That's how I was able to tell what John Scalzi's politics were like without reading anything he'd ever written; he wins writing awards. People who win those awards always vote a certain way and write a certain kind of story.
One time when I went to an SF con, there was a "Bulwer-Lytton Contest". People could enter by submitting a chunk of writing similar to "It was a dark and stormy night...." Who won? The same guy who always won, according to comments from those present. The guy who's chummy with the guests of honor (who voted on the winner of the contest) and who's well-known in the national SF community. There were other pieces of purple prose which were better (worse?) examples than his--which ended with a lame "Barney" joke--but they weren't even considered. (I do not include my own entry in that category. I tried, but wasn't bad enough.)
Yet Another Data Point: It's not who you know, but who you blow.
Fortunately, I don't really care all that much about it. I'd much rather have commercial success than critical acclaim any day of the week; money is the ultimate validation and all the writing awards in history won't improve your credit rating.
* * *
Amazingly enough, it's above 60 today. It's windy and gusty and I took half a Lunesta last night, so I'm not going to try riding the bike today.
Half a Lunesta--I am not nearly as spacy today as I was yesterday, but "better" is frequently not "good" and this is no exception; I am finding myself too easily distracted. One should not ride a motorcycle when he is easily distracted.
* * *
Local elections on Tuesday, and I'll be glad of it when they're done. I have to go vote for a new congresscritter, so I'll probably vote in the local as well, except that I don't really know who I want to vote for.
I know who I want to vote against in the "village administrator" position, though. That's not a lot of help, but it's something. A-number-one on that list is the asshat who had a pickup truck in last year's Christmas parade with "VOTE FOR [his own name]" on it. Your political aspirations have nothing to do with Christmas, you dickhead.
I'm also tending to want to vote against the incumbent, solely because he's had the job since 1985.
* * *
I love this scene from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy TV series:
"I demand that I may...or may not...be Vroomfondel." Douglas Adams had a wonderful flair for weird names.
And it's such a wonderful depiction of how union goons act in the bargain.