So, you know, it’s a quiet holidays – we’re going over to my wife’s sister for the “big meal” and I spent Christmas Eve teasing my daughter about whether Santa Claus would come and whether/when we’d let her open her presents. It sounds cruel but, honestly, she’s vibrating at such a high frequency of excitement over the arrival of the other big fat guy that I’m not sure she noticed. Thankfully the big day is finally here, another 24 hours of delayed present opening and I’m convinced she’d explode.

This has been a remarkably stress free Christmas so far (for me, at least, can’t say the same for my wife), I did my shopping unreasonably early and (thanks to the t’internet) without having to rub shoulders with another human being, and so I’m feeling an unusual sense of deep contentment. I am, in an astonishing number of ways, a lucky man.

I hope everyone out there has a happy, peaceful (well, if not peaceful then at least non-violent) and harmonious Christmas and that the new year brings  you everything you need (and that somewhat approximates to giving you everything you want).

“And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God Bless Us, Every One!”

Posted December 25, 2008 Comments(0)

My review of the latest issue of F&SF is online now at The Fix, which is nice, though Gordon Van Gelder has already pointed out that I made a mistake – calling Dean Whitlock’s “Changeling” his first public story, when it obviously wasn’t.

Apologies to Mr Van Gelder and Mr Whitlock – fortunately the mistake happened on one of the stories I really liked in the issue, so I don’t feel like I’ve insulted an author twice!

The new BSFA mailing arrived today – unfortunately it’s a little late so some of the material in the newsletter is out-of-date. Still it’s a bumper Vector with loads of reviews and three very good short stories in a sampler from Elastic Press. And for the very first time in a very long time a BSFA mailing has gone out in which there is not one single word written by me… well, except for the newsletter… nothing in the magazines.

Speaking of the BSFA – is there any BSFA member out there (or anyone willing to become a BSFA member) with some web design experience who’d be willing to take on the production duties on MATRIX. Ian Whates has an issue that’s ready to go but we’ve got no one to do the web lay-up. The format from previous issues is already in place so there’s not much in the way of design to do. Come on, step-up, be a volunteer in the BSFA’s happy marching band…

Posted December 4, 2008 Comments(0)