End of Semester: Professional Writing Alcoves

This week marks the end of my first semester as a grad student at OU… except I wasn’t really a grad student, and the class I took won’t count toward my degree. Where to begin? The ball started rolling this past summer when Susan asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. It was a trick question as I don’t really plan on growing up, but if I had to, I suppose the answer is, “a writer.” This sparked a conversation that ultimately led us to discover the “Master of Professional Writing” graduate degree program. The program… (read more)

RobOHara2 Comments

Falling

Earlier this year when I was diagnosed with Stargardt Disease, one of the questions the doctor asked me upon each visit was, “Have you noticed yourself falling or tripping over things more frequently?”. I hadn’t at the time, no. The building at college I attend class at is a block away from my bus stop. Yesterday after class I left my building and walked out to the sidewalk, where there was only one person — a lady, 50ish I’m guessing — walking slowly down the sidewalk. It is my nature to let women go first, so I filed onto the… (read more)

RobOHara1 Comment

December Beginnings

December 3rd will always be an important day for me. As some or many of you know and remember, on December 3rd, 1998, I was hit by a truck while walking down the side of the interstate. Calling it a “bad day” is kind of an understatement. It was scary as hell, to be honest. Being told by a doctor that you were literally one to two inches away from having your back broken or (more likely) being killed is a sobering event. The first anniversary of that date was a really big deal to me; the next one, slightly… (read more)

RobOHara2 Comments

Star Wednesday: Yoda Hand Puppet

In the late 1970s, Kenner released twelve unique 12″ Star Wars action figures. The first ten figures were from Star Wars, while the last two (Boba Fett and IG-88) were from The Empire Strikes Back. The line didn’t sell well and was abandoned before more figures from Empire and Jedi were released. And while this particular toy wasn’t actually a part of Kenner’s vintage 12″ line of toys, he was close enough to scale that I always thought of him as one. The Yoda Hand Puppet, released in 1981, was made out of vinyl and, other than a few strands… (read more)

RobOHara

The new Raspberry Pi Zero!

I’ve been a fan of the Raspberry Pi computer for some time now, although to be honest, I’m as big of a fan of the concept as I am of the actual computer itself. The Raspberry Pi is a small computer designed to run Linux that costs $35. On top of that price you’ll have to provide your own keyboard, mouse, and monitor, but chances are if you’re the type of person who is interested in a $35 computer that runs Linux, you probably have at least one spare keyboard, mouse, and monitor somewhere out in the garage. The original… (read more)

RobOHara1 Comment

Thanksgiving Concessions

Every year for the past five years or so, I’ve posted open Thanksgiving invitations to our home. Literally, I’ve publicly stated that if “anyone reading this” doesn’t have anyone to spend Thanksgiving with, they could spend it with us. I’ve had a few friends say this is very kind and generous. My wife says this is very crazy and stressful. Then again, I’m simply the one that unleashes this madness upon the world. Susan is the one that has to worry if we’ll have enough mashed potatoes to go around if two hundred people were to show up. As a… (read more)

RobOHara1 Comment

The Case of the Missing iPhone

Sunday afternoon, Mason and Morgan went outside to play around 5:30 p.m. The sun was still out, it wasn’t too windy, birds were chirping… good times, all around. When the two of them decided to play basketball, Morgan set her phone down on the bumper of Susan’s car. A few minutes later, now dusk, Susan left to go pick up stuff for dinner. Five to ten minutes later, Morgan remembered her phone was still sitting on Susan’s bumper, and panic ensued. By the time I was drawn into this, it was dark. The kids and I retraced Susan’s path through… (read more)

RobOHara3 Comments

Star Wednesday: Die-Cast X-Wing Fighter

My Star Wars collection can be divided into three categories: things I owned as a child (and still own today), things I used to own as a child (and replaced over time), and new toys and collectibles I’ve bought as an adult. This die-cast X-Wing Fighter falls into the first category. This is the same one I owned back in the late 1970s. Everybody is familiar with Kenner’s original line of 3 3/4″ action figures and their accompanying ships and play sets, but not everyone remembers all the other toys Kenner also released in 1979. Along with a few board… (read more)

RobOHara1 Comment

Photography Backdrops

I’ve been taking a lot of photos for my Star Wednesday posts, and decided the other day that I would like to set up a clutter-free area where I could take those pictures. It wouldn’t have to be large or permanent — just a small place where I could take clear pictures of my Star Wars items. On the backs of the early vintage action figure cards, each figure appeared in their own little colored box. I decided that this was the look I wanted to emulate. I can’t remember if I read about it, saw it, or just figured… (read more)

RobOHara1 Comment

Paris

Friday evening I was in the middle of writing a blog post about photography when my social media feeds began to fill with posts about an active shooting incident in Paris. As the situation escalated, I lost all interest in writing. Instead I spent the next several hours glued to the television, flipping between CNN and MSNBC to follow breaking news updates as the carnage unfolded. To me, the difference between warfare and terrorism is the difference between a scheduled boxing match and randomly walking up to an old lady at the mall and punching her in the face when… (read more)

RobOHara2 Comments