And In Other News

If you missed it last week, my big news is that Subterranean Press has picked up Perfunctory Affection, (no publication date yet. Rest assured it will be awhile.) But I’ve been doing more than typing the last month. I’ve got about three knitting projects going, and I should have character Jacob from NEXT DOOR to show you in a few days. I spent all last week designing the pattern for his suit coat, and I finally have something I like enough to put it on him. The one I designed for Trent a few years ago just isn’t cutting it anymore. (This picture is Trent, Rachel, and Ivy. Ivy’s jacket is actually mink yarn I got on sale. Fits her.)

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[image error]But what I’m most proud of right now is my shrimp net.  McGyvering at its best, it’s part syphoning tube, part fish net, and a little bit of aquarium sealant. Tim just sat back and smiled when I would blow into the house, grab something, and say, “I’ll buy you a new one,” before vanishing back into my office.

What you see here is actually my second version, the first being more of a collapsing net affair, but this one is a lot less disruptive in the tank, which was what I was going for. It’s got about a 80% efficiency if the shrimp is reasonably accessible, which you know is utterly fantastic if you’ve ever tried to catch one of these little guys. It should help immeasurably in my blue shrimp breeding hobby.

I’m going to use my downtime this week to make a slightly smaller version that will work better with smaller shrimp and vegetation-thick tanks.