Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
Actually, the Pratchett newsgroup also stays reasonably nice and
polite. I think it has something to do with the fact the authors, Neil
and Terry actually come to here and there to post as well. We become
more of a cohesive friendly group. 
  

    
<It's gotten to where this [and the Pratchett newsgroup] is the only
place I can come and fairly well depend on people staying nice and
polite.>

Indeed.  This is one of two-count-'em-*two* such places for me, too. 
And have you ever noticed that in most other online groups, if you
express a preference for "nice and polite," people act as if there's
something wrong with YOU?  ...as if valuing civility and respect for
others is some sort of weird anomaly or weakness?  I'm not trying to
rant here; I just don't believe I'm crazy.  (Well, not for that reason,
anyway.  %)    )

I agree that the pleasant atmosphere has something to do with the
authors' presence in the groups.  (Someone mentioned this in an earlier
incarnation of this thread, too, somewhere.)  The one other
messageboard that does me proud is on a band site, and the members of
the band post and read there as well.  (They did it more in the early
days of the board, but we still "see" at least one of them regularly,
as he's the Webmaster.)

I guess that, for one thing, people are more likely to think twice
about making themselves look like idiots if they know that someone they
admire is watching.  For another, the person who's the subject of the
messageboard can do a lot to set the tone.  If they're fairly
intelligent people, possessing grace and a certain amount of kindness,
most of the other posters will be put at ease and follow their example.

Ooh, I'd be curious to know what Terry's like.  I wish he'd post here!

Good luck with the meet-ups!  If my local one ever decides to meet in
Maryland, I might actually sign up.  Virginia's a bit of a trek for a
weeknight.

Glad you'll still be hanging out with us, even if it's by proxy!

On another note, I made myself some cinnamon hot chocolate tonight and
finally read _Cinnamon_.  Nice, and definitely quirky.

Buttons for eyes... pearls for eyes....  Next story, seashells?  Or
did I just give away "Monarch of the Glen"?  <g>
  

    
A bit embarrassed to be posting again, when everyone else is so quiet!
 But I wanted to say that, when I went up to my dad's for our
"Christmas" visit a couple of weeks ago, I got some cool things I had
asked for.  One was an M.C. Escher calendar, which shall hang in my
bedroom and supply me with richly intricate nightmares throughout the
coming year.

The other thing I had asked for and got was:  Flash Girls CDs!  I now
have both <i>Maurice and I</i> and <i>Play Each Morning....</i>.  I
tried to play them on the drive home, but only got through a little
over 4 tracks before the battery ran out.  I did, however, think
"Banshee" was lovely.

Today I'm finally listening to <i>Maurice and I</i>.  Will report
back when I've at least gotten through all the Neil songs.
  

    
We had Terry P. here on Inkwell for a while when one of his books came
out. In fact, when this thread started, we had both Terry and Neil in
one conference and they were both cross-posting to each others threads.
It was great.

I had to laugh at one over in the afp. A girl posted this counted list
of the things she wanted in PTerry's NEXT book. And he comes on and
replies "Do you want fries with that?" She had forgotten he posts
there.

Went back into the Tolkien afp and discovered the guy who is
"instructing" me on netiquette just posted a 5 paragraph lecture to me.
He says it doesn't matter that I've been on the net for a while, it
only matters that I'm new to their afp and this is the way WE do it. We
do it this way, he says, because it doesn't use as much bandwidth to
snip and post a short reply. See the irony? 
Well, I'm only there to talk Tolkien and don't give a flying tookah's
darn about his instructions. I should know better than ever reply to
these domineering idiots who are only there to tell people what to do. 

Ahem. Yes. And a happy valentines day to each and every one of you.
But more importantly, a happy Friday. And, ooh, payday today too! 
  

    
Interesting - I joined the WELL also having seen only this tiny slice of it
from the running conversation with Neil, and while I've certainly gotten
a sense of some conferences where people are rude and arguentative, I've
found a whole bunch where above all it's pretty friendly, with occasional
people having occasional grumpy days here and there.
  

    
Am liking this drum thing at the end of "Driving with Noel"!
  

    
Neil, I adore you.  I cannot stop listening to "Banshee."  "Personal
Thing" is getting quite a few spins as well.  You beautiful, priceless,
brilliant, ever-surprising thing.  I am just so proud of you that I
want to babysit your cats.  Or your amazingly educated gerbils.  Or
something.

OK, so much for the requisite gushing.  (It had to be done.)  But I
intend to ask a few music-related questions when I have more time (if
that's OK), seeing as it's my main field of dabbl--er, interest.

The Dodgy Houstonian -- Thanks for the tip on the inkwell.vue
Pratchett topic.  I'm not sure if I remember seeing his posts in the
back-topics of The Mob (and yes, folks, I am nearly caught up on
those!), but I found the _Thief of Time_ thread this morning, complete
with things like the inimitable Janell's "Possible Valid Reasons To
Have A Koala On Your Head."  Looks like a fun time!

Cute "fries" story.  :D

Smirking at the "bandwidth" irony.

Happy Valentine's Day, Friday-before-a-long-weekend, and hopefully
payday to you all!  Remember that you don't need an S.O. to feel loved.

And do some posting, for cryin' out loud.

God Bless,
Christy
  

    
Oh, that is true of many places on the Well. It's the reason I stayed
a Wellmember for so long and why I may relent and go back anyway. I
found that the day the shuttle went down, it was the first place I
went. So much info. A place to talk to people when you can't find a
friend at home. And so on. But even there, well, there have been some
times this year that were not pleasant. Maybe I'm just feeling a little
frail. 


My son left me a hydrangea on my desk while I was at lunch. He has a
knack for coming up here when I actually TOOK lunch. Aww. Kid points at
work.
  

    
Christy -- you're too kind.  See if you can find THE RETURN OF PANSY
SMITH AND VIOLET JONES.
  

    
And if I can't, I shall be eagerly awaiting THE RETURN OF THE RETURN. 
I hope it happens.
  

    
Hello all. Sorry I've been such a mute yesterday.
Closed Comedy of Errors yesterday, which turned out to be our best
show of the run (finally, after four weeks we found our audience... I
had started to really question what we were doing, but it seems that
there are certain risks you take being the first Shakespeare production
ever in the heart of suberbia.)
My next gig doesn't go into rehearsal for another two weeks, and I'm
blissfully happy for the breather. It's another small role and a very
short rehearsal time (Schmendiman in Picasso at the Lapin Agile), but
it's a paying gig and again, I'm glad for the rest.
  

    
Heya, Christy, and All.

So I've got this Well account now. Today I have no brain to speak of
since Boskone (www.nesfa.org/boskone) was this past weekend and I'm
completely crispy, but hello everyone.

Boston (among many many other East Coast cities) is essentially shut
down by this blizzard today, but my online access is from home so I can
babble away anyhow. I'm hoping you other East Coasties are all home
safely by now? even if that means we won't hear much from you for a day
or so.

Boskone was much less fun for me this year than last. Neil and Mike, I
must say we had better contrast than anyone desired of how some
writers are professionals and gentlemen, and some aren't -- I can't
imagine anyone ever even contemplating dumping a Coke on either of you,
much less doing it for good reason. <sigh> Missed you both.

Dan: I adore Comedy of Errors, but why does Shakespeare in Suburbia
sound like a Stoppard farce to me? (What were the others you did in
that run?) Breathing while you can is good.
  

    
I bought a car!  I bought a car!  I bought a car!

Squeeee!  It's a '93 Geo Prizm, and it's pink (OK mauve) but it's
mine!  All mine!  I can go wherever I want!  *I'm not trapped here any
more!*  I can drive again!

See, I'm Southern.  We don't have "public transportation", and where
we do, we don't use it.  Everything in the South is 30 miles away from
everything else, *and we like it that way*.  We *drive*.  It's what we
do.  I've been driving since I was 13 or 14, 'cause you get your
learner's permit in Mississippi at 14, and my dad was a stickler for
the rules, so I was a late starter.  I *love* to drive, and I love to
go on road trips, so Maure & Tara, get ready.  Wheeeee!

Dan--I saw the original production of "Picasso" in previews, and Steve
Martin was sitting in the back row taking notes.  It was absolutely
hilarious.  Have a good time working on that one!

Davey--Yay! Well account!  Good to see you!  Who all was at Boskone? 
What was the best thing you saw (other than the Coke-dumping incident,
which I desperately want to ask about, but won't  ;-)  )

Christy--isn't Banshee a great song?  I think it's time for me to go
buy some Flash Girls......

Mary (reading Two Years Before the Mast, finally, and chanting, "I
bought a car!  I bought a car!" like a maniac)
  

    
Davey - It was just Comedy of Errors, no other Shakespeare shows in
the run. We had a great opening, got damned by faint praise in the
papers, and then suffered through three weeks of small audiences doing
their impersonation of crickets before closing to a boisterous and
appreciative audience.

Mary - Congrats on the car! That's fabulous!
  

    
I'll bite. Tell us more about the coke throwing incident. You don't
mean that someone actually threw one on our Neil? and someone else.
Whom was the Troll? and why?
  

    
No, no, not on Neil or Mike, that's what I was saying -- they're both
too courteous and too professional to provoke anything of the sort.

And the thrower wasn't any kind of troll. It was Jo Walton. On David
Brin. In the Tor party, Saturday night. For entirely understandable
reasons of him being obnoxiously condescending, yet again. And I'm
really sorry I missed seeing it live. Several of the people who told me
about it, with relish, are Major Editors in the Field; one of them
said his only regret is that his camera was in the other room at the
time. (At which the irrepressible Charles N. Brown of _Locus_, also
listening, asked if anyone thought we might be able to get them to
re-stage the incident so he could have photos for next month's issue
which wasn't quite closed yet...) Jo has posted an account in her
livejournal, which is why I don't think there's any concern about
providing some detail here.

...
So we really did have about two feet of snow land on us yesterday. My
personal measuring scheme is 'how many shovelfuls deep does it take to
clear one shovel's-worth forward', by which this was a 2-3:1 storm. The
down side to having a corner lot is having the twice-as-much sidewalk
that wraps around it, but after we'd finished the paths and sidewalk I
did the last thing I just had to do -- I zipped the hood onto my parka
and pulled it up, scrambled onto the brick wall that bounds our front
yard, and fell off it backwards into the yard to make a fine clean deep
snow angel. Chip had to haul me back out, but it's a beautiful snow
angel.

Mary: Yay car! Yay varoooms and independence!
  

    
Ooo, Mary, yay! And roadtrips? Where are we going?? 

On a sort of related note, I have a horrible horrible case of
wanderlust right now. Mom and my sisters and I have made plans to spend
some time out west (somewhere in Colorado and Las Vegas) in May, but
that's not doing much to assuage the feeling. 

Davey,  I'm jealous of you for the snow. It's warmer here than it was,
but grey, and I was sort of hoping for a big snowfall. Oh well.
  

    

mary, i don't know ya and just started reading this topic (hi everybody,
i'm mag/tif, tiffany, magdalen, whomever)... but i need to say: PINK CAR!
how rad!
  

    
Hi, Magdalen!  Welcome!

Well, it's a "respectable" sort of pink, not like a hot pink ( I could
almost dig that more).

I picked it up tonight, filled it up with gas, and got a parking place
on my block (*somebody's* been sacrificing virgins again).  We're
driving to Wisconsin on Saturday (just to the state line, but do you
know how long it's been since I left Illinois?)  I'm so excited.

Janah is in town on Thursday, an I won passes to a screening of "Gods
and Generals" tomorrow night, so it's a busy week.  Must crash now.

Mary (*finally* finished Minority Report & Other Stories by Philip K.
Dick--Waterspider made me giggle like a girl) 
  

    
Davey -- how odd. What's Jo's Livejournal URL? I'd love to read the
story.

mary -- congratulations on the pinkmobile.

Dan -- I'm often puzzled by the way american readers pay attention to
reviews. In the UK reviewers often seem deeply frustrated by the
audiences' tendency to make up their own mind...

Maure -- it was the way it boiled that got me thinking.

magdalen -- welcome
  

    
Mary - At least it's not that PeptoPink. There has been a weird
resurgence of that sickly-superbright-Pepto pink on vehicles around the
LA area lately that I have been noticing. Personally, I prefer that
soft, salmon-pink... but you'd never catch me wearing it.

Davey - Welcome! Yay! Well accounts! Weird to hear about that at
Boskone. It wasn't at the Framingham Sheraton again, was it? I still
have yet to hear back from them about that hellish bout of
food-poisoning last year.

Maure - Vegas?! Really?! Awesome. Want company? <grins>

Magdalen - Welcome to the odd.

Neil - FU at First Ave. on the 17th? That might be just enough
incentive to jaunt out there. That would be a show that shouldn't be
missed.
  

    
Dan -- Congratulations, and enjoy your breather!

Hi, Davey!  Welcome to the world of independent posting!  (And I've
been pseuded!  Yaaaaaay!  :D     )

I second the request for the Jo Walton link, even though I don't know
who she is.  (I'll take your word for it that DUMPING A COKE ON SOMEONE
wasn't unprofessional in itself.... <g>)

And two-foot-deep snow angels rock.

Mary -- Congratulations on the car!  Cool!

> (OK mauve)

This reminds me of a line from <i>Cheers</i>, but I'll spare you
all.

I'm telecommuting, today and yesterday.  My own car is still
half-buried.

And being on my home laptop, I feel a need for a safety post.
  

    
Magdalen -- Welcome!

Mary, I keep getting "Pink Cadillac" on my mind whenever someone talks
about your car.

The pinkmobile.  Heehee.

(Hey, Maure, should I know what the heck Neil's talking about in his
reply to you?  I think I missed a post somewhere.  Or I have no
attention span... too much multitasking.)

Posting so I don't lose this; probably more later.
  

    
Oh, yeah....

Congrats, Neil, on the Nebula nomination.  Also on the Locus Most
Collectible award; it sounds cool!

I'll second that FAQ-er's disappointment at your not being at the Pgh.
Comicon, but then, I don't know that you're ever at that one.  What's
actually sadder, to me, is your not being at WFC next fall.  It seem's
you're <i>always</i> at that one, but... <i>not the year it's going
to be near me!</i>  gaah.

One of these days, we East-coasters will have to get together and
start bribing Lorraine or something.  <eg>
  

    
seems.  Not seem's.