Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
eep, forgot to talk about the Future Bible Heroes!  They were great fun.
Their music sounded more closely related to the Magnetic Fields than I was
necessarily expecting, and Claudia Gonson's voice really does sound the same
in real life as in recordings (I don't know why this surprises me, but in
several of the songs she sings on 69 love songs there's just something neat
about her voice that sounds almost like it couldn't be fully real. and yet
it is.)

And they were having great fun, with much playing and goofing with one
another involving a certain tub of Coolidge Corner Theater popcorn, which we
found even funnier considering that a friend we'd run into at the show had
just been saying how the theater has the best popcorn in Boston, and then
there they were on stage agreeing with him, fighting over the popcorn, and
bursting into laughter trying to sing with popcorn in their mouths.  (I was
actually reminded of some playing around with a bottle of Laphroaig at the
Flash Girls' show at Boskone last year, too.)

the only sad part was that there seemed to be some confusion between the
theater and the band about whether the show started at 10 or 10:30, and then
theather said they would open the doors at 9:50pm, when we wandered up to
buy our tickets at around 8 something, and so we wandered off, ate sushi,
wandered back, and got in line at about 9:45pm in the really icily frigid
weather, and then the band and their opening band were slightly late getting
started - according to the assumption that the show started at 10:30.  which
made for a very cold time standing in line for almost an hour.  (and a
relatively short set, too.)  Oh well.
,
  

    
ACK!!!  We're having a monsoon in L.A.!  Water flowing, drainage
failing, umbrellas turning inside out ala Mary Poppins, and hair going
POOF! everywhere!!!

Actually, I'd noticed my very first winter in L.A. that water-proofing
roofs and public drainage systems don't seem to be required courses
for California architects or engineers.  It doesn't seem to have
changed since then.

*WHEW!*  Have just finished working a CRAZY week and most of the
weekend on moving staff members from a couple buildings to other
buildings.  My car got broken into, my stereo stolen, my radiator had
to be replaced suddenly, my back's sore from the move, and I've come up
with a cold.

But compared to the year I've had... it wasn't that bad, actually.

I always think back to the morning after the big earthquake in '94:
apartment building collapsed, the gas main broken off and leaking gas
everywhere, everything we owned possibly unrecoverable, our cars both
smashed under the building (the insurance on one having run out the day
before), no power, no lights, and a wedding we were largely paying for
coming up in five months...

...and at 5:00 that morning all I gave a DAMN about was that we were
alive and safe.

I learned that morning that EVERYTHING else is workable.

This year has taught it to me again.  So I sat in my car on Friday
night, coughing and waiting for the police to come and take a report
and thought: "This is nothing, really."

*All of which has nothing whatsoever to do with anything being posted
here, actually.  But I felt the need to say it.*
  

    
Christy:  Well, you know that bit Eddie Izzard does about Druids and
Stonehenge?  (I can't remember which video it is.)  It's hysterical. 
He does a few other little ones on pagan subjects, too.  My friends
told him they were real live druids.  He said: "Are you serious? 
You... you're *serious*, aren't you?  You're really...?  *pause*  I
find that *completely* bizarre."  But he said it nicely.

DanGuy:  Buckethead?  I'm pretty sure that we saw a film short that
Dave McKean did for a Buckethead videob at WFC.  It was absolutely
brilliant.  The music and the visuals worked really strongly together.

DanW:  I like "Wellies in the Walls!"  I'm afraid I like it better
than Neil's "Son of Bride of" thing.  No offense intended.
  

    
Stet,  I've never heard/read Dave Berry, but I heard he was the second
funniest man in the united states. Is that true?

Christy,  holidays are *for* reading time!! What is more important
than reading??

Neil,  I hope you do decide to show the film to benefit the CBLDF, and
that it is shown here in Chicago. I'm so glad you had a good
experience, and hope it leads to more directing opportunities (and more
viewing opportunities for us! woo!).

Abbess,  did Parker and Lily open for Future Bible Heroes? Meant to
mention this before, but forgot: we saw them open, and their music was
cheerfully dreary. I kept picturing a vampiric Annette Funicello and a
surfing Dracula -- it was surfing movie music. Really dark surfing
movie music. Very funny and odd. But after a while, monotonous.

Pamela,  so sorry about the break in. That sucks. The snow has all
melted away here, and we're just getting a lot of biting wind. Winter
monsoons sound intersting.

My weeks have been crazy as well, but in less of a
bad-things-keep-happening way and more of a where-do-I-have-to-be-now
kind of way. My stomach is all in knots because some of the money I was
supposed to get for school has fallen through, and I'm going to have
to keep my job full time while going to school and having to do work
study. I've been incredibly spoiled all of my life, and I've never had
to work so hard at anything, so this is going to be sort of a test of
my will, I think. I'm worried to death. But sort of excited, too. 
  

    

What?  No comments on China Mieville? 

Now don't tell me I'm  talking to myself. ;p
  

    
E-mail from Davey:

I wrote large sections of this a whole week ago, and never got it into the
topic... so, somewhat rewritten:

Seconding what Abbess said about the how good the Future Bible Heroes were
at the Coolidge, although I heard that the ~45 minute door-opening delay
was due to sound check problems (which I'd believe, in that theatre). We
had waiting-on-line conversations with the novelty of everyone's teeth
chattering in below-freezing temperatures. I was surprised to see the
house ended up only ~2/3 full. I didn't write a set list, but I remember
"Cafe Hong Kong", "Death Opened A Boutique", "Pretend to be the Moon",
"I'm A Vampire", "Find An Open Window", "A Thousand Lovers in a Day", "I'm
Lonely", and I don't remember what else I remember... CG's first comment
coming-on-stage-with-the-big-popcorn-tub: "Well, _this_ is an advantage to
playing in a movie theatre."

(Abbess: Oh, _that_ bottle of Laphroaig at Boskone; who, me? That was no
bottle, that was just a bit of cable...)

Maure: The opening set in Boston was by Frank and John Navin of The
Aluminum Group, whose site I found here
http://www.mintyfresh.com/aluminum.html A deceptively light easy-listening
sort of sound that lulls a person into thinking they know what the music's
about... until one starts paying attention to the lyrics...

Did anyone go to the night-before shows in NYC? I found out last week that
Kelly Link opened both of the Saturday night FBH shows at the Mercury
Lounge with readings -- did anyone make those? Kelly said it was great fun
and everyone was wonderful.

Spent Saturday-a-week-ago as one of a crew helping a friend move. Too many
stairs. I was mostly fine until we had almost everything out of the truck
at the other end and stopped for sandwiches, which gave my back and knees
just enough time to stiffen nicely in the cold. I think my body's getting
older even while I refuse to grow up.

Pamela: I picked up "zir" from various poly and bi friends. (I'm also poly
but not involved with any poly-focused socio-cultural groups.) There's
also a gender-neutral pronoun FAQ linked from www.polyamory.org that
provides more information than I've ever even thought about reading
through.

Ouch! for your week. I especially hope the moving-craziness is over and
your colleagues settle into their new quarters with minimal additional
support. And -- wellie-boots are your _friends_.

Neil: "...not at 10:00am. Not to all of them." Oh my. _That_ brought me up
sputtering with laughter this morning... I'd call it Brave and Noble of
you to have selflessly sacrificed yourself to the cause of determining the
forenoon affects of such comparison tasting -- but I'm much more
interested in learning if you found anything to compare to the legendary
'55 Strathisla.

So, did you leave Shadow in Scotland?

Rocky: I haven't read any Mieville yet, but they're on my list for
by-Wiscon (Memorial Day weekend) because he's a GoH there in '03.

Currently reading _The Fall of the Kings_, and the current issue of Lady
Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet, and Le Guin's _Dancing at the Edge of the
World_ essay collection (I often have a Le Guin collection around
somewhere).
  

    <scribbled by dfowlkes Tue 3 Jul 12 10:14>
  

    
Thanks Dan!  :)
  

    
For the group's next title, how about:

A Long Topic About Neil Gaiman

y'know, instead of a short film...

Well, alright then.  Let's hear the idea you came up with while
ignoring you alarm clock.
  

    
Oh hey, 

Cafe Press just sent me a little note about the fact that I haven't
sold anything in 3 months.  So, if you've been putting off buying your
"Scary Trousers" shirt, or the new 3 fish postcards, let me know so I
don't close the store before you order something.

http://www.cafeshops.com/cp/store.aspx?s=gaimanmob,GaimanPants
  

    
Hello everyone! I'm in Bloomington Indiana now. Safe and sound in a
HUGE apartment that is very, very nice. We're almost all unpacked. This
has been one hell of a month, and I miss Cleveland, but I'm SO happy
that we moved. Our building is right next to a Borders AND Barnes and
Nobles AND a comics store AND a used paperback shop. I nearly fainted.
I can't wait until I get money again. This is going to be very
dangerous I can tell. I already visited the Comics store. I couldn't
help myself. I wasn't supposed to spend any money, but I bought the
Sandman King of Dreams calendar as a christmas present to myself. It's
beautiful. 
  I got a job at an upscale Chinese restaurant. I get to wear a tux!
hahaha. There's even a shark tank. A waiter pulled me aside on the way
out and said, "Girl, you're about to make phat cash." As soon as I got
outside I burst into tears of joy. We went to hell and back and now
things are finally working out. My sister (who lives with us now) got a
job at Wet Seal which means she can get me clothes 30-40% off. I think
Jess will be working for UPS. He has an interview Monday. We just
finished putting his studio together this morning. He hasn't come out
since.
   We bought a little white ford truck. Jess named it Barry, the
Abominable Snow Beastie. 
   It sucks that we had to miss Tori, but I'm sure she'll come here
sometime soon. I hope. 
   I guess my story is up at Aphelion now. I'm getting e-mails from
relatives about it. Most of them are saying that they think it should
be made into a movie. I'm noticing a lot of weak verbs and cheesiness.
How embarrassing. 

Neil- Tori wrote the stories? That's fabulous! I need to go read your
journal. I'm behind on Neil News, I'm afraid. 

Danw- It sounds like you need to direct the next film....

Mary- Right before my sister moved in with us, she got to ride in
Counting Crow's tour bus and got front row center seats in Chicago. She
didn't have sex with any of them, but she has pictures of herself and
a friend in Adam Duritz's bed. The crew invited her to go to Nashville
with them, but she knew the price so she turned them down. Now she
plays their albums nonstop. It's actually kind of annoying. I wish I
had a scanner though. The pictures are hilarious. 

Rocky- I've heard of China Melville, I think. which books would you
recommend?

Patricia- Blast! Well, you can visit me in Bloomy. I work at a much
nicer restaurant now anyway with cute little Chinese men. 

I know I'm missing people. I'll have to come back later. It's time to
go to my new job! Weeeee!
  

    
I FINALLY got my copy of Coraline. I was going to get it at Sam's
because their website said they had it and I was thinking of having
them mail it to me because I couldn't actually FIND it there. 
So today I went to Barnes and Noble because one of my bosses likes
their calendars for her appointments so I get them for her for
Christmas. So, naturally, being right there...   Geez. I thought I was
going to have to go back to the front where the information desk is to
find it 'cause it was hiding NOT where I thought it should be. The
Gaiman section of Science Fiction did not have it. It was not on the
rounders in the Fiction or Children aisles - those were all Christmas
story books. I finally found it in the Young Adolescent fiction, I
think, in order by the author, the G's. Sigh. But I got it. And, of
course, you all know what a terrible hardship it is to wander the
aisles in a bookstore. I did manage to get out with under $50 in books.
Somehow. 
  

    
Time to close this out.  See you in Topic 169.