I am exhausted by the trend of companies switching to subscriptions. Why should I be excited to pad their pockets when I can barely afford to feed my cat? Here’s what I said to CleanMyMac when they surveyed me about switching to a subscription-only model.

A post where I delve into the concept of chokepoint capitalism. I explore how connector companies accumulate immense market power, impacting consumers and small businesses. Drawing on examples like Amazon and personal experiences, I shed light on the detrimental effects, such as limited choices, reduced competition, and potential societal implications that arise from this phenomenon.

I’ve discovered Mastodon Okay, that isn’t that thrilling a discovery. Many people are there before me. But if you’re interested, here’s my link. You can follow me. Or not. As you wish. Invite link: https://mastodonbooks.net/invite/f4hNYW5n Image by F. Muhammad from Pixabay

I have a ton of books on my kindle that I either haven’t read or read so long ago that they have lost their ‘read’ status. So rather than spend money I don’t necessarily have, I decided I should try to read what I’ve got.

Deciding to quit is tough for me. I was raised to believe that winners never quit. But in just the last few years I’ve realized that quitting things that aren’t working works for me.

Sometimes reading email is a chore, and other times, it’s a delight. Today was one of the latter days.

My tastes in reading have changed. I guess that shouldn’t be a surprise, but it was to me.

I never used to like the phrase “it is what it is.” It seemed like something people would say when they were dismissing my very real anger or frustration. Or something they would say when they were trying to pretend they weren’t feeling anger or frustration themselves. I know now that the reason I didn’t like the phrase was because I didn’t understand it. I hadn’t truly lived it. Along came 2020.

A friend of mine calls the folks arbitrarily buying up every random thing in the store (e.g. TP and bottled water) “panic hoarders.” Honestly, that is an excellent name for them. I mean, I understand the people frantically buying Purell by the gallon (why, oh why didn’t I buy stock in Purell???), but bottled water? Did Covid-19 get into the plumbing? I guess I will invest in a LifeStraw. That way I can drink from the creek in my backyard.

It’s been a long time coming, but Digital Dryad is nearly ready for me to show it to agents and publishers. I’ve gotten some amazing feedback from my alpha readers and the Barnsian Nobility (my writing group) and it’s turned this story into something I’m proud of. Of course, that means that if I share it with an agent or publisher, they will likely 1) ignore it/me 2) trash it. At least that’s what I’m afraid will happen.