Well, anyone who read my previous journal entry--now deleted due to a clearer head prevailing--can ignore it.

It was written in the heat of spite and without much forethought.

The truth is, Harlan Ellison was cordial and entertaining. He had just gotten off a flight from L.A. and he was tired and had a lot(and I mean a ton compared to the other writers there) of people waiting to have a book signed.

I walked into the setting expecting to meet the man whom I've looked up to for over twelve years and encountered a tired human being instead with a lot on his mind.

The very fact that he agreed to sit for the signing at the last minute speaks volumes about his commitment to his readers.

I had him on a pedestal, and if he fell at all, it was only because I had placed him at an untenable height. We never stop learning, do we?

So Mr. Ellison, thank you for your time and I wish you the best of luck tonight at the Nebula awards. You will always be top-notch in my book.

You've already given me more than I had a right to ask from you. Anything else is purely lagnippe.

Your friend and fan,

Joseph Haines, signing off from The Edge of the Abyss.