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 Life, Adventure, Family, Writing what else is there? Random thoughts. |
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WELCOME TO: GEMINI RISING   UPDATED INTRO 30 JUNE 2025: Just a little about me. I've been married for 33 years this past NOV and currently live in Southern California, but I grew up in New Hampshire. I've got 2 boys who are young adults. I work as a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. I enjoy my job a lot. Still. If you can believe that. I love to write. Thankfully both of my boys achieved Eagle Scout. My Scouting days are over and I'm back to focusing on my writing. I like to get out in nature, drink coffee and watch football. Here's a little bio about my zodiac. GEMINI: Gemini, the sign of the Twins, is dual-natured, elusive, complex and contradictory. On the one hand it produces the virtue of versatility, and on the other the vices of two-facedness and flightiness. The sign is linked with Mercury, the planet of childhood and youth, and its subjects tend to have the graces and faults of the young. When they are good, they are very attractive; when they are bad they are more the worse for being the charmers they are. Like children they are lively, and happy, if circumstances are right for them, or egocentric, imaginative and restless. Their good qualities are attractive and come easily to them. They are affectionate, courteous, kind, generous, and thoughtful towards the poor and suffering - provided none of the activities resulting from expressing these traits interferes too greatly with their own lives and comforts. Geminians can be successful in many walks of life though their general characteristics tend to make them unreliable. They are often skilled manipulators of language, in speech and writing, and may be: debaters, diplomats (though in politics they are more interested in theory than practice), orators, preachers (brilliant rather than profound), teachers, authors, poets, journalists, or lawyers. BLOG ACCOMPLISHMENTS: SEPTEMBER 2025:
SEPTEMBER 2025:
Merit Badges collected and earned from "Earn the Badge 2025" ![Merit Badge in WdC Supportive Friend
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Thank you for participating in [Link To Item #2133333] . Congratulations on completing the September
2nd Daily Task.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/community-WdC_Supportive_Friend.gif) ![Merit Badge in Earn the Badge
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Thank you for your donation to [Link To Item #2133333] - from Purple Princess.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Earn_the_Badge-2093257_1.gif){kind=icon} ![Merit Badge in Music
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Thank you for participating in [Link To Item #2133333] . Congratulations on completing the September
3rd Daily Task.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/genre-Music-1050.gif) ![Merit Badge in Contests
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Thank you for participating in [Link To Item #2133333] . Congratulations on completing the September 1st daily task.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/genre-Contests-235.gif) ![Merit Badge in Growth
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Good job earning the Growth Merit Badge in [Link To Item #2133333]](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/general-Growth-1150.gif) ![Merit Badge in Word Searches
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Great job participating in [Link To Item #2133333] and completing the September 5th task.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/type-Word_Searches-19000.gif) ![Merit Badge in Teamwork
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Great job for picking a teammate and completing the September 6th Task at [Link To Item #2133333]](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/general-Teamwork-210.gif) SUMMER 2025:
Merit Badges Collected from Virtual Blogging &Virtual Blogging Friends: ![Merit Badge in Let Dreams Take Wing
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To my upcoming virtual traveling blog companion. Dream big and fly high!](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Let_Dreams_Take_Wing-2335469_1.gif) ![Merit Badge in Normal Is Boring
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here's to another week of creating adventures!](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/Kudos-Normal_Is_Boring.gif) ![Merit Badge in Blog Camping
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Thanks for completing [Link To User elusive4lyn] July 2025 blogging vacation!! Great job!!](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Blog_Camping-1788309_13.gif) ![Merit Badge in Travel
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Woohoo! We’re halfway through!](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/genre-Travel-1975.gif) ![Merit Badge in BCoF 2
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Thank you for your participation in BCoF's 50 States Virtual Blogging adventure.
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51 days of blogging takes commitment, and you rocked it.
*^*Heart*^* Lyn](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/general-Endurance.gif) SEPTEMBER 2024: I participated in the
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Congrats on your Honorable Mention in Blog Week Birthday Bastion 2024](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/type-Nonfiction.gif) Big thanks to WakeUpAndLive~gummy worms BOO   for hosting the contest! OCTOBER 2024: I participated in the
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Congratulations on completing the 13 Poetic Days of Halloween.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Halloween-2026567.gif) Big Thanks to A Warped Witch I Be  for hosting the contest!Find me at: WEBSITE: http://www.stephanieburkhart.com FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor GOOD READS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart YOU TUBE CHANNEL: http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee  WARNING I intend to be open, honest, and forthright. No topic is off limits from religion to you name it, I'm going there. If you think you might be offended...back up now - this blog isn't for you. For those who "dare"  check out the "Gemini Rising..." 
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| I'm tired. Sometimes, it's all you can do but give into the tiredness and allow yourself to be tired. Here's my issue: I work from 2-1015 pm so I get home at 11 pm. Then I have to get up at 530 am to get my older son (who is 17) off to summer school. His class is from 7-930 am. It's tough. I'm like the walking dead at 530. We leave at 615 and usually get to school around 645 am. Today I went home and slept until 845 when I got up to get him. When we got home I just sat around like a lump on a log vegging on TV. Not that I didn't mind. I found Guy's Grocery Games on the Food network and Iove watching it. So I vegged out that. I didn't really wake up until about 1215 pm when I had to hop in the shower and get ready for work. It sucks. I finished reading Patton. I have a lot of respect for Patton. He was a fighter and he was the only one who really had the Soviets pegged about their plan of Europe. Him and Churchill. It is amazing to think how World War II has shaped the rest of the 20th century. Does anyone else watch the Food network? Do you have a favorite show? |
| I try not to think to hard about the news I hear on TV. I mean, I'm interested, and I want to know, but a lot of reporters put a "spin" on what they report about and so it's a process to get to the facts. Not only that, politics is extremely divisive and I'm just not into that. Do I have political leanings? Sure, but today's politics are more theatre and drama than politics and I'm not into that either. -- I've become very discerning about my media exposure and I'll let it be at that. Went back to work yesterday. I learned about paperwork. I think every job has paperwork and paperwork is a necessary evil. Today, I'll be working in a supervisory role. I like that job. It's hard when I get assigned the phones 911 and non emergency. Because it's mentally draining, dealing with people's problems. And a chunk of them are not really emergencies but more like civil disputes. And they heart goes out to the business owners who call for the umpteenth time to complain about the homeless urinating and dedicating in front of their business. Sadly, there's not much the police can do for them. Almost done my book about Patton. He lead a very interesting life. He believed if you give the Soviets an inch, they'll take a mile. Unfortunately at the end of the war, we gave too much to the Soviets and that set us up for the Cold War. I find it an interesting read. I've been trying some different ice cream flavors to help cool down. Working on Cookies & Cream. Do you have a flavor to recommend? I'll give it a try. |
It's been a busy week. We took the scouts on a trip to Hearst Castle. It was a fun trip for the most part. We arrived at the San Simeon campgrounds at about 8 pm and put up our tents. The campground was a bit crowded, but I suppose it usually is with the Hearst Castle nearby. On Saturday with visited the Piers Blancas lighthouse station which was impressive. I saw a sea otter. I  sea otters. After that we ate a bag lunch at the Hearst Castle visitor center and went on our tour. What an impressive building! What Hearst and Julia Morgan were able to accomplish was amazing! After that we visited elephant seals. They were very entertaining. Most are molting right now. When we got back, I taught the scouts the Citizenship in the Nation Merit Badge. It was a busy day. We drove home on Sunday. (I'm trying to keep it brief, so maybe I'll take time in a later post to expand on my Hearst Castle thoughts)I have an early morning wake up call at 530 am because I need to get Andrew, my 17 yr old to summer school. I'm doing this until 26 JULY. It will get tough starting today because I go back to work today. Vacay is officially over.  Monday I had to go to work and drop off my days off for August. They were due. Tuesday I was cleaning house and took Andrew to the dermitologist. He has acne and we've decided to use accutane to treat it. Wednesday was payday so I was busy spending money. lol!! Also, the boys are involved in a summer bowling league. After bowling we went to sushi. Personally, I can't wait until July is over. I'm so over July. lol!! -- Maybe it's because July is so hot? Question for you: What do you do to cool off during summer? Next payday is 31 JUL and I'll be taking the boys for school clothes shopping on the 1st of Aug. Yay! More shopping! lol. This is the first year in quite a while where I have a couple of extra bucks in the pocket so I won't feel overly guilty about overspending. I've been trying to follow my favorite baseball team, The Red Sox on the MLB app. I paid for the audio so I'm able to hear the games. It's been great following my hometown heroes. I'm excited about the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11. Space travel has always interested me. (topic for another post) I didn't get anything for Amazon Prime. I didn't really see anything that interested me. I'm not into that Echo thing. I prefer to do somethings for myself. Besides, I think it's a bit "untested" and I have no desire to allow internet companies so invasively into my house. They are already invasive enough IMHO. |
| Good news! I was able to get out my Romance/Love NL and submit it for next week. Sadly, I've been rather last minute with my newsletters for several years now. It's a wonder I manage to get them in on time. This month's topic is Heat Levels in Romance. I usually write Spicy, but I've done some sweet and sensual. My "Journey of the Heart" is mostly sweet only due to the setting of the story. I prefer those authors who usually write sensual or spicy. Shana Galen is one of my favorite romance authors. I also like reading "cozy" mysteries. I really enjoy Janet Evanovich, but I need to catch up on my Stephanie Plum series. I also like Maggie Toussaint's cozy mysteries. Well, I thought I might not make it with the romance/love submission because we're prepping to go to the Hearst Castle for the weekend. This will be my last trip with the scouts for a while. We'll be camping at a nearby campground. The trip will take approximately 4 hours to get to. It's a bit of a long trip, but I think the scouts will think of it as a big adventure. lol. I haven't been to the Hearst Castle since 2004. (I went with my Uncle Bill when he came to visit) so, about 15 years. I was very impressed with the Castle. It was constructed in the 1920's. (Actual construction began in 1919) The architect was Julia Morgan and the owner, of course William Randolph Heart Sr. From what I remember he made his money in the newspaper business. He had 5 boys with his wife, and then a daughter with his mistress, Marion Davies. Now I don't believe the daughter was officially confirmed, but from what I understand it was a badly kept secret. lol. His earlier years he spent in New York and even served in the House of Representatives, representing NY. He was born in San Fransisco, CA and the Hearst Castle was built on land his father left him. I suppose his ties to California were strong, so when he got sick of his wife, he came back out here? Hard to really know. Most online biographies are vague about that. I'll have more about my adventures when I return. |
| Well, I didn't mean to be gone so long! lol!! Hope you all had a great 4th of July! During the week, I saw Toy Story 4 and Aladdin. I have to admit, I really enjoyed Aladdin. I was impressed with the acting and Will Smith really did a good job as the Genie. Hoping to get Spiderman in before I have to go back to work on the 18th. I've been busier than usual. My older son is going to summer school and classes are from 7 to 930 am. That means I have a 530 am wake up call because we gotta plan on a 30 min drive to school because it's all the way across town. He's doing well, so far. Last day of school is 29 July. I usually come home and wash the dishes and put on a load of laundry and get a shower in. I've been doing some errands and preparing to take the scouts to a trip to the Hearst Castle this weekend. After this weekend, that's it though. I'm done being "super" active. I need a break. lol!! Especially since I don't feel very appreciated. I've trying to read "Dutch Girl." It's a book about Audrey Hepburn when she was living in Netherlands during World War II. I wanted to talk a little about summer camp at Camp Big Horn near Lake Arrowhead, but I don't want to get long winded. LOL! I've been watching "Band of Brothers" (I discovered the series at summer camp) and it's resonated with me, so I wanted to talk about that for a bit along with sharing my Uncle Harold's story. He was a combat engineer in World War II. Those are topics for another post. I have to get going and work on my Romance/Love Newsletter for JULY for WDC. What book are you reading now? |
| As usual, I get back to blogging come July. Why July? Because the Bard's Hall hosts it's annual blogging contest in June. I love visiting the different blogs, catching up with the bloggers and enjoying the entries. I'm also usually on vacation about this time, and I have time to spend hanging out with Germini Rising. I've found I enjoy the shorter blog posts that are conversational, fun, and engaging. Sometimes I need a prompt, and sometimes I don't. This vacay is more of a "staycation." I really can't complain. We've got some day trips planned and I'm using the time to Catch up on my movies. Movie Catch up: I recently saw Avengers: End Game Rocketman Dark Phoenix Yesterday On the list: Toy Story 4, Aladdin, and Spiderman, Far from Home. ** I'll add my movie musings in a future post** My younger son, Joey, and I went to Universal Studios Hollywood on Monday. Loved visiting the Minions! My older son has to do summer school for Algebra IIB. That runs from 1-29 JUL. His class time is 7 am to 9:30 am. Let's just say that's an early morning wake up call! Today, we are going to see an LA Dodgers Game for the 4th of July with a fireworks show after the game. I'm looking forward to it. The Dodgers are finally a good team (we've been going since 1997 and just recently the Dodgers have put together World Series teams) The only thing that's a bit of a bummer are the prices. Tickets are wicked expensive and the refreshments to include Dodger Dogs cost an outrageous amount of money. We had to save up to afford the tickets. Another bummer about the dodgers is that they have this funky TV contract with Fox Sports Spectrum and we don't have the service that shows the games. We can only catch a game on TV if KTLA (the local affiliate shows the game which Fox Sports occasionally lets them do.) -- It's hard to be a fan of a professional sports team because the costs are outrageous. I'm curious to know how much other teams charge their fans. Is supporting your local sports team affordable or wicked expensive? Just some musing on the 4th of July. Happy birthday America   |
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