I managed to read a little of the Zevon book while making dinner (even though I haven't quite finished Aline Kominsky-Crumb's Need More Love). Cooking is always a risky idea, usually involving setting fire to myself and other things, but Gene has been sick all week and I didn't want to just heat up something from a package while I am nominally on a break this weekend. Spent the afternoon working on a story that apparently doesn't want to be written, taking a break to check up on Miss Wendy and her tribulations. One of the final calls from the Nokia, as I have finally ordered a new phone. At last I got tired of finding the battery dead every morning (the phone's my alarm clock, too). Now if only I could convince myself to transfer those files from the old computer...
"The Wombat is a Joy, a Triumph, a Delight, a Madness!" ~ Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Sales
I managed to read a little of the Zevon book while making dinner (even though I haven't quite finished Aline Kominsky-Crumb's Need More Love). Cooking is always a risky idea, usually involving setting fire to myself and other things, but Gene has been sick all week and I didn't want to just heat up something from a package while I am nominally on a break this weekend. Spent the afternoon working on a story that apparently doesn't want to be written, taking a break to check up on Miss Wendy and her tribulations. One of the final calls from the Nokia, as I have finally ordered a new phone. At last I got tired of finding the battery dead every morning (the phone's my alarm clock, too). Now if only I could convince myself to transfer those files from the old computer...
Friday, August 29, 2008
Leeching
I'm thinking about this because at present I'm working on revising a paper I gave at Oxford earlier this year and the process reminds me just how creative scholarship really is -- something even we who practice it tend to forget. It's all about solving puzzles, grappling with mountains of evidence and trying to find the best way to build that little castle of persuasion. We're often less conscious of that deliberate process when it comes to creative works, although the novel I just finished relied on research, on a knowledge of previous works from which I was
Well, it's a holiday weekend for many of us -- I will be working, but that's not unusual. I've been putting off the tedious task of transferring files from the old computer to the new one. Maybe it will finally get done.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Happy Birthday, Mom
While out on my walk this morning I came around a corner to a rather hideous sight: the brutally mutilated stump of a once magnificent maple tree. It was easily a couple of hundred years old and had the wild tangle of roots around its base that maples inevitably form. I guess it endangered the sidewalk. Too bad.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
North Carolina Redux
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Cory Blogs Pi-Con
In his cape and goggles -- and there's a link to Pi-Con pictures, none of which feature us.
Monday, August 25, 2008
One Down
But the schedule I chose for this semester threw me right into the thick of it. Two classes back to back, a slight break (which will be office hours after today), then the third class and department meeting. It's always a little nerve-wracking to walk into the first class of the semester but today I felt especially ill-prepared and lacking in confidence. It comes back -- that's the good thing, I suppose -- the song and dance, the re-telling of the stories.
I had to go through the introduction to Anglo-Saxon England with my Powerpoint slides (including the Simpsons and Angelina Jolie) twice today. As usual, my voice was giving out by the third class, despite two thermoses of tea. My final class is the one with the most potential for participation (what makes a class energizing rather than draining), although the other two might prove to have some liveliness. But the upper division courses tend to have students who are more independent and likely to want to have their say. Fingers crossed.
Tonight, we relaxed with the Joe Strummer documentary (review coming soon). Tomorrow I'll need to actually get the schedules spelled out on Blackboard (our support software for the classes), a tedious process that I avoid for as long as possible. I have to plan my work schedule, too. Teaching takes a big chunk of time, so it's important not to let the writing get lost in that process. Goals and deadlines are essential, otherwise you look up and suddenly it's the end of the semester.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
No More Pi for Me
He said he often puts up works in progress as podcasts and that reminded me that I need to finally get around to the promised podcasts of my stories. I figure I will start small with flash fiction rather than the grandiose plans I had before. This way things that are out making the rounds of rejections can be "available" -- but not technically in print -- to those all important five fans of mine who want to hear me read my stories (but are in far flung, disparate locations).

The rest of the day was fine -- I offered my two cents on the new and old Doctor Who and chaired the panel on Torchwood with all the arrogance and fetching bonhomie of Captain Jack, then watched the mysterious Ironman/Batman debate (which Gene can tell you about as he was head of the Batman team). We swung home by way of Northampton to have Thai for a late lunch and (of course) stop by Raven Books. I bought one little book, aren't you proud?
Classes start tomorrow bright and early at 9am. I will have to stop playing with my Oblique Strategies widget and get some things done tonight. Last day of freedom, sigh.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
iPod Touch Named
Thank you, Ianto!
I would say he included a steaming cappuccino, too, but as most of you know, I don't drink coffee. Oh sure, maybe the subconscious effect of serving as chair of the Torchwood panel tomorrow influenced me (yes, I will be Captain Jack for a day -- er, hour?), but hey, the name even starts with "i" so it seems perfect for the iPod.
Pi-Con Day Two
Gene has a comics panel this morning and another this afternoon. I'm on a panel about writing and tarot. No idea what that will be like. I have a 10am reading tomorrow -- ha! Readings are usually poorly attended at the best of times and that's early -- and we don't know that many folks here, so I don't have a built-in audience. We'll see. I may just be reading to myself and the ghost of Syd.
Cory Doctorow is guest of honor and has been interesting and fun so far. There's a panel at 10 on the internet and freedom of speech, so I'll probably go to that -- and try not to play with the iPod the whole time, like I did at the blogger panel. But how could I resist live blogging at a panel on blogging!
Hey, the iPod needs a name, too. I'll have to come up with one by the end of the weekend.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Who Wants Pi?
Yesterday was re-acclimation in abundance: meetings all day, surrounded by crowds of people, argh. But we had a relaxing beer at Mahar's (best bar in the world!) and fortunately, Catherine let us know that Gonzo was playing at the Spectrum (THANK YOU!) and we had time to get there for the last showing before the run ended. I had totally missed the notice that it was playing here.
How was it? EXCELLENT! As your blogger, I advise you to go see this film immediately. It does a wonderful job of bringing a larger than life character down to reality, yet in doing so conveys exactly why he became so mythic. Wonderful interviews, lots of great footage I'd never seen -- and hey, Johnny Depp ;-) Can't wait until it's available on DVD.
All right -- back to work while the Punk Rock Jukebox thrashes through my head.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
iTouch Things
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Time for Fresh Ink
After the long haul of the novel, I may concentrate on shorter works for a bit. Yes, there are a bunch crowding the hopper, champing the bit, etc. There are always more tales to be written, always ideas knocking at the forehead wanting out. But it's worth taking a moment to enjoy the rare feeling of satisfaction, not with the work itself (never that) but with completing the milestone. That sense of accomplishment doesn't last long -- it quickly gives way to realising that the end was rushed and to recalling an important detail neglected or character insufficiently rounded -- but I want to grasp hold of that chimera before it evaporates.
And yes, time for some new ink -- more on that later.
With luck (and the grace of Fay), the Crispinus clan return tonight and I will relinquish this sanctuary, grateful for its welcoming solitude.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Publication: Book
Enjoying my last full day at Domus Crispini -- although it may not be the last if Fay has her way. The flight tomorrow may be delayed -- we'll just have to wait and see. Hamilton has decided to take no chances, apparently assuming that her humans have gone for good. Now rather than hissing at me when I pet her, she has cozied up to me and was even rolling on the floor at my feet, purring, licking my hands, and asking to be stroked. She even decided to play with the little blue ball I threw for her.
I can't help wondering if this house is simply hostile to electronics. The WinBook has frozen
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Review: Ginger Geezer
Like many of the assessments of Cook, there's a lingering sense of what a shame it is that he didn't do more (instead of marveling that he did so much so amazingly well). Prefacing the start of the account is a quote from Alan Moorehead's description of Sir Richard Burton which they mean to attach to Stanshall as well:
He was one of those men in whom nature runs riot; she endows him with not one or two but twenty talents, all of them far beyond the average and then withholds the one ingredient that might have brought them to perfection -- a sense of balance and direction.
Yet, Stanshall (and Burton for that matter) accomplished so much in so many different veins -- and media -- that such a grand expression of failure seems utterly mistaken. I suspect that largely this melancholic disparagement comes from the greedy desire for an endless line of glorious works and from knowing that there might have been so much more from these wonderful artists had physical frailties not impeded their later output. Yet I can't help but wonder whether such incendiary genius could do anything other than consume its source. As poet Roger McGough wrote in his funeral encomium, Stanshall was always "walking the tightrope with the safety net firmly nailed to the floor." There's a painful nakedness there. Photographer Barrie Wentzell said, "He was tortured by his intelligence and he just couldn't stop thinking of ideas. He once told me, 'It's all in my head and I hate it.'" It's the kind of feeling that makes you want to put an auger to your head just to get it all out.
I already quoted one of my favorite comments. The book explodes with wonderful words from and about Vivian, so it's worth reading for them. I did find out a bunch of things I did not know (like all the song writing he did with Steve Winwood). I'll have to find a copy of Stinkfoot the comic opera he did on the Old Profanity Showboat. While he may be gone in a puff of smoke, it's a comfort to know that he existed and that much of his work lives on (now release all those recordings Warner Bros!).
Hmph -- well, I guess I wrote a review after all (amending post title now). Yes, I'm taking a break from the novel, which sounds preferable to admitting that I am idling away from its stern demands to post here, and which reminds me I need to update the serial as well. I'm so close to the end of the novel, but I can't seem to make it go any faster -- just plink plink plink away at the keyboard as always.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Mortality
Hands down, the strangest thing I've seen in some time: a chipmunk eating a snake. It may be old hat to more knowledgeable folks, but it was a surprise for me to see out the kitchen window here at Domus Crispini. Naturally, I googled to see whether this was the least bit unusual and found this proof, but I ought to mention that this was no baby snake being chomped on. When I went out to take a picture of it (what? you're surprised?!) I could see it was easily about fifteen inches long -- erm, what was left anyhoo. The head was long gone. However, I forgot that there's no Bluetooth on this laptop and I didn't bring cables for the PDA, so there the picture sits until I return.
The chippie chawed away until her cheeks were full and then sat and scratched a few fleas away, no doubt thinking, "Hmmm, what's for pudding?" Apparently the raspberries that grow by the side of the pool matched snakemeat perfectly. She's probably sitting her burrow now with cognac and a cigar.
Of course, the news from the Mac store was not good. They could patch up my G4 for $300 and it might work for a bit longer, but it is only a matter of time (days, weeks, maybe even months) before she's completely dead. The tech guys were sufficiently impressed to see a PowerBook of this vintage still running, but the truth is there's not much hope. Why do I seem to hold onto electronic gadgets far past their expiry date? My PDA is (relatively) ancient and my US phone on its last legs. I suppose it's just the inconvenience of replacing things that get such constant use. Ugh -- the thought of transferring files to a new computer fills me with despair.
Finished the Ginger Geezer, which I enjoyed despite its inevitable end with tragedy -- Vivian's death by fire in his own bed after some very trying last years. But I don't much feel like writing about the book yet, so I have dived into Nabakov on a whim, glorying in his vocabulary which makes me look up words like "phocine" (no, not going to tell you, you have to look it up, too).
The chippie chawed away until her cheeks were full and then sat and scratched a few fleas away, no doubt thinking, "Hmmm, what's for pudding?" Apparently the raspberries that grow by the side of the pool matched snakemeat perfectly. She's probably sitting her burrow now with cognac and a cigar.
Of course, the news from the Mac store was not good. They could patch up my G4 for $300 and it might work for a bit longer, but it is only a matter of time (days, weeks, maybe even months) before she's completely dead. The tech guys were sufficiently impressed to see a PowerBook of this vintage still running, but the truth is there's not much hope. Why do I seem to hold onto electronic gadgets far past their expiry date? My PDA is (relatively) ancient and my US phone on its last legs. I suppose it's just the inconvenience of replacing things that get such constant use. Ugh -- the thought of transferring files to a new computer fills me with despair.
Finished the Ginger Geezer, which I enjoyed despite its inevitable end with tragedy -- Vivian's death by fire in his own bed after some very trying last years. But I don't much feel like writing about the book yet, so I have dived into Nabakov on a whim, glorying in his vocabulary which makes me look up words like "phocine" (no, not going to tell you, you have to look it up, too).
Friday, August 15, 2008
No Fun
This laptop works -- I can ask no more.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly


So, cross your fingers for me. With luck, it will all be fine.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Not a bit like The Shining
Here's why I get to do this: our pals Crispinus and his long-suffering uxor, Krista, have whisked off their 13 year old daughter Kaitlin for a surprise birthday trip to Disneyland (Happy Birthday!). This was a surprise that they've been planning for months; she didn't know until they put the boarding pass in her hands, pretending they were just there to see off a friend. Don't you wish you had parents that cool?
I'm just finishing my tea before I pack up my things and get on the road. I look forward to concentrating on writing, but also relaxing (yes, really). Besides, I won't be as isolated as the Torrances, because there's internet access -- yes, I may even post here if I have something to say other than "Ahhh."
Monday, August 11, 2008
Visit George's Garden
[Coincidentally, this is my 777th post on the blog.]
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Happy Birthday, Mildred!

We had a good day with the Boojums yesterday, chatting and what not, stuffing our faces at our favorite restaurant, Karavalli (mmmmm), walking around the neighborhood and -- wait for it -- shopping for books at the Book Barn. I only bought three -- and we will be boxing up many more to take back to sell. It was hard to say good-bye to Perilous Cheryl and "Mr. Honey Balls" at the end of the day ("pardon me while I say 'Poppycock'!").
Thanks for TWO JARS of the world's best pickles!!
Yesterday I saw a grey heron over at Buckingham Lake, sitting hunched on the bank, waiting for some unlucky frog to come along. Very cool! Today other than the usual ducks and snails, I saw only a turtle pancake on Euclid. :-(
Off to the park soon for fun and games, part of a belated Lughnasadh celebration. So far the weather looks like it will stay pleasant. If you don't have anything to do, go idle with some juicy Peter Cook gossip.
Friday, August 08, 2008
Publications
The first is "Heofen rece swealg: Neomedievalism and Spectacle in Grendel: Transcendence of The Great Big Bad" which will appear in an upcoming issue of Studies in Medievalism. It's developed from the paper I gave at the conference in London last November -- the one that also featured Terry Jones. It's about the Grendel opera directed by the fabulous Julie Taymor.
The other essay is "Medieval Community: Lessons from The Black Knight" which will appear in the inaugural issue of LATCH: A journal for the study of the Literary Artifact in Theory, Culture, or History, which I believe will come out in November. I originally presented that as conference paper, too, at Kalamazoo.
Yes, folks -- that's the way to accumulate academic publications less painfully. Commit to a conference (a fairly innocuous thing to do, usually only requires a one page abstract of what you might write); once you've been accepted, think about that ten page conference paper and finally write it (depending on your working habits and Powerpoint needs) a month before the conference (or a week, or on the plane, or -- if you're the really edgy [Miss Wendy*] type, in the bathroom of the hotel the night before you give it while your suite-mates slumber). Once you have the conference paper, someone will possibly ask you to submit it for publication, which you agree to do, then panic once the deadline looms. So you mash it out haphazardly and send it, apologetically reminding the editor that it's just "a draft" of course. Disparaging reader comments help you fix it into something less embarrassing. Then, just when you've forgotten you ever wrote the thing, you find out it's about to be in print.
*in the interest of fairness, I think I ought to mention that she was just finishing her paper, not writing the whole thing...
Perfection
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Melville Marathon
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Buy this book!
It's says "essential" in the title! You know you need it (and if you use the above link, Gene actually gets paid). Will your favorite make the list (hint: is it in print and in English)? The suspense must be killing you -- buy it now!
Monday, August 04, 2008
Melinda Gebbie Speaks
To the left some of her work from the Peter Pan sequence of Lost Girls -- beautiful stuff (though not for the faint hearted, apart from this fairly innocuous page).
[Part 2 here]
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Extravagance
Another extravagance that could hardly be passed up: Jonathan Richman at Club Helsinki in October! Cheap tickets and an intimate venue: I'm in love with Massachusetts, with the radio on.
I've finally begun reading Ginger Geezer, the life of the extravagantly eccentric Vivian Stanshall (hence the photo which comes from the Ginger Geezer website). I've been enjoying the anticipation of reading this book that I picked up on a recent visit to London, and yesterday became the day to start it after Gene found a radio program on Stanshall hosted by Stephen Fry and I decided that wasn't enough Vivian for me. It's a bit of an odd read, jumping back and forth in time (and I suspect, between the two authors) but there have been a lot of laugh out loud anecdotes.
Want something extravagant for free? Go download the free track "Dreamin' of You" from the Bob Dylan site. It's a teaser for the next volume of the Bootleg series. Hits the spot -- more so than the tour tickets (he's playing Saratoga) which are a little too extravagant for me at present.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
50th Anniversary

Hope you're having a great day!
Friday, August 01, 2008
Big Interview with Uncle Alan

Have you seen the Watchmen movie posters? Dig that Betty Page, er, Sally Jupiter one.
Moore and Gebbie photo by José Villarrubia.
The Old Man and the Seaport
So, of course these nautical adventures remind me upon waking of a Spike Milligan poem that I can't quite remember right (of course, as we all know too well, I'm constitutionally incapable of remembering anything quite right):
Let's sail away on a gravy boat,
You and me and Franklin the stoat.
We'll live our lives on the Caspian Sea,
And eat nothing but jellyfish for our tea.
Or something like that...
Is it really August?! No, no -- can't be. Surely.
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