Yvette Keller's Blog, page 6

Twickenham with the Baldwin Family

Twickenham was my final stop, on the day before I left, the last time I visited the UK. I didn’t get to do much more than see where my friend Brent lived, meet his family, and peek at enough of the town that I would, years later, exclaim to my husband, “I’ve been there!” while watching Ted Lasso.

This time, it was my first destination.

The welcome was warm even if the weather was chillier than I’m used to. Also welcoming and warm was the homemade Ruby Chicken, rice, and naan. In truth, ...

Travel Observations

Post-pandemic travel observations so far, traveling while masked and with noise-canceling headphones:

1. If you’re up before the Sun, Don’t Panic, and know where your towel is.

2. I love SBA. Not only is it unusual in being one of the prettiest airports in the world, but security is easier in small airports, early in the morning, when wearing a Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy T-shirt and having the TSA officer say, “I like your shirt“. The perfect start to my day!

SBA

3...

Finnemore Fridays: Cutest Beagle Ever!

I met a really friendly beagle at LAX. Adorable little guy ran right up to me and wiggled and sniffed, and wanted pets. I’m so used to dogs and and cats coming to me for attention I thought nothing of it. I’ve never used or posessed drugs. I was totally okay and he had the softest little ears!!

“Yvette,” said Mark. “Yvette, stop.”

“Ma’am, do you have fresh fruits or vegetables in your bag?” asked the customs officer.

Ooops. I’d packed some fruit to eat on the plane. You cannot bring fruit into ...

Packing Day!

I made a video of what packing day looks like:

Look! The room is all empty again and ready for guests (6 hours to sleep).

The post Packing Day! appeared first on Yvette Keller.

Excitement and Adventure and Really Wild Things Part One

It is springtime, the perfect time for Zaphod’s proverbial, “excitement and adventure and really wild things.” Douglas Adams fans are most active in celebrating their fandom from Douglas’s birthday, March 11, through Towel Day May 25. Adams fans vote for their Towel Day Ambassador and celebrate the works and author they love.

This year we will get an extra day because in honor of what would have been Douglas Adams’s 70th Birthday, Save The Rhino has announced an in-person Douglas Adams Mem...

April 2nd is a 1st Saturday SB Improv Short-Form Show

Our March cast for the SB Improv short-form show was an intimate crew of five. This week, I’m back in a larger cast for SB Improv’s April First Saturday Short Form Sketch Show at the Parish Hall of the Santa Barbara Unitarian Church, 1535 Santa Barbara Street.

The March 2022 SB Improv Short Form Show Cast: Bekah, Sarah, Alan, Harvey & Yvette

I’ve been having a great time improvising with friends, and this week Mark is going to get up on stage with us for the first time!

If you wa...

My Improbability Drive

This week I am taking inspiration from Douglas Adams and building my improbability drive.

According to his biographies, Adams generated a beloved alternate universe, creating it out of his ideas, with all the skills he’d honed and developed for many years. Then he took a crucial step toward creating the classic franchise we know and still love: He demanded the support and hard work of other talented people. He trusted contributors to support his discerning concept of what the Hitchhiker uni...

Forty-Two Beta Readers

Forty-Two beta readers finished reading Forty-Two Places last Friday.

I love this chapter, it makes me want to go there.

And so the next revision begins. I like to start with compiling the AWESOME comments for a few reasons. First, the praise reinforces why I’m doing all this work in the first place. Second, positive comments are less likely to require large amounts of revision work. It makes the editing seem less daunting. Here’s a few of my favorite positive comments so far...

Birthdayversaries

March is full of Douglas Adams and Hitchhiker-related birthdayversaries. March 8 was the anniversary of the first radio broadcast (the birth) of the Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy. In March of 1981 NPR finally broadcast it in the US. 

Wish You Were Here, Douglas Adams

March 11 is the birthdayversary of Douglas Adams. I celebrate along with his many millions of fans all around this mostly harmless planet with a fervent wish that he was still here. In honor of what would have been Adams’...

Finnemore Fridays: Happy Spring!

Okay, fine, there’s a week or so left…but it feels like spring to me. So HAPPY SPRING (early)! I have two little gifts for you. Three, if you count this photo:

A picture of daffodils I do not remember taking, so I cannot tell you where it was taken.

First, if you are in Santa Barbara, you can see me on stage tomorrow, Saturday, March 5th, in the Santa Barbara Improv Short Form Show. Buy Tickets Here. You’re Welcome!

The second gift is one I associate more specifically with having ...