Crunch Time

The good news is that the Padres are still in first place.

The bad news is that they've lost ten games in a row, and their lead is down to a single game.

This doesn't rate with, e.g., the Phillies' infamous 1964 collapse, or the Padres' disaster in 2007, but it's still making me (and, I suppose, a lot of other Padres fans) nervous and upset.

:crosses fingers:

Amazon Raid

I just visited Amazon for the first time since April. I didn't buy a whole lot, but I think it's a good selection.

I pre-ordered Connie Willis' All Clear (I already have Blackout) and Pratchett's I Shall Wear Midnight, the latest Tiffany Aching story. Those won't come until sometime in October. The rest will come more promptly.

Books: Georgette Heyer, Faro's Daughter (I've got almost all of her romances and historicals - maybe half a dozen to go); Patricia McKillip, Solstice Wood and Od Magic; John Work, Lost Delta Found, which I think was recommended by al_zorra; George MacDonald Fraser, Flashman in the Great Game (resuming reading that series); Lee Epstein, Advice and Consent: The Politics of Judicial Appointments; Mark Mazower, Salonica, City of Ghosts (recommended by rfmcdpei; and R. M. W. Dixon, Searching for Aboriginal Languages (via one of Amazon's associated dealers).

Music: The Five Stairsteps, First Family of Soul (for the sake of "Oo-ooh, Child"); Merrilee Rush, Angel of the Morning (I love the title track, and the only version I currently have is Skeeter Davis' inadequate cover); and (surprise) Dire Straits, Sultans of Swing.

Definitely looking forward to this.