I ran across a quote once that said something like “the difference between a tragedy and a comedy is where you stop,” but I like this one better.
“The difference between pessimism and optimism is constructing a good ending.”
— Barbara Kingsolver
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Posted in Writing | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, Fiction, life, optimism, quotes, Thoughts, Writers, writing | Leave a Comment »
Happy summer solstice, everyone! (Fine, it’s called the June Solstice, but we all know what that means here in the Northern Hemisphere, don’t we? Summer!)
What is it?
Do You Really Know Why Earth Has A Solstice? – 13.7- Cosmos And Culture – NPR
Remarkably, Earth has seasons for the same reason that a good quarterback can throw a tight spiral.
Even more explanations:
June Solstice 2023: Shortest & Longest Day of the Year
Why is it a thing?
Because it’s cool. And also because our ancestors knew a lot about practical astronomy. Seasons mattered.
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Posted in Holidays, Science! | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, astronomy, science | 1 Comment »
“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.”
— Leo Tolstoy
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Today, America celebrates Juneteenth.
I’ve written about this new federal holiday before, but if you’d like to know more, here are a couple of articles which may interest you:
Juneteenth: What It Is And How It Is Observed – NPR
“Everybody went wild. We all felt like heroes … just like that, we were free.”
For even more detail, check out this longer read by historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: What Is Juneteenth?
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In a more personal take on history, I’ve always wondered how it must feel to be one of the many Black people in the US who are intimately related to the nation’s Confederate past.
I need wonder no more.
A favorite aunt was going through boxes of material from my grandmother and discovered discharge papers for a Confederate soldier, who also happens to be my great great grandfather.
Oh.
While I was quite surprised at this (and other new family history, ranging from the darker side of Georgia to the darker side of Germany), in some important ways it really is encouraging.
History is change, and much of this story is positive.
Still, I’m not going to lie. It feels a little weird. But again, encouraging.
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Posted in Holidays | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, Juneteenth, Thoughts | 2 Comments »
When I was a child, my father discovered a lime freeze drink that I absolutely loved. I don’t have the recipe and only remember that it was frothy, creamy and sharp with fresh lime juice. I’ve tried to replicate the drink a few times but never quite managed it, until now.
This recipe is based on a Brazilian limeade recipe. The original version is very good but it’s harder to find organic limes than I’d like, and it can be a little fiddly to balance a thorough blending while avoiding the bitterness of fresh pith.
Using sweetened condensed milk makes it quick and easy with no risk of curdling. Being me, I also wanted a recipe we could make with frozen juice. This is the result.
Lime Fluff
- 700g/just under 3C water, whey, or a combination* (we’re using 1C yogurt whey, the rest water)
- 1/2 can sweetened condensed milk (~190g)
- 1 to 1 1/8 C+ / 250–275g lime juice (to taste, fresh or frozen)
Blend and enjoy.
* I know that grams (mass) don’t always equal milliliters (volume), but it’s close enough. We also make a lot of strained yogurt so we have whey on hand; ours is tangy enough that we use 250g of lime juice.
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Posted in Food and..., Holidays | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, Thoughts | 2 Comments »
“Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.”
— Henry David Thoreau
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Martha Wells, creator of Murderbot, the recently published Witch King and other terrific tales, recently posted a copy of her co-guest of honor speech from WisCon. It’s worth reading.
It doesn’t always seem like it from our moment in time, but there actually has been a lot of progress in the science fiction and fantasy world during the 30 years of my career.
In it, she applauds how far we’ve come while pointing out the issues that remain, and that progress is “not a perpetual motion machine.” To keep moving up, it must be protected, cared for, and cultivated.
Which we can absolutely, positively do.
“Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings.”
— Ursula Le Guin
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Posted in Other, Writing | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, genre fiction, inspiration, power, progress, Thoughts, Writers, writing | Leave a Comment »
For various day job reasons I’m feeling a wee bit tired. I have no deep thoughts about this, just a sense that I could really use a vacation (yes, another one! 😉 or at least a tiny little break.
Time to browse the weird and wild world of Google Street View, courtesy of this site:
How many times can I hit the Random button before it gets old? …
Wait, there’s a giant statue of a quarter-pound burger in Rapid City, South Dakota?! Of course there is🙂
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Posted in Other | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, random fun, Rapid City, Thoughts | Leave a Comment »
Tor.com has released its free fiction bundle, in case you want to explore such things!
Download the Tor.com Spring 2023 Short Fiction Bundle | Tor.com
Our Spring 2023 Short Fiction bundle features stories by:
A.C. Wise
E. Lily Yu
Eugenia Triantafyllou
Yoon Ha Lee
Kemi Ashing-Giwa
Jeffrey Ford
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Posted in Writing | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, @tordotcom, creativity, Fiction, free fiction, genre fiction, Writers, writing | Leave a Comment »
Yesterday’s goals were far-reaching but I am happy to report that, with the help of a foolishly optimistic outlook and a healthy dose of yaupon tea, I completed all but one task.
(That final task was to make banana bread muffins, and while I was looking forward to them, let’s all be honest and admit that extra tangy lemon meltaways and dark chocolate brownies are always going to be higher on the list.)
So it’s still Tuesday (the worst!) but things are still looking pretty good.
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Posted in Other | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, Thoughts | Leave a Comment »
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