Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
Hey all! Has anyone seen The Mothman Prophecies? I thought it was a
very, very good movie. 
 I'm all about strange foods. I'll have to try this Marmite stuff.
Sounds kind of scary and fun. 
 I tried playing violin once, but the neighbors called the cops, so I
think I'll just stick to piano....
Neil- I'm so excited about Coraline. I wish I could read it now. Oh
well, time seems to be flying these days. And yes, you are a genius,
whether you want to believe it or not. You may not be your art, but you
created it. You are its god, so to speak. And that counts for
something. A big something in my book. 
  My dad got us a DVD player for Christmas, which was a very foreign
device to us until recently. We got the Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Special Edition DVD. WOW! It's hours of fun. I especially love the
Lego sequence. Tee-hee! And of course, The Princess Bride. I saw it in
the theater when I was young, and I've seen it a million times since
then. So of course having the DVD with extra features is a wet dream.
Definitely one of my faves. No DVD collection is complete without Monty
Python and the Holy Grail and The Princess Bride. Just thought I'd say
so. (and the latter is an even better book, which I'm guessing
everyone here already knows.)
  Oh, on getting sick. I swear on my weird mother that if you drink at
least one glass of wine a day, you won't get sick. I haven't been sick
in well over two years. Not even a cold or a sniffle. And I used to
get sick all the time. Jess has had two colds and the flu so far this
year. I still kissed him and did all of the wifey things. Still not
sick. 
 I know I don't eat or sleep like I should, so it has to be the wine.
Yay for wine.

Goodnight:)
Erynn, currently reading Mostly Harmless to her very amused hubby. 
  

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

    
Hello, dear Barking Mad Mob. I'm checking in from Whitby, in a handy netcafe
called the Java, prior to attempting the 199 steps up to the ruined
abbey....  This town is making me think of you guys, and I wish I had a
handy teleport booth for everyone.
  

    
Dan: Vin Diesel was the voice of the robot from outer space in "The
Iron Giant" which is one of my all time favourite movies in the entire
universe, ever, and for all time. After listening to the commentary
tracks on "Pitch Black" I am not the least bit surprised to learn he's
a director too.

Mary: had I not sent you to that link? ack! I suck! I've been getting
it via email from 6 friends since it started! Poor Frodo--attacked by
slash. *lol*
  

    
E-mail from Michaela:

Mary - the LotR live journal is a must-read for every fan with a sense of
humour! I especially loved the Legolas part   *g*

Pam - my apostrophes weren't that creative since it wasn't me that
garbled them really ;) But I think - hope - I have found the culprit. It
was of course the evil MS program that did some fancy formatting to my
emails. First thing I do when installing new programs by this particular
spawn of hell is going to the preferences and keeping it from converting
what I want to write into what IT thinks I ought to write. Missed the
part about polishing up my hyphens and apostrophes though, since it only
showed in the well posts. Thanks well for pointing out another evil
attempt to alter my written work ;)
Oh, and congratulations! What will your new home be like? Big, small,
garden, no garden? Is there lots of work to be done until you can move
in? (Of course you can always do it like we did .. move in and live in a
few rooms until the rest of the house has been renovated (does that word
exist? too lazy to look it up right now)). Right now the builders
(friends of a friend) are working on the floor in the kitchen and the
living room. By now I am used to them actually turning up. But when they
started working two weeks ago I expected them to just vanish every
second. Originally we had planned on having the 2000/2001 new year's
party in our living room..

Kelly - have fun writing!

Abbess - hmm .. are you talking about the milka chocolate that has
honey/yogurt filling? I love that one. Dunno about any other milka with
honey filling though. Ever tried "Ritter Sport" chocolate, _Olympia_
flavour? That one is delicious.

Annie - hi! You made me want to whine again about never having learned an
instrument. I can read music if it's not too complicated, but I never got
past the ... what is it called .. flute? The easy one every kid learns at
school (at least here), wooden, C-scale, chiefly a means of kids' piping
horrible christmas tunes on them. I would love to learn the violin, or
rather the fiddle, playing reels and the like .. but I guess it is not
such a brilliant idea to torment myself and everybody else trying to
learn. Harp? hmmm ..... don't know anybody who plays the harp. Don't get
me started on wanting to play it, I can feel this idea coming on ;)

Get well everybody who has the flu!

Michaela - still waiting for her car .. now they cannot find a
replacement engine *sigh*
  

    
Hi Annie! I'm Maure. I liked your long post, and I think it is very
cool that you play harp. Can you play "She's Leaving Home?" I would
like to know how to play that, if I were a harpist. 

Michaela,  I think by flute you mean the recorder, but I may very
likely be mistaken. Personally, I loved playing the recorder, and still
have & play mine sometimes. It's not exactly music to my sister's
ears, but I only toot out tunes when she's not home. It amuses me. I've
learned a bunch of old madrigals and such, but the only thing I really
like to play is "Norwegian Wood." Over and over again. Until even I am
sick of it.
  

    
Michaela, I don't remember the honey being paired with yogurt, I remember it
being sort of a crystalline layer in the middle of the chocolate.  But maybe
I imagined it all, or dreamed up this chocolate entirely.  I should try to
reproduce the taste in some cookies or brownies or something.

(uisgejack), I also loved the Iron Giant, although I guess for me the voices
were so well-acted and blended that I forgot to think that there were
peoplein that movie who didn't look like the animated characters and that I
could seek out their other work.

Is it too soon to ask people whether any of you are going to Boskone?
(besides Neil and Mike who show up in the program I looked at on the web,
that is.) It looked like a lot of fun stuff!
  

    
Last night was disturbing. *wrinkles nose*
http://www.livejournal.com/users/rocza and scroll to the Perspective
post, if you're interested. I had a rant all composed about idiots at
concerts, and then life intervened and put everything into perspective.

I'm still a bit affected by it, and wondering for how long,...

But, on more cheery news, Concrete Blonde is well worth seeing in
concert.  :-)

And this Martha poem - alright, I'm intrigued. Where does one find it?

-Kelly
  

    
Only in my short-story collection "The Arbitrary Placement of Walls", I'm
pretty sure.
  

    
...and in Neil's "Live at the Aladdin" video, available at
cbldf.org...
  

    
(Not that I would advocate against buying Martha's book. Hardly.)
:)
  

    
Well, you know, if you want to know all the words without risking Neil
mumbling....
  

    
DanGuy: *casting green-eyed glance at his copy of HV*  :-P

Linda: Thanks for the info.  We're working out the CEA thing with our
insurance company now.  It's just that the deductibles are
unbelievable... starting at 10% of your house value and going *up* from
there!

Lioness: The Whitby Abbey in Yorkshire?  (A brief google search
reveals these wonders...
http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~dvess/ids/medieval/whitby/whitby.shtml)
 Wow.  How fabulous.  Keep working on that teleport device.  If you
build it, we will come.

Michaela: Oh, I knew that you didn't do the apostraphes on purpose. 
And I'm sure they were frustrating to you.  But I didn't mind them.  I
kinda like random.  And your English is so good that they were the only
thing that reminded me to think your "voice" in my head with an
accent.

More info on our house soon, after the meeting with the loan officer
this weekend.  Thanks for asking!

Maure: I was just thinking a little while ago that I might be able to
handle learning how to play the recorder.  They're nice and portable,
too.  (The better to irritate one's family and friends, yes?)

Abbess (I think): You have my utter admiration for being able to play
the harp.  I have a friend who plays beautifully, and it always feels
so uplifting and serene to listen to her play.

Re: Boskone.  *POUT OUT LOUD*  I really wanted to go, but I'm saving
up for the Con in October, to see Neil and a bunch of Thingies.  (And
if we're *really* good, a certain arboreal fan might come, too.)  A
friend is supposed to be seeing to it that I get a copy of ADVENTURES
IN THE DREAM TRADE while he's there, though, so that's something. 
However, I know that several Thingies (from the alt.fan.n-g newsgroup)
are planning to be there, so you might try to connect with them for
mischief and mayhem.

Tara: I loved IRON GIANT too.  And all that that implies.

Martha slipped.  Martha's version not only includes a whole bunch of
gorgeous, mesmerizing stories by herself, but a photo of Martha!
  

    
Cost. (no s).  Sheesh.
  

    
not me who plays the harp.  Quit piano lessons when I was 12, and that was
my last serious encounter with a musical instrument.

yes me who's going to Boskone.  (It's only a 20 minutes drive and the
registration fee, for me, no big expense, or it'd require more thought.)
Um, which con in October?  I should know this, I bet.
  

    
    I will, unfortunately, not be at Boskone.  It was in the plans
(hence the programming listing) but the plans and the reality didn't
quite ilne up.  Anyone bringing DREAM TRADE to Galacticon in
Chattanooga, Minicon, MileHiCon, or World Fantasy can get the
introduction signed, however, for whatever curiosity value that might
have. 
  

    
Pamela,  recorders are really easy to play, and are super fun
sometimes. Sometimes they're only sort of fun, and sometimes they're
just an adequate way to pass time. But I like to play. Sometimes.

I had planned on going to Boskone, but February is a tightly-packed
month for me. I think I may be going to AggieCon instead. I don't mind
- I've spent time in Boston, but have never been to Texas. I just
visited the website, and they list two hotels, which confuses me. Which
one is closer? Is one of them a backup for the "real" hotel if it
becomes full? World Horror Con is easier - I can stay in my own
apartment for it. 

A friend sent me a handbook from the Landmark Trust
(www.landmarktrust.co.uk). I've spent a big chunk of today going
through it. (We had today off - it was a snow day! yay! I went
sledding.) I love that they've restored these gorgeous old places and
made them available for rent. I have to toy with the idea of a trip to
Scotland so that I can stay in the Pineapple. (Has anyone been to
Dunmore & seen this ridiculous building? It seems to be near Falkirk, I
think, from looking at the map thing.) He also sent me a couple of
photos of the Headington (? suburb of Oxford - his handwriting is
difficult to read, does Headington sound right?) Shark. I would like to
know the history behind the Headington(?) Shark. Anyone here know
anything about it? I'm off to search a bit for it now.
  

    
Linda- Hehehe....Feeling the need to learn to play/ buy a harp? Us
harpies call it "harplust." Nasty disease; by the time you over come it
you usually look around and realize that you've not only bought two or
three harps, but also have a house full of harp and angel-with-harp
kitsch.

Hi Maure! Hmm, no, I'm afraid I don't know "She's leaving home." The
title sounds familiar, but I can't place it. Who's it by, where can a
recording/mp3 be found? I'm always on the lookout for new stuff to
play. I've been on a ridiculous folk ballad kick for a bit. I think my
downstairs neighbor is probably tired of hearing me sing and play "The
Three Ravens" over and over. So what if it's kinda depressing, it's got
SUCH a lovely melody line... 

Pamela- the harpie is me! Harps are great instruments to play, and
seem to work very nicely for scenarios where soothing music is needed.
I've had quite a few friends fall asleep while I play for them.
However, the image of serenity will probably disappear if you ever see
your friend trying to move her harp. That's the only reason I sometimes
wish I'd stuck with violin; most harps are a real pain to move. Of
course, most harper/ists are really stubborn and prefer to try to move
their instruments by themselves. I think the stubbornness occurs in an
inverse proportion to the size of the harper. The smaller we are, the
more determined we are that we'll do it ourselves, thank you. My male
friends always get a kick out of it when I get like that, since my
largest harp is about as tall as I am (5'1").
  

    
Er, found it, and if anyone else would like to read about it:
http://www.any-town.co.uk/H/Headington/Texts/Headington_shark.asp

Annie,  "She's Leaving Home" is a Beatles song. It's on the Sargent
Pepper's album. It was the first thing I thought of when I read you
played the harp, so it may be a bit out of left field. If I am
remembering correctly, it has harp accompaniment.
  

    
Duh, that's why the title was familiar! Okay, just pulled out my book
of Lennon and McCartney for harp and there it is. So I didn't play it 5
minutes ago, but now I'm learning it!
  

    
Hi!

Tired.

Just wanted to say that you're *not* cool until you own a copy of
"Grumpy Ghost" by The Endless.

I am so cool!  Go me!

I think "Requiem" is my fave......

Going on Harlequin Valentine hunt Saturday.  Yay!  New Neil!

Annie--I wanna learn harp!  I have an acquaintance who plays, and it's
just delightful.  I never learned recorder, but I wanna.  I can play a
bit of pennywhistle, though (quelle suprise!).  (Note to self--must
not start collecting musical instruments, as too expensive & look what
happened with whole book thing--"I can stop any time.  Really.  I can
buy just one.....")

Ooooo.  Giddy.  Going to bed before I get any sillier.

Mary (reading "Witch Blood" by Will Shetterly)
  

    
Yay! A con near me! Galacticon, being in Chattanooga and therefore
close may be a possibility for me, as well as giving me a chance to
meet the illustrious John M.  :)
Does anyone have any info on it? I found the website, so I'm looking
for personal info, like how crowded it will be, anyone else going, will
everyone be dressed as Klingons (and since it's Klingon Spring Break,
will it be Klingons in bikinis? Klingons Gone Wild?)?  I'd appreciate
any help! 
  

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

    
Mary:  ROCK, so it came?  most excellent.  i'm glad you like requiem,
as it's a personal favorite and really gets ignored by most. thank you
so psychotically much for the support.  we will come shine your shoes
for you, if you'd like.  we also do nice fence whitewashing.  

for all of those of you who love Iron Giant, i just want you to know
you made the day of the animators here at Warner Bros, as it was very
special to them and got completely ignored by the marketing department
and slid into the cracks of obscurity.  
  

    
You know the animators who worked on it?  Oh god, can I keep making their
day and keep gushing about how beautiful a movie it was???

There are so many things I loved about the Iron Giant as a story, as a
visual experience, as a world, really.

except I  have to admit that I'm a robotics geek and maybe that's part of
why I liked the way the friendly giant robot looked so much.  Maybe, for
instance, you should not tell the animators that the gushing person over
here also admits to having atually liked "Short Circuit" enough to own a
copy of it.