Domestic Twilight Zone

I am obsessed with the old Twilight Zone episodes. One of my favorites is "The Parallel." If you haven't seen it  I suggest you do. The story is about an astronaut orbiting the earth whose communication systems stop functioning and he blacks out. he wakes up back on earth with no memory on how he got there. When he finally meets back up with his family everything is the same,  just with subtle differences. I won't tell you the ending.

A month ago I was looking at my 15 month old baby boy. I watched him play with his new plastic truck as he squealed with joy. My eyes went from him to my wife, and back.  I had been blessed with such happiness that I could not believe I deserved. This little piece of the big world was mine. This is my reality and believe me I cherish and would guard it with my life if I had too.

After a while of letting the joy I felt in that moment wash over me, dark thoughts started to creep. The darkest one being what would I do if I lost my family, or if something within my life were to drastically change. This is a normal thing for me because I started watching the Twilight zone at age 8, and started reading Stephen King novels at age 13.

I started thinking  what it would be like to come home to an empty house. The routine of my life gone and never to return... It gave me a stomach ache just to think about it. Don't get me wrong. I love silence and being by myself every once in a while, but to never walk through the door and hear my sons squeals of laughter, or feel my wife's hands around me ever again... Just writing about it makes me shudder.

So to be exercising the demons so to speak, I wrote a story of a husband and wife. It was amazing how fast it came out of my over active, and somewhat demented brain. The short story is called "A World Without." It is short and sweet, I didn't want to stay in that world for too long. I hope you enjoy it. Click the book cover below to purchase  it on Amazon Kindle.

"At NorWorld, we prolong life through A.I. We take away the suffering with technology."

Right Now

How many times a day do you tell yourself something isn't possible? Or that dream you have always wanted to fulfill you can start tomorrow? I used to do that a lot. Everyday I would fill my mind with images of the future, and all the cool things I was going to do, or on bad days... Well I am sure you know what those images were like. My mind was either worrying about the future, or living in the past, and totally oblivious to the only reality that you, and I will ever have, RIGHT NOW!

The only time we have in our lives is this present, and perfect moment that is happening right now. That breath you just took, that sip of coffee, that movement of your hand, is all you will ever have. The past is gone, and the future will never be here. Now is all we have. I know you have probably heard that expression before, and you're saying to yourself that you know, but have you ever really thought about it? Right now is all we have. Right now is all there ever was, and all that will be. When we think about what we should have done, or what we want to do, we are losing that moment to actually do something now!

The best time to start your dream, help someone, get into a better relationship, lose weight, spend more time with your kids, or just be happy is right now. A week from now hasn't happened, it will always be a week from now. Your reality is clicking by as you read this, go make your perfect life happen. I'd wish you luck, but you don't need it.

Websites of note

Transpyre

Realm & sands

erniehowardwrites.com

List of inspirational books, and videos

The Universe Doesn't Give a Flying Fuck About You, by Johnny B. Truant THIS BOOK IS FREE ON AMAZON

The power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle

E-squared, by Pam Grout

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dS_sPnfzks

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B2SCZKM

Be still, Be calm, And find what you are looking for.

Remember when you were little and your parents would play the game called let's see how silent we can be. Well at least mine did, I was a loud little kid who was always getting into things. Anyway, you would play along for a little while but eventually you would feel like you were going to burst, and the silence would be broken sending you running around the house like your hair was on fire. You had so much curiosity and energy for finding new things that you just couldn't help yourself. This was a good time. Being silent, and calm did not do you much good when you were little, you had nothing to worry about. And if you think about it, you really have nothing to worry about now. Everything you think you should worry about, or "get done" has nothing to do with you. It has to do with everyone else. Being still didn't do anything for you when you were little, but it can do great things for you now.

Have you ever tried to sit still as an adult? And I mean really sit still. Put yourself in a comfortable position, close your eyes, and your mouth and sit for a few minutes, with no distractions, not moving a muscle, all while being fully awake and aware. Most people would say "Oh Ernie you have no idea, that is all I want. Just being able to sit still for a few minutes a day." But what I would say to most people is you can't do it. Go ahead and try. Try to do it for 5 minutes. Empty your mind and sit still. I will wait...

How did it go? Most people can't do it. We can't do it because being still is something you need to practice at.

It's not easy, but it is essential in our daily lives to slow everything down to... a... stand... STILL.

That is a problem that most people have in this age. We are all a bunch of Facebook posting, smart phone using, crazy people twittering ourselves into madness. Never realizing that doing nothing for a few minutes can keep us centered, and more in tune with who and what we really are, and that is humans having this beautiful experience we call life. When is the last time you thought of all that blood running through your veins, or actually thought about... well your thoughts? Why did you think of something? Where did it come from? Why am I even thinking at all? Am I thinking the same thing over, and over again day in, and day out?

Empty your mind, sit still, close your eyes, and breath for just a minute.

Did you feel that? That's you! That's the universe! That is everything that ever was and will ever be! That is the secret of life! That you are a miraculous thing!  You shape your life, and the lives of people around you, just by what you think! Be still... It's amazing what listening to the things around you, and hearing, and feeling your own breath rolling over your lips, and tongue can do for your mental health... You are ALIVE! You are a walking, talking miracle... You have all the tools you need inside of you for happiness and peace, and for the happiness and the peace of others.

Sit still, be calm, and listen to your body.

I would wish you luck, but you don't need it.

Inspiration for the struggling writer

Before you read any further, let’s get one thing straight. YOU ARE A WRITER! You may not be a working writer. You may not have made any money at it.  You may not have put much down on paper in quite a while. But if you paid for this article, I would wager you have written something in the past, which makes you a writer. Being a writer means you tell a story, give advice, and put it down on paper with the intention that people will read it, and get something out of it. Everyone has a story to tell, and you are no different.

Ok with that said, let me tell you what this article is about. This article is about the daily psychological struggles you as a writer go through. Being a writer myself, I know them well. Every problem I address here I have been through and still face on a daily basis when I sit down to write. This article will tell you how to get rid of those struggles, and let you realize that every one of them has been cultivated in your mind with the sole purpose to hinder your dreams.

Those struggles are as follows:

·        Procrastination

·        Fear

·        Laziness

·        Having a day job

·        Confidence in your writing  (thinking you’re writing is crap)

·        The myth called “Writers Block”

·        Wanting to give up

All of these problems are made up by you. I will show you why, and I will give you solutions to get rid of them.

This book is not a “how to” guide on how to become a writer. You already are one! That is the first problem that new writers face. You say to yourself  “ I wish I could be a writer.”  Well here’s the big secret. The magic wand swish you have been looking for to make your dreams of becoming a writer come true. Are you ready? The best way to become a writer is….. WRITE SOMETHING! It’s that simple. This article just helps you along in the process.

So now that we got that question taken care of, are you ready to tackle more important problems? Good! Keep reading!

I know what it’s like to think you have Writer’s Block

First thing you need to realize is “Writer’s Block” is a myth. If you truly had “Writer’s Block” you would be in a wheelchair somewhere drooling all over yourself. Saying you have “Writer’s Block” is like saying you’re mind has shut off, and there is nothing firing upstairs. Every day you are writing. Your texting (unless you are a hundred years old), you’re writing down a grocery list, you’re writing an email, your telling all your friends on Facebook about the funny thing your cat did. Hey there’s an idea! Write about your cat! Send him on an adventure! Just in the process of thinking is writing.

Want to read more? Find Inspiration for the struggling writer on Amazon or Smashwords.

Rest in peace Richard Matheson

I know a lot of people are saying "who is Richard Matheson?" He was one of the most influential writers of our time. There are very few writers who can say they influenced writers such as Stephen King and Anne Rice. Stephen King named Matheson as one of his biggest influences, and Anne Rice has said Richard Matheson's short story "A dress of white silk," was one of her prime influences for her vampires. Still not impressed? Not much of a reader? More of a movie buff? Ever seen a little movie called I am Legend, starring Will Smith? Or What dreams may come, or Button, Button, a.k.a. The box, or Hell house, a.k.a. The legend of Hell House, or The twilight zone episode, where the man freaks out on a plane saying there is a man on the wing? Yup! You guessed it, all written by Richard Matheson. Even if you don't read books, you have been exposed to this man’s work. Pop culture lost a great writer yesterday, but this man will live forever with his contributions to books and movies.

Here's a list of some of this great authors work.

Movies:

The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)

Beat Generation (1959)

House of Usher (1960)

Master of the World (1961)

The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)

Burn Witch Burn (1962); a.k.a. Night of the Eagle (screenplay co-written with Charles Beaumont and George Baxt based on the novel Conjure Wife by Fritz Leiber

Tales of Terror (1962)

The Raven (1963)

The Comedy of Terrors (1963)

The Last Man on Earth (as "Logan Swanson", based on Matheson's novel I Am Legend)(1964)

Fanatic (1965)

The Young Warriors (1967)

The Devil Rides Out (1968)

De Sade (1969)

The Legend of Hell House (based on his novel) (1973)

Somewhere in Time (based on his novel) (1980)

Twilight Zone: The Movie: Fourth segment "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" (1983)

Jaws 3-D (1983)

Loose Cannons (1990)

The Box (2009)

Real Steel (2011)

Novels:

Someone is Bleeding (1953)

Fury on Sunday (1953)

I Am Legend (1954) filmed as The Last Man on Earth, The Omega Man, I Am Omega and I Am Legend

The Shrinking Man (1956); filmed as The Incredible Shrinking Man and subsequently reprinted under that title; also the basis of the film The Incredible Shrinking Woman

A Stir of Echoes (1958); filmed as Stir of Echoes

Ride the Nightmare (1959); adapted as an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour and later filmed as Cold Sweat (1970 film)

The Beardless Warriors (1960); filmed as The Young Warriors

The Comedy of Terrors (1964), with Elsie Lee; filmed as The Comedy of Terrors

Hell House (1971); filmed as The Legend of Hell House

Bid Time Return (1975); filmed as Somewhere in Time and subsequently reprinted under that title

What Dreams May Come (1978); filmed as What Dreams May Come

Earthbound (Playboy Publications, 1982), as by Logan Swanson[4] — editorially abridged version; restored text published as by Richard Matheson, 1989[citation needed]

Journal of the Gun Years (1992)

The Gunfight (1993)

7 Steps to Midnight (1993)

Shadow on the Sun (1994)

Now You See It ... (1995)

The Memoirs of Wild Bill Hickock (1996)

The Path: A New Look at Reality (1999)

Passion Play (2000)

Hunger and Thirst (2000)

Camp Pleasant (2001)

Abu and the 7 Marvels (2002)

Hunted Past Reason (2002)

Come Fygures, Come Shadowes (2003)

Woman (2006)

Other Kingdoms (2011)

Generations (2012)

Books of note

                                                                                                                                   

Every negative thought is one more step to failure

It seems today so many people are expressing themselves with negative thought. If you’re not seeing someone talking about murder and mayhem on the news, then you are reading a friends post on Facebook as they say FML over a messed up cup of coffee. I have to ask myself, do these people just like to be negative energy? I have to say I don't think so. I would say that most people today don't know how to express themselves in a positive way. They don't have the tools to live a life they want, never realizing that everything they say, do, and are exposed to have a direct effect on their quality of life.

I used to be a negative person. I blamed everyone and everything for my lot in life. There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't have some sort of negative thought cross my mind. I wasn't a non-functioning totally depressed person, in fact I was highly functioning. But I wasn't happy. I was like a lot of people these days; I was asleep at the wheel. I didn't realize that I was feeding on the negativity that I saw every day and recycling it back to the people around me, creating a one legged ass kicking contest of negativity. The relationship I was in was negative, a lot of my friend's online were negative, and my coworkers were negative. I would walk around thinking why is everyone so negative, never realizing it was me creating that negativity in my surroundings. I was a totally depressed person. 

Things did not turn around for me until I decided to stop listening to the negativity. I realized I could be happy. All I had to do was choose to be. Being happy is a pretty simple thing. You just choose to be happy. Just as you choose negativity in your life, you can choose positivity.  Have you ever been around a truly happy person? The energy that that person puts off makes you happy. The same is true for a person who exudes negativity. We have all been exposed to a family member, coworker, or Facebook friend’s post that is filled with negativity. How do they make you feel? Do you want to be around them for long lengths of time? I would think not. Now look at that person with all the negative thought. Are they a productive person? Are they happy? Sometimes you don't even know that person is bringing you down until you take a step back and think about what they are saying. You have to fortify yourself against these people and there thought and not be caught up in their negative energy. Remember you control what goes into your subconscious. Words and actions produce very powerful emotions. If you learn to control your own emotions, other peoples won't make a difference in your happiness. 

Since I choose to be happy, I have since gotten out of the bad relationship, and moved on to a happy one. I have published a short book on Amazon (Inspiration for the struggling writer) which helps not just writers, but anyone get over fear and negative thought. My life is full of new and wonderful things because I am not bogged down with negative energy. Even when things are not going the way I planned I am still happy. Do have things in my life that are negative? Yes! But now I know how to deal with them. All I do is choose happiness

There were many resources and books I read that hit home for me. Here is a list of some of them.

Inspiration for the struggling writer: Of course I have to put my own book in the list. It is something I am proud of, and I hope it can be helpful to you.

The power of your subconscious mind: Your subconscious doesn't know what is real or not. What ever you put into it will come to pass. Put good stuff in it.

Don't sweat the small stuff: Every problem in life becomes small over time.

Unlimited power: You have a store house of power in you. Learn how to use it.

Dogs love books

Dogs love books

Hi there humans. My name’s Huey. I am the dog of my owner, Ernie, the person who normally writes this blog. That’s me on the left. I’m a handsome young dog, aren't I?

Well, I have hijacked my owners blog, because I don’t think he gives enough attention to the dogs in books. I mean what are we chopped liver… mmmmmm chopped liver….. Oh sorry! Anyway back to the subject. This blog will be a list of 5 books with dogs in them. But Huey, you say, how do you know anything about books? Well friends, I would like you to know, books are like food to me. I mean just last week, I chewed up my owners first edition Clive Barker “Cold Heart Canyon,” It was delicious.

Ok, enough about me, lets hear about these great dog friendly books….

1) Marley and Me: Life and Love with the world’s worst dog. Worlds worst dog! World’s best dog! If you ask me the humans in this story couldn't find their bone if it hit them in the tail. This dog was awesome! Think of all the adventures he took these boring loser’s on. So he ripped up the couch, and peed on the floor. A small fee for all the hilarious hi jinks this dog brought to the table.

You like my blog!!!!

2) Cujo Wow! I would never challenge this dog to a rope tug… He would bite my snout off! Well as far as dog books go, this ones a classic. Ya Cujo gave a bad name to Saint Bernard’s everywhere, but he don’t hate the breed, hate Cujo. I mean what kinda dog isn’t up on his rabies shots! That poor lady and little kid. What a jerk!

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3) The Darkest Evening of the Year, By Dean Koontz This guy loves Golden retrievers. Everyone loves Golden Retrievers. Everyone say’s how smart they are, and pretty… I gotta say I don’t see it folks. I never met a Golden who could beat me in an IQ test, and I’ve known a few. But anyway, the book is good. It’s about these super smart rescued Golden Retrievers, oh and there’s humans in it too.

4) Oogy: The dog only a family could love This dog has the heart of a champion! Brings a tear to my eye just thinking about him. But I think he has been cheated! He overcomes animal cruelty, and his reward is that the humans get all the credit for “saving” him. This is a classic case of humans trying to steal a dogs thunder. Like just the other day I found a dead bird, and I put it on the porch. And immediately the girl human screamed and told me to get it out of my mouth! She was jealous that I had found this great treasure! After I dropped it, you’ll never guess what she did… She threw it away! Can you believe it!

5) Boston Terrier’s for Dummies. I mean this is an easy one, even for you K9 challenged people. If you want to learn about the best dog’s to ever live, start with this book. It tells all you dumb human’s how to care for us. You’ll learn what we like to eat (meat). You’ll learn why we are so smart (big brains). And why we are so handsome (superior breeding). By the way, That’s my uncle Ned on the cover.

So it’s been fun human’s. I just wanted to say this is dedicated to all my dogs that are locked up. And if you want to break them out click this link. The Humane Society.

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Available on Amazon for 99 cents