You know how when you start writing a book, you panic because you don’t know what’s going to happen in it, and you can’t remember how to write a book, and you probably suck at this, and you might just as well eat eat worms and die? Yeah, that’s where I was this week. Except fortunately I’m not in this story alone, so Bob took the book back and did some work, and then I got it back and was not happy. So I wrote this long explanation of why I wasn’t happy and braced myself for the fight to come. Except he said I was right and then laid out ideas that made the book much better, and suddenly my synapses were firing again, and I told him he was a genius, and now I have a better grasp on the book. Not a good grasp, it’s too early in the process, but much much better.

So that’s how work went for me this week. How did it go for you?

During one of our conversations last week, Bob said, “Oh, yeah, I almost died.” He bikes for miles, doesn’t smoke, and his only stress is me, but he still almost had a heart attack. . I was stern with him. “DO NOT DIE.” We have books to write. Still very happy he’s alive and unblocked now.

What unblocked your happiness this week?

In 2015, I posted this:

Thanksgiving is over, and it’s Christmas time, so here’s your Argh tradition:
[YouTube URL]
(Full disclosure: it’s Dec. 26, 2015, as I type this, but I forgot to post this in time this year. It’s not going to happen in 2016, you betcha.)

And it didn’t happen again in 2016. It happened again in 2022. Look, it’s been a rough week here, but we made it through Thanksgiving–those of us who are Americans and also not turkeys–so now it’s time for us to withstand the Christmas season, about which I am ambivalent. What am I not ambivalent about? the Drifters. Here’s your yearly intro to the season, Argh People. Happy Holiday, whatever you celebrate.

My favorite Thanksgiving book is Thanksgiving 101 by Rick Rogers because it has a great gravy recipe.

So what did you read this week?

If you’re not in America, rejoice that you are not making a huge meal with a huge bird in the middle of it. If you are in America, uh, good luck, unless you’re like me and said, “Bah humbug,” and decided to stay home and make spaghetti for one. (I get cranky in the winter.) Which iw just as well since I thought all day today it was Sunday. I can see me now, meeting people at the door on Thanksgiving and saying, “What the hell? It’s Wednesday, go home.” That would be bad.

So what did you work on this week?

Apologies to those of you still getting pounded with snow in Buffalo, but ye gods, that’s awful up there. I thought it was tragic when we got three feet here, and you’re over six feet now. So glad I’m not in Buffalo. Also happy for electric blankets and really good air cleaners. It’s just that kind of week: Practical Happiness.

So how were you practically happy this week?

Gin Jones’s A Dozen Days of Death (Helen Binney Mysteries) is out now!

With less than two weeks left until Christmas, Helen Binney’s social calendar is peaking, even as her energy is waning due to her lupus. She’s managing to balance enjoying as many holiday events as possible without triggering a flare, until she stumbles across a crime that requires her unique insights to investigate. Continue reading →

This week, I mostly read the first 10,000 words of Rocky Start, and cut a lot of them (those screams you’ll be hearing in the next couple of days will be Bob’s). I also went back and read some Rivers of London, just because I needed something I knew would be good.

So what did you read the you knew would be good? Or not.

Well, our plan to start Rocky Start in January is moving along nicely: Bob says we’re at 11,000 words, which is impressive because we were only at 7000+ when I gave it back to him. We’re at the interesting part of the beginning where he says, “How about this?” and I say, “Oh, I like that, how about this?” and he says, “That’ll work,” and then we look at what we’ve got and it’s too many characters and doesn’t make sense. That’s okay, we’ll fix it.

So what did you work on this week?

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It’s been nuts here. I’m working on two books at once, dealing with a new medication that’s realigning my brain, getting the house locked down for winter, and talking sternly to my cat who has taken to disturbing my typing with a very polite paw on my arm that is impossible to resist. Strangely enough, this all makes me happy, but not as much as knowing that I could put light bulb jokes up here and you’d all still comment.

So go ahead. Make my day.

My favorite light bulb joke:
Question: How many mothers does it take to change a light bulb?
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