Friday, May 25, 2018

Keeping Busy

I know that it might seem a little silly to some of you, but I want to let you know that I'm going to be working very hard to make sure I have a variety of pieces completed and available for Lil-Con at the end of June.

I've been sewing and working on things for months, but my health has made it difficult to complete a ton of pieces. On the bright side though, the space isn't going to be huge, but it is going to be just big enough for what I need.

I'm curious to see if anyone is interested in the types of things I make, as well as to have a chance to share things with more people than my immediate life web.

Yesterday I visited someone at the hospital and was reminded that there is no telling what can happen in our lives. We're not immortal and the unexpected can change things quickly. So while I know that may seem cryptic, I'm tired of waiting. It's time to go ahead and work on things that make me happy. Because eventually, it will be too late.

I'm afraid that I'm going to lose a lot of things, because no one seems to know what exactly is wrong. But right now, I am going to tell you something that has me worried. I'm losing depth in my vision. Grass sort of looks generic, and looks like astro turf. The reason I know this is a problem, is because upon closer inspection the grass is tall or choppy, meaning I'm not seeing things correctly.

It's scary. I feel like I'm losing colors as well. I'm not sure if it's just part of getting old, or if it's something that I should really be concerned with.

Most of you don't really care I know. I know that I'm not the most interesting person of late, and I also know that in the long run it won't matter.

But it feels like it matters to me. So maybe, while no one else cares, I need to care.

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

From the Archives : Cat and Falcon, Part 2

The fear that floats through empty space
Can cause some to lose their sight
And cause some disgrace
And send their spirits to flight
But fear itself is conquered
By patience kind and pure
And nothing can disturb this
And make things how they were

The flight had been hectic. Three greens had gotten space sickness, and had to be escorted to the infirmary. 5 patrons were very upset about this, and were having no trouble voicing this anger. Cedric sat down in the break room frustrated. Greens knew better. They should know better than to take stewarding jobs on their first flight. Burying his face in his hands he groaned, knowing that he was the last steward left on this flight. Rather the last one in “working” order. If only they’d make greens stay in the kitchen for starters things would be so much easier.

“Cedric, the passengers in first class are getting anxious, how much longer until their meals are ready?” The ships computer, Paul, asked him in a concerned tone. “We can’t risk them getting all uppity.”

“It’s too late for that and you well know it. They’re already uppity. Not to mention some of them aren’t even capable of understanding a word of what I say. And I have no idea what they’re asking for.”

“I told you, if you would like I can start some translating programs…”

“NO! It would only make things worse because then I would have to figure out how to go about fulfilling all these travelers’ demands and I really don’t want to. I’ve had it. Unless they up my pay for the next flight, I might go looking for a new job.”

“Hodge podge and fiddle faddle. You say that every time you get stuck working with greens Cedric. Thus I have come to expect that disgruntled attitude when you work with them. I highly doubt though that you’ll find a better job than this one in the present economy.”

“You talk too much Paul. How much longer will it be until we arrive at New Buffalo Space Port?” Cedric stretched and got to his feet. He checked his uniform and sighed noting how disheveled he appeared. Not only that but he had large black circles around his eyes due to the lack of sleep he’d been dealing with during the flight.

“About half an hour.”

“In that case, I’m going to the mess hall for a drink, as well as for something to eat. You know full well that I’ve been working my ass off. So back off.” Cedric could feel his body tensing up as he spoke, and he knew the computer system was noting the changes in his physical state.

“Cedric, yes. I agree go get something to eat, go have a stiff drink, then get back to first class, where some passengers are asking why they’re not getting the same channels as they were in the last galaxy.”

“Heh. Can’t you explain that to them? I mean they do know that I keep having to check in on the greens and am sure that they know I’ve hardly eaten anything.”

“No. you have to do it; Captains orders.” Paul said simply, although his programmed voice was starting to sound tense as though the system was becoming frustrated with the present interaction.

“Can’t she do it?” Cedric shot back angrily. Sometimes he really felt as though they thought he was the only one on the ship with the ability to talk to people.

“You know very well she can’t.” Paul replied shortly.

“Well I don’t want to.” Cedric protested, heading down the hallways talking to the ships computer system. It seemed so normal to him, even though some first time travelers found it….slightly disturbing. Sometimes he wondered… if maybe…the galaxies were becoming too dependent upon machines. But… he often dismissed the thoughts.

Cedric punched in the code to the main kitchen, and was greeted by the sound of someone singing loudly, and banging dishes. He smiled and laughed. It was always refreshing to come down here. Even though they had machines on the ship that could make the food, they still had a cook on board. More as a precaution, since Paul’s programming for some exotic dishes wasn’t always the greatest. Cedric had first met her… oh…when he was 18 and just a Green himself. She’d been very kind to him, and he was proud to say that he hadn’t succumbed to the normal space sickness most first time travelers had gotten. But part of that was because Mariel had given him many tips.

Mariel, had been traveling on spaceships her whole life. And…she was Cedrics best friend at this point. So when he came into the mess he shouted to her. “Mariel! Are you down here?” As was their time created custom.

“Cedric!” She sang back her voice high and melodious; she’d trained in singing so her voice could bring tears to a listener's eye if they let it. “Oh Cedric my Darling where have you been so long? I’ve been waiting since morning, since right before dawn…”

“Mariel my sweetheart, you know me so well, I’ve been fighting with demons on the edge of hell. But now I’m home with you my love, so I know that all is well.”

Mariel stopped singing and laughed, coming out from behind a pile of pots and pans, wiping her hands on her pale green apron. “Not bad today. You’ve gotten better with the improvisation of song lately. I almost think that you’ve been practicing when they give us that rare and almost extinct thing they call time off.”

Cedric looked into her brilliant mauve eyes and winked at her. “Now Mariel is that you accusing me of cheating? Or are you suggesting that I need to study?” Cedric looked around the kitchen, and found the cookie jar, pulling it out of its hiding place with a laugh.

Mariel put her hands on her hips, her reddish skin contrasting against the pale green apron, like blood on ivy. “Never would I accuse you of that. But I must ask why you think you can come in here and accost my poor cookie jar without asking.” Her tone was scolding, but she was only playing.

Cedric went to theatrics mode, and looked apologetic, and pouted. “Mariel may I please have a cookie? It would make the last bit of this flight ever so much more enjoyable…”

“You’re a real rake you know that?” Mariel said not missing a beat. “Go on take a cookie and get out of here whelp; unless you want to deal with the dishes?”

“Oh no; A cookie is all I want.” Cedric replied with a laugh. “Thanks Mar. You’ve got a way to make things seem better.”

“Yeah I know… This flight has had a horrible case of the Greens. But once we land, we have a week off. Isn’t that something to look forward to?”

“You have no idea.” Cedric said with a laugh as he left the kitchen and headed towards first class. “You have no idea.”

Friday, May 18, 2018

Off the Shelf: Darkness of the Light

Oh, no, she's doing another fantasy novel...!!!  Well, not really.  Read on to learn more!



Darkness of the Light
Peter David
528 pages


Okay, before anyone gets made at me, yes, I picked this book up at the used bookstore thinking it was a fantasy novel.  Twelve races that sound a lot like dragons/dragonmen, cyclops, a form of vampires, and two aquatic-type races I found hard to pinpoint (one is kind of like sentient whales, the others ma be more like a merfolk race, but they can live out of water?  I don't really know...), and even a satyr that takes a prominent roll, to mix with what seems to be a human and a lizardman on the cover.  However, as I read the book, I started to realize this is actually more like science fiction disguised as fantasy, with other worlds, time travel, and even something that I am fairly convinced was a nuclear weapon.  So, please do not pillory me, I put it up here as an offering to science fiction fans, though it is not so far removed from fantasy that I think lovers there would enjoy it.

So, the novel actually crosses all of the races, which can be a little confusing to read, hoping from one race to the next from chapter to chapter, though most of the story pieces do seem to line up or cross at some section, and the few that do not, I am assuming will in the later books, as this one says book one of The Hidden Earth on it.  The main character, if you can narrow it down to just one, is actually that fiesty female on the cover, called Jepp, who happens to be a Pleasure Slave.  For those who are Star Trek: The Next Generation fans, there is an episode in season five called "The Perfect Mate," featuring an empath who can read men's desires and conform to them; think of Jepp as being along those lines, but with a little bit of extra oomph, like in the fact she can go into berserker rages if the person she has bonded with is in danger and slaughter people with her bare hands, a la the book cover.  However, there is a lot more going on in this world than you initially would think, and the tale is a lot bigger than just Jepp and her new guardian; in fact, there are some pieces that lead me to believe that the "damned world" (excuse the language, that's a direct quote used to refer to the planet) is actually Earth at some stage in the future, now used as a prison for troublesome other races.  This is not openly confirmed in the book, but the summary posted on amazon states that it is "formerly Earth," so I'm going to assume my extrapolation was correct.

When getting down to the nitty-gritty, this book is not a very simple read.  It's not really a language or subject-matter issue, per se, but more the fact that any book leaping around amongst members of at least eight of the twelve races, some feature more than one character's point of view at different areas, can be very hard to follow.  Yes, I get that they are all intersected, or will be intersected, but it can make the reading very disjointed, and there are times I honestly wondered to myself if I really wanted to finish the book that badly... and yet I did keep reading until the end, and even with the complicated interweaving stories, I do find myself contemplating getting the next book to see what happens, especially as the earlier-mentioned supposed nuclear weapon and it's fall-out is going to make things interesting.

Overall, while something featuring a "pleasure slave" seems like it should be X-rated, I think any adult could read this book, and maybe some young adults, though go into it with your eyes open that you will want to keep mental notes about who's who (though this does start to simplify toward the end of the book).  I can see those of any gender reading this book equally, but I do think those into alternate-Earth sci-fi would enjoy Darkness of the Light more than most others, with probably fantasy readers as a runner up.  While not a huge sci-fi fan, myself, I am still considering looking into getting the next book, Heights of the Depths, and seeing where that takes me... I'll let you all know if I do.

Monday, May 14, 2018

Music Monday : P

Please be patient with me. I've been having a few rough days, not that anyone is at fault. But it is causing me to lose any gumption. I've been pretending a lot more that things are ok, even though I just want to curl up and give up.

But enough about me. Let's see, we're on the letter P now in the alphabet challenge I think? I hope so because that's the letter we're going to do.

Also the word of the week is phantasmatography. I like it because it's long and I bet kind of odd to say. When I say it out loud I think I sound a little silly. so I guess it works.

Phantasmatography : scientific description of rainbows and other luminous atmospheric phenomena

Have a great week, and I'll let you know if something awesome happens. Please remember Cat and Falcon is from the archives, and will be having updates here over time. But feel free to peruse the web to find it's original posting if you want. But it might be easier to read it here as a serial.

Have a great week and we'll be back with you soon.

The Police - Message In A Bottle

Prima J - Rockstar

POD - Youth Of The Nation

Pam Tillis - Maybe It Was Memphis

Play - I'm Gonna Make You Love Me

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

From the Archives : Cat and Falcon , Part 1

Somewhere among the stars
There’s someone with empty arms
Somewhere beyond one galaxies rings
A lonely heart is broken
But even now the distance
Between the two is closing
And soon the time will come
That their minds will be supposing

The sun rose slowly tinting the sky a light shade of melon pink, and the streets were empty below it. The world was silent; at least it appeared this way through the thick pane of glass separating the apartment from the world. Curled up underneath a bunch of quilts in a basket like bed, someone snored softly, tossing and turning occasionally. Suddenly a loud buzzer went off and the apartment came to life in a blur of action. In the kitchen the coffee maker began to percolate, and the water in the bathroom began to run, so that it would be warm when the sleeper finally got out of bed.

The buzzer continued to go off, and eventual became a voice. “Aurea, if you’re late to work again today they’re going to fire you.”

A short sigh came from under the blankets and a paw-like hand came out from under the blankets, pushing back the covers. “They can’t fire me, I barely get paid and most the time I’m doing volunteer work.”

“Well that’s not their fault. Besides it’s good for you seeing how your family is doing so well in the trade here.”

“Will you turn the buzzer off now Briggiet?”

“As soon as you are entirely out of that bed miss I will not hesitate to fulfill that request.”

“Remind me again, who is the mistress of this house?”

“You are, but at your request I do these tasks. Thus, it is yourself who asks you to arise and head out.”

“Mmph…” Aurea flopped out of the basket onto the floor with a loud thump. “Happy now?”

“Not entirely, but I do suppose that that is a start. I suggest you go take your shower, and then come to the kitchen.” The buzzer stopped. “Before the eggs get crunchy.”

Aurea grudgingly got up and headed towards the bathroom, shedding her pajamas as she went stretching and shifting enjoying the feeling of the warm damp air before she got in the shower. She grabbed the pretty lilac colored and scented shampoo from the shelf and started scrubbing herself down as she hummed a few bars of a song from her home world of Sriyt.

Aurea had a little, well not just a little, a lot of trouble dealing with the transition from Sriyt to Earth. Earth was still new to intergalactic trade, and therefore she was met often by unease. Back on Sriyt that wasn’t a problem but here it was. She didn’t mind really, but one thing she’d come to having to deal with frequently was being called a cat.

As she scrubbed herself down this morning that’s what preoccupied her minds thoughts. She’d only dealt with a small number of true earthlings and had come to find it slightly insulting that most of them compared her to a domesticated beast companion. On top of that it was one that couldn’t even speak!

“Aurea, the water is going to be turned off in thirty seconds. Finish up in there.”

“Briggiet!” Aurea protested in one word, her tone frustrated. “At least two more minutes!”

“I can not allow that. You know full well, the water starts when the buzzer goes off. If you had really wanted a longer shower, you shouldn’t have stayed in bed so long.”

“That’s easy for you to say. You don’t have to sleep.”

“And you don’t have to stay up to all hours either.”

Aurea groaned as the water stopped. Luckily she had rinsed all the soap off. She exited the shower grabbing a large plush violet towel. She dried off quickly then dashed back into her room where the closet proceeded to fling itself open so she could choose an outfit.

Aurea grabbed one of her work uniforms and then went to her dresser for the rest of her cloathing, and to make sure that she looked presentable. She ran her hands over the ancient oak piece, enjoying how the wood was cool to the touch. She didn’t dwell long on that though. She got dressed, and brushed her hair, looking at her reflection as she put on her new necklace. Her family had sent it to her recently, their family crest done in platinum on a beautiful chain. She looked at her reflection, smiling at it, and noting how today’s uniform made her eyes look even more green.

“Your eggs are going to be inedible.” Briggiet said, startling Aurea out of her self appreciation. “And yes, the necklace does look lovely.”

“Thank you. I’ll be right there.” Aurea grabbed her purse and swept through the other three rooms of the apartment to the kitchen. Most the times she’d stop and appreciate the décor, but she knew Briggiet was right, she didn’t want to get fired just yet. Briggiet greeted her there with shining blue eyes and a bright smile, as always. Briggiet was always cheerful in the morning.

“Took you long enough.” Briggiet said laying a plat upon the table. “I do not think that they’ll be all that bad today.”

“You never think they’ll be that bad.” Was the reply she got as Aurea flopped herself into the seat before the plate. “Sometimes I wish you could actually taste some of what you cook.”

“I’m a machine, I’m not designed for that.”

“I know.” Aurea was quiet as she ate, looking at her watch, feeling slight pangs of dread. “Ok. Well you know what to do. Don’t forget that tonight is fresh fish night!” She got up from the table, smoothed some wrinkles out and grinned, “See ya later!”

“Very good. Your English has improved greatly lately. Now get to work, and I’ll see you at the end of the day.”

“K.K. Catch ya later Briggiet” Aurea rushed out the door, headed for work thoughts tangled up somewhere between frustration and satisfaction.

Monday, May 7, 2018

Music Monday : O

This weeks letter was O. It was a little more difficult to pick artists associated with this letter, because I'm finding that the further along i get there's a lot of letter that don't have a ton of entries in my library. Phhh.

But I did pick a rather interesting word for the week. It's one that maybe with the dawning of spring, might be usable if you end up going on any wine tours.

Oinomancy : divination using wine

Maybe it is an odd word, but it was interesting to me. So have a great week and stay magical!

Of Monsters and Men - Little Talks

O-Zone - Noma Numa Yei

One Republic - Counting Stars

Orianthi - According To You

Olly Murs - Dance With Me Tonight

Friday, May 4, 2018

Personal Update

I'm happy to say that the weather has broke and things seem to be a little better on that front. I don't mind the cold too much, but there is a point where it gets to be too cold.The fresh green grass that accompanies spring is also a welcome sight.

It came to mind also that not too long ago I had been sharing some of my older fiction writings with you. I don't know how many people did read the bits about Lenore, or even the small bit I posted of a more recent piece I'm still working on. But I remembered that eons ago, back in 2005 I think, I was working on a piece called Cat and Falcon. I don't know if that's what the finalized title would have been, but I liked how it sounded.

Compared to most of my writings, it was a little bit outside of my comfort zone. It was supposed to be a futuristic science fiction piece. But I think I only got five or six installments in before I lost the muse I had for it.

This weekend is also dress try on day on Sunday.

The 20th is another dress try on day.

I'm still not a huge fan of everyday dresses lol.

Oh! Free Comic Book Day is tomorrow, so at least that is something that I'm looking forward to.

But yeah, I'm going to be sharing some of my older fiction writing with you here in the coming weeks. I'm trying to get myself back into fiction writing, because I do miss it. But to be honest, I'm thankful I've got enough mindfulness to be able to write here.

I have more doctors appointments soon, and hopefully everything is going to be sorted out soon.

I also had a chance to join a DnD campaign, but my life seems to be reluctant to let me do that. Meh, I can at least go and watch I guess?

Wednesday, May 2, 2018

What's on Screen? Tale of Tales

SPOILER warning! If you intend on watching this film you may not want to read my commentary about it. I say this not because I am going to be giving a play by play, but because I want you to have a chance to make your own opinions. If you're not worried about that, please by all means read away.




Tale of Tales was earmarked as a movie that was trending on Netflix so I thought I would give it a try. I watched the whole thing. I have a few observations, but the biggest sentiment by the end of the movie was a sense of dissatisfaction.

I say this because I feel as if the film lacked closure. This may have been intentional to challenge the viewer to decide what should happen next. But I found it disappointing. You never find out what happens when the prince finds his mother missing, or what happens to the vain "queen". But maybe that was the point of the film? To leave us wondering and thinking about how the stories may have ended?

The costumes were absolutely gorgeous though. I can't even begin to express how excited I was as the film started off strongly with gorgeous costumes. In the image posted above you can get a slight preview of them, but they're absolutely fabulous. I am so very impressed by their costume designer. I would watch the movie again simply for the costumes. That should tell you a lot I think.

There were some points in the film that were a bit gruesome. But none of them were as bad as some of the things they show on tv nowadays. (Oh man, that makes me sound old.) But the way it's shown, and the way it's presented makes sense in the storyline.

Anyway, it's an alright movie. But I don't see how it earned trending status. But hey, it could have earned it because people were wondering the same thing. Why is this here?

Do you have any movie recommendations? Let us know below.