The Eye Of Loni's Storm
How now spirit, wither wander you?
Sunday, February 06, 2022
Goodbye 2021, Hello 2022
Wednesday, October 06, 2021
Last Week In Media Consumed
Books and Television, of course!
Only Murders In The Building - At first, I was not interested. Then I saw a couple interviews with the cast and I heard good things from other people. So I watched. I'm all in now. It's so good. Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez are such an odd combination, but I love it. Plus, Tina Fey. She's amazing whenever her character shows up. Nathan Lane is perfect. The story seems light, but dark. I supposed the same could be same for You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey. Only Murders In The Building is on Hulu in the States (apparently). It's on Disney+ in Canada. (We don't get Hulu.) Thank you to whoever made sure this show ended up where I could watch it. I can't wait to find out what happens next!
Sunday, September 19, 2021
What's Been Happening - Summer 2021
This year, I did a couple really good things that I wanted to share.
I participated in Culture Days. The WCYR (the writing community I volunteer with) put together a recording of 10 writers reading from their work. I was excited to be included. I was also quite nervous. You can check out me and the other participants here. You can learn more about Culture Days here.
I think one of the most important things I did was post "Where Are You From?" in June. The title seems innocuous, but it is not an innocuous question when the person asking refuses to take your first answer at face value. I was nervous. I hope no one can tell. I haven't actually watched myself yet. BUT - Check out the post for some of my feelings on that.I received an evaluation on a manuscript I've been working on. I'm going to rewrite about half of it. Good times.
The best books I read were probably Barack Obama's, A Promised Land, and Kelley Armstrong's Lost Souls. Two very different books. I thoroughly enjoyed them both. I couldn't recommend them enough. A Promised Land also cemented for me that non-fiction is my preference for audio books. Lost Souls reminded me that I am enamoured by Gabriel Walsh and I need to finish the Cainsville series.
Television - Hmm... I watched Godzilla: Singular Point, an anime. I thought the two main characters were adorable. Also anime, Dota: Dragon's Blood. Have you watched The Dragon Prince (I'm waiting on the next season)? Dota is The Dragon Pince for grownups. I've also been obsessively re-watching Avatar: The Last Airbender. I still love that show. My daughter loves as well. We're always looking for shows we can watch together.
Like, Loki. We're all in on Loki. Forever. Let's smash the sacred timeline.
The Dota: Dragon's Blood trailor:
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Sunday, June 13, 2021
Where Are You From?
What are you? Where are you from? Where are you really from?
Sometimes I think about context. Context is important. If we've recently met, there is the potential for friendship, this is something that could be asked.
Where are you from?
When I answer, Toronto or Canada/Ontario, that should be accepted. Maybe there is a response, like, what part of Toronto (Canada/Ontario)? Or, I love Toronto! Or, are you a fan of the Raptors/Leafs/Blue Jays? Or, have you been to the ROM/AGO/Canada's Wonderland? Or even, Toronto sucks! I love Montreal/Vancouver/Halifax.
A follow up question is fine, like where is your family from? Or what I find more acceptable, what is your background?
The question I hate. HATE - Where are you really from?
I hate when I get asked that question. Deeply.
Where are you really from? Like I can't possibly be from Canada.
The question is often responded to with a look, one that makes the questioner act as though I'm being difficult. You know what? I am being difficult. I know what they want to know, what answer they want me to give. I want to be difficult. I want the person asking the question to know that I don't like it. At this point, I want them to know I don’t like them.
The question is dismissive. Of me. Of my story. Of my history. It is the search for a label. So that they can tuck me away in a box. Categorize me.
When I was young, I answered the question. I hoped to avoid conflict. Honestly, safety was a consideration. As I got older, I grew more confident (and annoyed), so my answers became snarky, sassy, rude, though not so much when the questions happened at my place of employment. I was always aware of context, but at a certain point, my answer to, "where are you really from?" became, “No, really, I'm from Toronto. Born and raised.” When I got, the look, I'd give them a look back. A look that plainly expressed what I thought of their question.
If a person wants to know about someone's background, it can be okay to ask them. It’s part of getting to know someone. I know the backgrounds of many friends and colleagues, their families are from Jamaica, Scotland, Taiwan and many other places. The questions happen naturally. Often these parts of a person are revealed through conversations about food, hobbies, and childhood. If a person is just dying to know what a person’s cultural or ethnic background is, maybe they should ask themselves, why? Why is it that one of the first questions they want to ask is “what are you?” or “were are you from?” Why not ask about where they grew up or what school they went to? Ask about what they did on the weekend or what they like to do for fun. There are so many more wonderful, kind, inclusive ways to ask about a person’s history.
Sunday, April 18, 2021
We're Halfway Through April, Aren't We?
I also wrote a piece for the Diversity and Inclusion group at my day job. I know that based on what the word count limits are for communications, it's going to get cut down. I also tried to temper the emotional aspects of the piece. However, I have my very own blog. I'm going to give it a little edit and post it here later this week, I think.
What have I consumed and enjoyed in the last month-ish?
I read...
Artificial Condition, the second installment in the The Murderbot Diaries. I still love Murderbot. I want to know where their adventure is going to take them next!
WandaVision <3
Falcon and the Winter Soldier. I <3 Bucky.
Zack Snyder's Justice League. I think my heart fluttered a little when Barry saved Iris.
Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. I'd seen both already, but my daughter was in the mood, so we watched all of Korra again and a few favourite episodes of Avatar. I love those series.
History of Swear Words on Netflix. It's really good. Interesting in a way I didn't expect.
Dota: Dragon's Blood. My friend recommended it. It's like a cross between The Dragon Prince and Castlevania. At least that's what I thought as I watched. She called it "The Dragon Prince for grownups."
I submitted a couple short stories. Got a rejection. Good times.
I ate some Popeye's and it was SO GOOD. I'm really appreciating Skip the Dishes lately.
How has your spring been so far?
Thursday, March 18, 2021
I Made Some Lists!
For Black History Month, myself and other team members shared a variety of recommended books. I've read all the books except for the new releases.
Sunday, March 14, 2021
I Learned Something About Myself
The Pouch of Douglas (be warned). I was watching Hannah Gadsby’s show, Douglas on Netflix. Now here we are. (The bit is at the end of the post.) Really, I think it's important. I learned about a part of my body that I didn't know existed. Also, it came during a part of Hannah Gadsby's show that had me feeling like, why had men named all the things? and, couldn't they come up with better names? If you have watched Douglas (and if you haven't, I recommend that you do), another part that made me laugh so hard and wonder so much, was that piece of fabric up a lady's bum in a renaissance painting. It was a choice. The artist chose to take the time to paint that!
My daughter is obsessed with Julie and the Phantoms. Have you seen it? It's cute. Great for teens and tweens, I think. The music is enjoyable and will have you singing along. It's a hidden gem. A song from episode 2 below.
I finished Maya Angelou's Complete Poetry. It's brilliant. If you haven't read her poems, I highly recommend them. Some are fun, others are heartbreaking. They're beautiful, lyrical, and take you on a journey.
I have been advised that should start a newsletter. What would I write in it? That I have a new blog post up? Bits from those posts? Link to books recs? Other bloggers? Could I include things from the WCYR? How long would it have to be? It's already giving me anxiety and I haven't even started anything yet. I'd need some kind of email signature/logo, which also has to be done.
The sky is darkening. Maybe it's time to stop thinking about things that make my tension level increase.
Monday, March 01, 2021
Let's Reflect



Wednesday, February 10, 2021
Twitter Made Me Think About Romance
The A.I. Who Loved Me, by Alyssa Cole
Take A Hint, Dani Brown, by Talia Hibbert
That's it. I'm sure there are other books out there. I've read the first two books. They were fantastic. I really could gush about both of them, and their authors. The third is sitting in my Kobo app, waiting for me. Can anyone suggest a book to add to my to-read list for this particular sub-sub (or whatever) section of the romance genre?
Sunday, February 07, 2021
The Last Week Or Two
I finished: The A.I. Who Loved Me, by Alyssa Cole. Alyssa Cole has become one of my favourite romance authors. I'm pretty much ready to ready anything she writes. She blends romance into other genres that she writes in. The A.I. Who Loved Me is a near-future sci-fi romance. I thought there would only be a little sci-fi in the novel, but it surprised me. The Hive is very scary, like if Amazon ruled the US. I wonder if Cole will write more stories set in this world. I also saw her speak at DVCON. I think I could listen to her talk about writing and stories all day.
I also binged the Thor movies with my daughter. I think she wanted to watch Loki (who doesn't). We ended up watching the first Avengers movie too. It was fun. She knew a surprising amount of behind-the-scenes stuff and I asked her if she Googled MCU stuff. Not specifically. She Googled Iron Man stuff (her favourite superhero) and fell down the internet MCU rabbit hole.
What's coming up this week? More work on the edits for my manuscript. Maybe updating the Me! and Writing Life portions of the blog. Edits again. Contemplating the fate of the characters in the manuscript. Reading some more poems by Maya Angelou. Maybe writing some new words for my next novel.
Sunday, January 24, 2021
Last Week I Decided to Expand My Writing Community
Also, quick question - Does everyone use Discord now?
I also registered for Boskone 58. It's the convention for the New England Science Fiction Association. The con is all about sci-fi and fantasy. More topics I can be excited about. It seems pretty big. February 12 to 14, there are multiple speakers at every time slot. How am I going to choose?
I did some Pajama Writing with Inkslingers. At various times of the week, Inkslingers is inviting writers to to spend an hour totally focused on writing. Close the door, turn off phones, no social media. Pick an intention/project, post it in the chat and then get to work. At the end, writers are invited to post a line that they wrote (or edited) that evening/morning/afternoon.
What's a talk about writing communities without my own writing community, the WCYR (Writers Community of York Region). I say mine, because these are my friends, colleagues, co-conspirators. I've met so many wonderful writers over the years, people who are quirky, and weird, just like me. I'm registered for the February and March events. I'm looking forward to them. I've gone to many and will be going to more workshops. I love a good workshop. The WCYR also currently hosts two virtual write-ins a week (sorry, members only). MJ Moores wrote about it on the WCYR blog. Even though it's on Zoom, I feel like I've connected with other writers I might not have seen at the in-person events.I miss in-person events though. I never thought of myself as a big hugger, but I miss hugs.
Monday, January 18, 2021
Apps - For the Reading and the Writing
Goodreads
eReading:
iBooks
I use iBooks the least (sorry). That's mostly because it can only be used on Apple devices. I have a PC and other non-Apple products, so, ya.
KindleKobo
I'm going to stop before this gets all philosophical. This is about apps. Kobo has become the one I use the most.
Time to turn to the other eReading apps, Library Apps.
LibbyHoopla
Time for some writing apps.
Scrivener
Google Docs
Pages
I can also save files as .docx in Pages on my iPad. Pages lets me use the Apple Pencil, which is *almost* as good as writing by hand in a notebook. This way it gets converted to text right away. Time saver! If Pages, Google Docs, and Scrivener can all give me .docx files in the end, I don't need to pay for a subscription.
Have I mentioned I don't like the subscription thing?
If I find another writerly or bookish app, I'll be sure to add it to my list, but unless something happens in an update, I don't see this list changing anytime soon.
Monday, January 11, 2021
Last Week A Lot Went Down
A lot happened last week. COVID-19 infection rates are increasing more and more. Though, two people I know have already been vaccinated. There was an attempt to overthrow the government at the US Capital. As I may have mentioned before, I'm a fan of the late night talk shows. I think both Stephen Colbert's and Seth Meyers' takes on what happened are worth the watch. So, last week, I watched. I also watched more news than normal, in general. It was announced that children in Ontario will be home until the 25th of January. However, based on all the other information I've come across, I feel like my children will be home for a couple months.
I also watched Netflix's Best of Stand-up 2020 and realized I need to watch the specials from Jack Whitehall, Hannah Gadsby, Michelle Buteau, and Bert Kreischer. I'd already watched a few of the 2020 standups, but not these ones. (I like stand up specials.)
That's it for me. Did you watch or read anything good? I'm always adding to my TBR and Watchlists.
Sunday, December 27, 2020
It's Been A While - Looking Back at 2020
My day job is work from home gig. I was already home everyday. The biggest difference was having the children at home. Initially, I blogged (among other things), more than I had in a while. It felt good. I was sharing what I was doing/watching/reading. It was nice to share again.
I wrote a lot. I finished a draft of my work-in-progress and started editing. I discovered I might have a mild obsession with my characters' hair. I mention hair a lot.
Then I stopped blogging. I'm not sure why. I was still blogging for the WCYR and doing other work for them/us. I love my writing community. Many like-minded people coming together for the love of writing. We share our ideas, our quirks, unique habits. We're a support and a resource for each other. I'm glad I found them years ago and that I'm now a part of them.
Exhaustion gets me at inconvenient times.
Months have passed in this new normal and I find I want to blog again.
Monday, April 06, 2020
What I Read Last Week #3

Sunday, April 05, 2020
What I Watched Last Week #3
Monday, March 30, 2020
What I Watched Last Week #2


What I Read Last Week #2


Wasted Words was my now weekly (?) Romantic Comedy. It was cute and sad, and had a great ending. It's interesting how the events of our teen years can affect us as adults. Even when rationally, we know we're acting "crazy".