I just wanted to let you know that I plan to post this blog on Sunday
evenings (possibly Monday morning if I'm running late or family stuff comes up
on Sunday…you know how it is.) and share it on my Twitter and Facebook pages.
(Links at the bottom of the blog.) So if you follow me on social media, you can
find the handy links to my blogs there.
As far as personal updates go, this week was quiet. I've been in editing
mode, trying to get BOB Writes online as well as editing an upcoming project
for Blaze next week. Busy, busy, busy. But it's joyful busy.
I made a very loose interpretation of blueberry cobbler last week when
Blaze came in from his daily walk with a bagful of blueberries he picked on a
vacant lot near our neighborhood. It was
pretty good, but we decided we prefer folding the blueberries into vanilla pudding.
All kinds of sweet berry goodness.
Exciting, right? We haven't gotten back into the swing of things quite yet
since the pandemic seems to be dicking us over again with more surges in cases.
We are both vaccinated but are still wearing masks when we go out – because vaccinated
people can still carry the virus and infect others. I would be
incredibly upset if I ended up carrying Covid and giving it to someone else.
Although at this point, everybody who's eligible should be vaccinated. I don't
understand why people are taking such foolish chances with their health, other
than the whole pandemic was politicized and most of the GOP misled whole swaths
of the population down a dangerous, life-threatening path. But still. At this
point I have zero sympathy for adults (who are eligible for the vaccine) who get
sick because they refuse to get vaccinated or even wear a mask. And adults who
don't get their children (who are eligible) vaccinated just confound me. Who
takes chances with their children's health? Ugh.
Okay, rant over.
I guess that's about it. It was a busy week but kinda dull for you guys
to read.
The Laundry Experiment
I've been trying to whittle down my usage of appliances recently, a
little experiment. I bought a little washboard and have been handwashing
Blaze's and my clothes, sheets, towels, etc. The only thing I haven't tried yet
is blankets. I do the washing in the kitchen sink (which in fact, in our studio
apartment is a bar sink, though set in a counter) in our little galley kitchen,
and wonder if I'd be able to manage a blanket.
Part of this experiment is simply to see if I can do without the
machinery – so far so good. The other is that I'm disabled and dragging load
after load of laundry upstairs to my landlord's kitchen where the machines are
located is actually more work than washing out a few pieces of clothing each
day after I do the morning dishes. The washboard is made of bamboo and is only
about 8 inches wide. I also discovered Zote soap in bar form. I was concerned
about whether it would bother my allergies, but it has a light citrussy scent
that just smells clean. It lasts forever – I've been doing laundry by hand for
about six or seven weeks now and have barely dented the bar.
I let clothes soak in hot water with OxyClean (undies overnight, shirts
and pants for about half an hour), in a bucket. When the clothes are done
soaking, I dump the bucket in the sink and rinse. I bought a cheap but wholly
effective collapsible drying rack which I positioned in front of a small fan so
that the clothes dry quicker. Takes 'em about 8 to 12 hours, depending on the
thickness of the cloth.
I have managed to get stains out of some pieces of clothing that I
thought were ruined. All in all it's been a good experience that I plan to
continue permanently.
As an added bonus, my arm muscles are toning up nicely. 😊
Okay, on to the rest of the blog!
Writing project update – Terri
It's been a busy writing and editing week. I edited two upcoming projects
for Blaze, and finished editing Broken Old Broad Writes and published it
Saturday. Over a month ago I remember saying to Blaze, "Oh, I should have
this edited and published in a week.
Yeah…right. I forgot the half dozen or so articles that needed
finishing, and that the whole lot of them needed to be reformatted.
It turned into a 245+ page monster that kept growing. Plus I did 4 complete edits to make sure I
didn't miss any glitches, typos, or other screwups. I mean – it's a writing book. I don't want to be laughed out of my
profession. On the bright side, I am a
week earlier than the hard deadline a set for myself last week, so all is good.
And having the bonus time means that I'll be able to start editing Broken
Old Broad Scared Healthy a week early, and get that collection of
articles and essays up early as well. Then I can focus on my novel, Diamond
Lil and Gaslit Granny, which I hope to have completed by spring…emphasis on
hope. If not, July 4th would be a good release date…it's sort of an
independence kind of a book. At least for me.
So new stuff of mine up on Amazon – woot!
Broken Old Broad Writes
https://www.amazon.com/Broken-Broad-Writes-Terri-DelCampo-ebook/dp/B09C43QK3W/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=broken+old+broad+writes+terri+delcampo&qid=1628463965&sr=8-2
Writing project update – Blaze
We re-released Blaze's novel '68 Buick recently, so if you didn't
catch it the first time around, here it is:
https://www.amazon.com/68-Buick-Blaze-McRob-ebook/dp/B01KPAYEK6/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=68+buick+blaze+mcrob&qid=1628464101&s=books&sr=1-1
Quote of the week:
"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man. True
nobility lies in being superior to your former self." – Ernest Hemingway
QOTW Honorable Mention:
I'm reading The Great Shark Hunt – Gonzo Papers Volume 1 by Hunter
S. Thompson which is a collection of articles that includes his coverage of Watergate.
As everything was going down and Nixon was getting ready to resign in disgrace,
Thompson described it as "watching Nixon sink deeper and deeper in the
quicksand of his own excrement."
A big, satisfied smile crossed my face as I read that, because I drew a
lot of parallels between Nixon and Scump. (Scump is far, far worse than Nixon
ever was…but that's another blog.) With Scump's band of thugs being
investigated and charged and going to court, and knowing that the Justice
Department is only scraping the surface so far, I thought this quote was apt.
And, like I said, an extremely satisfying comparison.
Book(s) I
read this week:
They Say – Ida B. Wells and the
Reconstruction of Race by James West
Davidson
She spoke the truth with a
"pungent pen", to quote the papers of her day. While she was a teacher, activist, and
journalist, Ida (Iola – penname) Wells' main mission in life was to draw
attention to and in turn see lynching (which ran rampant in the late 1800s
especially) eradicated. Horrific tortures, followed by hangings and burnings
were public events – postcards were even made of these despicable horror
shows.
Ida B. Wells was a determined,
brilliant, gutsy woman who risked her life to publish the truth and fight with
her pen for justice and equality for her race.
I highly recommend you read this educational
and thought-provoking book and perhaps several that the author lists in his
bibliography.
I was dismayed to read this book and
realize just how racist my country still is more than a century later. Most of
it is spurred by sheer ignorance with a shovel full of meanness that often
incites violence. Education is the key to calming that violence and learning to
step into the future as one people, celebrating all the cultures of our country,
both indigenous and immigrant. We might have started off on the wrong foot, but
that doesn't mean we can't make things right.
Movie(s) I watched this week:
The Dressmaker – So many plot twists
and surprises! Excellent film that I really liked. It made me laugh, it made me
cry – a lot on both counts. The characters were textured and gritty. The entire
cast gave stellar performances, especially Kate Winslet, Judy Davis, Sarah
Snook and Liam Hemsworth. If you're looking for small-town drama and mysterious
circumstances, this is your film.
Product I recommend this week:
I just got the Bissell Pet Stain
Eraser cleaner. To preface this, Blaze and I have a tiny apartment that's only one-third
carpeted. There is a high traffic spot in the middle of that carpeting that was
positively disgusting. (We live in a large bonus room off the garage on a
wooded lot, so vacuuming is a daily thing.) Plus the carpeting is taupe. ☹ Between limited storage space and not really needing a large machine to do
this relatively small job I went on Amazon. I started looking for the Bissell
that's like an upright vacuum size, and then saw this little hand-held model.
Sold. It worked great, even taking up stains that were in the carpet for the
past couple of years (I know, gross…but I never said I was a flawless housekeeper).
I used the fluid that came with the cleaner, but I went online to see if there
was any commentary about variations. One woman said you can use any cleaner you
want in it, including vinegar and water. She recommended using very hot water
with the cleaning fluid of choice). I
think when I do the next area (I'm disabled and any task that requires bending
over I do in small increments, so I don't further cripple myself) I'm going to
dissolve Oxyclean into hot water, add a tiny bit of Dawn dish soap. Also, I've
read that if you put shaving cream on a rug and scrub it into a stain a bit and
let it sit for an hour then clean it up, it cleans well without saturating the
carpet. But the BPSE is like a little wet vac, and really pulled up the
moisture on the first patch I did.
All in all, I give this appliance a
big thumbs up.
Recipe of the week:
I wouldn't say recipe, so much and a
throw-together thingy because Farmer Blaze came into the kitchen with his first
banana peppers. I wanted to stuff them but didn't have much to do that with.
And there were only three of them. I looked in the cupboard and spied a can of spicy
refried beans and smiled. I mixed
refried beans and shredded cheddar cheese together, split the peppers
lengthwise (saving the seeds for Farmer Blaze to plant) and stuffed 'em. Popped
'em in the oven until the cheese melted and the filling browned a bit. They
were YUM! Can't wait for more. Thanks Farmer Blaze!
YouTube:
I watch a lot of YouTube both for research purposes as well as
entertainment. There are some I watch
every night (like Beau of the Fifth Column, Dr. Ramani, TED Talks, and Stand Up
comedy), some I watch as frequently as they drop videos, (like Bailey Sarian
and Caitlin Doughty) and some I watch less often. I try to watch at least one
lengthier interview so I can do a Jigidi.com puzzle (or two) guilt free because
I'm still getting research done. Heh,
heh, heh.
Anyway, in my opinion, some of the best videos In the Rearview this week were:
Beau of the Fifth Column:
BEAU OF THE FIFTH COLUMN – LET'S TALK ABOUT REPUBLICANS REJECTING
DEMOCRACY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sx2JD5TR6VU
The most chilling Beau link of the week, saying that 67 % of the GOP think
voting is a privilege rather than a right, and therefore are
abandoning the fundamental principles of our country and democracy. They are
setting the stage for an autocracy.
Bailey Sarian:
Dark History Podcast – The Dark History of Lobotomy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feHnfZ7Tsyc
I love Bailey Sarian's Murder, Mystery, and Makeup on Monday nights, and
the Dark History podcasts on Thursdays are equally fascinating. I recommend
both. If you're just discovering Bailey Sarian's stuff, she has a lot that will
keep you glued to your screen for weeks. She's gaining lots of followers, and
I'm genuinely happy for her success.
A word about my social pages – particularly Facebook:
My personal page is listed below, and then I have subpages:
Oh Say Can You See – This page is for my commentary, posts, blogs and
links of a political nature. Mainly because I wanted to keep my personal page
light. I'm an extremely opinionated Broken Old Broad, as you have undoubtedly discovered
if you've read my blogs – or social page comments – and especially during the
Scump era I decided it would be healthier and happier to compartmentalize my Facebook
account.
Terri DelCampo, Author – Same deal. Not that I don't share the daylights out
of my books and blogs on my personal page, but I tend to keep the writing stuff
corralled on my author page. Then writer
and publisher friends don't have to wade through Simon the Cat videos, my
cousins' wedding pics, dozens of recipes, snarky GIFs, mushy GIFs (to Farmer
Blaze, only), and other various non-literary twaddle.
Owl's Eye View Magazine – I started this page years ago when OEV was going
full steam. I have published all 104 existing issues both separately and in a
bundle for enthusiasts. I think there will be more activity on this page before
the end of the year, as I am tossing around an idea for an new OEV project.
Terri DelCampo Sites and Contact
Information:
Blazing
Owl Press (Founding Partner/writer/editor):
http://www.blazingowlpress.blogspot.com/
Twitter Page:
https://twitter.com/terridelcampo
Broken Old Broad Blogs (Personal update blog):
http://terridelcampo.blogspot.com/
Facebook: Personal Page:
https://www.facebook.com/terri.delcampo
Facebook:
Owl's Eye View Magazine Page:
https://www.facebook.com/Owls-Eye-View-Magazine-296740517101/?fref=ts
Facebook:
Blazing Owl Press Page:
https://www.facebook.com/BlazingOwlPress?ref=hl
Facebook: Oh Say Can You See Page
(Op-Ed/Political):
https://www.facebook.com/Oh-Say-Can-You-See-115986311782935/?ref=pages_you_manage
More
Terri DelCampo Titles:
NOVELS
Reflection
Into the Mist
Holy Terrors
MEDS
Parliament
True Crime Shelf
James Reborn
NOVELLAS
Tooth for a Tooth
Screech
Carnival / Carnival
Battle
Night Ops
NOVELETTE
Ides of March
SHORT STORY
SINGLE
Food Truck Fair
BLAZING OWL
SHORT HORROR STORIES
Shonk
Joinings
Flash In the Pan
And He Screamed
SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS
Assbiters from Hell (Co-Authored with Blaze McRob)
Happy Bloody Whatever (Co-Authored with Blaze McRob)
Romantic Shadows (Co-Authored with Blaze McRob)
Blazin' Toybox (Co-Authored with Blaze McRob)
Silver Hells (Co-Authored with Blaze McRob)
Blood Spatter (Co-Authored with Blaze McRob)
Chills (Holiday Horror)
ANTHOLOGIES
Morbid Metamorphosis (Published by Lycan Valley Press)
Grey Matter Monsters (Published by Lycan Valley Press)
LITERARY PERIODICALS
Owl's Eye View
Magazine – Dark Fiction Individual Issues 1 - 104
Owl's Eye View
Magazine – 1-104 Issue Bundle
CHILDREN'S BOOKS
The Tales of
Princess Rosie & Joey Owl
The Adventures of
Kid Joey
Team RoJo &
Friends
POETRY
COLLECTIONS
Scumpericks (Satirical
Limericks)
Broken Old Broad
Busts a Beat – Love Poems: 1969 – 2021
Broken Old Broad
Busts a Beat – Ho – Po (Horror Poems)
Broken Old Broad
Busts a Beat – Op - Po (Opinion Poetry)
NON-FICTION
Terri's Bookshelf –
Intriguing Authors I Read in 2015
Broken Old Broad
Writes
Broken Old Broad
Scared Healthy
Stomach-Roiling
Articles & Poems (2016-2021)
DISCLAIMERS:
MEDICAL:
Any medical information within my
articles is my own, and applies to only myself. It is not intended as advice
for anyone else. Before making any changes to your own health regimen, you
should absolutely talk it over with your healthcare professional first, just to
be safe.
FICTION:
My horror and other fictional works
are just that – fiction. I made the whole thing up.
**
©Copyright
Copyright
2021 by Terri DelCampo. All rights reserved.
In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning,
uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the
permission of the publisher constitutes unlawful piracy and theft of the
author's intellectual property. If you
would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes),
prior written permission must be obtained by contacting Blazing Owl Press or
the author directly. Thank you for your
support of the author's rights.
