Those of you who stopped by to visit this weekend might’ve noticed an addition to the sidebar.

That’s right, the dreaded tip jar. I know that little yellow button can have a way of spreading ripples of terror in its wake, so I wanted to try allaying those fears before they get going.

NONE OF THIS BLOG’S CONTENT WILL BE PAYGATED. 

Not now, not in the future. I favor the Jim Sterling model of content creation – let it exist as it always has, and if you think the enjoyment you’ve gotten from that content is worth kicking in a few bucks, hey great! There’s a button for that now. If you don’t? That’s cool, it’s still there.

Now, it’s possible that down the line, waaaaaaaay there in the future place, I might establish an Analyst for Hire sort of deal: kick in a locked-in donation amount (different depending on the length of the requested subject matter, I imagine), and you can tell me what to write too many words about (I’ve also kicked around the idea of Patreon but that, again, is a distant twinkle in the conceptual eye). All of this is very much in a nebulous stage of thought, but it’s something to be excited/irritated for in the future.

But hey! Why am I doing this?

As we all know, writers on the internet can subsist solely on the midnight dew of pixel glow, leaving thought-trails like helpful blog-cobblers for their enterprising readers. Alas, I accidentally threw a wrench in that whole plan.

This is Cecil. While a stalwart companion, he fails to understand why I do things like “type” and “leave home to work” when I could, in fact, be paying attention to him. He also likes to eat, and fails to understand the “night dew internet cobblers” concept – meaning that, alas, I continue working a day job in order to feed his sad face. And really, doesn’t he look soft and adorable? He is. He totally is.

The Donate button: You too, can help spoil my dog with cuddles and treats.

No but really, I don’t say this often enough: thank you, readers. I’m grateful for and slightly baffled by each and every one of you. Y’all’ve been wonderfully kind and supportive.

See you next time!