The Procrastinarium

Well it depends on how you look at it, for some people I am not a published author because my book is not available in hardcopy, for others just the fact that I currently have a book to sell on Amazon makes me a published author. I am in the set of mind that since technology now enables us to get digital copies of books on our devices and carry them around I am in a way a published author. 

Now to get to the point. I have a book available for the Kindle! That is pretty awesome by itself but the fact that it is my first book makes it even more awesome for me. And before the book was even out I was asked by people who knew I was doing this "Why are you only doing it on the Kindle, what about iBooks?". Well my answer was that for now I'm making it kindle exclusive because it is the easiest thing to do. 

Let me elaborate. First, to publish on the Kindle you only need a book you wrote or hold the rights to. Second, they give you instructions so simple a 10 year old could follow on how to format the book so that it looks best. Third, by publishing on the Kindle the book is available on so many other devices via the Kindle app (iOS, OS X, Windows...) and last, I was able to include the book in their landing program and for every copy that is borrowed I get a little bit back. 

Now I'm not saying the book will be Kindle exclusive for ever, not even close. While the book will be Kindle exclusive for 90days, after those 90days are over the book will be released on iBooks and possibly even as a podcast book. I just wanted the book out in the world and available to people as soon as possible and releasing it to the Kindle first allowed me just that. And now I have 90days to make it in to an iBook. 

For those of you interested below are the links to the various Amazon Kindle stores in which the book is available:  

USA & International: http://www.amazon.com/The-Duchess-short-story-ebook/dp/B007RR89FW/ref=sr_1_3?...

UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Duchess-short-story-ebook/dp/B007RR89FW/ref=sr_1_...

Germany: http://www.amazon.de/The-Duchess-short-story-ebook/dp/B007RR89FW/ref=sr_1_1?i...

Italy: http://www.amazon.it/The-Duchess-short-story-ebook/dp/B007RR89FW/ref=sr_1_1?i...

France: http://www.amazon.fr/The-Duchess-short-story-ebook/dp/B007RR89FW/ref=sr_1_1?i...

Spain: http://www.amazon.es/The-Duchess-short-story-ebook/dp/B007RR89FW/ref=sr_1_1?i...

Also for those of you that want the book but don't have the Kindle, Amazon made apps for various platforms and they are listed here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771#

I was watching a YouTube video today in which the person was talking about people who ispire him and I loved the fact he didn't only focus on the people who ispire him in a good way but also about people who ispire him in a way that he want's to be as different from them as possible. And so I decided to do almost the same thing. So following are 5 people who ispire me and I'll do my best to explain why they inspire me. 

Brandon (@Some1ToShoutFor)

There are so many reasons why he inspires me but I would have to say that the most important thing would be his attitude towards life, he takes it so easily and he has such a positive outlook on things and I really admire that in a person. He is also smart, whitty and really opinionated and I think it is important to be opinionted. 

Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin)

Why I like Kathy Griffin and why she inspires me? Well there is something that makes me love her and that is the fact that she can make me laugh. Now I have never met her and never will but her standup is so funny I have a hard time staying serious. Now she inspires me because she is not afraid to say things and is not afraid to stand up to people, she is also very active and supports many causes that I support and I would love have a skin as thick as hers,  because this woman can take a beating. 

Brian Dunning (@BrianDunning)

I am ispired by Brian not because he's famous but because he is a great proponent of science. I started listening to his podcast Skeptoid a while ago and I must say that I admire him for the amount of reaserch he does for each episode and he is very knowledable about the world that sorrounds him. He inspires me because he is stands strong in the face of his opponents but is willing to admit he was wrong.

 

My Mother

Why I'm inspired by my mother is a bit of a mystery to me. She is my family and I love her. But I guess the reason why I admire and am inspired by her is that she is a really strong person, she has been there for me when I needed her but she was also there when I didn't need her (not in a bad way). She is great at giving me advice and she is always aware that she was my age once and she is an emathic person who does understand what I'm going through even though I don't think so.  

Tina, my wifey (@tamejhna)

While she will probably kill me for saying this I love her for being herself. I admit we do argue and we do have our moods but she is always able to make me smile and she always knows what to say to make me feel better. She is also not afraid to tell me when I'm being an idiot and that's why I love her and am really inspired by her. (And no we are not really married, it's an internal joke.)

 

There is a strange misconception going around that you get used to bulling but I'm living proof that you don't. Sure you might develop a thick skin and not show that you are bothered by it but deep down you are, you hear all the things that are yelled at you and they come back to haunt you when you are alone

I've been bullied since I was 7 years old, that's for about 12 years now and I have developed a thick shell but that is never enough. I still hear people yell things at me as I walk by andsometimes it doesn't bother me, to be honest it usually doesn't bother me but today for some reason it got me thinking and not in a bad way. I started thinking about what goes in the mind of these people. Canwe just contribute it to immaturity? Maybe it's a resedue from something that happened to them? perhaps they are insecure about themselves? Could it just be an effect of the environment they are brought up in and have around them? I really could not find an answer to my question but I realised that it is possibly a combination of all of these things and maybe they just want to be understood.

I'm not saying I condone bullying because I don't. I think it is wrong and it should not be allowed in this day and age but I can in some cases sympathise with the bully. I know it sounds strange but I think it's not without basis. This comes out most when someone was bullied in their childhood and they can become bullies later in life.You would think that people who were bullied once would understand how the victim feels but it would seem that people can forget about these emotions in a heart beat, it's something to do with how our brains process bad memories.

Thinking about it bullying doesn't only come from an individual it can come from much larger institutions,companies,political parties....but does it really matter where it comes from? The answert is no it does not, we are obliged to stop this kind of violence, it ruins people's lives andnot only the lives of people who are bullied, it can also ruin the life of their family and friends. Just think of how you would feel if your child, brother, sister, friend, partner commited suicide because of bullying? the feeling would not be pleasant,.It is the choice of every individual of how they act but it is the choice of that individual and the community to stand up against bullying and every other mean of aggression towards the human race.

In conclusion the end to bullying starts with you, with how you respond do it and with what you do about it. So take a stand and help stop it before it ruins any more lives of innocent people.

I came back to the place where I live today and while I wasn't in a perticulary thinking mood this tweet cought my attention: 

i haven't ever really found a place that I call home; i never stick around quite long enough to make it.. #dido #love

— Stuart Dessler (@stueydessler) February 15, 2012

But why did it? Well there is a simple answer, I have been living here for 12 years now but it isn't my home. Sure I have my family around me and the things I love but that still doesn't make it my home. My home is, and always will be, where I grew up, where I started discovering the world around me. My home is in the house where my grandparents live and that is the one place where I come and think "I'm home". 

But what makes a home? Is is the memories we make there, is it the things that sorround us, is it the people we love most? I don't really know the answers to all these questions but for me it is a combination of all of these things. Is it different for others, I'd have to say yes. Everyone experiences the world in a different way and everyone has a different view on what home is, so let me know in the comments below of what home is for you. 

Thank you for reading this and I hope it gave you something to think about. Also a special thank you to @stueydessler for letting me use his tweet. 

He has been lying in his bed for the last 45min. His eyes were burning, if he opened them it felt like someone was dropping acid in to them, his breathing was slow and steady, an occasional yawn creeped in and it caused him to shift in the bed. He could hear a clock ticking from the other room and a cat purring at his feet. He grabbed his phone to recheck if he set an alarm, he did. The big clock image in the app said it was 4.06am. "Oh god", he thought to himself, "I have to be up in 4 hours.". He turned back on his stomach , closed his eyes, put his hands underneath his chest and thought about the adventure tomorrow brings…

 

A couple of days ago I stumbled upon a twitter user who seems to be a big believer in God and wants to spread the word of God. I personally don't find a problem with people being religious and it is their choice what to believe in, but I do find a problem with people forcing their beliefs on others and telling them that they will burn in hell if they do not repent. 

While repenting might not be a bad thing for a Christian it can be offensive to people who are not. There's a specific group this person attacks, Atheists. 

Atheism is an infection of the mind, people who suffer from it don't realize how harmful it is, Satan is responsible.

— James (@ScienceBoy_) December 25, 2011

Now, there are laws in place that allow him to speak his mind and his words are protected under free speech, this does not allow him to attack anyone that does not share his beliefs and convictions.  

But what seemed to hurt me the most was his attack on the LGBT community, as a member of it myself it really hurts that a person can be allowed to say that "being gay is an illness" and that people are gay because they were possessed by Satan. 

https://twitter.com/#!/LoveGod50/status/151032105495838720

https://twitter.com/#!/LoveGod50/status/151033373610086400

And while I do feel sad for him, I do not feel that this kind of slander should be tolerated.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this matter so leave a comment below or you can reach me on twitter @zomby6

 

 

Taken at Slascicarna Rasica

Taken with picplz.

Taken with picplz at Petrol Pivka.