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 Life, Adventure, Family, Writing what else is there? Random thoughts. |
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WELCOME TO: GEMINI RISING   UPDATED INTRO 28 MAY 2024: Just a little about me. I've been married for 32 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. This is me. I am a Gemini. Pure, Raw, passionate. The NEW focus of this blog is to share my adventures, travels, random thoughts, book reviews, thoughts, opinions, and writing adventures from actual writing, writing/editing tips, marketing, research. I'll get there. BLOG ACCOMPLISHMENTS: SEPTEMBER 2024: I participated in the
![Merit Badge in Nonfiction
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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   for hosting the contest! OCTOBER 2024: I participated in the
![Merit Badge in Halloween
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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 Lyn's a 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 Previous GRATITIOUS Warning, that I decided to keep in case I post about something that might offend.  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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| Gooooood afternoon all -- Here is my Day 6 entry: Casper A Limerick is a rhymed humorous or nonsense poem of five lines which originated in Limerick, Ireland. The Limerick has a set rhyme scheme of : a-a-b-b-a with a syllable structure of: 9-9-6-6-9. for
Casper was a ghost that walked through walls He spooked all, old and young in the halls Some were dainty, some poor All folks lunged for the door After that, Casper smile like dolls I'll be honest, this one was tough. I don't have a knack for limericks. **Author's note: Daily happenings and musings will be in a separate post. |
Good afternoon all - here is my Day #5 entry for:
Today's entry is Free Verse Matriarch of Darkness All black and low case heels Low voiced and subtle Dark is slimming In a house full of monsters 1 x 1 x 1 they come - Wednesday, Pugsley, Pubert Little nubs of trouble And she must reign them in Her uncle is a Fester Her husband is a black charm Low rumbling rhapsodies of true love In a garden of henbane Don’t cross her Don’t make the sign of the cross Don’t cross the family Or the eye is all you’ll get Signed, with love, From the matriarch of darkness Morticia Addams **Author's note: Daily happenings and musings will be in a seperate post |
Goood afternoon all. Here is my Day 4 entry for:
Jack Skellington- A cinquain is a short, usually unrhymed poem consisting of twenty-two syllables distributed as 2, 4, 6, 8, 2, in five lines. Jack Skellington Cinquain Jack Bones Thin to the eye Haunting the graveyard night Terror, Fear to all who dare cross Old bones **Author's note: Daily happenings and musings will be in a separate post. |
| Back in my 20’s my memory was pretty darned good and who needed a list anyway? Heck, even in my 30’s it was still pretty decent. Ah, but time has worn on the brain and now I realize I need a “To Do” list. To Do lists have a lot of reasons: #1 – Remind yourself to do something #2 – Remind yourself to do something (a task) by a certain time and date #3 – Elevate stress because you reminded yourself to do said task #4 – Set small goals which will lead into big goals #5 – Help with time management Did you know there are “To Do” list apps? Who Knew? The first 3 that come up for me: To-Do List Smart Tasks MinimalList (I might have to get one) Sure, I can set a reminder on my iPhone calendar but I’m thinking it’s quite the same for me. Currently, I’m a BIG believer in Sticky Notes. I write my immediate “to do” list on that and keep it with me wherever I go. And sometimes that’s not enough, and I still forget. What’s on my current “To Do” list this week? Renew my benefits through LAWell Write down what I eat and weigh myself Costco shopping tomorrow – maybe Bring the sweet crème to work for the coffee club tonight Kid has a well check on Thursday Work on my story, Gifts Research Roth IRAs Buy some ads with Fussy Librarian and Kindle Book Review and Written Word Media Well, that’s what comes to mind. How big is your To Do list and how do you manage it? |
| Goooood morning all -- Here is my Day #3 entry for:
EPIC Poetry - Immortal Prince A prince by nature Vlad the Impaler Hero of the Carpathian Mountains Master of Alchemy Held captive as a young boy by most hated enemies he was finally ransomed to return to a grateful land Fighting for the people Against Ottoman oppressors Using unorthodox methods Using the terror of the pike Loved by Wallachia Hated by the Turks His cruelty knew no bounds His blood thirst unsated Imprisoned, freed, Battle hungry, battle tested Fighting for his land Killed, immortal, to haunt again Lines: 20 **Author's Note: Daily happenings and musings will be in a separate post. |
| I have all kinds of ideas for blog posts, but I never have enough time to really work on them, so I thought I’d give it my best shot this week. My busy schedule could probably be a topic in and of itself, and maybe tomorrow I’ll do a blog on my “to do” list. Don’t laugh  Just some quick thoughts on researching. I have 2 more stories left from my Victory Tales Press days that I’d like to publish: Gifts & Feast of Candles. Both are Christmas stories. I’m working on Gifts right now, but I don’t know if I’ll be done in time for Christmas. This story takes place in Amsterdam. I used to go to Amsterdam semi-often when I was stationed overseas. Back then in the late 80’s, early 90’s, Amsterdam was something that I’d never seen before. I loved the canals and buildings. Didn’t know what to think of the topless ladies in the windows, but I wasn’t judgmental. I’ve been to the Keukenhof when the tulips were in bloom, and I’ve been to Enschede 5 times to take the driver’s test – passing on the 5th time. I’ve been to Enschede more than that, but it took me five times to pass that driver’s test. Yes, the land was flat, but the people were very nice and spoke better English than I spoke Dutch. So, when it came time to write for the Victory Tales Press anthologies, and they were looking for seasonal short stories 10-20K word count, I decided to go international if I could. Gifts would be set in Amsterdam during Christmas time. At the time, the Olympics were in the air and I’m a sucker for Ice Skating, so I made my main characters Pairs figure skaters who are trying to earn a spot on the Netherlands Olympic team. Gifts was originally published in 2012 for the Christmas season. The plot was simple, two people (Christian Jenssen and Famke deVries) who know each other and are friendly, must quickly become a pairs figure skating team. They grow close and fall in love while dealing with the external pressure of side spins, death spirals and lifts. Honestly, the original story is pretty solid and comes in around with an 11K word count, but as I read it, I thought I’d do a bit of content edit, adding some more personal moments and reflecting more on the internal conflict. That said, I needed to research a little about Pairs figure skating and what they go through. The best place to start? Gordeeva and Grinkov, IMHO, the BEST Pairs Figure skaters in the modern century. So I’ve been watching some YouTube videos of the pair and I thought I’d reread “My Sergei” written by Gordeeva in 1996. I’m definitely taking away some inspiration. The writing is not as fast as I’d like it to be, but I’m having a blast watching old performances. Here’s one of my favorites: Sometimes researching can be sooo fun! Who would I cast as Chris and Famke? Chris is definitely Charlie White the Ice Dancer. Sasha Cohen, a female ice skater, comes to mind for Famke. Who are your Ice Skating Favorites? |
| Goooood afternoon to all!! Updated: 10/15 -- Wicked excited to share that this ballad earned a Poetry MB! Big Thank you Lyn's a Witchy Woman !!![Merit Badge in Poetry
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You rocked the Ballad challenge on Day 2 for Frankenstein, way to go!](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/type-Poetry-2180.gif) Here is my Day #2 entry for the following contest:
Ballad -- The night was dark and oh, so weary He worked through the hours, oh, so dreary Sweat poured off his brow, In the midnight hours oh, so eerie Why did he slave so hard? Why was his soul so scarred? Lighting coils and high voltage displays Rain thundering, mists sprays The air is foul with stench The stitches weak with frays Why did he slave so hard? Why was his soul so scarred? Flesh all around Skin on the ground He sews with a storm in his heart Ready for the final stitch, ready to astound Why did he slave so hard? Why was his soul so scarred? Lightning rods in the air Channeled into the lair A bolt hits a pound of flesh to come alive He stands stunned by the glare Why did he slave so hard? Why was his soul so scarred? Hideous legs stand afoot Sausage fingers flex, cardiac output Beats an erratic tattoo. It stands before him, naked and flatfoot. Why did he slave so hard? Why was his soul so scarred? What will his creation do? It lumbers awkwardly in the stew Then destroys the equipment of life Before leaving in the morning dew Why did he slave so hard? Why was his soul so scarred? The creator stands shocked Surrounded by stench, unable to walk What part of his soul has he given away To a monster that can’t be stopped? **Author's Note: Daily happenings and musings will be a separate post. |
| Gooooood morning October. Actually, it's afternoon where I'm at.  I'm going to try to keep up with the following this month:
Today is day #1 and the challenge is Acrostic Poetry and Haunted House Hecuba Approves Underworld Nocturnal Teeming Eerie Demons Hecuba Observes Unnatural Spirits Etheral **Author's Note: Daily happenings, musings and thoughts will be a separate post. |
| It's been an interesting month to say the least. I've been sharing the computer as the boy has been using it for school so that's why I haven't been on as often as I'd like. I was able to do my judging and update the Bee Hive. There two new exclusive merit badges for the Bee Hive: LIL BAD BEE ![Merit Badge in Lil Bad Bee
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Congratulations on your new merit badge! Thank you for supporting the Writing.Com community with your inspirations, participation and activities. We sincerely appreciate it! -SMs](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Lil_Bad_Bee-1134558_8.gif) and BUZZY BUMBLEBEE ![Merit Badge in Buzzy Bumblebee
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Congratulations on your new merit badge! Thank you for supporting the Writing.Com community with your inspirations, participation and activities. We sincerely appreciate it! -SMs](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Buzzy_Bumblebee-1134558_5.gif) But I'm waiting for 1 OCT to make Buzzy avail as part of a Flash Sale to benefit the Bee Hive. Early in the month I was happy to involve the Bee Hive in the WDC Birthday celebrations and even participated in a Blogging Contest
I did mange to drop some reviews, but not as much as I would like. I hope to drop some more, time permitting. I tried to write/edit my upcoming release, "Gifts," but keep running out of time. Sigh... Just finished my Romance/Love NL for next month. I'm always dressing up for Halloween at work. Last time I dressed up, I was part of the Breakfast Club. No idea what I'll be this year...  What you planning to be for Halloween this year? Do you dress up? Pass out |
| USA Archery There is NEVER enough time in the day. I was very pleased with my time management and was able to get an Honorable Mention in the
As I like blogging, but don’t get an opportunity to blog everyday, this was a great challenge and I liked the prompts, too. There’s a bunch I could talk about – today’s presidential debate, what I’m having for dinner, but today I thought I’d touch on Archery. My earliest Archery memory was in 7th grade. We had a 2 week block of Archery. At the time I was living with my grandmother in Hinsdale, NH as my parents were divorcing and my mother was working at her job, saving up for an apartment for us. I did very well in that class. I was a natural. I always hit the target and always near the middle, too, but my Archery fell the wayside as high school, the army, then dispatching and basically life, got in the way of fun. I rediscovered archery when the boys were exposed in Cub Scouts. My oldest enjoys Archery as much as I do. My younger one has tried it, but never seemed to enjoy it as much and Andy and I. I discovered that after all these years, I still shoot a very good target. So, with the boys in the middle of their scouting adventure, I signed up with USA Archery and became a level 1 Archery Instructor. Believe it or not there’s, a 12 step procedure to shooting an arrow. There are 2 main bows, recurve and compound. I’ve usually fired a recuve, 65” around a 20 pound pull, but I think I’ll ask Santa for a compound bow for Christmas. Disclaimer: I’m no Katniss  In order to be a level 1 instructor, I have to take Safe Sport, (which is like Archery’s Youth Protection that the scouts mandate), take a background check, and do an in person class which is 8 hours. I did my in Camarillo, CA and Andy did too. I still work with the scouts as my schedule permits even though the boys have eagled out, because I like to give back. Anyone else like archery? |
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Despite the turmoil of those years with civil rights unrest, the Vietnam war years, and the like, music always carried us through. 
