So, I’ve been juggling a lot of stuff, some interrelated, some random. A lot is either writing related or Day Job related (Day Job begins this week. No, I can’t believe it is already “fall” already, either. I squandered a lot of July.) The outside world has also been hanging over my head, just like it has been for most other people. I’ve quit wondering what strange thing is going to emerge from Washington DC or California, because they make the Babylon Bee satire site look too prophetic. Sort of like the military folks who read the Duffel Blog back between 2008-2016 to find out what the Department of Defense was going to do next.
I think that is part of why I’ve been putting off working on White Gold for so long. Yes, I am working on it, but it moves slowly and I am fighting myself as well as the story. It is so different from the Familiars books, and somewhat different from the other Merchant stories, that I’m having trouble sussing out where a main thread in the story needs to go. I have a feeling that once I know what my Day Job schedule will be, things on the book will move faster because that’s one outside distraction out of the way.
Henry of Bavaria “the Lion” was a character and a half. A pain in the rump if you were Frederick Barbarossa, but also a vital asset and supporter. That is, as long as Henry wasn’t getting too, let us say, confident in his own abilities and power. I’m a bit surprised that there’s not a good, current book about him in English, but then the Holy Roman Empire in the 1100s isn’t a popular topic in US and England. Henry was a town founder, among other things, and a wee bit too fond of power politics for his own good.
If you are a fan of the heavy metal sound but not so fond of some of the topics in some metal (the Satanic stuff . . . No thanks.) I recommend Twilight Force if you have not found them yet. They riff off of high fantasy and Tolkien, and have fun doing it. Yes, the lyrics can be cheesy. So is some fantasy writing. I also like _Beyond_ by Freedom Call, except fro the song about how great animism and voodoo are. No, voodoo is something best left well alone.
After White Gold is done, I’m going back to the Familiars. I might have another Merchant book after that, or might work on some other unfinished stuff, that I’ve been kicking around, like the fantasy I roughed out over on Mad Genius Club. Spring is going to be very slow on the writing scene, because Day Job is uneven this year. Fall is fairly chill, and spring is heavily loaded. Even more than usual, in terms of class load plus outside activities.
In theory next summer I’m going to England and Scotland. I’m less and less certain about that, because of a combination of things, including policy and legal changes in Scotland. Some of the proposed regulations on political and personal expression are rather worrisome, should they come to pass. The “quarantine for two weeks, then start your vacation” part is also a difficulty, as is the current “must have a negative SARS2-WuFlu test 48 hours before returning to the US, then go into isolation for a week” rule. If I don’t go to the British Isles, I will be at LibertyCon. Maybe. If it happens in person next year. *taps wood*
I’m reading a lot of Central European history right now, and refreshing my Chinese history. I really should have picked a field 1) far less broad with 2) fewer books and sources and 3) that doesn’t change and expand so much! About the time I think I’m close to current, whoops! A new title has arrived, with previously unstudied sources. Yes, I know I will get no sympathy from my science and tech people.
RedQuarters will get some kitchen work done this fall. I may hide for a week or so.
Cat Rotator's Quarterly 
[Compares 1970 ARRL Handbook with the current edition, and glances at the changelog for the Linux distribution]
Changes? I’ll share some sympathy; this retired engineer finds it interesting (and a challenge) to keep up.
I may hide for a week or so.
If you attempt that, I hope you’d be more successful than Silver trying to hide from Rings. [Crazy Grin]
Hope things come together sooner rather than later. And concur on second thoughts about England/Scotland, especially now.
I have similar reservations about a return trip to Scotland, until the regulatory environment returns closer to reality. That’s unfortunate, because we got to walk and climb quite a lot of history, and hear a great deal of fascinating stories. One story was how to find a small church with an illuminated vault, built by Charles I.
Beyond freedom of speech (or lack therof) there’s some rumbling about requiring passengers to certify that they’ve had the not-Vax to board a plane. What could possibly go wrong? (“Everything” is a valid answer, IMHO.)
*nodnodnod*
I’m not much prone to traveling nowadays anyway, pretty much my entire USAF career I felt I was living “elsewhere,” not at home. Not complaining, I enjoyed all my assignments, but wasn’t until I got to Texas at end of my career that I felt like “Hey, I could call this home.” And did.
That said, I would like to go visit Israel for awhile, and maybe one or two other places, but danged if I am going to go anywhere that I can’t rent or buy a car and drive back from as long as I can suddenly find myself quarantined either by direct fiat or sudden travel restrictions.