Month: February 2021

#FridayThoughts: Through a past lens, darkly

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It’s beautifully sunny, it’s warmer and I’m edgy. I have no idea why, but I feel like there’s electricity in the air.

Not necessarily the good kind.

It could be from the news that the insurrectionists aren’t finished yet, they have big bloody plans and that is unsettling to say the least. This world has been forever changed by that former guy, and not for the better. Imagine living your life content with the knowledge you only harmed the world and never helped it.

And that’s where we are.

I wonder how much of the old world we can get back. So many of us knew it would be like this, knew what was coming, that’s why we cried despite the mocking. And it’s clear that now that Republicans have been revealed for what they truly are, they continue to plow ahead, undeterred, shockingly unashamed.

And somehow call it patriotism.

Anyway, that’s enough of that. Have a great Friday and a fantastic weekend.

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#ThursdayThoughts ten word photo prompt: Technology

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Photo by Tom Leishman on Pexels.com

It’s THURSDAY! That means it’s time for a ten word story, or as we call it, our #ThursdayTen!

Using the image above as a prompt, write a ten word story. EXACTLY ten words.

Easy peasy, right?

HA.

Ready? Here’s mine:

Brice’s mission ended abruptly with the terrible Wi-Fi on Mars.

#WednesdayWisdom into #ThursdayThoughts: Enjoy an unexpected moment

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NOTE: Or an unexpected post. Somehow this didn’t publish yesterday, so today you will get this post AND a ten word photo prompt! Woo-hoo?!

It’s sunny again, and pretty warm, I think, or warm enough for Chicago in February. We’re hunkered here on a Wednesday, one where the end of winter is in sight, and maybe, just maybe this pandemic won’t last forever.

There was supposed to be more construction noise today, but so far it’s been quiet. So I decided to notice that, notice the absence of clanging and buzzing and drilling, of disembodied voices drifting.

It can happen anywhere: an unexpected tableau through a train window; a glimpse of a bird at a stoplight. Take that moment and observe it, absorb it, welcome it.

Every break, no matter how quick or how small, is a break. Take the most from it.

And have a great Wednesday.

Check out  my full-length novels: 
Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only)   
Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) 
Her Cousin Much Removed
The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management.
And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s quick and weird and FREE!
Peruse Montraps Publishing
See what I’m writing on Medium.

#TuesdayThoughts: Odds and ends

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It’s extra sunny today, the snow gleaming under a broad blue sky. There’s work going on in another unit and I can hear the guys chatting and laughing and it doesn’t sound like they’re wearing masks.

So that’s cool.

I wrote a little yesterday, but in a floundering kind of way, I’m not sure if the thing that I’ve started is worth continuing. And that’s a problem with writing, isn’t it, because you can never be sure, not until it’s finished, and often not even then. Very fun.

Apparently today is all about sarcasm.

On the plus side my groceries will arrive soon, almost any minute now, and I don’t know if I’ll ever go back to doing big shops at the grocery store, This limits my impulse buys, and, while this pandemic is ongoing, avoids that stressful supermarket shuffle, that constant wariness of people who refuse to maintain six feet of space.

And that’s all I have for you today, nothing to world-changing but at least my brain is going. A little. Somewhat. Enough.

Have a great Tuesday.

Check out  my full-length novels: 
Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only)   
Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) 
Her Cousin Much Removed
The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management.
And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s quick and weird and FREE!
Peruse Montraps Publishing
See what I’m writing on Medium.

#MondayThoughts: Reckoning will come.

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I’m sneezy and it’s gray out again today. My allergies seem to think it’s spring, but the weather doesn’t. So it goes in Chicago.

The air itself feels heavy, I wouldn’t be surprised if we had snow or rain, depending on the temp, the sky looks ready for it. This last bit of winter is always so long.

We’re most of the way through February already, our first full month out of the clutches of a near-dictatorship, and the relief only multiplies. We’re not done with the past yet, there’s quite a reckoning to come, and with Merrick Garland’s confirmation soon to advance, what a reckoning that should be.

I don’t expect him to be vindictive, or to act out of spite, that’s a trumpian thing and most surely illegal, even if it wasn’t treated as such, but not acting in a partisan fashion doesn’t make Republicans immune. It just means that can’t be why they’re prosecuted. Illegal acts remain illegal acts, and if those acts included the vast seditious conspiracy, then, in their very own words, lock them up.

And that’s it for me today, you’ll note I very studiously avoided mentioning writing, so that’s all you need to know on that front. Have a great Monday and a wonderful start to your week.

Check out  my full-length novels: 
Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only)   
Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) 
Her Cousin Much Removed
The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management.
And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s quick and weird and FREE!
Peruse Montraps Publishing
See what I’m writing on Medium.

#FridayThoughts: Now with extra Friday

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It’s sunny and the snow is glowing. We’ve made it to another Friday, and as I type this, there’s a new rover on the surface of Mars.

Remarkable.

I think I write science-fiction because I love science, it’s like magic we can explain, magic we can control. Magic with a source, with a beginning, with a logical conclusion.

Research is key with sci-fi, as everything should feel plausible, if not possible. And often the fiction is only temporary; technology strides in bounding leaps these days. Suddenly the impossible is here.

See what I mean? Magic.

Anyway, that’s it for me to cap off the week. Have a great Friday and a fantastic weekend.

Check out  my full-length novels: 
Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only)   
Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) 
Her Cousin Much Removed
The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management.
And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s quick and weird and FREE!
Peruse Montraps Publishing
See what I’m writing on Medium.

#ThursdayThoughts Ten Word Photo Prompt:

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Photo by jasmin chew on Pexels.com

It’s time for the #ThursdayTen! Using the above image as a prompt. write a ten word story.

Exactly ten words.

It should only take a minute. Or longer. Or not. You take the time it takes, it’s your story.

Ready?

Here’s mine:

First blobs, then feathers, then whole gulls, her sweater hatched.

#WednesdayWisdom: Do what you have to do

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I didn’t even hesitate to make the second cup of coffee this morning, not that I’ve touched it yet. Let me rectify that.

Ahh.

It was sunny and now it’s gray and today I am tired, as evidenced by the coffee. So the only thing that’s going to get me from 11 to 12 is another cup of half-caff, which I do understand adds up to a whole-caff, but otherwise I will continue to zombie today. And that’s my little nugget of wisdom for you.

Do what you have to do.

It doesn’t have to be perfect, or best, or even the better option today. Take convenience over ideal. Take quick over quality. It’s OK.

It’s really OK.

We’ve been through a lot and many of you are still going through it, frozen in places that aren’t supposed to be frozen. And even if you’re not, even if it’s only your empathy in overload, give yourself a break and do what you have to do to get through today.

It’s OK if your progress is in inches rather than miles. Sentences rather than pages.

It’s OK.

My one little caveat is if you are a person with dependency issues, do what you need to do to get through the desire to return to those issues to get through the day. This is not permission for self-harm.

This is permission for self-care.

And have a great Wednesday.

Check out  my full-length novels: 
Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only)   
Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) 
Her Cousin Much Removed
The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management.
And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s quick and weird and FREE!
Peruse Montraps Publishing
See what I’m writing on Medium.

#TuesdayThoughts: Snowy snow snow.

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It’s monochrome out again today, and I think we’re expecting more snow. We’ve already had a lot, and February has wrapped us in a wintery grip that does not want to loosen.

Spring will come. I assume.

The country has been whacked by terrible weather, with power outages continuing in frigid temperatures. At least we now have a federal government who will aid everyone and not just the people who are nice to the president or cater to his whims. Thank you President Biden.

It’s quiet out, though the roads are mostly clear. People seem to be avoiding travel, as they should. It feels like this has gone on forever, though we’ve had a very mild winter until now. It’s strange how that happens.

Anyway, that’s enough babbling for today. Have a great Tuesday and stay warm and safe.

Check out  my full-length novels: 
Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only)   
Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) 
Her Cousin Much Removed
The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management.
And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s quick and weird and FREE!
Peruse Montraps Publishing
See what I’m writing on Medium.

#MondayThoughts: Some warm thoughts for the chilly

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It’s gray and snowy, which isn’t so unusual for here but is for many other parts of the country. If you’re in one of those parts: stay off the roads if possible. There’s often ice, whether or not you can see it, and snow is also slippery.

Layer your clothes. Drink hot beverages if you can. If you have to go outside, bundle, you’ll lose your body heat quickly. If you’re shoveling snow, push the snow, don’t lift it, and if you don’t do a lot of physical activity, take it easy as you shovel, it’s very physically taxing. Leave a tap running so the pipes don’t freeze, and open your cabinets so they get heat.

I think it’s difficult to deny the reality of climate change with these wild swings in weather, and maybe this is our new normal, suddenly sprung upon us. I hope not.

So it’s another day to be cozy, another day to bundle. Stay warm and stay safe.

We’ve finished with the impeachment, Republicans giving a collective shrug to overthrowing the government, unafraid of their own hypocrisy. But hopefully now we can get some real change in motion.

And that’s it for me today. Have a good Monday and take care of yourself.

Check out  my full-length novels: 
Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only)   
Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) 
Her Cousin Much Removed
The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management.
And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s quick and weird and FREE!
Peruse Montraps Publishing
See what I’m writing on Medium.