Category Archives: Uncategorized

Keith Whitley, Booze, Country Music, jim steele, jimsteeleautor

Booze, Religion, and the Misfortune of it all …

I insist on hanging out in bars. It will ultimately be to my detriment and part of me knows this. Still- at times, I can’t help myself.

I neither feel good or bad inside the all too comfortable confines of these establishments, I’m just “there”. I rarely go to any that are within my home zip code- preferring instead some kind of anonymity. I’m not sure that the effort pays any dividends for it is painfully clear to all within the place that, upon my arrival and then demeanor, a non-drinker; more specifically, a recovering alcoholic is within the midst of an otherwise good time. But, I can say that if I were to go to my former haunts, the chances of my actually starting to drink again, due to peer pressure and out and out memories, would be far too great. I can’t really have that, besides- to drink or start drinking again is not what I’m after. Actually, it’s the last thing that I’m after…

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Jim Steele, The Wrong Turn, Jimsteeleauthor.com, Travel, Indiana

The Wrong Turn

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I ran through a stop sign today. Went right through it without ever looking. That’s bad, Į know. That’s a really bad thing. I wish I had it to do over again, maybe I’d… No, I’m sure I would stop if I had it all to do over again. But, like everything else in life, there are no do-overs. You do it once, and it’s done. Whatever that may be.

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Jim Steele, Jimsteeleauthor.com, Jimmy Buffet, Hurricae Season

Hurricane Season

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Driving down the road the other day, I was struck by how wonderfully beautiful a day it was. A nice blue sky, done fluffy, white clouds. It’s at times like this that a guy thinks, wow, what did I do to deserve this? Cruising down the road, wind in my hair… Alright. So I look over to my radio, all good times like this need a soundtrack, and start dialing in the tunes. Now here’s the really good part, I’ve got one of those new Sirius satellite radios. Now– I’m sitting here thinking, “what would be something good to listen to”? Let’s make a short list; end of summer wide open highway, no place special to be, good lookin’ Senorita ridin’ next to me. Easy… Buffet.

Jimmy Buffet

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Life and Life’s Lessons by the Bay

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I awoke this morning to a sharp realization in which I compared my time in San Francisco this last year alongside the personal relationships in my life… of family, friends, and acquaintances. I mean, we’re all interconnected to some degree, and at different junctures, the severity and/or intimacy only depending on the particular person or relationship in question. If this weren’t the case, then how would we be related at all?

At any rate– I was struck by the recollection that even though I spent approximately 4 months in San Francisco, known by the locals as “the City”, I was dismayed for not having pursued the City’s identity sooner.

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Jim Steele, Robert Frost, Poetry, Rose Pogonias, A Boy's Will

Rose Pogonias

~Robert Frost, A Boy’s Will, 1913

A saturated meadow,
Sun-shaped and jewel-small,
A circle scarcely wider
Than the trees around were tall;
Where winds were quite excluded,
And the air was stifling sweet
With the breath of many flowers,
A temple of the heat.

There we bowed us in the burning,
As the sun’s right worship is,
To pick where none could miss them
A thousand orchises;
For though the grass was scattered,
yet every second spear
Seemed tipped with wings of color,
That tinged the atmosphere.

We raised a simple prayer
Before we left the spot,
That in the general mowing
That place might be forgot;
Or if not all so favored,
Obtain such grace of hours,
that none should mow the grass there
While so confused with flowers.

Jim Steele, Freddie, Dogs, Cabins, River, Summertime, Indiana

Dogs & People, In No Particular Order

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There are times that I sit and wonder just what the hell is wrong with me, and for that matter, with the world in general. I’m nearly certain that, after 45 years on the planet, that things shouldn’t be as they more often than not turn out… and if so, then not only are we all destined to be screw ups, but so will our kids and grandkids. The main problem is that people seem to refuse that others among and around them have feelings. We complain that there is a lack of empathy and a blasé attitude toward the human condition; however, when it comes right down to it– most people could give two shits less about their fellow man, and more than a few will admit that to you freely… upon request. And yet, we think that, somehow, we deserve more…

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Steinbeck: He’s Always Been The Best…

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John Steinbeck, New York City

First Published- April 25, 2017

I’m a little over halfway done with a first draft of my first book. But, I have been trying lately, perhaps a bit to much, to try and “turn the story” towards it’s ending. As a result, I’ve been struggling a bit with 500 words a day or maybe a sentence re-work here and there, and my process has slowed over the last week. I think that SOME editing along the way might be helpful to keep the story on some kind of pathway. Others, including Steinbeck, say to just write and then edit when it’s time to edit. And really, who am I to argue with the likes of Steinbeck? The man was an expert writer and my literary hero!

He gives us 6 tips for writing and number 2 says to “write freely” and edit later… Well, maybe I should try that. Still, I’m a little bit of a grammar Nazi, and when something isn’t correct, I feel the need to go back and correct it! I’ll do my best to try and get past that.

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US 50, Nevada, Jim Steele

The Trouble With Travel

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I am beginning to think that travel is bad for the writing process. It seems that the more places I go, the less influenced or inclined I am to write about it. I understand that other authors have had, in a great many instances, just the opposite effect– with travel necessarily incorporating new and exciting ideas and thought processes into their script. The problem becomes, I suppose, on how fast you travel, and whether or not writing is the main focal point during that particular journey. I can tell you that my focal point is not merely to write, though I would love to have that as a by-product; and the method of travel is usually pretty quick, even by my slow-by-the-side-of-the-road standards. Continue reading →