Read and Riding

Reading and riding. I tried to think of something "math-y" I've done lately so I could be clever and call this entry "Reading, Riding, and 'Rithmetic" but no such luck. In a nutshell, reading and riding make up the bulk of what I've been doing lately. The reading part is of story submissions for IGMS. As I mentined last week, now that we finally (fingers crossed) have the last of the scheduling issues resolved, I'm reading like mad to get caught up on the last of the stories I've been holding. I've got about 50 or so left and should have this done in the next ten days to two weeks. So if you've been holding your breath for several years waiting on a reply, know that the end is near.

The other thing I've been doing a lot more of lately is cycling. In preparation for my planned 300+ mile bike tour of the Blue Ridge Parkway next month (from roughly Bedford VA to Asheville NC), I've been increasing the distance and duration of my bike rides. Usually I ride 11 - 13 miles each time out, 3 or 4 days a week. By cycling standards that's a pretty light workout. Two weeks ago I upped it to between 15 and 20 miles each trip and have been riding 4 or 5 days a week; and yesterday I did a total of about 35 miles (24 on the morning ride and then a quick 11 in the afternoon). Considering that the shortest leg of my Parkway ride is set for 45 miles (and some are considerably longer), I've go a ways to go before I'll feel like I'm ready. Still, it's progress, eh? The legs are kind of achy today, but that's all right: Sunday is a day of rest.

In other news, I got a cryptic e-mail from the publisher of NCCNM on Friday saying that future issues of NCCNM have been cancelled, but that she wanted me to call her so we could talk about something else she has in mind. She didn't say what, only that she had 'something' else. This was a surprise considering that we just met a few weeks ago to discuss the Fall and Winter issues. She even talked during that meeting about the possibility of taking the magazine from regional publication to national in 2008. I'm curious to find out what she has in mind, but I got her e-mail too late on Friday to call her, so it will have to wait until Monday.