This week was largely devoted to two projects: my Analog column and the next Rule of Five episode.

The review column was for the November/December 2020 issue. Usually I start my columns with an essay okn some aspect of science fiction. then review 8-9 books. For the end of the year issue, I ditch the essay and recommend sf books as holiday gifts. The conceit is that this is a way to trick non-sf readers into reading science fiction, thus getting them hooked. I cover more books that averge; this time around, I reviewed no fewer than 12 titles.

Four days, five States, 1,429 miles, a raging pandemic, and one vintage 1984 Return of the Jedi swing set. That's how we spent last weekend.

We have a new hamster here at Meerkat Meade. He's a five-week-old mostly-white Syrian hamster with very subtle tawny shading around hsi head and hindquarters. Technically he's a variety called "recessive dapple," which describes his coloring.

Since I began writing science fiction in the 1970s, I've struggled with gendered language. Here I'm not talking about languages like Spanish and French, in which every noun is either male or female. No, my concern is the way gender occurs so often in English, mostly in words that refer to people.

Although Shore Leave (an annual local con) has been canceled, they're still holding some events virtually—including the masquerade. As Masquerade Director, Thomas has been hard at work getting costumers to submit short videos, editing same, and co-ordinating the whole effort. We've both been very impressed by the quality of the entries, not just in terms of costume but also the technical quality.

All of which leads me to reflect on the phenomenon of amateur video.

The end of the month is always a time to pause and assess one's progress. The end of June is even more so, as it's also the end of a quarter and the mid-point of the year. Like many folks, I have goals for verious time periods: daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly. It's so easy to get caught up in short-term progress (or the lack thereof) and lose sight of the big picture. So it''s nice to have the opportunity to see and acknowledge long-term progress; nothing produces enthusiasm like success. And having enthusiasm makes it easier to stick to those short-term goals.

I've been getting a lot of stuff done this week, especially on the Great Kitchen Renovation (I had breakfast at the kitchen table this morning for the first time in, of, ten years at least). But while I was busy, so was the Supreme Court.

This has been a week for steady progress on a number of goals, which is how things really get done.

Slow-but-steady doesn't get a lot of attention. In our limited-attention-span culture, we often get the impression that most accomplishment comes from short, intense bursts of activity. We celebrate the all-nighter, the overnight success. We make a huge deal out of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in November, but never mention WriFiHuWoDaYe (Write Five Hundred Words Daily Year).

It's Pride Month, and if you're looking for some good reading, four of my books will on sale in Kindle format on successive weekends. Check out the Upcoming Deals section for dates and titles.

Eight panels and one reading over four days. That was my share of participation in last weekend's Virtual Balticon. Topics ranged from Star Wars to worldbuilding to post-apocalyptic fashions. Discussions were lively, respectful, and exceptionally interesting.