I say "good" because an inexperienced or not-so-great student just means double the work for me

A perk of being anesthesia student coordinator is when I get an OR assignment I don't feel like doing solo so I give myself a (good) student to do it for me

I'm not unsettled that my copy of Night Shift somehow warped into this shape, with the back skewing higher than the front. Nope, not at all.

I did all the line edits for stories in Plott Hound's upcoming spring 2026 issue AND I beta read 5 chapters of a Clarion West classmate's novel. Been reading all day. My butt hurts.

Thank you! Yep, the Kickstarter funding campaign last year helped raise awareness of a new magazine + funds for 2025, but going forward it's more reliable if I just pay out of pocket. Money from subscribers also go directly to issue contributors, but the bulk of funding comes from me.

As a full time anesthetist, I pick up call shifts/work over the weekend for extra money to fund the magazine. Plott Hound, and paying the slush readers, authors and artists, really is a labor of love for me. Not always easy to make those ends meet, but supporting the arts is king.

Becoming an editor drove home for me that it really is nothing personal when I have to decline a submission. Starting 2026 I fund Plott Hound from my own pocket; I only have so many slots. I actually root for y'all to keep sending us pieces that will one day win us over!

A little notebook my sister had engraved for me. I use it to keep track of Plott Hound-related things like author and artist payments!

I hope y'all know that just because I'm Vietnamese does not mean that Vietnamese stories sent to Plott Hound get some advantage. In fact, especially if they're written by a non-Viet person, there's high potential for me to bounce off it. It's very obvious to me when they're written by an outsider.

I'm barely processing that it's 2026 and we're already about to start March. That means Year 2 of Plott Hound begins and our first submission period opens tomorrow! Our first time opening for reprint subs as well. We look forward to your animal stories and poetry!

I caught this shiny Yveltal in a remote raid and I'm so mad there's not enough allowed characters in a nickname so I can call it "CroatianBacon"

(So I went with the actual Slavic word for their version of bacon)

Wishing an auspicious Vietnamese New Year and a blessed start of Ramadan to those who celebrate 🎉

I really appreciate hearing that from you! As an artist myself, I have a specific aesthetic & criteria in mind when I scope for artists and potential cover art for Plott Hound. It's a real treat to collab with artists whose work I admire!

Got my stuff signed at Animeverse today. I didn't ask for quotes, but the voice actors threw them in on the house anyway. I dream of someday vending at artist allies, so their encouragement had me (metaphorically) lying in a puddle of tears.

Autograph haul from Animeverse Houston where they had most of the Avatar cast

Thrilled to find that after many years of searching and hoping, my favorite Mongolian singer is finally on Spotify

First local zoo visit and animal drawing session of 2026. This year I resolve to go and practice more often, like once or twice a month.

Very few books make me gasp aloud in horror and The Road is one of them

Reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy while listening to Nier Automata soundtrack for the ultimate post-apocalyptic experience

You can certainly publish under a nom de plume, if you prefer. Many of Plott Hound's contributors use them. Legal name is only needed for the contract.

Cover reveal for Plott Hound Issue 4/winter 2025! 🦉❄️

The question that starts wars and turns friends into enemies: who makes the best jollof rice and how do you make it?

My family in Texas is freaking out over the snowstorm, meanwhile my coworkers in Colorado are just excited to get more snow for skiing this weekend.

My two cats looking at me like I lost my screws when I said "perro" to them over and over all day

I must announce my joy to the world: after a lifetime of thinking I couldn't do it, today I did it. I figured out how to roll my R's. 🎉

It only took about 1000 times saying "perro" (dog) and "arreglar." (to fix) The dog (that's me) is fixed! (no not that kind of fixed)

My short story published in Apex Magazine last year, "A Ten Thousand Year Survey Into Seven Stomachs of an Ishta," will be translated in Spanish! There will also be an interview. Grateful to Voces de lo insólito for this opportunity!

-1st time travel to Japan (lifelong dream come true)

-1st time keeping cherry shrimp (which had babies!)

-reached intermediate level Spanish

-drove in a foreign country for the 1st time (the UK of all places, where almost everything is reversed) (2/2)

My 2025 milestones + achievements:
-started up Plott Hound Magazine as its EiC! 🐾

-became volunteer team lead for local cat rescue

-became clinical student coordinator on top of my base duties as anesthetist

-short fic published at Apex Magazine

-1st time travel to Ireland & Wales (1/2)

The bánh canh package you get at the Asian market can make 2 bowls and it's like $3-4.

Broth made with chicken bouillon, sesame oil, and of course, fish sauce.

Psst did you know that Vietnamese udon (bánh canh) exists? And you could get it for 1/3 of the price of Japanese udon and it tastes just as good?