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| Monday, November 16th, 2009 |
jorhett
|
11:03a |
Pictures from Tallin, Estonia
It is an unfortunate fact that I got very few good pictures from Estonia. By the end of the working day it was already dark. I kept meaning to get up early and get pictures before going to work, but the extensive amounts of late night meetings, dinners and resultant drinking effectively ruled that out. I did take hundreds of pictures, but most of them were far too blurry to bother keeping. You can see what is left here. Yeah, half of the pictures are of a nice Thai restaurant called Bangkok -- where a flash worked well enough to get pictures. http://www.flickr.com/photos/jorhett/sets/72157622689710661/ Current Mood:  amused |
| Sunday, November 15th, 2009 |
maryrobinette
|
9:57p |
Walking, Dining, Reading
Rob and I spent yesterday bumming around San Fransisco, interspersed with me doing drawings for a potential gig and prepping for the Nebula Nomination period to open at SFWA. The sweet boy has been endlessly patient with me.
In the evening we joined the SF in SF group at Henry’s Hunan for dinner. It was like KGB in reverse in that Chinese food preceded the meal. Seeing Cheryl Morgan, Jeff Vandermeer, Jacob Weisman and the rest of the gang was a lot of fun.
Then I was off to Writers with Drinks in the Mission. Oh, my goodness. What. Fun. Charlie Jane Anders absolutely rocks as a hostess and M.C. I very much enjoyed hearing the other readers. In fact, they were so good that I got nervous about my fiction and offered the audience a choice. 1 story, 2 very short stories, or 1 very short story and a puppetry demo.
 They chose option 3, so after I finished reading “Death Comes but Twice,” I pulled off my boot and used it as a puppet to demo the 4 principles of puppetry. So, you may imagine my delight when Chris Hsiang, gave me this dollar bill as I walked off the stage.
Rob and I had a relaxed day in SF and are now in San Jose where I will be teaching for the next couple of days.
Comments? -- Link. |
johnnyeponymous
|
9:50p |
A Very Much Thank You to the Good People of Chicago!
I am now back in The Garcia Compound, dampened from the bath and happy to report that I'm exhausted and ecstatic. First, to the ConComm: THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU THANKYOU THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU THANKYOU THANKYOUTHANKYOU Not nearly enough thanks even there to tell you how amazing it was, how awesome you treated both me and Linda and how great I felt every second of the con. It was fantastic and I'm so very proud to say that I was a GoH at a convention that was so fantastic. To the Fans of Chicago: Y'all rule! There were so many amazing costumes of all varieties (including amazing Steampunk stuff) and everyone was so nice. Sadly, I didn't catch her last name, but Andrea _______ may have just changed the face of West Coast parties and fanzine lounges with the Apple Pie Shot. It was amazing. I also have to say thanks to Steven Silver, Dave McCarty, Helen of Troy, Bill, That one guy, Neil Rest, RJ, That one girl with the chain-mail bikini, that other girl with the Dutchess costume who couldn't figure out if I was in costume or not, Anne Murphy, Chris Barkley, who is a great roommate, and everyone else we got to hang out with. Also have to thank Phil and Kaija, James Blaylock, Chris Ready, and Tom Smith. I got a chance to chat with all of them, managed to break Kaija once while we were on stage and Tom Smith once (that's right, I broke him!) and had a great panel with James Blaylock. It was amazing to be in the company of such great GoHs. James is one of my favorite writers, Phil and Kaija my fave comicists, and Tom Smith is now my favorite HyperFilker! Just great company to be in with. And of course, now I have to review it for SF/SF, Exhibition Hall, The Drink Tank, Claims Department and so much more! And by the way, in the words of Frank Wu, I love you all! Chris |
weezlgrrrl
|
7:13p |
The Hunger
No, not the book about vampires...or the sexy '80's movie about vampires. This is a late-90's erotic horror series. Half-hour episodes, hosted by Terrance Stamp. If you missed it the first time, it's streaming on Netflix, and it's well worth a watch. Well-written, well-acted, great cast, and many of the episodes are based on fine stories by the likes of Graham Masterson and Ramsay Campbell. Besides, the first episode totally won me over by featuring a Tiger Lillies song. Check it out, they're bite-sized lil' nuggets of evil, sexy fun! Current Mood:  sick |
johno
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6:02p |
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jaylake
|
5:53p |
[awards] A largely complete 2009 bibliography, as it is Nebula time
With the new Nebula Awards rules in place, nominating season is upon us. I thought I'd mention my works this year, highlighting my own favorites, for those interested in considering them. My favorite picks are in bold. 2009 Published Science Fiction: * "On the Human Plan"; Lone Star Stories; February, 2009 [short story] * "Rolling Steel: A Pre-Apocalyptic Love Story" (with Shannon Page); Clarkesworld; April, 2009 [short story] * "To Raise a Mutiny Betwixt Yourselves"; The New Space Opera 2, ed. Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan, Eos, April, 2009 [novelette] [in Sunspin continuity</em>] " Leopard"; Jim Baen's Universe, June, 2009 [short story] "Black Heart, White Mourning"; Grant's Pass, ed. Jennifer Brozek and Amanda Pillar, Morrigan Books; August, 2009 [short story] * "Chain of Stars"; Subterranean, October, 2009 - [novella] [In Mainspring continuity] "Last Drink Bird Head"; Last Drink Bird Head, ed. Jeff vanderMeer; Ministry of Whimsy Press, October, 2009 [flash] * Death of a Starship; MonkeyBrain Books, November, 2009 [novel] 2009 Forthcoming Science Fiction: "Bringing the Future Home"; Global Warming Aftermaths, ed. Eric T. Reynolds, Hadley Rille Books; Fall, 2009 [short story] "Looking for Truth in a Wild Blue Yonder" (with Ken Scholes); Tor.com, Fall, 2009 [short story] "The Starship Mechanic" (with Ken Scholes); Tor.com, Fall, 2009 [short story] 2009 Published Fantasy: * "Golden Pepper"; Flash Fiction Online; February, 2009 [flash] "The True Secret of Magic", as Joe Edwards; Crime Spells, ed. Martin H. Greenberg and Loren Coleman, DAW; February, 2009 [short story] "Witness to the Fall"; Crime Spells, ed. Martin H. Greenberg and Loren Coleman, DAW; February, 2009 [short story] " To Stone" (with Shannon Page); Morrigan eZine, May, 2009 [short story] * Green; Tor Books, June, 2009 [novel] " People of Leaf and Branch"; Fantasy; June, 2009 [short story] [in Green continuity] "Tale of the Poet and the Dog"; Japanese Dreams, ed. Sean Wallace, Prime Books; Summer, 2009 [short story] "An Elderly Pirate Recalls the Death of Love"; Electric Velocipede Issue 17/18 [short story] * "Red Dirt Kingdoms"; Realms of Fantasy, October, 2009 [short story] Madness of Flowers; Night Shade Books, November, 2009 [novel] 2009 Forthcoming Fantasy: "Bone Island" (with Shannon Page); Interzone, Fall, 2009 [novelette] "In the Emperor's Garden" (with Shannon Page); Fantasy, Fall, 2009 [short story] "The Passion of Mother Vajpai" (with Shannon Page); Subterranean, Fall, 2009 [novelette] [in GREEN continuity] "Shedding Skin; Or How the World Came to Be"; Shimmer (Clockwork Jungle Issue), Fall, 2009 [short story] |
jaylake
|
3:23p |
[food] The virtues of wretched excess; or, what I made for lunch
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) calendula_witch had her friend Notorious G, and NG's swain, over for lunch today, in connection with orientation on care and feeding of the extensive Witchnest orchid collection whilst she is up in Oregon for my surgery and recovery. I volunteered to cook. Apparently, madness descended, because I seemed to think that everybody needed about 7,000 calories for lunch. I made lasagna, for some value of the term "lasagna". This originated with a meal I had somewhere in my recent travels (possibly in San Jose) where I was served a deconstructed lasagna. Ie, big flat pasta in layers with sauce and whatnot, but simply built loose upon the plate rather than laid down in a pan and baked. This seemed kind of neat, so I went for it, using no particular recipe but random inspiration. My sins: Chopped and lightly sauteed in butter an entire head of garlic, which I mixed with about a tablespoon of finely chopped fresh oregano, then with a stick of butter to make garlic butter for the baguette and pugliese I bought fresh this morning. Made a salad of arugula, mixed greens, onions, tomatoes, cheese, and chow mein noodles. (This was not particularly heinous, but did serve as a grace note of plausible deniability for the nutritional blast crater that was the lasagna.) Chopped and lightly sauteed in butter another entire head of garlic, which I split into two portions. Cooked down a pound of sliced cremini mushrooms in butter. Lightly sauteed in olive oil a red bell pepper and half a purple onion. Combined all of the above in a plain storebought red sauce base with the garlic set aside from before, along with about four tablespoons of minced cilantro and two tablespoons of finely chopped fresh oregano. Let that sit and steep for a few hours. Meanwhile, I sauteed in olive oil eight green onions chopped down, and four serranos. I melted a pound and a half of fontina cheese in heavy cream, added the onions and serranos, the balance of my garlic, a quarter cup of green olives sliced in half, a tablespoon of truffle oil, heavy black pepper and moderate paprika. Also for giggles I pan fried a pound of chopped prosciutto. I then boiled a large pack of lasagna noodles, laid them down flat on four plates, spooned out a generous helping of red sauce, a couple of tablespoons of ricotta, and a portion of the prosciutto. Another layer of noodles, a generous portion of white sauce, more ricotta, and more prosciutto. Another layer of noodles, an artistic mix of red and white sauces, then topped with grated parmesan. Served hot with garlic bread from the oven and the salad on the side. I'm not sure why all four of us didn't wind up in the cardiac ward, but zomg was it good. Deeply heinous, but stupid tasty. Pretty sure I should be banned from kitchens for life, or at least for a while. But I ain't sorry. Nuh uh. |
netmouse
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6:00p |
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| Monday, November 16th, 2009 |
catsparx
|
9:07a |
author hurdles
Lately Pazuzu seems to be suffering from some form of existential angst. Last week he brought a large lizard into the house but it escaped his evil clutches and hasn't been seen since. Pazuzu, once content to sleep through pretty much anything, has taken to wandering the house emitting discontented grumbles. Eventually he settles, plonking himself down in inconvenient places. Inconvenient for those of us trying to write novels, that is.   |
| Sunday, November 15th, 2009 |
yourbob
|
1:00p |
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didjiman
|
12:31p |
Alex and Johanna, Outside Looking In...
This was one of the toughest set of photos I have taken: put the photog face on, engage the participants; but as I write this, I have tears in my eyes. Alex was in the Air Force for 16 years, he loves the theater and arts. For hobby, he does LARP (Live Action Role Play). Lover of books and Dr. Who. He has a lovely wife who adores him. He is also in a battle that he cannot win. While he may lose the battle, he still has a full head of hair, much to the chagrin of the chemo, and he has his dignity, and friends and wife who love him.  The full set at http://www.dragonsgate.net/pub/richard/PICS/AlexAndJohanna |
kevin_standlee
|
12:25p |
Fun in the City
I had a great time getting out of the house where I've been semi-quarantined this past week. In light of petrea_mitchell's concerns, I should point out that it has been at least seven days since my first symptoms and more than two days after I stopped running a fever, so I felt fairly confident that I'm no longer contagious. I will probably be coughing for weeks, given how colds and the like take up residence in my lungs and induce chronic bronchitis. Anyway, I was happy to get up to the City, meeting friends for dinner before the SF in SF reading (and having a good, filling, and remarkably affordable meal at Henry's Hunan), the reading itself, and then going on to the Marriott for after-meeting drinks in The View. I hadn't been in the Marriott for several years -- they've remodeled the lobby and got rid of the water sculpture that I'd always thought of the lobby's centerpiece. (If we'd actually been able to hold a Worldcon there, I anticipated lots of people saying, "Meet me at the water sculpture" before heading out to dinner.) Drinks in The View are overpriced, of course ($6 for a small glass of Diet Pepsi), but you're paying for the view. Enjoying the conversations so much, I nearly missed the fact that it was past 11:30 and those of us with BART trains to catch needed to get a move on. I caught the 11:49 out of Powell Street, which is cutting it closer than I would have liked, although I think there's at least two more trains after that at that hour from that station that could still get me back to Fremont. As it was, I didn't get to bed until around 1:30 or closer to 2, and I was in no hurry to get up today. Indeed, I'd easily have slept all day, except I do have a few errands that need doing this weekend -- some grocery shopping, and also I need to go get the oil changed in my van. I should have done it last week, but I was obviously limiting my public exposure. (And you hardly need an oil change if the vehicle isn't turning a wheel.) Current Mood:  happy |
jeffreyab
|
3:23p |
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calendula_witch
|
1:00p |
Weekendery
Nice weekend around here. jaylake posted the details, so I won’t repeat it all, but will only reiterate: yeah, last night was fun. And today is going to be fun too: he is in the kitchen now cooking up a storm ("a simple light lunch" is a concept that has no meaning around here…)  , and Notorious G and her swain are arriving in a few minutes to eat up that very same storm. This, we just realized, will be the first time I’ve tried to have four people around my table. Which should be interesting, and will definitely involve the moving of furniture. Later this afternoon, I am finally, finally, finally going to tackle this gigantic pile of paper that is the printout of Demonhead. I’ve been busy, and distracted, sure; but there’s more to it than that. It’s the age-old problem of Start Panic. Starting a new novel, starting a new edit, a new great big anything: it’s too big! I can’t do it! Where do I even begin!? I know the answer: you just do, and it’s fine. But still, the anxiety, the angst is there. So, tomorrow I hope to report some progress to you. For now, I want another bite of whatever that was that jaylake just brought me. It involved cheese and some kind of fried cured pork product. More, more! Originally published at Shannon Page: Author. You can comment here or there. Current Mood:  cheerful |
howeird
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10:09a |
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gerisullivan
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10:41a |
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paulcornell2
|
2:49p |
Thought Bubble
Next weekend I'm going to be popping along to the Thought Bubble event in Leeds, a comics festival that includes a one day convention on the Saturday. You can find all the details here. I'm planning to do something a bit different, in that I've asked for a table, and will be sitting there, signing things, talking to people, selling books and giving away free comics basically all day, apart from when I'm on a panel and the occasional break for tea and shopping. I thought I'd try this as an experiment, because I like how Peter David does it at the New York Comic Con, and it might be fun. Then again, I might loathe it, but if you're there, do come over and see how it's going. It is, of course, Doctor Who tonight! I love that feeling on anticipation, online and in my own fanboy self. Some friends are getting together to see 'The Keys of Marinus' and 'The Waters of Mars' back to back, and it's pleasing to hear of various other mass viewings. I'm sure Russell and Phil are going to deliver something special, once again. And finally, there's an excellent young Oxfordshire band I'd like to bring to your attention. They're called Quadrophobe. They play punchy, highly danceable ska-influenced pop, and include a trumpeter in their ranks. Do check out their website here, where you can hear one of their self-penned numbers. I think, given a record company, and/or a horde of adoring young girls, they might go a long way. I hope to see a few of you in Leeds. Until then, Cheerio! Current Mood: cheerful |
jaylake
|
6:48a |
[cancer|personal] Crossing the streams
Yesterday was a good day. calendula_witch and I got in a terrific walk up some mondo hills, spent some good quality couple time together, both got writing and reading done, then eventually went out. Our itinerary included Good Vibrations, Borderlands Books, Tacqueria Cancun (one of my favorite Mexican restaurants on the West Coast), and of course, The Make-Out Room for Writers With Drinks. Borderlands Books produced some unexpected bonus in running into Greg and Astrid Bear. I also got a phone call on the store phone, from sdn, which was surprising but fun. We ran into Kat Richardson on the sidewalk, who was killing time before reading at Writers With Drinks, so we pulled her along. Once there we met up with maryrobinette (another reader) and Mr. maryrobinette, along with two friends of calendula_witch's. Afterwards, out with the WWD crew for crepes and fries at Frjtz. Whoever thought of putting truffle oil on french fries ought to be sanctified. After WWD, we wound up talking to blakecharlton and therinth quite a bit. Blake's a medical student with both a personal and professional interest in cancer, Erin is a nurse. They had a lot to say, especially Blake, which was very helpful to me in my ongoing process of sorting my perspectives on my cancer, its recurrence, and my fears both rational and irrational. One thing Blake talked about was the survivorship community. The point he made, in reference to a close family member who'd survived a very bad experience with cancer (much worse than mine looks to be, frankly), was that there were conversations that Blake could not have with his loved one. There's a shared experience and an emotional vernacular which cancer survivors only find in other cancer survivors. This of course made all kinds of sense. You see the same phenomenon in veterans, law enforcement, survivors of a disaster, or people who've shared any complex, high stress experience. Which made me realize that one reason I'd written "The Specific Gravity of Grief" was to try to frame that cancer experience, that cancer mindset, for people who haven't taken that particular journey. To some degree, it's why I blog so extensively and thoroughly about my cancer journey, but the story (just finished, now in revision, due out from Fairwood Press next year) is a way of communicating the essentially incommunicable. Or so I hope. A lot of streams crossed last night, and it wasn't dangerous so much as enlightening. It reminded me that while I stumble a lot, I also continue to progress. Sometimes I remember to be proud of myself, and the people around me. |
jaylake
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6:30a |
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jaylake
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6:27a |
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didjiman
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3:14a |
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| Saturday, November 14th, 2009 |
shaolingrrl
|
10:49p |
The good, the bad, and the really neat dogs
It's been a jam-packed week. Two physics classes because the professor will be out for two weeks so we're doing our make-up classes ahead of time. The second session of Author's Boot Camp. Another class up in Oakland tomorrow--basically Fun with Resin. That's the good. The bad--no research trip to the airport. Instead, lots of time spent doing the work of other people, because they evidently don't believe they need to do it themselves. Tech writers are the Rodney Dangerfield of the technical world--they get no respect. Apparently not even from engineers who are currently working as tech writers. Everything that makes a book look professional and actually communicate on a broader level than just what particular button is being pushed at a particular time (and ask me sometime about the Suck On and Blow Off buttons) is Piddly Shit (tm) to them, but it's the piddly shit that makes us look like amateurs and causes users to write us off. "Damned writers for the damned company can't even spell. Why should I trust anything else in the damned manual?" Ahem. So that's what I've been doing. Somebody else's cleanup pass. A couple of somebodies, as a matter of fact. Deadlines, you know. Back to good--the Shockmonster and I were walking back to the car after class today and saw three huge, sweet, beautiful, neatly groomed Bernese mountain dogs with very gracious owners. I got to say hi to all of them. Well, off to bed. I have to catch the first BART out of Union City to make it to Oakland in time. Current Mood:  tired |
howeird
|
10:38p |
What new food should I try?
A poll. Here are some foods I have never tried. which one do you think I should put first on my list? Poll #1485679 New Food
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 6 which should I try first? |
jorhett
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10:04p |
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twilight2000
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10:02p |
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