[As usual, three weeks lag here, if you aren’t reading this on my Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/blazeward). If you’d like your news fresher, and the monthly Anti-Stodgy/Redneck Chef newsletter, all I ask is a buck to help keep the lights on around here.]

It’s fucking cold out there this morning. 28F with fog, when I went down to see the Piper and talk with him over coffee. Still defrosting as we spent some time outdoors working out.

Useful, but damned cold. Home now and getting warm.

Because of the holiday, only slowly recovering. Figure making it through November was a win. Stretched about as thin as I can get. Stressed almost to breaking.

Managed to not bite anyone, and I’ll consider that a win, all things considered. Although, truth be told, been a few assholes lately that really don’t grasp the whole “shut the fuck up” part of life and have to have opinions on EVERY topic. Loud ones.

Over on Bluesky, having greatly expanded my network, I have started unfollowing, muting, and occasionally blocking folks. They are not worth my time, even when they aren’t really shitposting fuckups like you find on ex-Twitter.

Just assholes who don’t have anything nice to say at any point.

Maybe, just maybe, learn that not everyone who disagrees with your deeply held instant opinions is wrong? I know, shocking. Maybe, just maybe, learn to shut up?

You’d be amazed what you might hear or even learn, if you aren’t the biggest ego in EVERY room. I know, shocking.

Maybe cold and grumpy this Monday. Maybe done with a lot of folks and their drama. Only warning, and some of those folks will never see it, because they don’t listen. Or learn.

Writing: Sent Science Officer 15 to first readers over the weekend. Will write #16 soonish. Probably by the end of Jan. Planning at this point to drop Corsac 6 & 7, then Javier 15 & 16 to end 2025 and go out big. Got a lot of of things, too.

Folks in the Patreon will get the second Laima novellete later today. If you aren’t there, you’re missing a lot. I’m working on ideas for Scattered Tribes #2, but not sure if Patreon gets it or it just comes out. They read all the parts of #1 over the last 16 months and change. Seemed to go over well.

Not much past that. Corsac 7 is over 20k, but it’s long because I have to wrap up all of Block One, so I’m guessing closer to 100k to finish it. Dunno. Got a story that wants to be told, and you’ll get it eventually.

Hope your monday is warm. Maybe add a dash of rum to the hot chocolate. You might need it.

shade and sweet water,

b

West of the Mountains, WA

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