Thursday Thirteen - The Color Blue

Thirteen things that are blue; inspired by number 13.

1. The Caribbean Sea

2. Smurfs

3. My novelty pen from a colleague’s trip to Las Vegas

4. The background of MS Word on my company desktop

5. A vintage name patch from Walt Disneyworld

6. Part of a short story title I need to finish writing (“Into the Blue”)

7. The aptly named Blue Jay, a native bird of North America

8. Those distinctive veins in gorgonzola cheese

9. Jugs for our home water cooler

10. Brilliant Irish actor Cillian Murphy’s eyes

11. Blooms of the Heavenly Blue morning glory, a favorite flower

12. The ink on a good friend’s inspirational postcard

13. Tor Cyan, a Genetic Infantryman from futuristic British comic “2000 AD”

Thursday Thirteen - Jet Mykles

In celebration of an interview and contest on my group writer's blog (here: Nightlight), I decided to list thirteen reasons to read Jet Mykles's books.

1. Hot, romantic m/m - what can I say?  I'm hooked

2. "Heaven Sent" - hot rockers with a classic Yaoi feel to their tales

3. Darl Elves - gotta love fantasy

4. "Reverb" - more rock 'n roll with a darker flavor

5. The "Leashed" series - shapeshifters!

6. Threesomes - she makes them seem workable

7. Realistic characters - including side characters

8. World building - she really draws me in

9. Johnnie Heaven - Heaven Sent's sexy front man

10. Lucas Sloane - Heaven Sent bass player

11. Darien - Heaven Sent drummer

12. Brent Rose - Heaven Sent lead guitarist

13. Heller Witting - Heaven Sent keyboard player

Can you tell I'm a fan of the "Heaven Sent" series?

~

Flash Fiction - A Short Story Packed into One Chapter

First Date

Marko crooned in stooping to pet the cat, earning him points in Frank’s book. Thumb and forefinger formed an “O” to swipe the circumference of the upright tail to the end. The tip flip flopped encouragingly.

“Male or female?”

“Female.”

“What’s her name?” Marko asked, petting her behind the ears so that she purred.

“Miss Whiskers,” Frank said, feeling his face flush slightly. “My sister and I were kids when we named her.”

“It’s cute. What do you call her for short?”

“It used to be Missy but now I’m more likely to call her Whiskey. It fits her better; she’s a no fuss cat.”

“And she responds to any of the three?”

“Are you kidding? She’s a cat. She’ll respond to a plate of food. The rest of the attention she gives me is icing on the cake.”

Marko stood, swiping long hair from his neck. A grin lit his angular face, softening attractively sharp features to make him look younger than his professed twenty-four. Frank suddenly thought he looked better than any old cake, even one with his favorite butter cream frosting.

“Your bio mentioned two cats.”

“Bigelow is a big fraidy cat. He hides the moment the doorbell rings.”

“Bigelow?”

“He’s huge. Has been since I got him from the shelter. They just called him Big Boy.”

“I hope I can meet him later. Maybe after the movie he’ll be willing to greet me without the doorbell to scare him.”

Frank couldn’t believe he’d heard right. Marko acted awfully sure of this first date. Their eyes met over the silence. Standing about the same height as Frank, Marko seemed to suddenly realize what he said by the slight widening of his eyes.

“Uh, shall we go? We’ll have time to get snacks and watch all the previews if we leave now.”

“Sounds good. We might not catch a cab right away, anyway.”

“I told the driver to wait.”

Frank liked that Marko showed no ulterior motive in agreeing to meet at his apartment. He tested his first dates that way, and most never survived to a second. They usually pushed intimacy too fast for Frank’s comfort

He shut the door soundly on that thought and locked it just as surely as he did the physical door to his New York apartment. He might have needed a shoehorn to move in but it served well as home for the three “people”, as Frank liked to think of his feline buddies.

“Your place is nice,” Marko praised belatedly.

Following on his thought about the size, Frank almost laughed. Instead, he managed to thank the other man with only a slightly self deprecating comment.

“It’s tiny, but it’s home.”

“Who needs a big place when you’re young, anyway? I have a shoebox, myself. I’d rather spend my money on living than a place to sleep my life away.”

“I like the way you think.”

They exchanged good humor at that, their chuckles echoing in the elevator they entered. The pair already knew what movie to see, having decided while communicating through the gay dating website.

Plans changed when they agreed that the movie stunk. The conclusion occurred to Frank early on but Marko spoke up first.

“You’re an old movie buff. What about watching a classic instead of this 3D mess?”

Plan B took shape by the time they returned to Frank’s place. Soon they munched popcorn and sipped beer over a romantic comedy from the forties.

“Better?”

“Much,” Frank agreed.

The clean-cut brunette’s agreement grew when Marko’s hand brushed his in the popcorn bowl. An on-screen kiss led to an admirable imitation on the couch with Marko taking the initiative. He turned Frank, whose fingers tangled in shaggy blond locks. Frank tugged lightly until their lips parted.

“Too fast?” Marko breathed.

“I don’t know.”

“Then let’s just relax and watch the DVD.”

“Okay,” Frank answered.

The coiled heat in Frank’s abdomen protested a shift to again face front from the sofa. Reaching for his beer, he saw Bigelow chose that moment to walk in front of the television.

“Hey, boy!”

The Maine Coon mix trotted to Marko’s outstretched hand. Bigelow sniffed, then batted his forehead against the back of Mark’s knuckles, a sure sign of acceptance.

“I think he likes me,” Marko enthused.

“I’ve never seen anyone allowed to touch him on the first visit.”

“Technically, it’s my second.”

“Oh, yeah,” Frank mumbled. “I guess it is.”

“You’re really cute when you blush. What if I told you I’d like to spend the night and make more of you blush?”

“I’d say we’re definitely rushing things, then.”

“All right. Let’s finish the movie and I’ll go.”

“Really? I don’t mean to be a jerk.”

“Hey, you’re just being honest. I respect that.”

After the closing scene, Marko stuck to his promise. Frank saw him off with a chaste kiss and plans to go out the following day. Nothing specific set other than where to meet, not even a time, Frank found himself unable to sleep.

The doorbell rang about forty-five minutes later. Wide awake, Frank walked to the door in his boxers figuring his neighbor just wanted to talk about her boyfriend trouble. He never should have started offering an ear at all hours. Instead, Marko stood in the doorway with a box of donuts.

“Hey, Frank. I figure it’s tomorrow. I hope you don’t mind.” To the unasked question, he answered, “My uncle owns the pastry shop around the corner. These were just made for the morning rush.”

“They smell like heaven. I don’t know, though. I’m dressed for bed and everything.”

“Perfect,” Marko growled. “Oh, yeah, there’s that red face. Come on, let me in. I won’t go any farther than you want. We can even watch another movie if you like.”

Frank nodded, smiling. Bigelow liked the man, after all, which said a lot. And the donuts would help keep his inner werewolf at bay. It wasn’t meat but, with any luck, Marko would survive the night so they could enjoy getting to know one another.

Mostly, anyway.

-

Thursday Thirteen - Signs of the Times

My partner and I recently went to a bar and grill that struck us as open and inviting. Later, upon trying to recall the name for posterity, I found online the following wardrobe restrictions that seriously opened my eyes. They all seem to relate to gang attire. It sure surprised this suburban girl. What do you think of all this?

-All hats must be straight forward/backward
-All loose neck jewelry must be tucked in
-No men's sleeveless shirts/tank tops
-No wave-caps/headbands
-No bandanas
-No athletic jerseys (except collared jerseys)
-No jump suits/athletic wear
-No baggy clothing
-No exposed men's underwear
-No sunglasses after sunset
-No hoods pulled over head
-Home and Away Jerseys allowed on game day only
-Clothing or jewelry which poses a safety risk to customers or employees is prohibited. You may not modify your wardrobe at time of entry to meet the dress code.

~

Thursday Thirteen - My Clutter

I surveyed what resides on my desk and thought it worthy to share. Some is mundane but not all, as I hope you'll agree. Here goes:

1. A miniature jar of Play-Doh - this came from a local chapter of NaNoWriMo last November when I joined a great group of people writing a novel in November; it's a great stress reliever for playtime

2. My digital picture frame filled with photos of favorite drummer Ukyou Kamimura (Kami), now deceased member of the former Japanese visual kei band Malice Mizer

3. Logitech speakers for my laptop - a good, portable way to get good sound

4. A paper holder like a miniature paperweight with a curved slit for propping paper at the proper angle for reading at a keyboard

5. Advair 500/50 diskus for my asthma - thank goodness for good health insurance

6. One tire shaped squeeze ball - good to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome

7. A tea bag holder for when I'm done soaking the elixir in my drink

8. CD cases - a slew I need to put away after having downloaded them to my iPods

9. One of four Southpark coasters for my tea or other drink of choice - this is one of Stan while the rest of the guys' faces are strewn about the family room

10. A Red Rock Canyon postcard from precious friends - I should have joined that writing group on their excursion

11. TretraMin fish food flakes for the nearby aquarium - the eldest cat knocked it over out of curiosity and I need to buy more

12. A commemorative coffin shaped desk clock from Japanese rocker Gackt - the thing is so cool that it runs backward with a reverse Roman numeral face

13. Two tickets for a hot air balloon ride courtesy of my parents (!!!) - it's a gift I can use all over the country (where would you suggest?)

Thursday Thirteen - How Much Stuff is Too Much?

I’ve taken to watching a show about hoarding lately. The tales are sad but hard to turn off and make me realize that there are collections in my home that could stand to be thinned out. While my buying isn’t out of control, I do have these things in abundance. Many will probably surprise no one within the writing community.

1. Books

2. Pens

3. CD’s

4. Greeting cards from loved ones

5. Notebooks

6. Clothing

7. Hair accessories

8. Halloween decorations

9. Comic books

10. Cat toys

11. Jewelry

12. DVD’s

13. Mugs

-

Thursday Thirteen - Father's Day Special

I am probably not alone in appreciating my father for this Thursday's list. I can only hope that you have a special dad with whom to share mutual affection. Here are thirteen cool things about mine:

1. Dad calls me regularly so that we keep in touch even when I get wrapped up in life and neglect picking up the phone.

2. He treats his children’s spouses like they’re his own. Dad (and Mom) basically adopted my husband.

3. He cooks most of the Thanksgiving meal for the whole clan from turkey to pumpkin pies.

4. He employed all of his adult children at various times and did his best to act as a fair boss.

5. He refitted a vintage bicycle so I could ride in comfort cheaply.

6. He graciously trades valuable services for neighbors’ small favors.

7. He loves dogs and all his kids’ various other critters

8. He built a basement underneath our existing ranch house when I was a toddler.

9. He maintained numerous simultaneous jobs so our mother of four could stay home for the full-time occupation of child and household care.

10. He’s built three (!) cat trees for my pets. Those things cost a fortune and each is unique.

11. He used his time, energy, and expertise to renovate our second floor deck. That bought us years before we need to replace the expensive thing.

12. He drove my mom clear across the state so they could both kindly stay with me while my husband underwent major surgery.

13. Last but not least, Dad and Mom left the hospital that recent day while giving me the impression they were heading straight home. Instead, he took the time to mow my lawn so I had one less thing to worry about during my husband’s recovery.

Thanks, Dad, for being you!

Thursday Thirteen - Crayon Castles

If you're a parent who has several thousand dollars burning a hole in your pocket, here are thirteen bedroom creations available to purchase from the talented people at Crayon Castles. Even if these might be out of your price range, I must suggest that you check out crayoncastles.com for smaller accent furnishings and neat ideas.