Hi!

Those of you who have known me long enough know that back in the early 2000s I went to library school for a few semesters before freaking out about an assignment in “Collection Management” and dropping out. That’s been one of my biggest regrets — that, and the fact that I gave up on the chance to work with James Burke (of Connections fame) on his big new web project.

So, I’ve decided to go back. I’m back in the Master of Library and Information Sciences program at San José State University. It’s an entirely online program, so the various shelter-in-place orders issued in response to the COVID-19 pandemic aren’t affecting it. A few changes have been made in the syllabus of the Information Professions class I’m taking, but that’s about it. The professor of that class is very kind and understanding, too, which is certainly a bonus.

My only concern about going back to library school is that I’m 52 years old, and maybe I’m a bit too old to consider a big career change. I’m a wee bit tired of programming and making websites, but I do like working with information and with people… but if I’m 54 or 55 when I get my degree, will it really be worth it? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Library school has always appealed to me, since I like pretending that I’m all scholarly and what-not, but I don’t like focusing on just one subject. I could never get a Master’s degree (or, God forbid, a PhD.) in one minuscule aspect of a single field. With an MLIS degree, I can still apply my brain to a whole bunch of different areas of knowledge. I just hope I don’t freak out again.

Meanwhile, work is work. I’m extremely privileged in that I work for an organization that allows for 100% telework, and my wife does as well. Many others in this pandemic situation are not as fortunate. We try to shop local when we can, tip drivers well, and thank “essential workers” profusely and contribute to the local food bank.

Speaking of books, try not to buy books from Amazon.com if you can avoid it, unless there is absolutely no other source or you need to read it on your Kindle (which, I know, many people do for accessibility reasons). Indibound does a fantastic job of hooking people up with local independent bookstores, searching their databases for books you plug in to their search engine and guiding you to a local shop which will ship the book to you. You may pay a bit more, but you’ll keep a local shop in business, and the people who work there. Do it.

I’m going to close this blog post by plugging a few things of my own. First, Daikaijuzine is back and online. One of the things I had regretted doing was letting that site go and die. Well, it’s back. The releases have been irregular due to various reasons, but as we find our footing, we’ll get back to a regular reading and release schedule.

Second, I’ve put some more short stories online for your amusement:

1. “Burying Uncle Albert” is one of my favorites, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
2. “How the Old Ones Saved Christmas” is full of holiday magic, and who couldn’t use a little of that during the pandemic?
3. Finally, “How Bubba Handy’s Rogue Shithouse Saved the World” was a blast to write a few years ago, and I still think it’s a fun read.

These are all up on my Writing page, which you can find by clicking the link in the top menu of my site.

Finally, I’m plugging for someone who isn’t me. The Bone Shard Daughter is the debut novel by Andrea Stewart, who is both a fantastic writer and a good friend. I was a member of a critique group with her for a number of years, and I know just how good a writer she is. You can read an excerpt on io9.

And that’s all I have for now. Hopefully I’ll be writing in my blog more often as this pandemic grinds on. I have Thoughts about the pandemic, but they border on the political, and thus are not appropriate for this particular blog entry.

Stay safe and healthy, my friends.