dead pianos and an emporium of wonders

[sergebroom]

Yesterday, I finished reading Asimov's January 2008 issue. Some of the stories didn't quite work for me and, after a few pages, I outright skimmed them. It must be another sign that one is getting old when one decides that life is too short to spend on a story hat doesn't do it for you, even if it's a short story. On the other hand, there was the third installment of Allen Steele's Galaxy Blues, where the trade mission to an alien space sector nets them not quite the awesome technology they were hoping for in exchange for those 2 tons of cannabis the aliens like so much, before the narrator, one Jules Truffaut, commits a diplomatic blunder when he swears to an alien's equivalent of the Pope that he won't eat his frog-like legs.

And there is Mike Resnick's Alastair Baffle's Emporium of Wonders, in which two very old men decide to sneak out of their assisted-living home to see if maybe that magic sho where they became friends as kids still exists. As for what they find...

He reached up to a higher shelf, grabbed some sheet music, and held it up for us to see. "The song you never composed." Then a book. "The novel you never wrote." A look of infinite sadness crossed his face as he displayed the photo of a small boy. "The grandson you never had."

Recommended.

Besides that, we went house-hunting yesterday, and drove from the East Bay to Sacramento. What we really did was to see if one hope can be kept alive, or ruthlessly extinguished. Basically, I have wanted to move back to the Bay Area since not long after we moved to New Mexico more than 7 years ago. Sue has come to the same conclusion that the move was not a Good Idea, for work-related reasons, and for reasons of loneliness away from Family. So, we decided to go see what kind of houses we could afford in Sacramento if not in the Bay Area. The realtor had sent a long list of houses that looked quite promising, based on what online listings told him, from which I selected some. As for the reality... Some of the houses were so-so and would have needed quite a bit of work done to them. One of them, vacated, looked quite nice from the outside, but the abandonned piano by the front porch should have given us a clue of what awaited us inside: moldy walls, absolutely filthy carpets, an ant trail going from the kitchen sink to a nearby heap of broken sunflower seeds...

But we did visit one large house that was clean, modern, with a large backyard, and not unduly far from the Caltrain station that goes to San Francisco. And affordable. So, it might be feasible to move back to where I left my heart. But we'll have to do a lot of research to make as sure as possible whether or not we could pull it off.

Comments

[fledgist.livejournal.com]

I second those recommendations. Resnick's story, in particular, was a little jewel.

California house prices are, to put it mildly, absurd.

[serge-lj.livejournal.com]

Actually, Sacramento prices are more reasonable, or rather, less unreasonable. Yes, taking the train to the Bay Area would be quite a long ride, but if I can go to sleep in a bus where ugly guys discuss their criminal records, I can catch some ZZZZs on an Amtrak choo-choo.

[fledgist.livejournal.com]

I suppose you would be able to.!

[tania-c.livejournal.com]

And the commute is a chance to get in some extra reading!

Good luck. Feeling connected to where you live is very important.

[serge-lj.livejournal.com]

Thanks. It's not that I hate where I live. It's just that I'd by far living in California.

[fidelioscabinet.livejournal.com]

The place with the piano sounds like a repo special.

Good luck with this project--I know being closer to work and family can make a lot of things easier, especially as Sue's parents and next generation get older.

[serge-lj.livejournal.com]

A repo special? To say the least.

Thanks for the wishes. If we did move to Sacramento, we'd be about 80 miles away from family and so it obviously not a I'll-hop-into-the-car-and-check-out-the-bookstore trip, but it's certainly easier to get to be with my family(*) than if we were in New Mexico. My fingers are crossed. Thanks again.

(*) I consider my in-laws my family more than my blood relatives ever were.

[fidelioscabinet.livejournal.com]

80 miles is close enough for a lot of emergencies, and reasonable for weekend visits, though--and without any awkward mountain passes to cope with in wintertime, as well.

[serge-lj.livejournal.com]

Indeed. And without the need to have two large Starbucks coffee cups with 3 shots of espresso in them.

[miltonthales.livejournal.com]

I like Sacramento. I have family there, so I've had occasion to visit once or twice. Since it's the seat of state government, it's full of all sorts of political amusement/frustration. (One of my cousins works for the State. Ah, the stories he can tell.)

[serge-lj.livejournal.com]

<>i>Ah, the stories he can tell

About 10 years ago, my brother-in-law worked for California politician Carol Migden. That's how he got to meet Sheila Kuehl. who played Zelda in Dobie Gillis.

Happy New Year, by the way.

And let's hope that next time you go to Sacto, I'll be in the neightborhood.

[redrose3125.livejournal.com]

Good luck with finding a place! And have a happy holiday!

[serge-lj.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the wishes, and happy holidays to you too.