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  • Valkyrie

    Upcoming Site Events

    By Valkyrie

    Now that the poetry anthology is behind us, it's time to look forward to what's next.  Last week, Cia announced the forbidden secret author contest.   No, it's not forbidden to participate - just to announce that you're participating     We also have our annual anthology, with two themes this year, Horizons and Unspoken.   We'll round off the year with our annual Prompt Team event - details will be revealed later this year.   Should we make it a contest to see w
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Books

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

As an engineer, I have always been fascinated by how things work.  You can boil down most engineering to "Problem Solving".  Problem solving is a skillset.  The most popular problem solver in popular culture when I was growing up was MacGyver.  Lock the man in a room with some spare parts and a knife and he'd make an airplane.  The people that make the world work are real-life MacGyvers.    In our world, there are not a whole lot of people that fall into this category.  Atlas Shrugged
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Life

Starting the New Chapter in Life

Well.  Here I am.  I've finished off my two weeks at my last job.  Saying goodbye to the great people I worked with was hard.  I did that on Friday.  I finished packing and moving Saturday.  (and did 13,600 steps before taking off the Fitbit...).  Sunday was Easter with the family and now I'm looking at the giant pile of boxes and furniture and trying to figure out how all that stuff fit in my old place and will fit here at home. I've known this was coming for awhile, of course.  I built my
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Movies

The Prestige

So, this week for my Monday movie mania, I thought I'd stick with a Christopher Nolan movie and recommend the Prestige.   This movie was great.  It has a few good twists.     I think I might pick up a copy in Blu-ray as I have on DVD.
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Movies

Inception

This is an interesting movie.  It is probably the only movie I know that you have to pay full attention in and stay engaged with because it is such a mind job.  Literally.  The special effects are cool.  The concepts are crazy and the acting is interested.  I quite enjoy the movie.  If you haven't watched it, check it out.  I added the top.  You'll know what it is for after you watch the movie.
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Books

Patriot Games by Tom Clancy

I have been a fan of Tom Clancy's books since about 1991 or so when I first read Hunt for the Red October.  The books tend to be almost the only books I read outside of Fantasy and Sci-Fi.  I'm a bit behind on the latest books that have the co-authors (since Tom Clancy is no longer with us) started up.  I have spent many, many enjoyable hours reading his books.  Patriot Games is the first of the Jack Ryan books.  (Hunt for the Red October is 2nd, I think it is).  He has 3 intertwined series.  Jo
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Movies

L.I.E.

This movie is interesting.  The actors are cute in it.  It does wander right into controversial teritory of course. It's definitely worth seeing for the character development and tough topics it hits on.
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Books

The Merlin Trilogy by Mary Stewart

I'm sure the first thing that pops in your head is... why are there 5 different books here for a Trilogy?  Depends on how you look at things.  The hardcover (listed first) contains the 3 books listed next. (The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, and The Last Enchantment)  The trilogy follows the life of Myrddin Emrys or Merlin if you prefer.  I love books 1 and 2 and found book 3 of the trilogy dry and boring.  This does boil down to my interest as in books 1 and 2, Merlin is young to middle age. 
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Books

Do You Know That I Love You? by Mark Roeder

Mark Roeder has a pretty massive collection of stories.  Some of his early works suffered from poor editing, but his work improved a lot over time and I think he's even gone back and updated his early works with improved editing and cover changes.    I really liked this story when I first read it mostly because it appealed to my 90's fascination with the Nifty Boy Bands section.  It definitely played up to some of the classics in that genre.  This was worth the read.
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Movies

Latter Days

Like last week, I've pulled this movie out of my gay movie collection.  This has some nice eye candy is a touching movie.    Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in this movie as well.  He auditioned to for the gay lead. (just a bit of trivia from IMDB on the movie)  
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Books

Brightly Burning by Mercedes Lackey

Mercedes Lackey excels at telling stories of the coming of age of characters blessed... and cursed... with special powers.  Lavan is an interesting young man with a tragic story.  This story truly pulls at your heartstrings, which is one of the things Mercedes Lackey really excels at.  If you like reading fantasy stories, this story is well worth the read!
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Movies

Beautiful Thing

So this week, I wanted to break into my extensive collection of gay movies.  This is a good movie.  The British accent can be a bit much at times if you are in the USA.  It sounds sexy though, even if you can't figure out what the hell they are saying.  That really is only a few scenes.  It is a good movie.  Well worth having in the collection.   What are you waiting for?  Go get it
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Books

Glimpses by Lynn Flewelling

If you like the Nighrunner series, this anthology of short stories gives more insights to the histories of the characters.   And the cover is cute too! Definitely worth the read!
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Movies

X-Men First Class

I loved the eyecandy on screen.  Special effects and good looking actors.   It was a good movie.  Plenty of action and it tied logically into the existing X-men movies. This is definitely in my collection and staying there.
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Books

Sprout by Dale Peck

I was going back through my list of books that I had bought over the years and this one sprang to mind.  I think it is the cover that got me to read it.  Teenager with greenhair just begs the question why.     This is definitely a layered story.  It has great character development and is interesting. I definitely found it worth the read.
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Movies

Spider-Man: Homecoming

So I finally got around to watching this.  I shouldn't have waited so long.  Oh... mmmm.  Tom Holland.  What an adorable Spider-Man he makes.  What a great selling feature too, showing him in boxers.  More than once.  lol. Eye candy aside, both male and special effects, I also enjoyed the movie in general.  It's really good to see Micheal Keaton back to acting again.  He did a good job with a complex character.   I'd definitely say this is worth having in your library.  The 4k ver
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Books

Stalking Darkness and Traitor's Moon (Nightrunners 2 & 3)

Stalking Darkness is the conclusion of most of the threads set up in Luck in the Shadows.  It picks up where the last book left off.  Traitor's Moon moves in time a bit and covers the consequences of the first two books.  If you liked the first book, you'll definitely want to complete these two books.   Both of these books are good and have a nice emotional connection to them.  (And the slow burn on the romance final pays off).  There are further books in this series, but I found my in
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Movies

Wonder Woman

This is the best DC movie I've seen in awhile.  Probably the best since the Dark Knight.  It is way better than the Superman movie, and Batman V. Superman.  I also enjoyed Chris Pine in this movie.  Though, to be truthful, I seem to like the job Chris Pine does in all the movies I see him in.   For the movie itself, it has a good solid plot.  It explains the picture from Batman Vs. Superman very well.  The movie has action and character.  It's good to see a kick-ass woman kicking ass b
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Books

Luck in the Shadows Book 1 of the Nightrunner Series

This week I want to bring up the Nightrunner series by Lynn Flewelling.  All of her books seem to touch on one LBGTQ issue or another.  Nightrunner though stars the adorable, naive Alec.  From Amazon:   I really enjoyed this book.  It is a slow burn on the Alec thing.  This is a pretty long series and I don't think I've even read the last two yet.  I think the first one is my favorite though.  If you like fantasy stories, this is absolutely one that is worth checking out.  
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Movies

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

Well, this movie is a bit different.  So, right up front, let me say that I liked this movie a lot more than the critiques.  Sci-fi and fantasy are definitely in my wheelhouse.  I also enjoying watching Dane DeHaan.  Kris Wu is also a nice in the eye-candy category too.    The movie's special effects are outstanding.  The plot, which those critiques complained about, requires you to pay attention.  Not Inception levels of attention, but not casual watching either.  I enjoyed the movie
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Writing

Survival Handbooks and Writing

For those of you that haven't figured it out by now, I'm a compulsive researcher in far too many ways.  I end up all too often with far more research than writing what I was supposed to write.  Having said that I picked up these two books a number of years ago to give a story I was working on more accurate flavor.  It didn't get posted, but it is in the backlog of things that I'm sure I'll polish up, complete and post some day.  Anyway, I found both of these books interesting and informative.  T
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Life

Things to do - Isn't there always?

So, I use Wunderlist to keep track of my To Do lists.  I have a lot of them.  Stuff for the site, stuff for the business, stuff for home, stuff for mom's home, stuff for the mancave, stuff for writing, and even entertainment.  There are more too.  As of this moment, I have 69 things on my To Do list flagged for Today.  After 50 hours sucked up by the work week, I'm a bit grouchy that I've got more stuff to do. My nerdy nature doesn't help.  I like doing research on stuff.  (like reading boo
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Books

The Last Herald-Mage Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey

The first book in this trilogy, Magic's Pawn, is one of the most powerful books I have ever read.  I've reread it a few times over the years and it makes me cry every single time I read it.  It's really emotionally moving.  Mercedes Lackey has stated that her formula is simple:  Make the reader love the character and then drop a mountain on the character.  The first novel is deeply touching and heart-wrenching.  The full trilogy is powerful as well.  The second and third novels are not as powerf
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