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I have been trying for a freaking week to re-do this video and my audio setup is screwed. Working on a solution.

WRITING

Did more editing on HW. Also wrote an article for Upstream.

This week I’ll do another Upstream article, and two pieces for CrackerStack. If you become a paid subscriber to the Stack, the money helps me upgrade my tech. Like my [expletive] microphone.

READING

Finished a couple of audiobooks and had some holds come in at the library. I’m re-reading GOLDEN SON right now and it’s as great as ever. Just superb.

DRAWING

No real progress here. I had another 57 hour week at work. On the plus side, things slow down during the summer so you’ll see some improvement here. That’s good because I need to ramp up production on HW illustrations.

AUDIO

New episode of Radcracker was late, but it’s there. Subscribe. Apple, Google, or Spotify.

VIDEO

I recorded multiple times and the audio is all shot to heck, I cannot tell why. It appears that something in the shop might be interfering with video recording when I plug in my microphone. I bought a new microphone and its pickup quality was absolute garbage so I’m doing research on a new one. This is the kind of stuff that CrackerStack subs help me fund, so thank you.

On the plus side, I apparently can still record audio on my phone with no problem, and I can use that to make videos, so I might have to do that for the time being.

FITNESS

Kept my weight at 211 and added another 750 pushups to PectoCracker. I thought about doing more but we did a ton of yardwork and shopwork yesterday, my energy went there and I have the red neck to prove it.

Get back to work.

I…may have binge-watched a show this week. Which explains why I didn’t get certain things done.

WRITING

Yeah, so, uh, not much here. Read a little bit more HW to the wife, but didn’t make sufficient progress. I spent a lot of time burning through Andor before my D+ subscription ends.

Side note, in my novel BRIMSTONE there was a fictional nation called “Andor.” I came up with that name in the fall of 2016 while I was worldbuilding it. Then Rogue One came out, and there was a character with that name. Fine, no problem, until six years later when Disney SW makes a whole show about the guy. I feel like I should change that element of BRIMSTONE. Let me hear your thoughts in the comments.

READING

A better week. I finished BLACK PRISM by Brent Weeks, TURQUOISE SERPENT by Palacios, and DRIVE by Sallis. DRIVE was awesome. It’s the basis for the movie, which I haven’t seen and likely won’t, but memes abound and they amuse me. The writing was very good and I like the main character. TURQUOISE SERPENT was mostly cool although I’m struggling to remember what all happened. It was a short Speechify book and I was in a bad mood so I missed a lot. Will probably re-listen to it down the road.

This week I’m going to finish three of the short stories in my L’Amour book, and finish the Grimm’s War trilogy. When that’s done, it’s time for GOLDEN SON again.

When June hits, I’ve got some heavy reading to review for Pr1d3 month. That’s gonna be difficult but necessary.

DRAWING

Nothing to post here, I’m doing thumbnails for HOWLING WILDERNESS, and finalizing the shapes of some of the newer mimics. The manticore is proving to be a challenge. I think I’m getting it, though.

AUDIO

New Radcracker. The listens are way down on the show and I don’t care, lol. This is just part of my habit now and I like that a few of you are loyal listeners. It’s not about monetizing everything.   Apple, Google, or Spotify.

VIDEO

There are two videos I have to do this week: one is a review of RED RISING, and the other is the damn IGG video for Sheriff Porter.

Here’s my Speechify video:

See the channel for others. Last week I did a bunch of lower-effort videos (and one of them had sound issues.) Next week I’m buying a wireless microphone, the one that jacks into my audio port is just shot. One of the viewers on my otherwise great Schulz video mentioned that was a problem. Damn.

FITNESS

WE’RE OVER TEN THOUSAND!!! Ah crap, I missed my shot last week to say “over nine thousand.” Haha. But yeah, I did 750 pushups last week, putting the count at 10,560. By the end of July I’ll be at 1,000 per week, but that’s looking too far ahead.

This week my additional focus is on stretching. The heat and humidity are ramping up in Oklahoma and I’m starting to feel the lack of recovery. I absolutely have to hit that harder.

This was how we had to do it, back before audiobooks.

WRITING

Made it into chapter 2 of the edits on HOWLING WILDERNESS, reading it to the wife. Looking to finish chapter 3 this week.

READING

Only finished three books, tapped out of the other two. Had a weird couple of days at the end of the week. This week I’m finishing three more, including BLACK PRISM and SHOOT THE DEVIL.

DRAWING

Finished interior illos for SP and formatted them into the book. This week I have to make the promo video for the crowdfunding campaign.

AUDIO

New Radcracker.  Apple, Google, or Spotify.

VIDEO

Friday got away from me, so I’m tackling a video I’ve been meaning to make tonight. It’s my review of Speechify after using it for several months.

FITNESS

Got my weight back down to about 212, I changed my eating habits at work so that’s helped a lot. Also did 750 pushups, which puts #PectoCracker at 9,810. Haha. Nice. I’m hitting 10k this week!

Summer’s coming…

WRITING

Took a breather here and focused on art and other stuff. Also spent some evening hours with the missus and that’s my jam.

READING

Finished a bunch of titles, or at least scratched them off the list. This week I’m going to read WAGER by David Grann, WRAITHBOUND by Tim Akers, WITH GRIMM RESOLVE by Jeffrey Haskell, THE SKIN MAP by Stephen Lawhead, and THE BLACK PRISM by Brent Weeks, much to the delight of Kenny Parrish.

DRAWING

Mostly done with the SP illustrations. One more pass and I’m on to the formatting. Should expect details of the crowdfunding campaign soon. With any luck I’ll run it in June.

AUDIO

New Radcracker is up. Apple, Google, or Spotify.

VIDEO

I did a few videos. Make sure you’re subscribed to the channel. The LitRPG gang on YouTube make a recommendation that I will probably check out, but not this month.

And my friend Mike asked about my CB handle. I still need to do a video to answer a question from Kenny Parrish.

Anyway, next video is a review of Drinker’s first published book.

FITNESS

Got 520 pushups in. Friday was murder, the humidity was off the rails. It drained my energy and I slept all weekend long. Need to really stay on top of the electrolytes. PectoCracker currently stands at 9,060. I’ll do those other 40 this week, ugh. That’ll get me to 9600 if I don’t wuss out. But since it’s May I need to do 150 a day…yeah. This is gonna be a ride.

Never 2 old to re-learn the basics.

WRITING

I finished an article for Upstream and the third draft of HOWLING WILDERNESS is complete. Huge thanks to Kenny Parrish for coming in clutch with the feedback, he triggered a lot of improvements.

If you’re interested in becoming a beta reader you can let me know in the comments. There’s no money involved or anything, it’s just a way for readers to get involved in the process if they really want to.

READING

Four and a half books. I punted on the fifth one, it just wasn’t that interesting. 16 books in April, 1 of which was in print. Video coming soon.

This week I’ve got some catch-up reading to do. I have the new David Grann book from the library, and some Hoopla titles. I’ll crush three of those and a Speechify book on Friday. So let’s see…WAGER, SOME DANGER INVOLVED, HISTORY DECODED, and INESCAPABLE ARSENAL. And the Friday book is WRAITHBOUND.

DRAWING

The momentum was with the edits so I went down that road. This week I’ll finish the SHERIFF PORTER art and work on formatting it for publication.

AUDIO

New Radcracker, make sure you’re subscribed. Apple, Google, or Spotify.

VIDEO

I launched my video review of ISOM #1 by Eric July. Subscribe to the channel while you’re there!

FITNESS

My weight has bubbled back up even though I punched another hole in my belt. Had another 55 hour week at work but I got my 500 pushups in. In May I’m trying a workout app, and I bought the book you saw at the top of this post. Never stop never stopping.

I’m pretty tired.

These 55-hour weeks are stacking, bros. Gotta figure out how to cut an hour off the route every day.

READING

I finished three books. This coming week I will finish four, including XENOS (WH40k), RIDING THE ROLLER COASTER (history of Chrysler), TOPGUN (history of the actual school), and NORWOOD (a novel by the guy who wrote TRUE GRIT).

Might sneak a fifth book in there, depends on what’s going on. Many short books this week. Hoopla was bugging me about the six April credits I hadn’t used yet so I went on a borrowing bender.

I’ve also got some books I need to read for Upstream, we’ll see if I work one in.

WRITING

Made a LOT of progress on the Howling Wilderness edits. Very pleased. I’m adding more clues along the way that will support the final act reveal with the [no spoilers].

Also managed to get together a review for TOWER OF SILENCE, that took longer than I expected. Gonna go write a few pieces for the CrackerStack after this.

DRAWING

Finished a piece for Sheriff Porter, started another one. I will finish it this week. Then, well…I might be ready to launch that bad boy. I’m tempted to just throw it up on Amazon instead of going through the hassle of a crowdfunding campaign, but let’s be real, I’ll make some actual dollars if I crowdfund it. And that’d be nice.

Another realization I had this week is that I need to commit to fewer pieces in my books, this will help turnaround time, and it will force me to only draw the ones I really want to, which always come out the best anyway.

AUDIO

New Radcracker is up. Subscribe on Apple, Google, or Spotify.

VIDEO

I didn’t get this done like I wanted to. The week went well until Wednesday when I only got a few hours of sleep, then woke up to a tornado siren. I never really recovered from that, and by the end of Friday my energy levels plummeted. I will probably get the Watterson video recorded tonight and it will go live tomorrow morning.

I’m making a change to my sleep schedule and it should be the last adjustment needed.

FITNESS

This was me, once. We have to go back…

I kept my weight down and my total #PectoCracker count is 8040. I was supposed to do 100 on Friday and I didn’t, and I didn’t make it up yesterday either. This was a conscious choice and I’m upset with myself over it.

Part of the problem is my nutrition, I was not on top of it this week. I went grocery shopping and got some better food this week. Frankly I need to be eating more carbs. I burn 4,000+ calories a day and then I bonk and eat ice cream or whatever, no surprise that I’m in a nutritional purgatory.

Never stop trying though. Keep at it. This week I am committing to 560 pushups (112 per weekday are you kidding me, come on) so I can get to 8600 on the year. That keeps me on pace for 25,000. Once May hits, I’m going back to 150 a day.

Remember last month when I said I was going to translate the Czech MHI anthology?

The link is now live on their website. I’ve already got my copy and I’ll start picking my way through the stories. This will be an ongoing series on the CrackerStack, and these summaries will eventually be paywalled, so make sure you’re subscribed.

Sometimes I draw pictures at church.

WRITING

Started edits on HOWLING WILDERNESS. S/o to “Kenny Parrish” for his feedback, I’m 2 chapters in and already tightening the bolts. I aim to be 25% done this week (currently 10% done.)

READING

Finished a couple of good ones, there will be reviews on Upstream. This week I’m starting my re-read of the Red Rising series, I expect the first book will take me 2 days. I don’t like to blitz those, and I have a lot of other content to listen to. I’m also going to read DEAD RINGER and RIPTIDES.

DRAWING

Finished a Porter piece, got another one half finished. Had some busy evenings, so I didn’t do as much as I wanted, but I did see The Return of the King in the theater, so it was a worthy trade-off.

AUDIO

New Radcracker, as one does. Subscribe on Apple, Google, or Spotify.

VIDEO

I did a video about Mario that earned some numbers, but the real winner is my video about LitRPG that seems to be pissing off a lot of nerds, lol.

FITNESS

I did my 500 pushups. Wanted to do the 660, but I stuck to the basics just to get back on track. Very pleased. I’ll do 560 this week just to cap off that awkward 40. As of right now I’m at 7640 so next week I want to hit 8200 even. Also got my weight down under 211, by a frog hair. Progress is progress.

FOLLOW MY WORK

My YouTube channel is growing and I keep getting closer to monetization. Please follow and watch.

I do book reviews on the CrackerStack and you can subscribe there to support my work financially.

I occasionally post art on Instagram, too.

Jesus beat death, and I’m looking forward to the day He beats the tax man, too.

Happy Easter, everyone.

WRITING

Didn’t have a writing night like I wanted. Too much else going on. I’m scheduling it this week for Friday night and the reminder is going in my phone. Most likely I will start chipping at the next draft of HOWLING WILDERNESS.

Also failed to write anything new for Crackerstack, that’s on me. Will remedy.

READING

I finished three books, and I’m halfway through a fourth. This week I’m finishing CODEX BABYLON and then I’ve got some have-to reads in the lineup. The first is the Ron DeSantis book, it’s a library hold and others are waiting on it; then I’m due to read TOWER OF SILENCE, which just came out, and I need to review it for Upstream. I’ve got a few others to work my way through, I won’t announce them here until I’m done.

DRAWING

God willing, I should finish the interior art for Sheriff Porter. Once that’s done, I have to fine-tune the crowdfunding details. No decision yet on when that is going live, but it will be in the next few months.

AUDIO

New Radcracker dropped, as always. Subscribe on Apple, Google, or Spotify.

VIDEO

I had a successful video about the new Paolini book coming in October, but why the heck isn’t anyone watching my RESIDUE review? Watch this now, daggummit!

FITNESS

Oh boy. Last week broke me. For the first time all year, I failed to do the baseline 500 pushups. The last two days of work were brutal (I moved well over 2,000 cases off the truck and most of it was heavy.) But I also waited until Thursday to really try to catch up, and I flat out did not have the energy for it. It was almost scary, how drained I was. Then again I did move 30,000 lbs of product by hand in just two days, so I mean…

I’m recommitting. I only did 240 pushups this last week so the total is up to 7140. I will do 560 this week to get me to 7700. It’s also my goal to weigh in at 210, so we’ll see how that goes. I’m almost adjusted to the night schedule.

Get back at it.

It’s been a bumpy couple of weeks for me in the 21st Century, but hey.

Writing

Slapped together some reviews over at the Stack, didn’t write any fiction. This one is starting to bother me. I’m going to set aside at least one night per week to drop words on something. Let’s say Thursday.

Reading

I finished three more audiobooks and a print book, bringing my 2023 total to 49 books by the end of March. Tried to get to 50, but I didn’t want to force it. This week I will finish RESIDUE by Steve Diamond, CODEX BABYLON by Rob Kroese, the new Secret Sanderson book, and an old Kit Carson pulp novel. There’s a chance I’ll take a weeknight and finish EASY GO by Crichton. It’s print, I bet I could knock it out if I just sit down and read.

Drawing

Made big progress here. I’m halfway through another piece and I like how they’re all coming together. Hopefully they print well. I also finished a commission for someone but I won’t post it until they’re ready.

Audio

New episode of Radcracker is up. Subscribe on Apple, Google, or Spotify.

Video

My reading recap for March. This one’s not doing as well as my other videos out the gate, but oh well. More to come.

Fitness

Another hard week at work, but by gosh I got my 500 minimum push-ups in, plus an extra 10 with my daughter on my back (she thinks it’s fun.) Total on the year is 6900. I’ll commit to another 500, and see what I can do about working out in the shop.

This coming week is going to be busy. I have some stuff to do at church, and some projects around the house. But the train never stops.