For them wondering if I’m done with the blog . . . nope! Still here, in spirit if not in substance. 

I’m still snapping the occasional photo or two but — truth be told — not that many since my last post. Enough to keep my hand at it and enough to even classify myself as a serious amateur. 

The blog? Well, it has suffered, to be sure.

Let’s just jump into an update of sorts. 

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Let’s start with a few things that might be of interest. 

Power cords. Some call them extension cords, although they don’t really extend. Most are sold at a particular length and don’t deviate much from said length. 

Extension cords have a unique ability that can only be discovered by someone using them; they have the ability to hang on almost anything, no matter how smooth. If you don’t believe me, try it sometimes. Drag a length of it around; something more than a few feet. 

The sucker will hang in ways you’re not clever enough to avoid even if you worked all your life with power cords and are familiar with their evil ways. 

It’s been a number of months since we last hit the gym. The last time was on the Coral Princess and that was not so much a shaping exercise as much as being a futile attempt to balance activity level to caloric intake. 

That’s a long-winded way of saying I’ve gained a bit of weight. I’m now 178.5 lb. At the end of the year, I was beginning to see the lower end of 173 so — at first glance — things are not too bad. 

The problem is that weight is not the whole story. I estimate I lost 15 lb of muscle and gained 20 lb of fat. Meaning, while it’s only a five pound gain, it comes with some shape shifting and I now look more the proverbial lumpy pear than the svelte (if annoying) 65 years old of just a few months ago. 

On the writing front . . . lots of ideas about how I will modify my three novels but nothing has been implemented as of yet. I have re-read all three novels with fresh eyes and will tweak them a bit but — aside from that — I’m still pleased with the plots, the flow, the characters, and my writing in general.

Nothing on the short story front of late. I still think the best bet to publish a novel is to sleep with an agent or editor but I’m not really suited for that approach (see above pear reference) and wouldn’t even if I were. 

Failing that, selling short stories is still something I consider as a good idea and a gateway to bigger and better publishing. The thing is, one needs to write them to sell them. Soon. Maybe.

Let’s see; what else is new?

Oh, yeah . . . we left Hawaiʻi, looked around the mainland a bit, and bought a house in Marion Illinois. We moved into our new home this past weekend. 

That’s it. This post has ended . . . except for the stuff below.

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