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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:
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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 Witchy Woman  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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This entry is for Task # in:
The Task is: Which of your WDC friends deserves some recognition? How have they supported you over your time here? Post about it in the newsfeed, your notebook, or a blog. Without any hesitation, for me, it's Ẃeβ࿚ẂỉԎḈĥ  One of the BIG ways she supported me was with the Bard's Hall. As the boys got older and needed a parent to take them places, my time on WDC grew limited and Webbie picked up a lot of the slack over there. She's a BIG reason why
Webbie has taught me a lot of stuff (and there's stuff I'm learning if you can believe that - thanks to Witchy Woman !! ) Webbie's a big support for my other forums and she's always upbeat and fun. Whenever I need a friendly ear, or I need to vent, Webbie is there for me. From me to you (((hugs))) Webbie! Now go play Angel-Witch BINGO! 
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This entry is for Day 2
Tagging Witchy Woman There are multiple contests celebrating WDC's 25th year. Name at least five of them and participate in one of them.
Well, heck, I'm participating in all of them! Post your answers in a blog entry telling us what motivated you to do that contest. ( * no one sentence responses allowed) Do you like doing contests in general. What's your favorite one during the year? Gosh, for
For the Writer's Cramp I entered because I thought the prompt was interesting and the story just came to me. I  Angel-Witch Bingo. Wouldn't miss it for the world. Webbie runs a good BINGO game!I enjoy Anniversary Reviews so I just had to get on board and test my stamina when comes to reviewing. The format is a little different for this month, so I'm doing my best to switch my reviews to accommodate. I really like Habit Heroes and I'm wicked pleased with my progress with my steps and my writing. "Earn the Badge" is a lot of fun and I like how the daily tasks kind of switch things from the same ol' same ol'. I wish I could support more, but I'm kinda tapped out and I want to try to keep up with my favorites. Do I like doing contests? I don't mind. Depends on the contests. I do like the writing contests, but they can be challenging since time is not my friend. I need to be able to write short pieces that blogging and cramps and Daily Flash Fiction afford. I also like doing contests were I earn things so that's why I like Angel-Witch Bingo and "Earn the Badge." What's my favorite contest in the year? Gosh, that's a tough one. I always like to do Dear Me, just to frame my goals, but none of the judges score my "writing jungle" high enough.  I try to do a 1 or 2 official contests throughout the year, depending on the prompt because I like to support. I always try to do any BINGO that Ẃeβ࿚ẂỉԎḈĥ has because BINGO is fun. I always try to support Raffles because I think they're fun. I do enjoy Habit Heroes. When it comes to hosting contests, I love the Cupid Slam on the Bard's. I also like the Bard's blogging challenge and the Cop Shop Mysteries. |
This entry is for Day 1
Tagging: Witchy Woman The requirement was:There are 5 WDC Moderators/ blue and purple cases who joined WDC in 2000 and 2001. Your challenge is to write about each one in your blog entry. Yup 5 Moderators= 5 paragraphs of at least 2 sentences each. (10 lines minimum) Should be easy check their portfolios. Find a hit song from 2000 or 2001 that you think --- one of these blue cases might like and tell us why. It doesn't matter which one of the 5 moderators you choose. Don't forget to link the song. Let me be honest - this was hard for me. I went into full investigator mode and it took hours to find the moderators I did find! I was able to find 5 moderators and senior moderators. Some mods I thought would surely fit the bill came in at 2002! It was an interesting hunt and now... ♥tHiNg♥  tHing or hOOves is the moderator I know the best in the group. I love her quirky port and well written stories. tHing is always respectful and nice and always tells a good tale. If I need a "go to" port, tHing is high on the list! She's very active and it's always good to see her around supporting the community. Joy  I'd like to think I know Joy a little bit, too. I had the pleasure of checking out her port last year for anniversary reviews and I enjoyed her Poetry and Activities folder. Joy was very sweet to me when I was first a moderator working on the Drama newsletter back and in the day and I really, really, really appreciate her reading my stories and giving them a review on Amazon. That meant a lot. If Joy ever needed a favor, I'm there for her. Kenzie  I popped into Kenzie's port and saw a couple of things I'd like to explore. One is the Pets and Animals folder. Our pets are our "babies" and while I'm more of a cat fan, I know our dog brings my husband a lot of happiness. The recipes and crafts folder looks pretty interesting too, so I'm looking forward to checking out her port for anniversary reviews. Her bio is pretty straightforward and kudos to writing with fibromalyga. (sp?) I can't imagine that's easy. Cappucine  This bio is simple. Our moderator likes to wear boots! Upon poking around her port, I discovered a poetry that I would like to explore. Mixed metaphors also looks like a very interesting folder that I would explore. ElaineElaine  On her port bio, there's a link to what this moderator likes - science fiction and fantasy. There's also a poetry folder that looks intriguing. This moderator also has edited the Short Stories NL which is one that I'm subscribed to! Soooo.... after checking out everyone's port it's time to pick a pick a moderator and a song and I choose "Smooth" by Santana for Cappucine ! Why? For me, "Smooth" just has a simmering, smouldering vibe, and when you pop into Cappucine's port - that's what I experienced, a simmering, smouldering vibe. Enjoy the song! |
| A Day in the Life of a 911 Dispatcher Our supervisor told us a rewarding story in Roll Call yesterday. About two days ago she was "Q&E" on the Supervisor Bridge. Q&E and stands for "Questions and Ebos" and they are the supervisor who is supposed to be monitoring the calls for dispatch. If the Call taker has any questions about wether or not to create a call, they go to the Q&E Supervisor. A call was brought to her attention by an RTO (that's the dispatcher who talks to the officers only. They don't create calls) Where the Victim's roommate was reporting her roommate, the victim, missing. Victim had left 6 hours ago and didn't take her phone or purse. Victim was a responsible person and was going through a bad breakup with her boyfriend. The call had a good description of the boyfriend and his car. The RTO didn't think we should go and wanted to close out the call. Why? Because the Vict was over 18, and did not have a mental illness. (Requirements to send on a missing adult calls). The supervisor evaluated the call and said, leave it open, let the police go out there and make a report. Ultimately, what swayed her to make that decision was the fact the Victim's purse and phone were still at the house. Two days later, her husband who is working RHD (Robbery Homicide Detective) (they also investigate kidnapping calls) comes home and says, "You won't believe this crazy I just went out. This girl was kidnapped and taken to Las Vegas, shot, and barely managed to get away from them suspect." My supervisor said, "Was she out of North Hollywood?" "How did you know?" Her husband was surprised. Turns out these calls were the same. The Victim was kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend and as soon as he got her in the car, he threatened her with a gun. Then he shot her in the ankle. Then he drove all the way to LAS VEGAS with her in the car. In Vegas they went to his apartment and he tied her up while trying to care for her wound. This went on for 24 hours. Victim develops a plan. She tells him she needs her clothes and money and can he drive back to Los Angeles to get it? She'll wait for him? She loves him, after all. He leaves to go to Los Angeles. She manages to free herself from being tied up and calls for an ambulance because her ankle is on fire. Once she gets to the hospital, she sings like a canary. They used the description taken from the missing person report and arrested the suspect in Barstow. It's sad to think this stuff happens, but it does. I'm glad there was a happy ending. If anything, one thing I learned from her story, was sometimes when your gut is telling you to do something, it's okay to follow your gut. The information obtained by her deciding to leave the call open was instrumental in apprehending the bad guy. |
I just want to give a shout out to 🌻 pwheeler ~ happy 25th WDC  and her
How did I find Habit Heroes? I knew I was going to Boy Scout camp on Catalina Island in July to volunteer and there's a lot of walking involved, so I knew I had to get in "shape." I'm 57, a tad overweight, and I work at night - and I have a job where I sit down 8 hours a day, so I realized I needed something to motivate me to get up and just move. I think I was talking to Phyllis in May and she mentioned Habit Heroes. I checked it out and said why not. I need to work on exercise and this is motivating in that I can go at my own pace. In May and June I had a lifting weights goal, and then when I started VC in July, I incorporated a step goal. I'm so glad I had. Those little aches and pains in the hips and knees have become very minor or nonexistent. This month, I incorporated a writing goal, because I really need to finish my updating/editing of "Gifts," a story about two ice skaters that fall in love. Due to incorporating this habit, I've began to make progress with it, so in that regard, I'm glad I'm not "stalled" anymore. Some days I don't meet my goal, and I try not to beat myself up. Anyhoo...if anything, working on my exercise habits has helped me to realize just how important it is to do some type of exercise, even if it is taking a small walk or lifting small weights. If you're looking to develop some, good positive habits, check out Habit Heroes. I highly recommend it! Smiles Steph |
I've been readying Ozzy's autobiography and it's been a trip. Here's the amazon link:
First, I don't know why Ozzy's death (and life) has resonated so much with me lately. I suppose, like Val Kilmer, I'd consider Ozzy one of the influences of my generation, Generation X, so when you see one of your "influences" or someone you consider important to your generation pass away, it stings a little. I'd heard of Ozzy when I was in High School back in 1982-1986. That was when his solo career was starting, when the albums "Blizzard of Ozz," "Diary of a Madman" and "Bark at the Moon," came out. Two of my favorite songs of his back then were "Flying High Again," and "Crazy Train." I remember hearing Ozzy was "crazy," drank a lot, and bit the head off a bat. That was wild. I remember there was a lot of consternation over "Suicide Solution," and that the lyrics inspired someone to commit suicide. I also remembering hearing about Randy Rhodes' death and that he was a good guitarist. At the time, I suppose Ozzy was just wild. That's just what Rock Stars do. I knew of Black Sabbath and some of their songs. I guess at the time, I just liked the rhythm of the songs. I was a bit native at the time and honestly, I never paid much attention to the lyrics of a song. I remember when he had his reality TV show - I watched a couple of times. He was definitely likable and so was Sharon. When they announced the July Ozzy/Black Sabbath concert, I had a feeling Ozzy's time might be short and I'm glad he was able to do it, though it was sad seeing him sit in a chair. Reading his autobiography makes me laugh, but it also breaks my heart in a way. Ozzy's parents worked hard - both his mom and dad. I simply can't believe how hard they worked and how little they had to show for it. Ozzy discusses in the book that in hindsight, he probably had ADHD and was dyslexic. He was a people pleaser but took pleasing people too far. He also talked about having an addictive personality which didn't help with his drinking and drug use. There's things he's done he's ashamed of and he does feel bad about. It's that aspect of his personality that I think people connect with - doing something they regret. Being able to say you're sorry. Trying to do better and learn from mistakes. Ozzy's sincerity and honesty comes through on every page - especially his voice. When I read the pages, I can hear Ozzy talking. I think if there's anything to be learned from Ozzy's story is that whatever you do, "Own it." And when you F'up and you have regrets, apologize, try to do better, and sometimes, you have to grow up and live life to really grow up emotionally. I think Ozzy always enjoyed a good laugh, so I found this commercial to share. Enjoy the laughs. Ozzy wasn't perfect. In fact, he was a hot mess growing up, when he was with Black Sabbath, and at the launch of his solo career. But Ozzy owns it, and I think, to leave on a positive note - Ozzy would want you to own your successes and F-ups, have a laugh, and enjoy the music. |
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| Today was the Vegas Bowling sweepers. Now that I'm older and the boys are older, I'm always game to get away so I signed up for the Summer Vegas bowling league. Typically summer leagues are smaller. This league was smaller, with only 16 teams. And 2 of my parenters weren't here today, which is a bit of a bummer. The league was only 16 weeks instead of 32 weeks. I don't mind. I'm just happy to have a reason to leave California. The bowling started at 1230 pm. This bowling alley we're at is inside the Suncoast Casino and it's really big - over 60 lanes. I've bowled here before and I like it enough. The lanes were really oily though. I decided to use my Motiv Venom, as it's good for med oil. I have a Motiv Primal Shock and I tried both in practice, but the Venom seemed to react better to the oil. It was hard. Everyone struggled with the oil pattern. At the end, I finished with a 638 series (including my handicap) and I came in 4th in the Ladies, so I'm not complaining. It was a $65.00 payout. I didn't place in the mystery doubles. We finished up about 4 pm and the family went to PARK MGM and had dinner at Eataly. I really like the food at Eataly. I don't like the price, tho. It is a bit pricey. Hubby had pasta & ragu, kid had skirt steak and I had the kid's salad and spinach ravioli. Afterwords, we went for gelato. I would have uploaded a photo of me and the hubs and the kid, but it kept on uploading upside down, go figure. Tomorrow we're on the road back to California. Hoping to catch up on some reading. Tomorrow - Thoughts on Ozzy. Did you ever watch The Osbournes with Ozzy and his family? |
| Well, we made it to Vegas. I always enjoy getting away from the Los Angeles area and California in general. Mind you, the only 2 states I've really been to in a while are Nevada and Arizona. I like them both. Arizona was laid back and friendly. I've only really been to the Vegas area, but I like seeing the different things. Vegas is big and the money goes a bit further. The trip usually takes 4 to 4 1/2 hours depending on traffic. We started about 1045 am and stopped at Peggy Sue's 50's Diner, just outside of Barstow for lunch. I tried the "Frankie Avalon Pepper Steak." OMG it was huge. (I should have taken a picture!) I could only eat 1/2. Really, it's got a great 50's vibe. Here's a good video that captures the ambience of Peggy Sue's. I had a vanilla shake, too. Let me tell you, it was filling! My husband gas'd up and we were off. The temp was 108 at Peggy Sue's but as we got closer to the CA/NV border it got cloudy and even sprinkled a little. Temp dipped down to a manageable 96 degrees and leveled out at 105. We got to the casino and checked in. Mind you, they're remodeling the Casino and a lot has changed in a year. The Bingo center which was on the 2nd floor, was now on the bottom floor, near the entrance. Dupar's was closed for remodeling. I'm thinking of going down in a bit to get a drink. haha! The remodel makes the casino look a little crisper. We found a Round Table pizza for dinner. Tomorrow is my BIG bowling day at the Casino's bowling alley. We call it "Sweepers." If we do well, we win money. I found a 99 cent store in Nevada and smiled. They went extinct in California earlier this year. You can find a lot of good bargins at the dollar stores. Thank goodness we still have Dollar Tree in California BUT -- nothing is a Dollar. Prices vary from 1.25 to 1.75. Question for you: Do you shop at a Dollar Tree or 99 cent store? |
| Well, my Blogging Circle of Friends is over and I hate to say it, but I’ve got some withdrawal symptoms. I enjoyed doing it a lot and I have to give kudos to Witchy Woman for organizing such an adventure. I can’t imagine that was easy. I did learn a lot about the different states. Hoping to do some more Blogging challenges in the future. My habit heroes is a challenge, but I’m working at it. Most days I do okay. Goal #1 is 6K steps which is realistic, I might up it next month. #2 is some weight work which I like. #3 is 30 mins on “Gifts,” and it’s been good as I’ve been able to jump start the story. I’m hoping it will be ready for a Christmas relief. Time will tell though. This weekend, we’re off to Las Vegas for bowling league sweepers. It’s a usually a quick, busy weekend. I’ll reach out to Witchy Woman to see if we can try to meet up. I do enjoy bowling. I’d like to get back into playing darts, but right now it’s not time effective. I’ve been thinking of pulling some of my Fantastic Four comics out of the dust bin just to re-read them. At work, I find myself thinking way too much about retirement, which is coming Feb 2027. A lot of my work friends have retired and I find I miss them a lot. Anyhoo… I thought I’d leave you with this mind blowing question I asked recently over at the Honey Pit – Do you drink your Iced Tea sweet or unsweetened? |
Celebratin'Slipslidin'Senior  drove the Party Bus to our hotel in Washington DC and we all checked in. There’s a lot to do and see in our nation’s capital. WakeUpAndLive , Jellyfish is 13 on WDC!  , and Celebratin'Slipslidin'Senior wanted to see all the monuments. It’s embarrassing to admit I’ve never been to Washington DC, but I haven’t. Maybe next year. My husband is talking like he wants to go and I’m game. Our first stop is the National Law Enforcement museum. I’m not a police officer myself, buy my husband is, and we’ve been involved with law enforcement since we’ve had jobs. I was an MP in the Army and he joined LAPD in 1997. I just dispatch for LAPD. Law enforcement means a lot of us, so seeing the museum was very touching, especially since I’ll be retiring in about 18 months, and my husband in 30 months. Next we went to the Smithsonian Air and Space museum. There was a long line to get in even though the museum was free! Jellyfish is 13 on WDC! loves Space and stargazing, too, so we were two peas in a pod as we shuffled out way through the museum. We saw mockups of shuttles and rockets. The planetarium had a great show about the constellations. They even had a Soyuz exhibit.Afterwards we went monument hunting. AmyJo-home sweet home thought the Washington Monument was cool. It was an obelisk. She loved the view from the top! You could see the whole city. {embed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDSxKC3hOdk} The Lincoln memorial was a big hit with Šuŋgmánitu Tȟáŋka  and Witchy Woman . The Lincoln memorial faces the Washington Monument and in between is the national mall with a reflecting pool. Krista snapped a lot of pictures for her Instagram. Princess Megan Rose  liked the Jefferson memorial because of all the cherry trees planted nearby. The cherries smelled sweet and the blossoms were beautiful. We also visited the Vietnam Veterans and Marine Corps War Memorials. Very sobering, but I’m glad we paid tribute to the brave warriors who served the nation. That night we went to Tiffany’s Bar & Bistro and had a light meal. We laughed over our past adventures and some of our favorite moments – Especially when AmyJo-home sweet home Nalgene flew off the trail and she found a dinosaur egg. There were some hair-raising moments, too like in Colorado and all that HEIGHT. We wouldn’t have eaten as good as we without Šuŋgmánitu Tȟáŋka researching all the food places. Ah, well, there’s always next summer. Thanks for the fellowship, friendship, and smiles:Witchy Woman Celebratin'Slipslidin'Senior WakeUpAndLive Jellyfish is 13 on WDC! Princess Megan Rose AmyJo-home sweet home Krista andŠuŋgmánitu Tȟáŋka |
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