Burning House Press

Blind Devotion

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Quaglietta, Nick. "Blind Devotion." Burning House Press. 2019. Web. 12 November 2019 https://burninghousepress.com/2019/11/12/blind-devotion-by-nick-quaglietta/

A post shared by Nick Quaglietta (@nick_quaglietta) on Nov 13, 2019 at 4:55pm PST

The Fronds of Cactus Palm...

People from all over the country, and around the world, associate the iconic saguaro cactus with the Desert Southwest Region of the USA. However, most are likely unaware that this type of cactus can be found in only the Sonoran Desert, an area that encompasses less than one-third of Arizona, and an even smaller segment of southern California, along with portions of the Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur.

Generally speaking, in order to find saguaros growing in abundance, one must travel through the part of southern Arizona that lies between Tucson and the border of Mexico. I've lived in the Southwest for more than half my life and, for the majority of that time, Tucson has been my home. In fact, it is the only place in the world I have ever felt truly at home.

It is also quite common to see saguaros growing near various types of palm trees in landscaped public spaces. It's a combination that is relatively unique to the Tucson Metropolitan Area, and so it became a symbol for the happiness and satisfaction that living here has brought to my life. With an average of 312 days per year without rain, Tucson is, most certainly, a place where the sun, and the mind, are always shining.

Mensa Rising...

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Thirty-three years after first joining Mensa, I finally had the opportunity to attend the Annual Gathering #MensaAG , which happened to be in Phoenix this year. Four days of programming offered lots of interesting content and lots of good information that proved to be both inspiring and eye-opening. I attended several presentations covering a wide variety of topics, such as the history of some of the earliest entrepreneurs in the Grand Canyon, the practical challenges associated with traveling to Mars, the most up to date research on asteroids and meteorites in our solar system, climate change, Alzheimer’s disease, and estate planning. I also participated in debates on racism, immigration, and atheism. Some of the highlights included a centennial celebration commemorating the birth of Isaac Asimov (Mensa’s most famous member) and a talk by Adam Savage from Myth Busters. I also had the good fortune to attend presentations by three authors who I admire and to also meet each of them. The first was Richard Lederer, a language expert who has written several books on the subject (including the two I purchased: The Write Way and Comma Sense) as well as a monthly column for the Mensa Bulletin for the past 25 years. The next was Ian Randal Strock, who has also written several books (including the one I purchased: So You Want to Get Rich as a Writer?) and who worked with Isaac Asimov at Davis Publications. The Arizona Trail: Passages in Poetry was written by Stephen Chaffee, a long-time supporter and volunteer with the Arizona Trail Association who presented an overview of his four-year journey hiking the trail. I was thoroughly impressed with the overall quality of the event and how well it was organized. Every program item during all four days ran right on time (apparently it does make a difference when the conference personnel are comprised of only geniuses J . The next big event I have my eye on is the Mensa World Gathering in Huston in 2021 and I’ll be excited to see what they manage to put together to top this year’s AG.

A post shared by Nick Quaglietta (@nick_quaglietta) on Jul 7, 2019 at 5:36pm PDT

Sir Paul...

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I've been a fan of Sir Paul and the Beatles for pretty much my entire life. I saw him in a live performance once before in Glendale, Arizona during his Back in the U.S. tour. The show was phenomenal, of course, but the tickets I bought weren't the greatest. So, I promised myself that, if I were ever to have an opportunity to attend another live performance, I would do it right the next time; and that's exactly what we did. Our seats were on the floor, center section, in the second row. Paul was not more than 40 feet away from us; it almost felt like we were in the same living room together, which made for a genuinely surreal experience. The performance was absolutely fabulous with nearly three straight hours of music, including a five-song encore. Sir Paul continues to be in a class all his own.

A post shared by Nick Quaglietta (@nick_quaglietta) on Jun 27, 2019 at 12:55am PDT

Everything in its place...

The past two days have been devoted to setting up place holders for the content pages as well as activating all of the currently exisiting links on the site.

I also created, successfully tested, and added a fairly basic, but adequate, online contact form.

Phoenix Fan Fusion 2019

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@phoenixfanfusion 2019. Had a great time at this event as always. Scored autographs from three Star Trek TOS cast members, including George Takei, Walter Koenig, and Nichelle Nichols. The celebrity panels were thoroughly entertaining and informative, as were the author discussion panels. Lots of impressive cosplay on display as well, as can be seen in the photos above. The only disappointment was that Nikolaj Coster-Waldau had to cancel, but there's always next year and I'm already looking forward to it.

A post shared by Nick Quaglietta (@nick_quaglietta) on Jun 17, 2019 at 3:17pm PDT

Who in the world is...

The progress made today focused primarily on setting up additional social media platforms, including a Facebook Page, an Instagram Page, and a Twitter Page.

I also set up a new Email Address as well as a new Domain Name: NickQuaglietta.com

Now that all the new framework is in place, the next big step forward will be to populate all of these places with as much content as possible.

A bit more polish...

The past twenty-four hours have been devoted to refining the layout and color scheme for my new website's home page.

I am quite pleased with the way everything turned out and I'm fairly confident visitors will feel comfortable while spending time exploring the site.

At this point, I'm satisfied that I've taken the process of developing the home page far enough for the time being and will now focus on adding as much content as I currently have available. This will include incorporating additional social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

And so it begins...

The time has arrived to launch my plan to become a serious, and more well-published, author. It is a sincere desire I've held and contemplated for quite some time, although I always felt that it would be impractical for me to devote the time necessary to do it well. However, having now transitioned into semi-retired life after 30 years on Active Duty, I believe I am ready to make a go of it.

The first steps, thus far, have been to decide on a name for my new LLC along with designing and creating a logo, to begin building a new website, and to start a journal where I can record the process and progress associated with this endeavor.

Next up will be a thorough search for many more opportunities to submit my work for consideration while I  further develop my craft, which will include continued participation in activities such as the local Connect & Heal Poetry Workshops and Open Mic events.