I just flew back from Europe and boy are my arms tired.

Actually, I've been back for a few weeks now, but this is the first blog entry since being across the pond. Europe was great in case anyone cares. I was half expecting some kind of revelation when I was over there, but it was just enjoyable and not some kind of other worldly experience. The only place we visited that I thought would be a good place to live in was Amsterdam. Seriously, legal pot is the least interesting thing about the place. But more on that later.

Mostly it's been a struggle to get back on track since the honeymoon ended. I spent most of June just catching up on stuff. Then, almost as soon as I felt things were back to normal, we had to start moving into the new house. Good news is that we're not in a hurry. Bad news is that the process eats up all my free time. I'm still editing The Variant War, a process that should be done before October. Speaking of October, the 2020 version of the Writer's Market book comes out on the eighth. I've decided to hold off on query letters until then. Just need to focus on personal stuff so I can be ready for what's ahead of me.

Have my other writing projects gotten any love? Not really. I hope to spend the next few months doing prep work for Thermal Kings to be ready for NaNoWriMo in November. I also put in an application to be the regional dude for the event. It will feel good to finally get to do some actual writing again. I also have a new short-form project, but it hasn't gotten as much attention as it probably should. The best solution here would be to schedule two hours every week to work on it. But, you know, personal stuff.

I finally got the Honorable Mention certificate in the mail. I will hang it up in my new office when we move. Wifey has been calling it the 'L. Ron Hubbard certificate', which has jokingly been taken out of context.  Hilarious. I also entered another short story for the third quarter. I won't hear back from them until around September. There has been a new story swimming around in my head, but it will stay in the notes phase until next year. Like most things apparently.

I had to look at the last entry before I realized that I hadn't made an update to the conference. Short version: It was a waste of time and money. There is no long version. I still might go back, but I'll be more careful with who I pitch to. That's all I have to say on the subject.

To end on a more positive note, I visited the Rijksmuseum while in Amsterdam. They had a Rembrandt exhibit but we were unable to get in. It was the last weekend and the viewing was a madhouse. However, they kept Night Watch in its proper place as the centerpiece of the museum. Words don't do it justice, so I won't even try. All I can do is ask a question. If you don't have seeing Night Watch on your bucket list, do you even want to live?