I was going to talk about Labor Day

And then I realized that not only do I not have the slightest interest in the history of Labor Day, but it would lead to comments like "I don't know anything about organized labor.  I belong to SFWA."  And that would be unkind because, let's face it, for all its sins -- and there are many -- SFWA is not and can't be a true organization that negotiates for writers.  It doesn't have the leverage.  It finds itself, in fact, in the position that... say, United Farm Workers (Does that exist) must find itself with the labor coming in cheaper and uncontrollable over the border.

Look -- whatever pretty face you put on Unions, and many people do put very pretty faces on them -- unions are ultimately for one thing: to protect those who are already in a field from free and cheaper competition coming in.  Yes, yes, they can control quality and negotiate for higher salaries and all that jazz.  However, to do that, they must -- they absolutely must -- control the supply of labor and be able to obtain perks for their members.  (Whether these are a good or a bad, it's something for you to ponder.) 

Then take SFWA.  What do you think would happen if the SFWA president tried to convince a publisher they could only buy from members or newbies we qualified.  Yes.  I can the laughter too.  So SFWA is largely ineffective.  There ARE things it could do, but it would have to shift its orientation and act not -- as they try to -- like an union, but like a fraternal organization.  The things it already does or tries to do half well are of that nature -- the fund for writer's health.  The directory.  The exposing of dishonest agents.

I would like to see it expand those capabilities -- spend real effort in finding a health plan that will accept us.  For those of us who are making a -- precarious -- living at this thing, it remains necessary to have a day job or a spouse who has one because of the health thing.  Of course, considering most of us live at our desks, working 24/7 and surviving on doughnuts and whiskey we might be a very poor risk. :)

I would like to see SFWA take a page from the Mystery Writers' association.  In a day when newbies in this field are treated like a flavor of the month and discarded when they fail to be a winning lottery ticket, I'd like to see a mentoring and assistance program for writers who were dropped by professional houses.  I'd volunteer for the mentoring and I'd donate money for the assistance fund too.  I've seen to many friends fall under the dual jeopardy of being dropped and economic distress.

On the other hand -- the other thing of which SFWA suffers is that those of us who are working madly at our professional lives can't volunteer.  And those who can volunteer often find their career fundering for lack of attention.  And I'm no exception.  I simply don't have time.

So Enough About Labor Day as it was celebrated throughout most of Europe

Labor day in the states is the end of Summer.  Normally we'd be taking the day off and going off to Lakeside, in Denver.  We discovered it ... 9? years ago when we had to skip Worldcon and found ourselves at loose ends with two small kids.  We found Lakeside had a special -- back then -- $2 per entrance ticket and 5c (I think) per ride.  So the kids rode everything until they were sick and we stayed there till eleven pm., before we managed to drag them away and to dinner.  The only thing we could find open by then was PF Chang's, so we went there in our scruffy clothes -- Eric had his bottom totaly wet from sitting in a bumper boat with Dan! -- and introduced Eric to Peking Duck, which he turned out to love.

Since then we return to Lakeside -- and often the Cinderella Drive In afterwards -- pretty much every year.  Only, of course, this year I'm late with books -- three of them -- due to having been ill for the best part of the year.  So, I've been trying to catch up on work and failing. It's a lovely day.  Dan and the kids are home.  I have visions of rollercoasters running through my head.  Yet, the book is due and the book must be done.  So I'll quit bellyaching here, and I'll go and work now.  I expect we'll get some organic burgers for dinner -- at least this has been mentioned before -- and perhaps I can work late tonight.  If I'm lucky.

I'm posting a blue plate special for the week.  The way that works -- I'll post a BPS every week and remove it at the end of the week.  These are stories that I published long ago, or which -- for whatever reason -- I don't wish to try to sell.  Some of them will be in the universes of my other stories or my novels, and I'll use them as publicity for novels.

Anyway -- I have no idea why anyone would wish to hear me ramble endlessly about things -- but I figure that's what this is -- the corner booth, where you can sit across from me and eat your souvlaki and we talk about our days.  Or in this case -- being rather one sided -- I get to talk about my day and you get to listen.  However, if there's something you wish me to talk about or consider... poke me via email.  I'm flexible.