Weather. Health. Conventions.

Fragging hate the Santa Ana winds. Have been nursing a low-grade headache all day because of them.

So, good news. According to my doctor's scans, the cysts are gone. Yay!

Bad news, my carpal tunnel is flaring up. :(

And Botcon has finally deigned to reveal the when and where of next year's convention, and it's in April in Dallas, Texas. Now, I have an offer to cover the not-inconsiderable cost of attendance itself in exchange for the coverer getting All The Toys, but that still leaves flights, room costs, food, and time off of work. Given that it's very much looking like a new car is finally imminent (apparently, ~10 years is the limit for getting a replacement engine with decent mileage, and Silverbird is 15), it's looking increasingly like Botcon is out. The same goes for Costume Con and San Diego Comic Con. Fanime I have a commitment to because I work it, and given that ConOps has such a bloody hard time getting staff, let alone decent staff, Wonderful Husband and I feel we can't ditch on such short notice. We are considering, however, that this may be our last year staffing. Costume College, my final annual event, is local enough that I can commute and I get a little money off for teaching classes, so that one is staying on my slate.

I suppose I should wait on making my final decisions, though, until the weather improves. Making financial decisions while feeling like you have multiple nails through your skull is generally not the best policy....

E-Reader Model Recs?

It may seem an odd juxtaposition to my last "waah, probably cannot afford cons!" post, or perhaps related to it in a way, both being about financial matters, but I am wrestling with indecision on a matter.

I'm beginning to consider getting a Kindle or Nook or something. Mostly so that I can read Walt's books.

(Me pimping: Walter J. Golden is one of my former classmates in my novel-writing class. After taking Maralys' course for something like fifteen years, he finally stopped last term, feeling that he was no longer getting as much out of it. He's got four e-books published, and from the parts of them I read/edited in class, I WANT to read the rest! He's a really good writer, and does both real world suspense stuff and fantasy writing. So if you're inclined to take my opinion as good, and have a few bucks to drop on e-books, go look up him and his work.)

Anyone who has any of these mysterious e-reading devices, can you give me thoughts on the one you have? Pluses, minuses, would you buy again or not, etc?

It'll be awfully expensive to get an e-reader just to read Walt's books, though, so I'm also trying to find some other use for one. Wonderful Husband has suggested I could download fanfic onto one to read at the gym... can't read paper books there because my hands get all sweaty and I'd have to break the spines anyway to get them to stay open.