Saturday, September 29, 2012

More Of The Same


This section is both a re-post and continuation of yesterday's. I am hoping to get this chapter done today:



“And what does he want?”

“A word with his son.”

“Were it simple as that, you’d have it to give to me.”

A shrug of broad shoulders, “You would know better than I, Yarvis.”

“Carefully said, Novis.”

A toss of the head, getting iron-grey hair out of grey eyes. “I’ve had some experience treading the ground between you two.”

Yarvis pulled his hat from the peg by the door, pushing past the older man and out of his home. “Tell me, does it ever get muddy, that ground?”

His father’s oldest servant turned to follow. “Never more than it was when you denied him, Yar.” 

Yarvis snorted, “You mean when I, a grown man, decided I knew what was best for me?”

“Each has his place in the thing, I suppose.”

“What does that mean?”

Another shrug. “Your father thinks different.”

“Every man entitled to his thoughts, I suppose. Of course, my father would like to charge everyone for his, even while he’s ramming them down your throat.”

Novis stopped walking. “Will you see him?”

Yarvis turned to face him, “In due time.”

“And when can I tell him to expect you?”

It was Yarvis’ turn to shrug. “When I arrive at his door.”

Thin lips drew tight around the scar he’d earned turns ago, defending the old man’s money, not his family. “You know what he’ll say to that, Yar.”

“I do,” Yarvis said, “and aside from the shit he’ll likely toss your way for telling him, can’t say I much care.”

“Then just come with, start a fresh ledger. You know he won’t.”

“No, he won’t.” Shaking his head, Yarvis patted his father’s man on the shoulder, “I never understood why you stood by him all these turns, Novis. You’re too good for him, should have left him ages ago.”

Novis raised scarred hands: “I’m an old man, set in his ways. I’ll thank you for not starting in on me for doing as I have always done.”

Yarvis nodded, turned to go.

“It’s important, what your father wants to talk to you about.”

The man’s tone gave Yarvis pause, “But he didn’t–wouldn’t–tell you what it was?”

“No, just an old man’s instinct, earned in close to thirty turns of service.”

“But not important enough for him to come himself.”

“Your father does have many demands on his time.”

Yarvis sighed. “Alright, let’s go.”

After a few steps the pair was walking in lock-step, much as they used to when about Sadris’ business. 

They made it across Market and entered Mintside before Novis broke the companionable silence with a question: “How’s the wife?”

Yarvis smiled, “Ciorran’s well, thank you for asking.”

“Still working for her father?”

“Yes, the mill is doing quite well.” Despite Sadris pressuring the other moneylenders to deny them credit for the repairs last year. 

“Any grandsons on the way?”

Yarvis felt his smile thin, shook his head. “Not yet.”

“Plenty of time, plenty.”

“Yes.”

“I heard you were recently before the magistrate, some murderous gangster?” 

Of course you heard: I’m sure father gave the Lord Magistrate an earful on that. “Two, actually. One for trying to kill me and another for murdering the first gangster. Both hung for their crimes against Duke’s Law.”

Novis shook his head, whether in wonder or disapproval, Yarvis couldn’t say. 

“What?” he asked as they turned onto Mint, the spacious boulevard lined with the most prosperous of the counting and exchange houses of the city. Yarvis felt his guts clench. Kolp House was the last of the houses at the far end, at the corner of the small square fronting the imposing building of the Duke’s Mint. 

And inside it, your father.

“Always knew you for a hard one, Yar.”

Yarvis grinned despite the tension, “I had a good teacher in you, Nov.”

“And your father.”

Never one to take credit where it’s due, are you, Old Nov? “By the time I was old enough to learn, he wasn’t doing his own collections.”

“There’s hard in the heat of things and hard in the head and heart when things need to be done cool as you please and right the first time. Whatever talent I might have at the first, your father is the best I’ve ever known at all of it. You are two sides of the coin in that.”

Yarvis didn’t argue.

Friday, September 28, 2012

A Day Spent Sweating It Out...

Had a fever of 101 last night and this morning. Sweated it out by midday, though I'm left feeling weak and dried out.

Managed to write a bit despite the ick. Some of it seems to work:


“And what does he want?”

“A word with his son.”

“Were it simple as that, you’d have it to give to me.”

A shrug of broad shoulders, “You would know better than I, Yarvis.”

“Carefully said, Novis.”

A toss of the head, getting iron-grey hair out of grey eyes. “I’ve had some experience treading the ground between you two.”

Yarvis pulled his hat from the peg by the door, pushing past the older man and out of his home. “Tell me, does it ever get muddy, that ground?”

His father’s oldest servant turned to follow. “Never more than it was when you denied him, Yar.” 

Yarvis snorted, “You mean when I, a grown man, decided I knew what was best for me?”

“Each has his place in the thing, I suppose.”

“What does that mean?”

Another shrug. “Your father thinks different.”

“Every man entitled to his thoughts, I suppose. Of course, my father would like to charge everyone for his, even while he’s ramming them down your throat.”

Novis stopped walking. “Will you see him?”

Yarvis turned to face him, “In due time.”

“And when can I tell him to expect you?”

It was Yarvis’ turn to shrug. “When I arrive at his door.”

Thin lips drew tight around the scar he’d earned years ago, defending the old man’s money, not his family. “You know what he’ll say to that, Yar.”

“I do,” Yarvis said, “and aside from the shit he’ll likely toss your way for telling him, can’t say I much care.”



Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Yesterday

I took the first part of my department's sergeant's promotional exam yesterday, the written.

This is the third time I have taken the exam, and the happiest I've been with the quality of the questions. I don't mean to say that I did exceptionally well, I'm just saying I thought the exam appropriate to the  job. That could not be said about the first exam I was eligible for, and I could only say the exam developers improved the questions for the last iteration three years ago.

No, this time the questions were appropriate and appropriately difficult. I am usually a fast test-taker, but I used more of the allotted time on this occasion than I am accustomed to.  The first half of the written exam was challenging; I required all but five minutes of time to make initial decisions, leaving only five minutes to review my answers for completeness.

I think I did passably well. Perhaps better than ever before. We will see if it was good enough.

The oral board is scheduled to take place in November.

Friday, September 21, 2012

End Of An Era


The Coolness was out walking the dog and snapped this as it flew by overhead. A last viewing in flight. An end to an era. Farewell, Endeavor.




Friday, September 14, 2012

The Busy Ahead

I see some busy ahead, so I may not be posting here as frequently as I just resumed posting (is that as tortured and twisted a sentence as it seems?).

I want to post frequently, but I am also giving myself a bastard of a deadline for A Friend To The Watch while I await word from Baen on The Last Captain (which should come soon, I hope.). I am setting a tight deadline in hopes that I will finally add to the pile of DONE SHIT rather than the shittier pile of TO BE DONE SHIT that I have accrued over the last year or so.

I am also still percolating on what to do to bring my next Grantville Gazette story, A Time Piece, to a tight and entertaining conclusion.

So, off to work it is...

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Assholes Getting Something of What They Deserve

Watch the video embedded in this article, and watch it to the end. Painful, but the final bit is some rough justice.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

The Greatest Loss

What a horrible, slow, agonizing way for a planet to surrender its atmosphere; under the lash of the sun.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Soccer Season, Fall 2012

We played our first game of the fall season today, played quite well, in fact. I managed to keep a clean sheet, helped a great deal by my team, who spent most of the game hammering at the gates of the other team's goal. We won 3-0. The other team was gracious and played well, they just couldn't impose their will on us.

Longer-term readers of the blog might remember me mentioning muscle-tits and other characters from previous seasons of play in this league. Well, it appears that muscle-tits and his team are no longer allowed to play in the league, something I must say was a bit longer than it should have been in coming. That said, I am content with the league's decision. The reason I say it was a bit too long coming was that Muscle-tits had an incident with the refs at one game. Another incident with a different team led one ref to ask the league to bar a player from play. When he didn't get a prompt response, he walked away from the league. Well-liked by his peers, many of our other refs walked away too. I understand the response, I just wish people were a bit more patient all around.

So now the league needs referees. They pay, if anyone reads this and is interested.

Ah, well, one must take the good with the bad. At least muscle-tits won't be screaming invective at me or anyone else in the league. Hyper-competitive pricks can find somewhere else to masturbate upon their self-recognized magnificence, I'm playing soccer!

Friday, September 7, 2012

How Did Chicon Go, You Ask?

Why, it was most excellent, thank you.

I did what I usually do, drank, ate and mucked about with some of my favorite people. Alistair Kimble was my wingman and guide for it all (I lost my guidebook within minutes of getting the damn thing.).

Highlights included:

Dinner at Gene & Georgetti'sMark Van Name was kind enough to invite us after I'd suggested the place as somewhere he might like to dine. I hadn't eaten there in more than 14 years, and they did not fail my recommendation.

A Literary Bheers with Chuck Gannon, which was lots of fun and resulted in a tale that shall be told a few more times in the future.

The Baen Party: I love this publishing house, and know many of their authors, so I enjoyed myself quite a bit.

Hanging at the Big Bar and soaking in the sights and conversation with folks like Writer's of The Future winner, David Carani and several other winners of that competition, including an old hand, Myke Cole.

Another fine dinner with Eric Flint, Chuck Gannon, and several other contributors to the Grantville Gazette. It was nice to put faces to names.

I also met a few more people I have seen before but not had opportunity to speak to before...