Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
Haven't thought about Sweeper in a coon's age. Nice hack, that.
  

    
Ha; I was in that tactile dome pileup, too. 

I joined the WELL in November of '88. I'd been reading about it in
Whole Earth Software Review before that, but I was commuting four
hours a day to and from a job doing user interface design for
LEXIS/NEXIS, and the last thing I wanted to do when I got home was
stare at another computer screen. 

My feeling once I joined and started reading was "I've found my
people." It took a while to work up the courage to post, and when I
finally did, I woke up in the middle of the night worried that I'd
responded to a long-dead topic, so I got up and scribbled. 

My first f2f must have been a WOP at Gate 5 Road. It was
overwhelming and exhilarating. I never missed one, if I could help
it, after that. Can't tell you who I met first, because all those
parties have blended together in my addled brain. 
  

    
The farthest flung place where I met a WELL member was probably Prague. 
I'm pretty sure I must have met someone in Israel at some point, but can't 
place the meeting. But I do remember the hospitality extended by <antenna> 
when I was wandering eastern and central europe back in '96. He not only 
provided internet access and lots of local info, but had me home to meet 
his wife and kids and swap stories. A great time was had by all.
  

    
When I signed on, in 1990, I could barely type.  So I logged on, and 
immediately began getting sends from <onezie> and <boone>, and they came 
so fast, I couldn't keep up with the conversation.  I felt so slow and 
stupid.  I'm still second only to <jrc> with the typos, but at least I can 
keep up now.
  

    
Pie party at <people> house
  

    
I met somebody in London in 1995, and I think I stayed with them for 2 
days.  I don't remember their login, but I went to her boyfriend's rugby 
match, and we ate chips somewhere, and ... that's about it.
  

    
I joined, briefly, in the early 90s, but it didn't take. My real Well
life started 18 years ago, in 1997. 

I've always been far away (Houston), so until VERY recently I had
never actually met another Well person in the flesh. Then I met
Richard Kadrey at one of his readings, which was cool. And then Linda
found me on a cruise ship in February of this year, which was wacky
and delightful.

I wouldn't take anything for this place. What (jet) said on Twitter
last night is so true: most people have never heard of it, but without
it much of the net would be much different.
  

    
Still in Houston? Like Sci Fi books? We've a SFBC club meets inner
loop the last Thursday each month. 
  

    

the former <sumarcus> offered me a place to stay when I was going
to Philadelphia soon after I joined the well. my notw friends made
the usual WHAT IF SHE'S AN AXE MURDERER noises. (what do you think?
<https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgans/142591392/in/set-72057594128734019>)

since then, I've met <brady> for the first time in Paris, got shown around
Catania by <masonskids>, had lunch with <wendyg> in London, and ate cod
guts in Tokyo with <thelobster>. plus all the west coast, east coast, and
north coast wellians I've met along the way who have changed my life for the
better.
  

    
I was in LA for an appearance on the History Channel. Naturally, I
had run to the WELL to ask for advice about appearing on TV, and the
one thing people consistently said was to make sure I wore makeup.
Even though I don't wear it in regular life, I would look washed out
on TV without it, I was warned. But of course, the show would do
that for me.

The night before the filming, I learned that no, they didn't do
makeup for me. They expected me to come "camera ready."

Jeepers creepers! I was in LA, alone, no rental car, no nothing. I
didn't even own any makeup, much less know how to apply it, much
less know what kind of makeup was appropriate for TV. I ran to the
WELL asking for advice.

The former <nitpicker>, who lived in LA, drove to my hotel, picked
me up, drove me to a nearby mall where I could get a "free"
makeover, took a picture of me all dolled up and posted it on the
WELL for me. And got me back to the hotel in time for the producers
to whiz me off for filming.

The show itself was pretty crappy -- I had no idea how poor the
quality of a lot of the stuff on the History Channel is -- but I
looked great!
  

    
That's still an amazing story.

Last night I managed to ask <kayo> who it was that we met up with in
Paris that time. It was <tnt-tokyo>!
  

    
That is a great WELL story!
  

    
This is a little off-topic, but I wanted to share it here because it
is a testament to the power of the discourse and the strength of the
relationships available here in The WELL.

I sent this note to Howard Rheingold this evening, after having seen
him at the WELL party last night.

> In 1990, when I was in the throes of being heartbroken, you
> referred to [the heartbreaker's] actions as “unconscious.” That
> put me on the path of figuring out that I was a character in
> her ongoing drama; she had played that same scenario with other
> men before me and would likely continue to do so. That, and a
> couple of other events, put me on the path toward therapy,
> untying the knots in my psyche, and becoming a more whole
> person. I had to go through all of that to become worthy of
> the likes of Rita, and you kickstarted that process with that
> one word.

I can't begin to count the benefits I've gotten from this community
over the last 29+ years, but that one moment is one of the most
important of them.
  

    
That's wonderful.
  

    

I love it.
  

    
That's a great story.
  

    
Truly.
  

    
(dodge1234, I am, and livein Montrose. Shoot me an email at
Chet@nogators.com.)
  

    
Done.
  

    
So (chet) how is Montrose these days?  Do you know if Texas Art
Supply and The Record Exchange are still there?  And is Whataburger
still decent?
  

    
Aha. Now will send you the email to proper addy. Just after I sent
that one I realized I sent it to the Well one and then I ran out of
mins.
  

    
In the 1990s -- can't remember the precise date -- I traveled a mere
four blocks to meet Howard Rheingold ... in Amsterdam.  

We strolled the town (he in his Van Gogh shoes) and went to a dance
-- already the "old guys" -- at which we were the only individuals
dancing. 

But with no weed in sight, and no prospects of it, we finally bid
each other a fond goodnight and headed back to our respective canal
hotels. 

Very romantic.
  

    
Oilers1972
Texas Art Supply Still There
Whataburger still decent and one of only 3 places open all night.
Haven't seen Record Exchange 
Rockin Robin still there.
Around Montrose clusters Jack in Box, Burger King, McDonalds and
Papa Johns Pizza. And a Pizza Hut with Wings. 
Close to Whataburger, A James Coney, Jasons Deli. 

Buncha restaurants that come and go.
 Scifi Book Club meets at Theos close to Montrose. 
General Joes.

Codys long gone. Tore down the building and are putting up another
pretty similar. 

Half Price Books moved to Montrose/Westheimer corner. Old house on
Waugh it was in replaced by condos.

Wendys long gone. Pizza Hut n Wings still there. Hunans still there.
Resale and antique shops shuffled round. Flashback gone. Love Street
painted over and can barely be identified unless you KNEW where it
was.

Down close to the library that British kinda place still there I
can't recall the name of, with its giant chessgame out front and the
red bobby callbox. 
  

    

Corfu to visit <vasilios>