Quote by AnnaMayZing
The Haunted House by none other than? You guessed it... McKenna Grace. This is one talented kid!

She reminds me a bit of someone else but not sure who. Maybe I've just heard other music by her. Wonder if she'll juggle music and acting or go Taylor Momsen's (former TV star who is the lead singer of The Pretty Reckless) route and focus on music.

I've probably posted about these two individually before, but Mia x Ally is now an official joint project. Mia is the violinist, Ally is the piper (in fact she goes by Piper Ally on social media). They toured together in the spring and have a new tour and their debut album coming up in the fall after Mia finishes a European tour as a soloist with the metal string ensemble Two Steps From Hell.

So far, so good this weekend. Quiet. Weather got a bit wet yesterday but is better today.

Coffee is refilled with some Nicaraguan dark roast. Teas are Irish Breakfast and Sunday Tea (vanilla). Cold drinks are replenished.

Have a nice one!!

Peaches! And the Ontario crop is in! Yay!

Pancakes with fruit or just plain with syrup?

Quote by verbal
Hey, if this McCafe is too hot and I spill it in my lap, can I sue you? (Sorry, a little legal humor.)

Yeah, I remember that case. 🙄 I carefully measure the temperature of all hot drinks in here and can guarantee that you'll only suffer 1st degree burns.🙀🤣 And my top grade (according to him) lawyer is on standby with suitable paperwork to CMA. His office is the phone booth across the street.

Talk - Tank

FRYDAY!!

Um, no. Let's try that again.

FRIDAY!!

There. That's more like it. Though the first one has probably been a fantasy of mine at some point (don't judge my kink).

Anyhow, I've put some McCafe Dark Roast in the coffee maker. There's Red Rose and Earl Grey in the teapots. Iced tea and lemonade pitchers are washed and refilled. Soda stock checked and replenished. Even gave the place a quick dusting.

Death by lava is a theme in my new story. Don't actually plan to kill anyone that way, but it's the deep-seated fear of one character after a nasty dream. Hot stuff, but in a different way than we sometimes mean by the term.

Later, alligators.

Cale - Bale

Quote by Meagananne1986
Right now, with three girls aged 2-2-1

Ah, the good days, eh. I remember the struggles of traveling with one kid that age, so can't even imagine what 3 would be like.

I like both, but in a pinch I'd go for chocolate out of those two.

In a bowl or a cone?

And i actually had Ghost on in the car this morning.

Forest. More to see and I find sand a bloody pain to walk on.

Tent or cabin to sleep in?

Quote by AnnaMayZing
Nightwish recently announced that they are currently recording their tenth album, due for release in 2024.

In fact, Kai (drummer) announced on social media that he is finished laying down the drum tracks (learned this via other NW fans on Floorworld). He seems to be the most active on SM these days since Floor, who used to be fairly active, is laying low right now. The goal seems to be for the guys to get their bits done, then have Floor do the vocal tracks when she's up for it.

Kittens are more fun to play with, older cats make better companions (even if they are also kind of snooty and standoffish). So both are good. And if you get a kitten, it will become an older cat eventually, eh.

Hike an existing trail or blaze one of your own?

6360

Limp - Lime

Quote by Meagananne1986
Would you feel the same way about the workweek if it were Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Friday with Wednesday and Saturday-Sunday off or it were simply one day on, one day off which gives the same work hours averaged over two weeks.

Breaking up the week that way seems to me to be problematic for some work (not necessarily mine). Moving to four consecutive days on then three off makes more sense, esp. on the personal side. However, I could live with a more fragmented approach, too.

Quote by Meagananne1986
Hot Dog or Hamburger during a cookout?

Hamburger, though a good hot dog or sausage can work, too.

Gas or charcoal BBQ?

What do you do when you're both a top metal singer and the mother of a young daughter who is into Disney's Frozen? Record a cover of "Let It Go" of course, but put a bit of a metal spin on it. Dutch rocker Floor Jansen covered the song as the first of her pandemic covers, then incorporated it into her solo setlists when she could start performing live again. This performance is from her "Live from AFAS Amsterdam" video and live album.

Lamb - Lamp

Yeeow. Storms can be so nasty. We lost a few poles here in a storm a couple years ago. Hit out in the East end, closer to my office than home. There's a research group at the local university who are Canada's national experts on tornadoes and they confirmed it was a small tornado. At least they did not have to travel far to study this one. It was about 15 minutes from the campus.

Good morning! Hope the weather is not too stormy out your way.

There's Jamaican Blue Mountain waiting in the coffee pot. Teas are English Breakfast and Earl Grey. Cold beverages are refreshed and ready.

Make - Mike

Quote by verbal

I’m listening to The Lonesome Jubilee by John Mellencamp a lot lately. It has aged well - I had forgotten how much I liked it.

I am not a huge fan but that's just a matter of style, not quality. He's a heck of a good songwriter.

Quote by verbal
we had THREE tornadoes just east of here,

My son has had a couple in his area this year. Nothing that's affected their place but near enough to have us texting them to make sure. Ottawa seems to be becoming a bit of a tornado magnet. They had a storm that spawned several the year after he moved there.

Ad Infinitum is a marvellous band that's now going on 4 years. It began as a solo project for lead singer Melissa Bonny when she was still in the Swiss trance metal band Rage of Light. They now have three studio albums (Chapter I, II, III) plus an acoustic remake of Chapter I (it's amazing in its own right, by the way). While they are definitely in the metal sphere, Melissa's smooth, almost R&B-esque at times, clean singing voice and the melodic style of the music should, I think, give them some appeal beyond the headbanger crowd. At the same, the heavy guitar and rhythm work and Melissa's occasional harsh vocals definitely give them some metalhead appeal.

From their first album:

And the leadoff track from their latest:

I actually did some writing as a kid. A lot was for school, but I did have some ideas that I pursued. Even did a script for an English project that was my own take on a sequel to Star Wars (only the original was out at the time). Taking up RPGs (e.g. Dungeons & Dragons) helped a lot, since I got into world-building and would plot out adventures much like an open-ended, choose-you-own-adventure type story. And eventually, probably in high school, I started actually writing stories. That continued on and off through university and early adulthood. However, having kids kind of kiboshed it for a while but now that I am an empty-nester, I have been able to take it up more consistently and seriously.

Seriously. Have you been writing for years? Is it something new? Is it a hobby or a retirement project? Were you interested in writing as a kid?

Let's hear how we started writing and tell our stories as writers.

Oo, we gots cookies!!!

To go with those, I'll put on some Las Chicas Nicaraguan Dark Roast. For teas, let's see, how about Assam and Sunday Tea. And, as always, we've iced tea, lemonade, and sundry sodas in the fridge. If you need them colder, I've got some trays of ice cubes in the freezer along with the ice cream, too.

Later, folks.

It is the first full week of the month and that means a new list of themed calls and markets from Author's publish. And it's the usual mixed bag. New Weird (think Annihilation) set in coastal regions, Weird Westerns, cosmic romance, and even, if you happen to live in British Columbia, stories about the BC wildfires. And a whole lot more. Some are, alas, too late (the first item on the list closes today) but there's also some future-looking timelines. There is also a list of open comps at the end.

https://authorspublish.com/30-themed-submission-calls-and-contests-for-august-2023/

Done and enjoy both. Next will be more cultural it seems.

Adventure in the wilderness or something tame?

Welp, it's a holiday here in the Great White North. Civic Holiday, Simcoe Day, and myriad other names are used. It's mostly just a day off in August, though, rather than having any real specific meaning.

I've put on some classic Canadian coffee. No, not Tim's. They suck apparently. We've got Kicking Horse Smart Ass on. For those not up on their Canadian history, the Kicking Horse Pass is the pass through the Rockies where the CPR, our first national railway, went through the mountains.

Teas are Canadian Breakfast (a blend from my local shop) and Earl Grey.

Cold beverage pitchers are washed and refilled with unsweet iced tea and lemonade. Pop is looking good.

Have a great one!

Well, I will just refresh everything from yesterday given how quiet it is here

Hope folks are having a good weekend (good long weekend if applicable). Been busy with yardwork and trip planning.

Quote by gillianleeza
My favorite Rendfield will always be Tom Waits in Coppola's version. I didn't realize for a long time that it was Tom Waits

Yeah, he doesn't act much but is actually pretty good when he does. The casting in that version was a real mixed bag. Keanu was a bad choice for Jonathan (would have been good for Quincey, I think) but Oldman and Hopkins were terrific, as was Waits.