When I started sketching this cover, I wanted an eyesore–something that screamed amateur. It’s not quite as bad as I intended. My hand hovered over comic sans, but I couldn’t press the button. My eyeballs got in the way.

Next week, I’ll begin posting The Invader’s Guide to Earth by Nrrlian Imperial Obeserver Merl–his human name, not his real name. (He says his real name’s pronounced like Rastafarian with Ms for the Rs and Ls for the As, or maybe it’s Ts for the As. Whatever…My poor human tongue can’t pronounce it.)

I love caffeine. A few sips of black tea in the mornings jolt me awake and keep me going for hours. Homemade chai lattes are my poison of choice. My latte has its own pottery coaster between the backup hard drive and my computer. A hazardous spot for drinks, but it’s only 5 inches from my keyboard, making it perfect for drinking while working.

Hey, it could be worse…Actually, it couldn’t. I’m 28 with a BMI of 20.3 and I have high blood pressure. (Let’s not discuss causes. I still have this fairy tale belief that one day I’ll get it back under control.) Voluntary ingesting something I know raises my blood pressure by around 14 ml (top and bottom)…

I loved my Drupal installation. It offered power and flexibility. If I could dream it, Drupal could do it. For a price–server configuration know-how and coding skills. But Drupal needs brain power. If you want to keep your site updated and secure, it takes effort…and brain power. Lately, my brain power is in short supply.

I wake up in the mornings feeling like I haven’t slept in a month. Lava drips into my joints. Until recently, I had a kris in my kidneys and someone kept twisting the damn thing. Given all this, the ants crawling up my sides and constant exhaustion really weren’t big deals. The doc killed the kris wielder or at least temporarily disabled him. We still don’t know what’s causing the latest madness. All anyone…