“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”
— Charles Dickens
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Have convictions. Be friendly. Stick to your beliefs as they stick to theirs. Work as hard as they do.
— Eleanor Roosevelt
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Posted in Writing | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, ideas, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing | Leave a Comment »
Apologies, but I don’t have much time to chat today. The taxes, they are calling me!
What one has to do usually can be done.
— Eleanor Roosevelt
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“Snatching the eternal out of the desperately fleeting is the great magic trick of human existence.”
— Tennessee Williams
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Posted in Writing | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, art, artists, creativity, quoteandaprettypicture, Thoughts, Writers, writing | Leave a Comment »
You may remember in 2023 when I mentioned a five-planet parade in the skies, or in 2024 when six planets aligned.
Fun sky news: this week we are in line for a parade of all seven planets!
When and how to view February planet alignment
Skywatchers will get a cosmic treat this week with a celestial gathering of planets.
A planetary alignment, or a “planet parade,” according to the internet, will grace our night sky just after dusk, according to SkyatNightMagazine. You can expect to see seven planets align Friday when Mercury joins Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Venus and Saturn.
Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Mars will be visible to the naked eye, but Saturn will be harder to spot low on the horizon, and you’ll need a telescope for Uranus and Neptune. Still, “every other world in our solar system will be visible among the stars at the same time — if you know where to look.”
“You really only have a few minutes after sunset to catch them before they drop below the horizon. After that, you’ll still be able to see Venus, Jupiter, and Mars clearly for a much longer time,” Dr Bloomer added.
I don’t have a telescope, and we often can’t see this kind of event because of city lights.
Still cool!
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Posted in Science! | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, astronomy, look up, science, sky | Leave a Comment »
There are some things in life that are just perfect.
It might be a book, or a movie or a volcanic beach under the hot afternoon sun. Or it might be a salad.
Mr Man and I recently went to Montreal with a friend, and stopped off at a little roadside cafe* for lunch. I checked out the menu and perused the glass display case, and there it was.
A pretty pottery bowl filled with a squash, greens, and cranberry salad. The bright orange squash was the perfect blend of soft but not squishy, sweet but substantive. The tender greens brought a hint of bitterness mellowed by a creamy lemon dressing and the bright red of candied cranberries sprinkled throughout.
I had some with lunch, and then went back to the counter.
“That was amazing,” I said. “Two more, please. I have to take some home with me.”
Maybe this wouldn’t have been the perfect salad for you, dear reader, just as my perfect book or movie or afternoon may not be the same as yours. That’s fine.
The news is often dark, but when you can, take a moment to look around you. There is always light. Use it to find your way.
However you connect to what’s good in the world, try do as much of that as you can. What’s important is to realize when you have found a thing that is perfect for you, and to revel in its magic.
Me? I’m off to have lunch.
* Mr Man just gave me the name of the restaurant: the Bravo Bistro Grill & Traiteur.
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Posted in Other | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, #damntasty, perfect for me, Thoughts | Leave a Comment »
Last night, we watched the original Ghostbusters, which is always fun. Coincidentally and just in time to inspire this post, today I ran across this article from Dan Lewis at Now I Know that opens with that film and evolves into a fascinating discussion of why firehouses have poles.
Curious horses, that’s why!
How Horses Created Firehouse Poles – Now I Know
…in the late 1870s, “David Kenyon of Company 21, an all-African-American firehouse in Chicago [. . .] reached the ground by sliding down a wooden pole normally used to bale hay for horses.” Kenyon realized that this could be made into a permanent feature…
Read the whole thing for more on why poles were not just a good idea, but critical for firefighters. Spoiler alert, it’s not just because sliding down poles is fun!
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Posted in Other, Writing | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, cool facts, history, knowledge | Leave a Comment »
Storytelling is good for so many things: entertainment, shared cultural touchstones, lessons from elders, or other instruction manuals for living. Even so, speculative fiction has always been burdened by accusations that it is less able to comment on reality than, say, literary fiction.
I disagree.
In fiction or nonfiction, no matter the genre or approach, storytelling is always, always, grounded in the cultural currents from which it springs. It’s how we pass on what’s important, even if it isn’t always “real.” Whether it shows us futures to avoid, goals to achieve, values of importance or daily ways to survive, the work’s foundation always reflects its context.
On a related note, here’s a short document on surviving difficult times, written in the form of an RPG-style guide. It wouldn’t surprise me to see an actual game follow soon.
Because life and art are two facets of the same die. And we’re all just players, trying to level up.
“The idea that any of us can do everything is instant failure. We all have our own skill sets and our own passions and we will accomplish the most if each of us works within those arenas to do what we’re already good at, what we already care about. You don’t have to do it all. Just a little.”
— Bree Bridges
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Posted in Other, Writing | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, art, creativity, current events, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing | Leave a Comment »
“To care about climate change, you only have to be one thing, a human living on Planet Earth.”
— Katharine Hayhoe
(I submit that other animals and any Earth-bound aliens also qualify, but “humans” is a good place to start.)
If you are a creator concerned with the livability of the planet, this guide from This Is Planet Ed may be useful. It’s designed for works aimed largely at younger audiences, but the ideas apply across the board.
A Toolkit For Climate Storytelling
Whether you want to develop a whole show, a story line, or embed climate solutions in your character’s world, this guide offers ideas, strategies, and tips to help.
Because as my landing page reminds us:
“Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.”
— G.K. Chesterton
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Posted in Other, Writing | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, art, climate change, creativity, storytelling, Writers, writing | Leave a Comment »
The cat lies dreaming
claws spread wide to catch the Moon,
Her bright wings outstretched.
The cat’s fine, thanks for asking:)
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Posted in Other, Writing | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, poem, Thoughts, writing | Leave a Comment »
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