S. Evan Townsend's Blog, page 55

The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Stephanie Osborn and McKenna Dean

Today on the Speculative Fiction Cantina we are pleased to welcome writers Stephanie Osborn and McKenna Dean.

Stephanie OsbornStephanie Osborn

Stephanie Osborn, award-winning Interstellar Woman of Mystery, is a twenty-plus-year space program veteran, with multiple STEM degrees. Author, co-author, or contributor to thirty-plus books, including Burnout: The mystery of Space Shuttle STS-281 and the Cresperian Saga, she writes critically-acclaimed Displaced Detective, Silver-Falchion winner Gentleman Aegis, and the new "Division One" series, her take on the urban legend of mysterious people who make UFO evidence...disappear. She "pays it forward" through numerous media, and SIGMA, the science-fiction think tank.

Stephanie's Latest Books:


Division One book 4, Tour de Force

Division One book 3, A Very UnCONventional Christmas

Division One book 2, A Small Medium At Large

Stephanie Links:

Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Google+


McKenna Dean

McKenna Dean has been an actress, a vet tech, a singer, a teacher, a biologist, and a dog trainer. Finally she realized all these jobs were just a preparation for what she really wanted to be: a writer.

She lives on a small farm in North Carolina with her family, dogs, cats, and various livestock.

She likes putting her characters in hot water to see how strong they are. Like tea bags, only sexier.

McKenna's Book:
The Panther’s Lost Princess
McKenna's Links:
Website/Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram Tumblr Amazon
From Today's Program: Sunscreen Falls Like Snow on Exoplanet
Listen to today's program at 6:00 PM ET / 3:00 PM PT, or in archive here.

Blogging

Back to the 30-day blogging challenge.

Today's prompt is: "How [did] you come across blogspot, and how has your life changed since joining?"

I don't know how I came across blogspot (which is actually Blogger, now, since Google bought it). If I type in www.blogspot.com into my browser, it comes to blogger.com.

 I do remember years ago I was reading a blog (that has since gone private) that was on blogspot. That may have been my introduction.

How has my life changed? None, really, except I have to come up with blog posts. Which is why I do these 30-day blogging challenges and spread them out. Because coming up with things to blog about is tough for me (maybe I should have put that on my "things I suck at" post). I do like to post about college football. But other than that, I usually have no idea what to post about.

Do you blog? Do you enjoy it? How do you find things to blog about? Comment below!

Television Review: Stranger Things 2

After how great the first season of Stranger Things on Netflix was, I went into Stranger Things 2 with a bit a trepidation. Would the Duffer Brothers (creators, producers and often writers and directors) be able to match the amazing achievement they had with the first season.

The answer, is short, is yes. And perhaps surpass it. All your favorite characters are there and few new ones. Winona Ryder again plays the aggrieved mother of Will and while she is understandably upset, you never lose sympathy for her. The four young men are back, a bit older and have moved on from playing Dungeons and Dragons to video games. Set in 1984, the show catches the essence of the times and with more than a Reagan/Bush yard sign and the kids wearing Ghostbusters costumes for Halloween. It oozes 1980s small town life. (I grew up in a small town in the 70s and life didn't have the swiftness of change it does now.)

Every performance is pitch perfect. You love some characters and you hate some. But none of them are wasted, even in the smallest parts.

Probably the best compliment I can give Stranger Things is that I hate horror. But I love Stranger Things.

My biggest complaint is that there were only nine episodes. But they were packed and fast-paced. I wanted more. There were only eight in the first season so I should be happy, I guess. Also, according to the Internet Movie Database, there's going to be at least two more seasons. It's going to be fun to watch those kids become teenagers.

Huskies Win the Apple Cup

Last night was the annual cross-state rivalry football game between the University of Washington Huskies and the Washington State University Cougars.

Going into the game, the Cougars were at #13 in the College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings. Washington was #17. In the AP Top 25 poll of sports writers, UW was at 15, WSU at 14.

But what happened showed that those rankings were reversed. Washington received the ball at the kickoff and easily marched down the field through the Cougar's vaunted defense to make a touchdown. And it got worse from there. Even though star wide receiver Dante Pettis went out early with a ankle sprain, the Dawgs dominated. Our wide recieving corps have been decimated by injury this season. So quarterback Jake Browning was throwing to players whose name I'd never heard before.

While the Huskies never turned over the ball, the Cougars had at least three interceptions and one
fumble. The star was running back Miles Gaskin, who ran for 192 yards and had four rushing touchdowns. Even Viscano, the kicker, did well, going 2-2 on field goals and getting every extra point after touchdowns. The Cougars didn't score until the fourth quarter, managing two touchdowns, but it was too little too late. And I suspect Coach Petersen had pulled some starters out of the defense by then, as he tends to do in blow out games.

The final score was 41-14. This is the fifth time in a row UW has won the Apple Cup. The Huskies are 10-2 on the season (7-2 in conference).

This is the first time this year the Huskies have played a ranked team, and they won handily.

The next game for the Huskies will be a bowl game, and we'll find out in a week which one. That is because Stanford won the Pac-12 North and will play USC in the Pac-12 Championship game on Friday.  Stanford is also 7-2 in conference but since they beat the Huskies, they are the North winners, even though the Huskies have a better over-all record (Stanford is 9-3 overall after beating Notre Dame last night).

More Deep Thoughts:

Last week I gave my criteria for a "good" Husky season. I came up with these years ago when the Huskies were not able to do these things:



Have at least an 8-4 recordBeat OregonBeat WSUGo to a good bowl and win it

Well, they've done three of those, the first three, this year. I assume with a 10-2 record they will go to one of the better bowls.  And they'd better win it.
Polls:
The CFP rankings will come Tuesday, as always. I assume Washington will move up and Washington State will move down. But neither move will change either team's prospects at getting into the playoffs. Unlikely any Pac-12 team will be in the four teams that make it to the playoffs.
In the AP Top 25 College Football poll that came out this morning (Pacific Time), Three Pac-12 teams have been ranked every week so far this year: UW, WSU, and USC. And this week they are still ranked. USC is unchanged at #11 (they didn't play this week), UW moves up to #13 (from 15), WSU fell to 21 from 14, and Stanford went from 20 to 14.
Next Year:
Washington has been criticized for playing creme puff (or in one case, cupcake) non-conference opponents. That's not happening next year. Washington plays Auburn (who beat Alabama yesterday and moved to #4 in AP poll) in their season opener. Then play BYU in their third game. They do play FCS North Dakota in their second game. I think the Auburn game is at home (which will help because that's going to be a tough game).

A Speculative Fiction Cantina Replay with Tracy Lawson and Natalie Wright

Today on a Speculative Fiction Cantina replay we are pleased to welcome Tracy Lawson and Natalie Wright.
Tracy LawsonTracy Lawson

Once upon a time, Tracy Lawson was a little girl with a big imagination who loved to tell stories. Her interests in dance, theater, and other forms of make-believe led to a career in the performing arts, where “work” means she gets to tap dance, choreograph musicals, and weave stories. A mid-life career change has so far yielded Counteract, Resist, Ignite, and Revolt, the four volumes in the young adult Resistance Series, plus two nonfiction history books.

Tracy's Books:


Revolt

Pride of the Valley: Sifting through the History of the Mount Healthy Mill (history, non-fiction)

Ignite

Tracy's Links:

Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest

Natalie WrightNatalie Wright

Natalie is the author of H.A.L.F., an award-winning science fiction series, and The Akasha Chronicles, a young adult fantasy trilogy. She lives in the high desert of Tucson, Arizona with her husband, teen daughter, and two cat overlords.

A nerd since before it was remotely cool, Natalie spends her non-writing time reading, gaming (ESO, Skyrim, Dragon Age), and hanging out with readers and other fans of geek and nerd culture at comic cons, Sci-Fi/Fantasy literary cons and book festivals throughout the western US. Natalie also geeks out frequently on podcasts, radio shows and guest blogs discussing writing and books. She was raised an Ohio farm girl, lives in the desert Southwest, and dreams of living near the ocean.

Natalie's Books:

H.A.L.F.: The Deep Beneath

H.A.L.F.: The Makers

H.A.L.F.: ORIGINS

Natalie's Links:

Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest

From Today's Program: Why the Universe is Accelerating.

Listen to today's program at 6:00 PM ET / 3:00 PM PT, or in archive here.

Happy Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States. This is the day we get together with family to stuff ourselves full of turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes. Some folks also eat yams or sweet potatoes, but I think those are gross (they are almost squash, and I detest squash).

There's usually a football game today. I think traditionally the Detroit Lions lose to the Dallas Cowboys. Although I remember watching a Seahawks game on Thanksgiving, once.

Erma Bombeck once said (and I paraphrase) that Thanksgiving dinner takes six hours to prepare and 12 minutes to eat. And the half time of a football game lasts 12 minutes. This is not a coincidence.

Of course the cliched joke about Thanksgiving is arguing politics with Uncle Bill.

So I hope today Uncle Bill is quiet about how he feels about Trump. Or Hillary. Or whatever he wants to complain about.

Have a happy Thanksgiving if you're in the U.S. And if you're not, have a great day anyway.

The Huskies are 9-2, and That's Not Good Enough

Last night, in a squeaker, the University of Washington Huskies beat the Utah Utes to bring their overall record to 9-2 (6-2 in conference). But it's not good enough. More on that later.

Last night's game was a thriller that either team could win, right up to the last 58 seconds. Teams were swapping touchdowns, but Utah scored first so the best the Huskies could do was tie. A missed extra point and a missed field goal also kept Utah ahead most of the game.

The Huskies managed to make a touchdown with 58 seconds left in the game tying the score at 30-30. Then the Dawgs' defense stopped Utah. When the Utes punted, the Huskies had 28 seconds to score and were 72 yards from their end zone.

But a couple of good plays, including throws by Jake Browning, got them in field goal range. Sort of. Place kicker Vizcaino had already missed a field goal and a PAT. He was 38 yards out. And as time ran out, he made the field goal.

But, in a way, it doesn't matter. The Huskies can't be the Pac-12 North champion. That will be either Washington State or Stanford. It depends on who wins next week's Apple Cup (the cross-state rivalry game between Washington and Washington State).

Stanford is 7-2 in conference (after beating Cal last night) and plays Notre Dame next week so that in-conference score is not going to change. If Washington beats WSU, Washington will be tied at 7-2 in conference. But since we lost to Stanford last week, Stanford would be the Pac-12 North champion. If the Cougars win the Apple Cup, they will be 7-2 in conference and since they beat Stanford, they would be the Pac-12 North champion.

One would almost be tempted to root for WSU in the Apple Cup so they could be the Pac-12 North champions. But....naaaaaaw. It's the Apple Cup: the Huskies have to win it.

The Apple Cup is Saturday at 5:00 PM (PST) on Fox.

USC will be the Pac-12 South champion at 8-1 in conference play (WSU beat them).

The Polls:

As usual, the CFP rankings don't come out until Tuesday but they are often very close to the AP top
25 poll. Everyone in the Pac-12 went up one except Stanford who stayed at #20. WSU is at 14 UW is at 15, and USC is at 11. No team from the Pac-12 will be in the CFP playoffs this year.

Deep Thoughts:

Back when the Huskies weren't very good (they went 0-12 in 2008) I would say I'd be happy if they did the following:

Had at least an 8-4 recordBeat OregonBeat WSUWent to a good bowl and won it.So far this year, they've done two of those (they have a 9-2 record and they beat Oregon). All that's left this is beat WSU next week in the Apple Cup, and then go to a good bowl (which they will) and then win it.
Last year was the miracle year. The Huskies were 11-1 in the regular season (lost to USC), were the Pac-12 North champs, beat Colorado in the Pac-12 Championship Game, and were in the CFP playoffs (unfortunately losing to Alabama, which is nothing to be ashamed of). Not every year can be like that (unless you're Alabama). Last year raised the bar on fan expectations and I'm no exception. Now I bet the Huskies will lose a lot of good players to the NFL (including quarterback Jake Browning) so next year is going to be even more challenging. And the Huskies have a tougher schedule with non-conference games with Auburn and BYU (they do play North Dakota, an FCS team, in their second game). Hoping Husky coach Chris Petersen is ready to lose more of his star players and has players waiting to step into those roles.

This Week in the Pac-12

This is the penultimate weekend in the college football regular season and so also for Pac-12 football. There are some interesting games happening today.

At 5:00 PM (Pacific Standard Time; as all times will be in this post) on ABC, UCLA and (#11 in the CFP) USC have their rivalry game. My nephew went to USC so I know how much they hate UCLA. Usually rivalry games are on the last weekend of the regular season, but USC has a bye next week (idiotic Pac-12 scheduling). USC should win that game, wrapping up the Pac-12 South Championship.

California and (#22 in the CFP) Stanford are also have their rivalry game today. That's because Stanford plays Notre Dame next week. Stanford will probably beat California but not Notre Dame. Today's game is also at 5:00 PM but on Fox.

And the game I care about: at 7:30 PM on ESPN, the (#18 in the CFP) University of Washington Huskies play Utah. Huskies need to win this game to keep their hopes of a Pac-12 North Championship alive. Then they need to beat Washington State (who has a bye this week) next week to be the North Champions. Then they would go on to meet USC in the Pac-12 Championship game on December 1st.

I just wish the game wasn't on so damn late. If Washington had beat Stanford last week, Washington would be higher ranked and might have gotten an earlier time slot on ESPN or Fox.

Other Pac-12 games this week: Arizona State at Oregon State (12 noon on Pac-12 Networks). and Arizona at Oregon (4:00 PM on Pac-12 Networks). Colorado also has a bye this week before their rivalry game against Utah next week.

The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Arizona Tape and J. A. Pickett

Today on the Speculative Fiction Cantina we are pleased to welcome writers Arizona Tape and J. A. Pickett.
Arizona TapeArizona Tape

Arizona Tape is quite a chaotic, young adult that shares her house with a cactus plant and has sleep dates with her bed. She makes up stories in her head all the time like a crazy person and occasionally writes them down too. But only if the mood is right.

In her spare time, she enjoys discovering new places with her friends, making all kinds of food as she waltzes through her kitchen like a tornado or likes relaxing on her couch with a movie and a cozy blanket.

Arizona's Books:


Danny's Dance 

My Own Human 

Sharing

Arizona's Links;

Website/Blog
Facebook
Twitter

 J. A. PickettJ. A. Pickett

With a lifetime dream of becoming an author, this is Jennifer Pickett’s second book A Distortion of Reality with 22,018 words. Her first book A Pocket Full of Stories was published in 2010 with Amazon under the name "J. A. Heathcock."

J.A.'s Books:

A Distortion of Reality

A Pocket Full of Stories (as J. A. Heathcock)

J.A.'s Links:

Amazon
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
LinkedIn

From Today's Program: Solar Wind Charges Mars' Moon Phobos.

Listen to today's program at 6:00 PM ET, 3:00 PM PT, or in archive here.

Education is Important, But....

Back to the 30-day blogging challenge that I'm doing in 30 weeks or so (depending on how many I skip).

Today's prompt is: "How important you think education is."

Let me tell you a story.

George dropped out of high school. He went to apply for a janitor's job but they turned him down because it required a high school diploma.

So he walked home. As he did, he saw a man trying to repair the sidewalk in front of his house with concrete. George knew something about concrete because he'd worked with his father with it on their farm. So George offered to help the man for $20. The man happily paid. And he said since George did such a good job, he'd recommend him to his friends.

So George started doing concrete work around town for people, making decent money. He eventually bought a small mixer to do the concrete in and do bigger jobs. Since he always did a great job, he kept getting work. Eventually he bought a truck. Then two trucks. Then more, and a concrete planet on the edge of town and he became a successful businessman who employed a lot of people.

The local newspaper wanted to do a story on George and he let them interview him. The reporter asked "How much education do you have?" George said he never even finished high school. The reporter was impressed and asked, "What would you be doing if you had finished high school?"

George said, "I'd be a janitor."

Having said all that, I think education is very important. But it's not the most important thing. You can have a Ph.D from Harvard but if you don't have a work ethic, you'll accomplish very little. Now for a lot of jobs, you have to have a degree of some sort. If you want to be an engineer, you'd better have an engineering degree from an accredited university.

Education is important. But what gets you ahead in life if working hard, doing a good job, and having a good, positive attitude.

Here's a video about that (sort of).