Today’s post is brought to you by the cat.
Chewbacca: “I’m trying to sleep. Please stop muttering about how you have nothing good to post today. Silly human.”
Me: “Fine, you think you can do better?”
Chewie: “Obviously.”
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Archive for the ‘Other’ Category
Brought to You By
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, Chewbacca, Thoughts on October 16, 2023| Leave a Comment »
What’s Needed
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, Thoughts on October 15, 2023| Leave a Comment »
If you pay any attention to the news, you don’t need to be told that the world is a sometimes dark and dangerous place, or that humans have the potential for hatred and violence.
But perhaps you also appreciate a reminder that life is not just fearsome, and that humanity has the potential to do an astonishing amount of good.
I know I do.
“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.”
— His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso
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StoryBundle Last Call!
Posted in Entertainment, Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, adventure, creativity, deals, Fiction, genre fiction, inspiration, science fiction, Writers, writing on October 5, 2023| Leave a Comment »
It’s last call for StoryBundle’s To the Stars Adventure SciFi bundle, featuring Writers of the Future v.39 and so much more!
This new StoryBundle will take your autumn, and your e-reader, to the far edges of the universe. Curated by bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson, this cosmic batch of eighteen books showcases the range of epic science fiction, from galactic empires to time-travel adventures to alien invasions. These books are from classic award-winning science fiction authors and hot new indie authors.
Only a few hours left to grab this Great Deal on Sci-Fi. Enjoy!
Am I biased? Sure, I happen to think our collection is great. But the bundle is curated by Kevin J. Anderson and also includes books by other names sci-fi/fantasy fans may have heard of, like Todd McCaffrey and Nancy Kress, as well as others I look forward to discovering.
Enjoy!
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How to Deal
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, quotes, Thoughts, Tuesdays on October 3, 2023| Leave a Comment »
The trick in life is learning how to deal with it.
— Dame Helen Mirren
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If You Need Chill
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, Thoughts on October 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Some days, you just need to chill. If today is that day for you, consider this three-hour timelapse and related article.
‘Why are 500,000 people watching paint dry?’ The man behind YouTube’s DIY sensation
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Another One Bites the Dust
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, #insertblankie, home on September 29, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Before today, I couldn’t say that I had ever had a furnace condemned.
No longer.
In our ongoing saga of appliance fails, our seventeen-year old furnace has developed an unfixable crack. And now we wait until we can get a replacement.
I swear we’re not doing this on purpose.
What I do appreciate is that we discovered this problem before the snow starts. Because now our fireplace is on the fritz too.
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Irresponsible Speculations in Art History, or, Lady Giselle’s Night Watch
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, art, art history, inspiration, Rembrandt, Rijksmuseum, Rijksstudio, Thoughts, wild musings on September 22, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Let me preface this musing with the statement that I know very little about art, art history, Rembrandt, Dutch social history of the 17th century, or most related issues.
I do, however, know that dead chickens and fashion don’t usually mix.
Two of my parental units visited the Rijksmuseum this summer and saw The Night Watch, which inspired a recent discussion about the painting’s history, size and purpose. I pulled up the digital version on the museum’s website so that we could examine the details. The page was still up on my phone when I opened my browser today, and I decided to zoom in on the strangest element in the picture: a well-dressed woman in the midst of a group of heavily armed and armored men, her figure, clothing and purse, all glowing as if under a spotlight.
I take that back. She wasn’t the strangest thing about this picture. The strangest thing was that the aforementioned well-dressed woman was wearing… a chicken?
One thing I love about the move to digitize many museum holdings is that you can see details not usually visible, unless you are viewing the art in person. Using the Rijksmuseum’s Rijksstudio, I was able to zoom in on the subject in question and inspect her unusual accessory. Here it is:
That inspired this exchange with my father:
Again, I know very little about art history and am probably wrong about every single bit of this. I am having fun speculating on the importance of that well-dressed woman, her prominently featured silk purse, and of course, her chicken.
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That Day, and After
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, 9/11, heroes, inspiration, memories, Thoughts on September 11, 2023| Leave a Comment »
On this day in 2001 I was home in Pennsylvania, getting ready to fly back to Boston. At least that was the plan, until I got a call telling me that all flights had been grounded.
For more on what was behind the cancellation of my flight, and all the others, check out this article from Now I Know:
In all, Ben Sliney’s initiative makes for an incredible story. When Universal Pictures decided to turn the heroism of the passengers of United Flight 93 into a movie, they did not overlook Ben Sliney’s role — they even asked him to play himself in the movie…
Here’s to all the heroes from that day, and after.
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Just Say Yes
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, inspiration, nature, Thoughts on September 10, 2023| Leave a Comment »
The weather today was perfect for a walk. We headed out to the southwest of Ottawa, found a new cafe, then spent quality time on a new-to-us path along a converted railroad bed.
Years ago, Mr Man and I found ourselves in the northern Ontario wilderness. After a long day of fishing, we realized that we are always happier when we say yes to nature. So today, that’s what we did.
If you’re looking for new trails too, you might find this site useful:
Browse to see options for walking, hiking, running, biking and more, complete with maps and elevation. Here’s the list for Ottawa, and an example that includes the lovely Fletcher Gardens near Dows Lake:
Wikiloc | Hartwells, Fletcher Garden and Morris St Trail
Did we exert ourselves enough to balance out the cheesecake we’ll be having for dessert?
Maybe?
I mean, yes.
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Slowly, and Then Fast
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, beauty, Canada, fall, fall foliage, home, inspiration, nature, poutine, Thoughts on September 7, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Canada is a global leader in many arenas: friendliness, humor, dishes featuring cheese, gravy and potatoes.
Come fall, it also leads the way in terms of natural beauty.
The leaves on the maple across the street are beginning to turn. Thanks in part to my father falling in love with the Appalachian mountains on a job interview, I’ve watched this dance most of my life. First the green fades into yellows and orange and reds, slowly and then fast, until every vista is filtered through a rainbow-colored lens.
The change depends on a number of factors such as precipitation and temperature, but check out this map for a prediction:
2023 Fall Foliage Map & Nationwide Peak Leaf Forecast
More on the map and how it was made:
See When Brilliant Fall Foliage Will Peak With This Interactive Map
According to the map, fall foliage season began on September 4 and will end on November 20.
For comparison, here’s the Farmers’ Almanac weighing in on dates by state: Fall Leaves: America’s Top Destinations.
When will peak fall happen for you? Soon, the trees whisper. Soon.
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