The only thing wrong with our holiday was that we had to get up at 3.30 in the morning to get our flight home. Still it gave us the chance to observe that Montenegro is a 24/ 7 culture as there were still people out on the streets coming back from clubbing (or maybe all night parties chez the Beckhams at the Hotel Splendid), and even the cross- ( Read more... )

Just contemplating how to write up Montenegro for fandom at large when it's a place that most fans would find too hot, too non-vegetarian and rather hilly. I guess the cats are really tiny and cute, so that might help. Didn't there use to be Yugoslavian fandom once back in the mists of time? Where did Bruno Ogorolec come from ( Read more... )

There's going to be a party to celebrate 25 years of TWP (The Women's Periodical, an apa for women in UK fandom that began in the early 80s), and we're trying to get the word out to all members past and present. Unfortunately because I've been crap at keeping up with people I don't have email addresses for many former members. So if anyone out ( Read more... )

I've been sorting through lots of donated second hand books at work this week, picking out the ones we want to keep for the English collection. Apart from making my room smell and look like a second-hand bookshop, it's been quite fun. Today I found one with a stamp in it from the Northampton Book Appeal 1st-15th May 1943. It reads: This book which ( Read more... )

We were ill over Christmas so all I had to eat and drink on Christmas Day was a bagel and a lot of water!

Somebody accidentally bought me Season 2 of Veronica Mars for my Christmas present. Anyone able to lend me Season 1?

Just spent an excellent week travelling round Queensland - full details to be provided by Doug in his variously titled not the GUFF trip report. Maybe. We're currently in Stanthorpe, having spent the afternoon sampling wines from the up and coming Granite Belt Region, but will be heading to Brisbane tomorrow for Conjure, the Australian version of ( Read more... )

My work reading group read Solaris - mainly, it turned out, because Ben who recommended the book, once met Lem in a cafe in Poland! In the run-up to the meeting many of them were expressing their doubts about the book, while one of them was dedicated enough to fall asleep during both film versions (borrowed from our video library). But at the ( Read more... )

Having done its worst all that remains of the snow today are a few headless snowmen! I discovered that my epic trek home took less time than those driving to Redruth who sat in stationary traffic for a couple of hours. As for Doug, his train didn't reach Bristol till nearly midnight. At least he was spared the endless tributes to George Best, which ( Read more... )

At 2.45 we were sent an email telling us the College was closing at 3 because of the weather. That's good news except when you have to clear out a busy library where half the students belong to a different institution which has announced no plans to close. We always have trouble closing on Fridays anyway because it's the only evening the library ( Read more... )

The debate at work this week is should we do Secret Santa or put the money to some useful cause like buying a goat for a third world family. I'm not against goats (well, actually I am. Goats cheese, can't stand it! Now if we were talking cow, or donkey...), but I don't see any way in which Santa and goat buying serve a similar purpose. Like it or ( Read more... )