Music I've Been Listening to Lately

This was a new track from Madonna's first greatest hits compilation.

Ke Kaumaha

My heart aches.

DH and I had to postpone our honeymoon because he was going through chemotherapy the year we were married. So, in 1996, we decided to have a spectacular trip to Hawaii to celebrate not just our wedding, but his survival.

We spent the first week on O'ahu and the second on Maui.

We fell in love with Maui. We stayed at a hotel just outside of the historic town of Lahaina. The town, the people, and the food were all so amazing.

And I can't say anymore without crying.

Because the town is literally gone.

A wildfire spurred by drought and the winds of Hurricane Dora swept through Lahaina late Tuesday and Wednesday. By Thursday morning, the town was a pile of ash and debris.

If you wish to help, I suggest the Maui Strong Fund.

This is a situation where thoughts and prayers aren't enough.

Another Roadtrip Photo

On the road trip from Boise to Rockaway Beach, Oregon, we stopped to fill up the gas tank and grab some cold drinks. (We'd gone through all the caffeinated beverages in the Suburban's mini-fridge. It was going to be a 100+ degree day in Boise when we left.)

This was my best shot of Mt. Hood. The smaller mountain to the right is the remnants of Mt. St. Helens.

I'd studied the eruption of St. Helens while writing Resurrected. That's the book where I blew up Mt. Rainier and turned it into a crater lake due to a god fight.

However, seeing St. Helens in person was a little unnerving. I asked my companions how they felt living so close to an active volcano. It didn't seem to bother them, but then, they hadn't written a novel about the effects of a major eruption and the desperate attempts of the supernaturals to save the Normals who weren't able to evacuate. Not to mention, my main character's moral dilemma from her involvement in the natural disaster.

And as I snapped several shots, I could see in my mind's eye the initial column of smoke and dust rising into the air from the 1980 eruption. Both Idaho and Oregon have beautiful scenery, but I'd probably think twice before I moved there in real life.

Monday Movie Mania Is Back! - Barbie

Quick Note: Look up the Barbie movie on Google to see what happens!

Yep! DH and and I are going to the public movie theaters again! I'm still a little nervous about going to public places, but so far, everyone in the theaters have been self-spacing, which is a relief. (It was right up there with the pilot telling the passengers on my first leg of my Columbus to Boise to keep their damn mouths shut about those of us wearing masks.)

And no, I didn't wear a mask in the theater because I wanted POPCORN!

Seriously, you need popcorn while watching Barbie.

It was fun! It was fabulous! Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling were perfect as Stereotypical Barbie and Beach Ken!

A lot of folks pick one side of the political spectrum or the other to paint their dislike of the movie. However, Greta Gerwig and her writing partner Noah Baumbach made equal fun of the patriarchy and feminism. The only thing that surprised me was that Mattel signed off on the script though it made their executives look like a bunch of dumbasses.

I'm not bothering with a spoiler warning because the media has dissected this movie enough, but here's my loves and hates:

LOVES
1) Kate McKinnon killed it as Weird Barbie. She's the only Barbie doll from the movie I want. (She's currently on pre-order on the Mattel website.)

2) Gloria's speech to the Barbies. America Ferrera killed it as the mom who just wanted to share something with her daughter.

3) Ariana Greenblatt as Gloria's self-righteous daughter Sasha was perfect in the trope twist. (The kid doesn't want to save the doll. As Samual L. Jackson's character said in The Kingsman, it's not that kind of movie.)

4) Rhea Perlman kicked butt as the spirit of Barbie creator Ruth Handller.

5) Helen Mirren as the narrator had all the best lines.

6) John Cena obviously didn't feel his manhood was threatened by playing Merman Ken.

7) WIll Ferrell played Mattel's asshole CEO to perfection.

8) Michael Cera was adorable as the only Allan doll.

9) And a shout out to all the actors playing the citizens of Barbieland--You had fun with your roles and it showed.


HATES
1) Not once did the movie acknowledge that Midge married Allan, and that's why she was perpetually pregnant.


What's the star score on Barbie? I plan on seeing it again in the theater, so Barbie gets the double-score of 20 STARS!

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

In celebration of Madonna turning 65 this month, I'm playing some of my favorites from the '90's!

Grooving on the Writing and Deer!

I went to Starbucks yesterday to write. It felt good sitting quietly in a cafe and tapping away on the keyboard. So good I did 1200 words in one sitting. It's been a while since I could do that. I guess the last year of the pandemic stressed me more than I realized.

This is the first picture I took when I arrived in Boise. Tracie was showing me around their house, and we stepped out into the backyard. The mule deer buck stuck to the shade int the neighbors and nibbled on some greens.

His new horns are pretty fuzzy, and he didn't seem to care we were out there until I got too close to the fence. But instead of taking off, he saunters a few steps away and kept an eye on me.

For those who don't live in the western portion of the U.S., the mule deer, or black-tailed deer, is so named because their tails resemble a mule's, as opposed to the white-tailed deer that like to go traipsing through our yard in Ohio.

I expect wildlife in rural Ohio, but Boise is a major metropolitan city. Tracie lives a few blocks from downtown. But it's still high desert and was 100 degrees the afternoon I arrived, so I don't blame the little guy for wanting a little shade and a bite of green.

Halloween Is Coming

It feels a little weird writing a Halloween story at the beginning of August. Somehow, it felt normal while working on it in July, but I was on the Oregon Coast. The cooler weather, the fog, and gallons of coffee and tea helped a lot to provide the appropriate mood.

But now, I'm in Ohio. It's in the 80's. The humidity is running between 75 and 90 percent. And everyone is either cramming in their last summer trips or freaking out about  school starting.

Or in some cases, both.

But I love the Halloween season, in case you hadn't noticed over the last fourteen years I've been writing this blog. And on Labor Day weekend, the decorations are coming out!

So this story will get me in the mood enough to clean the house so it's ready to be decorated. Maybe I need to place some Halloween music while I'm working on this story to help it along.

Back to Writing (and Recording?)

I've been writing my butt off over the weekend in an effort to finish Demons Run at Halloween. It's the last bonus story to complete from my Soccer Moms Kickstarter campaign. It's also the only bonus story that will be available to the general public. Yep, y'all will have the opportunity to buy and read at, well, Halloween. LOL The preorder for the e-book will be available as soon as it's finished, edited, and formatted.

I also promised to do audiobooks of the three bonus stories. Unfortunately, the gentleman I wanted to read Analyze Me had to drop out due to personal issues. So, I'll use the opportunity to test a text-to-speech tool I recently purchased.

That doesn't mean I'm not mindful of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. In fact, I thought long and hard about using an AI tool for one of the audiobooks. It comes down to the fact that I cannot currently afford quality voice talent. I'm doing the voice work for Demons Run at Halloween, and I bartered with a friend to do the voice work for Apocalypse? Not Now!

What I am paying for is an artist I like and respect for a HUGE job. She agreed to tackle a special project for the tenth anniversary of the Justice series. I can't say much more than that at this point. I'm hoping everything will come together as planned.

Besides, I think the Universe seriously owes me one after the cards she dealt me in 2022.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

The man just screams sensuality!

A Jolly Doctor Who Time

After seeing The Proclaimers video a couple of weeks ago, a blog reader sent me the link for this video from the cast and crew of Doctor Who. I thought y'all might enjoy this, too!