The AH Coffee Shop and Reading Room 09

[TheRedLantern]

I thought about putting out some vanilla cream-filled cupcakes but I didn't want @TheRedLantern to get messy again ...

Maybe @iwatchus can make his next story about planning a job, putting together a crew, casing the joint, and buying blueprints of @Candy_Kane54 's panty for an Ocean's 11 style cupcake heist.

 

[iwatchus]

Maybe @iwatchus can make his next story about planning a job, putting together a crew, casing the joint, and buying blueprints of @Candy_Kane54 's panty for an Ocean's 11 style cupcake heist.

Was panty a typo or did you mean pantry?

 

[TheRedLantern]

Was panty a typo or did you mean pantry?

Depends on how sassy @Candy_Kane54 is, LOL!

 

[NotWise]

Yeah, graduated top of my class even. Unfortunately all of the places hiring in the city said I didn't have the right "vibe" and the places hiring in the country said that I was too well spoken for tourists. And then I moved, and everything around here asked way too many questions about my relationship status for me to be comfy working there... So I'm a wee bit rusty.

Ever consider putting together your own shop? A lot of space in the small office building where I had my office was rented by therapists, including massage therapists. They were all women working alone.

The building managers locked the front doors during the pandemic. They kept them locked after the pandemic to maintain security. No-one in the building depended on walk-in business, so it usually worked for everyone.

My last neighbor was a massage therapist setting up her business for the first time. There were startup costs for the lease, the table and other furnishings. Her studio was a one-room office. Her contacts were initially through friends and family, and she expanded her clientele through social media. She used her cellphone for everything.

She charged $60/hour and her sessions were usually about an hour and a half. She sent a lot of customers away happy enough that she could probably raise her rate for new customers. She didn't get much business at first, but I think she was up to about half time before I closed my office.

By then, she had someone coming in to do the cleaning. Massage therapists do lots of cleaning and laundry. Lots and lots of laundry.

 

[NuclearFairy]

Ever consider putting together your own shop? A lot of space in the small office building where I had my office was rented by therapists, including massage therapists. They were all women working alone.

The building managers locked the front doors during the pandemic. They kept them locked after the pandemic to maintain security. No-one in the building depended on walk-in business, so it usually worked for everyone.

My last neighbor was a massage therapist setting up her business for the first time. There were startup costs for the lease, the table and other furnishings. Her studio was a one-room office. Her contacts were initially through friends and family, and she expanded her clientele through social media. She used her cellphone for everything.

She charged $60/hour and her sessions were usually about an hour and a half. She sent a lot of customers away happy enough that she could probably raise her rate for new customers. She didn't get much business at first, but I think she was up to about half time before I closed my office.

By then, she had someone coming in to do the cleaning. Massage therapists do lots of cleaning and laundry. Lots and lots of laundry.

I thought about it, and even looked into. But in addition to the out of pocket costs, in this state, unlike my previous one, you don't need a license to do it. So, most people see it as either shady or not worth the cost.

I was trying to talk my SO's sister into co-signing a loan to try and get something more therapeutic and reputable up and running anyways... But then I fell pregnant and she suggested we shelve it till after the kid was in school, and now I'm fifteen years out of practice.

At this point I'd want to get some remedial lessons before I touch a stranger, and the market is probably even worse than it was then.

 

[GrantBricksly]

It's Tuesday morning...you know what that means...

Yup, I'm sitting on my friends couch, while they and my wife record their podcast. And I am about to start working finishing chapter 8.

Also...I'm just now realizing that it's not actually morning anymore...its 12:20....so...damn...late start

we had to stop and grab stuff from our storage unit this morning before coming here..

But either way, It's time to get to work! I need 1.5-2k words to finish chapter 8.

 

[NotWise]

I'm canning pickle slices. Six pints are in the canner now, but I made a mistake. I figured a pound of sliced pickles per pint based on some sketchy notes, and 1/2 pound per pint was more like it. So I'll be canning another six after this.

And I have six pints left from last year. I think we need to eat more pickles.

I still have enough cucumbers in the fridge to do another twelve jars, but I think I'll text the kids and try to give them away. Not sure I see much continuing use for the vines. Two vines, and they've been producing 1 1/2 - 2 pounds per day. (2 1/2 this morning).

Hey, but I did manage to put 6+ pounds of cucumbers through the mandoline without slicing myself.

 

[GrantBricksly]

I'm canning pickle slices. Six pints are in the canner now, but I made a mistake. I figured a pound of sliced pickles per pint based on some sketchy notes, and 1/2 pound per pint was more like it. So I'll be canning another six after this.

And I have six pints left from last year. I think we need to eat more pickles.

I still have enough cucumbers in the fridge to do another twelve jars, but I think I'll text the kids and try to give them away. Not sure I see much continuing use for the vines. Two vines, and they've been producing 1 1/2 - 2 pounds per day. (2 1/2 this morning).

Hey, but I did manage to put 6+ pounds of cucumbers through the mandoline without slicing myself.

yeah.....I need to make pickles too.....but when I do..it'll be WAAAAY more than that...I'll probably be making about 80 jars...which is around 40 lbs give or take...

 

[GrantBricksly]

Well...it took 2 hours. But I finished Chapter 8.

I think I will continue right into chapter 9 for now, and do the editing later.

 

[TheRedLantern]

I've been editing a friend's work, and it's been a lot more fun than I expected. I get a chance to obsess over word choice and the manuscript "flow", make some notes as well as the reason for my notes. And the real fun comes when we sync up and talking about the bigger story elements (eg, this scene feels like it would hit harder if you changed these other earlier scenes to set this one up).

I'd never edited anything but my own stuff before, and only workshopped 4K-5K word sections of someone else's story until now. It's been a lot of fun.

 

[NotWise]

yeah.....I need to make pickles too.....but when I do..it'll be WAAAAY more than that...I'll probably be making about 80 jars...which is around 40 lbs give or take...

I can't even imagine.

 

[GrantBricksly]

I can't even imagine.

I do it all year long... usually I only make 40 at a time... But I've been busy lately, and haven't had a chance to make them..so I need to double up

Pickles is one of the things I sell at the Farmers Market...and I have 3 Flavors...so about every 2 weeks I make 40 jars of one flavor. Sometimes I have to do it every week, depending on how quickly they are selling...

 

[GrantBricksly]

It takes forever, and gets hot... Especially cause I HAVE to hot water can them... can't do it any other way.

 

[NuclearFairy]

I'm finally typing away at my orc story! However, I'm afraid I might be making the orcs too reasonable.

 

[Rustyoznail]

I'm finally typing away at my orc story! However, I'm afraid I might be making the orcs too reasonable.

"Hang on chaps, don't eat all them 'obittses. We need to leave some for future generations when they rise from the muck."

 

[Bomberaw]

Sooo, do y'all also check your works page every five minutes after your latest story/chapter is published? XD I imagine that eventually dulls, lol

 

[TheRedLantern]

I do, and wound up taking down a story because of it. In hindsight, I probably should have closed lit and done something mindless and fun for a week. The series that I came here to write wouldn't have stalled out for two months if I'd just done the responsible thing and smoked weed and played Fallout 76.

 

[iwatchus]

I am in the check every ten minutes stage right now. Apparently BDSM crowd is small or sleeps in or something. Maybe they are just all tied up? Anyway, my normal troll won't climb out from under his bridge for about another hour for his welcome to the world gift for each of my stories.

 

[NuclearFairy]

I've managed to get to the point where I only check it about 1-3 times a day.

 

[Candy_Kane54]

This stretch of hot weather is really wearing on me. Hopefully we'll get a shower today. So far, all of the pop-ups have missed me and the lawn is starting to show it ...

I've got a fresh pot of coffee going and the teapot is hot. There are donuts and croissants on the counter. I fed the dragon but he's looking a bit peaked.

I'll be over in the corner working on my story. It's coming along so I should have it ready for the Winter Holiday Contest. Any sounds you hear are my reacting to my Muse or my dyslectic fnigers ....

 

[GrantBricksly]

Sooo, do y'all also check your works page every five minutes after your latest story/chapter is published? XD I imagine that eventually dulls, lol

I check every few hours, while I am writing... sometimes more. Not because I am obsessively curious of the views/votes/etc... (not that I am not...that's just not why I am checking) Basically Each time I take a short break from writing, I go refresh that page, and then come here to the forums and check for new messages...respond to any I feel like responding to, then back to writing...

(PS: I am STILL waiting for one more vote on Chapter 7, so that it will officially be "hot". It's got the rating...but only 9 votes... lol so yea...I might be obsessively checking a little...)

 

[GrantBricksly]

And with that, I say: Good morning everyone! It's bright and Fucking early....But for the first time in months...The kids are at SCHOOL which means I am sitting at my desk, and getting ready to write!

I got 1k words done on Chapter 9 yesterday, as well as finishing Chapter 8. So today, I'll start out editing ch 8. Then, I'll continue Ch 9!

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Sooo, do y'all also check your works page every five minutes after your latest story/chapter is published? XD I imagine that eventually dulls, lol

ABSOLUTELY! (And I'm awed at your will-power at holding it to just every five.)

Welcome, by the way. Help yourself to a coffee and our new... manager? owner? operator? @Candy_Kane54 anyway, generally leaves some delectable calorie bombs on the counter.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

I fed the dragon but he's looking a bit peaked.

He must be lonely, poor thing. I do hope HP will return.

 

[TheRedLantern]

And I'm awed at your will-power at holding it to just every five

So true it hurts. With the next one, I think I'm going to commit a misdemeanor so that I'm sent to prison for a week with no internet access. That seems safer for my mental health