If the TIMES says so, it must be true.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/03/opinion/03herbert.html?ref=opinion

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Here’s wishing for a great 2009 for all my friends and readers.

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To be a Jets fan is to understand the meaning of pain.

It is, admittedly, a different sort of pain than that known by Lions fans, but no less sharp. The Jets like to tease you with false hope, so the eventual defeat will cut deeper.

It is all Joe Willie’s fault. As every true Jets fan knows, he made a deal with the devil to win SuperBowl III. So long as any Jets fan who saw that victory remains alive, the Jets will never win again.

Sigh.

(I won’t talk about the Giants this week. The game meant everything to the Vikings and nothing to the G-Men. I was heartened to catch glimpses of Danny Ware and Mario Manningham, however. Both showed flashes, and David Carr did well enough as well, though Ghu Forbid that we ever actually need him).

One consolation for Jets fans. At least they’re not the Cowboys.

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A reader named Wes Nelson sent me this YouTube link.

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Some of my readers are… odd.

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Music: Nightmare Before Christmas
So it’s Xmas Eve already. Our traditional day for watching BLACKADDER’S CHRISTMAS CAROL. Nothing like that to get you into the holiday spirit. And remember the moral — the bad guys get all the goodies.

I wonder if Rowan Atkinson is available for the HBO series? I could see him as Varys.

Ho ho ho. (Where did the year go?)

A merry xmas to all, and to all a good night.

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The wildlings have arrived, and just in time for Yule.

Dark Sword Miniatures has rolled out three new miniatures, wildling captains set to lead your raiding parties. All of these are available at the Dark Sword Online store.

Here’s the “green” for Rattleshirt, aka the Lord o’ Bones:

Here’s a nicely painted version of Alfyn Crowkiller. Alas, poor Alfyn, he was killed off-stage before he could actually appear in the books, but while he was alive he kicked ass.

And last, but definitely NOT least, a gorgeous version of Mance Rayder, sometime bard, and King Beyond the Wall.

Dark Sword has some other nice figures on offer as well, including a lovely Tom Meier “sorceress” who could easily be added to your Westerosi miniature court, and a new Jeff Grace female archer from the Elmore range who might work as well, with more clothes. Check them all out at http://darkswordminiatures.com/

Oh, and speaking of Tom Meier… I’ve gotten a few emails wondering when we’ll be adding some direwolves to the Dark Sword range. That’s in the works, I promise it is… but if you’d rather not wait, and really want a Ghost to put beside your own Jon Snow, well, Tom Meier has recently issued two terrific new wolves as part of his own Thunderbolt Mountain range.

Tom was kind enough to send me some of each, and I can promise, these are very cool sculpts, and ought to make great direwolves. I’m having some painted up for my own collection right now. They’re available from Thunderbolt Mountain at

http://www.thunderboltmountain.com/

Comments on the miniatures are welcome here. Comments on other stuff, not so much.

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The Jets game… sigh… what can I say?

Aside from “same old Jets.”

Brett Favre looked his age this afternoon. Every long ball was underthrown, except the last one that Coles bobbled, and the short passes had no zip.

Hey, Dolphins, can we please have Chad back?

That was a painful few hours. It’s a familiar pain. I have been a Jets fan for a long time, and by now you’d think I’d know that they just play well in the early season to get your hopes up, so that the inevitable collapse will be that much more painful when it comes.

The Giants – Panthers game restored my faith in life and the NFL. What a great game. Hard-fought from beginning to end, seesawing back and forth, full of great plays on both sides. Especially on offense. The defenses got slugged around a little. I am concerned that our D did not sack Jake Delhomme once. Our pass rush seems to come and go these days, and with the playoffs near that worries me. But Brandon Jacobs returned in a big way, Derrick Ward was amazing, and the O-line were opening holes I could have run through. Let’s hope it’s THIS version of the G-men who show up for the playoffs, not the guys we’ve seen the past two weeks. Anyway, we’ve got the bye and home field throughout… let the wild rumpus begin!

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Just got my big box of “author’s copies” of the 2009 Ice and Fire calendar from the Dabel Brothers. Yes, I know, I’m prejudiced, but damn, this is gorgeous.

Michael Komarck just keeps getting better and better. I hope all you guys remember him and the incredible work he did on this calendar when it comes time to nominate for the Hugoes.

The calendar is shipping later than expected — there was a delay with the art, and another with the printer — but Les Dabel assures me that all the pre-orders are finally on the way.

I can’t explain the “out of stock” status of the calendar at Amazon, sorry. Very little of what Amazon does is comprehensible to me.

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Tom Kidd has finished the last of his wonderful interior illustrations for the Subterranean Press limited edition of the Jack Vance tribute anthology, SONGS OF THE DYING EARTH. I love the work he’s been doing. We have twenty-two writers in the book, and each story will have its own full-page illustration.

Here’s what Tom did for my own yarn, “A Night at the Tarn House.”

All the stories are now in, and all the art as well. The last thing that remains are the signature pages, which are making the rounds to the final half-dozen contributors so they can affix their scrawls. After that the book will go to the printers. Look for the SubPress edition in the late spring or early summer, and the Tor edition six months later (the Tor edition will not have the artwork, however).

The lettered edition of SONGS OF THE DYING EARTH is sold out, but copies of the numbered edition (signed by Vance and all the authors) are still available through the SubPress website at http://www.subterraneanpress.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=martin07&Category_Code=PRE&Product_Count=24

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