Look at the books above and you’ll gain some insight into things I cannot confirm or deny.
Ok, that is not entirely true, I have broken down more than one door, in fact I was once thrown through a set of closet doors by a man who was 6’7 and weighed 280 pounds.
My favorite part of that story is how I climbed out of the closet and tackled the guy. He was a fraternity brother and we were a couple of 20 year-olds just messing around.
The legal department says I am not allowed to talk about the UFOs or plane rides. They also tell me PETA is still angry about how I stopped the runaway camel and herd of Texas Longhorns.
It is kind of disappointing to hear those things but I am not a fan of extradition, rendition or many ‘ditions’ so I’ll tell you that not only are you missing out on great stories you have limited insight into how resourceful I really am.
They also say I am to tell you I am a Taurus and any rumors you heard about me being born in January 1 is a load of bull.
Is It Really More Fun To Be Evil?
The best time to ask me that question is when I am walking through a crowded mall during the holidays because that is when I’ll tell you misanthropy is an under appreciated art.
In the midst of the crowds fighting to buy a $198 dollar item for the bargain price of $196.98 I sometimes wonder what it would be like to loose the chains humanity has enslaved us with and to do whatever I want, when I want and how I want.
That feeling lasts about five seconds because I think about the consequences and how to explain to my kids that I decided to embrace the power of the Dark Side.
I have no faith that our legal system will allow for a defense mounted upon “Mr. Wilner wanted to know if it was more fun to be evil.”
Now that ought to be good for my SEO efforts, hopefully the Mr. Wilner and evil thing will stick to one of the other Josh Wilner’s out there.
Just kidding fellas, can’t afford to besmirch your good name because it is mine too. You can take that as a thinly veiled warning not do anything stupid with our name because I don’t want to pay for your own stupidity.
If I am going to get into trouble I prefer to earn it on my own.
BTW legal insists I tell you in big bold letters this post is me just writing for fun and there is no intent or desire to determine if any of the aforementioned comments about testing evil are based in susbstance.
That is ok, I like writing for fun and I do like being prepared.
A Broad Base Of Knowledge
I have read the books in the picture and others like them because I find that stuff kind of interesting. I have also read all sorts of books on home repairs, car repairs, writing, sports, movie, trivia and a ton of other things.
Why?
In part it is because a broad base of knowledge is good for a writer. It provides all sorts of food and fodder for writing.
It helps to make sure I know how to ask the right questions and it works because I am a curious sort of fellow. Stick me in the toy aisle and I am the guy who will turn on all the toys that make noise to see what happens.
If people ask what I am doing I tell them I am a Hollywood producer working on a documentary about Toys in America. Or sometimes I tell them it is performance art and they are interrupting my creative process.
You’d be amazed what people will believe…wink wink.
An old friend is going to see the Pompeii exhibit at the California Science Center this weekend and asked me if I wanted to join him. I had to turn him down because we have a prior engagement but I did so knowing that I had seen a similar exhibit about 15 years ago.
I remember it because the story of Pompeii, the Roman town destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius has always fascinated me.
It took all of about 24 hours for the volcano to wipe out the town.
Part of what I remember from the exhibit I saw was how advanced Roman Technology appeared to me. It made me wonder what would have happened if the Roman Empire had survived and the world hadn’t been subjected to the Dark Ages.
How much further along would modern technology be? Would we have found cures for Cancer, Diabetes and Heart Disease?
I don’t know.
Sometimes I look at simpler tools like the hammer and anvil pictured above and wonder people figured out how to make those tools and how we moved on from there.
When I ask if it is more fun to be evil some of that is tongue-in-cheek. Some of that comes across as being part of my insouciant nature but some of it is my mind playing with how things work in general.
Some of that is me wondering what happens if we turn things upside down and inside out not for the purpose of creating chaos but wondering what do we miss because we sometimes look at the world in one way.
You know that expression about how if you carry a hammer everything looks like a nail?
Well I am the guy who hears that and wants to use the hammer differently just to prove you wrong.
And I am the father who makes his daughter who doesn’t like history crazy by talking about hammers, anvils and volcanoes.
Something About How I Stimulate My Mind
If it is not obvious to you I have a very active imagination and a mind that goes a million miles an hour. Part of how I keep it stimulated is by finding tools and resources I can use to learn new things.
That is part of how and why I use Pinterest. I use it as sort of a scrapbook and or online bulletin board upon which I pin things that catch my eye.
It is an easy way for me to bookmark things I want to take a closer look at. Sometimes you find real treasures and sometimes you find some bright and shiny piece of brass that is not worth spending time looking at so you pin, read and delete.
If you are interested in getting a look at some of what catches my eye feel free to sign up and follow me.
Visit Joshua Wilner’s profile on Pinterest.
