Today is the last day to vote for the Locus Poll & Survey. I voted yesterday. I had the opportunity to vote for joe_haldeman‘s novel, The Accidental Time Machine for Best SF Novel. I voted for Kris Rusch’s novella, “Recovering Apollo 8” and Connie Willis’ “All Seated on the Ground” for Best Novellas. I was…
The signs in the mall (above which my office building sits) read that there would be a 7 AM fire alarm test this morning, so naturally the alarms went off at 7:59 AM. Hopefully, someone wasn’t holding a flame to a fire extinguisher or 59 minutes, timing how long it took to detect the smoke.…
About once every 10 years or so, we are sent through customer service training. About the best training I’ve ever taken, in this respect, was by a company called Ouellette & Associates. I got to know two of the trainers very well and the training was the most applicable of the type I’d ever taken.…
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
I paid my tax bill today. $3,231.00. Plus an $87 penalty for not withholding enough. I think I’ve finally corrected this and hopefully next year won’t be so bad. Still, I find the whole procedure a nuisance. I like Isaac Asimov’s idea. When asked what he’d do with a billion dollars, he answered that he’d…
I spent about an hour this evening finishing up the draft I am submitted as my application to Viable Paradise. I think the first three chapters are pretty good at this point, although I worry that perhaps not enough of the story unfolds quickly enough. I guess I’ll find out.
I took the new telescope into the backyard just now. It wasn’t 100% dark, but it was dark enough. I still need to learn how to work it properly, align it correctly, etc. But I pointed it at the half-moon or so that was up there and even with the low-power lens, all I could…
I love baseball. I think it’s the greatest sport ever invented. It has such a rich and varied history, and even so there is an intricacy to the game itself that makes it fascinating. And then there is the ability of the athletes to play the game! Amazing! One thing that has always bothered me…
Kelly’s flight was delayed 2 hours yesterday, but I picked her up from Dulles at 7 PM and we headed back to her place. I think she was glad to be home because it had been a long trip for her. We slept in this morning and then made pancakes for breakfast. After breakfast, Kelly…
I just finished about 3 hours of straight-forward, but tedious work. I was supposed to head to the airport at 4 PM, but Kelly’s flight was delayed 2 hours due to an equipment problem, so I’ve got time yet before I have to leave (and I’m watching the Yankees/Red Sox game at the moment). Going…