The Cambias Digression

Notes and thoughts on everything from what I had for breakfast to the fate of the Universe.

  • Arisia 2020 Report, Day 3

    Sunday was my final day at the con. Most conventions are three-day affairs: show up Friday afternoon, do stuff Friday night and Saturday, maybe a few things Sunday morning, then head home after lunch. Not Arisia. Taking advantage of the MLK Day weekend, it stretches into Monday. That means Sunday is a busy full day…

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  • Arisia 2020 Report, Day 2

    Saturday the 18th was a light-duty day for me, which meant I got to enjoy the con as a member rather than as one of the dancing monkeys.  Still fighting off my cold, I slept in on Saturday morning, starting my day by having brunch with my CSFW colleague Alexander Jablokow at a nearby Mexican…

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  • Arisia 2020 Report, Day 1

    I drove out to Boston on a sunny but cold January afternoon, left the car at the disintegrating Alewife garage, and rode the T to the good old Westin Waterfront hotel. Various delays en route and long lines at the hotel meant I barely had time to get my room, get my Arisia badge, and…

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  • Three Weeks Until THE INITIATE

    My new novel The Initiate officially comes out on February 4 — although I've already got a box of copies, so it seems likely that some bookstores will get theirs in the next couple of weeks.  Booklist will review it February 1, and the advance word is good. I'm allowed to quote a little snippet: "Cambias'…

    jamescambias

  • Arisia 2020 — The Initiation Begins

    This year's Arisia convention will be back at the Boston Westin Waterfront, January 17-20. I'll be there Friday the 17th through Sunday the 19th, and it's going to be a busy weekend. Friday 5:30 p.m.: "Stories From the Cities" — A joint reading with myself, Andrea Hairston and W.B.J. Williams. All three stories are connected…

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  • Fencing News

    Yesterday was the Upper Valley Holiday Open fencing tournament in Sharon, Vermont. Diane Kelly and Robert Cambias attended.  Robert went in an Unrated fencer, trounced all comers, and emerged with not just a USFA E rating but a D.  In game terms, he went up two levels in one session. Congratulations!

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  • Why The Initiate?

    My upcoming novel The Initiate (now available for pre-order) marks a big change for me. My three previous books have all been science fiction, mostly on the "hard-SF" side of the spectrum. The Initiate is a modern-day noir fantasy, with magic and demons and a secret society of wizards in Manhattan. Why the change? A…

    jamescambias

  • A Lovecraftian Chronology

    For no very good reason I found myself making up an internal chronology of H.P. Lovecraft's horror stories. My guiding principle was that if a story doesn't have any time clues — and it's interesting to note that most of Lovecraft's stories do include specific dates — it takes place in the year in which…

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  • Today’s Menu

    This year's Thanksgiving feast was an epic one. Five adults, including one teenage boy, means we can paint on a large canvas. The menu: Oyster Patties Cremant d'Alsace Shrimp and Oyster Gumbo with Rice Turkey Breast Sous Vide with Herbs — Turkey Breast Sous Vide with Harissa Cote de Roussillon 2014 Cornbread and Oyster Dressing…

    jamescambias

  • Ancient Recipes

    Very interesting BBC Travel story about re-creating ancient Mesopotamian recipes. Read it here. They include a lamb stew which sounds worth trying.  The only surprising thing, really, is that anyone should be surprised that people living nearly 4000 years ago ate much the same things their modern descendants do. Food is a bedrock of culture…

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