Reading: CAKES AND ALE by W. Somerset Maugham
Music: Chieftains "Best of Claddagh Years" Vol.2, Pamyua's "mengluni"
Link o' the Day: Bob Eggleton Art

So am I the only one who is awakened by total silence?

Ever since high school, I've needed some small amount of background noise to fall asleep to. For a while it was the radio set on a timer, but now I keep the TV turned on in my bedroom with the volume down low--but just loud enough to hear if I have a mind to. (Pretty Maggie is a very tolerant sort of woman, thankfully.)

Last night I was woken up by a power failure. Something must be going on in my neighborhood as this was the second one in two days. Just the same, I woke up because there was total silence around me, and all was dark. Around 2am I got out of bed and looked out the windows. The garage across the street usually had floodlights on all night, and other houses have one or two lights on around porches. Not this time. The whole block was out again.

So I'm laying in bed and unable to sleep in the peace and quiet of a silent, dark evening. Ten minutes later the power comes back on. I get my TV back in order, reset the electric alarm clock, and fall alseep almost immediately.

Odd duck.

* * *
I came across an amusing little quote from Maugham's CAKES AND ALE:

"The Americans, who are the most efficient people on the earth, have carried this device to such a height of perfection and have invented so wide a range of pithy and hackneyed phrases that they can carry on an amusing and animated conversation without giving a moment's reflection to what they are saying and to leave their minds free to consider the more important matters of big business and fornication."

So this is how the 1930s English gentleman viewed their American counsin.

Harumph. I've a good mind to give him a piece of mind, but I don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater because, y'know, two in the hand is worth some number in the bush. Am I right?

* * *
After going through my tracking records and some market lists, what was going to be one story sent out tomorrow is now going to be around four. Getting those prepared, and working on another project are keeping me more than busy tonight.

For today's link of the day, I was inspired by Michael Jasper's journal entry and offer forth a linkg to Bob Eggleton's Homepage. Bob's a fellow Rhode Islander and member of the Rhode Island Science Fiction Club and will be providing the next cover for the SFWA Bulletin. From spacescapes to fantasy ladscapes and lots of dragons--Bob's art covers quite the range and SF and Fantasy art lovers should certainly take some time to peruse his works. (He does a pretty mean Cthuhlu too. (f'tang! f'tang!)

Cheers!