starting

I've just started work to put together my Hugo ballot for this year. It's due by the end of the month if I want to actually vote (which I do).

I've been very distracted for the last several months and that's made me a bad blogger. I don't normally talk about anything that smacks of my personal life here, but I'll make an exception in about a month to explain - because the explanation ties into some other things for the future. It's not at all bad, and actually quite good for me, it's just one of several things occupying my mind and focus that has messed with my blogging.

I've also been a distracted reader lately with my monthly counts dropping significantly. It's hurt my Hugo reading, but luckily I've already covered most of the nominated stories. The novels are a problem. I've only read three of them, and I have another on the way from the library (the Sawyer, if you must know). Not sure if I'll be able to jam out the Mieville or the Robert Charles Wilson. On the other hand, I've read the original RCW story the novel is expanded from and, well, it didn't quite ring for me. So we'll see. Some of the other categories might get somewhat short shrift. Which is a shame, because I wanted to be a great and informed voter this year...and my focus has shifted a bit. Shrug. Not much I can do about that now.

(this parenthetical is here just so that each paragraph doesn't begin with the word "I've". Ugh)