The tour operates throughout California and Nevada, and some tournaments are held in world -class golf courses like Torrey Pines and Mission Hills, while others are held near small localities like Willow Glen and Los Gatos. Coaching and club membership facilities have also been provided extensively, to encourage more people to take up the game.

The climate is also well suited to a golfing environment, i.e. hot summers and cold winters provide for a variation in conditions, allowing players to adapt themselves to difficult situations. Keen on improving your golf game or that of your children? Start by moving closer to the course. Talk to Dale Warfel, real estate consultant with Keller Williams Realty, about real estate properties in Almaden Valley, Cambrian Park, Willow Glen, Midtown, Monte Sereno, Campbell, Rose Garden, Los Gatos, Morgan Hill. So if you are looking for homes for sale in the communities surrounding the Silicon Valley call him at 408 624 6202 to make an appointment.

Many people do not understand the various tax laws and due to this ignorance people do not pay taxes regularly. But as citizens, we definitely need to. We can hire Business Accountants to do the job. Cirimelli, Pyle and Associates LLP (CPA) is a Chartered accountant firm in Bay area. They help in tax filing and tax payments in San Jose, Santa Cruz, Sunnyvale and Campbell. They have firms in Pyle, Cupertino, Los Altos, Santa Clara and Saratoga too. Their services include individual and business income tax return preparation, client accounting and write-up services, year-end tax planning services and their firm offers new clients an initial consultation at no charge.

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Some popular treks are Almaden Quicksilver County Park, Alum Rock Regional Park, Calero County Park, Joseph D. Grant County Park, Santa Teresa Park, among others.

Most trails, especially in Willow Glen, boast of spectacular views of nearby lakes and cities, as well as a beautiful landscape inhabited by small forest animals. Local fauna consists of a variety of species of deer, bobcats, rabbits, quail and even the elusive mountain lion, while hawks, buzzards and turkeys populate the skies. The view and ambience of such treks makes the experience both enjoyable and rewarding for you.

If you are someone with a desire for adventure and physical exertion then the Bay Area, California is the place for you. Dale Warfel of Keller Williams Realty who is a real estate agent in San Jose, is an expert in the localities of the Silicon Valley, and offers valuable advice on real estate transactions in the Bay Area. He also specialises in homes for sale in the counties of Almaden Valley, Cambrian Park, Willow Glen, Midtown, Monte Sereno, Campbell, Rose Garden, Los Gatos and Morgan Hill. So if you are looking for homes for sale in the communities surrounding the Silicon Valley call him at 408 624 6202 to make an appointment.

Heath Ledger's final film role as The Joker is amazing. He inhabits the role. One completely forgets the actor. Even when he isn't on screen, the Joker's presence is palpable.

This Joker is someone who should and probably has danced with the Devil in the pale moonlight. This Joker, like his best appearances in the comics is NOT a super villain, but a force of nature. In the film, Joker mentions to The Batman that he is an "Agent of chaos." I agree. My impression of the Joker is as a Trickster. More closely aligned with Loki, Anansi or Manabozho than Lex Luthor, The Riddler or Scarecrow.

In Native American traditions, the Trickster alternately scandalizes, disgusts, amuses, disrupts, chastises, and humiliates (or is humiliated by) the animal-like (Bat?) proto-people of pre-history, yet he is also a creative force transforming their world, sometimes in bizarre and outrageous ways, with his instinctive energies and cunning. Eternally scavenging, he represents the most basic instincts of chaos.

As Bruce Wayne's long serving friend and mentor, Alfred wisely notes: "Some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn."

The landscape of the film is that of the unconscious, where archetypes roam unfettered by the restraints of the waking world. This is the realm of the hero’s journey, fraught with all the peril that implies.

In Tim Burton's Batman, the Joker's origin is shown in detail. It's revealed that he's the street hood who kills Bruce Wayne's Parent's, thus creating the psychotic schism in young Bruce. It's in turn shown that the newly minted Batman inadvertently creates the Joker.  The Yin and the Yang. The balancing forces or the Father and Son in Star Wars, literally balancing The Force.

In the comics, except for a few unsatisfying exceptions, the Joker's origins are never fully revealed. When they are, they're purposefully contradictory, just as Ledger's Joker's many versions of how he got his scars. Writer and Director, Chris Nolan goes out of his way to make the Joker's origin very vague. The Joker does say, very earnestly to The Batman, "You complete me." It's as if he sprang out of mid-air. No prints, no dental records, no DNA, no labels in his clothes, nothing but, "lint and knives."

The character of the Joker represents The Batman's ID. In this world of archetypes that the movie inhabits, where super-powered beings live, help and menace the World. It's not a great leap to believe that the existence of The Batman in this World called into existence the antithesis of his force. Just by being, The Batman, created the Joker. Existence needed the Joker, not as a man, but a force of nature. In this case, a Trickster.

The Joker's complete detachment from the material world, from life itself, renders him beyond simple good and evil and into another category altogether, the complete and impersonal danger of anarchy.

Ledger's Joker, giggling with delight over the mayhem he causes with a perfect indifference over the outcome is such an overwhelmingly dynamic performance that it overshadows everyone else, despite excellent work, including Christian Bale, who is wonderfully tortured, dark and achingly vulnerable. Joker is the Trickster in the archetypal sense. It's my prediction that when Heath Ledger is nominated for an OSCAR, it's as Best Actor, not Supporting.

Nolan's two Batman movies and Joseph Campbell

Best known for his work in the fields of comparative mythology and comparative religion, Joseph Campbell relied often upon the writings of Carl Jung as an explanation of psychological phenomena, as experienced through archetypes.

The role of the hero figured largely in Campbell's comparative studies. In 1949 The Hero with a Thousand Faces introduced his idea of the monomyth (a word borrowed from Joyce), which outlined some of the archetypal patterns Campbell recognized. Heroes were important to Campbell because, to him, they conveyed universal truths about one's personal self-discovery and self-transcendence, one's role in society, and the relationship between the two. Below are Campbell's steps of the Monomyth and my notes of how they are represented in the two films, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.

There are 3 parts and 16 steps to the Monomyth.
part 1. Departure
a. The call to Adventure - The death of his parents
b. The refusal of the call - Living an empty and pointless life leading to trying to take Chill's life
c. Supernatural Aid - Ra's Al Goul and his Ninja's
d. The crossing of the Threshold (symbolic Death) - Bruce was literally declared dead by the Wayne Foundation
e. Rebirth - The Batman
part 2. Initiation
a. The road of Trials - Year One
b. Marriage (meeting of a companion) - Jim Gordon
c. The woman as a temptress (for male heroes, obviously) - Various, usually Cat Woman, in this case Rachel Dawes
d. Atonement with the Father - The Batman's pledge to never use a gun or take a life
e. Apotheosis - Becoming an Icon, creating a vacuum, thus creating the need for a balancing force. Creation of the Joker
f. The Ultimate Boon - The end of the Mob
part 3. Return
a. The refusal of the return - Harvey Dent cleans up Gotham
b. The magic flight (the return trip is always faster then the initial trip) - Bruce's moral quandary and turmoil is wrapped up pretty quickly
c. The crossing of the RETURN Threshold
d. Master of two worlds
e. Freedom to Live

President Adam Frisch began by saying that SFRA is in "excellent shape."  Vice-President Lisa Yaszek has worked hard on recruitment measures and we now stand at 344 members strong.  Treasurer Mack Hassler told us how the organization's finances are in order, and we're expanding the support a scholar program so that they are now "grants" that must be applied for.  This is good, because there's more to go around and it will add a valuable line to one's vita.  The four areas of funding will be travel, membership, research, and organizational grants.

Other important business concerned the transition of the sfra.org website from Virgina Tech's servers to a private hosting company.  We're thankful for Virginia Tech's hosting, but there are limitations to what we can do organizationally and operationally on their servers.  Karen Hellekson, acting as interim Web Director, is facilitating the move and the expansion of SFRA services online.

Another organization matter concerned the addition of a position for Director of Public Relations.  This person will help promote the organization under the direction of the Vice President.  More on this later...

There were some convention updates on current and future SFRA meetings.

Ritch Calvin said that the 2008 SFRA meeting in Lawrence seems to be within budget.

Lisa Yaszek told us about the 2009 meeting in Atlanta, GA and sponsored by Georgia Tech and hosted by Lisa and Doug Davis.  It's going to be on June 11-14, 2009 at the Wyndham Midtown with the dual themes (one just wasn't enough!):  "Engineering the Future" and "Southern Fried Science Fiction and Fantasy."  The Guest of Honor is Michael Bishop, and Guest Authors include F. Brett Cox, Paul di Filippo, Andy Duncan, Kathleen Ann Goonan, and Jack McDevitt.  I will post a full announcement soon separately.

Craig Jacobsen said that 2010 in Phoenix is on track with the theme, "Points of Contact," and there's a venue lined up near the airport for that meeting.

Pawel Frelik said that Poland 2011 (SFRA tries to hold its meeting in Europe every third year, this year was an exception because of the decline of the dollar) is proceeding well.  He has secured institutional support, and Lublin will be a great host city with easy access from the airport to the city center, hotels, and campus.

A final project worth mentioning is that SFRA Review has worked out a deal with the University of South Florida to host back issues of the Review electronically.  If you have old issues, you should drop a line to Karen Hellekson, because they need to patch some holes in their checklist for scanning (it is a destructive process, but the issues will be available to everyone online after being scanned).

In other news, dues will remain the same.

Whew.  Some good-byes later and review books exchanged hands, I checked out, spoke briefly with Veronica Hollinger, and hit the road.  On the way out of Kansas, I lost my toll ticket, but the toll lady was kind enough to believe that I got on the interstate at exit 202.  I hit 75 mph on the way back so I wouldn't be on the road so long and to see how much it affected my fuel economy (not much--1.5 mpg less to 39 mpg).  On the way home, I saw a large billboard that looked like a green background, white text road sign that simply said "JESUS."  There's something science fictional about the religious iconography and messages between Ohio and Kansas.  Also, the worst roads that span an entire state are in Indiana.

When I pulled into Kent late Sunday evening, my odometer showed that I had driven 1,685 miles during the whole trip, and it was a great trip!  Thanks to everyone that was a part of 2008 SFRA in Lawrence, Kansas.  Thanks to Ritch Calvin, Karen Hellekson, and Craig Jacobsen for organizing and pulling it off without a hitch.  Thanks to Kansas University, Center for the Study of Science Fiction, the Campbell Conference, Jim Gunn, and Chris McKitterick for inviting SFRA to Lawrence this summer.  I had a great time, and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again at SFRA 2009 in Atlanta, GA!

The Friday night awards ceremony was held jointly at the Holiday Inn Holidome in Lawrence, Kansas by the Science Fiction Research Association and the Campbell Conference.  Master of Ceremonies for the evening was Chris McKitterick of the University of Kansas.

The ceremony began with the Campbell Conference awards--the Campbell and Sturgeon Awards.  The first was the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for best short fiction.  For the first time ever, it was a double tie for first and second.  The second place winners were "Memorare" by Gene Wolfe and "The Master Miller's Tale" by Ian R. MacLeod.  The first place winners were "Tidelines" by Elizabeth Bear and "Finistera" by David R. Moles who was in attendance at the conference.

The John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best SF novel went to Kathleen Ann Goonan's In War Times, which justly triumphed over Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policeman's Union (second place) and Ken MacLeod's The Execution Channel (third place).

After a short break, SFRA took center stage to honor a number of its members.  The first award given out was the Graduate Student Paper Award for best paper delivered by a graduate student at the previous annual conference.  This year's recipient was Joseph F. Brown for his paper delivered at last year's SFRA in Kansas City, Missouri.  He's looking for a job now, so hook him up!

Ritch Calvin stepped up to the podium to give the next award, the Mary Kay Bray Award for "the best essay, interview, or extended review to appear in the SFRA Review in a given year."   He called Jason Ellis (me) to the stage to receive the award for two reviews--Starship Troopers (SFRA Review #280) and Brasyl (SFRA Review #281).  As I walked up to the front jets of adrenalin exploded in my bloodstream and a crazy smile was pasted over my face.  I thanked Ritch and then I pulled out my acceptance remarks:

I would like to thank the Mary Kay Bray Award committee, as well as the SFRA executive board and all members.  Since I first joined SFRA three years ago, I’ve learned we have a great organization that I’m proud to be a member of and contribute to in order to play a part in its success.  In my reviews, I hope that I help some of you out with your work just as many of you have helped with mine.  Also, SFRA Review is a terrific resource that is as good as we collectively make it, so I’d like to encourage everyone to contribute more top-rate fiction, non-fiction, and media reviews.

I don’t often get an opportunity to stand in front of so many friends, so I’d like to take this occasion to thank a few of you who helped me reach this point in my career.  I’d like to thank Patrick Sharp for taking a chance, Lisa Yaszek for opening the wider world of SF to me, Andy Sawyer for that Boxing Day excursion and much more, Mack Hassler for pulling for me, and Eugene Thacker for my first copy of SFRA Review.

When I got to that last part, I was choking up and some tears made it past my defenses.  It wasn't just winning the award that made me so happy, but all of the help that good folks had given me along the way.  There's many more people that I would have liked to thank while I was at the podium, like Kathy Goonan for that wonderful day at Georgia Tech and my parents for helping me afford to go conferencing this year at IAFA and SFRA.  It was great winning the Mary Kay Bray Award, but it's even better knowing that I have a lot of friends in such a supportive community of scholars.

The next award was the Pioneer Award, which is given to the "writer or writers of the best critical essay-length work of the year."  Lisa Yaszek presented this year's award on behalf of the committee that read over 300 critical essays to determine the winner.  This year's winner of the Pioneer Award is Sherryl Vint for her March 2007 Mosaic essay, "Speciesism and Species Being in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"  Sherryl does fantastic work, and is deserving of this honor.  And yes, I will get you that Transformers paper very, very soon!

Doug Davis took to the stage next to introduce the Thomas D. Clareson Award for Distinguished Service, which "is presented for outstanding service activities-promotion of SF teaching and study, editing, reviewing, editorial writing, publishing, organizing meetings, mentoring, and leadership in SF/fantasy organizations."  Doug had already pumped me for dirt, er, background info on this year's winner, so it was wonderful hearing the way he wove some of my anecdotes about the recipient, Andy Sawyer of the University of Liverpool, into his speech.  Andy took to the stage and gave an over-the-top acceptance speech that was hilarious and heartfelt.  Afterwards, Andy told me that I'm a dead man.  That's okay, because I'm glad that Andy and I got to share the stage that night.

The final award of the evening was also the SFRA's longest running award--the Pilgrim Award.  Originally named for J. O. Bailey's book, Pilgrims through Space and Time, it honors "lifetime contributions to SF and fantasy scholarship."  Adam Frisch announced the award winner as the UK writer and critic, Gwyneth Jones.  Unfortunately, she couldn't make it to the conference, but she asked Adam to give her acceptance speech that was a little long, but worth its weight in wittiness!

After the award ceremony drew to a close, a number of us mulled around and enjoyed the cash bar.  Doug, Pawel, and I talked for awhile, and I met Anne K.G. Murphy of the Science Fiction Oral History Association.  Kathy, her husband Joe, and Tom closed out the banquet room.  I ended the evening talking with Jason Embry, Patrick Sharp, and Craig Jacobsen about zombies, video games, and recent movies--I hope all you guys have seen WALL-E by now, or will after reading the media review that I just emailed Ritch!

Another SFRA 2008 installment tomorrow...

Recently, I watched two touring musicians perform live at a small venue. On CD, the music of this singer and guitarist involved an array of instruments and musical effects. For this performance, much of the supporting music had been brought along in digital form on a computer. (Hey, who can afford to carry a big band on tour?) A musician friend of mine came over and whispered to me, "I don't know about you, but I prefer live musicians." If I have a complaint about Tig Wired's release, this is it. The sound is big, but the instrumentation is all recorded and digitized by one person, Colin Campbell, with a little bit of help on drums and blues-harp.

You've got to hand it to Campbell. He's managed to carry this legerdemain off without sounding all digitized and soft, as happens with so many of today's one-man bands. Most of the time, but not always, without reading the liner notes you would never know this wasn't a flesh and bones band. I only hope that, if Campbell and his lyricist partner - his brother Chris - take this show on the road, they'll have the good sense to take along a real band and not just a pack of mp3 files.

That small quibble aside, this is a varied and interesting release that maintains a certain artistic unity despite its overall eclectic nature. If these brothers are not twins, perhaps they should have been. Their artistic vision is that tight, as though the creative centre of this music comes from not two minds but one. Chris Campbell's lyrics are a perfect match for brother Colin's musical magic, the two balancing and counterpointing one another at every turn.

While these songs hint at the blues, Forties' country music, rock, reggae, jazz, and even folk music and show music, they're really in a relatively new genre that often falls between the tracks and goes unacknowledged. What really connects these songs is their affinity for this genre that's only existed since perhaps the late-Sixties. What strikes me most about these songs is how much they remind me of the jazz rock pioneered by artists such as Van Morrison and Lou Reed some forty years ago.

Chris Campbell's lyrics, often socially conscious but never strident, are excellent, comparing favourably to the works of Morrison and Reed as well as many of our finest writers of protest songs. These are not just pretty poems but moving stories set to his brother's music for additional impact.

Much of the time, Colin Campbell sounds a whole lot like Lou Reed in his seminal Velvet Underground years. As often, he sounds very like Van Morrison from the same period and a few years after when Morrison slipped into jazz-mode. On "When I Get To Feel This Way," he starts to sound like Tex Williams of "Smoke, Smoke, Smoke That Cigarette" fame. "It's This Job I Do" is pure country, so much so that most contemporary country music stations might not play it. A bit more schmaltzy, and it might have been a Bobby Goldsboro song. On the more reggae-sounding songs, his voice shifts again, sounding ever so much like a young Bob Marley. The variety present in this release only adds to the literary and musical talent of the Campbell brothers.

The musicianship on this release is impressive. There are trumpets (Keyboard? They sound real.) that at times echo the early Freddie Hubbard and at other times blast hard like early ska trumpets. Other instruments bring the same high quality to this production. As far as I can tell, except for drums on some of the songs and blues-harp on one, Colin Campbell is the musician responsible for all of these very cool sounds.

Even though I'm in favour of a full suite of musicians playing on a recording, keeping working-musicians working, I can't help but be impressed with what the Campbell brothers have accomplished with this release. I do highly recommend that you give it a listen.

You'll find more information on Canadian musicians Colin and Chris Campbell, aka Tig Wired, at tigwired.com.

Support this independent roots music CD reviews blog.

ILD explicó ayer en un comunicado que algunos de los vecinos y propietarios de suelos solicitaron un incremento en el precio por hectárea "y otras exigencias fuera de contrato, que Campbell indicó que no podían ser atendidas". Este último insistió en que el compromiso de opción de compraventa fija unas condiciones estándares "difíciles de cambiar" y que son "justas y generosas" para todos los vendedores, a los que se ofrece un modelo de contrato único, relató el consorcio.

Las mismas fuentes agregaron que los propietarios piden 12.000 euros por hectárea, mientras que ILD ofrece un máximo de 9.000 euros por hectárea de secano y 6.000 euros por la de erial.

A cambio, los promotores se comprometen a instrumentar ayudas que favorezcan la evolución de La Almolda "sin sentirse perjudicados" por el complejo de ocio y juego Gran Scala.

ILD afirmó ayer que la mayor parte de los habitantes y propietarios de los terrenos elegidos para la ubicación de Gran Scala "se mostraron conformes con el complejo proyectado".

Por otro lado, el coordinador general de Izquierda Unida de Aragón, Adolfo Barrena, emplazó ayer al Gobierno aragonés a que exija ante la ciudadanía que ILD que deje de utilizarle "como elemento de presión". Tras las declaraciones realizadas por el representante de ILD en España, Mark Campbell, en la reunión que mantuvo ayer con los vecinos y propietarios de terrenos en La Almolda, IU denunció, una vez más, que International Leisure Development (ILD) usa "técnicas claras de lobby de presión para hacer su negocio" y utiliza el nombre del Ejecutivo autonómico para presionar a los ciudadanos de la Almolda.

By now, anyone familiar with my posts know I have a fondness for the Campbell American lineup. This is the third guitar I've reviewed for the brand and possibly the most surprising to me. When I first talked to Dean Campbell of Campbell American I flat out told him I wasn't too fond of the Transitone styling. It just didn't 'trip my trigger' as they say. My perception was that it was large and bulky (it's not!) and generally less ergonomic, which to me matters a great deal. Dean wisely suggested I try one, that he's been getting good feedback from the buyers. Ok, I'm a team player, let's give it a go.

On the other Campbell Americans I picked more of the features, from the wood to the pickup combinations to the extras like coil tap or matching headstocks. On the Transitone I mostly went with Dean's suggestions of American Tilia wood (basswood) and three Jason Lollar Firebird mini humbuckers. "Three? How about two?" "No, you'll want the three, trust me" I did pick the color scheme (transparent white with tortoise pickguard - a classic look). After all, I'm going to sell them, it isn't about my tastes, right?

Here's where the surprises come in. The guitar arrives and of course, the workmanship is perfect but what's this? The body is actually compact, not large at all and fairly contoured, not blocky, so it sits very comfortably on your lap. I even suggested to Dean that he features a picture of someone playing a Transitone to give people a better idea of the dimensions. So, instead of a cumbersome Firebird or Explorer feel the Transitone actually hugs you nicely without a lot of extra chunks of timber to bump into mic stands and the bass player (like I used to do with my Flying V, sorry Sluggo). Ok, I'm a big enough man to admit that I prejudged the body feel and give it high marks, but what about those Lollar pickups? Mini humbuckers? Lollar who?

For those not in the know, Jason Lollar is THE tone guru, the pickup meister. The pickup maker's pickup maker. Alright, so he's good and these are probably well made but how do they sound? Stunning! Clear, glassy, enough output to rock out hardcore but articulate and clean when needed. I had a bias that mini humbuckers would be either too weak for fat distortion or too fat for snappy twang tones. Wrong! On a guitar like the Transitone the Lollar mini's have plenty of spank while still being full and hum cancelling (actually quieter than the Duncans I A/B'd them against). They overdrive nicely, allowing a clarity that cuts through the heavier dirt. I'm one of those guys that play clean and dirty roughly 50/50 and trying to find guitars that do both well is tough. Beefy humbuckers can be too thick clean and single coils often are noisy and too weak to get those singing, Santanaesque dirt tones. I figured the mini's would do neither well but they do both exceptionally. Yes, they're brighter and snappier than a PAF type pickup but that's what is cool - heavier distorted settings growl and grind and can be sweetened up rolling off the tone for the more woofier humbucking sounds. Clean this guitar retains a chimey strat/tele character but fuller with added depth. Pull the coil tap and there is plenty of true single coil snarl when needed.

Something Campbell American has done is make the middle pickup switchable into whatever setting the normal threeway is at. For instance, all the way back you get the bridge pickup as expected. Kick in the middle pickup and you get the bridge/middle, reminding one of the Strat #2 setting - ringy, a little hollow but fuller in the humbucker mode. Same with the neck position and Strat #4 setting. While you can't get the middle by itself (no biggie) you can get the neck/bridge combo which is far more useful. By the way, the coil taps all three for a total of twelve settings, all pretty distinct!

I did find that lowering the middle pickup did two things for me, one was to get it out of the way of my pick. The other was to lower the output of the middle a little which when combined with the bridge or neck seemed to accentuate the 'stratiness' of those combo settings where the middle was engaged. It almost took on the character of a channel switch where the gain dropped and the thickness of the bridge or neck thinned out a bit of the tone, great for rhythm.

On all other fronts the Transitone is a great guitar, excellent feel, impeccable finish work, sustain out the wazoo. The other points I've covered on other Campbell American reviews apply, like component and build quality, playability, etc. The Transitone has grown immensely on me, the shape works on the comfort and balance issues. Weight is light, body is resonant. Pickups and the clever switching options combined with Campbell's normal versatile and hardy wiring scheme are an extreme in tonal offerings. Believe me, I went from the punk/funk of Andy Gill's classic Gang of Four edgey harmonic explosions to soupy sweet jazz tones to chicken pickin' twang back to full bore metal with no more than manipulating the controls and kicking on the amp's dirt channel. Do not overlook or underestimate this guitar or you are missing out.

Bob (a convert) at CMusicShop.com

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On the way to the conference, I saw a number of interesting sights.  A few of them included a billboard advertisement warning against drunk driving sponsored by a St. Louis funeral home, a gigantic 12-or-so story tall Christian cross next to the interstate, a McDonalds in Missouri with an enclosed reading room and fireplace rather than a playground, and a B-2 Stealth Bomber turning on final and landing to the south.

I consider the conference a great success!  Andy Sawyer and I both won awards on Friday evening, and I learned that Jim Gunn and I share the same birthday (July 12).  I presented one paper, and participated on a "SF and video games in the classroom" round table.  Also, I picked up a lot of ideas and tips for my beginning teaching career.  I got to hang out with a lot of old friends, and I made a few new ones.  Also, I had the opportunity to talk with Tom Goonan--Kathleen Ann Goonan's father.

I'm still decompressing from the trip and the stressful few weeks leading up to it.  Therefore, expect short, but plentiful, updates during the coming week that details my adventures in SF at SFRA 2008.

The Campbell Award gave third place to Ken MacLeod for his book, The Execution Channel. Second place went to Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policemen's Ball, and the winner was Kathleen Ann Goonan for her novel, In War Times.

Saturday continued the conference with a SF book sale at the KU library, and readings and signings at the Oread bookstore. Readers included David Moles, Kij Johnson, Frederik Pohl, Robin Wayne Bailey, Karen Joy Fowler, James Van Pelt and Kathleen Ann Goonan. Fred Pohl, the last of the Futurists (which included Kornbluth, Clarke, Asimov, Heinlein and others) claims that he will no longer write a collaboration with another author because they end up dying. He finished a book with Arthur C. Clarke but Clarke died before the last fifty pages. The book, The Last Theorem, will be released within the next few months. Pohl is quite a funny guy and it was a delight to hear him read, as well as the other authors.

The conference ended the novel writing workshop. Saturday night, we had a party as our last goodbye to each other. it was a good workshop and some really great people. I'm excited to start working, really working on my novel and restructuring it. Maybe I can get it done this year.

James Van Pelt said some interesting things about writing regularly. He once kept trying for 1000 words a day but couldn't always manage it so then he'd fall behind and not write for days on end. Stephen King and other writers might do 1000 words a day or more but they don't always have other jobs. Pelt realized that the 1000 words was the barrier and sat down with what he'd be happy writing in a year and then divided it by the number of days. He realized that he only needed 200 words a day. That breaks down to less than a page and even if tired or too busy, a very doable number. It increased his output and he's never missed writing a day since.

I think I'll be trying that and tonight I sat down to look at a story I wrote recently. Using some of the new depths to writing I learned these past two weeks, I rewrote it and added a thousand words. I'll try writing at least 200 words on fiction every day.

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I waited until I had two four-month checkups to make sure the first one wasn’t some kind of fluke or aberration,” said Campbell, who’s running for a fourth term this November. “On top of that, I have had a number of people who said I was in the process of dying and that I wouldn’t be running for sheriff, and I was in terrible shape.”

According to the American Cancer Society, only about 15 percent of people diagnosed with lung cancer survive the disease after five years. But Campbell said he kept a positive outlook about beating it.

Two weeks after his surgery, he was back at work. He went though four months of chemotherapy at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. Fortunately, he didn’t lose much of his hair or hearing from the treatment, he said. His doctor there, George Simon, told him in February the cancer was gone.

But Campbell said he has not fully recovered his strength. He goes to the gym every afternoon that he does not have a commitment. But he has to make sure he does not overdo it.

“My goal now is to get back as close as I possibly can to the shape I was in, if not better shape,” he said.

Campbell, 64, who quit smoking the day he was diagnosed with cancer in August 2007, has kept cigarettes in the console of his truck so he can face the temptation head-on.

“I’m going to leave these in the console and see who is tougher -- them or me,” he recalled thinking.

Campbell’s opponent in the race this November is Tommy Mills, 52, a former captain at the Leon County Jail.

“I’m running because I believe we’re living in a new day and we need a new direction,” Mills said.

Some people have asked Mills, “How’s the sheriff’s health?”

“I say, ‘You’re asking the wrong person. The sheriff looks good. I see him from time to time, but he’s the one to answer those questions,’” Mills said.

Mills, who considers Campbell a friend, said he hopes he lives a long and healthy life.

“I wish the sheriff nothing but the best,” he said.

Mills has spent the last two weeks canvassing local neighborhoods and businesses, handing out pamphlets to get his campaign’s message out to the public: “We’re going to work as hard as we can to make Leon County a safe place for our children and for our businesses.”

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