As a kid I often imagined my bedroom into a boat. I planned to sail away in solitude and self-sufficiency... I would stockpile "important" things in my room---often things I wasn't allowed to have in my room (food!)---in preparation for my imaginary cast-off, and I would invest quite a lot of thought into (and derive … Continue reading The 2020 Sailor’s “Gam”
Category: Writing
Setting Sail: the Launch of a Serial Novel
I’ve been writing “creative nonfiction” for years–-my Master’s thesis in poetry, essays (for introspection), freelance articles (for pay), and this blog (for joy)… But I haven’t touched fiction-writing since I was a schoolkid. Until last summer, when I did. Not sure exactly why, but this person called Gayla wanted to go whaling, so I let her. … Continue reading Setting Sail: the Launch of a Serial Novel
Playing Sims (and Questions of Free Will)
It's a little like writing fiction, or at least that's what I tell myself is appealing about it. If you haven't played with Sims (I hadn't before this week), it's a simulation game where you get to create and dress up little people, build and furnish their houses, send them to jobs, prompt them to … Continue reading Playing Sims (and Questions of Free Will)
Learning Curves
Sitting in a "town hall meeting" of Home Depot employees last week, several of us broached the subject of training with our store manager, Jeremy. The Home Depot offers some incredibly structured online training modules (I'm especially grateful for the interactive "Cashier's College" that helped me weather my first days at the register!) but several … Continue reading Learning Curves
Radio-Speak (Do You Copy?)
My first sailing trips were under the tutelage of my uncle, who's a stickler for doing things properly. (Best training ever! Sailing with Uncle Dick made my later "official" training a breeze. Even when the "breeze" was 18 knots!) Uncle Dick's pet peeve regarding the radio is when someone signs off with "Over and Out." … Continue reading Radio-Speak (Do You Copy?)
The “Dead C” Scroll
I just changed out the roll of receipt-tape in my cash register, and there's a surprising amount left. I'm sitting in Home Depot's garden section in a Dead Calm (that's my "Dead C")---and now that I suddenly have a small scroll of paper to hand, I'll write. I was trying to occupy myself by re-reading … Continue reading The “Dead C” Scroll
Going GRAYcefully?
I’m thinking about letting my gray grow. I know this doesn’t sound like an earth-moving decision, but the question has deeper roots in how I see myself. I don’t “feel” like a gray-haired person, so I haven’t liked seeing the silver strands framing my face when I let it lapse between color rinses. I honestly don’t even … Continue reading Going GRAYcefully?
Kana's Chronicles 