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Archive for the ‘Other’ Category

You know how some days a question gets stuck in your mind? For me today, it’s the question of where the energy comes from for Star Trek’s matter replicators. (Reminder: I came to Star Trek much later than Star Wars, and I’m ok with that.) Does everything in the ST universe run on dilithium?

Sure, I could look it up, but instead I’m going to use the distraction to keep the part of my mind that focuses on the future happily entertained, instead of stressfully worried. Because that leaves me with more positive energy for action.

Whatever it takes, right?

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Photo by Stepan Kulyk on Unsplash

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The other day, I started a book billed as a mystery for fans of Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club. Premise, fine I guess. Characters, meh to mediocre. Overall story, tone and execution? Not for me. It takes a lot for me to put down a book, particularly before the first body falls, but in this case, I did it.

I only share books I like here, so I won’t mention the title. I will say that it’s lovely to find a reliable author. The good news is that Osman has started up a new series and I am looking forward to it. Here’s an interview with Osman and Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher books.

And while I think the idea that writing is a good job for those who have already had careers is a mite limiting, it certainly has worked out for these two authors.

‘I wanted to write a suburban Reacher’- Richard Osman talks to Lee Child about class, success and the secret to great crime writing

To me, it’s never about what happens. It’s about: why do I care what happens? And that’s all character…

My default is to write commercial fiction, because that’s just how my brain is. I want to do something that the maximum amount of people love; I want to write something that’s good and then sits right in the heart of popular culture. You want the sort of book where, if you’re on a long-haul flight and you open the first page, it takes you through that entire flight – that sounds trite, but it’s not, because how do you keep someone through an entire flight? You keep them with story, and you keep them with character, and you keep them with wit and with a personality that people want to spend time with.

— Richard Osman

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Photo by Johnny Briggs on Unsplash

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“There is no wrong time to do the right thing.”

― Charles M. Blow

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Photo by Marten Bjork on Unsplash

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“Go! Confront the problem! Fight! Win! And call me when you get back, darling. I enjoy our visits.”

— Edna Mode, The Incredibles

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Photo by Malte Schmidt on Unsplash

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I’m waiting 
to remember 

that there is more to today than a headline
that the lump in my throat is not forever
that my fellow Americans are still that
and when they (we) lose their health care and disasters go unrelieved and preventable disease is not prevented and wells are poisoned and two plus two no longer equals four
I will not rejoice

because 

today is more than a headline, and
the lump in my throat is concentrated fuel, and 
my fellow Americans are just that, and
we will still fight for health care and disaster relief and disease prevention and clean soil air water and reality in all its forms, and

this timeline is the only one we have, so 

I’m waiting.

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Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

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“The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.”

― Barack Obama

Today, that’s voting. Go forth, citizen, and make good things happen!

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Photo by Element5 Digital on Pexels.com

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It’s finally election week! That’s right, tomorrow is Election Day in the US, and if you haven’t already voted, it’s time to make your voice heard. 

To find your voting and drop-off locations: 

I Will Vote

For my fellow Pennsylvania voters, here’s how to find your polling placewhat to expect if you are a first-time voter, and more info.

(I’ve already voted absentee because I’m out of the country, but if you are in line tomorrow, I hope the Pizza to the Polls people find you!)

Do I think it’s ridiculous that voting takes place on a Tuesday and / or that it isn’t already a national holiday? I do! Still, it could be more complicated.

Do Astronauts Actually Vote from Space? Election Officials Explain

Astronauts do not have to miss out on voting just because they are on a mission on Election Day—they can do it from space! It happens with the help of a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) system….

Believe it or not, voting from space has been a thing for nearly three decades. According to NASA, “astronauts have voted in U.S. elections since 1997, when the Texas Legislature passed a bill that allowed NASA astronauts to cast ballots from orbit.”

My absentee ballot was also a bit of a to-do, but hassle or not, it is an honor and privilege to share this democracy with you.

We matter. Vote!

“Every election is determined by the people who show up.” 

— Larry Sabato

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Photo by Leif Christoph Gottwald on Unsplash

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If you are in the US, the coming week promises to be a bit stressful. Here’s a bit of cuteness to start you off on a positive note.

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Photo by Pete F on Unsplash

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Today is all about cake baking and other kitchen stuff. We needed a few ingredients like apples and eggs, which required a trip to the store, which in turn led to that age-old question: Why is our checkout line so slooooow? What is queuing theory anyway? And, inevitably, how would this affect procedure at a transdimensional transit hub?

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Photo by Nk Ni on Unsplash

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“Sometimes, you have to step outside of the person you’ve been and remember the person you were meant to be. The person you want to be. The person you are.”

— H.G. Wells

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Photo by Josh Hild on Unsplash

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