Look what I got in my hot little hands today:

It smells nice, too.

I also signed an ARC to be part of the Mike Ford Auction at Boskone, so if you want a sneak preview, now you have an excuse to attend that particular SF convention and bid. And since I plan to be Boskone, I’ll even personalize it for you.

In other news, I managed to stay awake past 10pm tonight. Go me!

Just briefly: U.S. Representative Keith Ellison taking the oath of office and swearing to uphold the Constitution on a Koran previously owned by Thomas Jefferson? That’s genius, man. That’s like stuffing Dennis Prager and Virgil Goode into a trash can, and then rolling the trash can down a steep hill, and then when poor dizzy Dennis and Virgil crawl out, covered in each others’ bile, there’s Thomas Jefferson, laughing and pointing at them. Some days, I just love my country.

How did I spend my first night in the Big Apple? By falling dead asleep before 10pm, that’s how. I got back from my hotel room after having dinner with some college friends, got my laptop and set it down with me on the bed, and then wham, lights out. Clearly someone put something in my drink. Or alternately, it’s because I walked five or six miles yesterday and my body was letting me know that sort of nonsense just wasn’t going to fly. If that’s the case I have bad news for my body, because I’ll likely be walking that same amount today and tomorrow as well. Exercise is good, my body just apparently hates it. Too bad for my body.

In other news, I really like New York, not in the least because it does represent a change from my general life cycle — going from a place where there are fewer people in my town than there are on your typical New York City block does make for a study in contrasts. I noted to a friend that I really liked New York; the response there was “you don’t have to live here.” I suppose it’s true that if I was here on a permanent basis I might lose a bit of enthusiasm for the place, if only because everyone eventually begins to overlook the charms of their hometown. But, in fact, I don’t live here, and it’s a fun place to visit. I’ll enjoy it for now. Even if it is kicking my ass on the walking front.