Brain Died And Stuff

Posted on by Sarah A. Hoyt

I regret to inform you my brain seems to be dead this morning. Now part of this might be insufficient caffeine as, for the first time in years, I had to share my breakfast coffee with son, which means I’m low.

But part of it was a day of cleaning, a day of cooking, and then a day with family, even if these are my best beloved people in all the world, people in fact I would die for without so much as blinking, people without whom my life would have no meaning: pieces of my heart running free in the world, in fact.

Still people, and still introverted. Picture Sarah in the corner, extending claw and hissing.

So today I’ve been sitting here for four hours now trying to figure out how to write a post, and then work on books, and just realized NOTHING will happen. Not today. Though i might get my craft tray from upstairs and play with that some.

I need to reorganize the craft room so it’s safe for kittens, but probably not today. I feel like every joint in my body is about to give out. So, maybe I’ll take it easy.

Anyway, we captured the raccoon, who will shortly be on his way to meet his doom. And I’m going to wrap this up, go do some wash, which is all that remains of the gigantic mess, then maybe let kittens play all over me.

The post above has the new book — Christmas in the stars — and the two books on 99c sale for another couple of days: Darkship Thieves and Dipped, Stripped and Dead.

There will be at least one book on sale now through the first week in Jan. Remember you can buy on sale and schedule for 12/25 morning delivery. Your giftees will never know ;) I know it’s tight for everyone these days. That post will stay pinned, but the content will change, so check back now and then.

And now I’m going to have some King Harv Geisha and see if the brain is maybe only mostly dead….

See you tomorrow.

62 thoughts on “Brain Died And Stuff”

  2. It’s leftovers day!
    It’s break out the comfy sweats with the waistband string broken, and the ratty shirt, and the fluffy godzilla slippers, and go around the house at a dead… putter. With high aims like napping in a sunbeam. (Unless you’re north of the arctic circle, in which case, I’m sorry, you’ll see the sun again when Raven flips the world over.)

    I mean, I did go to the gym and Rack pull 198 pounds today, but I was half an hour late. All my regular gymgoers were there, though… because they were all late, too. And we didn’t have problems sharing the squat racks, or the weights, because the guys and gals who normally come in after us… were all late, too!

    More importantly, I sat in the sun with my Calmer Half and enjoyed a cuppa while we ruminated on the peace of the land around us.

    May you all have a mentally restful day, too.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. The folks at the gym today were either doing serious lifting, or swimming hard, and then leaving. No loitering, no socializing. Sort of the gym version of Odds. I lifted, did my cardio, and hurried home. The wind chill of 17F encouraged not being out and about.

      Liked by 1 person

        1. Rain here this morning, now it’s sunny again. Supposed to be areas of frost tonight.

          That is fairly cold for Tucson – which is nice after the “Fall” hung on way too long with mid-90s days until last week.

          Liked by 1 person

  4. Oof. I should be busy being productive. I should be collecting paperwork, organizing departure dates, and sorting the logistics of a two week multi-state journey where I can pretend to be trained on things I learned thirty odd years ago, and maybe learn a new thing or two.

    All to check a box on yet another piece of paperwork. Yay.

    Okay, so I did some of that. A bit. But now my brain is going all wonky and wants to write silly things. No, the character “Turd Burgleston Pettifoginous, First and by the benevolent heavens above I pray Last of His Name” shall not appear in The Time Waster (working title, has nothing to do with time travel, but has intelligent zombies). It’s coming up with fluffy mini yeetcows with expensive dietary preferences.

    It is also even less coherent than herding cats, because that’s easy. Open food container, they will come. And watch your every move until food falls into reach.

    Plot bunnies! Five free with the purchase of the first free plot fluff!

    …I also need to edit things. Like, a lot of things.

    Go take care of you and yours. Worry not about little pixels. We shall abide well enough today.

    I make no promises for next week, though. There might be mischief afoot if I know this lot.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. I’m working the black Friday at Cabelas and am glad at least one person had the sense to not shop in public today.

    Good night these people are nuts.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Hang in there Kathy. We 3 are also staying away from Black Friday sales. In fact, do not know of anyone in the extended family going out and braving the traffic, both vehicular, and foot, in the stores. Quit doing that before century turn. Not looking forward to the grocery runs over the next 5 to 6 weeks either. Between the parking stalking, and the wallet howling; yea (raspberry sounds).

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Ran to grocery for salmon (we’re having turkey next week to honor arrival of Offspring We Have Not Seen in a while). Even in semi-rural/suburban territory traffic was…considerable.
        Otherwise, wrote checks and washed walls in the guest bathroom, which is under renovation prep. That’s enough until time to broil the salmon.

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    2. Count us in, as not Christmas shopping in public today … although my daughter did pop out to buy some milk at the grocery store… which to her surprise, was practically empty today, after the madhouse that it was since last weekend…

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Empty grocery stores after a major food-adjacent (or food-centric) holiday seems to be characteristic for Flyover Falls. All the grocery stores were busy last Monday (I skipped Tuesday, because I knew it would be crazy, but Monday exceeded my expectations). I suspect next Tuesday will be medium quiet for groceries, between post-holiday and end-of-the-month blues. (EBT card refills make the 1st-10th a bit busy anyway. And quiet on the other end.)

        Liked by 1 person

        1. I shopped in Green Bay last Saturday. so I didn’t need to closer to Tday. Woodman’s is always busy, so, really not much difference to me. Got lucky a while back, ran to GB and got there, and realized it was an Away weekend for the Packers. That meant I was able to get into Cabela’s easily (it is down the street from Lambeau)

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    3. I went to Kinkos to make copies for Day Job. Awful Waffle, IHOP, and two drive-through coffee places were practically stacking cars on top of each other. I have no idea who all those crazy people are, but I got home as soon as I could. And wrote. It’s safer.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Yep. Rented a car, scampered my happy butt back home. Wrote a bit of a chapter way in the future of the plot, but it was on my mind. It’ll make things easier when that stuff happens.

        There were only two people at the car rental place other than me. Across the street at the big box store on the other hand…

        I write zombie apocalypse stuff for fun. It gave me ideas.

        Liked by 1 person

  7. I’m working the black Friday at Cabelas and am glad at least one person had the sense to not shop in public today.

    Good night these people are nuts.

    Liked by 1 person

      2. I wish I was closer to some of you that don’t have anyone else close. There’s always an extra place at our table (even if it is the card table dragged out of storage). Even not on a holiday, actually – we’ve always dragged home strays. (Rarely allowed to keep them, though…)

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  8. I guess I’m the contrarian today. (Hey, I’m an odd Odd!) No food coma from yesterday (no peopling, either), though $SPOUSE and I did grilled salmon and french fries. The former is a special occasion dish, the latter for when the house is freakin’ cold. So, I’m getting things done, mostly.

    I’m doing the finishing touches on the snow panels for our porch, with these Mark II versions set up so we have real windows rather than clear wavy plastic. So, light and a view, with snow drifts not blocking the front door.

    I’m also noting the things that need to be done in the shop, like delve into the miter saw–blade brakes should work quietly, and I’m either getting noise or no braking at all. Sawdust in the mechanism, I suppose… (Cheap Ryobi saw; adequate, but I wouldn’t want to make a living with it.)

    I have one panel to finish, and another to frame. Then I make 4 windows. I think working on the saw will be sooner rather than later.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Slightly embarrassed grin. Seems the blade loosened up a bit, and was hitting the (aluminum) housing, and spun one time. No obvious damage, and it works correctly. OTOH, getting to that bolt is an interesting (in the Chinese sense) task; I understand why I never looked since that blade went on the saw. Haven’t checked that bolt for over a decade; didn’t realize it could loosen on its own.

      And going to Flyover Falls for the sales was out of the question. Bought a heavyweight sweatshirt and water pitcher filters from the ‘zon, and dealt with a nasty email with a Seven-zip attachment masquerading as a pdf file (they used Longfilename_pdf.7z versus Longfilename.pdf). FWIW, it was supposedly from a DHL office, fairly obvious since I don’t use them. I forwarded a copy to my ISP’s support team do deal with as they please.

      I’m hoping to get my annual eggnog latte next week. Dutch Bros for the win!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Definitely food coma here. But that is situation standard for me these days. Eat most anything. Take a nap. Well “need” to take a nap. The nap doesn’t usually happen. I fight it, as I want to actually sleep at night. Not that helps.

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    3. I have my grandfather’s Rockwell miter saw he bought in the early 70s. I really need to pull it apart and clean it again, I also get the break squeal, but I don’t hardly use it much anymore and it’s not easy finding parts as it used to be. Ah well. Another thing for the list for “when there’s time.”

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      1. I have a Rockwell Speed Block sander that’s in need of new bearings, and I have to see if I have replacements on hand. (Done it enough times for various tools that there’s a custom bearing puller for some of the problem children in the shop.)

        When it became a problem many years ago (before I did any other bearings) I found a second-hand Makita. OTOH, the hand position for the Rockwell is better for me, so it’s worth revisiting when I get the round tuit.

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  10. This weekend is going totally off the rails.

    Long ago, I was taught to have a plan, a backup plan, an “oh crap” plan, and an “it all went in the crapper” plan.

    I am now on tier 3 and updating tier 4 accordingly, and filling the now vacant slots beneath them is … kinda daunting. So far needed neither trauma kit nor rifle, so there is that. Just an excess of “wait…. WHAT?!?”

    But still having good times here and there.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. “No, don’t try to explain how that ended up there. Or down there. Or why there’s a plaid hippo in the guest bathroom. Just tell me how big the hippo is so I can get either a come-along, or the truck winch, or the big-rig wrecker, and if your neighbor has lowered the drawbridge yet.”

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I hate you! I now have that earworm stuck in my head! I would say that you are an evil person, but you would just take it as encouragement.

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  12. Our brains will be shot soon, given I just divided up the remnant of a bottle of Washington state port. Good stuff, from the Yakima valley.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. I eventually got around to picking two cups of meat off the duck carcass, strained the broth, thoroughly washed the pot, put meat and broth back in, brought it just to a boil, put the lid on tight and turned off the burner.

    I will either add frozen corn and some kind of pasta to it later, or put it in the fridge when it cools down more.

    Son is working a 10-hour shift at local high-tech retail establishment and I don’t know if he will get any lunch, so that will decide if it is soup tonight or soup tomorrow. ;-)

    I really resonated with your line: “pieces of my heart running free in the world, in fact.” And I think “maybe let kittens play all over me” sounds wonderful. I do miss having cats sometimes.

    Take care!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Raccoons are wild animals and don’t make good pets. Get a cat instead. Cats have been living with us for about 12,000 years and are much more compatible.

      Who domesticated who is an open question, though. :-D

      Liked by 2 people

  15. We decorated for Christmas today, 25 totes my daughter counted as I handed them down to her from the top of the garage. I am bushed. Take care and best of luck tomorrow.

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    1. I retired (AKA threw out) the 7′ tree we bought Dec 26th after we moved here 20 years ago. $SPOUSE is uncertain about the 4′ one that replaced it, but we’ll start decorating Real Soon Now. I have to move the little table and convince Kat the border collie that it’s not a dog toy. She’s 2-1/2 years old and acting like a teenager. Yikes! OTOH, she doesn’t know how to run a cell phone. :)

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  16. Fret not, the world is overflowing with brain dead people who never-the-less seem to enjoy influential and remunerative careers.
    ~
    Rgrds,
    RES

    Liked by 1 person

  17. We are boycotting Black Friday as two of our kids had cars bashed in a parking lot last year.
    No “deal” savings can come close to the repair & aggravation costs.

    Liked by 2 people

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