OK. Next time, we won't try to do this over the holidays ... It's a little late, and we're a little battered from putting it together, but the new issue of The November 3rd Club is up!

Good mix of stuff this time around, including a good deal of reflection on the election and the incoming new presidency, including Pham Binh on The Legacy of George W. Bush: Democratic Dominance; Marc Solomon with, O.K. Now What?; Andrena Zawinski gives us a reflection on Obamalation and I offer my own Small Prayer for the future. And of course, Phil West goes a completely different direction with, Why the 2008 Presidential Election Was Not Entirely Unlike Rock of Love Charm School.

Add to this members of The November 3rd Club community offering us their thoughts on Keith Olbermann, Patricia Smith, Clint Eastwood and Kung-Fu Panda, and you've got yourself a mighty big piece of online literary excitement!

The Winter 2009 issue of The November 3rd Club, featuring poetry, nonfiction, fiction, art and conversation by:

SAMIYA BASHIR, OSCAR BERMEO, PHAM BINH, ROBERT BOHM, J. BRADLEY, MICHAEL H. BROWNSTEIN, BRIAN DAUTH, B.L. GIFFORD, ARACELIS GIRMAY, EBONY NOELLE GOLDEN, CORRIE GREATHOUSE, ERIKA JAHNEKE, MIFANWY KAISER, ALAN KING, GEOFFREY A. LANDIS, HEATHER J. MACPHERSON, SYLVIA JULIE MARTINEZ, RAY MCNIECE, PHILIP METRES, RICHARD MODIANO, JOSÉ OLIVAREZ, MARC OLMSTED, IVY PAGE, JOHN PANZA, DEB POWERS, TERRY PROVOST, JERRY QUICKLEY, ANDREW RIHN, JOHN RODRIGUEZ, METTA SÁMA, SKIP SHEA, MARC SOLOMON, JAN STECKEL, LENORE WEISS, PHIL WEST, TONY WILLIAMS and ANDRENA ZAWINSKI.

Read it. It's good for you.

Hear ye, hear ye!

Final date poll for Buffista F2F 2009 Seattle is here. Go vote!

Hey guys, I'm doing my turn on the Chica Lit Blog Tour today, posting a chapter from a WIP.

If you wouldn't mind popping by or spreading the word, I'd really appreciate it!

It's at LJ provided it doesn't blow up.

One of my stories finally appeared [link] Maybe if Richard Price had been a crippled chick, his first efforts might read like this.

If anyone collects old Modern Library books, I am getting rid of mine for 2 or 3 bucks each. Email me at rlboston14 at earthlink dot net if you'd like a list of titles.

It's the last day for voting in the F2F 2009 date poll! I will close the poll tonight at 11 p.m. PST, and put up the results tomorrow. The poll is here. Go vote, if you haven't already.

(Results are here, if you are curious. Which you probably are, being a Buffista and all.)

I'm putting this in Press because it (potentially) affects a good handful of Buffistas:

It looks like my old Hotmail address, which I haven't used for personal e-mail in years, has spammed my Hotmail address book. Since I haven't even checked my Hotmail in a couple of weeks (I check it once a month or so, and use it for mailing lists, etc.) -- meaning, I haven't even gone to the Hotmail site and logged in -- I don't know how my address spammed people.

Anyway, I'm *really* sorry about that.

(Stompies, if this is inappropriate here, please delete. And if any of you got spam from me, sorry about that.)

I'm putting this in Press, even though it may look like some shameless advertising, because it's personal.

If this is inappropriate here, then please, stompies, delete away, with my apologies.

So, my very lovely and brilliant sister (and her very lovely and brilliant husband) came up with an appropriately lovely and brilliant idea, their very own online application, making its first baby steps in the world: an internet application which is a virtual fitting room.

All you have to do is upload your own image, and see how different outfits would look on you. No need to fight the weather, annoying salespersons or the crowds at the malls, just in order to see how the clothes look on you. No need to be disappointed when the online-bought clothes look completely different than on page.

You can check this application out on their site, or add this application to your Facebook profile.

Of course, even if you don't upload your own image, you can still find my image under the "Friends' Images" tab (what won't I do for my sister) and even play dress-up with me (what won't I do for my sister, yet again).

I hope you enjoy this! Um, even though it's just the Beta version and in its very early stages. And, of course, lots of thanks!