Random posts from a writer who loves cats and coffee. An American Democratic woman with chronic illness (respiratory) who lives to read, write, and binge watch Netflix or Hulu. Married to a hot foodie who plays lots of video games. I'm not just a broken human, I'm also uniquely maladjusted but fun!
Another epic binge-watching session. Falling Skies gives us five seasons of a post-apocalyptic science fiction television drama. Including another Karen to hate. The term "Karen" is slang for a well-off woman who complains about trivial matters and demands everything be her way. In this case, it's a character who ends up serving the aliens.
"What would we do if aliens invaded right now?" Wren Noel poses.
"Probably die. We're not in the best position to survive."
"You really think we'd die?"
I gently tap of the casts covering Wren Noel's limbs. "Well, you could knock a few of them out. And I've got some creatures around here who would eat several. But yes, eventually. Look how much they have to move around in this show. How far do you think I'd be able to wheel? The sidewalks don't even connect well enough for me to get across town to the pharmacy when the bus doesn't run. Forget the apocalypse, I struggle with current normal times."
Wren Noel frowns at this. It's another two episodes before there's another peep spoken.
"Was Karen also Daisy, Daisy Adair, on Dead Like Me?" Wren Noel nails the impression of the character.
"You're thinking of Laura Harris. This actress is Jessy Schram."
"Are you sure? You recall the show I mean, right? With the grim reapers in the opening credits."
"I love those opening credits. And I loved her character. But it's not her." I pull out my phone and open the IMDb app to prove it.
14 Across - Enemy alien Overlords and Queens in the Falling Skies TV series
The crossword clue will contain the LETTER of the day, though it might not be the *first* letter in the word.
My April 2026 Blogging from A to Z Challenge Theme is a slice-of-life short story with two characters binge-watching shows and movies while creating a crossword puzzle. Read and play along!
Please check out the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge #AtoZChallenge a-to-zchallenge.com
JDORNER1460A 🛒 💰✨ Get $10 off Instacart. Use my code JDORNER1460A at checkout or follow this link. Terms apply. https://inst.cr/t/493b819c5
Our days go by. Binge watching, sharing meals, and basic needs being tended. The physical therapist shows up to help Wren Noel learn to hobble better, or whatever it is. Not wanting to leave anyone here without me, I order groceries from Instacart.
After my delivery arrives, I busy myself in the kitchen making a Middle Eastern-themed meal for us. Tabbouleh is a parsley salad with tomato, couscous, onion, lemon, and herbs. I wash all the herbs, a few that I've grown myself, and dry them in the salad spinner. I chop the parsley and mint. My kitchen smells amazing!
"Is he getting enough protein?"
I turn toward the voice. It's the physical therapist. "Wren Noel prefers they/them pronouns. And yes, I've been following the dietary guidelines."
The therapist huffs. "I don't believe in all that pronoun nonsense. And that food looks vegetarian and without protein."
I hear one of my creatures stirring in the next room. This mortal has no sense of danger. My creature friend senses my discomfort and thus is preparing to eat a physical therapist for lunch. "Well, if you're done for the day, you can use this door to leave."
"He's gonna need protein to heal."
"There's a salmon marinating. It will be served alongside this." The door to the sunporch inches open with a high-pitched creak that triggers aversion. Doesn't matter how often I lubricate the hinges; some creatures just have a way with things.
The therapist winces. "I suppose I should go. I'll be back for the next appointment."
I half-wave. "Okay. Bye."
Death narrowly averted, I finish preparing food and head back to the room where Wren Noel is waiting.
"I've been watching The Rookie. Have you seen it?"
"I imagine, if her character were real, she'd like you too, Liv."
I grin at the compliment. It would be nice to have a cop friend. As the episode plays, a band taunts John Nolan with a song. Wren Noel and I laugh as we replay the catchy tune.
24 down - A song written and sung by Zander Hawley for The Rookie is ____ Cop
The crossword clue will contain the LETTER of the day, though it might not be the *first* letter in the word.
My April 2026 Blogging from A to Z Challenge Theme is a slice-of-life short story with two characters binge-watching shows and movies while creating a crossword puzzle. Read and play along!
Please check out the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge #AtoZChallenge a-to-zchallenge.com
JDORNER1460A 🛒 💰✨ Get $10 off Instacart. Use my code JDORNER1460A at checkout or follow this link. Terms apply. https://inst.cr/t/493b819c5
"We can't follow up such a classic film with just anything," Wren Noel remarks.
"Of course not. We're going to need something a bit unexpected. Big celebrities, lots of blood, a splash of humor," I wave the remote as I make my selection.
"I haven't seen this," Wren Noel remarks as I make my selection. "Is it about dieting?"
"Not exactly," I say with a chuckle. "But we won't be eating Drew Barrymore's preferred meal."
I set a water bottle with a long straw on the tray table so that they can hydrate. Then settle into my chair, curled up with a hot cup of blueberry green tea.
"Would you still be my friend if I ate your neighbor?" Wren Noel jokes.
I grin. "I'll roll us across the way right now if you're willing to give it a go. She hates me."
We both laugh.
"She'd probably come back and haunt you," Wren Noel points out.
"She'd be an angry spirit, blaming me for her returning. Wouldn't be the first one though."
"Oh?"
"Every now and again, there are these ultra-religious spirits who blame the Medium, as if my kind are preventing them from moving on. And they get stuck here longer, unable to move on, unwilling to accept help from the only people able to offer it." I shrug.
After several episodes of the show, Wren Noel points out that, eventually, Drew Barrymore's character learns to accept the help of her husband, daughter, and even the boy next door.
20 Across - Comedy horror Netflix series set in the suburban city in California's Santa ____
The crossword clue will contain the LETTER of the day, though it might not be the *first* letter in the word.
My April 2026 Blogging from A to Z Challenge Theme is a slice-of-life short story with two characters binge-watching shows and movies while creating a crossword puzzle. Read and play along!
Please check out the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge #AtoZChallenge a-to-zchallenge.com
JDORNER1460A 🛒 💰✨ Get $10 off Instacart. Use my code JDORNER1460A at checkout or follow this link. Terms apply. https://inst.cr/t/493b819c5
B 21 across — The first bride seen in Rocky Horror
I wake up, tend to my morning needs, then tend to Wren Noel, and then the cats and creatures.
"Sir Pusspuss slept on my lap last night. Most I've ever seen of that cat."
"Really?" I set Wren Noel's breakfast on the tray table, then look around. "He's gone again, isn't he?"
"Oddest cat. But I swear I hurt less this morning. I feel bad that I can't help with the cooking," they frown.
"Have I ever allowed you to cook in my kitchen? Leave me some function!" I feed them a bite of oatmeal.
"Thanks. Raspberries, almonds, and honey?"
"Yes. Do you like it? I love steel-cut oats." I'm impressed they knew the ingredients.
"It's exceptional. So, what's breakfast without entertainment? Perhaps a classic movie?"
I wink as I feed them another spoonful. "A cult classic? Rocky Horror!"
We both sing the theme song as I queue up the film.
"Most people forget how this movie starts. We should create a crossword clue based on these characters that barely get any screentime."
The crossword clue will contain the LETTER of the day, though it might not be the *first* letter in the word.
My April 2026 Blogging from A to Z Challenge Theme is a slice-of-life short story with two characters binge-watching shows and movies while creating a crossword puzzle. Read and play along!
Please check out the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge #AtoZChallenge a-to-zchallenge.com
JDORNER1460A 🛒 💰✨ Get $10 off Instacart. Use my code JDORNER1460A at checkout or follow this link. Terms apply. https://inst.cr/t/493b819c5
I pull the vibrating, ringing phone from my jeans' pocket. My friend Wren Noel appears on the screen. "Hey, what's going on?"
"Liv, I'm in the hospital."
"What? Are you going to be okay? Can I do anything?" I wheel to the window. It's stupid, I know, because it isn't as if I can look out my window and see Wren Noel or the hospital.
"Eventually. A nurse is holding the phone for me. They have casts on my arms and left leg. I'm feeling fairly useless. I have a choice of going to a nursing home, or, well, I can't really get around my own apartment, but if it were set up for accessibility, I could go."
I chuckle. "Sounds like we're having a slumber party at my place."
"The insurance is covering a visiting nurse and therapist, so I don't need too much help. But it would be for a few weeks."
"Seriously, it's fine. It'll be fun. We can binge-watch shows and movies while you heal."
"You're sure? I could go to the nursing home." They say nursing home as if it's Death Row.
"I've been in your situation. Well, not exactly, but you know what I mean. You'll heal better with a friend. Besides, I don't want to take the bus across town to a nursing home to see you every week. Much easier if you come here."
They laugh. "Glad to do you that favor."
I wheel around my house, setting up the living room for when Wren Noel comes. I message my roommates to let them know they'll be here. My roommates mostly keep to their rented floors, with private entrances to the basement and second floor, but I feel it's polite to give a heads-up.
"Fred, our buddy Wren Noel is going to stay with us," I tell my fluffy orange cat. He's more interested in his catnip mouse, but I've said it anyway. I look for Sir Pusspuss, but, as usual, the gray and white ball of fur is nowhere to be found. Next, I inform the other creatures residing here. Wren Noel is just unusual enough to be intrigued, rather than frightened or appalled, by the outcasts of mythology living under my roof. The world may call them monsters, but I know they can be kinder and more loving than many humans I've encountered, dead or alive.
I flip off the GOOD PSYCHIC COMMUNICATIONS neon sign. There are no appointments for the rest of the day, so I may as well seem closed. Then I roll to the kitchen and start on dinner. I'm not sure if they'll feed Wren Noel before transporting him here, but probably not. I make a roast chicken soup with lots of vegetables.
As the transporter pulls in my driveway, I press three buttons on the remote to turn on the television. The familiar percussive tudum sound fills the room as Netflix loads. I wheel out to greet Wren Noel. Their complexion is as pale as usual, but all of their signature piercings have been removed, including the neckbolts. Their long, black hair is tied in a messy ponytail at the back of their head, secured with a rubber band.
"Hideous, I know," they say as they see me.
"Well, there goes the plans for a magazine cover shoot. Darn," I say with a laugh.
They smile and wince. We continue with small talk and casual jokes until the transportation people are gone and they're comfortable in the living room.
"I can't thank you enough for saving me. Now, what smells so damn good?"
"Chicken soup. Figured I'd go easy on you the first night."
"Liv, you're a goddess among us. Did I mention I'm supposed to work on making a crossword puzzle?"
I raise an eyebrow. "With which hand? I don't see how you're planning that."
"You know that side-hustle job I got making puzzles and such for that entertainment magazine?"
I nod. "Oh yeah, sure." If I had a nickel for every side-hustle job Wren Noel has mentioned over the years, I could buy myself a new wheelchair.
"Well, if we come up with some clues related to shows and movies, I was hoping you could help me create it. Not a lot of pay, but it's not all that much work, either."
"As long as I don't have to do your regular job. Communicating with spirits is one thing, but I'm not going to embalm the dead for you."
They laugh. "Relax, you'd need a special degree and an apprenticeship, it's a whole big thing, to get that job. No, just this fun side job. Like, what were you planning to watch? I see Netflix is queued up."
"Atypical. Sam Gardner is an autistic teenager. Have you seen it?"
"All but the last season. Sounds like a great place to start. We'll come up with a crossword clue to match the show."
We eat our soup as we watch. I'm better at feeding Wren Noel than they expected me to be. They bite less than the creatures I've taken care of over the years.
As the night winds down, we come up with our first crossword clue. I get Wren Noel settled before heading off to bed.
19 Across - The continent where Sam Gardner's penguins traditionally reside
The crossword clue will contain the LETTER of the day, though it might not be the *first* letter in the word.
My 2026 Theme is a slice-of-life short story with two characters binge-watching shows and movies while creating a crossword puzzle. Read and play along!
Please check out the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge #AtoZChallenge a-to-zchallenge.com
*Why stay with her instead of trying to get equipment? Totally not political at all, but:
The awesome co-hosts for the April 1 posting of the IWSG are Melissa Maygrove, Cathrina Constantine, Kate Larkinsdale, and Rebecca Douglass! April 1 question - If you have a playlist (or could put one together) that either gets you in the groove to write or fits with one of your books, what is it? What type of music or what songs?
For this story, they're binging shows and movies, so there's not a soundtrack. If I had to pick a music genre for them, it would be Goth Rock. Lots of Type O Negative.
But REJECT funding for ICE until the very basic terms are agreed to.
1. Warrant Requirements
Require a judicial warrant before federal agents enter private property. As is required for other agencies.
2. Detention Verification
Verify a person’s citizenship status before detaining them, to avoid wrongful detentions of U.S. citizens. This includes protection for birthright citizenship.
3. Enforcement Conduct & Transparency
No masks; standardized uniforms so agents look like civil law enforcement (not cartel/gestapo/carjacking looking... terrorizing communities)
Body cameras + clear ID (agency, unique number, last name). As is required for other agencies.
4. Sensitive Location Protections
Ban enforcement near schools, medical facilities, childcare, churches, polling places, courts, etc. There must be sanctuary.
5. Anti-Profiling Rules
Stop tactics based on race, language, accent, appearance, or location. As is the law for other agencies.
6. Operational Limits
Large-scale actions must have state/local consent; restrict roving patrols and warrantless raids, as with current agencies.
7. Oversight & Accountability
Allow state/local governments to investigate/prosecute misconduct by federal agents and impose stronger internal conduct standards. No denying oversight!
8. Use-of-Force Standards
Require reasonable use-of-force policies, expanded training, and officer certification, as with other agencies.
9. Access to Counsel
People detained must get immediate access to appropriate lawyers.
10. If someone becomes pregnant while in ICE custody, DNA testing must be done, and any and all agents or persons who have used their authority as a means of sexual misconduct, including rape and pedophilia, must be imprisoned and permanently banned from ever holding any government position.
11. No forced sterilization. This is a human rights violation similar agencies have previously committed. It must be FORBIDDEN.
12. Guaranteed accommodation of safe, adequate, and clean water, food, clothing, bedding, and restroom facilities (including feminine hygiene and incontinence such as diapers). The same standard expected for a US Congressperson to get through a day and night as the base for this budget.
There's no reason for ICE to operate without meeting these reasonable and lawful restrictions.
Other agencies should receive funding in the meantime. As one agency crying about having to obey basic and reasonable laws should not be permitted to starve and destroy other branches and their Unions.
One is a Republican. The other is sponsored by the Democratic party but has obviously aligned with Republican interests.
So I reach out, knowing that they will NOT represent the interests of their constituency.
But I do it anyway. Because I can control MY actions, my choices, my hopes -- even if they ignore it.
Or if they toss the Constitution in the shredder and start assassinations on more United States citizens for practicing the Free Speech we're currently guaranteed. Yeah, well, better to die for something.
