Applejack would be a strong companion for the Doctor. What other ponies would make good companions?
I am helping to organize a new craft fair that is happening March 21, 2015. It is called CON Creative Ottawa Nerds. You can say that you’re going to the event here, and you can like our Facebook page here. Éric wrote about it here.
Last week I asked you to vote for which coffee’s you’d like me to sell at CON.
The response was pretty clear and I’ll be selling 4 coffees at CON:
I’ll have free samples of one of these available on the 21st.
You can pre-order any of the flavours above and a few others on our new Coffee Pre-Order page!
I’ve gotten back into the habit of working on Everdome and I’m really enjoying the characters. It’s really easy to write this book.
I’m trying to get through the first book in over 20 series I’ve accumulated over the years to see if I like them.
I recently finished Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews the first in the Kate Daniels series and I absolutely loved it. The author weaves genres together to create something original and fascinating. The maturity in the prose and world building is a joy to read. I look forward to devouring the rest of the series.
I give it an 85%
You excited for coffee?
Éric
This is the last picture from New York. I hope you enjoyed the pictures. I sure enjoyed the trip! The lion looks like he’s saying “What is this on MY pedestal? Get it off!”
I am helping to organize a new craft fair that is happening March 21, 2015. It is called CON Creative Ottawa Nerds. You can say that you’re going to the event here, and you can like our Facebook page here. Éric wrote about it here.
Fluttershy had no problems posing for the camera. I guess she’s not as shy in real life as on screen.
I am helping to organize a new craft fair that is happening March 21, 2015. It is called CON Creative Ottawa Nerds. You can say that you’re going to the event here, and you can like our Facebook page here. Éric wrote about it here.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7
“Hello,” said Felix to the woman on the other side of the glass. She vaguely looked like a cat, an orange tabby to be precise which confused him. He thought he’d heard that only male cats were orange. This was certainly not a male cat. More of a teenagers daydream of what a cat woman would look like. If that that teenager was really into lab coat wearing zookeepers from the future.
“I’ve had a really long day madam,” he said sounding tired even to himself. “I got up this morning and took a meeting with a beautiful, if chaotic woman,” he pointed at Amanda Eris, “and then dinosaurs from the future blew up my apartment.” He paused thinking about time, “I suppose they’re from my future but your past. None the less, I was then dragged back in time to avoid a giant cyborg gorilla and his rider.” The woman nodded at him sagely. “We were taken hostage by gangsters; Met Leonardo da Vinci; survived the temple of death traps; ran from more dinosaurs and now we’re stuck here.” The woman looked at him tilting her head as if asking a question, “Yes of course. I forgot. We went to the temple to get a diamond that would save humanity from the dinosaurs. We just had to give it to an old lady who would pass it on to her gangster grandson, then we can steal it back.” He scratched his head.
The woman meowed at him and started to laugh, she walked away from the glass.
“Seems needlessly convoluted. Even to me,” said Amanda.
“Ok so we’re in a museum that has almost perfectly mimicked my apartment through what telepathy?” Felix was trying to understand he felt like he’d been so close to being finished with the day.
“No. It’s built from electrical impulses in your brain that are turned into waves.” She stopped, “Yeah, telepathy.” This was the first time that Felix had seen her look sad. He didn’t like it. He preferred her being perky, mysterious, or smug.
“Does that mean the shower will work?” Felix asked. She only shrugged as an answer and he decided it might be worth a try, even if he was being watched. The shower did work and it was blissful to clean the dirt of the day off him. He felt the scar on his eye and sighed at its lack of symmetry.
When he left the shower he was loathed to put on his dirty and ripped suit. He wrapped the towel around himself and walked out of the washroom. When Amanda saw him she blushed and looked away. “Come on Amanda, a good shower will help you think and feel better.” She nodded sullenly and went into the washroom.
Going to the closet he wished that he’d owned something more fitting to travelling through time and space. When he opened the closet he was surprised to find that nothing in it was his clothes. Instead he found a long black leather duster, a pair of nice looking black military boots, a comfortable light blue dress shirt, and a charcoal gray suit with at vest instead of a jacket.
By the time that Amanda was out of the shower he was dressed and had shaved the stubble threatening to become visible on his face. “Where did you get that?” she asked. She looked splendid in nothing but a towel.
It took Felix a few moments to compose himself before pointing to the closet. When she opened it he saw a bright clowns outfit. She closed it again and reopened it to find an outfit that nearly matched his perfectly. Her coat and boots were navy blue, her shirt was a white sweater, and she had no vest.
He looked at the gawking museum patrons as she changed and when she was done she said, “This is wonderful.”
“They do fit quite well,” Felix said assuming she was talking about the clothes.
When he turned to look at her she had several small cases in front of her. Walking over to the table she put them down and turned to him to smile.
“I’ve always been curious how woman put on their makeup.” Felix smiled at her.
Looking confused she replied, “It’s not complicated, I have several different settings. I think light casual would be easiest.” She closed her eyes and tapped her temple a few times and when she opened them she was wearing light makeup. Eye shadow, lipstick, and blush. “Sub dermal implants that can temporarily infuse skin cells with colour.”
Looking at her with (what he assumed was) recognizable confusion he pointed at the little cases and asked, “Then what are those?”
“Repair kits of course.” She opened one of them with her left hand putting her right hand on the table palm up. Taking what looked like a small screw driver from the kit, she touched it to the inside of her wrist and her entire lower arm opened to show a complicated mechanism with glowing lights. It seemed to be wrapped around the flesh of her arm. Felix could see her bone from where he stood.
Unable to fight back the gag reflex, Felix ran to the sink to throw up everything that was in his stomach. Which was nothing at all and he ended up dry gagging. Once he’d controlled himself he brushed his teeth and came back out.
Amanda smiled at him, “Feeling better? Ready to go?”
“May I ask an indelicate question?” Felix asked feeling foolish. When she nodded he asked, “Are you a robot?”
Smiling largely she said, “Don’t be ridiculous.” Then asked, “Are you hungry?”
“Yes. What do you say we get invited to a gangster’s house for dinner?” he asked ignoring the discomfort in his stomach.
“Great idea,” she smiled at him and something in the way she looked at him made him feel warm and loved. Sighing happily he added, “Something tells me the worst is behind us.”
Hello Friends,
So last night I tried a new coffee flavour and for the first time since I’ve started, it failed. Turns out that Butter Popcorn isn’t strong enough to overpower the taste of coffee.
I have two polls for you. The first being which flavour you liked best of those you’ve tried. I will be selling 2 of these at CON on the 21st of March.
What Classic Flavour Should I Bring to CON? (Select 2)
Total Voters: 7
Loading ...And the second is what new flavours you’d like at CON.
What new Flavour should I bring to CON? (Select 2)
Total Voters: 5
Loading ...Editing
I’ve managed to spend the past three weeks, editing Parasomnia and A Study in Aether, both of which are now with a second set of Beta Readers. Yay!
I’m trying to get through the first book in over 20 series I’ve accumulated over the years to see if I like them.
I recently finished The Nymphos of Rocky Flats by Mario Acevedo. It’s the first in the Felix Gomez Series. Overall the book was OK. I’m not a big fan of the main character. The title is the sexiest part of the book unfortunately. It is well written and I have to give the author his due for making some unconventional choices in the mythology but not my favourite.
I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it. I give it a 55%.
Thank you and please Vote,
Éric
A few more ponies were found wandering Ottawa Comic Con last spring. Here is Twilight Sparkle!
I am helping to organize a new craft fair that is happening March 21, 2015. It is called CON Creative Ottawa Nerds. You can say that you’re going to the event here, and you can like our Facebook page here. Éric wrote about it here.
Oh no! Where are all the people? Where is the Doctor? The Angels are here!
I am helping to organize a new craft fair that is happening March 21, 2015. It is called CON Creative Ottawa Nerds. You can say that you’re going to the event here, and you can like our Facebook page here. Éric wrote about it here.
So you consider yourself a “Creative Type”? That means you’ve either spent your life being told you’re special and sensitive or you’ve been told that you’re a useless dreamer that needs to get a haircut and a real job. (Whoa flashback…)
If you consider yourself a creative type and want to feel you’re special go read this Article and don’t come back.
If you want the truth go read the article and come back to read the rest of this post.
You came back, great. Do you feel like you were just submerged into a giant vat of corn-syrup?
I’m not going to comment on all the points. Most of them are just sily.
First off there is no such thing as a creative type. It’s the same crap as the myth of “Talent”. My definition of creative type: Do you create something? Yes? You’re a creative type. The text before the list does say that everyone can be a creative type.
The biggest lie is the first point in the article:
They work when the work comes to them…meaning that they only paint, draw, write, sew, dance, or write out business plans when they feel like it. Creative people know the mind performs best in small bursts of concentrated work.
If you consider yourself creative and you only create when you feel like it then you’re doing it wrong. That might seem like a harsh judgement but it’s true. The only way to improve or get anything done is by doing it. Even when you don’t feel it!
The myth of the magical muse that will spray you with inspiration is not only a myth it’s an excuse to not create.
If creating something was as easy as waiting for inspiration or a muse, everyone would be doing it and Memes like this wouldn’t happen.
It takes ten years, or a million words, or ten thousand hours, to get good at something. If you waste your time waiting for inspiration you’ll never get to that point. (Something I wish I’d been told at 18.)
Art takes work. I know that’s not what you want to hear but it’s hard, it hurts, and it takes a long time.
If you don’t work through the difficulties and wait for magical assistance, you’ll never create anything.
That’s the danger of making creating something mystical, it gives people an excuse not to do it. Only the chosen ones can create. So many times people say, I’d love to do this but I’m not good enough.
If a 5 year old kid told his parents he wanted to be a soccer player but he felt he didn’t have the talent they’d laugh and tell him to practice. Why don’t we do that with artistic pursuits?
No one is born with the talent for art. No more than they’re born with the talent to walk or talk. They are learned skills that you have to work at. I haven’t worked that hard at the walking thing and the bruises on my legs prove it.
What you are born with is an incredible mind and body that can learn and adapt. The important thing is to do it and then re-do it over and over again.
Will your first attempts suck? Hell yes.
Will it be worth it? Immeasurably! You know that feeling when you listen to a great piece of music, read a great book, see a great movie, hear a great line, or see a great piece of art? You know that feeling of elation that comes with it, and the need to share it with others? Now Imagine, that you could see that in someone because of something you created. Effectively seeing someone geek out over what you’ve created.
That feeling combined with the sense of accomplishment is one of the greatest feelings I have ever had.
Go out there and make something, bring something new into the world. Prove to all the evil out there that you can make something beautiful.
It will be hard but all you need is a way to make yourself do it, even when you don’t want to. Make a schedule, set up a system of awards, create deadlines, do what works to make you work.
Use Habit, Persistence, Stubbornness, and hard work to create your own muse; one of practice and experience.
And when you feel like you can’t or it’s too hard, remember the feeling of joy and power you get when you create.
Good Luck and You should be creating,
Éric
