Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Thoughts’

After a number of technical issues, overlapping assignments, and a mashup of meetings, I’ve finished a big day-job project. I’ve got to say, it feels good.

Not “go out and party” good, more like “take a deep breath and shake off all that accumulated stress” good. Forest bathing good.

What’s that, you may ask? 

Essentially, forest bathing (or shinrin-yoku in Japanese) is a walk in the woods designed to reconnect you with nature in ways that are beneficial for your health.

Healing in the forest: a guide to forest bathing

Spending time in nature and experiencing reduced stress levels allows you to think more clearly and creatively. It can also increase your mood, focus, and energy.

Sounds good, right? Except that there’s a coating of ice on everything thanks to last night’s storm and I still have work to do and (let’s be honest) it’s freezing out there!

So instead, I will find another way to spend a few moments in the forest.

How, you may ask? Meet Tree.fm: Tune Into Forests From Around The World.

Want a map of global forest sounds? Check out Sounds of the Forest.

Want even more chill? Do you have ten minutes or eight hours?

* * *

Photo by David Bruyndonckx on Unsplash

Read Full Post »

My interview with the lovely Kim Lengling of the Let Fear Bounce podcast is live today! 

We had a great time discussing writing, creativity, my experience with Writers of the Future and many other topics, and I hope you enjoy it too. 

Check out the interview on YouTube or Spotify, and enjoy!

Pen to Paper: Navigating a Writer’s Reality – Author J.R. Johnson

Let Fear Bounce – Tossing out nuggets of hope | Podcast on Spotify

* * *

Photo by Georgia Mashford on Unsplash

Read Full Post »

Who wants to become a writer? And why? Because it’s the answer to everything. To “Why am I here?” To uselessness. It’s the streaming reason for living. To note, to pin down, to build up, to create, to be astonished at nothing, to cherish the oddities, to let nothing go down the drain, to make something, to make a great flower out of life, even if it’s a cactus.

— Enid Bagnold (1889–1981), British novelist, playwright

* * *

Photo by Dulcey Lima on Unsplash

Read Full Post »

“Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don‘t give up.”

— Anne Lamott

* * *

Photo by peace world 🌎 on Unsplash

Read Full Post »

I’d hoped to carve out some writing time today but instead I’m dealing with a lot of weird tech issues, some of which are concrete problems and some just disappointments.

Here’s an example of the latter. Note the prompt.

AI prompt: A metal cyborg unicorn bright colors happy tone

No, AI. Just… no.

Read Full Post »

I’ve often talked about the general excellence of libraries. Today I’d like to make a specific comment, and it’s not even about books.

Sad news: Mr Man is still not feeling great.

Good news: He was able to get a same-day appointment with our doctor. 

But. 

Our doctor will only see symptomatic patients if you have a negative Covid test in hand. Ok, fine, I guess. Our health care providers and system have been under massive pressure for years. 

Except. 

The holidays cooked up a stew of respiratory illnesses and a significant portion of Ottawa’s Capital Region is down for the count. Our wastewater numbers are right up there with the highest levels since tracking started in 2020. Finding cough medicine has become the equivalent of a treasure hunt. And finding a Covid rapid test? That’s more like the Holy Grail. 

None of the pharmacies I called had any tests in stock. They’d be happy to schedule us for Covid boosters, but we already have those. Our local health unit should have tests but is halfway across the city.

Where to find a rapid test? The library came through for us. Not just a home for books and music, maker spaces and digital resources, the library is also bringing this now necessary resource into our neighborhoods.

I walked into our local branch to find a stack of rapid tests on a table by the door. The librarian couldn’t see my grin under my mask, but it was there.

And good news! Mr Man’s test is negative and now he can get the healthcare he needs.

Thanks, library. You saved the day.

* * *

Photo by JACQUELINE BRANDWAYN on Unsplash

Read Full Post »

It’s Monday and I’m back at work, thinking about work things. My day job isn’t perfect but it’s got a lot going for it, and I will say that I don’t miss the academic career track. Why? Check out this story by Courtney Floyd at Small Wonders for one reason.

CoverLetter_Version5: Small Wonders

Four other versions of me crowd around the kitchen table, waiting for version five to get done with the bathroom. Or for breakfast. Or for me to say something. Or for anything, really. All they do is wait, wait, wait.

 * * *

Original photo by LumenSoft Technologies on Unsplash

Read Full Post »

One day in this writer’s life: reading, modifying a recipe for white chocolate and lemon truffles (thanks, Aunt C!), making notes on the inklings of an idea for a space saga, and a walk in the snow surrounded by tiny snowflakes drifting quietly down.

* * *

Photo by Karl Hedin on Unsplash

Read Full Post »

How much do I love this? 

101-Year-Old Grace Linn: ‘Banning Books and Burning Books Are the Same’

“Banning books and burning books are the same. Both are done for the same reason: fear of knowledge,” Linn said. “They’re afraid that people will know better than they did.”

But each generation should know better, do better, and be better, Linn said. Society can’t grow and evolve without the education and empathy-building that come from the free exchange of thoughts shared through books.

All the hearts, forever.

* * *

Photo by Sansern Prakonsin on Unsplash

Read Full Post »

Bright sun, blue skies, and the sense of a storm looming just below the horizon. I’m working, watching and waiting, and maybe this latest unpredictable system will blow past us without much fuss. Or maybe, like many of you, we’ll find ourselves in the middle of an Arctic blast buried beneath many centimeters of snow. 

While we wait to see how this latest example of Nature’s power manifests, here’s another dose of free fiction.

Download the Tor.com November/December 2023 Short Fiction Bundle

* * *

Photo by Mira Kemppainen on Unsplash

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »