Coat of Arms

People on the City-Data Genealogy forum have been talking about coats of arms lately, and a thread started asking people how they would design their own.  I think I’ve finally come up with mine.  Here’s my post:

“I've been thinking about this for quite awhile.  My family situation is complicated and fractured, so the coat of arms would reflect only myself.  The colors would be dark purple and forest green in opposing quadrants with a silver banner.  The motto on the banner at the top would read "CREDO IN POSSIBILITATES", "Believe in the possibilities."  Instead of a helmet, a white lotus flower would sit on top of the shield.  A male orange and black tiger supporter would be rampant on the left side, and a white female grizzly bear supporter would be rampant on the right.  In the top left quadrant would be symbols of the Triple Goddess and the Forest Lord, in the top right quadrant would be a plumed pen (I write) and a musical eighth note (I play several instruments), the bottom left quadrant would have a honu (sea turtle - to symbolize my birthmother's ethnicity), and in the right bottom quadrant would be a raven (to reflect the origin of my birthfather's surname).”

And at the bottom would be my full name.  

August "fake" camp

July's camp is over, but since we've both been writing short stories, we see no reason to stop now, so both my writing buddy and I will be continuing with our own "fake" camp.  We've set word count goals, I'm shooting for another 10k this month, though that's the minimum I want to write, and we'll keep encouraging and supporting each other as always.  

Although I came up with 50 short story suggestions before camp started last month, I ended up working on only 15 of them, so I have enough to carry me over this month.  Most of those 15 are related stories about the characters I created years ago for an rpg, but they were only bare bones descriptions of who they were.  Now I'm filling in their histories and lives and stories and how they all ended up together and am having a lot of fun with it.  It might all end up in a single book someday.

Genealogy-wise, unfortunately both of the dioceses in Cuba that I had written to for information on my grandfather's birth wrote back saying that they had no information on him at all, so I'm having to re-group and figure out where I go from here.  Bayamo and Cienfuegos were the only two possibilities for his birthplace that were listed on his paperwork.  I'm fairly certain his mother was born in Cuba, but I haven't seen any information about her either, and I'm not sure I have a correct name for her.  His father was born in Euskal Herria (the Basque Country) and moved to Cuba with his parents and siblings apparently.  Think I'll try to find my great-grandparents' marriage information in Cuba.

Books Read July 2013

Abbott, Victoria

• The Christie Curse

Fiction.  Jordan Bingham applies for a new job with Vera Van Alst, the town’s most hated person.  She’s given room and board in exchange for tracking down a mysterious play supposedly written by the grand dame of crime herself, Agatha Christie.  With the help of her lovable, though quirky, uncles, she dodges danger in her quest.

Adams, Ellery

• Peach Pies and Alibis

Fiction.  Ella Mae learns more about her mysterious ancestry as she dodges an ex-husband and while dealing with the romantic pangs she feels for the handsome firefighter she’s had a crush on all her life.  Deception and dangerous abound as death visits the lovely town of Havenwood.

Ball, Donna

• At Home on Ladybug Farm 

Fiction.  2nd in the series.  The three women who own Ladybug Farm have taken in Cici’s daughter, Lori, and Noah, the teenager who had been camping out on their property.  Along with Ida Mae, the crusty elderly woman who came with the farm, they seem to form a family, something they desperately need as they see themselves through one catastrophe (and hilarious event) after another.  From sheep with coats on to a barn on fire, they stand together and try to find a way to make it work.

Bevill, C.L.

• Harvest Moon

Fiction.  Emma had been abducted and brutalized by a were while vacationing with her parents.  By the time she escaped from him, her DNA had altered, and so, too, was her future.  Years later, she is the second in command of the powerful Colorado Cat Clan, yet in trying to help another were, she is once more captured and held.  This time by humans.  Can Wheeler find and rescue her in time?  Or will she be hunted to death?

Blackwell, Juliet

• Tarnished and Torn 

Fiction.  Lily and her friends plan to spend a fun day shopping at the Gem Faire, but as usual with Lily, things don’t go exactly as planned, and she suddenly finds herself staring at the corpse of a witch who was pressed to death.  When her estranged father arrives in town, one thing leads to another, and Lily is forced to join forces with Aiden, the most powerful witch in San Francisco, and with Sailor, who has gifts of his own to defeat a demon, if she can.

Bretton, Barbara

• Charmed 

Fiction.  Short story in the Sugar Maple series.  At the last meeting of a knitting workshop, one of the knitters surprises Chloe by revealing to her friends that Chloe is pregnant, something the villagers in Sugar Maple did not previously know.

Childs, Laura

• Sweet Tea Revenge 

Fiction.  14th in the Tea Shop mystery series.  Theodosia returns to solve another murder that happens during Delaine’s wedding.  

Connolly, Sheila

• Dead Letters

Fiction.  Nell, head of the local history society is hired by an elderly wealthy man to look into his family history and see if she can uncover anything untoward that his family was party to.  With the help of a mysterious otherworldly being, Nell is able to fulfill his request and bring about the solution to a long dormant injustice.

Copperman, E.J.

• Old Haunts 

Fiction.  3rd in the paranormal cozy series.  Alison juggles her burgeoning business as the owner and hostess of a guesthouse with a fledgling occupation as a private investigator.  The two special “guests” of her house, both long departed from their bodies, hire her to find people from their pasts.  As she begins having feelings for a new man in her life, her ex-husband, or as she calls him, The Swine, shows up for a reconciliation, disrupting her household and causing her heartache.

Draco, Melusine

• Compass Points The Pagan Writers’ Guide

Non-fiction.  Tips for writing in the Pagan and MB&S markets.

Jaffarian, Sue Ann

• Rockets’ Red Glare

Fiction.  Short story in a series of holiday tales about a woman and her odd relationships with her family members.  Funny, but this one is a bit sad.

Leclaire, Day

• Once Upon A Ghost 

Fiction.  Zach makes his living debunking ghost stories and revealing charlatans, and this case seems to be just another routine job.  That is until he meets Avery, a young woman convinced beyond all doubt that her ancestor still walks the earth.  Will his scientific experiments prove her wrong, and will she lose her faith?  Or can she prove to him that things like faith and love do exist?

New NS Chef's Table Dishes

NutriSystem has added more dishes to their gourmet Chef's Table line. The entrees come frozen, while the popcorn is shelf-stable and ready to eat.  They've promised even more to come from this line through the end of August, and I'm looking forward to trying those.

Chef’s Table Grilled Chicken Sausage with Peppers.  Spicy, peppery goodness.  Three big pieces of chicken sausage with good flavor.  Green and red peppers and onions.  It was saucy enough that it would be wonderful over brown rice, but I just ate it alone.  Will order again.

Chef’s Table Spaghetti Primavera with Chicken Meatball.  The sauce and the veggie were okay, but I liked the meatball better.  Too bad there’s only one in the meal.  It was okay, not sure if I’ll order it again.

Chef’s Table Tilapia with Asparagus and Rice.  The fish was perfect, I was worried it would be a bit mushy, but it came out great.  The asparagus was good, tender.  The rice was definitely more “Minute Rice” than “Uncle Ben’s” and could have been better, though the herbed flavor was good.  Long grain wild rice would have been ideal.

Chef’s Table Whole Wheat Ricotta Crepes.  The flavor is very good, cheesy with a spicy marinara sauce.  The crepes, themselves, are slightly sweet, which I wasn’t expecting, but they’re very tasty.

White Cheddar Popcorn.  Nice amount.  I was afraid it would be a small bag and leave me wanting more, but it was just right.  It’s not overly cheesy, but it is yummy and tasted fresh.

More great news, I've passed the 40-pound-mark!  Another bear for me :)

Camp Status and Short Stories

It's almost the middle of the month, and I have just over 6,800 words written so far, which I'm very happy about, as I set my challenge at 10k, though I'll keep plugging along after I reach that.  I'm really enjoying writing the short stories, although some of them are much longer than the 1,500 count I was expecting. 

Some of the stories are standalones, but there's a large group of interrelated stories that might end up in one book someday down the road, and I'm having fun being able to jump around and tell each character's story.  These are characters near and dear to my heart that I created years ago for an MMORPG, though the stories do not take place within the world of that MMORPG at all.  But now I have the pleasure of being able to have my characters interacting in the stories, which I could never do before.  I have a little concern as to how much of modern culture I want to include in the story, as it does include creatures like trolls and dragons, and the land is sparsely populated and based on an earth-like medieval-like landscape. 

I'm also looking forward to writing some poetry this month, it's always very relaxing for me, and I'm thinking of challenging myself to write in different poetic forms, which I haven't done a lot of before, so it will be fun.

The weight is still going down slowly, but I'm happy as long as it keeps heading in that direction.  NutriSystem just added some new gourmet frozen meals this month, and my next post will be a review of those once I've tried them.

I'm also trying to stay on top of my reading challenges for Goodreads.  During November's NaNo event, I don't do any reading at all, there just isn't enough time, but since my word count is more relaxed this month and because I'm better prepared for what I'm writing, I think I can stay on track with the reading.  

Camp NaNoWriMo 2013 2nd Session has begun!

Camp has officially begun, and I'm ahead at the moment.  Didn't write a word yesterday (for Camp), but I was otherwise occupied and will be able to write today.  Working on short stories is very different than working on a novel.  I'm trying to keep the stories to 500-2000 words.  I'm currently working on one that is related to several of the other stories, so some continuity will happen that is a little unusual in short stories.  Some of these will be based on characters that I created and played in an rpg, but their personal stories were never told.  This will be fun, because I can finally have them interacting with each other, which was impossible before, and allow me total freedom to take them places they've never been.

I have already received the package from my swap partner and have sent hers off on Monday.  The eight postcards I wrote for the postcard swap went out in the mail on Saturday, and I'm hoping they get to their destinations without any trouble.  The swap events are always very fun, and I look forward to them during each NaNo.  

On the genealogy front -- I emailed two dioceses in Cuba on Saturday asking for birth information for my grandfather, Pedro Corpion, who was born on June 7, 1908 in either Bayamo or Cienfuegos (which is why I emailed two dioceses).  I think the name I have for his mother is incorrect, and the birth information will clarify that for me.

Books Read June 2013

Adams, Ellery

• Pies and Prejudice 

Fiction.  Ella Mae returns home to Georgia after catching her husband cheating on her.  She moves into a guesthouse behind her mother’s house and is warmly embraces by the five women who raised her and who help her fulfill her dream of opening a pie shop.  An untimely threat to her childhood nemesis is mistakenly assumed to be toward the woman’s fiance...who ends up dead.  Ella Mae needs to clear her name and goes about trying to solve the murder.

Beck, K.K.

• A Hopeless Case 

Fiction.  Jane has spent the last 20 years living in Europe, when she receives the news that her wealthy uncle has died.  She has inherited his house and his money...with a catch.  She must move back to Seattle and take over his foundation.  Her new job is to solve hopeless cases, cases where an injustice has been done and which can’t be solved through the normal channels.

Bevill, C.L.

• Bubba and The Dead Woman 

Fiction.  One night while working at the gas station, Bubba looks out the window and sees a familiar face, someone he hasn’t seen in years.  When he arrives home, he finds that person dead from a gunshot in the back.  Can he solve the murder before they string him up for it?

Bretton, Barbara

• Spells and Stitches 

Fiction.  4th in the Sugar Maple series about the half-human, half-Fae owner of a successful yarn shop who is married to a full-blooded human and lives in a magickal village.  Luke and Chloe have been trying to keep a distance between his overwhelming family and the magicks of Sugar Maple, but things come to a head when they discover that Chloe is pregnant, and the baby might be in trouble.

Canfield, Jack

• Chicken Soup for the Soul: I Can’t Believe My Cat Did That! 

Non-fiction.  Collection of heartwarming tales of the peculiarities of cats and the owners who love them nevertheless.

Dams, Jeanne M.

• Murder at the Castle 

Fiction.  13th in the Dorothy Martin series about a 60-something American woman who moves to England after the death of her husband.  She is remarried to an English ex-Chief Constable, and the two of them seem to keep finding themselves involved in murders.  In this book, they travel to Wales for a 10-day musical concert vacation that rapidly turns into a mystery.

Houston, Victoria

• Dead Angler 

Fiction.  A retired dentist living in the small town of Loon Lake, Wisconsin spends his free time fishing the many lakes and streams around him.  When he takes up fly-fishing again, he’s drawn to the Chief of Police who is his fishing guide.  A murder brings them closer.

Wahlstrom, Ralph L.

• The Tao of Writing 

Non-fiction.  Wonderful book more about the creativity of writing than the technique of writing.  Has lots of exercises in the back to get your creativity moving.