The question of being railroaded (long)...

We travel by train when we can, and I don't mean commuter rail, though sometimes we do commuter rail segments when we travel. So, since I've been asked for some thoughts on the subject... remember, these are my thoughts, sprinkled in short writing sessions and not ranked by importance. YMMV.

1. I like it. Some people hate it. It happens that I can sleep in the top bunk of a roomette if I have to -- east of Chicago it isn't bad... west of Chicago, well, I may be too old for it in another few years. The larger rooms can be quite comfortable ... to sleep in. All the rooms are better than coach for day travel. So that means,if possible, travel first class or at least business if you travel overnight. Assuming you're going long distance and can use the baggage check, do. We have had luggage arrive late once and damaged (the luggage itself, not the contents!) once. We lost a pair of (dirty) jeans packed in an outside pocket once. Travel as light as you can: space is at a premium. This is a good way to travel if you want to get a feel for submarines or spaceships, though having windows helps... and can be distracting if you plan to work while on the go.

( riding the rails continued... )

Progressive Retreat

All plans are not going forward at the same speed... in a bilateral world this means that you end up in a spin... or at least *I* end up in a spin. Your mileage may vary

In the last week we: got the AMTRAK train tickets for part of our trip to PenguiCon, packed books, checked in with several publishers on several topics, not all or which are clear yet, watched Howl's Moving Castle, and ate healthy all week. Go us! Even today's pancakes were made with organic whole-wheat pancake mix with added organic oat bran and were served with locally produced organic grade B (that's way smokey-dark!) maple syrup. When's lunch?

OK, the US pre-orders for Crystal Dragon are *all* out of house. Some of them needed, alas, to make a trip back down to Georgia because of technical shipping problems, but they are signed and no longer here. If you ordered your book direct from MM at Boskone you'll want to c heck with them if books do not arrive within a week or so.

The remaining overseas Crystal Dragon orders may all well get to the PO by Tuesday; we have to sign the books in the "reserve" box to finish them, so we have signing today.

Over there in Second Life , Kit Jimenez has followed through, and the flag of Clan Korval may be found in several locations. If you're in SL and want a copy, please apply to Kit. One may be found flying over the Friends of Liad park at all hours. There are also a couple books of snippets to look at in the park.

Over here in the RL East Winslow/Foss Hill weather-maker-region, the wind is blowing darn hard right now; my neighbor running a bulldozer through his woods has to watch out for the trees he's knocking over on purpose and the branches that are coming down of their own accord. The chickens have crossed his driveway to pick at his parents lawn, but if they cross the road to come after my wildflowers they will be extremely unwelcome.

As time and connections permit, the Calamity's Child pdf proof goes out today...

Yes, it is true. Web of the Trident has slipped a bit. See -- having life, above.

When's lunch?