Eldest Nephew

Since Bro and Sis In Law okayed it, the Farmparents decided to get Eldest nephew a very special Christmas present this year which he is going to love.

This year, Eldest Nephew gets his first rifle, a Savage .22 youth model. We picked it up yesterday on the way to the book signing, from the place where Salamander works. It was an excellent excuse to visit with him again and meet the Newt who is just cute as a button.

Eldest Nephew will probably ask to go shooting as soon as he opens his present, as he loves shooting with his dad but having to have help to support the big people .22's has been beginning to disappoint him. Now he'll be able to start learning marksmanship for himself.

I predict a happy munchkin come Christmastime.

Larry Correia

Absolutely rocks.

Came for a book signing expecting to get my books signed, say hi, visit a bit and be on my merry way, found myself invited to dinner and discussing... well... everything.

Lots of neat people who's links I don't have (if you met me please comment and I'll get you on my "bloggers I've met" list... ) and some I do which I'll add later when my brain comes back from it's little "holy crap" vacation, good food, and great conversation.

I swear, I've met more interesting people thanks to the internet....

Chapter 7

Is now available.

I told you it'd be ready this week.

Same old song and dance, donate a dollar, get the chapter. If you need previous chapters let me know in a note on your donation or in an email when you make your donation.

Are You Watching This?

The big brains over at the University of California San Diego are currently slicing the brain of quite possibly the most famous amnesiac ever.

There are lots more links but I'll let you find the rest of em on your own.

What's fascinating to me about this is that they're streaming the slicing process live.

That's right, you can watch them slice pieces seventy microns thick off of a whole human brain that's been encased in a gelatin block.

And you can watch it here.

Fabulous. Of course, it would be better if they'd let us watch them mount the slices on the slides, I think, but really, considering that I'm seeing the inside of a man's brain, I think I can be content.

And more importantly, thankful to Mr. Henry Gustav Molaison for the most important contribution to this journey of discovery.

I'm Getting There!

I'm having some issues with Chapter Eight, but Chapter Seven is nearly ready to go and will be available this week, I promise. One more read-through and minor tweaks.

Then I'll get my butt back on Chapter Eight. I've had to do the old hack and chop on it three times because I'd write something, and then realize that it was completely irrelevant crap.

So really, you should be grateful that I'm not trying to sell you irrelevant crap.

Ok I know, I'm working on it, I swear!

Sic 'Em

Edit: Larry has contacted the smarmy little... er... the owner of the company and has apparently worked out something he considers equitable. I still think the dude should die the death of a thousand papercuts but it's not my place to say.

Turns out that we dedicated fans aren't the only ones who think that Larry Correia had a great idea when he wrote Monster Hunter International.

I know most of you are fans of the book and eagerly awaiting the sequel, which Larry reports has been purchased and is on the way. Those who don't know the book ought to be equally offended by what I'm about to report.

Seems that some dim bulb over at Two Hour Wargames (his name happens to be Ed Teixeira and I'll give the rest of Jane free to the first person who digs up his personal email address for me kthx) had the exact same idea as Larry. This year. With a few ever-so-minor changes of course.

File off the serial numbers and make it your own, apparently.

For the record, if you're not intrinsically offended by the fact that some dipwad took a published, bestselling idea that the author put his blood sweat and tears (figurative or literal, writing can be a tough game) into, worked his butt off to get published, and is still working his butt off to promote and continue, and tried to sell it as his own for a profit without permission or even consultation, you can get the hell off my blog.

Shit like this is illegal, immoral, and just plain-ass lazy. So go my minions (Yes I'm talking to you JimJim) and write nasty emails, blogs, throw eggs, dig up dirt, make em look like crap. Because that's what they are.

Larry's post on it is here

The company's website is here and no I haven't really taken the time to dig through it yet, but I will. Oh believe me I will.

Larry links to the yahoo discussion group so I'll let ya'll read his post to pick that one up.

Shall we show them what a bunch of pissed off, highly literate and highly loyal people can do when they get riled?

Give Thanks

Dear friends, today is a day for family, food, and thanks.

I can't possibly enumerate everything that I'm thankful for. There is entirely too much, great and small, so I'll just hit the high points.

I am thankful for my health, and for the health of those I care about, two and four-legged. Farmmom "graduated" physical therapy yesterday, which puts an end to twice weekly trips to the Big Town.

I am thankful for new friends, both here and elsewhere. This year I had the amazing opportunity to meet folks from all over the country, and I adored it!

I am thankful for old friends. The people who stick by you no matter what and always bring a smile to your face when you see them coming are beyond price in this life. If you have them, don't let them go, and let them know today that you are glad they're around.

I'm thankful for family, who can make life grand. Good family makes life easier, better, happier. I think I have the best, and I'm not afraid to say so.

I'm thankful to live where I get to see awe-inspiring sights such as eagles soaring, deer and antelope bounding across the plains, fiery sunsets and golden dawns. I'm thankful that I got the opportunity to be reminded to enjoy these things earlier this month by seeing their like through fresh eyes.

And, dear readers, I'm thankful for each and every one of you. It's been two years since I started this blog, and although I've lost the time to reply to each and every comment left here, I guarantee you that I still read all of them. When I started this, I thought I might get a few occasional readers, and I was content with that. To see over a hundred hits every day is far beyond my wildest expectations, and yet, here we are.

So I'm thankful. I'm thankful for the people who never fail to read, I'm thankful for the compliments that I get on my writing, and most of all I'm thankful for the ability to bring a little entertainment and information into the lives of others, and the small bit of talent that makes it possible.

Enjoy your day today, folks, and be safe.