Being Here Now

A long (long) time ago, I saw a book titled BE HERE NOW. I knew what the book was about just from those words. Living in the moment was a concept that I just ... got.

I've never been a really competitive person. However, I've thrown my heart and soul into writing fiction and marketing my work, primarily through this blog.

Now, the world of ebook self-publishing has become an increasingly crowded and competitive one. Having said that, it has never been my goal to make a million dollars at this particular game. However, through hard work and luck I've been able to exceed my own expectations to an extent I'd never have thought possible.

However, my goal has always been to make a living writing the best fiction I possibly can. Period.

It's not important that I become super wealthy. And I most definitely don't want to be famous.

This article in Grist underscores much of what I've been thinking, about the need for me to cut back on my marketing and simply enjoy life while I can.

Plus there's the real need to deal with some health issues I've pushed through, i.e., ignored and hoped would go away.

I'll write more about that in my August Web site column called Sustainability. Check it out if you get a chance. :)

PS: Here's a video for your entertainment. Enjoy yourself! :-)

The Pros and Cons of Organic Food

Not long ago, Scientific American published an article called Mythbusting 101: Organic Farming, which listed four (alleged) myths about that practice.

I say "alleged," because Grist has published an article called In Defense of Organic, in which it claims to debunk at least some of those alleged myths.

Boy, that's a lot of reading. And a whole lot of embedded links.

Good luck trying to figure out which one is the more accurate version. :)

PS: I'm glad I waited so long to post that Scientific American article now. lol

Sustainability Could Be As Close As Your Local Library

There's been so much emphasis in the news and on various blogs about developing "green" energy sources and moving away from dirty ones like coal and petroleum, even though there are issues associated with those alternatives that haven't been completely ironed out and they may not be as "green" as we'd like to think they are, when all is said and done.

Having said that, I'd like to point out that there are other ways to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Cut back on your energy consumption. Period.

The Howard County, MD public library is loaning portable energy monitoring devices (called Kill A Watt devices) to cardholders in order to promote awareness of energy consumption, according to a recent article in the Columbia Flier.

I will quote an interesting part of the article:

One measure that can be particularly useful is reading how much energy an appliance can use even when it is switched off or not in use. These "vampire loads" can use a surprising amount of energy, even when an appliance is not in use. Video game consoles and remote-controlled devices are common culprits, according to Live Green Howard County, the county's environmental initiative.

Another part of the article talks about how TV sets are sold with the brightness levels set way up to look nice in the showroom. If you set the levels lower once you get them home, they look just fine, according to one source.

What else? The devices are worth $25. So they aren't incredibly expensive. However, I see these devices were donated to the library by the Sierra Club. My, wasn't that nice? Even so, they do seem to be incredibly useful. Maybe some other nice group can donate them to their local library. Who knows?

Or they could just buy them. Just like e-readers. That's another thing Howard County libraries loan out. And you'd know that if I could just find the damned article with a simple search. But I can't for some reason. So I've given you the link to the Flier. Feel free to look for it. And good luck! :)

PS: Speaking of energy drains, it sure takes a lot of energy to type a summation when you can't copy, paste and modify. And your hand is twisting the whole time and you can't stop it to save your life. And no one pays me a thing to write this sh*t, you know. :-D Awesome!!!

Nine Types of Greenwashing

With all the claims of being "green" and "eco-friendly," not to mention "sustainable" being made these days, it's harder than ever to tell when you're being hornswaggled, as it were.

Which is why Tristan Roberts and Jennifer Atlee created this handy list they call The Nine Types of Greenwashing.

Take a look-see. They've covered the gamut, from "green by association" to "unproven claims" to "bait and switch" and -- horrors! -- "outright lying."

Imagine!