Rock sculpture in MaineHealth Imaging Hall waiting area
Steve’s stuffies gathered on the living room rocking chair, well out of the soon-to-be construction zone:
Two faces of Rookie’s displeasure with the new office arrangement
Firefly adapting to the new arrangement by removing to my office
The new arrangement
Rook attempting to Make It Work
The Long Back Yard, today
For those who consume podcasts, The Baen Free Radio Hour today features, among other things, Sean Hazlett and me chatting about I Dare and a buncha other stuff, too. Link
The Long Back Yard, with sublimating snow:
Friday. Raining like heck, heading for the mid-50s. All the dampness will freeze overnight of course. I am so not looking forward to driving to Brunswick tomorrow in the early AM. Yeah, chicken, here.
Dishwasher doing its thing.
Half hour with the Happy Lite has been had while I made notes for the Unending WIP. Breakfast was oatmeal with walnuts and a handful of semi-sweet chips, because I had them. Lunch will probably be soup, to celebrate the rain. That may not be the right word. Oh, and I bought a bag of those lovely little oranges, so I can have an orange for dessert.
Today’s to-do list includes Glaring at the WIP; stripping the bed, washing the sheets, and putting the bed back together; changing out the cat boxes; getting the WIP and all its attendants onto a portable hard drive so it can be attached to my laptop and work can continue in the face of progress. Also, the usual fidgets of hanging stuff away and poking at piles.
I am remiss in reporting that I really like my new glasses, and am wearing them. The old glasses — and I should’ve minded this better — had gotten to the point that I preferred not to wear them; they just made everything worse.
Someone asked where I got my glasses — apparently places like Lenscrafters no longer carry titanium frames, which — What? I get my glasses at the retail side of my optometrist’s office — Eye Care of Maine. SPOILER: They cost the earth, and I’m not really sure how much of that is the blue light coating and the no-line progressive lenses, and how much is the frame.
All that said, and the to-do list, I better get myself busy.
What’s happening with you today?
62 The Besotted Baron (Bad Heir Days #4), Grace Burrows (e)
61 Storm Called, (Royal States #1) Susan Copperfield (e)
60 That the Dead May Rest, Karen A. Wylie (e)
59 Emilie and the Sky World,(Emilie Adventures#2) Martha Wells (e)
58 The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman (e) (bkclb)
57 The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams, Mindy Thompson (e)
56 Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt (e) (bkclb)
55 Hunting Ground, Patricia Briggs (Alpha&Omega 2)(re-read) (e)
54 Cry Wolf, Patricia Briggs (Alpha & Omega 1) (re-read) (e)
53 Alpha and Omega, Patricia Briggs (Alpha&Omega.5(re-read) (e)
52 Blind Date with a Werewolf, Patricia Briggs (e)
51 The Women, Kristin Hannah (e) (bkclb)
50 Emilie and the Hollow World, (Emilie Adventures #1) Martha Wells (e)
49 Black Tie & Tails (Black Wolves of Boston #2), Wen Spencer (e)
48 Shards of Earth, Adrian Tchaikovsky(The Final Architecture #1)e)
47 Hemlock and Silver, T. Kingfisher (e)
46 Outcrossing, Celia Lake (Mysterious Charm #1) (e)
45 Outfoxing Fate, Zoe Chant/Murphy Lawless (Virtue Shifters)(e)
44 Atonement Sky, Nalini Singh (Psy-Changeling Trinity #9) (e)
43 Stone and Sky, Ben Aaronovitch (Rivers of London #10) (e)
42 Regency Buck, Georgette Heyer (re-re-re-&c-read)
41 I Dare, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (Liaden Universe #7) (page proofs)
40 To Hive and to Hold, Amy Crook (The Future of Magic #1) (e)
39 These Old Shades, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Sarah Nichols (re-re-re-&c-read, 1st time audio)
38 Faking it (Dempsey Family #2), Jennifer Crusie, narrated by Aasne Vigesaa (re-re-re-&c-read, 1st time audio)
37 Copper Script, K.J. Charles (e)
36 The Masqueraders, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Eleanor Yates (re-re-re-&c-read; 1st time audio)
35 Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language: Hereditary Deafness on Martha’s Vineyard, Nora Ellen Groce (e)
34 Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Winifred Watson, narrated by Frances McDormand (re-re-re-&c-read; 1st time audio)
33 The Wings upon Her Back, Samantha Mills (e)
32 Death on the Green (Dublin Driver #2), Catie Murphy (e)
31 The Elusive Earl (Bad Heir Days #3), Grace Burrowes (e)
30 The Mysterious Marquess (Bad Heir Days #2), Grace Burrowes (e)
29 Who Will Remember (Sebastian St. Cyr #20), C.S. Harris (e)
28 The Teller of Small Fortunes, Julie Leong (e)
27 Check and Mate, Ali Hazelwood (e)
26 The Dangerous Duke (Bad Heir Days #1), Grace Burrowes (e)
25 Night’s Master (Flat Earth #1) (re-read), Tanith Lee (e)
24 The Honey Pot Plot (Rocky Start #3), Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (e)
23 Very Nice Funerals (Rocky Start #2), Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (e)
22 The Orb of Cairado, Katherine Addison (e)
21 The Tomb of Dragons, (The Cemeteries of Amalo Trilogy, Book 3), Katherine Addison (e)
20 A Gentleman of Sinister Schemes (Lord Julian #8), Grace Burrowes (e)
19 The Thirteen Clocks (re-re-re-&c read), James Thurber (e)
18 A Gentleman Under the Mistletoe (Lord Julian #7), Grace Burrowes (e)
17 All Conditions Red (Murderbot Diaries #1) (re-re-re-&c read) (audio 1st time)
16 Destiny’s Way (Doomed Earth #2), Jack Campbell (e)
15 The Sign of the Dragon, Mary Soon Lee
14 A Gentleman of Unreliable Honor (Lord Julian #6), Grace Burrowes (e)
13 Market Forces in Gretna Green (#7 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
12 Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, Judi Dench with Brendan O’Hea (e)
11 Code Yellow in Gretna Green (#6 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
10 Seeing Red in Gretna Green (#5 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
9 House Party in Gretna Green (#4 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)*
8 Ties that Bond in Gretna Green (#3 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
7 Painting the Blues in Gretna Green (#2 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
6 Midlife in Gretna Green (#1 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
5 The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison (Author), Kyle McCarley (Narrator) re-re-re&c-read (audio)
4 The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune (e)
3 A Gentleman in Search of a Wife (Lord Julian #5) Grace Burrowes (e)
2 A Gentleman in Pursuit of the Truth (Lord Julian #4) Grace Burrowes (e)
1 A Gentleman in Challenging Circumstances (Lord Julian #3) Grace Burrowes (e)
_____
*Note: The list has been corrected. I did not realize that the Gretna Green novella was part of the main path, rather than a pleasant discursion, and my numbering was off. All fixed now.
Supervisors be supervisin’
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Not a very satisfactory afternoon, alas.
Back and knees hurt from PT, which meant that it was hard to concentrate, and though I did write a scene, I fear it is the wrong scene, but I’ll look at it tomorrow.
I clipped Tali’s front claws, but when I tried to do the same for Rook, he hissed at me, which was very lowering. For both of us, apparently. He’s now trying to pretend that it never happened, but his claws still need to be clipped. Tomorrow, I’m thinking.
Speaking of tomorrow — the ‘beans are calling for mid-50sF and rain, with an overnight low of 23F, so that‘s going to be a fun 6am drive on Saturday morning.
I believe I will be having an Early Night and a sleep-til-I-wake morning.
Everybody have a good evening. Stay safe.
I’ll see you tomorrow.
Today’s blog post title brought to you by! “Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day,” written by Judith Viorst, illustrated by Ray Cruz.
. . . this keeps happening. Must investigate.
So. Thursday. Sunny 40!F!/4C.
Breakfast was the last of my homemade hummus and naan. Am munching on cheddar cheese pretzel pieces as I type this, because (1) they’re addictive and (2) I’m snackish. Lunch will be the other piece of lasagna.
PT has been accomplished, as well as a PO run, and a stop at the grocery store. I filled the car up with gas, so I’m ready to go flying outta here on Saturday morning on a heading for Brunswick.
I have not been able to get excited about Doing Something for Christmas. I did pick up a ham slice, and I have yams on hand, so, yanno, ham and and a yam for dinner on the day could be a thing. I also picked up a frozen so-called single pizza (Screamin’ Sicilian, for those who keep track of such things), in case that’s something I’ll be wanting. Oh, and canned chick peas, on account of I am making hummus again.
Mostly, though, it’s looking like next Thursday will be nothing any more or less special than all the days have been lately.
The plan going forward is to heat the oven so I can have warm lasagna for lunch, then hit the WIP.
Tomorrow, I need to do a cat box changeout, and also get all my working files off of Steve’s computer, where I’ve been diligently writing, so I can continue to write while his office is upside down and the French doors are being replaced.
I need to decide if I’m just going to set up my laptop in the living room, and write there, or bring it totally back into my office. I’m leaning toward the living room, which will keep the task-spaces separate, and which I’ve been finding really useful.
Saturday, of course is the pre-dawn trip to Brunswick, two MRIs and home again, where kind neighbors have volunteered to come over and help push furniture around, because the window people require a six-foot clearance. For which I can’t blame them and there’s no denying that’s a full office experience.
. . . I think that’s all the news at the moment.
How’s Thursday treating you?
Liaden Read-Along Folk!
Here’s the link for the Agent of Change Read-Along (which will start in January), so you can bookmark it
If you get lost, all you have to do is look on the menu on the left side, and you’ll see, right at the top “Liaden Read-Along” with a down-arrow. Click the down-arrow and you’ll see “Agent of Change Intro.” Click that and you’ll be at the top of the discussion.
Reading does not start here at the Confusion Factory until January. What’s up there right now is an intro, with information from the story card, the novel’s tag line, About The Author blurb, and a short history of how the novel got published.
Feel free to share the news of the Read-Along with friends, but be sure to let them know that there will be spoilers.
Tali wants everybody to know that I was properly supervised this morning as I wrote:
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Tuesday. I have new glasses. Except for a change in color — the old glasses were blue, these are a silvery pink — they look pretty much the same. Titanium frames. The prescription pulls the right eye into line, as it continues its descent back into nearsightedness.
Regarding the read-along — thanks to everyone who chimed in to say that their idea of reading along matched mine, and we will hope that those who were afraid they’d miss something unless recorded due to their work schedules and whatnot are now relieved to know that we’re text-based, and they can check in whenever they have time.
So! People of the Read-Along, I ask your input. Do you prefer order or chaos? Which is to say, shall we commit to reading, eh, 50 pages a week, and look for an update on Monday afternoon? Or do you prefer that I just comment as I go along, and you’ll catch up with me?
Please state your preference in comments.
Monday evening. Book club was fun, though we were down a member, due to Life, and we did not chose another book.
Came home and had about an hour to spend with the WIP, but! Absent taking out the trash first thing, I don’t have to be anywhere or do anything until 5 pm, so tomorrow morning is Bidness as Usual.
I? Think I’ve figured out why so many people are wanting in on my Liaden Universe® read-along, and I am going to nip this in the bud right now.
Ready?
BUD-NIPPING ANNOUNCEMENT: No, I am not reading 27 Liaden novels outloud. If this is what “read-along” means to the Greater Internet, I apologize, and will now explain what I mean when I say “read-along.” I take as my model in this, Humpty Dumpty from Alice.
What I am going to do is read — read — the existing Liaden Universe® novels, starting with Agent of Change and going through to Diviner’s Bow, in Publication Order. I will post my thoughts as I go along, and those who had decided to read along with me may comment on my comments.
I am not (that’s NOT) reading them aloud, live or to a recording. Why not? Because reading aloud is a performance, and I don’t want to perform, I want to read for understanding, and hopefully, pleasure.
I haven’t set it up yet, but my reading notes will most likely appear on Splinter Universe. I haven’t gotten much further in my considerations than the vague idea that I’ll post a link whenever I’ve made a new post.
I’m looking at a start date of January 1 2026, and I will, as above, be starting with Agent of Change, first published as a Del Rey Books Mass Market Original, with a cover by Stephen Hickman, in February 1988. I was 35; Steve was 37. It was our first novel, but not our first collaboration, and it hit the bookstores in December 1987, where it could be purchased for a whopping! three dollars and fifty cents, US.
Here endeth the Bud-Nipping Segment of Tonight’s Entertainment.
Everybody have a good evening; stay safe. I’ll look in tomorrow.
Here, have a picture from my annual review:
Monday. Sunny and cold. Tea and sunlight have happened.
Scrambled eggs with spinach and onions with whole grain toast for breakfast.
Today will be Upside Down Day: Chores/RL in the morning, writing when I come home from the bookclub. Already done the banking, where I was pleased to see the on-signing for Liaden Universe® Constellation Volume 6 sitting demurely in the account. Ms dea’Gauss will likewise be pleased.
Next up is proofing the reprint story and bio for Adversity and Audacity. Then, one’s duty to the cats, and staging the trash, by which time it’ll probably be time to go to the library.
Someone asked Why I was going to read the Liaden Universe® novels in publication order.
Setting aside that, “Because I want to and it’s mine to decide” is a completely legitimate reason, I am reading them in publication order because!
Agent of Change was published in February 1988 (written in 1984). Diviner’s Bow was published in April 2025 (written in 2023/2024). I want to see both the progression of the authors’ skills, and their perceptions of their life and world as reflected in their work. This is, I note, a chancy game when played by critics, biographers, and reviewers, but I know these authors as no others can, so I feel fairly confident in my ability to read their work correctly.
And on that note! Imma proof a short story.
How’s everybody doing today?