Ko-fi donationsBuy Me a Coffee

InterNutter

Indie writer seeks audience with an audience. Paying customers welcome. [pronouns: ze/hir] Daily free stories happen because it is an excellent counter to Writers' Block.

Burpengary East http://www.cmweller.com 11777 posts

Friday, Physio and The Quest For Spandek(tm)

Today is a day for looking for things. I misplaced my glasses, and didn't think I found them because they turned up underneath the spares' case and that's what threw me off from believing they were my 'real' glasses and not a surprise set of not-my-current-prescription spares.

On the plus side, my floor is a little bit cleaner now. A little bit.

My next search for a thing was the surprise revelation that the long dustpan was missing its matching broom. That thing is still not found, but I did use a different broom to sweep up the pasta I spilled.

Then it was looking for my ritual measuring cups that I use for my bread-related nonsense so I could go feed Wilson, my wholemeal sourdough starter.

All of this is preamble for looking for Spandek profile corrugated iron so I can replace one panel of the catio roof with something that might just last a bit longer than the plastic.

There's several issues with the catio roof. The plastic panels are mostly okay, but one panel continuously gets wrecked by the wind. A bit of metal may not tear so readily, BUT... try finding a bit of corrugated metal sheet that matches the angular corrugation of my plastic sheets.

[Shown here: The angular profile of Spandek corrugation]

All the corrugated metal at Bunnings was a sin wave. Spandek is not. I was told to look up the manufacturer. Good news - they had a list of retailers. Bad news - I didn't know I was looking at the wrong list of retailers.

I visited two of those in person, mistakenly referring to spandek as 'stendeck' for the duration. Of course nobody had the stuff. And since the next nearest alleged purveyor on my erroneous list was twenty kilometers away, I figured I'd do the grand ring-around during my spare hours today.

And this afternoon? I get my heels therapeutically jack-hammered before I go on parkrun, tomorrow.

I might have the metal next week. And somewhere in the midst, I need to schedule a day to help out MeMum with stuff and things.

One of my mentees is in the middle of delivering a fresh new human, I need to get on the blower with employment agencies on Chaos' behalf, I want to find the time and the courage to work on Pseuducku, I have a book to finish, I have to find the time and the courage to pitch again... and all I want to do is snuggle somewhere comfortable while a big burly bloke carefully kneads all the knots out of my shoulders because I've been sleeping tense.

This is why I didn't want to get out of bed this morning. I need better motivation than "nobody else is going to do it."

Powers find me some way to have a secretary who can do all the pitching for me. But for that I need an income capable of paying some nice organised person a fair and competing wage. And for that I need money from my writing career. And for that I need to sell a firkin book.

Ugh.

Let's begin with what I can do... my offerings.

Challenge #04456-L072: Arms Race

They played with toy drones, buzzing them through the air. But beware kids with little RC toys, and you're trying to be intimidating. -- Anon Guest

Fun for the whole family! Cosmetic shells sold separately, battery packs and chargers not included. The drones were cheap, easy to use, and could carry weights up to five kilograms as long as they were also aerodynamic. For yet another separate purchase, one could acquire a cargo pod that attached to your unit.

The reason why

Read more »

Thursday, Crossed Wires and Running Around

I previously thought I was seeing my physio today. I checked my schedule and no. I'm seeing my physio tomorrow. Nevertheless, I have run out of stuff and things and I need to go on a supply run.

It's a long, long run. Here, there, an extra stop at Bunnings for some corrugated iron, and another stop at a chemist for a restock of some meds. Of course I'm getting the refrigeratables last.

The sheet of corrugated iron is going to be

Read more »

Challenge #04455-L071: A Cure For a Cad

Behold this beautiful little flower. So unassuming, so innocent, soft and purple. I wouldn't touch this foxglove if I were you, not unless you wear gloves. You may not like what the sap can do to skin that may have cuts, or otherwise be permeable. -- Anon Guest

Beautiful to look at, wonderful to behold. But if you touch... your end is foretold.

Consider a field of flowers. Pink, white, or purple. The soft petal bells bear little spots, and multitudes of

Read more »

Wednesday, Rant Due and Leyland PLNs

I have to think of something to talk about for my weekly blog. Perhaps the stories behind the story I'm writing in my "Butcher's Book" and the general mood behind Sanity Projects. "In" prefix optional.

Yes, I made a little pamphlet thingy out of a sheet of Butcher's Paper. Replete with sewing the spine for binding. And yes, I am filling it with a weird little story.

Because I happen to be Like That(tm).

And yes, I plan on showing it

Read more »

Challenge #04454-L070: Statistical Outliers

Their planet was tidally locked. They'd never heard of life forming on a world that spun despite the gravity of their sun. Then they learned of worlds like the Earth, and a whole new perspective opened for them. -- Anon Guest

[AN: I have seen SO much speculative biology based on eyeball worlds. They for sure wouldn't be Havenworlders though]

Nobody from a Deathworld believes they're on a Deathworld until they see the alternatives. This holds true for worlds that should definitely

Read more »

Tuesday, Patreon and Shopping Potential

I have to keep the catio closed off until I fix the roof. The good news is that I can get the corrugated iron real easy. The bad news is that I need to find the tools, the charger(s), the screws, a ladder... and a helpmeet to do the thing.

That's going to be an issue.

So too is escaping the shed with the car. Because the yard turns into a quagmire under a light mist.

We're going to be dragging

Read more »

Challenge #04453-L069: Celebrate Life

Festivals in the part of the city where the Unwelcome welcome all -- Anon Guest

There's places like this in every city. Usually, it's a tightly packed alley or two that has denizens rather than residents. You can feel every eye watching you warily, and there's a pervading miasma of suspicion and fear.

In a city as big and old as Deepwater, it's an entire district. Minor Perdition was the Hellkin Ghetto, and a place where the Unwelcome, Unwanted, and largely unwashed

Read more »

Monday, Tropical Storm Troubles

We did not actually need the tape and the paper after all. Best to be prepared than be embarrassed. If you need butcher's paper at all anywhere near the wilds of Burpengary, I'm your bean.

I literally have kilos of the stuff.

The supply will eventually dwindle, but the horrifying part is - I know where to get more. Cue evil laugh.

Beloved and Adorable have power issues and internet troubles, but if that's all they have to deal with, they're OK.

Read more »

Challenge #04452-L068: Way of the Dragon

This is a strange place where students are taught to fight. Not the ways of the shadow, but how to fight like the dragon-born. The teachers do not care that most of the students here are not, and were never dragons. Or that there are all races. All they care is that these youngsters, and some adults, are their students. And they will help others who are mistreated stand on their feet once more. -- The New Guy

Places like this are

Read more »

Sunday, Outages, Rain, and Wind

Intermittent power availability, strong winds, heavy rains. Typical of a once-cyclone, now-tropical-storm.

We still can't go out for supplies because hazardous weather.

Adorable, Beloved, and their fam are about to get flooded thanks to the rain. Now that communication's restored between MeMum and I, the worry has transferred to them.

At least we can send messages to each other.

The good news is that they have plns. The worrying news is that they're cool with a lot more things than I am.

Read more »

Challenge #04451-L067: An Oft Repeated Mistake

They looked thin, wiry, but something in that hard expression said that the body's looks were deceiving. When the pirates tried to cause trouble for the colony, she only gave them ONE warning "I am a Marine". They learned the hard way what that meant. -- Fighting Fit

The pirate ship cruised in to the small colonial spaceport like they owned the place. For all anyone knew, they intended to own it shortly. They were arrogant in general and presumptive of their

Read more »

Saturday, Alfred Cancells Everything

We started today with a blackout. Knowing that the cyclone is going to be here for a while, I kept on hunkering and bunkering. Even though I can't contact MeMum and that's a bit of a worry.

Apparently, the network is down all the fuck over her area and we'll likely get back into contact when contact is available.

I can only hope that all is well over there.

It's too dangerous for me to haul ass to her place and check

Read more »

Challenge #04450-L066: Enrichment Activities

The goods in your favourite Big Store get fewer and fewer, so those vital but rarely brought items disappear. -- She Who Knits

If variety was the spice of life, the local branch of MegaGloboCorpoMart was slowly turning into gruel. The variety of options and products, that which drew them all in, was getting spare.

It had taken Jaime months to notice, but after that, the limits were growing clear.

More complaints about clothing not available in someone's size. Counting the thousand

Read more »

Friday, Maybe Storm Tomorrow

Cyclone Alfred has slowed down and is dilly dally dawdling up and down the coast to the point where some people are calling it a tourist.

Weather bureau says that it should finally hit the coast tomorrow morning. Mind you, it's been "It's hitting tomorrow" since Wednesday.

Parkrun is cancelled for very obvious reasons and we're sitting put in our fortified houses. MeMum's had her place sandbagged, I know I'm springing for some corrugated iron after the storm passes. About the only

Read more »