I just did something that was really good and smart and sane but very disappointing, too: I wrote to cancel my participation in my scheduled Wiscon panels. I'd originally been scheduled to do 3 panels and had cut it down to 2, hoping that would be enough to keep things manageable. Unfortunately, I've realized over the past few days that I'm really not going to be well enough to participate in panels and hang out with people at Wiscon - and if I have to make that choice, well then, really, there is no choice. I want to see my friends! And meet people! And go to the Dessert Salon! And, and, and--! So I wrote and canceled the panels, and I know it was the right thing to do. But it's still disappointing, and I'm having to really fight the feeling that it's a failure of...I don't know what, exactly. Willpower, maybe? It makes no sense when I actually think about it. But it's not a fun feeling anyway.

So I was even more glad than I normally would be to discover a hilariously silly radio show: Another Case of Milton Jones. This week's episode (you can listen for free online until May 8th) is based around a really implausible caper story involving the Bayeux tapestry, William the Conqueror, the disturbing "truth" behind the National Trust (a historical preservation society that maintains most of the castles and parks I've visited), and a progression of increasingly horrendous puns. I spent the first 5 minutes thinking, "Oh, this is just too silly..." and then the rest of the episode giggling hysterically. Perfect for listening to on a Friday!

(Oh, and the one piece of knowledge you might need to totally enjoy the climax of the radio show is that The Archers is the longest-running radio soap opera in British history, it's bizarre, strangely addictive, and it's all set in the countryside with farmers having affairs with each other's wives, dealing with their sons' gay partners, debating the local cattle issues, etc. And it's incredibly popular among National Trust types.)