Mark L. Van Name's Blog, page 190
November 7, 2012
A fan boy dream coming ever closer to reality
Check out the cover of this 2013 Baen book:
Click on it to make it bigger; you don't want to miss that star burst.
Oh, yeah. Oh, hell, yeah!
I now face the pleasant task of re-reading two Heinlein classics and writing a few thousand words about them. I can't wait!
Click on it to make it bigger; you don't want to miss that star burst.
Oh, yeah. Oh, hell, yeah!
I now face the pleasant task of re-reading two Heinlein classics and writing a few thousand words about them. I can't wait!
November 6, 2012
Barack Obama is again our President
I, for one, am very happy with this result. I watched the election returns tonight with considerable tension and concern, and I was thrilled when all the networks called the election for him.
I am also happy that voter turnout appears to have been good. It certainly was at my local voting place when I showed up there this morning.
Most of all, I love that I live in a country that allows me to vote. That is a grand thing indeed.
I am also happy that voter turnout appears to have been good. It certainly was at my local voting place when I showed up there this morning.
Most of all, I love that I live in a country that allows me to vote. That is a grand thing indeed.
November 5, 2012
On the road again: World Fantasy Con, Toronto, day 6
Ah, they joys of travel. Today's journey home started smoothly enough with a quick and on-time check-out and the car to the airport showing up on time.
The ride itself was a bit harrowing, however, because our driver gave very little of his attention to driving and instead focused on running a multi-car business from his phone. He made call after call, pausing only to read his email, all the while hurtling at 130 km/hr--on a highway with a posted limit of 100 km/hr. I have rarely been so happy to be out of a cab or other city transport.
Once at the airport, everything proceeded in the sort of slow, plodding pace you normally associate with a forced march or a funeral. Everyone was pleasant enough, but no one was in any sort of hurry. It all worked out, though, and I had time in Pearson International to grab email at the Admiral's Club and a weird sandwich (turkey, brie, and cranberry on triangular bread) for lunch.
The flight to LaGuardia passed pleasantly, though our flight attendant, who fancied herself both a comedian and a dancer, rarely let anyone's attention light on anything except her. I finally gave up my futile attempts to read and tried to escape her performances by faking sleeping.
LaGuardia was its normal dirty, crowded, loud self. Despite all that, from months of commuting there many years ago, I still have a fondness for it.
The flight home was fine--once we finished sitting on the tarmac for over half an hour.
Alas, my suitcase never appeared on the luggage carousel, so I had to waste another half an hour while the American baggage agent assured me that although they had lost track of it in Toronto, the bag would eventually turn up. I actually believe them, because that's been my experience in the past, but I won't relax fully until I see it.
It was good to go to the con, but it is good to be home.
The ride itself was a bit harrowing, however, because our driver gave very little of his attention to driving and instead focused on running a multi-car business from his phone. He made call after call, pausing only to read his email, all the while hurtling at 130 km/hr--on a highway with a posted limit of 100 km/hr. I have rarely been so happy to be out of a cab or other city transport.
Once at the airport, everything proceeded in the sort of slow, plodding pace you normally associate with a forced march or a funeral. Everyone was pleasant enough, but no one was in any sort of hurry. It all worked out, though, and I had time in Pearson International to grab email at the Admiral's Club and a weird sandwich (turkey, brie, and cranberry on triangular bread) for lunch.
The flight to LaGuardia passed pleasantly, though our flight attendant, who fancied herself both a comedian and a dancer, rarely let anyone's attention light on anything except her. I finally gave up my futile attempts to read and tried to escape her performances by faking sleeping.
LaGuardia was its normal dirty, crowded, loud self. Despite all that, from months of commuting there many years ago, I still have a fondness for it.
The flight home was fine--once we finished sitting on the tarmac for over half an hour.
Alas, my suitcase never appeared on the luggage carousel, so I had to waste another half an hour while the American baggage agent assured me that although they had lost track of it in Toronto, the bag would eventually turn up. I actually believe them, because that's been my experience in the past, but I won't relax fully until I see it.
It was good to go to the con, but it is good to be home.
November 4, 2012
On the road again: World Fantasy Con, Toronto, day 5
The big con event of the day was the World Fantasy Awards banquet, which I attended.
I discussed with others whether the food here was the worst of any WFC banquet, and our final consensus was that no, it was not: it was equally as mediocre-verging-on-bad as all the recent rest. I was hungry, and the conversation was pleasant, so I ate it, but I did myself no favors by doing so.
The awards ceremony was, on the other hand, a well-executed affair. Toastmaster Gary K. Wolfe gave a funny and sometimes pointed opening speech that I thoroughly enjoyed. He then handed out the awards efficiently and with grace, calling on a few folks to help him along the way. I was particularly pleased to see Tim Powers' The Bicycle Repairman and Other Stories win for Best Collection. If you don't know his work, you should; it is consistently marvelous.
I spent more time socializing at this con than at most, though admittedly mostly with the same relatively small group of friends. Still, that is an improvement for me.
Tomorrow, I head home!
I discussed with others whether the food here was the worst of any WFC banquet, and our final consensus was that no, it was not: it was equally as mediocre-verging-on-bad as all the recent rest. I was hungry, and the conversation was pleasant, so I ate it, but I did myself no favors by doing so.
The awards ceremony was, on the other hand, a well-executed affair. Toastmaster Gary K. Wolfe gave a funny and sometimes pointed opening speech that I thoroughly enjoyed. He then handed out the awards efficiently and with grace, calling on a few folks to help him along the way. I was particularly pleased to see Tim Powers' The Bicycle Repairman and Other Stories win for Best Collection. If you don't know his work, you should; it is consistently marvelous.
I spent more time socializing at this con than at most, though admittedly mostly with the same relatively small group of friends. Still, that is an improvement for me.
Tomorrow, I head home!
November 3, 2012
On the road again: World Fantasy Con, Toronto, day 4
A quick check of the opening sentences of blog entries makes clear to me that I am obsessed with sleep--how little I get of it, how much I want it, and so on. I'm tempted to stop mentioning it, and I probably will, but not today. The reason is that last night I slept for eight glorious hours, a wonderful treat indeed. I woke up today with a slight sense of the energy that I used to feel all the time in my body. It was great.
Food out here in the Toronto suburb boonies is not particularly good, so I'm having to forgo the usual fancy dinner reports because the dinners are anything but fancy. Still, both lunch and dinner today were serviceable meals and pleasant times with friends.
I watched a few panels, did some work, and talked a lot with friends new and old. I particularly enjoyed the presentation by top artists Todd Lockwood, John Picacio, and Charles Vess on their creative processes. Vess works entirely traditionally, Lockwood almost entirely digitally, and Picacio regularly employs a mix of both techniques, so the discussions and slides were interesting and informative.
I also cruised the art show for a second time. Particularly impressive were the huge Charles Vess canvas and the two lovely pieces from Howard Fox, an artist who is new to me. I'm already a Vess fan, but now I'll be keeping an eye out for Fox's work as well.
Another pass through the dealers' room proved my self-control was intact, because I bought nothing. I did sign stock for one dealer, a task that is more fun than work.
Among the various con functions I sprinkled a fair amount of work, so I end the day caught up with my goals for it, which is always a good feeling.
Food out here in the Toronto suburb boonies is not particularly good, so I'm having to forgo the usual fancy dinner reports because the dinners are anything but fancy. Still, both lunch and dinner today were serviceable meals and pleasant times with friends.
I watched a few panels, did some work, and talked a lot with friends new and old. I particularly enjoyed the presentation by top artists Todd Lockwood, John Picacio, and Charles Vess on their creative processes. Vess works entirely traditionally, Lockwood almost entirely digitally, and Picacio regularly employs a mix of both techniques, so the discussions and slides were interesting and informative.
I also cruised the art show for a second time. Particularly impressive were the huge Charles Vess canvas and the two lovely pieces from Howard Fox, an artist who is new to me. I'm already a Vess fan, but now I'll be keeping an eye out for Fox's work as well.
Another pass through the dealers' room proved my self-control was intact, because I bought nothing. I did sign stock for one dealer, a task that is more fun than work.
Among the various con functions I sprinkled a fair amount of work, so I end the day caught up with my goals for it, which is always a good feeling.
November 2, 2012
On the road again: World Fantasy Con, Toronto, day 3
Today I managed to do a better job of interweaving work and con stuff than on most con trips. I got up early, worked, and then went off to what I was sure would be an empty room for my reading.
To my pleasant surprise, 13 or 14 people attended--and only six of them were friends. For only the second time, I read aloud the Lobo Christmas story, "Lobo, Actually." I was pleased by the audience's response, because everyone agreed that they liked it and the story worked.
After a panel on urban fantasy, I grabbed lunch with friends and did some work, then caught part of another urban fantasy panel. To say that topic was all over this con would be quite the understatement.
More work, then I went to Dave's panel on the importance of reading older works in the field. The conversation, which old friend Brett Cox moderated and which included guest-of-honor Elizabeth Hand, was interesting and even occasionally lively.
Work, then the Baen dinner, where a group of Baen writers and friends enjoyed a very good steak meal courtesy of Senior Editor Jim Minz.
From there we had to hustle back to do the traditional WFC group autographing session, an exercise in humility (or humiliation; it's hard to tell) for lesser-known writers. I was pleased that during the course of the session at least half a dozen folks brought books for me to sign.
A group of us then party-crawled a bit, and I ended the day working, as usual.
As cons go, a pretty good day.
To my pleasant surprise, 13 or 14 people attended--and only six of them were friends. For only the second time, I read aloud the Lobo Christmas story, "Lobo, Actually." I was pleased by the audience's response, because everyone agreed that they liked it and the story worked.
After a panel on urban fantasy, I grabbed lunch with friends and did some work, then caught part of another urban fantasy panel. To say that topic was all over this con would be quite the understatement.
More work, then I went to Dave's panel on the importance of reading older works in the field. The conversation, which old friend Brett Cox moderated and which included guest-of-honor Elizabeth Hand, was interesting and even occasionally lively.
Work, then the Baen dinner, where a group of Baen writers and friends enjoyed a very good steak meal courtesy of Senior Editor Jim Minz.
From there we had to hustle back to do the traditional WFC group autographing session, an exercise in humility (or humiliation; it's hard to tell) for lesser-known writers. I was pleased that during the course of the session at least half a dozen folks brought books for me to sign.
A group of us then party-crawled a bit, and I ended the day working, as usual.
As cons go, a pretty good day.
November 1, 2012
On the road again: World Fantasy Con, Toronto, day 2
I actually slept last night, which was wonderful. I spent the day in an ongoing mix of work, time with friends, and a little con stuff. Though work dominated my hours, I did get some of the other good stuff as well.
I prowled the dealer's room for the first time, but I didn't buy anything; I'm still scouting. It's always great, though, to see a dealer's room full of books.
Dinner was a lovely time with friends including Dave and Tom Doherty, the head of Tor, the largest SF publisher in the country (probably the world). Tom has been working in SF publishing for decades, and I could listen to his stories for days. I wish he would write an autobiography of his time in the field; it would be a fascinating book full of stories that only he could tell.
Later, a group of us gather to chat and share a late dessert.
A slow start to the con, but overall, a good day.
Now, to figure out what I'll read at my reading in the morning!
I prowled the dealer's room for the first time, but I didn't buy anything; I'm still scouting. It's always great, though, to see a dealer's room full of books.
Dinner was a lovely time with friends including Dave and Tom Doherty, the head of Tor, the largest SF publisher in the country (probably the world). Tom has been working in SF publishing for decades, and I could listen to his stories for days. I wish he would write an autobiography of his time in the field; it would be a fascinating book full of stories that only he could tell.
Later, a group of us gather to chat and share a late dessert.
A slow start to the con, but overall, a good day.
Now, to figure out what I'll read at my reading in the morning!
October 31, 2012
On the road again: World Fantasy Con, Toronto, day 1
Hurricane Sandy's closing of LaGuardia airport led to a series of travel adventures that ended up starting my day at 5:45 a.m. and getting me to my destination about 7:00 p.m.
The flights for which I'd purchased tickets were no longer available, so a new set was to take me through O'Hare. When I arrived at the airport at 6:25 a.m., however, I learned that the flight to Chicago was delayed so long that I would miss my connection. The only alternative American could offer me was to go through DFW, so I waited an extra 45 minutes in RDU and several hours in DFW. I had neither an upgrade nor an exit-row seat on the way to DFW, so I didn't have the space to work. I used the flight to fitfully doze and twitch in my seat; I do not sleep well on planes. The flight to Toronto was vastly better, because I got an upgrade and bought bandwidth and worked the whole time.
Now, though, I am happy to report that I am at the con hotel.
Calling the convention a "Toronto" World Fantasy Con is more than a little misleading. Yes, Toronto is the nearest big city, but the cab ride here took over 45 minutes from the airport, and going downtown for a meal is too great a time commitment to be manageable. That's a shame, because Toronto has a great and rapidly growing food scene.
Still, I made it, and now I finally get to sleep; last night's 110 minutes of sleep were simply not enough.
Tomorrow, the con starts in earnest!
The flights for which I'd purchased tickets were no longer available, so a new set was to take me through O'Hare. When I arrived at the airport at 6:25 a.m., however, I learned that the flight to Chicago was delayed so long that I would miss my connection. The only alternative American could offer me was to go through DFW, so I waited an extra 45 minutes in RDU and several hours in DFW. I had neither an upgrade nor an exit-row seat on the way to DFW, so I didn't have the space to work. I used the flight to fitfully doze and twitch in my seat; I do not sleep well on planes. The flight to Toronto was vastly better, because I got an upgrade and bought bandwidth and worked the whole time.
Now, though, I am happy to report that I am at the con hotel.
Calling the convention a "Toronto" World Fantasy Con is more than a little misleading. Yes, Toronto is the nearest big city, but the cab ride here took over 45 minutes from the airport, and going downtown for a meal is too great a time commitment to be manageable. That's a shame, because Toronto has a great and rapidly growing food scene.
Still, I made it, and now I finally get to sleep; last night's 110 minutes of sleep were simply not enough.
Tomorrow, the con starts in earnest!
October 30, 2012
Another SK6ers tune
I have to get up in three hours to head to the airport, and I haven't packed, so this fun song, which they performed in their show the other night, will have to hold you.
October 29, 2012
The best concert I've seen this year
Sunday night, Stephen Kellog and The Sixers played the Cat's Cradle for what is probably the very last time. A group of us, led by Sarah and me, went; I had purchased tickets the moment I learned of the show. The group, which I have loved since Sarah turned me onto them, is making what they are calling their HI-ATE-US tour, because they are taking an indefinite hiatus from performing.
It's no surprise that this was an emotional show. Knowing this band, it's also no surprise that it was an excellent show.
What was surprising was how amazingly emotional it was, how superb it was, and how everyone in the band managed to squeeze so much intensity into this sixteenth stop of their final tour. They smiled and teared up and played with abandon, all of them clearly still friends, all of them still loving these final shows together.
In addition to loving the show, I found myself moved and with a great deal to think about, some of which will no doubt find its way to this blog over time.
As the last full number of the second encore, they played one of my very favorite songs of theirs, "My Favorite Place."
Gradually, the members of the band stopped playing their instruments and gathered together around the microphone, until they were singing to the occasional strumming of one guitar, and then they were singing a capella. They motioned the audience to join, and we did. We all sang together, louder and louder, as the power of live music brought musicians and audience together in that perfect joining that makes your heart burst and your spirit soar. Their love of performing came through in the repeated refrain, and so did our love of their music. Sarah sobbed, and though I do not cry, my eyes filled and a few tears leaked onto my cheek.
If you like this group, if you like live music, or if you simply want to witness artists doing their very best right to the end, catch one of their remaining 13 shows.
Over 28 hours later, my heart still aches from seeing them.
It's no surprise that this was an emotional show. Knowing this band, it's also no surprise that it was an excellent show.
What was surprising was how amazingly emotional it was, how superb it was, and how everyone in the band managed to squeeze so much intensity into this sixteenth stop of their final tour. They smiled and teared up and played with abandon, all of them clearly still friends, all of them still loving these final shows together.
In addition to loving the show, I found myself moved and with a great deal to think about, some of which will no doubt find its way to this blog over time.
As the last full number of the second encore, they played one of my very favorite songs of theirs, "My Favorite Place."
Gradually, the members of the band stopped playing their instruments and gathered together around the microphone, until they were singing to the occasional strumming of one guitar, and then they were singing a capella. They motioned the audience to join, and we did. We all sang together, louder and louder, as the power of live music brought musicians and audience together in that perfect joining that makes your heart burst and your spirit soar. Their love of performing came through in the repeated refrain, and so did our love of their music. Sarah sobbed, and though I do not cry, my eyes filled and a few tears leaked onto my cheek.
If you like this group, if you like live music, or if you simply want to witness artists doing their very best right to the end, catch one of their remaining 13 shows.
Over 28 hours later, my heart still aches from seeing them.
