Well, things are certainly a mess right now. We went back to the townhouse yesterday and it's like a war zone - everything is black with soot and ash. The fire gutted one room completely, but the rest of the damage was from the smoke. I never understood what people meant when they talked about smoke damage, but now I understand just how bad it can ( Read more... )

Well, this has been an interesting morning - there was a fire at the townhouse! Everyone is okay, though, and none of the important stuff has been lost ( Read more... )

Today is Jack Vance's 89th birthday. I'm having one of those busy days, but I couldn't let such an occasion pass without a post from me raving about my deep affection for ... no, make that worship of Vance's genius ( Read more... )

As many of you may know, sf/fantasy writer Jack Vance is my favourite author. I've recommended him to a couple of people lately, and I figured it was about time for me to do a Vance-related post, along with a few recommendations for someone starting off with his books ( Read more... )