TommyWorld Twenty Two - The 'Last' issue

The Twenty-first issue of a sortof letter substitute, kinda thing, maybe weekly, maybe not, from:
798 Manning Ave, Toronto, On. M6G 2W6
E-mail:tferg@globalserve.net Phone:(416) 539 8992
Web Site: http://www.globalserve.net/~tferg
Distribution in the UK by Eugene Doherty, 110 North Parade, Belfast, BT7 2GJ EMail him at: e.Doherty@virgin.net Available only via the net at the moment. Dated, already, 13/8/97.

"You have to leave to know where home is..."

I'll be going home to Ireland on, or before, the 1st October this year. That will have made it a year I spent in Canada - more than the month I thought it would be and the six months I hoped it would be. In fact it is a lot longer than anyone I know imagined - the boys in Belfast, for a long time, didn't even think I would leave! But I'm glad to say I did.

The bad things first. I'm not at all settled here. I love Toronto - it really is a great city - Jesus, you could even hold a WorldCon here it is so cool (Obligatory plug for Toronto in '03 WorldCon bid -

http://www.worldhouse.com/worldcon-2003

) but it is not for me. It is too big, I can't get a handle on what is going on and don't feel part of events. I can't vote, I don't like to voice my opinion on what is going on and even after a year I'm not getting a lot of what is going on here socially or politically; I feel restless and ill at ease. And as for those winters...

On the other hand it is really safe - people can walk home at night with relative ease. The area I live in has a great sense of community (well the pubs anyway...) and the place I work (and drink) is one of the better jobs I have had. The people I have met here have been uniformly friendly, welcoming and a joy to be with. The Summer has been stunning - events including Caribana, Taste of the Danforth, civic events in Nathan Philips Square (outside screening of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - excellent!) and as for the Toronto Beer Festival - a full (sic) report in the next issue of TommyWorld.

So what is going to happen to TW? Well it will no longer be emailed out, but will be a feature of my web site and will now have more fannish material and less shit about me. I also hope to involve graphics, decent layout and maybe even a fannish guest or two. As you can tell - the web site will be the focus from now on. I won't feel obliged to rattle something off each week (though I rarely did anyway, this thing was always about my ego, for me, about me and if the rest of you got something out of it: Bonus!) I've got FrontPage up and running so hopefully my web site will be a bit better organised and presented in future.

Actually FrontPage, after initial teething troubles, is a bloody good site management tool. It allows a bucket of useful things to be done automatically and leaves me alone to mess about with layout, design and content - the important things about a web site. I'm all over this like a fat boy on a smartie.

Two weeks until I fly out to Seattle. I've no idea what Lesley has planned (except for some decent tea, apparently... the coffee thing is already sorted) but I land on Wednesday 27 Aug. So if all you guys and gals out there want to get together for a pint or six at Pike Place market, Big Time or Elysium (sp?) I'm up for it. I'm there for a week which includes the labour day holiday so you've no excuse not to turn up. I will also have DFL2 with me, spelling mistakes and typos on some of them, so come along a pick up a copy. And yes, it is a round trip ticket. But those big birds fly from Belfast all the time...

Just to mention, in passim, that I had a computer crash last weekend which meant that all my files had to be reassembled and I had to re-install my modem (Plug and Play my arse, Mr. Gates!) which, because of IRQ conflicts with my system, is a real bugger. Hence lack of TW or EMail for a week or so there folks. I'm trying to catch up slowly, so if you've written to me recently and not received a reply - hang in there, the year's not over yet.

So, Change of Address:

From 1 October a, temporary, Change of Address:

Tommy Ferguson,c/o 90 Carnhill,Shantallow 3,Derry, BT48 8BENorthern Ireland

And that, as they say, is that. Check out the web site for further updates and new issues - it is a bit of mess right now, but give me a few days and things should be organised a bit better.

See you sometime...

--
"Friends don't let friends...
Have empty mailboxes.

Tommy Ferguson. http://www.globalserve.net/~tferg