My family tries to do this every year, but it’s not always successful. Much of it depends on me having my son on a weekend that everyone else is free. Well, it worked out this year, so off we go. Might add some apples to my chopped salad lunches too. Enjoy some funnies while I’m toiling in the sun. (Wow. I didn’t realize most memes were making fun of or flat out insulting people who went apple picking. Seeing this a lot when I search for topics, so are people just more hateful?)
Well, I didn’t get the writing done that I wanted to last weekend. It was a 3-day weekend, so I thought I could get two chapters done in Darwin & the Beast Collector. I only managed one on Saturday and that was me pulling off three sections in one day. That might have been my downfall. On Sunday, I was exhausted and couldn’t really focus. This has been an issue since last summer where I would do a heavy writing day and then be out of sorts the next day. No idea why this happens since I’m not running around and I’m staying hydrated. Sadly, this means my progress is going to be slower than expected.
Another factor might have been that I didn’t sleep well on Saturday night. My sleep apnea reared its head pretty harshly alongside stress giving me messed up dreams. This brought some fatigue carrying over from Sunday into Monday, which I used more for errands and chores. Maybe my whole issue is time management since I have less to work with than my old, high productivity heydays. We’ll see what I can pull off next weekend, which might only be one chapter. It’s a big one though, so I’ll be happy to get it done.
Okay, a third factor might be that I downloaded ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge’ on the Nintendo Switch. With the big life event going on, I thought I could use some video game distraction when I was feeling stressed. It worked a little too well and I kept playing it for hours at a time. Was it good for my overall productivity? No. Did it help with my mental state? Probably.
The biggest thing going on this week was my son starting high school. This took a lot of attention away from writing since I had to coordinate things with the ex-wife to get everything ready. So much to figure out and juggle, especially since he’s always anxious about school years. It’s tripled when it’s a new school. Needless to say, we had some rough mornings made worse by him having to wake up much earlier than he’s used to. It means less time to relax with cartoons and get ready for the day. Hoping he gets the hang of it soon, but I barely function at 5:30 wake-ups. Plus side, he aced his first quiz and his classes don’t seem that daunting. Scariest one I’ve seen is Algebra 1, which is going to be bumpy at best. Kids have to memorize perfect squares now?
My fight to improve my health is still going strong. I think. I’ve decided to have homemade chopped salads for lunches. I make a big one Sunday night to cover 2-3 days and then make another Wednesday night to cover the rest of the week. These were more filling than I expected, which might be why I was dozing off soon after. This week, I had arugula, baby spinach, almond slivers, cashews, corn, chick peas, heart of palms, tomatoes, grilled chicken, black olives, and banana peppers. Ended up doing a big shopping trip on Wednesday to stockpile a bunch of canned vegetables and other possible ingredients. It all tastes good, which is a positive. Really not sure about the overall healthiness of these, but it’s better than fast food and sandwiches. More filling than only fruit too.
Nothing else really occurred here. I get my home sleep apnea test next weekend, which means I’ll be one step closer to solving that issue. Cardiologist said my heart was fine, but cholesterol is a problem as usual. That should be changing with the dietary shift to more fruits and vegetables. If not then I no longer have any clue how the human body works and assume all dietary advice is bunk.
This coming week should be more of the same, but with fewer appointments. It does end with Rosh Hashana, which means I won’t be writing Friday night. This is why I assume I’ll only get one chapter done. I’ll use the other nights of the week to get November blog posts taken care of. Not going to get ambitious and try for a chapter section when I should be focusing more on sleep.
Speaking of blogging, I’m not really sure what to do on Sundays. It’s always been a hodgepodge day where I had memes, random thoughts, and animal posts. Tomorrow is about apple picking even though the trip triggering the post is canceled. I’m too lazy to change the post to that too. Anyway, I’m looking at animals, but I don’t know if I can do enough research on them to make it worthwhile. Thought about doing national days, but the next couple Sundays don’t have anything exciting. Wish I had a new blog post idea to tinker with, but nothing is coming to mind. Still trying to maintain my blogging streak, which is at 2,647. Kind of a sad victory, but it’s all I have some days.
Goals of the week?
Simpsons
Good morning and welcome to our store. I can see by the bags under your eyes that you’re in need of restful sleep. Then, you have come to the right place. All of our beds are designed for your needs. From the frame to the mattress to the linens, we will not rest until you are satisfied.
Now, let’s start with one of the most important parts. That is the frame, which is what stops you from sleeping on a mattress alone. We have simple rails with wheels and extravagant multi-posters. Our maximum for posts is ten because things get rather silly when you go higher than that. There are bunk beds in double and triple varieties. Our frames can be made from metal, wood, plastic, stone, and enchanted paper from the Snoring Forest. Don’t go there without ear protection. We do have a sale on metal frames that have ornamental animal headboards. The beasts act as protectors when you sleep, but they might not recognize pets and children for a week or two. You will have to train them to avoid any accidents. Besides that, all of our frames are enchanted to be sturdy, silent when moved, and not scratch the floors. You can also install various dimensional pockets underneath for storage, but this means nobody should be hiding there or they could be lost to the ethereal nothingness.
Next we have our customers’ favorite part of the process, which is the mattress. Yes, we do have box springs if you want, but they are all the same with silence spells. You can turn those off if you wish to have it squeak, which young couples and small children seem to prefer. Anyway, the mattress comes in all sizes and varieties that include pillow top, memory foam, adjustable, and whatever else is on the market. The real fun is in the additions. One of our top sellers is the self-flipping mattress, which does so every time you change the sheets. This prevents sagging. I would recommend the self-cleaning enchantment too because it can handle any mess. Here is a list of fragrances that it will release upon completion. Other options are a gentle massaging spell, a built-in oil diffuser if you wish, small wound repair system, health monitoring system, and several others that will enhance the quality of your sleep.
To get your sleep to the next level, we need to get you matching linens. Our pillows are soft and moldable with the ability to keep your head at the perfect temperature. We can install specific dreams that they will grant you as well. If you don’t want anything specific, you can get a general effect such as an excitement dream, vacation dream, or even a nightmare one if you wish. While it is expensive, our top pillow can be connected to the Internet and be set up with around 50 dreams. You can choose the one you want before you put your head down or let it be a random generation. There is also an enchantment that sets up a psychic alarm, which will gently wake you up at a determined time. It will jolt you awake if you ignore it for thirty minutes.
Sheets come in all colors and the fitted ones are self-folding because nobody really has the desire to waste time with that battle. We have a variety of scents if you want to go that route. Softness can be checked on this wall where we have all of our options set up for touching. My favorite addition to our sheets is this one that captures and analyzes germs while you sleep. It can release a mild medication to handle things such as a cold, but it really shines in notifying your doctor if there is a problem. Combine it with the health monitoring system and we can create a bed that will run you to a hospital in case of emergencies. Other sheet options are tent configurations, allergen nullification, boogeyman repellant, and soothing, talking images.
Finally, we come to our blankets . . . Nothing much to tell you about this other than you choose the colors. Well, we do have weighted blankets, which adjust to whoever is underneath. If you have two people then they will change whatever section is being touched by each person. All of our blankets come with anxiety erasing spells, anti-dry air magic, automatic temperature adjustment, bathroom sense and escort system, and fabric regeneration. You can always bring these in to trade for another color and style. That is the least we can do to make sure you have the best sleep possible. Enjoy.
Hello, SE friends! Over these last months, I’ve focused on personality traits that might be useful in developing characters. Today I’m launching a …
Writing through the generations
Yahoo Image Search
(This is pretty obvious. One stanza is how kids look at snow and the other is for adults. Funny how our perception of snow changes as we age.)
Children cheer for it.
The sign it’s time to play.
A coating of white
Across the graying world.
The children get up early
And race to play outside.
Knowing school is cancelled
For at least a single day.
Adults shiver in its wake.
The sign of work and cold.
A heavy blanket of white
Upon the cars and paths
The adults stumble out early
With shovel clenched in hand.
Knowing work will still go on
Unless they lose a payday.
Comfy Homer
Contrary to what some people think, sleep is very important. It also isn’t the same for everyone. Some people need the suggested 8 hours. Others need more and others can function on less. It’s about finding what works for you. Unfortunately, broken sleep can be caused by outside influence and lead to a lot of health problems. Weight gain, fatigue, unhealthy eating for energy, heart problems, brain problems, and the list can keep going as to what can happen. As for the causes, you have stress, sleep apnea, noises, uncomfortable beds, room temperature, restless partners, and that list goes on as well. So, what are some unscientific tips to sleep?
Hi SEers! Denise here to talk about the process of writing through an experience I had at home. When my husband and I returned home from Lake Tahoe, …
A BIRD’S NEST AND THE WRITING PROCESS
Cover Art by Jason Pedersen
(I know I had this going in May and then took a 3 month hiatus to promote Do I Need to Use a Dragon? So, I’m hoping just jumping right back into things is okay. I only made it through 5 of the 6 champions from Legends of Windemere. That means it’s time for Dariana to get the spotlight.)
I keep saying it, but I’ll repeat myself once more. Dariana is a walking spoiler in terms of her origin and history. In the game, she had barely joined before the whole thing ended and she’s definitely changed the most. At first, Dariana was a half-angel psychic martial artist who had a shaky relationship with her father. She started as innocent, but quickly gained an attitude. This caused a small issue because this mirrored the book version of Nyx. I didn’t have to worry about this until Sleeper of the Wildwood Fugue when she debuted, so I had plenty of time. So, what did I come up with?
I’ll leave the spoiler stuff for later when I put it behind a ‘more’ cut. Dariana is an immortal, but can still be killed if she takes enough damage. Healing isn’t as quick as a god, but it’s above average. Her physical attributes are up there too, but she keeps herself restrained out of fear of hurting people. The restraint comes from her telepathy, which she uses with a lot of variety. Aside from reading thoughts, Dariana can alter perceptions, wipe memories (even on herself), produce hallucinations, track anything with a working brain, and effect her own body. One of Dariana’s most common tricks is to turn off her pain receptors before a fight, which means she feels it later.
The thing that makes Dariana different from the other champions is that she is almost addicted to suffering. The others have their dark histories, but she has been around for centuries. Being a long-running champion, Dariana has spent most of her life asleep and the waking parts are filled with watching people die. Due to her origin, she is very special and there’s a reason she tends to be the lone survivor. This didn’t leave her with time for friends and developing social skills, which is why she apologizes so quickly and isn’t sure of people at first. Being a telepath, she uses her power to get around some awkwardness, but rarely goes off on her own. Without a special ring, she is left open to strong emotions and there have been incidents in her past when left undefended.
Fighting style-wise, Dariana stands out in Windemere because she doesn’t have any physical weapons. Not unless you count her fists, elbows, knees, and feet. Her powers help a lot, but she still boils down to a martial artist in a world of swords, spells, and arrows. I never gave her a true style like Luke with his focus on blocking with his arms like they are swords and attacking with legs. Figure she’s been around long enough that she’s learned multiple styles and just uses whatever comes to mind. There are times when Dariana doesn’t bother dodging or blocking, which goes back to her subconscious addiction to suffering.
So, what about those spoilers? Well, here we go for those that want to step forward:
Well, it’s Labor Day. I always forget about the meaning of this holiday since it’s become the declaration of a new school year for me. Do you start before or after Labor Day weekend? I guess it’s the sign that summer is over or at least summer break. As long as I get to sleep in, I’ll be happy. Enjoy some funnies . . . I’m amazed how hard it was to find funny memes instead of mean, judgmental, and/or political ones. Yikes.
There are two species of lyrebird: Superb Lyrebird and Albert’s Lyrebird. These are birds that live on the ground and are found in Australia. They were considered ‘Not Threatened’, but that changed to ‘Near Threatened’ after the fires a few years back. They have yet to fully recover. Invasive species such as the red fox is another problem.
Lyrebirds are known for their plain appearance, but also having long tailfeathers that curl into an ‘S’. They tend to be solitary and live in dense forests where it is easier to hide from birds of prey. Their biggest skill, which is what they are famous for, is that they are incredible vocal mimics. Lyrebirds can imitate other animals and even manmade creations like chainsaws and jackhammers. They are even known to carry two tunes at once.
Here are some facts:
So, what do they look and sound like?
Albert Lyrebird
Albert Lyrebird
Superb Lyrebird
Superb Lyrebird
Legends of Windemere 