Rick Abbott

Glenn Beck’s first attempt at fiction isn’t to be missed.  The book is timely and causes the reader to think about potential dangers in the current political climate in the USA. While I love Glenn’s chalkboard talks and can’t miss his radio show, something doesn’t work for me though in his fictional work. The characters don’t seem to come alive. It is as though he is trying too hard to make his political point (which I agree with) and fails just a little in the art of creative writing.  I also think that the book could have been better if it were twice as long and Beck spent a LOT more time developing the characters.

The concept of The Overton Window is the pushing of an agenda by the world’s elite, in this case a group of people who use a PR firm to exploit world events,  often caused by those very elite.  They strive for a one world order while a small band of patriots battle to enlighten the the nation of the truth that we once knew.

Nothing should be taken away from Mr. Beck, this is a book that we all need to read. But, I think for Glenn’s first attempt a co-author would have helped a bunch.  You can’t expect a guy like him to master radio, TV, and fiction writing. I hope to see more from him, but next time with a little help.

You know the expression about the best laid plans? In my business I tend to have seasons of busyness and slow times. As I came into the spring I really thought that I was going to have time to start doing some major blogging when all of the sudden I got hit with work that kept me on the road for about 8 weeks. I’m not complaining, work is good especially when I was thinking that it was going to be slow. Let’s hope I can find a nice balance.

Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

Took a few days to get it together, but the blogs are now falling into place. TheDigitalLife.net is back to a photoblog and I am going to work to redesign it in a few days. Looking for something equally fun and clean. BluegrassRedState.com is going to go through a face lift as well, but I at least posted something.

This weekend I decided that I am going to get a new lens for my camera. I love photography. I have shunned doing it for financial reasons because of something that a friend told me once. I am rethinking that. If I can make a few bucks then I will have a great avenue to buy new equipment without tapping into the family funds.

I decided to take a look at my blogs, I have a few (6).  they have all sat idle for a while while I took a respite, but now I am back.

First, this blog. This is me. This is my catharsis and I don’t give a flip if I get one visitor. In fact, I think I shall shut off the comments because I really don’t want to hear it.  Oh, so why have  a blog? This is just where I organize myself. So here are my commitments to my blogs:

Town Hall: I am getting serious about Town Hall. I wrote there once (maybe twice) and I am going to renew my commitment to giving a weekly treatise on the Republican platform.  The Republican platform is something that I believe in, all of it. The GOP gets a bash, but more and more I realize that it is when we leave our core principles.

Homestead.TheDigitalLife.net: I am going to make sure that I post every other week, and post things of value.

BluegrassRedstate.com: Politics are heating up in Kentucky and I have really let the state down by letting the site sit idle. I am back. I am going to do a complete site redesign and make sure that I post something ever day.  Part of my plans are to do an interview with each of the candidates for Senate as well as some of the other great folks that are running for other statewide offices.

TheDigitalLife: I am going back to my core love, and I am going to start posting my photography. My darling daughter has surpassed me, but I am going to retake the throne.

moblog.TheDigitalLife.net: I started this, I am going to continue. I am going to share my love for gadgetry for road warriors.

So, here’s to blogging and getting back to the basics.

I had my first accident with my Tour yesterday. One of my reps called while I was getting out of my van and I somehow slammed the door on my hand (as in it closed tight and my hand was caught). The pain was intense and my hand that was holding my Blackberry dropped it so that I could open the door. I checked the Tour and there is the tiniest nick near the audio plug, but the device worked perfect, although I “dropped” the call.

Thanks to Jennifer and Amy. Nothing like having an accident in front of a couple of great nurses! I had ice on my hand in less than a minute, 800mg of Ibuprofen a minute later.

This is my last weekend being a dad of 4 kids at home. I don’t stop being a dad, and I will still have 4 kids. But my eldest son, Sinclair, leaves home this week to go off to college and life will certainly change. The house is in disarray with boxes as he starts the task of packing things up.  My wife is moping on the couch. Every five minutes she starts talking about something else that she will miss about him. This morning she pulled out the scrapbooks and photo albums and took a sad march down memory lane. We have had so many good times!

I will miss Sinclair, just as I will miss the departure of the next three, but this is the course of life. I truly wish that he had picked a college closer so that I could see him from time to time, but he picked a great college and the fact that it is 9 hours away is just a part of the process.

I have watched some of my friends around my age and how they deal with this stage of life. A couple of them have decided that children was the glue for their marriage and adopted more as soon as the first batch was gone. None of them have said that was a good solution years later. I know a couple who have decided that a new wife would be the solution, and in both cases the new wife wanted children. Back to square one.  Some have just been lost, some have found a new purpose in life.

I have been thinking about this week for years, as well as that massively depressing day when Peyton makes his exit. I think that a lot of folks my age get depressed because they have this empty nest and nothing to do. Don’t get me wrong, I will be depressed! I love my kids and I will miss them terribly. But, I will look forward to that next chapter in their lives and watching their development just as I have for the past 18 years and I will look forward to see what the Lord has in store for me as well. My life is often a rollercoaster and I have no doubt that whatever I think is going to happen will be totally something different. But, I will embrace that as well.

For now, another cup of coffee, a couple more photo albums with my wife, and look forward to getting all of these boxes out of the living room.

Do you remember when John Edwards was accused of having an affair while Obama was looking at him as a potential VP? The claims were once again how this was a right wing conspiracy to derail a great worker for the party, kind of like when Bill Clinton was accused of having an affair which he adamantly denied. Well, guess what?

Report: John Edwards to admit paternity of ex-mistress’ child…

Let’s forget that his wife was dying of cancer while all this was happening and he told everyone that he would never do that to her. Then he admitted the affair but said that the child wasn’t his. Lie, lie, lie!

There are some days that make me more grateful than others, this morning was one of those. I get the honor of driving partially though Mammoth Cave National Park at least 6 times a week.  We have parts of the park named because of the wildlife that we usually see. At the first bend if we keep a sharp eye out we might see a flock of turkey. At the bottom of the hill we usually spot a few rabbits grazing at the side of the road (3 this morning). In front of Diamond Caverns we invariably see 3 crow hopping about. At this point I usually exclaim in my best Vincent Price voice “Murder!” (the correct term for a group of crow). Going up the next hill there is usually another opportunity for turkey and then as we get into the heart of the “Prairie Restoration” area we can spot a deer or two if we look.  Rarely do we see every animal, but I don’t know of a time when I haven’t seen something. Tori caught glimpse of a fox this weekend, and last week we saw 3 ducks (white domesticated, they seemed lost).

This morning we were blessed to find this large gray heron perched on a fallen tree in our pond. Mary spotted it even before we were down the driveway and I snapped this picture from the van as we passed.  I got out to get a closer look, but heron are remarkably timid and flew off the moment I found purchase.  As we drove through the park and I started looking for other critters that might bless me this morning (alas, only bunnies and a murder) I felt exceptionally filled with joy to live where we do. Its not perfect and we have our share of problems just like everywhere else, but we have such a unique area that it is really a great thing at times to live in such a place.

I’m sitting here in Barnes & Noble (Bowlng Green,KY) and I am just as content as can be in my own little world. I have the tunes cranked on the iPod (currently PFR Great Lengths) to drown the table of young teen girls next to me discussing how wonderful that actor is who plays a vampire in that terrible Twilight series (and my son is sitting across from me reading one of those books). I could sit here all day just watching people. Another table has teens posturing for coolness. An elegantly dressed older woman sits a couple of tables away reading the last copy of Fangora - kind of creepy! Behind me are some folks using laptops, one working on her resume, another on a game of Mafia Wars. Me? Trying to glean some tips on how to better utilize my new Blackberry and improve my blogs. Just another peaceful Sunday at B&N.