After Nat’s passing I was definitely feeling a bit dark about things. Add to that the current economic climate and the rain of the last few days and my mood wasn’t the best. So when I saw this it came as a very nice surprise. I’m especially pleased because I get to share this with a lot of people who have been incredibly supportive along the way. I’d name them all, but the orchestra would play me off stage before I was through 🙂

Library Journal Best of 2008 Picks If you’re curious, scroll down about 2/3’s to the SF&Fantasy section…you know, if you’re curious…

Nat Schoen passed away recently here in New York. He was 92 and a life long New Yorker. He served in WWII in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. I met Nat in 2000 when I first moved to New York. We were neighbors and used to go to a diner for breakfast on Sunday mornings where he would regale me with stories about the war, Broadway, old New York, his dearly departed wife, Ruth, and the Yankees. I learned more history from him than I did in some of my classes in university. I was also fortunate enough to witness nobility and honor as lived by a man who remained fiercely independent to the end.

Nat, you are missed.

I saw two snowflakes earlier today between 82nd and 81st street on the east side. I had hoped they were advance scouts for an army of fellow flakes, but alas, thus far it remains those two alone. This is when being of faith would come in handy, but pray as I might no additional flakes (of the cold and snowy variety) have yet to materialize. I remember when I was a kid growing up in Canada. We lived near Owen Sound for a while and that has got to be where every weather system dumps its excess snow. We would get so much snow we would miss school for days in a row. The really cool bit was that come spring we’d miss a few more days because of flooding. Come to think of it, this explains a few gaps in my education.

Compared to say the auto industry, computer tech, finance, and almost every other industry, publishing is a small world. In bad times December can be especially harsh. That’s when the lay offs happen, and unfortunately they are happening a lot at the moment. S&S, Random House, Houghton Mifflin, and on it goes. And it’s not just jobs. Companies are freezing wages, eliminating pensions, cutting back on travel and entertainment and every other way money gets spent. It can be harsh, but it’s a survival tactic. The good news is that we know (believe) things will bounce back. People still read, books will still get published, and the dream remains alive for all those looking to break into the business. Right now, though, the dream is more challenging than ever.

Ok, now that I’ve depressed you I’m trying to think of something more upbeat to talk about…Obama gets sworn in next month. You can still buy chocolate bars 2 for a dollar. We still won WWII. And I’m still single…which isn’t particularly upbeat for me, but hopefully it’s good news for whomever it is I haven’t dated yet 🙂

Essentially it’s just a group of committed (should be committed) runners training through the sleet and the snow in Central Park through the winter on weeknights starting at 7pm. The only real catch is that you have to dress as if the weather was 15 degrees or more warmer than it really is. The result is you start out freezing before you get warmed up and really moving. Writing’s a bit like that, too. When I first get into a chapter my efforts can be stilted and a bit unsure. I might need a couple of trial paragraphs to figure out which way I’m going. Once I settle on the path, however, my pace picks up and I’m away to the races…and I think I’ve tortured that metaphor enough for one night.