Me: A babysitter is going to come and play games with you. 8yo: Yay! I'm so excited! Me: Yes! It's going to be fun! 8yo: Is she going to come from Mama's tummy or Dada's tummy? Me: .... Me: No, not baby sister. Babysitter. An adult, like Mama. 8yo: *disappointed noises*

It's out! Pay what you want (including free) and both full of lovely, thoughtful stories (including mine in Saros #4)

Been getting back into painting again. "Relic of Regret," mixed media (acrylic paint, acrylic markers, metallic yarn, and plastic pearls)

My story in Saros #4 is coming soon!

I'm always so happy when I can share one of my stories with my 7yo, so the day I received the new Promised Protagonists anthology, we sat down and read my story, "Yue and the Fox," together. If you want a copy for your kids (or for yourself!): amzn.to/4fYdOXg

Absurdly pleased at completing the custom 100 x 100 (1,000 mines) board at Minesweeper.Online. My inner monologue through the entire 1,435.816 seconds was just repeating "don't make a stupid mistake ... don't make a stupid mistake" over and over

My poem, "ghost story of a lost sister," was just published in @sfpoetry.bsky.social's Star*Line's 48.3 issue (sfpoetry.org/wp/starline/...). Gorgeous cover and a really great collection of poetry within. Enjoy!

What a pleasant surprise to find my photo (the first one) included in this wonderful roundup celebrating 250 years of the Postal Service, especially considering my love of postal history and collecting postage stamps! www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/celeb...

Excited to have my story included in Issue 4 of Saros (look at that gorgeous cover)! I can't wait to share it with you!

Me: Some are heavy and some are light. 7yo (who tries to disagree with everything I say): Yeah, well, some are not heavy and some are not light. Me: Yes, exactly 7yo: ... Me: ...

Found this book in my 7yo's bed when I went to wake her up this morning (she sneaks toys and books into her bed in the middle of the night). Very fitting for today.

Congrats to our indefatigable Honda Civic, Harry, for reaching 270,000 miles. He's our trustworthy companion for all our life events.

A ghost dog, a world full of people with powers, and two men finding love when they least expect it. My story, "The Dead-Seer and the Death-Seer," was just published in Issue 98 of Andromeda Spaceways Magazine (andromedaspaceways.com/product/asm-...)! Look at that wonderful cover!

The American Topical Association has a wonderful annual showcase of 1-page stamp exhibits open to everyone (ataexhibits.com/mope-list/). I sent in 2 exhibits this year with stamps from my own collection: one on the Luna 1 satellite and one on GomBurZa. Already planning for next year!

When I picked her up from school, my 7yo handed me a small bag labeled "Happy Mother's Day." Me: Is that a present for me? 7yo: No! We're sharing. Me: We're sharing the Mother's Day present? 7yo: Can I open it when we get home? If that's not what being a mom is all about...

New Mexico really is the "land of enchantment," and I tried to showcase one of its stunning vistas in my photo of the same name, currently being displayed at the Glasgow Gallery of Photography in their "Landscape" exhibit alongside other gorgeous photos (can view online): bit.ly/land-enchant....

Issue 4 of StampEd from @aps-stamps.bsky.social is out (stamped.pub)! Among all the fun articles (incl. Discworld!) are two of mine: "Rule My World" (about micronational stamps) and "Reach Out and Touch (Stamps)" (about Braille on stamps). Let me know which articles you enjoyed!

My husband said he added something to our weekly schedule for today...

My 7yo named her water bottle "Baby." Yesterday, she took a long drink and then declared, "I'm drinking Baby's blood!" I think I'm doing parenting right.

My photo, "A Reflection of Glory," is now being displayed in the online annex of Black Box Gallery for their "Shadow and Light" exhibition (blackboxgallery.com/Vision-Shado...). Can any of you can identify what is depicted in my photo?

There's just something about slow dancing to the crooning of "Moon River" from the record player while the kid, the dog, and cat swirl around us chaotically. These are the moments I wish I could remember forever.

A king, a prince, and a mysterious pack of wolves. My story, "Daciana's Pack," is now in the "Dog Save the King" spec fic anthology by @hemelein.bsky.social All proceeds of this wonderful collection go toward helping students attend the LTUE symposium for a reduced price. Find here: amzn.to/41pjnbP

Attended a fantastic online "Show and Tell" program by LASO (Learning about Stamps Online) earlier this week. Made the history nerd in me very happy. They really have some great programs, all recorded and free to watch, not to mention lots of resources and guides: learningaboutstamps.org

Quick update that my story, "For the Love of Death," has been published in the Iridescence anthology, featuring speculative fiction and poetry by BIPOC authors. Tagline: A woman asks Death for a little more time and ends up with far more than she ever expected. If that interests you: amzn.to/3WLKJGt

May I offer you a new (micro)nation in these trying times? My article, "Rule My World: Micronations and Their Stamps," is in the Feb issue of the American Philatelist. If you're an @aps-stamps.bsky.social member, enjoy! If you're not, the article will be available later in StampEd. Stay tuned!

Happy Lunar New Year! 🐍 Random fun fact: One of the differences between snakes and legless lizards is that snakes don't have eyelids or ear holes.

Learned how to use a record player for the sole purpose of being able to play the vinyl I bought of Basil Rathbone reading Edgar Allan Poe. But a surprising delight was being able to introduce my 7yo to "Peter and the Wolf," which I found in a local record shop. Nostalgia at its best.

Honored to have my photo, "Starward," included in the "Primary Colors" art exhibition at Blue Koi Gallery as an honorable mention. I love seeing the juxtaposition of all these different forms of art together: koisartistaward.com/primary-colo...

Curious about stamp collecting but don't know where to start? I highly recommend topical collecting :) and the American Topical Association has a free Zoom program on just that on Jan 11 (americantopical.org/wutt). There are other fun programs coming up too (even one on bread!)

If you're in Minneapolis and want to see some wonderful photography, one of my photos is included in the "Frames within Frames" exhibit at the Praxis Photo Arts Center for 1 more week. If you're not there, you can see it online here: www.praxisphotocenter.org/praxis-2024?...

Celebrated the evening of the winter solstice by our fire pit in the backyard, reading poetry out loud, as our 7yo crouches underneath the picnic table planting a "marshmallow tree" and what sounds like a marching band is playing across the street

Thanks @barronauthor.bsky.social for your kind words! Glad you enjoyed reading my story! Please make sure to check out his story, "The Thrilling and Sensational Flock Lifestyle," in the same issue!

When I was 7, I received a gift that turned into a lifelong passion. Now, I get to pass that on to my kid. While she may not come to love stamp collecting as much as me, it still makes me happy to share this with her. #philately #stampcollecting

So proud of my husband and his coworker for having their article on "Transitioning from Academia to a Professional Career" published in the latest issue of the IEEE AP Magazine: ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/107... (free to read)! Lots of valuable insight into having a career in industry.

Honestly beside myself with happiness to find out my poem, "The Year of Dragon," was nominated for Best of the Net by Eye to the Telescope! Especially alongside such fantastic poetry!

Loving #ACESVCON24 so far! My biggest takeaways have been to be kind to myself and to take the time to reevaluate my business each year. Editors are such kind, interesting people (with super-cute pets), and we really aren't secretly judging your grammar.

Ever wanted to know how scratch-n-sniff works? I wrote an article about just that in the new issue of StampEd (stamped.pub). Plus check out the other interesting topics in it, including making your own stamps, paleontology, & a downloadable 1-shot D&D campaign (how cool is that!) #philately

If you're interested in time travel, ghosts, and trying to right the wrongs of the past, you might like my story, "Little, Kathryn," which just came out in NewMyths.com: sites.google.com/newmyths.com.... Be sure to check out the other great stories in the Fall 2024 issue too!

So happy to have my photos exhibited at the Glasgow Gallery of Photography for both their "Texture" (glasgowgalleryofphotography.com/texture-2024) and "Identity" (glasgowgalleryofphotography.com/identity-2024) exhibitions alongside other beautiful images!

A few days left for the beautiful Kickstarter anthology that will include my story, "For the Love of Death"! Story trailer: kinsmanquarterly.org/so/90P7Z2pOT AND Kickstarter: www.kickstarter.com/projects/kin...

Watching the music video for "I don't want to miss a thing"... Husband: Hey, an anechoic chamber!

The 3 of us just did a scratcher ticket each, and we each won a free ticket. Calculated the odds of that happening to be 1.16%. Feeling lucky tonight!

My fav finalist from the @efafreelancers.bsky.social coin-a-word contest has to be "regrediting" ("work that an editor is completing at 2am while regretting having agreed to the budget and deadline"). Too many late night/early mornings, and I'm just learning now how to say no to tempting projects.

Ever wondered what it would be like to encounter someone stuck in a time loop? I explore that in my story, "Today Is a Day Like Any Other," in the June 2024 issue of @afterdinner.bsky.social . Read for free through Libby or get your own copy through Amazon or books2read.com/u/bQGxke).

Issue 2 of StampEd (stamped.pub) is out, along with my article where I attempt to explain crypto stamps and the blockchain. Check it out and let me know if I was remotely successful. I'm really looking forward to reading all the other articles; they all look so intriguing! #philately

I texted my husband while at the grocery store, asking if we had any eggs left at home. Husband: Think we have 7 eggs +/- 2 eggs standard deviation

Do you like trees or water? Enjoy both in my photo "Fae Waterway," which was included in the beautiful "Trees and Water" online annex gallery of Black Box Gallery: blackboxgallery.com/FIeld%20Work...

As part of a fun Atlas Obscura crossword class I took in March, we created a new crossword puzzle that's just been published (two of the clues are mine): www.atlasobscura.com/articles/cou.... Let me know if you had fun solving it!

Love that my prose poem, "The Year of the Dragon," is published in the dragon-themed issue of Eye to the Telescope in the year of the dragon. Also love the different types of poetry and interpretations of dragons in this issue: eyetothetelescope.com/archives/052... (scroll down for it)

Nothing better than listening to Tagalog karaoke while eating lumpia in San Diego after a long day of discussing electrical engineering publications with other passionate people.