I keep telling myself that I am going to start writing again. To pick up the keyboard – well, as it stays securely in place in front of my television, I suppose the keyboard doesn’t get picked up – and get my fingers to begin pressing on this wonderful array of plastic mushrooms with funny little symbols painted on them and create words. I love writing and the spinning of words. To glue together letter after letter, word after word and create something at least mildly entertaining for others to read. Just one thing eludes me, just one thing: where does one find the time!? Just a year ago I would have told you that there was far little time for me to do any meaningful writing. A year ago I was home by myself throughout the day. My wife bringing home the proverbial bacon and my daughter off at school. I cleaned the house, did some school work, played video games, and ate whatever leftovers we had from dinner the night before. Looking back to a year ago I shake my head. What I would do for that kind of free time!

The start of 2015 is far different from the start of 2014. My daughter is now home-schooled, taught by Professor Me, and I now have a son that turns 8-months old this weekend. My free time is now limited to a small portion in the morning between the time my son is down for a nap and my daughter is up for the day. She’s allowed two-hours of screen time, so I can sometimes eek out a little free time if the son is napping at the same time. Of all the artistic endeavors I have ever attempted, writing is the one that I have felt I could be good at. The two English courses I have taken in my college career thus far have been wildly successful; I received near perfect grades in both classes. Hell, look at that amazing use of the semicolon! Just stare at it for a moment and bask in the warmth of what is a perfectly used semicolon.

Required Reading! http://theoatmeal.com/comics/semicolon

I have seen from various authors, amateur writers, and bloggers that the key to successful writing is frequency. I suppose this makes sense. As with any artistic talent or expression, doing more equals doing better, but where do I find the time!? I do my best to do some writing here and there during those oh so infrequent quiet times I have on my own, but it takes quite a while to get any writing of substantial length completed. For the love of Thor, this writing has been sitting in my draft box for weeks. I only just recently dusted off some of the earlier text to reference the new year. Otherwise, my Halloween comments that previously littered the first paragraph would be quite goofy looking when first published. Evenings are no good, this is family time. I already feel as though I don’t get to see my wife enough as it is. Take out an hour or two chunk for writing and I’ll see her just long enough to kiss her goodbye in the morning and kiss her goodnight in the evening.

I, of course, do not expect you to have an answer for me, ye random stranger who is just happening to stumble upon my blog. I merely lament at all the time wasted in the past to an art I dearly love. This lack of free time is about to become even more significant as the new semester is about to begin. In addition, I am trying to help out around the house in the evening by cooking more dinners. On Monday I cooked a pesto pasta and Tuesday a New Orleans’ jambalaya. I find myself amazed that I could actually cook, but with some guidance from the wife it seems my skills are coming along just fine. With four computer science classes, two kids at home, meals to cook, and cleaning duties to perform, I am afraid that this might be the first and last blog post of 2015.