Diary of a Mad Editor

It’s Time to Get in Gear with Adventure Gear

Nick just got invited on camping trip by his friend Ernest. Ah yes, he thinks, Fresh air, a roaring camp fire and fishing that big, two-hearted river. Nick loves the outdoors and he’d love to get away from his dull life for a long weekend. Problem is, Nick doesn’t have any equipment for the trip. He goes to the attic and discovers his sleeping bag has holes in it. He loaned his binoculars to a friend and never got them back. He doesn’t have good, sturdy flashlight and he lost his hunting knife in his move to the city. Looks like Nick will have to do some shopping.

Are you like Nick? Are you a nature lover? Do you like to go hiking? Are you a bird watcher or an avid camper? Are you a sportman? Well, if you are or know someone who is (and with Christmas coming up soon . . . hint, hint . . .) you might want to check out SierraAdventureGear.com. They have a wide selection of adventure gear. for your every need.

They have all manner of camping equipment: Tents, backpacks, sleeping bags, lanterns, lighters, cookware, outdoor stoves, water purification units, knives, watches, compasses, binoculars, monoculars, sunglasses and emergency kits.

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Hey, I’ve Got an Idea

So, the other night, I was at a poetry reading. While I was waiting for the poetry reading to begin, I picked-up the latest issue of Inferno. For those of you unfamiliar with Inferno (and I suspect most of you reading this blog are not familiar with it), it is a bi-monthly arts newspaper. It’s a regional paper distributed for free at various locations on the East Coast. Anyway, I was reading Renee Rasinger’s latest “Conjuring Creativity” column — the first of a 2-parter about “generating ideas.”

According to Renee:

“There’s no one way to get ideas, only what works for you. . . . That said, there may be several methods that do work for you when it comes to generating ideas.”

Can you say, “No duh?”

Seriously, read that quotation a few times and see if you don’t start to get a sharp pain shooting out of your eye sockets.

Renee is a self-proclaimed “creativity coach.” Her only claim to that title is that she took some online seminar under the guidance of creativity guru, Eric Maisel whom she cribs from quite liberally in her articles.

If you are a long-time reader of this blog, you are probably aware of the fact that I put very little stock in creativity coaching. Although, I do think there is value in creative advocacy in certain limited circumstances. For instance, being a former cancer patient, myself, I can tell you that some of these people do wonderful work in the cancer community. But most are scam artists. I would definitely place Renee in that latter category. If you are so desperate that you need to be coached by someone like Renee, you are definitely drifting down shit creek without a paddle or a prayer.

If you are reading this blog, you are most likely involved in the creative arts in one capacity or another — so you know it’s true: Generating ideas is just about the easiest part of what we do. It’s developing those ideas into something worthwhile that’s the hard part.

Here’s just a few ideas off the top of my head:

- Man passes out drunk and wakes up missing an arm.

- Woman falls in love with the brother of her unborn baby’s father driving cross country to her own wedding.

- A young preacher stands on the ledge of a tall building reciting the Lord’s Prayer.

Hell, I could go on like that all day. But, again, that’s the easy part.

And there’s no method to it at all. Turning off that spigot is much harder than turning it on. It’s called having an imagination. Maybe try using it once in a while.

Optical4less.com

I spend countless hours in front of a computer screen and, to be frank, those hours and years I’ve spent at the computer haven’t exactly been kind to my eyesight. I had perfect vision a decade ago. Today, I wear reading glasses. I’m sure that I wouldn’t need reading glasses if I didn’t spend so much time in front of a computer screen. And I’m due for another eye exam. I’ve been putting it off because I’m sure I’m going to need a stronger perscription this time. A stronger perscription means more expensive eyeglasses. My sister, for example, just spent $600 on her new eyeglasses (she’s practically blind without eyeglasses). But, I think I’ve found an alternative for the both of us (and maybe for you too, dear reader) — Optical4less.com. With almost 30 years in the business of being the largest, most dependable wholesaler of quality prescription eyeglasses in Asia, they are sure to have the optics you need in the styles you want. They offer free international shipping for multiple orders and fast shipping as their many happy customers will testify to. And you can’t beat the prices with overstocks going for as low as $15 and glasses that would cost $200 or more going for less than $100.