Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Waning Moon
Cloudy and mild
Happy new week! I hope yours had a good start.
You can find the Community Tarot Reading for the week here.
Friday was a lovely day, nice enough to sit out on the porch. I got the laundry folded and put away, and got through a bunch of admin work. Finished reading a book of NEW YORKER profiles. Some of them I’d read when they first came out in the magazine. Others were from far earlier, before I was even born. It was interesting.
I did some more admin/email work, I worked on the pitches for my Llewellyn editor, I played with ideas for the other two deadlines. It was more trying things and figuring out they weren’t what I wanted than making much progress.
I read a book in the afternoon/evening by an author whose film/television work I’m familiar with, and I’m just starting to read the novels. The first novel of his I read I really liked. The second one I read (which got a lot of buzz) had an unreliable narrator, and I got too far ahead of it too quickly. In this one (the first of a series), the author inserts himself in the story as a somewhat fictionalized version of himself, a conceit I don’t really like. There were a bunch of inside jokes that if you are a writer or a theatre person or have worked in television/film, they are amusing, but again, the conceit is often about that. I’m deliberately using “conceit” here in both its meanings. This kind of stylistic choice is often more about ego than genuinely serving the story. One can just as easily Mary Sue with a fictional character, and that gives a novel more credibility, in my opinion. However, this particular author is a really good writer, so I stayed with it. Again, I got ahead of it. I’m willing to read the next book in the series. I also found out that the first book of this author’s I read is the first book of a different series. I do want to read the second book, but I’m not sure how I feel about it being a series. Sometimes a book just needs to stand alone.
I also find that this author has their own set of character tropes. Differently named characters in the different series, but the ensemble contains characters very similar to each other from series to series. Some of that is genre expectation, but some of that is also author voice.
On a craft level, it’s all very interesting. So this has become reading to gain craft knowledge, rather than reading for pleasure, which means I’m reading differently.
I don’t think I mentioned Wife Creature’s ridiculous, inappropriate press conference on Thursday night. First of all, she’s lying. Those of us who were around NYC in the 90’s remember. Second of all, no one cares what she has to say about anything. That Thing posted a snuff video, and no one does anything. We have the most useless Congress ever. I’m over all of them, even the ones I like. Let’s clear ‘em out and start over with individuals who are actually interested in public service, not private grift.
“You could have just paid us a living wage” should be a rallying cry. (If you understand that quote, good for you, and I’m probably paraphrasing the actual quote, but that’s how it’s sticking in my brain). I’m tired of all the C-suite grifting while making it impossible for the people actually doing the work to live. Stop telling us to stand there peacefully while we’re murdered. I also love how many non-religious people are standing with the Pope.
For dinner, I made salmon, asparagus in hollandaise sauce, and wild rice. I need to come to terms with not liking asparagus. I’m allowed to not like one or more vegetables (not a fan of beets, either). Yes, asparagus is healthy. I still don’t like it.
I thought it was leftover whatever (“trauma” is not the right term, that should be reserved for something stronger) from childhood. Soon after we moved to Rye from Chicago, while my dad was still alive, we took a Saturday jaunt to Westport, CT (not far). We stopped at a farm stand, and my dad bought a crate of 30 lbs. of asparagus. We took it home and prepared it (I remember sitting doing something with it, but can’t remember the details, I was too little). We ate asparagus for months. I hated it. I didn’t eat it again for about 30 years or more after that.
I’ve had it a few times since, mostly because it’s healthy and I was trying to expand my palate. Even steamed and slathered in hollandaise sauce, I don’t like it. I’ve done my due diligence on it, and let’s all move on, shall we?
Only now I have some leftover steamed asparagus we have to finish. I’ll chop it up and put it in a frittata or something, maybe with some mushrooms.
In the evening, I took the laptop into the living room so we could watch Artemis II splashdown. It brought back many happy Apollo moon mission memories. My parents always either let me stay up or woke me up for important Apollo moments, and for that I am grateful.
I admit, I worried, and I was so relieved for a successful splashdown.
Meanwhile, That Thing wants to slash NASA’s budget by 47%. NASA’s budget is only 1% of the overall budget. So the egocentric billionaire whose rockets always explode gets tax breaks, but NASA, who actually has the skills and the passion for the work gets their budget cut. Again, let’s put in members of Congress with a little common sense. Do not get me started about the gutting of the Forest Service.
Having four smart, skilled, kind, funny, passionate astronauts in space, thrilled and joyful about their work and sharing it with the world was a balm for us. They (and their team on the ground) achieved something amazing and beautiful. We need to build on that, not on unauthorized wars for personal profit.
Slept well, although Tessa got me up early. Morning routine was fine. We finished our taxes, which was not fun, but was necessary.
Lots of housework, which is always good when it’s done. And yet, there’s always more housework to do! In the afternoon, I spent about three hours ironing, but I’m caught up with all the fabric that’s been washed (there’s plenty that is yet to be washed, and then there will be another spate of ironing). I actually enjoy ironing, and I especially enjoy the result.
Charlotte decided to go on my mom’s bed, which she never does because Willa thinks is HER territory, but Charlotte didn’t care, and Willa didn’t dare to contradict her. It was funny. Tessa got annoyed with me when I moved the blue shell chair (which she has taken over) because that’s where I set up the ironing board, so Tessa sat on any fabric long enough to drape over the far end of the ironing board. Bea watched everything from the safety of the top of the kitty condo.
I also pulled the fabrics I want to start working with first on the sewing projects. I’m doing the same easy pattern in four different fabrics, so I pulled all of that for easy access.
I did some noodling on the article ideas, and some work on contest entries.
Cooked dinner, had a quiet evening. Ordered some seeds from Sow True Seed, whom I’ve heard good things about, and they had a free shipping deal going on. Pretty soon, I think we can start setting up the back balcony.
Up at the regular time on Sunday, morning routine was fine. Got the Community Tarot reading done, and you can read it here. I was frustrated with the computer changing words. I have auto incorrect turned off, and I have to go in and uninstall Co-pilot constantly. And it still goes in and changes things randomly. Get your effing AI out of my tools, mofo.
I finished the first volume of the handwritten journal for the year on Saturday and started the new one on Sunday morning. I will finish the second spiral notebook for the freewrite in a couple of days and have to start a third one.
I wrote a little over 2K on BETTING MAN, which felt good. I hope I’m over the worst of the stumbling blocks for this book now. When I’m working on a first draft, I need to work on it every day. I’ve been too piecemeal about working on this, and it’s suffering because of it. That’s how a book grows, for me, at least. Showing up consistently.
I changed my mind a couple of times about what to work on at the craft jam, but I finally packed a couple of options into my new little sewing box (the one that looks a bit like a train case). I packed that into a bigger bag with my umbrella in case it rained, and headed out.
It was a lovely walk down to the gallery, really pretty out. We had an interesting group. Some people painted, some sketched, one was trying new ideas with her camera, one brought her pan drums and shared how they worked. Some people showed up because they wanted to see the show.
I worked on the crochet piece using the very fine alpaca yarn I’ve had for a Very Long Time. Because it’s so fine, it takes forever to get a row done (the base chain stitch row is 115 stitches). I managed 2 full rows and started the third during the two-hour session. Which doesn’t sound like much, but with yarn that fine, I can’t rush. It’s difficult to see sometimes, and the work has to be somewhat precise. Every so often, something goes cattywampus and I have to undo a few stitches and rework them.
I listened more than I talked, and picked up a good bit of interesting local information. I fully intend to make use of it, should the opportunity arise.
Came home, hung out on the porch reading contest entries for a bit, then cooked dinner and had a quiet evening of writing in longhand, working out a few things, and music.
To say I am pleased about the election results in Hungary is an understatement. Yet more proof that anything That Thing touches, dies. I could make a very inappropriate comment here, but I will refrain.
Up early on Monday. The morning routine was fine. It sets a good foundation for the day. Posted the blog and the tarot reading links. Read the blogs I check every morning.
After breakfast, I got myself together, sealed all the tax envelopes and trotted down to the post office. Where I was told if I didn’t pay for tracking (which is about an extra $5 for each envelope), it probably wouldn’t be delivered because “people steal everything being sent to the government.” Excuse me? EXCUSE ME???? That’s extortion. I’m paying the USPS to steward the mail to its destination. It’s called stamps. It’s supposed to be under the stewardship of a federal employee from the moment I hand it over in the post office until it’s delivered. If it’s stolen, it means it’s an inside job, and I shouldn’t have to pay an extra fee to guarantee that it won’t. No, I am not paying an extortion fee. That’s racketeering. Proof that it all rots from the head.
When I came home, I filed the incident with the State AG’s office (because that office is actually trustworthy), and copied it to one of my federal senators.
I have photocopies of the signed, dated returns if I’m falsely accused of not filing on time. I intentionally got them in early, and hand-cancelled, since the post office no longer automatically stamps the mail at the post office of origin on the date it’s sent.
Absolute B.S.
I also booked my hotel for June, when my play has a reading in Greenfield. Greenfield’s not all that far away, but it’s farther than I want to drive home at night after an evening of a play reading and all that entails. 35 miles as the crow flies, but an hour and a half or more because, mountains. So I booked a no muss/no fuss hotel about eight miles away from the theatre. I’d looked at the rates yesterday, and they were already $50 more than last week, so I poked around a bit, and got it through Hotels.com for almost what it was last week. I’ve used Hotels.com for a lot of simple bookings over the years, and it’s always been fine. Let’s hope that continues. It’s non-refundable, but looking at the additional “protection policy” it doesn’t really offer protection, so I’ll risk it. I can check in mid-afternoon, be at the theatre in plenty of time for my reading call, enjoy all four plays read that night and chat with people, head back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep, and then meander home the next day. I already arranged to have those days off from the ghostwriting.
By that time, most of the morning was gone, much to my chagrin.
I wrote a little over 3K on BETTING MAN, which was good. A solid chapter. Played with some ideas for my Llewellyn editor. I looked at the notes I made in the freewrite notebook and have no idea what I meant by them.
I wrote and turned in the two book reviews coming due. The ghostwriting notes came back after hours for me, so I will grab them this morning and then start on that tomorrow.
On today’s agenda, I have to print up some business cards for this afternoon’s seminar, get out the pitch to my Llewellyn editor, deal with some email, work on BETTING MAN, then change into appropriate attire and head downtown for the WAM women’s leadership panel they’re doing at Mosaic Gallery.
After breakfast, I have to do mundane things like take out the garbage and get the crockpot meal for tonight set up. When I get home from the panel this evening, I don’t have to think about cooking. I might also plant some carrot seeds. Waning moon + planting day is a good time for root crops.
Have a good one!
Ink In My Coffee 