The shoe-storms seem to have passed. And all the shoes on the ground have melted. There may never be another shoe-storm again. By the time the weather is right for it, Elaine will probably have learned to pronounce "snow" correctly. Alas, no more pointing at the sky and joyously shouting "shoe! shoe!"

On the Beyond Centauri front: I found the second half of the issue equally engaging. The "Rusty the Robot" adventure was cute, and "She Came To Sing" by Susan Hanniford Crowley really stood out. However, more than any individual piece, the overall magazine pulled together into an experience that was optimistic, adventurous, and fun. Most of the stories featured characters with a drive to figure things out: how did I get here? how can we fix our spaceship? how can we save our planet? or, simply, how can I get home? It gave me a very warm and collegial feeling to read my story among so many others that felt so right to me.