Off to the Stew Party!
"Your plans don't need to be kept secret in order to succeed -- so feel free to spread the word! If they like what they hear, they just might want to chip in and help you out! This could be an expansive day for you, but only if you reach out to others. Show your excitement and other people will catch on, too. This is a wonderful day for hosting a cocktail hour or even a small dinner party."
This was my Horroscope for today. Sounds like MC'ing a Stew Party to me! Which is where I am off to shortly. And hungarly. Hope we get some of the Stew.....Bad luck you know and all, not to feed the musicians.
I came across this book while unpacking one of the many boxes sent home from the road to me by our own Miss Kitty. I love un-packing these boxes because you never know what is in them...Today? Spam-ku. Yes, someone has not only Written an entire book of Haiku odes to Spam, but managed to get it published. (John Nagamicchi Cho, if you are reading this, I am not making fun of you, on the contrary, they are wonderful, and getting them published is am admirable coup! Good on you!)
They are delightful, funny and very well written. All about Spam. Read it. You will love it. You will laugh. They will make you happy.
But last week someone mentioned a book of Zombie Haiku they has seen in a bookshop.
Spam and Zombies. Where are these publishers who are seeking Haiku? Do they not know that the Fiends here on this blog write the best Haiku going???? Have they, for some reason not SEEN our Fiendish Haiku? Did we not one day comment ONLY in Haiku???? They are missing out, if Haiku is the new It thing going.
Or are we simply ahead of the trend here?
Fiendish Dark Poems
Make us happy all year round
Where is OUR book deal??????
Right. Off to the Stew Party, which I am looking forward to. I'll let you know tonight how it all goes. Hope you all have something as fun planned, or plans to get tipsy!
Love and Spam,
Lorraine
posted by FabulousLorraine @ 1:49 PM
174 Comments
174 Comments:
Have fun.Happy Stew party.
I'm Going to bed soon, but tomorrow I'm going to see a production of 'Maskerade' (based on the Terry Pratchett book) with my shiney new boytoy :-)
Have fun at the Theatre! And with the boytoy.
Your post inspired me to look up my horoscope, i haven't read mine in eons...
"This is the ideal time to start something new and exciting, something that will reignite the passion that has been noticeable only by its absence of late. Do it alongside a friend or family member who also needs to kick-start their life. You will feed off each other."
Now, given that i've been watching True Blood and reading "Twilight", that's a little disturbing.
have a fun and stewy evening! i am beat, slept horribly last night, so doubt no tipsy for me - would just send me to sleep, humph. no fun here this evening! think i will play wii fit - does anyone else play this? i am absolutely addicted to the balance games as i have never felt like i'm very balanced (hmm, that could be misconstrued :) and i really bite at it but its so much fun i don;t care. and yes. where is our haiku book?? mmm, shiney new boytoy, i remember when grubby outspoken husband was shiney new boytoy, ahhhh how fast they change :), have a fun evening marjorie.
yes chantrelle, rather telling horoscope! where are you at in the twilight series? i just finished the fourth book, thought it was pretty good.
I'm just 1/2 way through the first book, i just started it the other night...i love it--high school vampire romance!
TURE BOOD! hahahah still makes me laugh, Quiche.
am in a very swanky hotel in downtown Chicago, last night was brilliant and yes, Boss told a sweet Halloween story about you, Spooky house n' tricker-treaters.
i will post some photos when I get it together.
missing the book tour, the Q&A was so much fun...
see you SSSSOOON!
ps Stew Party, sounds meaty.
Happy stew, happy
party: happy musicians
stuffed with beef, gravy.
I say we move into Stew Haiku™ before the rest of the world catches on.
What's the Halloween story with the trick-or-treaters, then? :) I'll trade it for this one:
I lived in England with hubby for the first couple of years of our marriage. We rented a house in the town he grew up-- a quiet little town out in the Fens, in the middle of nowhere. They don't really do trick-or-treat out there-- not an organised Beggar's Night, anyway-- but still, that first Halloween, I bought a bunch of candy, carved a pumpkin, and ignored hubby's protests regarding rubbish American nonsense and how we shouldn't encourage all those greedy little buggers to come to our door, uninvited, and demand treats of us.
At seven o'clock a group of kids turned up, five or six of them, with a single pillowcase between them. I didn't realise they only had the one sack, so I dropped in one piece candy (I didn't realise yet that I wouldn't have to ration the stuff). The group thanked me and turned, en masse, to leave. I had to call them back and heap more stuff into their bag. I told them to study up and do it properly next time: it's one sack each, fellas. One for each of you, and you each get some. Right? Right. They mumbled apologies and shuffled off.
We got one more group after that, five more kids huddling on the doorstep, and they didn't have a sack at all. They just held out their cupped hands-- like taking communion at church. I had to run to the kitchen and fetch them a shopping bag.
Later hubby asked why I kept bothering to answer the door; if I didn't, there'd be more for us. Hmmph. To his credit, though, he really rather likes it all now. But you get cute little kids in ladybug outfits here, accompanied by happy parents. Not so much where he grew up. :D
Sweet story Jess - i have such wonderful memories of trick or treating as a kid, and then taking my own 3 out. When my youngest was 3, she got a small candy bar at the first house, and was very puzzled and then you could see the light bulb go off in her head and bang! we couldn't keep up with her she raced so fast to the next house. what a hoot, very fun.
Chantrelle, if you like the first book, you will adore the next 3 - i thought her writing improved with each one, and the plots were great. That was my summer read and i really enjoyed them. i just picked up the story of edgar sawtelle, and may start that tonight.
Kitty, love Chicago, my hometown - are you staying downtown or in Downers Grove, which is quite nice too. My old stomping grounds! I do miss the hustle and bustle of city life, specially since the house is empty, the country is at times a bit too quiet. hope you are doing well!
I hope the party is fun! Are you feeling all better?
The Stew Party Gig was fun. And funny. Lots of people and dozens of kids, all between 2 and 6-ish. The grown ups stayed pretty much outside and listened but the kids, NO WAY they came to do some dancing and that was what they were going to DO.
It was obvious some of them knew at least a little Irish Step danceing and ballet, so it was a weird mix of that, and something kind of tribal, wonderful to watch, the little ones picking it up from the bigger ones.
Most got a chance on the violen, and mic. The people giving the party seemed to think we would be mad at having just the kids in there dancing, but what the heck, it was so fun, and everyone listened and loved us.
And as Adam Stemple once said to me "Did you get paid? If so, it was a good gig"
No Bengals came to greet me when I got home, which generally means the Evil Ones have escaped somehow, but tonight it was part in the basement with Mim and a Mousie.
I can't get it away from her. (You try getting prey from a Jungle Cat) and she is carting it around with her.
I told her Bad Things were going to happen to her Kitty Butt if I found it in my bed....
I got halfway thru the first Twilight, but havn't been able to finish it. Should I go on?
Hope the Stew Party was fun!
I'm currently watching "Sanctuary" on SciFi. Could be good. Won't fail due to acting talent. At least it comes on again later as its first run episode airs at the same time as "Life."
Oh Fods! Mim has LOST the bloody mouse. I can only hope it is dead and I will find it when it starts to STINK.
Ok, update. Kali found the mouse. Dead. I pried it from her iron jaws.
Can I be done for today????
Ack, poor Q!
Before this apartment the sweetie and i lived in a rental house, and we had a visiting kitty(our neighbor's cat who liked us because we had no dogs or small children. He used to leave us (dead)roof rats as prezzies. Roof rats are HUGE. Thank Fod he never brought any of them in alive-don't know what I'd've done.
Roof rats??????????
Kali now wants love and praise due to her. I am ok with this. Not so ok with the face licking. I mean she just had a dead mouse in her mouth.
I am coming home to kiss kitties with dead mouse breath. What's wrong with this picture, hee-hee.
Ms. Fabulous, at least you know what they've been licking, this time. dogs do the same thing.
Best not to think about it. ;)
My youngest will dance anywhere, except during her dance recital. ::chuckle:: It was more important to pull off mascara than dance.
I love kids in a setting like that, they know what they want and aren't afraid to say it. One young girl told us imaptiently, are you going to play another song OR WHAT??????
Another said "I do my best until it's done, and that's what I can do"
Out of the mouths of babes....
This is why I never kiss my cats on the lips. You never know what they've been chewing on. They groom my hands all the time, but I can wash those, so that's okay.
Stew party sounds like it was a good gig to me! Did you get any stew? Tribal Irish-step ballet sounds very postmodern.
I can't sleep. Whinge whinge whinge. Someone tell me a bedtime story. Whinge whinge whinge.
I did get stew, but it had a lot of pepper in it and I didn't feel so good.
Ok, that's no bedtime story. I can't sleep either. Bedtime sotry, eh?
All that is comiing to me is GK Chesterden, the Great Minimium. Not sure why, but I always feel better reading that poem. Google it. I so want to set it to music....
I could play my pipes for you, you would not sleep, perhance to dream, but you would laugh,,,,
That's a lovely poem. I never read it before-- thanks for pointing me that way. :) It's very calming, isn't it? Between that and Birdchick's cleansing downy woodpecker I shall feel well even if I don't sleep. (I've got some tangerine tea here. That's helping too.)
How goes it with the pipes? I'm still waitin' for more mp3s. :)
Bedtime story for sleepless roof rats:
Once upon a time there was a mouse who had his head bitten clean off by a Bengal. That bit wasn't so nice, but then he went to Mouse Heaven, and the Eternal Cheesemonger gave him his very own wheel of Edam, for free. And so he nibbled his Wheel of Eternal Edam and lived-- or rather didn't, but he was fine with that-- happily ever after. The end.
Bet you didn't know the Eternals had their own cheesemonger.
I didn't know that Jess, but thank you for sharing, hee-hee...
I am glad you liked the poem, it is my favourite and indeed very calming. Like, that is a reason and so very true...Sums it all up.
It does. And I love these lines:
It is something to be wiser than the world,
It is something to be older than the sky.
I'm neither, of course, but there's something very reassuring about them-- a sort of we're-all-a-part-of-everything feeling.
I should probably head to bed-- I'm getting sleepy (finally!) and the cats know I'm down here. I can feel that they know, and that they're about to start scratching and mewling at the door...
G'night! Don't let the Bengals bite. :)
It IS somthing and don't doubt it....
Sleep well, Jess, I will too soon.
@jess Hee!
Yes, roof rats. They live in people's rooves and can travel house to house. they like areas with lots of citrus trees-their favorite food. They can get quite big and are really destructive and very difficult to get rid of-you have to cooperate with your neighbors. It's a huge problem in parts of phoenix due to the mild conditions.
I do remember these rats at Malenas, despite the fact the live in a great place and have traps...I should be greatful I have only mice, shudder....
Mim is now beating up on Kali....I am so of to sleep, ight all....
The Stew party sounds like a hoot. Especially with a roomful of dancing kiddies..that's prime entertainment.:)
Glad you were at last able to find and remove the mouse..the last thing the girls need is something to fight over. (The Jungle Loves have a home..YAY!:) I quite like that Chesterson poem too.
Kitty you're in Chi-town? *waves to the northwest* Wish I could've been there, but couldn't get the day off work. (Darn work getting in the way of Fiend Business. Humph!) And you have pictures? Yes!
Jess I really.enjoyed your paste-up poem from the last post, and the notion of the Eternals having their own cheesemonger is making me giggle.;)
And now I'm off to bed, because the Ick is going around work and it's trying to catch me.
One of my cats used to bring me birds as get well offerings if I had a cold. You'd take them outside and let them go, and five minutes later he'd be back with the same (slightly more battered) bird. Maybe he thought I could make chicken soup from them?
You know your gig is good if the kids are close by dancing - and their joy is so infectious and gratifying.
Poor malena. That's the thing-they're really only a problem in nicer areas because those are the houses likely to have nice yards with citrus trees and also the right kind of attics, unlike regular rats.
Hi,
Thanks for your kind words yesterday Jess & Lorraine. But Jess, half a bottle of wine? Only half? I think you should try harder :)
Gee I’ll be glad when our school holidays will be over. We have one PC in our house and because I want it, so does everyone else. It’s like having two Spongebob Squarepants in the house.
Now?
Can I have it now?
What about now?
Until your concentration is in total disarray and it’s either let them run with scissors or totally give up.
Jess, that poem was gorgeous as are the rest of your creations. You must find inspiration everywhere! I also thought Pantagruel’s poem that was put up the other day was also amazing, as is the rest of her work. I can’t understand why I haven’t heard of you guys before. And, of course, FabulousLorraines work is fabulous.
The G.K Chesterton poem is lovely. It’s amazing how his name constantly pops up whenever anyone is citing anything worth reading.
We had Rudyard Kipling’s “If”, pinned up on the back of our toilet door when I was a kid. I don’t know if Mr Kipling would approve, but it was the quietest room in our house where you could be without being interrupted. So I could read it and think about it and wonder “What the hell is he on about”?
Of course, as life went on I got a bit of a deeper appreciation of what he was on about.
The gig sounds great. I love to see really little kids dancing, trying to find the beat. They look so gorgeous.
While you are asleep..
Zombie Mouse is waking up
"Ai can haz Edumm?"
Here is a present
For you oh Fabulous one
You are my Goddess
Gnaw gristle and bones
This is not supposed to be
In the stew I served
Run from zombie mice
The Cats are looking like cheese
All to be edam
Lorraine, if you mean the Stephenie Meyer Twilight book, NO! DON'T FINISH! I read the whole thing, just to see if it got any better, but no. The brainless subservient female protagonist and the obsessive creepy hundred-year-old vampire pretending to be 17 do not suddenly improve. It was awful, and disturbing, (and poorly-written), and it bothers me that so many teenagers think it's the best thing ever.
Awww, I admit it's not highbrow writing by any means but i think it's a fun book! Definitely a light, fast read. I won't let myself think too hard about it or anything...i can see why someone would think it a waste of reading-time but I'm having fun with it.
Written for tween girls
A creepy bossy boy vamp
Maybe fun...or not
Haiku may very well be the new "it" thing; many people write haiku because they find it "easier" than other kinds of poetry. In fact, many people write poetry because they feel it's "easier" than prose. I have to say that poetry should not be the easy way out and is the most exploited form of writing out there.
~Emily
Hee! Thanks, Jacqui-- that's very kind of you to say. Though you give my track record far more credit than it deserves, I think. ;)
Nope. Can't think of a haiku relating to tweens, vampires, and the state of modern literature. I'll just skirt that issue. ;)
Poll: I got me a nice little chicken to cook today. Shall I roast it, or shall I soup it? I'm leaning toward soup, but I'm also feeling suggestible. Bring on the peer pressure!
Jess, I suggest soup. But perhaps you could roast it, and use the leftovers for soup? ...
~Emily
And to continue the thought, Emily, most people out there aren't really writing true haiku at all. Haiku's more than a given number of syllables per line, and (ideally) the mention of a season. Most people just toss it off in an attempt to be clever or funny; that's really all I do around here, since it's just us and we're mainly here to mess about and delight each other. True haiku creates a sort of "Ah ha!" feeling in the reader, as words and image come together to illuminate something that seems new, or surprising. Which is really what all good poetry is supposed to do.
That said, after years of trying to teach students not to Abuse the Language, I've found it's ultimately better to just get them writing, period, rather than try to hammer seriousness into them. Some people out there will always write poetry without granting it the dignity or artistry it warrants, and will never understand why they ought to. Better they do that, though, than never learn to interact with poetry at all. Poetry doesn't die because people goof around with it, and get it wrong; it dies when no one reads it, or attempts to write it or care for it.
And I'm glad you say soup; I've never tried to make it with a fresh chicken, and I really want to. But roast chicken is goooood...
And now I need to stop commenting! :D
*reigns self in*
Comment away, we don't get tired of you Jess. How can it be you have never made chicken soup with a chicken? What do you do when you are sick?
Chicken soup doesn't wor as well with a regular chicken, you need a stewing hen to make it perfectly. There's a wonderful Chinease thing I make with chicken and cabbage, kind of a combo between roast chicken and soup. Lot of work tho.
There are a lot of books out there that can be just fun, if you are into it, read 'em. I know I read a lot of books that would bore most people to tears, and are in no way GOOD. I think there just has to be something that Grabs you, for it to work, whatever it is....
Very well stated, Jess; and you make an especially good point about haiku being "more" than syllables and seasonal references. An important thing to remember is that the Japanese are much more relaxed about the syllabic content of their haiku than most Westerners are. And there are the categories (as you probably know) of traditional haiku and Western haiku.
~Emily
@Lorraine Share the recipe-it sounds yum.
Whoops, there go the comment reigns! :D Oh well. If you're pleased to see me, then that's all right. :)
I've roasted a chicken and made soup from the carcass loads of times; it's just the fresh chicken soup idea really appeals to me. Whole Foods didn't have stewing hens, as far as I know-- I think I've just got a roaster. Maybe I will roast it first.
Who knew chicken could be such a dilemma?
It's funny, Emily: I do actually find poetry easier than prose, and I hadn't expected that when I started writing it (which wasn't all that long ago). It seems to suit the way I think about language, and the way I put images together...and to me there's a sort of "puzzle" element in it, in working out lines and stanzas. I like sticking to the 5-7-5 pattern in haiku because it feels like doing a soduku.
I don't know what any of this says about the sort of writing I've chosen to do, of course. What does it mean when you can knock out a decent poem in a couple of days, but a story takes you a couple of years, if you can finish it at all? This worries me. But I want to be a novelist, ma! I don't wanna be a poet! Sigh.
The recipe is kind of long and drawn out, but I will see if it is online somewhere, or tell you the book. Worth it tho....
Poetry, or prose poetry is easier for me too, than stories, I have never actually tried a story, but they are in my head all the time....
Sorry -- I absolutely did not mean that churning out a truly wonderful poem rather than piece of prose is never easier for some people. Some people ARE much better with poetry than prose; I really just meant to say that people prefer poetry because they find it an easy way out, probably most often due to its brevity. And poetry IS a wonderful way to hone writing skills. It's just that poetry is a form of art, just as any type of prose ... and should never been taken for granted!
And I myself have written much more poetry than prose. If you search for "Unforgotten" on TeenInk.com, you'll find a poem by Emily P. (me)!
~Emily
I knew what you meant, Emily-- no worries. :) I'm just following an idle train of thought. The fact that I find poetry easier than prose honestly does worry me, a bit. It makes me wonder what all that work on my master's degree was for. I feel as passionate about good prose as you do about good poetry-- and though it doesn't really make a lot of sense, I've got it in my head that I shouldn't struggle with writing and (crucially) finishing stories as much as I do. Sometimes that's just the Bad Imps talking, of course; then again, sometimes I think the Bad Imps may have a point. The lesson being that it doesn't matter how many degrees you have, or how much experience you have behind you: Doubt will never leave you if you are prone to Doubt, and really all you can do is write through it as best you can.
/soapbox gibberish
Chx soup:
I just cut the chicken into pieces and throw it in a big pot w/ about 5 qts of premade stock. Boil/simmer until chicken is cooked. Take out the chicken and pull all the meat off the bones, set aside. Throw veggies in the pot (carrots, celery, onion, garlic and whatever else you want) Simmer until almost tender and add noodles--cook until those are done. Stir in cooked chicken to reheat and serve. That's my easy winter-cold soup.
Hmmm...I am lacking in brain for discussing the finer points of prose and poetry, so I will one up Chantrelle with my chicken soup, hee-hee....
Take a chicken, carrots, onion and celery and a little salt and throw them in a pot of water. Boil until done.
Freckles is coming for a play date, I will give them a chicken and read poetry to them...Or perhaps walk in the woods.
It's too late! I'm roasting it, and then I'll soup the carcass afterward. I nearly souped it, but chickened (heh) out at the thought that it might be flavourless.
I like the thought of Dogs being Buddies. :) You don't get that so much with cats. My two are sisters, and about as close as a pair of cats can get-- which means they generally don't mind each other, and will even deign to share the sofa with each other, on opposite ends. But they don't snuggle any more like they did when they were kittens, and any play between them these days seems to be more about who's dominant than just general boisterousness. They like each other, I think, but I wouldn't say they were buddies as such.
Yay! Indeed, a wonderful way to eat chicken; roast and then soup.
~Emily
I have a chicken carcass just waiting to be turned into soup, with the leek that I picked up today. Yum! Probably not potatos, even though they are a traditional part of cockaleekie soup, as we're just finishing up a pot of ham and potato soup.
Why yes, it did finally get chilly here!
I did something fiendish today (with Pantagruel's permission)! (Same as my new Blogger photo.) Much fun was had (I did three shirts, all different), but I definitely need a heat press before I try making any to sell.
Now, I am relaxing with a Rogue Mocha Porter, messing around on my laptop and petting the sleepy black poofy-cat. This is a weekend for puttering, relaxing, and NOT WORKING.
I'm also thinking of baking cookies. Y'all can come over for some chocolate chips.
Phiala - I LOVE the skulls shirt.
Woo! Very stylish, Phiala. :)
Roasted chicken was yummy. I always forget how much I like the stuff. Soup a la chicken carcass tomorrow! And I've just been handed a nice mug of warm apple cider, hooray! Ahh, now it feels like fall.
Hey, I've got some leeks knocking around, and I've never tried making cock-a-leekie soup before. Hmm.
Again, more great skulls T-shirts.
Jess, warm apple cider sounds good. I've never had that. Do you have to use special cider?
LOVE the shirt!!!!! Mistress of Skulls!!!!!!!
Hey, I have a chicken carcess too!
Cabal did have fun with Freck today, it is so fun to watch them, and he ate catfood. OK.
But not his steak.
Hi Jaquib, you snuck in there. I meant to tell you earlier that I liked your Haiku, but hadn't had enough tea...
Thank you. Looks like I get inspired by food & the potential of dead mice.
My cat Macy, used to love giving me those presents, but she's 16 now and doesn't hunt anymore.
Hee-hee, well good to know what inspires you....
Why, we could have a Chicken Carcass Conference at this rate! Carcass-Con. Eww.
Jacqui - Just your standard unfiltered apple cider, the non-alcoholic sort, heated up in the microwave. Add mulling spices if you've got 'em, that sort of thing.
Cabal eats cat food
to impress his smaller friend:
See? I fear nothing.
off to see the Boss in Palo Alto...woo!
Talk to y'all later!
Sounds delicious Jess. Hmmmm, non-alcoholic. Might be a novel experience for me;)
Must find the nectar
of American apples
brewed in the Autumn
Ah hot cider....Yes.
Have fun at the show Chantrelle, let us know how he does....
Have fun, Chantrelle!
I cannot vouch for the potential efficacy, or lack thereof, of heated cider of the alcoholic variety. It'd either be fantastic, or bloody awful. Attempt at your own risk. :)
Any old apple
will do, provided that you
press it firmly first,
and catch all the juice
in a big wooden barrel,
or a bucket-- so.
Pasteurized cider
is recommended by the
FDA. Spoilsports.
Hi all! I have a story that combines chicken and rats and cats. Well... A cat.
We had a chicken coup. We had 4 chickens that were once little baby chicks that my daughter inherited from a kindergarten trip to the farm.
I loved our chickens; I dont' really eat chicken but I LOVE fresh eggs. One of our chickens was an aracauna; she laid pastel colored eggs but mostly green ones so we could officially say we ate Green eggs & Ham; which was great because Dr. Seuss is BIG in our house. Even today; some 10 years later; but that's another story.
Having a coup means were were/are in an area where there is access to Chicken Predators. No big; We built the chickens a hen house (that our neighbors thought we were building for our daughter to play in because it looked like a real house with windows & a roof & door. We let Ellen & her friends paint the outside of it. We then fenced it in because chickens should not be allowed to roam all around your yard all the time. Daily excursiions are fine but at night; they need to be in there house; up in their boxes with the doors firmly secured.
So; we have Ms. Stella O'Houligan as many of you know. She is right here as a matter of fact as I type write this. Presumably to take her bath but I'm sure it's to make sure I keep the story straight. I do have a predeliction to digress... Ms. Stella's job that she undertook for herself was to make sure the rodent population was under control. When you have chickens; you have hay and feed & when you have hay & feed you have rats. BIG ones. Stella does't eat junk food so she only kills them. Now this is where I find cats fascinating. If your job is to rid the yard & surrounding areas of rodents; how do you let your people know you're doing your job? You take them the carcass'.
By the time I would get up in the am & find the dead things; they were certianly stiff. This is where our story turns a bit and you can tell you would be at our house and not some other neighbors house who are most certainly respectible people, and they are so clean and shiny and you would take one look at them and know for certain; they wouldn't so much as ever look at a dead rat, much less have it in their home or even much less still; pick it up and carry it outside to toss it to the empty field kitty corner to you so the the lovely turkey vultures could have a snack. (it was only much later that I realised we had to build a large raised platform over 6 feet tall and put the dead things on top of it so the vultuers could eat. They will not go to ground in crowded (human) areas. *Ms Stella bats me in the head*
Oh, so... One Saturday morning; upon waking; finding the dead rats (busy night, she said) and taking them outside; I found my daughter all ready in the back yard. This was most assuredly prior to her teenage years when now; she sleeps till way past noon and even one o'clock in the afternoon.
I said good morning & asked what was up; she said she was letting the chickens out so they could eat. I am carrying the two dead rats by their tails. She looks; and I look at her before you know it; we both there thinking the same thing. I got on the other side of the chicken fence (which is 4 feet high) and she was on the yard side. I held up the two dead rats as puppets and started a little scene. My daughter giggles and laughs to this day about this. When rats die; they sort have their little rat hands all curled up and of course their gums recede a bit showing their formidable teeth. So they were terrific puppets. Their eyes stayed open. I won't go into detail about the puppet story but it was rather funny at the time and she and I both laughed till we cried. Our chickens even sat down in El's lap when she was patiently listening and watching the story.
Oh dear; I've gone on rather long; but still want to tell you the story of our "Turkin".
Mmm, apple cider sounds good to me too. I put good, unfiltered (UV treated if you are giving it to kids or are worried about yucky stuff)cider in a pot on the stove. Cut two oranges in half and stick whole cloves in the juicy side then put oranges in the pot. Throw in a few cinnamon sticks and turn the pot on low.
Wow Stacy, what a story! Dead rat puppet? Good Fod! ;)
Stacy, very fun tale, as it were, I am glad you went on so long!
It's very funny because I just got home and almost right away, Mim caught another Mouse! This one she killed right away and brought to me!
How can I have all these Mousies???? I am glad she is such a good mouser and hope she teaches Kali, Venus won't, but STILL! How are they getting IN??????
And how long will it be until she brings me one in bed?????
Not to creep anyone out; but I read somewhere that you are never more than 18" away from a spider.
So; I'm thinkin that while you may not see the mice; they typically go about their own business... they are there. I'll never forget our Tuxie, Miss Jack finding a white one; she had it in her mouth and because she is black & white all ready it was the most adorable thing I've ever seen. She didn't eat it; but Stell did. Stell loves them little mousies!
Reminds me of the Gary Larson shirt my high school sweetheart had; two cats; tails entertwined in a heart shape on the back fence & he's signing to her...
"Mousies what I love to eat; nibble off they tiny heads; nibble on they tiny feet"
Stell eats everything but the face.
Let's just hope you don't wake up to that on yer 'passenger side' pillow.
Wasn't there a Don Marquis poem, one of the Archy and Mehitabel ones about mousies????
I think I need to re-visit them....
I am just happy Mim is getting them....
And, oh, I was going to mention, WHAT an exciting Saturday night, eh???? Doesn't get any better than this, a little South Park, some dead mice, I know how to PARTY!
Well, what else are we to do while waiting for the fourth installment of Boss reading his book???
LOL
Hmmm, a point. Actually I am enjoying an evening off from gigging, have to get up early but still, nice.
Yes indeed, it is a wild Saturday night, but am I the only one who doesn't want to have anything to do with the Boss reading his book? Yet, that is. I want to read it first, all by myself, and THEN listen to the audio book, read by Himself.
And yes, I know live performance is far different from a taped performance, with all the warts cleaned up, but a new book? A brand new adventure? Doled out in little doses? Nope, not for me. I ordered one from Subterranean Press, and I'm going to wait.
All that exposure, over on the other blog - that's very tempting.
Siri
trust me Siri; if I could get my very own copy I'd have had it done all ready! I hate installments; still; it's lovely hearing it read. I can work & listen. Though he's not bad on the eyes. I have that exact leather jacket too! LOL
It is a truly wonderful book. I hate installments too, it was very hard transcibing it as it was written, I kept telling him GO AND WRITE, I need to know more...Hated it.
It is my favourite of his books so far. I love this story.
Oh dear. M just got up and puked. I hope it's not going to be one of those nights. poor guy.
Talk about exciting Saturday night... :)
I can't wait to read the new book. I think I will have to take a break from Hamlet this week. :)
Dude! It's RAINING here! I am so excited. :) I don't think I've seen rain since March. Those of you who did not grow up in a desert probably think I'm on crack or drunk, I'm sure. ;) Growing up in a desert during a drought, with water rationing, does tend to color your views about rain.
And I just heard thunder!
I have to go make a fire now, and will be back to catch up on everyone's comments in a minute. :)
OH, I"M SO JEALOUS PANTAGRUEL!!! We got so jipped today here in the OC!
They told us 40% chance today; I've yet to see it. I was watering my yard today even in the overcast. We had terrific thunder & lightning one day last week. Rain came shortly after. It lasted one day. Next day was right back to frickin 94 degrees. I hate the desert. If my daughter would let me; I'd move us to Washington.
Ah yes I recall those days. The Bay Area is certainly not the desert but I remember watering the garden with the bath water during a drought or two. Can't wait to get back there.
A fire sounds nice. I think it will be the only thing I miss about the house, the fire pit. I am at the new place now and should be all moved by this time next week.
Stacy, I'm only 15 minutes north of you. :) You got all the thunder and lightning earlier in the week. I was down in OC all day today -- no rain. Feh. I'm sure the news is going to be full of StormWatch 2008 now.
Sounds like the Stew Party rocked... and Kali and Mim, mighty hunters both! Two mice, dang.
Jess, no slacking with the drinking! They take your writing degree away otherwise, don't you know? At least... that's what I got told. I also wanted to be a Writer, which meant writing fiction. But nooo, my thing was poetry. Sigh. I guess it's fair, though -- if I were both an artist and a Writer, that would be too much.
Jacquib, thank you for the kind words.
Phiala, you made a shirt! Awesome! :) So glad you put the skulls to good use. :)
My fire is so awesome, though I do wish it would throw more heat into the room. Gayle, can you get a small patio firepit for your new place? Every home should have fire in it.
Even though I had a day off from the studio, I've been playing catch-up with work all night; ugh. There is a reason I call my place of employment Saltmine U.
Stew Party sounds great.
I had a wonderful dinner with friends tonight. One just back from a trip to India. Great photos. Great food good wind great conversation. The good life.
I love roast chicken. I use a butter, honey, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary mixture to baste and roast it with squash and potatoes and carrots. Love to make soup with the leftovers. I have not made this in a very long time. I think I must do this soon.
Installments: For me that is a love/hate sorta thing. I love having something to look forward to... I love the excitement of the anticipation. But. Once something is here I want it now. So I love listening/watching The Graveyard Book but I bought it the first day I could and read it over the next couple of days and have now passed the book on to my godchild who has started it and hopes to be done or nearly done before we go see the last chapter reading on Wednesday.
Lorraine, I don't know if I'd say it is my favorite. Way to hard for me to pick a favorite in most things! But I sure do love it! I laughed, I cried, I was scared, I was delighted and I really did not want it to be over so soon!
I seem to be close to getting the fiend cold virus. I fell asleep this afternoon and almost missed the dinner party. I'm headachy and feverish and have a tickle in my throat. I think I need to get to bed at a decent time tonight and hope that takes care of it.
Fod I do go on don't I! Anyway good night dear fiends!
Lorraine-what more could a party need than the fiends comments'?
@phiala-the shirts are awesome!
Lorraine, if you could tell the name of the book, that would be awesome-I love cookbooks so will just track it down.
Good Night all!
Stacy, that was a fantastic story, it really made me LOL. I mean REALLY. It’s those sort of moments that are the funniest. You can’t buy laughs as good as that.
If anyone gets some rain, can you send some to us? We’ve been in drought for just over 10 years now.
I should stop whingeing though, it’s still probably wetter here than it is in the desert. I guess it’s all relative.
Stacy, that was a wonderful story.
I can just see the rats as puppets with their cute little paws. hehe.
Pantagruel, I know what you mean about rain. We've just had our driest September on record. Usually its one of the wettest months. Very scary.
Cool shirts, Phiala!
I'm to bed as my eyes are burning and I'm fighting sleep.
Awesome reading. Beautiful "extra" which was Neil reading Blueberry Girl...brought tears to my eyes.
You were brought up in Q&A Miss FabLo...He pointed out how fabulous you are--i can let you know the details tomorrow but i'm heading to bed now :)
Phiala that shirt rocks! I so want one.:)
I'm happy to say I've not succumbed to the Twilight hype. Of course, I've been waiting for Boss' book though. I'm with you, Siri, I want to READ it myself before I watch any of the readings. I really love the readings, but I don't think I could bear to wait between them.
Re: Cockaleekie soup, what are leeks like anyway? I've never had them. Are they like mild onions or something?
Mmmmm cider. I love apple cider and some hard cider(Woodchuck). The only hot cider I've ever disliked was an "instant" version that came out of an envelope which was..just disgusting. It just wasn't cider, it was more cider-flavored yuckiness.
Stacy that was a great story about the dead rats. I can totally picture it.lol
Pantagruel, did you get lightning?. I lived in Nevada for a bit over a year and I remember watching the lightshow whenever we got a good rain. I miss the desert sometimes.
Morning all. Finally a quiet moment to sit with cats & coffee and catch up with the comments. Gotta say it's a little intimidating after y'all have been chatting away while it's been sleeping time here on the emerald isle.
No contribution to the chicken thread as it falls into the fish-flesh-fowl category which I don't consume; however: leeks!! Potato & leek soup - best ever! Speshly on a cold, dark, rainy winter day.
I’m loving the videos of Boss reading, the best bedtime story after a long day. I find the anticipation delicious, like when I was a kid before instant-gratification culture became the norm. For those interested, a friend just posted an interview he did with Boss in 2005 here.
Mistress of the Skulls. Now I know what I want to be when I grow up.
All this talk of fires is making me want to go out and get some turf for this evening; nothing like the smell of peat smoke. And if you're imaging me walking the bogs, gathering sods into my basket as I go - it's more like driving to the nearest gas station for a pre-bound bale.
The cold weather is bringing lil mousies into the walls here too. I live in an old, stone cottage (again, probably not as romantic as what you're imaging) and the kitties sit for hours staring at the skirting, no ADHD there!
I miss sweet apple cider from my Vermont days, only hard cider here (and lots of it), though my preference is for Swedish pear cider - d'lish.
I wonder how many other blogs have both meaningful discussion on poetry vs. prose *and* dead rat puppetry? Gotta love this space. BTW anyone trying to teach and/or inspire youngsters (and/or grown-ups) in poetic ways, I've found the animated Billy Collins poems on YouTube work in dispelling thoughts of poetry being booorrrring.
This is metamorphosing from a comment into an essay, time to go enjoy the morning sunshine with a walk by the sea. Enjoy your respective Sundays fiends.....
It's raining here too! Hurrah for the sod!
Luisa a peat fire sounds wonderful, all your fires do. I have a gas fireplace, which I scorned at first, but it IS very easy, and risk free. I am the kind of person who might well have burnt down a house, had I a real on.....
I don't know exactly what leeks are, and I grow them and use them. Kind of like onion. They make great soup, and are lovely when young braied in balsalmic. Most stores tho trat them like aubergines, they wait till they get HUGE and then sell them, and they are not so good that way, like zuccinii vs marrow...
Louisa, it sounds like you and I may have a lot in common. Particularly the no flesh and love of Pear cider parts! :) I wish I was having a walk by the sea. We are getting rain here tho so that's good.
I am off to move some more stuff. M seems fine today. Whew!
Have a lovely day all!
Glad M is ok.
Cabal is not, he is still getting sick and has the Doggie Runs, call to the vet tomorrow I am thinking, I HAVE to find something he can eat that will be ok for him, trying everything....Cooked raw whatever.
Poor Cabal! My Dog, Kai, had parvovirus when she was young, and I nursed her through that (rottweilers are resistant to the parvo vaccine, as it turns out). So I'm quite familiar with that particular joy of dog ownership. What I did for her was feed her a cup of cooked white rice, twice a day, and give her ice cubes to lick, instead of water, which she would gulp and then vomit. Anything else came right back up, or out. Did that for three months. That's what my vet recommended; your mileage may vary, and of course, always check with your vet. But if you're looking for something to feed Cabal today until you can consult a vet, the rice and ice cubes is an idea. Definitely the ice cubes, so he gets some water in him slowly.
Poor pup! Cabal's been getting more vet time lately than any Good Dog deserves. :(
Dead Rat Puppetry is hilariously disturbing. Or disturbingly hislarious. I'm not sure which. Dead Rat Puppetry would also be a good name for a debut album by a band called The Bagpipe Gnomes. (I still say that The Bagpipe Gnomes would be an excellent name for a band.)
Swedish Pear Cider is a name befitting only a beverage made from pears, but I like the sound of it. Must procure some of that! Also must make some more leeky-tater soup, and I'll be doing something or other with a butternut squash this week. Ahh, I love cooking in fall! I have more fun in the kitchen at this time of year than any other. :)
Gaah. We've finally moved the computer back upstairs into the new study, and I've just discovered that the desk is in exactly the wrong place with respect to the sun, i.e., facing the window. Aargh, my eyes! My eyes! That's me off to the shops to buy some blinds today, then. Or maybe I'll just ean waaaay back in my chair, so the sun's blocked by the wall...
Now I can't read what's on the screen. Drat!
"Hislarious"? Ean"?? Guess who doesn't use spellcheck... :D
Oh, missed so much.
Phiala - love the shirt! I think I want to be mistress of skulls when I grow up, too!
I liked the sound of the rat-puppets, too, Stacy. Tybalt isn't good at hunting, but Tigger, who came to us as a tiny, fuzzy little kitten who had to be fed every 4 hours, and who the vet said wouldn't survive, suddenly grew up to be a huge cat who used to bring home every thing from magpies and rats to rabbits... usually only the back half,which he would lay lovingly on out feet at breakfast time...!
I do hope Cabal starts to feel better soon.
I haven't been able to resist watching/listening to Boss reading the Graveyard Book, expecially as this would mean waiting until the end of the month..
Oh, we had mice once. You know, I didn't really mind the mice, to be truthful, since I found myself thinking nothing beyond, "We've never had an infestation before, but now that we have one, thank Fod it's mice, and not spiders!" I'm quite terrified of spiders.
I'm almost finished with Neil's new book and am trying very hard to keep from actually completing it. I know I can't keep this up for long, unfortunately. As for my favorite, I'm having a difficult time choosing between this one and "Anansi Boys" ...
~Emily
Lorraine - slightly off topic, and you can email me back with help, if you could - but I'm trying to decide whether to come to St.Paul for Wednesday's event, and need help finding a motel near the reading. I think it's going to be a "tear up after work, attend the event, flop down in a motel for a short night, and fly back to Des Moines for work early the next morning" trip, so don't want to spend hours looking for the motel. Any suggestion about where I could stay along the way?
Siri
slg6734@msn.com
P.S. - if you don't have any suggestions, that's fine too. If you know a good place, I'd be thrilled.
Glad everyone is enjoying the readings or the reading of the Graveyard book - I havent had a chance to do either yet, just too busy right now. No rain here, tho it's cloudy and supposed to this evening - a bit too warm yet to fire up the woodstove, it kicks an awful lot of heat out - very nice for the cold winter months, tho a lot of work constantly hauling wood in. Soups! I am making a ham/corn chowder this week, my alltime favorite, tho i like red and white chili too. Cooking in the fall is just the best!
Oh, and I hope the vet can determine what is wrong with Cabal - poor thing, is he losing weight? this has been going on for a while now it seems.
Its raining here too! Excellent (said a la Monty)
If rain is our new computer spread lurgy I will be very happy.
Poor Cabal, please give him lots of hugs and love from me and my doggies.
FWIW, I'd try boiled rice too.
I reckon the poor lad is missing his Alpha
It's funny with all the talk about making soup, I am now making chicken soup for Cabal, with no onions or garlic of course. I will mix a little meat and broth with the rice, and mush up a carrot and see if he will eat that.
He is losing weight, too much. He has always been a really fussy eater.
Hi Siri, make sure you introduce yourself, Cat and I would love to meet you! Gayle and Aleta are going to be there too, you should hook up!
If you want a really nice place in downtown St Paul, I'd say the Landmark, very lovely, chi-chi. If you want something by the airport, to make things easy, the Hilton is the best of them....
Poor Cabal! Poor Cabal caretaker!
Sounds like a mini-fiends gathering might happen Wed. What fun.
Yes, five Fiends! Whhee-hooo!
Dancing Liza just wrote me that the Gargoyls name is Nikoli and she will tell us later his story...
I'm so sorry to hear about C. I would strongly advise against carrots though; being so high in fiber as they are.
Will miss the Fablo Five Fiends party. I almost wrote Feinian party. Heehee.
We got jipped in the rain department as I knew we would. It's almost like mother nature saying; you live a stones throw from the ocean; if you want moisture; GO THERE. Wish I could; The ocean is my mostest favoritest place to be.
Next to here with my fellow feinds.
Has the vet taken any xrays? our golden retriever went off her food, and threw up when she would eat, and when nothing worked, they found she had cancer - it was too late for her to be treated, and she passed a month later :( still miss her dearly. I hope nothing like that is going on with Cabal - has the vet discussed obstructions? ugh, this is sounding serious. Hope doggy will be ok.
A five fiend party! how fun! sure wish i couldve gone to the event in chicago, or would be great fun to make it a six fiender. sigh. not meant to be.
my brain just blipped to
'Three Fiend Night'. LOL
Lots of x-rays. I think he just has a really sensitive stomche...
We will see. Boss will be back for a couple days which is good.
Thanks, Quiche - the Landmark sounds fab, but I won't be there enough for it to be worth the money. The Holiday Inn RiverCentre seems close to the venue, and close to I35, which is what I have to take to get there and back. Any thoughts? Gayle? Aleta? Any recommendations. I suppose I really should check my work calendar to make sure I can make this happen.
And here's me, all "I don't want to hear any of the book before I read it", plotting to hear some of the book before I read it. Hypocrisy, thy name is Toots....
Siri: I have never stayed in that Holiday inn but there is a decent pub (The Liffey Irish Pub) there. I have been in the pub a few times. The hotel seems pretty nice and it would be convenient for both the reading and the freeway.
Any place with an Irish pub must be good.
I've almost convinced myself to do this. We'll see what the morning brings....
I was also pondering how to make myself knowable to all of you - there's the Scary Trouser T-shirt, but how many of those will be there? If only I had the talent to make a skull shirt in 2 days.
SLG
I have had the most extraordinary weekend! But, before I share it with you, I want to send my good thoughts Cabals way.
Ah yes, the Liffey. I've played there, nice pub, but not set up to have a live band . You could only see 2 tables from the stage, and the music sort of came out in speakers around the place. Hard to get a crowd going. But a nice place.
Maybee you could all wear black or something. Oh, Right....
Cabal ate his chicken rice broth with a little smooshed carrot, (not much carrot) he seems to want more, which is good. I'll wait a bit and we will see....
This weekend had me stepping outside of my comfort zone many many times. And it was SO worth it.
Reading this blog and the comments from all of you creative people has been a blessing. Thank you.
Have I captured your curiosity yet?
Oh Ticia, thanks for the thoughts, but where is this story?????
{Yay for Cabal eating!}
This weekend I attended the NCIBA as a guest of a book publisher. I am not in the publishing business, I went to hang out with my best friend of 25 years and look at books.
On Saturday morning I sat next to Congresswoman Barbara Lee during an author breakfast - what an erudite and approachable woman!
The next part of the story is longer, but it had me doing something I would never have done even a year ago.......
I was hanging out at the booth when one of the breakfast uthors came up to say hi (Katherine Neville "The Eight")
I will preface this with the fact that Katherine Neville is my best friend's favorite author..She's read "The Eight" like twenty times.
My best friend was SO nervous when Katherine Neville was there, she couldn't talk. So, I jumped into the breach. (I'm only really shy in this typing world)
We're talking and Katherine Neville
(I'm not really pretentious, I just don't call people by their first names unless I'm told to - old-fashioned I guess...}
asked if anyone knew where "The Black Cowboy Parade" was happening. None of us knew. Well, she decided that she would go looking for it
(by herself - she was handler-less). I was very uncomfortable with her wandering around Oakland by herself, so I offered my services as a guide...
After we saw the parade (I got directions from the hotel concierge),
We came back to the convention and picked up my friend for lunch.
Then, after fretting that this gig would prevent me from seeing Neil Gaiman (there I go again!) at a reading, I got a signed copy of "The Graveyard Book" on Sunday!
I looked around for Kitty to say "Hi!" to, but I didn't see her.
Isn't it amazing what life throws your way when you put yourself out there??????
Anyway,
Breakfast with a Congresswoman;
Lunch with an author (and my best friend};
New book by Neil Gaiman
Best weekend ever!!!!!!
Still sick. Blegh.
Oh Dan! Sending thoughts and chicken soup your way! Feel better soon!
Ticia, what a wonderful weekend and story! Thank you for sharing with us. Be careful tho, you might well end up a PA, hee-hee....
Siri, I'm sorry that I have nothing to offer in the where to stay category. I will try to remember to wear my rhinestone skull pin. :) Look forward to meeting you.
I have to write a Cinderella story for my children's literature class. I think it will involve gardens at night and NOT marrying the prince.
Well, I could be worse things. Although you set a high standard Miss Quiche (can I call you that?)
And, my best friend was so excited when we came back to take her to lunch, I loved seeing her so excited.
(In truth, it helped me be less nervous too!)
I'm glad you all liked my shirt, but really all I did was mess with Pantagruel's design a bit. :)
I did get up to something else today, though...
Ticia, what a great weekend! Good for you!
Yuckyness, Dan! I hope you get some rest.
Poor Cabal. I'm sure you have seen this supplement but it is something I use when I get a malnourished rescue. If you can get him to eat it it might help him maintain his weight.
Phiala, you crack me up! You slay me!!!! I needed a laugh...
Tricia, you can call me whatever you like.....
Gayle, I'll check it out. He ate twice, small bits and seems happy. This soup-ish thing may work, fingers crossed...
Poor Cabal.
Danguy, taka care of yourself!
Ticia, how awesome!
Haven't caught up at all but went to great reading #2 in San Francisco--Chapter 6. I'll try to catch up a bit later!
Yay Chantrelle!
You went to both readings!?!
I will wait to watch them until I have read the book....
"True Blood" is on in a few minutes... After I watch it, I'm falling straight into bed.
Thanks Gayle.Nadine, and Lorraine... So much fun!
Dan, I'm sending healing thoughts your way.
Dan: Sorry. Sucks to be sick.
Ticia: What a great weekend! I really liked The Eight! Maybe not as much as your friend as I have only read it once, but I liked it a lot.
Lorraine: I was never at the Liffey when there was music but I can see how it is really not set up for it. All the little side rooms and such. Still cool that you played there!
So much more to say to so many more people but sleep is calling me.
Phiala, those rock. ;) Did you knit them, or crochet?
Glad Cabal is eating and all seems well so far. I'll keep my fingers crossed for him, poor pup. And speaking of the ill... Dan, get better! What will I and the other members of Cabal's Cabal do without our best enemy?!
I'm debating whether or not I should go to Boss' reading tomorrow night. It's near the office (though nothing like as close as last year's Beowulf premiere, which I'd tripped over at lunch earlier that day). But getting up at 4 a.m. to make the drive into work on my own and beat traffic is... daunting. Will Kitty be there? Stacy, are you going? Or will I be the only Fiend?
Kitty won't be there, she is coming here tomorrow, for which I am glad!
Cabal seems better, and is wanting his smooshed soup! He stays right be me, and I am going to sleep on the couch so he can be with someone all night. Don't quite dare a bedroom, if he has an emergency I'd rather not have to clean carpets, ugh....
Yay for Cabal eating his soup!
But I am bummed about not getting to see Kitty. :( Please give her a hug from me?
Glad to hear Cabal is feeling better and it is so good that you can stay with him. Sending thoughts for no overnight emergencies your way!
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I am so happy to hear Cabal is eating a bit. Good idea to stay near him. I hope he picks up when Alpha is home.
Its still raining here. Oh YAH. Please keep sending rain virus through interwebs everyone.
Dan, I hope you feel better soon.
Oh, and I'm reading Stephanie Meyer's book The Host. Read a few chapters on line and finally the library got it in for me. Much better than her vamp books.
Great story in instalments Ticia, I really loved that book. It's been a long while since I read it tho.
I know what you mean it being a bit daunting around here. Artists, skull shirts, poets & writers, gourmet cooks, woolly mandrakes, vet nurses while taking care of all computer problems.
And look gorgeous while they do it!
Most days I can't walk & chew gum at the same time. But, no-one here has bitten me yet :)
Jacquib, you're too hard on yourself. Don't be fooled into thinking you don't belong. I, for example, just make stuff, drive quite fast (Quiche, I heard that!), and have been known to have the occasional drink. Or two. ;)
But, you know, we all think what we do isn't all that special. Today at the Getty, for example, I was in their sketching room 15 minutes before it closed -- I sat down on a saddle and started drawing, so I could get in my daily sketching time, rather like pushups. By the time I looked up to get more sharp pencils, a small crowd had gathered in the room. There was a guy taking photos; a couple of security guards, docents, and some kids and parents. I didn't even see the crowd around me as I reached back to get freshly-sharpened pencils and finish the drawing before the museum closed. It wasn't until after we'd left, and my friend asked if all those people bothered me, that I even realized they had all been watching me draw. To me, it was nothing but a quick practice for the day to keep my hand loose.
So don't discount what you bring to the table.
Get better, Dan! I'll be making chicken soup today. I'll open a window and waft some soupy goodness your way.
Good that Cabal had some doggy-soup! I hope he keeps it up. Poor puppy.
Phiala! Those rock. That's two for the Stringpage shop! :D
That's a cool story, Val. :) I probably would have stopped to watch you, too-- I love watching artists work, and hearing them talk about what they do.
It always startles me a little-- though it's very encouraging, too, and I'm always grateful for it-- when people get impressed by stuff I write. Especially online, where I don't feel I'm being all that serious. Similar to Val I'm really just keeping my brain limber, and enjoying other people's company. Writing's a pretty solitary activity and I'm perhaps more solitary about it than most; it's just me and the cats, most days, and I bore myself pretty easily. I work better, and ideas come a little more freely, when I know I've got people somewhere to talk to when it gets too quiet. Which is what's nice about being able to hang out here. :)
The point being, Jacqui, that I don't think anyone here is really as daunting as all that. ;) I'm certainly not. I'm only five feet tall, you know. Frankly I feel pretty dorky around people most of the time-- at parties, I'm the one in the corner watching and listening to everyone else. Online I'm bolder, but the Inner Dork is still there. This is a very cool and supportive bunch-- and I think if they're willing to let a dork like me sit in the corner, there's nothing to worry about. :D
I'm sure this interview is up on that other blog but I don't have time to read it any more so I thought I would put it here too.
If you click on the image you get a nice shot of Ms Fab in action with the bees.
Thanks for the link, Gaypet! It's a great interview as well as a great photo of Lorraine in her bee suit.
~Emily
Well, there I am in my bee suit! How very cool!
Yes, not daunting...Dorks more like, hee-hee, is what we are. The point is, everyone has Something, we all have a Skill we are good at.
My personal one fr today is cleaning up dog runs and vomit. Sigh. HOW could he have done that all while I was right there??? I hardly slept!!!!!
Oh dear! Poor Cabal and poor Quiche! I'm sure the U has done everything possible but just in case, have they tested him for allergies? We went through the same thing with a Shepherd and it turned out he was allergic to soy. Maybe Cabal is allergic to (or just can't digest) chicken. He seemed to do pretty well with the turkey legs, or maybe that made him sick too? Lamb and some brown rice might be something to try.
Anyway, good luck! And here's to Natures Miracle for getting rid of the smell!
Any chance you can get a nap today?
Still glad you got a full bee suit and didn't have to just settle for the bee hat. ;) Good luck with the MDOVS (Mysterious Dog-Originated Vile Substances) cleaning. Soon, you, too, will be able to wake from a dead sleep when you hear the dog-vomiting noise; a skill I wish I did not have. Sigh.
Jess, are you really only five feet tall? That's kinda cool.
I'm bleary-eyed and working my way through coffee #2. 4 a.m. was rough, which is funny, considering I'm usually up at 4:30 -- but there's something about every minute when it's that early -- they really count. Ah, well, seeing Boss read tonight will be worth it. Maybe the sacrifice of sleep will be acceptable to the gods, and I will even get to say hello.
Now, to do something about today's deadlines…
Wow, Val, I was all upset that I am going to have to start getting up at 6 AM. 4? Crap!
Oh Oh... and click on the Folk Underground link on the side for a lovely blast from Fablo and Dr. Score's past!
Well, Val, I exaggerate a bit. Five foot one.
Sigh.
I have a friend who's five foot four, and nother who's five foot eight, and another who's nearly six feet. Oh, the things they must be able to see! Double sigh.
I envy the things tall people can REACH. I am of average height, but shortest in my department by a good four inches and shortest in my family by a similar margin. The fact that my best friend is 6'4" and I can reach nothing in his kitchen doesn't help either :)
Ehh, not to play the Misery Olympics or anything, but yes, 4:30's my normal start time. Got to get up, work out, get myself out the door to meet the Saltmine U. vanpool, to be in the office at 7 a.m.; then leave at 5, and get home around 7 p.m. -- that's if I don't go out to see friends or run errands, which can put me back home by 10. Then freelance work or homework for the studio until about midnight. Rinse, repeat.
It's a lot of effort and time and sacrifice to have a day job with long hours and a long commute, as well as the work it takes to become a good artist, and then the freelance work, too. But that saying about how you can get what you want, or you can just get old -- it's pretty true. And I prefer to get what I want, or die trying. If that means a fearsome schedule, then that's what I'll do, and I don't whinge about it.
Much. ;)
But do you have to use a step-stool all the time? I envy people who don't need step-stools.
I suppose it's not all bad-- I do I have the advantage of being able to duck between people's legs if I need to make a quick getaway... :D
Jess, I solve this problem by just picking people up and moving them. ;) A friend who's a big guy and weighs about 250 once said he didn't think I could move him… well, the laughter from the crowd that followed my moving him out of my way was pretty epic. ;)
And that is a looong day, Val. I get up pretty early, but I don't get nearly as much accomplished!
Geez, I'm like two comments behind, here.
That's it-- I need to start lifting weights again! Oh, God, I want to move people. Just because I can. That'd be fantastic. :D
Yes, moving people is pretty fantastic. :) The down side, of course, is that I can be unintentionally intimidating.
Jess - a cattle prod perhaps?
People moving? Sounds a sport for our Fiendish Olympics to me!!!!!
What is this FU thing? I thought the site was gone? Must go look....
When I click on that, I get a blank page...What are you getting, Aleta?
I get this article from 2003
Wow, well ok....We are still pretty much the same band, Paul and I, with out the drummer.....
Hey Jess, I'm five foot one and three quarters. for some reason people always think I'm taller,until I ask them to get something I can't reach.
Poor Lorraine, poor Cabal. I'll be your grossness factor was overcome by concern for poor puppy.
Cool reading error of the day
"Everyone has a skull"
People moving… yes, I like it as a sport. :)
If I can rant a bit -- Barnes & Noble's staff seriously needs to lose their snotty attitude about Boss' reading tonight. I realize that they're getting a lot of calls, but why they needed to be shirty when answering my perfectly reasonable question about parking eludes me. It's an event in West LA, where parking laws are capricious and mutable, and, as far as I can tell, are determined by the alignment of the planets. (Astrology, while derided by many, is actually the only fair predictor of when and where it's safe to park in LA without getting towed. Mars is quincunx Saturn? Don't park on the east side of Venice Blvd. in a five-block radius!) I did not need to have it condescendingly explained to me that middle schools have parking lots. Seriously. Middle schools have tiny parking lots, as none of their students drive. So after the 50 spaces are full, what then?
*grump*
I clearly need more coffee before I drive over to the event, to take my chances in the parking lot lottery. Then I plan on having a nice nap while I wait. And must figure out some way of conveying Malena's greetings to Boss. Tough, with no signing.
Wow, that took a long time to catch up on. So, while I read all the comments, not sure how much I actually retained.
Poor Cabal :( I hope he gets better soon. For his sake and yours Lorraine! Ew!
both of Boss's readings were awesome of course. Saturday's was great as I got to sit with Amacker and mistressmousey and we all got to visit with boss after the reading. The last time I saw him was when we ran into each other at the House on the Rock last August and it was so surreal we had a hard time carrying on a conversation (not to mention the fact that we were both starving with low blood sugar).
1 of the questions was "why doesn't the Fabulous Lorraine come out with you on book tour?" He basically praised you, amazed at how you can find things he lost with just the power of your mind, and how you hold life together by staying at home. If you are on the road with him he would ask you how the bees, the garden, or the dog were and you would reply, " how am I supposed to know, I'm with you!" or something along those lines.
Then part way through the Q&A there is a rumble of laughs and squeaks and then Amacker and I saw the enormous spider coming down over its the boy's head in front of us. Thank Fod Amacker was there, she grabbed the Web and swung the spider down to the floor. It wasn't poisonous or anything, but my FOD was it huge!!!
San Francisco was lovely as well. mistressmousey saved me a place in line luckily since I couldn't get up there early. Didn't get to visit with Boss this time but I was trying not to be greedy about it ;-) The questions were funny and the answers were lovely and clever as always.
As far as waiting to read the book, I'd already read it so I was just listening to chapters as a refresher. I totally understand not wanting to hear it until you've read the book. At the same time I never ever pass up an opportunity to see Neil!
this has become a novel!
Oh, I forgot to say, Phiala, love the crocheted Cthulot!!
Val, passed that onto the tour people, no need for them to be like that....None at all.
He's right you know, I need to be here, taking care of things, and Cat is WAY better at the road than me...
Thank you for passing that on Quiche!
Liveblogging from the reading: I'm in line and have just met Ethan of Neverwear, who is lovely. And has a kickass mustache. ;) I now have a sticker and am supposed to show Ethan 'Going Wodwo' later.
Very cool. ;) more later!
Hellos to Ethan from Kitty and Quiche here in the midwest! Tell all later Val and have fun!!!!!!
Speaking of the midwest - have my room reserved - have the time off work, and have skull hair clips and hand jewelry to be known by the other fiends Wednesday night. I'm not sure who I'm more pumped about seeing - Quiche and Cat and Gayle and Aleta, or Himself.
Any idea how early the doors open?
Siri
Well Siri, it's, uh, likely no one else will be wearing SKULLS, hee-hee.
Well you all know what Kitty and I look like yes? Or if not us, then I am thinking there will only be ONE white dog....
If he is well enough, poor guy....
Oh wow! Cabal is going to be there! That is very exciting. Hope he is up for it!
Siri there is a picture of me on my last fm profile. I go by the same name there.
I'll be with my godchild. 12 year old with long blonde hair and long legs. If anyone is up for coffee or drinks I'd be up for that (after I bring the godchild home to her mom!)
Of course Cabal is going to be there! Like we'd leave him home???
Not the Bengals tho, SUCH snobs, and it simply isn't safe, the extra insurance was thru the roof!
Hi, it's your Friendly French Teacher, not sure how to e-mail you.
ACK! I meant to e-mail you...Will do so..
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