Quite a thunderstorm rolled through here this evening! Which is rare, in this part of the world.

It was a calm, warm, pleasant day–I was driving around in the Miata with the top down till after 5:00, and working in the yard for an hour after that–but then the sky darkened, and the wind picked up…actually, only part of the sky darkened, while we still had a placid, lovely evening to the west.

It was impossible to capture in a photograph, but this gives some sense, from before it started:

Bright sunshine and deep dark clouds.

And then the thunder! It rattled the windows. I never saw any lightning, but then, I wasn’t outside any more.

Then the fire department came by. Someone had called about a smell of gas; I thought it smelled like the ocean (or, well, a thunderstorm); nobody owned up to having called them; eventually they left.

By that point it was pouring rain, drenching, a dark downpour.

Then it stopped. Now it’s all peaceful out there.

I know this kind of thing isn’t such a big deal in parts of the country where they happen every day, but…here it’s kinda special.

Originally published at Shannon Page: Author. You can comment here or there.

These are stories of the future; adventures in which you'll live in a million could-be years on a thousand may-be worlds.

Last weekend, when I wasn’t schmoozing with friends at SFWA’s Nebula Awards weekend, I was off at the nearby Artomatic, an arts installation I’d heard about in years past but had never managed to attend. Since the last Artomatic was in 2009, and who knew when I’d ever be spending a couple of nights just a few blocks away from one, I knew I had to sneak over.

What is Artomatic? It’s 1,300 artists taking over an 11-story building that’s soon to be demolished, and surprisingly, amid the tens of thousands of works of art, plenty of science fiction, fantasy, and horror turned up. In an effort to get those who come here to read about those sorts of things to drop by—Artomatic runs through June 23—I thought I’d share a fraction of the art of the fantastic that I spotted.

(To my great horror and regret, after I got home, I discovered that I’d misplaced some of the artists’ names, so in the event you do head on over to Artomatic and see some of the paintings I’ve included below without attribution, could you please let me know the names of the creators. Artists need all the publicity they can get!)

Dana Ellyn

This next painting was titled “Darth VayDeer,” and with a name like that, you’d think I could easily Google the artist, but alas, no.

Originally published at Scott Edelman. You can comment here or there.

While photographing the crowdedness of the master bedroom, I also happened upon this photo op showing the abject failure of the dog crate. The dog crate is, in fact, very popular with every mammal in the house except the one it was purchased for. Courage still refuses to sleep all night in it. Soon, I will take it down and put it away. For now, you can see that Simba J. Cat and Athena Kitten are enjoying it while Miss Diamond Starina Kittais (she’s French) lounges in the foreground.

(Diamond is also not that smart. She doesn’t like to be around the other cats, but she doesn’t know they are right behind her so she’s fine.)

Originally published at So Shiny. You can comment here or there.

Am pleased and proud to announce that I’ve been accepted into Launch Pad this year.

For those who don’t know, Launch Pad is a NASA-funded astronomy workshop for writers, held on the University of Wyoming campus in Laramie.  You can well imagine how valuable something like that would be to a science fiction writer and geek.  I mean, I’ll even get telescope time.  Dude.

Let me tell you, this is not an easy gig to get.  I’m thrilled and honored to be studying with these fine folks.

Please permit me a small woo-hoo!

So.  What are you doing this summer?

ETA: The one downside to all this that Launch Pad conflicts with OSFest.  I wish it weren’t so, but there’s no getting around it.  To those who are attending, have a great time, and I’m sorry I won’t be there with you.

Here are some pics of the house before renovation.

 

Here’s the house from the front. You can see the tiny driveway with our Toyota in it, and the tiny garage. The new garage/addition will be about four feet wider than the existing structure. As you can see, grading and retaining walls are going to be a big part of the project, and a big expense. There are also some trees – overgrown shrubberies actually – that will have to go. I’ll be a little sad about that since we enjoy the privacy, shade, and visiting birds. But c’est la vie. We really should be discouraging birds from visiting our place, anyway.

We also need to replace the old roof, and the addition will continue the existing roofline, so we will need a full tear-off of the old roof, and original cedar shakes underneath, and then a new roof all the way across. I don’t know yet if we’ll go with another Sheriff Goslin or something else. A metal roof mimicking the original cedar shake would be sweet, but is probably not in the budget. (Actual cedar shake can be had, but is hideously flammable and therefore not really a good idea.)

By the way, you can see one of our major frustrations with the arrangement. With a car in the driveway, we can’t wheel our bins to the street. Garbage day at our house always involves auto-musical chairs at 7 AM.

Here’s the inside of the enclosed porch, progressing towards emptiness. The window you can see is the front window. There’s a lot of pristine original redwood siding inside that has never been touched by weather that we’ll be salvaging for the new exterior. Our options for matching siding to the existing exterior siding are limited. We’ll probably have no choice but to pay the high price of new cedar siding, since there doesn’t seem to be a non-wood product that matches what we already have.

Here’s the porch from the back. The addition will extend about six feet further back, and will wrap around somewhat to the left to accommodate a new bathroom. Since the new ridgeline will be continuous to the old one, the extension in back will have its own little dormer at the second story level. There will be a double sliding door on the ground level, where the large window is currently. We’re also hoping to be able to splurge on some floor-to-ceiling glass windows on the second floor in back for plants and a little bit of solar gain in the summer.

This just shows how crowded our existing master bedroom is, particularly with the huge dog crate. The window thing behind the dog crate is actually a door leading to the balcony. We’ll be blocking off that door, and putting a new interior door in the adjoining guest bedroom/office. That room will be an annex off the master bedroom that I’ll be using as an office, but could also be a cute nursery or sitting room.

The old master bedroom will either be a guest room or new teen cave, depending on the preferences of the teen.

And here is a random photo op of the treehouse with Chewie in it. Due to budget restrictions, we won’t be able to add the jacuzzi tub, motorcycle lift, and electric water canons to it this year.

Originally published at So Shiny. You can comment here or there.

SFWA is looking to convene a Norton jury for the 2013 award.

The Norton Award is presented to young adult or middle grade science fiction and fantasy novels. The membership at large votes to place several works on the ballot which the Norton jury can augment with additional selections.

Interested volunteers should contact the office of the vice president at vp@sfwa.org.

Please include your name and email address as well as a sentence or two about the following:

1) Your experience (if any) as a reader or writer of young adult and/or middle grade fiction.

2) Your interest in serving as a juror for this award.

Volunteer applications should be sent by Friday, June 8.

Volunteers must be active SFWA members. Feel free to repost.

Mirrored from SFWA | Comment at SFWA

We went to see Dark Shadows  last night, and came away unsmitten.  I like Johnny Depp in any role, but this one is so thin and trite he couldn't rescue it.  It's a bunch of vampire clichés rattling around in a shapeless container.  A few good sight gags and groaner lines . . . the teenaged girl asks Barnabas Collins, "Are you stoned, or what?"  He replies, "They tried stoning me once.  It did not work."

and this exchange . . . .

Angelique Bouchard: What if I made you love me? 

Barnabas Collins: With what, a spell? 

Angelique Bouchard: [strips to her brassiere] With this! 

Barnabas Collins: I must admit, they have not aged a day... 

That's a high point.  They should put this monster back in the box and bury it.

It's no secret that I like to travel. Road trips, day trips, excursions, museum visits, ferry rides, bike rides, let's go. You can't spell 'walkies' around me cause I'll be at the door with or without leash ready to go, go, go.

I've been to many places, more than some, less than others. But largely because I'll say "yes." That's how London happened last fall. When my friend fjm said she was looking for a cat sitter at her London home I leapt. The obvious people to invite were and e_bourne as traveling to England, to London was one of things we talked about in the hospital and through our recovery. We also talked about other places. Elizabeth and I have always wanted to see Egypt. I adore Rome and know they'd love the wonders of Pompeii. Paris for oh so many reasons--a Renaissance hotel built on the ruins of a medieval abbey built on the ruins of a roman temple and baths, build on the ruins of Celtic temples built on who knows what. The Louvre alone is worth a week, a month. So when the chance for London came we said yes. I invited others to join us, but it's hard to make schedules work when times are lean and money tight. I know that scarlettina would have come if the job wasn't so uncertain. My friends Sebastian and Joey were much in the same boat. So it was just the three of us and it worked out well. We wanted to see much of the same things and my iPhone worked for maps, pub locations, and more. Starbucks are terrific places for free wifi--not just in the USA and England but even in Aruba!

I'm so glad we went. We lost Mark in February. His loss has left a hole in my heart and mind that's not mending. I move away from asking why. And try to think, what's next. Where shall I go? Elizabeth has said she'll let me know when she's ready to travel again. I'd happily go just about anywhere with her--possibly not to a knitters retreat but she has plenty of comrades in needles and knots for that.

Next year I'll be 50. I've come very close to the edge several times in my life. Cancer, the bike accident, surgery, assaults, but I've come through each and it looks like I will see 50. I've had much taken away from me by those events. I'll not be a Mom, I'm no longer a wife, I seem to have lost the ability to write along with my memories, maths, and other skills. I worry about how I'll take care of myself in the future. But I also know that life is short. Sudden unexpected things happen. So I try include people in everything. I share, I seize the day. And I go places. There is great joy in riding my bike. Not just the physical pleasure but the freedom of being under your own control and power. The freedom to move at a different pace. The freedom to work a little harder in a body that, eventually, enjoys that movement, craves it. I don't know that I'll ever be able to run again--falling is no fun--but I can ride my bike.

I want to travel. I want to get rid of most everything that's holding me back and I want to visit all the continents. I want to see the pyramids, elephants in the wild, I want to swim in the oceans--even the cold ones. I want to have a cup of tea and watch birds, or seals, or lizards, or ponies.

In other words. Peripatetic woman wants out.

I think that will be the year 2013. If I spend this year working. Getting rid of things and doing some traveling. Then next year, next year, I'll see the world.

I dreamt last night that Ishmael traveled with me. He rode in a box on the back of my bike and in a carrier on my back. Not really practical. But if the cat in my dreams can do it well, perhaps I can. TBI Girl, Peripatetic Woman, Shelly, Shusher of Lions. That's me. Right?

Want to go someplace?
Anon

Sea kayaking. Me and a jellyfish.

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPad.

Berthing Confirmed!
25 May 2012, 12:12 PM EDT

The Dragon spacecraft has been offiically attached to the International Space Station!

Also posted at Dreamwidth, where there are comment(s); comment here or there.

• Thu, 12:18: My tweets http://t.co/m1lIf4NY
• Fri, 01:54: The Sky Warrior Books Daily is out! http://t.co/nhACZzmW ▸ Top stories today via @nikkiarana @dlscapy @Mirandastork

I’m fairly certain that the breakfast gods are taunting me with the ever-elusive over easy egg.

That’s how Nikki likes them, so she can mop the yolk up with her toast. I’ve gotten it right a few times, but that’s usually when she’s requested them be over medium. And for the ever-important Mother’s Day breakfast in bed, the yolk broke as it exited the shell. I raised my fists to the sky (ceiling) and roared my lament at the gods (wondered if that paint was chipping). Ah, well. At least I got her bacon floppy.

With the baby wanting her morning nursing session, and the three- and five-year-olds in their natural, hyperactive state, I knew that Nikki wouldn’t get much of a chance to sleep in.  I gave her what I could, though, and we all brought in her breakfast (DAMN YOU, EGG YOLKS!) and wished her a Happy Mother’s Day.  I gave her my homemade card, which let her know in no uncertain terms exactly what her Mother’s Day present was. A date with yours truly to see the Avengers! The kids were a bit disappointed that they couldn’t come along, but they got to give her tissue paper flowers. How am I supposed to compete with that?

Later, it was off to the T-W-P to hang out with my parents and my brother.  My Dad cooked steaks under the guise of not letting Mom cook, but she still ended up putting out snacks and making her potato salad. Sometimes I have to wonder if that’s Mom’s need to be a host, or if it’s Dad’s idea that an entire meal can consist of steak. Not that I disagree with him…

The kids were their usual wild and crazy selves, Joe hung out a lot with Aidan and Cian, and Acelyn soaked up as much attention as she could get, as always.

Nikki and I have caught up on the Marvel movies that one or both of us had missed (Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America), so we’re ready to go for The Avengers. All we need to do is pick a date and confirm kid-watching, and it’ll be popcorn and superheroes for DAYS.

Originally published at David M. Crampton. You can comment here or there.

I’ve been feeling great lately. Very positive, content, loving towards all my friends and family, full of energy, sleeping well and waking up refreshed, etc., etc. I thought it was possibly because life had suddenly become fantastic, but I think it’s actually endorphin overdose from all of the extra exercise I’ve been getting. Glen has been very keen on the biking, so we’ve been doing a weekly long bike ride and intermittent short ones. This Monday, we went on a 12 mile bike ride that starts in our neighborhood. We were pleasantly surprised to see that our neighbors J. and W. were the ride captains, so we got the opportunity to get reacquainted while we pedalled along. I was the straggler. This may be because I am, greatly to my surprise, the smallest and weakest member of the family. It may also be because I am the only one riding a poorly maintained twenty-year old bicycle. In any case, it was a great ride, and left me exhausted and sore in the “you’ve had a great workout” way that I became addicted to as a high school athlete.

I felt like I barely survived the ride, but the captains said we did well. Our family was the only group that joined the ride, probably because it was raining slightly, but they said because it is an entry-level ride, many people are starting from absolute zero and have more trouble with it than we did.

In addition, I’ve kept up with twice weekly bikram yoga, and we finally massaged the schedule in such a way that we can walk the dogs every day. On non-yoga days, they get a very long walk, nearly two miles. This causes them to keel over and sleep the whole rest of the day. It’s awesome, and it’s a non-trivial workout for me, too. Also makes for good conversation with the spouse.

In summary, I have endorphin poisoning and am probably insufferable and unfit for the company of normal writers with all of my cheerfulness.

I’m still on my diet/exercise plan, and have been on a plateau for about six weeks, now. You can’t believe this phenomenon until you’ve lived it. It defies the laws of physics. When I added the extra exercise in, I actually gained two pounds and then re-plateau’d at that level.

Yes, I know “muscle weighs more than fat” and blah blah blah. I have indeed lost some inches. But at some point in the slimming down process, the scale really *must” register a lower weight. The weight I am at now would be too high even for a very muscular man of my same height. There is no scenario where I can get back into a size 6 without losing some actual mass. Hence my confusion and impatience and daily yelling at my Tanita, “Oh come on!”

(This is not a request for diet advice. There are 5407 weight reducing diets out there, and everyone has a favorite. My switching to your favorite will not solve this problem. Time and patience will solve it.)

So, a big thing is happening at our house. I’ve been meaning to take some photos and do a big introduction post, but it’s not happening, so I’ll include the short version for now and hopefully the photos will come.

We are doing a major home renovation. Yaaaaaay! *Kermit flail*

This thing has been in the works for over a year. In fact, for record keeping purposes, I looked back at the first payment we made to the designer/builder, and it was over a year ago.

Our home is a 3 br/1 bath colonial built in 1924. It’s a wonderful house, with all of the charm you would expect of a house of that vintage. It’s built into the side of a steep hill, so it has a subterranean garage on one side, and a porch that’s been converted to a three-season-room above the garage.

We’ve found the house awkward to live in because of the driveway/garage/porch situation. The driveway is a narrow chute with rock retaining walls on both sides, probably built with a Model A in mind, and the garage is also very narrow. We were able to park our minivan in it at one point, but you can barely open the doors. All of our cars have scratches and chips in the paint from the rock retaining walls.

It goes without saying that the tiny garage does not have any space for storage, power tools, bikes, etc.

The porch is a nice idea. French doors lead from the living room to the porch. However, the flat roof leaks, in spite of the fact that we’ve repaired it once already, and it’s drafty as hell. When we moved in, there was in fact no actual lock preventing someone from walking into the house through the porch. I’m not kidding! We moved into the house in 2001. The porch had a flimsy storm door only, and the french doors leading into the living room were theoretically lockable with skeleton keys. You know, the universal kind you can buy in any antique store? One of the first things we did was install a proper exterior door on the porch so that we could lock it.

However, the whole porch thing has driven me crazy ever since. It’s a tantalizing space that seems like it could be wonderful living/storage space. In reality, it’s a junk magnet that is unpleasantly drafty in the cold season, and overly hot in the summer season. I could go on and on about the porch.

So, in our remodel, we are tearing out the garage and porch completely. (Aiyee!) We will be putting in a new, wider driveway, and a larger garage. On the main floor of the house, where the old porch was, we’ll have a family room that matches the garage footprint, with (oh god yes) a MAIN FLOOR BATHROOM. *more Kermit flailing*

I’m really excited about that bathroom. As our son just turned into a teenager, with all of the increased grooming that implies, Brent and I are slowly losing access to the house’s single bathroom. Many peepee dances ensue The first floor bathroom will have a large shower stall instead of a tub. This will give us a way to wash dogs without dragging them upstairs. It will also be handicapper accessable, so the whole area can be turned into a convalescent suite if one of us should become bedridden or if we need to provide care for an older family member. We’ve been through elder care already, with the world’s least accessible house, so we’re very conscious of how difficult that can be. (My mother fell down our stairs not once but twice when she was living with us. I have huge regrets over not choosing a ranch-style house back in 2001. So many problems we had in her care would have been solved by living in a one story home.)

On the second floor of the house, above the family room, we’re putting in a master suite. There will be yet another bathroom. (Three bathrooms, OMG!) The room will also be big enough for a queen-sized bed AND reasonable furniture and closet space for storing clothes. (I don’t know where these 1924 people put their dresser and chest of drawers. Half of my clothes live in the guest bedroom/office.)

So, that’s how our summer is shaping up. The past couple of months have involved many design meetings with the builder (in process), figuring out financing (done), applying for permits (done), cleaning out the garage and porch (in process), storing or divesting excess items (in process), and pre-shopping for materials and finishes (a never ending task). Brent is only working part time, and he will be GC on the project, and will be working as part of the crew for the demolition and framing.

We already have major challenges in the initial phase with our hilltop site–where to put the dumpster? How to get materials in and out? The sequence of tasks needs to be carefully planned because of access limitations. Brent and the builder are working on those problems together. We also have some potential surprises waiting for us when we get stuff torn up and dug out. We don’t actually know where some of the utilities come in and connect to the house, because the city’s records for 1924 are sketchy. Apparently, it’s also not clear at this point how the plumbing for the new house will connect to the old house. The plumber will have to figure it out later, when things have been exposed and the framing is in.

However, the plans are approved, and we are braced for “known unknowns” and budget overruns, so we are going to cross our fingers and take the plunge. We’ll probably be breaking ground in about two weeks.

It’s very exciting, but will probably also keep us busy and stressed for the whole summer. That’s where endorphin poisoning can be very helpful. Yay, endorphin poisoning! Pass the checkbook. Whee!

Originally published at So Shiny. You can comment here or there.