Matthew Alan Thyer's Blog, page 4

Look Ma, I Give Up

This morning was the grim sort wherein the thin whisper of heat emanating from the electric kettle feels in its proximity to my hands like the last flame on the face of the earth. And yes, I did in fact hold my hands near the kettle until it beeped only then did I pour the boiling water into my coffee grounds. Then I made a piece of toast.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my writing process. In part, this is because I’m in a composition class that expects me to do so, but also because I’...

Is That the Same Moon?

Ten minutes and I’m eager. Came back early from this morning’s very rainy walk to make sure I was on and loaded in time. Are you waiting for your permit too?

Totes McGotes – A Climate Problem

Upon waking I learned that a sixty-five square kilometer chunk of ice at foot of the Thwaits glacier in Antarctica potentially broke away. Yep, that glacier. I then set about making coffee and breakfast for myself and my family.

Over eggs and toast and a cuppa, I mentioned this to my wife. “They’re waiting for cloud cover to clear to confirm it, but everyone seems pretty certain.” I cleaned up the dishes. Washed up, brushed my teeth, got dressed. Took my youngest to school, his first day ...

A Fun Problem and a Critical One

Today, the sunshine is glorious. Making it so much sweeter was the walk I just took with Lyra and the certainty that for the foreseeable future it will not be around. I truly reveled in it and sweated more than a little too. I have to lose some Xmas/Pandemic weight.

As I am disposed to do, I spent most of that time lost in thought. Some of those brain cycles focused on what I’m writing, and I won’t go into that here, but I had two things bubble up that I’d like to tell you about.

The Fun O...

New Year and Other Junk

No, I don’t really have any resolutions. I do have a pile of things to do and, like a lot of people, I need to sort them out so I can prioritize and finish at least some of them.

But first, before we get into all that, I need to get something off my chest. You’re not living “off-grid” if you’re dependent on a fossil fuel network to make any part of that work. I know, thank you Captain Obvious, however, last year I saw this mistake being made all the time in all sorts of media. “Hey, come ...

Remember the Reason for the Season

Dear friend or family,

This node of the greater Thyer clan has pursued and dispatched another year. Its carcass awaits the butcher’s keen knife and we’ve mounted its bloody head atop our mantle. It grins back at us above a warm blaze.

We hope that you too have been successful in the hunt. The yuletide goats should never be allowed to linger overlong. If the fates bring you to our hearth we welcome you and fully expect you to air your grievances once the tradition of feats of strength h...

The Case to Re-elect Boebert

This morning I read an article in the Colorado Sun about a Republican candidate in my old stomping grounds trying to unseat the notorious Lauren Boebert from the 3rd District. Marina Zimmerman is being touted as a “reasonable Republican” especially when compared with Boebert’s brand of hate, heals, and hips. I, for one, would love to see less of the GOP’s favorite gun-wielding, insurrection-abetting barbie.

Admittedly, my first reaction when seeing this article was disbelief. That anyone woul...

I Let Myself Down

Recently, I picked up a copy of a story I wrote way back in 2012. I read it mostly because I didn’t recall writing it and I discovered a few things about myself.

First, I’m not a bad writer. I actually like my stories and given some time and distance from the birthing process I find them enjoyable to read. No, I’m not perfect, but who the hell is? And no, I can’t spell my way out of a paper sack, but that’s what editing and revision are supposed to correct.

The second thing I realized was ...

Mount Saint Helens

Mount Saint Helens is an active stratovolcano located in the southwest corner of Washington State. It cataclysmically blew its conical top back in 1980 and since then the dome located in the heart of the resultant crater has grown. Climbers can ascend the volcano to the rim by way of the Monitor Ridge route in the summer months and Worm Flows route after snow sets in. Be cautious, there is no water resupply, it’s a route, not a trail that is steeper than most stairs, and above 3,700′ expec...

Mount St. Helens Sunrise

This is from video I was capturing on my climb up Mount St. Helens last weekend. When I got to editing this part of it I had to stop. The memory of this sunrise is overpowering.

From just before the sun broke the horizon