It’s important that I spend some more time blogging, as opposed to thinking about blogging. The format of this space hasn’t really been solidified in my mind, yet. Since this is TomBorthwick.com and not NEPArtisan.com, my former political blog, it’s obvious that the focus is different.
So I’d rather my writing life take precedence over the political one. I’d also rather not jam politics down people’s throats on places like my Facebook page. My current thoughts? I’ll be doing a What’s the Word? regular series of posts that will act as a bit of a catch-all for both writing and politics. If ever I need to expand, I can.
I’ve been having a debate with myself about how to promote the blog, or get out there what I’m doing. Most people won’t check regularly unless prompted. But I also don’t want to be in people’s faces. I was thinking I’d use my Tom Borthwick for Scranton School Board Facebook page. The trouble is, I’m not running for School Board. Maybe I will again. Maybe not. The future is blurry at the moment. But I figure those that like the page would be a good audience. I thought about changing its name, but Facebook only allows such a change once. Maybe I’ll change it to Tom Borthwick. We shall see.
Luna di Miele
I’ll be leaving for my honeymoon soon! I’m headed to Paris for a few days and then down to Italy to visit my family. Life is pretty good. The Old World is always fascinating for me and my fondest memories are of traveling and learning about other cultures, about art, and about the past. This time, my wife and I will relax and simply settle in at both places for a few days. Sure, we’ll hit some museums and see the sights, but since we’ll be stationary we will be able to meander and do things at our own pace. It’ll be sad to be apart from our families during Christmas, but I’m sure Paris will make up for that!
The Write Life
Since there’s no time to write these days, I started a project that I can complete episodically. Basically, I’m writing a journal with a main character based on myself who is surviving in a world that’s had about three-fourths of the population wiped out in a short time by a disease. It’s post-apocalyptic, but with out trendy zombies. I love the genre because it’s really about how human beings react when the world is stripped down to basic survival mode. So I’m getting some creative work done, which is rather exciting.
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Pope
Pope Francis is Time Magazine’s Person of the Year. This man washes the feet of the poor, sneaks out of the Vatican in a disguise at night to feed the homeless, called capitalism incompatible with the teachings of Christ, and generally does what Christians are supposed to do: focus on those Jesus was concerned with, namely children, the sick, the elderly, and the poor. I love this guy. I was raised Protestant and am involved in my mother’s Maronite Catholic Church. He makes me want to convert. His is a philosophy I can agree with. Helping people is good.
PA-113 News
State Rep. Marty Flynn and heavily rumored challenger Pat O’Malley are continuing their charity wars in West Side. Both are throwing holiday parties for local kids. I think all races should be like this. Whoever helps the community the most, wins.
Scranton School Board News
For those that are interested in the Scranton School Board, it looks like their isn’t really a clear majority. Previously, there was the Lesh-Sheridan group, and before that the Democratic Party group ran the show. Now, Kathleen McGuigan, who has always been her own entity (and has a nice spread in today’s Scranton Times), leads the Board as its new President. Things will be very, very different from now on, methinks.