lost time incident 79
Hey, everybody! How’s life treating you? Finding fresh food and water? Avoiding large predators? Found a buddy to get any parasites off you? Good, good, good.
For the first weekend in quite some time, I’m actually having to put in some overtime and an outside spectator would think this is no big deal. After all, instead of spending a nice day lounging around on a couch reading the internet, I had to spend a nice day lounging on the couch with a work-related laptop doing work-related thingsinstead.
You see?!? You see why capitalism was a mistake?
I’m writing this newsletter to you in one tab and in another, have pulled up schematics for guillotines.
Anyway.
Actually, the thing I wanted to share with you is some news I’m excited about: I got lucky and spotted an artist on Mastodon whose work I dug the heck out of. Their name is Sajan Rai and you should check out their Instagram where they’ve been pairing illustrations and haiku for a while. I liked Sajan’s art so much, in fact, that I reached out about commissioning a cover for that long-planned, slow-going collection of my microfiction from the witches.town year that I’ve been working on.
I haven’t given up on it. I do, however, keep complicating things by continuing to write new microfiction on Mastodon that also fits the project thematically, so I keep throwing new stuff in instead of editing, which is less fun.
Anyway, Sajan floated a roughed out idea and I thought you folks might want to see it:
Just a concept, obviously, and the foreground figure is going to evolve, but… isn’t that neat?
Now all I have to do is finish the book that’s supposed to fit behind this cover. Piece of cake.
In the meanwhile, maybe you’d like to read some short nonsense?
tex’s coffin warehouse
Hey there, cowgirls & boys on the lost time incident mailing list! We would be tickled pink if you would come visit us at Tex’s Coffin Warehouse when you’re able.
We got ALL kinds of coffins! Don’t believe us? Well… How about we prove it then? Check THIS out!
We have coffin models available now in all the latest, hottest styles. We’ve got:
- Mahogany
- Pine
- Chocolate
- T*H*E* V*O*I*D
- T*H*E* V*O*I*D (deluxe)
- Flames on the Side (goes faster)
- A bunch of birds glued together in a box shape
- One bird glued to you then we toss you down a well
- Tex’s personal coffin (’cause he ain’t ever gonna need it ’cause he ain’t never gonna DIE, darlin’!)
- Redwood
- Fern
- Reverse Coffin (Can’t be buried in it ’cause it already has a baby inside, hence the name… honestly, we shouldn’t have this one on the showroom floor but it’s a conversation piece more than anything)
- Jagged Rock
- Eco Friendly Mud Brick with decorative Grass Clippings
- And more!
Come on down, climb into a few of our coffins to take ’em for a spin, and when you’re ready to check out, make sure to mention “lost time incident” and not only will we take 5% off your ENTIRE purchase… we’ll make sure you get buried with a hand-selected glossy magazine Reading Package in a waterproof pouch. Just in case you need something to read when you get there!
We’ll see you… deep in the heart of Tex’s!
ending theme song
Sure, I usually put more fiction in these things, but you know what? Not today. I’ve only got a half weekend, so I’ve got more errands to run. I just wanted to make sure you guys got to share my excitement about the thumbnail sketch.
Anyway. Time to get some groceries, I guess. Because it’s 2018 and I’m still eating food like I’m on the African savannah, newly erect, waving to the last few Neanderthals, instead of eating a single food pill a day like a civilized citizen of the future.
I keep the world’s knowledge in a flat, electrified square of fancy rocks and electrons in my pocket, but I still have to eat?
Hope you’re doing well. Hope you’re doing better than you were. If you’re not, you’ll get there soon. Hang in there. As a species, we can throw things at the sun. You’re part of that. Way to go.
—Michael Van Vleet
Hey! Did you enjoy reading this? But did you find yourself thinking “Dang, if only this sort of thing were delivered directly into my inbox so I didn’t have to spend time on a website as if it were still the 90s or something!”?
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