What's Next?
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Julie Barrett
Wednesday, August 20, 2025
This morning I was going through my Facebook memories feed and noticing the number of posts going back to at least 2018 about being overworked and underappreciated and spending so much time on unpaid work that I've been neglecting my own business and self-care.
And what do I have to show for it? A damn close health scare, a row of staples in my belly, and a failed business.
This stops. Now.
I have closed my business checking account, my Etsy store, and my Square store. I couldn't see paying fees when I didn't have the spoons to do any work. I have done one art show this year. I did better than expected. However, the second art show I always do fell through. They never responded to me, and when I visited the show I found lots of empty space. Apparently I wasn't the only one who got ghosted. The third I've had to back out of because of my health. The promised panelist invitation to a convention next month also didn't ma
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Filed under: Life 8/20/2025 10:04:33 AM
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Some Good News on the Medical Front
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Julie Barrett
Monday, August 18, 2025
Friday was my follow-up with the oncologic surgeon. This doctor has not sugar coated anything so far, so you might imagine how pleased I was when, after we got through the pleasantries, he told me he had some good news for me.
They got it all! He said they took something like 47 lymph nodes along with the tumor, and every single lymph node was clear.
What's next? He is referring me to an oncologist. There may or may not be a round of "just to be sure" chemo in my future.
Friday the staples come out, and I'll be very glad. He removed the dressing on Friday, and now they hurt more than ever. But hey, it beats the alternative, right? I should be cleared for normal activities on September 1.
Tomorrow I go to the PCP for a follow-up on the more "mundane" medical stuff.
Once this is all out of the way I get to follow up with a GI specialist about my u
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Filed under: Life 8/18/2025 2:56:53 PM
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Time For a Health Update
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Julie Barrett
Thursday, August 7, 2025
Y'all, I've been pretty quiet lately, and with good reason. I'm trying to stay upbeat about this, but the fact is that part of the reason I'm in this position is that I've avoided self-care because I'm either caring for other people or doing work for other people so they could go take care of their third side hustle, take a vacation, avoid answering emails, whatever. And yes, I am just a tad resentful.
Okay, so that's out of the way. What's going on?
I started to get sick in May. I thought it was a vaccine reaction, and it probably was - at first. I finally said screw all the people and tasks that people wanted me to do and got myself to the PCP. My hemoglobin level was at 3. Normal for a woman my age is at least 12. People were shocked that I was able to walk into the hospital on my own, much less be coherent - not to mention actually alive.
Cut to the chase: I'm home after a colon resection. And yes, it's what you think it means.
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Filed under: Life Fuck Cancer
8/7/2025 4:59:24 PM
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My Soonercon Schedule
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Julie Barrett
Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Hey, Soonercon is this coming weekend, and I'm on some cool panels. Plus, the radio show is back! Here's where you can find me:
Friday 2:00 PM, Crimson Meeting Room Reclaimed Fabrication: Turning Trash into Treasure
In the world of sci-fi, nothing is truly useless. This panel explores how unlikely, repurposed items are transformed into iconic props and set pieces, proving that in the future, trash can become treasure. From makeshift tech to salvaged spacecraft, we'll dive into the art of reclaiming and reimagining everyday objects to create the futuristic worlds we love. Join us as we celebrate creativity, resourcefulness, and the brilliance of sci-fi design.
Fellow panelists: Collin Samonowicz (moderator), Selina Rosen, Divine Creations Cosplay
Saturday 10:00 AM, Crimson Meeting Room Radio Play Open Casting & Rehearsal |
Catching Up
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Julie Barrett
Friday, May 9, 2025
For an old sorta retired lady, I've been busy!
I have a couple of convention appearances coming up, and we'll be taking K-9 to Fan Expo Dallas again this year. Stop by the British Emporium booth.
I'm working on a new electronics prop project that I hope to debut at SoonerCon. It's been a real challenge!
(Warning: Geek Speak ahead!) I'm working on a presentation on wireless control for props and costumes. The current project uses ESP-Now to "talk" between three ESP-32 boards that control or take input from various things. Non-geeky description: Push a button and watch things happen! I'll also have some lighting controls to show off. How about touching an item with a sensor, having it pick up the color, and send that color to your clothing - and everyone in your costume group! I'll also be showing a couple of ways to set lighting colors from your phone, including one that won't require soldering or programming exper
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Filed under: Life 5/9/2025 9:17:39 AM
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Comments Are Back!
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Julie Barrett
Monday, April 7, 2025
At last! Comments are back.
I need to manually approve each one, so your patience is appreciated.
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Filed under: Housekeeping
4/7/2025 4:21:36 PM
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An "Old People" Day
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Julie Barrett
Thursday, April 3, 2025
Today we went to do something "old people" do. In other words, we took off for a day trip!
Our destination was Canton, TX for First Monday Trade Days.
First Monday is a giant flea market that takes place the weekend before the first Monday of the month. We hadn't been in years, and thought it might be fun to go out when the crowds were, in theory, thinner. They were today because it rained. It was mostly light rain, so our windbreaker jackets did the job.
After a couple of hours of walking through endless booths of MLM merch finally found the antiques and went through one building that had a lot of new merchandise with some cool antiques scattered inside. The things that interested us were out of our price range, though. We discovered one other covered area with booths and decided that would be our last stop for the day.
Jackpot! The place was full of people sell
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Filed under: Life 4/3/2025 4:49:31 PM
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In Praise of Bunter, Lugg, and Dot
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Julie Barrett
Thursday, April 3, 2025
This morning my Facebook memories reminded me of this entry, in which I recounted a dream about being driven through the Alps by Lord Peter Wimsey. Bunter was in the back seat.
That, in turn, led to a long think about Bunter, Lugg, and Dot, three literary companions who do much to carry their respective author's tales. Also, I'm trying to flesh out a companion in a WIP, so consider this part of my thought process.
Who are they? And why are they so valuable to the story?
Mervyn Bunter is valet to Dorothy L. Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey, whom he worked with during the Great War. (The books in the series were published in the inter-war era.) Like Jeeves, Bunter always seems to read his employer's mind. He knows when to bring refreshment, when to pack, and often accompanies Wimsey on his cases. Bunter, you see, has a secret weapon: His camera. An accompl
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Filed under: Writing 4/3/2025 10:01:57 AM
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Easing Into A Different Life
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Julie Barrett
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
Well, here I am, easing into semi-retirement. The good news is that my creative brain is starting to work again. I spent a chunk of yesterday working on some research for a novel. So when do I start writing? I think I'm getting close. There are still a few things I need to sort out.
My biggest issue was that I didn't like my main character a lot. It's okay to have an unlikeable main character, but she wasn't even unlikeable. She was just "meh." I need to flesh her backstory out a lot more. I also realized she was too young. Adding five years to her age gave me room to expand her backstory and work up some past experiences that helped shape her character.
Second, I still have a bit of "kitchen sink" syndrome going on. What elements in my outline are important to the story? Which ones detract? I need that focus.
I just don't have the brain muscles to write long pieces of fiction. I need to change that. But l
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Filed under: Life 4/2/2025 2:02:24 PM
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Time For A Bit Of Catch-Up
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Julie Barrett
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Oh, good. I just lost an enormous post. Let's see if I can re-create it.
So, we're (mostly) retired now. Paul fully retired in February, and I retired from almost everything except creative work (does one ever retire from that?) at the end of February.
I joked that I wanted to walk out of FenCon and onto a cruise ship. Hey, I came close! I walked out of FenCon on a Monday, and then the following Saturday we boarded a plane to Ft. Lauderdale, spent the night, then embarked on our vacation on Sunday. Pretty good, I'd say!
How was FenCon? Fun as usual, but if you were there you'll know about the challenges we faced this year.
The cruise was great. You can read about it here. We needed the break. I decided not to even think about the number of calories or drinks I was consuming during the week. Of course, I did im
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Filed under: Life 3/25/2025 4:46:08 PM
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