Allie Potts

The Happiness Tag

July 7, 2016July 7, 2016 by Allie P., posted in Life as I know it

First off, I would like to extend belated well wishes to my Canadian friends on Canada Day, my Hong Kongese friends on Establishment Day, my American friends on Independence Day (or Treason Day as I saw one UK based friend post), and early well wishes to my children’s stuffed animal friends on Teddy Bear Picnic Day (apparently this is a real thing on July 10th).

I’d like to apologize if I missed anything else in these first two weeks of July. If I did, I would love to hear about what it was and how you celebrated.

Speaking of celebration, the lovely Diana Wallace was kind enough to let me know that I’d been tagged in one of the best sort of online games – The Happiness Tag. For those who are unfamiliar with Diana, she is the author of Myths in the Mirror, The Dragon Soul Trilogy, Melding of Aeris, Sunwielder, the Bone Wall, and the Sorcerer’s Garden (all available on Amazon), as well as being a busy grandmother to boot, so I am more than a little honored that she’s found a way to squeeze reading my writing into what spare time she last left.

Now onto the game. The rules are simple:

List:

5 Things that make you happy
5 Songs that make you happy
5 Bloggers that make you happy… (Let them know that you have nominated them).

5 Things that make you happy

Mentally storing away all those goofy things my children say or do now which I completely intend to ~~use against~~ regale them with later, especially in that distant future when they start bringing dates home. Case in point, while visiting my dad this weekend, my eldest son asked me to help him change his clothes. Now, he is more than capable of getting himself dressed (although his fashion sense needs some work), but for some reason he was most insistent that I lend a hand in the process. When I asked him why he wasn’t able to do it himself on this particular occasion he replied, “Because I am on vacation.” Clearly by Kiddo’s logic, mom obviously doesn’t have the same vacation benefits package and should consider renegotiating her contract. Oh, Kiddo, payback is going to be so much fun.
Friday Night. We are a household built around routine and my Friday Night now comes with the expectation of pizza, a beer or two, and the parade of ‘awesome’ moves also known as the family Dance Concert (I tried teaching Kiddo that the word was contest and not concert, but he is rather determined that his version is the proper one and, well…, see #1)
Dinner with friends (aka the best kind of Saturdays and/or Sundays). I love good food as much as I love good stories and it’s even better when you can share both at once.
This is a two-parter. A) Stumbling on a book I don’t want to put down and B) actually having the luxury of time to do just that.
Terrible, eye rolling, groan worthy puns. A bear walks in to a bar and over to the bartender. The bear says, “I’ll have…” and the words trail off. After an uncomfortably long wait, the bear finishes, “… a beer.” The bartender immediately fills the order, but while handing the bear the glass says, “Here you go sir, but may I ask, why the large pause?” The bear cocks his head, looks at his paws and says, “I don’t know, I guess they’ve always just been that way.”

5 Songs that make you happy

“Safety Dance” by Men without Hats (See List 1, #2)
“Saturday Night” by the Bay City Rollers (See List 1, #3)
“Birdhouse in your Soul” by They Might Be Giants – “Istanbul” and “Particle Man” were also strong contenders, but I decided I could only pick one song by a single artist.
“All I need is the Air that I breathe” by the Hollies – This song was featured near the end of Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, which is also one of my favorite movies and is such a beautiful scene (don’t click on the link if you haven’t seen the movie) that I can’t help but smile to hear it now.
“Lava” from the Pixar Short of the same name and by James Ford Murphy, Kuana Torres Kahele, and Napua Greig. This is always the closing act of our family’s Friday Night Dance Party as it gives us all a chance to settle down before the kids go to bed. Even better, LT typically sings along and it makes me tear up nearly every time to hear him say “I lava you,” while pointing at me (this may also be why he gets away with so much).

5 Bloggers that make you happy

Bun Karyudo – who would have know that a man with a bag for his head could be so funny
Betsy Kerekes of Parentingisfunny – because it is. It really, really is.
Mark Petruska of Mark My Words – Bonus points to Mark for using a pun in the blog’s title.
Ally Bean of The Spectacled Bean – We Allies need to stick together.
Geoff Le Pard of TanGental whose posts “defy categorization,” but never fail to entertain me.

This particular list could have kept going well into next week, so I guess it is a good thing I was limited to only five. For those of you who have been tagged, please do not feel at all pressured to participate in the tag game. This was just my way of saying how much I’ve enjoyed all of you and hope that others might click on the links I’ve embedded in this post and do the same.

July’s Guest Storyteller, Allie Potts

July 2, 2016 by Allie P., posted in Life as I know it

Thank you Sarah once again for inviting me to be a guest storyteller this week. I had so much fun revisiting these characters, especially from a different perspective, and hope your readers enjoyed the story as well.

Sarah Potter Writes

I’m delighted to welcome as my guest storyteller this month, fellow blogger and author Allie Potts.

When not finding ways to squeeze in 72 hours into a 24 day or chasing after children determined to turn her hair gray before its time, Allie enjoys stories of all kinds. Her favorites are usually accompanied with a glass of wine or cup of coffee in hand.

Allie is a self-professed science geek and book nerd. Today, she’s going to share an excerpt from her novel, The Fair & Foul (Project Gene Assist Book One), which, as the title suggests, is science fiction of the cyberpunk/genetic engineering variety.

The following scene takes place a few weeks after Dr. Juliane Faris and three others have taken part in an experimental procedure granting unprecedented knowledge and cellular control over their bodies, but this same procedure could also very well cost them everything.

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Just an average evening in the life of budding geniuses

June 23, 2016June 23, 2016 by Allie P., posted in Life as I know it

“How long were you under there?”

It was cat herding time once again at the Potts household also known as the half hour before bedtime. I was attempted to get a few last-minute chores in while simultaneously getting the boys ready for nighttime. I ignored Kiddo’s question, focusing instead on the task at hand.

“How long were you under there?” Kiddo repeated.

Kiddo’s voice broke through my concentration. What an odd question, I thought. I hadn’t been under anything that I could recall that evening unless you take into consideration pending deadlines, a cycle of never-ending dish washing, and self-imposed writing goals. But Kiddo has rarely, if ever, asked me how my work is going, so that couldn’t be it. “Under where?” I asked.

“You said underwear!” Kiddo threw back his head in laughter.

I sat there, stunned as the punch line sunk in. Kiddo had gotten me. I marveled at his maturing sense of humor, at the genius of the joke’s simplicity as well as Kiddo’s execution. It was a long way from his very first joke, “Once upon a time, there was a joke named joke and he was a joke!” (*da dum dum da* he’ll be here all week folks) I joined his laughter. “Very clever,” I said as I returned to my chores. “I made you said underwear!” Kiddo repeated, delighted with himself. “I got Daddy to say it too!” (word of caution to Kiddo’s grandparents, aunts, uncles, and assorted other caregivers – he’s really proud of this one, expect to hear it, over and over and over again)

Tears of laughter were welling up in Kiddo’s eyes as he turned to his brother and asked once again, “LT, how long were you under there.”

Without missing a beat, LT answers, “three minutes,” effectively beating his brother at his own game. I don’t know what exactly LT was supposedly under for three minutes (I mean I thought he was in my line of sight all this time, but with LT you never really know for sure) or how he knew the precise time, because he didn’t elaborate. Instead, LT immediately returned to plotting whatever nefarious plan to rule the world he is attempting next. This is also why I think he might just succeed.

So clearly I recognize that I am living with a budding evil genius, but maybe you don’t yet recognize the signs. If you are afraid you too may be raising the next crop of megalomaniacs intent on world domination, you may want to be on the lookout for a few of the following:

Do they frequently use your best of intentions for their own gain?
- You said the first day of summer is the longest day of the year. It was supposed to be a fun little fact to amuse and educate your offspring with. Instead you get, “If Mr. Sun isn’t going to bed, why do I have to?”
Have you picked up an alarming “minion” vibe from their closest friends?
- exhibit A: The usual suspects
Do you find yourself struggling to maintain your game face when they turn up the charm?
- Because it is bedtime.
- But why?
- Because it is a school night and you have to go to bed now.
- I no wanna go to school anyyyyyy mo.
- You like school. All your friends will be at school. Don’t you want to play with your friends?
- But I love you, momma. I wan to stay with you. Five mo minutes? (cue quivering lip)
- (As little arms encircle your neck in best snuggle hug ever, feel your will break… Again.) Okay honey, five more minutes, but then it is bedtime. I mean it.
Do they have an unusually intense obsession with potential lairs
- Exhibit B : Depiction of an erupting volcano. Note the artist’s use of broad strokes and bold colors to convey violence – one of many examples lining our walls
Are they entirely too smart for their own good?
- Reference story above

On the plus side, the children have decided to grace me with more than a couple of nights in a row of sleep. Obviously, they are up to something, but I’ve been taking advantage of it while I can. I’ve made significant gains in my manuscript (even though this current draft is pretty terrible, even by first draft standards) and have been taking a stab at some shorter fiction (I may even try to find homes for some of them). I’d better take advantage. Who knows when this opportunity might come again.

Hope and graduation

June 16, 2016June 16, 2016 by Allie P., posted in Life as I know it

The past week was a bit of a blur and part of me is grateful for that. Too much it seems was going on in the world. I am rather glad I missed most of it. Tuesday was my brother’s high school graduation and while not everything had gone entirely to plan in the days leading up to the big event, things had begun to finally work themselves out.

We made our way into the arena where the ceremony would take place. Though it was only midmorning, the weather was already hot and humid, however, thanks to my grandfather’s attendance (and his handicap placard) we didn’t have to walk far. I scanned the program while we waited. There were over six hundred names in total, double that of my graduating class. We might as well get comfortable.

The orchestra began to play as we rose for the national anthem. Most of us stood in silence, preferring to let the trained voices of the chorus do their work. But not my grandfather. At 101, he belted out the lyrics as proudly as if he was a superfan at a rock concert (something by the way he’d never willingly attend – he’s more of a jazz man). Then it was on to Pomp and Circumstance, as the graduates filed into the building dressed in their black robes and graduation caps.

After what felt like ages, I saw my brother enter. We shouted and waved, but we weren’t quite loud enough to capture his attention. I saw him scan the crowds looking for us, but not matter how much I jumped, waved, or made silly faces, he just kept scanning. Sometimes my lack of height really is a disadvantage.

The crowds sat as the principal took the podium. Due to the number of names that needed to be called, she asked that we keep our applause to a minimum so that all students and their families might have an opportunity to hear their names called.

I saw my brother rise and get into line at the stage. I fiddled with my camera’s zoom readying to make the shot. I zoomed too much and couldn’t find him. I looked away from the viewfinder, but without the zoom, the distance was too far to make out which of the uniformly clad individuals was him. I heard my brother’s name called. What? Is he already crossing the stage? I was stunned. My grandfather cheered. At 101, it is amazing what rules no longer apply. His cheers snapped me out of my stunned silence and I shouted a quick whoop as my brother took his diploma and made his way back to his seat.

graduation ceremony — And like that, my brother is a graduate

As we exited the arena, an announcement requested that we vacate as quickly as possible in order to allow the next series of graduates to enter the building. They wouldn’t be the last either. Graduation ceremonies will run throughout the next several days filled with speeches about hope, pride, and opportunity, even if flavored with a bit of nostalgia regarding what is being left behind.

I couldn’t help wondering what my grandfather must think of speeches about new beginnings at his age. Did the nostalgia now outweigh the hope and promise? His phone rang as we maneuvered out of the parking lot. His wife, seated by my side, smiled as she listened to the conversation. She leaned over to me. “His brother-in-law is 104 you know.” I, wide-eyed, assured her I didn’t. “Oh yes, and one of your grandfather’s old girlfriends, who is 102, is at the same assisted living center.” She laughed. “Your grandfather has been trying to set them up for the past couple of years, but she doesn’t seem to want to return his calls.”

Clearly, hope, pride and opportunity are not limited to only the graduate, so use them well, and use them often.