Given the way podcasting has come to dominate my blog, I wanted to create a space where I could just blog my thoughts.

1. • Birthdays are weird 1 January, 2024
     For as long as I can remember,  my birthdays have been weird, a little fraught, a little difficult. I do not really enjoy them. Maybe it’s because I was born in a leap year, or maybe I’m difficult, or maybe I don’t get why everyone wants to make a fuss. Maybe it feels a bit ...
   • Carrie and Juliet, or a New Year’s Eve for 2023 1 January, 2024
     Was up early, had some breakfast, and then did some novella editing. Afte that, well, Sunday, New Year’s Eve, was a little stormy.  The family was due to go to see the musical &Juliet, tickets having been acquired as part of Marianne’s birthday this year. For some reason, the eldest took it into her head not ...
   • Saturday night 30 December, 2023
     Christmas is only just in the rearview mirror and the things that made me want to keep a journal last year are reading their heads again, so let’s try. It’s the 30th so I won’t try to detail the week between Christmas and New Year except to say we watched a lot of movies, I did ...
   • Weekend of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth 16 January, 2023
     On paper, it was a good weekend.  Saturday I took the youngest out to Costco to pick up some things for her short film shoot that’s happening next week. We then stopped at Whisked the Right Wei, one of the better patisseries in Perth, and got coffee at a Kwik drive-through. I then took the ...
   • And that was the weekend that was, that was 9 January, 2023
     I had a fairly quiet weekend by my standards. I had a Locus Board Meeting at 7 am, which is an ungodly hour for something like that, but the only time really to get everyone involved together. We talked about many things, including how Locus can really use your help and support. It was also ...
   • Cusp of the weekend 6 January, 2023
     I might need a haircut and look a million years old in this photo, and the chair I’m sitting on might be bloody uncomfortable, but it’s the weekend, so let’s have at it! Today was spent working, editing (a novella called “On Clan Business”, trying to get some stuff finished, and mostly falling behind.  It was ...
   • At home 4 January, 2023
     This morning feels like a million years ago. Had a fairly solid night’s sleep and woke around 5-ish. Daughter was awake so we went down to Mt Lawley to get the mail before home for me, at least to the day job. While daughter had issues with a film project that caused her great anxiety, ...
   • First day back 3 January, 2023
     Today was the first day back at the day job after three weeks or so off. Up at 5am, S had been up all night and wanted a lift, so off at the usual time with mum for coffee and catch up in Mt Lawley. From there, in to the city and to the office. ...
   • The day after New Year’s 2 January, 2023
     Well, another less-than-great night’s sleep. Awake at 4.45am and didn’t get back to sleep, so I sat down with a cup of coffee and spent two or three hours editing. Just catching up on stuff. The family started to appear around 8 am, which was nice.  Around 9 am Jess, Sophie, and I headed over ...
   • New Year’s Day 1 January, 2023
     Another probably ill-fated attempt to restore the old diary-taking muscles I developed when blogging was still a thing. Let’s see how we go. Last night was a quiet one. The girls and I dropped around at my mum’s to have a quick glass of champagne and to wish her a Happy New Year (far too early), ...
   • And then I got COVID 17 May, 2022
     I really didn’t seriously think I was going to get COVID anytime soon. Most of the people around me weren’t getting it, and it felt a bit distant. Then the youngest came up with a positive test last week. She went off to hide in her room, and we started being super careful about masking ...
   • Cat people 5 May, 2022
     In October 2018 we went looking for a new cat. Sophie found the slightly wild and temperamental Gigi somewhere south of the river, and I think mostly thought she was pretty, and said she should come home with us. Jessica, who is phobic about animals, said she was up for it. Sophie’s birthday was approaching, and ...
   • More on Wednesday 4 May, 2022
     Didn’t get the additional exercise on Tuesday so some ground to make up on Wednesday. I did watch a handful of episodes of Made for Love and am hooked.  The copy of Le Guin’s  The Found and the Lost arrived too. Sadly,  Amazon’s poor packaging meant the dustjacket was slightly torn, so that’s not so ...
   • Another day 3 May, 2022
     Having bounced hard off Apple’s Severance, which I found a deeply unhappy viewing experience, I’ve enjoyed the first two episodes of Made for Love much more. The similarities may not be obvious, but one is a tech-bro horror/fantasy about work and the other is a tech-bro horror/fantasy about love and relationships. It’s not actually funny, but ...
   • Monday morning, again 2 May, 2022
     The pandemic progresses.  With the recent changes to masking rules in Western Australia, my day job employer is calling us back to work. We’ve been working from home on and off for a while but were at home full-time for the past six weeks or so.  Today (Monday) is the end of that. We’re now ...
   • And the rest of the day 1 May, 2022
     A bit of a nothing day, in some ways. I did get some domestic chores done, and I made headway on the tax paperwork. There’s nothing untoward there, but it always manages to make me at least mildly anxious. I’ll peck away at it for the next few days and then hand it over to ...
   • May and on anon… 1 May, 2022
     It’s the first day of a new month and I’m going to try to use that as a kick-off for a bit of a fresh start. I need to exercise, organise, and work more if 2022 is going to work out. I also need to read more, watch less, and just do things. Today is ...
   • Saturday morning, back at home, still in the endless pandemic 14 August, 2021
     No reading this week at all, which is not great. Sleeping is very poor, which is also not great. Spent a few nights in a hotel so we could get through painting parts of the house, which was, no fault of the hotel, not great. Today, new carpet in one room and some cleaning and ...
   • Early Monday morning, same pandemic 9 August, 2021
     Well, it doesn’t look like blogging every day is a thing, though I am planning to keep to it. Another night’s poor sleep, after what was  a pretty good weekend.  Didn’t do much reading, but did pitch a new book, have wine and chat at Keira’s (which was a highlight of the weekend), see friends ...
   • Underslept, early on a Thursday (not much later in), the same pandemic 5 August, 2021
     I hurt my left foot a while ago. I thought it had healed up just find, but the last day or two – not great. And then sleeping. Sleeping these days is weird too. Had a terrible night’s sleep the night before last and a below par, though better, one last night. Hopefully heading in ...
   • Reading again, early August… 4 August, 2021
     Just a quick note. Should the question arise, I’m currently reading Tade Thompson’s fifth novel, Far from the Light of Heaven, his first book-length work since completing the Wormwood trilogy. The publisher describes the book like this: A tense and thrilling vision of humanity’s future in the chilling emptiness of space from a rising giant in science ...
   • Mad hours, Wednesday, later in the P— 4 August, 2021
     So sometimes I wake up at 1.30am or so, and sometimes I cannot get back to sleep. Today is the morning after one of those nights. I’m guessing I got about four hours sleep, which is enough to be barely functional. No super reason for it, but it’s gonna be a long-ish day. I’ll add, not ...
   • Time slipping away, on a Tuesday, round about the same time in the pandemic 3 August, 2021
     I’m seeing if I can work up a functional review of The Hood. Not written one of those since I stopped reviewing for Locus back in 2002 or so.  I used to kid myself that I’d go back to it, but other things overran that. Today was all about the day job, some project work, and ...
   • The next day, early in morning, exiting a polder, same pandemic 3 August, 2021
     Just wrote this elsewhere on social media: This is a strange time. Here in Perth, even for winter, it’s cold and wet. The east coast of Australian is locked down and Delta rages. I find myself rather nervously watching that and wondering when/if it will impact here. People are watching Olympics and making/plans and we’re doing ...
   • Very early morning Monday, not sleeping, same pandemic 2 August, 2021
     The cat is outside and I’ve had my mandated minimum five hours sleep, which seems what this second COVID year is allowing me right now. I hope to get back to something a bit more usual for me, but who knows? I’m awake, there’s a day job to go to, and that’s about that. Although ...
   • Sunday evening, just before dinner, a few hours later in the same pandemic 1 August, 2021
     Today has not been the productive day I’d hoped, but it wasn’t a total loss. Having been a bit under the weather, I rescheduled social commitments, and then recorded a new episode of the podcast. It talks a little about the Lavie Tidhar novel we’re both reading, about the forthcoming talk with Arkady Martine we ...
   • Too early on Sunday, a little later in the same pandemic 1 August, 2021
     To bed late after a whisky too many and now a healthy distance into The Hood. The goombahs have made an appearance. I’ll see what happens next. It’s a rainy morning here, too, very windy.  Due to do some social stuff but might hang home. Podcasting is possible.  A painter is coming to discuss painting parts ...
   • Later that same night (same pandemic), a stroll into the woods… 31 July, 2021
     Progressing into The Hood… The story has kicked in. The Hood is a re-wilding, a bringing back of the pagan and the profane to The Matter of Britain. Full of life and blood and sex and death.https://t.co/ynhBRxlmqs — JonathanStrahan (Now fully vaccinated) (@JonathanStrahan) July 31, 2021
   • That same Saturday, same pandemic, after a visit to Bunnings… 31 July, 2021
     My Meniere’s disease is acting up. The hearing in my left ear is particularly poor right now and I have pressure in both ears (which I’ve not had for a while). Not sure if it’s a COVID thing, a lack of sleep thing, or something else. Anyhow, it’s leaving me just wanting to stare out the ...
   • Saturday morning, just a little later in the same pandemic 31 July, 2021
     These entries are all, so far, just notes to me really. I don’t think I’ve left on any syndication, but the point is to get me a little more focussed on work and stuff, and hopefully this will nudge me. Anyway, another Saturday morning. A first cup of coffee. Maybe a mild sore throat, possibly after ...
   • Later in the evening, Friday, sometime during the pandemic 30 July, 2021
     No reading yet. A long-ish feeling day at the day job, aware of other tasks to be settled. Home, tired and underslept, but took the family out for an okay pasta dinner in the nearby Swan Valley. Meniere’s played up mightily, but that’s probably self-inflicted. Made me think of heading for bed early, but instead… Watched ...
   • Early Friday morning, sometime during the pandemic 30 July, 2021
     It might seem odd to look back to blogging for a way to focus, but I’m going to try. I used to blog a lot, many years ago, but social media and so on really has broken that down for me. I spend too long on other platforms, and I find them less satisfying. Since this ...
   • Successful, but challenging… 21 August, 2013
     There are times when it’s difficult to reconcile the differences between various aspects of your life.  So far this year has been successful, but challenging. Since returning from World Fantasy in Toronto I have sold four new anthologies, including finding a wonderful new home for my ‘best of the year’s series, been commissioned to edit ...
   • Lately…. 11 July, 2013
     It’s July and I’ve not been blogging. I know why I haven’t been blogging. Mostly because I have Twitter, and because of the semi-shambles that the first half of 2013 has left everything in round here. I’ve not blogged much about all sorts of small, recurring problems – mostly medical ones like hearing and blurry ...
   • For future me 14 June, 2013
     I sometimes look back at old blog entries to bring back details of little personal things. Not often, but sometimes. Today is the day, future me, when we went out to see Driving Miss Daisy at His Majesty’s Theatre with mum. Can’t tell you if we enjoyed it, because that’s tonight. Jessica turned thirteen this ...
   • Conflux is coming 17 April, 2013
     Next week I will be attending Conflux 9, the Australian National Science Fiction Convention, which is being held at the Rydges Hotel in Canberra.  Along the way I seem to have agreed to appear on three panels, none of which I feel especially qualified for, but all of which I hope will be enormous fun. ...
   • 1 April, 2013
     As was reported here yesterday, LoneStarCon3, the 71st World Science Fiction Convention, announced the nominees for 2013 Hugo Awards.  Many friends and colleagues were nominated and delightfully I was nominated for Best Editor, Short Form and Gary and I were nominated for The Coode Street Podcast in the Best Fancast category. To say this is an ...
   • Before the show… 18 March, 2013
     Saturday went fairly easy, here on Coode Street. I was up early, got a five km walk in before breakfast, then packed, kissed the family goodbye and headed out to the airport to fly to Sydney to see Springsteen. The flight – the first trip outside of WA with my brother since we stepped off ...
   • Springsteen 13 March, 2013
     Just as a young man’s thoughts turn to certain things in spring, in these latter days of summer this man’s thoughts turn to Bruce Springsteen and the Wrecking Ball tour, which will be hitting Sydney next week. Due to planning, kindness and good fortune, I’ll be there at Allphones Arena and I’m finally near the ...
   • 2012 is almost done 31 December, 2012
     I’m delighted 2012 is over. The past month has made the year feel like a real ordeal, and I confess that I’m looking forward to 2013 with some fear and trepidation. That said, looking back at 2012 I had a lovely time with family relaxing in the south west back in April, a fantastic trip to ...
   • Of hearing, work, and oceans… 8 December, 2012
     When I last reported in here, dear readers, it was mid-November, and I was recovering from jet lag and trying to come to terms with the pre-Christmas workload. I anticipated that the next few weeks would involve an increase in fitness activity, some reading, the completion of work to be done, and preparation for Christmas. ...
   • Pondering, again… 24 June, 2012
     So, I’m trying to work out where I’m at, two years into the 2010s. Back in 2002 I was a parent of two very young children, three years married, was a new homeowner, working a day job that I enjoyed and tinkering around with working at Locus. Ten years later I have two near teenage ...
   • Melbourne 2 June, 2012
     I think all of the travel to the US for conventions has terminally distorted my ability to plan and pack for anything else.  It seems my default setting is to prepare for two weeks away from home without access to laundry facilities, and with enough entertainment on my person to cover two 24hr plus transit ...
   • Stress 29 May, 2012
     It’s heading towards bedtime on a Tuesday evening and I just need to blog the stupidity of this out of my system, so feel free to ignore this as you please.  I come from a family that tends to handle stress poorly. I could see this growing up in my father and in my aunt, ...
   • Sunday 9am 27 May, 2012
     Almost got seven hours sleep last night. Woke to find eldest daughter had snuck into bed in the later hours of the morning. We’re all pretty much up now. With everything going on my thoughts are torn between day job needs, editing requirements, home stuff, and trip planning. Trip planning is becoming a thing. I intend ...
   • And here’s what’s happening here… 16 June, 2011
     I’ve written a note for the website several times in order to bring you up-to-date on recent events here at Coode Street, but one update was eaten by web-goblins and the others sit as notes here and there in various states of incompletion. So goes the life of the busy editor. The first, and possibly ...