I promised myself that I would procrastinate less this year. Yet, here I am, writing my year-end blog post on January 19th, proving once again that, just as goals are for hockey players, resolutions are for political conventions. Don’t worry, I can always stop procrastinating later.
As they say in baseball, I am entering my year-70 season and, as you might expect, I have begun to slow down. My fastball is certainly not what it used to be but I’m still able to throw a few curves.
Travel wise, we managed one major adventure and a couple of smaller ones. In February and March, we spent 5 and a half weeks traveling in The Philippines and Thailand. Many of you reading this probably followed our adventures on Facebook so I will stick to the highlights here. The biggest one was getting to spend time with our friends Peter and Mavourneen and their daughter Alice both in Manila and at a resort in Cebu. Manila itself was an eye-opener with its endless traffic and stunning contrast of rich and poor, often within a block of each other. We enjoyed learning the history of The Philippines at various museums and seeing the great variations between islands and cities. A one-day trip to Bohol to see the Chocolate Hills and the tiny Tarsiers and a journey to the world’s longest underground river on the island of Palawan were stunning.
In Thailand we divided our time between Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket. Bangkok was a mix of the traditional and the futuristic. Visits to the vast flower market, the many Buddhist temples, the night market food stalls and several river trips were highlights—though the temperatures during the day were often challenging. Chiang Mai was laid back and peaceful by comparison though its night market was big enough to get lost in (I’m just glad I had enough data on my phone to get back to our hotel). The pinnacle of the trip was getting to feed and wash retired domestic elephants; elephants of all kinds are truly special animals. Phuket was, well, a beach town with some nice sand and a few fun bars. Of course, everywhere had great food.
We also made a trip out to Vancouver Island and, briefly, southern Alberta. It was a sad affair as I was attending the celebration of life for one of my dearest friends; I still think of Jim almost every day. Still, it was good to see friends and family. In late September we spent a week at a cottage in Nova Scotia. It was very relaxing and a chance to reconnect with my brothers and their families. A trip to Mississauga for a weekend with fellow writers was pleasantly productive and one to Hamilton to visit Liz’s son and grandchildren was a nice Christmas treat.
On the writing front, I had two stories published last year, one in Analog SF and one in an anthology about spies. I sold two more that will appear this year, again in Analog and in another anthology put out by Shadowpaw Press. I finished several more shorts which I hope will lead to additional sales in the coming months. I also finished another Max Anderson mystery novel (the fourth) set in 1920s Paris. I polished it up in time to get it published this month. It is called The Risen Sun and is available in eBook in most markets. The paperback should follow by the end of January. Finally, I started a new SF novel and that will be my primary focus in 2025 (though I’ve already started taking notes for another Max Anderson book and several short stories).
I had another busy reading year, completing 79 books: 33 mysteries, 18 SF, 11 non-fiction, 8 mainstream fiction, 6 books of poetry and 3 books on writing (because it’s never too late to learn something new).
Highlights:
Mystery – The Blood of a Gladiator by Ashley Gardner, A Dreadful Destiny by Rosemary Rowe, and Obsidian by Thomas King
Science Fiction – Juice by Tim Winton, The Downloaded by Robert J. Sawyer, The Tapestry of Time by Kate Heartfield, and The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Ann Older
Non-Fiction – White Holes by Carlo Rovelli, Becoming Wild by Carl Sofina, Peace and Good Order by Harold Johnson and Dangerous Rhythms by TJ English
Mainstream – The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas and All the Colour in the World by CS Richardson
Poetry – All the Names Given by Raymond Antrobus
Writing – Bird by Bard by Anne Lamott
Next year, I hope to top 80 books for the first time since high school.
I also took on one editing contract which I am just finishing up now.
Finally, on the health front, I approach 70 in pretty good shape though I have some joint pain in various locales, the most annoying being my hands. My blood pressure is slightly high—though not worrisome, according to my doctor. My vision and hearing are what you might expect and I suppose hearing aids are in my near future.
Liz has had some health issues during the year which has disrupted our travel plans for 2025 somewhat, though we still have trips planned for east and west in Canada and a month in England in the fall. Some resolution is in sight so we may be back on track for six months in Europe in 2026.
In the meantime, we are enjoying our new apartment with its great views down the Ottawa River and lots of opportunities to see family and friends.
Until next time, find happiness and peace wherever you can and, most of all, keep breathing.
As they say in baseball, I am entering my year-70 season and, as you might expect, I have begun to slow down. My fastball is certainly not what it used to be but I’m still able to throw a few curves.
Travel wise, we managed one major adventure and a couple of smaller ones. In February and March, we spent 5 and a half weeks traveling in The Philippines and Thailand. Many of you reading this probably followed our adventures on Facebook so I will stick to the highlights here. The biggest one was getting to spend time with our friends Peter and Mavourneen and their daughter Alice both in Manila and at a resort in Cebu. Manila itself was an eye-opener with its endless traffic and stunning contrast of rich and poor, often within a block of each other. We enjoyed learning the history of The Philippines at various museums and seeing the great variations between islands and cities. A one-day trip to Bohol to see the Chocolate Hills and the tiny Tarsiers and a journey to the world’s longest underground river on the island of Palawan were stunning.
In Thailand we divided our time between Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket. Bangkok was a mix of the traditional and the futuristic. Visits to the vast flower market, the many Buddhist temples, the night market food stalls and several river trips were highlights—though the temperatures during the day were often challenging. Chiang Mai was laid back and peaceful by comparison though its night market was big enough to get lost in (I’m just glad I had enough data on my phone to get back to our hotel). The pinnacle of the trip was getting to feed and wash retired domestic elephants; elephants of all kinds are truly special animals. Phuket was, well, a beach town with some nice sand and a few fun bars. Of course, everywhere had great food.
We also made a trip out to Vancouver Island and, briefly, southern Alberta. It was a sad affair as I was attending the celebration of life for one of my dearest friends; I still think of Jim almost every day. Still, it was good to see friends and family. In late September we spent a week at a cottage in Nova Scotia. It was very relaxing and a chance to reconnect with my brothers and their families. A trip to Mississauga for a weekend with fellow writers was pleasantly productive and one to Hamilton to visit Liz’s son and grandchildren was a nice Christmas treat.
On the writing front, I had two stories published last year, one in Analog SF and one in an anthology about spies. I sold two more that will appear this year, again in Analog and in another anthology put out by Shadowpaw Press. I finished several more shorts which I hope will lead to additional sales in the coming months. I also finished another Max Anderson mystery novel (the fourth) set in 1920s Paris. I polished it up in time to get it published this month. It is called The Risen Sun and is available in eBook in most markets. The paperback should follow by the end of January. Finally, I started a new SF novel and that will be my primary focus in 2025 (though I’ve already started taking notes for another Max Anderson book and several short stories).
I had another busy reading year, completing 79 books: 33 mysteries, 18 SF, 11 non-fiction, 8 mainstream fiction, 6 books of poetry and 3 books on writing (because it’s never too late to learn something new).
Highlights:
Mystery – The Blood of a Gladiator by Ashley Gardner, A Dreadful Destiny by Rosemary Rowe, and Obsidian by Thomas King
Science Fiction – Juice by Tim Winton, The Downloaded by Robert J. Sawyer, The Tapestry of Time by Kate Heartfield, and The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Ann Older
Non-Fiction – White Holes by Carlo Rovelli, Becoming Wild by Carl Sofina, Peace and Good Order by Harold Johnson and Dangerous Rhythms by TJ English
Mainstream – The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas and All the Colour in the World by CS Richardson
Poetry – All the Names Given by Raymond Antrobus
Writing – Bird by Bard by Anne Lamott
Next year, I hope to top 80 books for the first time since high school.
I also took on one editing contract which I am just finishing up now.
Finally, on the health front, I approach 70 in pretty good shape though I have some joint pain in various locales, the most annoying being my hands. My blood pressure is slightly high—though not worrisome, according to my doctor. My vision and hearing are what you might expect and I suppose hearing aids are in my near future.
Liz has had some health issues during the year which has disrupted our travel plans for 2025 somewhat, though we still have trips planned for east and west in Canada and a month in England in the fall. Some resolution is in sight so we may be back on track for six months in Europe in 2026.
In the meantime, we are enjoying our new apartment with its great views down the Ottawa River and lots of opportunities to see family and friends.
Until next time, find happiness and peace wherever you can and, most of all, keep breathing.
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