Today marks the second anniversary of the launch of this blog. Hard to believe it has only been two years. The first story published here, “An Orc for All Seasons”, was a story that I had begun multiple times over the years before giving up. It took a lovely muse to encourage me to go ahead and write that story and continue to push me to take time to sit and write. Then as now I am ever so grateful to Ruthie Jo for allowing me the freedom to create. It has done me a world of good even if not another living soul ever reads it.

It was nearly a year after writing that first story that Ruthie Jo told me I should start a blog for this “nerd fiction” stuff. She had grand visions of me using this space as an outlet for all manner of expression, though. I have a political science fetish and she thought folks might enjoy reading my opinions on such matters as the clown show to end all clown shows currently occupying the White House or the manner in which my beloved political party is performing ritual seppuku by abandoning literally everything it stood for in 1865 to pursue an agenda of “let’s be old, angry, and irrelevant at maximum volume”. Alas, I have no desire to delve into these issues here. I abandoned Facebook because of these things constantly being brought up. The more time I spend in the real world the more I want to focus my thoughts on anything else.

And here we are today. Thanks to the trajectory this blog has taken me I have a whole new bundle of friends to fellowship with as we blunder along through our D&D adventures. It even helped land me a new job because the hiring manager was intrigued by my reference to “writer of nerd fiction” and scheduled the all important interview. And most importantly it has given me an out for feigning any interest in anyone else altogether if I so choose. As soon as they begin pelting me nonsense I don’t give a rats ass about I ask “So, have you checked out my blog yet?” Inevitably they admit they have not and the cease trying to engage me in their own petty interests. If you want me to pretend to care about your macramé inspired poetry slam on Thursday nights then you can at least read a single chapter of something I have written. Until then I feel it safe to say we’re done here.

I’d also like to give a shout out to my daughter Charli Jo as well, and give her proper kudos for her own blogging. You can check out her hilarious and insightful international musings over at https://lapelirrojaperdida.wordpress.com/ and if you feel so inclined leave a like and/or a comment. This kid is my proper hero and I love her to pieces. Glad to see she didn’t wait until she was in her mid forties to get crackin on the writing.