Category Archives: Memoir

New York in the Summer: The Big Freeze Above, the Big Burn Below, and the Region Between

I have come to New York to help one of my sons who has had a serious accident, who was first hospitalized for surgery and then immobilized at home.  The city is in the midst of a blistering heat wave.  … Continue reading

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Book Review: Nebula Award Stories Eleven edited by Ursula K. LeGuin; Part Two: Tweaking Reality

There’s straight science fiction full of wondrous wildness like starships and androids and new worlds and bizarre aliens and so on, and there’s straight fantasy full of wizards and witches and fairies and elves and dwarfs and so on; and … Continue reading

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Book Review: Nebula Award Stories Eleven edited by Ursula K. LeGuin; Part One: Musing on the New Wave

I haven’t finished reading this book yet, but after just finishing the winning novella, “Home is the Hangman” by Roger Zelazny, I wanted to write something while the impression of it was fresh in my mind.  In short, this story … Continue reading

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The Ongoing Relevance of the Sixties and Seventies

Last night I watched a wonderful film called “Pirate Radio”.  I had seen it in Greece a few years ago; the European title is “The Boat That Rocked”.  It’s the story of a time in England when it was illegal … Continue reading

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The New Hack Writers

In bygone days pulp writers would churn out stories and articles by the bundle for magazines that would pay a fraction of a cent per word.  The only alternative to starvation was to write fast and furiously and pay more … Continue reading

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Getting Old: A Journal; Part Two: Good Stuff

I hadn’t intended to write more about getting old, at least not soon, after I had finished the first part of this journal.  Down the road a bit, yes, but not soon.  However, while contemplating it during a walk under … Continue reading

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Getting Old: A Journal; Part One: Scary Stuff

When I was young I took a girl to a party.  I can’t precisely remember my age at the time; my guess is that I was a little over twenty-one.  There was a lot of drinking going on at the … Continue reading

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Book Review: The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century by Thomas L. Friedman

Before I talk about this book I want to explain to you how I’ve been making money lately.  Unfortunately, my novels, short stories, and memoirs do not yet pay a sufficient amount of the bills.  In addition, nobody is falling … Continue reading

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On Attending ConDor 2013, San Diego’s Yearly Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention: Part Three: Saturday at the Con

Having made the decision to go back to ConDor on Saturday I prepared better.  Knowing that I would go straight through the day and that there were no decent affordable places nearby to have a sandwich for lunch, I fortified … Continue reading

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On Attending ConDor 2013, San Diego’s Yearly Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention: Part Two: Friday at the Con

Having never attended anything similar before, I approached ConDor with trepidation.  Though the website explained all the activities to be found therein, at the same time I was going in blind, without knowing anyone, and realizing that many of the … Continue reading

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