@glitterbag,
Yes, the mumber one edition of the Superman comic book. 9 million bucks. And that's not even the first comic he appeared in, if memory serves. He first appeared in I think Action Comics.
In short, 24 headlines from the last 24 hours…[Breath in — let it out slow…]
1. J6 pipe bomber (ID still unknown; wore gray hoodie) briefly entered Congressional Black Caucus property before planting the device at the DNC; GA Rep says FBI hid details
2. DJT and NYC mayor-elect Mamdani meet in Oval Office in surprisingly cordial showdown; DJT uncharacteristically nice despite calling him a Lunatic Communist, even letting Mamdani call him a “fascist”
3. During the govt shutdown alone, ICE detained 54K+, deported 56K+; 65K+ currently detained nationwide, including 21K w/ no criminal record—highest US immigration detention ever
4. ICE agents in RI illegally photographed a high school intern working in Superior Court; when judge intervened, they surrounded his car, threatened to break windows, then admitted misidentifying teen and left
5. RFK, Jr. admits he personally ordered rewrite CDC vaccine/autism website, contradicting science; so far pulled $500M funding, replaced vaccine board, fired CDC Dir, pledge compensation Americans injured by shots
6. SCOTUS Justice Alito temporarily paused lower court order blocking TX 2025 gerrymandered HOR map; for now, map can be used for 2026 elections while the Court reviews case; TX asks for map decision by 12/1
7. Chicago Judge Sara Ellis blasts federal immigration raids in 223-page ruling, exposing CBP lies and bodycam footage of tear gas, rubber bullets, flashbangs, and assaults on protesters, journalists, and clergy
8. 1st US death from rare H5N5 bird flu reported in Grays Harbor, WA (~78 mi SW of Seattle); older patient with underlying conditions, hospitalized since early Nov with high fever, confusion, and respiratory issues; had backyard poultry exposed to wild birds
9. DJT pushes Ukraine to accept U.S.-crafted 28-point peace plan by Thanksgiving; plan would force Kyiv to surrender Donbas, cap military, never join NATO, recognize Crimea as Russian
10. House Oversight Committee drops plans to depose Ghislaine Maxwell after her lawyers pledge she will plead the 5th; Chairman Comer calls it a ‘waste of taxpayer dollars’ to pursue her in TX
11. Driver→911: 'I just had a bald eagle drop a cat through my windshield;’ NC driver near Bryson City (65mi SW Asheville) escapes injury as carcass of cat crashes into passenger-side windshield
12. Comey’s lawyers move to dismiss indictment citing grand jury errors: DJTs Pageant-Atty Halligan didn’t present full indictment to grand jury, misstated law, used flawed warrants, and revealed privileged info
13. Prosecutors say 2 Dallas men plotted to take over Haiti’s Gonave Island to kill all men & exploit women/children; enlisted in military/fire academy, studied weapons, both studied Creole; face 30y-life
14. Family of missing Colombian fisherman (husband, father of 5) seeks answers after US strike on alleged drug boat (Sept. 14); US lawyer for President Petro plans to sue US on family’s behalf
15. ICE official testifies he has no idea why Kilmar Abrego Garcia is being deported to Liberia (admits no prior involvement in case, only "5-min Teams call”); DoJ has no explanation for bypassing Kilmar’s Costa Rica request; still held in PA
16. Judge blocks IRS from sharing taxpayer info w/ ICE for immigration enforcement (for now); ruling 8/7 agreement to disclose address info for ~47k taxpayers to ICE violated confidentiality laws/federal procedures
17. House Oversight GOP demand Bill & Hillary Clinton testify in person on Epstein ties; depositions would take place on 2 dates mid-Dec; subpoenas issued; Clinton lawyer responds they will cooperate but depos unnecessary
18. Man who set 26yo woman on fire in random attack on Chicago L train had been arrested 72+ times over 30yrs w/15 convictions; Judge orders Lawrence Reed(50) to remain detained pending federal terrorism charge
19. 3 Dems — Reps. Jason Crow (D-CO), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) and Chris Deluzio (D-PA) — filed police complaints about DJTs threats for their arrest or death over defying illegal orders video
20. Just days apart, Black mothers in TX & IN say hospital staff ignored cries for care despite minutes away from giving birth; 1 waited 30+ min in TX, another gave birth in truck; highlights Black women 3x more likely to die in childbirth
21. Missouri AG Hanaway (R) siccs ICE on ‘People Not Politicians’ signature gatherers for referendum that would suspend HB1, the GOP’s mid-decade redraw designed to cement a 7–1 GOP congressional map (bc they have more than enough signatures)
22. Federal judge orders release of 16 migrants from 10/19 Idaho racetrack raid, citing due process violations; 200+ officers from 14+ agencies detained 400, zip-tying kids and separating families
23. DJT calls MTG’s resignation ‘great news for the country’ after she announced she’ll leave Congress 1/5/26, citing “never-ending personal attacks, death threats, lawfare, ridiculous slander and lies about me"
24. DJT’s DoJ investigating debunked claims Venezuela helped steal 2020 election; alleges Smartmatic & Dominion were controlled by Maduro & his deceased predecessor Hugo Chávez to rig US votes
All of the above were from the last 24 hours: Friday, November 21st.
Oops. Posted it in the wrong spot.
I haven't always been too poor to give Christmas gifts. One year I gave each of my son-in-laws a hefty ballpeen hammer.
I've struggled with a seemingly simple short story for many days. I suppose some writers more versatile than I might have pounded it out in just a day or two. I am nearing a point of being able to edit and then assemble my book. It may be ready in early December. I consider it a companion volume to EndEarthers, but each is a stand alone in the final analysis. There is a bit more whimsy in the new book. Still calling it BOLDER COLORS.
@edgarblythe,
You can't worry about how other writers would have dealt with the story - you must write in the way that works for you.
I wish you the best of luck.
@ClaudiaY,
ClaudiaY wrote:
You can't worry about how other writers would have dealt with the story - you must write in the way that works for you.
I wish you the best of luck.
I've gotten beyond the hard stuff. One more section is all I need to finish it. Meanwhile I am trying to design my own cover, because I can't pay a designer.
Now that I'm old, with mobility problems, people want to help me get around or move things, uninvited. If they really want to help, they can send me checks for $500.
I'm putting the various pieces of my book together, doing extra editing as I go.
Imagine that life has become like a broken mirror, and it is your lot to pick up the pieces, to make sense of them as you put them together. Will any of the pieces match? Will you go mad or will you figure it out? Here are several pieces. See what you can do with them.
1. First, we have an unexpected visitor, who initiates a chain of potential world saving occurrences. What do certain dogs have to do with it?
2. Spacer, doomed to die a drunken bum, or handle the extraterrestrials?
3. Can Xmill and his faithful companion Mohaw save the farm from invaders on Uncle Sneezer's asteroid?
4. Nicole survives a worldwide near extinction event, but will she survive the clutches of Joe Kerr (Joker), who saved but enslaved her?
5. Any of remaining scenarios in this collection?
One drawback to growing very old is that those who didn't grow so old with you haunts your memories.
I published with draft2digital. Bolder Colors will appear in some online bookstores within 2 weeks, as paperback and ebook. As ebook only it already shows up on Smashwords. After, it takes extra moves to get it listed on Amazon. Barnes and Noble and Apple will have it automatically.
Yesterday I visited and hugged some people. What are the odds I spread it to them?
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The risk that you spread COVID-19 to the people you hugged yesterday is relatively low, but not zero. Here's a breakdown based on current understanding of SARS-CoV-2 transmission as of late 2025 (with circulating Omicron subvariants like XFG and others, which tend to cause milder illness overall).Key Factors in Your SituationHousehold exposure: Spouses/partners have high close contact, so the secondary attack rate (chance of transmission within a household) for COVID-19 is typically 15-30% overall, depending on the variant and immunity levels. For mild cases like your wife's, it's on the lower end, especially with widespread population immunity from vaccines and prior infections.
Your lack of symptoms: You have no symptoms yet, but you've been exposed for at least 7-9 days (likely longer, since transmission often occurs early in the index case's illness). Many secondary household infections show symptoms within 3-5 days (current average incubation period for 2025 variants, shorter than earlier strains). The fact that you're still asymptomatic reduces the likelihood you were highly infectious yesterday, but doesn't eliminate it.About 20-40% of COVID infections are truly asymptomatic throughout (never develop symptoms), and these have lower transmissibility than symptomatic or presymptomatic cases (roughly 40-60% lower risk of spreading).
If you were infected, you could have been in a low-viral-load phase by day 7+ of exposure.
Timing of your wife's illness: Mild cases are most infectious 1-2 days before symptoms and 3-5 days after. By days 7-9, her infectiousness is significantly lower (viral shedding drops sharply after day 5-7 in mild illness).
The contact: Hugging is close contact (potential droplet/aerosol exposure), but brief (assuming not prolonged). Transmission risk per such contact is generally low (<<10% in non-household settings), especially if outdoors or well-ventilated, no coughing/sneezing, and if the people weren't vulnerable (e.g., elderly or immunocompromised).
Rough Estimate of OddsProbability you were infected: High (likely 20-40%+ given prolonged household exposure to a mild case).
If infected and asymptomatic: Your transmissibility is lower than if symptomatic.
Per brief close contact (like a hug): Overall risk of transmission is very low — probably 1-5% or less in this scenario, based on meta-analyses of asymptomatic/presymptomatic transmission rates (often 1-4% in non-household contacts) adjusted for lower infectiousness late in exposure.
Combined: The odds you spread it yesterday are low (likely under 5-10% per person hugged), and even lower if multiple factors (e.g., vaccination status of all involved, ventilation) were favorable.
What to Do NowMonitor yourself: Watch for symptoms over the next week (though unlikely at this point). Test if any appear (home rapid tests are reliable for symptomatic cases).
Inform the people: It's reasonable to let them know about the possible exposure so they can monitor/symptom-watch or test if concerned (especially if high-risk). No need for panic — most exposures don't lead to infection.
Precautions: If you develop symptoms, follow general respiratory virus guidance: Stay home while sick, mask around others if you must go out, and improve ventilation.
Current guidelines (as of late 2025) focus on symptom-based precautions rather than strict isolation for positives without symptoms.
COVID transmission is probabilistic — many exposures don't result in spread, especially with milder variants and immunity. If anyone develops symptoms, they should test and seek care if needed. Hope your wife recovers fully soon!
Bolder Colors has published at last. Available from Barnes and Noble, Apple, and a number of other online bookstores. Will be on Amazon shortly.
Before the dust settles from publishing Bolder Colors, I am fully engaged in a new project. I'm excited because this may prove to be my defining work. No further hints, for now.
This is my favorite of all sentences, for it goes far beyond the intent of the author, being quoted endlessly. I wish I had written it.
It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents—except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind that swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.
My new book isn't getting the attention the last one did. I have not yet begun to fight.
