ala_mokita

View the Loscon LJ Over Here!

2009-10-19T17:26:47Z

Loscon is the LASFS annual convention and family reunion (about 1/3 of our members are members of the club). Learn more about this year's convention; Loscon 36 over here:

http://community.livejournal.com/loscon/

Sneaky book thief 'caught' by sneaky Librarian

2009-10-05T17:47:35Z

A sly way to help someone learn:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113357239&ft=1&f=4516989

Books, the gateway drug to thinking.

A Forgotten Apology

2009-09-18T21:42:35Z

TrinSF is correct. I did not apologize for that thoughtless moment.

I apologize for cancelling my WFC plans and not thinking about the parallel commitment to volunteer at the Spiral Dance. I am sorry.

Memory and Apologies

2009-09-18T18:43:10Z

A funny thing happened last night (in hindsight, and only because I was forgiven). I had been asked by someone I care about, who I consider myself close to, to pick them up after I finished presiding over the LASFS meeting on my way to dinner at Coral Cafe. I was even thoughtfull, and texted this person when I knew there'd be some delay. Round 11:00 p.m. I receive 2 texts, one asking me how long I'll be (sent 30 minutes previous but only just received) and one from a minute ago informing me that they were being picked up and would be at Coral in a few minutes.

I had completely forgotten this person and that this person was waiting for me. When said person arrived, by the kind efforts of another, I apologised in front of the entire room for my thoughtlessness.

Since the subject of my forgetting another person's invitation to visit them on thier dollar has been posted to the previous LJ post, I will also offer a public apology in this forum.

Lynx, Your offer to pay for my visiting you disappeared from my mind. I offer no excuse for my behavior. I am sorry that this happend.

Christian

Online ADHD Test Results

2009-09-16T22:32:00Z

Swell, my score was 91. And now...? Oh, do something about it.

I am a proud member of the LASFS (sarcasm)

2009-06-21T04:42:23Z

I missed this incident due to helping out a friend.

So what is the point of inviting interesting people (in this case, author David J. Williams) to the club to speak? This is an amazing contribution to the memories of this 75th year of LASFS.

Here's the original URL: http://autumnrain2110.com/blog/2009/06/19/incident-at-lasfs-or-i-get-in-a-steel-cage-with-jerry-pournelle/

And here it is in case the site won't open:

Incident at LASFS (or, I get in a steel cage with Jerry Pournelle)

No, I’m not making any of this up.

My talk yesterday at the LA Science Fiction Fantasy Society regarding BURNING SKIES triggered the ire of Jerry Pournelle, who became nearly apopoletic with rage that I was unable to articulate exactly how many degrees warmer the Earth of AUTUMN RAIN is than now. Things sped downhill from there. I’ve got a couple notes in the timeline of how much said temperature has gone up by specific years, but Jerry wanted the exact figures . . . and I didn’t have the heart to tell him I didn’t have spreadsheets on the ocean salinity factor, and had neglected to draw up the precise ratio of atmospheric composition to describe the peasoup of the early 22nd century. This led to the question of whether I was a Real Science Fiction Writer, or just one of those imposters you keep hearing about. We had a particularly vigorous dispute on my doubts about whether solar power satellites would be the panacea that he thinks they’d be.

All of which was good fun. But Jerry was a big teddy bear compared to his partner in all of this, Karen Anderson, who happens to be Poul Anderson’s widow (and Greg Bear’s mother-in-law—ye gods Greg, talk about karmic burden). She was about as angry as anyone I’ve ever seen, interrupting me repeatedly, and ultimately stalking out of the room halfway through snarling that the world of Autumn Rain was obviously “magic not science.” It just wasn’t the same without her, but Jerry and I managed to cope nonetheless, getting into a no-holds barred debate on whether Reagan’s SDI could have been used as a first strike weapon. Jerry seemed less incensed by that point, but maybe it’s because I was getting used to how loud he yells.

Anyway, everyone else at the club seemed pretty chill, and watched the conversation unfold with interest. And I gave Jerry a signed copy of BURNING SKIES afterward (”to a living legend”), so it was all good. They really do have a clubhouse there, btw, right in the middle of North Hollywood—one reason they’re the oldest running science fiction society on the planet. This was meeting #3749, and I can only imagine what’s gone down at the other 3748. The stories those walls could tell….

Anyway, I need to go find some coffee.

And you need to go buy BURNING SKIES.

New Icon +/-

2009-06-18T21:25:12Z

New Icon by the fabulously talented Jessica Gaona le_moose . OK not so new as it was premiered in the ALA 5 Program Book.

Sad excuse for an LJ post. I want to post about somene's Dream, another's Sadness, and a third person's Dj, but my mind is an empty set [ ] right now. So I rediscovered the illo and put it up.

Worth Remembering - Networking

2009-05-15T18:04:38Z

Why did I take the stuff when I know where to find it already. Experience. There's stuff from the interweb that I could find 10 years ago that is gone now. So I've taken the gist of the articles and posted them here. It also lets anyone know where I got the data, since its the work of others, not mine. I read the Dal Carnegie book a billion years ago. I should probably re-read it. Ii I remember correctly, what turned me away was the fact that his meme was specifically directed towards improving relations in order to get stuff, sales, and it read as if sincerity and honesty were not a centerpiece. I may be misremembering.

This stuff is from here: http://www.livingstonbuzz.com/2009/05/14/friends-principles-applied-80-years-later-to-social-networking/

Often, I’ll get asked which books I suggestfor social media. Sometimes I’ll quip, “[Besides Now Is Gone,] How to Win Friends and Influence People.” But in reality, while it’s something of a joke, but also a pretty serious recommendation (Image: Happy by kkoshy).

Dale Carnegie’s principles have stood the test of time because they are about fostering better relations amongst people. And the classic mistake with social media is to treat it like a mass communications vehicle, when it’s a conversational form that builds relationships. Social media is about a larger community and its concerns, as opposed to a litany of messages. There is no better set of guidelines for this then “Friends.”

For the United Way’s Staff Leaders Conference, Meg Keaney and I presented best practices for tactical social networking. We decided to embed and apply Dale Carnegie’s principles in the larger presentation (available here) to the three main social networks in the workplace: Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. We walked our participants through these suggestions online.

The exercise was actually pretty challenging, and it forced me to consider a lot of my actions on and offline and how I’ve strayed since I last read “Friends.” Here’s what we discussed:

Become a Friendlier Person
1. Don’t criticize, condemn or complain.
2. Give honest, sincere appreciation.
3. Arouse in the other person an eager want.
4. Become genuinely interested in other people.
5. Smile.
6. Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most
important sound in any language.
7. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
8. Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.
9. Make the other person feel important - and do it sincerely.

Actions to Be Friendlier on Facebook

Comment on friends’ status updates, ask questions
Remember your friends birthdays
Repost their links, initiatives if you find it worthwhile
Say or post something that makes you happy, and explain why
Recommend a friend
Actions to Be Friendlier on LinkedIn
Congratulate job changes
Ask someone a question related to their experiences
Answer posted questions
Refer people who you admire
Write a recommendation for someone who you enjoyed working with
Actions to Be Friendlier on Twitter
Reply to someone’s tweet
Retweet someone’s tweet
Suggest people follow someone, and don’t do it as part of “Follow Friday.” Follow Friday is a meme and lacks sincerity and impact.
Write a positive tweet about something good
Don’t engage in negative personality-attack tweeting
Win People to Your Way of Thinking
10.The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.
11.Show respect for the other person’s opinion. Never say, “You’re wrong.”
12.If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.
13.Begin in a friendly way.
14.Get the other person saying “yes, yes” immediately.
15.Let the other person do a great deal of the talking.
16.Let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers.
17.Try honestly to see things from the other person’s point of view.
18.Be sympathetic with the other person’s ideas and desires.
19.Appeal to the nobler motives.
20.Dramatize your ideas.
21.Throw down a challenge.
Actions to Win: LinkedIn & Facebook
Create a group to engage thought leaders, interesting parties. Ask their opinions.
If logic/position is not factual, ask them how they came to that position.
Don’t say they’re wrong, yet state your facts. Ask them what they think.
Socratic method is a great way to engage. Sometimes writing out logic in an online group helps expose and address weaknesses.
Admit & amend wrongs
Challenge people to come up with answers.
Acknowledge and seriously weigh responses on any of these issues.
In areas of conflicting opinion, ask people to find a compromise.
Give credit to anyone who contributes to ideas used.
Actions to Win on Twitter
Engage in a dialogue on meaningful issues.
Remember, Twitter is public. Let folks save face.
Admit and amend wrongs.
Don’t flame, rather ask and state your dialogue.
Give people an out. It’s 140 characters, not a debate club.
Look for the positive result, and celebrate it. Laud your conversation partners
Be a Leader
22.Begin with praise and honest appreciation.
23.Call attention to people’s mistakes indirectly.
24.Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person.
25.Ask questions instead of giving direct orders.
26.Let the other person save face.
27.Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Be “hearty in your
approbation and lavish in your praise.”
28.Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.
29.Use encouragement. Make the fault seem easy to correct.
30.Make the other person happy about doing the thing you suggest.
Actions to Lead (Across All Social Networks)
Rather than dictate answers, ask questions of the community.
Give the minority a respectful voice and place within the discussion.
Self deprecate rather than attack others.
Thank and encourage other people’s contributions.
Reward top participants!
Make as many heroes as you can.
Suggestions and multiple options work. Directions don’t.
Certainly, we just scratched the surface on Carnegie’s principles and how they apply. What would you add?

the stuff below is from here: http://www.jenleereeves.com/2009/04/21/social-media-for-broadcast-journos/
So he tweaked the advice into today’s terms.
1. Realize the social networking world does not revolve around you or your station. It’s everyone’s home! You don’t have a tower. You’re not
2. Listen before you speak. See how people talk to each other. Figure out the terminologies. Ask questions. People love to help. But listen first.
3. Make your friends feel special. (@reply by a person’s name) A big personality who replies or comments and call someone out by name, it’s special to them.
4. Ask lots of questions.
5. Proactively manage the conversation
6. Bring something to the table that the online community values.
You as a leader in a newsroom can implement these tools:
1. Be online. You don’t have to be the biggest consumer, but you need to be out there with a genuine interest. You need to show that it’s important and you care.
2. Learn to keep score. This is for any kind of online work. Check the metrics on your online properties. Hold yourself accountable for raising traffic month to month.
3. Start small. Move fast. Start with one thing - one tool to connect with your audience. Maintain it and keep it moving. Do something new again next month. One month, get onto Twitter. Next month, get onto Facebook. Do seminars to teach the culture. Take advantage of the social networking experts in your town. (Chip’s town has meet ups where
4. Exploit your expertise. If it’s weather, communicate really well about weather. If it’s investigative reporting, do it.
5. Learn a new skill every month. If you can do it, your staff can do it.
6. Experiment. It’s OKAY to fail, as long as you “fail fast” and learn. Don’t let it linger out there. See what works and move on. Set a time limit and decide if you will move on or keep it going.
7. You can’t stand still. Learn. Go to Mashable and learn.
8. You can’t try everything at once
9. Hire people who know more than you.
Your staff needs to know you stand on social networks. Be open and honest.

[their presentation]

http://www.slideshare.net/geoliv/social-network-participation

Posting

2009-05-12T17:38:37Z

Post! This is a test. If there were a real post here it would be a whining "why me?" annoyance. At least I'm getting words out in 140 characters or less. What is writing anyway?

Stress Relief & Behind the Cut Test

2009-03-02T22:26:55Z

AT HOME
Hold hands with a loved one. Brain scans show that human touch provides immediate relief from stress.

Connect to a buddy. “Call a friend. You can vent or just talk about your day to make you feel better,” says Kathy Leavenworth, wellness education specialist at Sharp Healthcare.

Brush your pet with long, slow strokes. You’ll both feel better.

Give yourself a mini scalp massage. While you’re helping your son with his homework, run a pencil lightly through your hair, tickling your scalp for a bit of tingly relaxation.

Soak a hand towel and microwave it a couple of minutes until steamy. Place it on your neck, forehead or achy lower back.

Crank up the music and dance. No matter if it’s a tango, ballet or your version of hip-hop, just get up and groove to the music.

Practice progressive muscle relaxation. Begin tensing, then relaxing your body, starting at the top of your head and continuing down through the neck, shoulders, arms, hips, legs and feet.

Decompress your spine. Bend over at the waist with the knees slightly bent. Hang down loose like a rag doll for about 15 seconds. Then very slowly set yourself upright, stacking your vertebrae.

Be a list maker. Eliminate the stress of trying to remember what you need to do. Prioritizing tasks helps reduce tension.

Get up 15 minutes earlier in the morning so your aren’t as rushed.

Write down your stresses. By putting it on paper or in the computer, it will seem like less of a burden. For each entry, ask yourself how critical this problem is to your life and if you have control over it, suggests Leavenworth. “It will help you to define what’s really important,” she says.

Keep a gratefulness journal. Before you go to sleep each night, write down one or two things you’re thankful for. Read those entries each morning. “This kind of journal forces you to focus on the positive,” Leavenworth says.

AT WORK/SCHOOL
Soothe weary computer eyes. Rub your palms together vigorously to create heat and place them over your closed eyes for a full minute.

Squeeze a soft rubber ball in your hand for three seconds and then release. Repeat this 10 times in each hand and your tension will slowly dissipate as your muscles relax.

Practice quickie yoga. Sit up straight in your chair and let your arms drop limp at your sides. Inhale, and on the exhale, lean forward and rest your chest on your thighs. Remain there for five seconds and then slowly come up and inhale. Repeat three or four times or until your colleagues make fun of you.

Give yourself a mini hand massage. Keep lotion in a desk drawer and occasionally stroke and knead keyboard-fatigued fingers.

Take off your shoes and do toe scrunches under your desk.

Touch a talisman or an object that brings you pleasant memories. It can be a shell your daughter found on the beach, your mother’s broach or your husband’s old money clip.

Fake a smile. Studies show that the positive effects of smiling occur whether the smile is fake or real. Fake merriment may lead to real smiles and laughter.

Keep a book of inspirational quotes or short poems on your desk. When you feel tense, read a couple.

Start and end your day laughing. Keep a book of jokes or funny cartoons by your desk and read one or two at the beginning of your day and again at the end.

Have photos of your family, a favorite vacation or a pet on your desk. “They’ll make you smile in the middle of a busy day,” Leavenworth says.

Take quick physical and mental breaks during the day. Take a five-minute break and read your favorite hobby magazine. Walk around the parking lot three times. Use a restroom on a different floor or at the opposite side the building.

Dab a little lavender or mint oil on your wrist and take a whiff every now and then. Lavender can be relaxing, while mint is invigorating.

Create breathing reminders throughout the day. “Let bells of mindfulness be reminders to take one conscious breath and diffuse tension,” says Karen Sothers, instructor for the mindfulness-based stress reduction program at Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine.

She explains that everyday, reoccurring sounds such as a ringing phone or a computer bing can signal you to take a deep breath.

Dr. Tahir Bhatti, a clinical psychiatrist at the Wellness and Personal Growth Center at the University of California San Diego, suggests posting breathing reminders everywhere.

“Paste up a sign that says ‘breathe’ on the bathroom mirror, in your car or above your phone. Every time you see it you’ll take a long, slow breath from the belly, not the chest,” he says.

IN YOUR VEHICLE
Create quiet and silence. “When you’re in the car, turn off the phone and the radio,” Bhatti says. “You can reduce your stress by finding brief moments of quiet during the day.”

Listen to soft music or books on tape while you drive so the process of getting there is enjoyable.

Skip the travel-mug of double espresso and sip some soothing chamomile tea on your commute.

Perform shoulder shrugs at each red light to relieve upper-body tension.

Before you start your drive and when you arrive at your destination, take in three long, deep breaths and release them slowly.

Look for the beauty. “Capture one pleasant moment on your drive to work. Notice the sunlight, the color of the sky or the face of a child in the car next to you. It will soften the pressure of going where you’re going,” Sothers says.

When you encounter a rude driver, shift your focus to all the good drivers around you. Just five minutes of positive focus raises immune-system function, while focusing on those you resent has the opposite effect.

Leave early no matter where you’re going and avoid the stress of being late.

SHOPPING
Get some good karma. Do something nice for someone else and you’ll feel better about yourself. Let someone cut in line ahead of you. Help the grocery checker load your bags.

Use a shopping list. It saves you time, which saves you stress.

Don’t shop on a deadline. In your hurry, you will stress and possibly not get exactly what you want or need. Allow lots of time to shop for everything from weekly groceries to linens on sale.

Rock on. A tai chi warm-up movement called the rocking motion has a calming effect on the entire body, Bhatti says. While standing, shift your weight on your feet so you come up slightly on the toes and then back again on your heels.

“The rocking motion stimulates the acupressure in the feet. It’s very soothing and something you can easily do while standing in line,” he says.

Do some simple shoulder and back stretches while waiting at the checkout.

Tune it out. Carry your iPod in your pocket or purse for some musical distraction as you wait.

People watch. Who needs whacky reality TV when you have the real thing happening all around you at the mall.

Capricon 29 - Interlude - Potlatch 18

2009-03-02T18:23:01Z

Ok, attending two conventions in a row is excessive, but the opportunity presented itself, so I jumped at the chance.

Potlatch ( http://www.potlatch-sf.org/ )is a very small sercon which has Books of Honor' instead of Guests of Honor . It floats between Portland, Seattle and the Bay Area. This year it was in Sunnyvale. I shared a room (the kindness of others, squee!), so the only expense was membership, gasoline and food.

Potlatch's two Books of Honor (http://www.potlatch-sf.org/boh.php ) were "Always Coming Home" by Ursula K. LeGuin and "Growing Up Weightless" by the late John M. Ford.

After the hectic excitment of Cap 29, this was 2 1/2 days of ease and relaxation. Basically we lounged and talked, sometimes moving the talk to a nearby restaurant. There was a track of programming, and a second do-it-yourself program room. The higlights for me were the "Scalzi Rule" panel and the Clarion West auction.

At the auction, I ended up 2 chairs down from UKL on the center isle, so I drew much attention from the auctioneers, Jay Lake and Tom Whitmore. Only one item I wanted was not bid out of my range. I am now the proud owner of a Poppy Z. Brite book whose title flitters beyond my reach right now.

For the "Scalzi Rule" panel, the 80 people in the room, of whom 25+ participated, proved that a conversation can occur between a large crowd with ease. To be fair to Scalzi, this was a nearly ideal group to have this sort of thing happen. The Scalzi rule is that members of a panel audience should only be allowed to ask questions of the speakers. This is to prevent the clueless, those who end up droning on about side topics and those who think they should have been on the panel and put themselves on the panel from the audience, from shanghaing a panel. MKK texted Scalzi during the panel and he was bemused that folks thought this was something he wanted imposed on all panels, he isn't even sure it would work for all of his panels, but he was flattered that his idea was being discussed.

Two thirds of the program book pages were devoted to restaurants. Until Sunday we stuck with those within walking distance. The Indian buffet was wonderfull. It had the most diverse selection of items I'd ever seen for Indian food, and just as important a near monolithic Indian customer base. The few non-Indians there when we were dining came from Potlatch. The "Thai Garden" was good, but nothing stood out except for something called "Sizzling Garlic Pork". I took a break at one point and enjoyed a bowl of t Manhattan Chowder at the "Fish Market". Nearly the tastiest I've ever had. Best Manhattan Clam Chowder ever (YMMV) came from "The Sea Lion" on PCH above Malibu. Sadly they've been out of business since the mid 90's. Sunday on our way out from the convention , Leigh Ann & Leo talked me and Espania (who they were driving home) into trying out "Hobees". They are so well known by the owners that they were made "Favorite Customers" for 2008. Hobees is a chain of a 1/2 dozen restaurants, which are healthy choice, but not pushy about it. They are breakfast/lunch only eateries, except for one that's open evenings, where we dined. I have two comments on Hobees. First, that fresh, warm coffee cake the size of Tiffany's boxes are to die for. Second, that you can find a place which still serves "Good Earth" style iced tea, but better. And third... Yeah whatever - That I've noted where the Hobees closest to the Baycon hotel is located for excurions in May. Damn good healthier americana food.

Coolest moment at the convention occured when Ursula K LeGuin meowed like a cat to promote an auction item from her (also by her) about cats with wings. She was spot on. It was erie/cool. I think it was Jay Lake who quiped; "She also writes!"

Usual suspects in attendance or making appearances, Kevin & Andy, Christopher J. Garcia, Leigh Ann, Leo, Espana, David Bratman, Tom Whitmore, Dave Clark ( my dealer who left me $88 poorer and 6 books heavier), Dave G & Spring, Cindy Scott (who I think was instramental in making the bountifull consuite go), a few writers I know and read, and Peggy Rae, who trumped my bid on several items at the Clarion West auction.

So a fantastical exhausting weekend at Capricon 29 followed by a great easy-going weekend at Potlatch 18. FWIW there are no pictures from me of Potlatch 18.

Now we return, hopefully, to our previous Capricon 29 report.

No. I have no idea why there's so much posting to LJ right now.

Capricon 29 + 3

2009-02-26T00:12:56Z

The journey began with an airplane nick'd out from under us. Two hours after our originally scheduled departure the pilot shared with us that the plane had also been taken from him. I felt acceptance because we were scooting out to the runway.

According to Dave, my flight was the last one arriving in from anywhere to O'hare. Being late you'd think we'd head to Helen & Dave's immediately. No. I had to have my White Castle burgers. White Castle is a midwest fast food joint that never made any headway in the West. I know there was an outlet in L.A., once, in the 70's, but it was long gone. Dave knew where the 24 hour White Castle could be found.

I had 6 steamed sliders with onions and cheese. No pickle for me. A side of onion rings and a Coke balanced out the meal. Dave had the same, but with the pickle. This place was an after hours hang-out for the bar crowd. Dave said they swallowed the sliders to drown out the alcohol with grease. I was in heaven eating this very marginally nutricious food.

Did I mention the cold? Chicagoland was so cold that I felt it. In the wind the effect was tripled. Chills raced through me in all directions every time I stepped outside. For the record, I did have a jacket and arrived wearing Long Pants. I'll only mention the wheather a dozen more times. I won't go into detail about Dave's place other than saying I'm jealous of the space. Sleep hit around 4:00 a.m. And that was my Tuesday, the night of February 17th.

Not much excitement. Good talking to Dave. Good night drive through the flats of Northwest Chicago. Good day to die, though I lived.

Capricon 29 + 2

2009-02-24T20:25:34Z

Here's a picture of me (from behind) at the Capricon 29 Winterfaire:

http://flickr.com/photos/23249038@N08/3303220945/in/set-72157614339592156/

I'm dead center, wearing the hat, of course. I actually left it in the room from time to time, but as an identifier for me, that hat and the L.A.con IV medallion are clear from a good distance.

Here's the entire flicker selection:

http://flickr.com/photos/23249038@N08/sets/72157614339592156/

Eventually my pictures will be posted.

Capricon 29 + 1

2009-02-24T06:54:40Z

I kept most of my promises to myself.

I circulated, though more with the committee (Hang out with the people you share an affinity with, duh) , the entire weekend except for Saturday morning due to alcohol abuse. A whole 'nother story...

I made all 13 of my panel items, and was late for only one of them. And for that panel I was the first panelist to arrive, while two of the five speakers didn't show up at all.

I distributed all but one of the "Shiny" ribbons, a bunch of "It's not a fetish but an interest" ribbons, and a few "I'm going to the special hell" ribbons. I believe ribbon madness has infected Capricon 29. There were people who had ribbons that weren't ordered through Chaz. I received 5 Dr. Who related ribbons from a couple of twins and their family. I met a dozen folks who were regulars at Chicago Tardis (the other Dr. Who convention, YMMV). Small world.

Photologing the convention. That went so-so. I think many of the photos didn't come out well, but there are more than 400 of them. There may be more from Wednesday, convention load-in, than any other day. I put the camera down all Saturday night and much of Sunday. Still, there are a few brilliant pix (in the opinion of others) and maybe they'll look good on Chaz's website. Once I cull the herd. There are pictures of thumbs, floors, walls and other mistakes.

For the record: I had a brilliant convention! Capricon 29 may ultimately be a better overalll experience for me than CostumeCon in San Jose last year. Really, you should go. Your best bet is next year, 2010, Capricon 30. They are going all out for the anniversary.

Capricon 29

2009-02-20T04:15:24Z

The internet and the computers in the business center at the Westin are conspiring to prevent me from saying anything about Capricon 29. The battle isn't worth the effort. The typing I did from 2:15 to 3:00 a.m. this morning is lost in the vitrious ocean of the ether.

Suffice to say, I am at Capricon 29. I've taken a few pictures that may appear online courtesy of Chaz. I won't mention how the convention's going for fear of this entry never being posted.

POISONED PEN - Someone else's insanity

2009-01-22T19:06:21Z

I've been to busy/exhausted/distracted for posting in some while, but this passed my desktop today and I need to share it:

http://nihilistic-kid.livejournal.com/1249222.html

I've had a similar experience with an author who didn't believe there would be consequences to his behavior.

He'd spammed a list I was on pimping his vanity-press novel. He then sent people insulting and sexually abusive email posing as me. He didn't stop until I threatened legal action. He was a coward. I've kept his e-mails in a file in print. My tormentor was Jeff Redmond.

These poison pill people think they can write abuse without it influencing how others think of them is remarkably naive. Its not like they are DMV employees beyond the touch of mortal folks. Maybe they hold with the idea; "Any publicity is good publicity." I'll never pay to read anything by these two writers, ever. Good luck to them.

Devious Journal Entry remember this artist

2008-12-03T02:03:26Z

R E G R E T by *IgNgRez on deviant ART

100 things someone else did and made into a list that I got from celedraug

2008-11-26T20:03:36Z

I picked this up from celedraug

I also highlighted the items I've done here. Yep. Slow moment.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked - I've picked up hitchhikers
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping - but it was ugly
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David

41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen a geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone hang gliding
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check Truly sad & pathetic
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper - does a magazine count?
85. Read the entire Bible - 5 thousand years ago
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day. - My record was 4

Elections Never Seen

2008-11-06T02:02:02Z

The last election day I remember clearly participating in was the 1992 Presidential contest. It was capped by a stunning and hope filled evening, though marred by touches of the Flowers and other scandals drawn up as the pundits reviewed the race. Two young couples facing outward in an arc on that well lit stage which, if I remember correctly, set behind the Governor's Mansion of the State of Arkansas. " Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac playing as the crowd cheered and balloons fell, the camera panning back, the networks giving up commercial time to linger in the afterglow of Bill Clinton's acceptance speech. That was a pretty good evening.

Since then I've not really been involved enough to sit and watch. I vote. I've voted all but once since I've had the legal right, some odd non-presidential, non-governor, non-mayoral thing. I keeps my right to Bitch/Moan/Complain about the Government fresh.

With my recruitment by Michael Mason as a poll worker I become completely detached from the events on election day as they developed beyond the room where I witnessed votes being cast. It became a waiting game. Be involved with the process from very early in the morning until my clerk part was complete. Finish the task and pass along the responsibility to the next level. Then we'd gather with Liz Mortensen & Ed Green from their completed duties and eat. And follow the news. Or not. It all depended on whether the place we ate had a t.v. or not. We talked about the day, some about the election results, a good deal about how tired we were, and shared anecdotes about 'special snowflake' voters.

I enjoy not being part of the madness and speculation that roils through my world on a typical election day. It did in the worlds I hung out in before I started working the polls. Other people tell me they didn't have this problem. Apparently working at a bank (ok S&L) then a foreign govt. put me in a unique position. Even now, if I'd been at work, they were talking it up all day. I work at a labor union. We had our own I.A.T.S.E. Barack Obama phone bank. I tend to work places where today's election is our special obsession.

Michael died, but still there's Scott Beckstead (who took Michael's Inspector's gig) & his son Patrick. I keep getting offered an Inspectors gig of my own, but I don't want to volunteer to run a group of strangers who might never show up. I'll keep volunteering to keep showing up for Scott.

Have I mentioned recently that I really miss Michael Mason?

Yesterday was very different. Maybe another post different.

Providence St. Joseph's Hospital

2008-10-31T01:05:37Z

The last time I spent any volume of time at St. Joe's, in the Emergency Ward, was with a Robbie related Migraine in the before time. But yesterday...

First I have to pick up the patient [inserted here to relieve you of any thought that it might be me], sans appendix.

READ THE FINE PRINT!?!

2008-10-20T20:35:37Z

ALAMO rent a car, my Mother's recent experience.

So she was in L.A. for 72 hours for dental work. No, you don't want to know why Washington state doesn't have any dentists. We returned her rental car 14 hours early and they charged her extra for the privilege. She knew she had to pay for the last day, it was half over, but extra for letting them have it back early? Yep. It's in the fine print. You even get the opportunity to read it as its one of those intiial here thingys. It only took her 20 minutes to argue them down to only and extra 40 cents. Sheesh. Unreal.

Thought I'd share that. Something new that I may need to look out for. You may have already run into this. Or maybe not.

Westercon 61 trip report

2008-07-08T05:26:44Z

We drove there.

And found out about a tragedy for others resulting in terminal function

We set up stuff.

And heard that a friends Mother needed support in a family crisis. So away the friend went.

We sat a table.

And shared the grief of survivors and the drain of empathy. This while around us some few felt the last drops drain from their reservior of *Sensawonda*. Others made lemonade, lemon bars, key lime pie (really difficult to do with lemons) and exulted in the community.

We threw a party.

They showed interest, as at the table and listened to our chant; "Support+vote=membership!" A few asked the question; "Without core fandom, what sort of a convention is Westercon?"

We sat a table.

And observed that fans and casino dwellers have much in common, but not the eyes. Casino Dwellers have empty sockets unable to focus on anything. Fans have darting orbs, open to the next, the new, the sensawonda of it all. At least many do.

We ran a party.

Well, an able stand in did an admirable job with help. I waited, sadly feeling left out, on a date that Evil Kevin (multiple personalities in one neat package) unwittingly sabotaged in ignorance of the double duty our evening's companion have been caught up.

[later that night] We bruised our palms.

giggle, snicker, snog, and other harmless words used to describe something, um, very very fine

Oh, I have to let them know we won...!!!!

Westercon 63: Confirmation
...And we also answer emails.

Thursday, July 1, thru Sunday, July 4, 2010

Pasadena Hilton @ $129(s,d,t,q)

Rudy Rucker - Writer Guest of Honor

Marc Schirmeister - Artist Guest of Honor

John D. Berry - Fan Guest of Honor

What more could you want?

So much that didn't get done when it would have been easier

2008-06-26T22:07:22Z

Primary Sources: The President's Proposed Energy Policy

Jimmy Carter delivered this televised speech on April 18, 1977.

Tonight I want to have an unpleasant talk with you about a problem unprecedented in our history. With the exception of preventing war, this is the greatest challenge our country will face during our lifetimes. The energy crisis has not yet overwhelmed us, but it will if we do not act quickly.

It is a problem we will not solve in the next few years, and it is likely to get progressively worse through the rest of this century.

We must not be selfish or timid if we hope to have a decent world for our children and grandchildren.

We simply must balance our demand for energy with our rapidly shrinking resources. By acting now, we can control our future instead of letting the future control us.

Two days from now, I will present my energy proposals to the Congress. Its members will be my partners and they have already given me a great deal of valuable advice. Many of these proposals will be unpopular. Some will cause you to put up with inconveniences and to make sacrifices.

The most important thing about these proposals is that the alternative may be a national catastrophe. Further delay can affect our strength and our power as a nation.

Our decision about energy will test the character of the American people and the ability of the President and the Congress to govern. This difficult effort will be the "moral equivalent of war" -- except that we will be uniting our efforts to build and not destroy.

I know that some of you may doubt that we face real energy shortages. The 1973 gasoline lines are gone, and our homes are warm again. But our energy problem is worse tonight than it was in 1973 or a few weeks ago in the dead of winter. It is worse because more waste has occurred, and more time has passed by without our planning for the future. And it will get worse every day until we act.

The oil and natural gas we rely on for 75 percent of our energy are running out. In spite of increased effort, domestic production has been dropping steadily at about six percent a year. Imports have doubled in the last five years. Our nation's independence of economic and political action is becoming increasingly constrained. Unless profound changes are made to lower oil consumption, we now believe that early in the 1980s the world will be demanding more oil that it can produce.

The world now uses about 60 million barrels of oil a day and demand increases each year about 5 percent. This means that just to stay even we need the production of a new Texas every year, an Alaskan North Slope every nine months, or a new Saudi Arabia every three years. Obviously, this cannot continue.

We must look back in history to understand our energy problem. Twice in the last several hundred years there has been a transition in the way people use energy.

The first was about 200 years ago, away from wood -- which had provided about 90 percent of all fuel -- to coal, which was more efficient. This change became the basis of the Industrial Revolution.

The second change took place in this century, with the growing use of oil and natural gas. They were more convenient and cheaper than coal, and the supply seemed to be almost without limit. They made possible the age of automobile and airplane travel. Nearly everyone who is alive today grew up during this age and we have never known anything different.

Because we are now running out of gas and oil, we must prepare quickly for a third change, to strict conservation and to the use of coal and permanent renewable energy sources, like solar power.

The world has not prepared for the future. During the 1950s, people used twice as much oil as during the 1940s. During the 1960s, we used twice as much as during the 1950s. And in each of those decades, more oil was consumed than in all of mankind's previous history.

World consumption of oil is still going up. If it were possible to keep it rising during the 1970s and 1980s by 5 percent a year as it has in the past, we could use up all the proven reserves of oil in the entire world by the end of the next decade.

I know that many of you have suspected that some supplies of oil and gas are being withheld. You may be right, but suspicions about oil companies cannot change the fact that we are running out of petroleum.

All of us have heard about the large oil fields on Alaska's North Slope. In a few years when the North Slope is producing fully, its total output will be just about equal to two years' increase in our nation's energy demand.

Each new inventory of world oil reserves has been more disturbing than the last. World oil production can probably keep going up for another six or eight years. But some time in the 1980s it can't go up much more. Demand will overtake production. We have no choice about that.

But we do have a choice about how we will spend the next few years. Each American uses the energy equivalent of 60 barrels of oil per person each year. Ours is the most wasteful nation on earth. We waste more energy than we import. With about the same standard of living, we use twice as much energy per person as do other countries like Germany, Japan and Sweden.

One choice is to continue doing what we have been doing before. We can drift along for a few more years.

Our consumption of oil would keep going up every year. Our cars would continue to be too large and inefficient. Three-quarters of them would continue to carry only one person -- the driver -- while our public transportation system continues to decline. We can delay insulating our houses, and they will continue to lose about 50 percent of their heat in waste.

We can continue using scarce oil and natural to generate electricity, and continue wasting two-thirds of their fuel value in the process.

If we do not act, then by 1985 we will be using 33 percent more energy than we do today.

We can't substantially increase our domestic production, so we would need to import twice as much oil as we do now. Supplies will be uncertain. The cost will keep going up. Six years ago, we paid $3.7 billion for imported oil. Last year we spent $37 billion -- nearly ten times as much -- and this year we may spend over $45 billion.

Unless we act, we will spend more than $550 billion for imported oil by 1985 -- more than $2,500 a year for every man, woman, and child in America. Along with that money we will continue losing American jobs and becoming increasingly vulnerable to supply interruptions.

Now we have a choice. But if we wait, we will live in fear of embargoes. We could endanger our freedom as a sovereign nation to act in foreign affairs. Within ten years we would not be able to import enough oil -- from any country, at any acceptable price.

If we wait, and do not act, then our factories will not be able to keep our people on the job with reduced supplies of fuel. Too few of our utilities will have switched to coal, our most abundant energy source.

We will not be ready to keep our transportation system running with smaller, more efficient cars and a better network of buses, trains and public transportation.

We will feel mounting pressure to plunder the environment. We will have a crash program to build more nuclear plants, strip-mine and burn more coal, and drill more offshore wells than we will need if we begin to conserve now. Inflation will soar, production will go down, people will lose their jobs. Intense competition will build up among nations and among the different regions within our own country.

If we fail to act soon, we will face an economic, social and political crisis that will threaten our free institutions.

But we still have another choice. We can begin to prepare right now. We can decide to act while there is time.

That is the concept of the energy policy we will present on Wednesday. Our national energy plan is based on ten fundamental principles.

The first principle is that we can have an effective and comprehensive energy policy only if the government takes responsibility for it and if the people understand the seriousness of the challenge and are willing to make sacrifices.

The second principle is that healthy economic growth must continue. Only by saving energy can we maintain our standard of living and keep our people at work. An effective conservation program will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs.

The third principle is that we must protect the environment. Our energy problems have the same cause as our environmental problems -- wasteful use of resources. Conservation helps us solve both at once.

The fourth principle is that we must reduce our vulnerability to potentially devastating embargoes. We can protect ourselves from uncertain supplies by reducing our demand for oil, making the most of our abundant resources such as coal, and developing a strategic petroleum reserve.

The fifth principle is that we must be fair. Our solutions must ask equal sacrifices from every region, every class of people, every interest group. Industry will have to do its part to conserve, just as the consumers will. The energy producers deserve fair treatment, but we will not let the oil companies profiteer.

The sixth principle, and the cornerstone of our policy, is to reduce the demand through conservation. Our emphasis on conservation is a clear difference between this plan and others which merely encouraged crash production efforts. Conservation is the quickest, cheapest, most practical source of energy. Conservation is the only way we can buy a barrel of oil for a few dollars. It costs about $13 to waste it.

The seventh principle is that prices should generally reflect the true replacement costs of energy. We are only cheating ourselves if we make energy artificially cheap and use more than we can really afford.

The eighth principle is that government policies must be predictable and certain. Both consumers and producers need policies they can count on so they can plan ahead. This is one reason I am working with the Congress to create a new Department of Energy, to replace more than 50 different agencies that now have some control over energy.

The ninth principle is that we must conserve the fuels that are scarcest and make the most of those that are more plentiful. We can't continue to use oil and gas for 75 percent of our consumption when they make up seven percent of our domestic reserves. We need to shift to plentiful coal while taking care to protect the environment, and to apply stricter safety standards to nuclear energy.

The tenth principle is that we must start now to develop the new, unconventional sources of energy we will rely on in the next century.

These ten principles have guided the development of the policy I would describe to you and the Congress on Wednesday.

Our energy plan will also include a number of specific goals, to measure our progress toward a stable energy system.

These are the goals we set for 1985:

--Reduce the annual growth rate in our energy demand to less than two percent.

--Reduce gasoline consumption by ten percent below its current level.

--Cut in half the portion of United States oil which is imported, from a potential level of 16 million barrels to six million barrels a day.

--Establish a strategic petroleum reserve of one billion barrels, more than six months' supply.

--Increase our coal production by about two thirds to more than 1 billion tons a year.

--Insulate 90 percent of American homes and all new buildings.

--Use solar energy in more than two and one-half million houses.

We will monitor our progress toward these goals year by year. Our plan will call for stricter conservation measures if we fall behind.

I cant tell you that these measures will be easy, nor will they be popular. But I think most of you realize that a policy which does not ask for changes or sacrifices would not be an effective policy.

This plan is essential to protect our jobs, our environment, our standard of living, and our future.

Whether this plan truly makes a difference will be decided not here in Washington, but in every town and every factory, in every home an don every highway and every farm.

I believe this can be a positive challenge. There is something especially American in the kinds of changes we have to make. We have been proud, through our history of being efficient people.

We have been proud of our leadership in the world. Now we have a chance again to give the world a positive example.

And we have been proud of our vision of the future. We have always wanted to give our children and grandchildren a world richer in possibilities than we've had. They are the ones we must provide for now. They are the ones who will suffer most if we don't act.

I've given you some of the principles of the plan.

I am sure each of you will find something you don't like about the specifics of our proposal. It will demand that we make sacrifices and changes in our lives. To some degree, the sacrifices will be painful -- but so is any meaningful sacrifice. It will lead to some higher costs, and to some greater inconveniences for everyone.

But the sacrifices will be gradual, realistic and necessary. Above all, they will be fair. No one will gain an unfair advantage through this plan. No one will be asked to bear an unfair burden. We will monitor the accuracy of data from the oil and natural gas companies, so that we will know their true production, supplies, reserves, and profits.

The citizens who insist on driving large, unnecessarily powerful cars must expect to pay more for that luxury.

We can be sure that all the special interest groups in the country will attack the part of this plan that affects them directly. They will say that sacrifice is fine, as long as other people do it, but that their sacrifice is unreasonable, or unfair, or harmful to the country. If they succeed, then the burden on the ordinary citizen, who is not organized into an interest group, would be crushing.

There should be only one test for this program: whether it will help our country.

Other generation of Americans have faced and mastered great challenges. I have faith that meeting this challenge will make our own lives even richer. If you will join me so that we can work together with patriotism and courage, we will again prove that our great nation can lead the world into an age of peace, independence and freedom.

Jimmy Carter, "The President's Proposed Energy Policy." 18 April 1977. Vital Speeches of the Day, Vol. XXXXIII, No. 14, May 1, 1977, pp. 418-420.

Didn't I post this to my LJ earlier? It showed up as a draft

2008-05-08T17:45:59Z

Monrovia couple in good 'Company'

APU professor and husband nominated for science-fiction field's top honor

By Evelyn Barge, Staff Writer

Article Launched: 04/24/2008 11:58:59 AM PDT

Writers Diana Glyer, a professor at Azusa Pacific University, and her husband Mike Glyer in their Monrovia home office on April 20. Both writers are nominated for the Hugo Award, a prestigious science-fiction achievement award. Diana Glyer is nominated for her first book, "The Company They Keep," and Mike Glyer for his longstanding newsletter File 770. (Photos by Sarah Reingewirtz / Staff)

It was a puzzle that took some 24 years to assemble. Its pieces lay hidden in fragments of letters and diaries, in crossed-out notations and private correspondence — a patchwork of ideas waiting to tell a collective story.

Decades ago, Diana Glyer undertook the role of literary seamstress to weave together a little-told narrative of the creative relationship between authors C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien and their storied writing circle, the Inklings.

"It has been a delightful process, but a long one," said Diana Glyer, professor of English at Azusa Pacific University. "This book is the result of 20 years of playing Sherlock Holmes behind the scenes and trying to figure everything I could about how they inspired and challenged one another as a result of their friendship."

Published in March last year and due out in paperback in July, the resulting book — "The Company They Keep: C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien as Writers in Community" (Kent State University Press) — may now be poised to receive the science fiction world's top honor, a Hugo Award.

Nominations for the Hugo Awards were announced in March, and the winners will be revealed at an Aug. 9 ceremony during the 66th World Science Fiction Convention in Denver.

One of five contenders in the Best Related Book category, "The Company They Keep" is Diana Glyer's first book, but the prestigious nomination comes alongside another milestone — her husband Mike Glyer

is also nominated this year for a Hugo Award in a separate category, Best Fanzine.

Something of a WSFC veteran, Mike Glyer has won eight Hugo Awards in years past for his long-running science-fiction newsletter File 770, which is celebrating 30 years of publication, and he previously held the record for most Hugo Award nominations.

But this year, the Monrovia couple have both of their names printed on the ballot, only the second time in the 55-year history of the Hugo Awards that a married couple have been nominated in the same year for independent projects.

"If we both win, it will be the first time that that ever happened, which would be really amazing," Diana Glyer said.

The dual Hugo nominations — and soon, perhaps, even dual wins — is befitting of the couple, who share a creative writing space in their home's converted garage. Occasionally, their 6-year-old daughter Sierra Grace joins them, pulling up a tiny chair and settling down between their adjacent desks with her Barbie-brand children's laptop.

Brimming with stacks of books, the joint space is one where the Glyers talk about writing projects, bounce ideas off one another and critique each other's work.

"A lot of

Diana Glyer's book, "The Company They Keep," was published in hardback last year and will be released in paperback in July. (Photos by Sarah Reingewirtz / Staff)

what we're able to do is just listen to each other," Diana Glyer said. "We talk and toss ideas back and forth before any words are written at all."

Although the Glyers' writing styles and influences are different — "I write more in an academic setting; he writes in a more journalistic setting," she said — the contrast often proves to be complementary.

"Mike and I are very useful to each other, because we come from different backgrounds and we write very different kinds of things," Diana Glyer said. "I think it makes our writing much better."

Tolkien and Lewis themselves, she pointed out, had distinct differences as authors.

"In almost every way you can imagine, they're very different kinds of

Mike Glyer stands with some of his Hugo Awards in his Monrovia home on April 20. (Photos by Sarah Reingewirtz / Staff)

writers," Diana Glyer said. "And it's because they're so different that they're so useful to each other."

During the writing process, the Glyers share mutual feedback that can take the form of minor grammatical corrections to more fundamental concerns over style and content. And the constructive criticism isn't always easy to give and take.

"Diana's very brave in explaining things that she thinks I need to work on in my text," Mike Glyer said. "There are not many writers who want to hear anything except unalloyed praise, but it goes back to the point with the Inklings — they really wanted to know these things."

It's just one creative cue the Glyers take from Tolkien and Lewis, who were among the 19 members of the Inklings meeting twice a week for 17 years during the 1930s and '40s in Oxford, England.

"They spent that time reading their rough drafts out loud to each other, critiquing them, challenging each other, correcting each other, re-writing each other," Diana Glyer said.

This notion of creative collaboration is one that has long captivated Diana Glyer since before her undergraduate studies in English at Bowling Green State University, through her doctoral degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and into her teaching curriculum at APU.

"I got interested to learn about that magical in-between space from when you get an idea to when you have a finished product," she explained. "The study of where great ideas come from and how great ideas turn into finished products — that has always fascinated me."

At APU, where she has taught for 13 years, Diana Glyer brings the lessons culled from many years of study and writing into her classrooms.

"I believe that writing thrives in community," she said. "Writing is an outgrowth of lively conversation and interaction. ... I encourage my students to get into groups where they're critiquing and giving each other feedback."

It's a theme that has also struck a chord with fans of "The Company They Keep," who have written letters to the author after reading the book.

"From the very first fan letter that I got," Diana Glyer said, "what was fascinating to me is that people say the book is inspiring because it helped them in their own creative process."

Now, the inspiration behind her own book has come full circle, and "The Company They Keep" has returned, quite literally, to the region the Inklings — and her most esteemed authors, Tolkien and Lewis — called home.

"Just recently, some friends of mine were in Oxford, and they visited C.S. Lewis' home," Diana Glyer said. "They donated a copy of 'The Company They Keep' to the study center, so there is a copy of my book in C.S. Lewis' home that researchers can use. ... I think about writing about this author for so many years, and now there's a copy in his very own home."

Posted the weekend's event's over there

2008-04-21T18:40:16Z

I really need to read all the bells and whistles for LJ to do this the easy way, or at least the LJ way.

Here's what I did Saturday:

http://community.livejournal.com/lasfs/47451.html