Category Archives: Cool Randomness

Simple Life, the Universe, and Everything

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For those of you interested in the dialogue between science and religion, Guy Stewart has an interesting post that’s not so much about whether alien life exists (and can or can’t exist theologically), but what kind of alien life might exist. Everybody thinks in terms of a human-sentience equivalent when this debate comes up — and believe me, it’s a perennial favourite among sci-fi writers of a religious persuasion — so I found this refreshing.

Also, I confess to still not being back up to speed from the killer-headache-killer-housewifing stuff. The actual blog posts will return with an ambushy vengeance when you and I least expect it, most likely.

Until then, I’m going to curl up in a blanket and watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Hmph, so there, evil minor illness.

I got nothin’. But Disney does.

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Nothing but a really bad headache today. Yesterday was getting back into the home routine, dealing with grouchy overtired teenagers, paying bills, and researching for the next phase of convincing the kids they don’t really learn anything while injecting education into their organic environment. Blargh. I need to convince my husband we should elope, since we haven’t done that and it would be new and novel.

On the other hand, the short animation Paperman is truly gorgeous. Sometimes research is fun.

Scita > Scienda | space for thinky things and derring-do

Neighbourhood Roundup: Writing, Art, and Social Issues

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This past weekend, with the cold and all, I sat under a blanket and edited for clients and wrote 5,200 words in three days. Also another like 1,800 last night. Cocooning like that makes me a very boring blogger, as you can tell from this post’s pseudo-hook-line.

But chances are, if you comment here, I click through and read your stuff, even though I’m not really awesome at commenting back. (Conversationally challenged a lot of the time. And naturally shy, believe it or not.) Check out this variety:

Writing

Elizabeth writes a beautiful post on the pains of growing up, and the pains of rediscovering life’s hidden fruit.

Over at The Masquerade, a humourous roundup of procrastination visuals and some pithy related thoughts.

Kylie has a lighthearted zombie story in response to a writing prompt.

Last month, Jennette and Jill both took part in The Next Big Thing writer-tagging-fest, which Mike also tossed my way (that post is here).

Jennette’s YA fantasy: “Lily Delaney’s father, the world’s famous elven explorer, disappears on his last expedition. She is determined to find him, but she soon discovers that some things are best left unfound.”

Jill’s gothic romance/magic realism: “[I was inspired by] my soggy Pacific Northwest brain, dragons, the ocean, caves, and a strong desire to not only travel through time, but to somehow become sane in the process (not through writing the book! Sanity comes through time travel!)” I highly recommend a browse through Jill’s short fiction on her blog.

Art and Photography

I have fallen in love with Paul’s visual perspectives of York, England.

Heather has new book dragon art. I happen to be mildly obsessed with this series. They are story-magic-perfect.

Social Issues

On an annual basis for the last couple of years, Laurie has reposted a very personal story for Sanctity of Life Sunday. Here is hers…and here is mine.

Also, Randy recently sent me this interesting link on the gender equality of domestic violence. I have no happy endnote for that one, except to observe that each generation can make new choices, and if they do, they can expect their grandchildren to have, on the whole, enormously stable and successful lives. How we live today changes a future we may not see.

~Scienda

Editorial Workspace

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I’m a little tired of having to hide in my bedroom to get things done, but that’s how it is when the weather’s unpleasant. The house is just noisy. In the spirit of fun, a workspace photo.

workspace

I am, in fact, still old-fashioned enough that I print off books when an entire one is sent to me at once.  I don’t have a great love for screen-reading. Partly it’s the glow, and partly it’s the navigation. It’s just not like being able to put printed pages side by side, and it doesn’t give the same sense of where in a story I am.

I usually have the digital file up in a separate window at the same time, as well as the editorial notes I’m making, and I find the combination works well for shifting mental gears.

~Scienda

Horse Hockey and Hair Dye

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Well. That was a crazy time, wasn’t it? Welcome to 2013.

Our family holidays began a bit late and continued into last week, so that’s where I’ve been. And it was a little odd at times. For one thing, I fulfilled a lifelong promise to myself from back when I was still in high school: To dye my hair sometime when I got older. I’ve never been very good at liking myself the way I am, so actually liking the hair God gave me was always a refreshing break from the usual.

It’s just that I knew the day would come, someday, when I might not feel that way anymore. And also, I always wanted to be a redhead. I believe one should accessorize to one’s temperament and personality.

The spanner in the works is that I’ve become very sensitive to chemicals. I was before, but now? I warn you, weird things happen. So, although my hair is no longer as thick or soft or non-grey as it was twenty years ago, I have put off changing it. That is because I have a personal policy against turning myself into a green mutant with purple warts.

Enter the henna. Continue reading →

5 of my blog’s most-read posts, and why

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Every so often, I go through my stats to find out what’s been important to you folks who read here.  (It kind of matters to me what you think…just a teensy weense.)

Yesterday was seven hours of driving and mall-walking and holiday shopping with Captain Awesomepants and the Fab Four. So today is quiet introspection, and thinking of you, my friends in the journey. We’ve shared a lot here. Continue reading →

You Gotta See This

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My son Frodo tells me my husband had pointed to them before, but just last week, publishing buddy Randy Streu inspired me to take a listen to Mumford & Sons. “Awake My Soul” is one of my favourite new discoveries so far.

BUT BUT BUT you gotta see THIS. My friend Joyce’s son, singing to win tix. Listen, and also, vote for him! (You can easily login with Facebook.) Voting is open till Aug. 8.

Gratitudes

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Small things (and not-so-small things) in a phase of galloping chaos. We are redoing the siding on our house, and it’s enough to shatter both our nerves. One part of the house is 60 years old, the other closer to 90. We’ve now located all the places that haven’t been touched since they were originally built. Argh.

But life is good. Here are some symptoms.

A new fridge that actually fits enough food for four teenagers.

fresh baking at midnight, to avoid the day’s heat

my prince has come, and he’s still here, rescuing me from my wilderness palace’s decrepitude. He’s my high school sweetheart, and I’ve been with him for half my life.

a fun hat that I love

My cozy fluffy workspace where I can also fall asleep watching the stars. Present and accounted for: Bible, journal, printed manuscript by me and Marc, and 21st-century digital cubicle (AKA the laptop).

Seven Points of Trivia and an Award

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Via Jennette, with many thanks. According to the rules of this blog meme, after saying thank you, I must tell seven things about myself, and nominate seven other bloggers for y’all to discover and enjoy.

Let’s see.

1) Though I do my best to react entertainingly when people irritate me for the fun of it, I actually don’t like it. I have four kids doing it all day, every day, and by noon most days, the hell has already been annoyed out of me. After my limit’s racked out, only my baby sister can get truly away with it.

2) My almost favourite thing in the world is positive sarcasm. In other words, making hilarious fun of bullhockey opinions, attitudes or events for the purpose of genuine enlightenment and education. But there are other things that are even prettier.

3) I adore roses. To me they are not a love flower, they are an everything flower. Yellow for friendship, white for whatever, just pass the roses so I can snort them and feel the happiness.

Continue reading →

Social Media Story Brainstorms

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Ha. Say that five times fast.

So Katie Weiland asks fun questions on social media, and I love it when I get time to play along. Today’s Writer Question of the Day:

Because writers consider the boundaries of reality to be quite fluid, this question was not at all strange. In fact, I never thought twice about answering it thusly:

Did the anachronism faze Katie? Why no.

In fact, it pointed me to an interesting life habit (of a totally imaginary person):

At which point, I started thinking, hey, one of us should write this story…

Because it could be really cool by the time the imaginary people in our heads get done wreaking havoc.

And that is what writer friends do on their coffee break. For further fun, follow @KMWeiland, and of course, I your irregularly scheduled quirk factor am over here @cldyck.

Scita > Scienda | the headspace of C.L. Dyck and known associates