I Am Thankful for Many Things

Including (but not limited to) my amazing family, friends, and communities—both near and far. Happy Thanksgiving to all those celebrating this week!

And everyone, please enjoy this lolcat picture, which I made recently while procrastinating.

http://cheezburger.com/8383208192

First commenter to correctly identify the source of the quotation wins bragging rights. (Hint: it's a musical.)

I'm going to KSC!

Last month, I submitted my name for one of NASA's #JourneyToMars promotions—specifically, the Orion Test Flight "Boarding Pass" shown above, where they'll etch your name into a computer chip that flies aboard the spacecraft.

While I was poking around the web site, I also registered for the associated NASA Social event, because why not?

And I got in.

So I'll be at Kennedy Space Center the week after Thanksgiving with a bunch of other folks from the Internet to watch the Orion launch and tour some NASA facilities and meet people working on the project and I don't know what else.

Even better, I'll be rooming and carpooling with my fabulous Clarion West classmate (and NASA Social veteran) Alison Wilgus! Follow us on Twitter if you dare. :)

Just made travel arrangements for my 1st @NASASocial trip, can't decide if I'm more excited about seeing @NASA_Orion or @aliwilgus XD

— Curtis 小說作家 Chen (@sparCKL) November 15, 2014

SnoutCast #211: Anna McCleary

Continuing our conversations with some of the women behind Puzzled Pint, this month we talk to Anna McCleary in Chicago! (Sorry about the audio weirdness toward the end of the show. I blame Skype and/or Microsoft.)

[ Download mp3 ]

Show length: 41:53
File size: 38.3MB

Stuff and things:

• DASH
• Shinteki Field Trip: Disneyland 2014
• Takenoko
• Flash Point: Fire Rescue
• Cards Against Humanity (and their "Holiday Bullshit")
• Bohnanza

What Else?

• Dan Egnor's Puzzle Hunt Calendar
• Rich Bragg and company's ClueKeeper
• You can still get in on JoCo Cruise Crazy 5!

Tell us we're wrong on the Internet! E-mail podcast@snout.org or post a comment at www.snout.org/podcast.

Music: instrumentals from "Code Monkey" and "I Crush Everything" by Jonathan Coulton

[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link / Stitcher link ]

  

I didn't write a blog post today.

Question: does writing a blog post about how you didn't write a blog post still count as a blog post? Discuss.

I am now an Associate Member of SFWA

That's the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America to you:

(For the record, I'm glad Jim Kelly told me this summer to wait, and I'm glad Mary Robinette Kowal told me last week to go for it.)

But speaking of waiting, I'm also waiting until next week to celebrate properly. Why next week? Well, I'm glad you asked!

sfwa.org/other-resources/for-readers/reading-series/sfwa-northwest-reading-series/

I will be one of the featured authors at this quarter's installment of the SFWA Pacific Northwest Reading Series, along with Daniel H. Wilson and Django Wexler. (I am still a bit mystified at my invitation to this event, but I don't feel so bad now that I'm at least a SFWA member of some kind.)

Please join us at the Wilde Rover Irish Pub and Restaurant in Kirkland, WA on Tuesday, November 11th; or at McMenamins Kennedy School in Portland, OR on Wednesday, November 12th! It'll be great. You'll love it. Have a drink.