Jaq @captainjaq - Bluesky Profile

Getting Out – August 31 The school year here starts on September 1, which is also a holiday. This means that the kids all go to the school, meet or re-meet their teacher and classmates, have a little bit of a motivational ceremony, and then they’re free to go, with actual instruction starting on the 2nd*.

Getting Out – August 31

The school year here starts on September 1, which is also a holiday. This means that the kids all go to the school, meet or re-meet their teacher and classmates, have a little bit of a motivational ceremony, and then they’re free to go, with actual instruction starting on…

31.08.2025 16:24 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Seasick Mermaids – Crete 2025 – Part 3 July 2 – Day 5 One of the other places we wanted to visit was Balos Beach. This is the location of the pale green, almost crystal waters you’ve seen in all the adverts. It was also someplace Rasa’s friend had been to last year when she visited Crete. The only problem seemed to be it was down another long slope from a high mountain parking area. Since we’d just done this, we wondered if maybe there was another way.

Seasick Mermaids – Crete 2025 – Part 3

July 2 – Day 5 One of the other places we wanted to visit was Balos Beach. This is the location of the pale green, almost crystal waters you’ve seen in all the adverts. It was also someplace Rasa’s friend had been to last year when she visited Crete. The only…

20.07.2025 04:35 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Caves and Hearts – Crete 2025 – Part 2 June 30 – Day Three We were to meet the car rental representative in the hotel lobby at 9:00 a.m., so we arrived bright and early at 8:55. He showed up promptly, and there was no problem signing all the paperwork. Honestly, one of the easiest car rentals I’ve ever done. The only issue came when we had to pay for it, and he couldn’t take cards. Of course, they never told us this. If they had, we could have gotten the money while we were out the day before (or even brought it with us).

Caves and Hearts – Crete 2025 – Part 2

June 30 – Day Three We were to meet the car rental representative in the hotel lobby at 9:00 a.m., so we arrived bright and early at 8:55. He showed up promptly, and there was no problem signing all the paperwork. Honestly, one of the easiest car rentals I’ve…

19.07.2025 04:35 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Back Again – Crete 2025 – Part 1 June 28 – Day 1 There were a number of options for our annual summer break this year. So many, in fact, that it took us a while to finally settle on going back to Crete for a second year in a row. Remember, we also went last year, with my folks, right after Monki’s birthday. This year, we’d booked another all-inclusive for the week before her birthday, at a different resort in a different part of the island (Crete is the 88th largest island in the world). We also decided to rent a car this time, to get out and explore a bit more.

Back Again – Crete 2025 – Part 1

June 28 – Day 1 There were a number of options for our annual summer break this year. So many, in fact, that it took us a while to finally settle on going back to Crete for a second year in a row. Remember, we also went last year, with my folks, right after Monki’s…

18.07.2025 04:32 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Thanks!

10.07.2025 19:14 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

And then this happened… For about 20 years now, I’ve been writing regularly for magazines dealing with the topic of magic. Most of those pieces were for specialty magazines on the topic. I’ve edited magic manuscripts and consulted on live performances. I love the art form (I’ve even written a piece explaining why it is an art form). I’ve covered some of the biggest names in the world as well as written the first articles on a number of up and comers. I think, with the exception of failing to get my friend…

And then this happened…

For about 20 years now, I’ve been writing regularly for magazines dealing with the topic of magic. Most of those pieces were for specialty magazines on the topic. I’ve edited magic manuscripts and consulted on live performances. I love the art form (I’ve even written a…

10.07.2025 19:03 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Comic Con Baltics 2025 Going into it, I knew this year’s ComicCon was going to be different. Paulius, the guy who had brought me into the fold, wasn’t around anymore. To be fair, he now had two small kids and was working on a PhD, so the months of work which goes into creating a momentous weekend can be a bit overwhelming. Without him, though, I had no point person, so I wasn’t sure what, if anything, I’d be doing at con this year. This manifested by me putting in TBAs in all my syllabi in case I needed to be gone during the final week of the semester.

Comic Con Baltics 2025

Going into it, I knew this year’s ComicCon was going to be different. Paulius, the guy who had brought me into the fold, wasn’t around anymore. To be fair, he now had two small kids and was working on a PhD, so the months of work which goes into creating a momentous weekend…

10.06.2025 03:52 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

Just one more thing…

12.03.2025 17:08 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

YouTube video by Spinal Tap Spinal Tap II Teaser

Please let it come here!

12.03.2025 15:26 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

YouTube video by lstash Pink Shoelaces - Dodie Stevens Live 1959

Introducing the kid to the classics... but so far, she likes "Witchdoctor" best.

11.03.2025 16:37 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Celebrating #lithuania! 35 years since the #RestorationOfIndependence

11.03.2025 10:01 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

The Shark in Charlie’s Window This story starts long ago. Back in the late 70s, when I was in grade school, we had this thing called the Scholastic Book Club. I have no idea if it’s still going on and if it is, what resemblance it has to what I had experienced, but for me, in 4thand 5th grade, it was glorious.

The Shark in Charlie’s Window

This story starts long ago. Back in the late 70s, when I was in grade school, we had this thing called the Scholastic Book Club. I have no idea if it’s still going on and if it is, what resemblance it has to what I had experienced, but for me, in 4thand 5th grade, it…

10.03.2025 06:00 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

The sun is shining and the cat is on my desk chair. I can’t possibly be expected to work.

07.03.2025 09:48 — 👍 4 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

The numbers don’t lie…unless we change the numbers.

06.03.2025 04:41 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

21.02.2025 11:07 — 👍 5 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

#writingcommunity #Indieauthor #authorsky #writer

09.02.2025 22:50 — 👍 58 🔁 17 💬 0 📌 0

Noir: A Novel Amazon.com: Noir: A Novel eBook : Moore, Christopher: Kindle Store

For fans of great, funny SF books, @theauthorguy.bsky.social 's "Noir" is on sale on Kindle for only $1.99 - amzn.to/42CLpl8

05.02.2025 14:20 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

YouTube video by Marvel Entertainment The Fantastic Four: First Steps | Official Teaser | Only in Theaters July 25

This works

youtu.be/AzMo-FgRp64?...

04.02.2025 16:14 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Cruising the Med – January 2025 – Part Two Tuesday January 14 Today was the day I’d been waiting for! Today was Pompeii. Weirdly, today was also a late day. We wouldn’t be docking until around 13:00 (1pm) so when I went down for breakfast it turned out, they were actually serving brunch. Wild. Although it wasn’t really since the more traditionally afternoon tidbits weren’t actually going to be served until after 11:00. Anyway, before eating, I made a stop at the excursions desk. See, the way I figured it, after Genoa, I decided I’d rather have a guided tour than strike off on my own.

Cruising the Med – January 2025 – Part Two

Tuesday January 14 Today was the day I’d been waiting for! Today was Pompeii. Weirdly, today was also a late day. We wouldn’t be docking until around 13:00 (1pm) so when I went down for breakfast it turned out, they were actually serving brunch. Wild.…

04.02.2025 06:03 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Cruising the Med – January 2025 – Part One Pre-Trip My January trips are something I look forward to every year. The past few years I’ve headed off to London to see theatre and hang out with friends, which is amazing. Then last year, at the very last moment, I had to cancel my trip because the girls had Covid and while I felt fine and was testing negative, I couldn’t in good conscience leave them.* So no trip for me in 2024. Then, with January of 2025 rapidly approaching, I knew I should start planning my trip. At first I thought about returning to London, but some things there had changed and while there were still shows and friends to see, I wasn’t sure I wanted to go.

Cruising the Med – January 2025 – Part One

Pre-Trip My January trips are something I look forward to every year. The past few years I’ve headed off to London to see theatre and hang out with friends, which is amazing. Then last year, at the very last moment, I had to cancel my trip because the…

03.02.2025 06:00 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

This is always the way. The hypocrisy is staggering (but not unsurprising)

24.01.2025 07:36 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Cover for ASIMOV's Science Fiction Magazine. Story "Sisters of the Flare", space nun holding a candle in a psychedelic reactor

Is that a present for me!? (Winter wizard) A wizened wizard tries to hide behind a tree and conjure a spell (orb). A blue dragon pokes its nose through snowy limbs ...

Heavily armored tiger warrior titled "Of Claws and Moon", going into a dank dungeon facing off against skeleton warriors.

Painting "Awaken the Bones", a female necromancer casts a spell and disturbs cold banes back into life.

Alright, making an official pinned post for my bsky. Reposts appreciated!

My name is Sumrow & I’m a New Mexico based illustrator. My clients include ASIMOV Science Fiction, Chaosium Inc., Mythmere Games, Monster Magnet, etc...

Site: www.johnsumrow.com
Email: john@johnsumrow.com

24.10.2024 23:13 — 👍 260 🔁 71 💬 5 📌 5

to recap:
— Trump was *for* the TikTok ban
— which the GOP Congress passed
— and the GOP Supreme Court upheld
— and even though Biden said he wouldn't enforce the ban, TikTok shut down anyway
— so that Trump could "save" it
— and the media fell for it
we really do live in the dumbest fucking country

19.01.2025 18:33 — 👍 21499 🔁 6741 💬 608 📌 371

Sending hugs

08.01.2025 19:36 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

"We're going to make it the mother of all concept albums!" The story behind Jethro Tull's Thick As A Brick In 1971, Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson set out with tongue-in-cheek to make “the mother of all concept albums”. With Thick As A Brick, he ended up fulfilling his ambition – and then some

I really don’t mind if you sit this one out…https://www.loudersound.com/features/jethro-tull-story-behind-thick-as-a-brick

07.01.2025 17:41 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Sitting down to write my first piece of the year (a non-fiction article) and already the anxiety is causing the bees to stir in my head.

Why?

This used to be so easy.

06.01.2025 09:03 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

How this small European country is preparing for war with Russia Lithuania's NATO membership and the establishing of the permanent Panzer Brigade help to secure the country against Russian invasion, but Lithuanians are not content to leave their defense to others.

www.wearethemighty.com/feature/how-...

06.01.2025 04:57 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Snowy urban landscape

5 days late…

05.01.2025 08:03 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Marvel Calendar 1975 or 2005 As is my wont, I love when things coincide, especially when they involve superheroes! In the past, I've noted that Mark Anderson, over at Andertoons, has posted a number of pieces of superhero art from the 70s, especially his calendars which, being cyclical in nature, keep coming round again. I mention this because my friend, the amazing poet Gregory Crosby, recently posted yet another Marvel calendar - the 1975 edition - which corresponds to this year, 2025! This time it's from the geek blog 'TAIN'T THE MEAT… IT'S THE HUMANITY!

Marvel Calendar 1975 or 2005

As is my wont, I love when things coincide, especially when they involve superheroes! In the past, I've noted that Mark Anderson, over at Andertoons, has posted a number of pieces of superhero art from the 70s, especially his calendars which, being cyclical in nature,…

03.01.2025 06:01 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

2024 in retrospect Well… that was a year, huh? It certainly wasn’t my best year in a lot of ways, but at the same time, it wasn’t the worst. A year ago, we were in the middle of construction hell. I wrote about it back in February, talking about how we were in the process of renovating the whole apartment. Our Christmas holiday last year was cooking on hot plates and doing dishes in the bathroom sink. Thankfully, a lot has changed since then.

2024 in retrospect

Well… that was a year, huh? It certainly wasn’t my best year in a lot of ways, but at the same time, it wasn’t the worst. A year ago, we were in the middle of construction hell. I wrote about it back in February, talking about how we were in the process of renovating the whole…

01.01.2025 08:57 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Jaq

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