We let Mozart go today. He was just shy of his 18th birthday, and had shared 11 of those years with us. He was a good friend, gentle, and interested in all things, even That Reading Thing, which he had to learn to care about.
The house is very quiet tonight.
I will ask people not to post the Rainbow Bridge poem. We’ve read it many times, by now.
This a place for those who have read(!) the eArc of Dragon in Exile and who would like to talk about it.
If you have not read Dragon in Exile, and you don’t want the story spoiled, STOP NOW.
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Today is your lucky day.
So, there are all these “Ten Reasons to. . .” articles going around the barn, again. You’ve seen them: TEN REASONS to visit Acapulco. TEN REASONS to skip high school. TEN REASONS to eat ice cream for breakfast. TEN REASONS not to read TEN REASONS articles.
. . .anyway, I’m feeling a bit beleaguered by all of these reasons to do things I wouldn’t even have thought of except that I saw the headline of a TEN REASONS article, and! I think it’s time to fight back.
I mean, why shouldn’t we compiled a list of TEN REASONS to read the Liaden Universe® — and then release it into the wild?
I’m going to need your help, of course. So! You don’t have to hold it inside any longer! Give me your Very Best Reason for Reading the Liaden Universe® in comments — no more than three per respondent, please — and we’ll compile a list of the ten best. If we get more than ten, well. . .why shouldn’t we escalate?
TWENTY REASONS to read the Liaden Universe® has a nice ring to it.
Everybody ready?
Go!
We here at the Confusion Factory are either going to receive, on the overnight, 1 inch of snow, or in excess of 6. Stay tuned.
Meanwhile, someone has gone to the trouble of identifying the 10 “most dangerous” cities in Maine. Always understanding that “dangerous” is relative. Interestingly, or not, we have lived in Skowhegan, which takes the top spot in overall crime per capita, and holds the cherished position of fifth most dangerous metropolis in Maine; and also in Waterville, which has the fourth highest overall crime rate. We aspire to improve ourselves, however, and shift south to Lucky Number Seven.
Here’s your link to the article.
We came first to Skowhegan, when we settled in Maine, and, since we needed to earn money, as one does, I applied for the advertised position of bartender at what was then the Kennebec Valley Inn. I’ll mention here that I’ve always been plagued by an innocent-seeming demeanor, and people constantly mistake me for a lady. The owner took one look at me and said, “Nope, oh no, no way. You can’t work here. It’s too rough.”
Mind you, I had just moved from Baltimore (second only to. . .Elkton?. . .in danger of the much more dangerous Maryland variety. Here’s the link.), where we had maintained a storage facility, where I had very nearly crushed a man’s hand with a pipe to stop him from dragging me across the counter by the front of my shirt — and I said to him, “Oh, c’mon, how rough can it be?”
“You have no idea,” he told me, fervently.
And I didn’t get the job. And after a few weeks of taking the local paper and perusing the police blotter, I was glad I hadn’t gotten the job. I’d’ve never kept my nail polish from chipping.
And that? Is all I’ve got.
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Progress on Alliance of Equals
45,943/100,000 OR 45.9% COMPLETE
Perhaps he could simply suggest to the breeze that he was a sack of potatoes, and thus be safely ignored.
Uncle Hugo’s Science Fiction Bookstore in Minneapolis will be your source for signed copies of Dragon in Exile. Ordering will open at the end of February/beginning of March and close on May 1. More details — and a link! — as they become available.
Uncle Hugo’s (and its brother store, Uncle Edgar’s) ships worldwide, and does not charge your credit card until your order has been assembled and is ready to go.
So, I’m packing some things, on the somewhat shaky theory that packing some stuff up will convince the hearth gods that we’re really serious about this moving thing. Also because, having some things packed up ahead is bound to make things easier when it comes time to move, and, the way our luck runs — generally good, but tending to splash slightly outside the lines — we’ll get an offer for Exactly Our Asking Price, but! we’ll have to move in the shortest possible time.
The thing that I’m packing up at the moment is The Magic Closet in my office. This is where we keep two or three copies of all of our books (that we’ve received. For instance, we never *did* receive a copy of the Polish edition of Conflict of Honors, in which Shan is depicted in the cover art as a rifle-toting saber-toothed tiger. (Here’s the art. Yes, it is on Seasons of Plenty. In English. Then, presumably, the artist resold Polish rights.) I really wanted a copy of that edition. But I digress.)
So, I have some extra copies of a few Russian language Liaden books and also some German editions. To wit:
In Russian, I have:
4 3 1 omnibus editions, including Agent of Change, Conflict of Honors, Carpe Diem (this would be the Russian edition of Partners in Necessity)
2 copies of Crystal Dragon
2 copies 1 copy of Conflict of Honors
1 copy of Balance of Trade
In German, I have:
5 copies of Flucht nach Lytaxin (Plan B)
2 copies of Showdown fur Clan Korval (the first half of I Dare)
1 set of 1 book each: Flucht nach Lytaxin, Showdown fur Clan Korval, Korvals Nemesis (the second half of I Dare, including short story “Moon on the Hill”)
Now, my question is: Does anyone here want any of these volumes (note: by “want” I mean “willing to pay for the book and the postage”)? So, let’s start there, I guess: If you want any, or all!, of these volumes, drop me a note at rolanniATkorvalDOTcom, and we’ll work out how best to go forward.
. . .they’ve all been claimed.
Thank you for your interest!
Well, let’s see. . .
Tuesday into Wednesday, we hosted a nor’easter here in Central Maine — and in the rest of Maine, too; I don’t want you to think that anybody was left out of the festivities.
We here at the Cat Farm were the joyful recipients of 19 inches/48.6 cm of fluffy white snow, kind of the mid-range of snowfall for the storm. Yesterday into today, we had another little snowstorm, this one without the high winds that had accompanied the nor’easter, which graced us with another 14 inches/35.6 cm of slightly-less-fluffy snow. As I type this, it is not snowing, and we rejoice in a total snowfall for the week of 33 inches/83.8 cm.
This is the point where the top of Mount Snowplow is just slightly higher than the, err, deck of the deck. The stairs from the deck to the driveway are in a kind of snow tunnel, which would be cool if it were high enough to protect the stairs from accumulating any more storm product, but — no. Only high enough that I can’t shove the snow off the step and under the bannisters, to the sides. From now on, step-snow will either need to be lifted to the top of Mount Snowplow, or shoved straight down to the driveway, and dealt with there.
You may have caught what I did there: “From now on. . .” That’s because the weatherbeans have discovered another snowstorm — a little snowstorm — heading for Central Maine on Monday, bearing a gift of 6-11 inches/15.2-27.9 cm of snow, winds, and very cold temperatures.
I foresee a trip to the grocery store tomorrow, to stock up on Mozart’s Favorite Sort, and other, less essential items, for us.
The good news is that, after Monday’s Weather, we’re in the clear for the foreseeable future, snow-wise. Well. Except for the gentle dusting of 3ish inches/7.6 cm over Wednesday night, but, really, that’s just Business as Usual.
Now, in between all this exciting weather — on Wednesday, in fact, we got a call from our realtor, letting us know that someone wanted to see our house rather early on Saturday. We were dubious, but we straightened up, insomuchas, and got up early this morning to vacuum (so as to get all the cat fur) and to shovel out what snow had accumulated on the overnight.
The only problem was — it was still snowing. And? Maine DOT had issued a warning, stating that only emergency traffic ought to be on the roads, and — long story short, the showing was canceled, to be rescheduled sometime next week, which is fine — better safe, I always say, and, anyhow, the plowguy didn’t get to us ’til afternoon, so it was just as well.
However, it did make for a. . .rather strange day, here at the Cat Farm, one that included a rather lengthy nap.
It’s amazing how much the weather can toy with your plans, even when you live indoors.
How are y’all weathering the Weather where you are?
In other news, though still related to the weather (this is a post about the weather), I teasingly introduced a friend to “The Frozen Logger,” (from which today’s blog title derives) and now of course, I can’t get the damn’ thing out of my head. So! I share!
Here’s your link to the Weavers’ rendition of The Frozen Logger.
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Progress on Alliance of Equals
44,526/100,000 OR 44.5% COMPLETE
“It’s nothing short of astonishing, how often boldness is found to be its own reward.”
Have updated the Correct Reading Order page to include Dragon in Exile, which will be published in June.