Easter Means Resurrection
Aside from being the eve of another “half-price chocolate Day”, Easter memorializes the resurrection of Jesus. And so, this easterly season might be a good time to resurrect this little newsletter.
Personal Updates
I’m still between jobs, and feeling the squeeze. If you’d like to help out, one of the best things is to schedule some Body Doubling time with me. Or send money. (venmo?)
The cat is well. I’m starting to suspect he has seasonal allergies, though. Is there such a thing as kitty-Claritin?
I accomplished my goal to read all of The Wheel of Time in 2023. I did get bogged down in the prequel novel (the library didn’t have an audio book so I had to read it with my dumb human eyes), and there were other people with holds on the last few books, but I was able to work some fast moves with and I got through to “the end” on 12/29. This year it’s the Earthsea Cycle.
Book club is sailing. Everything is fine there.
Contra is wonderful. I called my very first dance medley, and unplanned! I’ve been wanting to do that for a while. It was the last dance of the night and it was going to go extra long. The band switched tunes halfway through, so I started thinking, “I should make it a medley! This is the perfect time for it! Can I even do it, though?” And it turns out I could. People loved it, and it felt so great to achieve that personal goal.
Church choir did a huge piece for Good Friday. If you have some time, please enjoy it.
Back to Terrible Writing
At first, I didn’t think that TW would be entirely memoir-ish essays. I originally thought about including my creative writing, so now I’m going to do some of that. I have some really great tools for writing that I’d like to get more out of. Mainly, I’m using The Story Engine Deck and the Deck of Worlds. (The creator has also made part three: the Lore Master’s Deck, and I eagerly await getting my print copy this fall.)
There are more essays “on the back burner”, so they will come back.
And I really like the lists, so I’m going to keep making those.
A Micro Story (650 words)
“Fucking hell! Goddamnit!” Jake smacked the driver’s window as he passed the car that had cut him off (only to get logged in the traffic of the next block). “WATCH WHERE YOU’RE FUCKING GOING, ASSHOLE!” and, just because he could, he knocked the sideview mirror out of place. Jake had places to go, and packages to deliver, and if that lazy-unwashed-wanker had clipped him or his bike, well that would put a serious hamper on his schedule.
A few turns later, Jake arrived at the business address for the first delivery of the day, and stepped off his bike, a few doors down. While walking up to the exact location, he took a quick sip from his coffee thermos (halfway gone already?) and verified delivery instructions.
“Shit! Dammit, dammit, dammit!” There at the bottom of the order: “code for front door” but the paper had been damaged and the code was illegible. With a string of profanities, Jake sent off a series of “help me, right now!” texts to dispatch.
It seemed that dispatch wasn’t even seeing the texts, though. He was about to call them directly when he saw a grey-haired woman approach the door. (Maybe she can help me get in?) “Hey! Hold the door!” he shouted.
While jogging up to the door of the business, Jake watched the woman struggle with the door and the number panel. (Fucking boomers can’t work anything with more than three buttons.) “Hey, hold the door, will ya? I’ve got a package for delivery.”
She stopped pulling on the door handle, turned, and looked him up and down, squinting. “Who is the package for?”
“Package for Sherman.”
The old lady squinted at him for another moment, and then nodded. “Okay, I can let you in.” She turned and addressed the number panel. “But this lock has a trick to it. It’s old fashioned. Kind of like how with old tv antennas you had to stand there with one foot off the ground and touch your nose.”
(Why is this lady wasting my time?) “Can’t you just tell me the code or something?”
Once again she turned her piercing eyes on him. “It only unlocks if you first offer an apology.”
“An apology? What the fuck for, lady?” he said, and took another sip of his coffee.
She shrugged. “Hey, that’s how these old locks are. Shall I go first?”
Jake set his coffee thermos back in the holder, curious. (What is going on here?)
The lady turned again and faced the lock. She leaned in and spoke directly to the number pad. “I apologize for cutting off a courier on my way to work this morning. I was careless and it’s lucky that I didn’t hurt him. I suppose I should try taking the bus more often.” She straightened, satisfied, and gestured to Jake. “Now it’s your turn.”
Jake swallowed. (Oh, shit. Well, here we go.) He leaned over to speak directly to the number pad, as well. “I’m sorry for cussing out the driver who cut me off.” He looked up at her. She raised her eyebrow, knowingly. “And for smacking the window.”
“And the mirror?”
Jake stared at her, and felt his cheeks get hot. “And I’m sorry for knocking the mirror out of spite. Maybe I overreacted.” He stood up. (Who is she?)
“That should do the trick.” She pressed a few buttons on the pad, which beeped and flashed a happy green light. “Follow me to the front desk. You can bring your bike with you that far.”
Jake held the door open for her with his free hand, then meekly followed her to the front desk and the receptionist. “Package for Sherman.” he said, holding out the pad to collect a signature.
The receptionist gave a quick swipe at the signature field, and accepted the package, which she immediately handed over to the old lady. “Your package, Mrs. Sherman.”
The Original Prompt:
A foul-mouthed courier wants to find a code, but they must reconcile with an old enemy.
Finally, a List
In issue 01, I talked about making lists like those in The Pillow Book of Seishonagon and I will continue the practice. Here’s one of my own prompts.
Table Top Role-Playing Games, other than Dungeons & Dragons:
WanderHome - highly recommended
Everyday Heroes - it’s kinda mid
Daggerheart - by Critical Role, open beta v1.3 is live
Thousand Year Old Vampire - solo RPG that I really enjoyed
Sexy Battle Wizards - the whole thing fits on one page
Kissing Comrades - An anti-fascist makeout LARP for 2 queers
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