The ice vanishes, the snow drops

We were so close to getting rid of the ice. It was even forming cool shapes, like shelves on the front steps. The first snowdrop is lifting a white flower from the brown earth. But no. Now it’s all covered with a thin, thin layer of slick, white goop. Overnight it’s going to rain and […]

My rewriting wresolutions

One of the up sides of going to Boskone is just hanging out with fellow writers. One of the down sides is repeatedly being confronted with my difficulties in letting go of the stories I’m working on. There’s the pen story, in which a merchant’s daughter discovers that the pen she borrowed is a lot […]

A Proper Boskone Recap

Here’s what I remember from Boskone. Highlight: Buying a skein of yarn hand-dyed in beautiful shades of lilac, plum, and lavender without any idea what I would knit with it. Not a highlight: Discovering that knitting with other knitters is so distracting that I had to undo all that knitting. Interesting quantum of fact: The […]

Back from Boskone

Got up. Got out of bed. Dragged a brush across my head. Went out. It was fine. Never had to stand in line. Got back. Had a nap. Dragged a cat across my lap. And that’s enough of that.

Boskone 2009

Unlike Readercon, which I eagerly await, Boskone always sneaks up on me and suddenly it’s time. Though it actually started last night, I’m going to Boskone just for today and tomorrow. I may not post anything Sunday night. I’m planning to have lunch with my teachers and cohorts from the Ultimate SF workshop. There’s lots […]

Re: A Song for Arbonne

Set in a world based on the times of troubadour in Provence, A Song for Arbonne stars a group of extraordinary characters who do extraordinary things. As in Tigana, much of the story is driven by men who cannot give up their fixations. Also, Fionavar is mentioned, and there’s a big battle at the end. […]

Snow Prevention Mittens

This is what I was knitting while I waited for my car the other day. Mittens. I think this picture captures the more confusing aspects. The needles are going every which way, you’ve lost track of where the yarn is, and you generally feel all thumbs in your work. Even so, one is done, and […]

More green emerges

It’s getting warmer and it’s showing more greenery out there, but it’s looking a little like collards are not the sort of plants that consider a foot of snow good protection against winter. I haven’t seen them since I managed to cut a potful of leaves for greens on New Year’s Day. Now, I wonder […]

The R moved

The Red R on the front of my car is still there, but it moved–to my new plates. I came prepared to wait at the Registry, so I waited and knitted. Exchanging my plate was a breeze. Then came the moment of truth: could I get the new red plate into the front holder?

A Simple Begining of Darwin

I finally gave in to the pressure of hearing so many stories about Darwin that I got up the gumption to wedge my Darwin collection out of its slipcase. It’s four books collected in one volume, very intimidating. I mean, this thing is fatter than a dictionary! Then I read the first chapter of Voyage […]