Just In Time For Thanksgiving

My wife and I are both showing signs of having the flu. Sore throats, fever and all the rest of the symptoms.

We’re pretty sure it’s not the Bird Flu, even though I crapped on somebody’s windshield yesterday. But that was more of a neighborhood dispute.

I kid.

It wasn’t really a dispute. It was just something I felt like doing.

At least Thanksgiving should be low-stress this year, since our out-of-town family has decided to be somewhere else. Norma also figured that the smaller crowd saves us about $400 on dinner. Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, rice dressing, red velvet cake and pumpkin pie, with plenty of leftovers for me! Bwah-Ha-Ha-Ha!

Sorry. The thought of nuking a plate of leftovers at midnight always brings out the maniacal laughter.

***

At least it’s vacation for me this week. Hopefully, I can squeeze in some writing and a little reading.

Reading has been tougher than expected since the cataract surgery. I have to wear reading glasses, which provides the same magnification for both of my eyes, when, in fact, they need separate prescriptions. The result is a pulsing in my vision, which leads to eye fatigue after just a few pages. I’m told that this is the brain’s way of dealing with the new eyesight, and that the problem will be cleared up with prescription bifocals. It takes six to eight weeks for your vision to fully adapt to the new lenses after they’re implanted, so I should be able to get new glasses in early December.

I have a gargantuan pile of books and magazines to get caught up on. I’m so far behind on the weekly comics that I may drop a bunch of titles from my pull list.

On the comics front, the Major Event Series from the Big Two have been a pleasant surprise. Marvel’s House of M actually resulted in a huge change to the Marvel Universe (being comics, of course, the change will last only until the next editor or publisher wants it reversed). Meanwhile, DC’s Infinite Crisis looks like it’s heading back toward the multiple-Earth concept that produced hundreds of cool stories in the 60s, 70s and 80s.

***

The novella I wrote with Dave Wilbanks has been sent out into the cold, cruel world of publishing to make its way or bounce back. We think we have a solid book and the introduction by the Big Name writer should help.

I still can’t believe the kind things he said about the book, both in the intro and privately.

It has us raring to start on the follow-up novel.

Meanwhile, I have the notes back from the first readers of Dead Town, my solo novella. I aim to make all corrections this week so that sucker can get submitted too.