It's the last Monday of the year, and I am really struggling to be productive. On the plus side, I have cocoa.

"We are older than any king that may come. Kings come and go, but the Babylonians will always stay." - Truth from the second millennium BC. archaeology.org/issues/janua...

Puedo hablar español, pero es el idioma de la escuela. En la vida diaria hablamos de forma muy diferente, con medias palabras y chistes privados. Es una idioma totalmente diferente y no sé como aprender.

My lap at present. Have a cozy day, friends, if at all possible.

Omg omg omg a stranger just came up to me at McDonald’s and said, “Sorry to bother you, but are you Marie Vibbert? I’m a big fan of your writing!” Achievement unlocked!!

You really gonna tell me you have trouble with pronouns when you’ve been eating her/she chocolate all your life?

As a poor kid, I fell in love with Necco Wafers. They were the most candy bang for your buck. But if I’m honest, I only loved the chocolate, clove, and licorice flavors. Their mint is like floor polish and the pink ones taste exactly like Peptobismol.

My writing process: Write sentence. Look up images of rutabaga. Change plant to rhubarb. Look up images of rhubarb. Re-write scene so it's in a forest.

My friend Pietro made a web comic about reenactment life. It's funny and well-drawn. This is the start of a mini-arc I quite like: strangeseachronicles.com/08-snapshot/

The "year end list" I'm enjoying most is the Top 10 Archeological Discoveries from Archeology Magazine: archaeology.org/collection/t...

The purpose of art criticism is not to find fault, it is to find understanding.

"It feels like freedom, but it can't make you free." - F. D. Signifier on the limits of art. This video essay starts out trying to find how to engage critically with media we uncritically love, and goes deeper: youtu.be/ffukF1MvLGk?...

Literary Cleveland sent out a message that they were covered for their yearly budget so we can stop donating. Few non-profits will ever say that. Most would say "So now let's stretch our goals!" Literary Cleveland focuses on its goals, community, stability. That's why they are so successful.

Tuesday, you bird poop on my freshly ice-scraped windshield! (This actually happened last Tuesday. I'm still mad.)

sweeeeeet... Matriarchy confirmed: archaeology.org/issues/janua...

If you are: -resolving to start writing more regularly next year -near Cleveland ... my friend Joelle is teaching a free class January 10th! attend.cuyahogalibrary.org/event/14537345

Well, some people are still at work. Six form rejections in my inbox this morning!

My fellow office workers working this week in the US, I hope you enjoy a very happy "No one is going to answer this email."

Dish with Inlaid Chrysanthemum Design https://clevelandart.org/art/1924.135

May your solstice be peaceful.

I'm donating the proceeds I earned at the Buckeye Book Fair this year to the International Rescue Committee www.rescue.org/article/cris...

ICYMI, my short story "Yarn Theory" (eligible for all your 2025 award things!) will appear again (slightly altered) in my novella "Multitude" coming out next April from Apex Books. https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/vibbert_05_25/

Someone explain why I have a note to myself that reads “The Sun-Dried Tomato Supremacy” ?

Mid-winter thaw, the incubator of late-winter colds, but I can't help but open my jacket.

This blog post touches on my struggles with self-esteem.  https://www.marievibbert.com/low-self-esteem/

Woke up late. The dog peed in the kitchen. I bent over to put on my socks to walk her, and my dress split up the back.

You say "Let's just meet in person" I hear "Gosh, I'm too lazy to articulate the parameters of this project. How about I waste an hour of your time so you can coach me through it?"

Tuesday, you are like being stuck in the TSA line because the luggage scanner is broken and no, they won't let you switch lines!

Apropos to a post I'm not going to quote: no, you are not fucking obliged to battle the fucking right on fucking social media, or go to where they are. Why make yourself miserable shouting at bots (who don't care) or trolls (who get off on your misery). Make your fucking social media enjoyable, FFS.

So I bought a vintage house coat in Siena on Thanksgiving and photo shoots had to happen. Pic by Jennifer Mayer.

It's cold, the dog doesn't want to go out, I don't want to go out, and "manditory in-person" just seems cruel. BUT I made matzoh ball soup for the family last night and I got to sneak some for lunch. :D So comforting! Happy Hanukkah mornings, darlings!

I dreamed that my spouse was about to join a nine-person hive mind. I knew some of the people and interviewed the others, finding them kind and thoughtful. I had to consent. I was afraid of losing them.

I'm a cis, het woman, with a very strong sex drive and... I will never willingly read a romance book. I've tried many times. There's something about the plot centering a sexual relationship I find off-putting.

Just turned in my final grades. Woooot. Freedom from second job!

I've collected several short stories in a Google Sheet that are up for award consideration. Read! Stories by @reasie.bsky.social @grigorylukin.bsky.social @cornellwriter.bsky.social @japrenticewrites.bsky.social @duncanshepherd.bsky.social, @jheijndermans.bsky.social @aimeeogdenwrites.com, and me.

Etchings of Venice: Pozzo San Vio https://clevelandart.org/art/1920.18.11

Missed the bus because it’s raining on top of two weeks worth of snow and I had to toddle precariously over wet humps of fossil footsteps. I’m sorry I wished it would warm up.

I'm so, so tired. But... Sasa on Shaker Square continues to delight. If you're ever in Cleveland and crave Japanese Fusion Tapas... it's the place. Happy Birthday, hubby! He wanted "deep fried sushi" and he got it.

25-some years ago, my sister bought a drawstring chemise at Pennsic. It was our first SCA garb. I decided to replace the cuffs and neck with proper edges. As I tossed the thick cotton rope that had gathered it, Grace said, "If that drawstring could talk! ...It would demand a restraining order."

It's so cold in Cleveland. I put my dog in booties, her sweater, and her coat over the sweater. We only walked a third of our usual route. She was shivering hard before we got home! I wrapped her in a blanket on the sofa and cuddled her until she stopped.

Tuesday, you snow falling in the top of my boot!

“Somehow we [Lit cle] ended up doing a zine with the Sewer District?”- @mattweinkam.bsky.social

Winter is fine for a day or two, but does it have to keep on happening?

@rfkuang.bsky.social and @nkjemisin.bsky.social are coming to Writers Center Stage in Cleveland and you can still get tickets!! Just grabbed mine. case.edu/maltzcenter/...

Doing novella edits! On page 103 of 149! Really hope I can finish today. It's amazing how I find myself, even after teaching college English for three years, learning new grammar errors I make. Y'all, I did not know "which" and "that" were so different!

You can tell it's cold outside when the dog gives you this look when you say, "Walkies?"

Tuesday was my first day back in the US from my week in Italy. I was surprised at my joy and energy. I caught up on all my work trouble tickets and side-job paper grading. Wednesday I did more grading and work-work and attended the annual department party. Today, I am barely functional. Nap?

More story recs today, combining two of my favorite things: SFF and fiber arts! Stories by @rukman.bsky.social @jenniferhudak.bsky.social @reasie.bsky.social @renanbernardo.com @samtasticbooks.com @trailofleaves.bsky.social, Dee Straith medium.com/@katefrancia...

Another old illustrated blog post: on the dangers of taking too much advice.  https://www.marievibbert.com/mud/

It easy to be grateful for pretty things, the lace of fluffy snow on branches. Harder to be slogging through salt-slush toward your office and remember that you used to DREAM of having an office, a short skirt, black leather booths, and now you have them all.