Steven Helmer Publications

My dad gave me a bag of socks he isn't able to wear any more and, when I noticed there were a couple pair that were thicker (meaning I won't wear them because I'd never be able to get my foot in my shoe), I decided to turn them into heating pads for the family. This is a simple project. All you need to do is put uncooked rice (I used about four cups per sock) in the socks and tie off the open end. Then, when you want a heating pad, you put the sock in the microwave for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. This works really well too because the rice/sock holds in the heat for quite some time. I put mine in the microwave for about 2 1/2 minutes before bed last night so I could have it down by my feet. When I woke up during the night, about 2 hours later, it was still warm. When I've made a similar one, in the past, for my wife, she was able to use it for everything from staying warm to helping her with a sore back or cramps. Yes, these can be re-used. The last one I made (for my ...

I'm burning off some of my vacation time by taking Wednesday afternoons off (it helps reduce some of my wife's stress because I can get our oldest daughter after school). I had a "check engine" light on in my 2017 Chevy Cruze and decided to make an appointment to get that checked out right after work yesterday. I figured the appointment would take, at most, an hour, with them diagnosing the problem and, if they couldn't fix it easily, having me make another appointment. I was definitely wrong about that one. I was there 3 1/2 hours as they took half the engine apart trying to figure out what was causing that light to come on only to have them not really knowing what the problem was but essentially making an educated guess and suggesting I change where I get my gas. My biggest concern, of course, was I wasn't going to be able to get my daughter. Fortunately, I did get out of there just in time. But, I'm still a bit irritated considering I have only had...

I was reading an article last night that said the television ratings for the long-time hit, The Walking Dead , were continuing their downward spiral and, while the show doesn't appear to be in any danger of cancellation yet, it also doesn't look as though it is going to pull itself out of that descent any time soon. After reading it, I thought of three ways I, if I were a show writer, would save the series. Granted, it's quite possible the series has reached the point of no return already. But, I do feel these steps would at least give it a fighting chance. You can read my story here:  https://wizzley.com/three-ways-i-would-save-the-walking-dead/

Synopsis: Daryl ( Norman Reedus ) leads a mission to rescue an injured Eugene ( Josh McDermitt ), who has taken shelter in a barn while trying to escape a herd of walkers. As the group makes its way to Eugene, the begin to notice odd behavior from the herd and, eventually, discover a new threat to the survivor communities. You can read my review here:  https://wizzley.com/the-walking-dead-episode-review-evolution/

Synopsis: The citizens of Cnothan have never been friendly to outsiders. But, most of them have an exceptionally large hatred for Englishman William Mainwaring, who has purchased some of their land and always seems to be welcoming confrontation with the way he thinks he is smarter than everyone else. As a result, when his skeleton is found at the bottom of a lobster tank, just about everyone can be considered a suspect. You can read my review here:  https://wizzley.com/book-review-death-of-an-outsider-1988/

Synopsis: In 1957, manipulative teenager Mary Lou Maloney was named prom queen. However, because of a poorly executed prank committed by her boyfriend (who was angry about her cheating on him) is set on fire and burns to death on stage before she can receive her crown. Thirty years later, Mary Lou's angry spirit is released on the eve of her high school's prom night and, after taking the place of the school's prom queen favorite, seeks to get revenge on her former boyfriend, who is now the school's principal. You can read my review here:  https://wizzley.com/movie-review-prom-night-ii-1987-1/

Synopsis: The Enterprise crew rescues a derelict shuttle and quickly discover the shuttle was piloted by an unconscious Captain Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) doppelganger. They quickly determine the unconscious Picard is from 6 hours in the future, when the Enterprise is apparently destroyed by an unknown force, and must race against the clock to figure out what happened and how to prevent it. You can read my review here:  https://wizzley.com/star-trek-the-next-generation-episode-review-time-squared/