In the middle of reading Elizabeth Kostova's immensely entertaining and also immensely immense "The Historian," I just finished reading Theodore Sturgen's sf classic, "To Marry Medusa." It's a bite-sized little book you can read in a couple of sittings, but very interesting, at least sometimes unpredictable, thought-provoking and, yes, also immensely entertaining. It might now be on my list of absolutely favorite science fiction novels.

As a point of historical interest, much of the plot is more or less identical to one of the main plot strands in Stephen King's novel, "Dreamcatcher." Combine that with some obvious stylistic similarities, and I'd say Sturgeon was a major influence on the guy.

The odd thing, though, is that the way that Sturgeon resolved that plot line in 1958 makes for a much less formulaic and more subersively fun solution than what King came up with in 2001. Go figure.

(The second half of this sentence probably constitutes a spoiler, but Sturgeon's ending was probably one of the inspirations for the ending of "2001.")

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Otherwise...I turn 26 today. Which is cool. I had my big early 20s/late 20s transition freakout last year when I turned 25, so I can just enjoy this without any of that.

Anyway, as much as 25 does sound disturbingly like adulthood (or did to me at the time anyway), 26 doesn't sound any older that 25, and at least I still have four years left on that little blinking red light on the inside of my hand.

Meanwhile, of course, given the slim chances that I will succeed in finding renewal at Carousel in 4 years (come one, doesn't any one watch classic movies any more?), the moment definitely calls for having some fun in celebration.