Category Archives: Deep Thoughts & Fun Stuff
Off to write at Rudyard Kipling’s Carriage House
I’ll admit it’s not been a great year for me. To put it plainly, I was sick most of the year with bouts of nausea that turned out to be the result of an out-of-control ovarian mass. Taken care of…a week before one of the busiest Septembers of my life. In fact, I write this on August 25, two days after surgery. I’m dreaming of Thursday, September 7, when I’ll be leaving to go up to Rudyard Kipling’s Carriage House in Dummerston, Vermont, for a much-needed writing retreat with my friends Meghan and Stacey.
As you’re reading this? I’m picking up Meghan at the bus station and we’re on our way! You can take a photo tour and get a feel for our visit last year here: https://kristipetersenschoonover.com/2016/09/27/the-landmark-trust-properties-for-writers-the-perfect-quiet-places/
Although it says it “sleeps four,” we really feel that it more comfortably sleeps three, as one of the rooms has an old-fashioned full-sized bed (which is really close quarters for two people to sleep on). There is ample room in the living room, I suppose, to throw down an air mattress, but the couches aren’t something you really want to sleep on, either.
Last year, Meghan had to unexpectedly cut her stay short by one day, leaving me and Stacey in the house alone for the last night.
That’s when things got a little weird. I’ll leave you with Stacey’s rendering of it–way better than mine–here: http://staceylongo.com/my-blog/retreat
TOT TERRORS: THE BERMUDA DEPTHS (1978) – and wow, is there a SEQUEL in the works?
I often get asked about what influences my work as a writer. Inspired by the amazing website Kindertrauma–which is right up my alley–I’m compiling all of my childhood (and some adult) terrors.
The full-page ad that appeared in TV Guide. Those old ads were very effective in enticing people to watch things. I don’t think ads today have the same kind of power.
In 1978, the ABC Friday Night Movie aired The Bermuda Depths. It was billed, in the original TV Guide full page ad, as a frightening mystery surrounding the Bermuda Triangle—a hot topic back in the In Search Of-cryptid-paranormal-UFO-obsessed decade that was the 1970s. I didn’t know this then, but it was written by Alan Rankin, produced by Jules Bass (yes, the Rankin/Bass behind Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer) and directed by Tsugunobu (Tom) Kotani of 1977’s The Last Dinosaur fame—which meant creatures and creepy imagery, and it would certainly deliver.
THE BERMUDA DEPTHS is a Rankin/Bass production that aired in 1978.
In the 1970s, Read the rest of this entry
Resigning oneself to the BLACK THUMB
LeeLee (short for Kali, Multi-colored Destroyer of Worlds), who passed away in 2016, loved sitting underneath this palm. In fact, any of the the palms I had around–if they were indoors–became her favorite places to sit.
I’m not great with plants, and I never have been—even when I was sixteen years old and bought a Royal Palm (back in the 1980s, they didn’t sell them all over the place in the Northeast like they do now, so this was a very exciting thing), studied how to take care of it, and was super attentive, it still died. Read the rest of this entry
Who wants to PHONE HOME with this blast from the past?
My sister came down to visit last month. Six months ago, she moved across the country, and she found things when she was unpacking she’d forgotten about–most items were from the clean-out of our late father’s house.
Imagine how awesome it was when she pulled this out of her bag?
As kids in the 1980s, we played Read the rest of this entry
HOPPY EASTER!
…because nothing says Easter like a bunny wine glass (this is the Sophie Bunny glass from Pier 1) and Yankee Candles that smell like Jelly Beans…and Peeps (you have to REALLY. LOVE. marshmallow to like this one, FYI). Hoppy Easter everyone!
Writers: SCRIBEDelivery March Unbox!
The March 2017 SCRIBED Unbox…underneath, from left, the Kukuyo Notebooks and the Smock Workbook. Writing instruments, from left: the Tombow Mono Drawing Pencil, the Kokuyo Beetle Highlighter, the Sailor G-Free Ballpoint Pen, and the Tombow 8900 Drawing pencil.
SCRIBEdelivery is a monthly box of themed goodies especially for writers or lovers of notebooks, pens, and the like. Each “box” is carefully curated by people who love the stuff just like we do. I’ll let Chris and Holly tell their story in their own words…you can find out more, and get your subscription, here: http://www.scribedelivery.com/.
That said, here’s the March Unbox…the theme of which is Read the rest of this entry
TOT TERRORS: THE DEVIL AT 4 O’CLOCK
I often get asked about what influences my work as a writer. Inspired by the amazing website Kindertrauma–which is right up my alley–I’m compiling all of my childhood (and some adult) terrors.
The beleaguered refugees in THE DEVIL AT 4 O’CLOCK watch lava overwhelm the spot in which they’d just been standing.
I experienced many of my childhood terrors at my Grandmother’s house. We went down there every Sunday after church (and I do mean EVERY. SUNDAY!) for a large Italian meal and visits with the aunts and uncles, who would, after the meal, play cards or talked adult subjects.
I had two options: play with some ancient, seen-better-days toys (although I was good at bringing my own things to do), sneak into my cousin’s room to read off-limit Stephen King books, or watch anything I wanted on the kitchen television set.
When I say anything I wanted, I mean it. First of all, it was the 1970s. If your parents were busy, they didn’t give a crap what you were doing Read the rest of this entry
A Minnie Birthday…
I went to a birthday party last weekend for my nieces. This is a video I made to share which I’m going to send everyone on DVD…it’s too big to upload to Facebook, and I’d like them to see it before I cement the discs. PS…how cool is this cake? Check out Sweet Rewards in Brookfield!
Pesce Pix: White Spotted Bamboo Sharks
I volunteer at the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, and I always see something cool. This week it was a pair of White Spotted Bamboo Sharks in our Shark and Ray Touch Pool practicing a pre-mating ritual–quite beautiful to watch, as one shark bites the other’s pectoral fin and they swim (and sometimes twist) together.
Most reports I found indicated that it’s usually the male doing the biting[1], but in this case, the pale white one is the male, and the darker one is the female (I saw them turn over and could see clearly the male’s claspers, so yes, I’m sure I know which one was which). Since I don’t carry my cell phone on the floor, I had to wait until I was off-shift and on my way out to grab this photo. I wanted video, but there were too many kids around (normally when I’m heading out, the place is empty, but Sunday there was a special event after hours, so it was crammed).
Anyway…I think these pictures are still good.
[1] Motoyasu Masuda, “Mating, spawning and hatching of the white spotted bamboo shark in an aquarium,” Japanese Journal of Icthyology 45, No. 1 (1998): 29-35, accessed February 27, 2017.
Writers: SCRIBEDelivery February Unbox!
The SCRIBED “boxes” have thus far arrived in padded envelopes.
SCRIBEdelivery is a monthly box of themed goodies especially for writers or lovers of notebooks, pens, and the like. Each “box” is carefully curated by people who love the stuff just like we do. I’ll let Chris and Holly tell their story in their own words…you can find out more, and get your subscription, here: http://www.scribedelivery.com/.
That said, here’s the February Unbox…the theme of which is “Sharing” — each product in the box supports a cause. Check it out!
