That Was a Monday (So Monday's News Comes Today)

I had things I needed to do yesterday. A healthy list of stuff that was pressing, and it all got knocked sideways.

It ended up being the kind of day that really annoyed the hell out of me. It's been -38 with the wind chill during the day. Know what that translates into? Fucking cold. And because of the snow and road conditions Kevin took my Rodeo. Which meant when I went out for my appointments I had to walk.

I'd forgotten what it's like to walk three blocks in freezing cold weather. Today, I pledge not to set foot outside the house.

Of course, this is always when life gets interesting. The internet goes down for a while. Late Sunday night Kevin was called out for a car fire. Come on people - I know it's cold but a car fire? That really smacks of desperation.

And just as I was about to leave for my appointment yesterday morning the fire alarm in our house went off. Wouldn't you know it, it was the one at the top of the basement stairs. Even standing on a chair I can't reach it. The dogs, because it's so cold, are inside going mad and howling while I'm checking rooms to make sure it's nothing more than a dying battery and looking for a broom to hit the alarm off.

I leave. Come back. The alarm goes off again.

I finally had to beat it off the ceiling with the broom handle to make it stop.

And I had another appointment in the afternoon, so the fun wasn't over.

Somewhere, in the midst of all of that and a lot of other stuff, the things I'd meant to do were put on hold.

So, it's official. I've launched a second blog, a group blog focusing on industry news but the kind of industry news that doesn't always get the same play on the major news sources. I've done a more thorough explanation over there. In a way, it's a very selfish thing, because with Spinetingler I want to stay on top of new authors to watch and profile. This gives me a chance to hear about things early on.

Honestly, some of the authors I've been most excited about discovering this year - Robert Fate, Troy Cook, John McFetridge - haven't arrived with major press announcements and fanfare and anticipation. I've heard about them first from readers, saying, "WOW. Why haven't I heard of them before?"

It should be interesting to see how this goes. I expect a few more contributors to join our numbers, so you can expect news when we have it, occasionally commentary (see SW's interesting post on the independent press advantage) and to hear about some interesting projects and authors.

THIS JUST IN! I'm going to steal Sand Storm's list for discouraging spammers. Brilliant!

And courtesy of John McFetridge, I have a joke

A man who just died is delivered to the mortuary wearing an expensive, expertly tailored black suit. The mortician asks the deceased's wife how she would like the body dressed. He points out that the man does look good in the black suit he is already wearing however, she says that she always thought her husband looked his best in blue, and that she wants him in a blue suit.

She gives the mortician a blank check and says, "I don't care what it costs, but please have my husband in a blue suit for the viewing. "

The woman returns the next day for the wake. To her delight, she findsher husband dressed in a gorgeous blue suit with a subtle chalk stripe; the suit fits him perfectly.

She says to the mortician, "Whatever this cost, I'm very satisfied. You did an excellent job and I'm very grateful. How much did you spend?"

To her astonishment, the mortician presents her with the blank check."There's no charge," he says.

"No, really, I must compensate you for the cost of that exquisite blue suit!" she says.

"Honestly, ma'am," the mortician says, "It cost nothing. You see, a deceased gentleman of about your husband's size was brought in shortly after you left yesterday, and he was wearing an attractive blue suit. I asked his wife if she minded him going to his grave wearing a black suit instead, and she said it made no difference as long as he looked nice. So I switched the heads."