Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
Oh jesus, Mary.  That's so horrible.

My older sister is a high-school guidance counselor.  She fights to get
kids through tragedies like this, and it leaves such a load on her.  Though
she works in a suburban district where most of the kids survive; still,
there's horror in every district in America, I think.

Be good to yourself, not just to your kids.  I've seen second-hand what a
weight it is.
  

    
I'm sorry.
  

    
Oh Mary, <<<hugs>>>!!!!

I went through my share of tragedies at my high school - at least one
death a year, usually suicide. The whole school falls apart for a bit,
and slowly picks itself back up, but the melancholy lingers. Martha's
right - take care of yourself too!j

And more <<<HUGS>>>
  

    

I'm so sorry, Mary. My thoughts are with you and your students during this
difficult time...
  

    
Thanks, y'all.  I'm better for some sleep and a day away from this
place. (I proctored for the ACT Saturday morning.)

The kids seem better today, too.  No funeral arrangements yet.  I
dread it.

On a lighter note, I'm taking 57 of the little darlings to the Goodman
to see "Finishing the Picture" on Wednesday.  They're enjoying reading
it, and are exited about going, though I suspect it's more about lunch
at McDonald's than anything else.  ;-)

We haven't discussed Arthur Miller's wife (Monroe) or the making of
The Misfits (on which this play is pretty obviously based).  I'm
looking forward to seeing them make connections with this info after we
see the play.

Mary (finishing "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell" this afternoon,  if I
ever get through grading these papers!)
  

    
Maure recently posted the following request on her blog, and since I
know some of you are going to FG, I thought I'd post it here as well.

It's requested that you post answers at alt.fan.neil-gaiman, under the
thread headed 'Maure really needs to know ...', but I think this group
can just post stuff here - I'll fish the answers out for her and pass
them along.

What's it for? Well, something to do with FG programming - though I'm
hazy on specific details. At any rate, it's a silly and neat way to
help out with the convention without putting in much effort.

"So . . . help me out here, guys:

What is a question you have about any aspect of Sandman which you've
never heard asked, but that you wish had been because you long to know
the answer? Anything you want to know.

If you feel like asking the question to friends, family, strangers,
whomever, and writing down the answers (or, questions, rather) and
passing them along to me, I'd consider it a volunteer effort for the
cause, and will be immensely appreciative."

Really, ANYTHING. :)

Thanks"

That is all.
  

    
So. Except for the last line. What was the fruitbat reference for?
  

    
Today is Halloween at our building. They are having a 'Fall Festival'
and a costume thingy. So, we come in costume. I wasn't going to do
anything this year but was looking through my costume chest the other
night for pieces for one of my co-worker's daughters and came across a
witches hat with purple hair attached. Well. That wouldn't take much.
So I came as a witch. Not much of a stretch costume-wise. 

A black dress. Check. Black Shoes. Check. I wear these every day.
Well, the green polish and lipstick is not the usual office wear and,
of course, the hat and spiderweb earings.

A whole lot like Neil deciding to go as, um, a biker. Black boots -
Check. Black jeans - Check. Black t-shirt - check. Black leather jacket
- check. He'd have to wear a black helmet with a skull or German cross
on it to be recognized as a biker but the rest of the costume...

As for Sandman question...
I've always been a little confused about this point. Was it Loki or
Lucifer that burned the babysitter friend in her car? They were drawn a
lot alike and both were in on the kidnapping Daniel deal weren't they?
  

    
Heh, sounds like my costume last year as Langly (the most recognizable
of _The X-Files_'s Lone Gunmen trio).  OK, I did have to find a
hoodie, but other than that it was a bunch of clothes I already had, a
blond wig, and some fake retro glasses.  (I added a touch of dark eye
shadow to the cleft of my chin to make it look deeper, but that was it
in the makeup department.)

Me dressing as a computer geek -- big stretch.  <eg>
  

    

It was Loki. Lucifer wasn't involved in the Daniel kidnapping at all- it was
Loki and Puck.
  

    
Loki means "fire" too, no?
  

    
Thanks. I thought it was but always felt a little confused about that
point. They were drawn so similar.
  

    
Today's _13 Nights_ password has me stumped. 
http://www.foxmoviechannel.com/month/fright_gaiman/index.asp
  

    

I saw <stagewalker>'s play, 411, last night. I would recommend that 
everyone who can go give it a look, but as today's the last day and the 
show starts in an hour, that's probably implausible. I really enjoyed it, 
in any case.
  

    
Yay!
  

    


Jouni writes:



Hi all

Shoggoth's has surfaced... in http://www.neilgaiman.net/just-in.php

Between Neil's brand new CD and Legends II anthology... what a weird/cool
place to be!

;-)

Whoop!!

Jouni(slowly starting to panic about the trip to Fiddler's Green)
  

    
Yay!

(Who did that drawing of Neil on the CD?  I love it!)

You're coming all the way from Finland, Jouni?  Wow!
  

    
(Duh... it's Michael Zulli.  Lovely.)
  

    
I keep hearing theremin music in my head when I see the "frog
levitator" ad. 
http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal/2004/11/neil-gaiman-ipod-special-edition.asp

  

    
Ack!!   I get to meet Jouni, too?  This is so going to rock!

Is Mike Ford still going?  'Cause I'm not going if Mike's not. 
<<pokes out lip.  Pouts.  Reconsiders>>  Well, I wouldn't if Jouni
weren't coming.  So there.

Mary (reading Perdido Street Station)

P.S. I don't think I told y'all what I bought with my educator
discount at Border's--Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Perdido Street,
The Knight by Gene Wolfe, From Hell, Necronomican, and Jimmy Corrigan,
the Smartest Kid on Earth.  It was like the Neil Gaiman reading list
;-)
  

    
I enjoyed Jimmy Corrigan although, I should read it again, because I
was sure I was missing something.  As soon as I finished reading it,
Neil recommended it - I felt pleased with myself that I was ahead of
the curve for once. 
  

    
I got the hotel confirmation in e-mail today.  I guess that means I'm going.
  

    
Well, I'm doing most of my work logged into a firewalled VPN now, so
it's not as easy to do casual surfing.  I do plan, however, to try to
pop in on Wednesday.  (Why?  Oh, no particular reason....)

Got some of my pictures back from the Pittsburgh signing.  The prints
look good, but the electronic versions aren't really clear enough to
show you; they're of Neil's Q&A, and he was standing in front of a
rather dark banner, so he kind of blends in (even with his brand-new
calico patch -- <eg>).  I'm still finishing the roll from the actual
signing part.  I'm hoping there'll be some there that you guys can see.

It has to be said that I was not at all pleased to find myself part of
the ONLY audience all year who did NOT get to hear any _Anansi Boys_
(and practically the only one all decade who did not get a reading of
any kind).  Even D.C. did!  I swear, I must be surrounded by an
Exclusive-Material-Repellent field, or otherwise somehow fated never to
hear a Neil work in progress, ever, no matter how unlikely the odds. 
You guys should be relieved I'm not coming to Fiddler's Green; I'd
probably jinx it!

Other than that, though, my friend Dude and I had fun.  It was such a
cool thing to have Neil right there in, well, _one_ of my hometowns --
the one with almost all my best friends in it, and my first
non-parental home.  It was also very cool to see Neil's car parked a
few feet from mine.  (I looked, but didn't touch.)  Thank you for
coming, Neil.  (And I hope you got at least one of those Costello's
chocolates -- you kinda looked like you needed a sugar boost by the
time I got up there.)

Sorry to have to cram so much into one message.  I'll post a message
from Ben next, and then I'd better log back into firewall-land.

NR:  _Lord of the Rings_

I've started _Fellowship_, which mostly I'm enjoying, but old Tom
Bombadil's rhythms are annoying.
  

    
Ben-Jammin' sez:

Hey Christy,
 
I thought the link below might be something of interest to your
friends at The Well.  Compliments of yours truly, GothamCityArt is
giving away a free piece of original comic book artwork.  I guess it
wouldn't be fair if I said specifically WHY I think this promotion
might be of PARTICULAR interest to fans of Neil Gaiman's many works, so
as Stan Lee might say, "Nuff Said."
 
Excelsior,
 
The Ever Lovin' Ben
 
http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/scoop_article.asp?ai=6686&si=121
  

    
It felt weird for me to be packing 4 days early, but I don't have a
free night available the rest of this week - so I packed last night.  I
even made a run to pick up a couple paperbacks for the trip (I
discovered I had missed a few of Asprin's Phule novels).  So, I believe
I'm ready for Fiddler's Green.

Now if USAirways doesn't screw me over...