What I have learned so far in this most recent iteration of "going through stuff" which so far has meant one box of mostly videotapes and some DVDs and a stack of fanzines going back to when folks who now live in New York were living in Canada (hi, Eli!) and folks who are now in computer stuff were working in hospitals and living in their PO Boxes (hi Loren!) and folks who hadn't met yet and weren't hyphenated. And Kate Schaefer was Kathi.

1) My eyes are not what they once were. Oh man, is this not news. But sitting in the living room with stacks of if-I'm-lucky photocopied pages or far more likely mimeographed pages is qute the experience. Never mind those fanzine editors and putter-togetherers who, ahem, experimented with paper and ink giving us silver writing on black paper, and I have no idea what on blazing pink paper, no not them. Just the basics. I know. Nobody was writing this stuff thinking that in 2015, it was going to be donated to a fancy-schmancy university library. It was a zine, dammit. A thingy to read. I think i've seen some stuff from the late 70s, not checking dates so much as "who is this from?"

2) Fanzine editors and putter-togetherers who assiduously (I read that word elsewhere this morning and was very taken by it and it fits) listed not only the contributors of words to their fanzine but told you who was responsible for which illustrations on which pages? Those folks? Should be enshrined in a major all of fame - whatever works. They should all get laurel wreaths and free drinks, upgrades and the best quality pillow chocolates. They should receive awards, lots of them.. MacArthur grants and big heart awards and Nobels and Peabodys and Hugos and, and, and more plus. Cases of wine and wheels of Brie. Beyond platinum cards. Because when you are going through piles of somewhat flimsy paper, hoping to find an illustration, and there are lots of piles and piles of piles, having an index to refer to is a major blessing. Oh my yes.

3) Putting aside early copies of zines i never saw because they were pubbed before I got into science fiction fandom is a dumb idea. I am not going to read that zine, as much as I would like to. Oh, that friend! I haven't see her for years, how cool is this?! It's cool. Very. But it ain't gonna happen, so putting them aside is just deceiving myself.

And that, boys and girls, buoys and gulls, is what I have found out in just two hours. This could be world-shattering if I keep u the pace of discovery. After lunch. And a nap.