real life

The 7-loop connector bars (250 of them!) from Milky Way 888. They were one of the last to get going, and I had to extend the allowance time lest my order get cancelled. And yet, they are the first ones to arrive in my hot little hands.

A moment of silence for the ziplock baggie that tried valiantly, but could not contain the mighty force of two hundred and fifty brass findings during the rigorous journey between there an here. It did its best.

I still have one apparently in Sydney, one dispatched to Australia, five shipped by air and the rest of the eighteen in No Info Limbo. That's right. Over half of my orders have no information about where they are.

I've finally figured out how to do French Braids without them taking a right at Albuquerque and winding up in Holland to become Dutch Braids. It's all about which fingers I use and which way I turn my hands.

Dutch braids happen because the first three fingers of the hands go in from above and rotate to rest underneath, with the third part of the braid getting passed to the pinkie. French braids occur when the last three fingers of the hands go in from underneath and then rotate to rest above, with the third part of the braid passing to the index.

This is still difficult for me, but I can do it. I keep having to remind my thumb to fuck off once I'm done wrangling the additions into place, but I am getting there.

I'm sure I was just as awkward when I was still going Dutch with Chaos' hair.

But now, when I'm braiding, I am capable of going to either Holland or France.

I'm creeping ever closer to the last words of Adapting and it's really surreal because there are still folks who have yet to get back to me about KFZ. I need to agitate them out of their divots. OR... gird my loins and edit with the suggestions I have and just... get firkin ON with agent hunting.

I'm aiming for the top. So I need to find and agent in New York who is willing to handle spec fic. And is tolerant of a stand-alone novel before getting a sample from an ongoing series.

That might be a tough ask. So I could find a tough agent who wants to rise to the challenge.

I know for a fact that Aussie agents don't think much further than our own shores, so it's one of the occasions where I really can't support our own industry. I should feel horrible about that, but this is my future income on the line, so it's not that qualmy in here.

I used to think that if I learned how to do a French Braid, I could do anything. Now? I'm not so sure.