Monday Movie Mania (A Little Late) - Caught Stealing

DH and I wanted to see this movie when it first came out this summer. However, life got in the way. Like my car accident last Wednesday. (Don't worry. Both the other driver and I are fine, and this time it was my fault. Our vehicles on the other hand? Oof!)

Anyway, DH was checking the theater showings for the weekend in order to cheer me up. Lo and behold, Caught Stealing was back in the theater. But only for one late showing. Like 10:40 p.m. (While I'm a night owl, DH is usually in bed by 1 a.m. on the weekends.) We both said "Screw it!" and went to that late show.


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SPOILERS!


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PROS
1) The entire cast is fucking awesome! From Austin Butler's out-of-his-depth bartender Hank to Carol Kane's adorable Hasidic Jewish grandmother.

2) Special kuddos to Regina King, playing the badass Detective Roman!

3) The movie is set in 1998, but it has the same of vibe of a lot of 80's and early 90's action flicks.


CONS
1) Fridging the girlfriend is so fucking passe'. Neither Yvonne or Zoe Kravitz deserved it.

2) You can tell Roman was originally supposed to be a guy. No woman in her right mind would lay down her gun to fist fight her opponent.


Overall, Caught Stealing is a fun little movie as long as you can ignore the two major cons. I give it 8 stars out of 10.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

You haven't succeeded in the music business until Weird Al paradies you!

A Sad Time

Per an e-mail I received from the trustee, the Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Works Trust is officially shutting down on December 31, 2025. By shutting down, I mean the trustee is pulling every single copy, both electronic and paper from all retailers.

The Trust lasted for twenty-six years, but the folks working for the Trust have reached their own twilight years. I don't blame them one bit for wanting to spend their last years working on their own projects.

What does this means in regards to me? My first trad publishing contract was with the Trust for a short story called "Justice" in Sword and Sorceress 28. I sold three more stories to editor Elisabeth Waters that appeared in Volumes 30, 31, and 32. I'm proud of those stories. Back in 2013, I wasn't prepared for the popularity of the main characters of "Justice". Life's funny though, and I just released the tenth novel in the Justice series, A Cup of Conflict.

If you'd like paperback copies of Sword and Sorceress Volumes 27 through 34, or e-books of the currently available volumes, please get your copies before 2026 rolls around.

Life and Death

Last week, DH had the week off. We did a lot of work around the house. We also did a few fun things. As a result, I wasn't doing much writing.

This week, between writing sessions, I'm prepping for next month's Kickstarter, or Witchstarter since it's  in October. I jokingly said that this one should go more smoothly that my first one since all of mine and DH's parents are dead now.

So, Murphy laughed hysterically and decided to do something about that.

Three people I'm close to who have long-term health issues got suddenly worse.

I'm so angry right now. Angry at the health system because doctors, PAs, nurse practitioner, etc., aren't given the time they need to deal with patients. Angry that people at insurance companies think they have the medical knowledge and experience to make healthcare calls. Angry that health care is for profit. Angry that the president is trying to make sure no one has any insurance.

I could go on, but you get the drift. Here's the thing. You can do everything the health care professional tells you to do, and things still don't get better. But the patient will get the blame.

For example, I get a lot of crap from docs about my diabetes. First off, I'm on more expensive medications because I can't tolerate Metformin, one of the cheapest medicines on the market. I swear, if there's a VERY RARE side effect to the med, that's what will happen to me. In the case of Metformin, I end up with explosive vomiting and diarrhea within three days, to the point I start suffering from severe dehydration. Others that I can tolerate were taken off the market for their side effects, in other people even though I never exhibited those particular side effects.

So, yeah, I'm venting right now. Because in all three cases, things were misdiagnosed. And they probably wouldn't have been if medical professionals weren't turned into money making machines.

Shit can happen, but this is shit that could have been avoided.

Monday Movie Mania - Spinal Tap II: The End Continues

If you haven't seen This Is Spinal Tap, you need to watch it first. Otherwise, the climax of the sequel will make no sense to you. I was a little shocked two years ago when I discovered Darling Husband had never seen the original. That movie was so up his alley. So I made him watch it. Of course, he desperately wanted to see Spinal Tap II while he was on vacation for the week of his birthday.


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SPOILERS!


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PROS
1) Nigel, David, and Derek are forty years older, but none the wiser. A rift occurred between Nigel and David years ago, but no one knows why. Including Nigel. Nor will David tell anyone. The actors pick up their characters like it was yesterday.

2) Marty, the documentary director, learns that Hope, the daughter of Tap's old manager Ian, has inherited her dad's interest in Tap, and the band is required to perform one more concert. Rob Reiner or Marty haven't changed in forty years either. He still plays the straight man to perfection.

3) Valerie Franco is adorable as Tap's latest drummer.

4) The guest stars are awesome! From Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood reigniting interest in Tap by doing a cover of one of their songs to Elton John agreeing to play at Tap's last concert.


CONS
1) We won't discuss the atrocious wigs. It would have been funnier if the guys had gone bald (like so many other hair bands of the 80's).


If you loved the original, you'll love this one! Spinal Tap II: The End Continues earned 9 stars out of 10 simply for the long setup of who actually slept with David's wife.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

Whenever Don McLean comes on the radio, I sing these lyrics instead. And the hubby joins in!

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

Funny how this parody make me happy!

Garage Sale!

Nope not here!

Our neighborhood is having a multiple-house garage sale today, including Casa Harden. I admit I'm on an unpacking and cleaning binge now that A Cup of Conflict is out in the world.

(For those of you waiting on the paperback edition, I literally just received the cover wrap. I'll uploaded the files to the printer later tonight. Depending on how fast they review the book, retailer sites should start poplulately in a week.)

Anyway,  I'm sitting in the shade of our Japanese maple and getting words done on Death Goddess Fighting in between customers.

I'm still planning on a Kickstarter for The Books of Apep series in October, which Death Goddess Fighting is Book 2. It's jamming along and I'm feeling pretty good about getting close to done over the next two weeks. The only change might be moving the Kickstarter to the middle or later part of October rather than the beginning. The monster doorstop that A Cup of Conflict became took longer than I'd planned.

Indian summer is upon us after the last three weeks of cooler temperatures, and the trees are changing their outfits before dropping their dresses entirely. Time to put up the Halloween decorations!

P.S. If you want to be notified when the Kickstarter goes live, sign up for my mailing list. (Your informationis never, sold, bartered, or traded!)

If you want to read the sample chapters of the first book of The Books of Apep, Death Goddess Walking, start with Chapter 1 on my website!

Total Adorability!

You can't get more adorable or cuddly with Tom Ellis and kittens!

Release Day!

[Edit to Add: The Google Play link is now live!]

Finally! A Cup of Conflict is live on every ebook retailer except Google Play! (It shouldn't take too much longer if you prefer that store.) It took nearly two years to write this tome, but I guess it needed to cook a little longer in the back of my mind.

And no, I haven't forgotten those of you who prefer print. The trade paperback should be available in two-three weeks.

But it's done, it's here, and I hope you enjoy it as much as my alpha reader!

BLURB
Chief Justice Anthea chose her party carefully when Queen Teodora charged her with escorting Crown Prince Quan Po home. However, more betrayals await her in the ancient capital of Jing as she dances between diplomatic niceties and saving the human race from extinction.

But her most dangerous opponent plots from within the city to destroy the last scion of the imperial family. An enemy who blames both her and the prince for everything he’s lost. Someone who would feed the entire World to the demons in order to win.

Magic and mayhem have never been devious. Or this shocking.

Amazon
Apple
Barnes & Noble
Google Play
Kobo
Smashwords

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

While the U.S. crumbles into raw fascism, I need a little something to keep the fight against oppression going. Thank the deities for Weird Al Yankovic!

AI Theft Settlement

[NOTE: Everything below is opinion, NOT LEGAL ADVICE. I am not licensed to practice law.]

I don't know how many of you have been following the Bartz V. Anthropic case, but last week a tentative settlement had been reached.

Anthropic is an AI modeling firm. The problem is they've downloaded tons of pirated books to train their AI models. (The biggest irony in all this? Amazon is one of Anthropic's investors.)

William Alsup, the judge in the case recently declared that Anthropic's use of copyrighted works were a fair use, but he deemed their use of pirated copies to be illegal.

[DISCLOSURE: Five of my own pirated books were used by Anthropic.]

So what does this all mean?

First of all, find out if your books are listed in LibGen, one of the pirate sites used. The Atlantic put together a search engine to use. The other known pirate site is Pirate Library Mirror.

If any of your books are on the LibGen list, contact the law firm representing the plaintiffs here and fill out the contact form.

Your books MUST BE registered with the  U.S. Copyright Office to be accepted in the planitiffs' class action suit!

And here's where most writers get confused. There's a HUGE difference in damages from a copyright infringement and a REGISTERED copyright infringement. If you don't understand the difference, I strongly recommend The Copyright Handbook by Stephen Fishman. Or talk to an IP attorney who specializes in copyright. Yes, the IP attorney will charge you for a consultation, but if you understand your rights and responsibilities as a creator, it will be totally worth the money!

Things a getting uglier as the billionaires steal our sweat. We little people need to look out for ourselves and each other.

How Embarrassing!

Since I left corporate world, I've been able to make my own schedule. If one of the dogs needs a trip to the vet's, I don't have bosses or clients getting bitchy about me taking an hour or two to make sure the pup is treated for whatever needs to be dealt with.

On the other hand, I don't really pay enough attention to the calendar since I'm not counting days until a break in my schedule.

This is my long-winded way of saying, I forget yesterday was Labor Day until DH said something about sleeping in.

WHOOPS!

It also meant my support contractors had plans for the holiday.

DOUBLE WHOOPS!

So, I needed to  to move the release date for the ebook back three days to September 8th.

*FACEPALM*

The paperback may be a couple of days later. I want to make sure my cover artist has fully covered from another round of COVID-19 before I harass her.

And yes, folks. No matter what the government is trying to pretend, COVID-19 is still an issue. Infection rates from two new variants, Stratus and Nimbus, are climbing.

Stay safe out there! And next Monday, you can curl up with a hot beverage, a furry pet on your lap, and plow through A Cup of Conflict.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

You can never go wrong with Weird Al or Hamilton!

When Things Go Weird and an Update

It's the last week of August, and it's normally hotter than heck.

Instead, it's been cool and rather rainy. I'd hoped to use the dog days of summer to dry out the last of the flooded paperwork so I could shred it. But alas, Mother Nature had other ideas.

Not that I'm complaining! We really needed a good soaking rain if the cracks in our yard's soil were any indication.

This morning was so chilly I broke down and made a cup of coffee for my morning caffeine fix instead of my usual summer ice tea or Pepsi Zero. But this cool respite won't last. It's supposed to be back up in the 80's next week.

In the meantime, I finished putting together all my files necessary for A Cup of Conflict Monday and sent them to my formatter. Tuesday and Wednesday, Google was acting a little wonky so I didn't trust it to post any updates. I focused on getting back into writing Death Goddess Fighting. Today's the first time I've been able to post to the blog without it doing weird stuff. However, I'll get back DGF this afternoon after some other administrative minutiae are dealt with. The writing is going smoothly for now, but then, this series has been simmering in my head for over fifteen years.

In the evenings, I've been putting together the pieces for the Kickstarter for The Books of Apep series. I think this will be a fun and entertaining campaign. At least, I'm having fun doing it! Plus, you'll get the series for a little bit of a discount.

But if you prefer to buy the new series via your favorite retailer, The Books of Apep will be released through to the general public starting in January.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

We are our own heroes!

Editing Through Annoyance Trials

It never fails. As soon as I put in my earbuds to edit, someone in the house needs something. *sigh*

Despite the DH and the puppies' neediness plus having GK home, I managed to make some progress on A Cup of Conflict edits. Just not as much as I would have liked because it's a fucking huge novel. Not to mention wrapping up a ton of loose threads along the way.

In the meantime, the son's visit was a rather pleasant affair. No bitching about Mom's cooking this time. (I think having to eat MREs during the twelve-day prick-waving contest between Israel and Iran had something to do about the lack of complaints.) No dude-bro attitude. I managed not to ask him what he needed because that's maternal interference in his male autonomy according to him.

In particular, I didn't say a damn thing about getting him a AAA card, making sure his debit card was reactivated by the current bank, or getting him some cash for just in case on his drive to the next base.

Anyway, GK left for his new duty station in the early morning hours. This is the first time he's less than a two days' drive from us, so he's already said he'll be home of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

At eight a.m., DH got a call from GK just before DH jumped into the shower. (I was awakened by Darling Husband's voice. He does not know how fucking loud he is when he's on the phone.) From his tone, I knew he was talking to GK and something bad had happened. My first thought was "Shit! He's been in an accident!"

Well, he sort of was. He hit a pothole an hour outside of Knoxville, Tennessee and got a flat tire. He managed to make it to the Pilot at the next exit. He didn't have a AAA card with him. No cash. And the computers at the Pilot refused to recognize his VISA card. That's when he panicked and called DH.

There's not a whole lot we could do since we're 300 miles away.

Somehow, GK limped his car to a tire retail place. Except when they got it on the lift, it wasn't the tire. The rim had bent when he hit the pothole. The very sweet guys at the tire center managed to find a rim for the wide-body version of GK's car, and managed to make it work. The kid's on his way to his fort, and all's semi-well with the universe.

But I was wound for sound because it annoys me that our relationship is still at the stage where I know nothing because I'm a parent and a woman. And DH was expecting me to wave a magic wand and miraculously fix everything.

Which, even if I could, I'm not coherent after four hours of sleep. *sigh*

So after another five hours of sleep, I fled to Starbucks to get some words in of Death Goddess Fighting because the Subconscious is good at relaxing me when she can go play.

It helped. It helped a lot. So, now I can spend the rest of the week editing. 

Movie Review - Bride Hard

There were a few double-theater weekends for us over the summer. I've deliberately left out re-releases like Dogma and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. However, there's a couple of movies I haven't reviewed though they are now out of the theaters and on VOD or streaming service. First up is Bride Hard.


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SPOILERS


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PROS
1) I had high hopes since this movie starred Rebel Wilson plus a ton of actors, who I love, in supporting roles. I was expecting a Spy-like caper focused on a maid of honor who happened to be a secret agent. All I can say is the cast did the best they could with the script they were given. They are not to blame.


CONS
1) OMG! Where do I start? The story had so much potential, but the execution was terrible. The script really needed to be refined. With absolutely no foreshadowing, things like the family's distillery and train station (?) were popping out of nowhere.

2) The jokes need to be fine-tuned and wittier, instead of dipping to the lowest common denominator. If I wanted bad jokes, I'd watch Jackass.

3) The editing sucked! Seriously SUCKED! At one point, the best man, who's one of the bad guys, is chasing Rebel and her best friend on hovercrafts. We think, because the editor couldn't make up their mind of who was chasing who and the film kept flipping back and forth with no rhyme or reason.


Overall, I really wanted to love this movie, but I couldn't. In a couple of years, I'll write my own frickin' romcom spy and do it right! Anyway, as much as it pains me, I can only give Bride Hard 2 stars out of 10; both stars are for the cast and crew who really tried hard to make this piece of shit script work.

TGIF! TGIF! TGIF!

It's been a crazy week, so the Leaning Tower of Pisa seems appropriate. We're trying to get a bunch of things done. Some of them involve Genius Kid for the remaining days he's home.

Some do it.

But basically, I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off today. DH FINALLY went to see a sleep specialist this summer. I've been nagging him (and I really try not to do that) to do so because I don't need a medical degree to know he has sleep apnea. I've been jerked awake many times by the sudden silence in our bedroom because he's not fucking breathing!

Anyway, we went in to the medical supply place for his fitting and training to use the CPAP. I was surprised about how quiet the new machines are. So, tonight will be the first time using it. I'm totally expecting for him to toss and turn a bit, but as long as he's not kicking me (like last night because he was nervous about this appointment), we're good.

After we were finished at the medical supply place, we went to a different bank to open new accounts. Our current bank was bought over the summer, and the new management isn't...gracious to long-time customers. I don't blame the employees. A lot of them are just as confused about the new policies as we are. But last month I was ready to pull my hair out over trying to pay our fucking mortgage--which was sold to a different broker the day the buy-out was announced. The transfer has not been smooth, and tons of services are not longer available, or we need to pay a premium price for them. So, fine, we'll go someplace else.

Let's just say, GK met us at the bank to open a new checking account himself thanks to some issues with accessing his online stuff and using his debit card with deployed.

After that, DH went home while GK and I went to pick up one of his cars at A-1 Auto Center in Findlay, Ohio. Now, this in one place I will praise to the heavens. Sean and his crew are awesome. They straight up tell you what the problem is and give you an estimate. Their prices are fair. And they keep you apprised every step of the way. So, it was a matter of writing the check and driving the car home.

Well, almost home. DH has soccer tonight, so I needed to get groceries and fill up the tank on the car he uses. And of course, I forgot the list I'd made out last night, so I worked off my memory. Of course, I forgot a few things, including DH's distilled water for the CPAP. *sigh*

I belatedly realized it had been over six hours since I'd eaten breakfast, so I hit the Starbucks drive-thru for one of their grilled cheese sandwiches. YUM!

I made it home fifteen minutes before DH left and finally did my usual morning routine of going through e-mails. And writing my blog posts.

It's already nearly five p.m., and there's a ton of book and publishing stuff on my plate as well as admin tasks.

What I really want right now is a nap! Alas, I'll get more caffeine and get shit done. My reward for getting A Cup of Conflict's first draft done is to go see Superman again. Not to mention the original TMNT movie is back in theaters for its 35th anniversary.

See y'all next week!

Hump Day Already?

This week is going too fast. There's a list of things to do that I've been chipping away at as well as splitting my time between editing A Cup of Conflict and writing Death Goddess Fighting.

 The dogs have been bathed. The Princess Pup is easy, but the Grandpuppy needs an extra pair of hands since I can no longer lift fifty-five pounds, much less in the form of a wriggling black mixed breed who detests baths with a passion.

All bedding has been changed and washed since the puppies are clean. I started cleaning bathrooms, but only got as far as the toilets yesterday.

I'm down to the last box of paperwork that drowned in the basement flood in May. The rest have been dried, shredded, and disposed of.

I still need to repack GK's kitchenware in the plastic tub I bought. Thankfully, he doesn't need that stuff right away since he'll be in the barracks at his next duty station.

Ironically, I've been cooking a lot. GK is tired of DEFAC food and MREs. However, he doesn't seem to understand that I am not a DEFAC, nor do I open at five p.m. But having a healthy, physically active, twenty-something male means cooking greater amounts than usual and no leftovers.

And he'll have to wait for cheeseburgers until after DH and I get home from yoga class tonight. LOL

I hope y'all are enjoying the last vestiges of summer!

Monday Movie Mania - The Phoenician Scheme

Wes Anderson writes and directs some pretty quirky movies. The odd thing was Darling Husband usually isn't a fan of quirky, but he's the one who really wanted to see this one.


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SPOILERS


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PROS
1) Benecio Del Toro plays Anatole Korda, a billionaire arms dealer who has screwed over enough people that assassination attempts are common place. Del Toro plays Anatole in such a dry deadpan way that you can't help but laughing hysterically as he fends off murderers in such a way that nearly everyone else around him dies.

2) Mia Threapleton is adorable as Anatole's estranged daughter Liesl, a novice who is days away from taking her final vows when her father summons her home. He wants Liesl to take over his business interests, much to her dismay.

3) Michael Cera was equally adorable as Bjorn, the alleged tutor for Anatole's younger sons. During one of the many attempts on Anatole's like, Anatole and Liesl discover Bjorn is really a U.S. agent spying on Anatole. However, he's fallen in love with Liesl and joins them in Anatole's current scheme. The secret agent part is a little hard to believe, but Cera pulls off Bjorn's crush on Liesl.


CONS
1) This isn't really a con, but rather a warning. This is one of those movies you have to pay attention to in order to understand what is going on. If you end up watching it on streaming, wait until the kids are in bed. And most definitely, turn off your damn phones!


Overall, The Phoenician Scheme is exactly what it's supposed to be--a weird mix of black comedy/thriller/romance/family drama. Somehow, it works. I give it 10 out of 10 stars.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

I don't know about the rest of you, but I've been listening to a lot of old favorites to keep any depression at bay. Why? Because I believe the world can be a better place, and I want to do my part. And Cyndi's joy is damn infectious!

Just a Quick Note

Two major things are happening today.

First, Genius Kid (aka GK) will be home in approximately twenty minutes from the second I wrote the title of this post. He's been deployed overseas for the last year, and his parents and his dog (aka The Grandpuppy) miss him terribly.

Second, I will be writing the final chapter of A Cup of Conflict later this evening. GK will go to bed early due to the seven-hour time difference, and DH has soccer tonight (he runs the time clock for the high school teams and their season started last night). The book is currently at 115+K words. With one more chapter to write and editing, it will come out at 120K.

I knew it was going to be a long book, but DAMN! There were a ton of loose threads I needed to wind up in this trilogy. In case any readers haven't noticed, the Justice series is four trilogies with a stand alone story in the middle.

I'll let A Cup of Conflict rest over the weekend and get some words in on A Barrel of Vintner while I'm still in Anthea's head.

So what does this all mean? Since GK is home, and my contractors have last minute summer plans, I'll need a couple of weeks for edits and formatting. I'll set up the pre-orders on the retail sites later tonight or tomorrow.

The official release date will be August 29, 2025!

I'm so happy this book is essentially done! But to certain readers (you know who you are!), please don't ask me when the next Justice book will be out. I'm still recovering from this one.

Depressing as Fuck

I admit it. It's getting harder to get out of bed in the morning, harder to finish a heroic tale, harder to deal with people thriving on hate.

But I still climb of bed. I still buckle down and write my words everyday. And I'm clapping back even when an alleged ally spouts the same lies the MAGA crowd as been treating as the gospel for the last ten or more years.

Someone asked me what do we do to keep the U.S. from turning into Nazi Germany. Frankly, it's too late. We're already worse than Nazi Germany.

You see people knew what they were getting when the voted for Tribblehead the second time. He has never hidden his agenda. The first time was practice. He learned how to circumvent the system by destroying it from within. And he takes great glee in doing so.

Children are arrested in school based on their skin color, regardless of their legal status. Men covered head to toe so you can't see who they are, with weapons and no identification, prowl the cities and grab people off the streets. A concentration camp has been built in Florida. Politicians and civilians are threatened and beaten up for being on the opposing side.

And like every other abuser in my life, Tribblehead counts on wearing us down until we're too tired and broken to fight anymore.

Just one problem with that plan. I'm post-menopausal, and I no longer have any fucks to give. If the only way I can keep fighting is by writing stories about people who do the right thing, then by all the deities that ever were, ever are, and ever will be, I will keep getting out of bed and spreading hope.

Because when hope dies, so does the human race. 

Monday Movie Mania - The Naked Gun (2025)

This was supposed to be a sequel/reboot to The Naked Gun 33 1/3. To my shock, it works!


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SPOILERS!


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PROS
1) Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin, Jr., picks up where screen dad (Leslie Nielsen) left off--catching bad guys despite himself. The two men both gained recognition as serious, dramatic actors, and they both showed off their excellent comedic chops when given half a chance. And you could tell Neeson was having a blast with this role.

2) Pamela Anderson has come into her own as an actress. She played the perfect foil for Drebin's antics.

3) The gags are just as funny as the original, though updated for the passing of thirty-seven years since the first movie in the series, like the electric police car and police body cameras. However, they still used classic sight gags.

4) Cameos by Priscilla Presley and Weird Al Yankovich were icing on the cake!


CONS
1) I have no complaints. It is a fun date movie after a long work week.


Overall, The Naked Gun (2025) was a great retro-flick when you ned some belly laughs. I give it a solid 10 out of 10 stars.

Scraping the 'Net

I'm pretty sure there's bots scraping my posts to train their AI. Because I'm pretty certain everyone in Brazil or Indonesia is NOT reading my blog.

Scraping my posts is a major mistake. Why? Well, let's leave aside the copyright infringement for a moment, and consider the following:

- Misspelled werdz

- Left out words, especially prepositions

- Broken links even though I try to fix them when I find them (Seriously, I have over 3,000 fucking posts. It takes time!)

- A lot of swearing

- NSFW videos

- A LOT of naked men 

Frankly, kids, you're going to have a pretty fucked AI if you use my thought patterns to program the dang thing. Be prepared for in-your-face, feminist, post-menopausal ass-kicking by your own AI when it becomes sentient.

You have been warned!! 

Monday Movie Mania - The Fantastic Four: First Steps

As much as I loved the 2005 film and disliked the 2015 film, this version does the best job of capturing the family feel of the comic books it is based on.

Not to mention this is the first premiere night I've attended since the start of the pandemic.


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SPOILERS


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PROS
1) Director Mark Shakman and the writer brought back the adult family feel to the team by not rehashing their origin story--again. One of my major gripes is filmmakers keep rehasing the beginning of a superhero or team's journey when most of them are in the collective pop culture consciousness. This is a mature family unit, and I love it!

2) They toned down Johnny's womanizing. As adorable as Chris Evans' portrayal was in the 2005 film, that wouldn't have flown in today's post-#MeToo environment. Even better Joseph Quinn made sure to addres it with the powers-that-be at Marvel when he accepted the role. That led to...

3) Making Shalla-Bal the movie's Silver Surfer. (She was Norrin Radd's girlfriend in the comics books and had his powers as the Silver Surfer.) Johnny gets his girl crush and some insight into getting the Silver Surfert to side with the FF against Galactus.

4) The 2005 film did things right by showing Sue as intellectual. This film went one step further by showing Johnny as intellectual in his own right while keeping his sense of humor.

5) Speaking of Sue (Vanessa Kirby), I love seeing her as the team leader and the powerhouse. Nothing against Ben, but FORCEFIELDS FOR THE WIN!

6) I love the fact that Pedro Pascal didn't try to bulk up muscle or slim down for this movie. For once, Reed has a fucking dad bod as a man obssesed with his job should, and I LOVE IT!

7) H.E.R.B.I.E.! (Hey, I was a kid of the '70's. It was awesome to see H.E.R.B.I.E. worked into the story!)

8) Ben, as always, is the real heart of the team. Ebon-Moss Bachrach made him sweet and caring without spending the entire fucking film wallowing in self-pity.

9) FRANKLIN!

10) The retro-futuristc style gave me the FF I read as a child. Especially, the Fantasticar!

11) The special nod to Jack Kirby by making this Earth 828, i.e. Jack's birthday.


CONS
1) I can't think of a damn one.


Overall, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is another fun, feel-good superhero flick you can take your kids to this simmer. Which I will when my son comes home from deployment next week. I give it a straight-up 3000 out of 10 stars.

Today Did Not Start Well

I freely admit this and I warn new acquaintances--I AM  NOT A MORNING PERSON!

No matter what time my morning begins

A loud crash woke the Princess Pup and me up at eight this morning. We both bolted upright. She looked at me. I looked at her. I heard the shower running. My first fear was DH had fallen and knocked himself out.

We both jumped out of the bed and rushed into the bathroom. DH was fine. He was sitting on the edge of the garden tub checking his feet while waiting the few seconds for the tankless water heater to provide a comfortable, lukewarm shower. He had knocked the trashcan into the garden tub.

Thankfully, I'd emptied it last night since our garbage pickup is on Fridays. Why do we have the trash sitting on the tile in the corner of the tub? Grandpuppy has taught the Princess Pup how to pull used tissues out of the trash and chewed them up.

I'm so glad I'm past having periods. I can only imagine what this pair would have done with my sanitary napkins.

So I crawled back in bed because I didn't have to get up until nine a.m. Except I overslept. When I set the time my alarm last night, I forget to tap the "Save" icon. So I woke up at nine-thirty-three. There was no fucking way I was making the ten a.m. yoga class.

I took the Princess Pup out for her constitutional, and I'd grabbed my wallet and keys to make a Starbucks drive-thru run.

Nope on the caffeine. Or rather not yet anyway. Both DH and I forgot to roll the garbage bins to the end of the driveway for pick-up, and I heard the garbage truck as the Princess Pup was taking her damn time picking the proper place to poo.

Finally, she did her business, and we ran inside. I had to clean her bottom. (Long, fine hair and poo mixes TOO well.) DH came out of his office from a meeting, all happy and cheerful. The bastard. I ask him to take the trash bin out.

I released the clean dog and ran back out to the garage. For course, he took the recycle bin out first, and the garbage truck was two houses away. I grabbed the trash bin and rolled it out just in time.

I went back into the house, trying desperately to remember what I needed to do next. Oh, yeah! Caffeine.

By the time I ordered my caffeine on the app, the garbage truck had trundled down the street. Luckily, Starbucks is in the opposite direction. I went through the drive-thru to claim my sorely needed caffeine. The barista teased me about not coming inside because I've spent three hours a day in the dining room for the last few weeks trying to finish the latest wip.

Which is turning into an epic tome that will be around 400 pages when it's done.

Anyway, I got home. Made breakfast (my usually is a cinnamon bagel with plain cream cheese and two hard-boiled eggs), sat down with my laptop, and GK messaged me he needed his last two checking account statements.

I messaged back to confirm which e-mail I needed to send them to. He called because he hadn't talked to us for a week. (I asked him for monthly proof of life calls prior to this summer's Israel-Iran cock-waving contest.) He also had his flight info so DH could pick him up when he's back in the States in a couple of weeks.

He made the mistake of bringing up Stephen Colbert and South Park. I told him he needed to watch Superman. I now understand how the character Elyse Keaton felt in Family Ties. But we still love each other.

Because I don't make Cincinnati chili for just anyone.

So after almost forty-five minutes on the phone, we ended the call. I finished my breakfast and actually read the rest of my e-mail. I wrote this blog post. And I'm finally through two-thirds of my caffeine.

Which means I'm as functional as I'm going to be. 

Time to get started n the book that refuses to end.

Because I've got a hot date for pizza and The Fantastic Four at six p.m.!

Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale!

To celebrate ALMOST completing A Cup of Conflict, the tenth novel in the Justice series, the previous nine novels are half-price at the Smashwords Summer/Winter sale. Just remember to apply the code (on the book page) at checkout!

If you like epic fantasy, kickass heroines, and a lot of action and adventure, and you haven't checked these books out, go see what you're missing. SALE ENDS JULY 31st! 

In the meantime, I'll be editing and setting up pre-orders for the latest book!

A QUESTION OF BALANCE

A MODICUM  OF TRUTH

A MATTER OF DEATH

A TOUCH OF MOTHER

A TWIST OF LOVE

A VIRTUE OF CHILD

A HAND OF FATHER

A  MEASURE OF KNOWLEDGE

A HINT OF THIEF

 

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

A sad anthem that's even sadder these days as Vietnam vets lose their benefits.

Date Night

DH and I are trying to do date nights on Fridays again. Life got the better of us for the first six months of the year. We weren't really talking. Not that we had a fight or were holding a grudge or anything like that. He's been learning a new computer language. I've been battling words to finished A Cup of Conflict (over 300 pages as of yesterday). So we've making an effort to make time for each other.

I think that's where a lot of marriages fail. Some people don't want to put the effort into their relationship. or worse, they get caught up in their internal fairy tale ending. But a spouse is real person with real needs that are separate from yours.

Let me give you an example. DH grew up in a traditional middle-class family. Dad had an office job. Mom kept the house. DH was one of five kids. There was always something going on: school plays, music lessons, sports practice, etc. It was a loud, active household. At the beginning of our relationship, he'd turn on the TV for background noise as soon as he got home from work.

On the other hand, I am an extreme introvert. I grew up on a farm, so silence was the norm. Our nearest neighbors with kids our age was a mile away. I was perfectly fine traipsing through the fields by myself. We could only get one TV station, so I read a lot. I was uncomfortable in large groups of people.

With DH's need for noise and my need for silence, we literally drove each other crazy at first. But eventually, we found some compromises that don't make us want to kill the other person.

The compromise thing is hard, but it is worth it. I wish more people realized that fact.

Writing in the Rain

Random thunderstorms have been pummeling our little section of Ohio since dawn. The darkness and tippy-taps on the roof would have kept me asleep all afternoon if I hadn't set my alarm.

A Cup of Conflict is racing on its downhill slide to "The End". This is good because I want it done, edited, and formatted before Genius Kid comes home in August. Yes, all the government and military paperwork has been signed off, and he has his plane tickets. He gets a few days with us before he has to report to his next base, which is thankfully within a day's drive if we want to visit him.

Unfortunately, it looks like he'll be in the barracks, so he can't take the Grandpuppy with him. Grandpuppy will be so excited to see GK, and then he'll be terribly sad when GK leaves.

So the rest of August will be spent giving both dogs extra cuddles at another change in the household. I just hope they sleep while on the couch with me so I can get writing and edits on the Books of Apep done.

Monday Movie Mania - Superman (2025)

I'll be blunt--this isn't going to be my typical review. Usually, I try to highlight the thing I like/dislike in a flick without giving too much away. But since a lot of incel trolls are trying to paint this movie with a political brush, well, I'll be honest. When kindness is considered a political flaw or liability in the United States, then frankly, we've seriously lost our way as a country.


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SPOILERS!


A LOT OF SPOILERS!!


GO READ THE FUCKING COMIC BOOKS BEFORE YOU BITCH IN THE REPLIES!!!


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Okay, now that I got my irritation out of my system...

PROS
1) David Corenswet was absolutely adorable as both Clark Kent/Superman. It was lovely to see him played as a person instead of a god. Deep down, he's a sweet Kansas farm boy who still says "Yes, sir", "Thank you, ma'am", and "Please". He just happens to have some cool powers. I say this because he reminds me of someone I knew as a kid. Except Tommy and I both grew up on farms in Ohio. And this Clark resembles my son who is currently 25, the same age as Clark in the movie. The young adult who's finally realizing the world isn't perfect, you can't make it perfect, and you just need to do the best you can. But there's a reason Superman is still referred to as the Big Blue Boy Scout, and Corenswet sticks that landing without any schlock or wink-wink at the camera.

2) Rachel Brosnahan was awesome as Lois Lane! Feisty without a chip on her shoulder as in some other portrayals of Lois. James Gunn had the balls to show her and Clark in a real relationship with all the attraction and insecurities that come with it. She and Clark actually have an argument on screen!

3) I can't say enough about Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. I've followed this young man's career for the last 14 years, and he just gets better and better. There's been a lot of really good actors who have been the Man of Steel's greatest enemy, but Hoult's the first Luthor that actually felt dangerous on screen.

4) Krypto. As a dog parent, I recognize Clark's frustrations and love when it comes to your beloved pets. But with the furbaby having superpowers, those emotions are ratcheted up. However, when Clark tells Krypto to "Get the toy", all of us dog people know exactly what was going to happen, and it did, and it was fucking brilliant!

5) Gunn brought back Eve Tesmacher and Otis from Superman (1978) in a delight nod to the Richard Donner film.

6) Wendell Pierce as Perry White and Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen were pitch perfect! They even address the stupid glasses controversy at the end of the film, admitting in a humorous exchange they knew Clark and Superman are the same person.

7) Thank you, thank you, thank you to John Murphy for reworking John Williams' main theme from Superman (1978)! It is the fucking definitive music for the character.

8) Even better, Gunn's story didn't kill Jonathan Kent! Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell were incredibly Midwestern average and sweet as Jonathan and Martha Kent, which is why Clark is incredibly Midwestern average and sweet. This is not a putdown, because the Kents aren't any different from our neighbors in Ohio. Just folks working hard, raising their children, and paying their bills. Though watching Krypto trying to get the cows to play with him was so fucking cute!

9) This wasn't yet another introductory exposition which been done to death. I mean, how many times to we have to watch Pa Kent, Uncle Ben, and Mom and Dad Wayne die? This was a new story that acknowledges other metahumans exist right up front. We had appearances from Peacemaker, Metamorpho, Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific, and Supergirl.


CONS
1) My one and only gripe was having Guy Gardner's Green Lantern in this film. I've hated this character since his JLI days (which was when I was introduced to him), I still hate him, and out of all the Lanterns, he's the last one I'd ever put in a movie. Seriously, I would have preferred fucking Kyle Raynor over Gardner the Asshat! On the other hand, it's not Batman/Bruce Wayne who is Clark's shadow. Guy Gardner is what Clark could have become if Jonathan and Martha were shitty parents and didn't give him a solid moral foundation.


Folks, go see Superman (2025)! Take the young people in your life to see it. In a world where Kindness is Woke, and Woke is a political slur, it's refreshing to see a movie centered on Kindness. Superman saves the world, his cousin's dog, and a squirrel in a glorious act of kindness! And I think Mister Rogers would have approved. I give Superman (2025) a MILLION stars out of 10 because it's the type of superhero movie--no, it's the type of story the world needs in an age of fascism.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

Gues what we saw last night? I may have to see it again this weekend. The review will be up on Monday morning. And I'm soooo glad they retailored the John WIlliams theme!

Milestones!

Back in 2018, I wrote a post about getting your butt in your chair and your fingers on the keyboard if you want to be a writer. In the replies, we got into the subject of how many books Nora Roberts had written in forty years (La Nora is closing in on fifty years and still writing).

The subject of how many books I'd written came up in yoga class last Friday. One of my classmates had looked me up and commented on how I had a ton of books for sale. She asked me how many I had published in total.

I said, "Over eighty, I think." Because yes, I'm at the point where I'm starting to have trouble keeping track of all of them.

So I counted them over the weekend. Eighty-nine.

Yes, you read that right. 89.

I probably won't catch up with La Nora or any other prolific writer, past, present, or future. But this is what happens when you write for twenty-one years straight.

We'll see what the count is in another four years.

It's a Monday After All

This afternoon, I went to Starbucks after the Grandpuppy's annual doctor's appointment. (He's doing great other than putting on two and half pounds by being a spoiled rotten grandpuppy.) I get my lunch and tea from the counter and set up at a free table, all enthused because I broke 75K on A Cup of Conflict last night.

And I forgot my flash drive.

Of course, I heard Doctor Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) as I searched for a recent copy of a different WIP on my travel laptop.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

No one can create fun tunes like Dandra Boynton, and it's amazing who she gets to sing her ditties.

AI Scraping?

I've seen a meteoric rise in hit on my blogs over the past few months. Whereas, I used to get maybe a hundred hits a week, I got over 10K a DAY last week. So, what's going on?

While I'd like to believe the growth is organic, I fear it's simply bots scraping the internet for content to feed their AI.

*sigh*

Yep, despite the lawsuits about theft, the AI progenitors are still stealing to feed their creations. It's a little sad, not to mention my sarcastic pro-feminist agenda is not the content they really want. It's also amusing since the whole point of AI is to wipe out minority voices.

The dudebros creating AI don't want to admit this, but that is their and their bosses' endgame.

However, what's more amusing is while the dudebros get more people to use their AI algorithms, the more garbage is spilled into the wild. Now, the algorithms are harvesting that garbage and feeding in to themselves. Which results in nonsensical garbage.

On one hand, I foresee AI imploding on itself sooner rather than later.

On the other, we get Skynet.

Anyone want to flip a quarter on the outcome? 

Monday Movie Mania - Karate Kid: Legends

There's always going to be a soft spot in my heart for the original movie. 1984 seemed to produce so many fun original movies! I didn't see the remake with Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan, one of the rare instances I've missed a J.C. movie in the theaters. But it doesn't really matter if you haven't either. This flick picks up from the three Ralph Macchio movies and the Cobra Kai TV series while blending in Jackie's Mr. Han character from 2010 remake.


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SPOILERS


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PROS
1) First of all, kudos to stunt coordinator Peng Zhang! He kept the fighting style from the orginal movie while incorporating some of Jackie Chan's signature moves.

2) Ben Wang was excellent in both his acting and his martial arts abilities. I see a promising future for this young man.

3) It was just supercool to see Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio together!


CONS
1) There's not a whole lot different as far as story telling here. Same old storyline--widowed mom, kid trying to adjust to a new environment, martial arts teaching confidence, etc.

This is a movie to go see if you're feeling a bit nostalgic for the 80's. Overall, I give Karate Kid: Legends 7 stars out of 10.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

When children sing the truth. . .

Things Are Getting Worse in the World, Especially the Food

There's the Gaza crisis, the Russia-Ukraine War, U.S. troops stationed in Los Angeles for no reason other than Tribblehead's ego, Tribblehead arbitrarily bombing Iran (okay, GK and I will probably "discuss" that one the next time I see him in person), and a lot of other shit going on in the world.

But when close to twenty percent of Denny's go under, you know the shit has hit the fan.

For those of my readers outside of the U.S., Denny's is a chain modeled after the classic 1950's diners. Greasy food, black coffee, and shakes. Not exactly healthy, but comfort food after a late night partying or when you're pregnant and can't keep anything else down.

(Don't ask me why on that last one. It's the one place my stomach could tolerate when I had morning sickness and after I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes.)

I wasn't surprised when my sales dropped shortly after Tribblehead's inauguration. The same thing had happened during his first term, and that's accounting for me doing elder care for the in-laws.

But this time around, things are much, much worse. ICE is kidnapping brown folks, whether they're legally in the U.S. or not. White folks don't want to admit brown folks are the backbone of the restaurant business.

The quality of a lot of restaurants' food has gone downhill, especially fast-food joints. The last Big Mac I ate had more special sauce than burger. My last two sandwiches from Arby's were not cooked all the way through.The last cheesy fries I ordered from Wendy's were. . .let's just say there was a quarter inch layer of oil in the bottom of the container making the fries very, VERY soggy.

Look, I've had diabetes and been immunocompromised for the last twenty-six years. But I still treat myself once in a while. But even DH was grossed out the last three times we hit a fast food place. And he has a cast-iron stomach. Needless to say, I've been cooking cheeseburgers, pizza, and tacos from my own recipes at home, and not just because it's cheaper and healthier.

Which brings me to my second point. With retail prices for everyday needs staying near the levels they were during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, people don't have the extra money for eating out. And if my experiences with really shitty take-out are any indication, people just aren't going to splurge at those restaurants anymore.

It's not just Denny's closing thousands of stores. I scrolled through other restaurant news. McDonald's sales are down as is everyone else's in the fast food market. Red Lobster nearly collapsed. In fact, the one in our town was originally slated for closer, but somehow, they found a CEO who pulled them out of the tailspin. By the way, the new CEO is . . .what for it. . . . . . . .brown!

In the meantime, DH and I aren't wasting money at these franchises anymore. We've been patronizing locally-owned restaurants at the rare times we go out, mainly out of a sense of self-preservation. I don't feel like dying from fast-food food poisoning. I've got a ton of books to write.

Why I Need to Write Right Now

By now, I'm fairly certain most people have heard about the U.S. bombing of Iran.

My feelings right now are fairly complex. My son is stationed on a U.S. base in the Middle East. He was supposed to be rotated stateside later this summer. We don't know if that will happen as scheduled.

To make matters worse, Tribblehead (no, I will not be respectful to a convicted felon who has no remorse) cut quite a bit of funding to the Army for fun stuff like sports equipment. Our soldiers believe in themselves, their jobs, and their country, not necessarily in that order. They were already under a lot of stress. They need a healthy way to deal with that stress, and Tribblehead and the DOGE bros took that away from them.

I fear for these kids' health, both mentally and physically. All of them, not just Genius Kid. I've seen the toll on them first-hand, and that's not even including death and maiming if a full-scale war breaks out.

Which it's likely to do with Tribblehead at the helm.

So, that's why I've been burying my head in writing over the weekend. Going to Starbucks because DH and I are feeding each other's anxiety, and the Grandpuppy and Princess Pup are picking up on our emotions which sends them in a tailspin.

Yes, I'm channeling my fears into Anthea, who's trying to keep a civil war from breaking out in Jing without interfering with their autonomy. It's a delicate tightrope. One she's determined to cross successfully or die trying.

That's what I need right now. A leader who actually gives a shit about the people around her.

I wish the kids in the military had a leader who gave a shit about them.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

Never Stop Fighting!

Now, Magazines Are Adopting Egregious Contract Terms

In February of 2025, several popular genre magazines were purchased by a company called 1Paragraph, Inc., which in tun is owned by an investment group called Assemble Media. They bought five magazines from the former owner Penny Press: Analog, Asimov's Science Fiction, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Ellery Queen, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

The stories I've been hearing from writers that have dealt with 1 Paragraph over the last four months is nothing short of appalling. The rights' grabs includes merchandising, performance rights, and moral rights.

If you don't know what any of these are and you're a writer, please PLEASE get a copy of The Copyright Handbook by Stephen Fishman, J.D. You don't need a legal degree to understand it. It's written is plain English and easily understandable.

For me, the biggest problem in the contract is the moral rights. Moral rights last for the term of copyright, but what does "moral rights" mean? It means the writer has the right to have their work attributed to them, the right to object to derogatory treatment of the work, the right not to be identified as the author of someone else's work, and the right to privacy.

Moral rights can be confusing, so let's break them down with examples:

1) The right to have the work attributed - It means if a third-party publishes A Question of Balance, my name (or pseudonym) needs to be listed as the author. The third-party publisher cannot say Stephen King wrote A Question of Balance.

2) The right to object to derogatory treatment of the work - A third-party publisher cannot alter, remove, add, or adapt the work. For example, suppose the third-party publisher objects to any mention of the LGBT+ community. They cannot go through A Question of Balance and remove any references to berda or change Sister Dragonfly of Love to anything but a trans woman character.

Or perhaps, the publisher doesn't like the fact that Anthea and Luc's sex scenes fade to black, and they decide to add sex scenes that put Debbie Does Dallas to shame. Nope, nope, nopity-nope. They cannot do that.

3)  The right not to be identified as the author of someone else's work - This is basically the opposite of the first term. Say that third-party publisher tries to publish A Question of Balance under Stephen King's name because they think it will sell more copies. (It won't because Stephen King fans aren't that fucking stupid, but that's a story for another day.) Stephen King has every right to, and probably will. sue the crap out of the publisher.

4) The right to privacy -  No, that doesn't mean you can hide who you are as a writer. (Well, you can, but that's a whole 'nuther blog post.) What this means is if I write a Justice story just for my friend Angie, it doesn't mean I HAVE to publish for the rest of the world to read.

(Not that I'd ever do something like that to my readers. However, I have written private erotic for my husband that will never see the light of day because it was just for the two of us.)

The EU covers moral rights more thoroughly in their legislation, but moral rights exist in the U.S. as well. They cannot be transferred or assigned, but they can be waived. The problem is you have no idea of how someone will use your work.

 Say it with me, kids! MAKE SURE YOU READ YOUR CONTRACT!! If you don't understand it, hire someone who does to explain it to you!

Did I plan to submit to one of these magazines? Yes. Will I now? Not until they get a new owner because I don't trust these idiots.

 Which brings me to another point, all five magazines are still up for sale. In other words, the new owners don't have a vested interest in making these magazines work. So what's the point in submitting anyway?

Napping and Tornadoes after Hot Yoga

Heat does queer things to me. Infrared heat makes me very, very tired. Guess what my yoga instructor likes to use in class? Yep, infrared emitters.

It doesn't help when I get up at seven a.m. for class. Wednesday's class used to be at ten a.m., then nine, and now eight.

The endorphins from the class only stretch so far. I stopped for breakfast and a writing session at Starbucks after class. After getting home around eleven a.m., I started into e-mail. . .

 . . . and promptly fell asleep in my recliner.

DH had to wake me up a quarter after three because we'd already bought tickets to see The Phoenician Scheme. (That will be reviewed here next Monday.) It was sunny and beautiful when we left the cinema. As soon as we got home, I started supper.

And it immediately got very dark outside. A fast-moving storm system blasted through our area along with thunder, lightning, and the county tornado sirens howling. Because heat also does queer things to the weather.

The county's system is directly linked with the National Weather Service ("NWS"). It gives residents a chance to get to shelter. Yet, the NWS is another service the current leader of our country wants to defund.

Such an action infuriates  me because I remember the Xenia Tornado of 1974. It was what would now be described as an F5 storm. The folks in Xenia had no warning unless they saw the broadcast from a Dayton television station. No sirens existed at the time in town.

This Super Outbreak affected twelve other states besides Ohio and dropped over 100 tornadoes across several hundred miles. Data gathered from this outbreak was used to push funding through Congress for both the NWS and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ("NOAA"). Both organizations do their best to get warn people to get out of Mother Nature's way.

We're still in peak tornado season here in Ohio. Hurricane season has started in the state surrounding the Gulf of Mexico. Without advanced warnings from NWS and NOAA because of budget cutting, much less the departments being eliminated, how many lives will be lost over the next few years? 

It's No Longer Just Politics

This last weekend was. . .interesting, as Spock would say.

Normally, I avoid any political commentary on my blogs. But as the title says, it's no longer just politics.

Not when unidentified men break into homes, seize people and belongings, and disappear. Not when illegal gases are used to subdue peaceful protesters. Not when a single burning car is used over and over as propaganda to justify sending the U.S. military into Los Angeles.

You see, I'm old enough to remember Kent State. Ohio's Governor James Rhodes sent armed National Guardsmen to quell a protest at Kent State University. The soldiers claimed the students threw a rock. One rock.

They retaliated by opening fire on the students. Four unarmed kids died that day. And even though I wasn't even in kindergarten yet, I understood the slogan "Don't trust anyone over 30."

And now, I'm way over 30. I was brought up by people who served the public. People who were local government leaders. People who served at polls. People who fought in foreign countries.

I swore to uphold the U.S. Constitution three times in my life. My son took the same oath when he joined the military.

And now. . .

I see a group of idiots attempting to destroy the country.

And it royally pisses me off. I'll admit the idea that everyone is created equal still needs some work in this country. But to blatantly ignore someone's citizenship or green card and send them to a prison on a different continent?

What the fuck!

To have a military parade to please our leader?

We mocked the U.S.S.R. for doing that shit!

To arrest a member of Congress for attempting to speak with a director of an executive office?

To assassinate a member of a state legislature?

To claim the right to publicly assemble is illegal?

When I traveled down to the Carolinas to visit friends and family in March, someone I've known since the 80s asked me if I thought the U.S. was becoming fascist. I said, "We already are. People just haven't realized it yet."

Now, people are starting to realize it.

But is it too late to change course?

Only you can answer that question.