Blogocentric Formulations (Book)

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I am SoCalScribe. This is my InkSpot.

Blogocentric Formulations

Logocentric (adj). Regarding words and language as a fundamental expression of an external reality (especially applied as a negative term to traditional Western thought by postmodernist critics).

Sometimes I just write whatever I feel like. Other times I respond to prompts, many taken from the following places:

"JAFBG"

Thanks for stopping by!

Show Recent Comments

10 Most Recent Blog Comments:

Jayne

about 14 hours ago
In response to "The Good and The Bad"

I skipped a full grade based solely on my reading/writing skills, and it should never happened. My math remained behind my peers for my entire life.

Also, I'm way better at fixing/adapting ideas than I am at consistently generating my own. Maybe we should swap stories lol

Witchy Woman

about 15 hours ago
In response to "The Good and The Bad"

I miss those days, I enjoyed my English and History classes, math I struggled with especially Algebra. Apparently I retained enough I tested out of it when I went to college after my divorce.

Stik to My Own Beat

about 15 hours ago
In response to "The Good and The Bad"

I did not get the luxury of dropping classes in high school thanks to the IB schedule. Of course, this meant that I took Algebra I in the fall semester of my freshman year and followed that immediately with Algebra II in the spring. The IB schedule format means I had to pass both of those classes in order to proceed. Thankfully, I did (although Algebra II was an uphill battle). It was still better than geometry, though, mostly because my geometry teacher straight up admitted to struggling to teach geometry due to being better at trig. Good times.

Jeff

a day ago
In response to "Writing Retreat"

Jayne

- You and I can enjoy the cozy cottage on the lake environment while those who prefer to camp can sleep on the ground in a tent and use a bathroom they have to dig themselves. LOL

Ren~Busy as Usual

Sep 21, 2025 at 12:33am
In response to "Free Speech, Gettin' Raptured, & People Worth Suffering For"

Well said on all points. The world is a different place than it was 50 years ago and not bad, some good. But lately? Scary.

Witchy Woman

Sep 20, 2025 at 9:05pm
In response to "Free Speech, Gettin' Raptured, & People Worth Suffering For"

I agree that they'll go for Fallon and Myers next. The mud slinging has gone unchecked since Clinton was in office and has escalated to the point that situations are becoming dangerous for anyone not agreeing with cheeto.

1 Like

Seffi

Sep 20, 2025 at 8:02pm
In response to "Free Speech, Gettin' Raptured, & People Worth Suffering For"

"Second Amendment's guaranteed right to bear arms is not the same thing as guaranteed right to assemble an unchecked, unaccountable armory that would make a Navy SEAL envious." That made me laugh. And I agree. Though I am an outsider, looking at the US like a fishbowl - everything looks slightly distorted and confusing, but is also vaguely familiar.

Charity Marie - <3

Sep 20, 2025 at 7:07pm
In response to "Free Speech, Gettin' Raptured, & People Worth Suffering For"

What an interesting trifecta. The one that resonated with me most was the last one so it's the one I'm going to respond to because it's directly relevant to my life, especially right now. You could say I'm "sacrificing" for my relationship. If you know the history, it started as a FWB (friends with benefits) and a hard-boundary of nothing serious. But I'm relationship-oriented. I don't do anything shallowly - I'm just not wired that way. I like commitment - there's something about it that resonates in my nervous system and my bones. Out of 8 billion people, it's that person who says, "I see you. I value you above all others - now or future". It's experiencing life at a deeper level than you can with just friends. It's BATTLING through life together.

For the last year, the FWB relationship has worked because I was working on myself and dating casually, just living life. Eventually I reached a point of just wanting more in my life. Wanting a life partner. So I explored that with him to which he basically said he wanted to stay single forever. Okay, understood. You are another emotionally unavailable man. Noted. Moving on - no harm, no foul. I transitioned it to "friends without benefits" to open up room in my life for a life partner. My idea was to use a matchmaking service - because maybe someone could discern through the bullshit better than I could when they see it every day. Hoping someone would have a more attuned radar to pre-screen out garbage better than apps.

Except, when I mentioned it to him he kind of froze and said, "But what about me?" Then it all changed. We've been carefully, like two battle-scarred generals, navigating it ever since. Successfully I might add despite a misunderstanding that could have derailed the whole thing but actually made us stronger. He told me he'd known for a while that if he were in a better place in life, I would be someone he would want more with. Which floored me because I never even allowed my mind to go there. I labeled him very concretely as "boy toy" and "no feelings" except friendship. That's exactly where it stayed because I can compartmentalize like that unlike other people. I'm an INTJ - half computer, half human. LOL Which brings me to the sacrifice part: we've chosen to wait. Because he's living with a roommate and has a one year lease he doesn't want to break (unless he has to because of the roommate). He's trying to financially get on his feet as well as do some healing of his own.

I get it - there's work to do. I'm further along in my self-growth than he is but was just laid off two months ago so now I'm starting over in a rebuilding phase. So I'm simply waiting for him to catch up and for my own life to restabilize as someone self-employed. The sacrifice is waiting from now until up to one year for his lease to end before we can be together the way we really want. That's when the REAL relationship work begins.

We're doing some of it now - communicating, navigating it all, getting together regularly. It's almost like a long distance relationship because he lives/works 40 minutes away. So when you talk about sacrifice - that hit me pretty hard. But also reassured me because I've never been someone who shied away. I have grit and resilience. It's other people matching me that's been the problem. But finally, I found someone who is and does. So your post gave me hope and reassurance I'm right where I'm supposed to be. Thank you!

Annette

Sep 20, 2025 at 12:12am
In response to "Watch List - August 2025"

Jayne

and Jeff

Include me please.

Jeff

Sep 20, 2025 at 12:02am
In response to "Watch List - August 2025"

Jayne

- Any time you want to arrange a Zoom viewing party, I'm in!

September 30, 2009 at 5:40pm

#669892

A cure at last!

I'm shocked, awed... and a little embarrassed today. After years and years and years of trouble, I've finally figured out what's wrong with me! Well, wrong with my feet, anyway.

When I was younger - we're talking a good decade ago - I was quite the recreational athlete. For someone who was never really that into sports since the "Little League Debacle" of my youth, I prided myself on my athleticism, most notably my six years of martial arts (stopping just shy of a black belt)... and my personal best of running a mile in 5 minutes, 30 seconds flat.

Since then, however, I've only ever intermittently exercised, thanks in no small part to an incredible amount of pain I feel in my leg muscles and joints whenever I run for an extended period of time (or even a short time over several days). I've seen three doctors over the past ten years, all of whom gave me the the same advice, more or less. I have weak joints, the stresses of running are too much for my body to handle, etc. etc. etc. My last consult even told me that I shouldn't be doing anything more strenuous than walking. (Keep in mind that although they may be fast-approaching, I still have to reach my 30s).

After one last go at it these past few weeks (with the pain in my legs returning), I was about to give up the idea that I'd ever be able to run again... which pretty much meant saying goodbye to my "bucket list" item of running a marathon at some point in my life.

And then earlier today I was on the internet, doing some research on running just to see what kind of information is out there, and I came across a ton of information on pronation, which is the foot's orientation when you walk, run, step, etc. Apparently there are "normal" pronators, who run perfectly... they land on the heel, then roll through to the toes with the body's weight evenly balanced in the center of the foot. But there are also "over-pronators", who land on the heel, then roll through to the toes with the body's weight on the inside of the foot, putting the body's weight entirely on the big toe side. And lastly, there are "under-pronators", who land on the heel, then roll through to the toes with the body's weight on the outside of the foot, putting the body's weight entirely on the pinky toe side. I'm a pretty severe under-pronator, and with over- or under-pronators, the risk is that the imbalance of weight causes injuries in the form of ankle problems (check), shin strain (check), sore foot ligaments and muscles (check), and joint pain (check). And how does one diagnose this problem? Surely there must be some medical testing or, at the very least, a certified physical trainer to watch the way you run? No, all you really have to do is pick up a pair of old running shoes and look at the wear pattern on the soles. Is one side more worn than the other? Well, then there you go.

So now that I've been diagnosed, what's this miracle cure? The one that I discovered on a blog after three doctors told me I should just give up on trying to run and living a mildly-active lifestyle? NEW SHOES. That's it. I just need to buy better shoes with more cushioning and support, so that the shock of my foot hitting the pavement is absorbed by the foam, gel, air, etc. in the shoe and not transferred up along my foot, ankle and leg.

Which means I may not be able to go for the athletic shoes on sale for $29.95 anymore... but by shelling out an extra fifty bucks or so could make all the difference in the world, and could mean that I can actually run again, pain free, for the first time in more than ten years.

So I'm off... to order some new running shoes and to fire my doctor. I gotta get training for that marathon!

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September 18, 2009 at 7:48pm

#668313

The Horrible Beginning

I'm currently in the process of wrapping up my latest screenplay that I'm writing with a partner. Naturally, I'm already thinking about what I'm going to write next... I have to figure out my next screenplay, as well as start thinking about my novel for NaNoWriMo 2009. And after thinking about these two endeavors for the past two or three days, I've come to a realization... I HATE this part of the process. Not the "coming up with ideas" stage... but the "deciding what idea to go with" stage.

I'm sure I'm not the only writer who has a million and one ideas rattling around in his head pretty much every day of the week. And knowing that I'll be focusing solely on one idea for three or four months (or, in the case of NaNoWriMo, a few weeks

) always makes me a little anxious. Did I pick the right project? Will this come out as well as I think it will? Do these characters interest me enough?

I don't mind rewriting. I love the rewriting process. I love coming up with story ideas and characters and conflicts that I can muse about all day long. But I hate having to pick which one I have to focus on next, because it means I have to shelve all those other ideas and file them away so I can devote my energies to the one.

Why can't there be a dozen of me, so I can write on all my projects simultaneously? You know, and one to work and pay the bills, of course.

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September 17, 2009 at 1:15am

#668068

A Milestone

So I have my blog preferences set to e-mail me a reminder when it's been more than four days since I last posted a blog. I figured it would help motivate me to at least write something on a semi-regular basis. Lately, however, I've been deleting those reminder e-mails, reasoning that I'll worry about it tomorrow.

And today I hit a milestone, although I'm not sure it's something I'm particularly proud of.

Your blog was last updated 100 Days ago

Yikes!

I guess I've got some catching up to do...

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