Kiri Callaghan's Blog, page 13

Happy Thought Thursday: 9/20/2012

It’s that time again! Happy Thought Thursday!

I miss you less and less. My friends were right. I’m better without you.

—

I remember the day I found you my little stray, those big brown eyes and cute little ears.  Now, ten years on I couldn’t live without you. I love the way you still greet me at the door with big wet smooches, the way your furry little butt waggles when you’re excited and the way you eagerly jump in bed every night and snuggle close.  It’s adorable how you look into the kitchen helplessly when your hungry, the way you put your head in my lap when I’m watching Ellen and the way your legs twitch when you sleep like your running.  I’m so glad you are in my life.

-Stephanie

Ummm…Happy Anniversary to you too, Sweetheart

-Your adoring husband Brad

—

“Happiness is rediscovering your turtle slippers after an unexpected 3 mile walk in heels.”

—

The night before my first day of graduate school orientation, I had a near emotional and mental breakdown.  I worried if I had picked the right school.  Had I truly given the other schools I had been accepted to enough consideration?  The program I had chosen is one of the top ten programs in the U.S.  What if I couldn’t hack it?

 

After the welcome luncheon, I was still in a state of near panic.  There had been a PhD student at my table who went to John’s Hopkins before starting this program.  Another student went to Berkeley.  Yet another student came from Yale and a handful of them came from Stanford.  Who was I to think that I could compete at that level?

 

Consumed with self-doubt, I gingerly settled into my seat for my first-ever graduate-level lecture.  Despite my trepidation, as soon as I discovered that the lecture would cover systemic, institutionalized, and individual racism, my entire disposition changed.  There are few things that can compare to discovering that you are in the same room as more than 100 other people who are all geeking out with you about racism.  Bet you never thought that could be the highlight of someone’s week.  Once that revelation hit me, I knew with complete certainty that I had made the correct choice.  With renewed confidence, I think I’m finally ready for grad school to start.  Now that’s what I call a happy thought.

Happy Thought Thursday: 9/6/2012

Satan’s Sunglasses/The Wind Beneath My Feet/I Love You Mistress Universe

It was hot in Seattle, I mean melty, burny hot. The garbage bin stank, no one had air conditioning and the Space Needle had hopped on an airplane to Alaska. It was so freaking bright Satan had to put on his shades. It was a “The walk to work took an hour and I work at home” kinda hot. So I hopped in my car and headed out to the Ho Rainforest on the Olympic peninsula, to the cool shade of mountain and leaf. It changed my life.

Now there’s no point in explaining how I wound up hanging upside-down from a branch by my boot laces, nor is it necessary for you to know WHY I was being gently swung side to side by two surprisingly soft pawed raccoons indeed it’s the insight this predicament afforded me that is germane here. Besides the how is dull and involves spiders and would likely ick you out.

After the requisite panic I realized I was in no danger. The air was cool underneath the lush green canopy and the rain felt good against my skin. Above my head the earth was dark and rich, and below me, a breeze across my feet. The raccoons chattered congenially as they pushed me to and fro and the rythmatic swinging seemed to put me at ease. It was the simplest thing to close my eyes and reflect.

The patter of raindrops spattered the forest ceiling like a giant waterfall, birds chirped delightfully at one another and the frogs were making a play at “Loudest Living Cacophony.” I opened my eyes and observed the colors. The dark rich browns and vibrant greens,, the iron grey sky with the purest blue poking between the clouds, the baby raccoon who was racing franticly back and forth trying to catch me, presumably to nest in my hair. It was then that I realized what a gift this world was. From WHOM, I had no idea, God, Gaia, Odin, Papa Smurf…but a gift it was.

Thank you Mistress Universe. For the sun that warms us and the stars that guide us. For the moon so beautiful for the seas so vast. For the galaxy so mighty and the mouse so meek, thank you Mistress Universe.

As I drifted from side to side, my thanks turned to love, of the rain and the mountains and the lakes. Love of the giant anthills we so proudly call “towns” and of every living thing in the universe, even the raccoon cub that was currently licking my inner ear. I love Seattle, even in the heat. And mint ice tea, And classic cars. I love the granite peaks of the Appalachians and the vibrant blue Aegean Sea. I love the forests and the deserts and prickly pears and bunnies and snakes and people. Oh the wonders people. Tall and short, red, brown pink green and blue, gay and straight, thin. Oblong, male female atheist, god fearing, I just don’t care. Oh you beautiful people out there, each and every one…I love you.

Now please come cut me down, I’m getting dizzy

–Kevin

—

Terra Mirum Teaser Trailer: Alys

Teasers and Tidbits

Not to be confused with ‘timbits’ which are really just delicious.

 

So… I have a teaser trailer for this book. This one I keep talking about but not really saying much about and hashtagging with #TerraMirum? And I thought to myself, “Well, I’ll release the trailer at Comikaze Expo!” Because that’d be a fun way to kick it off… and then I realized it would make far more sense to say… release the first chapter at Comikaze Expo…

But if I did that, you’d have to already see the trailer, right?

Right.

So instead I’m going to release it tomorrow.

Which is really all for the best because I have been dying to show it to everyone anyway.

From there I’ll be adding little teaser snippets along the way to my author page on Facebook and will be making a gallery here as well.

I’m excited, are you excited? Well, never mind then, I can be excited enough for the both of us.

To the First of My Seattle Family

Family is a weird word.

Well, it’s not so much the word that’s weird but the concept–or the weird restrictions we put around it. Think about it. If you are anything like me, your biological family is probably infested with folks you would never voluntarily spend time with were it not for the few dna strands you all share.

“What’s his face is a dick.”

“Yeah, but he is family.”

If they’re on the family tree, perpetuating some part of our line, they have a free pass. I’m not sure how that tradition got started. I think I’ll blame the royals because half of our stupid traditions started that way anyway.

But this really isn’t about that. This is about the family you don’t get handed to you at birth. This is about the family we sort of pick up along our way, if we’re really really lucky.

And I have been really really lucky.

Two people I love very dearly are getting married tomorrow. They were the first of my real friends that I made in Seattle–which is kinda funny because they aren’t even originally from here.

Tomorrow I will help my beautiful “sister” step into her wedding dress and give my “brother” an enormous hug before the ceremony starts.

And inevitably I will cry. A lot. I’ve tried to suck it up and not get emotional during these kinds of things but that’s really just not who I am. I once was given the honor of officiating a friends’ wedding and the speech I wrote was beautiful and sincere and completely unprepared for the fact that I started crying right in the middle of it.

I’m not sure if an opportunity to say something like this will be given to me tomorrow, or if I’ll have the courage to say it all or if I’ll even have the ability to say it all because I’m going to be a mess.

So… I’m a writer and I thought I’d write what I’d like to say.

I met Lyz and Mike in the spring of 2006. I was finishing up the first of four emotionally and physically taxing years in college and while my grades were excellent by the end, I had no real friends. And then SakuraCon rolled around. It’s Seattle’s big anime hoopla, if you’re not familiar.

How we met was unconventional to say the least and had to deal with stalkers and fake raves and fedoras but that’s a story for another time because this post is not about me. All you need to know is I was put in a position where two strangers not only showed me extreme kindness and acceptance, but the kind of camaraderie you only expect from people you have known your whole life.

They are the kind of people that when you meet them, you already assume they’ve been married for years–not because it’s like old bickering couple (okay, some of that and the banter is fantastic) but because they seem so absolutely at home with each other. I remember one time Lyz and I traveled down to Oregon together to see a mutual friend’s play and that night she called Mike and then before bed told me how much she missed him. Disgustingly adorable. Have you ever seen ‘How I Met Your Mother’? You know Lily and Marshall? It’s like that. THAT’S Lyz and Mike. They even have the same first letters in their name!

So when Mike called me and told me he needed my help to propose… I’m pretty sure you could hear my squeal all the way in Maine. Oh, they’re from Maine, btw–they went back there for a few years for school.

And the great plot happened and they came to Seattle for a visit and we all went up to the Space Needle under the guise that the four of us (Them, me and our friend Morgan) were just going to enjoy a snazzy nice dinner. And then in the middle Mike got down on one knee and Lyz started freaking out because she didn’t know what was going on and he asked and she said, “No. Of course, you idiot!” (Mind you this was before How I Met Your Mother was a household staple for us… so this was a bizarrely appropriate response.)

It’s weird thinking that day was… years ago. And now we’re here. And tomorrow they’re going to be married. And I have never been so happy for two people.

I love them. I’m so grateful to have them in my lives and even more so to call them family. And I know they’re going to be so, so happy together.

I wish them all the best in the world. They deserve it.

Happy Thought Thursday – 8/23/2012

This is awesome, you guys, let’s keep it up!

“I love you.”

“I know.”

@nightynight34

—

I always knew it would end this way.

The sun beats warmly down on a field covered in grass and wildflowers.  My breath comes in gasps as I flee across the expanse, hoping beyond hope I can reach the horses on the far side of the clearing in time,  But I won’t.  I never could.  They come from all sides, paring the flowers like furry twin shark fins, inevitable, inescapable.  Still I try, racing like a madman, my bare feet; cool in the damp grass, the wind caresses my face. I run towards the horses, their big brown eyes, their velvety mussels, if I could reach them I’d be safe.  I glance furtively behind to see if they’re gaining and, in an instant, a fleeting second, it’s over.  I trip and fall, twisting as I do, the grass accepts me like a cotton futon, and then they are upon me.  Their noses fuzzy and damp, their bodies gentle and warm, their little feet hopping softly across my chest…I’m covered in little bundles of life, one arm reaches hopelessly for the sun as I’m buried in joy.  One of them places its little head against my neck and falls asleep.  I give up and join it in slumbering darkness as the sun warms the field.  I always knew it would end this way.

Bunnies, it was always bunnies.

-Kevin

—

There is nothing in life that is quite like the love you get from a dog. I rescued Cletus at 6 months old. He had spent the first several months of his life locked in a small pen. Despite that he is one of the most loving little boys out there. He doesn’t let anything get him down, he is up for anything and always ready to make you smile.

—

—

The ancient scribe

The ancient scribe sits at his table,
On a meager plate we find
Cast offs from the other's feasts.
He cherishes that goodness in kind.

He feasts on what he's finding there,
His hunger rarely assuaged.
His heart remembers times gone past,
When battles round him raged.

His hunger knows no bounds I fear,
For his hunger is that of man.
Man hungers for the company,
Of friends, and times, and plans.

He gorges himself for he knows well,
The famine he will face.
The wasting times, the terrible loss
Of lonely, empty space.

It knows no bounds, of age or health,
The hunger stays within.
He finds no one to comfort him,
No hearth, no home, no kin.

"You are too picky, or fat, or old."
Say those who know him not.
"I live my life, giving myself,
To help, to teach." He thought.

"You are too picky, or fat, or old."
He hears it once again.
The times he lived, the ones he seeks,
They leave and have no end.

"How does this end?" He often asks,
The tears they show his pain.
It ends with friends, they gather round,
And say, "His heart was slain."

"I'm not dead yet!" He cries aloud,
The pen he lifts to write.
The laughter builds, they know the line,
"Come friends, we've wars to fight!"

-P. Crandall Polk

Happy Thought Thursday 8/16/2012

Curious what this is all about? Check out the rules!

—

I faxed this letter to my wife Shelley, her mom and sister when they were on vacation at the ghost Ranch years ago. It gets funny as you get deeper into it. A friend told me that she peed while reading it.

THE VACATION LETTER

Don’t worry about me I’m doing fine.

Mydearest wife,

Hopefully, the 3 of you are having a wonderful time on your vacation. I think that it’s wonderful that your mother, sister and you are getting the opportunity to bond. If you’re worrying about how Joshua, Gizmo and I are doing in your absence you’re wasting valuable time that could be put to better use by enjoying your much deserved vacation. I think that considering the total picture we’re doing pretty good. Some concerns have arisen that are hardly worth mentioning but I think it best that I keep you informed just in case.

Gizmo was certainly a sad little puppy when you left. I tried to make him feel better the first couple of days by running to the door saying, “Shelley is here, Shelley is here!” His little face would light up with excitement and anticipation. He would jump, bark delightedly and wag his little tail forall he was worth. Of course, it was kind of a downer when I would finally open the door and you wouldn’t be there. It was great seeing him happy for at least a little while. Towards the end of the second day he developed a limp. The vet said something about hysterical sympathetic response due to sensory manipulation and some other dog psycho babble that I haven’t a clue about what it means. Now, he seems to have forgotten that he’s housebroken! I can’t get him to go to the door when he wants out. We should have it allworked out by the time you get back. Right now he’s staying pretty much out of sight, only dragging himself out when he goes to eat a little something. That brings up another point.

Except for the stuff in the freezer, packages and cans we’ve run out offood! Don’t worry about Gizmo. He has plenty of food. It’s a good thing too since he’s throwing up so much. Do you remember the time that he ate a pound of chocolate? Well, it’s worse than that. Frankly, I’msurprised more dogs aren’t throwing up eating that nasty tasting stuff. The vet said something about stress and a nervous stomach. I think thathe’s just trying to drum up repeat business. Fortunately, Pizza Hut, McDonald’s and the Quick Trip are willing to take checks. By the way, how important is it to write down the amount of the check in that little register? Never mind. I’m sure that we can get it all sorted out when you get back.

Oh yes, I almost forgot. Some of the laundry I did may not have come outexactly right. You know — odd colors, things not the same size as when they went in, melted things — the usual run of the mill laundry problems. It’s a good thing I got most of the clothes done before I put that lastload of bedding in the machine. I heard you mention before you left that youwished you had got all the bedding washed before you left. I wanted to surpriseyou by having it done before you got back. Wouldn’t you know it that stupid washing machine gave out on that one load. So now none of the beds have anysheets, bed spreads, mattress pads, pillows (Boy! You never mentioned how hardthose things are to get in the machine.) or pillow cases. The washer repairman said that he didn’t think the smoke smell from one burned up overloaded washer motor would linger for more than a week. I really took exception to that because I contend they shouldn’t put “extra large load” on a machine if they don’t mean it. Anyway, it all probably worked out for thebest what with all the strong smells in the house. It really isn’t all that bad sleeping outside. Also, it’s good to know that the smoke alarms are working. If they hadn’t gone off alerting me to something being wrong there’s no telling how much more water damage we would have sustained. Itwas good to see Gizmo excited again. I really felt bad about his hair getting singed like that. He was such a brave little guy trying to warn us of danger.

Josh left home and says that he’s not coming back until you’ve been back home at least a week. I don’t care what he says about being embarrassed about all the media coverage. In case you should see something on the news you need to know that things look worse on TV than they actually are. All those muck raking journalists are just looking for an easy story at some poor husbands expense. The screams attributed to me were taken completely out ofcontext and I honestly have no idea in all that confusion where those circuspeople came from. I must say those 911 operators have a good sense of humor andirony. The police were very sympathetic and understanding. As luck would havethe wife of one of the investigating officers was on a vacation. He’s walking around with a loaded weapon. I think Josh left because he wanted to spend some time with his girlfriend. Should I have called to see if her parents were home? Actually, I did call a couple of times but no one would answer. Since they have Caller Identification they had to know that it was me calling. I had to laugh when he left. He really doesn’t have much in the way ofclothes left due to that possibly correctable in some isolated instances mishap with the laundry. He certainly isn’t going to be able to buy much in theway of clothes with that signed blank check that I gave him since there couldn’t possibly be much left in the checking account at this point. DidI mention that since I misplaced your check I wasn’t able to deposit it? I think that I misplaced it during all the commotion at the bank. Some pretty darn happy street people were carrying on, jumping up and down behind me when I wasoutside the bank. I had to be a little rude I’m afraid and tell them tobe satisfied with what they had and to leave me alone.

I have to tell you my little sweet that I was just a tad aggravated with you when you left concerning the performance of the dishwasher. I distinctly remember you telling me that it was supposed to be a really good one. The point is moot since food preparation in the kitchen at this juncture is impossible anyway. I believe you had mentioned wanting to do something different with the tile in the kitchen. A rather large portion across from the microwave has now been removed.

The next appliances we purchase are definitely going to have more warninglabels I can tell you for sure. I was surprised when the microwave lit up likea Christmas tree but I was totally unprepared for the explosion that followed. I think that there must have been some sort of design flaw. It was a deafening explosion but at least there’s an upside. I can no longer hear theconstant shrilling of the smoke alarms. That was starting to get on my nerves and make me just a trifle edgy. I have also been just a bit on the blinky sidebut the doctor said that could eventually go away.

This seemed like a good time to try and get some outside projects done. For the most part the security lighting system I installed is working pretty good. Mostof the lights work. You know I was checking one of those little bitty bulbs and smoke actually came off of my fingers where I grabbed it to see if it had become loose when I inadvertently ripped the top off of the fixture. I didn’t want to take a chance on having another short since I had beenhaving so much trouble with the breaker box. Who would have though a bulb that size could get so hot? I think that I have the majority of the lights inside the house back on now. I moved the VCR and TV to the basement. I did manage to salvage our wedding tape. I’ve been watching that for better or worsepart of the ceremony over and over. Do you remember that part babe? It really is one of the more moving and inspirational parts of the whole ceremony. That blinking VCR light is distracting though. If I just could get the dumb thing to stay on I could get around in the basement better. It is too bad that Icouldn’t get some of the majority of lights to stay on down there sincethe basement is now the only cool part of the house. What with all the fumes and all I’m just too afraid to light a candle.

When you come home don’t use the garage door opener. Should by some miracle the garage door actually work it still wouldn’t be safe for youto enter the house that way. Since this message may be read by others the lawyer has advised that I not say anything further. We’ll talk more aboutit when you get back. I sure hope that the check you had me mail to the insurance company turned out to be one of the good ones.

Someone named Okra, I think, keeps calling and asking for you. It’s kind of hard for me to hear the answering machine. If you call pretend you’re talking to mom. The instructions you left were helpful but I have learned someother things in your absence:

•Make sure that the spray nozzle of that personal defense mace is pointed away from you and that you’re upwind when you use it. The safety is not onwhen that little lever is up.

•That hot wax hair removal stuff should not — I repeat not — be usedon ear or nose hair!

•Herbal bath gel is not an acceptable substitute for salad dressing.

•Your mother may have been right.

•Fireplaces are a lot heavier than they look.

•There’s a quicker way to get to the basement.

•The difference between tbs. and pt in cooking directions. Incidentally, you can get way to much dough in a bread machine.

•It’s not a good thing for a loaded clothes dryer to run all night onhigh.

•There’s a lot more than windows that those cleaning people won’tdo.

•I’ve discovered how truly grateful I am to have a spouse whodoesn’t overreact to small un-pleasantries.

I talked with my mom and she said that since your mother and sister are withyou and will probably read this letter I shouldn’t fax it to you sincethere’s no telling how they might react given your family’s history. I had completely forgotten that your sister goes medieval occasionallyand that you mother has a long history of dealing with groups of people in confined spaces. Gizmo is just fine. Lorena, the dog groomer, didn’t cut his hair too short. We’ll know more when the stitches come out of him orher depending on what they find. If he doesn’t come when you call Gizmo try calling Missy instead. The vet said he may be having an identity crisis. So, disregard the first part of this letter and start here.

Dearest Shelley,

I’m crazy in love with you, miss you, hope that you’re having a wonderful time and look forward to your return. Even when apart I still findjoy in our being together. Distance doesn’t separate the closeness of ourhearts.

Your loving husband,

—

Nikki is my happy thought. She is the light of my life.

Happy Thought Thursday – 8/9/2012

Just one today! Need more contributors!

—

 

The ‘Happy Thought’ Project is an on-going collaborative work focused on the little things that make life worthwhile and make us smile. The goal is to create a collection of artwork (photography, drawings, writing) that bring hope and comfort. When enough content has been gathered, I would like to bind them into a book and donate whatever proceeds are obtained to the Crisis Clinic.

What Kind Of Things Can I Submit?

I accept drawings, photography, quotes, poems and short stories.

Drawings and Photos should be accompanied by a small amount of text (whether to explain or add to the picture) and should be something you personally own the rights to.
Poems should not be previously published.
Short stories should be no longer than half a page in a word document and should not be previously published. I use ‘short story’ loosely. This should be a personal story etc.
Quotes may be famous quotes but please credit them appropriately.
Some editing may be done to make sure spelling/punctuation is correct but for the most part I will try to keep all writing in tact as it is sent to me.

How Do I Submit Work?

For the time being, please send all Happy Thoughts to happythoughts@kiricallaghan.com

Can I Submit More Than One Thought?

Yes!

Is This Anonymous or Credited?

I would like to leave that up to you. If you would like to be credited for your thought, I will use only FIRST NAMES or (for the time being) Twitter handles. When we get closer to turning this into a physical book, we may use only first names.

Please indicate in your email submission if you would like to have your name mentioned. If there is no indication either way, I will assume you wish to remain anonymous.

Happy Thought Thursday: 8/2/2012

Sometimes it’s the lil things that make you smile.

Sometimes Life helps with the punchlines.

–Joshua

—

—

A library by the sea, the smell of old books and salt water mixed with a scent which could only be children & soldiers. My shoes echoed a crisp thud and led me inside a place breathing a thousand adventures but which hasn’t seen a visitor in months if not years. I was seeking solace, exhausted from my peers and as usual feeling out of place.

I spied an old fish tank with biggles on one side and a boys own book on the other, I pulled out the boys own and opened it to the dust cover which read ‘To dearest Will on your 10th birthday, love Aunty Anne 1948.’

I wondered who Anne was? Was Will still alive? How did this book find its way here?

I slid the book back and continued to explore the wondrous little library, round at one end as a lighthouse would be and rectangular at the other, I moved to the window where I see a tiny brass plaque which read the Portsea quarantine station was built in 1837 & opened by the honorable C J Cullan’.

I don’t know why such places and tiny pieces of humanity from long ago bring me such pleasure, I guess they’re reassuring, knowing that a gift given can be remembered long after the giver is gone. Knowing a place which was once filled with misery and sickness could be transformed into such a joyful place as a children’s camp gives me hope for the rest of the world….

—

The ‘Happy Thought’ Project is an on-going collaborative work focused on the little things that make life worthwhile and make us smile. The goal is to create a collection of artwork (photography, drawings, writing) that bring hope and comfort. When enough content has been gathered, I would like to bind them into a book and donate whatever proceeds are obtained to the Crisis Clinic.

What Kind Of Things Can I Submit?

I accept drawings, photography, quotes, poems and short stories.

Drawings and Photos should be accompanied by a small amount of text (whether to explain or add to the picture) and should be something you personally own the rights to.
Poems should not be previously published.
Short stories should be no longer than half a page in a word document and should not be previously published. I use ‘short story’ loosely. This should be a personal story etc.
Quotes may be famous quotes but please credit them appropriately.
Some editing may be done to make sure spelling/punctuation is correct but for the most part I will try to keep all writing in tact as it is sent to me.

How Do I Submit Work?

For the time being, please send all Happy Thoughts to happythoughts@kiricallaghan.com

Can I Submit More Than One Thought?

Yes!

Is This Anonymous or Credited?

I would like to leave that up to you. If you would like to be credited for your thought, I will use only FIRST NAMES or (for the time being) Twitter handles. When we get closer to turning this into a physical book, we may use only first names.

Please indicate in your email submission if you would like to have your name mentioned. If there is no indication either way, I will assume you wish to remain anonymous.

Road Trip!

Hey guys,

So later this afternoon, I’m going to pile into a car with my good friend M and we’re going to head down to the great city of San Francisco.

Why? Because M interviewed with Natural Motion and they’re like, “Holy crap, you’re awesome, come work with us!”

So I’m going to be an extra badass friend and help out with the move by being a second driver and general entertainment manager.

What. Up?

I’ll be flying back to the Emerald City on Tuesday evening. However, I’m going to attempt to do some quick vlogging every night before we bunk down and catch some Zzs so stay tuned for that!

 

Also, seriously, if you haven’t checked out ‘The Happy Thought‘ project, please do. It’s going to be epic. It’s going to be awesome. It’s going to be the bright spot on an otherwise difficult Thursday when perhaps the world is ending and only your strange friend, Ford Prefect knows what’s going on. Point being, I need your help to spread the news and gather submissions.