Stranger In A Soggy Land

We have been visiting the fabled city of Houston, Texas.  Famous for being the home of NASA's Mission Control team, the Astrodome, outstanding medical center, and tropical rainstorms.
We didn't fully appreciate that last item until yesterday evening, when we got caught in a downpour on our way to meet the hotel shuttle.
My shoes and Matt's shoes were completely soaked by the time we got back to the hotel.
We are here for Space City Comic Con.  While the con organization leaves A LOT to be desired, it has been amazing fun catching up with friends and meeting up with celebs we sometimes connect with on Twitter.
OF COURSE we came to see Ron Perlman, and our favorite artist, Michael Ornstein.  I was so glad to get to see them again, and to collect hugs.  Gave a hug or two for absent friends, too.
One of the great joys of this trip is that we got to meet Doug Jones.  What a truly awesome guy!  So full of love for the fans, and so very kind to us all.  SO glad I got to "hug on Doug!"

Official Photo Op With Doug Jones!  One really awesome guy!

Me huggin' on and being hugged on by Doug!

We also had the chance to catch up with a couple of the stars of Star Trek Continues.  Michelle Specht and Chris Doohan.  Both outstanding actors, and very gracious and kind to fans.  Michelle is SO much fun!  Chris is so very nice, and a good lower-key person to come to a con with Michelle!  She has SO much energy!  We thoroughly enjoyed meeting them both!

Me with Chris Doohan

I am trying to add a photo of Matt with Michelle Specht, but Blogger is resisting this process.  I shall try again.

At last!  Matt with the very vivacious and totally sweet and fun Michelle Specht!




I also got to visit with, and Matt bought me a painting by, the totally cool Michael Ornstein!

Here's the official photo op with Michael:

Michael has been a good Twitter pal, he interacts often, and has been very supportive of my writing.  He isn't just an artist and an actor, he also writes, and his work is very visceral and moving.  Lots of flowing images there.

I also got to see Ron Perlman today.  Sometimes he seems like an extra brother.  He is closer in age to my brother Walt than to me, and he sometimes teases me about typos and stuff like Walt does.  I really love it when I get to see him.  He's so very kind to us fans, especially those he knows have been in his corner for the long haul.

Above is a picture with Ron and Doug because they were in Hellboy and Hellboy II together.  Ron was asking the photographer if the love showed enough.  I'd say so!  Love both these guys!

Here is the Hellboy picture they both signed for me, the joke is that I always tweet them when Can't Smile Without You shows up on my workout mix.  Doug always "favorites" those posts.

In case you can't read Ron's inscription, it says "Me Neither. Luv U" I think this is just about my favorite thing from the con. 

It was SO good to see him again.  Just love that guy, like a brother.  He's a keeper!

One more photo op with just Ron tomorrow.  Will have to say my quick goodbyes then, as we have to get to the airport early in case of security delays.  

I didn't get to spend much time with my friends.  We really enjoy those girls, but neither Matt nor I are really fond of going out to noisy places.  Besides, Matt can't drink, and never did drink much in any case, and I fall asleep if I have more than one drink.  I'm afraid I'm one of those bookish types who thinks a party is staying home curled up with a good book!  Or maybe hanging out with a few friends or just one friend and talking.  (Introverts don't party well.) (Don't know what my extroverted spouse's problem is with going out, except that he doesn't drink anymore.)

Wish we could hang out, just us girls sometime, but unless they all come to visit in my area, and even then, I can't very well just exclude Matt. (Well, I could, but he'd be hurt. Not a good thing.)

We did have a great time at dinner tonight, good food and good conversation, even if we had to shout across the table sometimes!

I've stayed up too late working on this.  I'll add more tomorrow.  Let us hope the trip home is uneventful, and the house is in good shape.

OK, I've been back in Moore, America (as some of the locals call it) for about 4 hours or so now.  All the unpacking is done, laundry to be started tomorrow. I have made myself a Lemon Chiffon Cake Martini. (Oh, so GOOD!) Recipe at TheMartiniDiva.com.

Yesterday we also got to see the latest episode of Star Trek Continues. Episode 6 "Come Not Between The Dragons."  Beautifully done, beautiful story, very true to the Original Series. This is one of the very best episodes of any Star Trek I've ever seen.  Wow.  Just wow.  We got a poster and had Michelle and Chris and Gigi sign it.  We shall treasure it.
This is one reason we couldn't spend too much time with the other Perlgirls this weekend, we were geeking out on our long-held Star Trek fandom.  Star Trek Continues is a loving tribute to the original series.  It looks and feels and sounds a lot like the original.  The production is all non-profit.  Nobody gets a paycheck for making it.  Talent and time is donated, the costs of production such as sets, storage of sets, studio time, materials, etc are what the crowdfunding   money raised covers, and the actors and others pay their own room and board and transportation during production.  The results are breathtaking.  You must see it!  If you haven't found it yet, go to startrekcontinues.com  You owe it to yourself to check it out, especially if you loved the original Star Trek.
Here's the poster:

We got to spend quite a bit of time talking with Michelle Specht and Chris Doohan, and a bit of time this morning with Gigi Edgley about the episode and the series in general.

 We went with the other Perlgirls to get our photo ops with Ron.  Here's mine.

After that, we went about checking in with and saying goodbye to the folks we had met and visited with this weekend.  Stopped by Michelle's table, and Chris's and stopped to meet Gigi and get her signature on the poster.

We also went back to see Doug Jones one more time, and I bought a "Mother Ghost" figure from Crimson Peak, and he signed it.

Also collected more hugs and smiles.


  Went back to see Ron again, just to say thanks and goodbye.  Girl at the line entrance is all "Are you SURE he'll remember you?"  We said yes, he will.  About that time his booth helpers saw us and said, "Hey! Hi! Are you guys just coming by to say hi?"   THEY remembered us! Of course Ron came out for hugs and a little chat, and to wish us safe travels home.  I missed the opportunity for a group shot with the girls because they caught him later.  I also missed the panel discussions he was in on because they conflicted with the Star Trek Continues panel and with when we had to leave for the airport.  It's hard to be Torn Between Two Fandoms, you know?  I love Ron like a brother; but Star Trek, well, you'd have to be a fan to understand, I guess. REALLY wish I could've seen Doug's panel, too.

We stopped by Michael Ornstein's table again to say good bye, and show him that I'm wearing the "lucky shirt" on the flight home. (It cracks him up, every time!) We bought a painting of his, an original that he did just for this show.  We bought the painting on Friday.  I managed to get it back to the hotel without the rain ruining it largely because Michael painted these on a plasticized paper. (Also, I had bought a protective sleeve for it.)

This is my favorite of the ones Michael did for the con.  The expression in the eyes, the colors, it's all compelling. There's a story or three in there. It's going to hang in the hall, where we'll see it often, and so will visitors, if they look that way as they pass the hall.

I did mention the rain, didn't I?  Just briefly, I see.  This will be forever remembered as The Con That We Got Rained On. It POURED on us when we were walking from the NRG Center across the street to our pickup point.  We then got further soaked between the hotel lobby and our room.  On top of all that, the ceiling in our room leaked.  Right in front of the fireplace, there was water dripping.  Both from the ceiling, and down the front of the fireplace insert, between it and the actual wall.  Joy.
The hotel was very sweet about it, offered to move us, etc, but we didn't want to move our stuff in the middle of a howling thunderstorm, so we just asked for a bunch of towels to keep it contained, and learned to ignore the drip,drip,drip.  Luckily, the rain stopped after a couple of hours, and by the next morning, you almost couldn't tell the carpet had been soaked over there.  They cleaned it all up while we were at the Con on Saturday.
We did get one group shot of all us girls and the two husbands who gamely came along.  This was taken right after our photos with Ron.

From left, Matt, Mary, me, Kelly, Jana, Mal, and Lance.

So glad we got to meet Lance.  Glad I got to spend at least SOME time with my friends.  I made some new friends,too, and got to show appreciation to people who have done GREAT work and made many of us Trek fans SO happy.

On the way out the door, we stopped to say farewell to the artist Nicole Brune.  She and her husband and their young daughter were the folks we met on the way in on the shuttle from the hotel on Friday.  Her art is really beautiful.  Traditional pin-ups, but with more attitude.  We bought a couple of her prints, but also her book -

Her husband is a character, and their daughter is just delightful.  SO glad we met up, and VERY glad we bought those prints!  Her web address is:www.nicolebrune.com

The two prints we bought are on the upper left, The Last Teaparty and Pamela's Midnight Rendezvous. Just below it is the decorated, clasped, leather-bound journal of handmade paper that I bought.  Of course, you can also see the StarTrek Continues Episode 6 poster, and my portfolio of con photo ops and autographs.

By the way, the Star Trek Continues poster was free; I paid for the actors' autographs, of course, because hey, we want them to keep being able to come to cons and to make more Star Trek Continues!

Whoa!  I think I just about covered it all, except for getting lots of hugs from the other #Perlgirls who were there. Wish we could get more of us together.  I KNOW we'd hang out then, I'd just tell Matt he was tagging along like it or not! (Or maybe he and Lance or some of the other spouses could go for a night of their own...) Would greatly depend on where we were.
Just so much love this weekend, and I really needed it!  A great, relaxing, fun time.  Thanks again to Ron Perlman, Doug Jones, Michael Ornstein, Michelle Specht, Chris Doohan, Gigi Edgley, and Nicole Brune and family for being so awesome and so kind to fans!
Extra hugs to Doug, always.  You have the most soothing presence of anyone I've ever met!  (And you're fun, too!  Bonus!)

I do hope this makes sense.  I have read over it several times, but it was written piecemeal, and on at least one extremely sleep-deprived night.  If it sounds too juvenile, or too "fangirly" , I'm sorry.  I AM something of an antiquated geek girl , after all.  Bear with me.

Mutterings and Whispers

Fear is that stealthy thing
That sneaks up
When you are going along, enjoying life
And suddenly pours ice cold water
Over your head.
Anxiety is it's best friend
Making you antsy,
And susceptible to flinching
At every little creak and tick
In an old house when you are alone.

Happiness is a bouncing puppy
That jumps up and licks your face
Until you laugh
And then hangs around and  wants to play.
Gratitude is the thing
That makes happiness a longtime
Companion,
A good dog,
Who keeps you company
In good times and bad.

Anticipation
Can be better than the actual event
You are looking forward to
That hopeful longing
That lets you imagine
How wonderful something will be.
Joy is the gift of the grateful heart,
When the long desired event
Comes to pass,
And you find it to be even
BETTER
Than you imagined.

Writing little bits that are floating around in my brain today.  Preparing for a trip, going to see friends and hoping for good weather while we're gone, so I have a house to come home to.
Of course they are predicting BAD storms for the night after we leave.  So I will be anxious about our house.
There are medical tests in the future for both Matt and I , and those make me anxious,too.
Trying not to worry, because God has never yet let us down.  We've come through safe and sound, and we still have our house after all these years here.  I know the house can be replaced, but the memories around those keepsakes cannot.   32 years of our history, more than that of our individual histories, all here in this house, kept alive by the sight of the things that remind us of people and times together.
So, I will take a deep breath, and trust.  I will have a good time on this trip, and not feel like I am tempting fate.  For this time with Matt and our friends is a gift, and it is just as much to be treasured as the things we already have memories around.

Safe travels to all of us, and may the storms stay far away from Moore, and other populated areas, where far too many live with extreme anxiety every time the weather threatens.

The humidity is awful around here today.  Found it hard going on my walk, and had to slow down.  It isn't that hot, and the wind is gusting pretty swiftly, but the air is heavy, and makes the heat feel a lot worse than it is, in spite of the wind.  Really nasty, almost like Alabama, only windier.

Looking at old home movies my brother had digitized for all of us.  Oh,. My. God.  My siblings were kids once!  I seem to always remember them as teenagers or adults.  (Well, the oldest WAS 16 when I was born. )  My oldest brother never seems to smile in the movies.  Weird.  He laughs and smiles a lot, I've seen him, but in those movies, he's mostly Mr. Serious.
My Mom was a knockout! Wow!  This was before I came along, but she was looking really good.  No wonder Pop was so happy.  And Pop, gee, he looks the same to me.  I know he got older and had wrinkles and stuff, but he was still strong and muscular, even into his late 60s.  I miss him SO much, and seeing these old movies reminds me of that.  At least I know he and Mom are together again.  I miss Mom, too.  She left in increments, though.  Pop just vanished one day, after an accident at work.  Never really got a chance to tell him how much I loved him, but I suspect he knew.

Wish he could see what I do now at work, how much people appreciate what I do.  It astounds me sometimes, but over and over I've been told that my attitude and my tenderheartedness have made our library a better place, and my coworkers and customers seem to really like me.  I believe in the importance of what I do, even though sometimes Circulation is drudge work, it IS important.  What we do enables people to find the materials they need when they need them.  What we do keeps their accounts functioning properly, and allows them a way to fix errors easily, because all they have to do is call.  We are helpful and reasonable.  We have policies in place to guide us, but we are well trained, and our judgement is trusted. If we waive a fine for a customer, it is because it was the best thing to do for us AND for the customer.  We are all about people being able to use their library!

I do hope we survive this election year.  I hope this country has enough sensible people to elect someone who isn't going to drive the whole republic into the ground.  Whole lot of muttering going on about this campaign season.  I've had more than enough of He Who Must Not Be Named already!  The chairperson of the DNC is getting on my  nerves, too.  She needs to go away.  Bad news.

On top of all the other things I have going on, I wrote another story that might, someday, be published online.  I hope so, I think it's a good little story.  Needs more editing,  but I have a friend who helps with that.

I am tired.  Time to stop.

When the hour is late
And my brain finally slows down
And lets go of the spate
Of thoughts that go round and round
Then, in the quiet
I can at last rest my head
Or at least try it
In my nice comfy bed.

Found Objects

This poem showed up while I was waiting all alone in the Storytime Room for our staff meeting to start today:
It's a library,
But it's a very noisy one today.
Full of quite contrary
Little children at play.

Then of course the train,
Has to add its mournful song
No need to explain
This place is never quiet for long.


This, from. The preface of the book The Science Of Kissing  by Sheryl Kirshenbaum:

"A kiss is one of the most significant exchanges two people can have, serving as an unspoken language to convey our deepest feelings when words simply will not do. From a symbol of love and desire to a perfunctory Greeting between family and friends, this act can have innumerable meanings and resonances."


This, after contemplating several annoying and unexplained things that have happened lately:

Haunted?
Perhaps we are.
Many odd little occurrences
Make life interesting
To say the least.

Observations and Musings

The man stands there, looking out at the world.
His face, isn't especially striking,
But there is something there
That draws your eye.
Perhaps the weariness
The sadness at all he's seen
One thing after the other over the years,
But also the gleam of hope
Because he's seen good things happen, too.


Pentecost again.
Reminding us that the Spirit is with us
Always
Strange that we need reminding
But that's the way we Christians tend to be
Forgetful of the important things
Some of us too full of ourselves,
Others too busy judging everyone else,
And some of us just plodding along doing the best
We can.
Good sermon today,
Telling us it isn't that WE need the words or the actions
To show others how God is,
But rather that we need to shut up
And let God speak through us,
Showing others by doing
The right thing,
The kind thing,
The difficult thing,
The thing requiring discomfort,
And love,
And forgiveness.
Even if that means
We have to forgive ourselves.



We have a new doorbell. It doesn't ring in the house, it rings our phones.  We can see who's there no matter WHERE we are, and we can take their picture.  It senses motion, too, so it can do that whether they ring the bell or not.  Kinda freaky, and it goes off sometimes when the neighbor's dog comes cruising by, or the feral cat from down the street...
We got the sensitivity adjusted, now it just sees people who come up to the house.  Except the UPS man runs too fast for it to catch him...


I think I may need a lingerie intervention. I bought two more Panache bras this week. I already have SEVERAL.  They are all different styles, though, only one or two types do I have more than one color of...
And in spite of the cost, my husband does NOT seem to mind...

The June bugs (who are always early, it's still MAY, for God's sake!)  are out there bopping into my window and buzzing on the sill, dive-bombing the  driveway light, and generally being a poorly guided nuisance.

 As the weather fronts battle it out in the atmosphere, my sinuses battle with whatever it is that they kick up and spread into the air.  The last few days have been just awful in terms of congestion, itchy eyes, and sinus headaches.  I am beginning to think Spring really sucks!

Trying to fight off "Con Brain."  Planning and packing lists running amok in my head!  I am sure I will take more clothes than I will wear,but at  least I'll be prepared for almost ANYTHING!!
Also, deciding how much of my over-the-counter medications to bring along is an interesting problem.  I don't take anything that is prescribed for me these days, but I do take aspirin, antihistamine, and Muscinex almost daily right now...

Whatever I did to deserve these hot flashes, I'm SORRY already!  Please make them STOP!!  I am getting tired of feeling like I'm about to sweat through my clothes for no apparent reason, and sometimes burning up like that makes me feel a bit dizzy, too.  It's so very distracting, AND I can't seem to go an entire night without waking up sweltering at least once.  I can 't do hormone replacement because of my blood pressure, so that remedy is out.  Think I'm gonna try sleeping in a tub of ice.

Things you hear in the library:  "Batman vs Superman?  A local kid with fancy hardware versus an alien with superpowers."


Perhaps it should trouble me that I talk back to a talking toy?  Whenever my "Thunderbird 2" that Matt bought me says "This is Thunderbird 2, mission complete, I'm on my way home."  I always answer "Thanks for the warning, Virgil."

It's cold outside, and cloudy, and threatening rain.  I have decided to be lazy and curl up with a cup of something and something to read.

Why do I always start yawning and feeling worn out when I have things I want to do?

Some Verse Before Sleeping (Or Trying To)

Oh, thou unrepentant muse
That only speaks when time
Runs short
How long must you abuse
This poor heart of mine?
When my head is muzzy
And my heart weary,
My perceptions fuzzy,
And my mind leary,
THIS is when you choose
To release your treasures
To light the fuse
Of creativity,
When it is FAR TOO LATE
At night for me
To be awake and trying
To stare at a screen
And punch correct keys.

Now the story line will tumble
And perhaps end up in a jumble
 Because I just can't take enough time
To get it all down and let it unwind
Still, it will haunt my dreams
And morph and edit itself
It seems
And I must hope and pray
That the gist of the thing will stay
And still be there tomorrow
When I finally can
Sit me down and try to write again.
But, knowing you as I do,
I doubt it will go so smoothly
For when time is not an issue

I can say quite truthfully,
Your willingness to cooperate IS.


Now I lay me down to sleep
 I pray the Lord my muse to keep
That it survive another night
To come again and help me get the story right.

If it should flee before I wake,
I pray the Lord that muse to shake
And get it to start up singing
That I may get my words a flinging.

That from my head and onto the page
A story may  come to age
That others may read and enjoy
The gift you allow me to employ.

So for awhile cares may be eased
And hearts may well feel pleased
May what I write see needs addressed
That all who read may in some way be blessed.



 And so, in the midst of something
I must stop, and honor physical needs
Even though a story is in the offing
Something I want myself to read,
I must put it aside
Pray that it is still there later
When I come to take it up
And hope it goes where I need it to.


Time, thou ever sneaking thief
You
Steal my youth,
Steal my momentum,
Steal my very life

How am I to get caught up
With your roaring juggernaut
How get done what must be done
Before another setting of the sun?


And so, to bed
While visions of plot bunnies
Run through my head

Escape!

And it's off to the land
Inside my head again
I've had about all I can stand
Of the world outside my noggin.
In here there is no politics
No hatred spread,
No one so soul- sick
Or messed up in the head
As to say that evil is God's  will,
Or hatred a Christian value
None of that kind of swill
That is so far from the true.
Here it's all about love
And peace
And joy.
Why ever would I want
To live out there?

 If only that place was real
The one I dream about
Separate from this crazy world,
Known only to the trusted few
Who protect it with great zeal,
Where only love has any clout
Where division's banners are furled
And hearts are always true.

Or, the grander reality
Of a world far in the future
Where man avoids calamity
By learning to work together.
Together all humankind
Explore the vastness of space
Having discovered in time
That we really are ONE race.
The Human one.

Although I  would much prefer
To dwell only in these sorts of worlds,
I know that I must defer
To reality's dips and whirls.
I must do my best always
To make this world come around
At the end of these days
To be like the ideal I've found.

More Randomness

Almost silent, the squadron of pigeons flies across the yard
Bound for full feeders
And a space where starlings aren't gnarling all over the place,
And no Jays scold.

When breakfasting on the patio this time of year,
I am very lucky not to accidentally ingest one of those stupid winged seeds from the neighbors ' tree.  Very lucky if they don't land in my cereal, or my beverage. Those blasted things are extra pernicious this year.

Reading this philosophy book (Breakfast With Socrates,  by Robert Rowland Smith ) and reading a bit about Nietzsche - reflecting on the Philosopher's Song by Monty Python.  I conclude that Nietzsche would likely be a very loud, angry drunk.

Waiting for YouTube to upload and process videos is one of the longest, slowest, most boring things EVER.  Not as nerve-wracking as waiting for news in a hospital, but almost as exhausting.

 It seems there are geeky people out there who love the same oddball TV shows I do.  Thunderbirds are making a comeback on Amazon Video.  I am thrilled.

The Blogger app leaves a lot to be desired.  It should auto-save work just as the web version does.  I lost a very good poem today because I got interrupted before it could be saved.  I recreated it, sort of, but the first one was better, and it's gone.

What IS it with this year?  We keep losing artists and musicians and writers and actors, and my Mom, we'll likely lose Uncle FH, too, it's just awful.  I almost lost Matt, too.  2016 has GOT to stop with  being the Year Of Death.

So grateful that this storm season has spared my little city so far.  I just hope the trend continues for the entirety of the season.  We've paid our dues to the storm furies, we deserve a break!


I only seem to get motivated to write when it's time to go to bed. Here I am again, long past midnight, and I have to get up and be coherent tomorrow.


Plumbers and other professional repair personnel seldom show up during the hours they are scheduled to.  Another whole day down the tubes.

The upside is, the frost free faucet out front has been replaced with one that doesn't leak through the anti-siphon valve, and we have a new faucet in the vanity sink in the master bath.

I really do believe I would lose my head these days if it was not attached.  I have misplaced more things in the last few weeks than I'd care to think about.

 

The End Of Poetry Month

I have just added the last poem to the month-long daily compositions that I have been posting all throughout April.
The discipline of writing something every day (well, nearly every day.  Some days I didn't, but many days I wrote and posted two) has been good for me.
There may not be daily posts anymore for a while, but I think the challenge of writing something every day may continue.  I may be more selective about what I post.  Admittedly, many of the poems this month are very rough still, some may not be things I would normally publish.  But they are what came to me each day as the month progressed.
The last poem, the one I wrote tonight, is about the TV shows that most excited me as a child.  I didn't mention titles, but anyone who is as geeky as I am would recognize Thunderbirds, Gigantor, and Star Trek.  All stuff girls weren't "supposed" to like.
Now, I was a terribly girly girl.  I had over 100 dolls, a playhouse, toy dishes, Barbies, home made Barbie clothes, frilly dresses, the whole nine yards.  I also LOVED spaceships, airplanes, and the idea of a giant robot who could fly and do all kinds of cool things.
My parents were rather schizophrenic in the way they raised me.  They kept telling me I was smart AND pretty, and expected me to go to college.  I think their real agenda was for me to find a "suitable" husband, but MY objective was to learn as much as I could.  About everything. Except maybe math.  Math and I don't get along.  Never mind that it is very necessary for those cool spaceships and robots that I love.  I like playing with words better, so here I am.

The poem about the little dog who waits at the library is one of my favorites.  I am also rather fond of my verse about trying to catch sleep.  All of the good ones seem to write themselves.

This has been a lot of fun, challenging myself to write something and get it up on the blog every single day.  I hope you have enjoyed it.