The official blog of Denise M. Baran-Unland, author. Discover her books for all ages at bryonyseries.com.
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Monday, October 30, 2017
Community News: Oct. 30, 2017
Check out upcoming general events in the Joliet area, as well as the awesome things people are doing.
Gotta Do It: Oct. 29 through Nov. 5
Provost at Romeoville's Lewis University announces 2019
retirement
Plainfield Fire Protection District crews visit District 202
schools
Joliet early preschool programs receive awards
Plainfield East High School senior wins gold medal at
competition
Over 150 Joliet students receive academic awards
Write Where We Are
Write Where We Are is the name of WriteOn Joliet's first anthology.
It is currently available on Amazon. And then come out to our anthology release party, meet the authors, and have them autograph it. Or pick up your copy there. If you're a writer, we will also have information about our group: its history, what we do, and how to join WriteOn Joliet.
Write Where We Are is a collection of original poems, essays, and short stories, as well as one novella and one excerpt from my BryonySeries prequel in progress, Before the Blood. The writing style are varied as is the content. There truly is something for everyone, whether you want to be inspired, informed, or even scared (with Halloween around the corner).
The following authors contributed: Maureen Blevins,Holly Butler Coop, Emily Duncan, Diana Estell, Joshua Henderson, Tom Hernandez, Beth Higgins, Sharon Houk, Mike Markley, Sue Midlock (writing as Sue Mydliak), Colleen Robbins, Jenny McCue(Russ), Stephen T. Saporta, and Duanne Walton.
And me.
In addition to the anthology release party, we have our semi-annual open mic event coming up. Details for both events are below. If you're in the area, stop in. We'd love to meet you. :)
WriteOn Joliet Open Night Mic
It is currently available on Amazon. And then come out to our anthology release party, meet the authors, and have them autograph it. Or pick up your copy there. If you're a writer, we will also have information about our group: its history, what we do, and how to join WriteOn Joliet.
Write Where We Are is a collection of original poems, essays, and short stories, as well as one novella and one excerpt from my BryonySeries prequel in progress, Before the Blood. The writing style are varied as is the content. There truly is something for everyone, whether you want to be inspired, informed, or even scared (with Halloween around the corner).
The following authors contributed: Maureen Blevins,Holly Butler Coop, Emily Duncan, Diana Estell, Joshua Henderson, Tom Hernandez, Beth Higgins, Sharon Houk, Mike Markley, Sue Midlock (writing as Sue Mydliak), Colleen Robbins, Jenny McCue(Russ), Stephen T. Saporta, and Duanne Walton.
And me.
In addition to the anthology release party, we have our semi-annual open mic event coming up. Details for both events are below. If you're in the area, stop in. We'd love to meet you. :)
WriteOn Joliet Open Night Mic
When: 6 p.m. Nov. 2
Where: Book and Bean Cafe, 3395 Black Road, Joliet (inside the Joliet Public Library)
Etc: WriteOn Joliet will read excerpts from their works and share information about the upcoming anthology and Nov. 17's anthology release party.
Contact: bryonyseries@gmail.com
Visit: writeonJoliet.com or www.bryonyseries.com
WriteOn Joliet Anthology Release Party
When: 6 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 17
Where: The Book Market, 2365 Plainfield Road, Crest Hill
Etc.: Copies of "Write Where We Are" (WriteOn Joliet's first anthology) will be for sale. Information about WriteOn Joliet. A chance to meet and talk to some of WriteOn Joliet's members, as well as purchase books written by individual WriteOn Joliet authors as well as browse the store and purchase others books. Chef-created refreshments. BryonySeries raffles. Free admission.
Contact: bryonyseries@gmail.com
Visit: writeonJoliet.com or www.bryonyseries.com
WriteOn Joliet Anthology Release Party
When: 6 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 17
Where: The Book Market, 2365 Plainfield Road, Crest Hill
Etc.: Copies of "Write Where We Are" (WriteOn Joliet's first anthology) will be for sale. Information about WriteOn Joliet. A chance to meet and talk to some of WriteOn Joliet's members, as well as purchase books written by individual WriteOn Joliet authors as well as browse the store and purchase others books. Chef-created refreshments. BryonySeries raffles. Free admission.
Contact: bryonyseries@gmail.com
Visit: writeonJoliet.com or www.bryonyseries.com
Sunday, October 29, 2017
Sue's Diner: Pork Chops and Sauerkraut
As Melissa bicycles home from the library after
researching her centennial report, her mind wanders over the food her little
brother Brian has cooked with Steve Barnes.
One of these recipes was pork roast with cabbage and sauerkraut. We substituted seasoned pan-fried pork chops (using the seasoning from the recipe to keep the original flavor intact) because time was short and we had pork chops in the freezer. ;)
A good recipe for cooler weather.
Try this recipe on Sue's Diner HERE.
One of these recipes was pork roast with cabbage and sauerkraut. We substituted seasoned pan-fried pork chops (using the seasoning from the recipe to keep the original flavor intact) because time was short and we had pork chops in the freezer. ;)
A good recipe for cooler weather.
Try this recipe on Sue's Diner HERE.
Saturday, October 28, 2017
Community News: Oct. 28, 2017
Check out upcoming general events in the Joliet area, as well as the awesome things people are doing.
Will County area craft events
Joliet university participated
in Outdoor Nation campus challenge
Lockport Theatre Porter
Players to Present 'Cyrano de Bergerac'
Smash, compost Halloween
pumpkins at Plainfield school
Joliet university to host trunk-or-treat event Oct. 31
New Lenox hospital recognized
as a Best Hospital for 2017-18 in heart failure and COPD
Halloween horrors and your
insurance coverage: Are you protected against All
Hollow’s Eve disasters?
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/28/halloween-horrors-and-your-insurance-coverage/a4u3d9w/
Edward Foundation gala is a success
http://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2017/10/28/bb41d13accf742cab2b14d9b9122b605/index.xml
Edward Foundation gala is a success
http://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2017/10/28/bb41d13accf742cab2b14d9b9122b605/index.xml
Valley View School District
365U gets Chromebooks ready
Lincoln-Way West in New Lenox
hosts 'College Changes Everything' week
Friday, October 27, 2017
Community News: Oct. 27, 2017
Check out upcoming general events in the Joliet area, as well as the awesome things people are doing.
Local arts and entertainment: Oct. 27 through Nov. 3
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/22/local-arts-and-entertainment-oct-27-through-nov-3/adoctst/
Marching band to be in Rose Bowl parade
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/26/marching-band-to-be-in-rose-bowl-parade/abmnofb/
Oaxacan artist visits Lockport to share hand-carved figurine styles from Mexico
http://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2017/10/26/1923ef2660cd484896f999cc482f0e7a/index.xml
Illinois resolution designated October ‘Zombie Preparedness Month’
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/27/illinois-resolution-designated-october-zombie-preparedness-month/a91fvj6/
Edward Foundation commits $2 million for Structural Heart Center
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/09/03/edward-foundation-commits-2-million-for-structural-heart-center/a662ud2/
Lockport school creates butterfly garden
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/09/lockport-school-creates-butterfly-garden/aa12buh/
Local arts and entertainment: Oct. 27 through Nov. 3
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/22/local-arts-and-entertainment-oct-27-through-nov-3/adoctst/
Marching band to be in Rose Bowl parade
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/26/marching-band-to-be-in-rose-bowl-parade/abmnofb/
Oaxacan artist visits Lockport to share hand-carved figurine styles from Mexico
http://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2017/10/26/1923ef2660cd484896f999cc482f0e7a/index.xml
Illinois resolution designated October ‘Zombie Preparedness Month’
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/27/illinois-resolution-designated-october-zombie-preparedness-month/a91fvj6/
Edward Foundation commits $2 million for Structural Heart Center
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/09/03/edward-foundation-commits-2-million-for-structural-heart-center/a662ud2/
Lockport school creates butterfly garden
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/09/lockport-school-creates-butterfly-garden/aa12buh/
Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, Oct. 22 through Oct. 27
Best news today is below, a copy and paste from my WriteOn Joliet highly esteemed co-leader Tom Hernandez:
" The inaugural WriteOn Joliet Anthology, "Write Where We
Are" is now available on Amazon.
Where to find my non-bylined works? Why, on this blog, of course.
"This collection includes pieces by Denise M. Baran-Unland,
Maureen Blevins,Holly Butler Coop, Emily Duncan, Diana Estell, Joshua
Henderson, Tom Hernandez, Beth Higgins, Sharon Houk, Mike Markley, Sue Midlock
(writing as Sue Mydliak), Colleen Robbins, Jenny McCue (Russ), Stephen T.
Saporta, and Duanne Walton.
"Help us celebrate this achievement at our Anthology Release
Party at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17th at the Book Market in Crest Hill."
Hope to see you there! We'd love to meet you and talk to you about our group.
And now, onward to features.
Where to find my non-bylined works? Why, on this blog, of course.
I recently began assembling my brief posts and calendar listings into one convenient file and posting them on Facebook in the evening, so readers can easily choose the ones they want to read.
Now if you don't want to wait that long, you can find the Gotta Do It calendar, as well as the pets, health, faith, and arts and entertainment calendars, under the sections tab on the left hand side of http://www.theherald-news.com/. Click on "features" and the topics drop down. Gotta Do It runs under "people."
Community news: Again, under the sections tab, under features, and by topic. Updates are posted on these days in print and web and in web on other days as I have the time: Monday (pets), Tuesday (health), Thursday (faith), Friday (arts and entertainment), and Sunday (people).
Daily updates: I do post the briefs and calendars on Twitter during the week, so you're welcome to follow me at @Denise_Unland61.
BryonySeries stuff: I post curated content relating to the BryonySeries at @BryonySeries. And assorted related content at www.facebook.com/BryonySeries. And of course, please follow the adventures of Bertrand the Mouse on Instagram at
Joliet man is clean, employed and helping others in their recovery
“I was there to get a fresh start,” Roosevelt Burton said. “I listened
more and I had a chance to speak more. I realized I could decide to change my
life. All the things they [Stepping Stones] had in place – the rules, the
homework, the paper work – all played a part.”
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/19/joliet-man-is-clean-employed-and-helping-others-in-their-recovery/aw1fdfj/
An Extraordinary Life: Joliet man was a hero in his own way
Salim attended the Terra Sancta School in Jerusalem, where
he even assisted the teachers, Kahlil added. Education, for Salim, would be his
ticket to a better life.
“He knew his mind could end up working for him,”
Kahlil Diab, Salim's son, said.
New Lenox couple goes to bat for these critters
The Dan and Sharon Peterson, owners of Incredible Bats, will bring some of
their live 14 Egyptian fruit bats and three African straw-colored bats, as well
as a skunk and a tarantula to the Joliet Public Library's Halloween
Spooktacular on Oct. 30.
Joliet treatment center celebrates life-changing
partnerships
“It’s something like a halfway house,” Paul Lauridsen,
executive director of Stepping Stones, said of the treatment center. “When guys
come in, they have time to get readjusted in the community, get IDs, get jobs
and get reacquainted with their families. It’s not like the old days when you
took them to the prison gates, opened the doors and gave them $50 to get
somewhere.”
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/20/joliet-treatment-center-celebrates-life-changing-partnerships/a4znj2o/
Mystery Diner: Dancing Marlin in Frankfort offers upscale brunch
experience
For those bringing children (we didn't), there was also a
reasonably priced kids menu featuring French toast, waffles, pancakes,
scrambled egg slider, fresh fruit, burger and fries and cheese flatbrad piece,
all for $5 each.
http://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2017/10/21/8eee33ff3c0647eb9042cde054032693/index.xml
Joliet church transformed from west to east
"Icons lift up our minds from the earthly to the
heavenly," Reverend Stephen Bithos wrote.
http://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2017/10/24/9b153e8534a64cf183d7c9803c62296c/index.xml
Joliet Junior College culinary grad is scary in the kitchen
Johanna Wyss, 24, of Orland Park, competed in the 2017 Halloween
Wars on the Food Network Channel. She's baked for Robert Englund and Alice
Cooper. And she owns her own company, Battycakes, where Wyss whips up wonderfully
gruesome pastry creations.
Joliet Junior College culinary grad is scary in the kitchen
Artworks: Local residents share favorite frightful foods
Foods include "Witches Brooms" appetizers by Dee
Philiph of New Lenox; "Feet-Loaf," "Bat Wings,"
"Roasted Brains" and "Sauteed Inch Worms" and "Worms
in Mud," by Nicole Puracchio; and "Severed Fingers" by Julie
Blackburn of Romeoville.
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Community News: Oct. 26, 2017
Check out upcoming general events in the Joliet area, as well as the awesome things people are doing.
Local faith events: Oct. 26 through Nov. 2
Local faith events: Oct. 26 through Nov. 2
Innovative missions thought leader coming to Olivet Nov. 2
Joliet university receives national and peer rankings
Pumpkin Fest at Lockport farm announces final weekend events
Lincoln-way East Drama Dept is set to present the hilarious
play 'Noises Off' Thursday, Saturday and Sunday
Morris Hospital receives philanthropic award
Second Annual Women and Girls Health Expo to be held Oct.
28 at Joliet Central High School
BryonySeries Throwback Thursday: Just an Excerpt, Just Because
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Just an Excerpt, Just Because
So this is a small portion of what I do on weekends, from Before the Blood, Kellen's Story, Chapter Nine: The Suite Life.
But Kellen also had a mischievous side, and he allowed it to play when John was occupied playing piano. He crawled through the sewers of Paris until he reached the neighborhood known as Montmartre on the Seine's right bank, seeped through a crack in the road, and stepped through the front door of le Café de l’Enfer (shaped like the hungry mouth of an angry demon) and bumped into Satan.
"Welcome to damnation!" the man in the devil's suit shrieked.
Before Kellen could reply, the man shrank back, eyeing Kellen's soiled clothes and holding his nose.
"I'll drink to that," Kellen agreed.
Still holding his nose, the devil led Kellen past rows of Paris underbellies occupying wood tables in the long, cavernous cafe. Stone gargoyles spread their wings and emerged from the rock ceiling, their clawed hands hovering above the clueless and innocent.
The devilish host and Kellen passed into a second, darker cave and to an empty table near the back, where the other patrons could not smell him.
"Coffee?" the devil asked in a nasal voice through tightly clamped fingers.
"Coffee...and cognac."
Twirling his tail, the devil scampered to the kitchen screaming, "One vessel of mortal sins, with a squirt of molten brimstone!"
Cackles replied from the back of the house.
The patrons seemed unaffected by the bizarre atmosphere, and they were too far away for Kellen's stench to bother them. They talked and smiled to their companions or read the day's news. Most wore black. None of the women had red hair.
But everyone smelled good enough to eat.
Another devil pranced to Kellen's table with the bubbling brew.
"Choke and die!" The devil slammed the mug before Kellen and then just as quickly pranced away.
Kellen sipped, relishing the coffee, drawing out the moment. Should he start with the customers or the wait staff? He pondered as he sipped and sipped. Decisions, decisions, decisions...
He picked up the mug for another sip, and his hand froze in mid-air. Horrified, Kellen lowered the mug and peeked inside.
It was empty.
He tossed a bag of francs on the table and fled.
But Kellen also had a mischievous side, and he allowed it to play when John was occupied playing piano. He crawled through the sewers of Paris until he reached the neighborhood known as Montmartre on the Seine's right bank, seeped through a crack in the road, and stepped through the front door of le Café de l’Enfer (shaped like the hungry mouth of an angry demon) and bumped into Satan.
"Welcome to damnation!" the man in the devil's suit shrieked.
Before Kellen could reply, the man shrank back, eyeing Kellen's soiled clothes and holding his nose.
"I'll drink to that," Kellen agreed.
Still holding his nose, the devil led Kellen past rows of Paris underbellies occupying wood tables in the long, cavernous cafe. Stone gargoyles spread their wings and emerged from the rock ceiling, their clawed hands hovering above the clueless and innocent.
The devilish host and Kellen passed into a second, darker cave and to an empty table near the back, where the other patrons could not smell him.
"Coffee?" the devil asked in a nasal voice through tightly clamped fingers.
"Coffee...and cognac."
Twirling his tail, the devil scampered to the kitchen screaming, "One vessel of mortal sins, with a squirt of molten brimstone!"
Cackles replied from the back of the house.
The patrons seemed unaffected by the bizarre atmosphere, and they were too far away for Kellen's stench to bother them. They talked and smiled to their companions or read the day's news. Most wore black. None of the women had red hair.
But everyone smelled good enough to eat.
Another devil pranced to Kellen's table with the bubbling brew.
"Choke and die!" The devil slammed the mug before Kellen and then just as quickly pranced away.
Kellen sipped, relishing the coffee, drawing out the moment. Should he start with the customers or the wait staff? He pondered as he sipped and sipped. Decisions, decisions, decisions...
He picked up the mug for another sip, and his hand froze in mid-air. Horrified, Kellen lowered the mug and peeked inside.
It was empty.
He tossed a bag of francs on the table and fled.
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Community News: Oct. 25, 2017
Check out upcoming general events in the Joliet area, as well as the awesome things people are doing.
Area food pantries
Area food pantries
Will County area craftshows
Joliet students recognized
Joliet school celebrates Grandparents Day
Joliet Township High School announces Students of the Month for September
Joliet Junior College to host 2017 Fall Gala
Second Annual Zonta Club of Joliet Festival of Culture at the Jacob Henry Mansion in Joliet a huge success
Bee Brothers Restaurant to occupy former Applebee’s location
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/25/bee-brothers-restaurant-to-occupy-former-applebees-location/a6tobyr/
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/25/bee-brothers-restaurant-to-occupy-former-applebees-location/a6tobyr/
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Community events: Oct. 24, 2017
Check out upcoming general events in the Joliet area, as well as the awesome things people are doing.
Local health events: Oct. 24 through Oct. 31
Local health events: Oct. 24 through Oct. 31
Silver Cross Senior Advantage to host health fair Oct. 30
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/22/silver-cross-senior-advantage-to-host-health-fair-oct-30/a4ds6dk/
Lockport schools celebrate International Walk and Bike to School Day
Will County teams with Romeoville for Pharmaceutical Take-Back
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/23/will-county-teams-with-romeoville-for-pharmaceutical-take-back/ateq1c1/
Joliet Junior College accepting nominations for service award
Bolingbrook High School graduate discusses hospitality careers
Dr. Clarence Jay Larkin wins Kiwanis Peanut Days prize
Senior Citizens Association celebrates 50 years of service
After-Dinner Activities or What Would a Vampire Do? (Part Two)
So assuming a vampire doesn't need all night to sup, what would he/she do for the rest of the night?
It was a question, I think, many vampire novels don't address. Most of them are written from the victim's perspective, where the emphasis is on the attack. Or even if they are from the vampire's perspective, it's about the stalking and then the attack.
But what happens when the attack is finished? Then what?
That was the question I asked myself a couple years ago when writing the second novel of Before the Blood, my five-novel prequel to the BryonySeries trilogy.
The protagonist, Kellen Weschler, is a poor seventeenth century German farmer who is turned while dying from the bubonic plague. During his miserable years of life, Kellen was one joy.
He can read.
Now his only reading material is his grandmother's “Straf Mich Gott” Bible. But now that he is immortal with the ability to teleport through time, and now that he has plenty of middle of the night time on his hands, why he would read.
And so he does.
But the problem with reading a good book is that one gets lost in a good book. What if Kellen got so engrossed that he lost track of time and someone found him, or, worse, dawn sneaked up?
So I answered that, too. Like this. A bit raw and unedited, but I'm still drafting.
Oh, and if you're wondering what comes next, that's the bit I'll be reading sometime between 6 and 8:30 p.m. Nov. 2 at the Book and Bean Library, 3395 Black Road, Joliet.
That's the date and time for WriteOn Joliet's semi-annual open mic night. Well, open mic for members. Entertainment for attendees. Please join us.
And now, here's what THIS vampire does after dinner.
It was a question, I think, many vampire novels don't address. Most of them are written from the victim's perspective, where the emphasis is on the attack. Or even if they are from the vampire's perspective, it's about the stalking and then the attack.
But what happens when the attack is finished? Then what?
That was the question I asked myself a couple years ago when writing the second novel of Before the Blood, my five-novel prequel to the BryonySeries trilogy.
The protagonist, Kellen Weschler, is a poor seventeenth century German farmer who is turned while dying from the bubonic plague. During his miserable years of life, Kellen was one joy.
He can read.
Now his only reading material is his grandmother's “Straf Mich Gott” Bible. But now that he is immortal with the ability to teleport through time, and now that he has plenty of middle of the night time on his hands, why he would read.
And so he does.
But the problem with reading a good book is that one gets lost in a good book. What if Kellen got so engrossed that he lost track of time and someone found him, or, worse, dawn sneaked up?
So I answered that, too. Like this. A bit raw and unedited, but I'm still drafting.
Oh, and if you're wondering what comes next, that's the bit I'll be reading sometime between 6 and 8:30 p.m. Nov. 2 at the Book and Bean Library, 3395 Black Road, Joliet.
That's the date and time for WriteOn Joliet's semi-annual open mic night. Well, open mic for members. Entertainment for attendees. Please join us.
And now, here's what THIS vampire does after dinner.
During the initial century after his turning, Kellen was
content simply to experience a new pleasure: leisure. Freed from the minute by
minute struggle to survive another trip around the sun, Kellen, once he had
destroyed and imbibed, had the long
hours of night to enjoy.
Now
Kellen didn't care about soft evening winds brushing his icy skin, the stunning
stars under which he pranced, warm summers and brisk winters, or the dew
kissing his feet good morning and reminding him to dig a deep hole for the day.
No,
Kellen seeped through the cracks of library walls and read.
At the
Codrington Library of Oxford University, Kellen huddled in the recess at the
north end of this narrow building, a curious meld of gothic exterior and
classical interior, and studied law. Inside the remote El Escorial in Spain,
Kellen sat beneath vaulted ceilings and amongst the frescoes of the seven
liberal arts, pouring over ancient manuscripts in their original Arabic, Greek,
and Latin, and never wondering at his natural ability to read them.
Kellen
infiltrated the General Library of the University of Coimbra in Switzerland and
feasted on manuscripts dating back to the eighth century. At the Admont Abbey
Library in Austria, Kellen studied the frescoes depicting human knowledge and
enlightenment.
At the
library inside the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Kellen perused through all seven
million items, including the sculptures and frescoes. The Albrecht Altdorfer
Danube landscapes particularly fascinated him, and Kellen did not know why.
Yet, it
was a simple inscription outside this library that Kellen would always say held
the most sway: “In quo omnes thesauri sapientiae et scientiae,” or "In
which are stored all treasures of knowledge and science.”
Because
now they were stored inside Kellen.
While
Kellen read, a lone crow kept watch at the window and warned him of advancing
dawn, much as he and Ilsabe once kept watch for Metta when they read from Straf
Mich Gott.
Monday, October 23, 2017
Community News: Oct. 23, 2017
Check out upcoming general events in the Joliet area, as well as the awesome things people are doing.
Local pet events: Oct. 23 to Oct. 30
Air Force promotes Lockport native
Joliet student ambassadors available for presentations
Ten D-202 students in Plainfield earn National Merit
'commended' status
Lockport Township High School announces breakfast club
Local grants and scholarship opportunities
Lincoln-Way Central student completes Eagle Scout project
Pets of the Week: Oct. 23
What Would a Vampire Do?
Yesterday, I posted the following to WriteOn Joliet's Facebook page:
6 Ideas to Boost Creativity this Halloween.
You can read the entire article here: http://thevisualcommunicationguy.com/2016/10/24/6-ideas-to-boost-creativity-this-halloween/
No. six read: Think of the situation as a vampire would.
Now since I write vampire fiction, I often think in terms of how vampires, or at least "my" vampires" approach situations.
But I've never thought about it generically, in my terms, as I wander through my day.
On weekend when I'm on call, I stay up way past my bedtime, in case I'm needed. Consequently, when I finally did try to sleep, my mind was too awake (figures, right?). So I decided to put the idea into action. What would a vampire do in this situation?
I imagine it'd be pretty frustrating to be lying awake in dirt well past daylight.
Except vampires don't sleep, right?
What would a vampire do, I mused. Why, he would go dormant.
So I did. And it worked.
Even the hungry cats didn't wake me up when I snoozed past their 4 a.m. breakfast time.
6 Ideas to Boost Creativity this Halloween.
You can read the entire article here: http://thevisualcommunicationguy.com/2016/10/24/6-ideas-to-boost-creativity-this-halloween/
No. six read: Think of the situation as a vampire would.
Now since I write vampire fiction, I often think in terms of how vampires, or at least "my" vampires" approach situations.
But I've never thought about it generically, in my terms, as I wander through my day.
On weekend when I'm on call, I stay up way past my bedtime, in case I'm needed. Consequently, when I finally did try to sleep, my mind was too awake (figures, right?). So I decided to put the idea into action. What would a vampire do in this situation?
I imagine it'd be pretty frustrating to be lying awake in dirt well past daylight.
Except vampires don't sleep, right?
What would a vampire do, I mused. Why, he would go dormant.
So I did. And it worked.
Even the hungry cats didn't wake me up when I snoozed past their 4 a.m. breakfast time.
Sunday, October 22, 2017
Sue's Diner: Lemon Drop Cakes
It was at the Harrington’s ball that Melissa met
Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara, for the very first time.
Below is a recipe for one of the foods Melissa choked down while the Steward explained his ruthless dictatorship.
Light and refreshing, perhaps the prelude to the after-dinner mint?
Try this recipe on Sue's Diner HERE.
Below is a recipe for one of the foods Melissa choked down while the Steward explained his ruthless dictatorship.
Light and refreshing, perhaps the prelude to the after-dinner mint?
Try this recipe on Sue's Diner HERE.
Saturday, October 21, 2017
Community News: Oct. 21, 2017
Check out upcoming general events in the Joliet area, as well as the awesome things people are doing.
Bolingbrook safety patrol is easy to see
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/17/bolingbrook-safety-patrol-is-easy-to-see/a1cz43m/
Early childhood programs in Bolingbrook recognized as Gold Circle Programs by ISBE
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/17/early-childhood-programs-in-bolingbrook-recognized-as-gold-circle-programs-by-isbe/aisqpgc/
Will County Health Department’s Community Health Center staying busy
http://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2017/09/03/d17e6e6bd95c4e469a1217a02ef5427a/index.xml
Dr. Wickii Vigneswaran named medical director of Edward-Elmhurst Thoracic Surgery
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/09/03/dr-wickii-vigneswaran-named-medical-director-of-edward-elmhurst-thoracic-surgery/ah7y6h8/
Joliet church to host mobile pack event
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/21/joliet-church-to-host-mobile-pack-event/aerrn15/
Joliet Central High School presents 'Annie' musical on Halloween weekend
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/12/joliet-central-high-school-presents-annie-musical-on-halloween-weekend/a8ic7va/
Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra to feature music of Prokofiev with pianist Tomasz Robak
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/17/metropolitan-youth-symphony-orchestra-to-feature-music-of-prokofiev-with-pianist-tomasz-robak/a72bma2/
Lincoln-Way West Theatre Company to present 'Leaving Iowa'
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/19/lincoln-way-west-theatre-company-to-present-leaving-iowa/acgg8yt/
Joliet Area Community Hospice Guild hosting 30th Annual 'Puttin on the Glitz' Fashion Show and Luncheon
http://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2017/10/19/e3a404ae980d4678825615910400a8fc/index.xml
Bolingbrook safety patrol is easy to see
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/17/bolingbrook-safety-patrol-is-easy-to-see/a1cz43m/
Early childhood programs in Bolingbrook recognized as Gold Circle Programs by ISBE
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/17/early-childhood-programs-in-bolingbrook-recognized-as-gold-circle-programs-by-isbe/aisqpgc/
Will County Health Department’s Community Health Center staying busy
http://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2017/09/03/d17e6e6bd95c4e469a1217a02ef5427a/index.xml
Dr. Wickii Vigneswaran named medical director of Edward-Elmhurst Thoracic Surgery
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/09/03/dr-wickii-vigneswaran-named-medical-director-of-edward-elmhurst-thoracic-surgery/ah7y6h8/
Joliet church to host mobile pack event
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/21/joliet-church-to-host-mobile-pack-event/aerrn15/
Joliet Central High School presents 'Annie' musical on Halloween weekend
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/12/joliet-central-high-school-presents-annie-musical-on-halloween-weekend/a8ic7va/
Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra to feature music of Prokofiev with pianist Tomasz Robak
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/17/metropolitan-youth-symphony-orchestra-to-feature-music-of-prokofiev-with-pianist-tomasz-robak/a72bma2/
Lincoln-Way West Theatre Company to present 'Leaving Iowa'
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/19/lincoln-way-west-theatre-company-to-present-leaving-iowa/acgg8yt/
Joliet Area Community Hospice Guild hosting 30th Annual 'Puttin on the Glitz' Fashion Show and Luncheon
http://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2017/10/19/e3a404ae980d4678825615910400a8fc/index.xml
Ed Calkins: Reality Football
Dear MOMI,
I'm not complaining, but every once in a while, I like to forget I'm an Irish vampire, ruthless dictator, and limerick mastermind to become a more mundane sixty-year-old paper boy with a love/hate relationship to American football.
My love might have lost its relevance in the world as it is today, but when I was growing up, everything that was good was girls. 'Sugar and spice and everything nice...' was reinforced by parents, teacher, and police officers alike who preferred behavior that girls rather then boys where likely to do. Dress up nicely, please. Don't shout. Be polite. Wait your turn. Raise your hand to speak. These directives seemed so much easier for girls then any of the boys I knew, and in grade school all the kids marked as troublemakers, underachievers, and most-likely-to-earn-damnation ((Catholic school: I used to imagine that teachers in public schools had the same lists but called them most-likely-to-go-to-jail) were boys.
Then tackle football happened. All of a sudden, what boys did was an advantage. Even the few girls that like playing football didn't seem to think that "acting like a boy" was some kind of affliction, at least not while playing football. Even nuns watching boys play never asked during a game, "Why can't you behave like the girls do?"
I can remember the first time the boys played tackle football outside during gym. When we went back to our classroom teacher, and she told us (as she often did) "Girls on the right, boys on the left," t didn't feel like the end of days. We boys started acting less ashamed of ourselves. Why couldn't the class president be a boy? (it wasn't). Maybe the boys will do just as good on the spelling tests as the girls (we never did). We somehow had more confidence and self respect. Even the girls changed. One girl failed to be insulted when the nun admonished her for eating "like a boy."
Then came the coaches. They didn't seem to realize that the game we were playing was a rough house kid's game for the fun of it. In fact, by high school 'football' and 'fun' were supposed to be mutually exclusive. Football to them was about heroics and self-sacrifice for the glory of the school (if not for the honor of proving that your high school football coach really was the mentor and genius that the rest of reality insisted on missing). I don't mean to imply that all my coaches were dumb. Taking the fun out of football really must have required some true genius. Equating it to war must have helped or maybe making it some test of manhood that medical doctors seemed to miss.
Doctor: "Hmm, seems here mister that we have your chart wrong. You check 'male' on this form but your football coach tells us you don't block or tackle very well. It would seem that you flunked manhood. I'll have to assign you a gynecologist."
Patient (blushing): "Ah thanks doc, you won't tell my wife will you?"
I don't know if only high school coaches can be blamed. Profession football plays its role. Again, I really like watching a professional game with its high quality players and coaches that actually are as smart as high school coaches wanted to be.
The problem is winning, money, and heroism, in that order.
When football is fun, you almost have to pretend to be upset when you don't win. But as a coach or a fan, winning only is fun, and it only stays fun if it's on the way to a Super Bowl win. The season starts with twenty-eight cities not being clinically depressed and ends the day after super bowl Sunday with twenty-seven depression hot zones and one city hung over and worried that they might not be around next year.
Then the money.
It's strange, but true, that no one is happy when everyone is rich. Part of that flashes back to the wisdom of the football coach's insistence that you should never be happy. Happy is for losers, but being miserable makes you a better player. It's this that brings me to my final point.
The football "hero."
This does start with boys playing football for fun, but also pretending that they are "football heroes." The fact is, professional players have to be very very good in any sport just to get a chance to make it into training camp, but it doesn't mean they are good people. Some of them turn out to be pretty bad people. Of course, I really don't want to know that, because the little boy inside of me still wants to be a hero.
I might write more about this the next time I need to pretend that I'm just a ordinary guy instead of a ruthless dictating vampire. Reality calls, you know.
Ruthlessly Yours,
Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara
Friday, October 20, 2017
Community News: Oct. 20, 2017
Check out upcoming general events in the Joliet area, as well as the awesome things people are doing.
Local arts and entertainment: Oct. 20 through Oct. 27
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/13/local-arts-and-entertainment-oct-20-through-oct-27/awjqsw5/
Joliet resident wins Forest Preserve’s fungus photo contest
Lockport farm announces pumpkin contest winner
Lincoln-Way Foundation hosts Partner Luncheon
Lewis University ranked Sixth in 20 Best Online Masters in
Cyber Security for 2017
Edward Foundation names Mina Setork as new board member
Will County Health Department encourages future social
workers to advocate
Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, Oct. 15 through Oct. 20
Scrambling this morning as I have a last-minute meeting to attend later this morning, so lots to do before then.
But I'll be around all weekend as I'm the weekend editor. Hope everyone is having a great Friday so far and that the weekend will be even better.
Onward to local features!
Where to find my non-bylined works?
But I'll be around all weekend as I'm the weekend editor. Hope everyone is having a great Friday so far and that the weekend will be even better.
Onward to local features!
Where to find my non-bylined works?
Well, you could follow this blog. On Monday, I began assembling my brief posts into one file and posting them on Facebook at the end of this day - and people responded. Those briefs have received a few likes, comments, and shares, which tells me grouping them helps people to find them.
Now if you don't want to wait that long, the pets, health, faith, and arts and entertainment calendars: where to find them? Under the sections tab on the left hand side of http://www.theherald-news.com/. Click on "features" and the topics drop down. Assembled by moi.
More local events: Gotta Do It, also by me, runs each Sunday in the People section.
Community news: Again, under the sections tab, under features, and by topic. Updates are posted on these days in print and web and in web on other days as I have the time: Monday (pets), Tuesday (health), Thursday (faith), Friday (arts and entertainment), and Sunday (people).
Daily updates: I do post the briefs and calendars on Twitter during the week, so you're welcome to follow me at @Denise_Unland61.
BryonySeries stuff: I post curated content relating to the BryonySeries at @BryonySeries. And assorted related content at www.facebook.com/BryonySeries. And of course, please follow the adventures of Bertrand the Mouse on Instagram at
New USF scholarship continues former professor's social work legacy
“Former students keep these scholarships going with me,” Billie Terrell said. “They come back every year, even if they graduated 10, 12 years
ago.”
Which is precisely why Terrell began the scholarship in her
name. So students who remember her will keep it going.
Joliet man had 'front row seat' on the Cassini
In an email, Larry Herath's great-niece, Katie Herath, said that
her uncle "was on the team that created the composite infrared
spectrometer which helped take the many pictures we have of Saturn today."
Ruby the red-tailed hawk flies free
Ruby eagerly flapped her wings as her rescuers, John Papach of Glendale Heights and Heather
Nelson of Plainfield, both licensed falconers, removed her from the cage.
Pets of the Week: Oct. 16
Read the caption of each photo to find out about that pet, including where he or she can be adopted.
http://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2017/10/10/bded2cce7ae747459ead7753a7f82710/index.xml
Mystery Diner: Heroes West has big burgers, hot wings and variety of craft brews
Joliet surgeon offers holistic approach to post-op pain
Dr. Michael Murphy, an orthopedic surgeon, practicing member
of the medical staff at Presence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet and
member of DuPage Medical Group, takes a multidisciplinary approach to
pain relief for his orthopedic surgical patients.
The result often is less
pain, faster recovery
Mystery Diner: Heroes West has big burgers, hot wings and variety of craft brews
The first thing you notice then the wings arrive is that
they aren't the same as a lot of restaurants' boneless wings. They're larger,
thinner and more disc-shaped than circular.
I'm not sure that means anything, but they were spicy and
they were good.
Former Platters music director finds calling
Rev. George Adamson always had “felt something was missing”
during those music career years where Adamson was successful but unfulfilled.
“I basically came to the realization that I needed to have a
relationship with God,” Adamson said.
Joliet center helps those in court system
Donna Fedosenko said the Center for Correctional Concerns began
with a GED program with more programs added as the center expanded. The center
now works with drug court, mental health court, veterans court and Adult
Redeploy Illinois, to name a few.
The center also offers programs to address sexual assault
and domestic abuse, as well as counseling, including grief counseling. Inmates
may need grief counseling after the death of a relative or simply to deal with
incarceration.
“Being sentenced can be very traumatic,” Fedosenko said.
http://www.theherald-news.com/2017/10/18/joliet-center-helps-those-in-court-system/a5gwicb/
“Just last week, a lady stepped out and said, ‘You have the
soul of an angel. Otherwise, you would not be able to paint this,’ ” Campbell
said. “How can you not enjoy that, right?”
Chicago-based artists awaken creativity in Stateville
inmates
"It’s the idea of social justice – we feel like teaching
people in prison is contributing to our communities," Sarah Ross, one of
the founders of the Prison + Neighborhood Arts Project, said
Artworks: 'Beatles' animator selling original work Oct. 21
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