Renovations, Day 4

Today got off to a hectic start, with a late posting of Practical Meerkat and checking in with the Romance Bandits where I'm guesting today, and, well, Other Stuff.

Coffee alone is not going to get me through today - there will have to be chocolate, too.


Workmen showed up at 9:15. J will be here in a bit to go over the progress and update me on what's coming next week. Updates as they happen.
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11:10 - work progresses, slowed by the fact that one of the workers is out with a stomach virus *avert, avert*. We may end up taking the full three week's time, between the flood, the additional work on the pipes, and this. *sigh* Nothing to be done but endure.... meanwhile I am reading a mss for critique, working on a freelance gig, and Thinking Hard about The Books....

2:35: The drywall and supports are going in nicely. I have achieved chocolate. We may all yet survive the day.

oh, whew.

I admit it, I was a little nervous about DRAGON VIRUS. I mean, yeah, I'm a pretty good storyteller and a solid writer, but any time you try to go a different direction you run the risk of being told you suck/should go back to the kitchen...


So this was, in a word, whew. Also, *meep*.


“Compelling, magnificent, fantastic -- Dragon Virus is an apocalyptic ride through a darkening world of Changelings and Normals and other wonderful visions from Laura Anne Gilman’s brilliant imagination."

-- Douglas Clegg, author of Neverland.

this is not a political post. it is a post about what we are, and what we choose to stand for.

ETA: READ THIS BEFORE YOU COMMENT: As I said, this is not a political post. It is about putting people above money, about taking care of a real and ongoing problem.

However, Suri's Law is in effect. If you want to disagree, then come in, the discussion is open. If you come in with insults and "neener neener"-level arguments? You will be shut down. If you say anything that could be considered threatening, you will be reported. Please, sign your posts - don't be a coward about what you believe. Nobody takes "Anon" seriously.

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There is a move afoot in the nation -driven by the GOP - to repeal the new health care laws, to protect corporate interests, to defend against fear-mongering (and stupid) cries of "socialism!", and to ensure that people are forced to choose between keeping a roof over their heads or getting necessary health care.

This movement is killing people.

Think I'm overstating the fact?

Ask the friends and family of writer/reviewer Melissa Mia Hall, who died of a heart attack last week because she was so terrified of medical bills, she didn't go see a doctor who could have saved her life.

One person. Not the only one. That could have been me. Yeah, I have access to insurance -- I live in New York City, which is freelancer-friendly, and have access to freelancer advocacy groups. Through them, I can pay over $400/month ($5,760/year) as a single, healthy woman, so that if I go to the hospital I'm not driven to bankruptcy. But a doctor's appointment - a routine physical - can still cost me several hundred dollars each visit. So unless something's terribly wrong? I won't go.

Someone who lives in a state where there is no Freelancer's Guild or MediaBistro to put together an insurance plan for freelancers? Someone who has been laid off or downsized, and can barely make ends meet? SoL.

That could be you. That could be your best friend. That could be someone you've never met. That could be any of us - because there are people out there who think that taking care their neighbor is someone else's problem.

No. It's our responsibility. All of us, together. As a nation.

EtA: Nobody is trying to put insurance companies out of business. They will always be able to offer a better plan for a premium. We simply want to ensure that every citizen - from infant to senior citizen - doesn't have to choose between medical care, and keeping a roof over their heads, or having enough to eat.



We're trying to get this to go viral. Pass it along:

I won't watch another friend die because they can't afford healthcare. Save the Affordable Care Act! http://ow.ly/3QAD7 #ForMMHall #HCR

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EtA: guys, I don't mind you using my wording. But if you're going to quote my specs above (about being a freelancer) you might want to specify it's not YOU talking, but me. Better yet, delete that part and put in your own story.