I haven't updated here in a while and I feel guilty as hell about it. The two or three people still reading this journal deserve one, after all!

And it isn't like I have nothing to share. In fact I have had an extremely busy time lately, with lots of incredible stuff happening. Maybe this is why Pepys' diary tended to get more brief when interesting things were happening in sixteenth century London? So, anyway, I am just going to throw out a bunch of disconnected one-liners and you can comment with questions where you need more details (I reserve the right to maintain my silence, of course):

I didn't get laid off. Instead my business unit was sold and I ended up with a better title and a raise. No, I'm not complaining, but it has all been deeply weird.

I made a little more progress on remodeling my new place. Still much to do.

As part of my (new) job I went to Las Vegas for a trade show, driving down and back because we needed to take an actual car to the show. The road trip was interesting and I got to have a few beers with an old friend from Bellingham in Vegas. Other than that there wasn't much excitement.

I visited my parents and made a pilgrimage to the Rogue Brewery.

I went to Norwescon last weekend and had the best time I've had at a con in years. (My cheeks literally hurt from smiling and laughing so much.) However that seemed to be because I hung out at barcon the whole time instead of being all sercon and working the con/attending panels like I usually do. The weird thing is that I got a taste of what it is like being a 'connector'; it is fun to see people you introduced the day before talking to each other on their own like old friends!

On the way back from Norwescon, on Sunday, I stopped at a fannish pubmeet and got to laugh and talk some more. Apparently that well had not run dry.

I came to the realization that I really need to talk to a certain someone about why I continue to be so tentative in following up on the implicit offer of a relationship. [ETA Wow! Talk about your awkward, passive/aggressive sentences. But I will leave it as written because I am being so awkward and passive/aggressive about the circumstances. It fits, in a dumb way.]

I moved to a new office in a new building, which we share with the company I used to work for. I no longer have a window. However I am getting a Macbook Pro for my work computator. Nice, but I still wish I had the window.

I am about to get insanely busy at work.

I'm not writing fiction enough. As usual.

I sent in my taxes at the last minute, but not because I was procrastinating (for once). Rather, because I did my taxes yonks ago and realized I owed six grand, so I decided to not write the check until I had to. It still hurt.

As the weather improves I have been riding my motorcycle more lately.

That's it! More later...

Going to the Worldcon?

I have reserved a room at the Denver Hyatt (one of the convention hotels) for five nights from August 5th to 10th. It is relatively expensive with tax and all, so I am looking to share. Currently we have myself (I sleep in a chair, so I don't use a bed) and my nephew in a double-bed room. It should be easy to add one or two more.

If you don't have a room yet, and have suddenly realized you actually do want to sleep during Denvention, please respond with a comment here!

Yeah, I finally made it. Haven't seen much programming, other than the singing tesla coils concert; which was an hour late starting but totally worth the wait. Oh, and I've been making the rounds of the parties with a bottle of scotch under my arm...

One funny, marykaykare and hubby are here. It kind of boggled them to see me!


(No video up from tonight yet, this clip is from Duckcon 07)

It's nice to see Science Fiction Fanzines getting some serious scholarship. Sadly the collections themselves are not online, but you can still find a lot of interesting stuff on this web site.

Interaction (the Glasgow Worldcon which I am still bummed I am missing) has the list of Hugo Winners up.

Charlie Stross (aka autopope) won for his novella 'The Concrete Jungle'. Cool! Of course he had two nominations in that category, plus another in the novel list. So he also gets to go to the Hugo Losers party twice!

An international team studied the reaction of Tokien fans to the Lord of the Rings movie and found many see the story as more than simple escapism:

They found devotees reread the books, but tried to convince themselves they were seeing the story for the first time (although not knowing one of the most drawn-out and self-indulgent endings in cinema history must be a plus in the case of Lord of the Rings).

"Not knowing the plot or the ending means they can experience as much of the full emotions and tension as possible and their pleasure is increased," says Prof Barker, whose project was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.

Fans felt the movie was more than just an escape, but it was more important and enjoyable to those who work in jobs where they feel they have little control over their lives.

Prof Barker said: "And we found that the highest levels of enjoyment and importance came from those who saw watching it as going on a spiritual journey. It was not just 'entertainment', but a source of inspiration. It offered a sense of moral lessons that they want to apply to their own lives, if they can."

Which raises the question: If we form a 'First Reformed Church of the Unholy Ring' can we get a tax exemption?