December Newsletter

Chaos and vibes

How can I get lost? For hours - I wish to stare into the sky

Aimless.

Vibrant greens kiss the sun

As the wind peruses about, looking for the perfect leaf

To drop.

I imagine the highest peak of wooden splendor

Would be filled with wonder.

But I like it down here.

Where I can smell the earth, and feel the ground

Beneath my feet.

I imagine if I were to fly to the highest highs

I would miss falling down

Where the earth hugged me and the sky was an illusion

Of possibility.

- 15:36

Hi everyone! The December update is coming in a bit late because New Years eve my entire body decided to revolt and I’m only just now recovering from a multi-day fever and am typing this from bed - which is not normal for me. Ah well, let’s hop into it!

What are you working on for Substack?

I’ve got a couple things percolating right now!

• I’ve been doing a lot of readings on the ecology of bogs for… reasons. Stay tuned for that, and hopefully that will come up soon.

• I also want to wrap up the Marrow Chronicle before I finish my PhD. Just a fun little goal to give myself.

• I also have a sci-fi today in progress that should be going live in the coming weeks if everything goes to plan! that will also be followed by a story that’s been unwritten but circulating in my head for a while.

• Lastly, my most recent post The Social Toolbox in which I talk about some recent research in developmental neuroscience that I think is pretty fascinating while also explaining some concepts around Autism is live, and if you’re curious about that, I recommend giving it a look here!

What are you working on outside of Substack?

I still have a long list of long term projects, but I’m narrowing my focus with the limited time I have, sooo…

• I submitted Pilgrim of the Witch to a different online magazine and we’ll see how that goes! If it doesn’t get picked up, then expect it to come to Substack next month. It’s a weird little story, but I do enjoy it so I want it to get some love somewhere.

• I’m 60% of the way through my brother’s script, and I’m hoping to be able to say it is done by the end of January!

• The final book in the Astra stories has been getting plucked away at. I’m not feeling happy with my most recent progress, but the point was to just get it on the page, so for now I can accept being unhappy for now while I work away at the rest of it!

• Once I have a manuscript submitted for peer review and I’m happy with my dissertation progress, I’m going to try and do a final round of edits on BCE to submit to literary agents, but we’ll see about that…

How’s your dissertation going?

It’s going great! I hit a road block on some analysis I wanted to perform (damn network issues), but I have a lot of good stuff, and I have a week set for my defense! I’m well past halfway done with the writing and I have 2 months to go! I’ve so got this. Wish me luck!

What are you reading right now?

I’m disappointed to say I’m not reading anything right now. I actually went back and looked at my total books read and I finished less than 10 books this year. Part of me is sad about that, but honestly reading has felt like a chore lately, and there’s no point in forcing it if I’m not enjoying it, right? Hopefully I find joy in it again in the coming months.

What are you playing right now?

I picked up Disco Elysium ($3 on Steam winter sale), and that has been interesting. I’m still pretty early in the game (being sick, I haven’t had much energy or focus to play games, really), but there’s definitely something cool going on here. I just need time to process and enjoy it!

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Alright, back to recovery and dissertation writing! I’ll catch you all soon. Thanks for being here!

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