The Eyes Will Hopefully Have It

I'm writing this post early this month because I can't be sure what kind of shape I'll be in for the few days before it actually goes live. I'm scheduled to have cataract surgery on both eyes Thanksgiving week.

I've been told by multiple people that this will be quick and painless and that my vision will be almost miraculously improved afterwards.  I certainly hope so, though I can't help but be nervous.  I've worn glasses since I was seven years old, but in the last several years my vision has deteriorated significantly.  I've had to bump up the font sizes on all my devices, and reading an actual book requires careful coordination of multiple factors--lighting, special glasses, etc.  Reading has always been a cornerstone of my life, so this has been an especially difficult thing for me to accept.  What I'm looking forward to the most, assuming the surgery goes as expected, is being able o simply pick up a book and read at my whim.  A simple thing that shouldn't be taken for granted.

I will take this opportunity to grouse about a pet peeve--movies and TV shows which require us to read text messages the characters are receiving or sending.  Yes, very nice, very modern, but also very much a pain for those of us who either have to ask somebody to tell us what the hell is going on or get out of our chairs to walk across the room, hitting rewind and pause buttons on the way.  There are some shows and films which do this well, for example by "popping out" the message to a larger size, but they're rare.

But I digress.  The point is, hopefully by the time my December column goes up I'll be living in a brighter and more sharply focused world, and I look forward to seeing you there.

SPEAKING OF READING: As we're going into the holiday season, what better gift for your family and loved ones than the gift of reading, specifically reading short mystery fiction?  

I'm consistently astonished at the number of writers who aspire to see their work in the hallowed pages of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine or Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine but who don't subscribe to those publications.  We're living in a time when so-called "legacy media" and the basic concept of literacy are in deep peril, and I think we should be doing everything we can to preserve them.  A subscription to either of these fine magazines (or to any other periodical, such as Black Cat Weekly) is an investment in the future of the genre we all love.  I challenge everyone reading this to give at least one gift subscription to at least one of these publications this year!