Time flies. It feels like I only finished working on the two year’s bests with Karen Haber about 25 minutes ago, and you can already buy them. If you’re one of the intrepid folk who like to buy e-books you can get Science Fiction: The Best of 2004 and Fantasy: The Best of 2004 from the good folk at Palm Digital. I’m sure they’ll show up elsewhere shortly, and maybe even on paper. Cool.

…I’ve tried to get on with 2005. Charles is in Sydney, and I need to get my recommended reading essay done. I’m actually itching to get it finished so 2004 will be over, and I can get on with things. I’ve also sent out ten invitations to writers to be part of Best Short Novels: 2005. So far eight have said yes, one has said yes if we can sort out details, and I think the other one will work out. All I’ve got to do, over the next week or two, is assemble an ms. for the publisher to check out, and get some contracts out.

Yesterday was supposed to be my day of rest but, after the last couple weeks, it was more my day of slumping. I was up at 7am and helped the kids get ready for day care. Once they were fed, clothed and ready to go we had a minor disruption to plans – the kids normal day care centre was still closed, so we checked with the back up and off they went with Marianne. She went shopping and they had fun. Once the front door was closed and I’d enjoyed the moment of serenity that follows, I tidied up the house a bit, called Charles and then Gary (to discuss books and such), slumped on the couch, had some lunch, slumped on the couch a bit, had a nap, and then tried to read some more of Cory Doctorow’s new novel. I think I like it, but my reading time has been pretty broken up of late, so I’ve gone through 70 pages in something like two weeks. Not good. I’m also thrown by the parentage and family details of the lead character. After a little while I decided to set the book aside for a few days and read a book Sharyn emailed me a while ago, Carol Emshwiller’s Mr Boots. It’s novella length, and I’m over half way through already, and it’s terrific so far.

What else? Watched Jackie Chan’s Around the World in 80 Days, which was thoroughly forgettable. Hooked up the new dvd player I got for my birthday so Marianne could watch the Jennifer Garner movie she wanted to see (the old one refused to play it, which says something for its taste, if nothing else). After that, late to bed.

Oh, I also haven’t read a short story in two weeks. I don’t know if I’m doing year’s bests covering 2005 yet (for publication in 2006), but I’d best get on with that too, just in case.

I was browsing The Annotated Pratchett File, v9.0 and was pleased to discover that Terry Pratchett has at least two more Tiffany Aching novels coming out, Wintersmith and When I Am Old I Shall Wear Midnight, and a new Watch novel, Thud, on the horizon. Apparently Wintersmith may be due in May, so galleys could exist…

Sharyn wrote about this 43 things thing over in her journal, so I did it for fun.

…for almost a full minute. I was reading the news today, and was impressed that the Australian government was donating $A1 billion to Indonesia to assist with the tsunami disaster recovery. A good and decent thing, I thought. Then I read on and saw that the Indonesians have to pay half of it back – interest free loans and all of that. I don’t understand. Increasing world debt doesn’t help. If Australia can genuinely afford to give the money, and it can, then it should. Also, this should be a time when Australia shows that it is part of South East Asia and that it is willing to reach out to its global neighbours in a time of need. sigh.