BitterSuites

eBay Sales: A pair of vintage baby shoes, 9 books, 1 doll dress, 2 pen sets, 1 McDonald’s Toy, 5 Figurines, 2 Patterns, 5 packs of postcard protectors, 1 vintage AVON package, 180 Mid-century Modern Prints, 1 pin, 1 vintage plush, 1 screenplay, 1 craft tool, 1 purse, 1 Mid-century Modern lighter, 1 corningware handle, 1 painting on wood, and 1 hobnail vase

#MilWordy Update: 117,108 words (5,351 words/day to complete)

Well, it’s been awhile now hasn’t it? Let’s see.

The auction went well. We only had a couple of pieces which didn’t sell, and only four no shows. We’re already set up for the next one which will launch shortly. I am also starting to figure out the legalities of taking consignments. Because, hey, why not. I’ve even started working on a web-site and such for the business I launched to officially run these things. And I’ve got a schedule all the way out to September already. (And yes, a few of the items will be purchased for resale along the way. But for right now? Almost all of it is coming out of our personal collections and downsizing.)

Had a lovely score of a first edition today. It will turn me a nice profit as soon as I get it listed. Also found some lovely glassware at a local auction house and picked that up for listing on ebay as well. I’ve been trying to do the calculations to figure out how much I need to bring in to run on the day to day. My savings will only last so long and I’ve been on leave w/o pay for two months now. It’s not sustainable.

I’m also starting to explore the idea of writing fellowships and grants. I’ll need to start applying for some of those. If I can cobble together a creative career, I’d prefer that to going back into retail work. (Though, believe you me, the kind of retail where you only see customers when they come to pick up their stuff is far superior to having to work a store-front.)

Does anyone know of an antiques mall in the DMV that has booths available? (Caveat — please not Maryland. I don’t want to have to do the Maryland tax reporting. *shudders*) I’ve not found anything yet, but I’ve only started looking. It would be nice to be able to snap up some of the deals I’ve been finding, but storage is an issue. As is only getting a payout about once a month. And I don’t think doing more than one auction a month is sustainable for me.

I’ve been starting to poke a few other creative projects as well as looking for some freelance opportunities. One of the things I’m starting to do is reviews of casual phone games. It’s… sort of fun? I get an excuse to play games and I get to write something.

As for MilWordy, I am sooooooooooo far behind right now. And I flaked out on all of the write-ins that were available to me this week. I think either the time shift or the weather has been playing havoc with my brain. (Aside — I kept typing “Havok” and wondering why the spellcheck told me that was wrong. For those of you who don’t know Havok is Cyclops’ brother in the X-Men series. That is all. Ask me about the word “method” and the Highlander franchise someday to watch my face wrinkle into a grimace.) However, I did start a new short story last night because of a creature I couldn’t get out of my head during the night. I’ve figured out what it looks like and its habitat. I have a protagonist. Now I just need the rest of the plot. I still love my opening lines.

So Ko-fi is a thing that exists. And I have one. It’s sort of like Patreon, but the money goes directly into the PayPal account of the creator. Right now, I’ve got a goal to fund an audio editor to help turn my books into audio books. I’m going to be doing the reading. Unless it turns out horrible. In which case, I shall abandon ship on the idea until I have a little more dosh free.

• Goal: Finish 2 books & 12 short stories — 3 short story complete. 1 in edits. So many in draft form that I refuse to count them.
• Goal: Keep a journal, even if it’s only one line per day — *nervous laughter*
• Goal: Take a photo every day and make myself a book at the end of the year. — a few days behind, but I’m catching up. This has been going very well in general. I think the end of year book will be really interesting.
• Goal: Complete MilWordy. — *gulps*
• Goal: Blog every day. — Now this was a failure. But I’m back at it today. If nothing else it makes me put something down and eases me closer to my MilWordy goals.
• Goal: 15 eBay listings a day while I’m not working elsewhere — I am taking weekends off (future blog discussion on this concept, I think). And I’ve moved to a dollar amount goal instead. There’s a lot of math that goes into everything, but for right now, my goal is $200/day 5 days/week.

eBay Sales: none

#MilWordy Update: 115,006 words (4,733 words/day to complete)

Dragged my father on a roam around the manmade lake in the center of our housing complex. It was a nice enough walk, but the path is seriously damaged by roots and frost heaving. It needs repair pretty badly, but I doubt that’s going to happen this year. I haven’t heard anything about it from the HOA. (As if the HOA sends out actual newsletters or something. I don’t remember the last time I even saw a sign for a meeting. I mean, Zoom is a thing that they could use….)

Met a sweetheart of a puppy today. Tiny thing that was smaller than the last cat we had, but a sweetie that was very friendly and its humans who were nice. I vaguely recognize them, but not enough to actually strike up a conversation beyond, “cute puppy.”

I took several pictures around the lake and I think that brings me closer to my goal of a picture for every day of the year. It’s the principle of taking more pictures, rather than the number of pictures that I’m pushing myself about. Some of them are “art shots.” At least one of them I think will end up being the cover of a book. Not sure which book, but it seems appropriate to use my own photos for that. Even if I throw them through a few filters and modify them that way.

The auction that I’ve been working on is finally over. Now we need to organize everything by person and by time that they’re coming. Only a handful of items didn’t sell and I’ve got plans for them. A couple will go in the box lot for next time and a couple will end up on eBay because I think I can grab a few dollars that way.

In a random eBay whine — since they’ve gone to managed payments, the fees seem to be steeper. One simply cannot make money on $0.99 items at all anymore. There’s a $0.30 fee per transaction + a percentage of the sale that includes *shipping*. And so, when I charge accurate shipping and don’t pocket a few dollars there, I lose money. Seriously, eBay, way to live up to the Fee-Bay title you used to have. I haven’t hung out on the Trust and Security group for awhile, but I might have to wander my way back into the bulletin boards.

I think that’s about it. I’m a little over-caffeinated and eager to see invoices pop up as paid on the auction site so that I can get things ready for Sunday’s pick-ups.

• Goal: Finish 2 books & 12 short stories — 3 short story complete. 1 in edits.
• Goal: Keep a journal, even if it’s only one line per day — I need to catch up with this
• Goal: Take a photo every day and make myself a book at the end of the year. — a few days behind, but I’m catching up.
• Goal: Complete MilWordy. — Progress, but the goal seems just out of reach for every day.
• Goal: Blog every day. — Third in a row, can we make it 4?
• Goal: 15 eBay listings a day while I’m not working elsewhere — got 12 done today by 1500. That’s pretty darn close. I’m pleased with it.

eBay Sales: plush bear, Disney collectable

#MilWordy Update: 114,639 words (4,709 words/day to complete)

Picked up an instant collection of troll dolls today. I don’t think I ever actually had any back in the day. I’m not sure exactly when they got popular, but it was somewhere between the 1980 and 2000…. which doesn’t really narrow it down.

I am almost done with another short story. So, that’s a step in the right direction.

I’m participating in a reading challenge, so you might notice a theme of books each month. You can find the challenge here on StoryGraph. You can join the challenge or just get some ideas from the books people have been tagging to the different words. It’s a lot of fun and really helped me focus in on the books to read for the month. March’s theme is “Time.” So there needs to be a reference to time somewhere in the title: “Time,” “Minute,” “Second,” “Year,” etc. That’s it. Simple as pi. (That’s a Doctor Who reference, for your edification. Old school DW too.)

I’m diving hard into books recently in a vain attempt to tame my To Be Read (TBR) shelves. My TBR is somewhere along the lines of “good luck sucker” and “heat death of the universe” in length. I’ve tried my best to call a moratorium on buying any new books. And I haven’t gorged myself at the library. (because it’s closed for browsing, not out of some form of guilt or self-punishment.)

• Goal: Finish 2 books & 12 short stories — 2 short story complete. 1 in final edits.
• Goal: Keep a journal, even if it’s only one line per day — I need to catch up with this
• Goal: Take a photo every day and make myself a book at the end of the year. — a few days behind again.
• Goal: Complete MilWordy. — Progress, but the goal seems just out of reach for every day. But, I know that I can devote a weekend to writing soon. That should be a way to do it.
• Goal: Blog every day. — Second in a row
• Goal: 15 eBay listings a day while I’m not working elsewhere — got 8 done today by 1500. That’s half-way. I might get a few more in once my phone recharges.

eBay Sales: 4 books, 1 frame, 1 comic, 1 doll, 2 photo album covers, 1 pottery piece

#MilWordy Update: 113,777 words (4,689 words/day to complete)

Got more than 10 listings done today for eBay. I consider that a win.

On Monday, I gathered with friends to celebrate the completion of a joint reading of a book. Believe me when I tell you that this book barely deserves the name. And I have read slush. I have read literary slush. short story slush. novel slush. And none of those unpublished works, no matter how bad or disjointed, were as bad as this piece of publishing that someone has the temerity to charge money for. I have read more entertaining letters from people with schizophrenia in the midst of an episode which causes word salad. (This is an industry term for completely disjointed thought-streams which are poured forth onto paper. It’s a diagnostic tool actually.)

But this book. This book makes me wish I could drink until I forget its existence. It has occasionally made me attempt to summon Cthulhu from his slumber in the water depths, because the madness created by the lingering gaze of the old ones is actually an improvement on the madness which this book induced.

This book induced our intrepid team of readers to keep track of such things as “gross,” “F**K YOU!!! to the infinity to the infinity power!,” “That’s not how this works. That’s not how ANY of this works,” and “unutterable stupidity and the inability to plot.”

There are fan-fics which are famous for being so bad they’re enjoyable. Unfortunately, this book was not enjoyable to that level. It was not “Plan 9 From Outer Space” levels of camp to be made fun of.

It was an endurance race.

And I will not grant the author the courtesy or ignominy of being named. If it were possible, I would blot the existence of all of its copies out of the world.

I put the file in a separate folder on my computer so that it would not infect anything else with its stupidity.

It has so firmly lowered the bar of readable that I wish I could grant it negative stars.

But, I must dwell happily in the knowledge that it’s over. And I pray that I will never see anything as insipid, disgusting, or infuriating again.

My blood pressure couldn’t handle it.

• Goal: Finish 2 books & 12 short stories — 2 short story complete.
• Goal: Keep a journal, even if it’s only one line per day — I need to catch up with this
• Goal: Take a photo every day and make myself a book at the end of the year. — a few days behind again.
• Goal: Complete MilWordy. — Progress, but the goal seems just out of reach for every day. But, I know that I can devote a weekend to writing soon. That should be a way to do it.
• Goal: Blog every day. — Ha ha. that is, to laugh.
• Goal: 15 eBay listings a day while I’m not working elsewhere — got 11 done today! That’s close at least.