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Posts Tagged ‘persistence’

Hooray, It’s Voting Day!

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , on November 6, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Hooray, it’s voting day! Time to rip open that mild-mannered dress shirt,* toss aside those oh-so-effective-as-a-disguise glasses, and be the superhero you were born to be.

*Figuratively speaking, of course. But hey, if you planned ahead and are wearing your Wonder Woman Underoos, you do you.

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“If you are bored and disgusted by politics and don’t bother to vote, you are in effect voting for the entrenched Establishments of the two major parties, who please rest assured are not dumb, and who are keenly aware that it is in their interests to keep you disgusted and bored and cynical and to give you every possible reason to stay at home doing one-hitters and watching MTV on primary day. By all means stay home if you want, but don’t bullshit yourself that you’re not voting. In reality, there is no such thing as not voting: you either vote by voting, or you vote by staying home and tacitly doubling the value of some Diehard’s vote.”
― David Foster Wallace

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Have questions? These links can help:

https://votinginfoproject.org/projects/get-to-the-polls/
Voter Guide: How, When and Where to Vote on Tuesday

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Here, I even made you a little something…

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And here’s a little something from some other superheroes:)

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“Every election is determined by the people who show up.”
― Larry J. Sabato

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Image credits:
Vote, democracy, stars and stripe and voting HD photo by Element5 Digital (@element5digital) on Unsplash
We Can Be Heroes photo by Jessica Podraza (@birdiesnapdragon) on Unsplash
Statue Of Liberty photo by tom coe (@tomcoe) on Unsplash
Protest, message board, text and protester HD photo by Heather Mount (@heathermount) on Unsplash
Sticker, message, finger and hand HD photo by Parker Johnson (@pkrippermachine) on Unsplash

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Baking vs. Politics

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , on October 4, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Politics make me sad.

Baking makes me happy. Being constructive and making things (and countering the negativity inherent in the current public discourse) makes me happy.

And so I give you my latest creation: A rolling pin…

… complete with a flower on the handle. (Or is that a “flour”? 😉

Next stop, Canadian Thanksgiving and (you guessed it!) pie.

Chin up, fellow humans. We’re just one alien invasion away from remembering that we’re all in this together.

 

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Today’s Imperfections

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , on September 14, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Things that could have gone better today (mostly minor, ’tis true, but it’s barely afternoon!):

  • Tracked Hurricane Florence instead of working on my current novella.
  • Walked instead of running. Because really, I can’t run. It hurts, like everything else good for you (not really, but some days that’s how it feels). Ouch ouch ouch!
  • Forgot to take my vitamins with breakfast.
  • Haven’t cleaned today. Even odds on whether I’ll get to it at all, really. Wynonna Earp is just as awesome through a thin film of dust, right?
  • Ignored the hummingbird feeder and other oddities to wash in the laundry sink. Again.
  • I still don’t know how to get rid of the efflorescence by the laundry room drain. Or is it mold? Or some similar-looking precursor to an alien invasion that just happens to be starting in my basement? Maybe leaving it there is actually me doing a noble service to SETI-hunters everywhere?
  • There is a crack in this seemingly perfect pen blank. You can’t see it. Half the time I can’t see it. But it is there, and now all I can do is use it as a reminder that not everything works out the way you’d like, but sometimes even mistakes can be beautiful.

Enjoy your day, imperfect or otherwise!

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Brief Note of Awesomeness

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , on March 29, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Good news alert, I’ve just had a story accepted! It’s been a while since my last acceptance. That’s not surprising since my blogging slump has been mirrored by a submission slump, but I’m still pretty excited. It’s for a piece I wrote as a tribute to the Montreal Symphony and the persistence of the human spirit.

I’ll take that as a sign to persist:)

 

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Bowl #1

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , on November 22, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Here’s a quick pre-holiday update. Winter has come and I’m writing, working, cooking, shoveling and woodworking. As an antidote to all things discouraging and sad, I present evidence that effort + time = achievement. See Exhibit A, a.k.a. Bowl #1.

 

Some walnut, some birdseye maple, some sweat and a few tears. (Yes, it was perfect. Yes, I dropped it. Yes, I re-cut and re-finished the exterior. But now it’s done:)

Translate to your own circumstances as you will!

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Here’s to November!

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 6, 2017| Leave a Comment »

It’s November. Days are cold and nights are frosty. The cat wants in. And out. And back in again. It’s also the time of year for NaNoWriMo.

Yep, I’m doing it! My plan is to win (because of course) but most importantly, my goal is to get back on the regular-everyday-seriously-stop messing around writing train, and to practice a select number of specific writing skills. I haven’t gotten around to updating my official NaNo information, but I am working industriously away, so double handful of yay there.

Right now it looks as though the story I’m working on will involve superheroes and science fiction, but you just never know when a story will take a left turn. Will there be elves in the closet? Magic cotton candy machines? Or a secret bio lab planning to doom us all?!? One never knows:)

As I’ve mentioned in years past, I tend to be a pantser who heads to the keyboard and tackles the project head on, but I’m mixing it up this year.

Now I’m off to do some planning, some pantsing, and lots of writing:)

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Nevertheless…

Posted in Other, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , on October 25, 2017| Leave a Comment »

I’m getting back to a more regular writing schedule after this summer (ok, year) of nuttiness, but that’s not all I’m doing. Last week’s project was to make a fleece shawl.


The shawl works as a wrap, blanket or pillow. It’s reversible, washable and nigh-on indestructible. It’s good for foggy mornings or chilly hospital rooms. It also has custom embroidery with what could be the motto for this crazy year. I made it for my aunt, a wonderful, free-wheeling, tough-as-nails woman who carved her own path to San Francisco decades ago and never left.

In related news, cancer sucks.

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Congratulations, You Won!

Posted in Other, tagged , , , , , , , on June 21, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Dear Republicans, from Georgia to the White House,

Congratulations, you won. Happily, that’s not the end of your journey. Winning means nothing in isolation. Instead, you’ve landed a much harder job. Politics isn’t about the race for office, it’s about what comes next.

You fought for the chance to govern. You won because you managed to convince a majority of voters that, for the moment, you were their best option for a brighter future. Go you.

What’s your prize? Celebrate, sure, but then it’s time to pay up. With great power, and all that. You are now accountable for the life, liberty and happiness* of the American people. Even the ones who didn’t vote for you. Even the ones who disagree with you. And especially the ones who will come after you.

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A brief suggestion? Focus on what’s best about our way of life. This is America, imperfect but always striving for more. Look to build open, safe and productive communities, with educated people, well-fed children, healthy places to live and work, and the free and constructive exchange of ideas. Diversity is strength, and if you don’t agree with that ask yourself: did you create the iPhone, go to the Moon, build an airplane, invent video games, the Super Soaker, or make that amazing touchdown in last year’s Super Bowl? I know I didn’t, but I’m proud to come from a country of people who did.

We may disagree on methods, but look far enough down the road and we may agree on the goals. We are much more alike than not. Find those points of overlap and use them to aim for something better.

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Don’t think you need to worry about those who did not support you? Take a look at your margins of victory, then ask what would happen if half of your constituents went elsewhere overnight. (Heck, ask Detroit.) That’s half of the people who pump gas, grow food, and teach in schools. It’s also half of those who keep the lights on, pick up the trash, police the streets, set bones, dispense medication, own businesses, build houses and, oh yes, pay taxes.

Even within parties there are diverse views and significant divides. Every day, we work together across those lines to make our communities function.

That’s the job.

So again, congratulations. Time to get to work.

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* Sounds a lot like healthcare, rights and economic wellbeing, doesn’t it?

 

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Slippie Slide

Posted in Likes, tagged , , , , , , , on March 27, 2017| Leave a Comment »

You know how some Mondays you wake up to grey skies and a sheet of ice on your front step, and you have a million things on your list you’re not sure you can do and everything could be awful… but somehow it’s not? Yeah, for me that day is today:)

For you too, hopefully!

 

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Morning Over Mars

Posted in Likes, Science!, tagged , , , , , , , on March 23, 2017| Leave a Comment »

If the world feels a bit weighty this morning, grab a cup of something hot, sit back and enjoy Mars.

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