And my DSL is back (kinda) and I'm nearly packed and ready almost) to head to Michigan and have my yearly happy dorm room party reunion. I promise to eat right (should I laugh now?) and sleep decent hours (when is lightning striking me down?).

Less than a week away and even with no zine out this year, I'm stressing over flyers. What the hell? LOL.

So, getting all the tribs packed, labeled and in happy stacks of pilfered Priority mailers all over the floor like tiny cardboard pillars. Tempted to have a Calvin & Hobbes moment and go "stomp, stomp, stomp" and make like Godzilla/Mothra/gray naked stinky monster Abbadon from Torchwood all over except duh, both legs aren't working yet. Oh well, cardboard's been spared.

Anyway, doing happy count of happy stacks, 16 lovely packages of zine bliss waiting for my postal man who is currently indulging in his love of postal uniform shorts today which is really wrong because the temperature just dropped from 90F to 54F so poor shivering, hairy knees knocking mailman--

Hang on.

-counts stacks-

17 stories...16 packages.

So channeling Numb3rs' Charlie Eppes and trying to figure out where/who/how one got left out from the happiness, wonderfulness (obviously, I was watching my I-Spy Dvds again) of tribs when it hit me...

I forgot to include my trib copy.

Doh.

Brain f_rt over, folks. Nothing to see here. LOL

The books are here! The books are here! Books, because once again, the printer has outdone himself and made some really nice, shiny, glossy, perfectly bound paperbacks. I wish I could take credit,(wish I hadn't stacked them so I can't get around on my wheelchair now, lol) but I can't take the bow here. Everything was collaborative effort and even with my six clones -snicker-, I couldn't come up with this alone...

( Lookie at the pretties... )
( Brotherhood Table of Contents )

Done.

It's done. Days of checking and rechecking and "well, maybe one more review", I'd finally sent the files off to the printers with all the reluctance of a mama bird and her hatchlings perched on the nest. Ye gads, we're actually gone to print now. No turning back. The files been sent. Covers been uploaded. Deposit been made. Nails been bitten.

Brotherhood has gone to print.

Where's my Edvard Munch icon of 'The Scream'?

LOL.

The perfect quote really to summarize all that is rolling up to MWC: fanzines, PRs, Fan Qs, hotels, the works. As Andrews so unintentionally accurately put it...

( The hills are alive... )

Well, it's that time of year and I'm going to try something new this year by extending a list of what zines Pyramids Press has that are eligible for FanQ 2009. Whether us or another published zine (and believe me there were tons!), please consider supporting your favorite independent publisher and their pursuits in keeping the wonderful culture of fanzines alive!

( FAN Q List of Eligible Pyramids Press Stuff )

Because really, this can only happen in April. Time for April showers and May hollers...

( Where's my Bob Evans? )

It's April.

No, no, I'm fairly certain that my calendar is correct. I checked: my watch, my mobile, my Tivo (because naturally Tivo is a crucial temporal check for any fan girl. LOL.). No mistake...

( It's April )

OMG, it's nearly May already and guess what? It's panel suggesting time again! If there's a topic you would love to gather around to discuss at MWC*2009, the link is here:

http://www.geocities.com/mwcprogram/program.htm

Remember, it's just suggesting, it doesn't mean signing up as moderator. That's the final list. Right now, it's brainstorming time!

I am already scrambling. Didn't I have plans? -groan-

Probably not a good idea. I mean, how many projects and zines are waiting in the sidelines for me? And while I may like to write fanfic, it's a bit of a leap from fanfic to novel and the multiple "me too!" I'm seeing on LJ makes me want to shrink.

But maybe it's time to sit down and write about what's spinning in my head and get over the past few years. Dump the drama in paper and move on; like going from wheelchair to cane. Life was put on hold far too long and while I know I'm not 100% (and won't ever be), I need to see on paper just where my life went and where it's going. Without the melodrama, 'made for Lifetime, cue sappy emo music' or the pity parade. The novel for me would be...well...about me. Time to do some mental spring cleaning...in November, no less. Have to start somewhere and maybe NaNoWriMo is the way to kickstart me.

Wish me luck. :)