For those of you looking for some February reading, Anne Ursu's fantastic second novel, The Disapparation of James is now available in paperback. As Anne says:

THE DISAPPARATION OF JAMES is now available in paperback for all your President's Day gift-giving needs. Nothing says "I honor Lincoln and Washington" like a copy of the THE DISAPPARATION OF JAMES.

I, of course, being famous, am reading Anne's third novel, which is even better than the first two. You can't read it, though, because it's not in stores yet. In fact, the publisher hasn't even seen it. No, I — being famous — have been granted a pre-pre-pre-release glimpse. Ah, the joys of being famous.

• Buy The Disapparation of James From Amazon
• I am famous

Some sound advice from Huxley, from his introduction to the 1946 edition of Brave New World.

"To pore over the literary shortcomings of twenty years ago, to attempt to patch a faulty work into the perfection it missed at its first execution, to spend one's middle age trying to mend the artistic sins committed and bequeathed by that different person who was oneself in youth—all this is surely vain and futile. And that is why this new Brave New World is the same as the old one. Its defects as a work of art are considerable; but in order to correct them I should have to rewrite the book—and in the process of rewriting as an older, other person, I should probably get rid not only of some of the faults of the story, but also of such merits as it originally posessed. And so, resisting the temptation to wallow in artistic remorse, I prefer to leave both well and ill alone and to think about something else."

When I get my headshots retaken, I'm going to Bluejake, because that boy can capture the inner beauty of his subjects.

It is fully a week since the few lingering pine needles of the last Xmas tree corpses have disappeared from the streets. The final chunks of New Year's puke have long since been washed from the gutters of Times Square. The livid hues of Valentine's Day have begun creeping pinkly onto store shelves, adding a heart-shaped drop to the deepening pool of loneliness for the lovelorn and alone, and February looms coldly on the horizon.

But it is now, to the shock of her friends, loved ones, and "editor," that The Discontented Elf has shied clear of complete incompetence and — a month later — wrapped it all up with the story of her transition from Seasonal Elf to Full Time Department Store Employee. Well, almost.

Due to my resounding success as Assistant Head Elf, I was offered a full-time, non-holiday-related sales job in the Department Store, pushing three-hundred-dollar D&G t-shirts to thirty-two year-old women with too much time, money and hair, all for 8 dollars an hour plus commission. The 3-day training began in earnest at 9:30 Tuesday morning...

• Discontented Elf: Three Hours [unpalatableball.com]

I do hereby and most solemly resolve to have no less than 18% more "Hi-jinks" in 2004.

This is the first post of the new year.