a) I neglected to say that the pen that comes with the Really Useful Book journal, with the special light on the end to reveal the invisible sayings, also writes invisibly.
b) While I've heard from a few people that specific places have announced where I'll be signing in the US in September/October (for example, Cody's books has me listed as signing there on September 30th at http://www.codysbooks.com/blog/index.jsp) I don't yet have a complete list. It'll go up here as soon as I do.
The UK tour will be in November, probably from around the 4th to the 20th. Again, when I have dates I'll post them here.
c) I just went out to my little writing cabin for the first time in a few weeks. What a perfect day to go and write beside the lake, I thought, when I got out of the car. How fresh and wonderful everything smells. A good day to be alive. Opened the door, thought "gosh, smells a bit iffy in here" so I emptied out the rubbish bin beneath the sink. I turned on a ceiling fan, and nothing at all happened, and somehow the iffy smell seemed to have become even iffier. I went and looked in the fridge, with a sinking sort of feeling. The light did not go on when I opened the fridge door. It was warm in there. Everything in the fridge was warm. When I opened the door, the iffy smell became, well, rather less iffy and a lot more definite.
A little detective work and I found, near the door, a small note from the local power company, dated two weeks ago, letting me know that they had been by to change my electricity meter but I was out. It didn't say that they'd cut off the power if I didn't phone them back, but I suspect that's what they did.
I sighed, and drove home, and now, rather late, am about to go and work in the gazebo at the bottom of the garden instead. It's not by a lake, but at least it only smells like fresh-cut grass, so that's all right.
I feel like I should at least link to something funny before I go. So here's the Adventures of Lethem and Chabon....