The Swords of the Ancients

Ah, George R.R. Martin, how the words of House Stark express my joy for the coming season. Granted, winters in Colorado don’t last for decades, like they can in Westeros, but that doesn’t mean that they’re anything to be feared. Rather, I embrace the cold and snow. Winter has always been my favorite season. I think that, as a writer, I thrive in the gloom and the chill that descends upon the state. I think it’s beautiful and poetic to see frost coating everything. It provides the perfect excuse to sit down with a nice drink (I hope to be stocking up on supplies for White Russians, personally), and curl up to read or write. I plan for great progress in the months to come. Colorado will be seeing real winter weather soon, as the snow already coating the top of Pikes Peak pointed out to me yesterday.

Winter brings with it my favorite holiday: Halloween. Honestly, any excuse to get dressed up in crazy costumes and eat a lot of candy works for me. I suppose that you could say that Halloween is a fall holiday, but it’s close enough for me. It will also, hopefully bring new employment. I could readily find myself seasonal employment in the retail world, though I dread that part of things too. I’ve worked one Christmas in retail, and I assure you, it was less than pleasant. When you have to work until 4 on Christmas Eve before beginning your four hour drive to see your family, and you have to be back to work on Boxing Day, it makes for a mildly stressful holiday experience.

Every so often, I come across something that is so useful, I have to share it with my friends. In this particular case, I’ve got the following chart. This was photocopied from a mouse pad my father used to own, and I still use it today, some five or six years later.

Stupidly Useful Thing #239

I can’t count how many times I’ve referred to this chart since I began my college career. There’s something absurdly refreshing about knowing how to type ß in the middle of a conversation in German, or to toss a little © at the end of some product description. Fantasy writers rejoice at being able to type all of those crazy spellings you’ve loved since you first sat down to read The Hobbit. Don’t know how to pronounce Ÿnwœ? Who cares. Make it up as you go along. Enjoy it.

I’m writing a fairy tale right now, for the next entry in Sonia M’s monthly writing challenges. It’s very likely, in its present state, to continue to build on the literary world that I’ve begun to craft in several of my previous entries. If all goes well, it will be up tomorrow, or even later tonight. Until then, I’ve still got a lot to do. I’m trying to find a place to call home still, even if it’s just short term. I don’t like having to rely on everyone else to shelter me. It’s already been nearly 3 weeks. I’m going a little crazier than usual. Oh well! Whatever gets those creative juices going, right? Anyway, winter will be here soon. More reason to revisit Ryuk, one of many characters I created for D&D games who would utilize cold-based weaponry and tactics. My necromancer I’m crafting now is his daughter, and she’s got a bit of a legend to go on, but other than that, she doesn’t realize who her father is/was. “Then a champion came from a frozen land, with ice in his breath and a scythe in his hand.”