thursday thoughts, thursday 13, & more

reading time: 3 minutes

thoughts

I think it’s time to do a wardrobe overhaul. I work from home, so my usual daily uniform is yoga pants/leggings and a T-shirt. Most of which have been deconstructed a bit, since I have a thing about things against my throat. The reason why is a story for another day. Suffice it to say it’s trauma-based. Back to the point… I have more T-shirts than one person probably needs, and I seem to wear the same dozen or so to the exclusion of the others.

Looking at the most worn ones, I realized that at some point, my choice of colors became largely black. And that my favorites are generally snarky tees (and I have a lot of those), band tees (lots of metal, classic rock, and punk), podcast tees (I listen to lots of true crime), book/reading-related tees (a few), and a few from local businesses (mostly food and tattoos). And, of course, my collection of New York Rangers shirts. I think this collection of wearables really tells a story about who I am as a person!

---

thursday 13: facts about my hometown

play along here

I grew up in Potsdam, New York, a small town not far from Canada in the northernmost part of the state. So here’s a list of interesting (?) facts about my hometown.

1. The town began life as a small settlement in 1803, established as an actual town in 1806.
2. The area around the town is known for its sandstone, a large slab of which is on display at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC.
3. The Gigolo Aunts are an alternative rock band formed by a crew of hometown guys, most of them a year or so older than me.
4. We breed a fair number of pro athletes. To name a few…
   • Craig Conroy: NHL
   • Scott LeGrand: AHL/ECHL (He was a classmate.)
   • Trevor Scott: NFL
5. The infamous Garrett Phillips murder took place in Potsdam on 26 October 2011. Nick Hillary, an ex-boyfriend of Garrett’s mother and a soccer coach at nearby Clarkson University, was detained as a suspect, later sent to trial, and finally acquitted. That began a real division of thought in the town, as the other major suspect was another ex-boyfriend, John Jones. And Jones was never detained, nor seriously treated as a true suspect. The difference between the two? Hillary is a Black man, while Jones is not only White but also a sherriff’s deputy. The case is still unsolved.
6. Born in Potsdam, Linda Richards (27 July 1841-15 April 1930) was the first professionally trained American nurse. Not only did she establish training programs in the US and Japan, she also created the first system for maintaining personal medical records for hospitalized patients.
7. Jason Sutter, a Potsdam native, is a pro drummer who’s played with Smash Mouth, Foreigner, Pink, The Rembrandts, and more. Currently, he drums for Cher.
8. Orpha Maria Smith was the first baby to be born in Potsdam, born on 20 April 1804.
9. Earlier this year, Potsdam was named the 7th Collegiest College Town in America by the Washington Post. We have both SUNY Potsdam and Clarkson University. The ranks are based on towns with the largest percentages of student populations within the greater permanent residency. We came in at 59.8%.
10. Potsdam is home to the Crane School of Music, which has produced a long list of esteemed and famous alumni. A few on that list…
    • Lisa Vroman ’79: singer and Broadway actress (Her mom was my vocal teacher in high school.)
    • Renée Fleming ’81: opera singer
    • Margaret Lattimore ’91: opera singer
11. During the college school, the population of the town increases by about 8000, thanks to the dual student population.
12. Potsdam is both a town and a village within the town. The town encompasses two villages, Potsdam and Norwood, as well as more than six hamlets.
13. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, if you want to plant cucumbers, you should start your seeds indoors between 21 and 28 April. They should be transplanted outdoors between 19 May and 2 June. If you miss the earlier dates, you should start seeds outdoors between 26 May and 2 June. The last day you should plant them is 25 July. (planting calendars)

---

three things… memories

1. This was a fun night! It was a military ball in May of 2012 with 3rd BST, Corey’s unit at Fort Drum. Clearly, I was not a traditional Army vet/wife. It’s hard to see in this photo, but my shoes are fire. They are 4″ Iron Fist Mary Janes, pink with skulls and roses. If you click the photo, you can see them.

2. Five years ago tonight, I took Man Children #2 and 3 to see Def Leppard at Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. We made an evening of it, going downtown early to have dinner at a great phở place. And the concert was AMAZING!!! A photo for you…

3. Kissing Frogs is the first book I published, in August of 2017. It’s prequel, One Stormy Night, came out a year later. (Kissing Frogs | One Stormy Night}

---

currently

1. reading:  
   • The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec
   • The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
   • Storm Breaking by Mercedes Lackey
   • Freaky Witches by Amanda M. Lee
   • Happily Haunted Afters by Brittany Kelley
2. listening:  True Crime Garage podcast
3. writing: romantic suspense
4. making: dog blanket
5. loving: the pumpkin spice candle burning

rate this post