An Astrid

Friday morning, I went to a blood drive at the Patent Office, and a young woman named Astrid measured my temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and iron level (I ended up not actually donating blood, because my iron level was down for some reason). I mentioned to her that I had known an Astrid working in a shoe store many years earlier, and that I had heard of, although not met, Astrid Anderson Bear. She had never heard of Mrs. Bear, but when I said that she was Poul Anderson’s daughter, the Astrid with whom I was speaking said that she knew of Poul Anderson.

I’m glad that there are still fans of that late Grandmaster of Science Fiction out there. I haven’t had much success getting my nephews to appreciate his work.