Past the Solstice! Already! Happy summer. Somehow there are all these things I have to do, errands and applications and follow-ups and hours to chase down, and it all feels a bit like maintenance mode. Keeping the wheels spinning, because those wheels, you know. Those wheels gotta spin, and they don't do it by themselves somehow.

Years ago I read The Talisman, a dark fantasy novel by Stephen King and Peter Straub. Shortly after it came out, I think, which probably puts it back in the latter '80s. I didn't like it much, but when I heard recently that King is publishing a new third book in the series I discovered that I couldn't remember a thing about it, much as I don't recall anything out of its sequel Black House (2001). So I decided to revisit. It took me ages to get through it, and I still don't like it, but now at least I know what it was about.

This key is a few years old, newly revealed, and it really should be perfectly fine - but with publishers these days, who can tell? If you have trouble with it, please let me know.