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Everyone's comment here is so uplifting and so positive. I don't know why I feel sad about this news, but I do. Houston seemed like such a doable place to visit you, California seems impossible. I've been to Houston once before, never to California. If you do decide to move, I would love to visit at some point down the road!
I am encouraged by the thought that you'll be significantly closer to your family and they can help you if you have medical emergencies.
You may also be able to be more active socially, which is something you've wanted to do for 4 years anyway. Perhaps your relatives will accompany you to the cat events and the poetry slams. It is more fun together than alone.
I have full faith that your blogging, as others have mentioned, will continue full steam ahead. I have full faith and confidence in you that you'll continue churning out brilliant, funny, endearing, touching writing about many topics.
Best wishes and safe travels from your friends in Alexandria, Virginia.
An Interview and 2017 Decisions: Signs of Failure and Giving Up?
Happy Friday the 13th from deep within the bowels of The Mad Macedonian Broadcasting Network Compound and Think Tank, in Houston, TX. This is a serious post (long, too!), but one brought about by an email I recently received and the resulting phone interview I had this afternoon. I had not pla...
Wow, this is incredible, Kiril. I'm truly happy for you! Well deserved!
The Ways of the Lord are Mysterious: My Xmas 2016 is October 18th
God works in mysterious ways...I do not understand the blessing that came my way today, I really don't... I came close to tears and am deeply grateful to so many people. A year ago life was really stressful in Sept & Oct., from rescuing young Friday to the usual food and bill worries. ...
Wow! This was very, very interesting, Kiril. You totally lucked out having people give you a ride to and from this place. Your keen sense of observation and admiration for that which is all around you is to be commended.
Vacation Day 5: A 1 Hr Tour With a Mad Macedonian Brave and True
Day 4 of my vacation was spent going to a pair of Food Pantries and preparing photos for sharing. Day 5 saw me return to my adventures in an entertaining way.... Interested in my earlier vacation adventures, this week? Begin here. The other day my creative friend Amanda Socci encouraged me to ...
Wow! Totally creative and ingenious! I do not know this Lynyrd Skynyrd song at all, but such a clever rhyme! You find inspiration from anything. Love that!
Travelin' Caterpillar
Today I returned to work from my vacation, but my recent creative spurt has still not run its course. In an earlier post I shared photos that led me to write what can be termed an "ekphrastic poem". This is just a fancy way to describe using a piece of art, or even a photo, to inspire a p...
Your perspectives of this museum are quite interesting. You are so right - - the exhibits pose questions to make us think, particularly in light of all the difficult and often sad social problems facing our world today. I love that your mind is capturing these details and you're able to enjoy them fully.
Vacation Day 5: Checking Out the Houston Center For Photography
The Houston Center For Photography is a Non-profit gallery that specializes in photography as an art form. It supports emerging and mid-career artists, and promotes the study of photography through exhibitions, classes and events. After I left the Boat Tour, I took in the morning, I headed in...
There is always so much frustration in your life, Kiril, but you handle things so gracefully and with your trademark sense of humor.
So sorry that these things all happened, with very little explanation.
You're right - - you should have been informed of these changes, but you dealt with the hand you were given in a really nice way.
The Great Appointment Fiasco of 2016
I swear...it's enough to make one go screaming down the hall, waving ones arms, madly screaming and pulling out what's left of one's hair. But I didn't. The Mad Houstonian will survive...hee, hee! I should have known there was something more to the adventure of the last few days when I got of...
Loved every aspect of this blog post. An excellent summary, both with its successes, brief nod to difficulties, and the ultimate inspiration.
September...a Time to Celebrate and Plan Amidst Difficulty
4 years ago, this month, I fled the once great state of California for a fresh start in the great state of Texas. As I wrote, a few weeks before the sun set on my life in California, the state had no-one to blame but itself for my leaving. As I also wrote... "I believe that I can find a new li...
This doesn't look much like a bird, though it does remind me either of a snake head or a ferocious dragon head. In both cases, I love the thought that defiantly staying within faith and not giving up is the best course of action.
Life Draggin' You Down? Never Give Up!
I get inspiration in the most unexpected ways; Things I hear, things I read...and things I see and encounter can give me ideas for poems, songs, stories, writing prompts, essays, photos, and videos. Two days ago I was walking across the parking lot next to my apartment building and happened ...
Your comments on LinkedIn are quite interesting, like everything you do, Kiril. My personal experiences mirror yours. I rarely have time to do anything on social media, as I must juggle my personal time judiciously. However, my end result was vastly different than yours Though I understand your need to close your account due to nonuse and due to the fact that you saw that nothing palpable came your way, I've decided to keep mine open, even if inactive, as an archive of my work.
I, too, hope to get that magical lead that will jumpstart me back into paying gigs, but until then, I'm actually pretty happy just for the ability "to be found," which is the primary lesson I learned from Robert Lee Brewer when we joined the platform challenge three years ago. If your LinkedIn profile allows you "to be found," irrespective of the fact that you do not get positive leads, try to think of it as "free advertising" for your blogs. You want new readers, right?
Just something to think about so that you'd reconsider rejoining LinkedIn. I highly recommend it.
Good-Bye LinkedIn
I joined LinkedIn in November 2007, not long after I began this blog. I was a Directory Assistance Operator for Verizon Wireless. What did I do? Well, I guess this song I wrote might give you some idea, hee, hee! At the end of Sept. 2010 I became unemployed; by December I was taking computer r...
Everything you say and do and write about is incredibly intriguing and fascinating, Kiril. The hat analogy is fabulous. It is interesting, because I have observed you wearing a hat, but did not pay attention to how many different styles you had. Each style represents a different period of your life. It is all so full of meaning.
A Part of Who I Am as a Creative Writer - The Hat is Back! (and Other News!)
When I retired my original blog and began this one, in October 2007, I did so making a new fashion statement, having begun wearing a straw hat over the summer. I don't remember exactly why I did so, and didn't seem to have written any thoughts about it on the blog at the time. As I wrote in one...
Your descriptions are always so interesting, Kiril! Very, very interesting. I almost feel as if I closely witnessed what you lived through. I am just glad you are fine! I agree about needing to buy heavier-duty rain gear to be able to better withstand the rain conditions. In the meantime, thanks for the great reporting!!
A Man From Southern California Lives Through His First Houston Flood...
I know, I know, that sounds like the opening to a good joke or monologue, but that's the best title I could come up with for this post. Good evening friends, neighbors, country persons, the Mad Houstonian here with my take on what happened last night and what it looked like in my part of Hous...
Very witty and clever, as usual. Loved the memory of your mom. Kudos!
COOKING LIKE MAD 6: Pizza To Test a Mother's Love
Hello, Chef Kiril here! In case ya missed the last recipe, from June, here it is: COOKING LIKE MAD 5: Not Your Typical Texas Taco? In an effort to get myself to cook and eat more at home, I took up a recent challenge by my friend Amanda Socci to fix a homemade pizza. This morning I made a tr...
Love the photo of you exposing yourself to poetry. Absolutely hilarious. How smart of you to realize that your style of poetry is not exactly slam material. I tend to agree, but you went for it anyway. Good enough to get you featured. Awesome. Congrats!
WAN Poetry Debuts New Website: Mad One Mentioned on Press Page!
It's been almost 2 months since I last had a chance to visit AvantGarden to attend and take part in the Write About Now Poetry/Spoken Word weekly Open Mic: WAN Open Mic: The Mad Houstonian's Triumphant Encore A lot has been going on with WAN since then culminating in great news yesterday... Th...
I can't believe you met Alex Trebek!!!!!!!!! Great life lessons...
Geezer Con, or I've joined the 50+ Set, So Now What? - Part 4
As a new day dawns in my life I must find the strength, courage, knowledge, and heart to take those neccessary steps to change my life for the better. In America, these days, it is not the best of times, but the worst of times, for many. I have been unemployed for over a year, ...
The captions are HILARIOUS! Your blog is always so rich and full of descriptive perspectives.
Geezer Con, or I've joined the 50+ Set, So Now What? - Part 3
Off to the sessions, at The Life @ 50+ Convention ( This series actually begins with a Prelude ), I went. The Tips from the Money Coach session was full of advice about such things as... 1. Pay yourself first w/a savings account. 2. Include a Savings Category in your Budget. 3. Include somet...
Fascinating!
Geezer Con, or I've joined the 50+ Set, So Now What? - Part 2
Throughout each day, at The Life @ 50+ Convention ( This series actually begins with a Prelude ), there were lots of sessions for attendees to sit in on, on a variety of subjects, from lifestyle related to health, travel, career, and finances. Some were better attended than others based on m...
Love, love, love the photos!
Geezer Con, or I've joined the 50+ Set, So Now What?
It's just after Noon, on a beautiful Sunday in early October, and my statcounter says the 40,000th visitor to take a look at this blog since it began 4 years ago this very weekend (The Coming of the Mad Macedonian - A 3 Part story, with pictures, too! - if you think you understand this blog, or ...
Your perspectives and thoughts are lovely...
Prelude to Geezer Con (The AARP Life At 50+ Convention)
Sometimes, over the past year, the future has looked very cloudy, to me, making it hard to see very far ahead, or think clearly about a new direction in my life. In the weeks since I attended the AARP Life @ 50+ Convention, in Los Angeles, I've walked along the beach, at sunset, in Newport Bea...
Thank you for your detailed replies. There is still a lot I don't know or understand about this new apt., but you being the inspiration that you are, I know you will address those inconveniences in time.
A Peek Inside My Humble Home
It was not until recently that I had my apartment looking civilized and livable. The only thing left undone is where to put my books because I have no bookshelves, yet, and only appear to have space for 2, 3 at most. The "bedroom", with doors to the bathroom and walk-in closet. Th...
Wow! How interesting! I really hope you'll post updates to this. I am fascinated by this. Are you allowed to paint anything? Are you allowed to change the carpet or color or anything? Do you plan on adding color in some way? Please tell us more about your bookcase situation. Did you used to have one? What size are you looking for? Silly question, but have you already checked with the Houston ResTore? http://houstonhabitat.org/restore/
A Peek Inside My Humble Home
It was not until recently that I had my apartment looking civilized and livable. The only thing left undone is where to put my books because I have no bookshelves, yet, and only appear to have space for 2, 3 at most. The "bedroom", with doors to the bathroom and walk-in closet. Th...
Loved this post! Had no idea bikes were so expensive! You are witty and descriptive as ever. Thank you for adding so much detail and character to this lively story! I am confused, though. I assumed you used your bike out of necessity to get to work, but now I see that you don't. If you had a bike now, would it improve your work commute?
My Trusty Old Bike and I...One Final Journey
It has been almost a year since my last Cycling Dude blog post, about a ride along Memorial Dr.. A lot has happened since then most importantly, for this recreational cyclist and bike commuter, not only did my trusty steed keep getting flats, but other issues were catching up with her. It has b...
What a wonderful perspective of a fascinating cultural and professional event. You are SO living your dreams instead of just talking about them. This was the most important sentence I read: "It is said that if you want to stay passionate, you have to stay productive...you have to have a reason to get out of bed in the morning." I think you are more of an inspiration than you think.
The Mad Houstonian Makes Texas Open Mic Debut!
History will little note, nor long remember that, on a cool December 10th evening, in 2014.... at the weekly Write About Now Poetry/Spoken Word Open Mic on the stage at the popular AvantGarden Social Patio Bar & Lounge, in the Montrose District of Houston, TX.... The Mad Hous...
I LOVE the update, Kiril! I am SO glad you started attending Lakewood once again!!
An Act of Faith Revealed
Over the years I have shared thoughts on faith, both serious and humorous, including 2 sets of 30 Days of Gratitude series (Nov. 2012 and July 2013), as part of my own personal journey and even had a poem lead to an extended discussion related to faith. Before moving to Houston the last time I ...
What a great way to build up the suspense! Loved this!
Yo, Gabriel! What Do Ya Think?
There is the Creation Story all Christians know and love: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth....So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Eventually God took a break, etc... ...and then there is this: And on a bl...
Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to answer my questions, Kiril. All very interesting and mostly serious replies, which I appreciate very much.
If I were to leave you with just ONE piece of advice, it would be to get rid of this mentality: "I felt I didn’t have the time, skills, resources and connections to do more than the simple things I tried."
As long as you FEEL that you can not move forward (whether that is true or not), it is that FEAR that will hold you back.
Write NonFiction Now 2013 Standout Blogger Responds At Last! - Pt. 5
Last August Amanda Socci, my friend and creative writing "drill sergeant" had profiled me and posed 9 questions to me for each of my five blogs (3 of which are retired), as part of her 10 month "I know I Can" training series for Nina Amir's Write Nonfiction Now and Write Nonfiction in November...
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