Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
Kelly--I don't think they bother taping any cracked bones these days.
I fractured a toe and tore the ligament from the bone earlier in the
year and, after a visit to the hospital, x-rays and the whole malarky,
the doctor told me that, yep, it was fractured and have a nice day.

I ended up taping it myself just to stop me splaying my toes and
screeching with pain when I walked.

Tree
Who was going to add to the thingie flavours comment, but realised
that she may incriminate herself... mmmm, cinnamon...
  

    
Another lurker de-lurks for the head count.

I just want to know if any of the Twin Cities Well denizens are headed
to Dream Haven Sat for the Flash Girls happening.  I bought Play Each
Morning at the Dream Haven signing and love it.  Will anyone else be
there?

Oh yeah, and as for taped ribs and pneumonia:  If you don't expand
your lungs fully for long periods of time you get areas of
mini-collapse which can then become infected.  And there you have
pneumonia.  Same thing happens after surgery when it hurts to breathe
deeply.
  

    
Kristin--please cease lurking & start contributing--you're smarter
than many of us ;-)

Debbie has not been lurking recently, because in addition to getting
canned, she was moving this weekend. I just got back from her new
place--it's great & she & her son Chris (who rocks! <tm>) are settling
in fine. Her Gaiman shelf is perfectly neat and orderly, and the rest
of the house is in chaos (kind of like mine...). All this is by way of
saying that she hasn't yet seen all the kind wishes that you have so
generously sent.  I have told her that she needs to come check it out,
but I didn't want to spoil too much of the surprise. So I'll go ahead
and say "thank you" for now.  You guys are the best.  As we say in the
South, we 'preesheeate chee. ("We appreciate you", said to just about
anyone, anywhere as an expression of gratitude.  Particularly popular
in Baptist churches. The "we" is not indicative of how many people
appreciate you. Could be one or 20.)

Mary (the tangent Queen)
  

    
Kelly, there are heal-well-wishes coming towards you from the little time
warp on the prairie over here, as well as a bunch of classic WELL beams....
wait a minute, that should be BEAMS!!  (There, that's better. Until somebody
comes along with a BEAMZ ascii graphic, that is.)

Black cow, huh? Hmm. Kinda spooky, in addition to everything else.

Kristin, I shall be at the Flash Girls thang, if all goes well. I will be
the mediumsized blonde Lioness of a Certain Age, and will sport a brand new
haircut (it's too long, which means it's more than three inches long at the
moment) and a grin that looks like interesting trouble. You will be....? And
who else is going?


As it is now September 7th, at least here in the land near Neil, it's the
day of the Giant Jump. Not here, the Jump, I mean; it's across the ocean in
the land formerly of Neil. Here's the relevant URL:

http://www.scienceyear.com/text_only/about/jump/index.html

I wonder what'll happen.

Oh, and JaNell, your musings on Thingie flavors finally got me to go
cruising for Thingie FAQs and info. Do you get anything for signing up
another lunatic, if I do wind up engulfed by the splendor that is That
Newsgroup?

Neil, I hope you're growing back, after all the to-and-fro and hither-and-
yon of the tours.

What replenishes Neils?
  

    
Dan - good luck with it

patricia -- hope you're enjoying the audio tape. I finished listening
to it last week, and was very impressed.

JaNell -- sorry Cam's job is over

Jouni -- well, I thought it was funny.

Will -- well, only 400 people had heard it (along with about 30 people
at  ICFA in Florida)

Len -- keep spreading the word...

Dan == Michelle had a gaiman garden?  Or rather ?????????????

Mary -- exactly, on Father Ted and the Young Ones. Very different
kinds of writing and comedy, but a willingness to simply go for the
joke, wherever it is, and to follow the comedic logic rather than any
other kind of logic.

Kelly -- oww. Get well soon.

Kristin -- well, I'm pretty sure that Lorraine and Emma are going to
be there. They keep vanishing up to the top of the house to practice,
and create new versions of old songs. 

Elise -- not sure what replenishes Neils right now. I think mostly I'd
like to sleep for a week, and wake up to find that all my work has
been done and all the e-mail answered...
  

    
E-mail from Jouni, posted late.  Sorry!

MORE UPDATES AS PROMISED to http://www.geocities.com/jouniac/picts.html

Like I said earlier, I suddenly felt that there should be portraits of Alan
and Grant as well... and now there is.

Hope these will get more chuckles out of you people :-)

I'll do those baby pics sometime soon... promise.

Jouni (creative juices flowing...)
  

    
Kelly-Ouchie! BIG ouchie. The worst break I've ever had is one of my
little toes, which seems to get it a lot... a very understanding
policeman didn't ticket me once for bumber thumping another car that
stopped suddenly in front of me because I explained that I *did* break,
but the clutch foot jumped back off the clutch because my pinkie toe
was broken & it hurt so much clutching hard like that that I
reflexively pulled it back...

Angelina, Jinxie, Tree: I forgot Tim Tam Trees. Sorry.

Re: Cam's job - they're still up there working
<http://chad-c.dyndns.org/> a few feet ahead of the road crew, 'cause
no one's made them leave yet... :D
no word on any lab or follow-up work yet. 

Re: Fay Weldon~ my favorite Fay Weldon quote, from "Down Among the
Women" (I'm not certain it's that book as all my Weldon books are still
packed)
"Men can only love that which is less than themselves."
Sexist, sure, but still true of most men. Sorry, guys...
  

    
The Giant Jump, eh?  Didn't we learn anything from Atlantis?  Their
scientific periodicals got a bit cocky too...

John -- I started reading _How Much For Just the Planet_ this morning
and made a complete nuisance of myself laughing all the way into D.C.
on the train.  Thanks for writing it, and thanks to the rest of you who
recommended it.
  

    
Kelly- Ow!  Well wishes, and suchlike.

Neil- Knowing that I was one of only 430 makes it even cooler.  And I
love your offer to write about small islands.  Like one of my favorite
commercials; "You own the island?"  "Actually, technically, it's a
country."  <chuckle>

A giant jump?  Sounds a lot like the sorta-wonky science of the 'let's
all aim our laser pointers at the moon and make a big dot' thing. 
Interesting, in a 'will something really happen' kinda way.

JaNell- as sappy as it probably is now, because of *As Good As It
Gets*, and all, I really want someone who makes me want to be a better
man, not someone less than me.  'Course, I'll admit, I'm not usually
representative of men.
  

    
   Neil -- waking up with all the work done doesn't happen for
writers. The cream just goes weird like it would anyway, and then it's
not even good on the last stale scone.
   Maybe if we were in the shoe business.

   Dan -- you're very welcome.  Nice to think I brought a little
laughter into DC.  (I mean, we survived Reagan, we'll survive Bonzo,
but still.)
   At some point in almost any book one says something to the effect
of "What was I thinking, if that is indeed the word?" but the prospect
of keeping the jollity a-twerdling for another, hmm, hundred-plus pages
can be daunting where the daunt don't usually shine.
   Having DeForest Kelley as a character didn't hurt.  There was never
a worry about coming up with something good for him to say.  (There's
a bit in REFLECTION that was done specifically with him in mind as
well.)
   There's a letter from Oliver Goldsmith, when he was writing SHE
STOOPS TO CONQUER, about him wandering about the countryside, "making
up jests with a most woeful countenance."
  

    
Just got Kelly Link’s book STRANGER THINGS HAPPEN.  I’m so excited!!! 
<doing happy song & dance> Kelly, Kelly, Link, Link, Link!
Keeeelllllyyy Link!  

ObPlug: If you haven’t read her yet, PLEASE DO!  
As a snacky appetizer, here’s the World Fantasy Award winner, The
Specialist’s Hat:
http://www.eventhorizon.com/sfzine/fiction/specialist/index.html

And here’s her new book:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1931520003/qid%3D999887441/103-1547635-
6015061

Neil/Mike/<lioness>: If you should be in a position to do so, please
extend to her and her future husband (what happened to the Blogger
archives?  I can’t find his name.) the many felicitations of a total
stranger who is completely gooney about her work.  

Neil & Endorsements: But would you really want to visit an Island
endorsed in a Neil book?  "Come see beautiful, exotic Anansi Island! 
The first half of your stay may be more or less funny, and the second
half will be more or less scary."

Neil: Go ahead, rest your sleepy head.  Behold, the shoemaker’s
barking mad elves!  We’ll take care of everything.  Lessee now... what
shall we say to Terry Gilliam’s latest email?  "Dear Terry: LOVE the
Bollywood.  I’d like to suggest some extras for the film..."

Kristin: Hullo!  Thanks for the explanation.  My dad had bypass
surgery this year, and they kept making him breathe deeply to prevent
pneumonia, poor guy.

Kelly:  Welcome back.  So sorry about your ribs (and your Suzuki)! 
How rude.  Road rage is getting so out of hand these days: cows playing
chicken with innocent Thingies.

Jouni: Brightest fairy godmother blessings on Joonas!  Also, I loved
the drawing of Alan Moore.  It’s incredible.  I’ve never seen the man
or a picture of him before, but it’s a perfect match for the Scary
Trousers tale!  

Question: If everyone in California jumped up and down at the same
time, would we stop having earthquakes?

-Pam
Who has a manifest willingness to follow Pam-logic rather than any
other kind of logic
  

    
<Flying leap entrance stage right>

Favorite word for the day:

ENTMOOT!

<Bouncy bounding exit stage left>
  

    
<Standing in chair, applauding heartily>

Hurrah!  Brava!  Huzzah!  Clapclapclapclapclap!

<Throws bouquet of two dozen white roses.>
  

    
Neil - thanks for the well wishes. Had a delightful time yesterday
filming Archie and Gwennie for Peter's nightmare sequence. *heheheh*
A question, however. The actor playing Peter was wondering if there
was some subtle joke to Hare, Burke and Ketch. The best I could think
of was that it could be seen as Hare = rabbit, Burke = berk, and Ketch
= Catch... or Catch the Idiot Rabbit... which seemed a stretch to me.
Do the names have any significance?

and yes, Michelle had a series of you-related images on posts around
her tent (and also a rather nice Dream helmet and cloak on a post). The
effect was much like a sign garden, only it was all Deliriums and
Mervyn and Dream and suchforth. ... and of course her tent had your
signature on it.
  

    
   Burke and Hare are the resurrection-men who provided Dr. Robert
Knox of Edinburgh with the very freshest of dissection specimens.  No,
fresher than that.  Practically new.  The street verse goes:

    Up the close and down the stair,
    But an' ben wi' Burke and Hare;
    Burke's the butcher, Hare's the thief,
    And Knox the boy who buys the beef.

   "But and ben" is slang for "bed and board."  And "to burke" has
become slang for killing someone quietly, usually by suffocation.  No
connection to "berk" as in crazy.

    And Jack Ketch is the public hangman.

    Oh, and one of the badges on Dr. Mike's lab coat identifies him as
having staff privileges at the Knox Research Pavilion.
  

    
Which hopefully is not part of Knoxville, Tennessee's, plans for
downtown revitalization... 
  

    
  Oh, I don't know . . . "Knoxville, First in Recycling"?
  

    
Oooooh groan, groan Mike! We must place a paper bag over your head
while running wildly screaming from the room.... er, sorry,
ComedySportz flashbacks.

You made my spouse laugh, so thank you - been one of those days.

Thank you all (Neil, Pam, Dan, everyone I've forgotten) for the
wellwishes. I've found a happy stash of strong pain medicine I didn't
know I had, and am feeling the better for it. 

Kirsten - thanks for explaining about the taping and breathing thing.
Many deep breaths for me!

Pam - the road rage thing? Priceless,... thank you, you rock.  :-) And
*I* would certainly be somewhat wary of a Neil-endorsed island...
<giggle>

For those of you curious about seeing the damage done to the Suzuki, a
photo lives here: 
http://www.redplanetsw.com/personal/loiosh/suzuki.JPG

I'll have more BM photos soon... 

I'm sorry I missed Michelles camp - it sounds great! Pictures?


... We're starting a Seattle area, mostly goth/rivethead book club,
apparently. Our first book will be Confessions of an Evil Stepsister,
by the same author who wrote Wicked. (I need to get and read both...)

Anyone have any suggestions for future books for us? I'd like
something in the Neil/Steven Brust range of things, if possible...
(speaking of, it's been forever since I've seen a new Brust book...
*sniffle*).

Off to dinner and bed,...
Cheers!
-Kelly
  

    
Mike - THANKS! Wow... I was pretty far off... 

Kelly - I took very few pictures, but my friend Angela took a lot of
pictures of what it's like to be at Burning Man (as opposed to lots of
shots of pretty art)... we'll have a web site up next month (after the
show opens).

As for books.. Jonathan Carroll's Sleeping in Flame is a favorite.
That, and I've always been a John Steakley fan... although he's only
written the two books (Armor and Vampire$)
  

    
Kelly--get well soon!  The picture of the damage is scary. Glad you're
all right (sort of).

Pam--you crack me up!

JaNell--fascinating pictures.

Jouni--where do I sign up for your fan club?

Mike--that was reprehensible, a word only previously earned in this
vicinity by Len.  Congratulations.  It's a good thing I live alone,
'cause I was laughing out loud.  I swear I'm going to read HMFJTP as
soon as I can find a copy, and finish the Michael Chabon, and read some
Will Eisner before he comes for Humanities Festival, and reread Maus
before Spiegelman comes for Humanities, and read the Nalo Hopkinson a
friend loaned me when I said I wanted to read her, and the.....  All
this reading stuff on a deadline is reminding me of grad school. 
Aaaarrggh!  But someday I'll find a copy of HMFJTP and then......

Mary (*Very* jealous of the Twin Cities crowd that gets to go to Flash
Girls)
  

    
 >Anyone have any suggestions for future books for us? I'd like  
>something in the Neil/Steven Brust range of things, if possible ... 
>(speaking of, it's been forever since I've seen a new Brust book...

   ISSOLA, despite delays, is available now.
   You will have probably heard swell things about Kelly Link's
STRANGER THINGS HAPPEN.  Believe them.
   Gwyneth Jones should be recommended at all available opportunities.
 And Philip Pullman, of course.  James Branch Cabell ought to be
over-obvious by now, but isn't.  Gene Wolfe at all times and in all
places.  Keith Roberts's PAVANE is in print again, as is some of Mike
Harrison's work (Jo Fletcher walks on water, in case anyone didn't
know).  That's a fair start.
  

    
Mike~ OK, now, don't get me started with you... :D

Mary Roane~ Thanks, but I can't take credit for someone else's
website... it belongs to one of cam's co-workers. Mine is getting put
up backwards: first the message board, now I've got the blogger
going... but you get to take some credit for the site name.
  

    
I really liked both of Steakleys books, too, Dan... nice to see
another fan. (And thanks for the recommendations, they're going on
file.)

Mary - I could have been much, much worse... so overall, I'm content.
Thanks for the well wishes.

Mike, thanks for the recommendations... I just called my local BN, and
what do you know, they have Issola... (they didn't when I checked at
the end of July, and had no idea when they'd have it).

Damnit. I don't have spare money, I don't have spare money...

Guess I need to get dressed and go to the bookstore.  :-)

-Kelly, who still has to delete '-Loiosh' and type out her name when
signing things here; old habits hard to break.
  

    
Kelly, ouch!  Cows are so bad about that, they'll just go right
through a fence if they get the chance.  Thankfully we've always caught
ours before they've jumped out in front of vehicles.  But ugh.

Hi to the recently de-lurked...I've been very quiet recently, mostly
due to not much going on.  My life has been enforced-quiet, because
I've been really queasy.  But now my new medicine from Canada has
kicked in and I feel better!  I've stopped growling and everything. 
Soon I'll start eating again, I'm sure.  

If anyone needs some job-getting karma, you can use mine for a few
more weeks.  I've got lots, as I haven't worked in over a year.  But
soon I'll need it back...hopefully.  Which is a good thing.  I think I
really need to get to a city.  I've found myself becoming dangerously
intolerant of dulcimers and folk art.
  

    
Very tired -- back from a long, rather stressful day (and other people
had a day more stressful than mine).

Emma Bull, Flash Girl, slipped on a wet floor at the Ren Fest and
broke her elbow today, which meant a lot of stress for Lorraine, the
other Flash Girl, and lots of good people stepping into the breach to
make the evening at DreamHaven, which was meant to be the launch party
for the new CD.

Emma's currently all splinted up. She'll be operated on and plaster
casted on a few days.

Fingers crossed for her.

Saw many good well regulars at the party, including Shira, Elise and
Mike Ford.