Shawn Powers, a friend of Whatever and also a frequent commenter here, has had a very bad day: His house has burned up. The good news is Shawn, his wife and children are safe; unfortunately their pets were victims of the fire.

Friends and co-workers have set up a place for other friends and concerned folks to chip in to help Shawn and his family get through this really terrible moment in their lives: It’s here. If you have a bit to spare, I’d appreciate you thinking about sparing it. There are also more details about today’s events at the link.

Thanks, and feel free to spread the word.

So I won’t be here. If you have a family, why not spend time with them too? Unless, you know, you don’t like your family, in which case I guess you can just sit at home, dreading Thanksgiving from 11 months off.

But to keep you busy whilst I am away, a question:

So, ever been to a laser show? What’d'ya think?

If you’re wondering what to do with your Sunday, I’ll note you can spend about fifteen minutes of it watching me being interviewed on Cult Pop, the Michigan-based interview show specializing in science fiction and fantasy. The interview was done during last year’s Penguicon, so I’m being interviewed about Zoe’s Tale and METAtropolis, both of which were up for Hugos at the time, and I also talk about Stargate: Universe. And when you’re bored with me, there’s also Jim Hines on the program, chatting up his own books and projects. And that’s another fifteen or so minutes of your Sunday squared away. But after that, man, you’re on your own.

(If you’re seeing this more than a week after the entry went up, the show in question is #34.)