LegendaryLife Blog

I find the more I progress in life, the more knowledge and passions I accumulate in it. I completely by far the most ambitious book I ever did about 6 months ago and after countless rewrites, edits and getting all that stuff out of my head… I’ve acquired the writing bug again.

It’s hard to describe, try to imagine growing a tree within a small greenhouse. Each day, it grows a little taller, stronger and begins to expand to fill its enclosed environment. Sure, you can prune the tree, give it less water and do other things to slow its growth down but it doesn’t take away from the fact that the tree is still there, slowly expanding and filling the empty space within the greenhouse. Eventually, one way or another, the tree becomes tall, strong and dense enough that it begins to exert increasing pressure on the greenhouse. Slowly but surely, the pressure builds then, all of a sudden, a panel pops, followed by a few more… until the greenhouse can no longer maintain its form, haven been conquered by what began as a small, inconspicuous seed.

I began on a sequel to my original science fiction story after I finished the first but then needed a mental break… focusing on WoodMarvels.com instead to satisfy my desire to “create” but much like the Ying/Yang Chinese symbol of balance and unity, I’m starting to produce a little too much Ying (design) and an adjustment is needed in the Yang (writing).

I learned a TREMENDOUS amount writing my first novel, so much so… that it gives me the urge to apply it, learning from my mistakes and doing something even more unfathomable. Bigger, Better and Uncut. I have this movie in my head that keeps replying, each time, with a little more detail, ideas all the more fleshed-out and if you read the book… a few major plot lines that need to be closed with others created.

Although writing and design may seem like world’s apart, they are actually very similar. In design, you start with an idea… and with time and passion, transform it into a real product. Writing is the same way except the only limitation is your own creative thinking… unlike design where it’s still limited by the tools you have at hand.

The amount of time required for a book is tremendous compared to the design of a product, but the sense of accomplishment grows in proportion as well. I really enjoy design and I see one field of endeavor helping the other. My ability to design improved dramatically as writing exercised my mental muscles in a different direction than how it was use to working.

So many passions, so little time. The story of my life

One of the cooler things I did when I was younger, not that I’m that old… was to get my scuba diving license. Though I haven’t enjoyed scuba diving for a very very long time, the thrill of simply being able to breath under water never left me. What I also remember was how cool the cylinder looked, it wasn’t welded, but formed from a solid piece of Aluminium which to me, was always a mystery. I knew that this meal was malleable but after seeing this video, my interest and long-standing questioning was resolved. This is how they made them scuba tanks!

This video also explains why those tanks are so darn heavy too!

Video showing the making of a scuba tank

It has been a LONG road from start to finish but I’m proud to say that you can now purchase a digital copy of 2847AD, the science fiction book I wrote and researched for extensively and physical form of 2847 A.D.: Solar Horizons from Amazon! YAHOO!!! This has been a major accomplishment for me, I never knew publishing a science fiction novel could be so much work but now that it’s done, it feels wonderful to have achieved this major goal of mine.

If you wish to follow the journey pretty much from start to finish, I have chronicled it on my blog. I mention this in several other postings but these are the major ones.

• 2847: Going Science Fiction
• 2847AD: Writing Science Fiction is Hard!
• Getting through the home stretch
• 2847AD is finally done!
• Transforming your life from Blah to Legendary now available on Amazon!

What made the book especially challenging is that I tried to integrate almost everything I knew about science and then some, at the time. There is so much information out there, it’s really astounding and trying to condense it into a readable form, not only for me but for the general public takes a lot of effort.

I wanted to write a book that was scientifically accurate while at the same time, within the realm of possibility AND readable by somebody who has little to no scientific knowledge.

I believe I have accomplished this goal. I already started on a second volume of this book but had to put it on the back burner for several reasons, including but not limited to the amount of work I’ve been putting into my WoodMarvels.com company. I love design so much… it’s a true passion, as is writing but I think a long break is necessary to get most of the ideas fleshed-out. The further you jump into the future, the more difficult it becomes to imagine the unimaginable and this is really taxing mentally as I discovered. Exhausting even!

My delight: Hydrogen Sulfide

In the book, I describe in detail why I used this very toxic gas, hydrogen sulfide, as a mechanism for suspended animation during long space travels. Today, I watched a TED video and much to my delight, what I described and envisioned is actually coming true! Yes, they have human trials of this and the results are astoundingly positive. Watch the video to learn more about this important toxic gas

TEDTalks : Mark Roth: Suspended animation is within our grasp – Mark Roth (2010)

The Bottom Line

Research, hard work and tremendous passion can even bend even the most impossible of challenges into reality.

The nursing blog has sent me a heads-up about some important information that they have put together regarding College students and STDs on campus. Most of this I already knew but some was still surprising. This should be mandatory reading for all freshmen and undergraduates!

Here is a summary, be sure to click the link for more detailed information:

• 25% of college students already have an STD (not surprising as this number is similar to that of the general US public)
• Condoms are only used about half the time
• 20% of girls have HPV, which can cause some problems with pregnancy later in life
• Half of the 20 million or so of new STD infections occur in people of college age
• 80% of those with an STD experience no symptoms, hence why most don’t even know they have it!
• HPV is the number one disease on campus
• 50% of alcoholic students consider contraception as an afterthought when engaging in risky behavior
• More than half of the students believe they can see an STD by looking, which is true but only 20% of the time when it’s actually “flaring up”.
• 60% of woman still have sex even if the guy doesn’t want to wear a condom.
• 60% of woman believed they were in a committed relationship while only 40% of men believed in the same.

I would also add that most STDs are curable but those that are not, such as HIV Disease, require regular medical attention and drugs for the rest of your life… not something to take lightly.

Buzvia: 10 Truly Shocking Stats On STDs and College Students

Life is rarely perfect at any given time… so waiting for a perfect time to follow through with a commitment is another way of excusing lack of action on a goal or dream.

The best time is always NOW!

There is always a reason not to do something, usually, far outnumbering the reasons to actually DO something. Fear of the unknown, financial, societal, friends, family… all of this creates a pressure of conformity rather than that of adventure.

For instance, if you are offered an incredible opportunity to travel and learn but instead, try to put up roadblocks, delaying even the simplest actions such as getting a passport then most likely, this will only be a dream. Each decision requires small, incremental steps but fearing taking the first one means continued procrastination and excuse as to why it isn’t going to happen.

Fear must be conquered

We all want security, a good relationship and a beautiful house but most people, instead of dealing with what their circumstances as they are NOW, decid to delay action out of fear until all these “dreams” become true before following through with the first step. Put another way, they want the meal in front of them before they go out and buy the ingredients required to make it.

Fear has it’s role in life… but I think society adds a whole new level of them in order to keep people in line like everybody else. There is an old Chinese proverb that sums this up nicely.

The first bird flying out of the tree gets shot

This is told to us from childhood in one way or another. Religion tells us that we must be married before having sex, schools tell us we need a degree before we can get a high paying job. Society tells us that the perfect life is a house, 3 kids and a white picket fence. Why? Because it’s the best way to keep people under control… these are all methods of control, nothing more. I’ve never seen other animals, even our closest relatives get married before starting a family and they look rather content eating plants with a few occasional hunting jaunts in the bush. I’ve never seen an unhappy bird flying around because he didn’t have a nest to live in.

Water, Shelter, Food

These are the basics of life, with them, you can be as happy or depressed as you want. The reason that more than half of the people who have “jobs” are unhappy with their life is because society has added many extra burdens to their life which have nothing to do with happiness. For instance, I don’t have a car… who cares? But we are told that it’s an important part of a happy life… by car manufacturers no less We can either allow ourselves to be influenced by others whose “care” for us isn’t genuine or simply tell them “that’s bull shit” and live our happy merry life.

Nothing is ever perfect, there is never a perfect time, a perfect place nor a perfect circumstance for success… you make due with what you have and continue from there.

The Bottom Line

A poorly executed plan executed today is always better than a perfectly executed plan tomorrow… as tomorrow never comes.