I'm no longer angry and bitter about the airlines cutting our commissions. Okay, sometimes it surfaces, but generally only when someone gets in my face as to why my agency charges a fee. Ordinary surprise or dismay at the fee doesn't bother me. I still don't love having to explain that if you use a service you have to pay a service fee, but I have come up with a very positive response and I manage to turn a lot of people's attitudes around because of it. Nonetheless, business is down and I think the Internet is finally managing to take away a significant percentage of our sales. It wasn't bad before the airlines' total commission cut, but now it's obvious we're in competition with the online airfare sites. Some of which, she said wryly, charge fees.

I'm definitely calmer as a result of foregoing summer school. I'm blissful at having so much free time. But I'm not doing any creative writing and you know what? I don't care. It's been six weeks since I finished my last class and I have used that time to get myself into a healthier frame of mind. How? By playing the Sims constantly. By reading a lot of excellent books such as Diane Gabaldon's time travel romance series, Laurell K. Hamilton's faerie detective agency series, and the second James White omnibus of Sector General stories. By gardening, always good for the soul if only to confirm that nothing stays the same no matter how much you want it to.

I went to a friend's house to watch the season finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and slightly horrified her with my vast and arcane knowledge of the series' characters, story arcs, and trivia. I watched the season finale of Survivor: Marquesas despite not having watched any of the Survivor series, and was slightly horrified to hear the two overtly Christian women thanking God for their superior abilities to be deceitful and manipulative. I accidentally watched the season finale of Angel and was so peeved by the inconsistencies that I have vowed never to watch another episode. I am now officially done with tv for the summer. I haven't seen the new Star Wars movie yet, but I will. I will be going to see Carmen in June and Mamma Mia in July.

I was saddened by the death of Bruce Pelz, a long time friend from fandom. I was morbidly comforted by this thoughtful article on the aging of science fiction. On a happier note I sent a wedding gift to my friends Steve Boyd and Inna Mebel. I'd like to have attended the ceremony but they thoughtlessly picked Labor Day weekend without consulting me. Instead, I'll be at the Worldcon in San Jose as a fully paid up attending member, a panelist, and a Fanzine Lounge shift worker. I'm looking forward to seeing so many friends from out of town, but vaguely worried about being a panelist as I'm never witty on demand. Luckily, I am never at a loss for words, so people keep putting me on panels.

I heard from Mark Munson, the guitarist from Citizen Sane, after Craig Loper, the drummer from the band, did a web search and found my site. I was delighted, and have been exchanging emails with Mark trying to catch up on roughly twenty years of news. I wish Craig would write to me, too. I am insanely sentimental. I really want to know what happened to everyone I used to be close to.

I rejoined Weight Watchers after being off for two months. The readjustment period is tough, but not as tough as the first time since I had not fallen completely back into old habits. I do find it hard to avoid cheese again. Damn. I love cheese. On the other hand, Morningstar corn dogs are really excellent. I heartily endorse the entire Morningstar line of meatless meat.

John and the pets are fine, my parents are back in the Pacific Northwest for the summer, my sister is in Bulgaria which I find rather baffling, and the last I heard my brother was trying to get some help for his problems which is the best news I've had in a long time. Not that he wasn't doing okay, but getting by is not the same as getting your head straight.

Which is more or less why I went on hiatus, actually. Hope you are all well and happy yourselves,

Lucy

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