Thursday’s BORKING REPORT!

On By Rhys FordIn Borking Day1 Comment

Today’s BORKING REPORT!

It’s an overcast day over here in Potato Land. About 65ºF (18ºC) but it doesn’t look like it’s going to rain. I see a hint of blue skies off in the distance but it’s a grey blue so there’s still a sheen of clouds over the hills. The rain would have been nice BUT we all know how much the Potato likes to roll around in wet grass and come back stained green and with leaves stuck to him.

I’d like to NOT give him a bath today.

There’s apparently a lot of workers out today. There IS some major construction and reno being done on a lot of houses in the neighbourhood and the one thing his Auntie Jessica has been firm about is people coming up to the Potato to pet him “because he’s cute”.

BUT as we all know, when outside on a Bork, the Blond Potato is there for business. There is no stopping to talk to people. No shenanigans other than finding a wet lawn and borking at people to wear masks, stay 6 feet apart, and most of all, get off the damned roof before you kill yourself (even if you ARE a roofer). He’s also disgruntled about lawn guys with dangerous machines like chain saws and mowers. He’s quite quick to judge their safety standards like some outraged OSHA supervisor.

He came home tired and happy, having scolded the world back into order… then promptly went scuba diving into his copper bowl, shook off a waterfall of drops onto the carpet, me, and his Auntie Jessica (and a bit on Badger) then proceeded to cavort and wiggle about. Now he’s taking a bit of a rest but is contemplating eating the small amount of kibble he left behind for his breakfast. Kibble eating is a very intense stalking and must be approached thoughtful and with great reflection. One does not simply shove one’s head into the food dish. It is food, after all…and not water.

From his Auntie Jessica:
Gus did a lot of borking at all the workers out this morning! He got very tired after that walk! I hope he’s getting plenty of water and rest now.
Best, Jessica

No GRL 2021 but DEFINITELY GRL 2022!

On By Rhys FordIn Bloggy Stuff1 Comment
Okay. I wrestled with this for a long time and there’s been a lot of back and forth. Sadly, I came to the decision that I’m not going to be able to attend GRL this year.
And God knows, I want to. I want to see all of you. I just don’t know if I’ll be in a good headspace to do that. I’ve got some healing to do after losing friends and family this past year and well, just general brain fuckery.
I will definitely aim to be there in 2022 … what’s the saying? God Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise. Which I guess means as long as I can make it across the river, I’ll be there.
I want to thank the GRL organizers for doing such an incredible job with GRL and for letting us all be a part of such a fantastic event. I hope you all have the opportunity to attend one and truly enjoy a unique and joyous gathering.
See you at GRL 2022!

‘Nother Sip of Gin Audiobook is Ready for your Listening Pleasure

On By Rhys FordIn Bloggy Stuff, Good News1 Comment
I am so delighted  ‘Nother Sip of Gin Audiobook was out.
Check out Kale Williams bringing the Sinners (and 415 Ink) boys to life! Because it’s a nice weekend to have another Sip of Gin!
Honestly, listening to Kale work through these stories is like coming home to good friends. I was so excited to hear his work and couldn’t be happier to have him onboard. It’s sooo good.
For Crossroads Gin rock stars Miki, Damien, Rafe, and Forest, life is a Möbius strip of music, mayhem, and murder. Through it all, the sweet, hot moments between tours with lovers, friends, and family keep them sane, healthy, and happy. This Sinners collection features short stories spanning the entire series, from before the first note to after the lights go out.

TIL “Who Let The Dogs Out” is a Feminist Anthem

On By Rhys FordIn Rhys Ford
Huh… I did not know this.
 
“Who Let The Dogs Out” is a cover of the 1998 song “Doggie” (or “Dogie”) by Trinidadian Calypso / Soca / Junkanoo artist Anslem Douglas.[5] Douglas himself admitted that the song has nothing to do with dogs and actually has a feminist theme. In an interview that was published on his website, he said:
 
“It’s a man-bashing song. I’ll tell you why. The lyric of the song says, ‘The party was nice, the party was pumpin’.’ When I said the word ‘party’ I was being metaphorical. It really means things were going great. The ‘Yippie-Yi-Yo,’ that’s everybody’s happy, right? ‘And everybody was having a ball.’ Life was going great. ‘Until the men start the name-callin’ / And then the girls respond to the call.’ So the men started calling the women ‘skank’ and ‘skettel,’ every dirty word you can think of. The men started the name-calling and then the girls respond to the call. And then a woman shouts out, ‘Who let the dogs out?’ And we start calling men dogs. It was really a man-bashing song.”[6]
 
 

Tonight’s Dinner: Shepherd’s Pie

On By Rhys FordIn Food7 Comments

Homemade shepherd’s pie (cottage pie for the UK peeps). It’s been kind of nice getting back into being interested in cooking again. It’s going hand in hand with writing more. Let’s see where this journey takes us.

I do make a very cheesy shepherd’s pie. With a bit of veg. But it should be nice and brown on top and a very savoury filling.

Thursday’s BORKING REPORT!

On By Rhys FordIn Borking Day1 Comment
Today’s BORKING REPORT!
 
It’s a chilly day here in San Diego and the Potato had to be kitted up in some fleece to go out. Also it rained. As you all know the Borker, he LOVES a damp, muddy lawn and his borking route is FULL of them. A fleece is very necessary during rainy days or the Potato will come home covered in grass, wet leaves and mud.
 
He waited very patiently for his Auntie Jessica to arrive and then told her all about his week in a waddling grumble as he headed to the door. He really is an old Scottish man. I should get him a tartan fleece but I’d probably have to get one custom made to fit his blocky form. Although I have found a few dog clothes places that make good Monster Cairn clothes.
 
Gus Gus is a utlitarian type of dog. Not really fussy. Likes a nice piece of bacon and a bit of dried potato. Belly rubs and scritches are good as well. And a good ramble. He does so love his Borking Rambles. We’re going to Mon and Thurs to give him time to rest between and upping his play a bit thru the week. We want the Potato to be healthy and happy for as long as we can have him.
 
From his Auntie Jessica:
Gus loved the nice and cool weather today! He did a lot of borking and rolling around in the damp grass. See him next week. Hope he gets plenty of rest!

French and German Translations News!

On By Rhys FordIn Rhys Ford
Hello and well… I’ve a Translation Announcement. Or rather, several…
I am happy to share some news on Sin and Tonic (French), Hellion (French) and Dirty Laundry (German) coming out in 2021!
I will announce more detailed dates once we get them finalized but I can tell you I just reviewed the Sin and Tonic Final Galley so we are soooo close to that book being released! I cannot wait so share that with you. Thank you all for being so patient.
 

Learn to Cook With Foodland… Kung Pao Chicken!

On By Rhys FordIn Rhys Ford2 Comments

One thing I do enjoy is following cooking programs and such on YouTube. And one of my faves is the Foodland Cooking Feeds. Foodland is a grocery store in Hawai’i but they really do serve up a great foundation of how to cook local dishes…and other things.

I even forgive them the bitter melon dish he made.

Being an Aspie… And Masking.

On By Rhys FordIn Bloggy Stuff
I am an Aspie… (Aspergers). I spend most of my energy and time masking. Masking is when you’re not neurotypical and fight to align your behaviours to “normal” to blend in. It takes a lot of effort and I’m exhausted by the end of a few hours. Sometimes I can’t even do it. Sometimes I’m okay. No one makes allowances for people who mask to survive society. We get this. We know there won’t be slack given. We’ve gone through that kind of thing since school. It’s easier to shunt aside someone on the spectrum who is struggling to learn masking and other coping mechanisms, especially in a crowd or school environment.
 
I’m sorry that it has to be that way but that’s the way it is. It doesn’t mean spectrum-typical people aren’t assholes, manipulative or any of that. We’re human. The first thing we do as babies is learn that crying manipulates our environment and can even learn to lie-cry to be picked up. It’s our first humaning skill.
 
But there’s no one who “teaches” you how to mask successfully. You just have to try your best and learn how to manage the energy depletion. We’re not introverts per se (although some are), mostly we’re trying to mirror the people around us and fit in because we know we don’t. Trust me. We KNOW. We FEEL wrong. We don’t FIT into the lines around us. What we do when we mask is try to keep our colouring inside of the lines, and those colours are actually ourselves.

I am not Dead. :D Just forgetful….

On By Rhys FordIn Bloggy Stuff, Food1 Comment

I swear to God I updated the blog last week but apparently I did not. Dear Lord.

Not a lot really has gone on. The house is slowly coming into grips with itself and I’ve got a nice writing nook built up in my room. If you are on Facebook, you might want to consider joining my group (there are questions to make sure you are not a bot so please respond to them to be accepted in). I am having an Ask Me Anything on Saturday. Well two of them to be exact.

Here’s the link to the group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/635660536617002/

It’s Rhys Ford’s Coffee, Cats, and Murder. Can’t miss it.

There will be prizes and I will try to answer as many questions as I can or just hang out with people. And give away things. International readers are very much welcome to join. I post globally because that’s only fair. If the Post Office can get stuff to you, I shall send it. There’s also going to be virtual prizes as well so… join if you please!

Today is the Potato’s 13th birthday! He got a bath yesterday because he was out playing in the water from the garden hose then decided afterwards he would roll in the dirt and grass… so he was a filthy mess. Right now, he’s spending his morning snoring away. So is Harley. I don’t know where Badger is but probably on my bed.

Or plotting world domination. One never knows with him.

But that’s my update. I will leave you with this…

I love George. He is awesome. But man, this burger can give you a heart attack. Proceed with caution.