hrj

Official release day today. Here's the universal book link page: https://books2read.com/b/31zplW

I'm still working on getting more links added. The page was being picky about me adding links manually the last time I tried, so I guessed it might be an issue with the book not being live yet and decided to wait to try again. But it's released through Draft2Digital and has a paperback through Ingram, so it should be available through all the standard outlets.

It's funny: My first two commercial self-publishing projects have both been ones where I'm not counting on actual commercial success. Skin-Singer both because story collections are tricky and because the majority of the contents are previously published. The Theory of Related-ivity because it's an extremely niche interest. This takes a lot of pressure off worrying about how well they'll sell, but it also means I don't have a good metric for what to expect with an actual first-release novel. (We're a long way away from anything like that happening, because the top priority for novels is the next Alpennia book, which I assume will be a Bella release.)

When I was first working on Related-ivity, I wasn't necessarily thinking about publishing it as a book, just as the blog series. But as it got longer, as the footnotes became a more significant part of it, and as I thought about how ephemeral attention to blogs are, I pretty much thought "why not?" Also, since D2D now has an annual threshold requirement for income to avoid the "maintenance fee" they added (to fight AI publications), every little bit of income helps. I didn't make the threshold this year, but maybe next year? I really need to promote Skin-Singer more online. It sells well at in-person events but I'm really bad about doing online promotions.

Getting my new internet equipment set up was both simpler and more annoying than expected. Here's a brief tour.

Equipment showed up late Monday

Decided to do my usual bike/coffee-shop routine (flanked by PT) so it was late afternoon before I began the set-up process. Per instructions, downloaded the "smart home" app and logged in to my ATT account.

The set-up instructions claim the app will provide you an "install equipment" button which will then lead you through the process. The "install equipment" button briefly flashes on screen as the app automatically logs you in and then is no longer visible or accessible. A search through every menu in the app fails to find any other method of getting the set-up instructions.

I called the "dedicated help line for ATT Internet Air" that was provided to me on my service call a week ago. The number is no longer in service and re-directs to the regular service phone number. That number offers a call-back appointment the next day. I hang up.

Now we're up to today. First thing, I called the ATT service number. "Call volume is unusually high, but we can give you a call-back in 15 minutes." OK. I have my phone and headset standing by. The call-back appears on my Apple Watch and I hit "accept". I can hear the ATT agent talking but evidently she can't hear me through the watch. She hangs up. I call service once more at they project a 10 minute wait time. I stay on the line this time.

I manage to short-circuit being told to do the set-up things that I already know won't work and describe my process history to the agent. He says, "Oh, it's just plug-and-play, there's no special process." Evidently the special installation instructions which have to do with verifying the optimal location in your house for the device are mostly unnecessary. We stay on the line while I plug in the device and verify that it's worki...oops. Got a signal then lost it. Reboot.

This time I got as far as logging in to the network on my laptop. Worked fine for about 5 minutes, then as we were moving on to the "register your device" step, the connection was lost again. Reset. No further drop-outs. Started the process to register my device (so it shows up in my ATT account) but -- as I eventually figured out -- every step in the online process has a lag time of about half a minute from pushing a button to getting to the next screen. By the time I figured this out and completed the process, I had let the agent go (after almost an hour on line). Did finally manage to register my device.

The next step is to change the new device's name and password to the ones I'd used for my old device. This will enable all my connected devices to switch over without the need for a new log-in. This actually worked as promised. Yay.

I still haven't placed my new device in its final location. At the moment it's standing in front of my tv, which is suboptimal. The instructions suggest that being behind an appliance can interfere with the signal, but I may try that anyway, since there's plenty of room behind the tv.

I have a different idea for a final state. My media center is an electronics cabinet with the big screen tv on top of it, flanked by two tall IKEA cabinets. I've been thinking for some time about using the space above the tv by installing a shelf between the cabinets. One thought has been to move my book "brag shelf" there, rather than being on the mantle over the fireplace. It would also be an optimal location for the internet device. Today I went off window-shopping for a shelf solution that would fit the space. There's room for a 24x48" shelf above the tv. (I wouldn't want one that doesn't go the full depth because that would ensure that things would fall off the back side.) But I'm not excited about supporting it with brackets that screw into the sides of the standing cabinets. I don't know how well they'd stand up to it. What I envision would be some sort of support structure shaped like this:

__ __
| |
|________|

that would rest on top of the tall cabinets (so I don't have to drill holes in them) with the shelf sitting on top of it. But this feels like it would involve metal fabrication. Alternately, perhaps a structure with horizontal beams across the top of the cabinets and three U shaped supports coming down from it. Like this;
_________________
| | |
|_____|_____|

Maybe I could do some nice woodwork on the visible side. Make use of all those power tools I have lying around. But as I was window-shopping possibilities, it occurred to me that I don't want to start any of this until I have full use of my hands again. So there's plenty of time to do more design work.

Bicycled to my regular PT appointment this morning, just to celebrate the fact that I *can*. Measurements showed 5% improvement on all my metrics since last time which evidently is satisfactory especially given that I didn't use the MTDs for most of last week. I confessed to my PT that I've been doing 20 minutes sessions for each position with the MTDs rather than the prescribed 30 minutes (because that's how long I can stand it) and she was ok with that. She also noted that although the manual PT app logs my sessions, she doesn't look at that data and offers no judgment. I mean, it makes sense that the incentive is improvement, not official approval, but I suspect that for some people the expectation of surveillance is a useful incentive.

I'm lifting heavier things with my off arm and doing more routine manipulations without awkwardness. Won't be totally off weight restrictions until the end of the month, at which point I'll ask about returning to using the weight machines at the gym. (Only about half the ones in my routine involve the arms, but I haven't been doing partial routines--just some treadmill to make up for the biking.)

It occurred to me at some point that all this embodied experience of recovering from arm injury will be quite useful in writing Barbara's journey in Mistress of Shadows, where she's dealing very intensely with the long-term consequences of her gunshot injury. I'd already been including some details but there's no substitute for personal experience. (Different injury, but many things can carry over.) Of course, she has the advantage of having a specific person to blame for the whole thing, even if she's been forbidden to take direct revenge...

I will eventually get tired of grumping about my physical therapy, but I need to let off steam and I'm less likely to get annoying unwanted advice here than on facebook.

The schedule is really onerous. That's it. That's the main complaint. I'm bleeping exhausted because even though I'm usually sitting in my recliner for the PT, the discomfort makes it impossible to relax. And then if I'm going to get anything productive done, it gets squeezed in between the sessions. And "anything productive" generally involves typing, which is also mildly painful (but also good as PT). So all in all I'm more exhausted now than I was with the manual PT, which at least was no more than half an hour sessions (3x per day).

I'll have a bit of a reprieve on my Florida trip, since I'll temporarily return to manual PT. Which is good because I want to enjoy the conference too.

1. The Theory of Related-ivity has a universal book link! https://books2read.com/u/31zplW You can pre-order the ebook at several possible outlets already with more to come. Paperback ordering is still pending. Publication date is Aug 25.

2. The medieval torture devices for my arm were delivered today, with a demonstration of proper usage. So I get to spend three two-hour sessions with them each day. Ugh. I think this means suspending my gym sessions for the interim, just to get the timing right. (Basically, first thing in the morning before my writing session, mid-afternoon, and evening.) The instructions are to adjust the device to "mild discomfort" as opposed to the manual PT which is briefer sessions at "slight pain." I won't be taking them to GCLS with me because they're very bulky, but I'll get a week in before that.

3. Other than a couple things that happen on specific days this week, I've completed all the tasks, preparation, and contacts needed for both of my August conventions. (Other than actual packing.)

4. Worldcon asked for a brief description of what people intend to read at their readings, so I took the daring step of listing my first-draft short story about the harpy moonlighting as a muse. Yes, I've actually written something new this year, though I tend to forget that (and have no idea what I might want to do with it).

5. Worldcon gave me a virtual "table talk" which could either be a fun chance to chat with people who aren't able to attend in person, or could be a really depressing session of me sitting in my hotel room in front of an empty screen. (At least with in-person table talks, there's the option of merging with a similarly low-attended neighbor.) I guess I'll have to do a lot of talking it up. Sooooo not my comfort zone. (Amusingly, my panel "An Introvert's Guide to Surviving Conventions" is also virtual, which is an interesting choice given that the ideas for introverting in person are quite different from introverting virtually.)

(Worldcon schedule will be posted on the Alpennia website when we get the ok to do so.)

I did the garden harvesting rounds today and found that the remainder of the grapes had been appreciated greatly by the birds. But the tomatoes are still coming thick and fast and I may have to make a batch of marinara to for the freezer to catch up. Must remember to update my garden spreadsheet with these details.

Progress on the wrist mobility continues. I refer to my physical therapy as "Purgatory" because unlike Hell I will eventually be free of it. I've been hooked up with a company that will supply a mechanical flexion device but I need to consult with my physical therapist on Wednesday to confirm that she does want me to use it and whether I'm getting one device or two. (They do different movements.) Last week she told me that she needed to put in the order for the device in order for me to know what my copayment would be, but the representative from the company that supplies it assumed that it was a solid order. So we had a bit of discussion about those details. And I don't quite know how it's going to work if they get the devices to me before my Florida trip the first week in August, because they appear to be fairly bulky and I'm not sure I want them cluttering up my luggage when traveling. When I discussed timing with my physical therapist, she thought that I'd be starting to use them later, possibly even after my Worldcon travel at the end of August. So who knows?

Oh I decided this is Purgatory rather than hell, because I am expatiating my clumsy stupidity but will eventually ascend to a higher plane. There are two really positive sides to my PT routine. The first is that Kaiser has an app for that. (Of course there's an app for that.) It includes brief videos to remind you what exercise you're doing and timers for both holding the position and the rest. In between the reps.

The second positive thing is that I'm seeing solid progress on regaining mobility. I do three sessions of the entire PT routine every day, plus doing a fist clench to try to help reduce swelling whenever I think of it.

The down side? Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Dammit this is painful. I know you have to do the exercises until they hurt in order to make progress, but ouch.

There's another Romancing the Vote fundraising auction in support of voting accessibility going on right now. I donated three items: two knitted items which are getting some nice bids, and my usual lesbian history research donation, which I've offered to previous times. So far, the research donation only has the minimum bid offered which frankly is a steal for what the winning bidder will get. Here's the description that I wrote up for the item.

# # #

Heather Rose Jones, the proprietor of the Lesbian Historic Motif Project blog and podcast (and author of historic fiction) will provide focused research or consultation about the historic and social context of women-loving-women in your chosen setting. This could take any of several forms.

1) A research essay of at least 5000 words providing information on attitudes, practices, and evidence relating to romantic or sexual relations between women in your chosen setting, plus bibliography for further research. (For an abbreviated sample, see this essay on the English Regency: https://alpennia.com/blog/guide-sapphic-regency-lesbian-historic-motif-podcast-episode-342)

2) Critique and feedback from a historian's perspective on a work (anything from outline to finished draft) with respect to the representation of f/f romantic or sexual relationships in that work. (Not setting a word limit on what I'm critiquing, but be realistic.)

3) A zoom chat to discuss your interests and research needs, with follow-up notes and bibliography.

4) Any other format mutually agreed on.

I focus on pre-20th century history, primarily Europe/North America and the Mediterranean. The extent of what can be provided is affected by the available historic data. Caveat: I’m currently dealing with a broken arm, which interferes with extensive typing, so I would start work in August at the earliest.

# # #

The first time I offered this, the winning bidder asked for the English Regency and I ended up writing a 20,000 word essay plus extensive bibliography. You can find this item on the auction website at the following URL. If you aren't already signed up for the romancing the vote auctions, then you'll need to make an account.

And, of course, there are lots of other really cool items in the auction!

https://www.32auctions.com/organizations/74830/auctions/200913/auction_items/7034230

You would think, what with the broken arm thing, that I would have all this free time to spend reading. But that doesn't account for the logistics of *how* I read and how the broken arm interacts with that.

Let's look at my three basic reading format: print, e-book, and audio. My primary context for listening to audiobooks is while bicycling. Obviously, I'm not bicycling currently. I do sometimes listen to audiobooks around the house while gardening or doing house work, but those activities are also curtailed at the moment.

What about print? Well as it happens it's a little bit hard to hold a book and turn pages with only one functional hand. I've gotten a little bit of hardcopy reading done by using a stand to hold the book but it's very awkward and not at all relaxing.

That leaves us with e-books, and the usual issue with e-books is that my brain only has a certain budget of screen time before it gets tired. I'm using screen time for LHMP work and for vegging in front of the TV when I just get too tired for anything else. (Being broken is simply tiring.)

So all in all, although I have plenty of time for reading due to not being able to do other activities, I'm blocked from my normal reading contexts. On the bright side, the cast is supposed to come off on Thursday, after which we'll see how quickly I can get back to normal.

I had a follow up appointment with orthopedics today. Got my previous cast removed – the tech corrected me that it was a splint, not a cast, technically speaking. I guess because it was two solid pieces of plaster that were held together with elastic wrappings but not actually connected. Anyway I got my stitches out and have a lovely Frankenstein–style scar that may trigger interrogations about self-harm for the rest of my life. Then they gave me a lovely new kelly-green fiberglass cast for the interim. It's slightly smaller and much more solid than the previous, but also not quite as heavy, I think. My next appointment is July 2, when they plan to remove the cast. That would be almost exactly 5 weeks from the operation to install the plate. That would mean I'll be cast-free for BayCon, although I don't know if I may still have some removable protective object at that point. After that it will be all about the physical therapy. I'm supposed to be practicing extending and clenching my fingers as much as possible in the meantime.

I also was able to pick up a fancy protective plastic bag to go over my arm so I can take showers. It has a rubberized seal that you stick your arm through, so no dealing with tape and it's reusable. So now I'm off to take my first shower in four weeks.