What are you talking about

This is more a rant about comments that people make about one thing regarding a choice I’ve made in my life.  That choice is that I’ve let my hair grow long.

Really long.

I think I’m shedding.

I’m often told that how I’ll be viewed is going to come off negatively because of the fact I have long hair.  Either a “tree hugging hippie” or as a “stoner metal head”.  Of which, both descriptions are very stereotypical and incredibly ignorant.  Seriously, I know some hippies with short hair, and I know some stoner metal heads that can discuss the Doppler Effect until they’re blue in the face.

What do you mean long hair on guys doesn’t look good? I’m fucking fabulous!

How one wears their hair is their own business.  Not unlike how one decides to dress.  It’s no one else’s business how one decides to dress, wear their hair, or how they look.  Body policing is really a crock of shit.  Each of us has our own individual way of dressing and living our lives, so it shouldn’t be someone else’s decision how we choose to live it.

Besides, I keep my hair neat and clean and in a pony tail so it’s not blowing wildly in the wind. Although, that imagery may arouse some. If it’s a bit too much, just take a long walk until the feeling passes.

My parents, especially my mom, would always cut my hair once a month on the button.  But since I have moved out of the house (I am 42 after all, and living on my own for 25 years), I’ve let it go every so often.  When I visit my parents, my mom likes to comment on how long and full bodied it is.  She appreciates the decision I’ve made and isn’t hell bent on getting me into a barber’s chair.

So, as of now, I no longer am going to use the excuse “I’m growing my hair long to donate to the Canadian Cancer Society for use to make wigs for cancer patients”.  No, the only thing I will say is “Yeah, so what?  Don’t like it, just deal with it.”

 

 

A Taste of Fall

Well the weather this week has be crazy. Last week it did nothing but rain. I was so sick of the rain after twenty-four hours that it starting to affect my mood. Everyone noticed that it was weather. You see I suffer from SADS (Seasonal Affective Disorder,) simply put, I get depressed when it grey and cloudy for an extended period of time. Normally this doesn’t occur until winter rolls through. At times it’s a crippling disorder. Causing myself and millions of others to not want to get out of bed or do the norm for us.

So yesterday (Monday) I was excited to go to work because it was sunny outside. It was also cold and the wind had a bite to it. The previous week, the air was still warm enough for me to turn my AC on just to cool off my place enough to breathe without breathing water. Yes it was that humid.

Now I love fall, between all of the seasons spring and fall are my favorite. Fall more than spring because there is more color. The rich browns, golds, and red, the warm earthy colors that tell you snow is coming. I enjoy the crisp mornings and standing outside to smell the seasons. That’s right I said smell the seasons. Try it some time.

Winter has a cold, crisp smell. Everything smells fresh and new. It also looks pretty when the snow is piled up and still coming down. Yes I know the dangers of the roads I grew up in Philadelphia, and have seen what a blizzard can do to a city that large. But it doesn’t fail to impress me.

Spring has that fresh, wet dirt smell. New flowers filling the air with their fragrance. Life of all sorts waking up or in some cases being born. I remember the first spring I had when I was out of high school. I saw the world in a whole new light. Everything looked brighter and green. It was amazing to watch the yearly flowers coming into bloom seeing them start out as little bulbs and becoming a hyacinth, daffodil, tulip and even lilies. I was lucky enough to live where I could see new life beginning. It was truly a cool thing.

Summer smells like heat, that musky dry smell with a spice kicker. Summer is a great season too but not a favorite only because it’s too stinkin’ hot at times. Humidity kills me, but it’s a sign of great things coming. Like cookouts, outdoor activities, swimming and for kids it’s a mark that school is over for several months. The other good thing about the summer is everyone in my immediate family has a birthday in the summer. Dad is July 8, Brother is July 16, mine is July 23. I’m older by five years and fifty-one weeks. Finally there’s Mom, she celebrates her birthday the 26 of August.

Now on to fall. Fall has that earthy smell without spice. It’s more of a mellow decay smell. My favorite smell is that sun baked leaf smell. Just after it rains and the sun dries the leaves. The leaves falling, while messy, looks amazing . Sure it’s a closing of warmer months, but it a kind reminder that family celebrations are coming. Halloween, Thanksgiving. My only thoughts when the month of November hits is ohemgee where’s my turkey! I love Thanksgiving, not so much the family part but the food part, oh yeah all over that.

So as I was saying, last week my AC was on, this week I open my windows and put the fan in. It’s cool enough that it requires a warm coat to step outside in. I’m sad to see the vacationing season close, but excited that my fall is just as busy as my summer. It will bring about a new set of things for Rhys and I to do. Like collecting leaves. This year, we’ll be able to save those leaves that finds and press them.

It’s also a time to head to the apple orchard for some fresh cider, apple butter and of course apples. Then there’s hay rides and my favorite holiday. Halloween. It’s become cooler since I’ve had Rhys because I still technically get to go trick or treating. It brings up a lot of good memories and helps to make many more.

Keep it real and rockin’

❤

 

New Plottings of the Epic Kind

I’ll ask for patience while Tim and I seem to be rather sketchy on posting. We  are both working lots and lots and don’t have much time for anything. We are planning several things. This will consist of new stories, edits for older ones, edits and writing for Black Mask and Pale Rider, several new Zodiviews on some movies and even some music and books, interviews with podcast authors, Zodi Files and much much more.

We love the fact we have so many readers, it excites us. Please keep checking back frequently for new content and forgive us if we seem lacking. Trust me in due time it will be well worth the wait. I personally am planning a post a day in October even if it’s just to say hi and tell everyone about my day.

*hugs*

Keep it real and rockin’

❤
luv the fangirl

 

Think Smart While Shopping

I’ve been surfing the ‘net most of the morning, looking for food recipes that I can  can use for my family and my sitting charge.  I have found some really really good and tasty looking homemade meals over at Simply Recipes. At the bottom of one of the pages I was looking at I seen something that caught my attention.

How to Save Money on Groceries? Stay OUT of the Middle Aisles.

At first I was confused as to what this meant. I thought it meant to stay out of the aisles that contained nonsense. General merchandise, plates, chairs, lawn/patio furniture even toys. Obviously I had enough common sense to stay away from those aisle seeing as how I am broke and couldn’t afford the $500 wicker patio set.

However this isn’t what Alanna Kellogg was blogging about. She was writing about staying out of the aisles in general. Stating that they were full of unhealthy and empty calorie items. She only listed off the bad parts of some aisles, the ones that contained junk food. What Alanna didn’t mention was snacks that you do find in the middle aisles. Like plain unsalted, dry roasted nuts, or dried fruit, even sugar free items like instant pudding.

While part of me agrees, the rest of me disagrees. I commented on the blog, seeing that it was well written and did change my mind slightly, but not enough to keep me out of the main food aisles.

I travel up and down the aisles once a month looking for things to feed my hollowed legged boyfriend, my bottom less pit brother and my picky three year old. This really limits my choices on creativity and what I can cook for them. A big staple in my house hold is Mac and Cheese. More often then not I buy cheese and elbow noodles and make it myself.

I guess I am blessed with the fact my son can’t stand sweets, and adore cheerios. Getting him to eat meat is tricky, he can’t stand the texture, so I have to discover ways to get him to get iron protein and other good vitamins into his system.

I keep a look out for bargain sales like 10 for 10 mix and matches and that is when I go on my stocking up binges. My cupboards may not be the healthiest in the world, but it does have some healthier aspect than Cheetos and kool-aid. (which is what my brother lived off for a whole summer while my mother was on “strike”)

For the most part I am a full time mom now, I don’t get my five to eight hour work break to go make actual money, seeing as I am unemployed. Being a mom of a hyper active and over affectionate child is enough to exhaust anyone. Don’t get me wrong, I love my mom job, but I love when 9pm comes around and my son goes to bed.

I would prefer to make a lot of things from scratch, but there are times when it’s just not able to happen. Sure the middle aisle usually contain things that aren’t healthy, but once you get past the muck you can actually find decent items.

For example: Juicy Juice 100% real juice. Let me repeat that REAL JUICE Frozen juices aren’t usually “healthy,” they just have a bit more survivability in the freezer. These juices are packed full of sugar and are usually concentrated. The process of concentration involves boiling, which means that it cooks away a lot of the good for you, nature made goodies.

Things that are on sale aren’t just unhealthy foods. You can find stuff on sale that is one heck of a value. Things like lunch meat. Ham, turkey, etc. Often much cheaper than the deli counter which doesn’t even offer you the nutritional information.

A major thing that people have stopped doing is carrying a grocery list. I make an extensive one that I use once a month. I get it right down to how many pounds of ground beef I am going to purchase. Yes I go for price and quantity of how many meals I am going to get from it, but I look for ways to take things and make them healthy.

When I buy ground beef, I purchase 70/30 something or other. This is the fat/lean content or something like that. Either way it’s there’s more grease in the pan then there would be if I had 80/20 or higher. I don’t want to feed that to my family, so I turn the faucet on hot, drain the beef, and rinse it off. Then I season it with salt and pepper and continue to make my meal.

When my shopping list is complete, I go through it and think to myself “Do I really need this again, or is it just a luxury that was inexpensive at the time of purchase?” If I answer Yes I need it, then it remains on the list, if not then I cross it off.

I also have a snack food budget. Ten dollars for each person in the house. Though mine is split with my son. I usually buy 5 chocolate bars or something to curb my sweet tooth when it flares up. Each person gives me a list of things they would like to have to snack on in the house. Then it has to last them the whole month.

I would like to make it clear that I am not bashing the middle aisle blog post, I’m just adding my opinion to it. There are some really good ideas in the blog post, such as getting the major basics. Bread, milk, and eggs. Pop is not a necessity, it’s a nicety. Fresh produce doesn’t hold up in the fridge or even on the counter. Flash frozen vegetables still have their nutrients in them. Cheaper to go with frozen.

Spices are great, but buy in bulk or better still, grow your own. You can get small little pots and make cute little planters that you can pick as needed. If you can find and buy fresh herbs and spices, then go for it. Check around to see if your town has a co-op, usually you can find organic and bulk items at these stores. And because it’s local and not corporation, it tends to be cheaper as well.

I will say, that Alanna’s blog is going to have me scouring over my items even more and seeing about finding healthy and yummy alternatives, but I’m not going to stay out of the middle aisles.

Keep it real and rockin’

❤

Tim’s Hijack

Okay, so you may ask why I have an opinion.  Well, I’m a bachelor, and I shop for what I need.  And a lot of the things I need are in the middle aisles.  I live in a small town, so any of the produce items I’ll pick up at the local farmer’s market.  Even bread there.  Or pies.  I’ve even found some great pasta there.  I will point back to an old post about that.  That leaves little to get in the local Riverbend Co-op.  And a lot of the things I need there are down the aisles.  If I didn’t go down the aisles, then there really wouldn’t be any point to going grocery shopping there.

Down the aisles is the place where you find the quick meals that you will often times need.  Down the aisles is where I’ll find the snack foods that I’ll sometimes get.  Down the aisles is where I’ll find my coffee, sugar, tea, and spices that I need for my other food.  And down the isles is where I’ll find the pasta sauces (if I don’t make them myself).

If it wasn’t for the aisles, then I’d have absolutely no reason to go to the grocery store.  Quick soups, for instance, or even the broth for making my own thick vegetable soup.  Oxo cubes as well.  And let’s not forget crackers.

I’ll go to the farmer’s market for some of the produce and bread I need.  But leave me to the aisles.  If there’s people out there that avoid them, then there’s more selection for me.

Until next time…

…keep ’em flyin’!

 

Writing Erotica Is Hard

Sure stuff like this comes easy to some people but for me it’s a challenge. Writing sex scenes and trying to come up with various ways to describe the female and male reproductive organs and not sound clinical is a chore unto itself.  Also trying not to sound vulgar and use slang terms for said organs is difficult too.

Writing lesbian erotica is harder than writing heterosexual. I’m sure the same can be said about writing gay erotica too. You have to use the characters names frequently to keep who is doing what to whom. This doesn’t even being to cover what has to be done to describe things that are going on.  You’ll find any time I am writing up something that I have open an on-line dictionary, a table top dictionary, and several different thesauruses to help me use fancy words.

Setting is also a biiiiiig factor in writing as well. You can’t just open a story and have the characters doing their thing without giving a painted description throughout the whole thing. Granted this is probably the easiest part of writing in general. Dialogue is helpful to break up the moans and grunts of the two (or more) characters who are enjoying each other. But you have to be careful because of the fact it can take away from the story if not written correctly.

But on a whole for my first attempt at writing an erotic story, I am enjoying myself. I’ve been given many compliments and suggestions from people I have shared snippets with or even the whole unfinished story.

Pip Ballantine pointed out a few things that were confusing in the start of my story. Point of view. If you are writing in first person, then make sure you have the gender of the main character appear somewhere in there so that readers know “oh hey so and so is a girl” or “okay got he’s totally a guy.” Another bit she pointed out was something with the scene I described. The angle I visioned was different from the one that she seen in her head. It only takes a few minutes to check and double check these tiny little details, but it makes a big difference on the way the story as a whole is read.

On a whole she said it was “Damn enjoyable” And “In fact damn sexy.” When I received her email replying back to my story my whole night was made. I was so excited that someone I don’t know really really really enjoyed the naughty story I am working. Thanks Pip. I’ll send you the whole thing when it’s finished.

I don’t think I will write much in the way of erotica. But once in a while I’ll take a swing at it.

For now I’ll leave you with a small excerpt of what I’ve written so far. I give you warning its still in rough draft phase. So go easy on me.

My steps were silent as I approached her desk from behind. A wry smile on my lips as I gazed at my lover. While Pania waited for the file to upload to the main system, she unbuttoned several buttons on her blouse. Once again my loins throbbed with want. I stepped behind her, pulling a small silk blindfold from my pocket and slipped it over her eyes while her fingers were distracted.

Pania let out a soft gasp as her world became dark. Her hands came up in attempts to pull the blindfold off her eyes. My fingers quickly tied the blindfold securely in place, brushing her hands away. The brief skin contact sent a small shock through my body; visions filled my head of what it would feel like if I had her naked body pressed against mine. I sighed softly feeling a damp sensation between my thighs.

Keep it real and rockin’

❤

 

Let Us Know What You Think

A lot of people have opinions. In fact everyone has opinions, but many people don’t often express them because they are afraid it will be taken offensively and people don’t want drama.

I urge you to let us know what you think about our blog. More often than not, people will comment that they like the blog, or a specific blog was really good. We appreciate these ones. But we also like the ones that aren’t so nice either. We will handle them in a very adult manner and won’t resort to childish name call. (doody head)

If you feel the need to converse with us, please feel free to leave us both comments, and make sure you check back frequently as we do reply to them. We only ask that you remain adult and professional about it.

Please do not

• Use a massive amount of swear words. Telling us our blog totally (f’in-bomb) sucks and that we should die will only make us send that to the spam folder.
  
• Try to be creative in your post. Sure we like hearing that you like our blog, but please tell us why you like it.
  
• Don’t be afraid to debate. Tim and I are both have strong opinions about things, but we are open minded enough to see another’s point-of-view.
  
• Feel free to leave us a link to your blog if it has something related to post.
  
• Don’t spam please. The only kind of spam I like with eggs. If you leave more than one comment, it will put into one. Save me the work please.

All in all, we want to know what our readers thinks. there will always be times where people don’t see eye to eye, but I would like it to be kept civil. Don’t bring up personal issues you have with myself or Tim. Do that through email.

Zodiac can be reached at Satinfalcon(at)gmail(dot)com and Tim’s is Blackbowman(at)gmail(dot)com.

Use the emails especially if you want to tell us something and don’t want to comment on a blog post. We do reply, it just make take a little while to get back.

Thanks for being awesome readers it make me very happy to know that my opinion is actually getting out there.

Keep it real and rockin’

Zodi ❤

Tim’s hijack!

There isn’t much else that I can add, except to say that we may have a lot of opinionated posts, particularly the past couple of days, that receive high traffic. These are issues we feel are important, and from time to time we will voice our opinions. As Zodi said, we’re all for debates, as long as it does not degrade into the stupid internet debates, or internet crap as can be displayed by this video from red vs blue.

Click it, ya know you wanna!

So, please, act adult when discussing things. We’ll all feel a little better and more at ease that way.

Until next time…

…keep ’em flyin’!