We have a new part-time employee. Marcella seems apt and enthusiastic. Since she’s only part-time, she may not burn out as quickly.

Charlie was away, so the day was long, quiet, and dull. I typed in Richard Curtis’ and Dan Chow’s columns (Dan had dropped his off at the party last night.)

One of the fringe benefits of working at Locus is the gossip. Perhaps for Marcella’s benefit, Faren and Shelly repeated Charlie’s story about Jerry Pournelle hitting Norman Spinrad with a chair at a Nebula party. According to Charlie, the intended target of the chair was a radio Pournelle wanted to turn off. Spinrad, who wanted it on, got in the way, was clipped by the chair, and pushed Pournelle, who banged his head. Some claimed a knife was pulled. Charlie got to feel Pournelle’s head, look at the knife, and examine the cut on Spinrad’s arm before getting the Hell out of there.

One of those diamond-cut-diamond anecdotes about machismo that always leave me with mised feelings.