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Category: Rants

December 2019 Updates, Goals

December 2019 Updates, Goals

There are a lot of things I used to love about Mac that are becoming less and less true. At one time, everything just worked—but now I deal with stuck keys on my laptop keyboard (at least it is mostly usable! *knocks on wood*) and features disappearing from apps because Mac believes my laptop should be identical to my phone. Even worse, the Time Machine utility has begun failing regularly while backing up my machine, for who-knows-what reason. That’s bad…

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Book 3 Update + Other News

Book 3 Update + Other News

Say hello to Book 3 so far! :) I’m experimenting with storyboarding for the first time. It’s a little tough because my computer notes change a lot faster than I can keep up with on paper, but I like this exercise because it helps me realize when my ideas don’t have enough “oomph”—too little emotional content, too little conflict. I’ve saved myself several rewrites already. (As a general note, folks: the more you kick your characters in their metaphorical nuts,…

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Don’t Know Any Iranian-Americans? You Do Now!

Don’t Know Any Iranian-Americans? You Do Now!

Salaam (Hi)! I was born and raised in the United States. My mom was born and raised in Tehran, Iran. After earning her Ph.D., she came to the US for post-doctorate work. This is where she met my (American) dad. It’s also where she happened to be when the Islamic Revolution broke out in Iran, so she decided to stay. Mom converted to Christianity, and I was raised Lutheran; I’m now an atheist. As a family, we celebrate Nowruz, the…

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I’ve Gone From Escapes To Breaks, And That’s OK With Me (Plus Paperback Giveaway!)

I’ve Gone From Escapes To Breaks, And That’s OK With Me (Plus Paperback Giveaway!)

Hampton Court Palace, a fascinating destination for history buffs. In early 2013, my husband and I planned our first trip to Europe together. I’d skipped around The Continent before, but my husband hadn’t, so we aimed for a place that was new to both of us, where we wouldn’t have much trouble easing in culturally. London seemed like the best of all possible worlds. I’d only ever flown through London, never visited. And since the UK was full of English…

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My Uncle’s Painting

My Uncle’s Painting

Mom was in the midst of a major clear-out of the attic, amassing unwanted items for an upcoming neighborhood yard sale. When she gets it in mind to clean house, nothing is sacred. (Those sentimental heart-strings that spontaneously form around objects I haven’t looked upon in years? I must have gotten those from somewhere else.) Relics of our shared past piled up in her bedroom for the ultimate judgment: stay, or go. My sister and I had first dibs. Mom…

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“I Did So Love Being A Star”

“I Did So Love Being A Star”

I’ve read Madeline L’Engle’s A Wrinkle In Time at least a dozen times since I was eight years old. One passage in particular has always stuck with me: Suddenly there was a great burst of light through the Darkness. The light spread out and where it touched the Darkness, the Darkness disappeared. The light spread until the patch of Dark Thing had vanished, and there was only a gentle shining, and through the shining came the stars, clear and pure….

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Things I Wish Everyone Knew About Epilepsy

Things I Wish Everyone Knew About Epilepsy

If normal people get one lightbulb over their heads, I get three. Then my brain overloads. My last full seizure occurred back in 2012. I woke up strapped to a gurney and wearing an oxygen mask. A pair of EMTs wheeled me out of a place that kind of looked like work. Oh. Did I have a seizure at work? I wondered. Where do I work? What day is this? All the usual confusion flooded in along with nausea and…

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