Randomness

A Little Rant

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? Not a lot going on here. Just stupid government crap regarding my benefits. I can’t entirely blame the government for all my stress this time, because everything up until today was something else entirely and the people involved already know I’m not happy about how everything went down. Let’s just say stuff hasn’t been getting done in a timely manner. But today (Tuesday), I’ve spent far too much time trying to justify needing another hour of care every day. And I get it. The government doesn’t want to give just anyone benefits. They’re like giant companies that way. “You want healthcare and to be able to afford rent and food??? Damn commies.” But also, look at me. It’s pretty freaking obvious that I need care. I promise I’m not just a mooch. If they’d let me earn more than $1900 and change a month without screeching about taking my Medicaid away, I’d even try to be a productive member of society. But no. They don’t allow you to get to a stable place before they rip away the benefits that keep you alive. Just stay poor. Ugh. But that’s a different rant. Let’s get back on track.

I’m on a program called CLASS. They offer various services, but I only use the healthcare assistance service where they pay (actually Medicaid pays) for someone to take care of me. When I first got on the program at 18 after a ten year waitlist (yeah, no one even remembered signing up when we got the letter saying I was cripple enough for them), they only paid for outside help to come in. Eventually, they started paying family members, so Dad gets paid to take care of me. With all the prices on the rise and the fact that home healthcare works hadn’t gotten a raise in a ridiculous amount of time (because, you know, the Texas government), Dad requested an extra hour a day (no, he doesn’t get paid 24-hours a day because apparently the government thinks cripples are robots who just power down and require no assistance for far too many hours a day/night… as if normal human beings don’t have to pee or worse during sleep time, so cripples certainly don’t). But he’s up to 14 hours a day and the government is balking at a 15th hour. They’re forcing us to justify the request instead of just looking at my file and seeing my diagnosis (an incurable disorder that gets worse over time) and the fact that I have never asked for anything I don’t need and realizing that yeah, she needs help. It doesn’t help that they don’t reach out to me directly. There’s a middleperson. Things get lost in translation.

Anyway, it’s almost 8:00 and I’m getting hungry, so I’m going to stop ranting. But anyone who says cripples don’t work for their benefits and just get handouts have never had to deal with the government (state or federal). Fighting for shit I need is an entire job in itself. They should be paying me, but then they’d probably kick me off everything anyway. Blargh.

Poetry Month

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello, hello! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? I have nothing new to report and it’s a little late and I need to go finish making the grocery order, so I’m cheating this week and leaving you with a poem. It’s national poetry month, so let’s pretend that’s why. Don’t worry. Next week is book review time, plus I ended up with another book to review for the 1st. So, there are at least two weeks of actual posts ahead!

A VALEDICTION OF WEEPING.
by John Donne

                LET me pour forth
My tears before thy face, whilst I stay here,
For thy face coins them, and thy stamp they bear,
And by this mintage they are something worth.
                For thus they be
                Pregnant of thee ;
Fruits of much grief they are, emblems of more ;
When a tear falls, that thou fall’st which it bore ;
So thou and I are nothing then, when on a divers shore.

                On a round ball
A workman, that hath copies by, can lay
An Europe, Afric, and an Asia,
And quickly make that, which was nothing, all.
                So doth each tear,
                Which thee doth wear,
A globe, yea world, by that impression grow,
Till thy tears mix’d with mine do overflow
This world, by waters sent from thee, my heaven dissolvèd so.

                O ! more than moon,
Draw not up seas to drown me in thy sphere ;
Weep me not dead, in thine arms, but forbear
To teach the sea, what it may do too soon ;
                Let not the wind
                Example find
To do me more harm than it purposeth :
Since thou and I sigh one another’s breath,
Whoe’er sighs most is cruellest, and hastes the other’s death.

Mindless Games

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello, hello! How’s everyone doing this wonderful Wednesday? Things here are usual. I have nothing writerly or readerly to ramble about. I know it’s national poetry month, but I’m just not into that this year. Anyway, I feel like I’ve mentioned dozens of times that I play mindless games to avoid productivity, but I never told you what they are, so I’ll ramble about those today. I’m up to five of them because I started two new-to-me ones about a month ago. I play them all through Facebook, so if I ever get locked out or the book of faces dies, I’ll lose all my progress and never play them again. All of them have options to spend real money for in game stuff, but I’ve never spent a dime on them and never will. If you’re a miser like me, you can definitely play these without paying. Here they are!

1. June’s Journey. It’s a hidden objects game. I’ve been playing it since it first came out. It’s still being updated and new events happen just about weekly. I go through phases where I play it a lot then for a few weeks I’ll just log in to collect the daily freebies. As long as you budget your in-game coins/diamonds/whatever, there aren’t really any places where you have to stop and wait to build those things up in order to move forward. So, I enjoy it.

2. Gardenscapes – New Acres. I actually played the Gardenscape games that existed before Facebook Games was a thing. So, when this came out, I started playing it. This one is a match 3 game. It’s still being updated a couple of times a month. I mostly play for the side quests now and log in to collect the daily stuff when nothing interests me. But I do enjoy the whole renovation aspect.

3. Homescapes. This is basically the same as Gardenscapes, but instead of renovating gardens, you get to renovate houses. I’m easily entertained.

4. Cooking City. I’ve only been playing this one about a month. It’s just a restaurant sim. You cook food and serve customers. I enjoy that type of game, but I don’t recommend this particular one. I’ve already hit a couple of spots where I couldn’t move forward for about a week because I didn’t have the right boosters. I don’t particularly mind the waiting, but it seems like it’s going to be a regular occurrence since I’m not going to pay for it. It also has the option to watch a ton of ads to get freebies, but no one has time for that. I’ll probably drop this one if it doesn’t get better.

5. Hero Wars. This is the other new-to-me game and I’m kind of obsessed. I don’t even know why. I just keep leveling up my characters. I’ve hit the point in the actual game where I can’t move forward until I get stronger, but there’s so much other stuff to keep me occupied that it doesn’t actually feel like I’m waiting for anything. I will burn myself out on this one, but I’ll enjoy it until then.

What stupid games do you play either to avoid productivity or as a reward for getting things done? As always, feel free to leave your thoughts or questions or whatever here or on my social media pages!

Women Authors Part 2

~ shawnaborman ~ 3 Comments

Hello, hello! How’s everyone doing this wonderful Wednesday? Things here are fine. Mardi got groomed yesterday, so she’s a new pupper. That’s about all the interesting stuff going on right now. Anyway, I thought I would continue in the same vein as last week by sharing 5 more women authors. The only difference is that I am acquainted with these people. So, shameless friend/mentor promotion!

1. Nancy Holder. She doesn’t really need an introduction. Aside from being an amazing human being and writer, she’s an awesome mentor.

2. J.R. Dawson. Another wonderful human being and fabulous writer. She also encourages my love of demons with a twist. And my love of villains in general. And there’s the fact that we torture each other with FMA memes. I think I’ll keep her.

3. Renee S. DeCamillis. A fellow Capricorn and lover of sharp pointy things. She writes horror as well! This is a picture of her upcoming book. You should follow her for more information about it.

4. Theodora Goss. Another mentor and awesome writer. Along with some of my favorite novels, she also writes beautiful poetry.

5. R.M. Romero. A lovely person and wonderful writer. On top of gorgeous stories, her book covers are always entrancing.

Feel free to share your lovely lady authors here or on my social media pages! I’ll be back next week with the monthly book review.

Women Authors

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? Things here are normal. I’m procrastinating on everything. Dogs are settling into a rhythm. Dad’s got a project going (he’s fixing the ceiling in the spare room). Life is usual. Anyway, it seems that March is both Women’s History month and National Reading month, so I thought I would share a list of women authors that I enjoy reading. It was difficult to narrow it down, because I apparently read mostly women authors. I don’t know how that happened. Oh well. Here are five women authors I read in no particular order. I didn’t include people I know on this list. Maybe I’ll do a list of friends next week.

1. Rainbow Rowell. I honestly don’t know why I keep reading her stuff. She tells the same basic story over and over again, just in different settings, but somehow I enjoy it every time. I really only noticed it when I read a collection of short stories by her. As long as I space out her work, I always enjoy it, though.

2. Vivien Chien. I love her noodle shop mystery series. It’s fun and there’s food and the characters are interesting. I always look forward to a new one being released.

3. Shea Ernshaw. I enjoy her writing so much that I keep buying her books even though the stories themselves are always disappointing. Her first book was actually pretty rape-y if you thought about it too much. The rest of her books that I’ve read are just predictable. But her writing is wonderful.

4. Sherry Harris. I haven’t read her garage sale mysteries yet, but I love her sea glass saloon mysteries. The setting and characters are fun. It’s a great little escape if you like cozy mysteries. And her writing makes for smooth, quick reads.

5. Holly Black. The whole enemies to lovers thing is one of my favorite tropes. Some of hers are a little problematic for some people. Especially since her “enemies” tend to be bullies. I don’t mind that. The stories are fun and I enjoy her writing. And I like the characters even though a lot of them are jerks.

Who are some of your favorite women authors? As always, feel free to share your thoughts and comments here or on my social media pages!

Happy Flowers and Chocolates Day

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? Did you do whatever you needed to do to prepare for Valentine’s Day? Or Single’s Awareness Day? Or conception day for many near the cusp of Scorpio and Sagittarius? Whatever you want to call it. Just Wednesday is fine for me. I’m ready. Because I’m doing nothing. I have chocolates that Dad bought me for Christmas. I thought about buying myself flowers, but they just wilt, so I don’t know why they’re so popular. Like… having nature’s corpses rotting on my desk isn’t as great as it sounds. But I’m rambling. I guess I should figure out something to ramble about for the rest of this post. I don’t think I could stretch flower corpses that far unless I write a story about them. So, I suppose I’ll make a list of gifts to give your writerly peoples on this weird day.

1. Skulls work. Bones in general. At least for horror writers. Or mystery/thriller/crime writers. Dark fantasy. Fantasy in general, actually. I’m not saying other types of writers wouldn’t appreciate bones, but it’s something you’d have to gauge for yourself. Know your writer.

2. Books, movies, etc. Picture it. You and your writer sitting in the same room, just reading. You don’t even have to read the same thing. You’ve given your writer a book with their favorite cliché and you’ve shared some food and now, you’re just existing together. This works with other activities as well as reading. Puzzles. Crafts. Video games. Endless possibilities.

3. Weird chocolates that fit their genre. I’m sure any kink writer would appreciate an edible anus. Writers with a penchant for body horror, maybe. I don’t know. I’m just throwing it out there that you can get chocolate shaped like anything on the Interwebz. It doesn’t have to be the standard heart shaped boxes to show you care.

4. If they’re into booze, Writers’ Tears is a thing that exists. There are different versions besides copper pot. Appropriate for any genre. If whiskey isn’t their thing, go Google writer themed drinks. And if your writer isn’t into alcohol, get them some nice coffee or tea or hot chocolate or whatever they drink. Everyone likes a nice beverage.

Just some ideas. Get your writer decaying corpses if that’s what they enjoy. Whatever floats their boat. Or your boat if you’re a writer pampering yourself. What kind of Valentine’s Day gifts do you prefer to receive and/or give? Feel free to leave your thoughts or questions or whatever here or on my social media pages!

Disney and Defrost Instead of Netflix and Chill

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? Texas has been a tad nippy lately, so I’ve mostly been lazy and watching TV with Dad. We’ve watched a few movies. I have nothing to ramble about and no desire to make a long post, so here are some random thoughts about random movies.

1. Treasure Planet. I made Dad watch it with me on my birthday. I’ve seen it before, but it’s still one of my favorites.

2. Inside Out. It was okay. Cute. A little long. I don’t really understand why it was so popular, but it was a decent waste of time.

3. Avatar. We both saw it when it came out and remembered absolutely nothing about it. Again, an okay movie, but far too long and honestly had a lot of plot holes. It was pretty. But I could totally picture a group of people spit balling ideas and someone saying “FernGully, but in space!” and James Cameron just running with it. Anyway, now we can watch the second one.

Now, I’m off to finish the shepherd’s pie and watch more TV. It’s Tuesday and still below freezing. Hopefully it’s warmer when you read this.

I’m Old… 38 Things…

~ shawnaborman ~ 7 Comments

Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this wonderful Wednesday? It’s that time of year again. That time where I get older and everyone seems to notice for a few days, then I just go back to quietly aging every second until next year when everyone notices again. Yay! Actually, my birthday isn’t until Friday, so I seriously considered skipping this post this year. I’m lazy and coming up with 38 random things about myself is… well… it’s a lot. But I’ll try. Let’s see how far I can get.

1. Let’s just jump right in with an unpopular opinion. I don’t like fudge. If I wanted to eat a cube of sugar, I’d eat a sugar cube.

2. I’m currently obsessed with the song Afraid of the Dark by Chef’Special and have no idea way. It’s not even a very good song.

3. I’m not a big tea drinker, but I like looking at fancy tea sets.

4. It’s currently January 9th and I’ve written four days this year, not including blog posts. I’m not writing a lot, but at least it’s something.

5. In those four days, I’ve almost completed a short story. One more day should do it, plus a day to read through and flesh it out. Should be done before my birthday. It might not be good, but at least it will exist.

6. I find myself actually wanting to write the past few days. It’s weird.

7. My favorite colors are purple (heavier on the blue than red), teal, and silver.

8. I’m reading The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec for fun.

9. I’m also reading Clover Hendry’s Day Off by Beth Morrey to review at the end of the month.

10. I’m getting shepherd’s pie for my birthday dinner. Be jealous.

11. I’d rather be watching TV than doing this. Actually, I’d rather be doing just about anything else.

12. Enza sent me some stuff from MarieBelle chocolates and the brownies came in a lovely blue tin. I think I was more excited about that than the goodies. I love tins and I don’t know why.

13. I still don’t like pumpkin spice. I try it every year thinking maybe I’ll magically love it, but it’s always just meh.

14. I bought a nice sweater in November and still haven’t worn it. No reason to. But I bought it anyway.

15. I cry when I’m angry, but not really when I’m sad. It’s annoying and that just makes me cry more.

16. It has taken me over an hour just to get this far on this list. Needless to say, finding things to say about myself is not my forte.

17. I’m craving hot chocolate. I have hot chocolate. I just keep forgetting to ask Dad to make it.

18. It’s weird when people ask for my opinion like I’m supposed to know what I’m doing. I assure you, I have no idea. I’m just faking it.

19. I randomly think of the drunk chick who belted out happy birthday at me in a club bathroom then promised to slit the throat of anyone who said I was anything less than beautiful.

20. So many random drunk people stories. I don’t miss going to clubs and being surrounded by them.

21. I do miss going to anime conventions though.

22. I love pupusas.

23. My minion made me a skull and she’s sitting on my desk and her name is Hel.

24. Candy Corn is just wax with sugar in it.

25. I’m tired. All the time. Until it’s time to sleep, then I’m wide awake for the next three hours reliving something stupid I said or did five years ago.

26. I never kept a journal for more than a few days and I don’t understand how people do it. Nothing interesting enough ever happens to me on a daily basis to keep a list.

27. Sometimes, I want to pull down the tequila and sip on a shot, but then I wonder why and decide it’s not worth the trouble.

28. I sit and listen to the dogs bark then tell them I don’t believe their stories when they’re done or ask them to tell me more.

29. I haven’t watched anime or read any manga in a long time.

30. My favorite non-food smell is that smell after you cut a piece of wood.

31. My favorite food smell is probably roasting garlic.

32. I like grape soda. There’s nothing quite like that fake grape taste. Certainly not real grapes.

33. I’m thinking about rereading The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings this year. The past few years, I’ve randomly reread series, so maybe it’s time for those books again.

34. In lieu of new TV, Dad and I have watched a bunch of the old Perry Mason (can’t find all of them), all of Columbo, and the original Star Trek. We’re currently working through Star Trek: TNG, Murder She Wrote, and Monk. Plus stuff on BritBox and Acorn TV.

35. I can’t decide if I want to read The Midnight Library or Mexican Gothic as my next fun book.

36. I’m making Dad watch the new Percy Jackson show. I like it so far.

37. I also like orange soda.

38. I randomly want some flan, but it will pass.

New Year, Old Me

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this first Wednesday of the year? Not much going on here. Vet trips and an upcoming doctor appointment. Things are pretty boring, which is good. I’ve failed miserably at goals the last few years, so I only have a couple this year. It’s late in the day and I’m tired, so I figured I’d share those and then go read or watch TV or whatever.

Reading Goals: read 35 books in 2024. I’ve had good luck with this number, so I’m sticking with it. Somehow, I made it through 45 books in 2023. I still don’t know how I did it. But it’s hard for me to even get through 3 books a month, so 35 it is.

Writing Goals: write something. I’m not even going to pretend to make a good goal for this. I don’t care what I write as long as I start writing again. Short stories. A book. Whatever. I don’t even care if I finish anything as long as I write more often than not this year.

It’s not much. They aren’t even good goals. But it’s all I can come up with that doesn’t feel useless or overwhelming. What are your goals for 2024?

Not Doing It

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello, hello! How’s everyone this wonderful Wednesday? I should have written this on Monday, but ended up being lazy and watching TV with Dad. Today (Tuesday), we took Sophia to the vet to get her checked out and vaccinated. Now, it’s almost 7pm and I still need to order from Sam’s and catch up on some reading. In other words, I’ll be back next week with the regularly scheduled book review! Here’s a pretty picture by Amy Brown instead.