In which we are inundated with work

I need a break.

The DJ is at its craziest. I’m doing mostly what I normally do, but I seem to be doing a lot more of it. As a matter of fact, I am doing a lot more of it. I’m helping cover for someone on leave, plus we’re about to embark on preparing books for our international divisions, and, well, there’s just so many hours in the day. I haven’t read a book for me since vacation, and see no end in sight. That’s the down side of an editor’s life. Yes, you get to read a lot of books, and the ones you stick with are usually fun, but they’re not the books you would have read by your own devices. Thank God for audiobooks. At least there it’s all for fun. Finishing up The Three Body Problem. Chinese SF. Interesting. Different.

As a general rule, I prefer fiction audios. I’ve done plenty of nonfiction, but you don’t necessarily read fiction and nonfiction in the same way, so the experience of listening may or may not apply. The mind tends to wander a bit during NF at times, as compared to, I don’t know, scenes where the aliens are invading the earth or whatnot. The latter seems, in the narrative spoken universe, a bit more compelling. Depends on the nonfiction, I guess. I mean, I haven’t enjoyed every single fiction audio. I haven’t finished one very famous novel that I found deadly dull and forced, and I haven’t finished one very famous collection of rock essays, which were deadlier dull and forcedier. Shocking. Who would expect that it’s hard to write about music? Duh. It’s also hard to write about painting, or dance. We can appreciate, and we can provide contexts, but certain art forms engage parts of our brain that words leave cold. So it goes.

I did get to see the granddaughter over the weekend. She’s grown about 25% in her first couple of weeks, and is happy as a clam. Her parents have this wraparound thing more like a glorified scarf than a baby carrier, and her father looked much like a Zouave soldier as we crossed the desert of Prospect Park. She slept contentedly during the whole thing. Cute. Meanwhile Kt and I are hashing over whether we should go to WDW in the fall. Probably yes, but not as commando as usual. Rowan won’t be up for, say, Expedition Everest yet. Still, WDW is a resort, and you can be as leisurely as you like, and soak up the sun and pools and lounges and atmosphere. I’m thinking we’re better than odds-on to do it. I’ll keep you posted.

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