Dispatches from Quarantine: Things I Miss, Diner Edition

It’s kind of amazing the things I took for granted even six weeks ago. Like the company of people and public spaces without the fear that a plague was lying in wait the minute you let down your guard. With the exception of one attempt to go to the park to work in a notebook (thwarted […]

Disptaches from Quarantine: Roll for Initiative

Long-time readers might recognize that I am, for better or worse, a social monkey. Something of an extrovert, you might say. Even when things have been their most dire, I’ve managed to find ways to go out and be around people. But with CORVID-19 lurking beneath the lilypads like an angry, territorial hippo, that’s not […]

Dispatches from Quarantine–SW Chile Cheese Cornbread

You know those recipe blogs that are pages and pages of nattering and story and “I had this once and recreated it in my own kitchen…” No one has time for that shit. Not while we’re in varying degrees of quarantine. So here’s the fast and nasty backstory. My mom got this recipe somewhere when […]

Dispatches from Quarantine–A Night @ the Opera

Welcome to the Long Shut-In. If you’re like me, you have at least one or two streaming options and a list of shows and movies to catch up on that, facing the long weeks of CORVID-19 self-imposed isolation, might not seem like enough. Maybe you’re bored, looking for something new. Maybe you just want to […]

5 Favorite Albums From 5 Favorite Trios

I love a good threesome! By that, I mean a musical trio. Stripped down, with just enough musicians to provide a back beat to the melody, when done right it’s a thing of beauty. Without further ado, here’s five of my favorite albums from five favorite power trios, in no particular order. Outlandos D’Amour — […]

The King’s Avatar

There was an episode of Community forever ago where the dean wailed that “TV is crazy good right now!” That was years ago, and if anything, television has gotten even better. Between the streaming service wars, tons of original content, and social media buzzing about the big show du jour, it’s kind of impossible to […]

Timeline Cleanse Digest (1/2/20)

Welcome to 2020! Today in Seattle is gray, cold, and rainy, so it feels like a good idea to sweep in with a timeline cleanse. Today’s cleanse was inspired by a particular song that shuffled through my playlist that made me want to wrap up in it like a well-loved blanket to wait out the […]

Cobalt City Looking Back, Looking Forward to 2020

What a long, strange decade it’s been! It wasn’t even 10 years ago I opened up the sandbox of Cobalt City to other authors with Cobalt City Christmas in November of 2010. In that time, I started Timid Pirate Publishing, put out some books, folded Timid Pirate Publishing, and then put out even more books. […]

My Brain–My Enemy

I’d like to state for the record: fucking brain. I’d also like to warn you that this post goes to some dark places. But these are dark times, my pretties, and I’m not the boss of you. In my 50 or so years on this little ball of mud, I’ve learned a couple of little […]

Timeline Cleanse Digest (12-13-19)

I don’t know about anyone else, but by all that’s merciful, I could really use a timeline cleanse today. With that in mind, here’s a high-potency injection of hope and joy in musical format to help you pick your way through the wreckage. Remember, folks: at the end of the day, all we’ve got is […]