Sean Markey |

YOU SHALL BUILD A TURTLE FENCE!!!

new Autotune the News number 10 is *FINALLY* out today. Check it out:

ATtN 10

Seriously, this is why the internet was invented.

The Discovery Gateway Children’s Museum is a really cool place for 3-12 yr. olds to explore science and other very cool subjects. There are news cameras and green screen there for kids to try their hand at being the weather man/woman, a miniature wind-tunnel to test your paper airplane design, and even a retired medical helicopter for kids to explore.

That’s the organization I work for, but I don’t actually work AT the museum.

The Utah legislature funds a program at the museum that takes science, specifically chemistry, to 5th graders around the state. The program is called reaction time, and it focuses on the difference between physical changes (ice to water), and chemical reactions (say… cabbage juice mixed with lime juice). The program that I (and four other instructors) teach is directly in line with, and compliments, the Utah state core curriculum for 5th grade science. The goal of this particular program is, essentially, to bring really cool science to 5th graders around the state, and to help them succeed on the science portion of the yearly standardized test.

I usually travel to two different schools a day, bringing with me a car full of chemicals and test-tubes. At the school, I do a 50 minute presentation filled with cool experiments that illustrate key concepts. I then do a 30 minute hands on session with each class (usually there are 3-5 classes at each school) where the students get to work with six different substances (cabbage juice, fertilizer, milk, vinegar, road salt, and baking soda), mixing the chemicals together and observing the different reactions.

That’s pretty much it. Then I clean up, load up the car, and hurry off to the next school. It’s a pretty awesome gig, and I feel lucky to have it.

This week I am traveling for work, taking my chemistry kit far from Salt Lake (am currently 3 hours south in Richfield, Utah).

So that’s the job, and now it’s time to go get breakfast before I teach today’s group.

Oh yeah, did I mention I get to wear a tie-dye lab coat?

For the next few days I’ll be in Sevier County, Utah. (Or Richfield, specifically). I’ll be teaching chemistry to the 5th graders at area elementary schools.

This is my first trip to this part of Utah (southern-central), so I’m excited to see the sights during the day, as I arrived at night. It was a harrowing ride through the snow coming down thick, and the icy buildup on the roads, but my little rental car held up well, and I arrived safely.

Super exhausted, though, so I’m heading to bed. Pics of Sevier will be up tomorrow, hopefully.

Also, I guess I should post a little bit more about what it is a do, since I haven’t really said much.

Later, surely.

So one of my best pals, Clayton, is in a band  called Say Never.  They recently came out with their first record.  It’s extremely good.  They have a full time cellist, and male and female vocalists,  so there’s a lot of dynamics, a lot of range with the song writing and vocals that really comes through.

You can listen  to a few songs here (links to myspace), including one called September.  A little story about that:

Back when I lived in Florida, before I wrote stories, I wrote lyrics.  I played drums in whatever the band of the month was that I was in (with Clayton), and wrote songs.  This particular song just kept being good, which is why, all these years later, it made it on to his album.  If you can’t guess, it’s mostly about September 11th.  I read a news article about a man who called his wife from one of the planes, but she didn’t answer, so he left a message.

What do you say to someone in a situation like that?  What words are good enough to convey everything you’ve ever wanted to say, knowing it will be the last thing you say?

Check out the song here

Check out the lyrics here

So my awesome  wife, Beth, has created a site for writers (of any kind).   It’s called the Fiction Writing Directorate,  but I am certain the site can help writers of non-fiction, term papers, blogs, etc.  The Directorate is part motivation, part community, part story, and part role playing.  There are regular exercises (geared toward fiction  writers) and places where you can discuss your weekly writing goals, and get support from the various characters at the directorate, as well as the other agents (a.k.a. other writers playing along).

Check it out.  It’s really a lot of fun.  And tell a friend.  This is a “more the merrier” kind of situation.

Rich Horton had something brief, but nice to say about my story “Waiting for the Green Woman.”

My favorites included Simon Petrie’s “Downdraft”, set on another planet with intelligent zeppelins and flying human-like people. This story is about a young flyer’s ill-advised attack on one of the zeppelins — a story really about misunderstanding, with no bad guys. Also, Becca de la Rosa’s “Not the West Wind”, about, variously, and among other things: a woman in love with a guitar, the west wind, Ireland, and a foundling girl; and Sean Markey’s “Waiting for the Green Woman”, about a man with a tree for a daughter. Other strong work came from Eric Del Carlo, Genevieve Valentine, and Stephanie Campisi.

Nice to see some love for that story, and for Sybil’s Garage issue 6, which is really a fantastic issue.

While we’re on the subject of me, I want to gently remind Nebula/Hugo/Campbell voting readers that “Waiting for the Green Woman” is eligible for both awards, and the full story can be read online for free.

I just started reading the fairly new (and much loved) Cherie Priest book “Boneshaker.”  So far?  It’s definitely good (and I haven’t even gotten to any of the zombies or pirates and what not that the back cover and the blurbs promise me.  *happy*).

But with all the ebook talk lately, I figured I’d mention this.  First, a disclaimer.  I love ebooks.  I love reading them on my iTouch.  For me, ebooks are much more convenient and easier to read than tradition books.  I bought “Boneshaker” from Barnes and Noble with a giftcard, so I have the actual physical book.

“Boneshaker” is Completely Gorgeous.  The layout, the font, the covers… just everything about it is lovely.  If you don’t already have a copy, you should probably go buy one.  Just looking at it will make you happy, and that’s not even speaking to the awesome story you will surely embark upon.

So, good job, Tor art department.  Consider me impressed.

One thing (of many) I love about my new job is the cool places get to visit. Today I went to a little town called Eden. It was about an hour north, then east across some very scary and snowy mountain passes.

But oh my, there were some gorgeous sights to see. This is a picture from along the canyon road, somewhere along Cache Valley forest road… or something. It was too lovely to pay attention to the name.

happy Today, world.

Here is a very powerful message put to music.  I hope it hits you right there (you know where).  <3

Your crazy cat picture for the day.