Facebook reminded me this morning that five years ago today was my grandmother’s funeral, just as on Saturday morning it reminded me that she passed away a hemidecade ago. I knew this was coming; a few weeks ago Facebook showed me pictures from Shore Leave 2011 (including John de Lancie and an experiment in makingContinue reading “Five Years After My Grandmother’s Funeral…”
Category Archives: Life
An Irish Weekend
Over the weekend, I went to the Annapolis Irish Festival, an annual event held near Annapolis in mid-July. This year, the scheduling caused some agony as the festival coincided with Shore Leave‘s weekend, back in July for the first time in a hemidecade, and Carbon Leaf, who are taking a sabbatical year, were playing aContinue reading “An Irish Weekend”
When the World Overwhelms…
Several years ago, one afternoon at work, I was reading an article on The Guardian about the Arab Spring and the violent reprisals various Arab governments launched, especially in Syria. The specificity of the memory — where I was, what it was about — is striking. What followed has stayed with me. There was aContinue reading “When the World Overwhelms…”
Choosing Irish Music over a Science Fiction Convention
Friday Shore Leave begins. For the first time in fifteen years, I won’t be there. The Annapolis Irish Festival also begins Friday. Carbon Leaf is one of the headliners. I’m attending that instead. This wasn’t an easy decision to make. Allyn Agonistes. Shore Leave, I’ve attended every year since 2001. (And I went to theContinue reading “Choosing Irish Music over a Science Fiction Convention”
Wrestle Beetles… and Win!
I am sore. Muscles ache that I didn’t know I had. Yesterday afternoon I swapped the wheels from the old Beetle to the new. The old Beetle had new tires, the new Beetle had old. And, let’s be frank — on a purely aesthetic level, I liked the rims on the old Beetle far moreContinue reading “Wrestle Beetles… and Win!”
Things Seen and Unseen
The things you can see — the Pride of the Susquehanna tied to its pier, the lights of FNB Field after a tough loss for the Harrisburg Senators (and as they prepare for the Scouts to camp out overnight on the outfield), the fading twilight after sunset, Jupiter a few degrees from the waxing crescentContinue reading “Things Seen and Unseen”
A Rainy Fourth of July
Over the weekend, I thought about going to Washington, DC for A Capitol Fourth. I’ve gone twice before, so it wouldn’t have been anything new, but I’ve been feeling the creeping need of late to spend time in, as they like to call it on CBS’ BrainDead, “this town.” But the weather forecast for theContinue reading “A Rainy Fourth of July”
Evening in Dallastown
Just after dusk I carried a laundry basket up the stairs in the parking lot, on thecway back to my apartment from the laundry facility. There, hovering over my building was Jupiter, shining brightly in thr sky just after sunset when few stars had emerged from the glow. To the east, furious and incandescent, wasContinue reading “Evening in Dallastown”
Replacing the Beetle — Starting Up a GoFundMe Fundraiser
My friend and companion through many adventures over eleven years, my Volkswagen Beetle made its last ride the week of Memorial Day. Now I need to replace it, and for help with that, I’ve started a GoFundMe campaign. Who are you? I’m Allyn Gibson, a writer. I’ve published some short fiction over the years, includingContinue reading “Replacing the Beetle — Starting Up a GoFundMe Fundraiser”
Life in Dallastown
Last weekend I ran into one of my neighbors in my apartment complex’s laundry facility; she was taking her laundry out, I was taking mine in. She and her husband live in the building across from mine. Two winters ago, I helped them dig their cars out after a particularly nasty blizzard. Otherwise, I’ve neverContinue reading “Life in Dallastown”