Monday, June 25, 2018
10:30 p.m.
Oh, brother, what a day.
I decided to be the great researcher, but I needed a soundtrack. Hello, YouTube. I chose one song and then let it randomly choose the music, thinking I wouldn't have to think too hard about it.
Random selection today was so good, I didn't get as much research done as I hoped. I was singing along and sharing songs.
Ha ha. So, my novel's word count wasn't too high today, and I still haven't fleshed out the streets of Lawrence, Kansas in 1870, but I had fun listening to some good old tunes, so whatever!
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The end of my week is doctor appointments. Yuck. Does anyone else think it's just dumb that I have to do my woman's wellness check on a different day than my physical or my insurance won't cover it? Does anyone else think the woman's wellness check ought to be integrated into the physical?
But, no. Apparently boobs and vaginas require a whole separate day's worth of checks.
You realize, of course, that men can get breast cancer. Why don't they have boob-wellness checks separate from their physicals?
Am I making too much of this?
Dang it, I don't want to go to two separate appointments!!
Grrr!
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My son and I walked over to the nursery today, hoping for fresh farm market fare. Nada. How sad! Maybe later this week. But I wanted fresh fruit, even though I'm not supposed to eat it. I was planning a nice puree. Watermelon and peach.
Ah, summer!
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And now, the latest episodes of #WriteAwayJune.
#WriteAwayJune Day 24 - What does your character look for in a friend?
Emma doesn't have a ton of friends, mostly because she learned at a relatively young age that trusting people without testing them is a bad idea. She is friendly and relatively outgoing, and has a lot of acquaintances that she speaks with regularly, including repeat clients who come to her for their photography needs. She tends to be a good listener, but she doesn't share much with anyone other than family and her best friends Sasha and Martin. To say she has trust issues would be an understatement. The people she does trust understand that they are among the elite. Her many acquaintances believe that they are actually her friends, because she never repeats anything they tell her in confidence. They don't seem to realize that she has never gone beyond sharing the twins' milestones, talking about a flat tire or other things that you might say to anyone without fear that it might come back to bite you in the butt.
#WriteAwayJune Day 25 - How does your character sleep? Emma is a poor sleeper since childhood. She LOVES to sleep, and relishes the times when she can get a whole night without interruptions from babies, ghosts or just random house-settling noises. Unfortunately, those times are rare. Emma sleeps on her stomach, head pillowed in her arms or on the flattest pillow she can find. big fluffy pillows look great on the bed, but she can't sleep on them. She needs to be flat. When she was a child, she had a dog who slept with her, and for some reason, that dog's presence beside her was a gateway to getting a good six hours of uninterrupted sleep. She is seriously considering getting a dog again.
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11:50 p.m.
One thing about these summer allergies--my eyes get so irritated, I go to bed earlier. I don't necessarily go to sleep, but I do close my eyes, and that's not a bad thing. I'm about to go do that now. I will close my eyes and pretend to sleep while listening to The X-files until I actually DO sleep. Hopefully.
Good night!!
Monday, June 25, 2018
Saturday, June 23, 2018
Saturday, June 23, 2018
9:42 p.m.
Did you ever have one of those days when you were quite sure that every single medium- to- high tech device at your service has turned against you?
My computer, lap top and phone all suddenly switched to military time. Now, luckily for me, I know military time. I mean, counting to 24 isn't all that hard. But I don't want my devices to decide for me that their displays are now going to be military standard. That should be up to me! So...what's up with that?
My blog page decided that my post settings list should now be on the right side of my screen. I didn't get to make that choice, either.
No, nothing updated. I'd get it if that was the case.
This is just weird.
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I ate meat today, and I'm thinking that was not a good decision... ow.
I never know. Sometimes things go just fine, and sometimes I get to go on a liquid diet for a couple of days, trying to wash everything down.
I long for the good old days when I could eat whatever I wanted. With impunity, and without fear of gastric backlash.
Dumb tum.
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Now for the good news: I FINALLY have glasses I can see out of. Hurrah!
There's a back story. (Because, of course there is.)
Not so long ago, I called the office of a place that takes my insurance for an eye exam. I went in to see them, once for a good refraction and health exam, and then for a more comprehensive look to make sure I didn't have glaucoma.
When I filled the glasses prescription, I couldn't see worth a darn. Left eye was fine, but the right was just a nightmare. I have progressive lenses and there was not one spot on that right lens that I could see out of.
I filled the RX at the office my daughter-in-law works at, not at the place I had the eye exam, which is not a problem, except that I was in Wyoming and couldn't immediately get back in to see anyone in Colorado, so I sent the glasses back to her so that the lenses could be returned for credit until I could re-check my eyes.
Then I made an appointment with my old boss and had myself a really good eye exam.
Wow, did the Colorado place screw up! There's no way I would have ever in a million years gotten used to their prescription. It was so far off.
Got the new lenses today and I haven't taken them off. I can see! I can see!
Thank you, Dr. James Byars, Jr.
The heck with you, office down the street from my house. If I get un-lazy, I may give them a scathing review on Yelp. But I probably won't.
I'm just going to be quietly happy that I can see.
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And now, three days worth of #WriteAwayJune, because I have been busy writing my book and not taking care of my blog.
#WriteAwayJune Day 21 - Your character's favorite hobby?
Emma spends a lot of time working at photography, but most of what she does is portrait work, and almost all of that is done in the basement of her own home. As a hobby, Emma likes to load up her camera, a tripod and lots of film and head for the riverbanks, out to the lake or up into the mountains and take pictures of nature and wildlife. She's very proud of some shots of double rainbows over the river, a baby moose and a wobbly newborn fawn and its mother. She makes sure to take her inhaler, an epi pen and emergency oxygen on her outings--she's not crazy. After that sudden allergic reaction just outside Albuquerque, she's decided she better be prepared at all times.
Emma is also a little nuts about crossword puzzles. She doesn't do the NY Times puzzle in ink--yet--but she aspires to be that good someday. She says it clears her mind when cases are driving her to distraction. Jacob thinks she's nuts; the puzzles drive him to distraction!
#WriteAwayJune Day 22 What is your character's least favorite chore?
Emma really doesn't like to clean floors. It's not that she doesn't want her floors to be clean, but cleaning products are a big problem for her with her many allergies. She wants Pine-Sol clean, but she can't get anywhere near Pine-Sol, or any other pine scented cleaners. She sweeps, then she sneezes and her eyes weep. Vacuuming presents less issues, but she can't replace the bags. Hot water seems to be her only safe cleaner choice, along with mask and gloves and a good scrub brush. With twin toddlers, she cleans floors a lot, and it really does not make her day.
#WriteAwayJune Day 23 - What does your character wear on duty and off?
The only time Emma really "dresses" for duty is on those once-in-a-great-while interviews she does as background for the television news. For those, she will wear a dress of a skirt and blouse to demonstrate her professionalism.
While doing photography she wears slacks and a blouse, and when developing photos she wears her grubbiest jeans, an old t-shirt, a plastic apron with big pockets, a mask, goggles and long gloves.
Ghost duty can't be predicted, so whatever she's in is what she wears, including pajamas.
So far, she hasn't been interrupted in the bath--although Jacob once walked out of a hotel bathroom sans clothing and embarrassed a female spirit visiting Emma!
You know, I think I'm going to be sad when this writing challenge ends. It has been really fun, and helpful in fleshing out my character.
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Good night, all. Until we meet again.
9:42 p.m.
Did you ever have one of those days when you were quite sure that every single medium- to- high tech device at your service has turned against you?
My computer, lap top and phone all suddenly switched to military time. Now, luckily for me, I know military time. I mean, counting to 24 isn't all that hard. But I don't want my devices to decide for me that their displays are now going to be military standard. That should be up to me! So...what's up with that?
My blog page decided that my post settings list should now be on the right side of my screen. I didn't get to make that choice, either.
No, nothing updated. I'd get it if that was the case.
This is just weird.
_________________________________________________________________________________
I ate meat today, and I'm thinking that was not a good decision... ow.
I never know. Sometimes things go just fine, and sometimes I get to go on a liquid diet for a couple of days, trying to wash everything down.
I long for the good old days when I could eat whatever I wanted. With impunity, and without fear of gastric backlash.
Dumb tum.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Now for the good news: I FINALLY have glasses I can see out of. Hurrah!
There's a back story. (Because, of course there is.)
Not so long ago, I called the office of a place that takes my insurance for an eye exam. I went in to see them, once for a good refraction and health exam, and then for a more comprehensive look to make sure I didn't have glaucoma.
When I filled the glasses prescription, I couldn't see worth a darn. Left eye was fine, but the right was just a nightmare. I have progressive lenses and there was not one spot on that right lens that I could see out of.
I filled the RX at the office my daughter-in-law works at, not at the place I had the eye exam, which is not a problem, except that I was in Wyoming and couldn't immediately get back in to see anyone in Colorado, so I sent the glasses back to her so that the lenses could be returned for credit until I could re-check my eyes.
Then I made an appointment with my old boss and had myself a really good eye exam.
Wow, did the Colorado place screw up! There's no way I would have ever in a million years gotten used to their prescription. It was so far off.
Got the new lenses today and I haven't taken them off. I can see! I can see!
Thank you, Dr. James Byars, Jr.
The heck with you, office down the street from my house. If I get un-lazy, I may give them a scathing review on Yelp. But I probably won't.
I'm just going to be quietly happy that I can see.
_________________________________________________________________________________
And now, three days worth of #WriteAwayJune, because I have been busy writing my book and not taking care of my blog.
#WriteAwayJune Day 21 - Your character's favorite hobby?
Emma spends a lot of time working at photography, but most of what she does is portrait work, and almost all of that is done in the basement of her own home. As a hobby, Emma likes to load up her camera, a tripod and lots of film and head for the riverbanks, out to the lake or up into the mountains and take pictures of nature and wildlife. She's very proud of some shots of double rainbows over the river, a baby moose and a wobbly newborn fawn and its mother. She makes sure to take her inhaler, an epi pen and emergency oxygen on her outings--she's not crazy. After that sudden allergic reaction just outside Albuquerque, she's decided she better be prepared at all times.
Emma is also a little nuts about crossword puzzles. She doesn't do the NY Times puzzle in ink--yet--but she aspires to be that good someday. She says it clears her mind when cases are driving her to distraction. Jacob thinks she's nuts; the puzzles drive him to distraction!
#WriteAwayJune Day 22 What is your character's least favorite chore?
Emma really doesn't like to clean floors. It's not that she doesn't want her floors to be clean, but cleaning products are a big problem for her with her many allergies. She wants Pine-Sol clean, but she can't get anywhere near Pine-Sol, or any other pine scented cleaners. She sweeps, then she sneezes and her eyes weep. Vacuuming presents less issues, but she can't replace the bags. Hot water seems to be her only safe cleaner choice, along with mask and gloves and a good scrub brush. With twin toddlers, she cleans floors a lot, and it really does not make her day.
#WriteAwayJune Day 23 - What does your character wear on duty and off?
The only time Emma really "dresses" for duty is on those once-in-a-great-while interviews she does as background for the television news. For those, she will wear a dress of a skirt and blouse to demonstrate her professionalism.
While doing photography she wears slacks and a blouse, and when developing photos she wears her grubbiest jeans, an old t-shirt, a plastic apron with big pockets, a mask, goggles and long gloves.
Ghost duty can't be predicted, so whatever she's in is what she wears, including pajamas.
So far, she hasn't been interrupted in the bath--although Jacob once walked out of a hotel bathroom sans clothing and embarrassed a female spirit visiting Emma!
You know, I think I'm going to be sad when this writing challenge ends. It has been really fun, and helpful in fleshing out my character.
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Good night, all. Until we meet again.
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
6:12 p.m.
Behind again, as usual.
I could not have typed a sentence yesterday to save my little life. It's been raining for a few days, the pollen level has risen in response, and my eyes will not stop crying. They are pretty sore from being wiped frequently. Allergies. Yuck.
We've also gotten quite a bit of hail here over the last couple of days. It has been noisy, but the roof is still attached, so there's that!
Yes, I know we need the water. God bless the rain. And also-- ah-ah-ah-choo!!
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I have been compelled to share on Facebook a bit of the true sorrow I feel about the separation of children from their parents at the borders. In response, I have received feedback that makes me feel even more sorrow knowing there are people out there who will try to justify every horrible thing this administration does because they are more focused on party than on human rights.
Makes me want to move into the woods and hide from everyone.
I could rant and rave some more, but I just don't have the energy. I feel like the nay-sayers and deniers have sucked me dry today. I'm very disappointed in some people I thought were better than this.
On the plus side, there are more people standing up against this crap--so there's that, at least.
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7:01 p.m.
Got sidetracked with my teary eyes and eye drops, checked my Facebook feed when I came back to the computer, and the bad-mouthing has begun. I may have to delete some posts just to keep the peace on my feed. Ugh!
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I swore of politics a while back. It was a good decision. What's wrong with me?
I'm a writer, not a fighter!!
And on that note, I must now catch up on #WriteAwayJune, because--like I said--I'm behind again!!
I'm outta here, folks. Off to delete stuff.
Hasta next time!
6:12 p.m.
Behind again, as usual.
I could not have typed a sentence yesterday to save my little life. It's been raining for a few days, the pollen level has risen in response, and my eyes will not stop crying. They are pretty sore from being wiped frequently. Allergies. Yuck.
We've also gotten quite a bit of hail here over the last couple of days. It has been noisy, but the roof is still attached, so there's that!
Yes, I know we need the water. God bless the rain. And also-- ah-ah-ah-choo!!
_________________________________________________________________________________
I have been compelled to share on Facebook a bit of the true sorrow I feel about the separation of children from their parents at the borders. In response, I have received feedback that makes me feel even more sorrow knowing there are people out there who will try to justify every horrible thing this administration does because they are more focused on party than on human rights.
Makes me want to move into the woods and hide from everyone.
I could rant and rave some more, but I just don't have the energy. I feel like the nay-sayers and deniers have sucked me dry today. I'm very disappointed in some people I thought were better than this.
On the plus side, there are more people standing up against this crap--so there's that, at least.
_________________________________________________________________________________
7:01 p.m.
Got sidetracked with my teary eyes and eye drops, checked my Facebook feed when I came back to the computer, and the bad-mouthing has begun. I may have to delete some posts just to keep the peace on my feed. Ugh!
_________________________________________________________________________________
I swore of politics a while back. It was a good decision. What's wrong with me?
I'm a writer, not a fighter!!
And on that note, I must now catch up on #WriteAwayJune, because--like I said--I'm behind again!!
#WriteAwayJune Day 18 - What is your character's pet peeve?
Emma really hates phony people, people who pose as friends and allies while really plotting to stab you in the back. She grew up with a couple of gorls, Candy and Cherry, who pretended to be her friend while plotting to exploit her at a Halloween party. Emma was a lonely child without a lot of friends; her ability to see and speak with the dead had pretty much rendered her the class weirdo. So she happily trusted these girls, thinking she'd finally been accepted, only to discover that they just wanted to use her as entertainment. Since that time, Emma has been cautious about making new friends. She has a few really good and trusted inner-circle friends, and is content with that.
#WriteAwayJune Day 19 - Describe a day in your character's life.
Thankfully, Emma doesn't spend every day of her life speaking to ghosts and chasing down their stories through research. A typical day starts pretty early. The twins have no concept of the idea of 'sleeping in', so they are usually awake and ready to roar around 6:30 every morning. Emma--NOT a morning person-- drags herselt out of bed, gets Avram and Amalia changed and dressed and feeds them breakfast, while nursing her first cup of coffee.
The living room of their house opens into the dining room with an arched doorway, and Jacob has installed a childproof gate there so that the twins can be corralled if Emma needs to leave them to play for a minute or so. Everything in the room is childproofed, and the toybox is handy, right next to the couch. Emma turns on Sesame Street, secures the gate and takes a bathroom break--with the door open, of course. There is no such thing as privacy once you have children, she's discovered. She rushes through her morning rituals, then makes a dash for her bedroom to grab her clothes. She dresses in the bathroom, because she can hear the twins better from there, and can easily see what they're up to by leaning out the doorway.
Emma does photography in her home, and has some days when she has to work with the twins. Her clients know they can bring their own children along, even if they are not being photographed that day, because Emma and Jacob put a nice play room in the basement next to the small studio and all the children play quite nicely together while photos are being shot. Emma generally schedules two or three sessions after lunch when Jacob is working the day shift. She makes other arrangements when he's got a swing shift or graveyard shift, since his sleep schedule changes.
Emma also does some reporting for the local television station--not as an on-screen reporter, just as a writer/researcher-- and on those days she is very lucky to have a willing grandma to watch the babies for her.
Evenings find her doing her best to keep a kosher kitchen. She's not always successful. Luckily, Jacob is not such a diligent kosher eater that she can't ocassionally goof up.
The Kramers have recently purchased their first VCR, and enjoy watching rented movies before bed. (It's hard to take toddlers to the theater--and expensive!)
If she does happen to be in the midst of an ancestor case, she generally spends late evenings with research materials.
Then, regardless of the time she'll have to rise, she stays up late, reading whatever book she happens to be enjoying.
The living room of their house opens into the dining room with an arched doorway, and Jacob has installed a childproof gate there so that the twins can be corralled if Emma needs to leave them to play for a minute or so. Everything in the room is childproofed, and the toybox is handy, right next to the couch. Emma turns on Sesame Street, secures the gate and takes a bathroom break--with the door open, of course. There is no such thing as privacy once you have children, she's discovered. She rushes through her morning rituals, then makes a dash for her bedroom to grab her clothes. She dresses in the bathroom, because she can hear the twins better from there, and can easily see what they're up to by leaning out the doorway.
Emma does photography in her home, and has some days when she has to work with the twins. Her clients know they can bring their own children along, even if they are not being photographed that day, because Emma and Jacob put a nice play room in the basement next to the small studio and all the children play quite nicely together while photos are being shot. Emma generally schedules two or three sessions after lunch when Jacob is working the day shift. She makes other arrangements when he's got a swing shift or graveyard shift, since his sleep schedule changes.
Emma also does some reporting for the local television station--not as an on-screen reporter, just as a writer/researcher-- and on those days she is very lucky to have a willing grandma to watch the babies for her.
Evenings find her doing her best to keep a kosher kitchen. She's not always successful. Luckily, Jacob is not such a diligent kosher eater that she can't ocassionally goof up.
The Kramers have recently purchased their first VCR, and enjoy watching rented movies before bed. (It's hard to take toddlers to the theater--and expensive!)
If she does happen to be in the midst of an ancestor case, she generally spends late evenings with research materials.
Then, regardless of the time she'll have to rise, she stays up late, reading whatever book she happens to be enjoying.
Emma and her family prefer to have small family gatherings for birthday celebrations. Emma's birthday is in May, and there is nearly always a barbecue planned, but with Wyoming weather being what it is, that plan might be changed to a spaghetti dinner. Chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert, of course. Small gifts only for grownups. Books are a big deal.
I'm outta here, folks. Off to delete stuff.
Hasta next time!
Monday, June 18, 2018
Monday, June 18, 2018
2:07 p.m.
The time has come!
Denver Comic-Con, 2018!
As any one of you who have followed this blog the past few years well know, I am a nerd. I wear it proudly. I have never denied it.
Comic Book conventions allow we nerds to get together and geek out over the things we love. Not just comic books, of course, but movies, books, toys and games.
The truth is, we would be there sharing the love even if there were no t.v. and movie celebrity guests; they are icing on our cakes. We appreciate their willingness to walk among us for a few days, shake hands and talk with us, pose for pictures and sign autographs. But there are many, many people who would come to the con even if the television and movie celebrities weren't going to be there.
Because we want to buy the books, buy the toys, play the games, preview the movies. We want to add to our art collections and action figure collections and comic collections.
Having said that, I know perfectly well that there are also many, many people who attend specifically to spend the day in Celebrity Summit, meeting the stars, having their photos taken and collecting autographs, and that is absolutely fine, too. It's not cheap, but by all means, if you want it and you can afford it, go for it! Personally, I choose one--only one--celebrity each year that I am most willing to shell out a few bucks to meet for an autograph or photo. This year it was this guy:
Then there are all the amazing cos players, those crazily-talented people who spend weeks designing and making beautiful costumes to wear and display for the rest of us lucky observers to see. How I admire their dedication and artistry!
Speaking of artistry, the many, many different art forms are on display and phenomenal:
It's generally quite crowded, but the people are in good spirits and it's a friendly atmosphere.
2:07 p.m.
The time has come!
Denver Comic-Con, 2018!
As any one of you who have followed this blog the past few years well know, I am a nerd. I wear it proudly. I have never denied it.
Comic Book conventions allow we nerds to get together and geek out over the things we love. Not just comic books, of course, but movies, books, toys and games.
The truth is, we would be there sharing the love even if there were no t.v. and movie celebrity guests; they are icing on our cakes. We appreciate their willingness to walk among us for a few days, shake hands and talk with us, pose for pictures and sign autographs. But there are many, many people who would come to the con even if the television and movie celebrities weren't going to be there.
Because we want to buy the books, buy the toys, play the games, preview the movies. We want to add to our art collections and action figure collections and comic collections.
Having said that, I know perfectly well that there are also many, many people who attend specifically to spend the day in Celebrity Summit, meeting the stars, having their photos taken and collecting autographs, and that is absolutely fine, too. It's not cheap, but by all means, if you want it and you can afford it, go for it! Personally, I choose one--only one--celebrity each year that I am most willing to shell out a few bucks to meet for an autograph or photo. This year it was this guy:
Mark Sheppard, Crowley on Supernatural
I was geeking out pretty hard over this,
but not as hard as this kid:
The boys were cool with it, too. But not, you know, geeky.
I'm on a pretty tight budget, so I can't just go nuts at these things, as much as I might love to. My treat, once a year.
Included in the price of tickets, Con visitors can attend celebrity panels and hear what they have to say about past, present and future projects, people they work with and causes they may support. There were several to choose from this year, including these people:
David Harbour of Stranger Things
Molly Ringwald, K J Apa and Skeeter Ulrich of Riverdale
K J Apa of Riverdale
Mark Sheppard of Firefly
Ron Perlman of Hell Boy
Then there are all the amazing cos players, those crazily-talented people who spend weeks designing and making beautiful costumes to wear and display for the rest of us lucky observers to see. How I admire their dedication and artistry!
I spoke for a time with these young ladies. The wings in this costume were hand-made by this angel, each feather glued in place one by one. The dress has flowers on the bodice that were also glued in place one by one. They said they used dozens of glue sticks in their glue guns to complete these costumes. I'm amazed at such precision and dedication. I can barely be moved to buy a ready-made costume at WalMart. Bravo!!!
Speaking of artistry, the many, many different art forms are on display and phenomenal:
Naturally, there are vendors galore, and my grandsons couldn't wait to go shopping. Who could blame them?
It's generally quite crowded, but the people are in good spirits and it's a friendly atmosphere.
And what would Comic-Con be without Hogwarts?
I have been attending Denver Comic-Con for the last several years, and I have to say that I have never left disappointed. Exhausted and with aching feet, yes, but not disappointed. Having never attended elsewhere, I cannot be expected to make comparisons, but I feel that Denver has managed to host a great show.
Denver Comic-Con is hosted by Pop Culture Classroom. You can learn more about the Con and the non-profit that hosts it by visiting here:
They host other events throughout the year in order to promote education for all.
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Now that the big show is over, I reckon I have to get back to the real world and go finish my laundry and straighten up my messy desk.
Bummer.
Later, gators!
Sunday, June 17, 2018
Sunday, June 17, 2018
7:31 p.m.
Happy Father's Day!
It's a bit late in the day for this post, but I can assure you that I have already talked to my Dad today. He's having a good time with his new puppy, Molly. Everyone was there with my folks this weekend, except me.
(Sad face!)
I will be back with them in Wyoming soon. I just have to do the Colorado stuff for a while.
When is that transporter going to be ready, Science? I really need one.
In the meantime, it's awfully great to see my father smile like this. See, Dad? We told you so! You need a puppy!
By the way, Mom doesn't look too upset about it, either. Does she?
Hee hee hee! My brother and his wife are just the best! Great plan, guys!
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Okay, I know I promised #WriteAwayJune Days 15 and 16 today, but I'm going to go out of order for this post and do Day 17 first, since it is a Father's Day challenge. Then I'll end the post with 15 and 16.
#WriteAwayJune Day 17 - Write a Father's Day card for your character's father.
Dear Daddy--When I was in the 4th grade, my teacher asked us to write about our favorite super hero, so I wrote about you. I had to write the assignment again, because she was talking about Superman or Batman--make believe heroes. But she also graded my story of you as extra credit, because, she said, it was too good a story to disregard even if I misunderstood the instructions.
I didn't misunderstand, and I stand by my original choice. To me, everything about you is super, and you have always been my hero. Those comic book guys have got nothing on you! I love you, Daddy!
This may be written as my character, Emma, to her father, Jack Knight, but it is oh, so true of me and my father. He will always be my hero.
#WriteAwayJune Day 15 - Write three different endings to the writing prompt you chose yesterday.
I didn't say so yesterday, but this was the writing prompt I chose, since it seemed appropriate for my character: "Record the story of a family name, as told by the ghosts who wore it."
The story changes about halfway through, starting here:
“Well,” Emma said, that explains some of it, but how did the name get passed down to my great-grandmother? Oh, and then changed?”
“Well, I was a tiny thing, and when I joined up with the circus, I was first hired as a barker.”
“What’s a barker?” Melody asked.
“Someone who shouts out to people passing by, trying to get them to come in and see certain shows,” Emma explained.
Layla nodded in agreement. “Yes,” she said. “It was amusing to everyone to hear the big voice that came out of this little body.” She stood up, held out her arms and called, “Come on, come all! See the Great Gregorio, nine feet of muscles and nine yards of heart! See the lovely Benita, fat lady extraordinaire! Her weight is exceeded only by her enormous brain. Ask her anything, you will see!”
Emma clapped her hands over her ears, while Melody goggled at her comically. “Got it,” she giggled. “Big voice!”
“Ah,” Melody nodded.
“One day a rat skittered across my shoes as I worked, and I let out an amazingly loud scream,” Layla continued. “That’s when I was promoted to the clown house.”
“You became a clown?”
“Ugh!” Melody shuddered.
“Hey, someone has to do it,” Layla muttered.
“Er—okay,” Emma said, but with reservations. Personally, she held clowns in the same regard as dolls. And rats. And spiders.
Other than dolls, Melody would agree. Mel had no issues with dolls.
“So, you became a clown—?” Emma prompted.
“And the stupid boss changed my name from Marconi to Macaroni the first time we appeared in Britain.”
This led to a fit of giggles that left Melody on the floor and Emma rolling on the bed.
Layla looked fit to be tied. “Well, I know it must sound funny to you,” she fussed, “but imaging how I felt!”
Emma and her sister worked hard at composing themselves. “Sorry, Layla—”
“Macaroni!” Melody sang to the tune of Yankee Doodle, and off they went again, giggling.
“Knock it off, Mel,” Emma commanded, biting her lip to keep a straight face. “What did you do, Layla?”
“Once we finished our appearances in the English-speaking areas and returned to Sicily, I told the owner of the circus that I was not going to continue with the clowns. I felt very disrespected.”
Emma cleared her throat. “I understand,” she said, and felt ashamed of herself for laughing. “Then what happened?”
“I was put in merchandising. I met my husband working there. His name was Klaus, but he had no last name; he was a bastard. We left the circus a few years later after saving enough money to start our own business, and we took the name Merchant as part of our new life plan.”
“So,” Emma mused, “I can keep researching the line if I look for Marconi, Marcon or Marquis?”
Layla shrugged. “All I can tell you is my father was born François Marquis.”
“Another Frank,” Emma said.
“No, that was my son. Franklin Merchant, born in Liverpool.”
“When?” Emma asked.
But Layla was gone. “Well, dang!”
“Back to the library,” Melody sighed.
*** I spent most of the day out, so I only have one extra ending/version for this challenge. My apologies. I do, however, have lots of Comic-Con pictures!
#WriteAwayJune Day 16 - Coffee, Tea or Cocoa? (This was an easy one!)
Emma is a coffee drinker with a serious volume problem. She starts the day with a full pot, and drinks it all day. She adds 2 percent milk instead of cream and no sugar so she can convince herself that she's not overdoing it.
So, thanks for joining me tonight!
Until we meet again.
Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there!!
Saturday, June 16, 2018
Saturday, June 16, 2018
10:24 p.m.
Okay, this is weird. I posted just after midnight on Thursday, and then I went to bed. When I got up, we had no Internet, and there was a bill posted for the Internet that was more than $70. higher than the negotiated price.
Net neutrality just ended. We have Comcast. Imagine my surprise that any of this had happened.
Well, this bill wasn't due for another day, and naturally, my son wasn't about to take it lying down, so the phone calls began, and by the end of the day we were back to our previously agreed upon price, but Comcast was making it sound like they had just given us a fantastic new deal.
Pu-leez!
Still no Internet, though. They were unable to find an internal issue with that, so they scheduled a tech to come on Friday.
I left the house--(!!!!) and went downtown to pick up our badges for Comic-Con. I cased out the best bus route, walked a bit of the 16th Street Mall for old time sake, and then I came back home.
By the time any techs came on Friday, I had left the house with my grandchildren and headed to Comic-Con. My son gets to deal with all that sort of thing, anyway.
Now, the house next door has become vacant, and I don't know if it has been sold, or is being prepared to be sold, but there have been a lot of workers over there. Apparently, they broke something, and that's why we had no Internet.
It was back on when we got home Friday evening, but they messed up the siding on my house and left cable dangling, and I think I may have to kill someone soon, because that's just bulls***.
No one should perform a service job and leave to site a mess. Comcast, you suck. I'm going to review you on some platform, and you'll be sorry.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Now, in between all this Comic-Con traveling to and fro, I have been participating in a writers' challenge, #WriteAwayJune. With no Internet, I got a little behind, and I haven't shared anything here on my blog for the last couple of days, but I'll end tonight's post with those.
I have also been involved in a writers' group where I agreed to read and review four novellas by the end of August. I'm not actually behind on those. the first review wasn't due until June 29, and I have finished two of them already. I shared those here in a previous post.
_________________________________________________________________________________
I've decided to wait to review Comic-Con until after it ends tomorrow. So far, I have to say that it has been a good time.
There were scheduled guests that I was looking forward to seeing, but performers are, by and large, controlled by schedules that change frequently, and I understand that that they cancelled due to changes that were not totally in their control.
People will complain about anything, though.
For example, I told you about my friend and I attending a concert with two of the remaining Monkees, Michael Nesmith and Micky Dolenz. It was fantastic, and although it would have been nice had Peter Tork also been able to perform, we understood that he'd made previous plans to perform with his own group.
But the complaints I read on line about this concert, I can't even believe. One person went so far as to say that without Davy Jones, there were no Monkees songs and so the whole show was a rip off. Actually, all four men performed songs, not just Davy. Another woman was upset that Davy couldn't come to Denver; how could he let the fans down? Uh...he died, lady. Not his fault. I'm sure it wasn't in his big scheme to ruin this concert by going to the great beyond before it was scheduled. LONG before.
Wow.
These men came to my city and performed a concert I didn't believe I'd live to see, and I am so grateful. None of us is getting any younger (damn it) and we've got to enjoy the things we can!
I got a bit off track, though. Point was, I heard some griping about the kids from the show "Stranger Things" cancelling their appearances here this year. They were scheduled to appear at the MTV awards instead, by their representatives. It is always a good idea to go to awards shows where you might actually receive an award, which I mentioned, unasked (of course) to the complaining people waiting in line to see the adult cast member who did make it.
"Really?" one fellow said. "Well, good for them! We didn't know that."
And they didn't bother to check it out before complaining, either.
Of course, I missed them. But there will be other chances.
Now, there are a few things to complain about that I understand completely and would love to gripe about myself, like $6.00 for a soda!! Oh. My. God. You literally have thousands of people at your convention center--you're not going to lose a dime over a lower cost soft drink.
I do understand that people come here to do meet and greets, sign autographs and take photos and that they deserve to earn money for their efforts, but again-- $75.00 for a selfie? Yikes!
I save up for a year to do Comic-Con, and I generally spoil myself with one autograph or one selfie each year. I regret not doing selfies with Sean Astin and Cary Elwes, opting for autographs instead. But I can't do both. Oh well, hopefully I will get another chance someday. And if they didn't charge quite so much, that would be nice.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Okay, as promised, there will be a #WriteAwayJune post shared. Fair warning: Days 14 and 15 were writing prompt assignments, so I will share Day 14 tonight and Days 15 and 16 (A short and easy one) tomorrow.
Thanks for joining me.
And, goodnight!
10:24 p.m.
Okay, this is weird. I posted just after midnight on Thursday, and then I went to bed. When I got up, we had no Internet, and there was a bill posted for the Internet that was more than $70. higher than the negotiated price.
Net neutrality just ended. We have Comcast. Imagine my surprise that any of this had happened.
Well, this bill wasn't due for another day, and naturally, my son wasn't about to take it lying down, so the phone calls began, and by the end of the day we were back to our previously agreed upon price, but Comcast was making it sound like they had just given us a fantastic new deal.
Pu-leez!
Still no Internet, though. They were unable to find an internal issue with that, so they scheduled a tech to come on Friday.
I left the house--(!!!!) and went downtown to pick up our badges for Comic-Con. I cased out the best bus route, walked a bit of the 16th Street Mall for old time sake, and then I came back home.
By the time any techs came on Friday, I had left the house with my grandchildren and headed to Comic-Con. My son gets to deal with all that sort of thing, anyway.
Now, the house next door has become vacant, and I don't know if it has been sold, or is being prepared to be sold, but there have been a lot of workers over there. Apparently, they broke something, and that's why we had no Internet.
It was back on when we got home Friday evening, but they messed up the siding on my house and left cable dangling, and I think I may have to kill someone soon, because that's just bulls***.
No one should perform a service job and leave to site a mess. Comcast, you suck. I'm going to review you on some platform, and you'll be sorry.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Now, in between all this Comic-Con traveling to and fro, I have been participating in a writers' challenge, #WriteAwayJune. With no Internet, I got a little behind, and I haven't shared anything here on my blog for the last couple of days, but I'll end tonight's post with those.
I have also been involved in a writers' group where I agreed to read and review four novellas by the end of August. I'm not actually behind on those. the first review wasn't due until June 29, and I have finished two of them already. I shared those here in a previous post.
_________________________________________________________________________________
I've decided to wait to review Comic-Con until after it ends tomorrow. So far, I have to say that it has been a good time.
There were scheduled guests that I was looking forward to seeing, but performers are, by and large, controlled by schedules that change frequently, and I understand that that they cancelled due to changes that were not totally in their control.
People will complain about anything, though.
For example, I told you about my friend and I attending a concert with two of the remaining Monkees, Michael Nesmith and Micky Dolenz. It was fantastic, and although it would have been nice had Peter Tork also been able to perform, we understood that he'd made previous plans to perform with his own group.
But the complaints I read on line about this concert, I can't even believe. One person went so far as to say that without Davy Jones, there were no Monkees songs and so the whole show was a rip off. Actually, all four men performed songs, not just Davy. Another woman was upset that Davy couldn't come to Denver; how could he let the fans down? Uh...he died, lady. Not his fault. I'm sure it wasn't in his big scheme to ruin this concert by going to the great beyond before it was scheduled. LONG before.
Wow.
These men came to my city and performed a concert I didn't believe I'd live to see, and I am so grateful. None of us is getting any younger (damn it) and we've got to enjoy the things we can!
I got a bit off track, though. Point was, I heard some griping about the kids from the show "Stranger Things" cancelling their appearances here this year. They were scheduled to appear at the MTV awards instead, by their representatives. It is always a good idea to go to awards shows where you might actually receive an award, which I mentioned, unasked (of course) to the complaining people waiting in line to see the adult cast member who did make it.
"Really?" one fellow said. "Well, good for them! We didn't know that."
And they didn't bother to check it out before complaining, either.
Of course, I missed them. But there will be other chances.
Now, there are a few things to complain about that I understand completely and would love to gripe about myself, like $6.00 for a soda!! Oh. My. God. You literally have thousands of people at your convention center--you're not going to lose a dime over a lower cost soft drink.
I do understand that people come here to do meet and greets, sign autographs and take photos and that they deserve to earn money for their efforts, but again-- $75.00 for a selfie? Yikes!
I save up for a year to do Comic-Con, and I generally spoil myself with one autograph or one selfie each year. I regret not doing selfies with Sean Astin and Cary Elwes, opting for autographs instead. But I can't do both. Oh well, hopefully I will get another chance someday. And if they didn't charge quite so much, that would be nice.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Okay, as promised, there will be a #WriteAwayJune post shared. Fair warning: Days 14 and 15 were writing prompt assignments, so I will share Day 14 tonight and Days 15 and 16 (A short and easy one) tomorrow.
#WriteAwayJune Day 14 – Complete a Writing Prompt using your character
Emma had spent the whole day perusing documents at the library. She sat down on the bed in the guest room of her sister’s house, pulled off her glasses and gave her eyes a vigorous rubbing.
“I feel a little crazy,” she told Melody. “I expect to see name-spelling issues with Dad’s family, but this is Great-Grandma. What am I doing wrong?”
“Beats the heck outta me,” Melody said. “How do you mess up ‘Merchant’?”
There was a sound of a woman chuckling, and suddenly they were joined by a small, thin woman with short, blond pin curls. “It wasn’t always ‘Merchant’,” she said.
Emma sat up straighter. Melody, alerted by her sister’s body language, darted her eyes around the room. Not that it did her any good; only Emma saw the departed. “Who’s here?” she asked.
“I have no idea,” Emma admitted. She gestured to the small woman to have a seat beside her on the bed. She repositioned herself so she could easily see her visitor as they spoke.
The woman chuckled again. “I am Layla Marconi,” she announced, smiling.
“What? ‘Marconi’?” Emma was confused; wasn’t that Italian?
“How do you get ‘Merchant’ from ‘Marconi’?” Melody asked.
“How did we get ‘Knight’ from ‘Noche de Paz’?” Emma countered.
“Doesn’t that mean ‘Night of Peace?’” Layla asked.
“Yes.”
“So, ‘Night’. That makes sense.”
“It would,” Emma grinned, “Except that it’s spelled K-n-i-g-h-t, like Knights of the Round Table.”
“Oh! Whoops!” The blond giggled.
“Okay, ‘Marconi’,” Melody mused. She didn’t really need to hear both sides of this conversation in order to follow it. “Are we Italian, then?”
“No,” Layla replied, and Emma repeated it. “Marconi happened as the family moved around Europe. While my great-grandfather was in France, it was Marquis. A move to Italy, and it became Marcon. Then when I left home, I went to Sicily to join the circus, and I changed it to Marconi.”
Emma had been repeating this for Melody’s sake and now, the both asked a question at the same time.
Emma: “Why?”
Melody: “You joined the circus?”
Now Layla really laughed, and Emma giggled, too, which got Melody going.
“Ah,” Layla sighed, finally. “I thought Marconi sounded more romantic than Marcon, and yes, I joined the circus. I considered going back to Marquis, but there were a band of brothers, acrobats, who were Marquis, and that would have caused some confusion. “
“Well,” Emma said, that explains some of it, but how did the name get passed down to my great-grandmother? Oh, and then changed?”
“Oh, like all of us, I was susceptible to that devilish emotion: love. I fell madly, crazily in love with one of the trapeze artists.”
When Emma passed this information on, she and Melody shared a knowing glance.
“He was so handsome, he was beautiful.” Layla sighed. “I followed him about like a puppy dog. God help me, I probably even panted as I did so. I would have done anything for that man—and I very nearly did! But when I went to him to tell him there was a wee one on the way to us, he tossed me away like garbage!”
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Emma cried. “What did you do?”
“Like a coward, I went crawling back to my parents’ home in Italy. I planned to beg for a place in the stable, but they took me in immediately and all was forgiven. They had given me up for dead!” Layla stared wide-eyed at Emma, obviously still astounded that she’d been so blessed.
“Yeah, our family is cool like that,” Melody smiled.
“A few months later, I brought a son into the world, and my mother and I named him Nicholas Merchant.” Layla giggled again. “It was Mama’s joke, because my lover sold me a terrible bill of goods, and I bought it. Mama said he was quite the salesman.”
“I hope I meet your Mama someday,” Emma giggled. “She was clever!”
“Indeed she was,” Layla agreed.
Thanks for joining me.
And, goodnight!
Thursday, June 14, 2018
Thursday, June 14, 2018\
12:01 a.m.
Let's get this party started with a big Happy Birthday to my baby girl, Tabitha! You are one year older, little girl. But don't let it get you down--you're still a lot younger than I!!
_________________________________________________________________________________
I have been reading novellas this week as part of a reading group and wanted to share a couple of reviews with you all.
If you're looking for something quick and entertaining, these will fill the bill. The reviews are on Goodreads, and the links are here:
Love by Chance by Eunice Nascimento
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2418095788
The Golden Key by Cathleen Townsend
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2419024831
I enjoy novellas when I'm really busy, because I have time to get through them within a time frame before I forget what happened in the first part. Ha ha!
Seriously, give these a try, I think you'll like them!
_________________________________________________________________________________
In other news, I am behind in posting for you the #WriteAwayJune Days 12 and 13. In my defense, I was busy having fun at a Monkees concert.
Oh, and other stuff that was neither fun or very interesting.
Anyway, here are the posts!
#WriteAwayJune Day 12 - Describe you character's ideal day. Emma is an Autumn fan. She loves the changing of the leaves, the crisp morning air and chilly evenings bookending warm daylight hours. She sunburns easily, and hats and long sleeves are so much more comfortable when it's not summer-hot. She likes fall clothes, and best of all, harvest fresh fruits and vegetables. She is ever the student, and to her, September is the true start of the new year, not dead-of-winter January. On a beautiful 70 degree or so day, Emma can be found at the river, teaching the twins to fish or harvesting choke-cherries to make jelly with her mother and sisters. She and her husband, Jacob, are kept quite busy making sure the twins stay out of trouble.
#WriteAwayJune Day 13 - What was your character's favorite toy? Emma has a lot of artistic interests, and those manifested early. As a small child she had an xylophone that she dragged around and quickly learned a lot of little tunes to play on it. Her sister, Melody, is a professional singer, so she loved singing along while Emma played. When she got older, Emma received an Etch-A-Sketch as a gift, and she played with that for hours, creating some pretty complicated designs. Other than that, Emma was more interested in reading than toys. She managed to build up quite a collection of books and comic books. She does NOT do dolls. Ever. Dolls are creepy.
Heading downtown to pick up Comic-Con badges tomorrow, so I am off to beddie-bye.
Have a good night!
12:01 a.m.
Let's get this party started with a big Happy Birthday to my baby girl, Tabitha! You are one year older, little girl. But don't let it get you down--you're still a lot younger than I!!
_________________________________________________________________________________
I have been reading novellas this week as part of a reading group and wanted to share a couple of reviews with you all.
If you're looking for something quick and entertaining, these will fill the bill. The reviews are on Goodreads, and the links are here:
Love by Chance by Eunice Nascimento
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2418095788
The Golden Key by Cathleen Townsend
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2419024831
I enjoy novellas when I'm really busy, because I have time to get through them within a time frame before I forget what happened in the first part. Ha ha!
Seriously, give these a try, I think you'll like them!
_________________________________________________________________________________
In other news, I am behind in posting for you the #WriteAwayJune Days 12 and 13. In my defense, I was busy having fun at a Monkees concert.
Oh, and other stuff that was neither fun or very interesting.
Anyway, here are the posts!
#WriteAwayJune Day 12 - Describe you character's ideal day. Emma is an Autumn fan. She loves the changing of the leaves, the crisp morning air and chilly evenings bookending warm daylight hours. She sunburns easily, and hats and long sleeves are so much more comfortable when it's not summer-hot. She likes fall clothes, and best of all, harvest fresh fruits and vegetables. She is ever the student, and to her, September is the true start of the new year, not dead-of-winter January. On a beautiful 70 degree or so day, Emma can be found at the river, teaching the twins to fish or harvesting choke-cherries to make jelly with her mother and sisters. She and her husband, Jacob, are kept quite busy making sure the twins stay out of trouble.
#WriteAwayJune Day 13 - What was your character's favorite toy? Emma has a lot of artistic interests, and those manifested early. As a small child she had an xylophone that she dragged around and quickly learned a lot of little tunes to play on it. Her sister, Melody, is a professional singer, so she loved singing along while Emma played. When she got older, Emma received an Etch-A-Sketch as a gift, and she played with that for hours, creating some pretty complicated designs. Other than that, Emma was more interested in reading than toys. She managed to build up quite a collection of books and comic books. She does NOT do dolls. Ever. Dolls are creepy.
Heading downtown to pick up Comic-Con badges tomorrow, so I am off to beddie-bye.
Have a good night!
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
9:03 p.m.
Time for a fun post that has nothing to do with anything but cool stuff.
Last night, I went to see The Monkees Presents: The Mike and Micky Show at the Paramount Theater in downtown Denver!!!!
Okay, this is a big dang deal.
I was six years old when their television show started, and I was completely hooked on the music from the word "go".
After the show was cancelled, there were apparently enough episodes for it to be syndicated, and re-runs were on for years. Saturday morning after cartoons, we watched the Monkees. We sang the songs. I insisted on singing anything Micky sang, and he's the reason I ended up playing drums.
Shut it. I know you all thought it was The Rolling Stones or the Beatles or something you'd deem a little more cool, but I love what I love.
Anyway, by the time I was old enough to be going to concerts or anything, the show was over and the band was no longer recording.
I moved on to the cooler things: Alice Cooper. Aerosmith.
No matter. You don't forget your first love, and I never stopped loving The Monkees. They had a little revival of recordings and concerts in the 1980s, but I was busy with four little kids, and they never toured anywhere nearby, so once again, I missed seeing them in concert.
And until this year, I figured I would never have the chance to see any of them perform live. After Davy Jones died suddenly in 2012, it seemed pretty unlikely.
Imagine my surprise when I discovered they were coming to Denver. Peter would be unable to join Mike and Micky, but it was still a really cool thing, I thought.
I called up my young friend to speak to her mother--also my friend, just closer to my own age, ha ha ha--to tell her about their upcoming tour, so we could both moan and groan about how we couldn't go.
And then, her daughter (young friend) announced that tickets would be her Mother's Day gift to the two of us!!
EEEEK!
Thank you, Megan! It was so much fun!
Don't we look happy? That's because we were!
Here we come....
Good night!!
9:03 p.m.
Time for a fun post that has nothing to do with anything but cool stuff.
Last night, I went to see The Monkees Presents: The Mike and Micky Show at the Paramount Theater in downtown Denver!!!!
Okay, this is a big dang deal.
I was six years old when their television show started, and I was completely hooked on the music from the word "go".
After the show was cancelled, there were apparently enough episodes for it to be syndicated, and re-runs were on for years. Saturday morning after cartoons, we watched the Monkees. We sang the songs. I insisted on singing anything Micky sang, and he's the reason I ended up playing drums.
Shut it. I know you all thought it was The Rolling Stones or the Beatles or something you'd deem a little more cool, but I love what I love.
Anyway, by the time I was old enough to be going to concerts or anything, the show was over and the band was no longer recording.
I moved on to the cooler things: Alice Cooper. Aerosmith.
No matter. You don't forget your first love, and I never stopped loving The Monkees. They had a little revival of recordings and concerts in the 1980s, but I was busy with four little kids, and they never toured anywhere nearby, so once again, I missed seeing them in concert.
And until this year, I figured I would never have the chance to see any of them perform live. After Davy Jones died suddenly in 2012, it seemed pretty unlikely.
Imagine my surprise when I discovered they were coming to Denver. Peter would be unable to join Mike and Micky, but it was still a really cool thing, I thought.
I called up my young friend to speak to her mother--also my friend, just closer to my own age, ha ha ha--to tell her about their upcoming tour, so we could both moan and groan about how we couldn't go.
And then, her daughter (young friend) announced that tickets would be her Mother's Day gift to the two of us!!
EEEEK!
Thank you, Megan! It was so much fun!
Don't we look happy? That's because we were!
Here we come....
Good night!!
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