I didn’t realize I’d be even more exhausto-mundoed tonight, but I am. Christopher just caught me the first firefly of the year though, so that’s always a good omen. The overnight construction has begun for the evening, and somehow I don’t think it will bother my sleep one bit.
Real posting later. However, we can all share the relief that apparently there will be no creepy “anonymous” Wiscon report this year. (Sharyn’s my hero.)
We are back and the dogs and cat are all intact and happy-fied. I know, though, that what you really want is a garden status report, right? Especially since it didn’t rain at all while we were away. I’m happy to report that both tomato plants have THREE new tomatoes on them and Christopher’s corn is growing in an insane space-vegetable fashion.
In other words: life at Bond-Rowe HQ is intact. If suffering through overnight street construction outside the fortress.
The good thing about flying the Tuesday after Memorial Day? Less businessmen! I suppose they’re all “in-boxing” and “multi-tasking” in their cubicles.
Tomorrow, perhaps a rap-up post and some email answering? Now, a late dinner and some TV.
Miss you guys like mad already. Come visit.
Not so much with the posting from Wiscon, actually. If you’re looking for notes on panels and such, I suggest trolling here and here. Regular service to resume Wednesdayish.
The con has been fabulous as always, though I find I’m in that nice lazy Monday afternoon state of being exhausted on all fronts. I’m hiding away for a couple of hours to nap and work on the novel, and then there will be the usual decompression hang-out with those that are left tonight. Tomorrow home to dogs and cat, happily.
In the meantime, pop over and answer Scott Esposito’s questions about SF and whether (as Michael Dirda says) some literary lions have been writing it of late. I’m guessing you already know my answer.
And yay yay yay to Carolyn “Pinky” Kellogg on her debut review in the LA Times over the weekend. And congratulations to Betsy Bird, who runs one of my most favorite blogs in the universe and who’s been embraced by School Library Journal and will soon migrate her inimitable style to their cyber-shores.
Also see Melissa Moorer (whose write-orial debut with two excellent short stories — in Say… what’s the combination? and Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet — took place this weekend) on Nicola Griffith’s Always. My biggest purchase of the weekend was this absolutely GORGEOUS limited edition of Nicola’s memoir And Now We Are Going to Have a Party, which comes complete with scratch-n-sniff cards and assorted goodies.
We also landed a wonderful Terri Windling piece at the auction (and were gifted with one of the Endicott anniversary prints from the lovely and sweet Terri herself) — which reminds me to point to the 20th anniversary issue of The Journal of Mythic Arts, which just went live and features a bunch of amazing fiction and poetry and miscellaneous stuff, including Karen Joy Fowler’s story “King Rat” that kills me, absolutely kills me, every time I read it.
Anything else? Nah, I think that’s it for now.
And the evening’s crowd pleaser from dynamic bromantic duo Christopher Rowe and Richard Butner was “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”:
Why yes, that is Ellen Kushner and Haddayr Copley-Woods shaking their booties in the background. And who could have their hands in the air but karaoke master of ceremonies Chris Barzak?
That’s right. No one.
Dear cell phone-wielding business man: You are not important. STOP TALKING.
This is my message to all the people in airports everywhere.
But we made it, lalala, and although we missed the Room of One’s Own Reading yet again, we got in some quality Governor’s Club time with the likes of the one and only Karen Fowler, Ellen Klages, Kelley Eskridge and Nicola Griffith, Doselle and Janine Young, Jeremy Lassen, Susan Groppi and Matt Withers… The latter of whom whisked us off to a party across town, where we saw tons of other peeps like Ted Chiang and the wondrous Marcia Glover, Dave Schwartz, Karen Meisner, Haddayr Copley-Wood, Steph Burgis and Patrick Samphire, the late-breaking Meghan McCarron and Liz Gorinsky — geez, I’m starting to feel like a jerk. EVERYONE IS HERE.* Why aren’t you?
Then our cab driver totally backed into a car, got out and eyeballed the dent and drove off.
Ah, Madison in spring.
xox
G
p.s. Topics discussed included: feeling betrayed by the turn of a character in fiction, publicists, the history of bananas, filking, present tense, making cosmopolitans for one’s parents, the last season of Gilmore Girls, crying, infiltration of certain subcultures, cannons and canons
*And we haven’t even seen Chris Barzak yet! Or Kelly and Gavin, for that matter!
Wednesday Hangovers Read More »
At age 30:
Mark Twain published his first short story, “Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog.”
Danish novelist Hans Christian Andersen published his book of fairy tales.
Nat Turner led a slave rebellion.
U.S. mariner Moses Rogers made the first ocean steamboat voyage.
Donald Trump persuaded bankers to lend him $80 million so he could buy the Commodore Hotel.
Samuel Morse’s assistant, Alfred Lewis Vail, devised Morse code.
Physicist Armand H. L. Fizeau measured the speed of light.
Dr. Narinder Kapany invented fiber optics and designed a glass gastroscope which can be snaked down the throat for a detailed view of the stomach.
Hank Williams overdosed on drugs and alcohol.
Bill Gates was the first person ever to become a billionaire by age 30.
Earl Vickers started the Dollar Project, in which dollar bills were rubber-stamped as being lost, with a reward offered for their safe return.
Susan Smith figured out where all the plain wire hangers come from. It took her a long time because she never goes to the dry cleaners.
(Via Kameron.)
An Unproductive Game Read More »
Last time ever. (And it would probably be better if whether Logan or Veronica turned out to be the bomb was at issue…
Save the girl detective, save the world.)
I somehow managed to bang out very much a first draft of 18 pages of the next book, Cass & Bach, and get it mailed off priority for my next residency’s workshop submission (due in the office there on Friday). Whew.
And we dropped off the lovely and excellent new issue of Say… (Say… what’s the combination?) at the print shop this morning too, and will get it back tomorrow night. The cover is, once again, by the miraculous MAS, who did the last one, but the production values are a return to our old-school roots — it looks great, but I just want you to be prepared for saddle-stitching and cream card-stock cover with black print. (Our cheapie perfect binding, color cover printer went belly up last year.) Anyway, it is definitely the best issue ever, so yay! I’ll post a TOC directly and subscriber/contributor copies will go out when we get back from Madison. Tonight I’ll work up the mix CDs for the contributors, who were oh so patient with our many delays on this one.
Alas, Carmen’s is no longer Carmen’s and I don’t think there’s time to get the teeny rose sewn on the neckline of the pink tulle number, so I’m deciding on a plan B. Or I might bring it and a sewing kit along and try to find someone to do it — my grandmother’s done the exact repair so I don’t think it’s hard.
Not for the first time, I need a fairy godmother.
