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November 25, 2023
Ice cream, books and boarding passes.
Hello there, {$name|default:'reader'}. I hope you're having a great week.
Every Monday evening, at around 6pm, an ice cream van tears down the road outside our house. It plays a jingly version of 'Popeye the sailor man' the whole way, inadvertently giving the neighbourhood a demonstration of the Doppler effect while also never stopping to let anyone actually buy anything. It's always there, no matter the weather, 52 weeks a year.
It set me to thinking that it'd be great if the various delivery couriers we now seem to rely on had something similar. Imagine reliving the child-like joy you once had when the ice cream van came by, only you know it's your latest impulsive Amazon purchase. It might also give you a chance to get to the front door before they decide you're out, and launch your parcel into the void.
Since yesterday was Black Friday (or rather, we're in the middle of the two week period of that name) I suspect a lot of us are waiting for deliveries right now. But don't worry, I'm not going to try and sell you anything else!
Also I remember when I was younger hearing that all the local ice cream vans were run by 'the Mafia'. It was one of those things that everyone just knew, and never really gave any critical thought to. Quite apart from the conspicuous absence of Mafia bosses in rural Shropshire, no-one ever questioned why. It might well have been the pre-internet rumour mill working on the very real 'Glasgow Ice Cream Wars' where criminals were selling drugs and stolen goods from the vans - and even killing competitors. en.wikipedia.org
Now I'm older, I realise that a fleet of ice cream vans (and the associated cash-based economy) would be an ideal cover for money laundering - so perhaps the idea that organised crime was behind a number of them isn't as fanciful as we thought.
I'm pretty sure there's a story in it.
Space News
Send your name to Mars
Every so often, NASA lets you sign up to have your name included in a future mission. They'll etch all the names onto a chip, so while you won't have a visible monument on the Red Planet, you can at least brag that you've been a part of a major space mission.
I've done it a few times since they first opened this up in 2015, most recently for the Mars 2020 mission that launched Perseverence:
My boarding pass for the Mars2020 mission
I suspect that if you showed up at Cape Canaveral with your boarding pass that they wouldn't let you on board the spacecraft, but it's a neat little souvenir. Ideal for the space-obsessed young people in your life, and it's free too. An ideal stocking-stuffer, or a treat for yourself.
If only I could trade in the award miles for something...
Source: NASA Mars Exploration Program
Other Books To Check Out
I've gathered a few great books from independent authors like me, I hope you'll check them out.
And let me know if you have any books to recommend! I'm particularly interested in indie authors, but anything you've read and loved would be awesome.
Buy it now
Cover of 'Charmed & Dangerous' - a woman in a glamorous dress wields orange fire in front of an ice-blue sigil.
These witches are considered Charmed and Dangerous...
In the world of magic, nothing is ever as easy as it seems. Spells and charms can only get you so far. For these heroines, magic may just be the root of their problems.
Facing demons, ghosts, untamed powers and the world of witchcraft, they will need to draw on their inner strength if they are to survive.
With love and family on the line, these witches are facing the fight of their lives. Good thing they're Charmed and Dangerous.
A Collection of Paranormal and Urban Fantasy Tales
Includes stories from -
USA Today Bestselling Author S. K. Gregory International Bestselling Author Annee Jones Sarina Langer Kat Gracey Tiffany Shand W. M. Dawson Wynter Ryan
Strange News
Iceland's Macabre 'Nithing Pole' Curses
A selection of Nithing poles
Iceland has a long tradition of stories, embodied most impressively in the sagas which narrate the nation's history through tales of trolls, giants and the elves. Unlike old English, the language used in the sagas has not changed vastly over the years, so most Icelandic people can read them in their original form.
Egil's Saga is the first place we encounter the idea of a nstng ("nithing pole"). This is a wooden pole, carved with runes, topped with a severed horse's head. The idea is to curse an unwanted guest, or in the case of Egil, the current rulers of the land.
Most recently, one has been erected by persons unknown outside a new-age commune just outside Reykjavik. Presumably someone took offence to their habit of ingesting magic mushrooms, or more likely the drumming circles kept them awake. There's also a suggestion that they were protesting against alleged abuses by the religious group against their own members.
The rise of the nithing poles coincides with the rise of paganism in Iceland - a modern form of paganism called satrarflagi, or "satr" for short is the fastest growing religion in the nation.
There's another variant of the curse pole which uses a fish's head instead - but rather than cursing an individual, this is intended to summon a storm.
These days they're not seriously believed in as a magical threat, but rather as a protest or sometimes as a publicity stunt. That being said, I would certainly have a particularly strong reaction to coming out of my front door one morning to find one.
Source: Atlas Obscura
Other Books To Check Out
Historical Fiction Free Books Download
Exciting Historical Fiction Giveaway
No matter your tastes, from medieval swordplay to First World War fighter aces, or from Western Cowboy sagas to Regency political drama, there's something for you here.
Get these books before December 24th!
Miscellany
Family recipes engraved in headstones. I expect to see a YouTube series based on gravestone recipes any day now. You could call it 'Dead Tasty'.
Source: Atlas Obscura
Japan's 'Grave of Censored Stories'. The way things are going, we'll soon need one for banned books again.
Source: Atlas Obscura
Mr Sandman, man me a sand. Make him the cutest man car door hook hand.
Source: youtube.com
And Finally
We've all had those 'small world' moments, right? Where you learn or hear something and then almost immediately someone mentions the exact same thing in a completely different context. Like discovering a great new book, and then someone at the office recommends it to you out of the blue...
Well recently someone suggested I take up a hobby that occupied my hands, so my brain could roam freely through story ideas while I 'zoned out' on muscle memory. It seems like most of my writing group knits, crochets or cross-stitches, so there must be something to it.
I've always been intrigued by book-binding, and worked on a 'build your own notebook' kit a few years ago, so thought maybe the repetitive folding and sewing would be a good fit. I could listen to podcasts or audiobooks, or just let my mind wander and solve my story problems.
It came out pretty well, all things considered.
One quick YouTube search later, and look what I found. Binding your own paperbacks of out-of-copyright novels! Perfect. And just look what book he's selected.
Such a small world.
Source: youtube.com