Category: News

It’s Been A While

Posted on by in News

Hello everyone,

As most of you know, my father passed away in December. I want to thank everyone who has reached out to me or has offered kind words and support. It meant a lot to me. I don’t feel like writing about it right now. I’ve got many personal journal entries about everything. Needless to say, I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.

What I’ve been up to lately

Summer Holiday

I just got back from the beautiful Neutral Zone (Idaho/Wyoming), and it was a nice break from everything, especially the sauna-esque humidity we’ve been having lately. 90 degrees is a mild ball game compared to 90 degrees here.

Palisades Lake, ID/WY
Jurassic Creek, Bear World ID
The Butterfly Haven, ID

Migrated Blog

As you’ve probably seen by the sprinkling of blank images here and there, I’ve moved my blog to godaddy. The previous host was agonizingly slow. It was almost unusable if you wanted to post anything, especially anything involving images. If you’re wondering why the last time I posted was last year, that was the main reason. So far so good here at godaddy! The new url from my blog is clubhighcastle.com…but you knew that because you’re here!

Silo Series

I recently watched Silo on Apple TV, and WOW. Just wow. Fantastic story telling, characters, and world building. I couldn’t wait two years to find out what happens next, so I put my Amazon digital credits to buy kindle versions of the trilogy. I just finished Shift (book 2). I highly recommend these books!

Don’t be daunted by the 500+ page count. It didn’t feel that long, and I ripped through Wool and Shift! I’m prolonging the adventure by taking a break before I start Dust. I don’t want the adventure to end just yet!

Flying. Lots and lots of flying

I flew so much in 2022, I obtained Silver status with Delta (I’m nearly qualifying for it for 2024!). I love everything about it to be honest. You don’t have to pay extra for ‘preferred seating’ in the main cabin, and if you get lucky or fly at unpopular times like I do, you’ll get free upgrades to Comfot + (business class) or First. It also gives you and anyone traveling with you free bags. I don’t want to lose it, so I need to figure out one last trip before the year ends. This has been something that has always been on my bucket list, and I am so happy I finally got it!

Birbs

Button quail at the Butterfly Haven
My mother’s chickens
Two hot chicks (lol!)
Thirsty chicken!
My three boys

24 Days of Art

Posted on by in Alice, Babylon 5, News, Psi Corps
Congrats on Another Successful Orbit of the Sun, Earth!

Join me in congratulating Earth for making another successful orbit around the sun. Good job, Earth!

I made up my own challenge and decided to do 24 days of art last month. The goal: draw/paint something or work on an unfinished piece for the first 24 days of December, and I am happy to report that I DID IT! If you remember my post in May when I lamented over the fact that I wasn’t as prolific as I used to be, 24 days of art helped me overcome that difficulty.

With out further adieu, here is the result of December’s challenge.

Bring May Flowers

Posted on by in Geeky Sunday, News

We are five months into 2021 (nearly six!), so it is time for a midyear check in. Have I kept the resolutions I made in January? Have I created new goals?

Bring May Flowers

Writing and Sketching

I’m lumping every resolution involving writing and drawing into one category because I’d end up repeating myself otherwise. Here’s a quick summary of the lofty goals I had coming into 2021.

Drawing – get back to pre-pandemic levels of content (this includes High Castle projects).

Writing – finish writing Alice or Metropolis

I counted the number of drawings I posted on Instagram since January, and it is a tiny 24. Am I surprised by this? Nope. There is something to be said about the pandemic phenomenon popularly dubbed languishing. In my case, it was born out of the sameness of every day. It feels like a blur stretched across the vast expanse of space and time. Creativity thrives off of invigoration and the small, random happenstances that made pre-pandemic days stand out from each other. 

Am I fighting this? Of course, but I’m not going to lie and put on a fake smile and say it’s an easy battle. It’s not. But I’ll be damned if I don’t at least try, even if it means just writing a single sentence at a time or sketching a wobbly line. Tiny steps toward progress are much better than doing nothing at all. 

A Much Needed Morale Boost

Written two weeks ago – I feel that this is worth sharing

I went downtown today. It felt like venturing out into the wilderness. The adventure, even the mundane bits as I flashed my day pass to the driver and stepped onto the bus, boosted my mood and made me forget about everything for a while. I don’t know if it was enough to wake my creative senses, but it helped my overall state of being. I sincerely hope we have a swift return back to normalcy soon. 

Working Out

Oddly enough, this is the one goal that I’ve kept. How did that happen!? Is this some sort of parallel universe? I kid, I kid!

I didn’t think it was possible or that I’d have the motivation, but here I am working out on the elliptical machine three days a week and wanting to up the ante. 

The single most important tip I have for those thinking about picking up a workout routine is to daydream. You won’t feel the pain. Trust me. Live that extra life where you’re flying Starfuries, battling Thanos, or visiting the stars! 

MCR

Other News

Seriously Geeky Sundays

Heather announced last week that this month marks the end of Seriously Geeky Sundays. It had a great run, and I am happy to have taken part in it. I met some wonderful people, so I just want to thank Heather for creating it and coming up with new prompts every week. 

Heather’s Announcement

Welcome to 2021!

Posted on by in High Castle, News

I updated the look of a few things and hid some Easter eggs in Club High Castle for everyone 😉 Expect more Easter eggs and things in the future! http://blog.mlcartthings.me/ #HighCastle
– Originally tweeted by Ms. Luna (@MishiWan) on January 1, 2021.

Let’s dive right in, shall we? My one goal for 2020 was to start writing again, and considering I could barely force a sentence out between 2018 and 2019, mission accomplished. It took me a few months to write more than just a few words, but I did it! Next step is to actually finish a novel. 

2021 goals

Drawing – 2020 put a damper on my art. Ask me one year ago today how I thought 2020 would go, and COVID-19 was not it. I made 90 posts on Instagram (which means roughly 90 pieces of art) compared to over 200 in 2019. It’s time to change that.

I have some awesome ideas for this year! Grasshoppers, keep your eyes peeled because I have AN EPIC HIGH CASTLE project in the works. 

Work Out – Hear me out! Don’t roll your eyes just yet! I’ll have you know that this is the first time I’ve ever listed this as a goal. I’m not going to kid myself with this one because there is a slim chance I’ll do it, but I want to at least try. Little did I realize that I got 90% of my physical activity done at work …and I type this as I feel like I’m coming down with a cold (physical activity is the last thing I want to do right now). 

WWII French Resistance –  I’ve wanted to get into reenacting for some time, and a friend on Instagram suggested I do the French resistance. This idea is PERFECT for me. It leaves a lot of room for creativity and ingenuity, and besides, I might do a few in a certain, alt world 😉

Homemade armband! More to come.

Finish Alice (or Metropolis) – Now that I’ve finally been able to crack open my creative mind again, I want to finish something. However, writing a story in recent years has become a trip through a proverbial minefield, lest someone rake you through the coals for an excerpt taken out of context (that was part of my problem in 2018 and 2019). You can write all the disclaimers in the world, but it can still happen (and why do we even have to write them now? It used to be a given: Bad things happen in fiction, and we know the author obviously doesn’t support them.). As long as I put that out of my mind, the creativity will flow.

2020 Grasshopper Awards

Posted on by in Grasshopper Nation, News

I decided to do something fun to celebrate the end of the year. Despite the train wreck that has been 2020, there were a few good things to come out of it, and so I wanted to host my own award show–blog post! 

I will add more categories in 2021. If there is a category you’d like to see, let me know! This is the first of hopefully many.

Welcome to the Inaugural Grasshopper Awards!

Best Discovery – Awarded to a show, blog, podcast, or other media that I came upon and enjoyed.

Best Book – Awarded to my favorite read of the year.

Best Vintage Find – Because of High Castle, I am a huge fan of things from the 40s and 50s. This award goes out to my favorite vintage find of the year.

Best Wardrobe Find – Awarded to a company or person that exceeded expectations, including being budget friendly.

Best Discovery

I am forever grateful to @Mr_Picard on Twitter for spreading the word about this one. The moment I saw that these two gents were dedicated to talking about WWII through film (they just wrapped up 1939!), I was hooked.  

Best Discovery of 2020 goes out to Dan and Simon from FOXHOLE COMPANION! 

Thank you for hours of entertainment! Here’s to 20201!

Best Book

There are a lot of angles to consider for this category. Books are highly subjective, and I didn’t read as much as I do in normal years. I am an avid fan of picking up books at airports. You find some gems hidden among the key chains, snacks, and toiletries. I picked up one airport book days before this started, yes, days. I have yet to crack that one open. Shame on me, I know. Here’s to reading it in 2021!

I decided to give this award to the book I’ve read multiple times this year (I mean, that in itself tells you how much I liked it!). It is not an airport gem, but one I pre-ordered two days before its release in the spur of the moment. I am glad I gave in to my rashness, for the winner of Best Book is The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes by Suzanne Collins

Thank you, Suzanne Collins! This book got me through this insane year. 

Best Vintage Find

I have a tiny collection of antiques I’ve acquired since being captivated by the best show ever made. I’ll give you one guess as to which show that is ;).

I discovered a new way to acquire beautiful things. I am decades late to the Ebay party, but here I am. Through it, I’ve snagged some amazing props from High Castle that I will forever cherish. If you follow me on Instagram and Twitter, you know all about Club High Castle.

The winner of Best Vintage Find technically isn’t vintage, but I’m counting it regardless. Props count. And choosing a winner was difficult, but in the end, I chose The Man In the High Castle: SDCC promo Premiere Ticket.

  • High Castle SDCC Front
  • High Castle SDCC Back

I got it for a great price (I could not pass it up), and I continue to be captivated by it. It really makes one feel like they are about to enter another world. I love the creative lengths the promo team went to make it look vintage. 

Best Wardrobe Find

This goes out to a talented shop on Esty. They make custom vintage style dresses in a multitude of colors and styles. I ordered one this year, and they found the exact color I wanted, not to mention that their pricing is great for the quality, custom fitted dress you get in return!

Best Wardrobe Find goes to heartmycloset!

Pictures don’t do it justice

That’s a wrap! Thank you for joining me! Remember, If you want to see a new category for next year, please let me know!