Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Let's Go Fly a Kite....



 
This beautiful photo was taken by Nono Fara. Learn more at www.nonofara.blogspot.com

When is the last time you flew a kite?  I did it this weekend with our kids and my husband and it was awesome.  As a child, I didn’t do stuff like that.  My mom was incredible at exposing us to Greek festivals and jazz, art museums and gem shows, but outdoorsy stuff just wasn’t her thing.  I was 19 when I flew my first kite. 
 
At the helm of my son’s Spiderman kite, watching it rise and twirl in the wind, I thought…why don’t we do this every weekend.  This is so much fun!  Simple.Pure.Joy.  Then I realized - this is definitely going on my 40to40 list. 

I am turning 40 years old this November and I have decided that in celebration of this milestone, I am going to do 40 things that mean something to me or make me happy leading up to my 40th birthday.  The list, so far, includes: visiting a friend I want to reconnect with, seeing a movie by myself, going dancing, having a root beer float at Johnny Rockets, sending a thank you letter to someone who has touched my life in ways they may not realize and taking note of the things I am most proud of accomplishing in my life.  Some of these things may take extensive planning and a plane ticket, others will only require a few minutes of my time, but I am so happy to have been given 40 years on this earth when others didn’t even get 40 seconds.  

My life is a gift and this weekend I was reminded of that…again.  I am planning to post my 40to40 list once it’s finished.  If you are having a milestone birthday and would like to make and share your own list, I’d love to hear from you. 

And don't forget, Order of the Seers is coming out in paperback and ebook next week Tuesday, Sept. 4th.  Mark your calendar!  

As always, if you are out there, thanks for reading!
~ Cerece


Saturday, August 4, 2012

Get Your Geek On….


If you’ve never attended a science fiction convention or “Comic con”, you need to.  Even if you’re not a sci-fi lover like me – trust me, it is an experience you’ll never forget.  Let me give you some highlights from my first Shore Leave Sci-fi Convention in Hunt Valley, MD.  

In less than 4 hours I experienced:

1.       a) A fascinating 3-D mini-lecture on the difference between a nova and a supernova and the general bad-assery of the new and improved James Webb Space Telescope that will replace the Hubble in 2018.

NASA – Light Echo from a Star…whoa

 h   b) The waist cinching miracle of an exceptionally hand crafted, steel-bone corset.

 Yeah, there’s more where this came from at Lady Heather’s Fashion

       c) A man who, along with being a talented milliner, is also a Victorian Funk Rapper.  Don’t believe me – go to www.steampunkfunkbizarre.com

 Lord Monty Jacques III aka Victorian rapper LMJ 3
  
d) The bizarre irony of being hit on by a man old enough to be my grandfather as he explained why I couldn’t be a true Amazon because real Amazons only have one breast.  Then he asked to feel one of mine to make sure it was real. I told him if he didn’t back down I would cut him with my light saber. (Did I mention that the moniker I chose for my convention nametag was Amazonian Maiden Jedi - Yeah, I went all the way.)

Plus, I took a picture with an enchanted fairy.



In short, I had so much fun.  I went to the conference on a kind of reconnaissance mission to promote my book and prepare for attending (and hopefully exhibiting) at the NY Comic Con this October, but what I came away with was a deep sense of community as everyone from the event staff in Hawaiian shirts to the exhibitors to the most die-hard Star Trek fans in their full regalia went out of their way to be helpful, share their knowledge and make me feel welcome.

Special thanks to Inge Heyer and the Star Trek Association of Towson, Inc. for hosting this event, Jade of Collector’s Kingdom for her generosity and my best friend, Kisha, for hanging tight even though she had no idea what we were talking about half the time.  I had a ball.

Live Long and Prosper!

(and thanks for reading)
~ Cerece