start. I’m not one of those people who think that animals have equal standing with people, and CERTAINLY NOT among the ones who consider animals more worthy of life than human beings.
Nor did I go around showing pictures of my furry white “baby” to people I know, let alone strangers. The dog was not my daughter, nor was she my son’s sister. I think we all understand the genetics of it, but I’m also not confused about it on an emotional bonding level. If our ship was going down, and I could only save either my son or the dog, there is NO DOUBT in my mind that I would be saying goodbye to my four-legged friend.
People say that their pets are family members. I understand the thought (heck, with some you can even see the resemblance), but there is still a distance there that no amount of willful personification is going to bridge. A dog is not your next of kin – it’s an animal.
And yet…
Last week I had to decide whether it was time for our dog to stop living (there’s another difference – Jack Kavorkian notwithstanding, I would not make the decision to put my family members “to sleep.”) Katy had spent all but 6 weeks of her sixteen-plus years with us, and she was deaf, blind, hobbled, sick and confused, and it was time for her to stop.
What is it about dogs? I’ve heard it said that we get along better with them and think more fondly of them than people because DOGS DON’T TALK BACK. That may be true with some dogs, but Katy talked back plenty (don’t ask me what she was saying – I’m not THAT far gone.) She was cantankerous. Disagreeable. Disobedient.
Most of the time she acted on her own initiative – went places we didn’t want her to, ate things she shouldn’t. Annoying things. Just like the people in your life. Like having a toddler for 16 years, getting into mischief and needing to be taken care of. But a toddler is a person, and Katy was JUST a dog.
The fact is, as much as I can go on about dogs NOT being people, Katy somehow managed to fool us. There were so many times (when she was younger and more mobile) that Katy would seem to understand that someone in the family was hurting, and she’d quiet herself down from making a ruckus, stop chasing my son around the house, and lay down next to the hurting person, as if to say “It’s okay – I’m here.”
I will never know what she was really thinking, sitting there, staring at us with those black, unfathomable eyes, but I do know she picked up on things about us that we didn’t even notice ourselves.
I think dogs do empathy and unconditional love better than people do. Maybe it’s because they don’t really understand our words we use to express (or cover up) our feelings – they just get the tone. And they pick up on things that we aren’t aware of at all. What does fear smell like? Sorrow? Pain? Joy?
I will miss her and her rambunctiousness, and the change of pace she brought to our lives. She was just a dog, but she was so woven into our lives, that it’s still like losing a family member, and her absence leaves a hole that will never be filled or replaced.

Just saying… 

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William Mangieri’s writing (including his latest collection - Even More Things I Could Get OUT OF MY MIND) can be found in many places, including:

·         His Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B008O8CBDY

·         Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/william-mangieri?store=book&keyword=william+mangieri

·         Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/NoTimeToThink

Connect with him on Facebook at:   http://www.facebook.com/NoTimeToThink

Just the Facts

In civilized society, we are often in situations where “it just isn't polite” to say what you think. In polite company, you don’t bring up politics or religion, for fear of offending.

But how far should you carry this politeness? Do you remain silent when someone else in the gathering isn't? When should you speak the truth?
ALWAYS.
I've felt for a long time now that we’re living in two alternate universes. Despite the fact that facts aren't personal, people seem to be wandering around under the influence of facts of convenience. I’m convinced that the world would be a better place - and my country in better shape – if we all had the same facts. Even if it does make some people uncomfortable.
Democracy demands an educated and informed electorate.
Of course, it might be gentler and more productive to let people try to think through the discrepancies themselves.
If the economy has been in recovery for over four years, why is it so important to extend unemployment benefits? Why are record numbers of people on food stamps? Why are more and more people dropping out of the workforce?
If the climate experts know their science so well, why did they have to change their pronouncement of “global warming” to “global climate change”? And if our industry is causing warming, why was it warmer in the middle ages than it is in our industrial times? How was our production of greenhouse gases causing Mars to get warmer at the same time?
If showing the rest of the world our peaceful intentions will improve the world, why is Iran still trying to build nukes? Al-Qaeda on the rise? Russia in the Ukraine?
If you really care about working people at the lower end of the financial spectrum, why do you push for an increase in minimum wage (which will eliminate entry level jobs)? Why would you refuse to enforce immigration laws (when the illegals you champion are taking more of those low-income jobs)?  
If you repeatedly say things that aren't true (our ambassador was killed over a video, you can keep your doctor, Al-Qaeda is on the run, he was just a guy in the neighborhood, the science is settled, we are more respected around the world), what does that make you?  
Just saying….

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After 4 weeks, "In a Flash", my first Jimmy Delaney story, will cease to be FREE on Smashwords tonight.

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William Mangieri’s writing can be found in many places, including:

·         His Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B008O8CBDY

·         Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/william-mangieri?store=book&keyword=william+mangieri

·         Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/NoTimeToThink

Connect with him on Facebook at:   http://www.facebook.com/NoTimeToThink

The Little Red Hen, She Ain’t What She Used to Be

(Can you hear that song running through your head?)

I mentioned the story of The Little Red Hen recently to someone and was surprised that they didn’t seem to have heard of it (this is what happens when you decide to diversify your culture – the underpinning values of your society unravel because the common touch-points that help preserve those values are disappeared from the next generation’s education.)
For those of you who also don’t know it, here’s my fast summary: The Little Red Hen (LRH) finds a grain of wheat, and asks for help from various farmyard neighbors at each stage (planting, harvesting, threshing, milling, baking) as she tries to create a loaf of bread, and at each stage NO ONE is willing to pitch in and help. Finally, the LRH shows off the fruits of her labor (a loaf of bread) and asks who will help eat the bread, and all who refused to help before now volunteer to eat with her. But they’re disappointed when LRH declares that since NO ONE helped her, NO ONE will get to eat other than the LRH’s chicks.
If you notice, this story has a moral – if you aren’t willing to work or contribute to an endeavor, you don’t deserve a reward from that endeavor. Additionally – those who are willing to work deserve to enjoy the fruit of their labor. This is a VERY capitalist moral – perhaps that’s part of the reason it’s disappearing from our cultural literacy.
We live in a society that seems to be increasingly filled with people who think that work is a bad thing, and that NO ONE should be FORCED to labor for anything. These people think they are ENTITLED to any number of things that are PROGRESSIVEly labeled as a right (food, healthcare, cell phones, transportation, a “living wage”,…)
Here’s an excellent blog posting by Amanda Green – http://accordingtohoyt.com/2014/02/24/you-are-not-entitled-a-guest-post-by-amanda-green/  (thank you, Sarah Hoyt for this post appearing on your site.)
Amanda’s post is in relation to the publishing industry and discusses the feeling of entitlement expressed by newbie amateurs trying to break into the stratosphere, but it APPLIES TO EVERYTHING else in the land of those who work and the people who want what they have without having to.
I wouldn’t be surprised if The Little Red Hen were to resurface, only in a politically correct form:
The LRH decides because she has nothing better to do that she will go about creating a loaf of bread. She asks the other animals to help, but they are all busy freeing themselves from the jail of labor (so they can be artists?), and refuse.  The fateful day comes when the bread comes out of the oven, and the EVIL LRH refuses to share what all the animals have a God given right to. This is unthinkable. Did the LRH make the sunlight? The water? The planet earth that the wheat grows on? No of course not – the LRH DIDN’T BUILD THAT, and yet she thinks she has authority to decide who she will share with. The grumbling animals appeal to the Farmer, who chastises the LRH, confiscates the bread, takes away her chicks so they can be taught to be less selfish, and to make sure that no one goes hungry, buries the hatchet by having the LRH over for dinner. (The self-satisfied complainers probably don’t notice that the LRH has disappeared, and won’t care until they receive their turn at the Farmer’s table.)
All creatures have needs, and drives to support those needs, but they can be retrained and redirected. It used to be that hard work was rewarded – now it seems that we are attempting to devalue that hard work by taking from those who produce and giving to those who refuse to participate. Eventually, the producers will realize how foolish they are being, and that it’s easier to just climb aboard the gravy train with everyone else.
But if the producers do this – if there is no advantage to producing – who will produce? With the incentive to work removed, the system either collapses, or changes into one where everyone is a slave, forced to work for the distant, mysterious “all.”
Think people – where is the magic box out of which all the food, ipads, healthcare flow? There is no money tree. What is taken away from others now for your benefit can (and will) be taken away from you and your children.
Don’t take what isn’t yours. If you want to get ahead, stop complaining about what other people have -get on out there and WORK for it.
Just saying…

<<<>>> 

"In a Flash", my first Jimmy Delaney story, will be FREE on Smashwords for ONE MORE WEEK – here’s the smashwords link:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/120247?ref=notimetothink

Check it out! Give it a read, and then rate and review it, and tell your friends. If you like it, continue with "Mixed Signals" and "The Right Idea."  Thanx!

<<<>>> 

William Mangieri’s writing can be found in many places, including:

·         His Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B008O8CBDY

·         Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/william-mangieri?store=book&keyword=william+mangieri

·         Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/NoTimeToThink

Connect with him on Facebook at:   http://www.facebook.com/NoTimeToThink

What is Survival?

What does it mean to survive? Is it to be free? Rich? Breathing? Just short of starving? Not dead yet?
How do you see things? Is the glass:

a.    half full?

b.    half empty?

c.    too big? (thank you, George Carlin)

Survival metrics aren’t just about optimism vs. pessimism – it’s a matter of perspective. We all have our own unique frame of reference. What for one person is intolerable might be like paradise for another. A matter of degrees - speaking of degrees, I’m almost like the frog in boiling water – I stay in the cauldron far longer than I should. BUT I do manage to get out, although it seems to be by the hand of some invisible benefactor (who may have put me in there in the first place – no, that was my responsibility. Even though it is fashionable nowadays and play the victim, blaming ANYONE ELSE for your own problems, I will own mine. There but for the grace of God…)
Some people don’t tolerate things for as long as I do. Where are you? Finish this statement: That which doesn’t kill me

a.    will next time.

b.    isn’t worth worrying about.

c.    was sloppy and won’t survive the night.

d.    makes me stronger.

Some dictators and bullies rely on an ability to over-power your resistance. Some are craftier, and learn how to keep you on the edge. This is hard to do with huge masses of a pluralistic society, dealing with the differing values of the individuals. It’s easier if they wipe out those values, redefine the survival metric - lower the bar.
We all have a survival instinct. What’s your limit – the thing that registers a perceived threat and makes your instinct kick in for either fight or flight.
What’s your comfort level? What is an acceptable Quality of Life? Have you allowed someone else to lower your expectations? Have you been putting up with things that you could change? Then it’s time to raise the bar on your survival.
Just saying… 

<<<>>> 

"In a Flash", my first Jimmy Delaney story, will be FREE on Smashwords for another two weeks – here’s the smashwords link:   https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/120247?ref=notimetothink 

Check it out! Give it a read, and then rate and review it, and tell your friends. If you like it, continue with "Mixed Signals" and "The Right Idea."  Thanx!

<<<>>> 

William Mangieri’s writing can be found in many places, including:

·         His Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B008O8CBDY

·         Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/william-mangieri?store=book&keyword=william+mangieri

·         Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/NoTimeToThink

Connect with him on Facebook at:   http://www.facebook.com/NoTimeToThink

Give Up! Surrender

That’s the message we get from liberals. Excuse me – PROGRESSIVES.

·         It’s too complicated to improve your own lot in life; SURRENDER and we’ll give you FOOD STAMPS.

·         All those choices can be confusing; SURRENDER and let US make your decisions for you.

·         Freedom and Liberty are wonderful concepts, but they are really hard to live by; SURRENDER yours and we’ll take care of you.

·         It isn’t fair that anyone should have to WORK for a living; SURRENDER your ambition and you can have welfare.

·         Getting old is a burden; SURRENDER your right to decide your own HEALTHCARE and we’ll give you a pill. For FREE!

·         Don’t fight us or disagree with us; SURRENDER to us or we’ll sick the IRS on you.

·         Why should you have to do without? SURRENDER your children’s future to our MASSIVE DEBT and we’ll let you have some of their money.

·         It’s impossible to stop terrorist regimes from getting Weapons of Mass Destruction (besides, what right do we have?); it’s easier to JUST SURRENDER.

Conservatives should have a different message – it’s about PERSERVERANCE. It’s been the AMERICAN WAY since its founding, and what’s made this country the greatest the world has ever seen.

·         You CAN improve your lot in life; work hard and we’ll get out of your way.

·         You have a right to make your own decisions; if you make a mistake, get back up and try again.

·         Freedom and Liberty are what give you opportunity; we don’t want to take yours from you.

·         WORK is what you do with your own time and energy, and you deserve the fruits of that effort.

·         You have a right to make your own healthcare decisions without a bureaucrat telling you what you can or CAN’T do.

·         You have a right to your opinion; we will use the government to uphold that right EVEN IF YOU DISAGREE WITH US.

·         It is immoral to cripple our children’s future to prevent our own financial discomfort; we WILL NOT SPEND THIS COUNTRY INTO OBLIVION.

·         One of the few legitimate duties of the government is to protect its citizens from those who would do it harm – we have EVERY RIGHT to protect ourselves; WE WILL NOT SURRENDER.

Conservatives need to pound this message home. Government isn’t the solution – it skims off the top and produces nothing while demonizing and shackling the true producers.
It’s time to stand up. You think life isn’t fair? You’re right, Virginia, but no man can make it otherwise. Get over it – dig in and do your part – you’ll be better for it. We all will.

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In a Flash, my first Jimmy Delaney story, will be FREE on Smashwords for another three weeks – here’s the smashwords link:   https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/120247?ref=notimetothink 

Check it out! Give it a read, and then rate and review it, and tell your friends. Thanx!

<<<>>> 

William Mangieri’s writing can be found in many places, including:

·         His Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B008O8CBDY

·         Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/william-mangieri?store=book&keyword=william+mangieri

·         Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/NoTimeToThink

Connect with him on Facebook at:   http://www.facebook.com/NoTimeToThink

The B.I.T. Experiment Ends – In a Flash

Last night I ended my 2-week experiment of making B.I.T. a free book – it is now back up to $.99 on smashwords. I will republish it on Amazon and B&N once the FREE has gone away at the retailers that smashwords distributes to (otherwise, I’d be in violation of Amazon and B&N’s policies.)
So, after putting B.I.T. out for free for 2 weeks, what do I see?
There were 12 downloads of the free story on Smashwords (the story has been sitting there for 2 YEARS without a single sale, so that one stat improved. However, I had anticipated that a number of things would happen as a result of the inevitable downloads (because free, is, after all, FREE):

1.     Increased traffic to my other stories (not that I can tell)

2.    Increased sales of my other stories (I didn’t sell anything during the 2 weeks of free B.I.T.)

3.    The people who downloaded the story would rate it (12 downloads, NOT A SINGLE RATING)

4.    The people who downloaded B.I.T. would review it (Nope – same results as in #3 above)

Did I gain anything? Not that I can see? Of course, I didn’t lose anything either (if a story sold 0 in 2 years, the average sales for 2 weeks is …0, off of which I made… $0.)
There is something more that needs to be done here. I need to get the word out – increase my visibility on the internet. BUT HOW?
I will continue to research this…
It is also possible that:

1.     People who get things for free are looking for them to be TOTALLY FREE. Why should they have to put in the HARD work of clicking a STAR rating? Or typing actual WORDS in a review? Free stories are an ENTITLEMENT, aren’t they? Shows you how inspirational free stuff can be, doesn’t it?

2.    The story just wasn’t good enough (or bad enough) to bother commenting on.

3.    The story wasn’t interesting enough to cause people to download it for FREE like maniacs.

4.    I dunno what went wrong.

So, now what do I do? I’m inclined to try the experiment again, to make sure the results on B.I.T. weren’t an aberration. (That’s right, Bill – double down, you fool.)
I’ve made In a Flash FREE on smashwords and its retailers (see link in the section below.) This is the first story in my Detective Jimmy Delaney series, and in addition to the other benefits I had hoped to see in a FREE promotion, people who read it (and like it) may be more inclined to read (and maybe even PAY for) the other stories in the series.
Let’s see what happens with this one…

 <<<>>> 

In a Flash, my first Jimmy Delaney story, will be FREE on Smashwords for the next four weeks – here’s the smashwords link:   https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/120247?ref=notimetothink 

Check it out! Give it a read, and then rate and review it, and tell your friends. Thanx!

<<<>>> 

William Mangieri’s writing can be found in many places, including:

·          His Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B008O8CBDY

·          Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/william-mangieri?store=book&keyword=william+mangieri

·          Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/NoTimeToThink

Connect with him on Facebook at:   http://www.facebook.com/NoTimeToThink