Pond dweller life

Yu gardens in Shanghai, China by E.A. Schneider

Hello, dear pond readers! This is a basic post to let you know what this pond dweller has been up to of late. I am happy to announce that as of this week I have read 10 of the books on my Engaging Books list. I have hopes that I will post on these books sooner than later. Even though I’ve been feeling badly that it has taken me a long time to get this far, I think that I’m in a better place to make connections between these works and discuss them in a productive way.

Lately, I’ve been listening to a handful of podcasts when I have the chance thanks to the influence of my better half. If you’re interested in understanding the intricacies of the Mueller Report without sitting down and reading all 448 pages, check out The Report podcast by Lawfare. My history appetite has been fed by American History Tellers and I got to catch up on a recent episode from Hidden Brain yesterday. We’re also starting to catch up on our backlog of Critical Role podcasts. It is most vexing to be 20 episodes behind on the adventures of the Mighty Nein but we’re going to catch up.

I’ve also gotten to do some more creative writing. This Summer, I’ve made a start on revising a weird, post-apocalyptic sci-fi story I wrote a couple years ago. I’ve also crossed the 5,200 word mark on another sci-fi story that I started writing down during 2018’s NaNoWriMo. This is especially exciting because I have successfully tried working with a new-to-me software program that I was super skeptical about but is proving to be helpful.

My fundraising for Walk MS to raise money for multiple sclerosis research  has been ramping up. Due to the exigencies of parenting and adulting, team Nerds for a Cure is not going to do a big fundraiser this year, but, because I have amazing teammates, I think we’ll make our fundraising goal. If you want to help this pond dweller keep her brain intact, please consider chipping in to help fund research.

Last week, I successfully completed my first ever spin behind the DM screen running Sunless Citadel for one of my Dungeons & Dragons gaming groups. It was quite nerve wracking and satisfying at the same time. I definitely need some recovery time before I undertake running another game, but, it is something that I know I can do now.

Dragon of power with the frog of good fortune in the Yu Gardens of Shanghai, China                    photo by E.A. Schneider

So, that’s the update from the pond. How is your Summer winding down, dear pond reader? What projects are you working on? What books and media are you exploring? Any exciting thoughts to share? Please, leave a comment below and thanks for stopping by the pond today, dear pond reader.