Mad Scientist

If you look at my profile, you may notice I've listed Writer and Mad Scientist as my occupations. I'm not being cute, that's really what I do. And today, two things are happening that make both of those a little bit more legitimate.

Today, I start doing after school programs for Mad Science of King County. Mad Science is a company that for lack of a better description "revamped Mr. Wizard." I go to schools or day camps or theoretically birthday parties and do nifty science experiments for kids from K-6. My job title, honest to God, is Mad Scientist. My stage name is 'Flarin' Erin' which I like better than the closest runners-up "Electron Erin" and "Aerodynamic Erin." Though with the latter I might have gotten one of Questionable Content's "Aerodynamically Curvaceous" T'shirts, but that probably wouldn't have been appropriate.

I begin with "Matter of Fact" so today I'll be showing students at Emerald Heights Academy the difference between physical and chemical changes, by tearing up paper, burning matches, popping balloons, and electroplating a nickel with copper. Also, they get to make Mad Science Putty, which i am not looking forward to, as it is messy and tricky.

As for writing, I have a little page on Elfwood. I'm not 100% impressed by this site, but what it lacks in overall quality it makes up for in exuberence. I wouldn't recommend it to find the next big thing in fantasy or science fiction literature, but there are a lotof quality artists.

Anyway, I revised and "republished" "The Son," my ever-growing short story/novella on Egyptian and comparative mythology (Don't I sound smart? Relax, it's a coming of age story in Ancient Egypt with some mystical elements). I did this because Woodworks was putting up my "Crappy Pantheons" editorial, wherein I ranted about how much I hate fiction that begins with or relies on gods that are unbelievable and uninteresting. I didn't want some smart aleck to come and point out all the mistakes in the old draft I had up.

Anyway, the point: I got Moderator's Choice on one of the sections! This is a little victory, I know, but it means that someone I have no connections to liked my story. So I'm allowed to feel good.

And I do.

So go read it: The Son