geekyjules

[geekyjules]

To Avoid Crushing Disappointment, You Need to Figure Out What Kind of Writer You Are

To Avoid Crushing Disappointment, You Need to Figure Out What Kind of Writer You Are

Disappointment. It comes with being in publishing or wanting to be in publishing. But there are several types of disappointment, some of which are easier to stave off than others. I’m going to talk about how to stave off the disappointment of a pass or rejection. It all begins with really knowing what kind of writer you want to be. I’ve been in publishing, in one form or the other, for close to…

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[geekyjules]

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

I'm barely keeping my head above the water with health issues that just won't stop. Before I get to that ugly, let's start with some good news!

I’m barely keeping my head above the water with health issues that just won’t stop. Before I get to that ugly, let’s start with some good! A project that I worked on for much of 2022 and 2023 is finally live! StopConversionPractices.ca is the most important thing I’ve ever worked on after the federal conversion “therapy” ban. As a survivor in a health care setting, I helped to create many of the…

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[geekyjules]

I'm on the 2024 Pacific Northwest Book Prizes Shortlist for 'Crip Up the Kitchen'

I'm on the 2024 Pacific Northwest Book Prizes Shortlist for 'Crip Up the Kitchen'

It has been an emotional few days. Over the weekend, we had to take one of our dogs to the ER (he is fine now and needs urgent surgery next week; more on that in another post) and yesterday, just as I was getting into the torturous BANG BANG CHUGACHUGA BANG machine (aka an MRI) for my yearly scan, I received news that I’m the shortlist for the 2024 Pacific Northwest Book Prizes. What?! The…

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[geekyjules]

It's Not an Infection. It's the Velociraptors Checking for Weaknesses in the Fences

So, yeah. Turns out those skin infections my GP and I thought I had, that have been resisting treatment since July and only getting worse, well, not so much. Friends, we are going to talk about something I don’t think I have in public before because the general public is dangerously ignorant about the topic. Today, we are going to talk about psoriasis. That thing people think is just a pesky skin…

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[geekyjules]

Why I'm Ditching my Galaxy Watch 5 Pro for the Pixel Watch 2

If you want a smartwatch that is both a good fitness tracker and health tracker, the Galaxy Watch ain’t it because Samsung Health sucks. And the customer service is horrendous. And really, it was the customer service that broke this camel’s back. And this is very emotional framing so let me explain. For the first six-ish months with my Galaxy Watch Pro 5, I was very happy because Samsung Health…

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[geekyjules]

I'll Be Speaking at Simon Fraser University on October 3, 2023

If you’re in the Metro Vancouver Regional District, then come join me for a moderated conversation and audience Q&A about Crip Up the Kitchen on October 3rd, 2023, from 7 – 9 pm at Simon Fraser University. This event is brought you by the SFU Disability and Neurodivergence Alliance and the Women’s Centre. Please register. Below are the event details, including accessibility information: About the…

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[geekyjules]

Even My Infections Have Infections

Sometimes, I forget that I’m chronically ill–on top of the physical disabilities–which is ridiculous, I know. But then my infections get infections and things get really, really, extremely gross. I was very tempted to use an image of the infection and swelling around my eyes as the main image instead of a stock photograph of pills, but I don’t need to get that extra. One of the many medications…

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[geekyjules]

There is a good chance I'm stuck

I’m in too many in between spaces right now. In between cooking projects. I’m in that space between my fiction book being finished and it going out on submission. In between changing social media communities and not being sure what I want that to even look like anymore. In between client work and not sure when that next job is going to come because inflation is killing my client-base. In between…

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[geekyjules]

My Feelings About Leaving Twitter

There is some sort of bittersweet irony to the fact that today is my 15-year Twitter Anniversary. The day after I decided I’m never opening the app or visiting the site again after Felon Husk decided to unban someone who was posting CSE. Not only that, but he also hasn’t been paying the vendor who screens for such material. I am so disgusted that people who claim to be allies pay to use that…

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[geekyjules]

I Ruined Archer's Day and The Story of My Security Blanket

Ever wake up and it takes upwards of 10 minutes to figure out where you are and what day it is? That was how my day started. And then I got oatmeal on my security blanket, and it made for a miserable day. Yes, I am a 47.5-year-old man who still uses a security blanket. I’ve always had one. The first one I was really attached to, I called my bunny blanket because it had bunnies on it. I had that…

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[geekyjules]

Where Did July Go? A Look Inside My Planner Gives a Hint

This month flew by and I feel like I got nothing done. But in the first three weeks of July, I wrote the second half of a whole book. And that ain’t nothing. I’m currently in the copy-editing phase before it flies on little internet wing into my agent’s inbox. I can’t wait until I’m allowed to really talk about this book. I can say it is contemporary YA. It is very queer and neurodivergent. And…

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[geekyjules]

Just Like Riding a Bike

After a long absence, today I was back in my contemporary YA manuscript. Since I got the greenlight to continue almost two weeks, I was so nervous that I’d open the word doc and no longer be able to render these characters that are so clear and finished in my head. Turns out, it was just like riding a bike. It has been a few months since I was in it, while my attention was back on Crip Up the…

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#2023 WIP

[geekyjules]

The Death of Twitter, What's Next and Where To Find Me

Today, we pretty much witnessed the death of Twitter. So, what’s next? I’m going to make this short. There is no need to for any type of postmortem. We all knew this day would come. I’ve been chewing on this for a while now. Trying to figure out the best way to keep in touch with people; figuring out the best way for people to keep up with whatever I have going on. Twitter was easy. It just…

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[geekyjules]

January 2.— Goan Fish. Content Note: Orientalism

January 2.— Goan Fish. Content Note: Orientalism

The Goan Fish recipe (renamed here) was the first recipe where it was not only confirmed that the original 365 Foreign Dishes cookbook would be full of Orientalism, but it became apparent that the author(s) would be shy to use spice. That said, I was happy to dive in because I had a full side of salmon in my freezer, waiting for something like this. Content Note: ORIENTALISM and COLONIAL COOKING…

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#Asian Dishes #Indian Dishes

[geekyjules]

January 1.— Austrian Goulasch.

January 1.— Austrian Goulasch.

The Austrian Goulasch recipe was one of the reasons I chose 365 Foreign Dishes as the book for this project. It had everything I had hoped for, including ingredients that are no longer easy to source unless I want to get strange looks as I approach local farmers asking for their discarded calves’ heads. It also served as an immediate reminder that it wasn’t all that long ago that the entire…

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#Austrian Dishes

[geekyjules]

Welcome to 365 Foreign Dishes: A New Take on an Old Cookbook

For some time now, I’ve been obsessed with old cookbooks. I don’t mean cookbooks from the mid-1900s. I’m talking cookbooks that are at least 100 years old. 365 Foreign Dishes: A Foreign Dish for Every Day in the Year is one such book. I plan to make the recipes found within new. Cookbooks were so different back then. Recipes were a brief paragraph. There were no ingredient lists and many lacked…

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[geekyjules]

The Crip Up the Kitchen Cover Reveals a Year that Was

One year ago, on this date, I had “the call.” Today, CRIP UP THE KITCHEN: TOOLS, TIPS AND RECIPES FOR THE DISABLED COOK is off to the printer. And now I get to reveal to everyone the cover that tells the story of how I managed to make it through the longest yet shortest year of my life: by managing my spoons.

[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” z_index=”” css=”.vc_custom_1668043790838{padding-bottom: 50px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1669146621771{padding-top: 50px !important;padding-bottom: 50px !important;}”] One year ago, on this…

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#Crip Up The Kitchen