Work is work. Funny story: I was laid off my job at the end of July. I knew it was coming, but I was in a little denial about it for a few reasons. Three weeks later, I was working for a different department of the same company with a significant (though not substantial) raise. But I miss my old department. I rarely worked past 4PM, and had enough time on my hands to basically get paid for doing a lot of non-work related things. I still never talk about work because that is literally the least interesting thing about me.

I still cache. I just hit cache 7000 and am still running a daily streak at 1910+ days. I said I was officially giving up the streak after four years. Being beyond five has proven that to be a lie. The site is still kicking along. I have even got a Patreon supporter (someone I don't know!) so there's that. Considering self-promotion feels like whoring myself to the world, that's a pretty big deal to me.

The Duchess and the Despoina are giants in the playground. They're also a little too old for playgrounds. The Despoina is a viola playing sophomore now who wants to be a baker and open a shop. She has also relatively recently declared her membership in the Sapphic Legions, so good for her. The Duchess is on the verge of being a teenager, a clarinet playing anime nerd who complains about the members of her volleyball team and is annoyed that she is so good at math.

My heart is a gaping wound. It has been for a long time. It is not an acute pain, as it once was. This is what I imagine living with a chronic condition is like. I walk in the world just like everyone else and nobody suspects that my chest cavity sorely throbs. No, it's not physical (the doctor would have noticed) and it's probably not psychological (though I haven't been to a therapist in years). I have learned to exist with it, but I haven't learned to live with it.

In a couple of weeks, I'm taking a trip with some friends to the Northeast. Baltimore, Philadelphia, Hackensack, Providence, Quebec, Portland, Boston, and many points in-between. Eighty-five (ish) counties in eight days. I have reached out to a few of you to see about some small communion, but I only have a little bit of time and I'll have to come back eventually so I'll reach out to more when I return.

So, I've compiled my writings about Texas into a book. I need to make more edits before I hand it over to my editor for proofreading. I only have a month and a half before that, so I need to get cracking. Unfortunately, I have a lot of stuff to do in that month and a half that is not edit related. However, once I am officially a published author, I shall trumpet it to the heavens. I will whore myself for books.

I better call it for the day. I need to get the Girls back to their mother, I need to write some stuff for the site, and I need to steel myself for work tomorrow. I'd say pray for my immortal soul if I believed in such things.

I bid thee go forth and prosper with minimal inconvenience.

Selah.