Home and Holding On

A story based on true events…

I like things to be cushy, I admit it. I want to eat well and then take a nap on a mountain of pillows.

Maybe it seems ridiculous or indulgent, but I spent enough time having to sleep on the streets. Now I’d like good neck support, thank you very much.

The people I’m close to now know practically nothing about my life before, and, even if there weren’t a language barrier, I think I’d prefer it that way.

I don’t like to dwell on my past. In some ways, though, it’s always with me, like a ghost making me startle when a neighbor’s door closes. Or shudder when the sprinklers turn on and I remember being cold and wet.

Apparently, having the bad luck to end up homeless is a crime, because I was turned in and locked up. Never formally charged, never in front of a jury, with no idea how long I’d be behind bars.

I did my best to keep to myself, relishing any time I could get outdoors in the sunlight.

After about 2 weeks, this couple came to bail me out. I wasn’t sure why they were doing it. I also wasn’t about to argue.

They took me in. Their place was cozy, with good food and lots of pillows.

At first, I was so afraid of doing something wrong and getting kicked back out on the streets that I didn’t want to let either of them out of my sight.

I’ve relaxed a bit since then but still try to keep an eye on them.

They don’t make it easy.

They’re both the sweet, naive, smile-at-strangers types, and I am constantly trying to warn them to be more cautious.

One time, a woman I had never seen before in my life just showed up with a suitcase. They acted like she was an old friend, and she stayed with us for days. Finally, what I had been trying to tell them must have registered, because the newcomer packed her suitcase back up and left.

I seriously don’t know where they’d be without me looking out for them, watching the house, making sure they get out and exercise, keeping the kitchen floor clean, and reminding them to go to bed at a reasonable hour.

All in all, we’re good for each other. We’ve become family.

It’s been a year, and I’m less haunted now. I no longer jump every time the blinds go up or someone sneezes.

I’ve got plenty of cushy spots throughout the house to nap. While I was as thin as a desert coyote when I met them, I’m back up to a healthier weight just from eating regular meals and not being on the run.

After you’ve lost everything once, you become unapologetic about reveling in what you enjoy. And you learn to fiercely protect those you love.

So I look out for these two crazy humans like it’s my job.

Really, someone has to – even if that someone happens to weigh 14 pounds and have a record with the county, oversized ears and tiny paws.

The story behind the story…

This past Sunday marks one year since we adopted Quijote, whose perspective I channeled to write this. He had been at the county shelter almost two weeks, after being brought in by a kind soul who we may never meet but are very grateful to.

Before that, there are a lot of mysteries. He must have lived with people before, because he was already house trained and already neutered. We have no idea why he ended up as a stray or how long he was out there running around on the “mean” streets of East Mesa.

Our first glimpses of Quijote through the fence of his kennel were of him hanging out in the back, sunny part like he just didn’t want to deal with all the noise and drama inside.

He was really skinny. Since then, he’s gained about 3 pounds, which doesn’t sound like much – but that’s over 25% of his original body weight!

We also joke about whether he thinks he’s taking us to the park to make sure we get our exercise instead of the other way around. He wouldn’t be totally wrong. I’m actually in better shape than when we first adopted Quijote, both physically and mentally. That little wagging tail is the best motivator to get out of the house and move around a bit.

And, yeah, he really does like curling up on pillows and blankets. He’ll arrange them so he has the optimal spot to rest his chin on – you know, neck support.

Finally, as happy as Phillip and I were to have a good friend stay with us for a few days while she was in town, Quijote was not on board!

He barked at her almost the entire time. It’s one of the most ridiculous examples of him trying to protect us when we least need protecting. Oh well. His little heart is in the right place.

June 4, 2015June 7, 2015

Constructing Costumes, Characters, and Time-Traveling Cars

At Phoenix Comicon, I attended 5 panels where authors, cosplayers, and time-machine builders gave advice about their respective crafts.

Character Clothing

Four authors and a comic book artist shared about the role clothing plays in their works and what to keep in mind when you consider how your characters dress.

1. What Are They Wearing?:

Is the clothing functional in the environment? If not, make sure the character feels its effects. –Travis Hanson

Try making the costume of one of your characters and wearing it for day. Feel what it’s like to move around in what they wear. Sensory input can really inform your writing. –Leanna Renee Hieber

Cosplay

2. A Beginner’s Guide to Foam Smithing:

New cosplayers often start working with foam, because it’s fairly easy to work with and cheap. If something you try doesn’t work, you’re probably only out about 50 cents.

Foam doesn’t have to be something you move on from. You can incorporate many different materials into your costume. It also uses many of same tools as Sintra and other thermoplastics. [Check out the Tools and Materials list in our DIY Armor post.]

3. Cosplay Like a Pro: Less Stress, More Fun!

You notice the flaws of a costume you’ve been working on but others won’t. They see the overall picture.

Remember the 10-foot rule: your costume doesn’t have to be perfect, it just needs to look good from 10 feet away. If someone wants to get closer than that, that’s when you suddenly have a panel to rush off to.

4. We are ALL Wonder Women! with Heather Ann Cosplay, Stray Kat Cosplay, and Whitney.

Even if you feel you don’t look like the character or aren’t sure about your costume, you can feel like Wonder Woman. –Stray Kat Cosplay

Watching Wonder Woman inspired little girls that
they could stand up for themselves and others. –Whitney

Time Machine

Oliver and Terry Holler used parts they found and made to turn a DeLorean into a far out Back to the Future time machine. With it, they have traveled to all 50 states to fund raise for a future Parkinson’s Disease cure (a cause close to my heart because of my cousin Allison).

5. Back to the Future: Adventures in a DeLorean Time Machine:

The great thing about making something yourself is then you can fix it.

Money comes and goes. Time only goes.

—
Thank you to Phoenix Comicon for providing media passes.

November 19, 2014November 19, 2014

Windows into Seattle

Four Windows author Ian Smith in front of downtown Seattle.

I’ve never heard anyone say writing a novel was easy. The fact that so many aspiring authors have trouble completing the task gave Christine Smith and Jessie Kwak the brilliant idea to form Four Windows Books.

It’s an author incubator and publishing company that guides new authors through the writing process all the way to completing their first books. The novels are written and published in serial format, delivered to subscribers via ebook a quarter at a time. Each year, Four Windows will choose four new authors and a new city to feature.

The first-ever Four Windows books are being written by four authors who live in (or have lived in) Seattle. Part 2 is set to be released November 30. It was cool to revisit Seattle through Part 1 of these books – places like the Aurora Bridge (where the Fremont Troll is) and the International District, which is where the excerpt below takes place.

Here’s a taste of Trace by Ian Smith:

Joanne stepped off the bus in the International District station, the last underground stop before the transit tunnel disgorged its travelers to disperse throughout the forsaken lands south of the stadiums. The scent of curry entwined itself in the more familiar smells of black coffee and wet concrete, and the walls echoed with a busker’s saxophone wailing out Moon River.

She ascended the steps to street level, and felt a wave of nauseating anxiety — like the free falling terror of hearing a professor announce an exam that she’d forgotten to study for. There were Chinese characters on signs and the frenetic song of tonal language all around her, foreign as hieroglyphs, but all reminding her of where she was not from, what she did not know, who she could never be.

She took a moment to orient her phone to her surroundings, and then headed off down a side street.

She walked past the Tiantang Medicine Shop twice before finally Googling a picture of the building — two red characters painted over a nondescript door marked the entrance. She opened the door to be greeted by a heady wall of aromas — licorice, pepper, and ozone with a slight undernote of sewage.

A wrinkled man hunched on a stool behind the counter, wispy-haired and liver-spotted. He was gazing disinterestedly at a talk show when Joanne entered; he regarded her in solemn silence for a moment then focused back on the television. The shop was lined with shelves, and each shelf held an amalgam of irregular plastic bins containing dried bits of organic god-knows-what. There were a scattering of identifying cards about the shop, but only a few were in English, and those bore such cryptic legends as ‘concentrated gel of antler velvet’ and ‘codonopsis’. After a minute of surveying the inscrutable, she gave up and approached the man behind the desk. “Excuse me, could you help me find some of these herbs?”

He replied without taking his eyes from the brewing domestic dispute, “You from Dr. Keller?”

There was a note of disdain in his voice that made her want to deny it, but her list was on his letterhead. “Yes, I just started seeing him.”

“He’s a fool.” Without ceremony, he slid from his stool, took the paper from her hand and started scooping various powders and plant matter into bags.

“I’m sorry?”

“He’s big fool. You should know.”

—

You can download the entire Part 1 of Trace and the 3 other books for free in your e-reader format of choice.

PS Yes, Ian is my brother, but he didn’t ask me to do this. I’m just excited about the project and the books, and I can’t wait for Part 2!