Oh sweet day off. The sun is bright, the air is warm, and I've gotten a lot of things done.

The November issue of A Certain Magazine went to press yesterday. That issue includes an interview with George R.R. Martin and an interview with me (so I'm in rather good company!). There's also a wedding photo in the People & Publishing section, with Heather looking beautiful and me happy to be on her arm. Oh, and there's a review of Rangergirl, too. So, all together, it's a Tim Pratt-heavy issue, and it was a bit surreal to be working on it. I'm grateful to my editor-in-chief for considering my work newsworthy. I'll let y'all know when the issue is available (first week in November, pretty much). There's supposed to be an excerpt from Rangergirl appearing on Bantam's website sometime soon, and I'll link to that as well when the time comes.

Though I'm unlikely to link to anything soon, for quite shortly Heather and I will depart for Hawai'i, and not return for a while. Expect posting to pick up again in the second week of November.

Last night we went out and bought a new digital camera, after doing a little research. We're not fancy people when it comes to photography -- we just wanted a camera with decent zoom and a few useful but easy-to-handle features. We wound up getting a Canon Powershot A520, which by most accounts is a dependable little workhorse. We're fond of it so far, and with luck will take millions and millions of photos in Hawai'i. We've been wanting a new digital camera for a while, but were reluctant to spend the money after the expense of the wedding, and because we wanted money to splurge in Hawai'i. But then my agent sent me a message to tell me the Dutch publisher who's reprinting "The Witch's Bicycle" had sent a check, so we were suddenly a bit richer than expected, and we decided to spend a chunk of the money on a camera. Hurray!

I also bought the first two volumes of George Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire" series, which I'm ashamed to admit I've never even flipped through before, though I've been hearing good things about it for years. (I have read some of George's other, earlier stuff, of course.) I expect them to make for good airplane reading.

Today I've been running errands, making a packing list, and getting the house clean, which included breaking down many, many boxes. We've gotten lots of wedding gifts, and half the living room was filled with wrapping paper, packing materials, boxes, etc. Most of that has been cleared away and will vanish tomorrow morning when the city picks up recycling. Hurray again! (We need to finish writing thank-you cards. We might end up doing it on the plane.)

Tonight, the catsitter is coming over to learn the ins-and-outs of caring for the cats. Which, fortunately, no longer involves rubbing salve on their eyes or spraying them with sulphur solution, but more prosaic tasks, like changing their food and water and litter. (I imagine we'll also show the catsitter how to use the DVD player, X-Box, etc., because use of such amenities are the right and privilege of the person taking care of our pets!)

And this weekend, we zoom away! I have to work tomorrow, but then it's all-vacation-all-the-time for 16 straight days. Half a month off. The first real vacation -- not a convention, not a writing workshop, just a vacation -- that I've had in years. I can't wait. (Well. I can wait. I must. But I don't want to.)

I've gotten a wee tiny bit of writing done lately, too. Did a nifty short-short as part of an interesting project (about more later if it develops into something public), and just today I wrote the first part of a collaboration with Heather that we're pretty excited about. I feel like I'm slowly gearing back up after a period of chaos and confusion, and entering a period of productivity.

I might even write a little in Hawai'i, assuming I'm not too drunk or sunburned or underwater.

Aloha, y'all.