“Devon”
Wood smoke soothes the chill
air weighed by rain not fallen,
a place I once knew.
Steve D
With Tyranny on Hand: A Sound of Thunder’s Hope through Metal
While wandering around Baltimore Comic Con last fall, I happened upon a large vendor table playing metal music and loaded with vivid artwork.
There I met guitarist Josh Schwartz from A Sound of Thunder, a metal band based Northern Virginia who had just released an album and accompanying comic book.
Josh is a nice dude, they’re a local band, and they’re clearly into storytelling through their music. So of course I picked up the album. And it’s fantastic.
15 on the 15th: I’m Shipping Up To Boston (Massachusetts)
…A few days late, but not a song short…
By The Sword We Seek Peace, But Peace Only Under Liberty.
Highly Suspect
These Cape Cod natives are a relatively new addition to the music scene since their first studio album’s release in 2015. They’re practically newborns compared to some of the other Massachusettsites? …Massachusettians? Massachusettsers???… on this list. Continue reading “15 on the 15th: I’m Shipping Up To Boston (Massachusetts)”
5 Reasons Wattpad is Great for Writers
As some of you may already know, I’ve started publishing a series of short myths on Wattpad this year.
I’ve done my best to remain active on Wattpad, rather than just pushing Publish and logging out. After several months of pretty consistent use of this social writing platform, I wanted to highlight some of the things I think it does well. Continue reading “5 Reasons Wattpad is Great for Writers”
Misplaced Missive #129 – Obligation
Obligation born of necessity,
Is this destiny?
To be confined by lies,
Ever eager to confuse the ruse.
Ruthlessly use another,
To cover sinful secrets,
That partially put puzzling parts
Passed inspection. Continue reading “Misplaced Missive #129 – Obligation”
Haiku Sunday – Peppercorn
“Peppercorn”
Earthy like autumn,
gin that chills and soothes, finished
with a summer’s bite.
My sister-in-law had a genius gift idea for me for Christmas this past year: infusion ingredients for gin. I got a box of eight different ingredients–herbs, flowers, spices, etc.–to infuse gin with. Best. Gift. Ever.
I love gin, and I love mixing up cocktails. The one pictured above is Hendrick’s gin (my personal favorite) infused with pink peppercorns. Notice how all the color leeched out of the peppercorns and tinged the gin. We have some other tasty concoctions aging in our liquor cabinet at the moment.
Steve D
Thoughts after the Buttegieg-Gabbard Democratic Town Hall
With an already-overcrowded Democratic primary field–which just grew larger still, with O’Rourke making his candidacy official and Biden expected to any day–I decided I need to adequately follow and sift through the field as we get closer to February 3, 2020.
But first, a bit of background… Continue reading “Thoughts after the Buttegieg-Gabbard Democratic Town Hall”
What The Umbrella Academy Covers: Sci-Fi Mainstays and Comic Book Commons
Written by Gerard Way and illustrated by Gabriel Ba, The Umbrella Academy is another example of comic book turned TV show, following in the footsteps of similarly dark realism properties like the Marvel series quintet, DC’s Arrowverse, and Wynonna Earp. It’s an interesting road now oft traveled in the pursuit of more viewers; a path that borrows generously from other mediums as well as other generations.
This fanciful musing on what TUA weaves well into its own dynamic story is in no way a slight against it. I enjoyed the first season quite a lot and finished it fast. Tropes and throwbacks are categorized as such , and repeated like so, because, in a world full of individuals, occasionally strangely specific themes seem to grip our interest.
In this post, I wish to explore the familiar as an enticement to embrace the new. Continue reading “What The Umbrella Academy Covers: Sci-Fi Mainstays and Comic Book Commons”
Self-Care and Uncertainty in Unemployment
The topic of self-care has been on my mind a lot recently, notably because unemployment has given me a lot of time to think about such things.
I’m into my sixth week of unemployment and it’s going… alright, considering the circumstances. I’m starting to hear back from positions I’ve applied for, and my days are fairly routine.
Waiting for call-backs on my job applications has been tough; setting a routine has been the remedy. Continue reading “Self-Care and Uncertainty in Unemployment”
ACLU does not Support Current “For the People Act” on Voting Rights
Just wanted to share a quick link. For anyone paying attention to US politics, House Democrats just passed the For the People Act, which aims to comprehensively overhaul both federal and state elections.
The ACLU has published a letter criticizing specific provisions of the bill and calling for floor amendments to be considered in the House:
“…there are many provisions of H.R. 1 that we strongly support and have long championed, we would readily support these provisions if considered as separate bills… However, there are also provisions that unconstitutionally impinge on the free speech rights of American citizens and public interest organizations.”
https://www.aclu.org/letter/aclu-letter-house-rules-committee-hr-1 Continue reading “ACLU does not Support Current “For the People Act” on Voting Rights”
Evening Satellite Publishing 