…but we’re having a rather informal MISCmeet at 8 p.m. this Sunday (6/8) in the homey Two Bells Tavern, Fourth Avenue north of Bell Street in Seattle’s formerly-chic Belltown district. Be there.

…who showed up at Titlewave Books Sunday night for my advertised reading appearance. I came down with, and still have, a nasty cold bug. (I’ll spare you a symptom list, but rest assured it’s not a pretty one.) A reskedded date will be announced shortly.

You can now own, for your own home and/or office, the very same lime-green iMac DV computer setup used by us to create the summer print MISC.

SPECIAL ONE-TIME-ONLY OFFER #2: But wait, there’s more! You can also have, for your very own, the efficient and versatile Nikon Coolpix 995 digital camera used to create many of the bee-you-tee-ful images you’ve seen on this here website!

Y’all gotta go to The Clark Show, tonight at the splendid redone Rendezvous, 2320 2nd Ave. in Belltown. The show comprises two sets, starting at 7:30 and 9 p.m. Each set combines funny readings and spontaneous chatter with strange yet cool videos and recorded music. There’ll also be a junk food demonstration and some fun surprises. See ya!

Have arrived safely in Stamford CT, the suburb that thinks it’s an actual city. Will report on my Crossword Tourney progress later today.

I’LL ATTEMPT to issue regular reports over the next six days from my eastern jaunt, which starts very late Thurs. and runs thru the following Weds. (Not only will I be on a red-eye, after who knows how long in the security checkpoint line, but it’ll have a change-of-planes stop at the old TWA hub in St. Louis at 5:45 PT.) Also, the crossword-puzzle tourney to which I’m going will be the topic of human interest pieces throughout the media, including this USA Today piece. Otherwise, MISCmedia.com will be back in full force next Thurs. or so.

…of all those merchandise donations to NYC.

PRINT MAG UPDATE: The spring “Science vs. Science Fiction” issue of the print MISC is in production. We hope to have it out by the end of March, with only one possible encumberance to that goal (see below).

YR. HUMBLE EDITOR has a chance to attend the annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, to be held St. Patrick’s Day weekend in the heart of intensely suburban Connecticut. If any of you know anyone in the greater NYC tri-state area with whom I could stay for a couple days or so before or after the tourney, lemme know.

…by the local-TV-news hype over “StormWatch 2002” (or actually hoped, like I did, to get caught up in the big rare Seattle snowstorm that, this time, didn’t happen). I speak of those of you who came to our spectacular MISCparty last Saturday night. Special thanks are due to the band Laguna!, to DJ Superjew and DJ E-Z Action, and to the staff of 2nd Avenue Pizza, without whom none of the fun would’ve been possible.

SOME LOYAL READERS have reported problems sending email to clark@speakeasy.org lately. We’re working on it. Keep trying. Thanks for your support.

PLANNING FOR THE BIG THE BIG MISCparty, meanwhile, continues apace. We’ve got a scrumptous live band and two sizzling fun-pop DJs, plus odd snacks, wacky video footage, and much much more. It’s Sat., Jan. 26, 6-11 p.m. at the lovely Second Avenue Pizza, 2nd near Virginia in downtown Seattle.

AND A PERSONAL SIDE PROJECT of mine, the second incarnation of the gorgeous photo exhibition “Signifying Nothing,” premieres Thurs., Feb. 7, 6 pm-whenever, at the Zeitgeist coffeehouse, 2nd Ave. S. and S. Jackson St. in the heart of historic Pioneer Square. Be there or be trapezoidal.

…for our fave dishwater-blonde goddess.

JUST IN TIME for 1/1, it’s the only official datebook for the Year of the Palindrome!

BUT SEMI-SERIOUSLY FOLKS, many of us would agree this has been a year of trial-‘n-tribulation, and will join in virtually with me in toasting the arrival of the new year as soon as it arrives on the North American continent (in Newfoundland, at 7:30 our time).

ONLINE RED CROSS DONATIONS can be made at Amazon.com and PayPal.

BEEN UP ABOUT AN HOUR TODAY thus far. Am monitoring the usual, at least semi-reliable news sources (i.e., I’m not monitoring Fox News). Will pass along any intriguing, obscure info-bits from the east-coast horror I can find.

I also want to apologize for the relative lack of entries the past week or so. Production of the next MISC mag is proceeding, and taking much of my time. I promise not to neglect you, dear online readers.

Due to several reader requests, we’ve replaced the “flowing” text in our photo-illustrated stories with stand-alone image tables. Hope this solves the problem some readers, on some browsers, have had viewing the texts.