DC smells like there’s a house on fire a few blocks away, as opposed to a country on fire a thousand miles away.

Ziggy Stardust and the Garnets from Mars.

To quote Jefferson: "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of pilots and bystanders on the ground. It is it's natural manure."

I read this one on @waylandsmith.bsky.social's suggestion, and agree with everything he said. This one is a must-read for horror fans.

This is why you read Moby Dick. Sure, there are 80 page digressions on tying knots, but then you hit a line like this.

I am not without ego.

Great publisher to work with if you've got a nice deathly short story.

OK, from a Falklands rematch to the second rise of José de San Martín, I guess.

Finished 'Proto' by @laurainparis.bsky.social, on the origins and spread of the Proto-Indo-European language family. A fascinating read on how a language probably spoken by a small group in the Ukrainian steppes ended up dominating the world through a vast number of languages and dialects.

I just got an email entitled "Introducing: the Loire, the Cup, and the Wolf" and was wondering what new TTRPG was out before I realized it was from my local wine shop.

This method of documentation could be problematic. I don't do drafts or notes, and I overwrite as I edit. I don't like the term 'pantsing' but I'll admit that's my style. I'm not sure how I'd defend myself against a charge of AI usage.

I am coming across the name Detlev Bronk too often in my current reading for it to be a coincidence. The hidden hand of MAJESTIC, or just reading a bunch of stuff about U.S. science in the 50s and 60s?

Not going to lie, I'd read 'The Batman, the Bell Jar, and the Shâhanshâh.'

I see BB28 trending and I ask myself "what has USS Delaware done this time?"

12 minutes between Red Line trains, @wmata.com? In a boiler like Gallery Place? I like you guys, but sometimes….

Five living writers you've read five books by each: William Gibson Neal Stephenson Charlie Stross Rick Atkinson Robert Caro

Submitted two stories today and looking for a market for a third, so seems like a good time for self-promotion. And to ask fellow writers for good sources for open submission calls.

"You'll never get away with this, Musk!" "What you fail to realize, Mister Bond, is that SpaceX will be worth more than the rest of Earth if we accomplish our goals!" "You're mad!" "Perhaps. But now, prepare to be crushed by this Cybertruck." "Truck's not working, sir." "Oh. The rocket?" "No."

Finished an otherwise interesting - tho' occasionally polemic - book that was almost completely spoiled in the last pages by a reference to the US provoking a war with Russia over Ukraine. What the hell?

Ethiopian mustard lentils from a place in Adams Morgan, D.C. We went there for years; sadly, they closed when they got bought out. And no Ethiopian place since has had the right mustard lentils.

The creature, known as "Mr. Long Neck" and "The Marionette," first enters your consciousness through newspaper articles about fairs. Soon, you begin to see it in other media, then out of the corner of your eye, and finally in your dreams.

From the 'Ballad of Manderup Parsberg.'

Fellow authors: Without any context, what's the first line of your current WIP? "Look, I know that sometimes convenience trumps quality. Sometimes you just need a hand of glory, so you pop on over to the supermarket, or order online, or get a case of twelve at a big box store."

The US can still win the World Cup if FIFA has the courage to do the right thing.

The whale was not dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. - Charles Dickens, A Whale Carol

The cat stepped on the controller and switched stations just at the right moment for us to miss that goal. It's a FIFA cat.

Off Steam in ten years when it’s nine bucks.

That when we’re at our best, we’re really fucking good.

How do you describe Americans in four words, Alex?

At this point, I think it might be funnier if DC doesn't get any storms tonight.

"There's a very dark side to Goering," says the WWII documentary currently polluting my TV.

What are your top 5 Stephen Kings? Stephen King (author) Stephen King (conservationist) Stephen King (surveyor) Stephen King (Gaelic footballer) Stephen King (actor) Bonus: King Stephen V of Hungary

Thunder, not jet noise, a moment ago in NE DC. Then more jet noise.

This is almost perfect; the bottom should be made up of shredded blue raspberry fruit roll ups.

Say what you will about him, but Mitch McConnell will not give up.

Finished "Life After Dead Pool" by @zakpodmore.bsky.social, a book not about surviving after the loss of a Marvel antihero, but about the death of Lake Powell and the imminent uselessness of the Glen Canyon Dam as drought lowers the water level past the generator intakes toward dead pool...

Man, I hope the pilots currently screaming over DC have A/C in their planes. And that they're not in F-35s. I dunno. I can only hear them, I ain't going outside to see them.

Immortal villain buried in a flooding salt mine (still alive, but not going anywhere). Villain whipped to death by Greek Furies. Burned at the stake for trying to kill a prophetic spider. Swept up into the sky by a whirlwind of gibbering mouths.

Good thing no real people live in DC (sarcasm fully intended, as I, at least, live in DC and consider myself mostly real).

Minions director confirms minions were not considered Aryan enough to work for Hitler, but did take jobs in Imperial Japan, Stalinist Russia, and Fascist Italy.

Petri still cannot be beat.

England, an isolated island off the coast of Europe, tries to hold its own against the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of the largest countries in Africa. It seems very one sided.

Finished "Wearing the Lion" by @wiswell.bsky.social, which starts out as an amusing tale of a himbo Hercules and an angry Hera and turns into a deep consideration of family, both found (Hercules) and dysfunctional (Olympus). I enjoyed the deep dive on Hera, a frequently overlooked god.

My wife is apparently growing triffids.

Reading Michael Korda's "Muse on Fire," a biography of several World War I poets, and man - Rupert Brooke was a complete jackass who got lucky he died on the way to the Dardanelles, because his reputation would not have survived the aging process.

Oh, yes, Valve, I believe that the Steam Machine ($1049) and Steam Deck ($789) are "Top Sellers" during the Summer Sale. Very believable.

Stanley Kubrick didn't fake the moon landings just so you could tell me AI is "inevitable"

Finished "Hand of Glory (Great-Great-Grandma's Recipe) ⭐⭐⭐⭐" (yes, the stars are part of the title), a short little piece at around 1750 words. Now to see if there's a market for it.

In my (ever-humble) opinion, the best survival game.

"It was sad when the old girl grabbed a loaded revolver instead of a roll of toilet paper that dark December morning."