Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
I went to the website - people really seem to think it's the bees'
knees. 
  

    
I keep flashing on the W.S. Gilbert line "modified rapture!" maure...
make that "modified bees' knees"...
  

    
Heh! Modified bees' knees, then. I'd still be very happy if Mrs. I
would buy herself a new cd. 
  

    
Maure - Every time I see a new absurdly incredible video game with
full 3-d rendering and astonising AI, I think back to Pitfall and how
cool I thought it was that your character actually had arms and legs
and looked like it was running!
Which, of course, makes me feel like a 31 year old codger to talk like
that.
"Back in my day, we didn't have anatomically exaggerated people who
could engage in fully 3-dimensional combat scenarios with weapons of
mass destruction. We had DOTS!, or at best little @ symbols on our
floppy disk driven computers. And we were happy!"
  

    
Maure -- I think the strangest thing about the langley Schools project
is that we didn't hear about it from Martha Soukup. martha always
knows about these things before me, and normally reviews them so well
and so perceptively that you go "ah, *that*'s what that was."

For some reason the LSP makes me think of the Borges story about the
man who wrote Don Quixote. What was this album when they made it? What
is it now?
  

    
Dan!  Remember dot-matrix printers? I think I still have one in my
storage garage somewhere . . . and I loved Pitfall. I was terrible, but
I loved it. I should see if I still have my Atari. Kids these days may
have video characters with facial features that move in synch with the
dialogue, but Pitfall Harry had a peach colored square for a head, and
I wouldn't have it any other way.

neil,  I was thinking about it last night. I'm trying to decide what
exactly I want to do for this year, and my two favorite options include
going back to school for a teaching certificate. So I'm organizing
everything on paper, and echoes of that recording kept interrupting. It
gets later, and then early, and I start thinking more about the
recording than my year's plans. And I start wondering, what is it I'm
not hearing that makes this cd so engrossing to people? And then, I
worried that because I'm around kids all day, I'm starting to become
immune to recognizing that thing that's so holy in them, and that is
what I'm missing from the recording. But when I woke up this morning, I
figured that it's probably only that I've had to go to a dozen chorus
assemblies every year for the past four years, and the novelty of
hearing children sing en masse off tune, on tune, terribly and
wonderfully, has just worn off. I don't know. Whatever it is, I admit I
fall into the "Some of you definitely do not" category.
  

    
Elise:  I said I didn't see anyone else from the list at the Flash Girls
concert.  I remember you at the music party.
Good luck with the bass.  

Maure:  It takes about two years to get a teacher's certificate.  You
might want to try the multi-subject option to increase your employability.
(When I got mine, I did a single-subject credential in Math.  They
were looking for double Math/Science teachers, mostly, after I graduated.)
I've discovered, recently, while reapplying for a part-time secondary
school job, that the math requirements have been watered down considerably
in the San Francisco School District.  Students don't have to take 
Algebra and deductive Geometry, anymore, apparently.  They can get by
with two years of "paper cut-out" arithmetic and problem-solving.
This was true, before, for students on non-academic tracks, but I find
it a bit worrisome that university-bound students aren't encouraged
to take two years of standard high school math. (How are they going to 
experiment and prove things in academic disciplines in college?)
  

    
Eddie Izzard was a guest on The Tonight Show w/Jay Leno last night. 
He was promoting his new movie, "The Cat's Meow", in which he portrays
Charlie Chaplin.
This was my first Izzard experience (I am way behind...) and I
definitely will see this movie and all that has been recommended so
far.  (Thanks for all of the interesting information you all have
provided!)

Dan and Maure: "In my day, um, er... I can't remember!"
                                                
                                                        pc
  

    <hidden>
  

    
Sorry . . . hidden for Lenny, because this is not really the right
place for my ranting.

The short version:

Lenny,  I totally agree that it's worrisome. And thank you for your
suggestions.
  

    
Neil--[reads blog and tries to stop lower lip from trembling] It's...
it's OK... I'd rather go to Edinburgh too, if I had the choice.
[sniffle]

I managed to source a copy of Dragon Waiting some time ago, complete
with pre-school painting of a dragon on the cover. But damn the book is
cool. And when Reg gives it back to me, it can snuggle happily next to
the copy of How Much For Just the Planet Reg found for me. Yay for
thingies!

Tree
Who was up very late last night nursing a little baby brother with a
badly broken heart. :(
  

    
     Tree -- for what it may be worth, I've been to both Edinburgh and
Melbourne, and it's by no means a "rather this than that."  Edinburgh
has many fine things, but as the line should probably be in "Waltzing
Matilda" but probably isn't --

      "Is this a dreadnought that was launched at Liverpool?
      "'No,' said the motorman, 'this is a tram . . .'"

      Of course, it rained on me almost nonstop both places, but
that's all right too.  Ambience or something.
      Been way too long since I was in Australia, and Elise hasn't
been at all, yet.  About time to catch up on Long Trips to Places Where
the Money Looks Different.
  

    
"I've been to Edinburgh... I've been to Melbourne... I've crossed the
ocean for a heart of gold...."

Only I haven't been to Melbourne (well, not the one in Australia,
anyway). I'd be going if they'd asked first.

As it is, Hodder Headline are talking to the other lit festivals in
Australia...

Maure -- fascinating reading your and Lenny's posts on education. The
only thing I would say is that a good teacher always makes a
difference, no matter how bad the system around them. Still, I keep
thinking of that Kornbluth (and Pohl?) story THE MARCHING MORONS.
  

    
Ooh boy. Remind me not to run into my ex- and have a mild breakdown
until *after* I catch up on posts next time... sheesh. 

Maure & Shawn - You need to find a shop that will let you *return* the
awful DVDs and such (likely for store credit, or for a percentage of
the original cost). I know that's how the place I work stays in
business. (Thank the heavens for return policies!)

Neil - I imagine my reaction to the 'Bob' thing is similar to the
occasional reaction I get from saying 'Neil' did this or 'Neil' said
that. I think they expect me to refer to you as 'Mr. Gaiman' or
something... but that just sounds weird.

Maure & Lenny - It is very frightening to me, as when I do eventually
grow up, I intend to be a teacher. Good teachers do make a difference.
My one and only hero is my former 5th grade teacher. 

lioness - I'm definitely with Linda on the red thing, but I can fully
understand your attachment to things second hand and punky (so long as
it doesn't reek of thrashed Berkeley gutterpunk).

Neil - JEALOUS! I've basically been a useless puddle of flesh all
weekend, but then I put Muppets on and now I'm up enough to post.
Incidentally, the Mummenschanz ep has got to be one of the best ones
they did.

Maure (and Dan) - Don't blame the poor video games! (says she who is
in love with a game developer). As for retro - We're still using a dot
matrix printer at work, so nyah! I think we finally got my dad to get
rid of the old Teletype in the last move (I *think*), but I know he's
still got the old TRaSh 80 in a closet somewhere. 

Neil - Your trip to Melbourne wouldn't have been happening near the
beginning of next year, would it have? I may have to join Tree in lip
quivering bit...

squeaks, who remembers getting up in the morning to play Pong.
  

    
forgot to mention: I'm curious what the store sales of Lambchop are
looking like pre- and post- blogger entry. And has anyone else been
listening to the Eban & Charly soundtrack nearly every day or is it
just me?

squeaks, who would have danced to Magnetic Fields at the club the
other day, but she was too busy laughing at her friend James, who
decided to 'pogo' to it.
  

    
Mike--Yes, I insist you must come back to Melbourne. The money is so
pretty (different colours AND sizes--so useful when hammered at the
bar!) and if you don't like the weather, just wait five minutes.
Crowded House didn't write 'Four Seasons in One Day' about Melbourne
for nothing...

I tried to fit that line into "Waltzing Matilda" along with the
jumbucks and billabongs and jolliness but then my brain exploded.

Neil--OK, point me at the hapless person in charge so that Dianna, Reg
and I can pester them mercilessly. I'm marshalling the troops. Do not
underestimate the power of "Because I said so!" ;>

Our Lady of the Squeaks--Remind me to take you to a friend's apartment
when you visit. You can stand on the rooftop and almost tickle the
bellies of the fruitbats as they fly overhead at dusk. Oh, and it has
spectacular 360 degree views of Melbourne and would be a fantastic
venue for a party, but it's the batties that are important here.

Tree
"I've been to cities that never close down, From New York to
Knoxville, and old London town..."
  

    

Mike aced a pie in a recent game of Trivial Pursuit with my brother and 
his friend Carla, when he pulled "a jolly swagman" out of his hat.  

That sentence is marvelously obtuse, isn't it?  I like it, though.
  

    
Neil,  I started to reply to you, and stopped when I realized I'd
written more than my original hidden 39 lines. I obviously could go on
forever about this, and maybe one day I will, but not here. But I
agree, no matter how bad the system is or continues to get, good
teachers can counteract it somewhat. And now I have to find and read
the Marching Morons. You do that on purpose.

Michelle,  I like to keep my really bad purchases as a reminder of
what happens when I am lured by advertising. It doesn't seem to help
much. I was talking to a girl I met on Xanga, and I told her how I
hated school when I was a student, but for one or two years. And it
made me think that maybe the people who hated school for all the right
reasons are the ones who should be the teachers. And I really don't
blame the video games. The internet is my downfall - I could be doing
any number of things, but I'm reading and chatting here instead.
  

    
Michelle -- no, the trip to Melbourne would have been happening in
August. They may still find a lit festival that wants me early next
year. 

Maure -- write...
  

    
Email from Jouni Koponen:

Spring...

There has been so much more solar energy in me these past 2-3 weeks. So
much more pure, enthusiastic I-want-to-do-something-cool energy (despite
the fact that I've been busy both in work and in home)...

So I have been doing something (hopefully) cool.

(Those of you who know me already think, 'Oh, more pictures...' and you
know what? You're absolutely RIGHT.)

I have been doin' a comic version of Neil's 'Babycakes'.

It's 6 pages ('bout 5 pages finished) and black&white.

So far I'm quite pleased with the results. I was thinking about posting it
to my 'online picture garage' for 'the Wellers' and 'the Thingies' to see
when it's completely finished, but before I'll do that... there is
something to ask from the author of the story...

... uhh... 'scuse me, Mr. Gaiman...

Neil -- So... what I'm asking is (taking few deep breaths and wiping sweaty
palms to trousers) would it be OK for me to put the pages on my
online-picture-stuff-storage? It's just 'fan-art' -stuff like the others,
but since it's the whole story, I want to be sure if it's OK... I REALLY
don't want to do anything illegal/offending...

Jouni
  

    
Maure -- that got accidentally posted. Unless Linda violently
disagrees, I'd say, write what you have to write to reply, post it,
don't hide it, and don't worry. Heartfelt and informed communiques from
the front about education... what could be more important?

Jouni -- I guess, seeing you asked politely. It's always wiser to ask
first, because sometimes I no longer control all the rights to things.
Put up a copyright notice in my name for the text though.
  

    
Squeaks - Were you at Flambé Lounge last night? (Burning Man gathering
the city for anyone out side the Bay Area who is wondering what I'm
nattering about.) I didn't see you, but it was really packed and
surprisingly hard to find people...

Tree - Oooooh! I want to tickle the bellies of fruitbats too!!

Linda - I'm too hungover to deal with that sentence...
  

    
Saw Push & Shove's production of "Mort" last night (which is WAY
fun--tho I wish their Albert had been more Albert-like, Princess Kelli
rocked my socks, and DEATH kicked butt too), and it occurs to me to
share, so anyone who might be in Chicago could, you know, go see it
too...

"Performances: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, April 5th through the
28th, 8 p.m. at Breadline Theatre, 1802 Berenice, Chicago. Tickets are
budget priced at only $7 For reservations or more information call
(773) 477-8139 or visit our web site at http://www.pushandshove.org.";

and discovered that Andrew, who plays Mort, lives around the corner
from me when we ran into him at the Dunkin Donuts (I was, erm,
apparently slightly allergic to the theatre--long story short, I'm not
allowed to leave my home without an inhaler any more. But coffee
helps.) after the show...
  

    
Linda - I took in a mini-marathon game of Trivial Pursuit just this
weekend. I like to play occasionally with friends just to remind myself
of how utterly uninformed I am. 

This particular game ended at around 5:30am, in a dead heat. As my
friend Quinn and his partner made it to the center, the third team
decided that the most challenging question for them should be from Arts
& Entertainment; in this case, a question about John Grisham.
Unfortunately they were sitting faced AWAY from Quinns bookshelf, where
if they had bothered to look, they would have noticed it was largely
stocked with, what else, every novel JG has ever printed.

My partner and I nearly threw the third team off the balcony, but
seeing the time, we decided it would be too much stress so we just went
home to bed.
  

    

Whoa, Shawn, that's some serious Trivial Pursuit!  I was clearly 
overwhelmingly uninformed, but my boyfriend proved to be the genius of the 
night.

And there was even a marvelous woo-woo moment, when Carla, stung by how 
badly her team was doing, was on a brown square, going for a pie.  Just as 
I pulled the card - at random - out of the deck she yelled out "Snoopy 
question!"  and I was able to obliqe with "Who was Woodstock's Beagle 
friend?"  And then we all fell over in amazement.

Neil, I rarely violently disagree.  By all means, post what you have to 
say, Maure.  If it gets too very very long - like more than 100 lines - we 
can hide it.