A happy thing

On a completely different note--I have a story! In a book! That you can buy! Candlemark and Gleam is publishing the alt-history spy anthology Substitution Cipher next week, and my story "Spheres of Influence" is in it. It's up for pre-order on Amazon. It's awesome! And makes great holiday presents! Hint hint! (Ok, maybe that wasn't very subtle. But I'm excited.)

A sad thing

My great-grandfather passed away on Monday. (I haven't had time to post anything substantial in the interim.) It was his birthday--he made it to 105. I'm now realizing I don't know what the official cause of death was, but it wasn't anything particularly traumatic--he's been failing for awhile, but not from cancer or anything, just extreme old age. Overall, it's a pretty good death--dying from being really old, in your own home, with numerous adult great-grandchildren and a great-great-grandchild on the way. (It's a pity he won't meet Smidge, but he hasn't been terribly aware for a little while, so this is probably best.)

The overall family reaction, from the folks I've talked to, is not so much grief as just a sense of being vaguely impressed he made it that long.

Rest in peace, Pops. If I weren't pregnant, I'd raise a glass of vodka to you--we've always kind of suspected the reason you made it so long is that you were a little on the pickled side, anyway.