Will's Good Idea for New Year's 2023

We've no plans tonight. 

We got in a five mile walk on Friday and a gym session yesterday despite a sore left triceps. Those five milers take two hours and are quite draining. Worth it? We dunno. We could probably take a week off, but when we do that, we feel all fat and pudgy. [Are you a girl? Do you also wrap a sweater around your waist when you go to the gym because you like to wear tights but don't want the blokes staring at your bum?-Ed].

Sports Wrap: When you play the Dallas Cowboys, you also play the refs. Another NFL game decided by a referee call on an obscure procedural rule. Are you proud of these outcomes, NFL? Of course you are, you helped Dallas last night.* No, we didn't have money on the game. We don't gamble, ever. We're just annoyed. Also, stupid, crappy Ole Miss. This afternoon we'll hit the local sports bar to watch Mrs. Stroock's Eagles play the Cardinals of Arizona. 

Some of Prime Minister Netanyahu's coalition partners are religious nutcases, or morons. The Times of Israel reports, 'Israel should discuss the revival of civilian settlements within the Gaza Strip as part of its planning for the enclave once Hamas rule is toppled, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Saturday night...' Madness. Incidentally, Bibi opposed the Gaza pullout in 2005. He was dead wrong. The withdrawal was Arial Sharon's last great act.* To paraphrase the late Rabin, keep Gaza out of Israel. 

This will be the last 2003 and Me. Here's what we wrote about 2003 exactly one year ago. What can we say? When we think back to 2003, all we see is the sun. A year when our professional life finally came together. A year of teaching. A year of writing and getting published. The year we began writing novels. A year of jogging. 2003 was the first year of our adult life where we actually felt good. On to 2004 and More. An odd year but not a bad one. We haven't had a truly bad year in more than 20 years. One of the reasons 2003 is so important. 

World War 1990: The Final Storm has its first 3-star rating on Amazon. Overall, 5 stars, 4.2 average. 

Doing the World War 1990: Norway readthrough on Friday, things were going fine. Then we slammed face first into the Tromso counterattack chapter. In this chapter, combined NATO forces hit the Soviet fleet around Tromso in an assault reminiscent of the Battle of San Carlos Water during the Falklands War. We encountered many problems. The place names were confusing, as was the terminology. We didn't adequately set up the Soviet's Tromso Squadron. Oh, and we accidently codenamed the attack Operation Blackwater. Heh. Should be Operation San Carlos. The attack is run by the French.

We reread the chapter on Saturday and cleared things up, for the most part. We're tempted to add a few scenes to Operation San Carlos. So far the Soviets in Tromso are hit by Norwegian F-16s, French Super Etendards, Canadian CF-5s, US Marine Harriers, and RNN Ula. We thought we'd have Marine Cobras go in, but our grognard talked us out of it. On to the Swedish Intervention. 

The last Will's Good Idea of 2023: what exactly is the summer sneak in going to be? Ideas below...

The Bastard's Conquest: a novel about a knight in William the Bastard's England**. Would begin the evening of Hastings. Robert d'Hautville is a young knight, his father was a loyal servant of William's. Takes readers to William's death in 1087. His son would probably go on Crusade in 1096. 

Red Dawn Thingy: Probably not a summer sneak in.

2543: Will's unrealized sci-fi epic. Also not a summer sneak in.

Desert Mercs: Band of British mercenaries help king of small Middle East kingdom win back his country after it's taken over by Islamist assholes. Merc leader has deep emotional ties to kingdom. We've actually written the 'getting the band back together scenes'. Think Dogs of War meets The Wild Geese. 

To Liberate Mars: The summer sneak in can also be a vanity project. Why not?

Your Idea Here: Something you want us to wrap up? Let us know. Got an idea? Lemme have it. 

Will's other last Good Idea for 2023: We're going back to working on Saturdays in 2024. As it is we're mostly bored. Again, why not?

*Will there be anything else, Mr. Jones? No Roger, I won't be needing you tonight. 

**Warrior king. Greatest Jew since Charleton Heston.

***Sometimes called William the Conqueror. England hasn't had a legitimate king since Harold Godwinson. And don't get us started on those bloody Germans Parliament installed. Below a pic of the castle at Hastings: