Category humor
When the Muse Is A Crack-Addicted Mess
The muse is a fickle creature. A few authors I know claim their muse guides their creative energy, breaking through self-imposed writer’s blocks, and delivering them safely to the land of a finished pristine manuscript. To them, I proudly give back a big fat jealous raspberry. I don’t have that relationship with my muse. Sure […]
A 12-Step Guide to Holiday Re-Gifting
‘Tis the season of giving! It is better to give than receive. I think that’s how that goes. I dug into my historical vaults to find the origins of this nobel sentiment. Scholars debate the first time these words were spoken. I found the true initial utterance of the phrase and it was not in […]
Top 10 Angry Editing Songs
I’ve run across several blogs and articles talking about the music writers like to have playing in the background while they work. Some refuse to listen to anything with lyrics because it’s distracting, while others need to have a specific musical artist speaking for the characters in the novel under construction. Music in the background […]
Crazy California Laws
You often hear the line, “We are a nation of laws,” and it’s usually associated with someone breaking one of those laws. But what is a law, really? I mean, sure, we know they are the boundary lines for living in a civilized society. Rules like, hey, don’t murder people, or don’t take shit that […]
Adventures in Allergy Season
Ah, it’s that glorious time of year–the flowers bloom, trees leaf out, and the hillsides are awash in fresh green grass. All of these chamber of commerce postcard moments brought out the doomsday prepper in me over the past few weeks. They saw fresh flowers–I saw pollen. Townsfolk posted Facebook photos of newly leafed trees–I […]
Share My Personal Information? Yes, Please…
About a month ago, I became a victim of one of the many loopholes in all of the rules, regulations, and red tape that are supposed to protect us little people from the ravages of Big Data. Dark Hat hacker types are supposedly lurking under every hedgerow waiting to steal our identity. The very laws […]
Crowds and Donuts–What nightmares are made of
I’m the type of person who doesn’t remember dreams. Only on rare occasions will I wake up in the morning with a vague feeling that I dreamt about something. It’s never anything that I can put a finger on and say, “Well, that was a fun ride.” Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, it’s simply getting […]
Writing (or trying to) with #NotMyCat
I’m a creature of habit. I get used to a routine and there is a certain comfort about the ritual and expectations of a well-planned day. All that goes out the window when a creature of another sort appears–#NotMyCat. This furry little bag of attitude has thrown my routine into the litter box. […]
A #NotMyCat Origin Story – A tale of a tail
I’ve been posting over on Facebook about a recent rash of criminal trespassing in the neighboorhood. Trespassing and breaking and entering committed by a cat. And she is #NotMyCat. #NotMyCat “officially” lives two houses down. According to her owner, the cat’s given name is Case. #NotMyCat has a wandering eye and has been cruising the neighborhood for […]
The Coffee Apocalypse
For something a little lighter this week–because damn. There is a balance to all things. Light and dark. Good and evil. When one force outweighs the other, the universe shifts to readjust the equilibrium and puts a thumb on the scale like a small town butcher. The forces of karma must be running out of […]
James L'Etoile
James L'Etoile 