Mark L. Van Name's Blog, page 211
April 10, 2012
Free Krispy Kreme donuts Friday night!
Yup, and I'm buying--but there is, of course, a catch.
As I've mentioned before, my long-time friend Eric is producing a play, Proof, that debuts Friday night. The play starts at 8:00 at 213 Fayetteville Street in Raleigh; more info is available here. The venue is a real theater, albeit a small one. As I understand it, we can sell it out with something on the order of 40 people.
Fourteen of us are already going in one group, so we're well on our way.
If we sell it out, after the show I'll treat everyone who wants to go with me to the Krispy Kreme to all the donuts they can eat.
Think about this deal: A ticket to the play costs a mere ten smackers. For that, you get over two hours of entertainment watching a Tony-award-winning drama. You get to support local arts. And then you get to stuff yourself with donuts.
I'd never shill so directly for something of my own, but this is for my friend, so I have no shame. Now, Eric, who reads this blog and has no clue that I'm doing this, will probably be deeply embarrassed by this post. I can live with that.
We all have our dreams, some big, some small. Eric is making one of his come true by producing a play, and I'm damn proud of him for doing it. So, I'm going to do my part by trying to pack the house. He deserves at least that much from me.
Come on out. The play will entertain you, it will make you think, and then it will feed you donuts. You can't ask for much more than that.
As I've mentioned before, my long-time friend Eric is producing a play, Proof, that debuts Friday night. The play starts at 8:00 at 213 Fayetteville Street in Raleigh; more info is available here. The venue is a real theater, albeit a small one. As I understand it, we can sell it out with something on the order of 40 people.
Fourteen of us are already going in one group, so we're well on our way.
If we sell it out, after the show I'll treat everyone who wants to go with me to the Krispy Kreme to all the donuts they can eat.
Think about this deal: A ticket to the play costs a mere ten smackers. For that, you get over two hours of entertainment watching a Tony-award-winning drama. You get to support local arts. And then you get to stuff yourself with donuts.
I'd never shill so directly for something of my own, but this is for my friend, so I have no shame. Now, Eric, who reads this blog and has no clue that I'm doing this, will probably be deeply embarrassed by this post. I can live with that.
We all have our dreams, some big, some small. Eric is making one of his come true by producing a play, and I'm damn proud of him for doing it. So, I'm going to do my part by trying to pack the house. He deserves at least that much from me.
Come on out. The play will entertain you, it will make you think, and then it will feed you donuts. You can't ask for much more than that.
April 9, 2012
Time to stop our culture of rape
It's past time, really, isn't it? We've developed a culture in which we stigmatize rape victims, joke about rape, accept as inevitable that men will touch women in inappropriate ways--you know the litany.
We have to stop it. We all have to help. Men have to behave better in so many ways, from listening to and accepting victims to, of course, simply stopping our gender's poor behavior.
If you think this problem has nothing to do with you, think again.
Read my daughter's blog entry here.
Read her entry on Duke's Develle Dish blog. Nothing in it is news to me, but simply reading it makes me tremble with rage.
Go see Develle Dish's stunningly powerful photo essay here. I know at least one person in this group.
Then realize that this is one small sample from one small university. Examples are everywhere.
Don't believe me?
Look around. Listen to the women you know.
My daughter was groped on that bus in Italy.
My mother was sexually assaulted--by her own mother.
A young man I know was raped.
A woman I know was repeatedly raped and physically assaulted--by her father. To this day, no one will listen to her, and she is afraid to tell her story.
Not a single victim is responsible for what happened to her (or him). Not one.
As a child, I was abused, beaten, over and over, almost daily for four years. I was fortunate enough never to suffer sexual abuse. Women we all know were not so fortunate.
Thanks to the advantage of male privilege, like most men I don't have to make plans to avoid rape and sexual assault. I don't have to worry about being inappropriately touched. I don't have to wonder as I'm walking to my car if tonight is the night something bad happens.
Neither should any woman. Not your friends, your colleagues, your spouses, your daughters, your mothers--none of them.
As with child abuse, we must never consider rape acceptable. Never. We must never blame the victims.
We must stop our culture of rape.
We have to stop it. We all have to help. Men have to behave better in so many ways, from listening to and accepting victims to, of course, simply stopping our gender's poor behavior.
If you think this problem has nothing to do with you, think again.
Read my daughter's blog entry here.
Read her entry on Duke's Develle Dish blog. Nothing in it is news to me, but simply reading it makes me tremble with rage.
Go see Develle Dish's stunningly powerful photo essay here. I know at least one person in this group.
Then realize that this is one small sample from one small university. Examples are everywhere.
Don't believe me?
Look around. Listen to the women you know.
My daughter was groped on that bus in Italy.
My mother was sexually assaulted--by her own mother.
A young man I know was raped.
A woman I know was repeatedly raped and physically assaulted--by her father. To this day, no one will listen to her, and she is afraid to tell her story.
Not a single victim is responsible for what happened to her (or him). Not one.
As a child, I was abused, beaten, over and over, almost daily for four years. I was fortunate enough never to suffer sexual abuse. Women we all know were not so fortunate.
Thanks to the advantage of male privilege, like most men I don't have to make plans to avoid rape and sexual assault. I don't have to worry about being inappropriately touched. I don't have to wonder as I'm walking to my car if tonight is the night something bad happens.
Neither should any woman. Not your friends, your colleagues, your spouses, your daughters, your mothers--none of them.
As with child abuse, we must never consider rape acceptable. Never. We must never blame the victims.
We must stop our culture of rape.
April 8, 2012
Revisiting [ONE]
I've written
I was wrong.
The other night, a group of us, enticed by a very interesting dinner menu, returned to [ONE]. After sampling a large portion of that menu, including all of the desserts, I'm pleased to report that [ONE] is now even better than before.
Thanks to the fine chef team, the food is inventive and modern and entirely delicious. Executive Chef Sean McCarthy is an active presence in the open kitchen, expediting one moment, doing final plating another, and preparing dishes at other times. The only misstep of the evening was the warm foie preparation, which was dry from over-cooking and which sat on an unfortunate cauliflower puree; the lack of acidity and sweetness from fruit definitely hurt the dish. The rest of the appetizers and main courses were uniformly delicious.
The desserts, which frequently in local places are weak endings to fine meals, were, if anything, a step up. Pastry Chef Deric McGuffey concocts wonderful sweets, which his team, notably a woman whose name I could not get, implements beautifully. Artful in presentation and superb in taste, these desserts are worth a trip in their own right.
As soon as the menu changes, I'll be heading back to [ONE]. If you live in or visit this area, I recommend you do the same.
I was wrong.
The other night, a group of us, enticed by a very interesting dinner menu, returned to [ONE]. After sampling a large portion of that menu, including all of the desserts, I'm pleased to report that [ONE] is now even better than before.
Thanks to the fine chef team, the food is inventive and modern and entirely delicious. Executive Chef Sean McCarthy is an active presence in the open kitchen, expediting one moment, doing final plating another, and preparing dishes at other times. The only misstep of the evening was the warm foie preparation, which was dry from over-cooking and which sat on an unfortunate cauliflower puree; the lack of acidity and sweetness from fruit definitely hurt the dish. The rest of the appetizers and main courses were uniformly delicious.
The desserts, which frequently in local places are weak endings to fine meals, were, if anything, a step up. Pastry Chef Deric McGuffey concocts wonderful sweets, which his team, notably a woman whose name I could not get, implements beautifully. Artful in presentation and superb in taste, these desserts are worth a trip in their own right.
As soon as the menu changes, I'll be heading back to [ONE]. If you live in or visit this area, I recommend you do the same.
April 7, 2012
Lobo on lying
From deep into No Going Back, a tidbit of a conversation between Jon and Lobo that I will offer without context:
"What's your plan?" Lobo said.I sympathize with both of their viewpoints. Lobo's phrasing, though, is, as always, funnier than Jon's.
"I'm not sure," I said. "Probably to tell her the truth. Mostly."
"I think we call that 'lying,'" Lobo said.
April 6, 2012
On the road again: Austin, day 5
After very little sleep, I headed to the airport to take my alternate path home. The good news is that I made it. The flights went well and arrived on time.
The bad news is that my landing in Raleigh was the second worst I've ever experienced.
The pilot brought the plane in fast. Worse, he couldn't stablize it, so we were rocking side to side and bouncing a bit. People chuckled at first, then became quiet, then gave voice to their fears. We hit the ground hard, the whole plane continuing to rock side to side, and then we bounced several times. By this point, many people around me were crying, a few were screaming, and little kids were freaking out and clawing and yelling for their parents. The pilot hit the brakes hard, and the plane rocked even more. Rather than dispel momentum by running past the terminal, he took a hard left when the plane was opposite our gate, and the plane rocked more.
When we finally came to a stop, people applauded.
I have no way to know what happened, but I sure would have liked the pilot to have offered at least some explanation. Instead, the cockpit door stayed closed until the last of us were off the plane.
Given how upset some people were, that was probably a wise choice.
Today was a great reminder of why I always consider the best outcome of flying to be boring flights.
The bad news is that my landing in Raleigh was the second worst I've ever experienced.
The pilot brought the plane in fast. Worse, he couldn't stablize it, so we were rocking side to side and bouncing a bit. People chuckled at first, then became quiet, then gave voice to their fears. We hit the ground hard, the whole plane continuing to rock side to side, and then we bounced several times. By this point, many people around me were crying, a few were screaming, and little kids were freaking out and clawing and yelling for their parents. The pilot hit the brakes hard, and the plane rocked even more. Rather than dispel momentum by running past the terminal, he took a hard left when the plane was opposite our gate, and the plane rocked more.
When we finally came to a stop, people applauded.
I have no way to know what happened, but I sure would have liked the pilot to have offered at least some explanation. Instead, the cockpit door stayed closed until the last of us were off the plane.
Given how upset some people were, that was probably a wise choice.
Today was a great reminder of why I always consider the best outcome of flying to be boring flights.
April 5, 2012
On the road again: Austin, day 4
Today the weather in Dallas messed up my return. I woke early to find a voicemail message from American Airlines informing me that tomorrow, Friday, I would indeed be flying to DFW as planned, but I would not get to continue to Raleigh until Sunday. This fine plan would strand me for two days in a city wracked by tornados, a city with no hotel rooms.
I think not.
Much work by Gina later and thanks to Rana for noticing a flight option, I am now headed home tomorrow on Southwest via Nashville. I have to get up at oh-dark-thirty, and I will probably have a crappy seat, but at least I should get home.
After many meetings, dinner was at the reliably tasty Lambert's Downtown Barbecue. Lambert's doesn't cook only over wood, but the meat is still very good, and everything else on the menu is quite good. Dessert was, of course, at Amy's.
In not many hours, I must get up and start a long day of travel, so to packing and writing I return.
I think not.
Much work by Gina later and thanks to Rana for noticing a flight option, I am now headed home tomorrow on Southwest via Nashville. I have to get up at oh-dark-thirty, and I will probably have a crappy seat, but at least I should get home.
After many meetings, dinner was at the reliably tasty Lambert's Downtown Barbecue. Lambert's doesn't cook only over wood, but the meat is still very good, and everything else on the menu is quite good. Dessert was, of course, at Amy's.
In not many hours, I must get up and start a long day of travel, so to packing and writing I return.
April 4, 2012
On the road again: Austin, day 3
Another very long day of work that I can't discuss. Sorry about that, but maintaining our clients' confidentiality is paramount in our work.
Dinner tonight was at possibly the finest restaurant in Austin, Congress. Executive Chef David Bull and Chef de Cuisine Rebecca Meeker routinely produce lovely, flavorful dishes that prominently feature local ingredients and traditions. If you live here and haven't tried Congress yet, you're missing out.
Very early morning meetings await me, so I must return to my current writing project and then crash.
Dinner tonight was at possibly the finest restaurant in Austin, Congress. Executive Chef David Bull and Chef de Cuisine Rebecca Meeker routinely produce lovely, flavorful dishes that prominently feature local ingredients and traditions. If you live here and haven't tried Congress yet, you're missing out.
Very early morning meetings await me, so I must return to my current writing project and then crash.
April 3, 2012
On the road again: Austin, day 2
In the late afternoon, thunder cracked the air and a hard shower briefly fell. Listening to nature from the dry safety of drinks with clients in a local bar, I realized with a start that in the times I've come to Austin, I've never heard thunder. I found this storm rather a nice change.
Dinner was at the wonderful Fonda San Miguel, a place I recommend highly.
My plea earlier today for votes in Baen's SF buddy team poll may have helped, because Jon and Lobo now have a tenuous hold on second place. Given the enormous lead of Honor and Nimitz, however, I see no real chance of my guys winning. Still, I appreciate those who voted.
As longtime readers know, I can't say much about these business trips. By way of compensating a bit for the short entries, here's a song that ties both to travel and to my youth, a tune I loved the moment I heard it and still love today. The interlude is particularly wonderful. Enjoy.
Dinner was at the wonderful Fonda San Miguel, a place I recommend highly.
My plea earlier today for votes in Baen's SF buddy team poll may have helped, because Jon and Lobo now have a tenuous hold on second place. Given the enormous lead of Honor and Nimitz, however, I see no real chance of my guys winning. Still, I appreciate those who voted.
As longtime readers know, I can't say much about these business trips. By way of compensating a bit for the short entries, here's a song that ties both to travel and to my youth, a tune I loved the moment I heard it and still love today. The interlude is particularly wonderful. Enjoy.
Vote for Jon and Lobo!
Over at its Web site, my publisher, Baen Books, is holding an April contest to pick the most popular teams in SF. Jon and Lobo are one of those teams. You can see and vote on the poll here. Right now, my guys are in fifth place, with Honor Harrington naturally leading the way.
Surely we can do better!
To help advance Jon and Lobo, go there and vote. You can also, at the bottom of the page, enter the contest via email and win a shot at some signed first editions. Good luck!
Surely we can do better!
To help advance Jon and Lobo, go there and vote. You can also, at the bottom of the page, enter the contest via email and win a shot at some signed first editions. Good luck!
April 2, 2012
On the road again: Austin, day 1
As travel days go, today was pretty darn good.
I awoke after too little sleep, as usual, but at least I had a few complete sleep cycles. A little email, a shower, and off to the airport I went.
Luck was with me there: upgrades came through on both legs of the trip. The first flight, the long one, even offered bandwidth, so I was able to stay current on work email while in the air.
My connection time in DFW was scheduled to be a scant 40 minutes, but the plane arrived almost 45 minutes early, so I ended up with enough time to grab a Red Mango parfait.
After the usual logistics in Austin, I dove into work and caught up, always a good feeling.
Dinner was at one of my favorite barbecue joints, the County Line by the Lake. We arrived as daylight was fading, so the view over the lake was lovely.
As always, click on an image to see a larger version of it.
The food was, as always, wonderful. On the right of this plate is a stack of a beef rib, some sausage, and some brisket. Damn fine eating.
Dessert afterward was at Amy's Ice Creams, which is a tasty treat indeed.
Tomorrow's meetings start quite early, so back to work and then to bed I go.
I awoke after too little sleep, as usual, but at least I had a few complete sleep cycles. A little email, a shower, and off to the airport I went.
Luck was with me there: upgrades came through on both legs of the trip. The first flight, the long one, even offered bandwidth, so I was able to stay current on work email while in the air.
My connection time in DFW was scheduled to be a scant 40 minutes, but the plane arrived almost 45 minutes early, so I ended up with enough time to grab a Red Mango parfait.
After the usual logistics in Austin, I dove into work and caught up, always a good feeling.
Dinner was at one of my favorite barbecue joints, the County Line by the Lake. We arrived as daylight was fading, so the view over the lake was lovely.
As always, click on an image to see a larger version of it.The food was, as always, wonderful. On the right of this plate is a stack of a beef rib, some sausage, and some brisket. Damn fine eating.
Dessert afterward was at Amy's Ice Creams, which is a tasty treat indeed.
Tomorrow's meetings start quite early, so back to work and then to bed I go.
