[Write the Story] A Countdown
Prompt: A Countdown
Words: plumber, witty, oyster, voluntary, asparagus, centralize, judge, puddle, pointer, ampersand
Story
“You know, you don’t have to give anyone your password. It’s nobody’s business what post but you.†Sid poked the oyster with his fork. “Are these supposed to be swimming in a puddle of goo?â€
“Since it’s oyster stew, um yes? And what’s wrong with asparagus with ampersands for the a’s?†Hilda dipped deep into her stew and after her scoop, used the spoon as a pointer. “Besides, it’s voluntary…â€
“When do you have to let them know?â€
“Well, the centralized databank has a timer on the application…â€
“What happens if you say no, Hilda? Will they judge against your application if you don’t say yes?â€
“I don’t know. But I aced the interview, and my skillset is spot on. The panel said I was witty. That’s a good thing. Besides, I have nothing to hide, Sid.â€
“It’s not about that…I just think it’s weird they want your password when you’re applying to be a plumber.â€
“Space plumber, Sid. Space plumber! And you know there has to be a time line, they’re launching soon. I have to do this. So password in 5…4…3…2..1…â€
“Blast off.â€
Word Count: 185
Written: 6/13/2019
[Pen/Pencil Review] The SoonerCon Coolness
EDIT: THE ARTIST IS CRAIG GRISWOLD!
This is kind of a double review from some of the stuff I picked up at SoonerCon following a Day Job Conference. I could do the random collection of swag pens I picked up – or I could show you these two awesome pieces.
Since it’s a pen blog – let’s start with this amazingly fun mermaid tail pen. My friend, Lillian Butler – who also designs awesome jewelry – has found a vendor that does not only the weird tentacle pens (which I love) but also these mermaid tails. These pens are long but not obnoxious. It runs just under 7.5″ long. It’s a hard resin carved with scales but the grip is smooth and just on that edge of being too narrow but not quite.
The metal tip leads into the tail. There’s an edge, but I don’t think it’s going to be too uncomfortable. It is a (by US standards) a “fine point” so it’s a 0.7mm tip with decent feeling ballpoint. The black ink flows well and dark. It doesn’t smear much on a glossy page.
Which leads me to the page I did the sample on – it’s a black cover Field Notes 48-page notebook. These are nice 3.5″ x5.5″ pocket notebooks. But that’s not the coolest part. That notebook is inside a handmade leather by a Colorado artist who’s name completely escapes me – but pretty sure his initials are “CG” (Sorry, Peri). He does sturdy, beautiful leather work. This is the harder leather which gives a sturdy enough surface to make a note on without needing a table, and I couldn’t resist the quote from Princess Bride. There’s a beautiful scroll work on the back I’ve treated this cover with a waxed-based leather conditioner I got at Scarborough Renaissance Festival years ago to weatherproof it as well. The cover is completely refillable and I have a TON of similar sized notebooks to put in it.
I look forward to years of working with the notebook. The pen? I hope to get a goodly bit of use out of it.
The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 0.5 The pen is decent. It’s a bit on the long side and almost too narrow. Probably spent more on it than I needed to. The notebook is functional – kinda wished I’d picked up one of them that had a closure band.
2. Grip and feel – 1 – It’s a mermaid pen. There’s nothing ergonomic about it. But it is what it is. A decent novelty pen. The notebook is just amazing. I love a good leather notebook.
3. Material – 1 The pen is carved resin. The notebooks is leather with a great brand of notebook inside
4. Overall Design – 1 -It’s a fun stick pen with the separate cap already gone. The notebook is my happy place
5. Price Point – 0.5 – I got these from friends at a convention – that means supporting local artists. The pen was $5 – which yes, you can get them in bulk on Amazon for WAY cheaper, but supporting artist with something fun. The notebook was $25 – but handmade and unique design? Totally worth it – not cheap, but a good investment. Especially since it helps an independent artist.
4.0 out of 5 Bronze Pencils
[Write the Story] Peri Potter and the Sorcerer’s Bowl
This is isn’t one of the exercises – this is a gift for a friend this SoonerCon weekend.
Peri Potter and the Sorcerer’s Bowl
By Rhonda Eudaly
“Mingus! I know what I’m missing!”
“Yes, Boss?” the henchman’s voice hesitant. As if the excitement in his employer’s tone frightened him.
Petunia whirled on him with a swirl of red skirts. “Yes, Mingus! This spell. This incantation. This…this prophesy needs…” she paused, throwing her arms wide. “A BOWL!”
“All right?” Mingus glanced around. “Which…?”
“Oh, I’m not talking about one of these. This must be a special, never been used vessel.” Petunia tapped the corner of her mouth with a well-manicured fingernail. “I have a job for you, Mingus.”
“Yes, Boss?”
“Find me the best potters in the land. I need an artisan’s help.”
“Right away, Boss.”
Petunia didn’t notice Mingus slip out the door. She had already focused back on the task at hand. The future wasn’t going to work itself out on its own. She had plans. The future was hers to shape, but only if Mingus was successful in his quest to find her a potter.
“Um, Boss?”
Petunia whirled, energy crackling around her fingers. She stopped herself before blasting her minion out of the tower. “Mingus! What have I told you about startling me?”
“That’s why I’m no closer than I am, Boss. You didn’t respond to my other methods.”
Petunia took a couple of long, deep breaths, giving Mingus a fine view of the sorceress’s impressive cleavage. “Well, then, you have my attention, what did you need, Mingus?”
“There are potters downstairs awaiting your pleasure.”
Petunia blinked. “Already?”
“You made the request sound urgent. Also, my sister dabbles in the art. She knows all the best ones. I brought most of them here.”
“Most? Not all?”
“All but one. But…there are reasons. And he wasn’t that high on the list. I’m sure one of the ones I brought will be more than sufficient.”
Mingus shrank from Petunia’s withering glare and seemed to be mentally checking his various body parts were still in their original positions and size. “Um…”
“Well, come along, Mingus, let’s go see who you’ve brought me.”
Petunia swept along the corridor to make her “Grand Entrance”. She sailed into the room with energy crackling around her, drawing every eye and silencing any
comment, complaint, or conversation.
Before she spoke a word, two of the eight potters in her library fainted, landing on the rich rug with muted thumps. The other six quaked in their boots. One by one they sank into quivering bows or to their knees—some in respect, others in abject terror.
“Oh, for goodness sake, get up. All of you. How do we figure out a future partnership if all I know of you is the tops of your trembling heads?”
Slowly the potters staggered to their feet. “Come along to the workshop. I’ll explain what needs doing.” She turned to sail out of the library and gestured behind her. “And bring your unconscious fellows with you.”
In moments the whole crew milled about Petunia’s workshop. Mingus took up a spot along the wall to keep an eye on the group. Most had the wide-eyed wonder she expected from those whom she allowed in. The others seemed frightened, but that was to be expected. People were awed by the fact she had more space on the inside than one expected.
“Come along, come along. Let me tell you what I need.” As Petunia started through her requirements, the potters began arguing.
“Oh, no. You don’t need a bowl. These spells are always done with a goblet or a stone or something.”
“No! Jewelry. And you don’t need one of us, you need a metalsmith, or your spell will go all wrong.”
Petunia’s lips compressed thinner and thinner the more these…people…continue to explain her spell to her and how it was wrong. She shot a look to Mingus, who edged back. He knew her looks and when they didn’t end well.
“ENOUGH!”
Those in the room stilled instantly with Petunia’s thunder, not that she actually raised her voice. The potters shrank before her power.
“But…but…”one of them stammered. “We were only…”
He got no further. Petunia pinned him with a glare. The potter may not have actually shrank from the weight of that particular look, but he did seem significantly smaller.
“You dare mansplain my magic to me?” Sparks danced around her long-nailed fingertips.
The potters all shuffled their feet and mumbled incoherently. Petunia rolled her eyes. Nothing bode well for any of them, but she didn’t have time to teach them a more permanent lesson. She waved her hand, and a small pop cleared the room. She nodded, satisfied with the sudden quiet.
“What…? Where did they all go?” Mingus asked.
“Not here. They were…tiresome.”
“You didn’t…?”
“Oh, they’re home, Mingus. I sent them home. They were annoying but not worth of the headaches I would’ve had from pepping them out of existence.” Petunia huffed just a little bit. “But now, you said there was one more.”
“Oh, him. Yes, the one who wouldn’t come. Said you’d have to come to him.”
Petunia tapped her chin. “Normally I would be perturbed by that, but now. Now, I’m intrigued, given the rest of the ilk. Come along, Mingus, let’s go. You know where this potter’s lair is. I need you.”
“It’s a shop, Boss, not a lair. He’s a potter, not a villain.”
“Semantics, my dear, Mingus. Semantics.” Petunia took Mingus’s head in her hands. “Now concentrate on the location. Ah…yes, there it is.”
And with the familiar “pop” of changing locations, they were somewhere else. They stood outside a hut with rounded window and doors. The carved wooden door swung outward, as did the ornate shutters, letting breeze through the sod covered walls. The arched, shingled roof gave the quaint building a rakish top much like a hat. The whole area glimmered with dappled light through the canopy of trees.
“This is rather charming,” Petunia said.
“Appearances can be deceiving.”
“What was that, Mingus?”
“Nothing, Boss.”
“Then let us see this potter of yours.” Petunia swept towards the door.
“I’m not taking credit for him,” Mingus muttered as he followed the sorceress.
They stepped through the hole shaped doorway to realize why the door and windows stood wide. A wall of heat slapped them in the face.
“You don’t know how to knock?”
Petunia took a step back. For a brief moment she couldn’t believe what she heard and had to bite back a comment. Mingus stepped forward before she completely
composed herself. “Apologies, the door was open?”
“There’s still an expectation of politeness. What business brought you here.”
“I have need of a potter.”
“Obviously, or you wouldn’t be here.”
Petunia caught sight of a quick movement. Mingus seemed to be holding his breath. He apparently thought she was about to level the whole shop. She shook her head and waved him back. “May we speak with you, sir?”
“Give me a moment. My kiln is about done.” Almost on cue a bell dinged a silvery chime followed by creaks and rattles. Petunia scanned the room to see if she could learn something about the potter. Mingus shifted from foot to foot, uncomfortable apparently around so many breakable objects.
“Relax, Mingus. The man is simply doing his job. Let him do it.” She smiled at his incredulous gape. “What? He’s an artist, there’s bound to be a bit of temperament. To create well takes time, passion, and focus. I understand the process and can wait. And stop with the dead fish look, it’s not becoming.”
Mingus clamped his jaw shut. She resisted the urge to wink at him, but he was already unsettled, that would just make it worse. A bustling clatter drew her attention from her minion to the potter emerging from the back portion of the shop. He was shorter than she expected, a bit on the round side. He wore a leather apron smeared with clay over a cotton shirt and ragged bottomed, coarse woven pants. His unkempt brown hair framed a friendly, round face and cheerful brown eyes.
“What can I help you with?” He wiped his hands on the clay-smudged apron before holding it out to shake.
Petunia studied the man for a beat before gingerly taking his hand in three of her fingers to keep most of the dirt away. “I have need of a master potter.”
“You’ve come to the right place. I’m Peri, welcome to my shop. What do you need?”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Peri. I’m Petunia, and I’m in need of a bowl.”
To his credit, Peri didn’t even blink at her name. Most people quaked with fear, or blanched, or something, but not the potter. She liked that about him.
“Soup, salad, or scrying?”
“Spell casting.” Mingus heard the note of amusement in her voice.
“Potion, charm, or curse?”
Petunia paused to study the man a beat. He didn’t even blink. She liked him more and more. “What if I said it was for a prophesy with a dash of curse?”
Peri rummaged in his apron and pulled out a small, leather-bound book and a stubby pencil and opened to a page. “Are you providing the prophesy, or am I?”
That did surprise Petunia. “You can do that?”
Peri shrugged. “It costs extra but it can be done.”
“I have my own prophesy, thank you.”
“Is the prophesy imbued or ingested?”
“Overlay.”
Peri nodded thoughtfully as he made notes. “That gives us a few options. How big does this bowl need to be?”
“Between soup and mixing, say six to eight inches round?” She measured a space with her hands.
“I can do the body of the bowl in a nice Burrows clay. It’s a fire clay that takes design work well depending on how you want to incorporate your prophesy.”
“I was thinking something in metal and runic design?”
“Your choice,” he said. “Additional materials in crease the costs unless you provide the materials. It’s do-able. I’m happy to recommend materials and design
work if you give me an overview of the prophesy. However, if it’s a death prophesy…”
“Let me guess, an additional fee?” She let some amusement into her voice to keep from scaring anyone.
Peri seemed thoughtful for a moment. “No…but there is a waiver releasing me from any consequences of your curse.”
“Of course.”
“Don’t open that!” Peri shouted.
Petunia turned to see Mingus yank his hand away from a lidded container on a shelf with intricate design work. “Why?” he asked. “Is it dangerous?”
“More than you know. A djinn is in there!”
Petunia perked up at that. “You have a djinn? Trapped? Really? How?”
“It was a commission.” Peri turned back to her and his pad. “Do you have any other specifications?”
“Do you have any desire to tell me I’m doing this incorrectly or now I should do it better.”
“Pish. It’s your curse, you know what your need better than I do. I will tell you this…”
Petunia stiffened. Mingus shifted his stance in response, in case he needed to clean up the mess. “What?”
“With your requirements, I will need five days to a week to complete the work, once we finalized the details. I have a couple of orders ahead of yours to handle first. Simple things. Different magic, and to keep my professional reputation I cannot jump your order in the line.”
Petunia considered a moment. “A week then.” She fished out some coins and a charm from her pockets. “Your first payment. Use the charm to call me when the work is finished.”
Petunia and Mingus popped back to her castle to wait. She patiently worked her way through the rest of the prophesy spell. She found Mingus hovering every so often, watching to see if she was going to crack or something. She tried to reassure him, but it was his job to be protective. She also worked on a few other projects, just to keep Mingus from having to be overly protective.
“Why aren’t you more impatient?” he finally asked.
“Come now, Mingus, why should I be? Peri was upfront about his process. I appreciate his professionalism.”
Before she could explain further, the call came – day sooner than she expected. She popped them back to the shop. This time a smartly dressed blond man with spectacles stood with Peri. “Who’s this?”
“This is Moody, my partner and my attorney. I believe I mentioned the waiver.”
“You did.” Petunia was cautious.
Moody unrolled a rather lengthy piece of parchment with neatly and rather small lettering. “This releases Peri from any legal or magical repercussions from any spell, curse, or prophesy successful or not.”
“It seems rather…comprehensive.” Petunia scanned the document.
Moody shrugged. “Not our first deal of this nature.”
“It only takes one unethical sorcerer to ruin it for all of us.” She saw the incredulous expressions around her. “What? Just because I fall on the ‘evil’ end of the power spectrum doesn’t mean I don’t have standards.”
“Then when you’re ready, sign at the bottom.” Moody handed her a pen.
Petunia hesitated before signing, weighing the risks and consequences. She knew all the problems which could lurk in the document. But she needed the bowl and had the means to break most loopholes – she was pretty far down the Evil Spectrum after all. She signed.
Peri reached under the counter and pulled out a cloth- wrapped bundle and reverently placed it before Petunia. “I am very proud of this piece. It should take your prophesy easily.”
“How long will it last?”
“Barring the bowl being broken or otherwise smote,” he paused, looking confused. “Smited? Smitten? No, smote is the correct tense. Or otherwise smote, the bowl and any subsequent spell, curse, or prophesy should adhere for decades. Depending on the strength and power of the casting. I guarantee all my work to be wash safe, cook safe, bake safe, and magic safe.”
Petunia smiled as she turned the bowl in her hands. “It’s a masterpiece. You have done well, Peri Potter. Thank you.”
“Thank you, Petunia, and please come again.”
Petunia studied him for a moment. “If you’ve done the job I think you have, I will.”
Peri balked just a smidge. “I…I don’t…”
“Oh, pish, somewhere either in this bowl or the contract you had me sign is a return clause.”
“Of course, if you’re not completely satisfied with the bowl…”
Petunia’s smile sparked a wicked gleam in her eyes as she plunked down the rest of the price of the bowl. “Oh, honey, I think we both know that clause has nothing to with the bowl. Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me – and I’ve met with your ‘competition’.” She used air quotes around the word. “You will get my business regardless of any charm you tried to put on me.”
Peri wilted in relief. “I told Moody it wouldn’t work on you, please don’t be angry with him.”
“Heaven’s no. I’d’ve been more surprised if you hadn’t. I’m just telling you you don’t need it. The quality is enough. I will tell my colleagues of my Peri Potter Sorcerer’s Bowl. You’ll have more work than you can handle. A good potter? So hard to find.”
She swept out of the store giggling over the new bowl. She knew he would soon have a line of less magical bowls on display. She saw the replication clause. That worked for her. Let those who after her work through a production run. They’d never find the real bowl – the original – until it was too late.
#
[Pen/Pencil Review] Fisher Space Pen Space Shuttle Edition
Today’s pen is the is another Fisher Space Pen – this one I bought when we went to Houston and visited the Johnson Space Center (Yay! NASA!). It is chrome over brass with a gold space shuttle on it. Which made it a must have.
This pen came with a PR4 Medium Point Black pressurized ink cartridge. This is what makes the Fisher Space Pen unique. The medium point is a 1.1mm ball point. The pressurized barrel of the ink lets this pen write in more environments and angles than other pens, and touts a longer lasting ink life. They do make a 0.9mm “fine point†refill (which I have one somewhere or need to buy a couple more but they’re not super cheap – but they also have the gas pressure, work everywhere, technology.
Fisher has been making pens for the Space program for a long time. This pen is just over 5†long retracted and 5.25†with the point extended. The cap/plunger and most of the barrel are smooth chrome over brass with a metal clip embellished with a gold space shuttle. The top of the cap is flat for easy plunger action. The grip is etched brass with chrome plating for something to hold on to.
I picked this one up at the Space Center Houston gift shop and can’t find it available anywhere else. I believe this exclusive to NASA’s gift shops and runs $30. So not cheap but not horrible for what it is – a very cool, geeky momento of the nation’s space program.
The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 1 – I haven’t tried writing with this pen underwater or in zero gravity, but it does write at all angles. I’d show you, but it’s hard to get that proof. The ink flows well. It does what it says it does.
2. Grip and feel – 0.5 – It’s got traction, not a “grip”. The grip is a ribbed etching in the chrome plating. It’s all metal, and borderline comfortable on diameter and length – but the edge of the cap to the barrel for the retractation doesn’t dig too much
3. Material – 1 – It’s brass. So it’s a sturdy but light pen – for the barrel. The colors and design make it a lovely pen that can stand up to some beating and the space shuttle detail seems secure.
4. Overall Design – 1 – It’s well-designed for what it is. It’s about the normal length of a typical retractable pen. It’s pretty. It can be used in any condition. Nothing about it feels cheap or flimsy. And it does write in a lot of ways.
5. Price Point – 0.5 – It’s not cheap. This one runs $29.00 at Paradise Pen Company. You can probably find it cheaper or on sale in other places. Refills are available – in a wide array of colors, and even some different point types for common colors – for $6-$7 a pop depending on where you get them. That’s not cheap, but for the length of time they’re useable and how many ways you can use the refills, it makes this a long term use pen that evens out the investment.
That’s 4 of 5 bronze pencils.
[Write the Story] A Crime Scene
Prompt: A Crime Scene
Words: phantom, desperate, scale, normality, ponytail, tremendous, stiletto, hound, wrinkle, smoke
Story
“I can’t believe this is what passes for our normality,†Ashley said as she picked her way through smoke and debris.
“If you didn’t expect this, why’d you take the job?†Alton asked, kneeling to tag an errant stiletto. Its mate had to be somewhere, hopefully not on the foot of a victim.
Ashley shook her head, sending her ponytail bobbing. “I don’t mind helping people get answers for crimes, but this scale? It’s…tremendous. How do we begin?â€
“One piece of evidence at a time.†Alton wrinkled his nose as an odor hit him. A moment later a hound bayed its desperate call. “We have phantoms.â€
Ashley pulled a filter out of a cargo pocket and snapped it on her camera. “Let me get some shots of where they are before they pass on. We can use them for locating the bodies when the mortuary guys get past the tape.â€
The gauzy figures jumped into view as Ashley started photographing. This. This was the part of Forensics she never expected. The scene of a building collapse? Rubble? Sure. Carnage from an active shooter? No problem. The sight of disembodied souls about to head into the light, getting their orientation? Not so much, even though in some cases the spirits were able to point to evidence needed to solve their crimes. Mostly she felt sorry for them, the recently dead and confused. It’s one thing to study. Another to deal with it in the field.
Word Count: 244
Written: 5/31/2019
[Pen/Pencil Review] Pentel EnerGel RTX White – 0.7mm – Purple and Green
This week’s pen review goes back to Pentel and another version of the Ener-Gel. This one is a 0.7mm retractable white barrel EnerGel. It was at the register, and I am a sucker for those. This one is just cute and happy. These were violet and light green – I had a theme that week.
I’ve been pleasantly surprised by this pen, I’ve mentioned my tendency for retractables on the work desk. This is one. This one is also part of the Recycology line – so, about 80% recycled materials go into making this pen. It’s a good size – 5.75″ retracted, and 6″ with the point out. The diameter is wide enough to be comfortable, but not overly wide and has some ergonomic cushioned on the barrel. The metal clip has a translucent, color-matching plastic panels near the plunger
The barrel is white plastic base with a white textured grip translucent, color matching panels which allows some visibility on ink levels. The ink is violet and a decent light green that’s rich and not difficult to read. The Ener-Gel ink is a does dry quickly, but it is a gel based ink, so there’s a drying factor on slicker paper. The 0.7mm conical metal tip gives a decent line – it’s not as fine as I typically love, but it’s not broad and gloppy. It’s easily legible and quick drying. It’s also refillable
The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 0.5 It’s decent. No frills. The ink is bold and the roller smooth. There can be some smearing, but it’s liquid ink. It happens, especially on slick paper. It does dry quickly, but needs drying time.
2. Grip and feel – 1 – It’s an inexpensive, plastic, no frills pen. It has a grip that’s pretty comfortable. The length and balance are good.
3. Material – 1 It’s recycled plastic, but it has a good mechanism and good ink. If you’re ecology conscious or just want to help keep plastic out of landfills, this is a good thing.
4. Overall Design – 1 -It’s a basic retractable liquid gel ink pen. It’s refillable or disposable. It is what it is.
5. Price Point – 0.5 – I got this at the Staples checkout. It lists on the Office Deport site for $3. I don’t think I paid that? I think it was $1.99 at the cash register. But it’s one of the more expensive ones
4.0 out of 5 Bronze Pencils
[Write the Story] An Anthropologist at a Costume Party
Prompt: An Anthropologist at a Costume Party
Words: fashionista, responsibility, cruelty, article, arrangement, frog, French fries, calf, addition
Story
“This is sheer cruelty, you know.â€
“You’re the one who picked the frog costume, you can’t be bothered by people commenting on your legs, Alex.â€
“Funny, Bev. Funny. I can’t believe I let you talk me into this…arrangement.â€
Beverly flipped her braid over her shoulder. “I take no responsibility for this. You were the one who decided this would make a good journal article.â€
“It will. There has to be interesting socio-economic parallels to current culture and choice of costume.†Alex’s voice took on additional excitement.
“There you go. Some people just like to dress up like French fries, and you will find some way to make an academic project out of it.â€
“I’m more interested in those two.†Alex pointed to a tall, model-thin woman dressed like a 1960’s fashionista walking with a waddling calf costume. He couldn’t tell if it was one person or two, or an actual cow since she held on to a rhinestone leash.
“Of course you are. Just remember, I agreed to let you come because anthropology not psychology,†Bev said. “Now come on and try to have fun. But if you get us kicked out before I find the shrimp, I will sauté your legs in butter.â€
Word Count: 204
Written: 5/22/19
[Pen/Pencil Review] The Astronaut Sent Me Sharpies
Sometimes when you think, “Oh, crap, I forgot…” something then happens to make you glad for a new opportunity. This is one of those times, and this is not going to be a typical pen blog. This is more of “Reason 1701 of Why Being A Writer Is Surreal and Awesome” PLUS a pen blog…sort of.
As most know, I have a new collection of short stories out called The Astronaut Stole My Sharpie and Other Stories. The title story was one I wrote for FenCon’s program book a few years ago. The whole story on where the story comes from is evident and part of the collection, so I won’t go into it here. I do find it awesome that I can count an astronaut as a friend. And one with a wicked sense of humor.
I was able to show the collection’s galley (because timing) to said astronaut at Comicpalooza and made a fan boy freak out because he didn’t know he’d been standing next to an astronaut. Fortunately, he – the astronaut – knows about this story and his inspiration for it. He made an off-hand comment that I laughed off.
Yeah, now I’m just laughing. Today in the mail, I received a plain lumpy package with a familiar name on the return address. Inside? These two packages of Sharpies. More to be stolen over the course of time. Maybe. Or maybe I will guard them with my life. Because DUDE! AN ASTRONAUT SENT ME SHARPIES!
Sharpies are very ubiquitous. They last a good while and have decent versatility. There’s a reason they get used by celebrities and musicians to sign photos, CDs, and t-shirts. Mostly waterproof – some of them do wash off of fabric after a while. But you can’t beat a Sharpie for a permanent marker – and these are classic black and fun colors. So get you some – just not these. They’re mine. All mine.
[Write the Story] The Best Night the Main Character Won’t Remember
Prompt: The Best Night the Main Character Won’t Remember
Words: Mardi Gras, puzzle, scorpion, snout, ward, cooler, shake, tiger, exhausted, stumble
Story
“Where are we going?” Brook asked as she tried not to stumble on the uneven cobblestones. “It sounds a little like Mardi Gras.”
“That’s a whole other ward.” Avery told her as they continued toward the unknown destination.
“We better get there soon.” Rook sounded exhausted and started to shake as the temperatures turned cooler.
“We’re here.”
Brook scanned the dark alley, desperately trying to figure out where here was. Avery had dropped hints and taunts like a puzzle with no picture. No matter how many questions she asked or how she wheedled.
“Now will you tell me?”
“Why? When you can simply open the door and find out for yourself.”
“Why? When you can simply open the door and find out for yourself.”
“Wait? What door?”
Avery pointed over her shoulder. “That door.”
Brook turned to see light shining around a slap that she swore wasn’t there. “Wait. What?”
“This is the most secret, prestigious arcane club…anywhere. Are you ready?”
Now Brook wasn’t sure what caused her trembling, but she took a deep breath. “I’m ready.”
Avery knocked twice and said, “”The scorpion stings the tiger’s snout.”
The door swung open on Brook’s next adventure.
Word Count: 196
Written: 5/15/2019
[Pen/Pencil Review] The Houston Adventure
This won’t be a “for real” review – mostly because we’ve been traveling since Thursday. Houston was awesome. If I met you at Comicpalooza – thanks you for coming by the table or the panel! I appreciate the opportunity to meet so many people there, and to run into some familiar faces.
Because we had some time, not only did we do Comicpalooza, we did some other things – like touring NASA’s Johnson Space Center, and heading over to Dromgooles, a premiere pen store in Houston. As well as doing a quick jaunt down to the edge of Galveston to put toes in the Gulf of Mexico. Fortunately Jimmy is with me on this idea of if you have the opportunity to go to a beach and put toes in ocean, you should do it. So we did. It was an exhausting trip. It was an amazing trip. I don’t really want to go back to “normal life” again, but something has to support the pens.
The “astronaut” pen and Houston pen came from the Hilton-Americas Hotel gift shop. The environmental pack is the plunger for the retraction of the point. The “Houston We Have A Problem” pens are from the Johnson Space Center gift shop, as is the Fisher Space Pen with the Space Shuttle detail on the clip. Because, come on, really? Did you expect me to go to a Space Center and NOT buy a Space Pen?
The silver, tapered stick at the top with the tube that says “Napkin”? That’s the Napkin Forever Prima Pen. It’s something I saw once and thought was cool. It’s an inkless pen or leadless pencil. It apparently uses oxidation to create marks on paper – look super cool. I’ll talk more about it later. It was 30% off at Dromgoole. Also picked up a single Blackwing Volume 4 Mars pencil. Wasn’t sure I wanted a whole dozen, but I did want the single one – because Mars.
Many things to look into over the next few weeks. Looking forward to getting back to it.