Sunday, May 20, 2007

Lloyd Alexander


One of the perks working for the magazine is meeting so many authors I would never meet otherwise. I'm usually not intimidated by meeting famous folks and rarely find myself feeling nervous, but last year when I was conscripting people to write essays for the YA issue, I called up Lloyd Alexander to ask him for a piece and found myself completely fluttery before I called. Discovering his Prydain series at age 11 was my entry into genre reading, my transition from my early mainstay of all the mythology and "real ghost" stories I could get my hands on to fantasy, horror, and then the final inevitable plunge into science fiction. When I spoke to him, he was completely charming, though apologetic that he could not write something for me as he had recently taken a spill and broken his leg (or maybe his hip? can't remember). We chatted for about ten minutes, and at the end of the call, I blurted out something about how his books were the reason I love SF today. He was very sweet.


It's a strange thing, when an author who's writing had a strong effect on you passes away, it feels like something irreplacable has been lost.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Primigravidas

Week 36 is Friday. Week 37 is term, my first goal; her lungs will probably be finished developing by then... and maybe they'll induce. Or not. Modern medicine, sheesh.

Lunar Month 10, 36 wks LMP (34 wks gestation)

Baby weighs 5.78 lbs or 2622 grams. Baby is 18.66 inches or 47.4 cm long.

In the meantime, I'm on full bedrest. I had a brief period where I could go to work three hours a day, which was at least something. I now am stuck in bed full time, trying to do some work on my laptop, and finding it a frustrating prospect. It's all because of my blood pressure, which has always been a bit high, but it makes the doctors very nervous now. So I go in three times a week for testing, but all the tests show the baby is doing great. Which is a relief.

I can now watch my belly do the boogaloo all by itself, which is a fascinating event I could stare at for hours. Never boring. Right now Savannah is high in the running for names. Thoughts?

Of course, I didn't finish getting ready to leave work, with new people trained up and all my work done in advance, as I had hoped. But I'm trying to do as much as I can from here. Z'boss keeps calling and checking on me, as does Mzmelia. So I have a lot of support, despite the fact that my mother and sister both are out of the country for the next two weeks ):(|), one in Australia visiting the family, and the other in Spain for work. And both have said they'll be upset if I have her before they're back, like I can cross my legs and hold her there if she decides she's done...