This week I’ve received some surprising news from my own odd bubble of pop culture (if you can call it that; most people probably don’t even know the people I’m about to write about).

My favorite fantasy author, Robert Jordan, has announced that he has been diagnosed with amyloidosis, a rare blood disease with a grim life expectancy for those diagnosed. His treatment starts at the Mayo Clinic within the next month or so. Hopefully there will be good news to come.

On a less grim subject, I often watch a show on G4TV called Attack of the Show. The whole cast is fun to watch, but my favorite segments have always been those with the co-host, Sarah Lane, or with Brendan Moran, a regular on the show. Last night, they announced that they are leaving the show this week so that they can get married and travel the world for 13 months. Up until now, they have not publicly announced their engagement (or that they were dating) and definitely did not mention their plans to leave AOTS and travel. Congrats to them, but I’ll miss seeing them on TV.