The AH Coffee Shop and Reading Room 09

[MrPixel]

OMG, it's a whole 20° here! Will wonders ever cease! Won't make it above freezing until tomorrow, and then we have a stretch - thank goodness - of 40+ for the next week and a half. I am so tired of the snow, which is mostly ice now anyway.

They are having temper tantrums over in the big city. City hasn't touched side streets since the 6-12" happened two-and-a-half weeks ago. They are sheets of ice now after a couple of days of partial melt. There was TV vid of an ambulance waiting at the top of a hill to rescue a bad slip-and-fall. The EMTs had to get the gurney out of the van and walk the block to retrieve the patient, knowing that the truck would slide uncontrollably down the hill, bouncing off of cars parked on both sides of the narrow street. In another part of town a woman was killed, her infant severely injured, because they had to walk in the street since sidewalks were impassable, un-shovelable from the ice, and visibility was really bad due to the plow berms.

It's a royal-ass mess, and there's already talk about administration "adjustments" come the next election. The (not) funny thing is the city has hundreds of millions from leftover COVID relief money and a huge settlement from the pro football team leaving them high-and-dry after forcing a big stadium renovation. However, they're having an ongoing clusterf*** about deciding how to spend the funds. Total disconnect from managing the reality. The incompetence borders on criminal.

 

[Candy_Kane54]

It got down to -1 F here this morning. It's the fifteenth straight day of snow on the ground, the longest streak since I moved her more than a quarter of a century ago.

 

[Seadog777]

I feel like I might need to reintroduce myself.

Did I miss anything while I was away???

 

[Rustyoznail]

I feel like I might need to reintroduce myself.

Did I miss anything while I was away???

Welcome back.

I guess the big two are TxRad and KeithD have passed.

Apart from that, pretty much the same shit.

 

[Seadog777]

Welcome back.

I guess the big two are TxRad and KeithD have passed.

Apart from that, pretty much the same shit.

Thank you.

Sepsis and a stroke almost took me in 2024. I'm rehabbing and had a great conversation with a fellow writer on Monday. Talking with him really got me back into the mood to come say hello to y'all and get back to writing.

I'm so sorry to hear that.

I really enjoyed my conversations with TxRad.

I recall speaking to KeithD about stories and contests.

How did they pass???

 

[Candy_Kane54]

Just stopped in to make sure a new pot of coffee was brewing and the teapot filled and hot.

Glad to see you again, Seadog. As far as I know, TxRad and KeithD both died of old age ...

 

[Seadog777]

Just stopped in to make sure a new pot of coffee was brewing and the teapot filled and hot.

Glad to see you again, Seadog. As far as I know, TxRad and KeithD both died of old age ...

In our conversations, I never asked Keith his age.

I guess it never came up.

I hope you are doing well.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

I believe TxRad died of cancer. His obituary is here: https://www.gracefulmemorialchapel.com/obituary/randall-green

They don't make many like him these days.

 

[Seadog777]

I believe TxRad died of cancer. His obituary is here: https://www.gracefulmemorialchapel.com/obituary/randall-green

They don't make many like him these days.

No they don't.

Well, I put a fresh pot on here.

 

[Candy_Kane54]

Thanks, @Seadog777. I've freshened the teapot and put some chocolate sandwich biscuits out on the counter.

I'll probably not get to do any writing today but I'll get back to it tomorrow (I hope).

 

[Seadog777]

Thanks, @Seadog777. I've freshened the teapot and put some chocolate sandwich biscuits out on the counter.

I'll probably not get to do any writing today but I'll get back to it tomorrow (I hope).

There gonna be a warmup there in Kentucky???
Just got out of a 3 day cold snap with windchills in the -20's.
The snow here will be melting soon, with highs in the 30's the next 5 days.

 

[Duleigh]

Welcome back Seadog, it was good chatting with you yesterday... day before? It's hard to keep track when your doghouse is covered with ice.

 

[MillieDynamite]

We were about to send out the Coast Guard on a search and rescue mission. Welcome back @Seadog777!

I feel like I might need to reintroduce myself.

Did I miss anything while I was away???

 

[Seadog777]

We were about to send out the Coast Guard on a search and rescue mission. Welcome back @Seadog777!

Thank you Millie.

I hope you are doing well.

 

[MillieDynamite]

I'm okay, not great but doing A-Okay.

Thank you Millie.

I hope you are doing well.

 

[Seadog777]

I'm okay, not great but doing A-Okay.

I'm sorry to hear that.
I hope whatever it is, gets remedied soon.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Oh, it's just life. Nothing big. I had walking phenomena, which wasn't fun. I'm concerned about my parents, but I can live with it. I'm also going through a bout of uncreativity. Words don't come easy right now. I used the 750 challenge to get me over that. Hopefully, once I get caught up on paid work, I'll do more of my own stuff.

I'm sorry to hear that.
I hope whatever it is, gets remedied soon.

 

[Seadog777]

Oh, it's just life. Nothing big. I had walking phenomena, which wasn't fun. I'm concerned about my parents, but I can live with it. I'm also going through a bout of uncreativity. Words don't come easy right now. I used the 750 challenge to get me over that. Hopefully, once I get caught up on paid work, I'll do more of my own stuff.

I'll say a prayer for you and your parents tonight, if you'd like.

Did you have to use nebulizer??? I had to use it when I had double pneumonia 2 years ago.

I'll check out your story Millie.

 

[MillieDynamite]

No, I didn't have an inhaler. A lot of shots; most were Irish Whiskey, some were vodka, and a passel of them injected into my fat ass.

Oh, nothing new up for some time. I've got seven, count them, seven stories ready for the 750-Word Challenge 2025. I may or may not write more for it. I have a Western based on a woman who lived as a man in the Old West. It stalled on me, but I'll get-er done sooner or later. Hopefully, for valentine contest or maybe the Pink Orchard Event. I have a long short story I may post for Pink Orchard (Sci-fi). When I wrote it, I used some past perfect tense, and that needs to be whittled out, or I'm afraid it'll get kicked on AI suspicions.

I'll say a prayer for you and your parents tonight, if you'd like.

Did you have to use nebulizer??? I had to use it when I had double pneumonia 2 years ago.

I'll check out your story Millie.

 

[Seadog777]

No, I didn't have an inhaler. A lot of shots; most were Irish Whiskey, some were vodka, and a passel of them injected into my fat ass.

Oh, nothing new up for some time. I've got seven, count them, seven stories ready for the 750-Word Challenge 2025. I may or may not write more for it. I have a Western based on a woman who lived as a man in the Old West. It stalled on me, but I'll get-er done sooner or later. Hopefully, for valentine contest or maybe the Pink Orchard Event. I have a long short story I may post for Pink Orchard (Sci-fi). When I wrote it, I used some past perfect tense, and that needs to be whittled out, or I'm afraid it'll get kicked on AI suspicions.

5 stories for one challenge already finished, and another one for Pink Orchard.....you've been a busy young lady.

I tried to make "My Sneaky Wife Jennifer Part 2" a 750 story, but it ended up being just over 1,170 words instead.

Has AI been causing issues here on the Lit???

 

[MillieDynamite]

No, just seven stories for the 750-Word thing-a-ma-bobber. The others are in the works and not ready for prime time yet. I can lend you my word pruning sheers if you need to cut it down.

5 stories for one challenge already finished, and another one for Pink Orchard.....you've been a busy young lady.

I tried to make "My Sneaky Wife Jennifer Part 2" a 750 story, but it ended up being just over 1,170 words instead.

Has AI been causing issues here on the Lit???

 

[Seadog777]

No, just seven stories for the 750-Word thing-a-ma-bobber. The others are in the works and not ready for prime time yet. I can lend you my word pruning sheers if you need to cut it down.

Thanks.
I already turned it in, and it'll be published on Jan 25th.
I'm working on "Trading Up Part 2" and a story that I got permission from a fellow writer to write an alternate ending for.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Has AI been causing issues here on the Lit???

A year ago there was a flurry of threads raised by folk having stories rejected for AI. Do some searches, you'll find a bunch. They've reduced these last six or so months, which suggests the site has refined whatever it does to detect and manage AI junk, and is on top of the problem.

Short version - don't rely on Grammarly for fiction. But I think most of us knew that already.

 

[Seadog777]

A year ago there was a flurry of threads raised by folk having stories rejected for AI. Do some searches, you'll find a bunch. They've reduced these last six or so months, which suggests the site has refined whatever it does to detect and manage AI junk, and is on top of the problem.

Short version - don't rely on Grammarly for fiction. But I think most of us knew that already.

OK. Thanks for the information.

I've never used Grammarly, so I got that going.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Yeah, both stories that I want to sub, one for Pink Orchard and one for Valentine's Day, have passages with past perfect tense. I'm afraid that'll trigger AI. But I don't want to worry about rewriting them until they actually get rejected for suspicion of AI. So, I guess I'll try them and see what happens.

A year ago there was a flurry of threads raised by folk having stories rejected for AI. Do some searches, you'll find a bunch. They've reduced these last six or so months, which suggests the site has refined whatever it does to detect and manage AI junk, and is on top of the problem.

Short version - don't rely on Grammarly for fiction. But I think most of us knew that already.