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 |  Life, Adventure, Family, Writing what else is there? Random thoughts. |
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WELCOME TO: GEMINI RISING   UPDATED INTRO 28 MAY 2024: Just a little about me. I've been married for 32 years this past NOV and currently live in Southern California, but I grew up in New Hampshire. I've got 2 boys who are young adults. I work as a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. I enjoy my job a lot. Still. If you can believe that. I love to write. Thankfully both of my boys achieved Eagle Scout. My Scouting days are over and I'm back to focusing on my writing. I like to get out in nature, drink coffee and watch football. Here's a little bio about my zodiac. GEMINI: Gemini, the sign of the Twins, is dual-natured, elusive, complex and contradictory. On the one hand it produces the virtue of versatility, and on the other the vices of two-facedness and flightiness. The sign is linked with Mercury, the planet of childhood and youth, and its subjects tend to have the graces and faults of the young. When they are good, they are very attractive; when they are bad they are more the worse for being the charmers they are. Like children they are lively, and happy, if circumstances are right for them, or egocentric, imaginative and restless. Their good qualities are attractive and come easily to them. They are affectionate, courteous, kind, generous, and thoughtful towards the poor and suffering - provided none of the activities resulting from expressing these traits interferes too greatly with their own lives and comforts. Geminians can be successful in many walks of life though their general characteristics tend to make them unreliable. They are often skilled manipulators of language, in speech and writing, and may be: debaters, diplomats (though in politics they are more interested in theory than practice), orators, preachers (brilliant rather than profound), teachers, authors, poets, journalists, or lawyers. This is me. I am a Gemini. Pure, Raw, passionate. The NEW focus of this blog is to share my adventures, travels, random thoughts, book reviews, thoughts, opinions, and writing adventures from actual writing, writing/editing tips, marketing, research. I'll get there.  Find me at: WEBSITE: http://www.stephanieburkhart.com FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor GOOD READS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart YOU TUBE CHANNEL: http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee Previous GRATITIOUS Warning, that I decided to keep in case I post about something that might offend.  WARNING I intend to be open, honest, and forthright. No topic is off limits from religion to you name it, I'm going there. If you think you might be offended...back up now - this blog isn't for you. For those who "dare"  check out the "Gemini Rising..." |
| USA Archery There is NEVER enough time in the day. I was very pleased with my time management and was able to get an Honorable Mention in the
As I like blogging, but don’t get an opportunity to blog everyday, this was a great challenge and I liked the prompts, too. There’s a bunch I could talk about – today’s presidential debate, what I’m having for dinner, but today I thought I’d touch on Archery. My earliest Archery memory was in 7th grade. We had a 2 week block of Archery. At the time I was living with my grandmother in Hinsdale, NH as my parents were divorcing and my mother was working at her job, saving up for an apartment for us. I did very well in that class. I was a natural. I always hit the target and always near the middle, too, but my Archery fell the wayside as high school, the army, then dispatching and basically life, got in the way of fun. I rediscovered archery when the boys were exposed in Cub Scouts. My oldest enjoys Archery as much as I do. My younger one has tried it, but never seemed to enjoy it as much and Andy and I. I discovered that after all these years, I still shoot a very good target. So, with the boys in the middle of their scouting adventure, I signed up with USA Archery and became a level 1 Archery Instructor. Believe it or not there’s, a 12 step procedure to shooting an arrow. There are 2 main bows, recurve and compound. I’ve usually fired a recuve, 65” around a 20 pound pull, but I think I’ll ask Santa for a compound bow for Christmas. Disclaimer: I’m no Katniss  In order to be a level 1 instructor, I have to take Safe Sport, (which is like Archery’s Youth Protection that the scouts mandate), take a background check, and do an in person class which is 8 hours. I did my in Camarillo, CA and Andy did too. I still work with the scouts as my schedule permits even though the boys have eagled out, because I like to give back. Anyone else like archery? |
Today’s Prompt for 7 SEP is: The world is not an ideal place for lots of people. What can YOU do to make it better? Word Count: 448 Okay, I drew a blank. And then I leaned back and said, waitaminute – I’m a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. And before that I was an MP in the US Army. I’ve been doing my part for over 35 years, now. I’ve been working for LAPD as 911 dispatcher for 24 years now. The job is not an easy one to get. The hiring phase consisted of a written test, a typing test, an oral interview, a background check, and a medical check, before a job offer. It took 7 months from putting in the application to the hiring date. I was hired in FEB 2000. Training took a year, and I was on probation for 6 before being considering officially hired. One aspect of my job is to talk to the officers on the air. They make all kinds of requests from traffic stops to Help calls. When the LA Lakers 3-peated in the early aughts, the celebration set the city on fire. Lots of help calls that day. It’s very important to be quick and accurate for officer safety when you talk to them on the phone. Another aspect of my job is talking to the callers and creating calls for service. Talking to callers is never easy. They yell at you and talk down to you even though they want the police’s help. I’ve taken very serious calls such as shootings and stabbings. Since covid, a lot of calls we used to go out on to take a report is now an online report. The citizens don’t like that, too much. They want the police to come out, but defund the police policies have cut the budget and there’s no way around that. A dispatcher is always heard, but never seen. I’ve taken funny calls and I’ve taken life threatening calls, but I know after I’ve put in a hard day’s work on the phones, that I’ve done my best to help the citizens of Los Angeles. As an MP in the US Army, I helped provide physical security of nuke sites in Germany and law enforcement duties on Ft. Irwin. I’ve also served as a scout leader for the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts as my sons were going through the program and I’ve serviced as a religious education teacher in my school. Working in religious education is something I’ve been doing since I was a teenager. I’ve been service to others since my teens, but it’s not something I think about too much. I’m just happy to help others. Until a majority of people learn to take responsibility for their actions, there’s not much to be done to help the world. But I try. |
Blog Week Post #6 Secrets
Today’s Prompt for 6 SEP is: Nothing makes us so lonely as our secrets. Paul Tournier Can you share a secret? Small or big, tell us. No? Tell us why not. Word Count: 408 Well, that’s an interesting quote. I suppose our secrets play with our heads. You can either keep a secret to yourself or you can tell it – and then it’s not a secret anymore, I suppose it’s a rumor. Haha. Secrets lean toward being bad, don’t they? What’s the BIG you always see ? Maury says it best: “You are NOT the father.” I suppose it’s much harder to keep secret who your mother was, but George RR Martin did a really good job keeping Jon Snow’s mother a secret for quite awhile. There’s always the good secret – Maybe a baby reveal? A promotion? A job? They’re not secrets for long. Do I have a secret? Not really. I’m pretty much an open book. If I have a secret, I can’t keep it a secret for long because I’m a Gemini and I like to blab. We do have the gift of communication you see. I suppose a little secret is that I have a pain in my hip. Nothing I can’t handle pain wise. I’m 56 and post-menopausal which basically means I have no estrogen. Great, no periods – right? Well, estrogen helps lube the joints and my joints have no estrogen which means it’s a lot easier for inflammation to creep in. Inflammation fuels the aches and pains and thus I have an ache in my hip. I did some physical therapy on it which helped, but I could go for more, but I don’t have much left on my FLEX account so the PT ran out. Now, I’ve found a progesterone/estrogen crème that I run on it which helps. I’ve been using Field of Greens which I think helps. At least my gut likes me. I use a detox spray – again, I think my gut loves it. I’ve been using bromelain and quercetin as natural anti-inflammatories but when it’s annoying, I’ll take an advil. Oh, I just started taking olive oil. You can take OO by the tablespoon or use pills. They have pills you can buy on amazon, but I’ve been taking EVOO cold pressed via tablespoon. I take 2-4 tablespoons a day. I’ve noticed a difference since taking the EVOO. I’ll write a blog on the benefits of EVOO. I’m just managing it now. I’d like to lose some weight and help it out, but when your 56 and your metabolism doesn’t want to cooperate, you’ve got to be patient. Secrets? I’ll pass. Smiles Steph |
Today’s Prompt for 5 SEP is: The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go. Dr. Seuss. Tell us more about the writer in you. Plans/Aspirations/Fears/Status etc? Word Count: 437 Amazing how Dr. Seuss inspired not only my generation, but generations, period. There’s so much wisdom in those words – the more you learn, the more places you go. Going places and gaining experience is learning and it’s a fun way to learn. It’s the “This is amazing” factor of new places that imbue a sense of wonder. That’s something I had when I went to Germany with the US Army in the 1980’s. It’s not only the sense of adventure and wonder that I draw on as a writer, but it’s those powerful emotions I experienced at the time as well. From the aughts to the mid-teens, I wrote a large amount of material that was published with small press. Unfortunately, those small presses went out of business, or down-sized, in the late teens, leaving me with a lot of good material that was now, unpublished. My plan and aspirations going forward now, it to re-publish my material as a self-published author. The work is slow, but rewarding. Any writing fears? No. I’ve gotten over them. I really fine-tuned my writing during the aughts and early teens. Learning how to self-edit and be patient with yourself was really an important skill to learn. While I do have 2 new works “in the works,” I don’t believe I’ll be finishing them any time soon. So far, I’ve re-published 8 of my stories. I have 1 novel length story that’s been re-published, 2 novella length stories that are available in ebook and print, and 5 shorter stories between 10-20K words that are available for ebook. I have at least 13 more stories to go! If anything, I suppose my fears is not getting the work done at all. When you self-publish, you really take a lot onto yourself. First you write the manuscript, edit, work with a beta reader, edit some more and prepare a final copy. Next you need to work on a cover. Then comes blurbs – a book length blurb, a short hook, and a series blurb. Then you need to secure a copyright to legally protect your intellectual property. You need to secure ISBNS and and barcode for publishing. Then you need to format and upload. Once officially published, there’s marketing, which really isn’t easy, especially with me, because I want to work on the next story. Currently, I’m working on re-publishing a short story for Kindle/Smashwords. It’s a sweet Christmas story that takes place in the Netherlands about ice skating. The only thing stopping me is that I run out of time. Let me get going. I’ve got things to write! All the best, Steph |
Blog Week Post #4 Blue Ducky
Today’s Prompt for 4 SEP is: A Photo Prompt. I picked “Blue Ducky” Word Count: 395 Oh boy, this is my first carnival. I can’t wait until some lucky boy or girl wins me in this game. The girl who runs the game picked me out of a big bucket of duckies. There are some pick duckies and lots of yellow duckies, but I’m the only blue ducky. I watch all the little girls and boys walk by and try to smile to catch their attention, so they’ll play the game. The game involves water guns. You pay the teenage girl in charge of the game, and she powers up your water gun. Then you have to hit the target, but it gets big, then gets small, then gets big again. The water gun runs for 15 seconds. If you hit the target, you win a duck. Most of the kids pick the yellow duckies. That’s okay. I’ve got a better smile than the yellow ducks. A little girl with wide eyes and a kind smile walked by and stopped. Slowly, she watched as another little boy aimed his water gun. He hit the target and won a yellow duck. “Mom, I wanna’ try and win a duck.” “Okay sweetie.” Mom dug into her purse. I smiled my best smile. I liked this girl. I want to go home with her. Pick me, Sweetie!! Mom gave the girl in charge of the game some money and the girl in charge of the game powered up the water gun. Sweetie looked at all the targets. “Mom! What if I miss?” “Then you don’t get a duck,” said Mom. I tried not to frown. “I want the blue duck, Mom.” “Why, Sweetie?” “Because he’s the only one that’s blue. He needs a good home!” “Then aim good, okay, Sweetie, because I don’t have a lot of change.” Sweetie poked her tongue out between her lips and closed one eye as she took aim. I was crossing my plastic feathers. C’Mon, Sweetie, you can do it! Water splashed everywhere!! I didn’t know what happened. “Mommy! I did it!” yelled Sweetie. “You got everything, Sweetie.” “Yeah, even me.” The girl running the booth frowned. Her shirt was soaked. “Can I have the blue ducky?” asked Sweetie, all smiles. “Sure.” The booth girl handed me to Sweetie. I squeaked for her. “He’s the best, Mommy!” Sweetie grinned and we walked off. Forever home here I come! |
Today’s Prompt for 3 SEP is: You can achieve all the things you want to do, but it's much better to do it with loved ones around you; family and friends, people that you care about that can help you on the way and can celebrate you, and you can enjoy the journey. ~John Lasseter Your most significant other(s) is/are....! Write about your loved ones (furry or not). Word Count: 430 Well, I do agree – I can achieve all things I want to do, but it’s better with loved ones. Warts and all. And after 32 years of marriage there’s some warts.  I met the hubby when I was 23 and he was 22. I think. Or I was 22 and he was 21. I can’t remember it was so long ago. We met in Butzbach, Germany, as we were stationed in Germany at the time. It was 1990 and we attended a leadership course called “Primary Leadership Development Course.” Or PLDC. Those early years really did sum up “achieving all we want to do, but it’s better to do it with friends and loved ones.” On our days off we would visit Hanau and eat at Chi Chi’s an American themed Mexican restaurant. I think one of our first dates was at the Chinese restaurant in Bad Hersfeld. Honestly, at the time, food in Germany was pretty tasty wherever you went. We had friends in Berlin and would travel there to spend a weekend and explore Berlin. That was right after the Wall fell but before German unification so we still had to travel the authorized way to Berlin and pass through Checkpoint Alpha and Bravo. We took USO trips to Berchesgarten and Garmish. Berchesgarten was awesome. There was a salt mines and we could visit Hitler’s hideaway at the Eagle’s Nest. Garmish was a little bit more low key, but I remember going skiing there. My first and only time. Ultimately, we got married in Falster, Nykobig, Denmark and took the train to get there. Exciting times. Throughout it all, my friends from High School were always there for me – Idgy, Karen, and Alyssa. As was my sister. Karen and Alyssa came to visit me in Germany when I was station over there and I can remember long letters talking about Germany and sending them photos. I sent them gifts, too. As the years passed by, we established a yahoogroups and kept in touch via emails. We still do. Honestly, the girls are my rock and it’s awesome that we can still share our ups and downs with each other. These past couple of years, I’ve taken the family out there to spend time in New England with the “aunties” as I call my friends. The boys have taken to the aunties with lots of love. One of our favorite adventures was visiting Warren’s Lobster house in Maine back in April 2022. Whatever the journey, having the family and the Aunties along for the ride make great memories. |
Today’s Prompt for 2 SEP is: Tell us about an earthshaking Life-or-Death situation in your life. What happened, how did it change you, if at all? Word Count: 370 Gosh, this one can be a tough one. I think we made so many decisions over the course of our lives and mine has a lot. Getting my first job at NHRGA, joining the Army, visiting Berlin before the wall fell, getting married, getting out of the army, getting a job with LAPD, deciding to write and publish my writing, joining Writing.com, having my kids, scouting with my kids, and now I’m facing the retirement decision. Decisions come quick to Geminis and sometimes we don’t always thinking out ALL the consequences that can occur with our decisions. Sometimes I think I know something, make a decision and realize that I was too rash in making that decision because I didn’t have all the facts. In 1997 I had applied for two dispatching jobs. One with LAPD and one with the Ventura County Sheriff’s office at the time, as I lived in Ventura county. The process for both were about the same. Take a written test, provide proof that I was a decent typist, do an interview, and get a background check. LAPD’s process was a bit more extensive with a drug test and a medical background test. I believe Ventura County offered me the dispatching job first, but I knew LAPD’s offer wouldn’t be far off. My husband said, see if you can wait for LAPD. I told Ventura Sheriff’s I’d think about it. LAPD’s offer came in. It was more money and bigger benefits. I took their offer. Ventura Sheriff’s was sad to see me go, but understood. How did it change me? I don’t know if it changed me, but it did “sharpen” me. Previous to being a dispatcher, I was in the Army. I’ve been “Service to Others,” practically my whole life and I enjoy it very much. It sharpened the knowledge within me that I wanted my life’s focus to be “service to others.” It also showed me that dispatchers are a close community and I do have a core group of work friends who share my values. Being a dispatcher reinforced in me the type of person I want to be, and I’ve learned it’s something I enjoy. I’m a happier person because of it. |
This is for Mentor Monday for the following forum:
The Prompt: We all have people on WDC who've helped us out. Tell us about 3 people that have been like a mentor to you. What have they done? What help was invaluable? Write a blog entry or a static item and link it here. For me, a mentor is someone you can go to when you need a little help. A mentor is a wise and trusted counselor who you know you can seek out for wisdom. My first mentor was Starr Phenix   . We were both writing at the time. I had done fan fiction and wanted to branch out. She had come up with her own original series which I wrote fan fiction for (Think Bastian and Edana.) She found Writing.com and lead me to the site. I joined the very next day. As I was serious about wanting to grow my writing, I followed her lead when it came to learning the website and I was very appreciative of her guidance. You can still find some of my earlier work in my port. She was there to help me get preferred and helped me become a moderator. My next two mentors really helped me grow into my role as a moderator and they are Ẃeβ࿚ẂỉԎḈĥ  and iKïyå§ama  . Ẃeβ࿚ẂỉԎḈĥ is wonderfully reliable and dependable and it’s her dedication and upbeat attitude that I admire. When I needed help with the Bard’s Hall (which was originally created by Starr Phenix Webbie was there for me. She’s incredibly creative and I couldn’t have a better friend and mentor here on the site. Whenever I have a technical question, I know I can ask Webbie. And when I need to be talked off the ledge, I always go to Webbie first before I blow my vibes. (((hugs))) WebbieiKïyå§ama has created such a wonderful group with the Angel Army. I love how she has built up the community over the years. I’m proud to be a member and I can’t thank Kiya enough for being so incredibly patient with me as I was tied up with the boys, their scouting adventures, and being their personal chauffer. With the boys graduating, I’m happy to spend my time giving back to the Angel Army. Whenever I need a graphic, Kiya has always been there for me. She’s such a fabulous talented graphic artist. I love her artwork. She’s another one I can go to when I have a technical question or when I need guidance regarding an issue. I’m happy to know that when I need a little guidance when it comes to Writing.com, I can always touch base with them. Happy 24th WDC! |
Hi everyone!! Sadly, I missed blogging in August because it was so busy for me. Sigh… but I’m back ! hehehe. I was poking around the WDC Birthday celebration activities and found the following:
So I thought I’d blog. Today’s prompt is: Prompt 1. Sept 1. It's the site's 24th Anniversary. Tell us about your love or fondness of Writing.com. What makes this a wonderful place for writers? Why are you (still) here? Word Count: 434 Back in 2005, my friend, Starrstruck, recommended I check out WDC. I was working on “fine tuning” my writing back then, really getting into the weeds with plotting, character development, word counts, etc and thought it would be a great opportunity for me to learn and grow as a writer so I signed up that April. I can honestly I don’t regret it one bit. Why am I fond of WDC? Because it’s allowed me to grow so much as a writer. I discovered I was a punster when it came to plotting. I learned that character bios and research really help you to nail a story. I learned different styles of poetry, and I learned how to give a review. Sometimes it’s not easy to receive constructive criticism as a writer, and learning how to write, tactfully, so it doesn’t sting is a fine art that I’ve mastered here on WDC. I’m happy to support the website as a moderator. My early dive into community support was to create the Bard’s Hall.
I don’t know if it would be alive today, but it is and it’s classic. Haha. I’ve been writing newsletters since 2007, first the Drama NL, then the Romance/Love NL, and occasionally the Action/Adventure NL. I love giving anniversary reviews. I’m a proud member of the Angel Army and I just started my own community, the Bee Hive which passes out Good Vibes to the community. What makes this a wonderful place for writers is the sense of the community. We’re here for each other. I really appreciate the reviews and feedback I get on my writing. I love sharing my accomplishments and celebrating others when they share their accomplishments. That positivity has really allowed me to grow. Why am I still here? Because, honestly, I love it. I enjoy sharing and giving back to the community who gave me so much. I love to see what everyone is up to and how I can help them. My favorites are: Ẃeβ࿚ẂỉԎḈĥ iKïyå§ama Lyn's a Witchy Woman  and all the Bees at the Bee Hive. Haha!! I know WDC can be a bit overwhelming when you first join. It’s never easy being a NewBee. I think forums like the Angel Army are a great way to ease into the website. Another tip I would give to New Bees: be receptive to feedback. Read the Newsletters. Participate in the Daily Flash Fiction and Writer’s Cramp. They’re great forums to get your feet wet and you can grow from there. Happy Birthday WDC!! It’s great to be here! |
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Couldn't keep that one tucked away, could you?
