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Apologies for this late update. But I had a great weekend and I didn't have time to update in time. Apple Watch screenshot of the atrocities. Started out the weekend with a short and brutal workout that pushed me past the evil redline. Anti-ICE/Trump protesters along a major highway. This is only the East side of the road, there were just as many on the West side. Seeing people out protesting on a Friday afternoon was heartening. Most passing motorists honked their approval.

Ever since my Father took me to see "Alien" when it first came out, I have been fascinated and horrified by the future presented in these stories. The uber-corporation, Weyland-Yutani, bestrides the future like a colossus, and is forever hungry for profit and knowledge. That hunger for knowledge leads them into the darkest corners of the universe, and what resides in those corners sometimes bleeds acid. On this day, in the fictional timeline year of 2023, a young Peter Weylan

Sometimes good shit makes you sad for all the right reasons. I was thinking about this poem a few days ago. It is a splendid work of verse, made even better by its inclusion in "Four Weddings and a Funeral". "Funeral Blues" by WH Auden. Performed by John Hannah.

Thanks to billionaires, their accountants, and their laywers! But I did get my taxes done today, regardless of how stupid the process is in this country. And, for the record, my taxes went UP this year under 45's first year of his second term. I'M NOT FEELING GREAT AGAIN, DONNIE. And I can't help but feel that I paid MORE than any techbro billionaire.

Here is an announcement I have been waiting for with (somewhat) bated breath... Part of the cover of the upcoming AI issue of Weird Fiction Quarterly, by Betty Rocksteady .

Ryan Coogler and Mulder and Scully. Now this is some good shit!

US Men's Hockey Team Celebrating Their Gold Medal by Honoring a Deceased Teammate Normally, I'm not a big "USA! USA! USA!" kinda guy, especially not these days. But I was happy to wake up today to see that the Men's Hockey team joined the Women's Team by winning Gold. And when I saw this picture of the team holding up the sweater of a fallen teammate, and holding his kids in the picture, I may have teared up a little. Sometimes sports can be more than just winning and losing.

Finally found the tagline for my "Alien"novel. And I wrote over a thousand words today. It's been a while since I did that. Nice to get back in the groove...

Got to the gym early today, in time to see one of my coaches headed out the door. She teaches a class for older folks just before my class and one of her atheletes followed close behind. "Tom, this Olivia," Paula said. "Good morning, Olivia," I said. "I hope Coach Paula wasn't too rough on you." For context, Olivia was pushing a walker and wearing a nasal canula, with tubes trailing down to an oxygen tank she carried over her shoulder. "Well, I deadlifted a bit," Olivia said.

Work words. I don't often post word counts about my day job, but it's nice when you break through some "writer's block" and finally get some writing done on a project.

Some of my so-called nonsense. I'm getting close to putting triple digits over my head again. It's been a while, and my form felt pretty good. My coach confirmed my last set was straight up and down, so I'm taking the win.

A few things: Tomorrow I'm going to try to follow through with this idea for Lent: https://thecorners.substack.com/p/40-days-of-good-shit-a-lenten-discipline?fbclid=IwY2xjawQBsBRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeV7smekCx5DwZNh6uPUd0eI6Ehw0_S7HWV2pJE8iABBpPdzTKpBVsHDMcujM_aem_n1KOsDtReymtsTA3kyfZhQ I spent the last week in Southern California to attend the passing of my girlfriend's Aunt. She battled Parkinson's for a long time, and she seemed to be at p

What? Two blog posts in a week? Tom's on a roll, baby! Well, sort of. I did some writing today! Was it in either of my WIPs? A new short story, perhaps? No. I wrote a Spenserian sonnet about Olivia Nuzzi falling in love with RFK Jr.'s brain worm. Why are you looking at me like that...? A Canto for Olivia Journalism's femme fatale , Olivia Nuzzi. “I loved his brain. I hated the idea of an intruder therein. Others thought he was a madman; he was not quite mad the way they thoug

I used to LOVE the month of January. After all, I was born in January! January 6, 1968, to be precise. Yes, that means I’m old, but it also means that I’m a Christmas Baby! And not just a Christmas Baby, but an Epiphany Baby! That’s right, Christians! I was born on the day that the Wise Men finally got to Jerusalem to check out Baby Jesus. I’m a “Twelfth Night” baby, baby! Paul Oakley Stovall steals many a scene as Malvolio in “Twelfth Night.” Photo by Liz Lauren for the Ch

Look, I know it’s been a while since I’ve written here. But, in my defense, I’ve been busy! Busy writing! And taking vacations! And working! And dealing with (gestures frantically in the air) all of this! Everything is fine . For a while, I was disappointed in myself for not writing anything here. But then I realized that this is my space and I can do what I darn well want with it. So, I gave myself some grace and got back to the business of living my life as best I can. From

Here we are at the end of the boot camp! This was far more enjoyable then I expected, and I think I may have unearthed a few characters and a few stories I would like to explore later. For now, please enjoy this tale of an odd homecoming. It does tie in to my current work in progress, but in a way I did not expect! Loose Ends One Jennifer Montgomery Angle retrieved the keys to her recently departed Grandmother’s little house. She unlocked the door and let herself into the nea

Breaking Down The tachometer was pegged to the redline, somewhere around seven thousand RPM. The engine couldn’t take much more, despite the new valve seals and a thorough lube job, this POS was gonna shit the bed sooner rather than later. “Damn,” Hustle said under their breath. “Damn what? Damn what , H?” Chain yelled from the passenger seat. Chain was Hustle’s partner in crime and occasional lover. Chain was also bug-fuck nuts, and it had been almost a week since Chain had

Resignation Letter Dear Popular Culture, Yeah, I’m afraid I’m done with you. I suppose you are owed an explanation, although it should be pretty obvious. It’s not that there’s so MUCH of you. Or the fact that at least 80% of you is total crap. And it’s not the difficulty in keeping up with you. It’s all of those things. And one thing more. You see, I never liked you. Back when I was in high school, when one can first see how popular culture affects people on a day-to-day basi

The Stranger I decided to take a shortcut on my walk home from work. I hoped the new route would burn of the thousand steps left on my daily step target. Some of the alleys I went down were a bit shady, and it felt like the odor of the homeless people I passed stuck to my clothes and my shoes. I guess that smell sanded away another layer of my empathy, but all I wanted to do was get home. And meet my step quota. I turned the corner and found myself in an alley that I knew lea

Dollar Message (The original prompt involved buying a birthday gift at a department store, but that scenario didn’t feel desperate enough for me…) Despite the rain, Jonny wanted to spend as much of today walking around town as he could. Portland is a very walkable city, and he had been getting around “via the shoe leather express” (his late Mother’s saying) for most of his thirty-nine years. He had two more stops to make before he could call the day finished, and they were b