craigoxbrow

Happy birthday to my dad! Who isn't reading this, but there you go.

Happy New Year, applicable parts of the world!

Years are supposed to go by faster as you get older, but 2011 still seems long, looking back thinking "was that really this year?" maybe because it's been so packed and diverse, starting with weeks of snow and ice and ending with... not so much... and taking in world travel, meeting new people, meeting people I've known for years, busy weeks, blazing summers, work, play, creation, family, panic, relief, and that's without getting into the Arab Spring, Occupy, Hackgate, uprisings... it's been quite a ride.

Right then, Mark safely back in Sydney. No word yet on whether he successfully watched season one of Boardwalk Empire as he planned.

"So what did you do for your birthday?"
"I waited four hours for my number to be called for Book Festival tickets after giving up on the phones and website."

(And got a visit from my dad and a call from my brother and presents and stuff, yay!)

Presents, food, stuff to do, cold is just about gone... saw the Australian contingent on the webcam, which is always nice but at the same time depressing... and thanks to the weather that's also the only way I'll see my dad today too. Still, see him in the flesh at New Year, unless more bloody snow comes.

Less must-call-the-glass-half-full post to follow Doctor Who, one hopes.

I already covered the journey out in undue detail here so anyway...

( Sydney And Melbourne )

Thomas and Amelie. Not gonna see them till the 14th, pictures to follow.

So after twenty-nine hours from one airport to another, another, another, it turns out I just can't sleep on a plane. Have now awoken after about four hours since eating/showering/fading-out-mid-Buffy-episode and have every intention of drinking some water and sleeping some more. Like until Sunday unless Jill goes into labour. More when less demented.

Planning to go globetrotting in September. Probably Australia first for a couple weeks, then America (in time for The Grand Masquerade 23rd-26th, which annoyingly is the same weekend as Gen Con Oz and my brother's birthday but hey) then back here for the Dead By Dawn all-nighter on the 9th of October.

So, folks in Straya on the first half of the month, folks in the US of A (and possibly Canada, depending on what visas to go from one to the other are like) in the latter half, wanna say hello?

Since two years ago, I've gone from not being much of a fan of Hogmanay to actively disliking it and always being glad of midnight arriving. That was when Lily's cold became a chest infection became OB. This year she saw the fireworks on Sydney Harbour. A move I heartily endorse, but still a bummer for those of us left behind.

Plan for this year is to spend the summer going round the world. Hit the White Wolf super-convention and possibly GenCon as well, then go further west, go to Straya and loop around on the way back. So I'll see Jill and Lily about a year after we put them on the plane.

Roll on teleport booths.