Good morning, Readers!

This is happening THIS weekend.  I will be reading.  I will also be MC-ing for the first time ever in my life.  I'm stressed about it, but hopefully I won't dissolve into a puddle on the night.  I fully expect to have a panic attack the moment the event ends, as that's usually how that goes.

My first ever panel was fun, let me tell you.  Thank heavens the washroom was empty.

Anyway, the point is, there are going to be awesome writers reading awesome things, and you should really come down.  We'd be thrilled to see you.

Right, I've got stuff and things to do today.

​Ciao!

Good morning, Readers!

It was quite dark this morning when I woke up. I adore this time of year.  It's chilly, but not too cold.  The days are the perfect length.  The colours of the leaves are stunning.

We're ending September soon, and heading into my favourite month.  October is the month of Hallowe'en, and I'm so here for that.  Hallowe'en is my favourite 'holiday' (it's not actually a proper holiday, but I reckon we should get it to be one, damn it!).  It's the beginning of the Celtic New Year, in case anyone was interested.  Family members drop by for a visit.  They're dead, but still, it's nice to have visitors.  There are special cakes to bake for said visitors, turnips (or pumpkins) to carve to guide them home.... Ah.... I love it.

Also, costumes and candy, so...

Still, it was quite dark this morning, it being a rainy sort of day today, and getting up was hard.  Waking up was not.  Getting up was.  For this, I'm blaming not just the atmosphere, but the cats, who decided that curling up on or against my person and purring ridiculously.  That makes getting up very hard.

It's been a great week so far.  I've been better about my training schedule, and Tuesday's run went really well.  It wasn't as fast or as far as other runs, but I felt good during the run.  It was the first run where I actually enjoyed the running.  I wasn't dying of heat.  There wasn't any sun to bother me.  I could breathe.  I felt strong.  It was great.  I would normally be running again today, but this evening, my sifu has organised an aerobics kickboxing class instead of the regular training, and since I'll be dying there, I figured I'll use it as my run.

I am also anxiously waiting for notes on my first book of The Great Man series.  I know it's going to need a tonne of work, and I'd really like to have it ship shape for Can*Con this year.

Until then, I'm going to continue with the daydreaming and stuff.  That seems like a great use of time.

Ciao!

Good morning, Readers!

I have a wee problem. I’m absolute rubbish at categorizing works of fiction. Sure, some things fit quite nicely into easy designations. The Lord of the Rings? Fantasy, duh! Dragon’s Egg? Science fiction, duh! Battlefield Earth? Nonsensical drivel, duh! Sorry. I genuinely dislike that book. It’s alright if you like it. I just don’t. Anyway, what was I saying? Ah, yes. Genre.

Things, however, very rarely fit ever so neatly into a single genre, though, especially now when so many diverse voices are bringing fresh takes, pushing boundaries and deliberately blurring the lines between genre. This experimentation, this refusal to be bound by boring rules that are no longer relevant, has created some of the most interesting, immersive stories I have read in a long time (which is to say, I don’t get bored rereading all the same tropes over and over to the point where I can accurate predict the trajectory of a story from the first chapter). I love that I don’t get bored reading now. I was starting to, if I’m honest.

It’s all a lovely, fascinating, confusing mess.
​
In a world obsessed with categorizing everything neatly, however, it’s creating a little bit of friction.

Good morning, Readers!

So I have a new song I've been playing on repeat for a while now.  It should surprise no one that the singer is Dimash Kudaibergen.  If you don't know who this young man is, you are in for an absolute treat.  Anyway, I've been absolutely taken with his voice since I first heard him sing two years ago, and I listen to him every so often when I need some serious soul-healing.

Anyway, the song I'm currently obsessed with right now is Mademoiselle Hyde (lyrics by Lara Fabian, sung by Dimash and arranged by Igor Krutoy (who is also accompanying Dimash on the piano)).  Since I have nothing else to offer you this morning, have a listen.

Here are the lyrics:

I'm obsessed with it right now. 

Those of you familiar with Dimash probably know him for his incredible six-octave range, insane vocal flexibility and flawless technique.  This song doesn't really have much of the crazier stuff, other than his higher register, and yet it is still utterly captivating.  I've been listening to it on repeat for a long while now.

Right, I'm off to write... or, you know, daydream.  Same thing, really.

Ciao!

Good morning, Readers!

There has been a lot of noise around Greta Thunberg, the sixteen year old climate activist who has inspired school strikes for climate change all around the world; children who will inherit the worst possible timeline if we don't take action right this minute, standing up and protesting for their very futures.

Those in favour of avoiding responsibility, those who profit from the current, unsustainable status quo are lashing out; doing everything in their power to discredit her and her cause.  They're arseholes, attacking a sixteen year old girl with enough vitriol to mimic a nest of spitting cobras.

She's right.  She's fighting for her very life, for the life of the planet, and the futures of all our children.  Something needs to be done.

The adults are doing nothing, so she, and those who stood up during strike, felt they needed to do something themselves.  They shouldn't have to.  This is not something children should be worried about.

But here we are.

Ms. Thunberg has also been garnering a great deal of praise and support, not just from children, but from a wide variety of people, many of whom note that a good many famous women in history were Greta's age when they performed their mighty feats (Joan D'Arc, for example).  She deserves this praise.

I also, however, want to point something out that I didn't even think of it until someone mentioned it in a comment beneath one of the many articles circulating around about Ms. Thunberg.

Indigenous youth have been doing this work for a long, long time.  They, unfortunately, have been largely ignored, garnering plenty of hate, but almost none of the praise.

It's not difficult to guess why.

Yes, racism.

I know it's hard to hear about.  You don't want to think that maybe you might be caught up in that nasty word.  But here's the thing, we live in a world shaped by our histories, and white folk, we are (albeit unconsciously) racist as fuck.  I am thoroughly ashamed that I didn't give a thought to the indigenous activists, despite being vaguely aware that they were there and working, this past week when Greta Thunberg became such a prominent figure.  Reading that one comment shook me.

I, probably like you, prided myself on being open and,well, not a bigot, and yet, here I was, ignoring the vital, difficult work of indigenous activists in favour of a white voice.

Well, you might argue, they didn't inspire an entire movement.  You're right.  They didn't.  But it's damned near impossible to start a movement when you don't have the advantage of having anyone pay you any mind.  No media coverage.  No one listening.  No one talking about your work.  Nothing.  If people are so entirely closed to you, what hope have you got?

Greta has all the advantages of being white, namely, that of not being entirely invisible.

This isn't to detract from Greta's incredible accomplishments.  She has achieved great things, largely under her own steam.  What she's managed to do is nothing short of incredible.  Better yet, she is using her privilege correctly; to draw attention to what needs doing.

I just wish that our indigenous activists knew how deeply admirable they are for their incredible work.  I wish they would be so publicly recognised and praised, given keys to the city, opportunities to be heard by congress, marches of thousands strong behind their work.  They deserve to be seen and heard.

To that end, a quick Google search led me to Indigenous Climate Action, an indigenous Canadian coalition of folks determined to fight for our world, on our behalf.  From their site:

This seems like a worthy thing to support to me.

I'm less afraid of the future, knowing that people like Greta, and the wonderful folks behind Indigenous Climate Action are working to make the world better.  We need them.  All of them.

And we need you.  Sometimes it's small changes that can help.  Sometimes, it takes a lot of people pushing all at once; a monumental effort.  It can feel overwhelming, paralysing.  But doing something, however small is better than nothing at all.  A whole bunch of people carrying a single pebble often means that, without even knowing it, we've moved an entire mountain.  Find your favourite climate action group and offer to volunteer, or, if you are like me and seem to have no time at all, donate, and help spread the word.  Amplify the voices of those who are doing the vital work.  If Indigenous Climate Action feels right to you, donate here​.

Now I'm off to think of a blog post to write for my usual Tuesday spot at Black Gate Magazine.

​Ciao!

Good morning, Readers!

Yesterday was a day in which I worked, but did not achieve all that much.  I mean, I got my highlight reel for my last Far Cry Primal stream and uploaded it.  I shattered the moon that stream, though I'm not sure why.  It seems a foolish thing to do, really.  But that was the mission.

Last night's stream was great fun.  Thanks everyone who came to hang out with me while I played.  I'm really enjoying this game.  It's making the prehistoric anthropologist in me happy, and the murderer in me thrilled.

Ahem.

I do have a rather disturbing propensity to cackle like a madwoman when I execute a successful kill on someone in a game.  While this might not be a great thing in civilised life, when the world ends, I'm going to be the psychopath that makes it.

All joking aside, the game is great fun and the people who hang out in chat are also great fun.

Today is a return to writing, I hope.  I've not been reaching the heights of the last time I was writing, but I was going at a very healthy thousand words a session this week.  I'm not mad at it.

First, though, I'm going to spend some time daydreaming about some things.  #Cryptic

Right, I'm of to dream.

​Ciao!

Good morning, Readers!

Guess who woke up twenty minutes late and still made it to work on time?  This girl.  I'm proud of myself.  You have no idea of the hustle I pulled to get to the bus stop, arriving just as the bus pulled up.  But that's not the point of today's post.

I'm happily watching the leaves turn.  There are already a number of trees that I noticed on my bus ride in that were turning.  A few were already red all over.  Autumn truly is the best of the seasons.  I'm not big into pumpkin spice stuff (though I'm not looking down on it, either), though I am a huge fan of mulled apple cider.  I adore scarves and mittens, and long coats, cuddling cats and watching fog, hot drinks and cool days.  I am my happiest during the autumn.  We're so lucky we have this season.

One day, I'll be able to actually enjoy it properly, in my dream home on a forested property with no neighbours for miles and miles.  Maybe there'll be a private lake.  I'll have a few horses, a couple of dogs and cats.  Maybe even a milch cow, because apparently I'm living in the iron age now.

I'm dreaming so hard of this place.  They say if you cast it into the universe, it will manifest.  So, universe, this is precisely what I want: my own homestead, on an expansive forested property, in which I only need to head into town for essentials, conventions, teaching martial arts, and the occasional lunch with friends.  M'kay?

Hopes so hard it breaks the computer screen

Anyway, things are going pretty well this week, other than my propensity to sleep through my alarm of late.  I have a video that needs editing today, which will be done by this afternoon, I think.  It probably means that I won't get writing done today.  I'm okay with this.

Right, I should stop daydreaming about sipping hot tea in the morning while sitting on a balcony, looking out over a changing forest, and get to work.

Hope you all have a good day.

​Ciao!