I got away from my computer and writing for a day.
What I did was that I took the train down to one of the towns near us (San Rafael, btw) and walked around for about four hours, just exploring one of (if not the) main street there. It’s kind of disappointing to realize that there’s nothing you really want to buy, because nobody makes what you want.
Went to two different bookstores. New bookstore? Comics were bad, new books were terrible (my brain just hurt trying to read the latest Charles Stross novel), I didn’t give a single damn about these stories. Which is really disappointing, because Charles Stross used to be fun to read, but about…2016 or so, he contracted a massive case of Martian Brain Fungus and he just wasn’t fun to read anymore.
Used bookstore? I already own the books there. I can’t find any hidden gems to give to friends…as most of my friends have left the area (and buying them books by Amazon is easier).
Gaming store? Tabletop games have hit the early stage of decline and I’m not going to spend money for a cheesy Harry Potter rip-off in my D&D games, or have people stick magical wheelchairs in Pathfinder for “inclusion” when there is relatively accessible magic to fix just about any injury and resurrect the dead…
And, don’t get me started on the stupid marketing for Thirsty Sword Lesbians. I swear, the moment I can buy the game on sale somewhere, I’m going to write a hack for it, stick it on DriveThruRPG, where the cast are secret heterosexuals in a world where being homosexual is “proper” and everything else is wrong. Why? Just to watch heads explode in frustration.
Other shopping? I don’t need furniture, and most of it isn’t what I’d have in my house anyways. I don’t have people handy to dress up in things that I find at the clothing stores…
…and I realized what my issue is. I miss people. I miss friends. I miss having people that I want to be with and hang out. Maybe even have actual human contact. And, that’s what I miss most of all. Human contact. Writing is a lonely profession, often done by yourself and being stuck inside your head on a regular basis. And, that’s what we’ve all been the last two years and some change-stuck inside our own heads and our own little worlds.
Today’s blog is sharing somebody else’s little (or, perhaps, large) world. Namely, the Associated Worlds, where we get to watch as transhuman space elves build a society based upon Consent, Capitalism, and Being Awesome. Where mad science is the norm, death is optional, and the only reason why they don’t specifically have cat-girls is that nobody has gotten around to making them yet. I’m not sure I’d want to live there for too long…but, I definitely would enjoy visiting. Thirty, forty years sounds good. Maybe even longer.
(Oh, and he also has some collections of his works here, and they’re a great read. Buy them and tell him I said hi!)
Big Bootay Books 