The Mars image fiasco continues unabated. I emailed a guy at Cal Tech; the plan is to circumvent MSSS entirely and get permission from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It's their spacecraft, after all; MSSS's Mars Orbiter Camera just happens to be on board. Meanwhile, Patrick Huyghe and I are at our wits' end. Actually, I suspect he's getting the worst of it, since he's got Simon & Schuster breathing down his neck and I've got something of a buffer zone. I'm signing an addendum to my original book contract dealing with "theme park rights," among other things. Jesus Christ. Can you imagine a theme park inspired by my Martian ruminations? So can I!

Yesterday I received a phone call from the author of a website dedicated to the idea that aliens are flesh-and-blood extraterrestrials abducting humans to produce a race of hybrids. He objected, with some justification, to the review I'd written about his research. Afraid of coming across as flippant and dismissive (I don't think the UFO/alien phenomenon allows such luxuries), I retooled my review with an emphasis on making up one's own mind.

Lastly, I've survived my first week at my new job. It's ended on a much better note than it started -- not that that means terribly much. My plans for this weekend are to finish "Day of the Triffids" and sleep in late.