Nope. My fear of heights/falling would inevitably lead to disaster.

WYE write a story outside your "comfort zone" in terms of genre or content?

Ugh. 103=39 in my degrees. Wayyyyyy too hot. I have only experienced absolute temps like that when in the US Southwest. We do get the humidex (how it feels once you factor in humidity) in the forties at times here, but the absolute temperature caps out around 34-35 and those are often daily records when they occur.

Good morning, good day, good week, whatever.

Putting on some Blue Mountain coffee from Jamaica. Teas are Darjeeling and Oolong. Cold bevvies, which I think many of us require, are looking good.

I am back on the sequel to Night of the Wind, though I am increasingly inclined to make Night... the prequel to this one though I have not actually figured out how the plots tie together yet. This one is going to be in chapters and will be longer and more involved. I even have a "downtime" chapter on the go with two of the characters relaxing and chatting in a public bath (think Roman baths) as they recover from a run-in with the nastie beastie of the story.

Sling Blade

Quote by TomEccleston
Visually she's not very appealing. Waaaaaaaay too much makeup = insecurity for me.

And, yet, I get the sense she's probably quite naturally pretty and should probably ditch some of that makeup.

Quote by TomEccleston
But I'd fight Kistin for stock if Taylor was a company.

Seems like a good investment to me, too. Perhaps she should incorporate and go public, eh.😉

Quote by DenimAngel
Hotel breakfast needs sprinkle donuts and marshmallows

Yeah, hotel breakfasts, at least in the "free breakfast buffet" types I stay in (e.g. Comfort Inn, Holiday Inn Express), tend to be a bit bland that way, eh. Though Holiday Inn Express at least has nice cinnamon buns.

Glad you're enjoying Phoenix. I was there for a conference once pre-pandemic (2018, I think). Had free time the day before the conference start and went to the Desert Botanical Garden.

Quote by gillianleeza
For me, the worst was having to pay two hundred dollars to park at the stadium.

That's got to be a new record for parking gouging in my experience (maybe others have seen it). Toronto can be bad during big events but I've never seen it go that high. We'll see what happens when she plays there this Fall. She's doing a 5 night run at the Rogers Centre (the domed stadium where the Blue Jays play) which has almost no parking of its own. Its all private lots and garages around the neighbourhood.

Ape is spinning and whirling and dancing and twirling. Happy, happy ape.

And, to be honest, I am not entirely sure why.

Anyhow, I've put some Tobermory Grotto on in the coffee pot. Teas are English Breakfast and Black Currant. Pitchers are washed and refilled with iced tea (unsweet) and lemonade. Sodas are stocked.

So a good morning and happy new week to you all!!

Depends what i am doing. Sandals around the house (except in the main living area where we go barefoot). Trainers for walking outdoors.

R-rated or PG-13 (movie/TV)?

Congratulations to the Thespian and the Bear. Good stories both. And all were terrific reads. That was a wonderful idea. And now I have 100 coins of my own. Hmmmmm.

6615 (out my window, lots of green)

(The) Quiet Earth (very nice, low budget 80s s-f movie from New Zealand or Australia, forget which)

Warmish around here but better than when we got back from Europe. More usual July weather rather than extreme heat.

Still, even on the hottest days, some need their coffee and tea. So I've got some Nicaraguan Dark Roast in the coffee pot. Teas are Raspberry Royale and Darjeeling. Cold drinks are mixed up. Sodas are stocked.

And I was slinging the pancakes this morning. Both table syrup and maple syrup available.

Newman. He had a style about him that appeals to me. Haven't seen many of McQueen's flicks, to be honest.

Glasses/contacts or get your eyes lasered and do away with them?

Quote by gillianleeza
I can't imagine spending the amount some have on a concert ticket

I find the price of concert tickets slightly insane these days to start with. Big tickets like her and Beyonce just exacerbate that. I looked at going to jazz-pop singer Laufey's most recent concert in Toronto in the spring and even she was going for around $100 for the cheap seats and she's nowhere near to being in Swift's league (in fact, she's an admitted Swiftie herself). It was sold out by the time I got there anyhow so I would have had to pay a scalper to go.

Also out today is Pirates II : Armada from Visions of Atlantis. It's after Order of Fear on my listening list but here's the last single from earlier this week.

I have been hearing the name "Orden Ogan" for a while but with their new album out today, decided to finally give them a listen. Good listenable German power metal. Not really exceptional in any way, but quite a good listen. This is the title track, which also happens to be the translation of the band's name ("Orden" is German for "Order", "Ogan" is an old Celtic word for "Fear").

Woo hoo! It is Friday.

In the coffee pot we have Fire-Roasted Fireside.

Teas are English Breakfast and Assam.

Hot water is on for other hot beverages.

Cold drinks are looking good.

What's up?

Orca

Hitchcock. Craven was definitely good and had some great ideas but not quite in Hitch's league.

Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees?

6610 (write with a pen)

Dutch singer Floor Jansen has some solo dates happening right now. Tonight she was at the Royal Park in Baarn and then she has a double header in Bloemendaal on Saturday. Fan vids from today are already up and she was in fine form. This is actually a song from Nightwish, the band that is her "day job", but I know it's one that is meaningful to her so it is the only NW song still in her solo sets.

And from her solo album Paragon.

Quote by verbal

5.5 hours without power and counting

Eek. Hang in there. Wish I could send you some hydro, but vibes will have to do.

Mighty Joe Young (hey, I'm an ape, I like ape movies)

Hmm. Seventies folk-pop eh. I like both about the same, but probably Carly in a pinch.

Creepy, spooky ghost story or brutal, gory "splatter" horror?

Quote by gillianleeza
I have COVID-19 again

Oh crap, how many times is this now? Hope you get through it okay this round. Take care and enjoy your holiday.

And I kind of forgot to wish our American friends a Happy July 4th this morning. Have a great holiday, y'all!!!!

Up to a dozen by my count. This is ticking along nicely. As Kis said, "More." But being Canadian and therefore extraordinarily polite, I'll add a "please." 😇

(Canadian muggers say, "Hand me your wallet, please." They still beat the crap out of you if you refuse, but apologize afterwards.)

Kong : Skull Island

I actually use a stationary bike right now at home but of those, I'd use a treadmill. I've tried ellipticals in gyms while on vacation and never quite got the hang of them. Wife likes them, though.

Rock/pop concert: Arena/stadium show or festival?

It's MORNING!!! Time for COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOFFEE!!!

So we've got some Deathwish Dark Roast brewing.

For the tea crowd, there's Scottish Breakfast and Cream of Earl Grey.

Cold drinks are ready and waiting in the fridge. Hot water is on standby.

How's it going??

I've been realizing that I have two stories fermenting that are basically the same story. One is a sequel to Night of the Wind and one is a sequel to Spirits of Tan Maldrin, so one in each of my fantasy worlds. This happens from time to time and is basically a good sign that I have a good idea, just need to decide which of my casts of characters get to live it. I think I can tweak the latter to make it different enough so right now, looks like it will be the former, though I'm also changing the direction of it a bit.

I have also realized that Niomi Shen, from Night..., is evolving to be a bit too much like Nalia in Spirits... as I move her into the protagonist role in the sequel . Still not sure how I'll deal with that. Both priestesses, both with magical elements, both involved or potentially involved with soldiers. Niomi is older and more experienced with some tragedy in her backstory (home village destroyed in a war) so that might become the differentiator.

(The) Iron Giant