Lucas Pralle

I was frustrated this morning after a Zoom meeting. We’ve all needed to make big changes on how we’ve done things since this COVID-19 thing hit. Some of us have handled change better than others. In my world, it’s been adapt or die for a long time. I know I’m being a prickly hard-ass about it, but it’s meant that I’ve been able to excel even in the hardest of times. As a teacher, adapting during COVID-19 has meant becoming more proficient using online tools and platforms. Granted, I’m a tech guy; I use this stuff every day. Heck, I’ve …

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I made a strawberry-cherry pie this week; nothing extreme, just canned strawberries and cherries with a Pillsbury crust. The pie isn’t as good as grandma’s but not half-bad considering its humble roots! Anyway, before I ate my pie this evening, I sprung for the deluxe treatment and capped the pastry with slices of Colby cheese and nuked it. The result? Deliciousness. Cheese stacked on pie might be a Wisconsin thing—one of the many home-field strategies to help Wisconsinites consume more cheese. I wouldn’t put it past state lobbyists and lawmakers. After all, the state legislature banned yellow-colored margarine in the …

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I’m currently reading Exhalation by Ted Chiang. I’ll write a more detailed impression of the book after I’ve finished it, but I need to share this little anecdote. The first story in the book, “The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate” deals with the mind-bending concept of an alchemist’s gate which allows a person to travel 20 years into the future by passing through one side and travel 20 years into the past by passing through the other side. There are no Back to the Future rules here. You can say hello to your past or future self. You can interact …

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I finished the short story collection Tomorrow Factory by Rich Larson today. It was an excellent read with stories of varying lengths and subject matter. The story “An Evening with Severyn Grimes” brought me to this collection. I read it in Forever Magazine last week. Mr. Larson was generous enough to include a short background segment for each story. One of the inspirations for “Severyn Grimes” was the show Altered Carbon on Netflix. He nailed it. Altered Carbon came to mind immediately. Like the show, his story is violent, sexy, and cool cranked up to 11. Here are a few …

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The PCVI Summer Writing Seminar is set to begin this upcoming Wednesday. I’m excited. I have a new “problem.” For the first time when I’ve run a workshop or event, the demand is way more than capacity! The impending budget crisis in Rhode Island and possibility for less funding has caused me to modify components of the course, particularly the What Cheer Writer’s Club co-working membership. This is now one month for the students instead of two. Reducing co-working time gives us a little wiggle room in terms of the budget and has allowed us to add a few more …

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I read some fantastic Sci-Fi stories while I was out in Wisconsin. I subscribed to Forever Magazine, which is a “best of” monthly mag edited by Neil Clarke of Clarkesworld Magazine. None of the stories that I read in the July edition of Forever came from Clarkesworld. The stories truly are a “best of” curated by a fan and respected editor of science fiction. I have been digging back into Clarkesworld over the past month. The magazine strikes a good balance between literary, sci-fi, and length. Stories are customarily 30 – 40 pages on my Kindle or smart phone. I …

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Carolyn and I recently returned from a week in Wisconsin. It was a low-key trip filled with a much needed visit with family and a breather from our swamped schedules back in Providence. Amid our time wrangling my two WWE Superstar nephews (6 and 2) back in Wisconsin, Carolyn and I took a peek at our favorite fresh water dive spot, Devil’s Lake. The lake has a max depth of about 60 feet. We tend to stick to shallower water, usually around 10 – 15 feet. Visibility is good at that depth…and…we get to play with our fish friends! We …

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I remember the exhilarating experience of choosing my first email address, a Hotmail address, and thinking, “Wow, I’m truly connected to the world.” I still believe in the power of the internet. I love that my projects can exist online, and people from around the world can access them. I love that I can learn about projects and information that some person or group of people have compiled and tumble down a rabbit hole and get lost in their worlds. I’ve been thinking about social media lately. A few weeks ago, Carolyn and I traveled out to a remote part …

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The plot of yesterday followed a familiar winding and twisted plot arc for me. My day started with an update regarding the PCVI Summer Writing Seminar, where I stated that I was going to scan documents for the class website. That task was completed by 11 pm last night. I didn’t have 12 hours of scanning to complete, maybe more like 2 max. After I made my blog post, I decided to make a few changes on this website, one thing led to another, and several hours of tweaking later, I ended up with an entirely new look for the …

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All systems are set to go for the PCVI Summer Writing Seminar. Class begins on July 29. I’m in the final prep stage of the instructional design and Mark is recruiting for the class. We have twelve spots available for students, and as of July 11, eight of those are filled. I made a recruiting video up in Vermont a few weeks ago. It felt good to talk about the class in the video. I had spent the previous few weeks nailing down a lot of the Google Sites work. It’s been an fascinating journey putting this thing together. The …

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