Filling Out

May 11

I don't know when I'll be able to post this; perhaps this morning, perhaps not for days and days (in which case you can expect a slew of entries to drop all at once!).

I have no regular internet connection. Meg's computer is dismantled and stacked in her basement at home. I feel like my head's been cut off. This is absurd. I should be able to go more than a day without internet access and not feel like a social outcast. I could dial-in to my home ISP, but we're in Meg's dorm room, and she doesn't have a long distance provider. Gnash, gnash, wail. I got online briefly this afternoon, but I forgot to write down Scott Nicholson's phone number, so I may not be able to reach him. We're supposed to have lunch tomorrow…

Hmm. I can go down the hill to Espresso News, and use their computer to check my e-mail. Then I could get Scott's number, call him, arrange to have lunch with him. That could work. Other than needing to get in touch with Scott, I guess I don't need to be online. I can endure.

Not sure there's much of note to report. Boone is rather changed, in only 9 months-- roads moved, buildings demolished, restaurants and bars closed. Sigh. Things change. That's the only constant.

I'm reading Marriage of the Sticks by Jon Carroll, and loving it. Really good. I'm very into it, though at this rate I'm going to run out of books very quickly. I should look into acquiring more.

I've sold a poem, but I'm not sure which poem (the editors are debating between two of them), so I'll wait to officially announce that.

Oh! And I got confirmation. My poem "Incident" is going to appear in the July issue of Asimov's, available June 5th. Fear not, I'll mention it again. "Incident" is one of my most favorite of my own poems, one where the language moves beautifully and in full accord with the sense of the poem. It's an old piece, but still one of my best, and it's the only poem of my own that I know by heart.

The Capricious Laptop is behaving itself admirably-- it's not even making space-blaster noises when you turn it on. Hurray! I'm having a fun time with Meg. Yesterday I ran around campus and visited old professors and such-- that was nice, everyone very happy to see me and hear how well I'm doing in California. Though they all said things like "Well, you've certainly filled out" and "You aren't an undernourished college kid anymore" and "I can see you're eating well out there." Then, after a pause, they say "Looks good." Sigh. Guess it's time to start running again, or swimming. Or, you know, eating less. Or better. Sigh. I haven't gained that much weight… but then, some of these people haven't seen me for a year and a half, so I probably have gained a noticeable amount since then. Bummer. I need to be nicer to my body.

Okay. It's later. So here I am in Espresso News, and I have acquired Scott's number. Isn't it exciting, following my adventures? Meg is still sleeping, maybe, though she might be up and bustling by now. There's a public computer here in Espresso, so I got to check my e-mail this morning, though I didn't have time to reply to more than a couple of messages. I should just resign myself to being incommunicado for a while. I didn't realize how much of an e-mail junkie I am. I'm going to be so behind on reading journals!

I'm not going to be able to read slush for Speculon until I get back to Santa Cruz, probably, so if any of you have submitted poems to me, be patient! I'll have a SlushFest when I return in June, and fire off a slew of responses. I should post something to that effect in the Market News topic of the RumorMill, that my response times are going to be longer than usual. Unless one of you wants to wander to the Mill and post that notice for me…

Scott (this is my housemate Scott-- there are multiple Scotts in this entry!) got me tickets to the Radiohead show in Mountain View! That's in late June. That's going to rule so much it hurts. I've wanted to see Radiohead play for years. I am so completely and overwhelmingly stoked.

Did I tell y'all that "Behemoth" is on hold again? Talebones held it a few months ago, and finally apologetically rejected it. Now Chiaroscuro is holding it. They'll let me know whether they want it or not in early June. I'm trying not to nail-bite. I love this story-- I think it's one of my best, and certainly it's one of my most ambitious-- and I want it to see print. And ChiZine has such a wonderful site design, they make stories look so good, I'd love for that story to appear there.

Okay. I'm going to read a bit, now, and then call Scott Nicholson, and then rejoin Meg to help her pack up the last vestiges of her college experience. Whee! Lots of running-around-and-eating today. Which is no good for my filling-out belly.

But, hell. I'm on vacation. I'll start taking better care of my body when I get back to my normal life.

Really. I promise.