awakeAlso, I just got offers of assistance from Jeff VanderMeer and Matthew Cheney. Here's the deal: Jeff is offering free signed first-edition hb copies of Shriek: An Afterword to five people who donate and say so via his blog. Two of those books have already been claimed, I know. Meanwhile, Matt Cheney is offering three free copies of Best American Fantasy. So, if you'd like to donate and recieve Shriek, go to Jeff's blog and do so. If you'd like Best American Fantasy, say so here. Once I have confirmed the donations via PayPal, I'll let Jeff and Matt know. And my thanks to both of them. By the way, given what Matt and Jeff are offering here as incentives, and that these are their own private copies, I'd suggest these donations be at least $20.
And, for the last time, here's the PayPal button:
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Subterranean Press has made an offer on my first collection of science fiction, and I've accepted. The book will include all my previously uncollected sf short stories, and will likely be titled either A is for Alien or Bradbury Weather and Other Stories. I'll post more details when they are available. The Dry Salvages will not be included in the volume, but we're talking about releasing the
Tales of Pain and Wonder is now at the printer, and you probably want to place your order soon, if you haven't already.
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Byron came over last night, and we had dinner at the Vortex at L5P. He actually had the audacity to order the "Elvis" burger, which comes with fried banana slices, peanut butter, and bacon. I only had a bowl of chili, mostly because chewing is a chore right now, but I think one look at Byron's burger and I'd lost most of my appetite, anyway. He pronounced it "interesting." Anyway, he'd brought along a copy of John Dower's Britpop documentary, Live Forever (2003), and we watched it after dinner. I was a little disappointed that most of the film was given over the Oasis/Blur feud, and that so many important bands were only mentioned in passing (Radiohead, Portishead, Suede, etc.). I've always thought Noel Gallagher was a pompous ass and that Liam Gallagher was a silly git, and the documentary only served to reinforce those impressions. On the other hand, Damon Albarn (Blur) and Jarvis Cocker (Pulp) come off rather well. And I thought the film did a nice job of exploring the optimism surrounding the rise of New Labour and Tony Blair. And then I proceeded to go to bed at the rather reasonable (for me) hour of 2 ayem and sleep an almost unbelievable nine and a half hours.
Also, courtesy Sonya Taaffe (
sovay), "Marie Smith, the last speaker of the Eyak language, died on January 21st, aged 89" I found this bit particularly chilling: "Just as impossible, scoffed the experts: in an age where perhaps half the planet's languages will disappear over the next century, killed by urban migration or the internet or the triumphal march of English, Eyak has no chance."Okay. Cat, get off my desk!
