Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
Ok-I don't have anything stunning to say, but I like quotes. So Here's
Orange Faerie's Quote O' the Day:
"We are each of us angels with only one wing. And we can only fly by
embracing each other."
--Luciano de Crescenzo 

Oh- and does anyone know where a relitively inexpensive copy of Angels
and Visitations can be found? I miss that book.
  

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

    
Kristina - Not sure but I know they're out there. I picked my copy up
(2nd printing I think) about 5 years ago now, and have treasured it
ever since. Even moreso now that it bears a new Neil signature and a
cryptic Neil-doodle running up one of the front pages. I'm tempted to
scan it and post a link a see if anyone here has an idea what it might
be, because it stumped my girlfriend and I to no end.

Then again, that might ruin the mystery.:)

Feel bad about contributing so little here lately but, don't have much
going on aside from seeing Reign of Fire this weekend which I've been
waiting for about 1 1/2 years now to see how it turned out. Glad to say
it's pretty good; Not enough Dragon-related destruction shown onscreen
as I'd hoped though. I'm not sure if that's due to a limited budget or
simply post-9/11 concerns over seeing large cities razed to the
ground. Still a very good movie.

Hmm... back to the office grind
  

    
Orangefae--good timing.  Angels & Visitations will be back in print
soon--this fall, I believe.  Check at Dreamhaven, or perhaps when
Himself gets a bit caught up, he might know the date.  You can *try*
abebooks.com, if you can't wait, but the last time I checked their
water-damaged copies were going for around $50.

I know what I was going to say a couple of days ago--Will--David
Sedaris read & he didn't do Billie Holliday?  What did he think
everyone was there for?  ;-)  I love Sedaris.  He makes me giggle like
a loon.

Neil--my, that USA Today review is lovely, isn't it?  And your dreams
are hilarious--all I could think of was "Room With a View--of Hell! 
Staircase of Satan!  Pond of Death!"  when the flying monkeys come out
of the sky.  You were dreaming the *American* version of the
movie......;-)

Oh, and that was a *wonderful* article in the Financial Times!  I
really enjoyed that.  Thanks for posting the link--I would have missed
it otherwise.

And along about here I should probably say that all of the above is in
reference to Neil's delightful journal at www.neilgaiman.com .  Well,
with a couple of Eddie Izzard references thrown in for good measure.

I must leave work now, as I should have gone an hour and a half ago,
but this was the only enjoyable thing I've done all day......

Mary (off to watch "My Stunts" by Jackie Chan)
  

    
Hello all of my fellow well-dwellers!
Shawn- thanks for the tip. I just have to keep my eyes open. I have
found copies, but they're priced at around 50$...and I am not ready to
make that kind of monetary commitment right now...even for Neil...sorry
Neil. Oops- Mary sneeked in! I am soo glad to hear that it is coming
back into print!! That makes me happier than a monkey in a banana
daqueri! Thanks Mary! And yes- that USA today review was quite lovely.
^_^ 

And Rocky (and others of course)- I don't think I'm into the reading
tomorrow, but if you like- there's this great Japanese place on 67th(I
think)  and columbus that has incredible dumplings and the most
delicious ginger and green tea ice cream I've ever had. Plus, if you
dine in, sushi is half off. If you want to before the reading (around 5
or so) It might be fun to hang and have some great eats. I'll send you
my cell # via email. And I thought I'd send you a scan of this
painting I'm doing of the picture you liked in my sketch book. (the one
you said looked Egyptian)I'd love to get your input.

I ordered Dragon Waiting and Last Hot Time today. (that's the one you
were telling me about Will). And also bought There are Doors by Gene
Wolfe. I am very excited about all these wonderful things to
read!(Martha- when is Arbitrary Placement of Walls coming out on
paperback?) I also bought Amelie on dvd today- The special features
look fantastic. (they have auditions and home movies and
more!)Jean-Pierre Juenet is my favorite all time director. *sigh.

And I was bitten by the creative bug while walking my dogs today. (Or
was it a rabid flea...? Better get a check-up!) Anywho- I ended up
writing this little poem. I think I might illustrate it too..then..I
dunno...show it to people. ^_~

THE FLUTTERBYE’S QUESTION
By Kristina Carroll

Once upon a zeph’ry day
As sequins sewed the Hudson brown,
A Flutterbye did wing my way
And seeing me, it stopped to frown.

“I beg your pardon if you please...”
It eyed me with a nervous twitch.
“I have a question lass.” It sneezed,
Then paused a note, it’s nose to itch.

“It seems to me-” it’s voice did whine.
“You humans are a sorry lot.
“For I have traveled far and wide,
And say your heads are full of rot.

“I cannot, for the life of me,
Determine how you still survive!
For I have winged o’er land and sea
And never wit nor brains did spy.”

It said to me in high pitched squeaks,
“It is a puzzle, I confess.
From valleys low to mountain peaks-
You’ve not one ounce of cleverness.

“And yet,” the rude thing carried on,
“Though brains and wit you seem to hide,
And though your minds are all but gone,
Your race does nothing less than thrive!

“And so this question I now pose:
Though signs of thinking are not found,
Though human minds remain tight-closed-
How is it that you’re still around?

“How do you do it? How- I say!
This thing I still don’t understand!
With intelligence so far away,
You over-populate the land!

“How can such a stupid race,
So dull and dumb an empire breed?
With heads so full of empty space,
How I ask you?! How indeed!?”

It spat and wheezed into a state
Of frenzy quite unfit its’ size.
The worldly Flutterbye irate.
With insect fists and beady eyes.

Then, out of breath, the little pest
Down to my open book did glide.
It looked at me and puffed its’ chest,
And (indistinct) said something snide.

“So what’s your answer dimwit? Speak!”
And as my book he stamped and tore-
I shut it smartly. And with a squeak...
The Flutterbye asked nothing more.
 
THE END
  

    
Ummm...Rocky? Your email sent me a daemon. It's rather gruesome and
has been emitting a putrid odor for about the last half hour. Also it's
taken refuge inside my jar of mentholatum, so I cannot put any
mentholatum on my severely chapped lips. Every time I attempt to open
the jar I am bombarded with a smell akin to cheese that's been in the
sun all day and pelting globs of menthol goo.

In short. Your email is faulty.

Orange Faerie's Quote O' the Day:
"Instead of working for the survival of the fittest, we should be
working for the survival of the wittiest -- then
we can all die laughing." 
Lily Tomlin 
  

    
To answer the 'Frisco' question, I'll keep things Neil-related (in a
round about way): Emperor Norton charged anyone calling San Francisco
the F-word with a fine of $25. The handful of locals who are aware of
said 'law' generally approve and think it would be a good idea to
enforce it. :)

orangefae - got the pic, thanks!

Um, glad that NYC went as well as it did. Wish it could have gone
better, especially for people traveling great distances to be there.
Honestly, B&N should know better. Still, it seems as though you all had
much fun.

Still feeling rather anti-social. Had HELL for a work week last week
(one and a half times the hours I usually work), followed by massive
emotional trauma that I really wasn't prepared for and am still having
a hard time dealing with, and then today I let it all out (and
discussed a major problem at work) by yelling at the owner of the
company and nearly getting fired for it - but oh, that last bit was
worth it... especially because I'm still employed.

squeaks, who wonders what the French word for 'the Endless' is.
  

    
Squeaks,  Les Interminables? I'm very glad you kept your job, and got
some yelling out of your system. I hope you find your social-ness soon,
and that work eases up.

Kristina, very cute poem!
  

    
Kristina -  Sorry about the daemon, I've updated my profile and
snipped its wings. 

Squeaks -  One is never prepared for emotional trauma. Never.
Hopefully the outburst proved  cathartic, and thank the gods that it
didn't have a negative impact on your employment. Sending lots of hugs
and sympathy your way. 
  

    
Squeaks - glad you could let it out. I have trouble doing that when I
really should, and it tends to come out anyway, and at the very worst
times.


Mary - Oh, oh, oh... Sedaris (hems and haws fanboyishly) My mother
lent me a copy of Me Talk Pretty One Day and I still haven't given it
back, lo these many months later. I just don't want to give it up.:)

Neil - I was interested to read that you aren't an American citizen. I
actually found myself wondering about that just recently, as I have a
friend who has been having problems with the INS. I've wondered a lot
about whether I could actually become a citizen of another country,
despite my many fantasies of living abroad for several years. I don't
think I could ever do it either, it just wouldn't feel right.
  

    
Thanks for the emotional support. I'm doing better. Everyone at work
was calling me a hero today, which was a bit disturbing (I suppose they
would have called me a martyr if I lost my job), as in retrospect I
*really* could have handled things differently and still got plenty
ticked at the boss-man and pissed him off royally. Guess I needed to
let it out.

My mother just recently became an American. I think she was living
here for 25 years before she went through with it. It's really all very
bizarre, now that I think of it. I still don't think of her as not
needing a green card (and she took such a good picture for it!)

squeaks, who potentially saved $200 today... yay technology
advancements! 
  

    
Um, is the journal buggered?  Neil's, I mean.  I can't get into
it......

<<wanders off disconsolately>>
  

    
I was having trouble with it too! oh, dear....
  

    
It still works, but you have to go to the archives for it:

http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal_archives/2002_07_01_archive.asp

not sure what's going on.
  

    
Ah, the wonders of technology. Thanks for the tip Neil! ^_^
Orange Faerie's Quote O' the Day:"The man who does not read good books
has no advantage over the man who cannot read them."
-Mark Twain 

G'night all.
  

    
Orangefae -- Harlan Ellison used to have that on his answering
machine.

The good news is I get my computer back tomorrow and should be able to
restore everything on it fromn a network backup.

I wonder if there's some sort of law of conservation of technological
screwups.
  

    
Hi all! I'm in sort of a hurry. Just thought I'd pop in and thank Neil
for signing all those books at Dreamhaven. I should be getting mine
any day now! Weeee!
  

    
E-mail from Christy Smith:

Ahh, I'm back -- and finally caught up enough on my regular e-mail to
sneak in a little time to post.  ;)

I had a wonderful time last week.  Getting to visit my brother was
extremely cool, and I was surprised by how happy I was just to be back in
New York City again!  I just love the place.

And then there were the happenings of a week ago today.  :)  What a charge
that was!  I arrived at B&N at about 11:40, browsed a while and saw the
"Move Over, Alice" ad, asked questions, and bought two _Coraline_s, then
took my place in the seating area by the 4th-floor bay window overlooking
the chalk mazes and vendors down in Union Square.  I honestly believe that
I had the best seat in the house.  I was in the third row, which was the
closest I could get without awkward neck strain, and directly facing the
podium where Neil would be reading.  There were already about four or five
people seated, but I could not have had a better seat if the place had
been empty!

To make a long story short before it gets *too* much longer, I got to meet
many cool people (including, unexpectedly, the creator of that "Which
Endless Are You?" quiz!  I'm Death, by the way), thanks partly to Will's
and Rocky's quiet "Is anyone here from the Well?"'s and to Glen wearing
his "Scary Trousers" shirt.  8= (That's a skull.)  Ben and I had a great
time meeting Will; Rocky; Glen; Rick (who does not sound at all like _King
of the Hill_'s Boomhauer (sp?), but who did remind me a little of my good
friend Eric); their friends Chris and Charlie (?); a really cool musician
named Lucy who I hope joins us online really soon; and of course sweet,
sweet Neil.  The reading and Q&A did seem short, but as I'd never been to
an author reading before, I didn't have any basis for comparison.  
Whatever the event lacked in length, however, it surely made up in
quality.  Neil is obviously no newbie in front of the camera; even when he
was sitting on the table being introduced and letting everyone get good
pictures, it was obvious that he knew what he was doing.  The reading
itself was very entertaining, and he was as witty and fun as I could have
expected.  And, yep, love the jacket.  :)

Afterwards, Ben and I were in that group of 8 for dinner, as Rick
mentioned, and I had the best salmon I have ever had.  Then a bunch of us
watched fire dancers in Union Square while a bluegrass band played.  Only
in America, and especially NYC, would one get treated to an evening of
Polynesian bluegrass!  :D

Kristina the Mighty -- Welcome!  (I'm beholding!  I'm beholding!)  I, too,
missed you when I didn't get introduced to Will's crowd.  Did you happen
to be the one with paper spread all over the front row around noon?  I
doubt it, because she ended up sitting in a different place, but you never
know.

Kristina cont'd -- I didn't catch your "topic for reflection" joke until
the second time I read Post 832.  So here's a delayed GRO-O-OANNN-N-NN!!!!  
;-D And as for that de Crescenzo quote in 851 -- thank you!  Now I finally
know what the erstwhile NY band Burlap to Cashmere was talking about in
"Eileen's Song," i.e.:

        You have one wing; I have another
        Seeking shelter like sister and brother
        Through the Winter, through the Summer,
        Like one angel, we'll fly far away

(Heh, I may not be big on quotes, like you, but I do like lyrics!)

Speaking of musicians, do the Brobdingnagian Bards happen to be playing
the NY RennFest?  That Web site's "Entertainment" section pretty much just
says, "Yup, we have entertainment."

Hey, Rick -- Any word on your girlfriend's job interview?  And I know what
you mean about the "inner shutterbug" thing.  I, too, had a grand time
wandering NYC by myself on Friday and snapping a few pictures, although I
was doing more exploring and drinking-in than shooting.  Then I headed off
to a nice weekend with my dad and soon-to-be-stepfamily.

Neil -- [Ah, sod it, he'll never see a message to him in the midst of all
this babble.  I'll send a separate post.]

Mary -- I never got to see the light-up dumpbins, either -- though I did
look.  :-{ And I love Jackie Chan!  He's so funny.  Such a cutie, too!  
;)

Will -- How was Dave Matthews Band?

Ethan Hawke wrote a book?  Cool!  He seems intelligent.  I haven't seen
him in many things, but I do like him -- probably because he looks like
Ben.  (Let's embarrass my brother now....)  ;)

Well, I guess nobody is properly initiated into the Well until they've
done an almost embarrassingly long post -- I guess I'm officially a Well
junkie now!

Take care of yourselves!

Christy

"People live in one another's shelter" -- Irish proverb
  

    
More E-mail from Christy Smith:

Oh, Kristina -- Great poem!  It made me laugh.  :)

Michelle -- What happened to all your other mice!?  Sorry to read you're
down to "seulement une."  And yeah, B&N probably should have known better,
huh?  It seems as though my taste in authors is shaping up to be like my
taste in bands (and, sometimes, actors):  overaccomplished and
underestimated.  :-p And where is your unusually photogenic mother from?

BTW, gang, I read _Coraline_ over the course of two days, mostly on my
train trip back home.  (_American Gods_ is next!)  I haven't had much time
to digest it, though, because the very next day my mom had emergency laser
surgery for a torn retina!  The rest of the week has been work,
chauffering, and having company for a few nights (her doc is closer to my
town than to hers, and I wanted to drive her there anyway).  But from what
I did get to absorb, _Coraline_ is a very cool book with a very smart
protagonist.  Also, the more I think about it, the more I like her father,
despite his being kind of a peripheral character.  I'll bet it's quite
amusing to hear Neil sing that silly song the father made up for Coraline
when she was little.  It really _sounds_ like something you might make up
while playing with a baby, too.  :)

Between that and reading _...Goldfish_ while waiting for the signing
Thursday, then getting to see my almost-step-niece and -nephew (don't ask)
over the weekend, I'm getting this surprising desire to read aloud to
kids.  :)  Funny how Neil can inspire people, even someone who has no
desire to write!

Which brings me to you, Neil.

Geiman-shi -- It was a pleasure to meet you; you are just such a delight.  
:)  I hope you get some nice use out of the notebook.  I just may send you
some refills for your birthday, unless I don't.  (I'm not sure where, or
how organized, I'm going to be at that time.)  At any rate, I hope you
enjoy having it.

Neil cont'd -- Ben had a great time last Thursday, too.  It seems he's
getting me caught up on your printed material, while I'm catching him up
on the past couple of years' worth of online happenings.  Among other
books, li'l bro made sure he sent me home with _Preludes..._ through
_Dream Country_, so I suppose it won't be too much longer before I "get
into Sandman."  AG first, though!

Neil cont'd -- My mother was delighted to get her copy of _Coraline_, with
the autograph and the little rat you drew for her.  She's just tickled,
and looking forward to reading the book.  She likes Dave's drawings, too.

Anyway, thanks, to you and the Wellians, for a great time.

God Bless,
Christy

P.S.  In case anyone wondered, I was using what Mimi said was the Japanese
transliteration of "Gaiman."  I _know_ how to spell "Gaiman."
  

    

Ok, it's time for my daily dose of Blog, but it's not there! Has
anyone seen it?  Did it go on vacation without notification?  ;>
  

    
Blog down. Bad Blog. Bad.
Of course, I haven't updated MY journal for two months, so I'm keeping
my complaining down to a minimum. but thank you Neil for pointing out
how to get to it via the archives.

Orangefae- Have I said "welcome" yet? My memory is increasingly
unreliable; with things I've done melding with things I've been meaning
to do so that everything has just turned into "I might have"

Christy - Hello there! If that was "a little time to post" I wonder
what you'll write when you have "ample time"! *grin* 
Yes, Neil does have a knack for inspiring in all sorts of ways. 

I got a call last night from the director of Gravity Hill, to confirm
that we have our editor locked in. I don't know the guys' name, but he
was the editor for The Bourne Identity. I'm not entirely sure how this
is happening, but this pic seems to be attracting some good attention.
So far we've got a good chance of getting Christopher Walken out to do
a short scene in the film (he's given us dates, we just need to raise
the money to pay him) and Tom Waits expressed interest in being
involved, but his assistant told him that he doesn't have time to.
(darn those assistants!)
All this for a no-budget flick that is only 2/3rds done.

Granted, with film, this could all turn to dust *really* easily. But I
can't help but get excited about the possibilities. 
  

    
Mmmm. Christopher Walken. With his scary eyes. And his long long legs.
And his scary hair. Looking with his eyes. Walking on his legs. Mmm.
ahem. Sorry.

Dan, it sounds like things are pulling together nicely. Continued best
wishes on that.

Christy, ahhgh, you just *had* to flaunt it, didn't you? Well, I'm
duly envious of all of you for NYC. 
  

    
Dan... sounds like things are going well for the film!  Just think,
we'll all be able to say "we knew him when..." ::grins and winks:: 
Regarding assistants, do you think bribery with chocolate might help?

Suzanne
(who is use to be joshed about Vegas and who's offer still stand. BTW,
Linda, you never did tell the story behind the guitar picks)
  

    
Christy--Burlap to Cashmere rock live.  Saw them a couple of years ago
here in town.

And, yes, Jackie Chan is a cutie.....sorry, I'm back now.

And to keep this *really* on topic--I have fish!  I finally broke down
and bought Cleo, the goldfish (I'm starting to think she's an
Oranda--I thought she was a fantail, but she's getting, at the age of
2, a lovely red cap) a 10 gallon tank, instead of the 2 (yes, that's 2)
gallon one that she and Othello (God rest his little fishy soul) have
shared for the last 2 years.  And since that 2 gallon was empty, and
poor Cleo all on her own.............

Well, it turned into 2 black moors (because Othello [God rest him] was
a total charmer) and another goldfish who is probably a fantail and a
snail.  They're all in quarantine in the small tank.  I eyeballed the
angel fish ( I *love* angelfish) but decided that because they'll need
a heater in winter, I'll wait until these fry are bigger and can move
in with Herself.  She is about 3-4 inches long in the body, with that
much again for tail.  She's HUGE.  And magnificent, if I do say so
myself.

So I've just played with fish since Wednesday.  Whee!

Squeaks--sorry to hear about mousies.  Hope you have more soon--I miss
'Tello-fishie less now that I have the little buggers to look after. 
It's hard to believe that he & Cleo were only an inch long when I got
them......

Will-How *was* Dave Matthews?

Stagewalker--Yay!  I'm so excited!  I will keep my fingers crossed for
Christopher Walken, and Tom Waits, too (silly old assistant).

Mary (still reading The Sword of the Lictor, and sort of avoiding
finishing, 'cause  I'm enjoying it so much)
  

    
E-mail from Christy Smith:

Dan -- "ample time"?  I don't believe I'm familiar with that concept.  ;)

Since I will most likely NOT be online tomorrow, the actual day, let me be
the first to say:


HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARTHA!!!!!
:-D


(You see, lurking a year behind _does_ have its advantages!  ;)   )

Have a Nice Weekend,
Christy

"Never read much, but she loved to quote" -- Chagall Guevera, "Love Is a
Dead Language"