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AggieCon and other tidbits of concern
I fought the garden, and the wind won... I keep trying to get out there to hit some impressive weeds with roundup, but we've had a steady south wind for ten days! At this rate, I will be arm-wrestling this stuff.
Little energy, although I had enough to finish the taxes, file away the 2004 receipts, and contemplate the 2005 ones. Not moving fast enough on my sister's stuff for the anniversary event (scrap-booking, good heavens) but I hope to correct that this weekend--as well as start the necklace for Danielle's birthday. Maybe finish the necklace if I get inspired.
We have friends trying to lure us onto the road to drive to Dallas to go to a very expensive restaurant (Fogo de Chao) and then go to Scarborough Faire the next day. We did Fogo two months ago (which although very tasty was not as good as it could have been for me--the meat was saltier than I can currently handle) so other than doing it with friends, I'd just as soon stay home tomorrow.
AggieCon was nice, saw many folks I hadn't for a while, bought too many books, the last batch for a while (must read what I have!) and visited with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
rachelcaine, Elizabeth Moon and marthawells a bit--still didn't get a meal with them, but good to visit briefly. Saw hoosier_red for literally 15 seconds, I think, but she was having terrible trouble with the front that blew in--sinus. Was in her room half the convention. (The front was a bitch, my shoulder and hands screamed until late Saturday evening.) Saw more of Tom Knowles and Teresa Patterson, and visited a bit with Joe Lansdale--finally bought two of his books, he's been doing more movie scripts than books lately, but seems happy with what he's writing. His daughter is going to Italy this summer to record a CD--she's a fledgling country-western singer, and apparently pretty good! Wow, the courage some of these kids have! And, joined a small lunch group with Michael and Linda Moorcock (rarefied air...) Michael turned out to be charming in person, and Linda interesting and funny. Was not able to make it to the panel in Andre Norton's honor (the LBb and food problems finally caught up with me) but now know what I want to write for my journal about her, so progress is being made.
Tom Knowles wrote THEY RODE FOR THE LONE STAR and did the two Wild West! anthologies that have his and Joe Lansdale's name on them--he had a run-in with a brown recluse last year, and nearly died of systemic poisoning--no sign of the bite or an entry wound of any kind. We've decided we need to write a book about living with weird diseases, and call it "Waiting for the SuperPowers to Kick In..." I suggested he consider a few detoxes like Dandelion Weed and Milk Thistle, and sent him a list of things to investigate. They'd been thinking in that direction already, but hadn't decided on anything yet. Apparently the recluse stuff goes to the liver and gall bladder, so the aforementioned herbs suggested themselves. Teresa is also going through some challenging times, but is handling them with her usual creativity. There are times when I think that Teresa is the Toughest person I know. She's the only person I know with a magic 1985 van--498,000 miles on the same engine. I suggested a letter to the manufacturer might be in order.
The panels were good--did a Writing YA panel with Rie Sheridan and Ardath Mayhar that drifted off into contracts with the audience's good will and interest. Also did a late night sex panel with Rachel Caine, Jayme Blaschke and Mark Worrell that was surprisingly serious about things, discussing cultural taboos and designing aliens with believable sex mores, with the occasional double entendre or pun tossed in (I accused Rachel's husband Cat, who was in the audience, of wanting more alien sex--a la the snakes in DREAMSNAKE.) Mark swore he had no idea what he was doing on the panel, but would sit rapt for five or ten minutes and then say something that broke everyone up. We kept it clean, and had a lot of fun and also good thoughts. I suggested that the most interesting aliens (we were talking about vampires, I think) may be the ones who study humans like a child with its face pressed against the glass of a candy store. There's the desire to experience what they experience--as in the vampires who do not have emotions, but are fascinated by such feelings. (I don't usually remember what I say, but Mark was struck by that image and repeated it later, so you get to hear it, too.)
Finished with a small panel (against the masquerade and a huge gaming event) with Ardath on Historical fantasy. The small audience was appreciative. Got to attend two presentations by local experts--a Tolkien scholar, who talked on why Tolkien and CS Lewis needed each other, and a PhD candidate/librarian who spoke on contemporary vampire images and the periodic re-vamping of the Vamp, if you will. I think she'd like to do her English PhD on the topic, but since the Tolkien scholar can't talk Texas A&M into a class on Tolkien and Lewis, she sees little hope for a PhD on Vampires in literature and popular fiction. Both scholar and candidate had good audiences, and I think felt appreciated.
I didn't get to see the SF and Fantasy Research Collection at Cushing Memorial Library, but did meet Hal W. Hall, the curator, who was charming and informative. I hope to see the collection another trip, and see a possible home for earlier manuscripts someday! I also think W should give them his Analog collection, if they don't already have one... %^)
Since returning I have been smooshing RMT clients, doing web client work, and reading ACROSS THE NIGHTINGALE FLOOR before sending it to my nephew for his birthday. Very good writing, story and characterization--there are two more in the series, and if they're this good, they're very good, indeed.
Little energy, although I had enough to finish the taxes, file away the 2004 receipts, and contemplate the 2005 ones. Not moving fast enough on my sister's stuff for the anniversary event (scrap-booking, good heavens) but I hope to correct that this weekend--as well as start the necklace for Danielle's birthday. Maybe finish the necklace if I get inspired.
We have friends trying to lure us onto the road to drive to Dallas to go to a very expensive restaurant (Fogo de Chao) and then go to Scarborough Faire the next day. We did Fogo two months ago (which although very tasty was not as good as it could have been for me--the meat was saltier than I can currently handle) so other than doing it with friends, I'd just as soon stay home tomorrow.
AggieCon was nice, saw many folks I hadn't for a while, bought too many books, the last batch for a while (must read what I have!) and visited with
rachelcaine, Elizabeth Moon and marthawells a bit--still didn't get a meal with them, but good to visit briefly. Saw hoosier_red for literally 15 seconds, I think, but she was having terrible trouble with the front that blew in--sinus. Was in her room half the convention. (The front was a bitch, my shoulder and hands screamed until late Saturday evening.) Saw more of Tom Knowles and Teresa Patterson, and visited a bit with Joe Lansdale--finally bought two of his books, he's been doing more movie scripts than books lately, but seems happy with what he's writing. His daughter is going to Italy this summer to record a CD--she's a fledgling country-western singer, and apparently pretty good! Wow, the courage some of these kids have! And, joined a small lunch group with Michael and Linda Moorcock (rarefied air...) Michael turned out to be charming in person, and Linda interesting and funny. Was not able to make it to the panel in Andre Norton's honor (the LBb and food problems finally caught up with me) but now know what I want to write for my journal about her, so progress is being made.Tom Knowles wrote THEY RODE FOR THE LONE STAR and did the two Wild West! anthologies that have his and Joe Lansdale's name on them--he had a run-in with a brown recluse last year, and nearly died of systemic poisoning--no sign of the bite or an entry wound of any kind. We've decided we need to write a book about living with weird diseases, and call it "Waiting for the SuperPowers to Kick In..." I suggested he consider a few detoxes like Dandelion Weed and Milk Thistle, and sent him a list of things to investigate. They'd been thinking in that direction already, but hadn't decided on anything yet. Apparently the recluse stuff goes to the liver and gall bladder, so the aforementioned herbs suggested themselves. Teresa is also going through some challenging times, but is handling them with her usual creativity. There are times when I think that Teresa is the Toughest person I know. She's the only person I know with a magic 1985 van--498,000 miles on the same engine. I suggested a letter to the manufacturer might be in order.
The panels were good--did a Writing YA panel with Rie Sheridan and Ardath Mayhar that drifted off into contracts with the audience's good will and interest. Also did a late night sex panel with Rachel Caine, Jayme Blaschke and Mark Worrell that was surprisingly serious about things, discussing cultural taboos and designing aliens with believable sex mores, with the occasional double entendre or pun tossed in (I accused Rachel's husband Cat, who was in the audience, of wanting more alien sex--a la the snakes in DREAMSNAKE.) Mark swore he had no idea what he was doing on the panel, but would sit rapt for five or ten minutes and then say something that broke everyone up. We kept it clean, and had a lot of fun and also good thoughts. I suggested that the most interesting aliens (we were talking about vampires, I think) may be the ones who study humans like a child with its face pressed against the glass of a candy store. There's the desire to experience what they experience--as in the vampires who do not have emotions, but are fascinated by such feelings. (I don't usually remember what I say, but Mark was struck by that image and repeated it later, so you get to hear it, too.)
Finished with a small panel (against the masquerade and a huge gaming event) with Ardath on Historical fantasy. The small audience was appreciative. Got to attend two presentations by local experts--a Tolkien scholar, who talked on why Tolkien and CS Lewis needed each other, and a PhD candidate/librarian who spoke on contemporary vampire images and the periodic re-vamping of the Vamp, if you will. I think she'd like to do her English PhD on the topic, but since the Tolkien scholar can't talk Texas A&M into a class on Tolkien and Lewis, she sees little hope for a PhD on Vampires in literature and popular fiction. Both scholar and candidate had good audiences, and I think felt appreciated.
I didn't get to see the SF and Fantasy Research Collection at Cushing Memorial Library, but did meet Hal W. Hall, the curator, who was charming and informative. I hope to see the collection another trip, and see a possible home for earlier manuscripts someday! I also think W should give them his Analog collection, if they don't already have one... %^)
Since returning I have been smooshing RMT clients, doing web client work, and reading ACROSS THE NIGHTINGALE FLOOR before sending it to my nephew for his birthday. Very good writing, story and characterization--there are two more in the series, and if they're this good, they're very good, indeed.
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