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 Life, Adventure, Family, Writing what else is there? Random thoughts. |
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WELCOME TO: GEMINI RISING   UPDATED INTRO 30 JUNE 2025: Just a little about me. I've been married for 33 years this past NOV and currently live in Southern California, but I grew up in New Hampshire. I've got 2 boys who are young adults. I work as a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. I enjoy my job a lot. Still. If you can believe that. I love to write. Thankfully both of my boys achieved Eagle Scout. My Scouting days are over and I'm back to focusing on my writing. I like to get out in nature, drink coffee and watch football. Here's a little bio about my zodiac. GEMINI: Gemini, the sign of the Twins, is dual-natured, elusive, complex and contradictory. On the one hand it produces the virtue of versatility, and on the other the vices of two-facedness and flightiness. The sign is linked with Mercury, the planet of childhood and youth, and its subjects tend to have the graces and faults of the young. When they are good, they are very attractive; when they are bad they are more the worse for being the charmers they are. Like children they are lively, and happy, if circumstances are right for them, or egocentric, imaginative and restless. Their good qualities are attractive and come easily to them. They are affectionate, courteous, kind, generous, and thoughtful towards the poor and suffering - provided none of the activities resulting from expressing these traits interferes too greatly with their own lives and comforts. Geminians can be successful in many walks of life though their general characteristics tend to make them unreliable. They are often skilled manipulators of language, in speech and writing, and may be: debaters, diplomats (though in politics they are more interested in theory than practice), orators, preachers (brilliant rather than profound), teachers, authors, poets, journalists, or lawyers. BLOG ACCOMPLISHMENTS: SEPTEMBER 2025:
SEPTEMBER 2025:
Merit Badges collected and earned from "Earn the Badge 2025" ![Merit Badge in WdC Supportive Friend
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Thank you for participating in [Link To Item #2133333] . Congratulations on completing the September
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Thank you for your donation to [Link To Item #2133333] - from Purple Princess.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Earn_the_Badge-2093257_1.gif){kind=icon} ![Merit Badge in Music
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Thank you for participating in [Link To Item #2133333] . Congratulations on completing the September
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Great job for picking a teammate and completing the September 6th Task at [Link To Item #2133333]](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/general-Teamwork-210.gif) SUMMER 2025:
Merit Badges Collected from Virtual Blogging &Virtual Blogging Friends: ![Merit Badge in Let Dreams Take Wing
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To my upcoming virtual traveling blog companion. Dream big and fly high!](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Let_Dreams_Take_Wing-2335469_1.gif) ![Merit Badge in Normal Is Boring
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here's to another week of creating adventures!](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/Kudos-Normal_Is_Boring.gif) ![Merit Badge in Blog Camping
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Thanks for completing [Link To User elusive4lyn] July 2025 blogging vacation!! Great job!!](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Blog_Camping-1788309_13.gif) ![Merit Badge in Travel
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Thank you for your participation in BCoF's 50 States Virtual Blogging adventure.
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51 days of blogging takes commitment, and you rocked it.
*^*Heart*^* Lyn](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/general-Endurance.gif) SEPTEMBER 2024: I participated in the
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Congrats on your Honorable Mention in Blog Week Birthday Bastion 2024](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/type-Nonfiction.gif) Big thanks to WakeUpAndLive~gummy worms BOO   for hosting the contest! OCTOBER 2024: I participated in the
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Congratulations on completing the 13 Poetic Days of Halloween.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Halloween-2026567.gif) Big Thanks to A Warped Witch I Be  for hosting the contest!Find me at: WEBSITE: http://www.stephanieburkhart.com FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor GOOD READS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart YOU TUBE CHANNEL: http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee  WARNING I intend to be open, honest, and forthright. No topic is off limits from religion to you name it, I'm going there. If you think you might be offended...back up now - this blog isn't for you. For those who "dare"  check out the "Gemini Rising..." 
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Just wanted to share a great video about the Kancamagus highway in New Hampshire. Heck, this time of year, the leaves start to turn different colors as Autumn seeps in. I remember when I was a kid, we'd make leaf piles and jump into the piles. Here in SoCal we really don't have that optin unless maybe you live in Big Bear. Anyhoo... one of my best memories is about the leaves and just having fun. What you your good memories of this time of year? |
Today, I went to downtown LA to collect my 25 year pin in person. LAPD did a nice ceremony for us civilian and sworn employees which I thought was thoughtful. Mind you, the City of LA is notoriously late on just about everything. I got my 10 year pin at 15 years - in fact, I got 2 and didn't get a 15 year pin. I got my 20 year pin at 22 1/2 years. So when they sent me the invite for the 25 year pin I said I better show up!  The day was a bit overcast. And my classmates (there's only 4, me, Sarah, Olga, and Jessica) were ALL supposed to go, but Olga and Jessica canceled. I get it. Fufu ceremonies are not for everyone, and Olga and Jessica are the type where they are uncomfortable in recognition of achievement. Mind you, I'm only only a hair better. I got my picture with the Deputy Chief and moved on. My husband was there dressed up in all his LAPD finest so that was nice. It's hard to believe it's been 25 years since I was hired by the City of LA and LAPD. We started with a class of 28 and there's only 4 of us now. When started, a cell phone was only good to make a phone call and everyone used a pager. CD players were in cars. My boys weren't born. My, how the times have changed. One of my most memorable calls, I was just qualified as a calltaker and this guy called up and wanted the Popo to come out. I asked, "What happened?" Caller: "I just paid this guy 1400 dollars for my drugs and he took off with the drugs and my money. I want to the police to track him down and get me my drugs I bought."  I said, "You know drugs are illegal?" Caller: "yeah." Me: "Well, the police would come out and arrest you for buying drugs." CLICK. |
GrueSum1  had a great post about Johnny Cash today and that got me to thinking about Roseanne Cash. (If you get a chance, head on over to his port and check out his blog!) It was 1993 and I was getting ready to go to NCO school at Ft. McClellan AL and her album came out. I know ppl tend to think of her as a "country artist," but I'd say that "The Wheel" was more pop than country with maybe bits and pieces of a country influence. I played that album all summer long while I was at NCO school. That was a fun, wild time. Best time I ever had on Temporary Duty. I met some good people - we BBQ often on the weekends at the camping/lake on base, I went and saw and Atlanta Braves game in Atlanta, I went to see the Huntsville Space museum there, I played softball on our softball, went trick or treating with the kids on base, and I pushed myself to succeed, coming in 2nd in my class and being named "Honor Graduate." All the while, The Wheel was my soundtrack to the summer, my adventures and my NCO class. In this clip, Roseanne Cash talks about 1993 being about Transformation. I had no idea just how "transformational" her music was at the time. It's a great album. |
| Okay I have an update on my Canadian Key Fob Highjinks. I did some internet sleuthing and got a part number for what I think is the "part" (I'm not sure, but I'm like 90% sure this is part but I could be wrong since the car is Canadian) and called my aftermarket guy. He said he'd look things up and get back to me. Time will Tell..... Jackie and Shadow the Eagles are still flying Big Bear, but Gizmo and Sunny are long gone. No sightings of them since June... Sniff...sniff... I updated my benefits package with the City of LA today. They are switching from Anthem PPO to Blue Shield PPO. Sigh... Just 16 months until retirement. Put 1500 on my HSA account. Let's hope I don't fall apart! I had the runs yesterday. Must have been something I ate. I think it was the bowling alley food because I started noticing the aches and pains and (you know... the runs) after that. However, I could not for the life of me (thanks 57!!) think of the word diarrhea. Nope that word WOULD NOT come to me. My husband what's wrong with you? I said: "I got the shits." Good God!! How medieval I must have sounded. Well, he went to the store and got my some pepto bismo which I took with 2 advil and I feel better today. I'm still tired though so I might catch a nap before going to bowling league. I think I'll lay off the bowling alley food for a bit...   |
| I have a 2016 Rav4 with a key and a fob that remote unlocks and locks the door. Unfortunately, time had not been kind to my spare. It pooped out. So I went to the dealer and had them replace the battery. It still didn't work. The dealer said for a brand new key, cut and coded approximately 450 dollars! I couldn't believe it. That price was OUTRAGEOUS!! It was about 200 for the keys and 200 to program it. I think the guy at the dealer had pity on me and told me to try an aftermarket keysmith. I had no idea there was such a thing! Anyway, I went on EBAY and bought a key for the car and spent 30.00 dollars. Heck, I thought I was onto something. I booked an appointment with the Locksmith and showed up. The first thing he told me is that my EBAY key was a knock off. He checked all the numbers and everything looked good. He was surprised. Usually knock offs can't be programed. So he went to program it. He was pleasantly surprised to discover he was able to program the key to start the car. Now it was time to program the remote functions. It wasn't working. He was surprised. He tried it twice and it didn't take. He said if the key can be programed to start it, it should be programed to work remotely. He was stumped. Just as I was about to drive off he stopped me. "Was your car made in Canada?" Ummm... I know Toyota is Japanese, but I thought it was made in Kentucky. "I dunno," I replied. He checked the plate on the driver's side door frame - sure as molasses my Rav4 was made in Canada. And they're frequencies for their key fob aren't quite the same as the ones for American ones. At least we solved it. Now I have homework. I must obtain the part number for my key fob - I must order a Canadian Toyota Rav4 Key fob. He said to call the dealer but who knows if the dealer will actually tell me the part number. He wants to sell me the part for 200 bucks! I'm not an expert on ordering parts but it's time to put the sleuthing hat on. |
If you're participating in the
I appreciate any and all reviews and if you go public, I do my best to give public review credits. Thoughts & Reflections on Horror/Scary Writing... As for this time of year, I lost my spook a year or two ago. It's hard to put a finger on it. Maybe it has to do with my growing spirituality, and a desire to seek the light, not the dark. The morbid and evil has lost it's appeal. That's not to say I won't explore those themes as a writer, I will and I have, but it's not something I am inclined to do. I'm just not inspired to write horror/scary like I have been in the past. That's not to say I can't be inspired. I participated in this contest
How far to do go to embrace the season? Do you decorate your lawn? Do you embrace your inner Spook? |
Here is the result of my Madlib from:
In an Earth like and unlike the one we live on, FriendlyBee, HoneyBee, LilBadBee, SmileyBee, QueenBee, BusyBee and you are called the Zeus Seven. The seven of you live in Canada, which is in a space race with Denmark to put the first human being on the moon. Right now you’re posing with your six fellow astronauts wearing shirts that read Denmark Sucks!. But you’re not just seven astronauts. You, for example, have the nickname of Leg, because of your Sad where Mango Apple pies are concerned. Your fellow astronaut SmileyBee, also known as wicked Wind, is notorious for inventing the dance “Getting pretty with a Wolverine.” As the trip to go to the moon gets closer, you discover the moon is inhabited by Ugly Teal people. The good news is that the moon people all know how to do the “Getting pretty with a Wolverine.” The bad news is, the moon people all fly the flag of Denmark. Denmark Sucks! Big Shout out to Reluctant Halloweenist  for putting together a wicked cool rocket of a Madlib! |
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