#365Gratitude Day 324: My research assistant

Often in my writing I need to fact check, or do research. Just recently I needed to look up how to say "orange soda" in Chinese, a good recipe for chocolate cake, and in the past several days I've been investigating Ch'an sect Buddhism, and vegetarianism. 

The Internet is such an amazing resource for me.  Between factual pages, reference sites like Wikipedia, message boards, and social media I can go from no knowledge of a subject to enough to comfortably write it into a story. 

It's such an ingrained part of my daily existence, I usually just take it for granted.  

But really, it's amazing. 

#365Gratitude Day 323: I flerken love comics

Ever since I was a kid I have loved comic books.  My dad used to get them for me on Sunday mornings.  He'd go out to this local convenience store and come back with several, and I'd rip right through them at breakneck speed. 

As I got older I'd sometimes go with him, or get them on my own. Over the years I amassed a size able little collection which I read a lot, and mostly mishandled. I didn't bag-and-board for the most part, and now as an adult I have a few office boxes with several hundred comics of probably very little value.

don't care. I love them. But I don't pull out my paper comics very often. 

A few years back I got an iPad and suddenly comics were huge for me again. I use an app/service called Comixology.

eading comics digitally has been a revelation for me. I love that I can have all the issues of something I own at my beck  and call whenever I want. 

As an ageplayer, digital comics are an easy guilty pleasure. They're relatively cheap, and I can sneak a read of them on my hone or iPad almost anyplace. 

Plus, I can go off on a wild hare of exploration easily.

I did that just yesterday.  I'm really psyched that a Captain Marvel movie is in the works. 

I bought a graphic novel of the character, and a few more issues too.

It's a great book.

Carol Danvers is a badass.  

Plus, she's got an adorable flerken cat. 

#365Gratitude Day 322: No Pressure

Yesterday morning it was crazy cold out.  When I got in the car to go to work it was dark, my breath was steaming and...

My tire pressure light was on. 

I figured that it was just because of the temperature differential. So I got on my way to work. 

Thankfully, I take a commuter train to work.  At the end of the day, when I got back in the car it was still on.

I'm fortunate in that I have a local mechanic with great hours and really good service.

Turned out I was low in all four tires.  They filled me up and sent me on my way, no charge.

I'm grateful that didn't turn out worse. 

#365Gratitude Day 321: A Series of Friends

So tonight was the last installment of the Big Little Podcast Summer Reading Series.

Of course, summer's long behind us.  During the reading series, I've been reading from both Auntie Eva's Boarder and my new book, Concerning Littleton.  I started doing it as a way to tide the listeners over during the podcast's summer hiatus, and to promote the new book.

It's been a great success.  Books have sold, but more importantly, I've made some wonderful friends.

It tends to go the same way each week.  I read for about 90 minutes, then a crew of friends joins me on Skype, and we goof on the stream for another 90 or so.  It's tiring, but so fun.

I'm so grateful for the support these wonderful people have given me.

During tonight's last chat, one of the series regulars, Padan Wolf said something that struck me SO FUNNY about people getting into ranty tears on fetlife, "A Caps Lock key isn't cruise control for being cool."

How great is that, right?

#365Gratitude Day 320: Different Shaped Nozzles

Often my gratitude is about abstract philosophical things. But sometimes, it's not. 

Yesterday we stopped on our way home from Virginia Beach to gas up the car. 

I reached for the green nozzle and tried to put it in the gas tank. It wouldn't fit. After monkeying with it for a bit I realized it was for the diesel fuel. 

I switched to the right one and it fit just fine. Whew! That was almost a terrible mistake! I'm grateful for the thoughtful folks whose engineering and design prevented me from royally screwing up my car.