No Fooling

April 1

I usually do a cutesy April Fool's entry, but I don't have the energy for it today, and there's other stuff I wanted to write about anyway, so... Instead, I'll send you over to Locus Online, to sample the April Fool's shenanigans going on there.

First, writerly things. My review of Cory Doctorow's first novel is up at Strange Horizons. I liked the book, unlike Cheryl Morgan. So, like, point/counterpoint. The latest editorial at SH is all about online journaling, blogs, etc., and many of my peeps and I are mentioned. We do have a community, or rather a number of overlapping ones...

I had a chance to read the latest issue of Realms of Fantasy (I'm not in it! Oh, the injustice!), particularly the stories by some of my aforementioned peeps: "Pinioned" by fellow Web Rat Gabriel, which I read in an earlier incarnation, gets my nod for best story in the issue -- beautifully written, sad, and told with a touching inevitability. Barzak does marvelous work with his "The Drowned Mermaid", really winning me over with the last few paragraphs -- some truly marvelous imagery, and the story is set in a world skewed just-slightly away from our own. As always, Barzak uses fantasy imagery to deftly tell a story about the trials of the human heart. Dave's story, "Seeds-for-Brains", doesn't try for the emotional weight of the other stories mentioned, but it's a good, funny re-envisioning of the Headless Horseman story -- it's way better than Tim Burton's movie Sleepy Hollow. Dave's supposed to be in my area this month, and I hope to hang out with him some. We weren't close at Clarion, but I spent a good bit of time talking to him at Worldcon last September, and I'd enjoy the opportunity to talk with him more.

I think that's it, writing-wise... on to the personal.

Santa Cruz was, as usual, great fun (for me, anyway -- Heather was ill for part of Sunday, and Lynne had some lost-cat-anxiety). The weather was absolutely divine. Saturday we had lunch at Saturn, and played cards at Pergolesi, and bought fish and beer for dinner, and spent the evening playing games and talking and noshing on bread and teriyaki tuna, and drinking lots of wine.

Sunday Heather wasn't feeling well, so she slept in. I woke up early, natch, and sat on the couch reading Altered Carbon, which is a very good book. Eventually the rest of the house stirred, and Heather felt well enough to go out, so we went to Zachary's for brunch. Oh, yum. Their food is so divine, and they have good coffee. And though the wait was long, the street was filled with beautiful women in skimpy spring clothing, so who can complain? Then Scott drove us up to Loma Prieta. As far as we could go, anyway. There were views of the whole bay. Apart from the car nearly being shoved off the mountain by an enormous passing bulldozer, everything was lovely. Scott discovered an old, crashed car caught in the trees partway down the mountain, completely hidden from the road -- we had to go dangerously far down a wash to see it. We speculated on the possibility of there being money, drugs, or bodies in the trunk, and Scott and I entertained ourselves for a while chucking rocks at the car, though almost all the glass had been broken long ago.

Then we went looking for a nice green place to hang out, without success, the net result being that we drove around the mountains a lot. Eventually we returned to Santa Cruz, dawdled a bit in Pergolesi, then went for dinner at Malabar. Some of the best curry I've ever had, all vegetarian, though some made with convincingly fake meat. Scott and Lynne drove us home, and Heather and I watched a little TV, and crashed into bed.

Heather called in sick yesterday, still feeling awful from whatever was bothering her Sunday. Today I woke up in a similar state, and we both called in sick, though she seems to be getting over it. Bleah. So I'm laying around reading The Impossible Bird and drinking mint tea and generally trying to feel better.

Hmm. Otherwise? The newest contender for Best New Crack is the vodka marinara sauce from Trader Joe's. We had it again last night, and damn, it's the best pasta sauce I've ever had out of jar.

Flytrap is closed to subs as of today, and Heather and I will be making our final decisions soon, so if you're waiting to hear from us, you will soon. In a few months, we'll open to general submissions for issue #2, try to get listed at the various market sites, etc. I'm really liking the look of the magazine as it's coming together... something to be proud of. Something we made.

Later, peeps.

Words written since February 1, 2003: 25,800

Words written since last entry:
0. I did some outlining, though.

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