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Fiction Writing Essentials Workshop May 4 (2-Hour Online Intensive)
Read the PDF PowerPoint class topics HERE.
I’ll be offering workshops and classes later this year, in Guided Autobiography, fiction writing, and more. First up is an online 2-hour ‘fiction essentials’ in May. As the little wooden sign says over my desk, “Actually, I can.” Here’s the course at my Payhip storefront. You can sign up and pay with a credit, PayPal, or with the Venmo QR code below. I’m keeping these to 10 participants, online and in-person when I find a space.
When: Saturday, May 4
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. eastern via ZoomQuestions/registration/inquiries: Mark AT YourWritePath. com
You can also Venmo me here ($40):
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Home Advantages: Redoing the Raised Bed Garden
What? Another new feature at LGBTSr? Of course!
Home Advantages will be a semi-regular feature highlighting our efforts to keep up a small house in the New Jersey woods, whether it’s redoing a vegetable garden or unclogging a bathroom sink! Follow along this year as I undertake small improvements here and there, and show you how you can, too! – Mark (and Frank)
How does your garden grow?
The wooden raised-bed garden frames I installed a few years ago rotted out. I’d wanted to revamp the garden anyway, and that gave me the opportunity and incentive I needed. I’m replacing them and reconfiguring them with green metal frames, much better. One down, two to go.
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Savvy Senior: How to Divide Your Personal Possessions Without Dividing the Family
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
Do you have any suggestions on divvying up my personal possessions to my kids after I’m gone without causing hard feelings or conflict? I have a lot of jewelry, art, family heirlooms and antique furniture, and four grown kids that don’t always see eye-to-eye on things.
Conflicted Parent
Dear Conflicted,
Divvying up personal possessions among adult children or other loved ones can often be a tricky task. Deciding who should get what without showing favoritism, hurting someone’s feelings or causing a feud can be difficult, even for close-knit families who enter the process with the best of intentions. Here are a few tips to consider that can help you divide your stuff with minimal conflict.
Sweating the Small Stuff
For starters, you need to be aware that it’s usually the small, simple items of little monetary value that aren’t mentioned in your will that cause the most conflicts. This is because the value we attach to the small personal possessions is usually sentimental or emotional, and because the simple items are the things that most families fail to talk about.
Family battles can also escalate over whether things are being divided fairly by monetary value. So, for items of higher value like your jewelry, antiques and art, consider getting an appraisal to assure fair distribution. To locate an appraiser in your area, try ISA-appraisers.org, Appraisers.org or AppraisersAssociation.org
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The Twist Podcast #255: Soylent Green is Embryos, Professor Mark Talks to Students, and An Interview with Dr. Harvey Abrams
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we tut-tut the Alabama Supreme Court, celebrate Mark’s recent high school writing class talks, and hear Rick’s interview with Dr. Harvey Abrams of the Stonewall National Museum, Archives and Library.
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The Weekly Readlines February 25
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
Alabama’s Supreme Court declared embryos are children, complete with biblical justifications. Seeing danger ahead, Trump issued orders to reverse course. We know the GOP is listening, but will God do his bidding as well?
Nonbinary teen Nex Benedict died after being beaten in the girls bathroom of an Oklahoma school. The likelihood of charges being brought is zero.
Sammy “the ferret” Alito issued a virulent screed (does he write any other kind?) insisting marriage equality will all but imprison Christians who refuse to submit to the nefarious queer agenda. On the other side of town, Tennessee passed a law allowing anyone involved in ‘solemnizing’ marriages to refuse to do so as a matter of religious objection, aimed solely at the gays no matter what the language says. Clarence “Pay Up” Thomas and Sammy “the rodent” Alito began salivating immediately.
LGBTQ NEWS
My Little Pony” Convention Raided By Russian Authorities For “LGBT Propaganda”
LGBTQ NationIreland Ranks As One Of The Best Places To Live For Lgbtq+ People
Irish StarThe Alarming Negative Outlook of LGBTQ Youth
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Savvy Senior: Easy-to-Use Dental Care Products for Elderly Seniors
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
I have arthritis and hand tremors that affects my grip strength and makes brushing my teeth difficult. I’ve read that electric toothbrushes can help make the job easier. Can you make any recommendations for seniors?
Arthritic Alice
Dear Alice,
For seniors who suffer from arthritis or have other hand weaknesses or tremors, an electric toothbrush is an often turned to solution for keeping your teeth clean. At the push of a button, an electric toothbrush will do everything but shake, rattle and roll to do the cleaning for you, and most come with a wide, slightly weighted handle and rubberized grip that make them easier and more comfortable to hold on to.
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On the Map: Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute Brings Science to Kids of All Ages
On the Map is a feature at LGBTSr highlighting travel, exploration and destinations.
By Mark McNease
We made another two-night trip to Philly, one of our favorite getaways. This time we had a mission: to get out senior SEPTA passes that allow residents of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware to travel free on any SEPTA trains, or public transportation throughout the city. We will now be able to take a train from a station not too far from our house and head in for day trips. But this time we wanted to spend two nights at our favorite hotel: the historic Morris House Hotel. This was our fourth stay there, and we love it a little more each time.
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The Twist Podcast #254: Kansas City Crushes It, Fani Fires Back, and a Loopy Leap Year Listicle
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we salute the Kansas City Chiefs, jaw-drop at Fani Willis’s courtroom fireworks, and offer up a loopy leap year listicle.
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The Weekly Readlines February 15
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
Kansas City Chiefs took home the trophy, with the help of Taylor Swift’s witchcraft and Biden’s deal with George Soros and the NFL. Shake it off!
Democrats took back the seat vacated by George Santos, handing it to Tom Suozzi in a closely-watched election that should send shivers up the spine of spineless Republicans everywhere.
And the GOP House impeached Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas by one vote, giving the MAGA base the revenge theater it craves.
LGBTQ NEWS
Annise Parker: LGBTQ+ Elected Leaders Are ‘The Strongest Line Of Defense’
Watermark OnlineBans Of LGBTQ Books Erase Representation For Queer Kids. That’s Why This Podcast Exists
Milwaukee Journal SentinelA Proposed Deal In Congress Could Make Asylum Harder For LGBTQ Migrants To Obtain
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Cathy’s Wealth of Health: Joy – Food For the Heart
Narration provided by Wondervox.
By Cathy McNease, Dipl CH, RH
What gives you JOY? That can be a difficult question to answer for the overwhelmed, stressed-out person. One way to navigate hard times is to attend to whatever gives you Joy, little things, easy things, meaningful things. What I have found is that acknowledging my Joy from drinking tea, or the sun on my face, or a singing bird, or a sweet smelling breeze, provides me with an alternative to troubles. We all need comfort, but it is too easy to turn to injurious ways of comfort that further our discomfort instead. Then, those behaviors become mindless activities that keep us stuck in suffering.
Camellia sinensis, or tea, as we know it, is a remarkable plant and medicine for our mental health. All of the teas made from this plant contain caffeine, but also tannic acid, which binds some of the caffeine, making it less available than caffeine from coffee. The amount of caffeine varies in teas, with green varieties often the highest and twig tea, kukicha, being the lowest, with only a trace. White tea, the young white leaves, is also low in caffeine. All of the teas activate the movement of Qi to the head, bringing clarity and a brightness to our minds. For the caffeine sensitive, tea should be avoided, but you may find Peppermint tea or Rooibos tea (a tangy African herb) refreshing and uplifting as well.
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Savvy Senior: Keeping Older Drivers Safe on the Road
Narration provided by Wondervox.
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
What safety tips can you recommend for older drivers? My 86-year-old mother, who still drives herself, had a fender bender last month and I worry about her safety.
Back Seat Daughter
Dear Back Seat,
With more and more older Americans driving well into their 70s, 80s and beyond, there are a variety of things your mom can do to help maintain and even improve her driving skills. Here are some recommendations by driving rehabilitation specialists that work with older drivers.
Get an eye exam: Because about 90 percent of the information necessary to drive is received through our eyes, this is a good first step in ensuring your mom’s driving safety. So, get your mom’s eyes checked every year to be sure her vision and eyewear is up to par.
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The Twist Podcast #253: Skittish SCOTUS, Biden’s Brain Debacle, and Horrible Valentine’s Gifts for that Special Someone
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we consider SCOTUS’s sudden humility in the face of promised MAGA mayhem, Biden’s big bad brain day, and America’s favorite manufactured holiday. Be our Valentine!