Christmas was nice and mostly quiet. I saw a couple of great movies (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and Sherlock Holmes and enjoyed them both), visited with friends, shopped a bit, caught up on some TV and DVDs and ate good food.
Monday was the quietest day as Kathy and I were both beat and pretty much collapsed into a blurry-eyed heap for most of the day. I don’t know if the holiday frenzy just caught up with us both or whether we’re fighting off a bug, but we were both too pooped to do much of anything on Monday. A flu bug or something is going around as a number of people I know have fallen ill, including Matthew Clements who called in sick today. He's a good guy, so he offered to come in for a bit to sign books for Surprise Packages, but I told him to stay home and rest.
It’s Tuesday, and I’m still dragging.
I don’t know if I’m down exactly, so much as feeling a little worn out and not overly up today.
I guess that means I am a bit down. Online sales didn't help my spirits any. After a few weeks of glorious holiday sales, they took a plunge after Christmas Day. And I mean a plunge. Very disappointing, especially when sales were looking so awesome the past several weeks. I heard that mainstream retail sales were up something like 16% from last year and that they were calling yesterday “Mega-Monday.” Well it sure was not “mega” for Palladium.
I was rather counting on continued strong sales to carry Palladium into the New Year. Wahh.
Then again, I was out there Monday morning snapping up some sale items, so maybe after everybody takes advantage of the post-Christmas sales at retail outlets, they’ll start buying Christmas Surprise Packages before the extended offer ends in a couple weeks. The Surprise Package deal will be over before you know it, so spread the word and order that last Surprise Package or two.
http://palladium-store.com/1001/product ... ckage.html
I couldn't help thinking about the people I miss too. Mom, Dad, Erick, Mrs. Bartold and others. I have their warm memories to cherish, but I still miss them. I wonder how Thom, Ken and the rest of the Bartold family are handling the loss of their mother? My heart goes out to them. I pray Kay Kozora is winning her battle with cancer and I wonder and worry about my friends and family who are facing their own health or financial challengers. Man, I sure hope 2012 is going to be a fantastic year for us all.
Please don’t get me wrong, there were a many special moments all weekend. I spent my time with Kathy and Alex (my two “bestest friends” on the planet), had a nice chat with my brother, and an exchange of many texts, emails and telephone conversations with a great many wonderful friends. I am so fortunate to love, and be loved, by such a multitude of amazing characters. I cherish you all.
The most thrilling conversation was with my daughter Monica and her husband Steven in Arizona. Monica is pregnant with her first child, due sometime in July 2012. They are so excited. Me too! We were laughing and squealing like idiots. Wow. Very cool, though I’m not so sure about that whole being a “grandpa” thing, but I’m very happy for Monica and Steven. Nah, just kidding. A whole new adventure is about to unfold from me (and especially for Monica and Steven!). I’m looking forward to being the kindly, crazy and (hopefully) wise grandpa.
I also enjoyed lazing around for the better part of three days. Ah, my first three days off in . . . gosh, I don’t know how long. Years. How crazy is that?
Today it’s back to reality. I’m back at work picking Surprise Packages, signing books, cleaning off my desk, paying bills, answering emails, taking care of various business issues and, any minute now, getting back to getting Rifts® Lemuria finished and to the printer.
This will be a short week and another long weekend with New Year's Day, though I will certainly be working some of the holiday weekend. But maybe only 5-6 hours on Saturday and Sunday, or Saturday and Monday, and one entire day off to do nothing. Heck, I don’t have time for holidays. I have a zillion new books to get to the printer and into your hands.
More in the Thursday Weekly Update. Until then, don’t forget about Palladium Books when you’re shopping, keep those imaginations burning bright and game on!
Sincerely,
Kevin Siembieda
Publisher, Writer, Game Designer and soon to be Grandpa!
© Copyright December 27, 2011 Palladium Books Inc. All rights reserved.
Rifts®, The Rifter®, RECON®, Splicers®, Palladium Books®, Phase World®, The Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game®, Megaverse®, Nightbane®, The Mechanoids®, The Mechanoid Invasion®, Coalition Wars® and After the Bomb® are Registered Trademarks of Palladium Books Inc. Heroes Unlimited™, Beyond the Supernatural, Dead Reign, Warpath, Shemarrian Nation, and other published book titles, names, slogans and likenesses are trademarks of Palladium Books Inc., and Kevin Siembieda.
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