posted by Neil

Statuesque aired last night on Sky 1. I didn't see it. Didn't get to see the first part of the last David Tennant Doctor Who either. (Statuesque is currently available on Sky Anytime, for UK Sky subscribers, until the 31st of Dec. Look it up under the title of "Ten Mintue Tales") (Yes, Mintue. I know they mean Minute, but that's what it's up as right now.)

On the other hand, we got a few hour's sunlight today. I saw some of that. And yesterday we went for a walk and, using map coordinates and the GPS Mike's amazing new Google Cell Phone (aka Dogfood) we found a Viking stone circle. And I'm cooking a lot on the Aga. My favourite present was one my children had clubbed together to get me: a painting of my dog, by artist Kelli Bickman. They know I love Kelli's stuff, and figured that I would be made happy by a painting of Cabal by her. And I am, very happy indeed.

Anyway. I hope you had a very happy Boxing Day, and that all your boxes belong to you.

posted by Neil

Then I fly from the UK to Boston in time for Amanda's New Year's Eve gig with the Boston Pops. It looks like an amazing evening, and "Statuesque" will get its American premiere on a big screen as one of the evening's many entertainments (here's the Boston Pops page listing all the stuff that'll be happening that night).

Trying to deal with the last things I have to do before I get out of here. (Also realised very late last night that the problems I've had reading comics for the next Year's Best American Comics that I'm guest editing has nothing to do with losing my love for comics and everything to do with the fact that somewhere in the last year I must have started needing reading glasses for small print and had not realised this. I found a pair of reading glasses and the world became one with good, easy-to-read comics in it once again... I suppose more things like this will happen as I age. How odd.)

I leave you with a handful of links...

Edgar Oliver was on the Moth bill with me a few years ago. This week's Moth podcast is The Secret Origin of Edgar Oliver. (http://www.themoth.org/podcast is the Moth's Podcast page. It's a fine thing to have on your podcast list: strange, true stories that arrive weekly into your world.)

A reminder that I'll be narrating a performance of Peter and the Wolf in New York on January the 16th. (Details at http://www.artsworldfinancialcenter.com/cgi-bin/Go.cgi?q_id=1004&q_category=1)

The McNally-Robinson blog entry on my trip to Winnipeg: http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-1366/Neil-Gaiman-in-Winnipeg

And, for a heartwarming story, go to Cheryl Morgan's blog at http://www.cheryl-morgan.com/?p=7272 Then follow the link.

Okay. Back to last-minute things...

posted by Neil

...

There's a lovely New York Times article that says that CORALINE is one of the best films of the year; a great UK Sunday Times roundup of the best childrens' books of the year, that lists Crazy Hair:

Here's a Czech literary scandal I found fascinating, featuring a non-existent 19 year old Vietnamese girl: http://english.vietnamnet.vn/reports/200912/The-literary-scandal-that-rocked-the-Czech-Republic-884057/.