Curious Ink

A brief explanation for my increasingly convincing impersonation of a social media ghost: My hands have apparently decided that years of faithful service are quite enough, thank you, and have entered into labor negotiations. Their demands are unclear, management is uncooperative, and the medical establishment has suggested that I simply continue using them, which strikes me as a questionable negotiating strategy. Unfortunately, this means that holding a phone, typing, clicking, scrolling, and generally interacting with anything invented after the printing press have become rather unpleasant activities. Even dictation requires an irritating amount of tappy-tappy, and I’m currently rationing my supply. Consequently, my online presence has dwindled from regular posting and socializing to the occasional drive-by observation, assisted by AI and sheer bloody-mindedness. If I owe you a reply, I haven’t forgotten you. I’m working through my backlog as my hands permit. Nothing personal, unless you’ve been particularly annoying, in which case I reserve the right to pretend otherwise. No sympathy required, please. I’m not soliciting condolences, medical advice, or inspirational refrigerator magnets. Just explaining why I’ve become unusually quiet. I remain as opinionated as ever. I’ve simply lost the ability to inflict those opinions upon you at my customary rate.

Filling out intake forms for the new doctor. Preferred language dropdown includes Old English (ca. 450–1100) and Middle English (1100–1500). I’m this close to selecting one just so my chart notes say ‘patient prefers to receive all test results in Anglo-Saxon.’

Spent the morning hunting for a name that means the right thing in the right language family and doesn’t sound like I made it up while half-asleep. Turns out “sounds right when you say it out loud” beats perfect etymology every time. The character still doesn’t have a name. I have a list of rejects and a headache.

Do not jump, dance, shake, or generally exist with enthusiasm. The elevator is watching.

Every list of gift ideas has that one item that makes you realize the author has never been invited back to a holiday party.

Writing tip: if a scene feels flat, cut the line where the character explains what they just did. The action already said it. Current status: deleted three perfectly good sentences that were only there to make me feel productive. The scene is better. I’m slightly annoyed about it.

QP/Share anything you like for #WhateverWednesday!

Damn, this place is lonely af. I see more pals on Reddit & Discord.

Ok, this is totally cool. 3DPrint your own astronaut costume accessories!

Writing tip: give a stressed character one small, useless habit that only shows up under pressure. It makes them feel more real than any dramatic outburst. Current status: three research tabs deep into a detail that probably won’t make the book, while the dog has decided the warm spot on the sofa is hers. Progress remains relative.

Writing tip: Don’t tell the reader someone is angry. Have them carefully reorganize the spice rack at 2 a.m. and refuse to explain why. Current status: three paragraphs of spice-rack subtext, one very judgmental dog, zero actual pages. Still counts as progress.

First nail wrap manicure attempt. Once again, X, changing a background doesn’t make it an AI image. 😡

I’ve been asking myself why everything online turned so shitty. Cory Doctorow’s Enshittification finally explains it: platforms start good for users, then squeeze everyone for profit until they’re worthless. Sharp, funny, and oddly hopeful. Now I get it. Highly recommend.

🌕🏠 Meet the Moon Base habitats — humanity’s first real outpost on another world! NASA is building a modular presence near the lunar South Pole. It begins with robotic prep and short crewed stays, then adds the JAXA/Toyota Lunar Cruiser (a pressurized mobile habitat) and grows into larger connected modules with airlocks, labs, crew quarters, and life support. Astronauts will live in shirtsleeves inside while the outside handles extreme cold (–250°F shadows), radiation, and abrasive dust. The modules expand over time—like the ISS, but on the Moon—and plug into nuclear power, ISRU oxygen, and rovers. This turns brief Apollo-style visits into real exploration and research stays. The first permanent foothold off Earth starts here. Who else can’t wait for the day astronauts call the Moon “home base”? 🚀❄️ #Artemis #MoonBase #LunarHabitat

Fellas, watch this magic trick. Sound off (the music is a choice).

Somewhere in Oregon. Because of course.

Finally, a restaurant that understands the assignment. No free meals for content. No ‘collabs.’ Just come eat like a normal person or keep walking. The only free thing happening here is the honesty

Hey, @GOP , it’d be a lot easier to flip AZ red if you actually had candidates on the ballot. 1/3 of candidates (4 of 12) are Democrats running unopposed.

Filling out our ballots. It’s clear from the propositions that AZ is a state at war with itself.

Ooooh, shiny!