Plutonic Rainbows

This past year I have been using the excellent Numerous to keep track of things. I currently have twenty-five teaching days left.

Still working on my new book (title as above). Also continuing with a young adult fantasy tale that has been in development for some time. I'd like to get that one finished in the next few weeks.

I only have six weeks left now before I return to England. Trying to get everything together now. It takes time.

I recently saw this film from way back in 1990. It has an incredibly good Maurice Jarre score but that is only matched by the sheer excellence of the film itself.

Roger Ebert review from 2005:

After Dark, My Sweet is the movie that eluded audiences; it grossed less than $3 million, has been almost forgotten, and remains one of the purest and most uncompromising of modern films noir. It captures above all the lonely, exhausted lives of its characters.

Continuing with my new writing but it's slow right now. Sometimes it's just a case of waiting for inspiration to arrive. Writing about the past is sometimes not a good way to spend my time. It's better to live in the moment.

My ticket has been booked now and I will be flying on Sunday, March 30th. It also means that I will get to see China - well at least the airport in Shanghai.

I went into Okayama today to try and get a decent amount of bubble wrap for my boxes of magazines. I went to the main Post Office. Also went to the doctor about my cold. I managed to find a shop just up the road that had loads of cheap bubble-wrap.

Peter Straub has a collection of his tales released on February 16th. The book encompass a range of his short stories spanning some twenty-five years.

Amazon:

Peter Straub has spent forty years at the forefront of modern literary horror. The stories assembled here represent his astonishing range and his ability to terrify, transport, and hold a reader hostage. "Mr. Clubb and Mr. Cuff" is a darkly comic masterpiece in which a stern estate lawyer known as the Deacon hires a pair of "Private Detectives Extraordinaire" to investigate and seek revenge on his unfaithful wife. In "The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine," a man and his much younger lover explore their decadent and increasingly sinister fantasies on a luxurious yacht in the remotest stretch of the Amazon River. "Blue Rose" finds violence and power in the hands of the most innocent among us, leading to a conclusion that is fully surprising and devastating. Each story cracks the foundation of our reality and opens our eyes, taking us further and further into the darkness that normally remains deeply, and safely, hidden. Interior Darkness is the gold standard of literary horror. I'm not sure about the 'gold standard'. I've found his work to be of varying quality over the years but I'm happy to be proven wrong. My biggest concern is that the collection doesn't feature anything new or previously unpublished.

Started packing my stuff properly now. The magazines are boxed and I now need to get the paperwork put on the side and some more wrapping inside.

I also cleared out a good deal of the stuff I accumulated this past year that I won't need. It feels good to be finally getting my things ready to go back home.

Tom Warren, The Verge:

With a lack of hardware, lack of sales, and less than 2 percent market share, it’s time to call it: Windows Phone is dead. Real Windows on phones might become a thing with Continuum eventually, but Windows Phone as we know it is done. It won’t stop Microsoft producing a few handsets every year as a vanity project, but for everyone else it’s the end of the line.

I don't think anyone ever thought this had a future.