Brief update on the state of Phil

I remain unemployed.  This is little surprise.  The dog is needing lots of expensive treatment, but holding together just well enough that it seems like the treatment is justified.

I went into this jobless time with good intentions of keeping myself busy and directing my efforts to getting some useful things done, but unfortunately I have fallen into a deep pit of apathy and unmotivation.  I don't feel unhappy. Some of the time I feel somewhat depressed, but most of the time I feel pretty good; I just can't get myself together to actually do anything except read.

I'm not even keeping up with LJ; I'm way behind on reading other people's journals and several entries that I mean to write in my own.  I have bunches of ideas for doing stuff with my photography, yet I haven't even downloaded the photos I took on the GaFilk trip from the camera.

I'm not going to belabor this with any more details; what I've said sums up my situation pretty well.  If anyone would care to ship me a nice large load of give a damn, it would be appreciated.

Book review: Phoenix and Ashes

Today's book review is Phoenix and Ashes by Mercedes Lackey.  Actually, it's not today's review, it's from a week ago, but I finished the book on the GaFilk trip and I haven't gotten around to writing until now.

The latest in the Elemental Masters series, this takes place in England during World War I.  She makes it an interesting time for the story, and my knowledge of that period of history and of English geography is much too sketchy for me to common on whether she did a good job with her background or just made some halfway plausible stuff up.

I was disappointed to discover, pretty quickly, that Phoenix and Ashes is a Cinderella story.  Within the constraint of retelling Cinderella, Lackey manages to come up with a relatively interesting plot, and a couple of nice minor twists on the traditional story line.  The writing carried me along and the hero and heroine were engaging, but I think she could have given us a much better plot if she'd started from scratch.  I feel doubly let down because Lackey has just recently written another Cinderella story, The Fairy Godmother, and in that one she managed to come up with much fresher and more interesting ideas.  The Elemental Masters universe is cool, and the first couple of books she wrote in it were excellent, but this one had a definite feel of being written to discharge an obligation and not because she had something to say.  This feeling is reinforced by the fact that this book came out quite some time later than I had originally expected it.

In the grand scheme of things, not a bad book, but a disappointment from Lackey.  It was enjoyable to read, but it didn't leave me with any significant feelings to carry forward.  7 out of 10.

GaFilk report, part 2

I'll try to pick up my blow-by-blow account of GaFilk where I left off.

( The end of Saturday through Monday )

Overall, GaFilk was a great time, in spite of many people who should have been there who didn't make it. bedlamhouse says that he budgets conservatively, so the drop in attendance is not a financial disaster for the con, and with Dandelion Wine as guests of honor next year, attendance should be back up. Thanks for all your efforts, everyone.