Open Thread: Good News
Share something positive in the comments. This is an open thread for any and all good news, because it feels like the world could use more of it these days.
For myself, I got a promotion at the day job a few weeks back, which was pretty cool. Also, our new cat Sophie is about to have her kittens. That should be a lot of fun, both because Kittens! and because my kids are really excited, and I get to enjoy their reactions as well. Finally, I’ve seen the final sketches for the Rise of the Spider Goddess cover art, and it is Nifty.
Your turn!
cypheroftyr
October 23, 2014 @ 8:36 am
#INeedDiverseGames is still going strong! 🙂 Excited that it’s getting out there and not fizzling out. Also, it’s nearly the weekend!
misha
October 23, 2014 @ 8:52 am
I got a promotion, too! It’s a position I’d applied for once before, and came in #2 . The person who got it made a mess and then decided to quit, so my interview was basically ‘do you still want this job?’, lol.
LJ Cohen
October 23, 2014 @ 8:55 am
The sf book I published in June just broke 100 reviews! And I’m 10k into writing the sequel. 🙂
Peter
October 23, 2014 @ 9:16 am
My parents are visiting me! I haven’t seen them since they helped me move here in March, so I’m looking forward to it. I’m taking tomorrow off, also, so I have a 3 day weekend.
Lisers
October 23, 2014 @ 9:26 am
Eight more days ’til Halloween! (Silver Shamrock!)
Cloud
October 23, 2014 @ 9:26 am
My second children’s book came out on Monday! It is called Petunia, the Girl Who Was NOT a Princess and I am very, very excited to see it out in the world- as is my 5 year old, whose bedtime story it is.
Paul Weimer (@PrinceJvstin)
October 23, 2014 @ 9:26 am
Good news? Mmm, the biometrics from my biometric health screening came back pretty good.
Natalie L.
October 23, 2014 @ 9:29 am
I got a new inexpensive fountain pen yesterday and it’s pretty great. It’s almost the weekend. I got an achievement in World of Warcraft that I’d been wanting for a long time. It’s the little things, sometimes. Often.
Lila
October 23, 2014 @ 9:32 am
I signed up for Yuletide and NaNoWriMo. I went back and re-read last year’s NaNo project (approximately the first half of a novel, maybe someday) and it doesn’t suck. And I’m starting to understand biostatistics well enough to help other people with their homework (I’ve never taken statistics before in my life, and I’m 53 and taking biostat as part of my first semester of a Master’s in Public Health. This is NOT the approach to learning statistics I would recommend.)
Joanne
October 23, 2014 @ 9:34 am
Well, our 10 year old labradoodle got a clean bill of health at his vet visit, with no recurrence of bladder stones and a full recovery from his surgery in April, so hooray for a healthy pet.
And I got to send my grandmother ultrasound photos of her newest great-grand baby-to-be which has made her VERY happy 🙂
Martin
October 23, 2014 @ 9:38 am
One of my favorite blogs had a post about positive news ;-).
Rachel Aukes
October 23, 2014 @ 9:43 am
I get to hang with you next week!
John D. Bell
October 23, 2014 @ 9:44 am
I found myself fortunate enough to be able to contribute some money to help a friend of mine (a rather renowned hacker) buy a new computer.
Even Better, when he blogged about it, other readers chipped in more than 20x what I had given him – so he’s going to be able to afford a *monster* machine. (Which he needs and richly deserves.)
Gillian Polack
October 23, 2014 @ 9:47 am
My new book is out and it has the prettiest cover http://satalyte.com.au/product/langue-dot-doc-1305-gillian-polack/ – this is as good as it gets! (You didn’t even know I had a new book coming out, when we chatted in June!)
Shveta Thakrar
October 23, 2014 @ 9:56 am
I get to go visit a friend this weekend and do all the fun Diwali celebrating I’ve never done beyond lighting a diya! Also, we’re going to World Market for awesome shopping times.
Congrats on the promotion and the soon-to-be-in-the-world kittens!
Lise Andreasen
October 23, 2014 @ 10:00 am
After a period with a lot of sickness, I’m slowly regaining the ability to, you know, go to work 5 days a week.
lkeke35
October 23, 2014 @ 10:20 am
I’m actually a Writer!!! Yay!
My blog is finally up. It’s been up for about a week and is getting some decent viewing. Yeah, I know it’s not a book, but it is WRITING! Right now, it’s mostly TV show recaps/reviews and I’m still finding my voice.
I also wrote my very first Meta about Supernatural.
Siddhartha
October 23, 2014 @ 10:30 am
Well, it’s diwali / deepavali today (it’s already _tonight_ here in India) and we are lighting firecrackers with our friends & their kid and eating panipuri (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panipuri). I have a four-day weekend and more friends are visiting us tomorrow. Life does not get much better than this. 🙂
In other news, I have completed writing my first real short story and will be submitting it to a real magazine this weekend.
Kenton Kilgore
October 23, 2014 @ 10:58 am
I published LOST DOGS, my second novel, a month ago today. Sales have been good and the reviews have been *awesome,* especially from dog-lovers.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MW8B372
Jess
October 23, 2014 @ 11:11 am
I’m getting to treat myself this weekend with a massage and two movies! And the edits for stories I plan to submit (or re-submit, in one case) seem to be going well!
celli
October 23, 2014 @ 11:30 am
There may be a theme on this blog! I had a really good conversation with my boss today about how we can change my job to focus on a couple of specific things; that lets me be the most productive and also will help with a promotion down the line.
I’m signing up for Yuletide, too. I haven’t been writing much, but this always reminds me how much I love it.
I wish I could +1 everyone else’s good news. Yay!
D. Moonfire
October 23, 2014 @ 11:35 am
After three months of going back and forth with the department of public health and lawyers, I finally got my son’s birth certificate corrected. There was threats of court orders and a whole slew of other things, so I’m happy it’s over.
And I’m doing panels at ICON this year. Which is exciting, more so since I’m the *only* panelist on one of them.
XtinaS
October 23, 2014 @ 12:06 pm
I GET TO TAKE MY BRAIN MEDS AGAIN. I cannot stress enough how joyous this is for me.
Avilyn
October 23, 2014 @ 12:09 pm
Closing on our new house tomorrow morning, yay!
Also, congrats on the promotion & the pending kittens! Looking forward to adorable photos of them we can squee over. 😉
mjkl
October 23, 2014 @ 12:46 pm
My good news is that I have a chance to read lots of good news today! And congrats on the promotion!
Katherine
October 23, 2014 @ 12:51 pm
I broke my leg/ankle in February (not-so-good), but I’m finally starting to get back to my old activity level, and yesterday I was able to work out hard enough that OMG I’m _feeling_ it today for the first time since the accident. So I’m in pain, but it’s GOOD pain!
And congrats on the promotion and kittens! Make sure you post pictures of the babies!
EJ
October 23, 2014 @ 12:53 pm
This rain may not delight me, but the plants needed it; I’m glad for that. Figured out a plausible source of pain and am taking steps to correct it. Made myself a cup of good tea. 🙂
D. Moonfire
October 23, 2014 @ 12:56 pm
That hurts and my sympathies. I snapped the end of my fibula in July (crossing a street of all things, hit a pothole). I can walk, but I’ve been in pain ever since. I haven’t been able to get up to my activity level since. 🙁
Jim C. Hines
October 23, 2014 @ 1:11 pm
Wondering if I should install a plugin that would let folks click “Like” for comments.
In the meantime, please consider all of these ::Liked:: 🙂
Morgan Brilliant
October 23, 2014 @ 2:19 pm
Our geranium still doesn’t know it’s not summer anymore and is growing accordingly.
We’re getting new floors for our living/dining room, kitchen and back hall! (And pantry, because of the weirdness that is this house.) This means an end to the disintegrating carpet pads and the resumption of effective vacuum cleaning.
I am once again writing every day, working on a single project. (Thanks here to Jim; he’s the first person I saw write about HabitRPG.)
Congratulations on kittens, new houses, promotions and general improvements in health. XtinaS, how wonderful for you! I know how important that can be.
lkeke35
October 23, 2014 @ 2:26 pm
Oh yeah, the trailer for The Avengers:Age of Ultron came out this week.
I’m still squeeing!
Erika Ensign
October 23, 2014 @ 3:06 pm
I’ve had the most fabulous creative meetings two nights in a row–the kind that really juice up one’s brain (and heart) because of the amount of passion and talent involved. I’m co-producing the podcast for the soon-to-be-launched Uncanny Magazine. I do an awful lot of podcasting, and I’m not sure I’ve ever been so engaged and excited before a ‘cast has even begun!
Note that I *am* this excited about my primary podcast (Verity!) but when we started we had no idea what we were doing, so there was a lot of fear involved too. 🙂 This time it’s just elation, space unicorns, and full-steam-ahead!
Romy
October 23, 2014 @ 3:41 pm
I am in love and loved in return.
Nenya
October 23, 2014 @ 6:25 pm
Ooh, I’m doing stats too! 😀 Very basic intro stats at the age of 34 (second go at college, accounting focus). I’m finding it quite a lot of fun, honestly. And whoo, drawing graphs (or making Excel draw them)! 😀
Dee
October 23, 2014 @ 6:29 pm
I completed the first draft of a novel that I had been schlepping along not-quite-writing for a couple of years, but doubled-down and wrote the second half in the last four months. Still super full of writing energy. And loving the positive energy in these comments – great idea, Jim.
Nenya
October 23, 2014 @ 6:34 pm
I got to see a partial solar eclipse today for the first time!
Also, Bobbi Morse in Agents of SHIELD. 😀 😀 😀
mjkl
October 23, 2014 @ 7:29 pm
I’d love to be able to “like” comments, and also posts when want you to know I like them but don’t have anything of interest to say about them.
wanderthe5th
October 23, 2014 @ 7:47 pm
It’s my first month at a new job (which I like quite well) and while in general it’s going well, I just found out today that one of my sales number is way above expectations. Like about 15x more. My boss is pleased, other managers are impressed, and I’m quite proud of myself — I didn’t think I was doing so well!
Sally
October 23, 2014 @ 9:44 pm
Yes, both!
Sally
October 23, 2014 @ 9:50 pm
The Pumpkin Pie Mochi Ice Cream from Trader Joe’s is AMAZING. Two of my favorite things, combined to make something even more than the sum of its parts. Only the calorie count keeps me from eating the whole box at once. Real pumpkin, punkin spice, graham crackers, molasses, honey, and ice cream all wrapped in mochi. Buy it.
Also I saw sunspots with my very own eyes today during the eclipse (with the proper filter, of course).
mjkl
October 23, 2014 @ 9:56 pm
I, who am allergic to nearly everything yummy, discovered that I’m not allergic to JP Lick’s vegan chocolate coconut “ice cream”, and it’s AWESOME!
CJT
October 23, 2014 @ 11:30 pm
Yes, please! It’s nice to be able to say “I like this” or “I agree with this” without cluttering up a page. There are so many times that I don’t say anything because I don’t have anything other than “I like this” to say.
CJT
October 23, 2014 @ 11:33 pm
You will post kitten pictures when they arrive, yes?
Not so much personal good for me, but for friends – one friend rescued a pair of three week old kittens who just got a clean bill of health from the vet and are being adorable, and another friend came through a serious and tricky back surgery just fine, the first major step on a road to being pain-free! Meanwhile, my footwarmer is keeping my feet nice and warm and purring at me. It’s not really news since she does this regularly, but it is good!
Nina Niskanen
October 24, 2014 @ 1:42 am
NaNoWriMo is just around the corner and I’m loving my outline. I am also loving the revisions I’ve made to my previous novel.
D. D. Webb
October 24, 2014 @ 7:13 am
Man, I needed this. It’s been a stressful time and everybody’s good news is fantastic to read.
Mine is that my webserial is coming along very well! It’s getting positive reviews, links from other authors and climbing the ranks at Topwebfiction.com. As someone who struggles with depression, this is more gratifying than I can express; knowing people like my work keeps me motivated to carry on working even when I’m in the pits.
Kassie
October 24, 2014 @ 8:20 am
We are under contract on a house that we love!!! And, double bonus, it’s back in the city we grew up in but haven’t lived in since we got married 7.5 years ago so our kids will get to grow up near their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins!
Katherine
October 24, 2014 @ 2:56 pm
OMG!!!! I hope that you recover well, that sounds kinda nasty D: Ankles, man.
DawnD
October 24, 2014 @ 3:48 pm
I am finally over the pneumonia, and approaching normal activity again. I can walk and breath at the same time 😀
And I am filling in for my boss for 5 weeks and I should be getting a promotion while she’s gone. I am enjoying the extra responsibility and looking forward to making some of it permanent.
And, yes please on the kitteh pictures!
D. Moonfire
October 24, 2014 @ 3:52 pm
It would be better if I dind’t have a four year old jumping on it every few days. Mostly, it’s fine as long as I remember to pick up my foot to turn and I don’t hit the side of it. Or lean on my heel for more than a few minutes… or sit cross-legged.
… yeah, it sucks.
According to the doctor, they said it could be a year or so before it stops hurting.
Nalini Haynes
October 24, 2014 @ 6:25 pm
Good news? I was contracted by the Arts Centre Melbourne to interview kids on the autism spectrum about their puppet’s stories in their interaction with Terrapin Puppet Theatre. I then went home and ghostwrote the kids’ stories. This was awesome fun and I actually got paid!
My stories, along with lots of stories by other writers, are over here: http://ithinkicanonline.com
Beverly
October 25, 2014 @ 1:04 am
I sold a painting for the first time ever! I feel like a real artist.
Also, it is pumpkin season (a.k.a. happy Bev time).
Jay
October 25, 2014 @ 3:17 pm
It’s a beautiful fall where I live, the weather is gorgeous. I took one of my dogs to the vet yesterday to start treating his seizure disorder & the bloodwork disclosed he is hypothyroid, so we’ll start treating that first…and it’s just really good news that we are slowly but surely getting this rescued dog healthy! He’s such a happy, goofy fellow.
And I’m really, really glad I can afford to do this for him.
I’m also really excited to start helping a low income, disabled man in training a pup he rescued as his service dog. I am thankful I have the skills that can help someone else.
caroline praed
October 26, 2014 @ 11:55 am
I’m in a wheelchair and cannot leave the house except in an ambulance or special taxi, so I was thrilled when my daughter offered to cut my hair!
She is not [nor does she ever aspire to become] a hairdresser, but she made a beautiful job of it.
Blessings on every volunteer!
Karen
October 27, 2014 @ 12:12 am
The police recovered most of my jewelry, which was stolen about two months ago. And I started sewing on a new quilt.