Sunday June 5th, 2011 - writing re-direct

I continue to write the occasional freelance article, but I'm concentrating on finishing the book. You can read parts one and two (half the book) at nightinpositano.com
Thanks for visiting

Wednesday November 10, 2010 - New York City trip

I am still writing for the Examiner. Since I published my first article with them in September 2010, I have had 16,500 readers. I have two columns:
http://www.examiner.com/online-learning-in-denver/christopher-sharits-m-ed
http://www.examiner.com/john-hickenlooper-in-national/christopher-sharits-m-ed

The great news is that John Hickenlooper won so now I have the national Colorado Governor column. Cool! In addition, my subscribers went way up as did my fan list. The Board of Education in Jefferson County follows my online learning column which is pretty cool. They send me emails of support which is real nice of them. I'm starting a portfolio of supportive letters and emails. I've already got over a dozen. Oh yeah, and one hate mail which I also printed out for my portfolio.

In December 2010, I will add three more weekly columns with a separate publisher and I should begin my work with the Spanish publisher before the end of the year.

I have pushed back my expected publication date of my book to March 2011. I just don't have it where I want it yet. Between now and then I will start fielding publishing agents, but if I fail to find an agent or publisher, I will probably self-publish on Lulu.com or something. I can have it available as an e-book by Spring and then a hard cover by end summer 2011.

Looks like the transition from manager/salesman to writer is complete. Later this afternoon my wife and I will catch a plane to NYC for three days of meetings and VIP museum tours. And, on Thursday night we are going to the Broadway musical Addams Family with Nathan Lane. Very excited. I'm sure I will fly home with yet another writing contract. Thank you Lord. I get it. Now make it rain money. Cool. Love you!

Thursday October 21, 2010 - writing assignments

I have two columns and maybe more writing assignments after tomorrow.
Right now you can read my Online learning column at http://www.examiner.com/online-learning-in-denver/christopher-sharits-m-ed

And my National John Hickenlooper Examiner column at http://www.examiner.com/john-hickenlooper-in-national/christopher-sharits-m-ed

Sorry, too tired to go on. Took too much time writing gubernatorial debate summary http://www.examiner.com/john-hickenlooper-in-national/quick-recap-of-the-oct-13th-colorado-gubernatorial-debate

Thursday October 7th, 2010 - Colorado elections

Well, I thought it might be fun to rattle some political cages by suggesting that online education threatens the public school system. Everyone likes to call themselves the education God, but the truth is that their true colors come out when you ask them something of particular subset of education. I have found my interviews with the Colorado candidates interesting and revealing. Bob Kinsey is old school. He hate texting. Paul Fiorino supports the integrated model. and Buck, Tancredo, and Hickinlooper's camps have contacted me and I may get a few more responses in the morning.

Here is the story that kicked off my series on the politics of online education...
http://www.examiner.com/online-learning-in-denver/does-online-education-threaten-the-k-12-colorado-public-school-system

http://www.examiner.com/online-learning-in-denver/the-politics-of-colorado-online-education-u-s-senate-candidate-bob-kinsey

http://www.examiner.com/online-learning-in-denver/the-politics-of-online-education-colorado-gubernatorial-candidate-paul-fiorino

Saturday October 2, 2010 - The baby made me sick

I don't feel good. Here are the last two stories I wrote for the examiner

http://www.examiner.com/online-learning-in-denver/the-online-education-strategy-for-colorado-s-unemployed

http://www.examiner.com/online-learning-in-denver/free-online-college-education-for-colorado-public-high-school-students

Wednesday 29th 2010 - Self publishing

A friend recommended that i look into Lulu.com which is a self-publishing site. Check it out. I think I may do that. At least for the e-book. Now, I really want to finish the book. I'd like it to be available by Christmas or the spring. I don't suppose it would matter too much. ASAP. I'll stick to that.

I have, to date, written 18 articles for examiner.com. The last three are listed here...

http://www.examiner.com/online-learning-in-denver/denver-s-automotive-service-pros-are-using-online-training-for-ase-certification

http://www.examiner.com/online-learning-in-denver/csu-s-online-green-building-and-leed-prep-certification-program-begins-today

http://www.examiner.com/online-learning-in-denver/csu-s-online-green-building-and-leed-prep-certification-program-begins-today

Saturday September 25th, 2010 - First Chapter of my book Positano

Today I had to go through the first ten chapters and rewrite them to reflect the past tense due to the devastating  fire I create in chapter 16. I basically wrote all day so this is today's entry. Let me know if you like it. I'll post some more every once in a while.

Chapter One

Suicide. It runs in my family. It runs through my blood. Merely speaking the word sends shivers down the backs of anyone within ear shot. They are watching me; always watching me. I don’t know what they expect. It is all around me. You hear it on the news every day. I talk about it with my therapist twice a week. It’s as much a part of me as I am a part of it. They tell me not to think about. My mom says, “Honey, don’t talk about it. Let it go.” She might as well say don’t breath. Suicide. There, I said it again.

I don’t want to die. I know I have a long and beautiful life ahead of me. I have a girlfriend and my life is rebuilding, but, still, it’s there. They don’t understand the difference of awareness and honesty as opposed to the verb. It is an irrefutable part of me. It’s forever in my core. I can’t stop it. The very act or thought of suicide is lurking deep in the dark damp recesses of my mind where no one dares to travel just waiting to strike.

I know the road to death. It is littered with hopelessness, isolation, humiliation, hate, loneliness, loss, and confusion. That night; on that night I felt all of those things. By God’s good grace and caring hand, I failed, but I can’t erase that moment. I hear the gentle waves lapping up the black pebble beach. Swish; swish goes the deep blue sea below me. My crying eyes burn with every salty gust of warm wind. The moon is so beautiful vicariously hanging above the shimmering and endless water. I’ve slowed my panting and I take one final deep breath. I slowly close my eyes and let one foot free. I’m not scared. I can do it. One more step as I felt my body lunge forward and my last foot slipping off of the earth and dangling in the wind as I slowly spin around seeing the surf then the sky then back to the earth.

Pain. I was paralyzed with pain. It hurt to hear, but I could hear. I could hear the ghosts swarming around me speaking in Italian. Then everything went black. I rose again and painfully opened my eyes. I was in a blindingly white room with the rhythmic sound of beep, beep, beep. I couldn’t swallow. Something was in my throat. I could move my arms or feet. They were being held. It hurt to flex my fingers. I realized I was in a hospital. The rhythmic beep was now in a chase as it quickened into a beep beep beep, then I heard people rushing into the room; again speaking in Italian. Then an angel bent down to my ear and said, “It’s going to be okay poor bambino. Just sleep. You’re safe.” My eyes grew blurry and I feel into a half consciousness. I could hear people, then black.

How can I forget that? Seriously; how does one forget that? I’m writing this story today because my therapist said it would be good to write it down and then throw it away. I’ll write the story because I need to. I’ll write the story because I can. I just hope; no I pray, I beg for peace. I just want some quiet. Is that too much to ask?

Sometimes when that moment of terrifying reflection subsides, I wonder what it would have been like to die. Was it as painful as living? Does your light just gracefully fade or do you hang around a while like ghosts in movies? What is heaven really like? I’m sure it’s not like sitting on some stupid cloud looking down at all of the fools. It has occurred to me that I could have gone to hell. That’s what the Catholic Church says. If you take your life into your own hands and deny God’s will you have committed a mortal sin again God. So then I wonder what hell could be like. I seriously doubt that there is any fire involved. Maybe you are cursed to revisit all of your sins and watch the world around your crumble over and over again for all eternity. That would really suck.

I was raised in the church. I’ve been told that God is a loving God and he doesn’t give you more than you can handle. That’s wrong. I couldn’t handle it then and I can barely handle it now. Maybe God does love me. Maybe Jesus died for my sins. Maybe God saved me. Although I live in fear, I am much better than I was two years ago. I’ll go with the God loves you thing, because it comforts me.

I’m free to talk about my new found faith, but not about death. About a year ago I felt compelled to start an anonymous blog. I called it “Suicide Interrupted” and I didn’t use my name or anything that could connect me to this poor soul. However, I did mention it to my best friend and he felt he had to tell my parents and they told my therapist. I tried to explain that the blog was an homage to death, but they put me back into the hospital. They took my clothes; they took my shoe laces and they checked in on me every 15 minutes. For the first 72 hours I didn’t see anyone except for my parents and nurses. I was there for a week. In some weird way, the mental ward is a comforting safe place. They tell you when to eat, when to sleep, when to do anything, but it’s safe. I still wouldn’t recommend publishing a blog.