Yesterday I finished the last of the sketch editions (with the exception of the last eight that I’ve set aside for “special handling.”)

I also determined that my digestive issues of the last week or so are almost certainly due to my increased ingestion of ibuprofen. I think I maxed out at 2400mg/day, which is 75% of the maximum adult dose, but I was taking that much between 11am and 6pm, so I’m pretty sure I was pushing the line a wee bit.

Anyway, the huge block of sketching is done. Today I’m going to ink and color some buffer (more Admiral Emm, YAY!) and knock down those last eight books. And I’m going to do it without taking any ibuprofen..

I watched the old Grinch cartoon with my kids, and later had one of those oddball thoughts that probably should not be shared, but that I sometimes share anyway.

“Yahoo Doré” is Who-speak for “Where the hell is my stuff?”

Schlock Mercenary: The Tub Of Happiness has crossed the Bounding Main and the Great American Desert, and is due to arrive in My Driveway sometime tomorrow.

Be apprised: the arrival of four-point-six-eight tonnes of printed material in my driveway is not the same thing as “I’m shipping your book now.” Here is the schedule for the next two weeks:

• Tuesday: shift 3000 books to a storage unit. Break 2000 books out of cartons and begin signing.
• Wednesday through Friday: Bang out a half-ton of sketch editions.
• Saturday & Sunday: Ice my hand. Take the weekend off.
• Monday, December 3rd: Pre-orders officially close.
• Monday through Wednesday: Finish sketch editions.
• Thursday and Friday: Sketched and signed books are boxed and mailed all over the world.*
• Saturday: Release Party at Dragons Keep. If you’re picking your book up in person, that’s the place.

So… if you’ve been wondering where your book is, now you know. It should ship out no later than one week from this coming Friday.

If you’ve been holding off on pre-ordering, don’t wait any longer. The $20 price-tag jumps to $25 on Monday morning, December 3rd, and no non-pre-ordered books will ship until December 12th. You can pre-order Schlock Mercenary: The Tub of Happiness right here.

*Note: This is the official call for volunteers for the shipping party. We’re shipping out of Dragons Keep again. Email sandra.tayler@gmail.com for details.

So… it would seem that the folks who write most of our prime-time television programming are on strike, and from the rhetoric being spewed by both camps, this could shape up into a protracted battle.

I don’t watch prime-time programming. It occurs to me that I’m a horrible judge for how “important” this strike really is, because I’m not feeling it at all (other than reading the headlines with wry amusement.)

So… I’ve got to ask: