I spent about a week wondering if the trees out by the edge of the property were dead. I was mentally calculating the expense of having them taken down and new trees planted in their place against the joy that The Mrs would have chopping them into firewood. Then one morning I looked up and saw a canopy of green.

The flower garden was exactly the same way. The dogs like to start on one side of the pool, then walk all the way around every time that they go out. I know that I walked past that spot at least half a dozen times that day. On our last trip out, as the sun was setting, I was surprised to find a riot of purple flowers. This morning the yellow ones popped as well.

Of course, the downside to all of this is the other yellow which has popped up—pollen. Ugh.

I’m still a little worried about the apple trees, but I remain hopeful that they overwintered OK.

It was very strange not being at the Motor City Comic Con this weekend. As mentioned before, GLAHW was waitlisted this year. I had a whole post asking what the opposite of FOMO might be, as I actually enjoyed the Conless weekend, but as you will see below, that idea was replaced with another.

Listening To: The Reverend Horton Heat on vinyl. I found a couple of his records online and added them to my collection. It’s weird having to get up and flip the album over, but at least I’m getting my steps in. It’s pretty cool that Liquor in the Front has actual liner notes on the inner sleeve.

Currently Reading: Submissions for this year’s Erie Tales anthology. This year’s theme is ecological horror. If you are a member of GLAHW, submissions are open until 31 July. If you are not a member, click here for information on how to join.

Current Obsession: We’re working our way through the final season of The Boys on a week by week basis. I simply can’t do this one as a binge watch because it’s too much like watching hours and hours of the news. We’re also enjoying R.J. Decker, but this is no surprise. I’ve loved Carl Hiassen for a long time.

We took the puppies for another socialization walk around the Brighton Farmers Market on Saturday. Everyone there was absolutely great. It is so nice to have people ask before approaching the dogs. For the most part they were calm when meeting new people (although you can just feel the controlled chaos that is their desire to jump on people—it’s like having a pair of coiled springs on leashes). The funniest part of the day was when The Mrs was looking at tomato plants so I took both of them off to the side. There was a little kid jumping in a puddle (it rained off and on all day). His mom, desperate to not have a soaking wet child in the car seat said “Hey, do you want to go try some cheese samples?”

BAM! Both dogs slammed into perfect sits, drool dripping down. Yeah, they definitely know that word.

The Mrs has been at the Brighton location most of this week (she fills in at different clinics in the U of M Hospital system). We visited her at lunch time on Monday, then went off to buy dog food. They are getting quite good at walking next to me (not quite an official “heel” but we haven’t worked on that yet), even when I’m pushing a grocery cart.

If you are reading this on the day it goes out, there are only two more days before our sponsored showing of Gymkata at the Historic Howell Theater. Tickets are available online or at the door, but we will be in the lobby selling books and every book purchase comes with a ticket for admission!

We will also be sponsoring For Your Height Only 13 June and we’re working on something special for my birthday month.

Speaking of sponsoring, we are sponsoring StokerCon, but family obligations will prevent us from being in Pittsburgh this year.

Our next big show will be Frankenfest in Port Huron. More on that as we get closer.

We added a new appearance this last week. We will be at the inaugural Detroit Horror Con being held 28 - 30 August at the Oakland Expo Center in Waterford Township, MI.

We also have a couple other possibilities lined up. Keep an eye open here, or check out the Dragon’s in the Wild page for a list of all of our appearances.

This one’s kind of ranty, so I understand if you want to dip out here.

I received my driver’s license renewal form the other day. This year I can’t renew by mail. I guess it has something to do with the fact that I haven’t had a new picture taken for it in over a decade. Whatever. Fine, this means that I’ll finally get a Real ID. Hell, I thought last weekend, I can even get an Enhanced Driver’s License.

Brief Aside—There is most definitely a difference between the two. Real ID allows you to fly domestically. EDLs allow you to cross into Canada. Real IDs can not be used at border crossings, as The Mrs found out last year when we went to Canada.

Currently, I don’t have either. I use my passport for everything. Well, since I have to go in and get my picture taken, I might as well do all of the other shit too, right? Should be easy. I have my current driver’s license which doesn’t expire for a couple of months. I have my valid passport. What more could they need?

Quite a bit, actually. The need my Social Security Card. Now I know exactly where I keep my SSN card—at least I did at the old house. We had a drawer that had all of that kind of stuff in it. Sadly, we do not have a similar drawer in The New House™️. I looked all over the place, every place I can think that we might have put it, no dice. I found three expired driver’s licenses. I found The Mrs’ expired passport that we were looking all over for a few weeks ago when she want to renew it.

[Note: Since starting this post I did a thorough cleaning of my desk and did find my actual Social Security card.]

Fortunately, there are other official ways to provide your SSN. You can bring in your W2s. You can bring in a pay stub with your current address. You can bring in proof that you are retired and drawing Social Security. So here’s the issue with that: when we moved, I stopped working retail and focused entirely on running Dragon’s Roost Press. Since I am self-employed, I don’t receive a W2 or a paystub. There are plenty of other documents, tax related documents in fact, that I do receive, but they all have my Employer Identification Number on them. And I’m nowhere near old enough to start drawing Social Security, despite what my knees tell me.

All right, fine. I’ll go on the Social Security website and order a new card. I scan in my passport. I scan in my Driver’s License. I use their secure mobile site to take a selfie. I provide pages of other information. All in all, the Social Security part of the process takes about 15 minutes. I get to the last page, click Submit, and get a pop up window saying that they are currently unable to process requests and to try again later.

I sit at my desk for a full five minutes, reminding myself that my laptop costs a lot of money and it’s not the laptop’s fault and that windows cost money too and I definitely should NOT throw said laptop out of said window.

[Note: apologies to anyone in Livingston County, MI who was frightened by the howl of rage which emanated from the window mentioned above.]

FINE.

Shutter the whole thing and come back again later.

I should also mention that the Michigan website has helpful pull down windows for the other supporting documents that you will be bringing in to prove your address. Like a credit card bill or a bank statement or proof of a mortgage or a utility bill.

One word: paperless.

I’m not sure if documents printed on a home printer will be accepted. I never got that far.

Keep in mind, this is all to renew my Driver’s License. You know, the primary form of identification WHICH HAS MY MOTHER FUCKING ADDRESS ON IT ALREADY!

Oh, and did I mention that all of this was just to set up the in person appointment? All of this computer work is required BEFORE you can go in and talk to someone. This is all part of the appointment making process.

I can only imagine how difficult this whole rigamarole would have been if I didn’t have access to the internet and a mobile phone. Or if the banking statements and utility bills and such were in the name of my spouse. Or if I had changed my name at any point in my life—say for example when I got married or had changed gender. The entire process of getting an acceptable form of official identification would be damn near impossible.

So tell me again how the SAVE Act was anything other than a blatant attempt to strip people of their ability to vote.

I tell you what, whatever else I might have a hard time finding, I know EXACTLY where my voter registration card is.

And I use it every time I am able.

And plan to continue to do so until all of the assholes currently in office are gone.

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