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Manic Monday: Happened to Friday?


(Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels)



Hello My Happy People,


Sorry I completely spaced on getting the Friday Funnies blog out to you all. It was just such a crazy weekend here. I hope all of you managed to have a nice quiet weekend. My whirlwind weekend began Friday morning. I thought everything would go smoothly, but how often do I miscalculate that, right?


I had an appointment Friday to get the results from my heart stress test. I got there on time with no issues, which is rare for me. When I got to the office, I was told there were no doctors in that day (I had this appointment for weeks mind you) and I would have to go to another building to get my results. The receptionist gave me a map and wished me luck.


Let me just say, my father was a truck driver for years and made sure I knew how to read a map and navigate by one. This map was not even close to the actual buildings on the campus. Thankfully, I was able to figure out enough German to ask someone in a white coat for directions and finally found the correct building just as a lovely woman was coming out to look for me. That is one thing I do like about the UniKlinik here in Düsseldorf, the vast majority of people I have dealt with are lovely and are very patient with my poor German skills!


So I got my results (all good BTW) and ran a few errands on the way home. When I got to the house, I was so tired I just layed on the floor with Shaggy for a while. After I got up and cleaned up, I started getting ready for Saturday. We were going to Destination Star Trek a few towns over. I wanted to make a T-shirt for my photo with Kate Mulgrew who was Captain Janeway. I've started collecting photos with Star Trek Captains for the fun of it and I needed to get things ready a photo with her and for meeting Ethan Phillips (Neelix) to get his autograph. If you aren't a Star Trek fan, they were both in the Star Trek Voyager series.


We had some adventure on the way there. The first train we took, we missed getting off at the right place for our connection and had to double back, but we made up some time by taking a cab to the convention hall once we got into town. Sadly, Ethan Phillips did not show. I was left lugging around a heavy Star Trek themed cookbook he had co-authored, which I had planned to get autographed. But ... things happen. Thankfully, Kate Mulgrew was there so I got the photo I really wanted.


It is sad how many stars cancelled since we bought tickets to this event. More than half of the original guest list I would say. We were going to go to Switzerland and ride rail carts down a mountain for my 55th birthday when I found this convention was scheduled the same weekend. I had wanted to meet Tim Russ (Tuvok), Roxann Dawson (B'Elanna, directed episodes), and Ethan Phillips (Neelix) as well as have the photo with Kate Mulgrew.


For those who follow my blogs you know I have neurological conditions. The Star Trek Voyager episode Riddles meant a lot to me. In this episode, Tuvok (Russ) has an accident and becomes brain damaged. The struggles he goes through with help from Neelix (Phillips) really hit home for me. The episode made me feel like someone out there in the world understood what it was like for me when I was going through my major struggles and even now. Roxann directed that episode. I really wanted to thank them all for their work in that ... but ... C'est la vie. I still got my Captain's photo.


This convention was not as well put together as previous years, but it was the first one since CoVid-19 hit so I give them points for trying to get back into the swing of things. We have been to this event in the past (before the plague) and it was a huge, well done convention. I have faith they will eventually get back to that. One thing I will say about the Destination Star Trek, Germany event is (as with the UniKlink) most of the crew members you meet there are lovely, helpful people. There was only one crew member I saw who was really being antagonistic to convention attendees. That is pretty good odds. All in all it was a fun day and that is all that really matters!


We got home early evening and I had to start getting things ready for Sunday, Shaggy's 7th birthday. We have had our boy since he was only 6 months old. We celebrate his birthday September 25th and his Gotcha Day, Valentine's Day. Who needs candy or jewelry when you can get a furry ball of love to cuddle on February 14th. Best gift to our family ever!


For his birthday, Shaggy got a new ball that makes the weirdest noise and he loves it. We gave him an ostrich bone, which he has already stripped bare. He also got a chicken liver and turkey heart "cake". The plate was clean when he was done so I take that as two thumbs up on the recipe.


In between all of this, I was trying to do housework, upload some TikTok videos for Burckhardt Books, and of course .... WRITE! I did not get much added to my work in progress, The Touch. However, I did get some good pages added so progress is progress no matter how small, it is moving forward that counts. Plus, I got some great CSI/Profiling reference books for my birthday thanks to Pedro and my Mom. I have some great reference books back in storage at my parents home in Kansas from when I earned my certification in forensic criminology, but only the good Lord knows which boxes they are in. I have already made use of these new reference book for what I am writing now.


This Wednesday we will have the second half of the interview with Kara Vogt from Kavo Creative on the Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt podcast. I'm so thankful this week's show is basically ready to go, because Wednesday I have my own interview with judges for the SheInspires SHEro award. I am really looking forward to speaking with the judges. I was a finalist in 2020, but because of CoVid, they cancelled the judges meetings and the awards went virtual. This year we will actually be going to Bolton, UK and be with other nominees for the awards ceremony. We have everything booked but the plane tickets which will be done soon. I can't wait.


So many great things are happening here and I am thankful I get to share it all with people like you, who read these blogs. It's odd being in a country that is basically foreign to you in every way even after living here for so many years. CoVid definitely threw a wrench into my assimilation into local society. I have faith things will begin to get easier going forward and I will start getting back into the swing of communicating in German again as people interact more and more. But it can be hard to live somewhere where you have no close friends or family outside of your spouse and furbaby. I miss getting to hang out with real live people for whom I do not do laundry! But again ... C'est la vie.


Don't forget, if you are a writer we have the Writing Prompt Challenge going on. You have amazing odds of winning the $25 cash prize at the moment. Seriously, you will never get these odds on a scratch off ticket and you have to buy those. This contest costs nothing to enter and at this moment if you submit a story, you will have a one in three chance of winning the cash. Check out all the details here ---> Writing Prompt Challenge.


That should get me back up to speed this week. You know, when all is said and done, my life is great and I am truly blessed with an amazing husband who takes great care of me. I have no real complaints in life, but I do have one wish. I hope to one day see a book I have written on a bestseller list for book sales, not just for free books. That would be amazing! But until then, I will just enjoy writing, getting to find new and fun ways to interact with all of you, and be thankful for every minute of it!


Have a fantastic week, people.


Now, go forth ... and be happy!

Dianne





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