After almost six months without a meaningful break, I am taking a week off of work. My vacation will run from Monday May 24 through Memorial Day. Ten days off. I haven’t had time off like this since, um, this past July. Sure, I had time off during the winter holidays, but that isn’t really down time as such.

Two books arrived at the Library of Winkelman Abbey this week.

On the left is the Situationist International Anthology, edited and translated by Ken Knabb of the Bureau of Public Secrets. I first became aware of this book back when I worked at the bookstore, in the early nineties. I’m pretty sure one of the clerks ordered it, and I think it stayed in the break room for a long time, eventually ending up on the remainder shelves and possibly “liberated” by someone some years later. Recently I was reading something online, as one does, and the Situationist International was mentioned, and that brought back the memories of the Anthology.

On the right is Worlds of Light and Darkness, an anthology of the best of Dreamforge and Space & Time magazines. A combined anthology is an interesting concept, and seems a good way to introduce readers of the one magazine to the writers in the other. Perhaps other small journals could take note of this book and produce their own collaborative collections.

In reading news, I am still slowly making my way through Imaginary Cities and A Memory Called Empire. I am enjoying both immensely, but life stresses this past month have taken the energy right out of me, and there are days where I can’t read more than a page or two without either falling asleep or losing my focus. I am in dire need of a reset, and I hope that the upcoming week off, in which I plan to walk a lot, visit the woods and dunes and beaches of West Michigan, and spend quality time with my girlfriend, will give me the space I need to recover.

In writing news, it is much the same as for reading. No mental energy to apply to anything except getting through the day. Again, I have high hopes but no plans for the next ten days. I could set goals, but if I didn’t meet those goals I would only feel, on my first day back to work, that I had wasted my vacation.

So I will write as I feel inspired to write, and not force myself to meet arbitrary goals and deadlines. I do that enough at work.