Okay, so here I am. I’ve thought about joining live journal for a while but have dithered for what are presumably fairly common reasons. Most of the things that happen in my life seem pretty dull even to me, so why would anyone else want to read about them? And would the bits that do seem interesting and amusing really be so to anyone other than me? 

 

I guess I’m about to find out; always assuming anyone else even notices I’m here.

 

In truth, it’s been a fairly frustrating week. Theoretically, this should have been as busy as the previous couple, which is very. After all, I’m in the middle of obtaining and editing stories for two new anthologies via Newcon Press – both due an Easter release – organising an SF convention (not on my own, I hasten to add), overseeing the development and providing content for two websites – one new, one revamped – furthering an additional online project, getting my head around the fact that I’ve just taken over the editing of the BSFA’s Matrix magazine (currently organising interviews and articles etc), plus various other bits and pieces…

 

What happens in the middle of all this? Some public spirited individuals take it upon themselves to dig up, cut out and carry away 200 metres of the central telephone cabling in the local area; apparently in order to steal the copper piping that encases such things. A friend, Nick Gevers, tells me that ‘cable thieves’ are fairly common where he lives, in South Africa, but it’s a new one on me.

 

This act of cable-jacking left three villages – ourselves plus nearby Alconbury and Upton – without any telephone or internet services for a week. Combine that with the ongoing postal strike, and it all inspired a true sense of being a part of the global community… not. Welcome to the age of communication!

 

Okay, so here I am. I’ve thought about joining live journal for a while but have dithered for what are presumably fairly common reasons. Most of the things that happen in my life seem pretty dull even to me, so why would anyone else want to read about them? And would the bits that do seem interesting and amusing really be so to anyone other than me? 

 

I guess I’m about to find out; always assuming anyone else even notices I’m here.

 

In truth, it’s been a fairly frustrating week. Theoretically, this should have been as busy as the previous couple, which is very. After all, I’m in the middle of obtaining and editing stories for two new anthologies via Newcon Press – both due an Easter release – organising an SF convention (not on my own, I hasten to add), overseeing the development and providing content for two websites – one new, one revamped – furthering an additional online project, getting my head around the fact that I’ve just taken over the editing of the BSFA’s Matrix magazine (currently organising interviews and articles etc), plus various other bits and pieces…

 

What happens in the middle of all this? Some public spirited individuals take it upon themselves to dig up, cut out and carry away 200 metres of the central telephone cabling in the local area; apparently in order to steal the copper piping that encases such things. A friend, Nick Gevers, tells me that ‘cable thieves’ are fairly common where he lives, in South Africa, but it’s a new one on me.

 

This act of cable-jacking left three villages – ourselves plus nearby Alconbury and Upton – without any telephone or internet services for a week. Combine that with the ongoing postal strike, and it all inspired a true sense of being a part of the global community… not. Welcome to the age of communication!

 

Ah well, at least it gave me an excuse to concentrate on the things I really want to be doing but don’t seem to have found much time for of late… writing and reading. The phones lines were finally reconnected yesterday afternoon. In the intervening week I had written a short story from start to finish and progressed a novel. I’d also finished a novel and read two other books from cover to cover, so it wasn’t all bad.