A.C. Flory's Blog, page 113
December 30, 2016
End of year post: Soul-soothing — writerchristophfischer
2016 has been a year of much tragedy, ugliness and extremes: On the negative side, there’s been a lot of worries about my loved ones, illness and depression around me, bad situations that I can’t fix, death of idols and loved ones, political frustration over extremism, xenophobia, Brexit, Trump (and what all this comes with […]
via End of year post: Soul-soothing — writerchristophfischer
This post says it all, but in the end Christoph Fischer finds cause for hope, and music to warm the heart. Happy New Year everyone!
love
Meeks
Filed under: Uncategorized
December 28, 2016
Debbie Reynolds, rest in peace
Debbie Reynolds, movie icon and mother to Carrie Fisher, died today at the age of 84. I’m sad beyond words. Do not waste a moment of your life. It’s a gift we receive only once.
love
Meeks
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Carrie-Fisher, dead, Debbie-Reynolds
Happy 5th anniversary…ME!
I just received a notification from WordPress that Meeka’s Mind is five years old. Colour me amazed.
Five years is a respectable milestone in the real world. You expect things to happen after five years. You expect things to have changed, and my world certainly has.
When I first started this blog, I was sending posts out into the void, not really expecting them to be found. Given how long and evangelical they were, I’m doubly amazed that any of you found me at all!
The following excerpt is from the very first post I ever wrote, on this day in 2011:
I love the good things in life as much as anyone, so I too I like things the way they are now. Nonetheless, if things must change then I’d rather get used to those changes gradually. And I’d rather have some choice in the matter.
– If power production is part of the problem [as it is] then I’d rather pay a competitive price for solar panels than keep on paying for dirty power.
– If petrol driven cars are part of the problem [as they are] then let me choose to buy a hybrid or electric care instead [which I can then charge from those lovely solar panels I put in].
– If shipping food from one end of the globe to the other is part of the problem then let me choose to eat only food that is in season and grown locally.
Adjusting to change does not have to be horrendous. Those who have money only have to change their priorities. Those who do not have money should get assistance, and most importantly re-training opportunities so they can take advantage of the new jobs the new industries will bring.
A smooth transition is possible, but only if we get our collective heads out of the sand, and only if we recognize that helping the most vulnerable amongst us is not charity but an investment in the future.
As a writer I can see the possibilities for a better, brighter future, but only time will tell whether we make the transition smoothly, or fall in a heap as a species.
As a human being I’m hoping we don’t go the way of the real dinosaurs, but as a writer I have to acknowledge that at the moment, an end-of-the-world scenario is more likely.
My ideas haven’t actually changed, but boy, have I ever learned to keep my posts short[er]. That particular post on Climate Change contains something I’ve rarely seen in the WordPress environment – a page break. -rolls eyes-
Something else that’s changed between then and now, is how I view myself. Back then I was too embarrassed to even call myself a writer. I had a story – Vokhtah – but no idea how to publish it. I also had a blog, but saw it only as a ‘necessary’ vehicle for the dreaded marketing monster.
Now, I’m proud to say, I have a blog I love for its own sake. I have online friends who have stuck with me for years. And I’m finally the author of 7 published books.
Thank you, each and every one of you.
love
Meeks
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: anniversary, blog, change, growth, Wordpress, years
December 27, 2016
Carrie Fisher – October 21, 1956 – December 27, 2016
If ever I doubted my own mortality, the death of Carrie Fisher has brought it home to me.
She was only 60, and like George Michael, Prince, David Bowie, Alan Rickman and so many other icons from my youth, she died too soon.
2016 has been a cruel year in so many ways. Nevertheless, I draw comfort from one thought – all those creative people will be remembered because they were creative. In particular, I know that long after Princess Leia is a dim and distant memory, Postcards from the Edge will live on, and with it, the book’s author, Carrie Fisher.
I read Postcards from the Edge many years ago, and the writing stayed with me when so many other works became mere footnotes to other memories. That is why I know that Carrie Fisher the writer will live on. It’s the only kind of immortality I believe in so I’ll end this post with:
Carrie Fisher, Remembered In Peace.
Meeks
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: 2016, Carrie-Fisher, Postcards-from-the-Edge, Princess-Leia, Remember
December 26, 2016
Innerscape – the last word :)
Pippi and her pillow..ahem I mean her dog
Just a quickie to say I’m going to raise the price for Innerscape, Episodes 2 – 5 this evening [Australian time].
Once the change hits – usually within 24 hours – the new pricing will be as follows:
Episode 1 – remains at 99 cents
Episode 2 – $1.99
Episode 3 – $1.99
Episode 4 – $1.99
Episode 5 – $1.99
If you started reading Innerscape but missed out on an episode or two during the Christmas madness, please nip in and grab whatever you’re missing while it’s still at 99 cents:
https://www.amazon.com/A.C.-Flory/e/B00B1M04JI/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1482805543&sr=8-1
I will be compiling an Omnibus edition at some point during 2017, but I’m ready for a change so it won’t be any time soon.
Oh, and, if you were wondering about the relevance of the pic…there ain’t none; it just makes me happy.
December 23, 2016
U.S. asks foreign travelers to voluntarily disclose social media profiles — VentureBeat
Starting this week, the federal government began asking some travelers to the U.S. to supply details about their social media accounts. As you can see below, Uncle Sam now wants visitors to disclose their presence on popular services like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter in what appears to be a long shot attempt to screen for…
via U.S. asks foreign travelers to voluntarily disclose social media profiles — VentureBeat
I’m stunned by the naivete of this step. Do they honestly believe a terrorist will provide links to social media accounts that betray his or her terrorist affiliations????? And to make matters worse, the reason for this step is to somehow fill the gap left by allowing people into the US for very short periods of time…without visas and the checks they imply.
I have just one comment…-FACE PALM-
Filed under: Uncategorized
December 20, 2016
Christmas 2016 – Hope not Hate
[image error]
The lead up to Christmas 2016 has been grim, but I hope that from here on in, a little of humanity’s brighter side can shine through.
I don’t believe in any religion, but on a good day, I still believe in humanity. Let’s show that the Naked Ape is capable of more than just hate. Hate destroys. Only Hope has to power to build a better future.
May this Holiday Season be full of Hope, Charity and most of all, Joy.
love
Meeks
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: 2016, Christmas, flash-mob, Hope-not-hate, Ode to Joy
Berlin, 2016
How can you tell an act of terror? It is a violent, deadly effect without a cause.
My heart goes out the the people of Berlin who must face Christmas without loved ones whose only mistake was to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
December 18, 2016
Best #cat commercial EVER!
Had to post this so I could watch it again and again. I feel so much better now.
Optus network and EmergencyAus – update
Just thought I’d let everyone know that I can now access EmergencyAus via my browser!
[image error]
It’s in beta but the most important parts work just fine. You can find it at:
No download required as it all runs from within the browser.
cheers,
Meeks
This morning’s post:
This is a bushfire danger post so if you’re not from Australia, or not interested, look away now.
Okay, my mobile phone carrier is Virgin. Virgin uses the Optusnet network. If the Optusnet network in a given area goes down, the Virgin mobile phones in that area become useless lumps of plastic and circuitry.
My mobile phone became a useless lump of plastic and circuitry this morning. Not just for a minute or two, but for over 2 hours.
What does this have to do with bushfires? EmergencyAus, that’s what.
The EmergencyAus app on my phone sends me notifications of ANY issues within a 5 km radius of my house in Nth Warrandyte. It is my early warning system. It is the one thing that has given me peace of mind since Black Saturday.
If you stayed to defend your house as I did on that horrible day, you’ll know that reliable information was next to impossible to find. I spent all day listening to ABC radio 774 [the emergency broadcaster] and haunting the CFA website. Some horrific reports did come in from people calling in to 774, but the reality was that no one knew what the hell was going on, including me.
It was the not-knowing that terrified me on Black Saturday, and it was the same sense of isolation that made me as nervous as a wet cat this morning. You see, EmergencyAus can’t work if there is no network connection. It relies on my mobile phone to warn me of danger. No phone, no warning. I do have a landline [thank goodness], but EmergencyAus is a mobile app.
According to the Virgin support person I spoke to, an Optus tower was experiencing an unexpected outage, and as it was the only tower I could link to [? how does that work anyway?] I’d just have to wait until it was repaired.
Waiting was not such a huge issue today because although there is a north wind, the temperature is still fairly low after a wintry night. But imagine if this had happened during a heatwave when temperatures reach 40 C plus? That one tower goes down and I’m…f…in trouble.
I suppose I should be grateful to get a wakeup call before we hit a code red day, but I’m not feeling much like Pollyanna today.
Not Happy, Jan
