I've got some public appearances upcoming that I'd be loath not to write about here. There is my annual show at Philadelphia's 215 Festival on October 8. Also, I've got my visit to the Vegas Valley Book Festival, on October 20-21 where I will be appearing at various times with Joe Queenan, Steve Almond, and others. Most momentously, I would like to announce a short February performance/reading tour that will bring me to Washington, D.C., Chicago, Seattle, and Vancouver, WA. Details can be found on the Appearances link to your left.

I have finished books 40 and 41. One of them was something that got sent to me for a blurb, and I will not bother you with the details. The other one is called Big Dead Place, by Nicholas Johnson, and it gets my star of recommendation. It's rare that a book actually brings you new information while also telling a funny, twisted story. This book, a nonfiction account of a garbage worker's year plus a few months in Antarctica, does that. A lot of books purport to tell you what the world is really like. This one really does bring the news, which should come as no surprise: Man's future is bureaucratic hell punctuated by occasional bouts of near-blackout drunkenness. Plus there's great Antarctic history. Enjoy.

The Stranger of Seattle will run a longer review by me of this book sometime in the near future. Meanwhile, enjoy this already-dated humor piece by me in this week's issue.

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