I'm thinking about another trip...

Anyone want to join me??

Ok, so this is where I want to go--Everest Base Camp Trek.

Yes, that says Everest.

Am I up to it? Well, not now. Of course, not now. I think I would need about 2 years of nearly daily preparation. Preparation includes strength and endurance training as well as weight loss. Oh, and I have to find a nearby peak that would be a real challenge, both in steepness and in altitude. And I believe in making things even more difficult by carrying a heavier pack than I would actually need to be able to lift on the trail. Oh, and I haven't camped out in a while, so I would need to do that a few times too.

I've heard that Turtlehead Peak outside Las Vegas, while not all that high, is a nice steep climb over a very short distance. And altitude-wise, there are a few peaks around here, though I wouldn't recommend them during the winter months.

I'd also need about 2 years to locate all the right equipment at a not too costly price, and break it in.

So, anyone interested in going with me? It's good to have a travelling companion to encourage you to keep training. We all hit that point when we just feel like giving up. I can think of at least one person who I know who would really like to do Everest. Maybe he'd settle for the base camp trek? Oh, and don't forget, you need a month (4 weeks) vacation time from your day job.

Preliminary date of travel--2 to 2.5 years from now.

And yes, at least for now, I think I am serious about this. :-)

LosCon 2006

So far it's been wonderful.

I am missing my friends, a lot actually, but there was plenty to keep me busy yesterday. Not only did I run into my publisher, but I am one of the hosts of what for the second year in a row is the biggest and most popular party at the convention. It's actually a combination of three parties--The Herbangelist Wine and Cheese party, Keith Kato's Chili party, and Kenn Bate's Ultimate Dessert Bar (including chocolate fountain). The combination of those three parties along with the generosity of the con committee giving us the Presidential suite again makes for a very impressive show. Plus it's a lot of fun.

What's happening today? I'm not really certain--I actually wasn't given a copy of the programming schedule when I checked in yesterday. I should probably take care of that, though I rarely attend panels at this convention. I will be spending time with my publisher again. We have a lot to talk about. It's amazing how many details are involved in putting together an anthology. Right now, we're working on the shared world bible. Next, and granted we've already started putting this together, comes the invitation list. If everything works out well, the intro and first story will be written by an author who is so very popular that I don't think selling out the print run will be a problem at all. For now, I can't say who that is, but then there's a lot I can't say with the anthology still more than a year, possibly two from its publish date.

I wonder if the Burning Man group from Westercon 2008 is here? I should check into that.

On-line Journals

I was wondering just a few moments ago, how many people actually keep their journals on-line these days. I'm not talking about blogs, though granted there are people who use these just as they would a paper journal, but an actual journal that is most likely not publically accessible.

I do. I check every now and then to make certain that it is still private by googling it. So far, so good. Though, quite honestly, if anyone did find my meager entries they would be bored out of their gourd. My life and my thoughts simply are not that interesting.

I protect the privacy of those who are closest to me by using code names--no actual names for them. Others, I use only their first name.

But why bother putting my most, or at least more personal thoughts and events in my life on-line where, with a bit of luck, someone might stumble on to them? Maybe I like the challenge of trying to hide? Well, no, not really. I was never very good at hide-n-seek, though I'm pretty good at keeping secrets.

No, the reason I put my journal on the web is because I had thought at the time that I might allow others to share and comment. So far, I haven't invited anyone in. I continue to write just for myself, and would do so if someone else was reading as well. And, when it comes right down to it, there is probably nothing in my journal that I wouldn't be willing to share with someone else anyway.

Some people keep journals for historic or genealogical purposes. For me they are more therapeutic. My journals are my sounding boards. A place to think things through before expressing them to the rest of the world, or at least my friends. Unfortunately, I don't always do this and it shows when I don't.

Order of the Phoenix

For my nieces and nephew, and all the rest of you Harry Potter fans, here is the latest trailer.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Psoriasis, not just dry skin

Ok, so you might disagree with that. I have plenty of friends who think all you need to do to clear up psoriasis is go to the doctor and get a cream. In a few days or weeks, presto-chango, your skin is back to normal and you never have to worry about it again. Wrong! Oh, I'm not saying that there haven't been a few lucky people out there for whom this was the case, but for most of us psoriasis is a life long struggle to keep our symptoms under control, and, if possible, hidden.

There currently is no cure for psoriasis. That is fact number one in the long trail to destroying the "nothing but nasty dry skin" myth. Psoriasis is a non-contagious, genetic disease that results when faulty signals in the immune system prompt skin cells to regenerate too quickly, causing the build-up of red scaley lesions that crack and bleed. The most common locations are on the elbows, knees, scalp and torso, but it can occur on other areas of the body as well. For many these lesions can itch and be painful.

If you have the lesions, you have what is known as plaque psoriasis, and while it can be nasty looking and vary from mild to much worse, there are even more serious forms of psoriasis.

I would like to urge all of my friends to educate themselves on this disease, by checking out the The National Psoriasis Foundation.

And, for those of you who already deal with this affliction on a daily basis, or have friends who do, you should be aware of the following preliminary finding. Trust me, this is a definite reason to keep yourself as healthy as possible.

Portland, Ore., Oct. 10, 2006—In a study released today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Joel M. Gelfand, M.D., M.S.C.E., and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, found that psoriasis patients are at increased risk for heart attack.

Eleanor Waverly--Tears in my eyes.

After months of silence, my friend Eleanor Waverly has finally found her voice and put out a new post. And a post well worth reading it is.

Hmmm

While at WFC, a fellow author and I discovered that there is the very slight chance that we might be related. That's what knowing something about genealogy will get you--new relations every time you turn around. :-) Heck, crazier things have happened, so, yes, as soon as I get a chance, I will crossmatch our family names and see what I can come up with. As large as my family is I could be related to half the US and never know it.

My own parents didn't know they were close cousins until after I was born. And they grew up within a few miles of each other. The Catholic church, I'm told, frowns on marriages between anything less than third cousins. Actually, so did a lot of members of my family--procreate to your hearts content, go forth, be fruitful and multiply, but do not do it with thy cousins.

Yet, here I sit, cousin and daughter to my parents, cousin and niece to my aunts and uncles. And I don't even want to know my actual relation to my grandparents, who were related to each other themselves (no doubt). It makes my head hurt to try to figure out all my multiplicity of relations, where most people only have one. My family tree has many curved and twisted branches. Ain't inbreeding grand. :-)

Goodbye to WFC

After many hugs and a few last dashes through the dealers room and bar, it was off to the Austin airport to catch a plane to Dallas. All seemed well. We had a very friendly shuttle driver, and security at the airport was a breeze. The flight was quick. And then we hit Dallas airport and the long wait began. Just as we pulled into the gate the thunderstorms, complete with rain and lightening hit. Nothing to worry about, we were told. It will pass quickly. And, hey we still had nearly two hours until our next flight, even if our first flight had been about 15 minutes late due to the changing weather.

So, off to the gate in C terminal we headed. Now Dallas is a huge airport, if you've never been there. But we were lucky enough to have flown into A terminal and only be about a 20 minute walk around the horseshoe from C. Just as we arrived at our new gate, we were told "oh, the gate has changed to D terminal". Now this was not going to be an easy walk. A ride on the train would be required to reach the gate in time for our flight. Luckily the now "no longer our gate" in C was right next to a train station. So up the escalator we went, arriving just in time to catch the train, which happened to let our right next to our new gate in D. And now we had approximately 15 minutes to boarding, a three hour flight ahead of us, and a non-food flight at that. Oh well, we thought, no time to pick up food. We could stand to lose some weight anyway.

Much to our surprise, the flight had been delayed by about half an hour. So, while my companion held seats in the waiting area and watched our bags, I headed off to hunt up food. A few minutes later I was back and we were eating, and now still without giving us a reason, our flight was delayed an hour. The hour soon stretched to 2 and then a little more. And finally they told us it was due to weather, the thunder of which was now shaking the building, and the lightening flashing through the windows frequently. A bit later and they let us know that they were going to attempt to board the plane between storm cells. We boarded quickly, and then ended up stuck on the plane at the gate waiting for another storm cell to pass and then to find out if we would be able to take off that night, well now almost morning. Finally, more than 3 hours late, we took off into the storm.

It was a bumpy ride for the first hour or so, but a little before 2am we landed at LAX, and a little after 3am we were back home. Our luggage was soaked through, or at least mine was, but at least we were home.

I immediately sent an e-mail off to work to let them know I would be in late--I suppose I could have just freshened up and changed and headed off to work, but I had already been up for more than 24 hours. Ok, I would have, but my roommate insisted that I get some sleep and he drive me in a few hours late.

And that, in a very confused nutshell, is the adventurous trip home.

WFC Awards Results

The banquet finished about 20 minutes ago, and here I sit completely changed out of my party sparkly shiney wear and ready to head down to the hotel fitness center. First, though, I wanted to let anyone interested know who won the Howard(s) tonight.

The complete list of nominees for the World Fantasy Awards can be found on their website.

And here are the winners.

Novel:: Haruki Murakami for 'Kafka on the Shore' (Harvill; Knopf)

Novella:: Joe Hill for 'Voluntary Committal' (Subterranean Press)

Short Fiction:: George Saunders for 'CommComm' (The New Yorker 8/1/05)

Anthology:: 'The Fair Folk', edited by Marvin Kaye (Science Fiction Book Club)

Collection:: Bruce Holland Rogers for 'The Keyhole Opera' (Wheatland Press)

Artist:: James Jean

Special Award: Professional:: Sean Wallace (Prime Books)

Special Award: Non-Professional:: David Howe and Stephen Walker (Telos Books)

Writerly Info--New Market

For all my S&SF friends who are constantly looking for a new market for their short stories, here's a possibility I obtained from a small bit of networking during the Autograph party tonight.

Inter Galactic Medicine Show

The Editor is Orson Scott Card, and while I haven't read this on-line zine yet, I can tell you that the prints I saw were quite nice. The art work is gorgeous, and the pay rate is 6 cents/word, making it a professional publication credit. I have yet to check to see if it qualifies for SFWA membership credit.

Submission guidelines are available at the web site.

WFC

Yep, it's that time again. The 4 days of the year when I get to pretend and act like I am a writer. That means late night parties, award ceremonies, and long thought provoking, conversation filled days in the hotel bar. And lots and lots of networking at all occassions.

By some twist of fate, I ended up on the concierge floor of the hotel. This, like flying first class, is a first for me, and quite probably the only time it will ever happen. I am graciously accepting and appreciating the enhanced service and the larger room. And I really don't mind that the concierge has taken a liking to me and my roommate. We have more snacks and drinks stock piled in our room than any guest could possibly want or deserve. I can guarantee that we won't be able to finish them up before we leave, nor do I intend to try. Today was the beginning of my 28 day workout and firm up program. And I intend to fit in at least one workout (possibly two today)each day we are here. It will be interesting to see if the workout actually does what it claims to do. Of course, I will need to continue to watch my diet as well. Not an easy thing to do at a convention.

We received the usual goodie bag of books at registration. The bag is actually quite nice this year and very useable as a carryon for future trips. It even has a cell phone pocket and water bottle catch. So what was in the bag this year? Well every bag has slightly different contents, but here's what I got.

Nocturne--a pb paranormal romance sampler from Silhouette

Urban Noir--a pb paranormal fantasy sampler from Ace and Roc

A Princess of Roumania by Paul Park--pb 2005 ( I think I have the hardback at home somewhere, or maybe it's just another copy with a different cover?)

Cross Plains Universe--a tp anthology celebrating Robert E. Howard

Pandora Drive by Tim Waggoner--pb 2006

Waters Luminous and Deep by Meredith Ann Price-- pb, 2004/2005 depending on publisher, short fiction tales

F&SF--issue Feb 2006

The Black Tatoo by Sam Enthoven--tp 2006 (advanced readers copy, also known as review copy)

The Silver Bough by Lisa Tuttle--hb 2006

The Lost District and other stories by Joel Lane--tp 2006

Genetopia by Keith Brooke--hb 2006

The Fair Folk edited by Marvin Kaye--hb anthology 2005

Conan, The Toad--comic book

Phantom--a new zine issued by Wildside Press, for which I cannot locate the submission guidelines.

And there are a couple of pamphlet samplers that have probably been given out at every convention this year too.

I won't know if this is a good or bad haul until I start reading. If you're interested in any of the books let me know