#Agent Thoth's #Personal Log: Day 601

Hey Everyone! :-)

Agent Thoth discusses more of the trials and tribulations associated with living with hominids. Incidentally, if you've missed Agent Thoth's earlier entries, you can find them here: Thoth's Journal

Department for the Preservation and Confirmation of Intelligent Life (DPCIL)

Agent Thoth's Personal Log

Day Six-Hundred-One:

I began my experiment in hominid behavior modification techniques a couple of days ago, and so far I can only report what does not work. My first attempt involved extreme measures to focus my hominid-servant's attention on me. I inserted myself between her and the electronic device she was focused on, but she just shooed me away and then physically picked me up and put me on the floor.

Since it was clear she was not amenable to responding to direct requests for attention, I proceeded with the next stage in my experiment. I jumped onto the horizontal platforms she has made it clear she does not wish me to perch on and knocked off many of the items she had placed on the platforms, breaking some of them in the process. While this method did succeed in focusing her attention on me, it was not in a way that could be considered productive.

When the first of the items she had placed on a platform hit the floor and shattered, she jumped up from her chair with an expression on her face that I have come to understand represents extreme emotional perturbation. She came towards me, but her movements were stiff and jerky. It has been my experience that allowing her to lay her hands on me when she is in such frame of mind rarely works out well for me, so I ran.

Unfortunately, it is hard to evade a determined hominid in a restricted environment, such as my domicile, and it wasn't long before she cornered me. I am fond of my hominid-servant and don't wish to harm her. Besides which, she has never truly injured me, no matter how wild her emotional response, so I resisted deploying the C.L.A.W.S. and instead registered my objection verbally. It was to no avail, however, as I soon found myself contained within the box she uses to express extreme displeasure with my actions.

Obviously, she did release me from the box, after she had cleaned up the broken pieces of the items I had displaced from the platforms, but she remained cool in her treatment of me for an extended period of time. I can only conclude that this is not an effective means for modifying her behavior. I will continue to test other behavioral modification techniques and report back on my findings.

Those crazy hominids, so unreasonable! ;-) You may have noticed that Agent Thoth has a new look. I hope you like his new picture as much as I do, but I'd love to hear your thoughts, either way. Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments. ;-) Happy reading, everyone!

The Computers Have Ears! ;-)

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I'm back with another peek at what Alyce is up to...and a little food for thought. ;-)  Enjoy!

Excerpt from sci-fi satire novel:
"The recording, and the exhibits, are programmed to play in whatever language the closest sentients communicate in. When we entered this room, the station computer noted the language we spoke and responded accordingly."

"So, the computer is always listening?"

He blinked at me. "Of course."

"That's creepy!"

"It's efficient."

I just shuddered.

He looked at me as if I was insane. "Is this an example of your species' resistance to technology."

I glared at him. "No. It's an example of me not wanting my every word and action recorded so that strangers can listen in later."

"Ah." He waved a tentacle at me. "That is not a concern. No recordings are made, and it is only the computer listening."

"How do you know? Someone could be saving recordings of everything you say and not telling you that's what they are doing."

He stared at me. "You truly are paranoid. Why would anyone do such a thing? Besides, even if someone wanted to, they would be subject to severe penalties under galactic law."

"What if it's your government doing the recording?"

"Do you think the government is not subject to the law? Naturally, if anyone in the government abused their power in such a way, they would be held to account."

"Hmmm…maybe." I shrugged. "It's your risk, I guess."

"There is no risk. Are things so different on your planet?"

Something Worth Watching?

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I'm back today with another video I wanted to share. Honestly, I had a lot of trouble choosing just one video for today. There are so many things going on that aren't getting nearly the attention they deserve. Should I share a video about how a Florida court ruled that it's just peachy for the DNC to defraud voters? Or how about the ongoing shredding of the Fourth Amendment with the recently passed legislation legalizing warrantless searches in DC and parts of Maryland and Virginia? Or how a DC judge ruled that US citizens no longer have Fourth Amendment rights on the internet and allowed Big Brother's jack-booted thugs access to the personal information of millions of people who are guilty of nothing more than visiting a website?

All of these are important stories that aren't getting nearly enough press time, but I decided to share a different video. On the surface, it's about a story that doesn't seem to be as important in the grand scheme of things. But if you watch the video, I think you'll see how it really might be the opening salvo in the war against our entire system of government. It's a little bit of a roundabout path, but I think it's worth the patience to follow where he's going with this. So, go ahead and watch the video, and if you'd like to respond in the comments, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Peace.

Veggie Fritter #Recipe!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I'm back with another summertime recipe for you! Enjoy! :-)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup flour
1 large or 2 small zucchini grated
3 large carrots grated
4 tbsp chives chopped fine
1 tsp cumin
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 tsp sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Toss the shredded zucchini and carrots with half a teaspoon of salt and let stand 10 minutes. Wring the veggies dry in a clean kitchen towel and then put them in a large bowl and mix in the egg, flour, chives, cumin, and cornstarch. Season the batter with salt and pepper to your taste.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Drop 1/4 cupfuls of the veggie mixture into the skillet. Press down with a spatula to flatten a bit.  Cook until golden and crisp and turn over and cook the other side to the same doneness. Put the fritters on a paper towel–lined plate and season with salt and pepper to your taste. Serve warm.

In a separate bowl, mix the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and red pepper flakes until the sugar is dissolved. Serve as a dip for the veggie fritters.

You can add some frozen spinach that has been thawed and drained and/or some finely chopped onion to the fritters, but you'll need to adjust the amount of flour and egg to fit the additional vegetables. Also, you can add some sriracha to the batter, if you'd like to add a little kick to it.

Bon Appetit!

Better Than The #Beach #Summer #Giveaway! $130 #Cash #Grand #Prize! #Free To #Enter!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

There's a new giveaway for spring!  Please take a moment to check out the Better Than The Beach Summer Giveaway!!  There are lots of awesome books and prizes!! :-)  It's free to enter, there are over 100 prizes, and the grand prize is $130 cash payable through PayPal!! :-)  Now isn't that worth taking a few minutes to check out? ;-)   Here are all the details:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you so much for stopping by today!  And don't forget to check back tomorrow for the next installment of Mistral Dawn's Musings! :-)

Now, That's A House! ;-)

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I'm starting to do my Fall cleaning, and it put me in mind of this passage from Taken By The Huntsman. I'm really glad I don't have to organize and clean anything this large. ;-)

Excerpt from Taken By The Huntsman:
Cassie paid closer attention this time and tried to memorize all of the twists and turns but she lost track about halfway there. She sighed in exasperation. “How long did it take you to learn your way around this place, Maeve?”

Maeve looked over her shoulder in surprise. “I’m not sure, dearie, it was several hundred years ago. And at the first, I was only allowed in the lower levels. The newer staff is confined to the scullery, stables, and servants’ quarters. It takes years before someone is trusted enough to start working upstairs.”

Cassie blinked. It hit her how little she knew about the type of household in which she found herself. It seemed as if it might be more like a small city than a house. “How many people work here?”

“Well, that depends, dearie. Do you mean here in the house or do you mean in personal service to the master?”

Cassie thought about that, she hadn’t realized there was a distinction. “Either. Both, I guess.”

“Well, if you mean here in the house, then there are about 500 staff members and their families. If you mean total for all of the house and grounds, including security, then several thousand. Though, you’d have to ask Arthfael for a more accurate estimate. He’s the master’s steward and overseer when the master is not about. If you mean in personal service to the master, then I’m not sure even Arthfael would know. You’d likely need to ask the master himself, though I’m sure he’d tell you. They’re all your people now too, you know?”

Cassie was starting to feel dizzy. She was supposed to be responsible for thousands of people? And why did all these people serve the Erlking? Did they have a choice? Why did he need people beyond those he employed to care for his house and grounds to be beholden to him?

Taken by the Huntsman

#APC #Spotlight: Joanna's #Journey By Karen J. Mossman!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I've got Karen Mossman in my APC spotlight, today! Karen is an active and supportive member of the  Authors-Professional Co-op Facebook group and her new adult, contemporary romance, Joanna's Journey, looks great! Here's the description:

Escaping a broken romance, Joanna runs head long into another, and then another. Managing two long distance relationships at the same time is complicated and made even more so when her best friend is a good looking guy who knows her better than most.

Set in the 1980s, Joanna and her sister, Sandie are two very beautiful women. After a cruel upbringing, both girls have their scars, but deal with things differently and as with most sisters, they clash.

When the unthinkable happens and Joanna's world implodes, she finds herself alone to face what she can't and won't accept. It is times like these you find out who your friends are and who you can trust, or more importantly, who you can't.

If you think this sounds like something you might enjoy, go ahead and grab your copy here:

Thank you all so much for stopping by! Happy reading! :-)