“Sediment”
Varied stone layers
make the ground appear all too
sedimentary.
Steve D
Adventures in Landscaping: Patio Progress!
Time for another landscaping update, and after only a week this time. A new record!
With help from my father-in-law, we actually made some surprising progress on the patio last weekend.
Haiku Tuesday – Routine
“Routine”
New occupation
to occupy the daily.
Day planner needed.
I started my new job yesterday, which means I’m readjusting to a full-time work schedule with a baby schedule to keep up with. Thus, I left myself no time for writing. Trying again tonight!
Steve D
Haiku Sunday – Yard
“Yard”
Not merely a yard,
a secluded wilderness
of unbounded dreams.
The house I grew up in, where my pup Teddy loved to run around in the backyard, has been sold. I took him there on Friday to have one final romp through his favorite squirrel-hunting grounds.
Steve D
Adventures in Landscaping: Reevaluating the Yard
It has officially been over a year since my first Adventures in Landscaping. I promise it has not been a full year since I’ve landscaped my yard (although we got pretty lazy over winter).
With another year gone and a baby in the house, our priorities and our available time to landscape have shifted. Last year, I wanted to install a rock garden in front of our fence. That did not happen, but check out what did!
Quick Rip: Of Monster’s and Men’s New Sound?
“Alligator” is the first single from Of Monsters and Men’s third album. Fever Dream Comes out July 26, and the first single already has me wondering is we will yet again hear an evolved sound from the fascinating Icelandic group.
This performance on Fallon features the five main members–they usually have 3-5 touring members–playing a layered chorus of distorted guitars that more closely resembles post-rock than the band’s previous alternative folk rock sound.
Maybe “Alligator” will be anomalous on the new album, but a move in this direction actually makes sense to me. 2011’s My Head is an Animal had an airy feel with lots of vocal choruses. 2015’s Beneath the Skin still used a lot of acoustic sounds and vocal harmonies, but its tone was darker and hinted at the more ambient, emotive power of their music.
Whatever direction the band has chosen, I’ll be happy. Of Monsters and Men has (clearly) become known for long droughts between albums, but each one feels fresh and unique. I can’t wait to hear what Fever Dream sounds like.
Steve D
Exploring Úr’Dan: The Firelands and the Northern Uplands
With all of the narrative shifts, outlining, and pondering I’ve done about The Warden of Everfeld: Legacy and related stories recently, I wanted to revive my world-building series.
And boy was I shocked to find that I haven’t written an Exploring Úr’Dan post in over a year! Here’s a refresher for all of us (myself included) of the fantastical ground we’ve covered previously:
- Úr’Dan: Exploring the Alternate Universe (general intro)
- The Hundred Teeth
- The Arrowhead
- Naebvael
- The Rainflow Valleys
- The Western Uplands
- Brief History of the Northern Migration
Continue reading “Exploring Úr’Dan: The Firelands and the Northern Uplands”
Haiku Sunday – Firefly
“Firefly”
Tiny flashbulb glow,
candle floating on the breeze,
shadowed by the dusk.
Steve D
June Write-Day: Summer is Looking Up!
May turned out to be an interesting month, although the first half is a blur to me. Honestly, most of the good parts happened in the last two weeks.
We had a nice weekend at the family lakehouse, where our son was baptized by his great-uncle the pastor. The baptism itself was a nice at-home affair, and was more about the family gathering than anything else. It also served as a great excuse to go boating and lounge in the sun, two of Teddy’s favorite activities (see above). Continue reading “June Write-Day: Summer is Looking Up!”
#Review: “Black Crow, White Snow” – Fascinating Fantasy World-Building
I picked up Black Crow, White Snow by Michael Livingston from Audible’s free Originals program. It was part of May’s slate of free shorts. To be honest, I had mostly ignored Audible’s Originals to this point; I just didn’t see much value in it.
But after listening to Livingston’s short story in just two days (it’s only 2.5 hours long), I’ll have to pay closer attention to the free books Audible offers. Continue reading “#Review: “Black Crow, White Snow” – Fascinating Fantasy World-Building”
Evening Satellite Publishing 