Category: Life and Other Fun

Posted on by — Leave a comment

first contact

It’s no secret that Star Trek was my first fandom. I have fond, if disjointed, memories of sitting on that ugly brown coach with my Dad watching that first incarnation of Kirk and Spock and Bones.

I remember when I first learned they were making The Next Generation. I was sure it was a huge mistake. Star Trek: TOS held such a high place in my memory that I could not conceive that any “remake” would be a good thing.

We were living in El Paso, Texas when TNG premiered, and that first episode didn’t fill me with the love I would come to have for that crew.

Over the next few years, TNG became as big a part of my life as TOS was when I was little. And then came Star Trek: First Contact. We didn’t know at the time that Star Trek would become what it has today, we didn’t know then that millions of people would begin to mark April 5 as First Contact Day.

We didn’t know we’d find ourselves in a timeline where we have so much Trek content to consume, that we’d get Picard back so many years after TNG ended, or that we’d get Discovery or Strange New Worlds. We didn’t know that Wil Wheaton would become such a beloved nerd and host of The Ready Room.

I for one Trekker am quite pleased with this part of our timeline. Not so much the ongoing proof that we are in no way ready for first contact, nor does it look like we’ll be prepared by 2063, when the Vulcans are supposed to arrive.

I’d hoped we would have learned a few lessons by now. I guess we’re still learning.

Happy First Contact Day, Readers. May you live up to the expectations of the Federation.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

walking because it’s good for me

I used to walk a lot, largely because my day included a half-mile walk from my house to the train, and from the train to the office, plus I’d aim for a mile or two at lunch. Most days I averaged a sum total of around five miles in a day.

Then, along came the pandemic.

Like so many others, exercise became problematic for me. Sure, I could still go out for walks, but in the early days, when we weren’t sure exactly how this thing was transmitted, I had no desire to accidentally have to be near people who could have this thing and not know it.

After a while, it just became easier to just stay home. I got lazy.

I’ll admit that when contemplating the move out here to Stockton, I worried that the trend would continue, because I had no idea what the neighborhoods around me were like, so I didn’t know how safe I’d be walking.

I have walked every day for the last 9 days, starting off at just over a mile and working up to the last three days which have averaged 3 miles. Somedays I take a planned out route. Somedays I play a game of “where does this road go” which, I will admit, has gotten me into trouble in the past as I’ve either gotten a bit lost, or ended up on a road that didn’t connect back to where I started without turning around.

Yesterday I played the game and was rewarded with a very lovely walk in the not-quite-daylight and this beautiful sunrise.

For me, walking is a time when I can be in my body, in my own head, without the interference of the day’s agenda and all of the things I need to do. Sometimes I’m composing poetry. Sometimes world building. Sometimes I’m just remembering things and people and places.

And yes, sometimes I’m just thinking about putting one foot in front of the other to get back home.

The day is always waiting for me when I get back, with work to be done and such. Today’s walk needs to start a bit earlier than it has been, as I have meetings starting at 7:30 am. I am currently drinking coffee and thinking about today’s walk. Where will the adventure lead? I may take the reverse course I did yesterday, or I may divert around a park I spotted yesterday. I won’t know until my feet hit the road.

I hope your day includes many wonderful adventures, Readers. May the Friday be with you.

Posted on by — 1 Comment

therapy in words

When I was in my teens, I wrote poetry daily. Granted, most of it sucked. I was a very different person back then and my exposure to the world was limited to small-town upstate New York and my very religious mind-frame. But, that isn’t the point. The point was in the joy of just writing whatever came to mind.

A good chunk of what I wrote was steeped in the far-right, evangelical Christianity that I was saturated with at the time, but one of the things I learned then was that I could spew my darker emotions, my darkest views of the world, into my poetry as a means of processing those things without poisoning who I was.

It is a lesson I have carried on into my adulthood. A lot of folks who read my poetry ask me about it, about how my poetry doesn’t seem to reflect the person they think of me as. Often it is because poetry is my therapy. And it remains so today.

Sure, I can be fun or silly, or sultry in my poetry as well. But, I think it’s in my darker work that I shine the most, if that makes sense. I pour a lot of who I am into my words and I can spend a long time working over the words I choose to express myself…but sometimes a poem simply falls onto a page and there is no work, only emotion.

That’s why I consider it my therapy, and since going back to writing at least one poem everyday, I’m finding myself on better footing mentally. It feels really good.

Anyway, it’s Friday and payday here in my world, so I’m off to pay bills before starting the day job. I hope this weekend treats you well, Readers, with good food, better coffee and a bit of poetry to decorate your world.

Photo by Álvaro Serrano on Unsplash

Posted on by — Leave a comment

it couldn’t happen here

It is no secret that I am a true crime junkie. I watch a lot of documentaries, both movies and series. I pretty much have that stuff on while I work most days of the week. I’m not always paying real close attention, as I am working, but I get the gist of things.

It is also no secret that I have long had a crush on Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and ever since White Collar, that crush has extended to JDM’s wife, Hilarie Burton.

Imagine my reaction then, when I discovered that Hilarie has a true crime show on AMC focusing on small-town murders!

Be still my fangirl heart!

I found it on the AMC channel on Amazon Prime. You can get a 7-day free trial with your Prime membership. If you enjoy true-crime shows and/or adore Hilarie Burton Morgan, you should go check it out.

Posted on by — 1 Comment

life, writing, and muddling through

It feels trivial somehow to talk about the mundane aspects of a mundane life when around the world people are suffering and dying in zones of war, bombs falling from the sky, buildings reduced to rubble and scared populations huddle in the dark or flee desperately to foreign lands.

At the same time, for those of us not in that immediate situation, life continues at its regular, mundane pace and so we go on.

In writing news, The Daughters of Morru is now available over on my Patreon page for all Patrons at the Enablers tier ($3 /month) and up. Chapters are posted every Sunday. So far three chapters are available.

I continue in my quest to write a poem per day, with first access to those available on either my Patreon page (for all Patrons $1 and up) and my Ko-Fi page (for all supporters, even 1 time donors). So far I’ve only missed one day, due to an accident that left me a bit concussed and rendered my muse mute.

I continue to settle into the new place, getting a little more comfortable every day. I now have an actual kitchen table and chairs, which I haven’t had in close to ten years. I’m almost feeling like a proper grown up!

I’m hoping my Death Wish Coffee order shows up soon, or I may have to resort to Starbucks this week! Fortunately, there’s a Starbucks walking distance from my house…I just need to find my make up to cover up my bruised up face (I look like someone punched me right between my eyes).

But, it’s almost time to start the day job and I still have today’s poem to write, so I shall leave you to your Tuesday, Readers. I hope it is filled with kindness and good things!

Posted on by — Leave a comment

books!

I read a lot of books. Like, a lot. My bookshelves are always overflowing. I read a lot of different kinds of books: sci-fi, fantasy, biographies, classic literature, books about religion and history, books about current or recent events, true crime…with lots of stops along the way.

I have recently been dipping my toe into books about business and industry, largely due to my day job sponsoring a book a month, which we get together (virtually) to discuss. This is a genre I’ve always struggled with, largely due to my rebellious nature. I tend to buck the status quo and dislike the homogenization that industry seems to require.

In a normal time, I have two or three books that I’m in the midst of, usually one non-fiction, one fantasy or sci fi and possibly a book of poetry or an anthology of short stories. In the last year or so, however, I’ve had trouble focusing on much. I’m reading in an all or nothing sort of way. I’m either reading or I’m not and I can not seem to deal with more than one book at a time.

Considering the size of my TBR pile, this is problematic! I got a new bookshelf yesterday, so I can finally get those boxes out of the garage later today. The house is coming together. I have a table and chairs coming today, and a few other things as well.

I hope your Wednesday is filled with wonder, Readers, wonder and joy.

Photo by Ed Robertson on Unsplash

Posted on by — Leave a comment

a reminder that freedom isn’t free

In the last two years, we’ve heard a lot of people yelling about their freedom and comparing masks and vaccines to nazi Germany. This week, we have had a glaring example of how absurd that actually is.

While the US and Canada are mired under protests about mandates designed to protect the public health, Ukrainians have had to step up to fight for their actual freedom…the freedom to live under their democratically elected government. They have been forced to flee or take up arms against a country so much larger than their own who seems intent on annihilating them.

I see people in the US declaring that this is why we need AK rifles to be available to everyone, completely missing the fact that a) we aren’t at war and b) we are not imminently under the threat of invasion. The Ukrainian government armed its people to defend themselves against Russia.

Automatic weapons have no place outside of war. They have no purpose other than to kill.

We are watching a nation stand up and fight back under nearly hopeless odds. The ingenuity and strength of the Ukrainian people are an inspiration. And still, here at home, we have people whining that being told to put a piece of cloth over their face to protect others is a violation of their “freedom”…and many of them are the same people who are saying that they would defend their neighbors with their guns if the need arose.

And they can not see the irony there.

Freedom isn’t free. It is predicated on a number of principles, including the idea that we must protect our citizens, even from ourselves, especially in a time of crisis.

I hear that the Ukrainians are open to volunteer militias coming to aid them. Maybe some of our right-wing militias should head over, prove they’re actually willing to do the work of defending the freedom that they keep declaring. But, if you’re going, make sure you’re not carrying a deadly virus with you so you don’t kill those you are there to defend.

Meanwhile, I’ll keep my mask on in public to protect those here at home from the same.

I hope your Sunday is filled with kindness and joy, dearest Readers, and that peace comes sooner, rather than later.

Photo by Eugene on Unsplash

Posted on by — Leave a comment

bullies are not welcome

I had planned to write a blog post this morning about settling in to the new routine in the new house, but with all that is happening on the global stage, that seems a bit frivolous. Sure, my day-to-day existence continues onward, as the epicenter of the current global crisis is far away and currently will little impact that routine.

But it is sobering to see the destruction that modern weapons of war are capable of when waged against a democratic country mostly at peace, especially with tensions so high here at home in a US divided along idealogic and political divides that grow deeper each year.

Honestly, I had expected a second civil war here at home before I’d anticipated the start of what could become WWIII. Maybe that was naive of me, or merely typically US-focused. We do have an issue seeing beyond our own borders at times, and I am as guilty of that as anyone, particularly now.

I’ve always been a fan of dystopian, post-WWIII stories, but I have no desire to actually live in such a story. I’m torn in my thinking regarding the US response. I believe on one hand that we must show a strong, united front in support of Ukraine as our ally, but I have no desire to commit our troops to engagement, particularly after we finally withdrew from Afghanistan.

I’m not sure how well sanctions will work against someone like Putin, who does not care one tiny iota about the Russian people and will likely let them freeze and starve while he throws his temper tantrum over a country that fought to cut itself free of the Soviet Union in the first place.

I am also strongly anti-bully, and Putin here is exactly that. He’s a bully on the global stage and he’s throwing the full weight of the Russian military at a smaller country simply because he can. I don’t have any answers here, I’ll leave that in the hands of our elected and military officials who have much deeper knowledge than I do on the subject.

I have a candle lit on my altar today for the people of Ukraine. May the gods protect them. And you, Readers.

Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash

Posted on by — Leave a comment

dream a little dream

Have you ever woken up with your heart racing, sweat on your forehead, and anxiety riding you out of some nightmare that you can’t recall anything about? That was how today started. For the life of me, I have no idea what I was dreaming, but I woke up feeling like something or someone was trying to kill me.

I’ve always been a vivid dreamer, even as a kid, so when I get nightmares, they’re usually just as vivid and they stick with me for days. Just not today.

When I was around 8 through my mid-teens, I had a recurring nightmare about a vampire and my neighbor’s basement. To this day I can remember it vividly. Later my nightmares turned to more mundane fare, with stuff like missed deadlines and having my money stolen and friends betraying me.

Some of that feeds on my imposter syndrome and my weird social hang ups. The rest I chalk up to stress usually. Not sure what was driving whatever dream I had to wake up like that, as most of my stress from the move has died down and I’m pretty happy at the moment.

The subconscious is such a weird and wonderful place, and I rely on it as an author to bring my ideas to life, at least within my head. Without that, I’m not sure I would have all of these delicious stories and characters to write about.

Well, Readers, it’s Saturday and I promised myself some writing time before I get busy with the chores list, so I should finish up this coffee and get to it. Have a great weekend!

Photo by Raul Guilherme on Unsplash

Posted on by — Leave a comment

nesting

I have arrived at my favorite part of moving: the nesting phase. There is something satisfying about finding new homes for your things and settling into the new routine.

This house has more storage space than the old one, and an extra bedroom that will likely become the craft room. There is also an extra bathroom and an actual place for a kitchen table. There are also stairs, which one of the kitties thinks is the best thing ever.

The downstairs bedroom is now my office and it has a sizeable closet which, when combined with an actual craft room, means my office will stay cleaner because I don’t have to empty the closet every time I’m looking for something!

There is still so much unpacking to do, but I have today and tomorrow to devote to it, and that should get me to a good place.

The cats are getting used to the place, and getting used to being indoor kitties again. The old house was on a quiet street where I didn’t have to worry about them being outside. The new house is in a much busier neighborhood with cars going by at all hours and kids walking to and from school and the small shopping center around the corner. The doorbell camera is getting a good workout.

I should have my tax refund this week, so I’ll be able to go get myself a washer and dryer for further settling in (and not having to schlep laundry around).

In writing news, I slapped together some poetry this morning. If you’re interested, have a gander: morning-news.

The coffee cup is empty, so I guess that means it’s time to get to work. Have a wonderful Saturday, Readers!

Photo by Pauline Bernfeld on Unsplash