#YesAllWomen is an important hashtag. But why stop there?

#YesAllWomen’s stories are important. Sharing them, listening and learning and talking are big steps for us. Let’s not let things end there. We can use our anger, sorrow and frustration to take further steps. I’m not an expert but I have a few ideas about how we can move beyond the hashtag and make this a movement. If you agree, please share this post. Reprint it, flyer-ize it, whatever. And please share ideas for how we can take it further with me on Twitter @Mari_Kurisato. 

1. Everyone: Read women’s stories. Share them. Listen. The hashtags #YesAllWhiteWomen and #CisGaze have so much to add to the movement. Women of Color and Trans* women have so much to say, and they need all our support. We’re all in this together.

2. Gentlemen: Ok, first, understand, #YesAllWomen are frustrated to hell and back with the misogyny they experience at the hands of men. Please understand that the women in your life probably don’t mean YOU when they voice their frustrations using this tag. You’re not a misogynist. But some men are. And we need you gentlemen to start doing your part beyond saying “Not me, I would never!" First, gather up your courage and read this short simple post on how to approach women without looking creepy:

http://bit.ly/GentlemenPlsRead

2A. Gentlemen, please do us ladies the favor and stand up to sexism WHEREVER you see it. In real life, in League of Legends, in WoW, Eve Online. If you see a dudebro making a sexist joke, just say “That’s not cool, man. That’s not funny.” You can take it further than that, if you want, but even that much, from their peers, can get guys to rethink acceptable behaviour. Erica Friedman inspired this idea and has more to say on it here: 

http://bit.ly/DudeNotCool

3 Everyone: Of course if you see sexual harassment, abuse, assault, or worse in Real Life, report it to police. Intervene if you feel safe doing so. Some local women’s shelters in your area may have training tips on how to best intervene, but the gist is this:

If you see someone in danger of being assaulted

*Step in and offer assistance. Ask if the person needs help. NOTE: Before stepping in, make sure to evaluate the risk. If it means putting yourself in danger, call 911 instead.

*Don’t leave. If you remain at the scene and are a witness, the perpetrator is less likely to do anything.

*If you know the perpetrator, tell him or her that you do not approve of what s/he is doing. Ask him or her to leave the potential victim alone.

Taken from RAINN: more tips here: http://bit.ly/StepInAndSpeakUp

3. Everyone: Donate time and or money to local nonprofits that help fight misogyny in your area. You can donate to RAINN here:

http://donate.rainn.org/

Also: http://bit.ly/HelpStopViolence has more resources

This list is obviously incomplete, but I will be adding to it. 

FACTS

Study of 1.3 Million Kids Reveals Vaccines Aren't Associated with Autism

graphic statements

Never again

What a month it’s been! Our beloved cat of eight years passed away suddenly this month, and I hit a low point in my personal depression battle when she passed. it was, briefly, the worst I’d felt since the events that led to my mental breakdown and withdrawal from public life in 2008, when I took on a more hikikomori (shut in, hermit) role.

And it took Neko-tan’s death to make me realize I am absolutely tired of being so afraid of everything that I’m too paralyzed with fear to even open my front door unless heavily sedated. Plus, HELLO? kids learn through doing what their parents do! Mimicry! I will NOT let my child grow up in the shadow of a woman paralyzed by fear. 

I will not be afraid anymore.

Ok, grand self-analysis over, onto writing things. Rent as always is due soon. So I thought I’d write a collection of short erotic stories and self publish them. (Sex still sells, after all.)  And my brain  was like, “Oh! Smut! Lets make each story really long! And then connect them! And make them violent! And set in the same techno fantasy alternate reality world that your other books are written  so that you can’t use a Smutty Mcpensmutname! Also, lets make them a NOVEL!”

Dammit, brain. You used to be really good at writing short stories. 

Brain: “Pssh, yeah, short stories filled with cliched nonplots and cardboard characters with no depth! Now I write novel length stories filled with cliched nonplots and cardboard characters with no depth! Ha! So there!”

So we’ll see how that goes. On other fronts, life at home is stabilizing. We need a new apartment come September, which means I need a source of income. Preferably stable! 

Every piece of computer tech in my house went crazy while I was sleeping. Mac pro? well the GPU is dying, also the power bar blew out the outlet (Aging apartment with a STILL RUNNING leak in the master bathroom from upstairs, YAY) and once that happened I had to beg my mom for power cables, just as the apps i use for writing on my phone say 'NYA NYA BOO BOO" and go haywire. So no wifi. No net, no music. That's alright, (See first paragraph.)

I am so lucky to have a roof over my head. To have a computer! To have a smartphone! to have wifi! It wasn't THAT long ago that I was homeless in the City, sleeping in trees in the park, terrified for my life. I am so much better off now. 

So long as I can somehow get the rent paid, get the electricity paid, get the net paid. 

It's surreal. I'm on the constant verge of being without a home again, every month, and yet, I'm so much better off than I used to be, recent setbacks and all. A loving family. A badass group of friends and supporters. Proper meds! Medical care! Thanks Obama! and oh yeah, a new novel in the making. So that's cool. Now if I could just get a proper job that'd be awesome.

It helps now that I know things I didn’t used to, like how to see a reality where I can see my potential, instead of just negatives. a reality where I can in fact, do the things I set out to do. Crazily enough, that reality is taking shape. It’s a lot of internal work that many might not be able see in terms of tangible results, but I will say this. It’s going to be a great day today, and I’m going to go outside with a grin on my face. 

No more fear.

internetFamous

It took me a year to realize someone was impersonating me across the internet on various blogs and comment boards. Most of you know, if it ain't on my FB, Twitter, or website, it's probably not me. Also, this means i am now internetfamous

Also, more to come blogging wise. 

A thoughts-In-Progress personal blog

"I am color-blind."

To say I am color/gender/class/able/neurotypical
blind,
is ignorant,
However, I wish I knew the vectors
of my privilege,
(those assumed birthrights that are more important than you-)

I worry that my lack of college education left me mentally gap-toothed on grammar at the intersectionality of minority and oppression.

I worry about white male privilege
not because I am a white male,
(I am not)
but because my son is two-thirds White, one-third Ojibwe,
raised by three women:
one grandma (Saulteaux Ojibwe/Cree, but raised by her adoptive Jewish family thanks
to 1950’s forced assimilation policies)
another (a sister to adopted Asian brothers)
who is a White woman in a lesbian marriage
and me, one Ojibwe/White queer mom with cerebral palsy, dyscalculia,
and mental illness,
in that same lesbian marriage.

It feels wrong to worry about my son and white male privilege, 
about ableism, ageism, cisgenderism, classism,
neurotypicalism, racism, sexism,
and whatever others isms I am yet unaware of. 

It feels wrong to mentally fractionate my child like some ethnic recipe
to determine what privilege he has and what oppression he will face
(like when people see him at the pow wow, in full regalia, and think he’s too pale to belong there)
He is my child,
just as you are someone else’s child
He’s three and a half years old,
I try to raise him to treat other people well,
to respect diversity of humanity,
to go beyond lip-service and instead to do what’s right,
(what’s right?)

I worry for him because I do not know
enough to teach him everything he should know
about the vectors and sub-niches of privilege and oppression

I don’t see color,
a controversial, perhaps ignorant thing to say,
What I mean is,
I don’t see a
White/Black/Latino/Muslim/Jewish/Arab/Hispanic/Native/Asian person
I see a person, who has every right to every freedom,
self-identity, dignity and respect that I have
At the same I judge that person on what he says and what he does.  

‘I don’t see color,” as a statement
is, if I grasp it properly, erasure.
To deny that color (different culture) exists and that different cultures matter
because it’s not really the hue of your skin
inasmuch as it erasure of the history, the identity, and the sense of self
that such a statement (“I don’t see color”) commits.
It’s Othering-

There’s a whole other ball of melted wax in the wires
Biological, exclusionist tribalism,
both social and physiological-evolutionary,
is how I see Othering,
but there again too,
I am blind.

Work in Progress Fragment

From the erotic short story collections (novella) (novel?)

She drove back into the business district northwest of the Oceanfront district, in the heart of old New Cal, taking care to avoid any Metro attention. She parked her car, paid the meter fee and carefully retrieved the gun case from the back seat. Most normals wouldn’t think anything unusual about the weapon case which gave no outward sign of being anything other than an oversized messenger box with a leather strap. Anyone stupid enough to ask her about it would either get shot with her SR45 pistol hidden under her jacket, or a punch in the face depending on her mood. She slung the case over her shoulder and walked up the steps.  She looked up at the top of the high-rise building at the sign that had once read VARIETY, noting that some joker had smashed certain letters so that it read ET. It was still a impressive building even post Fall, while most of the street level’s giant rectangular windows had been smashed out and boarded over, some enterprising soul had painted the wood to match the color of the sandstone exterior. Tellingly, there was no graffiti. The main doors to the building had either been left untouched or replaced, and in front of them stood two huge tanned boulder shaped men in suits, with black hair neatly cut.  Nanshe paused for a moment as she realized these men might be brothers.

    “You have an appointment?”  one of the two Samoan twins standing at the door to the imposing building, speaking politely, in a surprisingly high voice better suited to a tenor singing falsetto.  Nanshe nodded and opened her hand. She dropped the single razor blade into the giant’s palm—it landed flatly as he nodded in acceptance. She wondered if he ever got accidentally sliced by his boss’s strange calling card, and then realized if he did, he probably didn’t care. 

    “Name?” asked the other giant man in a suit. He nodded too, when she told him, and pulled out a small handheld transceiver and spoke quietly into it a moment. The reply was short and garbled, blunt. “Please see the receptionist inside.” the giant said.

    The inside of the former People’s Bank was clean, neat, and spoke of incredible wealth. She wasn’t sure what kind of wood the floor was, maybe pine or oak, but it shined and looked spotless, as did the smooth, brightly lit walls. Large canvases of ugly modern art were equally spaced throughout the lobby. The furniture was plush black leather and caramel colored wood, and the receptionist at the large desk at the end of the lobby looked like a former fashion model for a hair magazine. 

    She was dressed in a expensive gray suit, and came around the desk to escort Nanshe to the massive elevator off to one side with the clicking of pricey but conservative heels. Nanshe was taken aback by that. Who found shoes like that anymore, much less wore them?

Heaping platefuls

What a busy month+ it’s been for us here at the Clankery. My spouse had a family emergency and which she almost missed out on, but managed to attend and cope with thanks to our wonderful circle of friends who helped chip in with donations of airline miles and other expenses. So she was able to come to terms with her loss. Sort of. We also really appreciate the well wishes everyone has sent us. Intangible support in the form of virtual hugs, prayers or even good thoughts sent our way are really helpful. 

Healing and coming to terms with things will take a while though. Not sure how long, other than as long as it takes. Life goes on.

There are platefuls of other things going on here at the studio (ok, our apartment.) I’ve finished Book 2 of the Space trilogy, and handed it to the First Reader (also my spouse.) She finished in a week or so? And mind you, she’s really been busy during that week. She says the pacing’s different from the first book, and she’s not sure if others will like it. She was definitely moved by (spoiler event near the end) of the book, so much so that she came out to me, tears shining in her eyes, with her sad smile, saying “You just (spoiler) all of (spoilers!) Give me a hug right now before I hurt you!” Hey, free hugs, right? And then of course, the surprise on the last sentence of the book? She actually did come over to me and karate-chop me lightly in the head, the way they do in J-drama and anime.

“Finish book III right now! No pressure!” Right. But I love seeing her smile, and hearing her laugh. There was a while where I wasn’t sure if she was going to smile again. 

Back to the writing. Well. Book III looms in my head, a dark fog filled with tentacles made of plot problems, plot-holes, and loose ends I’ll have to resolve. And oh yes, the gradual shift through the trilogy from the scientifically implausible to the downright absurd fantastical. (Don’t tell anyone, but i think Book III is where the dragons show up. Yes, dragons.) 

Also, the first hundred pages of the prelude book has been sent to a literary agent who asked me to query him via Twitter. ( I think he’s rejected my work since he’s since unfollowed me on Twitter, but we’ll see.) I’ve been editing the prelude book here and there, and it has two beta readers slogging through it. Add to that four or five erotic short stories in various stages from complete to “what the fu-” and maybe a post apocalyptic sex violence story that’s looking long form.

At some point though I’m going to have to get back into the writing routine, churning out stories & self-publishing them, (The erotica shorts I think) and sending queries for the novel while working on Book III. I don’t have any job prospects on the horizon, nor do i have any income for next month’s bills. Since I just did a hat in my hand fundraiser for my wife’s family emergency I can’t do that again the very next month. My friends generosity is not boundless, nor should I rely on them for monthly income. That is it’s own problem, for another blog entry.

fragmentary prose grenade

the chill of those first drops of rain slice like razors

concrete bleeds water stains and windows, neon

keep your fame, and perfect perfumed hands 

take your cut, consume the product

I’m not supposed to be, here,

I missed my mind, my train, 

last one home to the 

good old days of

Neverwake

City

Tired and grateful

Wow. On one level, this last week really really made me wish for absolute do-overs. I’m tired (exhausted) and mildly ( actually very) sick of the internet and how it shows me the terrible things being done to people so. . .casually. Like, no big deal. These are just people’s lives. 

/sigh.

It’s times like these I eat chocolate, hug my son so hard he squirms away going “Moooo-oooooooommmyyyyy” and count my small blessings, including my friends and supporters. As I said on Facebook earlier, i think the hardest part of being a (currently unpublished) writer is the long lonely stretch where the only person who believes in the work a writer does is the writer herself (himself, zirself,) and that no one else considers it valuable because it doesn’t spit out money at people. Unless you’re a best selling author, in which case, YAY you, and I have no idea what the hardest part of being a writer is for you. 

And then someone comes along and donates a hundred bucks to your website out of the blue. So that’s a wonderful feeling. Thank you! ( You get to read Book II first, if you want to, just ask)

So yes, I’m grateful for my friends, my family, and those wonderful angels who chip towards my bills. It’s all a very wonderful balm in the face of the (admittedly selfish) navel gazing in the wake of being told my writing is less important than X Y or Z chore. And yes, I get all the chores done, thank you very.

I wrote nearly 1500 words today. Woo! Book II stands at 91,200 words and is clanky-clankering towards a cliff hanger ending. More excitingly, Book III is waiting in the wings, demanding to take the stage next. Beta readers seem to like the Stand Alone novel and Book I of the Space Trilogy.

I thiink I just might do a query letter for the stand alone novel first and send that out. I’m still undecided. But regardless, when book II is first draft-completed, a Query letter Shall go out, and I will brace myself for a barrage of auto-rejections in three-ish months times. 

And maybe, just one or two “Can we see the first Chapter?” emails.

That would be awesome. Just like you. Thanks for reading! See you next time!

Oh, Kimiko Itoh, I love you, marry my ears. Er, wait. 

The Tsundere scale of Doom/Friendship

1. I hate you. I want you dead. I really would try to kill you if I could get away with it.

2. You’re a jerk. I want to avoid you whenever possible, but I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. I wish you’d go away.

3. As long as we keep it to small talk and never try to get to know each other, I can tolerate you. For a few minutes.

4. Hey, you’re that person, with the thing! Give me a minute, I’ll remember your name! Wanna go for coffee?

5. You I would come save from the zombie hordes. maybe because I like you enough to be myself around you.

6. There you are! I haven’t seen you in three days. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN MY GOD PLEASE DON’T EVER LEAVE ME AGAIN.Now man the cannons we have a dragon to slay!

7. What’s this funny, fluttery feeling in my stomach every time you talk to me? Why do I get all blushy and hot faced when you smile at me? Why does my journal have pages and pages of your name in it? It’s not like I like you or anything! Is it?

8. I am so glad we’re dating now. I love the smell of your hair. I also love standing over you at night watching you sleep. God the sex is so gooood. I just hope you never see me accidentally fart. 

9. Is that your U-haul in my front yard, or mine in yours? Let’s get bank accounts together and dress alike! And you fart so adorably!

10. Will you marry me? 

HNY!

新年快樂！
سنة جديدة سعيدة!
謹賀新年！
สวัสดีปีใหม่
سال نو مبارک!
Chúc mừng năm mới!
felice anno nuovo! 
새해 복 많이 받으세요!
नया साल मुबारक हो!
tahun baru gembira!
புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்துக்கள்!
Godt Nytår!
હેપી ન્યૂ યર!
Hamingjusamur Nýtt Ár!
masaya bagong taon!
שנה טובה ומבורכת!
Šťastný Nový Rok!
Frohes neues Jahr!
gelukkige nuwe jaar!
heureuse nouvelle année!
bhliain nua sásta!
с новым годом!
ευτυχισμένο το νέο έτος!
Happy New Year!

Are we there already?

Happy Year’s end, and here’s hopes for a greater new year, hmm? I haven’t actually blogged with any seriousness since about September, because life swamps my time these days with bureaucratic balderdash and the battle of Depression 2013 slogs on, cannons a-firing, ships sinking in the muck, and days stretching on.  

So a bit on the novels (Yes, I am still writing and making art and all that why ever do you ask?) and shorts. I am busily chuddering* my way throw the snowy pages of the end of book Two in the space trilogy, as Toddler time dilation allows. I wonder of Einsteins theories ever go askew when three year olds are involved.

Through the advice of a friend I have also taking up writing short erotica stories. I aim to collect about 15 of those and self publish them in a small volume, under a new smutty pseudonym. family is doing alright, but of course, we could be doing better. Times are tough for everyone these days, aren’t they? Well, pish-posh to all that naggery. I suppose I’l try to blog again soon in the New Year, and mayhap share any news of some events or another.

Take care, thanks for reading!

*Chuddering: Chopping, shoveling, clawing and shuddering ones way through thickly wet and heavy snow of the metaphorical sort. 

Blur

"I can do absolutely terrible things to myself in the name of researching fiction authenticity, right? I hope so. Jesus. The scars burn hot as fuck while they heal, and they look like rusty liquid barbed wire sprayed over frayed shoe laces. Human beings are infinitely amazing, but i could do without the mental processes burning away. Load another pill, and keep god damned writing before the firewalls ice out.

"Keep still, keep calm. Fingers shaking. Dimensionless quantity, focus. One. One. Bleed through the lithium cells, the dreary shock of prime-time.  Feller’s voice through the time-haze: “Activate and load your pills. Focus on the number.'"

How to help Typhoon Haiyan survivors

Updated

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57611684/typhoon-haiyan-typhoon-yolanda-recovery-how-you-can-help/:

Typhoon Haiyan (also known as Typhoon Yolanda) devastated the Philippines on Nov. 8, 2013, and is currently barreling its way towards Vietnam.

Powerful typhoon slams Philippines

Officials fear thousands of dead, and some expect that millions will need basic aid during the still-unfolding rescue and recovery process, to say nothing of the billions of dollars in damage to homes and infrastructure.

Below is a list of some of the organizations that will be assisting in the recovery effort, with links to their sites to explore how they will be assisting, as well as opportunities for you to assist.

Please note this is not an exhaustive list, and CBS News does not explicitly endorse any of the aid organizations listed below. This list is merely provided as a reference point for those considering donating to relief efforts.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. They are sending teams to assist in the Philippines.

Their website is here.

Doctors Without Borders works in nearly 70 countries providing medical aid to those most in need regardless of their race, religion, or political affiliation.

Their website is here.

The International Committee of the Red Cross, established in 1863, works worldwide to provide humanitarian help for people affected by conflict and armed violence and to promote the laws that protect victims of war. It also provides assistance during natural disasters, and the Philippines Red Cross has already sprung into action to assist families in reconnecting.

Their website is here.

The International Medical Corps' Emergency Response Fund is a global, humanitarian, nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through health care training and relief and development programs. They are gathering teams to send to the Philippines.

Their website is here.

Save The Children supports children and families around the world affected by disaster. They are currently preparing to assist in the Philippines.

Their website is here.

The United Nations' Childrens' Fund (UNICEF) is currently rushing relief supplies to the region, and says up to four million children could be affected by the disaster.

Their website is here.

Mercy Corps is deploying some of their most seasoned emergency responders and will be working with partners on the ground to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of survivors. In the wake of one of the strongest storms in recorded history, families desperately need food, water, shelter and other basic supplies.

Their website is here.

Finally, before you donate either your time or money, please be aware that there are always scammers looking to profit on disasters. If you find an organization you are thinking of giving money to, check their credentials at the Charity Navigator (http://www.charitynavigator.org/), which evaluates the financial health and efficiency of more than 5,500 organizations.

Directly taken from: 

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/09/world/iyw-how-to-help-typhoon-haiyan/index.html

(CNN) -- The stories coming out of the Philippines are unimaginable. Rushing water and wind tearing children away from their parents' arms. A death toll that may be over 10,000. A city of 200,000 in which no buildings appear to have survived intact.

One of the most intense typhoons on record, Haiyan (locally known as Yolanda) left catastrophic destruction behind.

If you're looking for someone missing in the Philippines, or if you have information about someone there, Google.org has launched the Typhoon Yolanda Person Finder. A Google crisis map has also been added to detail evacuation centers and areas designated for relief.

Charities and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) from around the world are responding to this disaster. Many are detailed below with how they're providing aid and how you can help them make a difference.

Emergency support

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) has deployed rescue and relief teams to evaluate the damage and to support rescue efforts in the areas devastated by Typhoon Haiyan. You can donate to the Philippine Red Cross by selecting the Supertyphoon Yolanda campaign on their donation page. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the American Red Cross are both supporting the Philippine Red Cross and are ready to provide additional assistance. The Canadian Red Cross is also working with the PRC and are accepting donations for theirTyphoon Haiyan Fund to assist all countries affected by this storm. In addition, the British Red Cross has launched a Typhoon Haiyan Appeal that you can support.

The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) is working with local authorities, the Filipino Jewish community and their global partners to assist in providing for survivors' immediate needs. You can support their efforts online or by phone at 1-212-687-6200.

CARE's emergency response teams are coordinating with local partners in the Philippines to provide food, water, shelter and health care for those in need. Their teams in Vietnam are preparing for the potential need there as Typhoon Haiyan continues its devastation. You can support CARE's efforts on their website, or by phone at 1-800-521-2273 within the United States or +1-404-681-2252 outside the U.S.

Catholic Relief Services, the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the U.S., is on the ground helping with water purification, shelter materials and essential living supplies. You can donate to the organization's efforts online or you can call 1-877-435-7277. You can also type in your phone number on the website and a representative will call you back to take your donation.

Convoy of Hope's Global Disaster Response Team has shipping containers full of food and supplies on the way to the Philippines. The organization is preparing more supplies to be sent like canned goods, hygiene kits and water filtration units. You can visit Convoy of Hope's website to donate funds to their efforts or call 1-417-823-8998.

Food and water

The World Food Programme was already providing emergency food assistance in the Philippines following the October earthquake. With these emergency food stocks stretched thin, they're now mobilizing additional supplies and are flying in 40 tons of fortified biscuits in the coming days. Additional food supplies are needed. You can help these efforts by donating online or by calling 1-202-747-0722 domestically or +39-06-65131 for international calls.

Samaritan's Purse has sent disaster relief specialists, including water and nutrition experts, to the Philippines to deliver immediate aid. They have launched the Philippines Emergency Relief fund for this disaster, which you can support online or by phone at 1-828-262-1980.

World Vision is responding in the Philippines by first providing emergency food and clean water. They will also work to create child-friendly spaces and help families rebuild from this disaster. They have launched a Philippines Disaster Response Fund that you can support online or by calling 1-888-511-6443.

Shelter

ShelterBox was already in the Philippines providing shelter after the 7.2 earthquake that hit Bohol on October 15. They are now expanding their operations to provide tents and essential equipment for families left homeless after Typhoon Haiyan. You can support their work in the Philippines either online or by calling 1-941-907-6036.

Habitat for Humanity is already providing help to 30,000 families with shelter repair kits to rebuild their damaged homes. You can support this work by donating from the Philippines to their Re-Build Philippines Fund or from the U.S. by contributing to their Disaster Response Fund. You can also make a donation by phone at 1-800-HABITAT.

Medical assistance

Americares has an emergency shipment on the way to the Philippines with enough medical aid for 20,000 survivors, including antibiotics, wound care supplies and pain relievers. You can support Americares with an online donation or by calling 1-800-486-4357.

International Medical Corps has pre-positioned medical supplies and is coordinating with partners in the Philippines to distribute and provide medical aid. Their team is on the way. You can support their efforts online or by calling 1-800-481-4462.

More than 1.5 tons of emergency medicine and medical supplies are en route to the Philippines from Direct Relief. The supplies include antibiotics, pain relievers, nutritional supplements, antifungal medications, wound dressings and chronic disease medicines. You can call in your donation by dialing 1-805-964-4767 or you can go online to support the organization.

Helping children

The U.S. Fund for UNICEF is helping children and their families in the Philippines receive shelter, clean water, nutrition and vaccines. Their emergency response can be supported online or by calling 1-800-367-5437. You can also donate directly to UNICEF in the Philippines here.

Save the Children is offering disaster relief support for children in the Philippines, Laos and Vietnam after Typhoon Haiyan. You can support their Philippines Annual Monsoon and Typhoon Children in Emergency Fund online. You can also donate by phone at 1-800-728-3843.

Emergency response teams from ChildFund Internationalprepositioned supplies, including emergency kits and tents, and made arrangements with local suppliers to access food and non-food relief supplies. The organization is also preparing to setup child- centered spaces where kids can feel safe. Donate to ChildFund online to help children cope and recover confidence after this disaster.

 

This is for you. You know who you are

Colorado Flood Victim Assistance

House Concert this Friday to Benefit Flood Relief

Event details:

Concert at 7:30PM

Please RSVP for exact address (hey — it’s a house concert)

Want to attend? RSVP to the Facebook event and score your tickets online HERE.

Now, if you can’t make the concert, you can make a donation to flood relief as well. Simply visit this link and from the drop down menu, select one of the options for a "donation to Lyons flood victims"

Foothills United Way:  The Foothills Flood Relief Fund launched on Sept. 13 in response to the unfolding disaster in Colorado. All of the money donated is going directly to people affected by the floods, according to Heather Spencer, the communications manager of Foothills United Way. The fund is focusing on Boulder and Broomfield counties, where the organization is located. It will work with local and state officials to determine what people’s needs are and partner with the appropriate organizations. The Boulder Community Foundation is matching up to $50,000 of donations.

Help Colorado Now:  HelpColoradoNow.org is a collaboration between the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the Colorado Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster that pairs donations with survivor’s needs. They have compiled a list of reputable organizations for people to donate money, which it says is the most effective way to help. The site also has several lists to organize volunteers and materials needed — like food, water and clothing.

Colorado chapters of the American Red Cross: Since the floods started last week, the Red Cross and its partners have provided shelter to more than 1,600 people, served more than 7,000 meals and helped affected residents find the proper health and mental health professionals, according to its website. There are currently eight operating shelters across the state to help those that have been displaced. The Red Cross is accepting financial donations for relief and recovery, but is directing any small donations to Help Colorado Now.

Salvation Army: The Salvation Army is providing food and shelter to five of the hardest-hit counties in Colorado. Across the state, it has distributed thousands of meals to displaced people, emergency responders and law enforcement in affected areas. The Fort Collins shelter will remain open for 30 to 90 days.  

All Hands Volunteers:  Three All Hands Volunteers employees visited Boulder last week and reported the flood damage covers a wide swath of Colorado. As a non-profit volunteer organization, AHV is organizing volunteers to launch a project in Colorado when it deems the area safe. The organization is asking for both monetary donations and volunteers to support its immediate efforts to help people evacuate and its upcoming effort to help areas recover.

Colorado Humane Society:

Colorado Humane Society is accepting donations athttp://coloradohumane.org/donate. You can check with your local humane societies to see if they are accepting donations.

Colorado Housing Search

ColoradoHousingSearch.com is helping flood victims in Boulder and Larimer Counties. Donations for VACANT rental properties, vacation homes, can be listed through Colorado Housing Search. Please note donated rooms in homes can NOT be accepted
1-877-428-8844

King Soopers:

All King Soopers stores are collecting cash donations for the America Red Cross Flood Disaster Relief at their registers.

Colorado Farm Bureau:

The Colorado Farm Bureau Foundation has activated a Disaster Fund where 100% of donations will go to Colorado farmers and ranchers affected by the floods. You can donate here: http://on9news.tv/14QTfG9. 

Checks can be sent to Colorado Farm Bureau Foundation. Please note Disaster Fund-Colorado Floods in the memo line.
Colorado Farm Bureau Foundation
Attn: Disaster Fund
9177 E. Mineral Circle
Centennial, CO 80112

Bonfils:

Bonfils is accepting blood donations. For information visit: http://bit.ly/1aIrTox

Text to Give:

The mGive Foundation has a campaign active to fundraise for flood response throughout the state. Donors can text FLOOD to 80108 to give $10 to the mGive Disaster Relief Fund. Donations will be collected by the mGive Foundation and directed to organizations providing services to the affected areas and listed on the http://helpcoloradonow.com website.

 

Work In Progress Fragment from Book Two

They began the drill sequence on the Lieutenant's mark, and he hit her palms hard, so that the stinging pain focused her attention sharply. Was he mad at her because of the rejection that night? Who cares, said that same small angry voice. Although he hit harder than she did, she was faster than him, and she thought she could plant him on the pad if she chose to, but something held her back. She hit back, harder, pushing him back to his side of the line. 

He grinned the same cocky smile he always had, as he stepped up the pace, suddenly skipping the sequence and just striking at her. It took her a second to realize that he wasn't following the drill any more, just slamming his hands into her palms or forearms or shoulders. She felt a prickle of fear, the same she had felt before, with the man who tried to kill her on her tail. It was the same look. The same arrogant, sure-of-himself grin. 

She backed away from the line and kept up her defense, trying to shake the image from her head. Just then a well placed strike hit grazed her chin. The Lieutenant called out his name sharply, but he struck again, catching her jaw more squarely. Her head whipped back and she felt a warm wetness in her mouth. She hit the pad with a popping sound.

Something in her snapped. She slipped into that anger inside herself and felt it burn. Time went from too fast to molasses slow in a millionth of a second. Her opponent was gone, vanished. She saw the would be killer stepping forward with that slack, sickening grin on his face. 

She flipped to her feet, sidestepped his advancing attack and snap-kicked his knee. There was a pop, a sickening crunch and the killer's face contorted with pain as he fell to the pad. There was a scream, then another. Was she screaming? She saw the man scramble away from her on the pad, and kicked him hard in the stomach, started to follow him, arms up in a boxing-defense pose. There was an arm around her neck. She ducked, grabbed the arm, leaned forward and threw that weight over her, widening her stance. Someone came up behind her. She whirled just as the new attacker kicked her in the chest, and she landed on top of first new attacker. Pain froze her body. She tried to get up, but couldn't.

“Hold her down!”

“Doctor! Get over here!”

Getting the Message

Sorry for the delay between updates. I know many people don’t read this blog yet, and that mostly I’m speaking to the robots, but still, I like to try to keep up with the frequency of regular writing updates. 

So, down to it. I recently took to Twitter and Facebook to ask my gangs (Yes, I refer to my followers as a gang) what their favorite “new-to-them” book of 2013 was. I got several interesting answers, from the obviously worth “Silver Linings Playbook” to more obscure stuff like “Angels in my Hair” by Lorna Bryne and “The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel (PS).  @Moritheil (also here, http://animediet.net/author/moritheil) recommended the most interesting entry of the lot. (A Message to Garcia, which you can Google online.)  though I immediately took issue with it because A) it was really not a book, ( it is a few minutes reading at just 1500 words) and B) the author Elbert Hubbard missed several key details that underpinned the “moral” of his tale, (Rowan was a soldier, not a civilian, which makes a world of difference) which left it looking like a whining screed. But after reading the account of the person who actually did the carrying of the message to Garcia, I viewed the original less harshly, if incomplete.  Reading the actual soldier’s account detailing the difficulties he faced gave the weight to “Message To Garcia” that the original lacked. I’d get into more detail here, but I don’t want to get into silly rants of my own. Instead, I simply suggest that if you read “Carry a Message” that you read “How I Carried The Message to Garcia” as the missing half of the equation. The essence of the story is “Do the job you’ve been assigned to do, without dawdling, lingering, questioning, or any other extraneous cruft that prevents you from doing the job as quickly, and as thoroughly as humanly possible.”  Reading how Rowan did his job, the details of the task, the odds he faced and what he accomplished made up for the Hubbard affair, which left me feeling uninspired and saying “That’s it?” After all, a shoe company summed up the point far more concisely quite a while ago (though “A Message to Garcia” was penned considerably before Nike was founded) with the three word phrase: “Just Do It.”

I do agree with Mori that more people should take the phrase “Carry a Message to Garcia” to heart, and be a bit more adventurous when tackling their problems, but a counterpoint could be written as “Let them do the job you asked them to do,” meaning get out of the way. Then I just look at the whole mess and throw up my hands in frustration. And let me tell you, getting my hands to a place where I can vomit them is no easy task.  

My own writing can certainly use a solid dose of “Carry the Message,” but between adjusting to my new life as a full time stay at home mom (whereas before it was part time) facing constant eviction, dealing with bureaucrats and creditors (read, fending off desperately with a stick) and coming to terms with my aging mother’s degrading health and resultant personal tensions, writing has slowed to a trickle. Which is why, of course, it’s been so long since my last blog update. Much of the up coming final scenes of the book have already been vaguely plotted out, but I’m rereading my naval battles throughout history and generally trying to give myself a crash course in astrophysics. The book holds firm at seventy-seven thousand words, but I’m getting a general sense of it closing in soon. It also doesn’t help that I find myself comparing the book to other space opera series, like David Weber’s Honor Harrington books, or the recently concluded Expanse series by James S.A. Corey.  Rebecca Tsaros Dickson’s book Writing on Your Terms and Delilah S. Dawson’s 25 Steps To Being a Traditionally Published Author: Lazy Bastard Edition are keeping me revving to write. But even the most focused writer has a hard time writing when a nearly three year old is hitting her over the head with an inflatable guitar screaming “POTTY NO, MOMMY, NO YOU BAD GUY” over and over again. It would drive me to drink but who has time for that?