It’s been a busy and stressful few weeks and I haven’t posted in a while. I did get the Cult of Personality post up yesterday because that one had been bugging me for a few days and I had to get it out of my head. So what’s been going on?
Continue reading “Friday Thoughts: A New Neighborhood and Other Things”Cult of Personality
These days we all know what a cult of personality is, and we all believe that we can identify them, and we all believe we’d never become part of one. Khrushchev first used the term when speaking about Stalin and admonishing the Communist Party that they must not allow such a thing to happen again. In the West we scramble backwards at the mention of the word “cult.” After all, a cult is a group that brainwashes its members into believing absolutely fantastical claims and performing strange rituals deifying the leaders. And nobody with an ounce of sense would fall for a cult of personality, right? Right?
Continue reading “Cult of Personality”You Just Might Be A Totalitarian
Do you require that all your friends agree with you on every topic?
Do you unfriend and quit seeing those who dare to disagree with you?
Do you require that all your coworkers agree with you on every topic?
Do you ask that coworkers who disagree with you be disciplined or fired?
Continue reading “You Just Might Be A Totalitarian”Market Day
Serena bit into the cinder orange and absently wiped the juice away as it ran down her chin. Chewing, she held the fruit up and examined it closely. While named “orange” it in no way resembled the oranges based on the Old Earth fruit that she was used to. For one thing, you could eat the skin and then it wasn’t even colored orange. In fact, it more resembled a pear that tasted like a cross between a pear and a mango. Different, but very good, she decided.
Continue reading “Market Day”Friday Thoughts: Truly Random Things
I was out of town with family last week, hence no Friday Thoughts. We were up on the northern California coast at the beach, and it was glorious. Highs of 65F, cool, foggy days, a beach to walk on, cousins to hang out with, no news, no politics – just food, fun, and family. Doesn’t get much better than that.
Continue reading “Friday Thoughts: Truly Random Things”Frogs and Coffee
“What the hell is that racket?” Darian groused from his prone position on the couch.
“The phrogs,” Andrea replied, pronouncing it “puh-frogs.”
“What? You mean frogs?” Darian asked.
“No, I mean phrogs. The noisy ones around the pond right now,” Andrea said looking up from her crocheting with a small smile.
Continue reading “Frogs and Coffee”Friday Thoughts: What Rights Are You Missing?
The other day I ran across an FB post with the hashtag “LGBTQ rights are human rights” and it got me thinking. What rights, exactly, do people who use that hashtag believe are not recognized for LGBTQ folks or what rights are LGBTQ people unable to exercise due to government or social restrictions? Seriously, what are they missing? Marriage? Got it. Speech? Got it. Access to healthcare? Got it. Religion? Got it. Housing? Got it. Jobs? Got ‘em. What are they missing?
Continue reading “Friday Thoughts: What Rights Are You Missing?”Mansions and Magic
Art can be inspiring, thought-provoking, uplifting, protesting, and sometimes… downright strange. I stared at the painting hanging in the entryway of the mansion. I’d come here to do an inventory of the home’s contents for the daughter of the late owner. The estate had belonged to her mother, with whom she had a contentious relationship, and the daughter wanted to sell as much as she could, clear out the house, and then sell the house. My company, that would be me, had been hired to coordinate the estate sale.
Continue reading “Mansions and Magic”Shifting Paradigms
Jake glanced around the room. The panel was scheduled to start in just a couple of minutes. Those researchers presenting papers sat at a table in the front of the room, with the moderator off to one side. The rows of seats were slowly, but steadily filling up. This was guaranteed to be a popular panel – perhaps the most popular at the conference.
Continue reading “Shifting Paradigms”Friday Thoughts: Propaganda
Before we get to the propaganda bits, let me just say: it’s been a good week, Tater! I’m writing… lots. This outlining process I’ve borrowed is working very well for me and I’m feeling good about finishing theAcademic Magic series. I’ve got Books 4, 5, and 6 planned out and am moving at good speed through Book #4 – it’s above 10k words right now. And, once I finish this post and get moving on it today, I’m hoping to get beyond 20k.
Continue reading “Friday Thoughts: Propaganda”