There is one sour note, though. This time I had to wait a FULL TWO WEEKS after the deadline to receive the final three stragglers (and Tomás didn't even say hello)! Come on, you guys! You are setting a bad example for our delightful new member!

This issue is less crowded than the last but does include a new HPL card by yours truly and more quotations from Paul. (Incidentally, Suzanne, be sure to press the Quotationist button on the main screen and then the INSTALL button. This will update Paul's Quotationist Stack.)

We also have another sound effect from Robert that I couldn't fit on last time, and a new edition of the Member List stack that reflects all the changes of late. Robert and I have contributed a few small gifts. And a long-held secret is revealed at last in this issue's Mr. Wizard!

Volume 9 contains another dream, this time from Larry, a heated exchange about the Chinese dissadents, uh, students, and a healthy start into a new sex debate. I am also launching a new experiment, The Fiction Project. And I am beginning to think about a major revision to Archipelago; I will appreciate your comments and suggestions.

My personal life is on something of an upswing these days. I am dating two very interesting women and have just joined a writer's workshop that meets once a week. I am also bouncing back and forth between Montana and Idaho in order to work on my billing package (actual paychecks!) Dionne and Sasha are still very much on my mind, and I recently heard some disturbing news from them, but I continue to maintain radio silence. Paul and I have started sending tapes once again. And I have upgraded my machine to 2.5 megabytes!

The leaves are turning here at Canyon Creek and it is very beautiful. I wish you could all come and visit! We've already had a skiff of snow and it looks to be a challenging winter. I hope to hear from you all SOON in volume ten!