The coming weeks are going to see some repeats!
In yesterday’s post, I closed it by saying “More on the theme tomorrow.” What I had in mind was writing about a recent essay that I read; courtesy of Naked Capitalism. However, the essay struck me as of such interest that it should be republished in full. Thus I sent off a request for permission to so do. Hopefully, permission granted in time for me to publish the essay tomorrow (and see my note later on).
That then gave me the opportunity to explain my situation for the next few weeks.
In short, as a result of a number of guests coming to stay with us from the end of July right through to the end of September, the hours that I spend pleasurably preparing and writing posts for Learning from Dogs are going to be under some pressure.
For instance!
Ahead of the arrival of our first set of guests, my mother from London and my sister from Tokyo, it has been decided to renovate the guest bathroom by upgrading the wash-basin. Naturally, something yours truly wants to do himself! (Don’t believe me? See the following photo!)
Of course, as well as still not speaking American, I’m a very long way from speaking American plumbing! I mean fancy going into a builder’s store and asking for a set of taps.
So how does one connect the hot and cold water to these taps!
I looked at what the store attendant had placed in front of me and said, “No, I don’t mean that sort of tap, I mean a tap for a bathroom basin.”
“Oh, you mean force-it!“, replied the attendant.
(Now how did this attendant know that my tool of choice for jobs around the house was a 2-pound club hammer!)
“Of course,” I replied, “You Americans call them faucets!”
So you get the message!
(By the way, the permission to republish the article from The Automatic Earth just came through – just 12 minutes after I sent off my email request – great service, peeps.)
Plus there’s another distraction! Even more bizarre than pretending to be an American plumber! I am pretending to be an American author!
I have returned to writing the book!
Long-term readers of this blog (you crazy lot) will recall that last November I signed up for NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month. From that accomplishment has flowed a number of very positive outcomes. One of them was being contacted by a company specialising in self-publishing. I was told that really before I get started in earnest, I need to set out a clear idea of what I am writing about and the audience I have in mind. I called it my Statement of Purpose and after a number of weeks of being amended and revised (huge thanks to Jon and John for their help) it was finally completed just a week ago. Here are the opening sections:
Learning from Dogs
the book.
Statement of Purpose v1.51
Introduction
We live in very challenging times.
It seems rare these days to meet someone who doesn’t sense, to one degree or another, a feeling of vulnerability to today’s world. A sense that many aspects of their lives are beyond their control.
These are also times where it is widely acknowledged that the levers of privilege, power and money are undermining the rights and needs of so many. A feeling of unprecedented levels of deceit, lying and greed.
Then there’s the subject of climate change and the “end-of-world” sword just waiting to descend on us all; the so-called beat of the butterfly’s wing!
Yes, these are challenging times. As we are incessantly reminded by the drumbeat of the doom-and-gloom news industry every hour, frequently every half-hour, throughout the day. A symphony of negative energy.
Yet right next to us is a world of positive energy. The world of dogs. A canine world full of love and trust, playfulness and relaxation. A way of living that is both clear and straightforward; albeit far from being simple. As anyone will know who has seen the way dogs interact with each other and with us humans.
In other words, dogs offer endless examples of positive behaviours. The wonderful power of compassion for self, and others, and of loving joy. The way to live that we humans crave for. A life full of hope and positive energy that keeps the power of negativity at bay.
Reading audience
The book is written by ‘an ordinary bloke’, not by someone who has a specialist or professional understanding in the areas of mind and behaviour. The author is no different to the majority of people out there and, presumably, the majority of potential readers.
Readers who feel the weight of all that ‘doom-and-gloom’ and general negativity that seems to be in the air. Yet, readers who desire a positive, compassionate attitude to their own life, and to the lives of the people around them. Almost certainly readers who are animal lovers, in general, and dog lovers in particular.
Copyright (©) 2014 Paul Handover. All rights reserved.
The clarity provided by the above has been fantastic and I am now firmly committed to writing something, however small in words, each day.
Yet another drag on my blogging time; I regret.
So if over the coming weeks you read something that strikes you as familiar it may be because I have reposted the item from previous years. Or if there seems to be a string of posts that have been republished from elsewhere, then at least you will understand.
Of course even better would be for you, my dear reader, to send me stuff or point me towards material you think others would enjoy. Or write a guest post! :-) Now that would be splendid!
