#365Ways | J.R. Johnson

Posts Tagged ‘#365Ways’

The Professor

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, #TolkienBirthdayToast, creativity, Fiction, genre fiction, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing on January 3, 2022| Leave a Comment »

You never know whose life you’re going to touch. I trace a line between my own love of reading and writing to a relatively obscure (at the time) fantasy series read to us by my father, back to his department secretary, and eventually to Oxford professor and World War One veteran JRR Tolkien, born 130 years ago today.

Tolkien Birthday Toast: raise a glass to the Professor in honour of his 130th birthday

If book sales, movie earnings, popular culture and Peter Jackson’s knighthood are any indication, millions of other people also have a similar connection to an academic whose books were once dismissed as simple tales for children.

They were wrong about that.

Hobbits and hippies: Tolkien and the counterculture – BBC Culture

I’m taking this as a reminder to do my best. As a children’s author, chef, engineer, teacher or whatever else you may be, you never know what impact you may have.

For myself, I hope that impact stirs even a little of the positive impact Middle-Earth had for me.

The Professor!

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I Need Cute Today

Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, family, Thoughts on January 2, 2022| Leave a Comment »

For various reasons I need a dose of cute today. Here it is, in case you do too.

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Optimistic Me

Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, optimism, Thoughts on January 1, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Here’s hoping for a happier New Year!

*Photos by Kelly Sikkema,*
Sharon McCutcheon and Michael Fousert on Unsplash

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Thanks for Sharing

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, creativity, Thoughts, writing, yay on December 31, 2021| 1 Comment »

I began this year with the target of writing every day. It was a biggish goal for me, as 2020 put paid to a lot of plans and it had been a long time since I’d written as much as I’d hoped.

For maximum accountability, I decided to use the blog. There’s no cheating if your posts are out there for the whole world to see. It also forces me to have a beginning, middle and end to whatever it is I’m writing. More or less.

The goal was to use the daily post as both goad and guide. Write daily, yes, but about what? The resulting essays range the gamut from magic to writing to science, food, inspiration and more.

Here they all are, a map of both internal and external worlds: #365Ways | J.R. Johnson

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It’s the last day of the year and that brings me to a question: Now that I’ve established this daily habit, what next? Keep the streak going, shift to other forms of writing, all of the above?

Does the time and attention needed to write a daily post serve as a motivator, a distraction, or fuel for other writing? That’s to be determined but I won’t lie, crossing each day off the calendar is satisfying.

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We all have an outer face that we show the world, but the other day someone told me I resembled my blog, which is just about the nicest thing they could have said.

I’m not always positive, productive, happy or sweet, but I do try, and that’s what I’ve tried to share with you.

As we all know, it’s been a long, strange pandemic. While I haven’t learned another language, perfected my tango or taken up blacksmithing, I have managed to make progress on some fronts. More importantly, I’ve tried to find ways to help you look on the bright side of what has been an often dark time.

Three hundred and sixty-five ways, in fact.

Thanks for sharing the year with me. May our next one be bright.

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*Photo by Genevieve Dallaire on Unsplash*

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Dare Anything

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, creativity, Fiction, genre fiction, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing on December 30, 2021| Leave a Comment »

I went to bed thinking of New Year possibilities, and woke this morning with a quote stuck in my mind. I may not have the wording quite right and don’t remember the source, but the idea has been following me all day.

“Dare anything. That is the road.”

Guess I’d better listen:)

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*Photo by Theodor Lundqvist on Unsplash*

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Map from the Past

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, future, inspiration, the past, Thoughts, yay on December 29, 2021| Leave a Comment »

I am feeling particular affection for my past self today.

Earlier this year I needed to design and print multiple versions of a complicated spreadsheet. It was the sort of project that should have been easy but was a verifiable pain. After more time on it than I want to remember, I had my printouts finalized. Yay. I have a vague memory of thinking, “Self, this is great, you have this covered allllll the way to the end of the year. Go you!” And then I forgot about it.

Yesterday I went to flip December over to the next sheet. You can guess what happened next.

There is no next printout. The stack only went to December and now here I am at the end of the line.

Usually this would mean having to start over from scratch, trying to remember exactly which hoops I had to jump through to get the end result.

Not this time.

This time, Past Me realized that there was no way I’d remember all the annoying details required in each of the multiple applications used. This time, Past Me not only took notes but also clipped them to the last printout in the stack.

I left myself a map.

And so today I am feeling grateful for my past decisions. I’m also asking a question with the potential to make the future a better destination:

What can I do today to help myself tomorrow?

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*Photo by Julentto Photography on Unsplash*

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In Case You Were Wondering

Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, inspiration, NASA, science, Thoughts on December 28, 2021| Leave a Comment »

I accumulate a lot of random facts. Here’s one I found interesting: Spiders can’t spidey so well when they’re on drugs.

Just say no, spiders, just say no!*

* Unless you have a constant source of delicious insects supplied by your organization’s graduate students and no pressing engagements, in which case, you do you, spideys.

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*NASA Tech Briefs, April 1995 – NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS), file p. 106, document p. 82*

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Comfort and Defend

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, Fiction, free fiction, genre fiction, sff, Thoughts, writing on December 27, 2021| Leave a Comment »

I just read half a dozen short stories looking for a piece to share with you today. All were excellent. All were depressing as hell.

This is story number seven.

GO. NOW. FIX. by Timons Esaias

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Boxing Day

Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, community, home, Thoughts on December 26, 2021| 1 Comment »

Today is Boxing Day, a Commonwealth holiday unfamiliar to most Americans, and a national holiday in Canada since 1871.

And it has nothing to do with fighters in a ring with a bell.

While its history is a little fuzzy, traditionally Boxing Day was thought of as a time for alms-giving, and for lords and ladies to distribute gifts to household servants, dependents and the poor. It was originally known as Offering Day.

Fiction-related note: Charles Dickens mentioned Boxing Day in “The Pickwick Papers,” which was published as a monthly serial in 1836 and 1837.

These days, Boxing Day in Canada is more like a second Black Friday, an excuse for big sales and shopping shopping shopping.

I have no servants but as you may know, I like to contribute to the community and causes that matter to me. So today, I’ll help support some of the groups out there doing good.

No boxing necessary.

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