In her post Adventures in Author Photos, gnomi presents two photos she took that we were considering for my author photo.

I think people will be amused by the second photo....

Tags: personal, silly

Beloit College has posted its Mindset List for the Class of 2012:

The class of 2012 has grown up in an era where computers and rapid communication are the norm, and colleges no longer trumpet the fact that residence halls are “wired” and equipped with the latest hardware. These students will hardly recognize the availability of telephones in their rooms since they have seldom utilized landlines during their adolescence. They will continue to live on their cell phones and communicate via texting. Roommates, few of whom have ever shared a bedroom, have already checked out each other on Facebook where they have shared their most personal thoughts with the whole world.

I've been reading these since they posted the first one for the Class of 2002, and I'm always amazed at what cultural touchstones students are either missing or consider to be as if they had always been with us. One of my most vivid memories was asking one of my high school students about this item on the Class of 2002 list:

28. "The Tonight Show" has always been with Jay Leno.

She agreed. I asked her if she knew who Johnny Carson was, and she looked into the distance and said that while her generation knew he had been the host of "The Tonight Show," they never really thought about it.

I'd like to see the Class of 2002's reaction to the list for the Class of 2012...

Tags: personal, television

When I last posted about my personal life, gnomi and I were contemplating the drive to Connecticut to pay our respects to the Greenberger family.

In the end, gnomi and I decided that we ought to proceed with our previous Sunday plans after all, so we didn't go to Connecticut. As much as we wanted to, there was one item that simply had to take precedence. (More on that at the end.)

There were a few things we had planned to do on Sunday, and we managed to do most of them. We had lunch with cellio, who was passing through Boston on her way to Pittsburgh, and so if we didn't see her yesterday we have no idea when we would have a chance to see her next. (As cellio has posted, there was a nice small group at lunch.)

We drove out to Burlington and did three things. We visited Nomi's parents, we went to the Bose store, and we took a new author photo of me.

But the most important thing we did, and the main reason we stuck to the original plan, was that we took care of some final issues with Mom's estate. As previously planned, Nomi and I went over to my older brother's place to deal with the final paperwork. My brothers and I now each have one more form to fill out and mail to the estate lawyer, and once we do, Mom's estate will be closed.

I'm not sure if I'm feeling a sense of closure or not. The whole process of dealing with a parent's death from the moment you hear about it is a series of steps. I've gone through a variety of "closing steps," I suppose, both religious and secular ones, and I still find myself occasionally obsessing over the loss. As I told people years after my father died, you never fully "get over it," nor would you want to. You just eventually adjust to a new version of normality, one in which the person's absence has become a normal part of your everyday life.

And so, I guess that's where I am right now.

Meanwhile, I've got to finish off my final assignments for my publishing classes, and see the final steps that need to be taken before I Remember the Future is officially published.

Tags: mom, personal

I spent much of my day thinking of Robbie Greenberger, and the loss suffered by his family. I can't imagine what they're going through.

Mom once told me that the worst thing in the world was when a parent had to bury a child. I wish I still had Mom around to talk to her about this horrible tragedy.

Bob Greenberger has posted on his blog about Robbie's final days, in his post The Final Week. Robbie was surrounded by friends and family when he passed.

The family is receiving friends on Sunday, and Nomi and I have to decide if we're going to be able to go see them. It's a three-hour drive, there and back, and I want to be there for them, but I don't know if we can go. I feel so helpless.

The family has said that in lieu of flowers, contributions in Robbie’s memory may be made to The Tommy Fund for Childhood Cancer, Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital, 20 York Street, New Haven, CT 06511-3202 (www.tommyfund.org). We plan to make a donation in Robbie's memory.

Tags: personal

Robbie Greenberger, son of Bob & Deb, brother to Kate, lost his battle with leukemia on Thursday, August 14.

He was only twenty years old.

I posted about Robbie twice before, first when his father let the world know of his condition (Robbie), and then when his sister put out a call to raise money in his honor (Supporting Robbie Greenberger).

There are no words.

Our condolences go out to Robbie's family, friends, and loved ones.

Tags: personal

Can you believe it has been exactly five years since the Great Blackout of 2003? The blackout hit much of the northeast United States and parts of Canada. Where were you?

I was at home (in Brookline, Massachusetts, which did not lose power) on the computer when the phone rang at 4:33 PM. It was my younger brother, Josh, in New York City, calling to ask me if I knew what was going on. As I had left the TV news on in the living room, and the TiVo was recording its buffer, I was able to start describing the news to him in real time. I learned of the blackout as I told him what was going on.

I served as the point person for my younger brother, my sister-in-law, and my mother for the next few hours. Josh had to sleep overnight in Manhattan. Rachel had to care for their new baby daughter, and I gave her information on New York City emergency lines and hospitals. And my Mom stayed home.

I recorded NBC Nightly News that evening and the Today show the next day, and a few months later I gave the tape to Josh so he could see what he missed.

As I mentioned above, Massachusetts (and pretty much most of New England) didn't lose power. After one of the major blackouts a few decades ago, the people in charge in New England had decided to set up a series of switches that could be opened should there be a power surge that might lead to a shutdown. Thanks to their foresight, I was able to help out my family as I described.

And as for today, the AP is reporting that the problems which led to the blackout have been resolved, but that increased electricity demand may lead to blackouts in the future unless the infrastructure is upgraded. (cf. 5 years after a giant blackout, are we better off?)

Tags: boston, brookline, history, nyc, personal

The winners of the Hugo Awards:

Best Novel: The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon (HarperCollins, Fourth Estate)
Best Novella: “All Seated on the Ground” by Connie Willis (Asimov’s Dec. 2007, Subterranean Press)
Best Novelette: “The Merchant and the Alchemist”s Gate” by Ted Chiang (F&SF Sept. 2007)
Best Short Story: "Tideline" by Elizabeth Bear (Asimov's, June 2007)
Best Professional Editor, Long Form: David G. Hartwell
Best Professional Editor, Short Form: Gordon Van Gelder
Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: Stardust; written by Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn; based on the novel by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Charles Vess; directed by Matthew Vaughn
Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: "Blink" (Doctor Who); written by Steven Moffat; directed by Hettie Macdonald
Best Related Book: Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction by Jeff Prucher
Best Semiprozine: Locus
Best Professional Artist: Stephan Martiniere
Best Fan Artist: Brad Foster
Best Fan Writer: John Scalzi
Best Fanzine: File 770 by Mike Glyer
John Campbell Award for Best New Writer: Mary Robinette Kowal

Tags: science-fiction

Alan Kistler is one of the wisest young men I know:

A lot of my friends recently have been feeling out of sorts or pressured or really unsure of what to do. They've been confused about themselves and others and where everything is supposed to fit in their lives.

I think about this sometimes too. Some nights it seems to consume me. And then I realize, wait ... what does worrying do to enhance my situation in life?

Nothing....

There will always be people who don't like you, there will always be people you don't understand, there will always be situations you don't enjoy. And in some cases, you just have to shrug it off and move on. Believe me, moving on can be far more relaxing and pleasing to your mind and spirit than holding a grudge or thinking about all the ways you can somehow make that enemy realize you're better than them....

If it takes you two or three years to really understand what your drive is, okay. That's two or three years you have to really save up some money and figure things out so that you have a better idea of how to pursue that dream when the time comes....

Go read the rest.

Tags: personal

I just saw this post at Science Fiction Awards Watch that says that Jay Lake has announced a Campbell nominee pin, and that former nominees and winners will be getting pins. As a former nominee and winner myself, I am delighted, and I can't wait to get my pin.

I did ask two questions over there, though:

1. Does this mean that Campbell nominees will no longer get Hugo pins? (Some Worldcons gave them Hugo pins, some didn’t. In my case, I have Hugo pins for both times I was nominated.)

2. Do writers who were nominated for the Campbell twice get two pins? (To put this in perspective, every time someone gets nominated for a Hugo or a Nebula, they get a pin. As a double-nominee for the Campbell myself, I have an admitted vested interest in this question.)

A question I didn't ask about there: what about deceased nominees and winners? I'd like to see David Feintuch's heirs get one.

Also, if anyone has a link to a picture of the new pin, could they post the link? I'd love to see it.

As usual, I'll be gone from the Internet until Saturday night local time. Play nice.

Tags: conventions, personal, science-fiction

As we get closer and closer to the publication date for I Remember the Future, I've had more people ask me about buying the book. In particular, people seem to want to know the best way to buy the book, the way that will most support me in my quest to get this book out there.

First off, I want to say thank you to everyone who has already pre-ordered the book or who is actually contemplating buying the book. Whenever someone asks me the best way to buy the book, I've been giving what has become a stock discussion on the realities of book selling and book publishing. It occurred to me that I might as well post my thoughts here, so I could point people to it when they ask me.

Also, I suspect that what I'm about to discuss applies to more than just me, one author with one book. So, for all of you wondering the best way to support your favorite authors with your purchase, here's the way I see it.

The three questions answered behind the cut are:
1. Should I buy the book directly from the publisher?
2. Should I buy the book from my favorite independent bookseller?
3. Should I buy the book from from a chain store or a big-name store?

( Read more... )

To conclude: while it is true that I would love to get as many more pre-orders as possible (and if you're thinking of doing so, remember what I said about the advantage to you), in the end the best way to buy any book you want to support...is to buy it as soon as possible from wherever you prefer. (And buy as many copies as possible, as gifts for friends and family.)

Tags: books, i remember the future, personal, science-fiction
mood: excited