Brian, Man you are really good, that is some real talent, the pictures of the old signs, is so beautiful. You need to get back on the horse and keep taking pictures. We need creative people like yourself, to remind us, just what a beautiful place it is. I look forward to seeing some new stuff.

Please, please, please post more.

Haven't been able to post much over the last week since I had a cover on deadline (check sketch thread if you'd like to see it) but I don't think I'll emulate the way Joakhim catches up. But damn I'm sorry I missed the big 100 page celebration, I had a cone hat and everything!

I just finished reading a Tad Williams book - The War of the Flowers. Talented writer, the words flow nicely into paragraphs and his world building is excellent, however I didn't like the main character and that kept me from falling into the story, though I don't think that would be a problem for many. I've read too many writing books that have talked about how to build a sympathetic main character and the main character was too much from that mold for me. I wanted a little more originality from him, and a little more forcefulness, stuff happens to him rather than him making stuff happen. And the ending was kind of weak when it needed to end big (if it's part of a larger series then the ending is appropriate but annoying since I don't think I'll be reading further but if it is meant to be a standalone work then I felt it needed to be bigger).

Books waiting to be read:

John Ringo - Unto the Breach

Stephen R Lawhead - Merlin

Glen Cook - Old Tin Sorrows

Joel Rosenberg - Paladins II: Knight Moves

Tad Williams - Tailchaser's Song

Steve that poster you made was really great, I love how you combined the elf with the real leaf. Very eye catching.

I love seeing everyones work.

Tad Williams book - The War of the Flowers.

Steve, you summed up EXACTLY how I felt about this novel, although my review wasn't quite as elegant.  I just started BOOMSDAY by Christopher Buckley this weekend, but not far enough into it yet to have much of an opinion beyond "He writes well."

Last night, Eric and I had a little dinner "thing" with our gay neighbors (two blocks over).  Surprised by how much I enjoyed myself -- perhaps the copious amount of red wine is the explanation (it would certainly explain my hang over this morning -- teaching ought to be fun today...)

They'd tricked out their house, which is structurally almost exactly like ours, but a tiny bit smaller -- you know, hired a decorator, a landscaper, etc.  But we did adopt a new neighborhood battle cry:

LET THE GENTRIFICATION BEGIN!!!