The Far Places

It’s been 35 years since this 6.9 earthquake struck along the San Andreas Fault, and everyone is sharing their memories on social media today. Even though the epicenter was near Santa Cruz, the shaking…and the destruction…was easily felt and seen almost a hundred miles away. The images filling television screens: the collapsed portion of the San Francisco-Bay Bridge; the collapsed double-decker…

Have you ever made friends with someone by accident?  I was a young secretary sharing an office with another young secretary, Alyson. Our supervisors had just returned from a meeting with people whose names I couldn’t remember at that moment. Just as I asked “Did you get to see the lady?” In walked Paula, another secretary. A big smile broke out on her face, and she said “oh, gosh, yes!” And…

Ten years ago I was in Antarctica, the place of my dreams, stark and cold as it was.  This past week, I’ve watched my trip DVD a couple of times and been wanting to go back. It is a place which possesses a mystical lure that can’t be explained or understood…unless you feel it too. A couple years after that trip, I took a chance and submitted a name proposal to the United States Geological Survey…

“Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century”  One of the great things about traveling is the conversations you have with fellow travelers about everything, ranging from other interesting places to visit, their hobbies, their careers and/or educational backgrounds, and, of course, books. Never mind that I already have a huge to-read pile (of both books and magazines) but I’m…

Any excuse to throw in a Hobbit reference, right? Remember my last posting – the Ig Sale? Got another one for you. Meet Ig, the purple lizard (I think he’s a lizard), another fun, silly gift from my step-mother in commemoration of that day back in the early 80s. If I remember correctly, purple isn’t his original color; she painted him that color because I love purple. (I also love cobalt blue…

…and I don’t mean Instagram. In my continuing saga about my knickknacks and souvenirs, I present these 2 stuffed green creatures. Way back in 1983 or thereabouts, I was riding with my step-mother in her car (she was dropping me off at my job on the way to her job). As we sat at a red light on Dodge Street, one of the main drags through Omaha, I looked over at a drug store on the corner. (No, I…

Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater

No, this isn’t a post about nursery rhymes, although I did learn something new while I was looking for a catchy title. One of the interpretations of this very old rhyme is that Peter’s wife was promiscious so he stuffed her in the pumpkin as a way to keep her from running around. Seems that there’s some debate as to whether she’s dead or alive when this happens. But there’s also something called…

Not a recommended weight loss strategy

The first time I was admitted into the hospital, I clocked in at 122.5 pounds. Don’t know what I weighed at release, but when I was admitted the second time, I clocked in at 113. It’s definitely true that any serious illness takes a lot out of you, including body fat, muscle, stamina, your ability to concentrate, etc. But whatever you do, don’t deliberately make yourself sick in order to lose…

Antibiotics? Who needs those?

That’s sarcasm, by the way.   After a new cat scan showed that my colon was obstructed, I spent a few hours in a morphine-induced haze before getting whisked off into surgery – sometime after midnight, I think. When I woke up, I had a nine inch incision running down the center of my abdomen with 30 staples securing the edges.  I don’t remember a lot about the next couple of days except the…

Colons, CAT Scans, and ERs, oh my….

It occurred to me, after re-reading my last post, that maybe I should go back to the beginning, and talk some about denial, perseverance, and communication.  This colon-odyssey [does that work as a pun?] actually involved three ER visits, not just two. On Friday, November 12th, I woke up feeling “off” so didn’t do much of anything all day except stare at the t.v. or cuddle with the kitties. I’ve…

Get Up. No One is Coming to Save You.

This is one of those memes you might have seen on social media.  I first saw it more than a year ago, and tucked it away in my memory. I viewed it in a metaphorical sense, as a reminder that no one else can write the novel, short story, or screenplay roaming around in my head. I’m the only person who can do that.  I didn’t think that I would ever need to take those words literally, but as I lay…

Mini Book Review “Man, Fuck This House”

If you know me, you know that I picked this book because of its title.  I hadn’t read anything written by Brian Asman before, but he’s one of several horror writers I follow on Twitter, looking for new and interesting books, movies, etc. And how could a title like “Man, Fuck This House” for a haunted house story steer you wrong?  Isn’t that what you wish one of the characters in such a story…

Mini-Book Review: Beers and Fears

Mini-Book Review:  Beers and Fears: The Haunted Brewery Beers and Fears: Flight Night  By Chuck Buda, Frank Edler, Tim Meyer, and Armand Rosamilia.  Like horror? Like beer? Brewpubs? Short stories?  These two books are for you!  Named for a book signing tour the four authors regularly participate in, both of these books feature four separate, but inter-related stories set within a past or…

Mini Book Review: The Emaciated Man

Mini Book Review: The Emaciated Man by Evan Baughfman  Do you have some teens in your household who would like to explore the horror genre? The Emaciated Man, a collection of short stories set in a middle school, is a perfect introduction for, well, your middle-schoolers. Scary but without the gore. And with Halloween coming up next month, now is the perfect time to buy them a copy so they can…

“Collision on Tenerife” by Jon Ziomek

In keeping with the non-fiction theme I started with my previous mini-review, I recommend “Collision on Tenerife” by Jon Ziomek.  This is one of those books that you probably shouldn’t read while you’re actually sitting on an airplane. Especially if it’s a foggy day.  It is a detailed account of the world’s worst aviation accident: two fully-loaded 747s collided in the Canary Islands on March…

Mini Book Reviews: The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Mini Book Reviews  Now that I’m retired and can catch up with my pile(s) of books to read, I thought I would throw some mini-reviews into my blog. (By the way, don’t ask how many piles there are – or how high they are. I seem to be blessed – or is it cursed? – with an interest in everything from horror to history to archaeology to science-fiction to mystery to fantasy to disasters to creative…

Hello from my friend and fellow author, Xina Marie Uhl: Is listening to audiobooks the same as reading? Some people say NO. They argue that the narrator affects the meaning of the story. True? I’m on the fence. But the debate can get pretty passionate.  One thing I have noticed is that I will pay attention to different parts of the story when they are read aloud than when I read from the…