making it up as I go along

Somehow, August's heat wave has led directly to early autumn, with virtually no transition, not cooling by slow degrees. I have always found abrupt weather unsettling.

I had to take two Ambien last night, and I am not awake. But there is not time to wake up. At least, though, the Ambien has done its dream-memory suppressing trick, and now I only recall bits and pieces of things I have no wish to remember. Since going back on the Ambien, dreamsickness is a rarity, whereas once it was a daily affair.

The Opportunity rover is now inside Victoria Crater.

Yesterday, I did 1,233 words on "Untitled Grotesque," but did not find THE END. I must find it today. There are too many things waiting to be written. I should have gotten back to work on the "Onion" screenplay on Saturday, and I should have begun work on Joey Lafaye two months ago. I used to be very good at managing my time. I am refusing solicitations for new short stories at this point, so, from here on, it's Sirenia Digest, the screenplay, and Joey Lafaye, and it will likely be that way through the end of April 2008. Oh, wait. No. I still have a little work to be done of the 3rd edition of Tales of Pain and Wonder: I need to attend to the final edits (a day's work), expand and finish "Salammbô Redux" (née "Little Conversations"; two or three day's work); write a new intro for the collection (a day's work); and write the chapbook that's being released with the collection (hopefully only a day's work). So, with luck and determination, that's something like six more days work I have left to get the book ready for Subterranean Press by my early October deadline. And then I will only have Sirenia Digest, the "Onion" screenplay," and Joey Lafaye to worry about.

Note that you may now read "The Ape's Wife" online (for FREE) at Clarkesworld Magazine, simply by following this link. "The Ape's Wife" will also appear in the anthology Realms: The First Year of Clarkesworld, edited by Nick Mamatas and Sean Wallace, and there will also be a signed, limited print-edition chapbook of Clarkesworld Magazine Issue 12.

A couple of days back, stsisyphus asked, Is this the end of second-life journaling, or shall the adventures of a...uh, well, Nareth's adventures continue to be chronicled?

Well, it has an awfully good ending at this point, doesn't it? It seems that way to me. However, yes, I will likely continue Professor Nishi's journal, as time allows. At the moment, though, the good professor, having almost perished twelve days ago in an effort to delay the return of the Great Old Ones, is trying to live quietly, slowly recovering her health, tending to her Museum, and getting regularly snogged by Miss Paine. So, it may be a while before the adventuring begins again...she hopes.

Last night, we began reading Dune, because Spooky has never read it, and I haven't read it since college, and we're thinking we might take part in a new SL Dune sim soon.

It's almost noon, and no one has bothered to tell me how "Untitled Grotesque" ends, so I must away. But — turn not pale beloved snail, there's coffee!