
Saturday, March 21, 2026, Orlando, Florida
Hi there.
Itโs a warm, butteryโgold afternoon in Central Florida. The temperature sits at 76ยฐF (24ยฐC) under bright, generous sunshine, but with humidity at 36% and a westโnorthwest breeze of 8 MPH (12 KmH), it feels closer to 81ยฐF (27ยฐC). Itโs one of those rare Goldilocks days in the Sunshine Stateโneither too hot nor too cool, just perfectly balanced.


Up north, in places like New York and New Hampshire, this would pass for a lovely โreal springโ day. Based on my experiences in both states, though, it feels more like late spring than the seasonโs first act. I checked my Microsoft Weather app a few minutes ago: Madison, New Hampshire, is still shivering at 39ยฐF (4ยฐC). Even so, I imagine the Eidelweiss Districtโmy old neighborhoodโlooks beautiful this afternoon, crisp air and all.
There isnโt much news to report, but I did get a small bright spot last night. Amazonโs Kindle Direct Publishing sent me an email saying I can expect a royalty payment for last monthโs book sales.
According to KDP, I should receive an electronic deposit of $19.98 from Amazonโs U.S. store, plus a yetโtoโbeโdetermined amount for ยฃ1.54 from the U.K. store once the exchange rate is applied. Itโs not a jawโdropping figure, I know, but honestly earned royaltiesโhowever modestโare always welcome. Twentyโsomething dollars is still better than zero, and itโs a reminder that somewhere out there, someone is reading my work.

Since the notice arrived on a Friday night, Iโm guessing the deposit will hit my Florida bank account on Monday or Tuesday. With luck, the poundsโtoโdollars conversion wonโt be too harsh, and the total might nudge a bit over $21.
As for the rest of this Saturday, Iโm not sure how Iโll spend it. I might pull out one of my favorite films from my physical media collectionโ2001: A Space Odyssey and The Music Man are the frontโrunners. I havenโt watched many discs since moving here, partly because I still donโt have shelves or bins to organize my DVDs, Bluโrays, and 4K UHDs, and partly because the layout of my room makes TV viewing a little awkward. Still, a good movie is always tempting on a day like this.
Looking Ahead

The weekend feels like a gentle reset, and Iโm hoping to carry that energy into the coming week. With a bit of luckโand a bit of disciplineโI might make some real progress on The Jim Garraty Chronicles. Even small steps count, and if the weather holds, I may even find myself in the right headspace to push the project forward.
For now, though, Iโm just enjoying this rare, justโright Florida afternoon. Hereโs to a peaceful weekend and a productive week ahead.

Share your thoughts with the world!