Hello to all, with hugs and regrets for my absence.

I'm dropping in to announce that issue one of The Dogtown Review (with thanks to Hec for inspiring the name) is available! This fiction zine includes stories by Gayle Brandeis, Keith Demanche, Rita Oakes, Carrie Vaughn and the lovely and talented Deborah Grabien! If you'd like to order a copy (at the low, low price of $3, plus $1 for shipping and handling if you're in the U.S.), PayPal is being accepted at my profile addy. If you'd like to make fun of the HTML on my website, do it where I can't hear you. I can't even tell you how web-page illiterate I am . . .

I am on vacation, sorta. Driving to upstate NY with many stops in between. I'll be away from Florida for about 3 weeks and likely will have little time to stop by the boards, but I will try. I can connect via cellphone and laptop, but the van with 4 kids, DH, and dog provides little opportunity for casual browsing. I will see my email. Have fun. I'll miss you all.

X-Post with email addresses that I had reasonably close to hand...

LAistas, Cass (AKA the other SDista), and anyone else who feels like driving into San Diego on Saturday night,

Birthday Beach Bash!!!

A couple of my friends are hosting a bonfire at Mission Bay Saturday Night (5-ish to whenever) for my birthday. Would love any and all 'fistas to be there. Want details? Email addy's good. Hope to see you!

I'm going to be in NYC(ish) this weekend, and I'm trying to arrange getting together with some NYCistas on Saturday night for dinner. If anyone's interested, email me at hillaryre (at) gmail dot com.

Please send super interview-ma the BF's way today. He's been out of work for six months, we're broke and this would be a great job for him. So vibes heading Burbank way around noontime would be much appreciated!

The radio show I host? My first program was on June 28, 1984. That means it's my 20th anniversary!

This Friday and next, from 8-10am EDT, I'll be doing a retrospective, playing a few songs from each of the last 20 years. Indie-rock songs that "defined" either that year in general or my show in particular.

It's broadcast on WMBR, 88.1 fm in Cambridge, MA, and online at [link]

Closing on my new house this morning. NEW HOUSE LIKES CARROTS!!!!!

I'll be darkish gray over the coming week as I move in and close out the apt.

Some serious healing and general recovery -ma would be great. A friend of mine (one I've requested some good vibes for in the past), her SO just came out of a hellish round of mis-diagnosis the upshot of which is that they had to take the rest of his leg (he'd already lost part of the foot) 4 inches below the knee, so PT and a prosthetic are going on as I speak. The good news of this is that he is out of the agonizing pain he has been in for the last half year plus.

Thankfully his second round of doctors figured out he was allergic to the anti-coagulents that the first round put him on (upshot of allergy being that the drugs CREATED more blood clots).

I'd like to also request some energy-ma for them since they've been too focused on just, say, making sure he didn't die (a 30% chance from how things ended up) to even think about any legal action. But if EVER I've heard a case for malpractice, this is fucking it.

Got an unofficial Internet use smackdown at work today, and most likely will be dark but for evenings and weekends. If you've got anything you want to be certain reaches me, best bet is e-mail.

Yet another long whooooosh of relief, two weeks later.

Nic passed his background check with flying colours. He starts Monday morning, on his 49th and my 50th birthday.

Thanks, all.