Reading: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Music: AFI: We're Proud Of Ya!
TV/Movie: Kung Fu, Season One
Link o' the Day: InkTank, home of Angst Technology

The big news these days is Gardner Dozois stepping down from the editorship of Asimov’s. There has already been a good amount of speculation and discussion regarding this unexpected turn, and Gardner himself even made this statement yesterday:

Well, after almost twenty years of reading manuscripts all day, from the time I get up in the morning until the time I go to sleep at night and the manuscript drops from my nerveless fingers and thumps on the floor, it's time to scale back. I want to go out while I'm still on top of my game, before editing the magazine become a chore rather than a pleasure, and before I become burnt-out and cynical. I'd also like to be able to pursue other projects, including perhaps finding the time to get some of my own writing done.

Now I’m not saying that it was my story that’s pushed him over the edge. I don’t know. I’ve not gotten back a response yet, but the timing suggests that my story about flying Kleenex and talking tigers was just too much. (According to my records, he’s had “Whisps” for two months.)

I’m sorry, Unca Gardner. Unca Stanley didn’t think it was bad, nor did Unca Gordon. (They didn’t buy it, but they were close calls both.) If I promise to give up writing novellas, will you stay?

Alas. Alack. The stewardship of Asimov’s passes on. Thankfully, it’s not going to an unknown element. Sheila Williams has her own history with Asimov’s, so all should be well. We’ll miss Gardner, but we know he’s not entirely gone from the scene, and we can look forward to seeing more of his own fiction.

So... Auntie Sheila, can I interest you in a story about a planet inhabitated by intelligent Kleenex? It’s got a talking tiger in it.

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My apologies to anyone who missed me during my brief hiatus from journal keeping. I’ve been distracted a bit lately by a number of writing projects during my normal journaling time, and I’m shoulder-deep in the old-time radio fiction anthology and the Bickersons bio.

And I’ve been distracted by a new DVD acquisition: Kung Fu: Season One. Now this is something I can heartily recommend to any and all. For those of you who remember watching this show as a kid, I can tell you that it remains as good as it was back then, and it’s also better! The cinematography is years ahead of its time, and while some of the dialogue devolves into corny Western tropisms vs. generic Eastern mysticisms, it’s still pretty damn good.

And if you’ve never seen the show before, it’s a treat. An East meets Old West episodic journey.

Two severed thumbs up!

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I’m behind on a number of things, but time doesn’t permit me to go into everything all in one entry, so I’ll save some stuff for later. In the meantime, today’s link goes to InkTank, home of Angst Technology one of the best webcomics ever produced. It’s been on hiatus for quite a while, but has come back in spades and resumed regular production. Loads of archives.

Enjoy!