The AH Coffee Shop and Reading Room 09

[MillieDynamite]

The flakes are smaller now but are falling faster, I think. I hate this stuff. I don't like cold, I don't like snow, I don't like getting stuck in the snow. YUCKY...

We've had some of it too, but it's mostly gone now. I don't even know when it happened. It wasn't there when I went out to get the newspaper. I got wrapped up in my WIP after that, and it was on the ground the next time I looked up.

 

[MrPixel]

Our snow from Sunday is hanging around with a vengeance. The <20°F since will do that. It's sublimated enough that I was able to back the car out of the garage for C's dentist appointment, but there was a microsecond of concern plowing through/over the windrow as wheels slipped and the car threatened to high-center on the plow tailings.

The last several winters have been relatively snow-free. I guess we're making up for it.

 

[dmallord]

Hi everyone, just posted a few new stories - they are all getting okay ratings but no comments? Why is that? I'd love comments and discussion on my stories but I don't think they are well written enough.

Comments are like rare birds in the wild. Rarely does one come to land in your mailbox, but when it does, it can be a delight. Then again, it can also leave a mess in your mailbox with some unkind words.

We all have experiences with that, I guess. People just are not attuned to being appreciative and leaving a note about your stories these days. The ratio of comments to readers who leave a score, in my experience and math, is about 1.5%.

Welcome.

 

[Rustyoznail]

Our snow from Sunday is hanging around with a vengeance. The <20°F since will do that. It's sublimated enough that I was able to back the car out of the garage for C's dentist appointment, but there was a microsecond of concern plowing through/over the windrow as wheels slipped and the car threatened to high-center on the plow tailings.

The last several winters have been relatively snow-free. I guess we're making up for it.

It feels odd saying this considering you're griping about snow, but I feel deeply for those suffering in California. I've seen some bad bushfires, but this is something else.

 

[dmallord]

Yesterday was a productive day of writing. From the moment I got up, except for the nurse urging me to eat, I typed and edited my Mike Hammer 2025 Event story. I surprised myself with how much time I spent focused on the task. I stopped around 3:30 am after the nurses had left, then I crashed.

I have a total of 17.6k words written, and I’ve completed it. It's hard to believe it’s done. Now, I need to edit and tidy up before sending it to Kenjisato for his grammar skills.

Jack Slater, a bear of a man, is a gentler protagonist compared to my last two Hammer characters. No one is murdered, stabbed, or strangled; not even a weapon is drawn from its holster—almost, anyway. Where are the noir elements, you ask? This time, they’re in the hard-hitting dialogue, plot twists, and cynical attitudes.

 

[MrPixel]

It feels odd saying this considering you're griping about snow, but I feel deeply for those suffering in California. I've seen some bad bushfires, but this is something else.

Oh, yes. All yesterday evening I had the TV on the streaming channel from one of the L.A. stations I knew from my time living there. The devastation is heartrending. The Pacific Palisades community is nothing but ashes; my boss lived in the Palisades, although that was so many years ago it is quite unlikely he was still alive for this. I was somewhat familiar with Alta Dena (north of Pasadena), where I had ridden my bicycle on longer tours. The "Sunset" fire was way too close for comfort; there is a lot there I experienced in my youth that was in peril. Thank goodness they were able to contain this particular conflagration.

The coverage on PBS was gut-wrenching, as their reporter (and anchor) was reporting from the streets of Alta Dena, evidently where she grew up. You could sense her deep grief all through the segment where she was reporting the catastrophe, referencing friends who had lost their homes. When a seasoned reporter is so close to breaking out in tears the way she was, you so feel the reality and impact in your soul.

I have college friends in the L.A. area, but they are, for the time being, well-distanced from the calamities. One active fire, the "Lidia" fire, is in an area I am well familiar with, having grown-up but 20 miles away, and frequented the exact area on several recreational outings. Wishing the best for everyone affected, and my heart goes out to those whose outcomes was less than ideal.