Lyda Morehouse's Blog, page 32

Wordpress Wednesday

Hah! I knew I'd figure out an alliteration! Speaking of silly language tricks, Mason and I have named our 15th MangaKast "15 - Ichi Go" because the hero of Bleach, Ichigo, is constantly seen wearing the number 15. It took me years of reading (and finally learning a bit of Japanese) to realize that it's a giant pun on his name because Ichi is the word for "one" and Go is "five" together his name makes 15.

http://mangakast.wordpress.com/2014/07/02/15-ichi-go/

So, of course I put up a picture of Renji who has nothing at all to do with the number 15. But, I really couldn't resist the fact that he's talking about chickens. Chickens is a funny thing at our house. One time, as we were snuggling before bed, Mason asked: "What do you want to talk about?" I said, "Chickens!" just to be a weirdo.

So now, every night before bed, we discuss something about chickens.

Tate Tuesday

Huh, I should have started posting this on a Wednesday so it could be "WattPad Wednesday" or something more alliterative. But, regardless, the newest section is up:

http://www.wattpad.com/57418191-unjust-cause-part-14-unnatural-unleashed

In "Unnatural Unleashed," Alex has to face the consequences unleashing her magic on Jack and his magpie familiar, Sarah Jane...

As usual, when you go to the site (or return here afterward), I would love any commentary you have, even if it's critical. I noted on the Wyrdsmiths' blog that the pacing for a serial-type novel is very different than writing a traditional novel. I took WattPad at their word when I signed up and have been tailoring these installments in very short, digestible chunks aimed at people who are using their smart/iPhones to read bits of things while commuting to work or wherever. I might be making these sections too short for other readers.

I will admit, as I have before, that I'm using this weekly deadline to make word count on a project that I've been struggling with. So, admittedly, much of what appears on-line is actually very first draft-y, very by the seat of my pants, oh-crap-is-it-Sunday-already--which is also why I would love suggestions for improvement. The work posted there is being collected and massaged into an eventual e-book, so anything people have to say will actually help me write a better book (even if I can't go back and change what's on-line.)

So, yeah....

In other news, I'm starting to gear up for CONvergence, which starts (for me), on Wednesday night. I'll try to post my schedule tomorrow, so if anyone in town wants to follow me around, they're more than welcome to.

Also, I just got my first Blogging for Books request, the graphic novel Harlem Hellfighters. I'll be reading that ASAP and posting a review of it somewhere, probably here as well as on my Tate blog.

You know all my whining about not feeling the love? I'm not alone. I read this in the New York Times Sunday Style section: "For the Love of Being 'Liked'" and saw myself just a LITTLE too much. :-)

Up North, Ya Know (part 7)

When my nephew Jonathan was younger he tried to convince us that Canada didn't exist. It as a running gag for him forever--the kind where occasionally, I'd be, like, "Are you joking?" and he'd continue his serious rant about how it's all a government plot.

I, however, now have photo documentation that Canada exists.

Because, seriously, who would doctor a photo to make it seem like the highway signs all wear crowns.



Honestly, Shawn and I were actually unaccountably charmed by the royal highway signs and spent a significant part of our trip to Thunder Bay cooing over them. I also pointed out to her that if I robbed her, I was pretty sure that would make me a highwayman (well, highwaywoman, but the Roaches never sang about that.)

I also apparently am the worst at answering border patrol questions. I've been long schooled by the thought (something I saw on some cop show or other a zillion years ago) that if someone asks you if you have a watch, you look at your wrist and answer the question actually asked, i.e., "Yes/No, I [don't] own a watch," full stop, despite the inclination of most people to offer the time.

Shawn says that makes me sound suspicious. And it probably does. But, the border patrol let us through, anyhow, since I'm both suspicious and silly. Where did you come from?" "St. Paul." "Where are you headed?" "Thunder Bay." "How long will you be there?" "Overnight." "You came all the way from St. Paul to visit Thunder Bay for one day?" (he asked incredulously.) Shawn said at this point she was attempted to lie and point out that we felt there was a SIGN telling us to go (because OMG the Thunder Bay attraction billboards on 35 before Duluth were LEGION, though we do have them to thank for remembering to go back for our passports,) but I ended up mentioning that we just kind of wanted to go to Canada, a foreign country, as part of our honeymoon. This, of course, made the border guard shake his head like we were insane. I kind of wished I'd added, "Because, you know, we can't afford Paris. So Thunder Bay seemed like a good alternative."

Because he would have laughed.

I have to admit that we enjoyed the trip up to Thunder Bay more than the town itself. We ended up going to a Tim Robbins for breakfast on the day we left. I'd been hoping to go back to the Starbucks we spotted on the way in, but Shawn saw the Tim Robbins and told me she'd always wanted to go to one after reading about them in a Canadian murder mystery series. I can't deny a request like that, can I? The coffee was awful, but the donuts were fantastic.

We spent much of our time in Canada being ugly Americans. I was also inordinately charmed by the money. I'd gotten a 20 Canadian dollar bill at the bank before we left for Bearskin, and we broke that at the hotel's front desk so we could buy a bunch of Canadian candies in the vending machine. Having loonies in my pocket always amuses me far more than it should.

I also chatted up our hotel waiter about the World Cup. He, of course, was far more of a hockey fan, and didn't actually know if Canada was playing in the Cup (they're not.) But I kept telling Shawn that the way we knew we were in a foreign country was that people actually had the World Cup on the big screen TV in the main lounge. This would never happen in the US. It'd be Fox News or something awful.

We also saw Canadian Canada Geese, which also tickled me unaccountably.

Yes, I really am this easy.

On the way up, we stopped at Pigeon Falls/Grand Portage to look at the waterfall:



It was drizzling this day so the path to the waterfall was a little treacherous because they'd built a wheelchair accessible one that had nice wooden bridges and such... but they got really slippery in the light rain. At any rate, it was amazing.

The trip back home was also drizzly and Lake Superior put on quite the show for us with crashing waves and white caps. I tied to get a picture of its majesty, but this doesn't do the lake justice:

Podcasting and Expectations

Mason and I have posted our fourteenth MangaKast. If you're interested in hearing what I sound like wound up on manga and a distinct lack of coffee (actually I had some, but felt like I was in some kind of sitcom this morning because, not finding my good stuff, I simply ran water through yesterdays' grounds. Yeah... that was about as gross as you'd think it might be.)

Anyway, here's the link: https://mangakast.wordpress.com/2014/06/25/fourteen-for-the-team/



As you might expect, he and I had much squee. SPOILERS abound, so be sure you read all the manga we talk about first (there are links right there on our main page. Currently, they all go to MangaPanda.com, so if you prefer another place for your translations, by all means, go there.)

I think three people listen to our podcast, but I kind of don't care. It's so much fun to be talking manga with my son and to have a place to showcase my reviews....

I wish I could feel this way about my other projects. Because: fun is fun. And so much less stressful.

Up North, Ya Know (part 6)

As I alluded to, there was really only one day that we were rained-out. I'm sure it would not have been a debilitating day for any of the read outdoorsy folks who were deep into the BWCA. But, for us it meant a day camped out in front of the fire, reading, and playing Monopoly.

We'd brought a couple of games of our own, but the Lodge had Monopoly. Mason had never played, so we did. We played a kind of, pardon the pun, CHEAP version of Monopoly, which was to go until the first person couldn't pay a rent (without going into mortgage.) This meant that the games lasted reasonably long, but weren't several hours long. I have to admit I'm much fonder of Monopoly when it doesn't go on forever. We still had all the classic moments: slum lords building hotels on Baltic and Mediterranean, under-the-table deals for railroad and utility deeds, and, of course, much speculation as to why the BANKER was in jail (general opinion: embezzlement.)

We did take a picture off the dock that morning, because it was haunted and misty looking:


I also read an entire book. Not a manga, mind. A full, grown-up tome. I do this on occasion, but, you know, some books need uninterrupted TIME. I brought up a book like that. Yep, you major reader-types.

Just. One Book.

Look, part of it is my dyslexia. The other part is my restless nature. I'm not actually proud of it. (It does make packing less stressful, though!) But truthfully, I find it deeply embarrassing....

At any rate, I read THE LIKENESS by Tana French. It's a police procedural-ish type mystery that takes place in Dublin, Ireland (as opposed to Dublin, Pennsylvania or elsewhere).

I'd read and enjoyed the sequel, FAITHFUL PLACE, and Shawn said this one was her favorite (though we both agreed that Frank was hottest in his own novel, FAITHFUL PLACE.) I liked it tremendously, though it stretched my suspenders occasionally. I ultimately bought into the scenario, but I spent a lot of time asking Shawn questions like, "Wouldn't it be almost impossible to do this?" Not to spoil, but it's an undercover job where a woman attempts to replace someone who's died. The dead woman was living under an assumed name (one actually that our heroine herself had created for a previous undercover job.) They were dead ringers for each other. The "Likeness," as it were, takes an opportunity to steal the fake identity. There a lot to swallow in terms of coincidences, but like I said, in the end, I found it more enjoyable than anything else.

The writing was rich, dense and very... atmospheric. The commune that our heroine goes undercover into is full of fascinating quirky characters. I probably could have kept on living there, as it were. A perfect book to spend curled up with in front of a fire.

Mason and Shawn probably read a dozen books in the time it took me to finish that one.

So, let's see, what else? Well, before we leave Bearskin I should put up a couple of more pictures. As I mentioned previously, this year there were a a bunch more more kids' events so Mason also went to the sand castle building and paddleboat racing:



Here's them trying to steer the paddle boat. There were, coincidentally a lot more kids staying there than I've ever seen before (huh... just occurred to me that they'd have known that and probably made up these events to accommodate us all... d'oh.) So Mason was in a boat full of brothers, and then other boat is a family. A dad, mom, and two VERY LITTLE girls. The little girls won. (Weird, huh?) Though, tbf, Mason and crew gave it a valiant effort.



Okay, up next? Our trip into Canada!

"Epic Nosebleed"

I just got that comment for something I posted over on AO3 and I just... wish that I could get the same kind of gushing enthusiasm (and its converse quick to point out flaws--you should have seen the wonderful pile on I got when I made an unpopular decision about a character's age) over at WattPad.

Here's the installment by the way:

http://www.wattpad.com/56251842-unjust-cause-part-13-a-dangerous-rush-of-power

I have to remind myself that OF just doesn't have the built in community that fandom does. I also have to remind myself that even when I started writing Bleach fic, I didn't get the kind of comments/kudos that I do now. It takes a lot of time to build an audience.

But today was a bit tough, because I finished posting a tryptic of fic over at AO3 that was filling up my in-box to the brim, and then I go over to WattPad and all I can feel is 'meh.'

Thing is, I KNOW it's unfair. I'm slowly building an audience and that's the point. I just have to let it happen.

*IS IMPATIENT*

*STOMPS FOOT*

Okay, now that I've had my little tantrum, I'll say that I'm still enjoying making myself do this though. It's good to go back to Valentine and Alex. In fact, in today's episode Alex's magic wells up... and she manages to curse a friend--friends, actually: Jack and Sarah Jane.

As I wrote it I could totally hear "Let it Go" playing in my head....

Up North, Ya Know (part 5)

While at Bearskin, we woke up one morning feeling adventurous, so we decided to take an actual honest-to-goodness hike into the BWCA. We asked at the front desk and Bob, bless his soul, took a look at us and said, "FOR YOU, I suggest Caribou Rock...."

For us, it turned out because there were spectacular views within a mile or so of the trailhead. We could go as far as we liked (the whole of the trail apparently takes you to the border and can be done as a 4 day hiking trip,) but there was a very fast (if moderately challenging in terms of steepness) reward for people LIKE US who were amateur hikers who just wanted to see some woodsy stuff.

Here's the view:


We also attempted a camera-timer "selfie":



I should take a moment to discuss the mosquito situation. The mosquitos were out in full-force nearly the entire time we were there (on the dock and in the canoe, however, we'd often get a reprieve because of the wind.) Some days were buggier than others, though. The day right before the one day of rain we got was, by far, the worst.

What I found interesting about the mosquitos is that they clearly favored Mason. There may be a couple of reasons for this. First, he's always been very warm-bodied. We often call him our hot-tot, because if you snuggle up to him, he seems to radiate heat. So the mosquitos probably could sense that and made a... well, not a bee-line, but a mosquito-line for him.

They seemed equally attracted to Shawn, however, and she is one of those people who sometimes, when you hold their hand, you think, "Wow, your skin is so chilly!"

Mosquitos mostly avoided me. We wondered aloud about this phenomenon a lot during our vacation. (Mostly because it made Mason mad. "Why don't they go after YOU, Ima?!??") We eventually concluded that the reason the mosquitos liked me the least was because of my sushi habit. I east sushi fairly regularly for lunch and I know for a fact that consumption of raw fish changes your body odor. So, it very well could have been that the mosquitos just didn't register me as tasty. Or at least a second choice to the more strictly carnivores in my family (because I also have a tendency to eat a lot more veggies than either Shawn or Mason.)

This time Bearskin also offered a number of kids' activities. Normally, we're not joiners, but Mason saw the list and wanted to try out slack lining, so we went to the demo. The demo was led by Andrea. We kept running into Andrea though out our stay. She seemed to be the children's events coordinator, but she was also the only one to introduce herself to us when we went to the wine and cheese mixer. (At which we tried Gunflint Trail wine and had... Colby and cheddar cheese. Not a fancy do, but very... erm, authentically "Fargo" if you know what I mean.)

At any rate, here's Mason on the slack line with Andrea and I spotting:



I even tried it, but you know, with me on the line, it dipped pretty close to the ground....

And this was the day that the mosquitos were at their absolute WORST. So we stayed long enough to enjoy it, but were eventually driven away and back out into the canoe to escape the bloodthirsty hoards.

The mosquitos also chased us away from our beloved "Moose Viewing Trail," where last time we were up we actually saw several moose. This time not only did the mosquitos dog us the whole way to the marsh and back, but there was really nothing to see there once we got there. Except, of course, the mysterious buried car...

This year, apparently, we didn't take a photo of the weird car in the woods, but it is there. It's very mysterious, being several miles off the road, and, well, having a boulder in the trunk. But you can clearly see the roof, the engine block and actually pull on the door handle which is fully-buried in the ground. (Which is also odd, because it kind of seems.., off, like maybe somehow the car was dropped with enough force to have bent the doors so that they lay parallel to the ground.... as if dropped by... aliens???)

Very mysterious.

We probably didn't get a picture because all you would have seen was the massive swarm of mosquitos....

In other news, my Loft class has ended and I'm reading no.6 a new manga I discovered on Saturday, when I worked at the Maplewood Library. I've written a review which I'll probably link back here once I get it up.

And.... here's the review: http://mangakast.wordpress.com/2014/06/23/review-no-6/

Up North, Ya Know (part 4)

(WARNING: spider picture follows!)

Bearskin Lodge is conscientious because they only charge you for the things you use. We decided ahead of time that we wanted to have a canoe every day. Our family is, for the most part, dock-sitters, but occasionally, as I said, I get antsy and want to do All The Things. So it's nice for me to be able to hop into a canoe and tool around the Lodge end of East Bearskin Lake.

I'm not an expert canoer by any stretch of imagination.

I've been in a canoe plenty, but in the world of self-propelled watercraft, I'm probably best at a kayak. It was particularly noticeable this time how much I kind of suck at canoe. This time we had some days when the wind really pushed me around. Even with Mason sitting in the front, we'd get pushed so hard that the canoe would just go in a circle or slam up against the shore. Probably this had a lot to do with the fact that I'm crap at steering (we discovered on the last day, of course, that Mason is a natural!) but, regardless, it was both upsetting and hilarious.

As a bonus, we're pretty sure that the Bearskin web cam caught some of our antics.

Here's the view from the canoe:



We pulled off on a little island to tromp around a bit. Here's the wild explorer, Mason:



The views of the lake were spectacular:



Here's us heading off:



Plus, it turns out? If you sit on the dock all day, you might encounter one of these:



This is what Andy called a 'dock spider' which he gleefully announced, gets bigger--much bigger. The size of dinner plates by August, he said. To which Shawn replied, "That's why we come in May."

Apparently they're a a type of dolomites, a fishing spider. That's right... they can sometimes catch and eat small fish. Mostly they eat water skaters, though, which I saw plenty of, which is, I suppose, how our dock could support TWO of these beasts.

We kept seeing a snake around near our dock too, and according to Wikipedia, snakes and birds are dock spiders' main predators.

Ah, nature!

Up North, Ya Know (part 3)

Other than a stop for food (at a McDonald's, I think) we continued the rest of the way to Bearskin Lodge without stopping. We talked about places we wanted to go on the way back: Iona's Beach and the Split Rock Lighthouse (which I have never seen). But, we were starting to get anxious to arrive before the sun completely went down.

We got there around seven and checked in. Bearskin Lodge is about thirty-miles up the Gunflint Trail and pretty much delineates the "Last Homey House." There are flush toliets, running water, and showers in the cabins. You can gave motor boats on parts of East Bearskin Lake, but the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) is just around the bend. A lot of people rent a cabin at Bearskin but use it as a place to take off from and come home to. We like to just call it "home" and do very short trips into the wilds.

Each cabin comes with its own, private dock. Inside are all the amenities including a kitchen (we packed all the food we'd need since the nearest store is MILES/hours away) and a fireplace. This time we took full advantage of the fireplace. It got very chilly late at night, so the fire was functional as well as fun.

Here's a blurry picture of me roasting marshmallows for our champaign and S'mores honeymoon feast (yes, you read that right. We had champaign and S'mores for our honeymoon):



Here's a better one of Mason doing the same thing (you can kind of see the main room of the cabin in this shot, too):



We had for the most part really good weather. As we left at the end of the week, Bob, the owner, told us we'd hit the "weather jackpot" and I think he was right, especially since we've come home to days and days of seemingly unending rain. While we were up there, both Shawn and Mason managed to get sunburned. For reasons of Bizzaro-World, I think, I managed to be the one who remembered to reapply my sunscreen early and often. I am a bit browner, but I managed to not get scorched. To be fair, I may have gotten burned if I'd brought more than one book to Bearskin, because this is what my family did most nice days (which is to say, sit on the dock and read):



I love to read, but I'm bad at it. I'm easily distracted partly because reading has always been a bit of a chore for me thanks to a mild case of dyslexia. Plus, I'm that person. Last time we were at Bearskin, Shawn teased me because I was always the one up at 6 am ready for a hike deep into the underbrush. At the time Modern Family had just had its Hawaii special episode and there was a funny bit about the two dads and how one of them preferred to relax and sip Mai-tais and the other wanted to visit the obscure lavender farm that had all 50 varieties of lavender. I was the lavender dad; Shawn was the Mai-tai dad.

Mason, too. He could read all day.

But here's my dock queen in her element:



Okay, I think that's it for tonight. My internet has been very come-and-go thanks to all these storms we've been having so any more pictures might break it. More tomorrow.

Also, if you're curious how my class went today, the answer was very well. My lecture started out a bit rough, but I could see it hit some of the students because I watched their gears turn and eyes light up and suddenly people had things they wanted to share. I love moments like that. Plus, we had this one as well: http://tatehallaway.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-dragon-of-awkward.html.

Up North, Ya Know (part 2)

I've gotten our trip a bit out of order already, because we actually stopped at the historical marker for the Buchanan Settlement (12 miles from Duluth) before we got to Two Harbor's break wall. According to our guide book, this is the sight of a town that has since disappeared--a Minnesotan ghost town, if you will.

Honestly, we didn't even see any part of the remaining town. What impressed us was the beach that was just a hop down from the historical marker:



It was our first real up-close-and-personal with Lake Superior. As you can see, it was a gorgeous day. The sun was bright and the water and the sky were nearly the same color.



It'd been a long trip to this point. Duluth isn't all that far away, maybe three hours (?), but we'd had to turn back after we'd gone a half hour from the cities. Shawn had forgotten the passports. She only remembered them because we kept seeing sign after sign for Thunder Bay and we'd made a special point of getting Mason a passport so that we could travel to Canada on our last day of our honeymoon. So, it was a half hour to "oh sh*t!", a half hour laughing at ourselves back home, a quick call to Bearskin to warn them we might be late for check-in, and then a half-hour to get back where we'd started.

As the driver, I could have been irritated, but I knew that, like the last time Shawn and I and Mason had done this north shore trip, we'd be doing a lot of stops at overlooks, waysides and attractions along the way.

Next up was, as I already posted Twin Harbors break wall. Then, we went on to Flood Bay, a spot we'd enjoyed last time around. It's supposedly some of the best agate hunting along the north shore, but I'll be honest you. I wouldn't know an agate in the rough if it walked up and introduced itself to me. Luckily, the beach just has cool rocks. Tons and tons of Superior flattened, time worn, awesome looking rocks. Shawn found some "sea glass" (which Superior produces, even though it's a lake) and Mason found a rock with a perfect hole in the center of it--a fairy spyglass. He's been wearing it as a necklace since.

Here's what Flood Bay looks like:


Our guide book says "agate picking is good for the soul" and I have to agree. We often spend a huge amount of time sitting on this beach sifting stones. It's just... relaxing.



Much, much more to come, but I'm going to stop here again. Today, the other things I did was have a lovely critique session with my Loft students. It ended up taking the entire class, but I think that the students got a LOT out of it. Tomorrow we only have one person to critique, but I think that will make up for the lack of lecture today.

Also, it's Wednesday so, Mason and I did our usual podcast silliness. This one was lucky number 13, and I felt it was a lot of fun... see what you think.

https://mangakast.wordpress.com/2014/06/18/lucky-thirteen/