I’m a news junkie under normal circumstances. I can easily get lost for hours reading online newspapers or watching CNN, though more of the former than the latter. I’m still a big fan of the print media, even if that print is digital.
When I got up this morning, the first thing I heard about was, of course, the major earthquake and tsunamis in Japan. I didn’t see this on the news, though. I heard about it via my work e-mail, which I always check before I start writing. The company I work for is owned by a Japanese firm, and we have lots of colleagues in various factories and offices scattered across the country. I’ve been over there four or five times on business. The very first time I was there, a small earthquake off the northern island triggered a tsunami warning. Nothing materialized, but since I was on the 25th floor of a hotel in Shinjuku, I didn’t give it much thought at the time.
We had messages from different employees in Japan telling us that everything was okay at two main offices. In one, they had some dishes tumble off the shelves and shatter. In another, there were major aftershocks, but again, no damage. The worst of it was the fact that transportation was shut down. Since most Japanese take public transit (in Tokyo, at least), that meant people were stuck at work. Some of them walked home (the commutes can be very long indeed, so these were probably not just short treks) while others stayed at the office overnight. Some of our colleagues were still trying to get in touch with family members. There’s one branch office in Sendai city, which is in the worst hit area. No reports of injury or casualty, but the condition of the office is unclear.
I was conflicted. I immediately went to the various news sites for updates, but I absolutely had to finish a short story I’m working on. If I don’t get it in the mail tomorrow, it won’t reach the market by the deadline. So I pulled myself away from the browser and forced myself to write 1500 words that put the wraps on the first draft. Tomorrow morning, I’ll revise and polish it as much as possible in the short time available to me and get it in the mail.
Had a brief chat with my agent first thing this morning. He’s sending a proposal in to a publisher on my behalf today so fingers crossed!
It’s been a while since I got an Honorable Mention from Ellen Datlow in her annual Year’s Best. This year, three of my stories made her long list: “A Murder of Vampires” from eVolVe, “Purgatory Noir” from When the Night Comes Down and “Zombies on a Plane” from Dead Set. I’m very pleased.
I know a lot of people were upset by the outcome of the battle on Survivor: Redemption Island this week, but I wasn’t at all surprised. Based on the way Jeff Probst was hyping the episode as legendary, I figured that Russell was going to be sent packing. I didn’t expect him to break down the way he did, nor did I expect him to call out Ralph and dupe him into admitting he had an idol. I was impressed by the way Ralph was keeping his discovery secret and then in one day he blabs about it to everyone on his own tribe, pretty much, as well as to two representatives of the opposing tribe. Not very smart, in my opinion. Rob, on the other hand, showed why he’s a Survivor pro. What an elaborate ruse he set up to give him a chance to search the camp. I can’t believe his teammates all fell for it. Now we get to see what he can make one of those puppies do.
We finished the first season of Deadwood last night. I was struck by how affected Swearingen was by the plight of Reverend Smith. It seemed to eat at him. For a character who has proven to be cold and ruthless, it was a revelation, as was his rant while he was being serviced after he kicked Trixie to the curb because she was “unfaithful” to him with Sol Star. We continue to be impressed by the Doc Cochrane, and the bit with him dancing with Jewel at the end of the final season one episode is terrific. The ending in general reminded me of a curtain call for a stage play, with everyone in sequence getting a moment. I knew that Bullock was going to end up sheriff, but I like how that came about. Looking forward to tearing into season two this weekend.
