Writing
Journal Writing Promps As Interview Questions For My Father
May 13, 2012 | 
Author For those of you who follow this blog, you are probably already aware of the original 80 Journal Writing Prompts, the 50 More Journal Writing prompts, and most recently, the entire list of 130 Journal Writing Prompts. Recently, I decided to take a small selection of questions and asked my father to write out and send me his answers as an interview of sorts.
What is the most amazing thing you ever seen, heard or experienced?
Undoubtedly the birth of my son Thomas. To me witnessing the actual event was astonishing and exciting. I was not naïve but amazed that at age 64 I had fathered a child, maybe not a record, but it was a record for me.
If you can tell the world just one thing what would you say?
The universe is the most beautiful creation: enjoy it.
Describe your first car.
The first automobile I bought and owned was a black 1937 Ford Phaeton. The car was a convertible with the top rolling down to provide open air for six people. It was the most beautiful car I ever owned and wish I still owned it.
Name one thing that has always fascinated you.
I was taught by my mother to adore the female of the specie, that they were smart; competent, when given a chance of an equal education. And most importantly, the procreator of the race. The ladies have always fascinated me. Of course as far as work is concerned, physics would rank high.
What is your biggest ambition in life?
Ambitions and goals change as one matures and copes with the necessities of survival. As one matures and grows up these ambitions or accomplishments change. At this moment, (at age 96 and counting) I would like to see my family secure and settled comfortably.
Name something you lost or gave away that can never be replaced.
I once lost a chance for a scholarship because I was too shy and too frightened to stand up for my right to tell the true story.
What are your religious beliefs? Have they changed or stayed the same?
They definitely have changed with the time and the accumulation of knowledge and experience. Today I am inclined to believing in Hinduism according to the teachings of the Buddha. I do not subscribe to reincarnation, the resurrection, or an afterlife. I favor a more scientific approach that when one ceases to live, the body disintegrates and the end is complete and final.
Name your most cherished childhood memory.
I relish my learning to read at the age of three or four. Reading is still my greatest enduring pleasure.
Name one thing you always wanted to do, but haven’t. What has prevented you from doing it?
I always wanted to visit China and to really study the Chinese, their culture, their science and their political system, but it was not to be until when it was possible financially and practically, I was too old to physically endure the trip.
What was the worst mistake or decision you have ever made in life> What could you have done differently?
I should have enrolled my son Thomas in Ethical Culture School and insisted that it was the ideal place for him to be educated. Instead I listened to the advice of others. It was a huge blunder with serious consequences.
Write about something you now know that you wish you knew earlier in life. How could this knowledge have helped you?
That truth like beauty is in the eyes of the beholder; that everything you read, see, or hear may not be factual; that much of what we think we know is not true; that we are not as wise as we think we are; that mankind is not the beginning and the end of evolution; the more we know is the realization how little we know or will ever know. It would have made me wiser and more competent in coping with man’s limitations in the acquisition of knowledge.
Write about your greatest fear.
What one fears changes with age and experience. Most children fear the dark. Adults fear loss of income. We all have different fears in life, some never come to pass and some can be lethally frightening. I probably had the common run of fears, but in all honesty I have been able to dismiss their occurence by logical and realistic approaches in analyzing their origin and likelihood. It isn’t that some may occur but that suffering under the illusion of fears is helpful in avoiding them. Being a scared-cat is foolish.
Describe your first job.
My first job came in the height of the Great Depression when jobs were very hard to get. My job was attaching connections to Mackinaw Jackets. I worked six days a week and earned $7 plus my lunch on Saturdays. I was a teenager.
What is the one thing you cannot life without?
A woman, my wife.
Who did you idolize growing up?
Without question, Albert Einstein.
Posted in Photography, Writing | 
Tags: fear, imterview, life, my father, writing prompts | 
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130 Journal Writing Prompts!
This is a mashup of these two posts. Some folks like these all in one list, so it has been re-blogged here.
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- Name something you lost or gave away that can never be replaced.
- What 5 websites do you visit often, and why?
- Name a totally useless possession and how you came to acquire it.
- What music album would be used for a movie about your life?
- List your bad habits and/or addictions and what you have tried to rid yourself of them.
- If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be, and what would you do if later on you changed your mind?
- What are your religious beliefs? Have they changed, or have they always stayed the same?
- When was your last food craving, and what did you crave?
- Who was your first crush and what made them special?
- Name your most cherished childhood memory. Read the rest of this entry »
My Never-Ending Quest For Productivity
Not a single day passes without going to bed with the guilty feeling that I’ve wasted yet another day not being productive enough, and yet no matter how much I do (and on most days I get lots done), I feel as if I could have accomplished much more.
Surrounded by distraction, I strive to do good work, while at the same time, working even harder to eliminate, or at the very least, block-out distractions. It always seems to me that as soon as I get into a productive cycle, something always comes around to interrupt my creative process, be it an unexpected phone call, conversation from someone nearby, or even the sound of a slamming car door. I even went so far as to oil all of the door hinges in my house to prevent the squeaking noise every time the door is opened or closed. I did the same thing in college, when I gave everyone in my dormitory hall $1 each to let me oil their hallway door hinges so I could study and be productive.
I’m one who prefers the peace and quiet, especially while I’m working on something I consider to be of utmost importance. But most of all, I prefer to avoid unnecessary conversation. It’s not that I’m being mean or antisocial, I just usually have a lot of thoughts and ideas running circles in my head, and unrelated conversation is the biggest distraction of them all it seems.
Note To Self: Try to establish my own canon of literary works to which I deem epic, such as The Catcher In The Rye and The Great Gatsby. establish a written list, sorted alphabetically, and post it on the Internet in such a way to allow for sharing and collaboration. Well-read intellectuals and autodidacts like myself should have a place to meet and collaborate, even if such a place just so happens to be on-line.
If I could be granted just one wish, I’d wish for all of the recorded memories of my younger years, especially the recorded cassette tapes, and early webcam videos. I know it may sound selfish, but the remnants of our own playful beginnings are priceless. Angie was the one and only person to have ever read my high school and college journals before they were burned and destroyed by fire. It needed to be done as they chronicled only pain and resentment during perhaps the most bitterly painful years of my life. You know that you have found true love when you can bare your heart and soul, and your darkest secrets to your true love, and your true love loves you still.
Posted in Writing | Tags: autodidactism, canon, college, introversion, introvert, literary canon, note to self, quiet | 4 Comments »
Sex, Drugs, and Writing
The most common stereotype of an artist, writer, or other professional creative person is mainly related to some form of substance abuse. The poets, writers, and journalists of the generation that came before me were likely the prime example of such, at least the few famous poets and writers I’ve met personally, frequently smoked cigarettes and drank alcohol on a regular basis.
Most of todays most prolific writers rely on stimulants to get the creativity going; I prefer large amounts of dark roast coffee and chocolate. I never saw any interest or necessity for alcohol or illegal drugs like a few other very famous writers that come to mind.
By the way, Gold Dust woman by Stevie Nicks was written about cocaine, and so was Master Of puppets by Metallica. Stairway To Heaven by Led Zeppelin wasn’t written about anything.
Posted in Writing | Tags: cocaine, creativity, drugs, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, sex, Stevie Nicks, substance abuse, writing | No Comments »
The Greatest Advice On Life
Form your own path, never follow in the footsteps of others, or allow others to follow in your footsteps. Never allow anyone or anything, or anything, including religion or society to tell you how you should think, what you should believe, or how you should feel. Never feel as if you are a failure, and never judge your success or accomplishments based against someone else; everybody is put here on Earth for a reason, but few, if any, know what that reason is. Never allow yourself to succumb to greed; as long as you have the things you need, you have enough. Don’t waste your time, money, or energy on excess or unnecessary possessions for which serve little or no purpose. If you going to take care have the opportunity, take it; if you discover something previously unknown to the world, share it. Never suffer or apologize for your art, but instead embrace and cherish your creativity. Every day is a gift, use your time wisely and never stop learning, creating, living, or exploring. Learn to take care of yourself as nobody else in life is ever going to take care of you. Your life is yours and yours alone, and it’s up to you to decide what to do with it.
Posted in Photography, Writing | Tags: advice, art, beliefs, creativity, life, Oswald, religion | No Comments »
How The Portrayal Of Life By Hollywood Is Askew
Hollywood movies always glorify life, sex, and death, when in reality, none of these things are as glorious as they are portrayed to be. Life as we know it is far more fragile and valuable than most suppose, or give thought to. In modern society, more emphasis is placed on fame, popularity, and the capitalist system of wealth accumulation than on things that really matter such as starvation, disease, and the atrocities of war on our enemies and against one another. I wish that for one minute, the media would show the realities of the way life really is instead of the way our society believes or wishes it to be. As a society we cannot begin to fix the worlds pfolks without first exposing them for all to see.
