Hey guys, this is not a real blog post, I’ll have one of those later today. This is just your approximately-every-three-months reminder that Steel Magnificat and my family operate on tips. I get a very small paycheck from Patheos for clicks in the United States, next to nothing for clicks overseas, a tiny amount of book royalties, and the rest of my living is just gratuities from readers who like what I write.
Depending on how much I make in a month, between half and a third of my income are subscribed monthly tippers, and the rest of my income is spontaneous gratuities from people who like my work. The tip jar button says “donate” but they’re not charitable donations, just tips to pay my light bill and rent. I pay taxes on them.
This past summer we got to see the return of Serendipity, and I hit the road and went hiking again. I started going back to church with mixed results. I have been meditating on the Gospel again. I have very reluctantly gone back to blogging about politics and why you shouldn’t showcase crackpots, even though it’s giving me flashbacks to 2016. Adrienne went to middle school for the very first time and she is thriving. And over at the Post-Gazette, I have been writing about the thing I call American Christianity. Coming up soon I’ll have another article in the Post-Gazette, more on my religious deconstruction, more Gospel meditations, and far more than I want to write on politics.
Right at the moment we’re not doing too well financially because the last of the summer light bills is very high, due to my patchwork of window air conditioners, and there’s been the usual slump of readers over the summer months. We are especially on the lookout for any new regular subscribed tippers and especially during the middle of the month, since rent and car insurance and at least one utility bill are always due right around the 15th so it’s a challenge to even eat. This month we have Adrienne’s birthday coming up, and then we’ll be staring down the barrel of the holiday season.
So, as always, I ask: if you like what you read, give me a tip when you can! It’s simple; just go to our donate page here, then click on the button and PayPal will walk you through the rest.
And now back to posts worth your time!
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