Notes From Neptune

I write about people, places, and things.

Something’s Wrong

That’s about all I know, really. From January to March, Neimah was working on a play in Baltimore, so for most of two months I was at home solo-parenting the wee Moon Friend. I was tired of course, because it was tiring. Then Neimah came home, the pandemic hit, and my body just gave up on me. Tired unlike anything I’ve ever known. Tired like I’m almost drunk, losing my.. Read More

Hoo boy.

This whole kid-having thing is no joke, guys. Here we are, almost ten months down the road from the arrival of That Guy, and I’m only just starting to feel like I have the time to, like, do stuff. That isn’t momming or momming-related. It’s a lot. Don’t get me wrong, I love the crap out of That Guy. He is adorable and squishy and endlessly entertaining when he’s not.. Read More

I’m trying to write a query letter…

It’s not going so well. First off, how do I condense this thing, this world that I’ve built over the past fifteen years, into one sentence? If I could explain it in a sentence, why would I have bothered to write a book? Secondly, I’m supposed to sell it. The whole point of this letter is to engage the curiosity of some unknown literary agent out there and persuade them.. Read More

Just a thought that’s been possessing me lately.

Aunts are like tessellations of mothers… women so close to the one you know best, who but for a few decisions here and there might have been mother to you rather than mother-adjacent. Mothers just turned and repositioned in space like interlocking puzzle pieces, corresponding coordinates of life and love, x and y. A special feature of mother-math.

I’m going to tell you a story…

Once upon a time, there was a girl who had thoughts.This was not unusual, for all people have them, and nowadays we’re all almost painfully aware of how common those thoughts are. But in this story, the girl had thoughts and decided to write them down. This time was a magical time, ruled by The Internet, so the girl placed her thoughts there, on a site of her own devising… Read More

Containers of Love, pt. 2

This has so far been a very popular year for comfort items. The friends for whom I made the dragon-scale baby blanket of previous fame have (thankfully) kept me quite busy lately, first with making a repeat of the dragon blankie for another friend of theirs, and then with a ripple afghan for their sister-in-law who’s currently undergoing treatment for leukemia. They picked a lovely, calming blue in one of.. Read More

I Found Out Where the Red Fern Grows

No, really. I did. Two weeks ago, we took off for an adventure in Costa Rica. After ten days spent visiting a different national park every day, driving on roads paved (if they were at all) in gravel and sand, and meeting people who personified the concept of pura vida, here is what I learned: 1) Rough roads make you appreciate what lies at the end of them. As I mentioned.. Read More

Containers of Love

So many finished projects I need to tell you about. And the first one is this: A dragon-scale inspired blankie for a friend’s new baby boy. Since said friend is our DM and a great lover of all things fantasy, I though a draconic blanket would be a fitting gift. While Webs sent me a different yarn than the one I ordered, the color was perfect and it only turned out.. Read More