My story 'Last Bulkhead' will be appearing in edition 9 of Shadowed Realms, online in January 2006 at www.shadowedrealms.com.au

This is a special edition featuring the Aussie 'Femme fatales' of speculative fiction. It's also a landmark in its own right. Shadowed Realms (as well as being a fine e-zine) is recognised as a professional market. So, my first professional sale!

The problem with brown rice is, that while it's incredibly healthy, it tastes ordinary. Not horrible, just chewy and dull.

Thinking about it objectively white rice doesn't taste too exciting either. But at least it's soft, fluffy and white. It seems to me that no matter how long you cook brown rice for it still tastes underdone.

There's a reason I've had the same packet of brown rice in my cupboard for almost three years.

Luke and I went to Long Reef Beach yesterday. After a swim I went for a walk down the beach. I passed some surf life savers doing beach sprints and stopped to watch.

"I can run faster than that!" I thought.

I probably can't anymore - but every competitive bone in my body wanted to take them on. How old do you have to be before you're prepared to admit that the younger, fitter bodies will beat your own?