The Raven's Nest

I blame VanderMeer*

2009-11-15T18:54:58Z

Last night I went to the SF in SF reading, where Jeff VanderMeer and S.G. Browne read from their new novels. Browne started off, reading from Breathers: A Zombie's Lament, a dark comedy told in first person from the point of view of a man who woke up from an accident to find himself shuffling down the road as a zombie. The Thanksgiving scene is priceless, but don't read it while eating.

Jeff VanderMeer read from Finch, his noir final novel in his Ambergris series. I haven't read the first four, but I really enjoyed the characters. Finch is a detective, as one would expect from noir, but his world has been occupied by aliens who employ technology based on mushrooms. OK, that's a little simplistic. The section he read sounded very interesting, and I enjoyed the details about the planet and the alien technology.

The panel discussion afterwards was entertaining, as usual, with Terry Bisson at his witty best. "Are dilettantes a bad thing?" "Are hamsters a bad thing?" Maybe you just had to be there, and through the magic of podcasts you can be, as the evening's readings and discussion will be available as podcasts, with a link on the SF in SF site soon.

*This is the shoutout Jeff VanderMeer asked for as he read the description of his novel from the back of the book.

Anyone want a washer and dryer?

2009-10-15T06:16:53Z

I'm moving in less than two weeks, and my washer and dryer need a new home. The washer is fairly old, and I got the dryer about ten years ago. However, I only do one or two loads of laundry a week, so neither gets much use. They're yours if you take them away (from Santa Clara).

Bucket list from lifeofglamour

2009-10-12T18:46:37Z

Hmm. Maybe I'm more interesting than I thought.

The (Generic) Bucket List. Place an X by all the things you've done and remove the X from the ones you have not.

Things you have done during your lifetime:
(x) Gone on a blind date
(x) Gave blood
(x) Skipped school
(x) Watched someone die
(x) Been to Mexico
( ) Been to Florida
( ) Been to Hawaii
(x) Been on a plane
( ) Been on a helicopter
(x) Been lost
(x) Gone to Washington, DC
(x) Ridden in a police car
( ) Hugged a homeless person
(x) Swam in the ocean
( ) Swam with stingrays
( ) Been sailing in the ocean
(x) Cried yourself to sleep
(x) Played cops and robbers
( ) Recently colored with crayons
( ) Ran a marathon
( ) Sang Karaoke
( ) Volunteered at a soup kitchen
( ) Paid for a meal with coins only
( ) Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch
( ) Seen the northern lights
( ) Been para sailing
(x) Been on TV
(x) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(x) Made prank phone calls
( ) Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans
(x) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
( ) Fed a Giraffe
(x) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(x) Fired a gun
(x) Danced in the rain
( ) Been to the opera
(x) Written a letter to Santa Claus
( ) Serenaded someone
( ) Seen a US President in person
(x) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(x) Watched the sunrise with someone
( ) Driven a race car
(x) Been to a National Museum
(x) Been to a wax museum
( ) Eaten caviar
(x) Blown bubbles
(x) Gone ice-skating
(x) Gone to the movies
( ) Been deep sea fishing
(x) Driven across the United States
( ) Been in a hot air balloon
( ) Been sky diving
( ) Gone snowmobiling
( ) Lived in more than one country
(x) Lay down outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets
(x) Seen a falling star and made a wish
(x) Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful Geyser
(x) Seen the Grand Canyon
(x) Seen the Statue of Liberty
(x) Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle
( ) Been on a cruise
(x) Traveled by train
( ) Traveled by motorcycle
(x) Been horse back riding
(x) Ridden on a San Francisco CABLE CAR
(x) Been to Disneyland/Disney world
(x) Been in a rain forest
(x) Seen whales in the ocean
(x) Been to Niagara Falls
(x) Ridden on an elephant
( ) Swam with dolphins
( ) Been to the Olympics
( ) Walked on the Great Wall of China
( ) Saw and heard a glacier calf
( ) Been spinnaker flying
(x) Been water-skiing
(x) Been snow-skiing
(x) Been to Westminster Abbey
( ) Been to the Louvre
(x) Swam in the Mediterranean
(x) Been to a Major League Baseball game
(x) Been to a National Football League game
( ) Swam with sharks
( ) Been White Water Rafting
(x) Written a book or screen play
( ) Been to a Tournament of Roses Parade
(x) Lived in more than one state
( ) Become a parent
( ) Been Bungee Jumping
(x) Been to Vegas
(x) Been to a minor league baseball game
( ) Worked on a political campaign
( ) Been to the top of the World Trade Center or Empire State Building
(x) Ridden a Subway
( ) Been to your High School Reunion

Painting party Oct. 17

2009-10-08T21:55:40Z

I bet you saw this one coming. :-)

Before I can move into my house, I need to paint the rooms, and I've love some help. I need to paint the three bedrooms, the living room, and the studio out back. All the rooms will already be taped. I just need some willing hands to wield the brushes. I realize this will be Coronet weekend, but I won't have time to get the rooms taped before this weekend. So...please come help paint.

Saturday, Oct. 17, starting at 9:00. I'll provide drinks and eventually pizza. It's not hard and will be fun. And just think, I'm not going to ask any of you to help me move. :-)

Sunburned but happy

2009-09-19T21:26:09Z

The garage sale went very well. People showed up to take my cool geeky stuff off my hands, and my garage is much emptier. Yay! Many thanks to acanthusleaf and her mother, who did all the signs and brought their own cool things to add to the sale.

Geek Garage Sale -- Saturday Sept. 19 from 8am - 3pm

2009-09-16T02:51:36Z

I'm having a garage sale, and since I'm a geek, most of the stuff in it will appeal to geeks. Come early, and bring your friends.

Address: 1152 White Drive, Santa Clara, CA

Some of the stuff for sale:

sewing machine
some cloth
costumes
stuffed animals
Playmobil knights
SCA goodies, including four wooden tourney boxes of assorted sizes
games
Star Trek stuff, including action figures still in their boxes
actual furniture and cool old stuff

My problem with dance classes

2009-09-08T23:35:45Z

I finally realized why I don't like taking beginning waltz classes: everyone in them is a beginner. I don't want to learn to dance with a bunch of men who are also learning to dance, because then all we do is stumble around stepping on each other. I want to learn from black belts, not white belts. It goes much faster that way.

Tapas, anyone?

2009-09-03T06:17:50Z

I've been invited to a tapas potluck weekend after next, and I've decided to appeal to the group mind. Do any of you have an easy tapas recipe that will still taste good after an hour's drive? Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

"Star Trek" exhibit coming to the Tech Museum Oct. 23 through Christmas

2009-08-26T16:41:55Z

For those of you coming to World Fantasy in San Jose and who also like "Star Trek", the Tech Museum (walking distance from the con hotel) will be starting an exhibit of items from "Star Trek" the weekend before.

Yes, I'm a geek

2009-08-03T21:01:06Z

I decided I needed an icon for World of Warcraft. That's one of my avatars, a dwarf paladin who is also an engineer (hence the goggles).

My main character I named after a character from Living With Ghosts. Since we're not supposed to name our avatars after characters from novels, I changed the name somewhat, so my elf hunter is named Graciel. I also have an elf druid. I wanted to name her Mevennen, after the only druid I know, but since that name is taken here and is also a character from a novel I like, I named my druid Meveniel, a nice elvish version of the name.

My dwarf, though, is named Galswintha, since that's a female dwarf character in one of *my* stories.

My real feelings about buying a house

2009-07-29T17:31:08Z

http://xkcd.com/616/

The definition of marriage thing

2009-07-22T18:12:22Z

I keep hearing from people against gay marriage that "the Bible says" that marriage is defined as between one man and one woman, yet I have yet to see that definition in any Bible. However, I've been reading a book about England in the twelfth century. During that time, the definition of marriage became codified. Secular law decided that canon law would decide, and canon law decided that the primary definition was that two people agree and say publicly that they were married. And at this time canon law defined marriage as an agreement between two people (which at the time would be one man and one woman). Aha! I bet that's where all this is coming from.

John out of surgery

2009-06-29T09:13:07Z

learnteach is out of surgery, but groggy (not surprisingly).

John update

2009-06-29T07:05:38Z

Watch jeanvieve for the most current updates, but he just went into surgery. Turns out he has a bad strep infection in his leg, but it's not staph. They're going to drain icky things out. His mother and Kurt are there with him and will send details once he's out of surgery.

Recreating the (real) Middle Ages

2009-06-22T18:25:45Z

[I posted this as a comment in red6count's journal, but wanted to post it here, too, because it's something I've been thinking about while I've been researching a project.]

I'm currently reading England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings 1075-1225 by Robert Bartlett. It's a wonderful book, that describes in detail life in the twelfth century in England, based on historical sources. What Bartlett has to say about court life is this:

"The description of Hugh of Avranches, earl of Chester (d. 1101), given by Orderic Vitalis, exemplifies the hedonistic, materialistic, athletic, public, and noisy nature of the great aristocratic household:

'He loved the world and wordly pomp and thought that they were the highest blessing that human beings could attain. He was always the first in battle, lavish in his giving, took great pleasure in games and luxuries, in actors, horses, dogs and other vanities of this kind. He was surrounded by a huge household, in which there were crowds of boys, both nobles and commonors, making a great noise, as well as honourable clerks and knights with whom he shared his labours and his wealth.'

... Feasting, hunting, joking, love, gifts -- that is the ideal picture of the aristocratic court." [p. 235]

For those of you complaining that the Spartans* care only about fighting and partying, and that artisans are ignored, I have this to say: Congratulations. The SCA has successful recreated the Middle Ages.

* An SCA household known for its members' emphasis on armored combat and partying. Due the former interest, members of this group tend to frequently win Crown tournaments and reign as King and Queen.

20 long years

2009-06-15T18:11:23Z

Yesterday, or possibly today, marks twenty years that I've been living in the Bay Area.

Different look at the Celts

2009-06-02T18:02:44Z

Interesting article on the Celts (or should I say, the "Celts") in Clarkesworld:

http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/maund_06_09/

Happy birthday, fearless_em!

2009-05-29T18:14:49Z

Or should I say, Dr. fearless_em? For those of you who haven't met Sarah (Teresa's niece), you can read all about the crystal salamanders she discovered in Yellowstone National Park while doing her doctoral research, here:

http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2009/03/yellowstone-national-park-home-wolves-grizzlies-elk-moose-and-crystal-salamanders

Steampunk in Oz

2009-05-24T07:52:00Z

I went to see "Wicked!" in SF with hrf, scotica, and duchessletitia this evening. I knew nothing about the play beyond the very basics, and I was very pleased with how it went. I won't give anything away because of spoilers, but it was very clever. The costuming and sets had a very steampunk flavor, with actual gears appearing here and there. I recommend seeing it for those of you who haven't made it yet.

Just eleven to go

2009-05-16T05:19:54Z

visited 39 states (78%)
Create your own visited map of The United States or Best time to visit Namibia

My rather random world travels

2009-05-16T05:16:35Z

visited 12 states (5.33%)
Create your own visited map of The World or Like this? try: Mapped Web

Star Trek

2009-05-09T04:06:04Z

Completely awesome! I loved it! Spock! Other Spock! Scotty! McCoy! Kirk! Chekov! Sulu! Uhura! Loved them all!

I really enjoyed the bits they threw in for fanatical fans like me. Did anyone else notice Admiral Komack?

Things I liked:

"I never took the Kobayashi Maru." -- Well, now we know why.
"I have been and always shall be your friend." -- Sigh.
I'm fairly sure James Doohan's son played the security guard Kirk called "cupcake".
Hikaru Sulu and Nyota Uhura. Finally.
Pike in a wheelchair.
Chekov is seventeen.
Spock quoting Sherlock Holmes.
What happened to George Samuel Kirk, Jr.? I thought he was Kirk's *older* brother.

Things I didn't like:

They blew up Vulcan. Come on. How could they blow up Vulcan?

I want to see it again. Now.

The Lymond Chronicles -- Star Trek fanfic in disguise?

2009-05-07T05:31:04Z

I finished the Lymond Chronicles last night and loved it. However, I keep thinking that the whole series is really just Star Trek fanfic. Think about it. Lymond is a Mary Sue if I've ever read one:

1. His hair is a different, more beautiful color than everyone else's.
2. His eyes are a different, more beautiful color than everyone else's.
3. He's the smartest.
4. He's the best fighter.
5. He's the best musician.
6. Everyone loves him or hates him, but he's really just misunderstood.
7. He always has the wittiest things to say.

Also, there's more hurt/comfort in these books than in "Spock Enslaved!" And the slash subtext between Lymond and Jerott just drips from the page. The Turks are the Romulans, the Russians are the Klingons, Queen Mary's court are Vulcans (not the nice kind). Lymond has his bridge crew that follow him around everyone. The whole thing just screams Star Trek.

Back in the saddle

2009-05-03T07:57:59Z

I went to aikido last night for the first time since early February. Since I had worked from home, I was able to go to class from the beginning, so I got warmup time plus the beginner techniques before moving to the advanced techniques later in the class. I was rusty, but overall fine. I still can't bend my left knee all the way without lots of stretching in advance, but that will come. All in all, even though I quit a little bit early, it was OK.

This morning, everything hurt. My back, my butt, my legs, my neck, my shoulders -- everything but my knee. :-)

Love and Romance

2009-04-26T01:07:57Z

I'm in the middle of reading two books, both of which I'm enjoying quite a bit, and I'm fascinated by the way the two books are similar yet very, very different. Both of them are romances, though I wouldn't say either of them are part of the modern genre "romance," but keep in mind I hardly ever read any genre romances so I'm certainly not an expert. [Note that I haven't finished either of these books yet, so if you have please don't tell me spoilers on the endings. I do have spoilers for the first five Lymond chronicles, though.]

The first book, my current night time reading, is What Love Means to You People, by NancyKay Shapiro. I picked this up a couple of years ago based solely on the fact that NancyKay was a college friend of mine. This is the first of her serious writing that I've read, though I loved a long-running fan fiction romance she kept up in college, about The Who and the Beatles. What Love Means to You People is the story of two gay men, Seth, a young artist who is living in New York City and just scraping by, and Jim, a successful businessman about twenty years older who is still grieving for his lost partner.

The second book is my commute paperback, Checkmate, by Dorothy Dunnett, the last of the Lymond Chronicles. This one more than the others focuses on the relationship between Francis Crawford of Lymond and his wife Philippa, who is ten years younger and married him at his suggestion in order to save her honor when they were forced to spend the night in the same bedroom at a Turkish harem. (Long story. Five books worth of it.) Their marriage has not been consummated, and Lymond is trying to do the right thing by obtaining a divorce, though this is hampered by the laws and politics of sixteenth century Europe, where this is set.

What I find so interesting is that both of these are romances, though the Dunnett one is high romance, and both are concerned with love, sex, and secrets, yet they handle them so differently and so similarly at the same time. In both cases there is an age difference, which is an initial cause for concern in the pairs. In NancyKay's novel, which deals with gay men, there is a period of quite some time while the men simply date without sex, as the older Jim comes to terms with his grief over his dead lover and the guilt about moving on. Lymond, on the other hand, initially (two books back) thinks of Philippa as merely a child, because she is, but over the course of the books she has become quite an accomplished young woman, trained as she has been in the Turkish harem as well as later at the court of Queen Mary of England ("Bloody Mary"). What is more interesting to me, though, are how love and sex are handled. In Renaissance Europe, honor and politics take the lead over love (because of course Lymond is nobility in just about every country he shows up in, being, as a true romantic hero, a better warrior than everyone else in history, as well as more handsome, smarter, and wittier -- and of course more tortured). Both Lymond and Philippa torture themselves in order to do the right thing for everyone else, pushing away their own desire for who they love. Also, even though Lymond is quite the slut, the point is made repeatedly about Philippa's purity. Not so with Jim and Seth. Once they get together there are quite a few good (and graphic, without being silly) sex scenes. I'm not sure that love has even been mentioned between the two of them yet, but sex is an important part, and an early part, of their relationship.

Most of the last couple of books in the Lymond series have had a strong subplot about secrets surrounding Lymond's birth, with both Lymond and Philippa separately seeking answers. In the modern novel, Seth also has secrets he has not told Jim. It looks so far like these secrets will prove to be an important factor in the characters' relationships, though I don't know yet (and don't tell me). I'm looking forward to finding out, and I'm enjoying comparing the two tortured romances, one written forty years ago about a time five hundred years ago, and one written much more recently. I recommend both books.