Merry Christmas Eve, all. This weary world needs a little peace.

Enjoy the holidays. Hug everyone you love. Cherish your joy, step away from your fears.

And with that, is there any coffee?

Quote by WriterGirl

Ooo I love the sound of your story! I’m working on a darker piece, too.

I’m headed to a handbell concert at Dad’s assisted living place. Dad’s in it… the red bell. He has a helper with his bell. He’s really struggling with things right now and it’s hard to watch. We just want him as comfy as possible.

A handbell concert sounds fun! I've never seen one.

Everything is groovy here. Talia is back home. Presents are wrapped and under the Christmas table. Prepping some Mexican food for Thursday. I hope everyone is well.

We saw a WONDERFUL production of Mary Poppins this weekend. The guy playing the Dick Van role (Bert) was really talented. Talia has never seen the movie, so we'll be watching that this week.

Coffee please!

Still struggling with the tail end of the flu. It’s been two weeks! I saw a doctor yesterday, and he said things looked good, I just need to ride it out. Tired and nauseous, with a bit of brain fog. It’s not Covid. Talia got a similar flu, but she is more quickly on the mend than I.

Anyway. A useless video doctor visit today, because it’s been on the books forever. Last tie it got canceled due to snow. Telehealth canceled due to snow. Weird.

Anyway. Taking it easy today. I hope everyone is well. Toast please, and coffee!

We are finally lifting our heads and walking out into the world. That flu (Influenva A) was 7 days longs and the first several days SUCKED! We are healing, though, at long last. Sadly, Talia leaves to visit her Mom this week while I say in town to take care of my daughter. Wah. Still, we'll be together at Christmas.

Cold and snowy today. I have to drive out into it this morning, for a doc visit, but it should be pretty painless.

HOT coffee please! And some pie!

Hope you get better Ape. We're slowly recovering. Yikes! That was the most sick I have felt in a long time. Getting well is like climbing out of a hole - it's a slow process. Still, we're getting there.

I hope everyone is well. Gobble gobble!

Cori and I both got hit HARD by the flu - NOT covid, but Influenza A. I'm just now getting over it. Talia is still in the worst of it. Get your flu vaccine! I didn't, and I'm regretting it. Talia got hers. She is smarter than me.

We'll have a small, shortened T-Day tomorrow at my daughter's house. I have no appetite now, but hopefully I will perk up a little by tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

My daughter is doing better. Still sad about losing a friend. I may fly to New Jersey for the funeral, if I can find the time.

All heck is breaking loose in US media today over Trump and Epstein. Sad and fascinating at the same time. I can't imagine what is inside those files. I'd always figured there was nothing, but clearly something big--so big as to be destabilizing to the US--is in there.

Coffee please.

A good friend of mine dies this week. I wrote something about him and submitted it here. Sigh. He was a good man.

My daughter is having a few complications. Long weekend. Not over yet.

Coffee please.

My daughter's second operation went well, much better than the first one. We appear to be out of the woods.

I am however, exhausted. Happy but exhausted. We all are.

Peace.

PS to Elyse: We're binging the Drew Carey Show on Pluto! Halfway through the first season. Pluto has The New Adventures of New Christine too! Great show!

Quote by gillianleeza
I have too much candy left over, too. I deliberately buy candy that I don't like.

There is no such thing as too much candy!

Actually, we had a ton of leftover candy too, but guilty secret Talia hides it from me, and doles it out nightly.

I passed my heart stress test with flying colors! What an annoying test. But I don't have to take one again for awhile.

Big wins all over the American political landscape yesterday. Maybe we have a chance.

Coffee!!!

I have to stop drinking coffee at noon! Aaaaaaagghhh! I have a heart stress test tomorrow and have to have a 24 hour caffeine fast. We shall see if I survive. I can't eat chocolate either, but I ate a LOT this weekend, so we're good.

Halloween was fun. Weekend was fun. GREAT World Series, even if the wring team won. I feel ya, BJ fans. You deserved a win.

NO coffee please, and no candy. I'll have a freakin salad.

Can-deeeeee!

We have a ton of leftover candy. Lots of trick-or-treaters, but fewer than last year. So, I am trying to avoid eating any today. Any more, anyway.

Trying to squeeze in a few final horror movie before Halloween weekend is over.

M&Ms and coffee please.

Quote by Mendalla

No, I haven't heard that one. My main experience with the whole nonsense was them going after Dungeons & Dragons since I was active in roleplaying from about 1977 to the early 90s. My church was liberal (relatively, I found out the limits of that when the denomination voted on ordaining gay ministers) so I had no issues but I heard some horror stories for sure. Maybe if I had been into metal in those days, I would have seen more of the music side but that came more recently.

I'd never heard it either. I found out about it from an old horror movie (The Border Lands).

Same old thang here. Write, walk. Good World Series, sorry there is no game tonight.

Quote by Mendalla

So a 70s-90s witch? 😀 You need to do a sequel where the spell is an MP3. 😉🤣

It was part of the "Satanic panic" of the 80s, but I don't think it's too well known. And yes, the climax involves modern digital recording.

Quote by gillianleeza

That game was wild. I'm still dealing with troubling family issues. They are taking up a majority of my free time. On top of that, I am trying to work as many days as possible since my health insurance is about to triple next year. Sigh, I am beyond frustrated and annoyed.

I hope everyone is doing well. Take care.

So sorry to hear that, Gill. Take care and keep your spirits up. It was a wild game!

Nothing new here. My daughter's second operation is next month, so I will be caretaking again. Should be easier this time, we know what's coming. And it kind of puts a damper on Thanksgiving, but as I'm the turkey maker, less work for me!

Finally finding my way through the witches spell on cassette tape story.

Seize the carp!

Crickets. Tumbleweeds.

Coffee is on. Here's an open, half-eaten box of Ding-Dongs. Mmm, yum!

We went out to see Comet SWAN last night. It’s barely visible with the naked eye, but you can see it. Thrilling, even if it does look like a dim, fuzzy star. We got cold and came home. No meteors, sadly.

First frost was last night too. It’s looking like autumn!

Rooting for Canada in the World Series. I think most of the country is.

Coffee please. Here’s some extra Halloween candy for folks to munch on.

Ooh, yum, brownies!

The weekend was fun. Had a friend come down for the No Kings protest. So much fun! Inflatable costumes and funny signs everywhere. No violence, no arguments, no angry Trumpies trying to start a fight. Just solidarity and hope.

We had lunch and a drink afterward at one of our fave paces. Great day.

Back to the grind today. Critique group tonight. Erg.

Coffee please!

Morning all.

I should be finishing my dumb sleep mask story today. Waste of time, probably, but who knows? Then off for a walk, after which I'll half-heartedly watch a little baseball.

Del Toro's Frankenstein in out! Psyched to see it!

Coffee please.

Quote by Mendalla

If it makes you feel better, I have a whole folder of those on my hard drive. I call it "Under Review" to make me think I might actually do something with them someday. 😜

I finish (nearly, keep reading) everything I start, even if it's crappy. My folder of dead stories is titled "Abandoned."

That said, still wrestling with the stupid mask story. And I never finished my MRI story, despite my earlier boast.

Anyone else here protesting on No Kings Day this Saturday? Anyone wearing an inflatable frog costume?

Coffee!

καλησπέρα, Ape. Good to have you back. I have been dreaming of the ocean lately. I think next summer we'll take the leap.

Still wrestling with the stupid mask story. I fear it's gonna end up like my haunted MRI story - hours spent writing, no finished story.

Coffee please!

Not a lot of traffic here of late. grabs a stale Rice Crispie treat from off the floor

Stalling on the sleep mask story. Trying to hammer it out again today.

The agent rejection count currently stands at: 4.

Coffee please!

Quote by gillianleeza

I've been busy sorting out family problems, an emergency surgery for my oldest, and issues with my dad. I have been travelling back and forth, helping out my son, then returning and trying to sort out my dad. It's all stressful and not being helped, so if Congress can't get its act together, I am going to lose my healthcare or have a massive premium increase. It is so hard to be positive these days. Sorry to drop in to complain. Hopefully, I'll return with a better outlook soon.

Take care of yourselves.

Sending you some comforting thoughts. It sounds stressful.

Healthcare is gonna be the thing that breaks the back of this administration (if anything does). Public opinion is strongly in favor of supporting the Affordable Care Act. I don't know if they'll prevail, but the Dems chose a good moment fight back. Finally.

Anyway. Writing a horror story today about the sleep masks that nice hotels sometimes provide. You'll get more than a good night's sleep.

Seize the coffee cup!

Squeeze Me - Carl Hiaasen. Really funny.

Morning writers!

Enjoy Greece, Ape.

Nothing new here. No gnus is good gnus, I guess.

Coffee! Stat!

Quote by JustAnotherSapphic

I'm not dead, I promise. I just forgot this exists oops.

Hey JAS! Drew Carey is back on the air! Pluto TV!

Same old thang here. Glad someone came through the door besides me today. Working on a new story, about sleep masks, while I let the novel breathe for awhile.

Coffee please.

I hope everyone is well.

We saw a great production of Cabaret last night. The Emcee (Joel Gray in the movie) was really frikkin scary. Big and mean and serious Nazi vibes. Yikes! Timely production.

I sent off the first three chapters of the novel today. Now, we wait.

Seize the coffee cup!

Quote by WriterGirl

Working this weekend. Ick!

I’ll take some sweets, please

Verbal, I wish my eyeballs weren’t so strained from work, otherwise I’d love to read your novel.

I'm sending it out Tuesday to a publisher, cold. Wish me luck.

Enjoy the vaycay, Ape!

Hey there WG.

Same old thang here.

Coffee please!