Just a comment that I find it interesting so many authors don't take advantage of the advance uploading capabilities Laz has given us. I see so many blog posts that the the next chapter is uploaded - and some time the blog post is AFTER the chapter is already available.
A few years ago, I received a couple of ratcheting belts as a present. I remember the days of the army slide belts, and wasn't too sure about these. Now that I've been wearing them, I'm never going back to the traditional hole belt again. I find that after about four months or so, I have to trim a half inch off the end, where the spikes that hold the buckle have slid, but I'm otherwise getting two - three years out of each belt, if not more. And I can change buckles between belts easily as well, to match clothing for formal occasions.
I easily survived the most recent ice event here, as it was, from my perspective, mostly a non-event. Some sleet on the roads, schools were closed, and that was about it. Further south got hit harder, and I have memories from a few years ago from the MAJOR ice storm that hit us and took months to recover. I swear, though, most drivers on the interstates here only have one gear for their car, which is flat out full speed. One of the Highway Patrol officers here got some nice dashcam video of a semi that was going too fast, hit a slick spot, then jack-knifed and tore the crap out of the restraining barrier between the lanes on the highway.
Speaking of semi trucks - congratulations to the European truck driver that did the first 1800 mile round trip delivery in his all electric semi. It only took him a full WEEK to do what would've taken two to three days, and due to the cost of recharging, it only cost TWICE what it would've to fill up with diesel. But somebody had to do it.
Also, congratulations to Tom Brady for retiring - again. Only this time it may be for real. That's one way to get rid of Gisele.
Oh, and as the Facebook Meme says - if you're keeping score, so far the Conspiracy Theorists are 37-0 on their 'theories' actually being real and the truth. :) Pesky thing, the police body cam video from Paul Pelosi's attack actually matching what NBC first reported and then later denied, even going so far as to chastise their reporter for having the temerity to report it. Or Pfizer getting caught saying they were doing gain of function research. Or Hunter finally admitting it is his laptop. Or the Steele dossier was fake. Sorry, guys - I've done so much research into the conspiracy stuff for A True History that there's a hell of a lot of them that I mention in the book that aren't theories, they're truth, that I've decided the only difference between a conspiracy theory and reality is a good publicist. (I mean, when you've got guys who were ON the Navy ships that have made depositions that they were using TWA 800 as a training exercise and accidentally shot it down... ah, well.)