The 4yo requested the MTA Song for our commute this morning, and I am reminded that politics would be a lot more interesting if everyone had to create bouncy folk songs with tight harmony for their campaigns.

From a 1908 Guide Michelin. I didn't cut anything off--the fifth category is just the fifth category, nothing else to be said.

Yesterday I got a solicitation to the Ask a Medievalist address asking if we'd review someone's recently published book. I can find neither book nor author on google. Not a great start.

Chaperoning a trip to the farmers' market. The hippie playing the xylophone has a rapt audience for his performance of "Pink Pony Club."

"I'm a writer" but it's just me googling real estate listings for small cottages in rural France so I can look at the interiors.

Apparently just walking around with a crochet hook in the front pocket of my shirt today.

eeeee we at Wholehearted Writers have the full speaker lineup on the website now--please go oooh and ahhh at their awesomeness (& maybe apply now to join us 12–16 Jan) wholeheartedwriters.weebly.com/speakers.html #WritingCommunity #Writers #QueerWriters

this is one of my favorites, toooooo. it's so good!

Kvelling AF. 🧡

Oh. Oh no.

There's a spot in Lazarus, Home from the War where I tried to describe the view of Devil's Lake from the bluffs. Anyway, this is it.

Surprisingly, I've had more than one person ask me about Lorenzo's Lounge! Apparently a lot of people have good memories of it (so fewer weird prophets hanging out there back in the day I guess). 🧡

I'm kvelling, guys. 🧡😊

Years ago I submitted pieces to a lit magazine, and now somehow I'm on the founder's mailing list, so I've been getting his weird blog entries as he has some kind of bookish breakdown: why can't I find an agent?, is it unethical to use AI to edit my work?, do we even need literary writing? My dude.

Went by Barnes and Noble and like. I do so much of my book shopping online. And this reminds me why. But it was nice to hang out in the cafe with the 4yo, who was extremely excited to be there and asked the lady behind the counter very politely for a copy of The Wild Robot book 2.

Hey writer types! I'm working on a presentation about revision. Anyone have questions/problems/other stuff they want to kvetch about with the process? Anyone want to talk briefly about what your process *is*?

Me: WWI was weird because they started with horses and ended with... 8yo: Tanks. Me: Yeah. And then in WWII, they had these inflatable tanks, and they'd carry them around for psyOps. 8: I read about that in a history book! Me: (mumbles) I read about it in Gravity's Rainbow.

Doing this tonight! Panel is free to watch online www.thepopficcollective.org/webinars-and...

How long until I don't have an instinctive "oh no, not again" to people announcing their candidacy for things? I get people gotta run for governor. I just... I'm not ready for another election.

It's fall now, and it's also bisexual awareness week, so I have to talk about Wisconsin Gothic. If you're into creepy autumnal vibes, I have them. If you like chaotic bisexuals, I have those too. Set in the '60s for maximum fun. ehlupton.com/links/ (all links) books2read.com/u/49dN1p (DIW)

VENUS a mini comic about girls night uniting us all 1/2

I accidentally flipped/fumbled the bowl of squishy dog food on the way to the med station such that I wound up catching the food in my hand. Also the bowl landed on the counter and didn't break. Do we have a word for failure/success?

Guyssssssss I am having some feelings about this. I think Kate is my favorite. @sjgochenour.bsky.social

Like a ninja, I snuck into Trae's blogpost. 😁 Meeting cool people was probably the best part of Booked Eau Claire!

I mentioned the zucchini moment on a panel at Booked Eau Claire, so my friend made me a felted one.

Wow, I've been off social media for several days and nothing has upset or depressed me. I'm gonna check threads.

Ooh, enjoy! I also find vicarious thrills in knowing friendquaintences are reading and enjoying my books. 💛

👀 Have I been writing Earthtones Academia this whole time?

I think I'm supposed to announce that I'll be at Booked Eau Claire (in Eau Claire, WI) tomorrow and Saturday! I'll have books and stickers, and we'll be offering tarot readings and small felted crows. *And* I'll be on two panels Saturday morning! Details here: bookedeauclaire.com Come say hi!

I have read The Hobbit aloud twice (one for each kid) and Lord of the Rings once, among many others. OTOH, the 8yo now draws nazgul fighting stormtroopers, so...caveat lector?

I'll be giving a talk about what to do if you accidentally finish your manuscript and have to figure out how to revise it. And there will be lots of other cool people too!

Hey look, that's me!

Found out during my run yesterday that @traegorn.bsky.social answered a question I'd sent in on the Feedback/Questions episode of BS-Free Witchcraft, which was super cool. Anyway, BS-Free Witchcraft is a good podcast and I always learn something, even as a non-Wiccan.

Our school district sent out an email about their new, "aspirational" brand identity. (Quote marks mine, language theirs.) Although they included a description of their new logo, they didn't actually put it in the email. 🤔

Sometimes I get contemporary romance audiobooks at random because I sort by Now Available in Libby. Ten minutes into today's selection, one MC took a bite from a donut and then put the rest in his front pocket. (Of his flannel shirt I guess?) It is not mentioned again. I'm mystified and obsessed.

I'm currently the only one in the household who hasn't succumbed to the cold from hell, and it is because I've been half-assedly masking around my family, which is its own type of hell. And yet I feel like I'm winning.

Many excellent books in this collection!

This is how to turn off AI search for Firefox! Hit the hamburger menu, open settings, and select "Search." Scroll all the way down and add a new search engine. Make it look like this (copy this for URL: www.google.com/search?udm=1...). Then select it as your default search engine.

We had eight children over for the 8yo's birthday (so ten total at the house), and everyone survived. As far as I know only one person bled (leg wound). I forgot I couldn't blow out a match while wearing a mask and nearly burned myself. Good times.

I just tried this and it seems to work! If you are using Chrome and you want to turn off the AI overview (and not type -ai every time), here is a method. www.engadget.com/big-tech/how...

That's my emotional support nonsense.

On reflection, I think Sam would be v good at surfing (getting him into the water is a different question), but he's not likely to try it for the first time in Biarritz in December. So much for that.

Microwave, why do you have to shout? I'm right here?

this is really, really well-written and important. it is about a teen dying by suicide after confiding in ChatGPT, though, so be warned

Sept 2025 newsletter is up at my blog. And here's a second view of the stickers! ehlupton.com/2025/09/02/s...

8yo: My cough is getting worse. I have a pain in my chest when I cough. :( Me: Would you like some drugs, little boy? 8yo: No. Because you're offering it to me like you want to kidnap me.

Nightswimming.

Went out for a walk. When passing a storm drain at the corner of my street, I heard a weird chittering, cooing noise and stopped to investigate. Something growled in the darkness below as I turned on my flashlight. And--hey, I guess I have found where they keep all the raccoons in my neighborhood!

How many short sleeved whimsically patterned button-up shirts do I really need though?

I've spent my morning being so excited about my projects that I wrote one (1) sentence in each of them, and then got distracted by the question of whether Sam would surf or not, given opportunity. Laz would definitely. Ulysses could probably be goaded into it. But Sam? I'm torn.