When Amelia and I originally wrote “Peaches” -- we were relieved when Y2K turned out to be a yawn brought on by adequate preparation. That particular hysteria cost my business about $1million when I lost a major supplier for what turned out to be no valid reason. They wrote me a check for $40k to soothe my pain. . .didn’t.
The other day it was suggested that not many realize that the U.S. is a republic versus a democracy, or that many know the difference. I’m sure that’s a fair statement.
I grew up in a state with very small population. We were well aware of the steps our government took to protect the rights of minorities. Residents of my home state used minority rights arguments to justify the fact that we had two senators for every 300,000 people while a state like New York also had two senators with their many millions of citizens.
"Don't join the book burners... Don't be afraid to go in your library and read every book." - Dwight D. Eisenhower
“If all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed." - Benjamin Franklin
“Information is the currency of democracy.” –Thomas Jefferson
Today, she revealed that she is re-reading one of her favorite books, "Catch-22."
Joseph Heller's black comedy is by far my favorite novel. Catch 22 could have been tossed in the dustbin many times. First -- it took Heller forever to write it. Then it was only a mediocre seller in hard copy. It wasn't until it was put out on paperback and sold for .75 that it took off and became a hit. I read it first when I was fifteen. And have read it many times since.
In this world of algorithms and jackasses, certain things do and do not count.
Bezo is a jackass.
BC needs revenue to stay viable.
BC generates a considerable amount of revenue through the sale of my books. The more positive review for my books, the more books Amazon will sell. I don't take anything from this revenue flow.
Therefore, please read the book, and then review the book. The cash coming into BC counts.
Amy won again today on Jeopardy. She is the first transgender contestant to have this much success -- closing in on $1 million in total winnings.
It is her serenity as much as her amazing knowledge base that makes her so much fun to watch.
Today - at a crucial point of the contest, an answer she gave was judged wrong. She is rarely wrong. I turned to my spouse and said, "They've got to correct that! Her answer was just as correct as the answer they said was correct." About five minutes later, they corrected their error and gave her credit for the answer.
Grace under pressure is a beautiful thing to witness.
Jeopardy contestants often fold when adversity strikes. Not Amy Schneider. She now has won more money than all but three other contestants in the history of Jeopardy. She has done it with a smile and good humor.
Her knowledge is impressive but it is her presence that carries the day.
She isn't shy about being trans. Yet, it's clear it's not her focal point.
Spent the last hour and a half shoveling fourteen inches of snow. Thankfully it was light and fluffy, in mild temperature with no wind.
Rethinking the wisdom of buying a house with a double lot.
Gave away my two snowblowers when I moved to the city from the burbs. Had a big one for the driveway and a small one for the sidewalk and to blow the blow from my deck down into my pool.
Now all I have are four shovels, a spouse, and a springer spaniel (with dubious snow moving skills).
Based on my experience, with over a dozen books published on Amazon and over one hundred stories published on BC:
You are three times more likely to receive a comment on Amazon than you are on BC. Perhaps that's because people leave a kudos on BC instead of a comment.
My books on Amazon have received over 500 comments. My stories on BC have received nearly 2,000 comments.
There doesn't seem to be a difference -- between the number of good and bad comments, whether here or on Amazon. The ratio seems to be about 9:1.
Every now and then I stumble across an author who makes me feel like the world’s biggest hack.
My spouse reads about three books a week. That’s how I “found” Sue Monk Kidd.
Kidd writes historical fiction. The first book I read of hers was “The Book of Longings.” It is the fictional autobiography of Jesus’ wife published in 2020.
We often have blogs about depression or suicidal thoughts.
Several years ago, I was having suicidal thoughts. I’m a person who believes everyone is responsible for their attitudes. I couldn’t believe I was actually giving suicide consideration.
I’ve been through some very bleak days in my life. Yet – suicide hadn’t entered into my thoughts as a way to fix my situations. It didn’t seem right that I was suddenly going there.
Jesus said, “Whoever is not with Me is against Me.” He also said, “Whoever is not against Us, is for Us.” This was echoed in the sixties as “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.” I bought into this creed then -- and apply it now.
Over the last several months, I have cut ties with several long-term friends.
It started out as a discussion of anti-trans laws and quickly took a sharp turn into the ease of convincing doctors to start hormone therapy and actual SRS.
Scientists have suggested that herd immunity might not be a feasible goal for the United States. They state the main factor stopping herd immunity is vaccine reluctance.
I have "death reluctance."
What doesn't the government hold a $100,000,000 lottery for all those who have been fully vaccinated as of July 1?
Given a shot at $100M might prompt the damn fools to roll up their sleeves.
Why should those of us who have done the right thing suffer under the distinct peril of this virus mutating, when we have the chance to eradicate it.
Not long ago it was suggested that people should quit blogging about political matters. The suggestion went on to opine that if a person wanted to make a political point that should be done through fiction. . .which is the mission of this site.
I’ve always enjoyed a good dystopian story such as Nineteen Eighty-Four, Handmaid’s Tale, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Hunger Games, Welcome to the Monkey House, or Atlas Shrugged.
“There ain't no sin and there ain't no virtue. There's just stuff people do.”
― John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath
I live in the Twin Cities. My attention to the George Floyd trial might exceed that of the average BC visitor. My anger at what occurred has gone up with each new bit of prosecutorial evidence.
It seems George Floyd died because the police officer who killed him had marginalized him.
I've always voted a split ticket -- voting for the candidate who I believe represents my values -- rather than voting for an R or a D. My business partners have included staunch Rs and Ds. One was an R governor, one was a D attorney general.
There’s been a lot of discussion in a different thread about the decision to pull several Dr. Seuss books from publication.
Much of the chatter seems to regard a book as “art” or “history of a certain time.”
I certainly agree. Books like “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and “Huck Finn” are examples of books that are offensive by today’s standards -- that should never be lost to readers.
What that other discussion seemingly misses – and a point that should never be missed on this site – is that books are chattel.
A few years ago, I asked Erin if she would be interested in publishing Peaches through Doppler Press. I agreed to donate all proceeds to the maintenance of BC.
I wasn’t sure what to think and frankly sort of washed my hands of it and didn't think much about how many books were being sold. Last summer, Erin told me about the amount of money the sales of my books have generated. I was amazed and gratified.
Youth sports have a purpose. They can be wonderful environments to teach valuable life lessons. Or, they can be culture cauldrons to develop bias and hate.
I love youth sports. I also love the effort to win. Excelling is a basic human nature and vital to the perpetuation of mankind.
Winning and compassionate youth sports are NOT incompatible.
I once ran a youth basketball program with about a thousand participants. The players were boys and girls ages ten through fourteen. Our program fed into three high school programs.
The talking heads can't wait to put 2020 in their rearview mirrors.
Hold on!
In many ways it was the Titanic of years. But to me it represented wish fulfillment.
I'm a frustrated transwoman who for many reasons has never found the door to my closet. 2020 - the year of isolation and the delivery man - allowed me the opportunity to live fully feminine 24/7.
Without the fear of unannounced visitors, I happily expressed my true self day after day. Once it became socially acceptable to cover the camera for Zoom meetings I rarely had a need for male clothing.
Checks can be made out & sent to:
Joyce Melton
1001 Third St.
Space 80
Calimesa, CA 92320
USA
Note: $6000 is the operating, maintenance and upgrade budget. Amounts received in excess of the $6000 will be applied to long term debt accrued over the last 19 years.
