Well, I'm back. Actually, I've been back since last Tuesday, but Janet and I have been busy painting the town red. We got our pictures developed (of which I'll post some here soon), went to the North Carolina Museum of Art, and saw Jeff Dunham at Charlie Goodnight's Comedy Club (the last thanks to my parents). I drove her through the N.C. State campus, we picked through the selections at a few used book stores (where I found hardcover editions of Requiem by Graham Joyce and The Wild Wood by Charles de Lint, and the paperback edition of Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones), and we had dinner at Rí~Rá, the Irish pub (one of my favorites places). It's been quite a busy week.

We also went to the mall, where I found a present for my sister's 25th birthday (which is in 2 days), as well as a copy of The Red Church by writing pal Scott Nicholson. This is Scott's first novel, in mass market paperback from Kensington Books, and you should all buy a copy. Scott's an up-and-comer, and you can say that you were a fan when he was first starting out. In fact, you should also get a copy of his small-press short story collection, Thank You For the Flowers.

It has been so much fun having Janet here for a week and a half. She leaves Wednesday morning for Milwaukee and Gen Con, one of the largest gaming conventions in the world. When her bus pulls away, I'll be a sad panda.