I tried to convince MuddDude to take our honeymoon in Greece, in the middle of July, just so I could have an excuse to hang out with taz.

It didn't work, but that's beside the point!

I miss taz. Opa!

I miss her too. Sending lots of good thoughts her way in hopes that she is just having way too much fun to be on the internet currently.

I *also* miss taz. Her very exotic life, rendered in such familiar, prosaic, slices of everyday, was so much fun to peer at.

I wonder what she's reading? I just finished The Inhabited World, which was beautiful, and have started in on Let the Right One In, which is chilling and sparse, like Element of Crime only a book. I saw the review on the back about "vampires at their Anne Ricean best and wanted to fire someone. See, Rice wrote florid gothic romance novels about vampires. Good ones, but they are lush, flouncy, idealised American vampires, most supernatural in their beauty and sex appeal and decadent enjoyment of unlife. That's so very much not what Let the Right One in Is, which is dystopian crime fiction, about vampires.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥!

I like-a da taz!

≡ Click to see image ≡

Oh my god, that has to be the most annoying kid ever. If I'd been the cool, macho, rugged Shane and I had that little brat screaming after me, I would have just kept riding.

I ♥ and miss taz, too.

Yeah, wherefore art thou, Taziet? We miss you. Please come and spend time with us. It's not the same without you.

If I'd been the cool, macho, rugged Shane and I had that little brat screaming after me, I would have just kept riding.

How do you think I ended up here in Godforsaken Ohio?

Is something going on with Taz that I missed, or is she just AWOL as usual? It is her style, you know.

Seriously, now I'm concerned.

She's been off and on for awhile now, right? She last posted at the end of May.

Last we heard, she & mods said she was ok.

Taz, I bake my caulifower in olive oil and cheese, and I use coconut oil as a moisturizer.

Because of you.

Hey... didn't really notice, but now that you guys mention it...

Is she like officially off somewhere? MIA? Hope all is OK.

I can only assume she's touched everybody else here too

I wish!

I've spotted her on MeFi a few times lately.

I miss taz, too. The place feels different without her. But hey, sometimes people need a break, or just to move on for an indefinite period of time. She's good at being happy and I hope she is. But selfishly, I do miss her.

Huh.... I hadn't noticed her missing but I have to wonder how I could not notice that she was missing?

Come back, taz! You're making me write awkward sentences!

I was also just thinking about taz and missing her awesome presence on the site. My best wishes to her, and I hope she's doing whatever it is that makes her life easiest and most joyful.

omg. *serious blush*

I'm fine! I'm totally fine, but have been in a cocooning phase, which tends to happen with me, especially in summer. I spent a long time hardly online at all, and now I'm back up to, like, maybe a third or quarter of my old online time - which, frankly, was ridiculously way too much.

I've been reading very, very, very much. I recently finished R.A. MacAvoy's Lens of the World trilogy, and K.J. Parker's Engineer trilogy (link to first book)- both great series that I recommend to epic fantasy fans, and both a bit unusual; neither have much, if any, "magic" (none in Engineer; ambiguous, somewhat metaphysical bits in Lens) - no dragons, no sorcerers, etc. You can read "The Lens of the World," the first book, as a stand-alone novel, and it's definitely the best of the three; the Engineer series is one big story, beginning in the beginning and finishing at the end of the three books.

Here's what I've read so far this year, though I think I forgot to include a few...

I've read a lot of great books, too many to mention here, but I'd like to give a shout-out to one really lovely book: Dogsbody by Dianna Wynne Jones. If you are looking for a charming, quirky, unusual, light and fun summer read, you can't go wrong with this book. I found it totally delightful. (of course, as usual, now that I've praised it so highly, you may be disappointed, but it's a winner.)

Anyway, I'll be straggling back, but summer tends to make me taz-hermit-crab, in my little shell. You guys are very sweet, and I'm sorry if it seemed like there was anything wrong. As Shane says, it's my nature to disappear for a while every now and then. I think I just have maybe a two-year cycle or something, where I build up to spending waaaaaay too much time online, then I drop it almost totally, and then eventually start creeping back in. I kiss you all!

I missed this thread, so I'll sum up my feelings:

TAZ TAZ TAZ TAZ TAZ!

I KISS YOU!

*ELSAELSAELSAKISSKISSSMOOCH*

hmmm... I just realized that there's actually no way to buy Dogsbody (at least via Amazon - so I would assume it's difficult elsewhere, as well) if you are in the U.S. (UK; Canada), unless you find a used edition. Tragic! If anyone wants it but can't get hold of one, please email me.