The Inner Child Keeps on Growing

So the story so far:
Originally I thought I wasn't going to be able to be in The King and I due to Clarke Award reading, but then ACCA books arrived earlier than expected and rehearsals aren't starting until the new year so I thought 'Great, can do it after all'.

But then, disaster!, it turns out that the week of the show is WisCon week and we're already booked to go. Not too bothered. I like The King and I a lot but, unless you are playing the king, there's not much for the men to do.

Then last night we find out that due to a theatre booking cock-up we are no longer putting on the show at that date and it will be a few weeks earlier. Modified rapture! Still nothing much for the men to do, but I could at least audition for the King.

Then we get the actual dates: 28th April to 2nd May 2009.

Guess when the Arthur C. Clarke Award ceremony is going to be? That's right: 29th April.

Sigh.

If I really, really wanted to do it I could just about swing it by going to the ACCA final judging meeting but not going to the ceremony and getting back to Andover for the performance. But it's probably not worth it to be honest, especially as I've really been looking forward to an opportunity to do the Clarkes.

Oh well, maybe I can help backstage or something...

Okay, I can now officially say what I've been keeping under my hat for a few weeks:

I'm going to be a Clarke Award judge next year (for the BSFA).

I am both delighted and terrified about this! It's, what, five or six years since I stopped being the BSFA awards administrator? I honestly thought that if I was going to be asked to be a judge it would have been around then, so had almost given up. So I dead chuffed to finally be asked.

On the other hand I know enough ex-judges to realise that it will be a lot of hard work, but I am sure it will be fun as well!

I will probably have to drop back on some of my other commitments, particularly reviewing - both because of time and potential conflicts of interest (I potentially have another, similar, committment - more details once again when all has been confirmed - but which will involve a smaller amount of reading and shouldn't overlap too much in either subject or time).

So in another month or so my reading decisions are not going to be my own so I've got a small pile of books by the side of my bed that I particularly want to read soon!