Mark L. Van Name's Blog, page 133

Chef: My favorite movie of the year so far

As you can tell from this entry's title, I fell head-over-heels in love with this Jon Favreau film.   I'm not alone in liking it--check out what Rottentomatoes says about it--but I am probably unusual in the degree of my enthusiasm for it.  The movie simply hit me perfectly.  Though I knew within five minutes exactly how the plot would go, I didn't care; I loved the ride.  The construction was flawless, the restaurant bits spot-on, and the sentimentality just right, at least for me. 

I also left the theater ravenous for a Cubano sandwich.

At the film's end--do stay for all the credits--a good third of the audience clapped.  I was among them.

I don't want to tell you more about this one, because you should get to enjoy every moment of it without any spoilers. 

Go see Chef if you possibly can.

A word to the X-Men anonymous commenter

Please drop me a note via the form on my

X-Men: Days of Future Past

I can't even remotely pretend to be unbiased about this movie.  The first comic-book series I truly and deeply loved was The X-Men.  The first issue of a comic book that I mail-ordered from an ad in the back of a comic was issue 3 of The X-Men.  As an alienated kid who fancied himself special, this Stan Lee & Jack Kirby comic hit me perfectly.  To this day, I have a soft spot for this superhero team in all its many variations.

I loved the first X-Men movie, because I finally got to see this team on the big screen, and I've liked all the others, even the Wolverine films and the admittedly weak third X-Men entry.  I'm a soft touch for the mutant flicks.

All of which is by way of making it clear that you probably can't trust me when I tell you to make sure you do not miss X-Men:  Days of Future Past, which I greatly enjoyed.  The time-travel mechanics are more than a little convenient, and it takes almost no time for Wolverine to convince Beast and the professor that he (Wolverine) has come from the future, and I could list many more problems with the movie's construction, but I don't care; it worked for me.

Fortunately, with this film you do not have to trust just my opinion.  Over at Rottentomatoes, as I write these words the critics are 92% positive and the audience 95% positive. 

Whether you trust me or prefer to rely on them, you should go see this movie. 

Travel and work, work and travel

A day that starts at The Inn At Little Washington and includes a wonderful lunch from them is hard to complain about, so I won't.  I will, though, note that the rest of the day went to driving and work, lots and lots of work. 

I'm home now but beat, so this is all I have to offer.  Sorry about that.

Tomorrow, normal work life resumes!

On the road again: Balticon, day 4

Today, I drove away from the con and into the wilds of Virgina, all the way to The Inn At Little Washington.  Chef/Proprietor Patrick O'Connell has relentlessly pursued his singular vision here, and the result is a wonderful experience in a delightful setting with fantastic food.  As with each year's trip here, dinner was at one of the two tables in the kitchen and featured a lovely tasting menu. 

If I were richer than I will ever be, this is one of the places to which I'd love to retreat for a month to finish a novel in a quiet setting that would lend itself well to writing and walking. 

Tomorrow, I head home. 

On the road again: Balticon, day 3

My day began entirely too early with a 10:00 a.m. panel that assembled all the attending Compton Crook Award winners:  Michael Flynn, Maria V. Snyder, Myke Cole, Chuck Gannon, and me.  Moderator Jonette Butler asked about our experiences with the award, and then we fielded questions from the small but very attentive audience. 

I had a short break to work on my show before I had to head out to moderate the ninety-minute Liars' Panel.  With fellow panelists Chuck Gannon, Gail Z. Martin, and Jo Walton, we answered questions--sometimes truthfully, sometimes not--entertained the audience, and raised almost three hundred bucks to buy books for kids who could not otherwise afford them.

Less than half an hour after leaving that room, I was on stage performing my new stand-up show, Mr. Poor Choices II:  I Don't Understand.  A mix of new and old material, all in a new framework and at a better pace, I think this was the best show I've done.  The audience of 150 to 200 people all laughed when they should and seemed to have a good time.

I am now, though, wrung out, so I'm calling it a day.

On the road again: Balticon, day 2

With con activities, work, and preparation for the new comedy show making me insanely busy, I'm going to keep these con posts short. 

I worked in the morning to prepare for the Baen Traveling Show, then led that discussion and slide show.  Fans packed the large room, we gave out tons of swag, other attending Baen authors--Chuck Gannon, Steve White, and Iver Cooper--spoke, cover designer Jennie Faries shared her perspective with the crowd, and everyone had a good time. 

I spent the next few hours grabbing lunch at a local pizza joint, checking out the dealers' room and the art show, and working on tomorrow's comedy show. 

Next up was a panel, "Titles Without Stories," in which three other writers and I made up plots to go with titles that audience members tossed at us.  The room was small, hot, and crowded, and though I didn't do as well as I would have liked, I think everyone present enjoyed themselves. 

After that, I worked more, with a lot of my energy going to the show tomorrow.  I'm still trying to decide just what mix of new and old material to feature, because I definitely have too much in my draft set list.  I'll probably decide at the very last minute. 

I spent the evening at Kyle's eating tasty Indian food, watching a ridiculous movie (I, Frankenstein), and enjoying what proved to be a very good card of UFC fights.  The final fight, a bantamweight championship bout between champ Renan Barao and challenger T.J. Dillashaw, was amazing.  Dillashaw entered the octagon a 6:1 underdog, but he dominated and ultimately finished Barao in a finish that no fight analyst predicted. 

More work on the comedy show followed.

Here's hoping I don't bomb on stage tomorrow!

On the road again: Balticon, day 1

The con began in earnest today, and with it, my responsibilities here.  I spent most of the normal business day working, though part of the time went to finalizing the agenda for the con's Opening Ceremonies, at which I was the MC.

It's always difficult to judge one's own performance, but as best I can tell, the OC went well, the audience had a good time, we hit all our goals, and we ended on time. 

One of my jobs as MC is to introduce all the guests, including the previous year's Compton Crook Award winner--in this case, Myke Cole.  That person then introduces this year's winner of the award (Chuck Gannon).  I particularly enjoyed doing that tonight, because I remember with fondness winning that award at the 2008 Balticon. 

Dinner was a delicious meal at a local restaurant I quite enjoy, Woodberry Kitchen. 

Tomorrow, my panels begin. 

The day after tomorrow, I have to premiere my new comedy show, and I'm still not ready for it.  Yikes!

On the road again: Balticon, day 0And, what I'm doing at Balticon this weekend

The drive to the con hotel started this morning at 9:00 a.m. sharp.  The longest it typically takes is 6.5 hours.

Today, it lasted over 9.5 hours.  I've made this trip many times, and this is by far the longest drive it's ever been. 

The vast majority of the additional time went to sitting and crawling in horrible D.C.-area traffic.  It was intense and unpleasant, a constant battle to avoid other vehicles as accidents and road construction kept stealing our lanes.

I'm very glad to be here safely.

The con starts tomorrow.  I'm going to be a busy guy this weekend.  If you're coming to the con, you can catch me at any or all of the following events.

Friday, May 23:

8:00 p.m. - Master of Ceremonies for the Opening Ceremonies, Valley Ballroom

For the third time in a row, I'll be running the con's Opening Ceremonies.  It's always an honor to do this gig, and it's also a lot of fun, because I get to meet all the guests, talk to a crowd of folks eager to get their con on, and even sometimes tell some of the worst jokes in the world.

Saturday, May 24:

12:00 p.m. - Baen Traveling Show, moderator, Garden Room

Baen Publisher Toni Weisskopf won't be at this con, so I'm filling in for her in one of the events I always enjoy:  a presentation of Baen's upcoming titles and the art for their covers.  Toni lets me show both the covers of those books and the original art for those covers, so at this panel you can see things few publishers typically review. 

4:00 p.m. - Titles Looking for Stories, panelist, Salon B

The audience will toss out titles.  The panelists will make up stories to go with the titles.  The audience will vote on the winner.  Come vote for me!  Expect to laugh.

Sunday, May 25:

10:00 a.m. - A Cheat of Crooks, panelist, Parlor 1041

Balticon is gathering on this panel all the attending writers who have won the Compton Crook Award for best first SF or fantasy novel.  I was fortunate enough to win the award some years ago, so I get to join the group.  I don't know the con's plans, but I wouldn't be surprised if jello was involved. 

Or not.  You never know.  The Balticon folks are sneaky when it comes to jello.

Noon – Liars’ Panel, moderator, Garden Room

Come listen to answers to outrageous questions.  Four writers--Charles E. Gannon, Gail Z. Martin, Jo Walton, and I--will do our best to entertain you.  Most of our answers will be true, but some will be lies.  Each member of the audience who wants to say an answer is a lie must hold up a dollar.  If they are right, the panelist must put ten dollars in a bucket.  If they are wrong and the answer is true, each audience member who challenged the answer must put a dollar in the bucket.  All the proceeds go to Balticon's charity to buy books for kids.  This panel has traditionally been fun and a big hit, and I expect no less from this year's version.

2:00 p.m. - Mr. Poor Choices II:  I Don’t Understand, stand-up comedy show, Valley Ballroom

Feel like laughing?  This will be the place to be.  Heck, you can laugh at the Liars' Panel and then come laugh some more at this show.  With some old material and some new, I should be able to entertain everyone.

Or I can stand alone on a stage in front of a huge empty room, tears slowly crawling down my cheeks. 

It's up to you.

3:00 p.m. - Reading (with Hildy Silverman and Jeffrey Lyman), Pimlico

I have no idea what I'll read, but I'm pretty sure you won't have ever read it before.  Drop by and check it out.


Finally, I'll be around the con, going to events, checking out the Dealers' Room and the Art Show, and so on.  If you see me, come up and say hi. 

My recipe for making your hotel room into a chilly swamp

I suppose I should first address the question many of you will have:  Why would one want one's hotel room to be a chilly swamp?

Chilly is desirable because it's best for sleeping.  When it comes to sleeping, very little beats snuggling under covers in a chilly room.

The swamp is important for the humidity.  I live in North Carolina, so humidity is a regular companion.  My sinuses are accustomed to humid weather.  A dry hotel room annoys them; a moist one soothes them.

I highly recommend the chilly swamp sleeping method.

Fortunately, the recipe is simple:
When you hit the hotel room, set up your portable humidifier.  (What?  You don't have one.  Get one.  They're cheap.  I like this one, but any will do.)  Run it all day. While you're out and about, chill your room to 60 degrees (Fahrenheit, of course).When you return, turn off the AC.Keep the portable humidifier going.Right before bed, set the thermostat to 68 and turn on the AC.Keep the portable humidifier running.
You will then experience the joys of sleeping in the chilly swamp.

You can thank me later.