Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    

Trying to get people to remember to do that is nearly always futile!

Maybe it should go in the zero post, which can always be easily found?
  

    
Heavens.. over 24 hours without a single post... 
This is unnatural.
I normally approve of unnatural things, but this must stop.
Somebody must have hit the mute button...
  

    
Neil--thanks for mentioning my first copy of Good Omens in that e-mail
on the journal about used books ;-)  The other 3 are in much better
shape!
  

    
Linda - but would people remember to look in the zero post for the
info?

Mary - Every time someone starts talking about how battered and worn
their copies of Good Omens are, I just wonder what four of my copies
look like, as I've never seen them again. I loaned them out. People
swore they gave the books back, and occasionally I rad half remembered
getting them back. And then when I went to re-read it, it was nowhere,
and I had to buy another. Copy 5 was loaned to my daddio. Copy 6 was
for me. Eventually, copy 5 reappeared in my book box, right next to 6,
though I could have sworn I only put one of them in the box. I'd be
pretty convinced that copies 1-4 turned into Queen biographies, only
then I'd have a bunch of Queen bios in my apt. ?

squeaks, who has two gently worn paperback copies sitting on the shelf
  

    
I have the same problem with my Pratchett books.  They get lent out,
lost, rebought and then show up mysteriously about a year later -
except for the ones that were lost in the great divorce of 1997 which I
doubt will ever return to me.  

So I figure I've probably paid for Terry's backup hat with the amount
of second copies I've had to buy ;)

Good Omens I've only bought 3 times though - and this copy is not
leaving my HOUSE!  Anyone that wants to read it can a) join the local
library b) buy their own c) read it in my house!
  

    
I remember being loaned a copy of Good Omens waaay back in 1993 or 94,
long, long before I had ever even heard of Sandman. When I became a
Mr. Scary Trousers fan years later, I was startled to see a copy of
Good Omens with his name on it. Eventually, of course, I bought my own
copy and while it hasn't been loaned out to anyone, it has been read to
two people so far, and will undoubtably be read aloud again.
This reminds me, that I need to get my signed copy of American Gods
back from a friend... *that* book can't be allowed to wander off into
the sunset.
  

    

Miss Mousey - No, of course, we can't be sure that people will look in 
post zero.  In fact, it's the one thing we can be sure they won't do!
So it seems that putting it in the topic title is the logical thing - I 
just need some creative help in figuring out how to work it in to the 
goldfish swapmeet idea.

Dan -  Being an actor and all, I'll bet that you are real good at reading 
stories aloud.  How about a story night?

Linda (who is ready to move out and just turn the whole house over to the 
ants.)
  

    
ants are my worst nightmare.

Story Night!  Why can't I live near you people?
  

    
Ants are better than fruit flies. Sometimes....
  

    
Linda - I don't know... I hadn't thought about it before. What up,
Squeaks, Madman, Martha... would there be an interest in this kind of
thing?

Adriana - you just need to come up and visit, that's all.
  

    

Well, we made you read the Martha poem last time, when you ran out of chips.
So it sounds fun to me.

And for those who are keeping track, as of today I am once again employed,
nearly 6 months after my last day at my previous job. Go me.
  

    
Linda--I feel your pain. In the last month or so I've been invaded by
ants, weevils, wasps and honking great spiders of the <crocodile
hunter> Crikey! Look at the size of that! </crocodile hunter> variety.
My apartment has become an entymologist's wet dream. Sigh...

I have become very protective of all my books these days. Many of them
have been signed or are rare or have other special significance and
can't be replaced. And after my copy of Ghastly Beyond Belief hopped on
a plane and ran away to New York State, I'm imposing a moratorium on
lending.

Fortunately, it did come back, safe and sound and not dropped in the
bath.

Tree
Who is going to forget what her house looks like what with all the
travel she has to do for work these days.
  

    

I do not know what is up with these ants.  The first batch swarmed into 
the house in a huge frenzy to get into the freezer and die.  Yesterday 
they were all over the inside of the dishwasher, so I washed them.  In 
between were intense forays to examine microscopic bits of something on 
the floor or the wall or the kitchen counter, exercises that evidently 
require ant forces (no doubt-fully armed) sixteen abreast, all moving at 
double-time.  If I spray them with Raid, the spiders lose their minds, and 
come popping out of their hiding places.  (The agreement with the spiders 
is that as long as they are out of sight, they're cool.  They know they're 
fair game if I see them.  One unfortunate individual thought he was real 
slick, sliding down his silky floss from the light fixture, evidently 
unaware that he was in the spotlight.  He saw me, froze, then madly tried 
climbing up again, but I got him in a paper towel sandwich and squeezed.)

I can't believe I'm telling you all this!

Congratulations, madman!!  I'm so happy for you.  And so envious.  A job!  
Income!  Money!  Rent!  Food!
  

    
I just learned that R. A Lafferty died on Monday, which makes me much
sadder than I thought it would (I assumed that it would happen last
year, actually, because he gave his dates as 1914-2001 in the "Faces of
Science Fiction" book.) (He was only 9 weeks wrong.)

Big, long, kind of depressed sigh...
  

    
Linda--ants are better than roaches.  Always.  And spiders.  I *hate*
spiders.

Tree--I *hate* spiders.

Squeaks--the answer to that is to drive all of your friends mad by
giving G.O to them as a prezzie.  Birthday, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Purim,
or, why look, even today.  Happy Equinox, y'all!  

But I digress.  I have lost count of how many copies of G. O. I've
given as gifts.  It can really save your butt if you don't know what to
get somebody.  And since the only Neil book I have ever loaned out &
lost was my first edition, hard cover of Neverwhere that Himself signed
for me the very first time I heard him read, (talk about sentimental
value--I still have my *line number* from that reading), I advise
giving copies of that book to the people you've already given G. O. to.


Yes, I really do talk like I write, prepositions at the end of
10-minute sentences and all.

Neil--very sorry to hear about Lafferty.  I think it is lovely that
you had the opportunity to know him in better days, though.  That
correspondence must have been delightful.

Mary (who adores The Dragon Waiting, and wishes people would stop
bugging her to work, when it is *so* obvious she should be reading)

P.S. Forgot to share this little anecdote from the test-taking
nightmare that was Saturday--so I took my book along to read on the
train, and during my lunch break, and I bury myself in Dragon, and eat
a sandwich.  At some point I realize that the buzz of people has gotten
awfully quiet, and I look up.  And I'm alone.  And it's time for the
next session to begin, and I'm 3-4 minutes walk away.

The moral of this story is that Mike Ford should not be read lightly,
and can get you into trouble when he's not even there. ;-)
  

    <scribbled>
  

    
Madman - Super Wonderful Congratulations

Neil - I'm sorry. There are a few things I would say, but I confine my
words to these:
He gave you a great gift, and his passing is therefore not a thing
that will pass lightly. In some ways, every time you encourage one of
us in this forum, or at your signings, or where ever you encounter
people who look up to you and your accomplishments... you are honoring
the gift that he gave to you. This may be no comfort... but it's all I
can think of to say. 
I wish I was more familiar with his work, so that I could speak more
eloquently... or really, at all... about him. But perhaps I will start
to discover him now...
  

    
Ray was a wonderful, wonderful writer.  Nobody like him.  I didn't know him
well at all, but the last time I saw him, maybe a decade ago, he greeted me
merrily and spilled his drink all over my shoes.

Sui generis.  Nobody else would even have tried to write the things he
wrote.
  

    
Linda - I have no idea if this works, but my grandmother insists that
if you put a small line of chalk (or baby powder) somewhere near where
the ants enter, they won't cross it.  I've never (mercifully) had an
ant problem, but she's insistent that this works and I have to admit,
her kitchen is ant free (however, it may have been ant free ANYWAY so
it's not the best empirical evidence...!)  I guess it couldn't hurt to
try it - maybe the powder sticks to them or something?

Madman - way to go! :)

Neil - my sorrow for your loss :( - Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam

It appears that I have received the ultimate notice that I am not fit
to keep phish.  One of my plastic phish was found floating on the top
of his bubble this morning (he's a plastic phish and lives in a rubber
snowglobe).  Fortunately, the live phish are well and thriving.  But
what kind of person can't even keep a PLASTIC phish alive?
  

    

We use the chalk line tricks to curb ants. They really don't like to cross a
chalk line. So we have mystic symbols drawn in chalk and it serves the dual
purposes of keeping the ants at bay and making sure Nyarthalotep can't
escape.
  

    <scribbled by ariadne26>
  

    
Dan- That was so beautifully put.  Thank you, and I second your
sentiments.

Congrats on getting work, madman.  I hope it is doing something you
love.  Or even something you can humorously tolerate.  

I need to look into this chalk thing.  

WHOAH, I scribbled.  I didn't mean to scribble.  Weird.
  

    
Everyone, I'm in Texas now for Aggiecon. Had no idea it was so lovely,
but I wouldn't want to live here. Our flight was delayed because
Chicago weather is an angry god, but we did finally make it. We missed
Neil's Q&A session, though. 

Neil,  I'm very sorry to hear about Laffery. I wish we had made it to
your first Q&A thing. I hope that your trip here was less eventful than
ours. 

Madman, absolutely fantastic news about the work. It's really nice to
work, as much as you think you'd prefer unemployment when you're
working sometimes. I too hope it's a job you'll enjoy.
  

    
Forgot to mention this, because, well, I forgot. We flew into Houston
and rented a car to drive to College Station. I love driving, and was
excited to drive in a state to which I've never been, but didn't want
to drive all the way from IL. Anyway, on the way to CS, we saw a man
walking along the side of the road, with a huge, and I mean monstrous,
wooden cross over one shoulder. It was completely surreal and somewhat
disturbing. 
  

    
And boom... we're at 2000

gotta love those big round numbers.
(yes, not a very significant post.. but I couldn't resist)