The video game and anime “Uma Musume Pretty Derby” has pulled my teenager into the horse phase she never had as a little girl. Now I’m selling her fandom sticker, based on a Tumblr photo meme, on Etsy.

Whether you like animated Japanese horsegirl mashups, horses, or just ridiculous imagery of anthropomorpic equine cartoons laughing at you, pick one up at the Etsy shop for your absurdist enjoyment.

This happened Sunday a few miles from our house. ICE thugs broke the driver’s side window of a family SUV and pulled three people out. I had no idea of this until a day later. Just sickened that the danger is getting closer and closer to home.

Quote of the week: “There is no HR in entrepreneurship.”

All the more reason I’m going the portfolio career route. In all the months since I was laid off, I have not missed dealing with HR people.

(Source: The Strategic Thinkers Podcast)

The e-commerce keeps on coming! You can now find me selling books on Biblio at Fluffbucket Books.

This makes me unbelievably happy.

It’s here, friends. Read and subscribe.

For those who say they voted for Trump because government waste needed to be cut. Thanks a whole lot for this.

Maybe it’s finally time to unplug my LinkedIn account.

This week’s newsletter has landed. Read, subscribe, etc.

I have a freelance proofreading assignment due Friday that is giving me PTSD, and I’m cramping up and behind on artwork and e-store shipments. I haven’t felt this miserable since before I was laid off.

There’s meaning in this, I’m sure.

I hate that I got a facial the other day and now I have a huge zit under my lower lip. I’d like to think I’d be done with such things at 59 years old.

Watching tonight’s game with great interest tonight. I strongly suspect the Brew Crew is better equipped to take on Satan’s Team™️ in the NLCS.

Running late with the newsletter thanks to issues with a new laptop setup. Also, my back hurts and sitting is painful, which probably could count as a technical issue.

Will get the newsletter written and out probably later this evening.

Watching baseball for the first time since the Padres lost Game 3 of their last series. I’m a little sad about it, but it’s nice to watch and just enjoy the game without that horrific sense of dread that rooting for San Diego often has for me.

I’m building quite the zine collection these days. This is a whole new fabulous world! Now I totally want to make a zine.

I uninstalled the MLB app from my phone, so I had to Google the game. Thanks for brightening my afternoon, Google. 😬

Time for a bit of weekly Substackery reading.

Yes. Yes, it is.

Welp, the federal government has shut down. As a federal worker with an unclear fate, C will be filing for unemployment.

(I worked for a federal contractor that laid off 350+ people this past spring.)

I never thought we’d be a his-and-hers-unemployment household, but here we are.

Meanwhile, I’m pivoting toward rebuilding my freelance editing/proofreading business. If you know of anyplace that needs a hand with polishing copy or academic papers or other published material, I can put my 30+ years of editing experience to work for them.

Quite a year, 2025.

Fifty-six books listed on eBay as of this writing. Head over to Fluffbucket.biz for the links to my eBay and Etsy listings.

Caved and restarted YouTube TV so I could actually watch my Padres in the postseason. I hate being shackled by Big Cable and Big Baseball.

I got a few zine ideas during Mass. Plus I wish the homilist had pointed out the fact that Jesus named the poor soul in the bosom of Abraham (Lazarus) but not the rich guy who blew him off in this world and ended up in “the netherworld.”

Down 13.6 pounds since I started on this weight-loss app 2 weeks ago. Blinky the Simple.life whatsis is very proud of me.

Finally started listing stuff on eBay. It’s gonna be quite the long slog to add all the books, collectibles, and destash craft materials I’d like to post.

I have to keep reminding myself as I press forward with all these e-commerce ventures: It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Totally feeling this today.