Dispatches since 2005
The journal
Announcements, new editions, travel, diving, cooking and the working life of a novelist — 3,179 entries, all of them here in full.
June 18, 2021 · 100 words
Breaking Through
After weeks of frustration, things are finally getting done. I got the appointment I needed, I located a missing document, the laser printer I ordered a couple months ago is finally being shipped, the tractor got fixed, the hot tub ditto, and (after a couple hours chatting online with stupid robots) I got Comcast to [&
Read entry →June 13, 2021 · 150 words
Having a Day
UPDATE: Turns out I got my mental calendar turned around and posted my Father’s Day tribute a week early. But you know what? Now my dad can have a whole week! For Father’s Day here in the States, I post a photo of my dad on a fishing trip taken before I was born. I […]
Read entry →June 11, 2021 · 772 words
The Steel Fortress
A few weeks ago I wrote about my post-COVID lassitude and the difficulty I was experiencing in shoving myself out the door and into the world even after the vaccines had made it safe to do so. Well, the lassitude is over. Two dinner parties last weekend, three the weekend before. Lots of hanging out. […]
Read entry →June 3, 2021 · 53 words
Taos Toolbox is Back!
Taos Toolbox, the master class for writers of science fiction and fantasy, had been postponed past 2020 due to COVID. It’s now been rescheduled, for September 5-18, 2021. Until we determine how many of the original players can attend, we will be accepting no new applications. Keep watching this space for more informati
Read entry →May 26, 2021 · 45 words
When Dacron Polyester Walked the Earth
I believe the announcer is Don LaFontaine, known as “The Voice of God,” famous for narrating countless film trailers that began, “In a world where . . . ” Since he died, film trailers have almost stopped using narrators entirely. Apparently he couldn’t be replaced
Read entry →May 24, 2021 · 310 words
Too Long a Vacation
Since I’m vaccinated and the world is opening up again, I’m busy trying to tick off all the items on my to-do list that were delayed by the pandemic. And I’m not getting a lot of help. I think that people who have been in lockdown have just forgotten how to do their jobs. The […]
Read entry →May 12, 2021 · 452 words
Lassitude
The horizon has grown wider and brighter since I had my COVID shots, with my life regaining some of its former zest, with meetings and meals with friends, and more opportunities for social interaction that don’t involve Zoom calls and social media. What surprises me is that it all seems harder than it was. I’ve [&helli
Read entry →May 9, 2021 · 115 words
äitienpäivä
It’s Mother’s Day here in the States, so for your enjoyment I present a photo of my mother in conversation with our parakeet, Mr. Chips. I perceive the ornaments of a Christmas tree shining in the lower right of the photo. So many of my old pictures seem to be taken around the holidays, so […]
Read entry →May 6, 2021 · 553 words
Let Disney Pay
Better cover the eyes of the children, because I’m about to write something bad about Disney. Which is that they’re withholding payments from writers from spurious reasons. (Full disclosure: I may be one of these writers.) Twenty or so years ago I wrote a Star Wars tie-in novel called Destiny’s Way. It was published in
Read entry →April 26, 2021 · 256 words
Kitty vs. Kaiju
As I mentioned in an earlier post, Dish Network is devoting a single channel to (mostly) relaxing views of some countryside or other. February showed a view of the Giza plateau in the 1920s, which our cat Mocha found quite fascinating. Presumably in honor of St. Paddy’s Day, March was a view of an Irish […]
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