Oh Look, It's Snowing

And a Few Other Quick Updates

Yesterday it was 60°F out and I went for a lovely walk. This morning I woke up to snow flurries. Such is life in Pittsburgh as we approach Spring.

Princess Buttercup on her throne.

Buttercup is unfazed, and equally happy with cold weather or warm. All she really wants is for us to be outside with her. Not so much for walks, though she does enjoy walks. No, she just wants us outside with her. When we are, she—how can I say this—she poings. Rather enthusiastically. Quite reminiscent of a ferret on pixie stixs, and yes, that is a reference.

I got the due dates for a couple of short stories mixed up, which was rather embarrassing. So I had to put one aside and pick up another, after begging for a bit of an extension. The upshot of that it I need to get these two stories done by mid-March.

The first is about a dwarven freelance investigator and his partner, a human mercenary, who get hired by a god to find a missing girl. Except the girl is dead, the gods disappeared ages ago, and of course, people take exception to his existence.

The second is an origin story of sorts for Nissa, one of the characters from my (soon to be renamed novel) Blue As Sky. It’s an explanation of how she ends up in the service of the Empire, and why that’s the right choice for her despite her distrust of such a regimented life. Hint: it involves murder. I mean, most of my stories do, so no big surprise.

Speaking of Blue as Sky, I’ve started in on edits. With the short story work, I’ve taken to doing some edits in the morning and writing in the evening. I have some evidence that may be the exact opposite of the order I should do things in, so I’m going to do my best to swap the two.

I’ve been dealing with som back problems lately. Nothing horrible; it manifests itself as sciatic pain. I can deal with it with a combination of stretching, more stretching, and the occasional ibuprofen. Still, it got bad enough that I got a prescription for a course of steroids (which kicked my butt) and scheduled physical therapy to figure out how to deal with it. Back pain means it’s not fun to walk, and I’ve learned that a Not Walking Sam is a Not Happy Sam.

Oh, and I’m now the President of the board at the local pregnancy support center. Because I don’t have enough to do, it seems. Such is life.