The Giller Prize is awarded tomorrow night. Just think: in a little over twenty-four hours, the world will know if the usual suspect of the shortlist, Margaret Atwood, will walk away with yet another accolade for her newest tome Oryx and Crake. I wonder if she tires of all the praise... I'm sure I eventually would!

In a little over twenty-four hours, the world will know if Anne-Marie MacDonald's The Way the Crow Flies could pull off the upset (though I doubt that anyone would be terribly upset, Canadian literary sweetheart that MacDonald may be.)

In a little over twenty-four hours, the world will know if the oft-neglected (as far as Giller Prize discussions go) John Bemrose (The Island Walkers), John Gould (Kilter: 55 Fictions), or M.G. Vassanji (The In-Between World of Vikram Lall) will go neglected no longer (though, really, Vassanji's not usually neglected.)

I'm glad I'm not on the jury. What a tough decision (tougher still when you've yet to read any of this year's nominated texts)!

The CBC has put together a little background information on Doris Giller, the journalist and literary enthusiast in whose memory the prize is conferred. She sounds like she was quite the woman. I wish I could have met her.

Speaking of characters, my little brother was a guest at my place this weekend. I had a lot of fun (yes, in spite of the painful Evil Dead double-header! Okay, true, Sam Raimi is the master of atmosphere, but the effects [especially those in Evil Dead II] are beyond campy and the plot just a little ridiculous.) My brother never fails to make me laugh. Thanks for the company, Alex!

This weekend also saw me make another acquisition for my t-shirt "collection" (like I really need another t-shirt!) This shirt, a blue and red ringer tee (blue's the background colour, red's the colour of the ribbing), features the script "Nerd" above a picture of a grinning Gonzo, who's indicating that the nerd in question is indeed himself. And--by extension, I guess--me. I figure that since I'm advertising myself as such in cyber space, I might as well give up the disguise in the real world. I mean, who but a literary nerd would blog about the Giller Prize, anyway?

I am a nerd. And there's no shame in that.

Off to re-stock my pocket protector--er, I mean, read...