A Great Summer Read

 

Two years ago, my mother got me James Rollins' Kingdom of Bones for my birthday. The cover mentioned soldiers, scientists, and supernatural stuff, so she figured I'd like it.

She was right!

I read it later during my trip to Drumheller, finishing it by summer's end over the course of a few trips to the family cabin, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

 I came to find out afterwards that it was the latest book in Rollins’ Sigma Force series. Sigma is a government-affiliated team of “scientists with guns.” Each novel focuses on mostly standalone missions that often combine historical events with scientific and pseudoscientific details. Very much Dan Brown, Michael Crichton, and Tom Clancy combined. 

Rollins always includes notes about the historic record and scientific record at the beginning of every book, and a “Fact versus Fiction” section at the end with the truth and inspiration behind the major plot points.

While the novels are pretty self-contained, they do include overarching elements like characters’ relationships and families, as well as a rivalry with The Guild, Sigma Force’s evil opposite.

 After Kingdom of Bones, I went backwards and got the previous Sigma novel, The Last Odyssey. Lost civilizations, ancient wars, and gigantic Grecian robot monsters drew me into this one. After that, I was addicted and quickly sought to fill out the rest of the series, with most books being small and engaging enough to enjoy during summer trips, cabin time, and sunny trips around the city.

I just got the newest release, Arkangel, the other night (at a reduced price!), which follows up on a massive cliffhanger. A few other books in the decent stack I’ve been accumulating since around May to get through first, but looking forward to diving in.

 Cheers!

Solo Staycation: The Sequel

 

I managed to survive another Summer on my own, with my family being on the East Coast since the end of June.

Like last year, there was plenty of work, junk food, Netflix, getting out when it wasn't blistering hot outside, and a weekend at the cabin when my Dad flew home for a week.

Unlike last year, there were a lot of surprising firsts.

Literally the day my Dad left, our oven overheated and smoked up the main floor of our house pretty bad. Smoke filling the kitchen and smoke alarm sounding, I went into total panic mode. I got things stable, but I was pretty frazzled. Called my father to talk me down, and he figured something on the oven's bottom caused it to smoke. He was right, and told me I'd need to clean it. I waited a few hours for it to cool down, then got soapy water and some scrubbing pads, removed the grates (easier than I thought), and scrubbed the best I could. I repeated the process the following day, turned the oven on, and let it go for a couple minutes. No more smoke and very little smell!

More firsts came near the end of July. 

For a few different reasons, I was unable to get my nails cut by my homecare worker, and my toenails were getting rather long and unseemly. In a bind, I started to brainstorm possible solutions. Rather than putting up with an expensive assessment at a foot care clinic, I phoned a local spa for help. I'd been there once before for a quick haircut and they were pretty good. I explained my situation to the receptionist, and she recommended a mini pedicure, so that weekend I booked Para Transpo to Exhalo Spa and enjoyed a pedicure. Great service!

I also went and got groceries that same afternoon. Something I've done before, but not since college.

Definitely not as fun, but that week was the first time I've gotten through a cold on my own.

At the end of that week, my cold having thankfully broken about a day prior, I went to CHEO on my own for a follow-up appointment with Genetics (first since the pandemic). 

A little more work and that brings me to now, with my family set to come home this weekend.

It's been a fun, adventurous time, but I have to say that I missed everyone A LOT more than last year. If I had to do it over I probably would've been tempted to book a couple days off to fly down with them, even for just a little while. Lesson for another time, maybe.

Cheers!

First Good Day in a Week

 

Last week was not the best.

I developed a cold early on, which lingered for a few days. After that, temperatures here skyrocketed, with the humidity pushing things into the high 30s/low 40s by the weekend! Both events necessitated a week of working from home, which would have been nicer if not for the aforementioned illness and weather.

Things always seem to balance out though, and the powers that be granted me a really good day today.

I started a new contract with work. Same place, but a new position with their Communications team, which lets me write and draw on more of my background and experience!

For lunch, I made a last-second decision to take a quick walk and get some A&W. Great weather and tasted delicious.

And for the past few hours, I've been glued to my computer reading through Knee Brace Press, a disability/chronic illness-focused website. They accept submissions for short stories and essays, so I've also been brainstorming ideas. 

Haven't felt this creative in ages!

Cheers