Raven Oak's Blog, page 18

Cat-tain’s Log: Episode 030

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog.

Look at these people – amazing how sheep’ll

Show up for the slaughter

No one condemning you – lined up like lemmings

You led to the water

Why can’t they see what I see?  Why can’t they hear the lies?

Maybe the fee’s too pricey for them to realize

Your disguise is slipping

I think you’re slipping…

Unlike Dr. Horrible, Riley really shouldn’t worry. He’s firmly in control of this household...

NASFiC 2020 Schedule

This is subject to change, but the North American Science Fiction Convention 2020 (NASFiC) is virtual this year. I’ve got several panels, so here’s my schedule:

FRIDAY, AUG. 21st

ALTERNATE PUBLISHING PANEL — 1:00-1:50 PM EDT / 10:00-10:50 AM PDT

Panelists: Jude-Marie Kelly, Sherwood Smith, Valerie Estelle Frankel;  Moderator: Raven Oak

Description:   Learn about the ins and outs of alternative publishing, such as coops, e-publishing, and self-publishing from those with experience. Bring your que...

Cat-tain’s Log: Episode 029

NOT YET

No one in my family has caught Covid-19…yet. I hope it remains that way, but it’s unlikely. I’ve had a dozen or so friends get it. All of them are still recovering.

I worry when I see the number of cases shoot up while states decide to send kids back to school. As a former teacher and one who’s at high risk, I can’t imagine having to make the kids of choices my former colleagues are currently making. Many have filled out their wills. Some of them have outright quit. It’s not safe for the...

Cat-tain’s Log: Episode 028

Raven Oak.

Cat-tain’s Log: Episode 027

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

The kitty in the first panel on the webcomic was a neighbor’s cat a long, long time ago. His name was Greyson, and he and his brother (Murphy) decided they liked us more than their owners. They were indoor/outdoor kitties and spent the majority of their time with us. They slept in our bed, ate meals at our place, curled up on the couch with us, etc. The owners weren’t keeping them vaccinated, so we had them vaccinated, treated for fleas, etc. This continued for almost a yea...

Day 171

Welcome to Day 171 of quarantine…at least for me and my partner.

That’s 5 ½ months of isolation as we haven’t left our house expect to drive the car and recharge its battery every few weeks. Not even to grocery shop. Everything is done via delivery for us.

Alone © 2020 Raven Oak

I’m one of those who’s high risk–not because of age but because I’m immunocompromised due to my Sjogren’s and asthma. As the rest of the United States (at least parts of it) relaxes their rules regarding this pandemic, I...

Cat-tain’s Log: Episode 26

HELP!

Everyday I see another friend who’s struggling with depression and/or anxiety due to Covid-19 and quarantine. In odd ways, I think our cats are too. We’re home all the time, and you’d think that our cats would be ecstatic about this, but some days, I swear they’re as worried as we are. I suspect they’re picking up on our stress and tension as animals tend to do, but I hate that our worries are impacting them.

Our kitties seem to need more snuggles as time goes on. In a typical day, all thr...

Cat-tain’s Log: Episode 025

It’s a Thin Line Between Love and Hate

Our kitties love us, don’t get me wrong, but they hate the vet. They hate going to the vet so much that they start crying the moment they’re in the cat carriers, before they’ve even left the house. Once in the vet’s office, they will do whatever they can to get back inside the carrier and escape the veterinarian. Sometimes this includes crawling into our arms in an attempt to hide beneath us. This picture, captured at the vet’s office, was of Riley as he hu...

Cat-tain’s Log: Episode 024

GRAVITY FALLS

The middle image of Malley focused on the falling puff balls is one of my favorites. He absolutely adores those balls. He used to play fetch with them, but now he prefers to play baseball with them instead. He hits them back at you and if he misses, he’ll pick it up with his paw and toss it back to you.

DiNozzo learned his love of balls from Malley. He picks them up in his mouth–the bigger and fluffier the better–and makes these muffled meow sounds as he carries them up to your fee...

Cat-tain’s Log: Episode 023

Not My Job

Back in 2004, my partner and I visited my family when they still lived in South Florida. While there, we took a guided trip through the Everglades that was half-open bus and half-boat. I’ve been closer to gators back when I lived in Gainesville as a kid, but wow did we get close! There was a gift shop at the end of the tour because of course there was, and sitting in the corner of a stuffed animal display was a stuffed sea turtle. Proceeds from its sale donated to various local rescue...