Author: marylowd

Back when I did regular World of Warcraft raids, there was this one guy in the guild who said after beating the big boss, “I hope he drops paladin gear!” He was a paladin.  I think about this a lot. See, everyone got mad at him. But… I mean… it’s what we were all thinking?

If you weren’t hoping the boss would drop gear you wanted… what were you doing? This was back when raids took HOURS of sitting around and waiting, because you had to coordinate FORTY people, most of whom could barely play.  You didn’t do it if you didn’t want the loot. Continue reading “The Paladin Who Wanted Loot”

The thirteen-year-old is upset. Why? They rewatched Speed and are worried they didn’t enjoy it enough.

Either that, or they just love it too much.

They’re not sure which. Continue reading “Speed Bingeing”

Back when I did regular World of Warcraft raids, there was this one guy in the guild who said after beating the big boss, “I hope he drops paladin gear!” He was a paladin. I think about this a lot. See, everyone got mad at him. But… I mean… it’s what we were all thinking? Continue reading “I Hope the Boss Drops Loot for Me”

The 13-year-old has been developing a fear of fear itself, like pointing a mirror at a mirror. So, I’ve decided to start walking them through a carefully curated set of scary movies.

First up was Speed. The kid was terrified to start, but then grinned the whole way through. Continue reading “Battling Fear with Horror”

The 13-year-old has been developing a fear of fear itself, like pointing a mirror at a mirror. So, I’ve decided to start walking them through a carefully curated set of scary movies.

First up was Speed. The kid was terrified to start, but then grinned the whole way through. Continue reading “Horror as an Antidote to Fear”

That feeling of relief when the kitten suddenly considers deciding that framed things hanging on walls are fun to knock down… and just as quickly decides, nah, that seems boring after all, better to find something else to do.

—acquire a toy she especially loves
—locate a particularly enticing tangle of power cords where you don’t want her playing with above toy
—when she plays with toy in cords, take it away and throw as far as possible
—wait a few moments and repeat

“There’s a difference between things you actually want to do with your life, and things that are aesthetically pleasing to imagine.”

—me, explaining how I was delighted to discover a set of 3 films that go together perfectly, but don’t actually want to do a movie night w/them

Today’s writing related internet searches: “beaver claws” and “types of clouds.”

Me: “What’s the word that’s like nocturnal… except… for water…”

Friend: “Aquatic?” Continue reading “Writing About Aquatic Animals in Clouds”