nonsense has a welcome ring

[greygirlbeast]

This is one of those rare mornings when I just want to go back to bed. Grab Spooky and go back to bed. Stay in my dreams, and never mind the goddamn wet tile floors and blinding fluorescent lights and missing syringes and legless albino women. Stay in my dreams, anyway. I'm not awake. Not awake, but not asleep. Ah, well.

It just occurred to me that today is not Monday.

I have learned that "Bainbridge" (from Alabaster) earned a spot on the Best American Fantasy 2006 recommended reading list. Only twenty-five stories made the list, and mine is the only one from a single-author collection. It's nice to see so many small/literary magazines on this list, by the way, not just genre publications. Though long since sold out at the publisher (subpress), you can still order the trade hardcover of Alabaster from Amazon.com (for only $16.50!); just follow the link above.

Speaking of Subterranean Press, yesterday afternoon Bill Schafer informed me that twenty copies of the limited of Tales from the Woeful Platypus were recently and unexpectedly located, hidden somewhere in the bowels of their stock. So, just barely, the limited is not yet sold out after all. But I expect it will be very soon, so if you want one of these, this is a "you snooze, you lose" situation. Red leather. You know you want it.

Yesterday was spent recuperating from the trip and answering e-mail, getting ready to descend once again into the words mines today. Now that the object of the long March is behind me, I should proceed at once to Sirenia Digest #16 — do not pass go, do not collect $200 dollahs — because as soon as it's written, I need to get started on The Dinosaurs of Mars, which has been long delayed. I spoke with Bill Schafer about that book yesterday, discussing the matter of illustrations and cover art. That's my goal for March — Sirenia Digest #16 and at least the first 15,000 words of The Dinosaurs of Mars (plus an article for Locus and some proofreading). It will be a busy month, but the good sort of busy.

Let's see. Yesterday. Well, I can say that I'm right proud of my landlord for dealing our noisy tribe of attic-dwelling squirrels by calling a humane "pest" control service, namely Animals B' Gone. Here is their page on squirrels. Were it actually my house, I'd probably just let the squirrels have the damned attic. But I'm like that.

At sunset yesterday evening, Spooky and I headed over to Freedom Park, hoping for a decent view of the lunar eclipse. But there were too many clouds in the east, and we were only afforded glimpses. The temps have turned cool again, and there was a bitter wind blowing. Hopefully, the weather will be more amenable to viewing during the second lunar eclipse of 2007 (August 28th). There's a partial solar eclipse coming on March 19th, but it will only be visible from eastern Asia and parts of northern Alaska.

Last night, we watched Ryan Murphy's Running With Scissors, which I will say, belatedly, was surely one of the best films of 2006, though I don't think the Oscars took note. The Golden Globes did. Anyway, this is a must see, I would say. Oh, I almost forgot. Byron dropped by yesterday. We have made plans to see 300 and The Host next weekend.

Anyway, here's my hard hat and lunch pail. The platypus says it's time for the word mines — down, down down....

Postscript (2:12 p.m. CaST: Two statistics I find fascinating, both from the March 2007 issue of National Geographic. 1) "The size of an average American home has increased 63% over the past three decades." 2) "1,210 U.S. Protestant churches have weekly attendance over 2,000 — nearly double the number five years ago." I don't know which number is more disturbing.

Comments

[wolven.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on the Must Read nod.

Were it actually my house, I'd probably just let the squirrels have the damned attic.

They're so loud, when they get up there, though. Like tiny dogs, running around...

But there were too many clouds in the east. . .

Damn right there were. I could only see the last quarter. Disappointing, indeed.

[robyn-ma.livejournal.com]

Dunno if you're a Fincher booster, but I highly recommend Zodiac.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

Dunno if you're a Fincher booster, but I highly recommend Zodiac.

I adore Fincher, and very much want to see Zodiac.

[robyn-ma.livejournal.com]

Be warned, however, that it is perhaps the most un-Fincher movie he's ever made, stylistically.

[sovay]

I need to get started on The Dinosaurs of Mars, which has been long delayed.

I am all for dinosaurs on Mars.

[iliadawry.livejournal.com]

I cannot tell you how thrilled I am about the Limited copies of Tales from the Woeful Platypus being found. I was waffling on ordering the Trade version because I wanted it so, but I am now so VERY glad I waited. A copy of the Limited, which is what I always wanted anyway, will be winging (or, I suppose, waddling) its way to me.

Now I am going to go dance in a joyful and undignified manner.

[reverendcrofoot.livejournal.com]

I have to admit Bainbridge was that damn good but that was not my reason fer writing but a "Did you Know?"

Did you know today's date, when said aloud, is the only date to give a command? That's right March Fourth.

[wolven.livejournal.com]

That's pretty awesome. Thanks.

March Fourth!

[chris-walsh.livejournal.com]

It's also a name: Portland, Oregon is home to the March Fourth Marching Band (http://www.marchfourthmarchingband.com/). They're performing today. Naturally. (Side question: Who actually says "Natch"?)

Re: March Fourth!

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

Who actually says "Natch"?)

I have, on occassion.

Re: March Fourth!

[setsuled.livejournal.com]

I was wondering about "natch", too. I just watched The Lost Weekend--it's short for "naturally", right?

I suppose while I'm on the subject of asking you questions I ought to know better than to ask . . . Just what's the deal with the platypus?

Re: March Fourth!

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

it's short for "naturally", right?

Natch.

Just what's the deal with the platypus?

What do you mean?

Re: March Fourth!

[setsuled.livejournal.com]

What do you mean?

Well, I just always felt the platypus was a reference to something I didn't know about. Is it simply a bossy animal companion whose form was arbitrarily chosen? Gee, the more questions I ask, the dumber I feel . . .

Re: March Fourth!

[chris-walsh.livejournal.com]

I have, on occasion.

I'm more used to seeing "natch" written than hearing it spoken, and honestly, it sounds awkward to my ears. I can only immediately think of Frances McDormand saying it in Darkman.

I'm more used to hearing "sna" ...um, I'll shut up.

(OK. That was bad.)

[stardustgirl.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on "Bainbridge"!

Squirrels in the attic: co-habit with them at your own peril. We've had them eat the phone line, the electric, and the roofing. If you don't mind not having a phone or electricity you could be fine. Or maybe Southern squirrels have better manners and just make noise.

Houses may be bigger but they sure are crappier. I see many bloated vinyl dwellings being constructed here on wee tiny lots.

Squirrels is Fierce. Powerful Fierce.

[jtglover.livejournal.com]

One of the very few times I've experienced anything with trappings of the supernatural, squirrels were at the root of it. I don't blame them for my terrified ascent into the attic of the Victorian boarding house, knife in one hand and axe handle in another... but I always feel vaguely foolish when I think about the whole thing. The fact that it sounded like a zombie-polter-werewolf run amok was more to do with the wind under the eaves and the former tenants' poorly stacked belongings than the poor squirrels. The landlord in question was also humane, and I hope the little fellas lived a long, happy life in the outdoors.

Also, congrats on "Bainbridge." I was thinking about that story the other day when I was trying to figure out how to resolve a plotting problem. The way you incorporate multiple realities and timelines into short fiction is always inspirational, as well as helping me to "think around corners" when it comes to plot.

[setsuled.livejournal.com]

I have learned that "Bainbridge" (from Alabaster) earned a spot on the Best American Fantasy 2006 recommended reading list.

Congratulations.

I finished reading the new Sirenia Digest last night--I very much enjoyed it. The influence of Bowie's Outside on "A Season of Broken Dolls" is very visible. The voice, and the journal style, reminded me quite a bit of Nathan Adler's diary excerpts included with the album. Though I think your stitch freaks came off more credibly than Bowie's art-crimes--which is not to disparage the Bowie album, which is also my favourite these days.

As stsisyphus mentioned in his commentary, you do a good job of rendering the day to day reality of a world after some of the greater ravages of global warming. I was sort of reminded of the new Children of Men movie as both it and "A Season of Broken Dolls" manage to unobtrusively convey a society wherein everyone's fully aware of the world's end approaching, but everyone still must go on about their business. These layers of credibility serve to heighten the eeriness of the number 17 idea, which is a sort of tugging, peripheral dream intruding frighteningly on reality, as though reality weren't frightening enough.

I also enjoyed "Skin Game." I loved the backstory of the mother--it felt much like a fairy tale gone psycho. Like a morality tale with alien morals.