Phoenix ComiCon Evolving

2010 our first Phoenix ComiCon

Last year’s final ComiCon badge

Today on Facebook I was reminded we attended our first ComiCon in Phoenix eight years ago. I heard Jonathan Frakes (Commander Riker) was going to be there. The last time I went to see him was in 1994 up in Toronto when Shawn and I attended a con with both Frakes and Sirtis (Counselor Troi). Last year we were able to attend the Con in Phoenix because I won a contest through Bear Essential News. This past weekend was the Phoenix Comic Fest; yes the name was changed. Apparently they are in litigation over the use of ComiCon. And Saturday the fest was closed early because of a fire alarm and I learned next year they are going to be Phoenix Fan Fusion. Of course anyone who knows me, knows I’m going to get a poem out of it.

Phoenix fan fusion
found last year’s ComiCon badge
crushed name has to change

Sunday’s #haikuchallenge word was crush. Saturday’s was found. I used two in one haiku. We didn’t make it to the fest this year. The remote reading has been keeping me busy. I actually had a shift yesterday. Despite working fewer days than last year, I’ve logged in more hours. I’m not complaining and because no one else was working yesterday, we went to see Solo – A Star Wars Story when my work day was done. We did have a sci-fi weekend. Then today’s #haikuchallenge word is career and I wrote about my job once again.

Make money reading
want a career in English
grade standardized tests

Gretchen started her summer classes at EMCC today. She had a small 4 day summer break. 😉 Actually she’ll only be in summer classes until June 28th and then can enjoy freedom until her senior year starts on August 7th. The same day Rachael is signed up to take the GRE. Rachael took Gretchen over to her first day this morning and is still waiting to hear about the ASU job she interviewed for a couple weeks ago.

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Rachael’s birthday present

The birthday dinner

 

No one answers door
rely on neighbor to send
bouquet across street

Since Rachael’s birthday is on a Sunday and she works at 4 paws, she wanted her birthday celebration yesterday. Well yesterday also happened to be graduation day for the high school and the delivery person came when the neighbors were at the ceremony. We got to hold onto the flowers. Of course I had to take a picture of Rachael’s birthday present by all the nice flowers. The flowers behind the present are my Mother’s Day roses and the bouquet in the forefront with the balloons is the neighbor’s. Rachael wanted to have sushi for her birthday, but we found out Friday night trying to make reservations that Blu Sushi is closed. The picture I shared yesterday of Rachael’s 19th birthday was the last time we ate at Blu Sushi without knowing it would be the last time. Rachael decided on Nakama Sushi restaurant. After dinner the gang came over to our house. Shawn was able to go across the street and deliver the bouquet; he came home with a piece of cake for his troubles. The rest of us played Cards Against Humanity. It was the first time we went through the entire deck. Rachael won with 24! cards. It was close though because Karolena got 23. I ended up with 16; Gretchen 15 and Emmett got 12. The poor guy was playing too nice of cards the game is titled against humanity for a reason.

I did win the haiku card 😉

The Big Bang
Some god damn peace and quiet
Geese

The #haikuchallenge word on twitter today is rely so of course I had to tout my victory.

Rely on nature
Cards Against Humanity
End haiku with geese

I found out this morning Shawn is having a solo show at Alwun House later in the summer – August 24-29. Since his brother’s birthday is the opening date, I thought he was doing it as a memorial for Scott; he said no. But now he may include a piece dedicated to his brother. This summer will be Shawn’s first trip back to Buffalo since Scott’s funeral. Maybe he’ll get a chance to photograph some places that remind him of Scott to put in the show. Okay and now that I’ve slipped down a sad road on Rachael’s birthday, I think I’m going to stop typing.

May Celebrations

 

Last weekend Shawn and I enjoyed the wine and jazz walk in Phoenix and the last photo is my Mother’s Day fondue dinner. Shawn made an excellent fondue though I told him I wasn’t a fan of his photo. Despite how the wine looks, it was also very good. This weekend we are celebrating someone’s birthday.

Mother’s Day dinner
give credit for excellent
fondue recipe

Celebrate birthday
credit daughter ten more years
watching Great Gatsby

Last night Rachael, Gretchen and I were watching the most recent Great Gatsby, as Gretchen was watching it at school since they read the novel earlier this year, but they did not finish the movie. Near the end, Nick realizes it’s his birthday and he’s 30 years old. I turn to Rachael and ask, “How does it feel to be ten years away from 30?” 😉 Yes, she will be 20 tomorrow. And I can now share this quote:

Sylvia Plath

“You are twenty. You are not dead, although you were dead. The girl who died. And was resurrected. Children. Witches. Magic. Symbols.”

Rachael’s 19th Birthday at Blu Sushi Litchfield Park, AZ

Reading, Reading and Even More

Reading. 😉 Yes, it’s that time of year again. I’m doing remote reading and scoring tests. I have officially made up Rachael’s lost grant money with the hours I put in by the end of shift today. The rest of my time scoring this season is nice cushioning.

Since I’ve been reading, I haven’t really spent much time on poetry. But most years I’ve used May as a destress from writing 30 poems in thirty days in April. On the school front, Gretchen got an A in Eng 102 and Rachael got an A+ in OChem 2; she’s signed up for 20 credits this coming Fall semester. Gretchen took her AP US History test today; next Wednesday is her AP English test. The day before Rachael will be interviewing over at ASU to help out the veterinarian (one of the job opportunities I stopped waiting to hear on before I bought airplane tickets). Rachael is also signed up to take the GRE in August before the fall semester begins.

Tomorrow is the #Urbanwinewalk in downtown Phoenix, hopefully Shawn and I will be able to spend some time over there. And of course Sunday is Mother’s Day and then Monday is back to work. Gretchen has only two weeks left for high school. Then Tuesday May 29 her ACE summer courses start – Public Speaking and Sociology!

April Survivor

 

Verse may drive her mad
Desperate poet’s story
April survivor

Good Morning! And welcome to May, aka decompress month. Yesterday was May the 4th and Shawn and I went to the party at the Arizona science center. As we were getting in the car, Shawn asked me for directions to the science center. I don’t know; it’s downtown. It’s not like we haven’t been there before. Shawn looked it up and it said, now closed. I laughed, I know it’s an after hours party for old geeks. You had to be over 21 to attend. I had the Romulan Ale (not Roman autocorrect) and Sonic Screwdriver. Shawn had a Butterscotch Wookie (I think) I can’t remember now. And we basically got to roam the science center without little beings running all over the place. Then we went over to Grand Ave. It was first Friday. That is where I printed the May the 4th be with you poster. Yes, I rolled the printing press myself.

And as you can see, the verse did not drive me mad. I wrote over 30 poems in April, counting the #haikuchallenge poems for twitter. I missed one prompt. But I did more than one poem for a couple of the prompts so over all I’d say it was a successful month. Arizona schools got back to work yesterday. Gretchen had a full day of school again. Yay! But Thursday was Rachael’s last exam for her semester, and still no word on her summer gigs. She is now home. Which will be a good thing for a little while anyway as Gretchen has to take the math placement test at EMCC for her fall ACE course. She was going to take it today after her final Eng 102 class, but she looked it up and the testing center is only open Monday – Friday. Rachael will have to bring her over one day after school. I told Gretchen she should have taken it on one of her days of no school, but did she listen to her mother?

May the 4th story
Doctor, Captain, Wookiee meet
Science with a twist

 

#NaPoWriMo 2018 Day Thirty

Dynamite Rabbits

1807 – France signs the Treaties of Tilsit, ending war with Russia.

Napoleon and his men arrange a hunt to celebrate
Chief of Staff Alexandre Berthier decides on a massacre

Berthier collects thousands of rabbits from local farmers
Once the hunters are assembled, the rabbits CHARGE!
Domestic rabbits, not afraid of men, are carnivorous little beasts.

NaPoWriMo Prompt – And for our final (optional) prompt, I’d like you to take your cue from Borges, and write a poem that engages with a strange and fascinating fact. It could be an odd piece of history, an unusual bit of art trivia, or something just plain weird. While I cannot vouch for the actual accuracy of any of the facts presented at the links above (or any other facts you might use as inspiration!), I can tell you that there are definitely some poetic ideas here, just waiting for someone to use them.

Good Evening and welcome to day thirty of #NaPoWriMo and we are finished for another year! Lol! When I read Napoleon was once attacked by rabbits, I immediately thought of Monty Python; perhaps Napoleon could have used a holy hand grenade. 😉 Or he should have read Watership Down; he would have been warned how vicious rabbits can be, especially hungry domesticated rabbits who thought they were getting fed not hunted. This was a fun little cherita (story) to write. I’d like to thank all my readers for tuning in for my ramblings for another year.