tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13929293252715304782024-03-13T08:06:43.806-07:00Out of the DarkroomM. C. Valadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06301675413866610210noreply@blogger.comBlogger445125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1392929325271530478.post-82776518171712125092015-12-17T11:50:00.002-08:002015-12-17T11:50:59.964-08:00Acting WorkshopsMy sister is an actress, director, and teacher. She's been living with us for most of the past 18 months. She recently found a nearby theatre space where she can teach, and will be starting workshops and classes in January. If you are in Los Angeles and interested in performing (or know someone who might be), check her out.<br />
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<br />M. C. Valadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06301675413866610210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1392929325271530478.post-52512634226993684722015-06-15T16:45:00.001-07:002015-06-16T16:53:18.366-07:00Life on the Farm<br />
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We had some lovely, cool weather here in the Valley this Spring. Normally, that would make it an excellent time to get some riding lessons in. Unfortunately for me, the best weather coincided with obligations to work on Fridays or Saturdays, kind of obviating the lovely compressed work week I signed on to two years ago. Oh, well. We've been hiring something like 35 new instructors at the college and everyone who is certified as an equal employment opportunity officer had a heavy schedule. And it is a part of my job I enjoy.<br />
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In addition to that, there were several opportunities for training, which all seem to happen on Fridays. Early last month, it was an introduction to training trainers for cultural awareness. Later last month, it was a SafeZone Train-the-Trainer Certification workshop. Finally, there was a workshop for ADA electronic communication compliance. As the co-chair of the campus Diversity Committee, all of these programs were relevant and I learned a lot. But I had little doubt that the end of these obligations for a while meant the temperature would rapidly tick upwards and the Arab prince--no, really, it will just be me--would be sweltering on Friday mornings in Chatsworth this summer.<br />
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The temperature has hit triple digits this week. I don't mind, because I now have control over the temperature in my office, which makes things easier for me. I've been trying to spend a bit more time walking during the day ever since I got situated in an office at the center of the campus, rather than being located in the hinterlands. I love looking out of my window to see students walking by, or hearing them argue the finer points of DC v. Marvel through the thin walls. It took 10 years, but I believed I was on a college campus.<br />
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It's a big campus--420 acres or thereabouts, but most of the academic buildings are clustered on the northeast part of the land. More than half of the property is farm--a throwback to the days when it was founded after World War II as a mens' agricultural school. Having a huge chunk of undeveloped land in the middle of a city is amazing. The horses for the riding classes have gone back to their much harder lives as string-horses in the Sierra Nevada, and that always makes me sad, but the sheep, goats, and cows are still grazing on our rolling hills. I try to drive through the farm at least once a day, because it is so peaceful. <i>(I didn't realize goats climbed trees until the day I saw this, below.)</i><br />
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Like much of the Valley, we've been plagued by bark beetles, and we are going through the process of cutting and replacing infected trees. As I look out my window, I can see a number of pines which are slated for removal. It will take time for the new trees to grow to these heights. The campus has been here for 67 years, and many of the trees must go back that far or longer. There's a new break of pepper trees along our northern boundary. They are, perhaps, two inches in diameter. The good news is they grow very quickly. Horses like mine love to nibble the clusters of pink peppercorns and the leaves. At his ranch, Ace does an excellent job of keeping two large pepper trees trimmed.<i> (The day I quit eating beef, below.)</i><br />
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I barely noticed this campus for the first ten years I lived in the Valley, even though we lived less than half a mile away. One day, I read the mailer for the Extension/Community Service classes and everything changed. I took my first riding class here, and then signed up for a number of the classes in the Horse Science division of the agriculture program. My son graduated from high school and started classes here as well. I boarded my horse here for four years, until we were kicked out on a pretext, and now the beautiful barns are empty except for the occasional show or clinic, or more frequent evacuations during fire seasons. The school horses live in paddocks, six to each of three of them, quite happily. And the covered arena, which makes it 20 degrees cooler in the summer, is used for school riding classes. Most of the time, it simply isn't used. <i>(Fire season 10 years ago, below.)</i><br />
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The horses have gone to the Sierras for their real jobs--taking tourists into the mountains. They will be back in September, but for now, it is sad to drive through the farm, past empty corrals. The cattle, goats and sheep are sometimes in fields adjacent to the road to the south, but the north is just lonely. <i>(Some of the boys observing a training class during the academic year, below.)</i><br />
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<br />M. C. Valadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06301675413866610210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1392929325271530478.post-39755786210157482112015-05-05T13:14:00.000-07:002015-05-05T13:14:13.922-07:00Ace Shows OffAce went to the CalNet Horse Show on Sunday, where he was ridden by two of the girls in the <a href="http://totalequestrianexperience.ning.com/" target="_blank">Total Equestrian Experience</a> riding program. This was his first official dressage show. It was a schooling show and he competed in Training Levels 1 and 2. Unfortunately, the videos are too large to post. But I do have stills.<br />
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Team Ace prepares the boy for competition.<br />
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One of the mothers got jammy bottoms to cover white britches before the show. Then she added the Prince's name in green.<br />
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Training Level 1 with Abby in the saddle.<br />
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Training Level 2 with Jillian.<br />
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I love the little bow at the end. So cute. And he's almost square.<br />
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Two of the other horses I sometimes ride at the barn competed as well. Sapi is a pretty mustang (as you can see from the brand) who came to the barn with a bunch of issues. She's about the same height as Ace, but her movements are very different.<br />
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Neesa is a fjord pony who's enough shorter than Ace to really make a difference when I get off. The first time, I jarred my back pretty hard.<br />
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Like Ace, she's lost the vision in one eye, but it was a much more gradual loss. Unfortunately, it is her left eye, which can make leading her a little challenging.<br />
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Everyone had a good time and a massive number of ribbons were collected for the day. I'm still waiting to hear how Ace scored, since I couldn't stick around for the rest of the show.<br />
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The show was at the Equidome at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. It's a big, scary covered arena, with flags hanging from the rafters and strange sounds. Right after Ace started his first round, a wail of sirens went off nearby. He was amazing. He never reacted. He just stayed with his job.<br />
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My friend <a href="http://melindasnodgrass.com/" target="_blank">Melinda Snodgrass</a> bred him to be a dressage sport horse, but she moved up to warm bloods when he was a baby. So I got him. He has a lovely personality. Melinda called his mother, Rocky, "The Ayatollah of Rock 'n' Rolla," for her attitude, but she was a queen in the show ring. Ace is definitely to the manor born when he enters the ring. I was so proud of him I wept.<br />
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M. C. Valadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06301675413866610210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1392929325271530478.post-24232495978043548372015-04-14T16:58:00.002-07:002015-04-14T16:58:38.828-07:00A Little StarlightLast night, we went to the premier of Avengers II: The Age of Ultron. I don't have photographs, because the invitation said we were to check any cameras or phones with cameras and it always takes forever to get them back. I wasn't interested. Also, we usually get shuffled behind the screens while celebrities are getting their photographs made. Last night, I rather insisted that the Creator of Wolverine was entitled to walk the red carpet, so we did.<br />
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And, Len was recognized by people with cameras along the way. Yay us. Eventually, I expect I will find one.<br />
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It also gave him an opportunity to talk with his old boss, Stan Lee, basking in the glory that a 90+ year old legend is entitled to. As Len says, he's one of the few people Stan actually remembers, even if Stan is so blind he has to hear Len's voice to recognize him. Stan has a handler, who also recognizes Len, so that went well.<br />
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Several people along the rails reached over to shake Len's hand and tell him how glad they were to see him up and about. A guy cosplaying Wolverine gave him a shout out, too. It made me smile.<br />
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Len had quintuple bypass surgery two months ago. His determination to get to this premier played heavily in his recovery. I asked him what's keeping him alive now. The next X-men film, he replied.M. C. Valadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06301675413866610210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1392929325271530478.post-108343526711014892014-12-03T17:21:00.000-08:002014-12-03T21:00:17.332-08:00Fun in the Rain in L.A.Last night, my husband and I braved the rain and headed across the valley to catch a screening of <i><b>The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies</b></i> on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank. We left hours early because we knew the traffic would be awful, and it was. A trip we could do in about 20 minutes on a Saturday took us over an hour, but because we left early, we had time to catch a nice dinner at a place called Mo's and got to the studio an hour before the screening started.<br />
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These things happen a lot, but I still find it amusing: the security guard went all fan-boy on Len when we gave his name. "Len Wein of Marvel fame?" he asked. I pointed out he had plenty of DC cred as well (a part of Warner Bros.) but the guy was just THRILLED to me the writer of his favorite run on <i><b>The Hulk</b></i>, which pleased Len a lot, because it is one of Len's favorite runs on any book (rivaled by his stint on <i><b>Batman</b></i>.) It was a pleasant interlude in the evening.<br />
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We parked and walked to our building, which I realized was the first building I ever visited at Warner Bros. when I had a meeting with Barry Meyer who later went on to lead the company. Barry had graduated from my law school, so I contacted him when I was looking for a summer clerkship after my first year. He was lovely, the head of legal not so much, so it didn't work out. But I remember wanting to take the huge still from <i><b>The Adventures of Robin Hood</b></i> with me when I left. There was one hanging in the entrance last night, which Len said I could not take home. Sniff.<br />
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We liked the movie, but it has too many orcs and I don't recall sand worms being a part of the original story. These looked a lot like the ones on my original paperback of <i><b>Dune</b></i>. A mistake. Other than that, the material picked up from the appendices of <i><b>The Lord of the Rings</b></i> played out well, there was good use of the 3-D material, and I needed the tissues I brought with me. At less than 2.5 hours, it's the shortest of any of the films, all to the good. I look forward to the edit (which will not come from Peter Jackson, I am sure) which turns the three films into one lean 3-hour movie, which is what should have happened in the first place.<br />
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The Hobbit Part 3 opens in two weeks. I plan to see it and enjoy popcorn.<br />
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And, in a little bit of circular story-telling, we got home last night to find Len's complementary copy of <a href="http://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/tales-of-the-batman-len-wein" target="_blank"><i><b>Len Wein's Tales of the Batman</b></i></a> had arrived. This hardback collects many of the Batman stories Len wrote which are much beloved of the youngsters who grew up on his work. He's pretty proud of the collection. The book releases on December 24 and will make an excellent Christmas gift for the comic book fan in your life. <br />
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<br />M. C. Valadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06301675413866610210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1392929325271530478.post-78730596188943405172014-08-21T12:43:00.002-07:002014-08-21T12:46:38.828-07:00It's a Girl ThingThere's a new face at the barn. His name is Star and he was born very early Tuesday morning. He won't be at our barn very long--his owner intends to move him and his mother to a pasture--but we are all just gaga over him. Ah, the young of any species.<br />
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<i> Long and wobbly legs at about 18 hours of life.</i></div>
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<i>Ooops, tired. Nap time.</i></div>
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Mama's a percheron cross, dad's an Arabian, Appy, quarter-horse. I expect he will be tall when he grows. Gayle had to cancel lessons on Tuesday because all of the horses were going nuts with excitement. Even if they weren't in a position to actually see what was up, Gayle says they all just <i>knew </i>something was going on.</div>
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In the process of pulling up drafts to finish, I found the following partial blog, which I think has to be from the summer of 2007, when I came off Ace in a longe-line lesson and had the experience of having the wind knocked out of me. It was ugly, especially the bruise that lasted forever, and the difficulty I had sitting and walking for a while. We even got an x-ray to make sure I had not broken my hip.</div>
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<i>Last night, I went channel surfing while the remote was briefly in my control because Len was grilling dinner. TMC was running <span style="font-weight: bold;">National Velvet</span> for the millionth time, and for the millionth time, I tuned in somewhere other than at the very beginning--actually much closer to the end than that.</i><br />
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<i>For all the books in my life, I've never read this girls' classic. At least I don't remember it. I have read <span style="font-weight: bold;">Black Beauty</span>, and I can't even think about that one without choking up all over. The British film with Nightcrawler--well, Alan Cumming--as the voice of Beauty has me sobbing buckets. I love <span style="font-weight: bold;">King of the Wind</span> but I've never been able to get through <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Black Stallion</span>. Many young girls read these and more. It's all part of that horse obsession. </i><br />
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<i>12-year-old Elizabeth Taylor is so beautiful and wonderful in the film, but several things bother me:</i><br />
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<i>1. The horse is called "The Pie." I assumed (correctly, when I checked) that's because in the book the horse is a piebald and this is short for "The Piebald." A piebald is a horse with big splotch black and white coloring. A scewbald is a horse with chestnut and white markings. In the U.S., we call them pintos (grade horses) or paints (when they have Thoroughbred or Quarter Horse bloodlines.) The horse in the film is a copper-penny chestnut with a big blaze and white socks. Quite pretty, and I am partial to that color since my Prince came dressed in it. I suppose they couldn't find an appropriate piebald for the film.</i><br />
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<i>2. There are scenes where Elizabeth Taylor is clearly riding, and others where the stunt rider is far too big to be her. Ooops.</i><br />
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<i>3. I can only assume that riding styles have changed dramatically since 1944, because the riders are leaning back as the horses take off over jumps. Their legs are pushed way forward. I don't jump, but I've photographed quite a bit of it, and these days the riders are practically prone along the horses' necks as the go over jumps. Legs are bent, so the ear-hip-ankle alignment stays in place. Heck, it was that leaning back with my legs forward that got me out of the saddle last month. So many of the horses are upside down, with their noses in the air and backs hollowed out--bad on the horse--indicated some pretty bad riders and extras.</i><br />
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<i>I think I read that Louis B. Mayer gave the horse to Elizabeth Taylor for her birthday. She earned it. The movie was a financial success and the actress who played her mother won an Oscar (the film won two and was nominated for several more.) </i><br />
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<i>I tried to find out where the film was shot, especially the steeplechase, but that's not clear. I found a blog, apparently by someone who served in WWII, which mentions seeing the film being shot at Pebble Beach, which does have an equestrian center. The Wikipedia entry on the film mentions the light poles in the background, pointing out that would not be seen if it was shot in England</i><br />
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<i>The last (and only) time I saw a steeplechase in the flesh was probably 30 years ago in the hunt country of Virginia, where the course covered lots of farmland. I don't recall seeing as many horses in the field at the same time as are in the movie, but it was certainly exciting to watch.</i><br />
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<i> Melinda Snodgrass walking Ellie at Brookside Equestrian Center.</i></div>
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I now know that part of the film was made at Brookside, a lovely facility east of Los Angeles that fell into disrepair and was revitalized by the couple from whom my friend Melinda Snodgrass bought her two Lusitanos. It was gorgeous, with beautiful barns and covered arenas. I visited several times: once to see Vento before he was shipped to New Mexico and once to watch Melinda ride Ellie (then known as Ebony) before buying her when the barn was being disbursed. I expect the land will be turned into housing developments, if it hasn't started already.<br />
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<i>Ellie. She's quite the princess.</i></div>
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It is harder and harder to find places to keep horses in the Los Angeles area because of the ever-expanding need for housing and business parks. Griffith Park was given to the city with express condition that it remain open and for horses, which is fortunate. In Chatsworth, where my boy lives, horse properties disappear every time something is sold. Melinda's moved her two horses to a nice facility out in Somis, but the auto ride out there can be challenging. <br />
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I wonder what little girls will do when they can no longer easily access these empowering animals which play such a large part in hopes and dreams when growing up. Playing with Breyer horses just isn't as good as giving a favorite pony a good grooming. Horses make girls taller, faster, stronger, braver, and give them leadership skills. What a shame to lose that.M. C. Valadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06301675413866610210noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1392929325271530478.post-88832098432012415342014-04-07T16:50:00.000-07:002014-04-09T11:05:18.338-07:00The Sunburned CountrySo we went to Australia. And it was wonderful. <span style="color: #339900;"></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><i>I love a sunburnt country,<br />
A land of sweeping plains,<br />
Of ragged mountain ranges,<br />
Of droughts and flooding rains.<br />
I love her far horizons,<br />
I love her jewel-sea,<br />
Her beauty and her terror <br />
The wide brown land for me! </i></span></h2>
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</span><span style="color: #339900;"><i><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #660000;"> from "My Country" by Dorothea MacKeller </span></span></i></span></h2>
The people were friendly. The first afternoon, as we left our hotel to find lunch, my feet went out from underneath me on the wet sidewalk and suddenly there were three handsome young men helping me get up (fortunately, I fell on my butt, and not face-forward) and dust off wounded pride.<br />
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Sydney was far more vertical than I imagined.<br />
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I suppose that's because when I started writing to my pen pal, Sharyn, in 1964, the skyline was not so developed in post cards. The Opera House wasn't even built then. We walked down to the Circular Quay (pronounced Circular Key, which still takes effort for me to pronounce correctly) every day, easy because it was a downhill trek, not so easy coming back. We discovered a shortcut through an office building that included escalators that made the trip back a bit easier, but it was closed on the weekend and on holidays (of which there was one during our visit.)<br />
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We had sticker shock from food prices (minimum wage is $15, even at fast food joints), and a bit of discomfort over the tipping customs (generally, no tipping, because people earn a living wage even in restaurants.) The special price for the breakfast buffet at the hotel was something like $40, but the selection was amazing. There was always complementary fresh fruit in our hotel room, which I thought was a lovely touch.<br />
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I enjoyed every view we got of the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, a massive structure that we went over, under, and around. We saw them on foot and we saw them from boats. We saw them in the rain, at sunset, and at night. We watched fireworks on the Bridge and all over the Harbour from a patio on the Opera House. Magnificent.<br />
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Prince Harry was on one of the boats in the Harbour. Probably not on this tall ship, though.<br />
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The fleet was in to celebrate 100 years of something, so there were ships from 40 countries involved in the festivities over the weekend. It wasn't all because there was a celebration of comic arts at the Opera House.<br />
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A nice young man named Paul Mason did a lot of research in preparation for doing a career retrospective interview with my husband, Len Wein. I hate that hat.<br />
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In addition to his spotlight, Len did a couple of panels and taught a master class on comic book writing.<br />
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Len, left, next to Francoise Mouly, art director of The New Yorker Magazine, on the editing panel. Francoise Mouly is the kind of woman who makes all women yearn to be French.<br />
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She is an amazing talent and intellect and I only wish I had been able to spend more time speaking with her.<br />
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Grant Morrison, Dave McKean, and Len Wein discuss their work for DC Comics on The Creation Myth panel, above. Len during his workshop on comic book writing, below.<br />
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Len kept running into depictions of Australia's favorite Canadian mutant. The one above was drawn by a workshop participant.<br />
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Dave McKean, Len, and Grant Morrison after their group signing.<br />
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Clare and Dave McKean, the Morrisons, Len, and Gerard Way (of My Chemical Romance and The Umbrella Academy.)<br />
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After Len's obligations to the conference concluded, we had five days to ourselves and the friends who came to see us. Angus Ledgerwood, who was part of the Sunday Super Supper Squad during his sojourn in Los Angeles a few years ago, came down from Queensland to be with us during the conference.<br />
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We are looking forward to his return visit in May. He's been producing music videos while he's been back home, but his hope is to get another working visa for here.<br />
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We had a late lunch in a restaurant that had kangaroo on the menu, but I didn't think my first experience eating 'roo should be carpaccio. (Thanks to the waitress who used Angus' camera for the photo.)<br />
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Before my pen pal Sharyn and her husband Shane Murphy could get into town, Len and I spent time at the Darling Harbour Aquarium and Zoo. Once again, we ran into the reason the Australians so wanted Len to visit.<br />
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The aquarium had one of the things I wanted to see in Australia: a platypus. It's rather like a fat, fur covered duck and about the same size. Not particularly easy to photograph, because they are nocturnal and their pools are kept dark, but rather fun to watch. The aquarium also had an amazing collection of sea horses and the exhibits included large magnifying glasses, because the sea horses were so small.<br />
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Some of the sea horses looked like swimming plants.<br />
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I was rather taken with this sea anemone. So beautiful.<br />
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I have no idea what this blue fish is in the coral reef, but he sure is pretty! <br />
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I did not expect to see penguins, but the zoo had a pretty large population of these cute little Fairy Penguins. Native to Australia, they are the smallest species of penguins. They are adorable.<br />
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The second native animal I wanted to see in Australia was in the Darling Harbour Zoo.<br />
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Almost wolverinish in its apprearance, this little Tasmanian devil is part of a threatened species. The animals are suffering from a virulant form of cancer and zoologists are hoping to save them with isolated colonies at zoos around the world while they try to find a cure for the cancer. There use to be a much larger variant of the species, but it was killed off a long time ago. They look a lot cuter than the Warner Bros. cartoon, but the zoo keepers carry large shovels to ward them off. They are cranky and will charge the keepers who are cleaning their display. I did spend a long time watching this one.<br />
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This is a cassowary. I have no trouble believing that dinosaurs still live after a good look at it. The eyes see back through the ages. That crest is not feathers, it's a shell of something. The claw on that middle toe can grow to 5". They can top over six feet and weigh in excess of 100 pounds. And run over 30 miles per hour. I hear they can jump pretty high and having an artery sliced by their claw would be an unpleasant way to die. Just a warning, in case you are ever in northern Australia or New Guinea.<br />
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And just what would a trip to Australia be if you didn't get to see kangaroos?<br />
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I did not know they climbed rocks. Actually, I think this is a rock-wallaby, a.k.a. ring-tailed wallaby. Wallabies have different shaped heads from kangaroos, and are smaller.<br />
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This little marsupial is enjoying a carrot and what looks like alfalfa. Yes, I thought it would love living in our back yard, giving the dogs some needed exercise.<br />
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The same zoo also had the first koala we saw in Sydney. <br />
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Unfortunately, they spend a lot of time doing just this: sleeping. If you are lucky you might catch one in motion, eating. I really, really, really wanted to hug this one. I couldn't.<br />
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We kept running into the giant snails all over Sydney.<br />
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I asked if there was a particular reason for snails (Los Angeles has angels, Chicago has cows, and New Mexico has Painted Ponies), but I did not get a definitive answer. It's not like there are giant snails living in Australia. At least, I do not think that there are.<br />
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The pink one was about a block away from our hotel, at the Museum of Sydney. One yellow snail was down by the Quay, the other was at the Westfield Shopping Center.<br />
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We saw some blue ones as we drove by a park. Unlike the Painted Ponies, they were all just painted flat colors, not theme-decorated. I think I'd like to see a paisley snail.<br />
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Sharyn and Shane Murphy arrived on a Tuesday and checked into our hotel. The last time I saw them was in Vancouver in 1975. They were on their way back to Australia after a two year stint at a university in Ontario where Shane did his post-doc work. Sharyn was a bridesmaid in my first wedding, because the timing just worked out that way. They had an infant when they arrived in 1973, and she was a toddler when they left. They had two boys after that and now all their children are married and one has a baby of his own. They are also scattered. The older boy is back in Australia, but the younger boy lives in Canada and Jenny lives in London. Sharyn became an attorney and they are now both happily retired.<br />
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Len, Sharyn and Shane on the ferry to Manly Beach. <br />
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When Sharyn and I started writing in 1964, we had being the eldest of a large family in common. And we were both Beatles crazy. We wrote regularly for years, then sporatically. And, somehow we got back in touch via the Internet, which is a much easier way to communicate. Eventually, I hope that she'll give social media a try.<br />
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Sharyn grew up in a suburb of Sydney called Fairfield. She and Shane made their home in the Blue Mountains while they raised their children. Now they live in a home they designed somewhere 3-4 hours north of Sydney, but they did drive us out to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains to see some beautiful country.<br />
This outcrop is called the Three Sisters.<br />
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The area around Katoomba area was part of a 1500 mile firestorm front just a couple of weeks after we were there. Fortunately, the Murphy house, which had been on the market for over a year, survived and Sharyn and Shane closed on the pending sale in November.<br />
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Our last full day in Australia consisted of going to Taronga Zoo, a short ferry ride to the northeast of Circular Quay. Janis Ian had put us in touch with a friend of hers who is the zoologist in charge of the great apes there, Geoffrey Kidd. Geoff met us at the gate, comped Len and I, and spent quite a bit of time showing us around the zoo and suggesting things we should see while he was at work. We even got up close and personal with some very tall critters who were as happy to take carrots from us as my horse is.<br />
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Trust me, that tongue is very long.<br />
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Len even got photobomed by a giraffe later in the day when we were pretty much the only people left at the zoo except for the attendants.<br />
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You can see Sydney in the background across the harbour. It is no wonder that my friend Bob Harris calls Sydney his "someday home town."<br />
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Here's a better view of Sydney from the zoo. We were waiting for a program of an amazing display of some of the birds who live at Taronga. There were a number of school groups visiting, and you could tell them apart because they wore their school colors. It was great.<br />
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I was very excited to get a look at this Andean condor, which was impressive in flight and landed on her perch for all to see. Taronga is helping to fund projects to save birds, including the condor.<br />
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At the end of each performance of the bird show, visitors can hand a donation to one of the birds, which then drops the money into the box. Who could possibly resist emptying their pockets?<br />
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The zoo has several koala exhibits, and while this one was sleeping, Sharyn and I did manage to catch a couple eating eucalyptus as the afternoon wore on.<br />
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This koala actually moved around quite a bit while we watched.<br />
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At Taronga, we were able to walk inside a corral where kangaroos and wallabies and emus had free range. Some of the videos I've watched make it quite clear that you don't want to irritate a big red kangaroo. They may not be able to back up, but they can turn on a dime and land a kick which can burst your internal organs and shatter bone. Zookeepers were constantly warning about the danger.<br />
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This female chimpanzee is in heat. Obviously. I can't say I had ever seen such a display before. The chimps had a huge play area, with lots of trees and climbing platforms and ropes. And they made good use of them as I sat and watched at the end of the day.<br />
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Geoff took us backstage to see a couple of orangutangs and then let us come and watch the bedding down of the chimpanzee house. All of the apes come in to be counted, fed, and, where needed, medicated. We had to be careful to keep a safe distance from the cage, because if you got too close you might be grabbed by one of the chimps. They were curious and they probably would have been happy to get extra treats, but we weren't there to give treats, just watch.<br />
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Geoff was kind enough to drive us back to the hotel, which gave us a different perspective on the city. Parts of it are built on hills like San Francisco. And we got to drive across the Sydney Harbour Bridge.<br />
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The Sydney Opera House as viewed from the Sydney Harbour Bridge near sunset. So pretty.<br />
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The non-official days in Sydney are the longest Len and I have ever had that approaches a vacation. We never travel unless it is work related, especially now that he's on dialysis three days a week. It's a good thing we've got a house at which I'm happy to stay home and receive friends.<br />
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I would go back to Australia in a New York minute, which is pretty amazing for someone who hates to fly. It was worth the travel time to get there and I would so love to go back and see more of the country. I'd like to take a train across the outback, I wouldn't mind seeing the Gold Coast or the Great Barrier Reef. I'd like to visit my friends in Melbourne. And I'd like to visit some more of the places of which I read in Bill Bryson's hysterical book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/In-Sunburned-Country-Bill-Bryson/dp/0767903862#" target="_blank"><i><b>In a Sunburned Country</b></i></a>. I wouldn't mind seeing an opal mine. I never got to see brumbies or kangaroos in the wild, so that is still on my bucket list. Nine days in Australia was just too short.<br />
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After a final dinner with Sharyn and Shane, we went back to our room to pack. In the morning, I ran out to find some English candy bars that a friend had requested we bring back to the states. I also stopped in the chocolate shop and picked up a gift of premium chocolate from his home town to give Hugh Jackman when we saw him at the Dolby Theatre the night after we got back.<br />
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How appropriate that we saw this reminder of Len's influence on pop culture in a chiller at the airport while we waited for our (delayed) flight home. Pretty cool.<br />
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I did a post about some of the wonderful food we ate over on the Valada Kitchen blog. You can check that out <a href="http://valadakitchen.blogspot.com/2014/03/no-barbie-but-lots-of-good-local-food.html" target="_blank">here</a>. M. C. Valadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06301675413866610210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1392929325271530478.post-14436910537330135862013-09-28T01:33:00.002-07:002013-09-28T01:33:34.444-07:00The Maybe TripI am up too late trying to take care of a thousand little things that need to get done before I get on a plane Tuesday night. That is, if I actually get on a plane Tuesday night. It is up in the air, so to speak.<br />
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Three months ago, my husband was invited to be a speaker at Graphic, which takes place in Sydney, Australia. I always said I would figure out how to tolerate 16 hours in an airplane when someone picked up the tab, so saying yes was a no brainier. The organizers said they would take care of Len's visa, but I had to get my own.<br />
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Once I renewed my passport, it was a 15 minute adventure on-line, but I got it done. Less than 72 hours before departure, Len still doesn't have his. On Monday morning, he was informed he would have to get a chest x-ray. Why? Who knows? After the medical office he was told to contact said they could squeeze in the x-ray on Tuesday, but they wouldn't be able to send the results until October 11 (the day of our return flight), he was told the x-Ray wasn't necessary, but a physical was. So far, two trips for a urine test which they insisted be redone, even though we knew there would be no change because Len has a kidney condition. And the organizers knew this when he responded to the invitation.<br />
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He could do without the stress. So could I. And so could the friends who live in other parts of Australia who are planning to meet us in Sydney.<br />
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It will be a very exciting time to visit Sydney. It is Fleet Week, with the Royal Navy in the harbor, as well as tall ships and ships from around the world. Huge fireworks displays are promised, and we are supposed to have ringside seats at a cocktail party overlooking the harbor.<br />
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I am trying to stay calm and believe everything will work out alright.M. C. Valadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06301675413866610210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1392929325271530478.post-65145960314826871742013-09-05T17:25:00.003-07:002013-09-06T14:32:15.659-07:00PartingsA friend of mine went on line on Tuesday to let people know that <a href="http://www.startrek.com/article/ann-crispin-says-goodbye" target="_blank">she has been ill and that she is probably close to the end</a>. I knew she was sick, since she called to tell me what she had been going through about 18 months ago. I was not totally unprepared for the news, but it is still hard to accept. Let me tell you about her now.<br />
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My friend is the writer <a href="http://www.accrispin.com/" target="_blank">A.C. Crispin</a>, one of many authors whose work I knew before they themselves became a part of my life. I met Ann when Barbara Hambly (another writer and subsequently good friend) was a guest at her home in Maryland just prior to the 1988 local science fiction convention for the D.C. area. I had begun the photographic project which has been displayed in more world cities than I've been to, and I wanted to photograph Barbara for the exhibit. (At the time, I thought it would be a one-time thing in Boston in 1989. I was wrong.) In the two birds with one stone thing, I figured I would photograph Ann as well.<br />
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It turned out that Ann and I had some things in common besides living in the greater D.C. area. First off, we both used our initials for our professional work, and we were probably both influenced by D.C. Fontana to do it. Her son was a year or so older than mine, with some similar issues. She was toward the end of a bad marriage and I had been divorced for a few years. She like to cook and she liked good food. She owned horses. I loved horses. She had a hearty laugh. Everyone knew Ann because she was already deeply involved in work for the Science Fiction Writers of America. This would have a significant effect on my life. Ann and I quickly became good friends.<br />
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She even tried to teach me to ride a horse.<br />
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Ann owned two horses then, a mare named Buttons and her son Scooter. Ann had another writer friend named Paula, who lived not far from me but did not own a car. So, on a regular basis, I would pick up Paula and drive out to the country to have dinner with Ann. One day she got both of us up on the horses for a little work. I had ridden the very reliable Buttons in the past, but that day I got Scooter. It started out alright, although I know now I had no real control over the poor boy. We were moving along at a slow trot, I think, when a horse fly the size of a raven came down and bit Scooter on the croup. Canter depart. He took off for Virginia. I stayed on. Ann stopped him. At least, that's what I remember from the adrenaline rush when my heart finally went back into my chest.<br />
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Ann said he took three strides.<br />
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It was 10 years before I decided to give riding another try. <br />
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Ann had worked for the Census Bureau before becoming a best-selling novelist, and one of my favorite stories she told was of knocking on doors to collect information. In an exchange that belongs in a Chris Rock routine, she would relate the tale of the woman who named her daughter "Placenta" because when she was coming out of the twilight sleep of anesthesia, it was the most beautiful word the woman had ever heard.<br />
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When Ann and her then husband were thinking about taking a vacation to a dude ranch, I pointed her in the direction of one that was run by my mother's good friend in the Catskills. The trip was a huge success, with Ann schooling some of the string horses over the course of the week. That's Ann, always pitching in to help.<br />
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When Ann lent me a copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Yesterdays-Son-Star-Trek-No/dp/0671038516" target="_blank"><b>Yesterday's Son</b></a>, her very successful <i>Star Trek</i> tie-in, in audio form, I think it was the first time my son Michael realized that real people wrote books (he was six at the time.) The narrator read "written by A.C. Crispin" and Michael nearly jumped out of his seat belt. "A.C. Crispin! That's Jason's mom!" He was very impressed. At that point, Ann told me, Jason was in the "why can't you be a secretary like a normal mom" stage. <br />
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Ann and I wound up hanging out at several conventions over the first year I knew her, in addition to the time we spent at each others' houses. We had a particularly good girls' weekend away at the World Science Fiction Convention in New Orleans, and she was my ticket to things like publishers' parties. More importantly, she introduced me to many of the authors I wanted to meet to photograph for the exhibit. She introduced me to George R.R. Martin, long before he was GEORGE R.R. MARTIN. She introduced me to Robert Silverberg, who declined to be photographed (but who was much subdued a year later when he saw the work and his photograph was not included; he did get added.) At every party, she made introductions and talked up the project. In many ways, Ann really built the momentum on the Portrait Project until it became something people felt needed to include them. <br />
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When I left D.C. to go to law school in Cleveland, Ann bought my freezer. She would occasionally send updates on the thing until it finally died. I think she got far more use out of it than I did. It certainly seemed to give her a lot of pleasure.<br />
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I had only been out of law school for a few years when Ann and the Science Fiction Writers of America came to ask me if I would consider taking over as general counsel. I had been a creative rights activist for a number of years, which was what prompted my decision to go to law school, and my interest was in practicing law to protect creators.<br />
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Turned out, it was actually more like herding cats. No one comes away unscathed.<br />
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Nevertheless, Ann was on the board of directors of SFWA and she was already involved with the then President of SFWA, Michael Capobianco, who has been her husband for more than a dozen years. They, along with GRRM, convinced the rest of the board I was a great choice to replace their previous general counsel. It was a great fit while Michael was president and I think we did a lot of good work together.<br />
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Ann's big cause for more than the past twenty years has been <a href="http://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware/" target="_blank">Writer Beware</a>, a way to warn new or want-to-be writers about the dangers of scams and scammers. Ann really put herself on the line, and was threatened often and sued on more than one occasion for naming names. I don't think she ever had a judgment against her, showing that the truth can be a perfect defense. Publishing scams became huge because of the Internet and Ann was there fighting back every day, trying to save people from broken dreams, broken hearts, and broken bank accounts.<br />
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I haven't seen Ann in several years, since we don't go to as many conventions as we once did. I saw her in San Francisco in 2009, when Michael Capobianco and I were part of a committee trying to rewrite the SFWA bylaws and plan a reincorporation of the organization. Ann spent part of the days with my husband and the wives of some of the other committee members, enjoying the sights of San Francisco. She did not make it to L.A. for the Nebula Awards I chaired that spring, but we did stay in touch by phone and e-mail.<br />
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I had hoped to see her this summer at Comic-con, when she was named a Grandmaster of writing tie-in fiction, but the state of her health did not permit her to attend the ceremony. I am sorry I am not likely to see her again. <br />
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I am convinced that Ann is leaving the world a better place than it would have been without her. What better can anyone do with a life? She has improved the lives of the people who knew her and countless others who never had the good fortune to make her acquaintance.<br />
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Vale, Ann, ad astra. I have been and always shall be your friend.<br />
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September 6, 2013. Ann passed away this morning. Our thoughts go out to Michael Capobianco and her son Jason. <br />
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<br />M. C. Valadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06301675413866610210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1392929325271530478.post-19335365376415990842013-03-19T19:41:00.002-07:002013-03-19T21:23:29.175-07:00Game of PremiersBeing a teenager pretty much sucks for almost everyone. That's why Janis Ian's song "At Seventeen" resonates. Last night was another in my series of "things I wish I could tell my fourteen year old self so she would know it gets really great, not just better."<br />
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Last evening, we attended a genuine Hollywood premier for the third season of Game of Thrones. Because of our long-standing friendship with George R.R. Martin, we scored tickets. The first hour of the season, which will be on HBO on Easter Sunday, was screened at the famous Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/19/game-of-thrones-premiere-pictures_n_2908337.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003" target="_blank">Here</a> are some of the red carpet arrivals. Then about 1100 people slowly crossed the street to go to the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel for food, music, and other things in the theme of a Dothraki market as an after-party. I got home about 1 a.m., a very late night for the work week. I would not have missed it for anything.<br />
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I spent a good portion of the evening just hanging out at the table with George, because everybody came to pay respects to the Godfather. At least that's what it looked like to me. Len was with us for only a short while, since he had to go off to dialysis. After he left, I did wander around and went up to the balcony, from which I took the photograph of the musicians playing in the ante-area of the ballroom. I wish I had packed an actual camera, instead of only the iPhone, but some premiers will take away any cameras and it is a pain to wait to get them back later. In spite of the language in the invitation, this was not one of them.<br />
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I shot at a torso with a cross-bow and easily hit it. I did not find the actual archery set up, but Melinda Snodgrass said she did well at it. Like her, I actually took it as a class in college and I'm really got at it as well. So I am sorry I missed it. I passed up having my photographed taken with a sword and having a soothsayer give me a fortune never appeals to me. But, much as I hate needles and pain, I am perfectly happy to get temporary tattoos by airbrush or henna, so I got one of the House Stark dire wolf sigil.<br />
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I got to chat with a number of the actors and some of the producers as well. I had met Nikolaj Coster-Walau at Comic-con two summers ago (we were huge fans of the short-lived "New Amsterdam,") so it was Melinda who was excited to meet him. I didn't see Jason Mamoa, but I had met him in the elevator when they moved the cast from the panel room to the private Warner Bros. balcony in the dealers' room at Comic-con. He was very funny and had undergone two hours of make-up so he could thrill the audience when he took off his sunglasses to reveal the Khal Drogo look.<br />
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Kit Harington, the heart throb Jon Snow, came by the table for a few words and could not have been nicer. George took Melinda and I over to meet Gwendoline Christie, the actress who plays Brienne of Tarth. Reports are she's only 6'3" but she was wearing heels and towered over everyone in an amazing minidress--if you've got it, flaunt it. I crossed paths with Natalie Tena on a stair case and told her that our friend Dani had named her car after Tonks. She got a big kick out of that and gave me a huge hug. Utterly delightful.<br />
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I spoke briefly with Charles Dance, who appeared to be in attendance by himself. I loved him in The Jewel in the Crown on PBS back in the 1980s. He is formidable as Tywin, and has quite a scene with the wonderful Peter Dinklage in the first episode of the new season.<br />
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Tyrion's lover Shae, the delicate Sibel Kikilli, was charming. I noticed that Kit Harington and Richard Madden (Rob Stark) looked enough in face and build to actually be brothers, or the putative half-brothers they play in the series. Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark) is taller than Richard. And Isaac Hempstead Wright (Bran) has had a tremendous growth spurt. It's a good thing he isn't supposed to be able to walk any more, because it would be hard to hide how tall he has gotten.<br />
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I was especially pleased to get a few minutes to talk to Maisie Williams, who becomes the character to watch in every scene she has. Arya is my favorite character in the book. Arya and Brienne are the two characters who set this whole series apart in my mind from any other epic fantasy I have read, especially my beloved "Lord of the Rings."<br />
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As a friend of mine, Pat Murphy, has written, girls love these kinds of books as much as boys do, but usually they are put in the position of having to choose a male character to re-imagine as female in any kind of role-playing for Mary-sue fantasy. For all of the crap George has gotten for writing these books that are full of the ugly truth about women in feudal societies, he has created these two wonderful, adventurous, and gutsy females. The American Tolkien has done the Original Tolkien one better. Or maybe two. When Arya tells her perplexed father "that's not me," I just wanted to shout YES. George had gushed about Maisie from the time the show started running, and she is just an amazing young actress. Her prior training in dance has served her well in her training a swordswoman and I cannot wait to see how she handles Arya's growth in the next books.<br />
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A few minutes from now (Tuesday, March 19, 7:40 PM), the Television Academy will be streaming "An Evening with A Game of Thrones" live from the Chinese Theatre. Watch it <a href="http://www.emmys.com/game-of-thrones" target="_blank">here</a>. [The introduction of the show indicated that the Q & A will be available for watching after the actual event. It was a very funny evening, and if you are a fan of the show, I recommend setting aside the 90 or so minutes to watch it.]M. C. Valadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06301675413866610210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1392929325271530478.post-6450775598159626062013-02-12T11:08:00.000-08:002013-02-12T11:08:15.784-08:00The International Bank of Bob<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After I won my games on Jeopardy! in 2009, I decided to join my friend Bob Harris' lending team on Kiva, called The Friends of Bob Harris. Bob was already planning to write a book about his adventures in micro-financing, so by the time I appeared on the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions in 2010, I was able to say that I was investing some of my winnings in <b>The International Bank of Bob.</b><br />
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Bob's book comes out next month. If you live in San Francisco (March 5, St. Regis Hotel), Los Angeles (March 13, Barnes & Noble at The Grove), or New York (March 29 at The Strand Bookstore), there will be appearances and signings to celebrate the event. I've read two drafts of the book, and, like Bob's <b>Prisoner of Trebekistan</b>, it is informative, entertaining and touching. You can support your local bookstore by buying a copy there, or, if you no longer have one, order it from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/International-Bank-Bob-Connecting-Worlds/dp/0802777511/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1360694391&sr=1-1&keywords=bob+harris" target="_blank">Amazon</a>.<br />
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I would also encourage you to participate in Kiva. The Friends of Bob Harris welcomes new members and <a href="http://www.kiva.org/invitedby/christine2884" target="_blank">this link</a> credits your acceptance to me. Be sure to designate <a href="http://www.kiva.org/team/bobharrisdotcom" target="_blank">The Friends of Bob Harris</a> as your lending team when you join. (The designation "closed team" only means you have to make a request to join.) So far, our team of just over 1,000 members has made over 100,000 loans totaling just over $3,000,000. That puts us in position number four for all time, behind the 25,000 member Athiest and Agnostics team, the 10,000 member Christian team, and the 1500 member Milepoint team (as of today.) <br />
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I have chosen to reinvest my money as loans have been repaid. I've made loans to women in almost 50 countries, and I'm happy to say there are now loans available to fund here in the United States. I do have a soft-spot for women with horses and women artists and artisans, but my portfolio is pretty varied in terms of businesses. While I do not aspire to operate The International Bank of Christine, I do like to think I am doing my best to make the world a better place, one $25 loan at a time.M. C. Valadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06301675413866610210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1392929325271530478.post-80128652760313533112013-01-10T12:53:00.000-08:002013-01-10T12:53:19.083-08:00When You Think Things Can't Get Worse...Time just keeps whooshing on by. And owning horses continues to empty pockets. I wasn't spending it anyway.<br />
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Ace has been in the hospital for a month. It started with a swelling of the eye that Ashley noticed. Then the eye was weeping rather uncontrollably. The vet came out several times, then told me I should either get a horse opthomologist or take him to a hospital for another opinion. We took him to a hospital where one of the vets has a special interest in eyes.<br />
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The treatment seemed to be working and then it stopped working. My vet came out again, Ace then headed back to the hospital. This time he was admitted. Six days later I had to give permission for surgery to try and save the eye: a fungal infection had eaten into the cornea. Again, he appeared to improve. Then he stopped improving. Last Thursday I went to visit him and two vets sat me down to discuss removing the eye.<br />
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I was stunned and heart-broken. The poor horse was in pain and not improving. The vets said to go home and sleep on it, or even take the weekend to make a decision.<br />
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I was ready to let them do the surgery because Ace would no longer be in discomfort. I've had a corneal abrasion. I know how much it hurts. I was planning to drive out to see him again and give permission for the second surgery.<br />
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The vet called when I was getting out of the shower. Ace had dramatically improved over night. The vet would not want to do the surgery if I gave permission.<br />
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As of two days ago, when I went for a visit, Ace continues to improve. I even looked at the eye (I'm a bit squeamish about these things) and the vet is very happy with his progress. He calls Ace an ideal patient. I am cautiously optimistic that he will not lose the eye.<br />
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Whether he will regain his vision in his right eye remains to be seen. I do know that most horses adjust to blindness better than I would. Ace seems to be doing just fine when I take him out for a walk and when I scatter carrots throughout his hay for a treat. I hope he'll be able to come home soon, because driving out to Somis became a lot more difficult when my Christmas break ended on Monday. Ace is greatly missed at the barn.M. C. Valadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06301675413866610210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1392929325271530478.post-51027687535716509122012-11-29T14:40:00.000-08:002012-11-29T14:41:17.333-08:00Horse KeepingI got a call from the barn last night that Ace was showing signs of impending colic. After two years where he's been recovering from a leg injury and the better part of two months where we've been dealing with an eye infection of some sort (and too many dollars later from attempted treatments, let me add), I wasn't quite ready to pay for another visit from the vet.<br />
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Of course, it was damp and raining, and he's been on bute for weeks, so I thought we should just keep an eye out before calling the vet. The good news is that whatever was not quite right passed and today he seems just fine.<br />
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Buying a horse is easy. Keeping a horse is the real problem.<br />
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My friend Melinda Snodgrass arrived yesterday from New Mexico because there's a nation-wide showing of her famous episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation tonight (at theatres near you all, actually) and we're going to the screening in Century City with her. "The Measure of a Man" is based on the Dred Scott decision, but it has a happier ending. The screening will be of a restored version--the original screenplay was too long for a one-hour slot, but the editors gave her a video tape without the cuts that were made. Because she had this version, it will appear in the new Blu-ray release.<br />
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Melinda bred Ace. And she left New Mexico with her precious boy Vento not acting like himself. It was hard for her to get on the plane, but her vet came out and tubed him and her trainer is there to keep an eye out. We're going to hope that all will be well with both horses.<br />
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Melinda and I will be going to look at a Lusitano filly on Saturday. She took Ebony for a test ride about two weeks ago and is trying to decide about buying her. One of the appealing points is that Ebony could make beautiful babies with Vento. I keep reminding her that she sold Ace's sister because she wasn't going to breed horses any longer, but I think the idea of the new babies may win out. Besides, as an upper-level rider, she needs to have another talented horse in the wings.<br />
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I found out yesterday that Harry Whitney will be coming to Pierce to do a clinic in February. I've ridden with Harry three times and he has not held a clinic in Southern California in at least seven years. I am hoping that Ace will be sound enough to do the clinic, and a few rounds with Harry may be just what he needs coming off a two-year lay-up. If he isn't ready, however, I'll probably ride the mustang mare I've been using for the past year. She's a sweetie and it would be a good experience for her as well. We'll see how things go.<br />
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<br />M. C. Valadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06301675413866610210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1392929325271530478.post-46241791079598246082012-07-25T13:58:00.002-07:002012-07-26T10:07:48.064-07:00Comic-con 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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San Diego Comic-con International did not fall on my birthday this year. Nice change, thank you. In anticipation of the trip, we went off to the car dealership and bought me a new set of wheels. For the moment, the Odyssey is still in the driveway, but the new chariot is a 2012 Toyota Rav4. It was hard to resist the zero per cent financing, so we did not. Driving it is definitely fun.<br />
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The trip to San Diego rarely is.<br />
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We were ripped off by The Toll Roads, where the fare taker returned change for a $10, when we paid with a $20. There was nothing we could do at the time, because we were several miles down the road when Len counted the change. I told this to the fare taker on the way home, five days later. He handed me a card and said to call the number. They don't take calls. They tell you to use the website. Where it says you have two days to report a problem. Apparently they get lots of complaints about these things and no longer want to deal with them. I guess that's how Orange County balances its books these days.<br />
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What looked like it was going to be a reasonably time trip when it only took about an hour and a quarter to get to Costa Mesa came to a screeching halt when we got to Oceanside and crawled the rest of the way into San Diego. Total time: almost four hours for a trip that runs about 130 miles. <br />
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We checked into the Hilton Bayfront Hotel and were told we were getting a room with two queen-sized beds. Len said he requested a king with a fold-out or roll-away. They said we could have a king with a roll-away, but it would be $20 more a night because it had a bay view. We can afford the additional $20. What they didn't tell us was that it was, in theory, a handicap room, with a too-small closet, a too-large bath room, and no tub or way to keep the shower from going all over the floor. The shower curtain didn't cover the entire area because it had been folded over itself--there weren't enough hooks for all the holes. Annoying, but not worth the bother of repacking to go to another room that probably wasn't available anyway. I still think they should have disclosed this little fact to us at check-in. I would have opted for the two queens and Michael would have been happier than on the cot.<br />
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Len and Michael headed over to the Convention Center for the preview night opening while I took care of a few things in the room and then I went over, checked in, got my badges (for me and "adopted daughter" Sara) and went looking for my men. I was surprised that I got to the DC both before they did. It turns out that Len fell on entering the Convention Center and managed to bruise himself up pretty well. This was his third fall at a convention this year. He fell twice in Chicago, once because he tried to go over a velvet rope to his signing area--his own fault--and once because a megasized guy backed into him. I'm concerned about him going to other shows this year without a minion to keep him safe. I think that his new requirements for being a guest will have to include at least one minion to help him negotiate the crowds and to make sure he eats.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidwhxz5FgUUkU2I6tqb4IgDx5RLz3UiuwBjuZYu38kuhZjITPk7_QS_EEThp7ulKtHCqk-JA5jJLRdgh4tQIwHOlfe7ETUL53fIASjHJxOgFZd4h2fOQs2gA7YR6kW9WEUG3WiV88CAF5k/s1600/valada_20120714_5037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidwhxz5FgUUkU2I6tqb4IgDx5RLz3UiuwBjuZYu38kuhZjITPk7_QS_EEThp7ulKtHCqk-JA5jJLRdgh4tQIwHOlfe7ETUL53fIASjHJxOgFZd4h2fOQs2gA7YR6kW9WEUG3WiV88CAF5k/s400/valada_20120714_5037.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The floor of the San Diego Convention Center on Saturday morning taken from the DC Entertainment green room on the mezzanine level. Strangely, there is still room to walk around on the floor on what is usually the most crowded day.</td></tr>
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I may have spent the least amount of time I ever have at the actual convention. I don't like trying to move through crowds. I drove up to see the horse exhibit at the San Diego Museum of Natural History, but I didn't bother to go to Mary's Tack and Feed in Del Mar or to the antique shopping areas in Ocean Beach or elsewhere because driving was particularly dangerous this year. My friend Noel had a collision with one of the prolific pedi-cabs in the down-town area (the pedi-cab's fault, I think) and so many streets were closed that getting anywhere other than on foot was pretty hard.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgRYTv7zhehZew7Tk4hSss_ukF7IPCDU_Ah3Jtf11XQKoUabb3VUhFVLTXujs9sOxHI4fpngHT_BBwepuVTYjbVZuARKIMIvBdewxu4LlThHq3OtNN2XSR2YuTKJ7Fi8d3uC1XbcBbUoPV/s1600/valada_20120713_4996.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgRYTv7zhehZew7Tk4hSss_ukF7IPCDU_Ah3Jtf11XQKoUabb3VUhFVLTXujs9sOxHI4fpngHT_BBwepuVTYjbVZuARKIMIvBdewxu4LlThHq3OtNN2XSR2YuTKJ7Fi8d3uC1XbcBbUoPV/s400/valada_20120713_4996.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying to cross the street into the Gaslamp District for summer is a challenge at any time, not just when the showroom closes each evening.</td></tr>
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Adding to the crowds are the right-wing religious crazies who have, over the past three years, decided to let the people at Comic-con know they are damned. It is an unpleasant distraction from what was a rather lighthearted event for many years.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMfZ9_uAq0xmH2sgaH_Gy5DdDUp2jXMzH3AYa_Fk7smpyDYsc2l7APDi2fvmFU1aIKEMeKNcMTzlb1-l0akNtH_0u0rDctE5ggwehpFM4hKFUs4K5jrqkK9dvHzMtBowsTxXvjXeIoSoIT/s1600/valada_20120713_4982.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMfZ9_uAq0xmH2sgaH_Gy5DdDUp2jXMzH3AYa_Fk7smpyDYsc2l7APDi2fvmFU1aIKEMeKNcMTzlb1-l0akNtH_0u0rDctE5ggwehpFM4hKFUs4K5jrqkK9dvHzMtBowsTxXvjXeIoSoIT/s320/valada_20120713_4982.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So called "Christians" protesting at Comic-con.</td></tr>
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I'm not inclined to stand in front of a church with placards reminding the attendees that the mythology of a zombie god that came out of a nomadic desert people really doesn't fly in the face of modern science because they are entitled to believe whatever they want. Just keep your noses out of text books, leave me the heck alone, and stop impeding foot traffic, thank you. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLBs4hprneMgRhOVMCnNZZqLIGw8hyPoqLZN9igEsP_Bb80cAi5o9CR9WnTTaA1YthrlaSlQY2ivSLjCqUSBrxiUjEE3YfdiXGOW9_3Qd9DuaHHBYLW-KoRyi5uFoW5FUEJGCPsZdKVASw/s1600/valada_20120714_5069.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLBs4hprneMgRhOVMCnNZZqLIGw8hyPoqLZN9igEsP_Bb80cAi5o9CR9WnTTaA1YthrlaSlQY2ivSLjCqUSBrxiUjEE3YfdiXGOW9_3Qd9DuaHHBYLW-KoRyi5uFoW5FUEJGCPsZdKVASw/s400/valada_20120714_5069.jpg" width="323" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My spousal unit when he finally showed up for his scheduled panel on Saturday.</td></tr>
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The only panel I saw was one Len was on--and he was late for it. Plus, Quentin Tarrantino interrupted it to make a pitch for a movie tie-in comic he would be doing with DC later this year. I don't know why people thought this would be a good idea.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2_M9Fy-56tIaxcQnlALQOSzRVeMap5Fwhaz3QQQVYYsok3uUVyfA8Lw5DxiL8obEj6uX1ogiUNzuHfbxp71ML1GfpQ-I4Dn9skltXXz_sxKyY9nyHVowq5duCtGBZ_6qUiUrHQwrJFYqN/s1600/valada_20120714_5055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2_M9Fy-56tIaxcQnlALQOSzRVeMap5Fwhaz3QQQVYYsok3uUVyfA8Lw5DxiL8obEj6uX1ogiUNzuHfbxp71ML1GfpQ-I4Dn9skltXXz_sxKyY9nyHVowq5duCtGBZ_6qUiUrHQwrJFYqN/s400/valada_20120714_5055.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quentin Tarantino makes a surprise visit to the Before Watchman Panel at SDCC.</td></tr>
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It would have been nice to see the panels for <b>The Big Bang Theory,</b> <b>The Game of Thrones</b>, and <b>The Hobbit</b>, but one look outside our hotel window guaranteed that would not happen. I don't sit in lines for three days, thank you. One Twihead died<i> before the convention </i>started because she left her place on the line and then tried running back to it while not paying enough attention to traffic. People were lined up days before the convention started--that's insane. Now, at least, if you don't get in you are likely to find at least the highlights of panels on YouTube or on a studio or network website. Not as much fun as being in the audience, and not as likely to get you a trip into outer space, but it is a solution.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3BVKq0gX6T5HyeqmEt4QifMd6IjUjEBwldNB8lOQvYOZ7R2k6-WljEAcagt2_WvAlMwOL-e6jyRzZLC8DNbZBCt7roJstMXdVeoWazzPaQXLnEbe3JKAeTd8UWVUF7gC5xHcwIy8C_i2/s1600/valada_20120713_4977.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3BVKq0gX6T5HyeqmEt4QifMd6IjUjEBwldNB8lOQvYOZ7R2k6-WljEAcagt2_WvAlMwOL-e6jyRzZLC8DNbZBCt7roJstMXdVeoWazzPaQXLnEbe3JKAeTd8UWVUF7gC5xHcwIy8C_i2/s400/valada_20120713_4977.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The overflow line for Hall H on Friday morning. These are the folks who aren't snaked under the tents close to the entrance to the Convention Center. The line runs the length of the Convention Center to about the Marriott Hotel and doubles back on itself. Hall H holds about 6500 people. There may have been more than twice that waiting in lines to get in at any time during the weekend.</td></tr>
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Len's convention involved a lot of interviews because of the high profile <b>Before Watchmen </b>project. He deserves the attention and good for him.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_MeF9p8H1nId9np3SD5qxyaBZPBcV2XbIxw__7N46fRJ7XAhGqDnr0nDUC1MoAPneIaxkYLp20pNxYxccJYCAFrqaZBM_SRBHTpSDyPh3E6YIAy303Czul92mQkVY04hDsBKT5IyifAoh/s1600/valada_20120713_5018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_MeF9p8H1nId9np3SD5qxyaBZPBcV2XbIxw__7N46fRJ7XAhGqDnr0nDUC1MoAPneIaxkYLp20pNxYxccJYCAFrqaZBM_SRBHTpSDyPh3E6YIAy303Czul92mQkVY04hDsBKT5IyifAoh/s400/valada_20120713_5018.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Len Wein enjoying himself at Michael Davis' post-Eisner Awards party. Len won a life-time achievement Eisner in 2008. Yes, the leather doublet is supposed to look like Captain America's.</td></tr>
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For the past three years, I've been a guest at a party I consider the highlight of my Comic-con weekend. It is thrown by Bill Prady, the co-creator of <b>The Big Bang Theory,</b> and what makes it so wonderful is you never know who will show up and it is in a venue which actually allows people to talk to each other.<br />
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The invitation authorizes invitees to invite "other awesome" people. So the first year, I brought Melinda Snodgrass along and last year and this year I also brought George R.R. Martin--a major hit and inspiration for a change in decor at the Leonard and Sheldon apartment, because they now have a replica sword from <b>A Game of Thrones</b> situated where it is shown whenever anyone enters or leaves the apartment. Very cool. (I've seen a number of Len's covers show up around the set and a copy of <b>Legacies</b> was on the table next to Sheldon's seat the last time we visited the set.)<br />
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I was delighted to meet Adam Savage from <b>Mythbusters</b> the first time I went to the party and got to speak to him again last year. This year, he was pretty busy talking to other people, including John Landis, and I didn't want to interrupt. But I spent a bit of time talking to Wil and Anne Wheaton, Chase Masterson, Chuck Lorre's assistant Mackenzie Gabriel, and my old friend George. I introduced George to Felicia Day, whom I knew had been dying to meet him for quite some time, and we all got to meet Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca from Star Wars) and Paul and Storm who recorded "Write Like the Wind (George R.R. Martin)" as a plea to George to finish<b> A Song of Ice and Fire</b>. Here's a<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7lp3RhzfgI" target="_blank"> link to the video</a>.<br />
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Here are some of the photographs I took at the party. I know it looks rather like I was there as George's personal photographer (been there, done that), but everyone wanted their photograph taken with George, and I was happy to oblige:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUC4JQQ5HTF1fY7mw0lcP_gcTpuuYxXeRblJ-ubCgNR_DdFNajWMqDe6TdwBCjmjYlPIODuJH0vSPoFI26kIEzP4P9a1NulAcgQN1tsVRxGRfXdztqG1UemQfq7hFIhCdYXBrAste5JR56/s1600/valada_20120714_5085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUC4JQQ5HTF1fY7mw0lcP_gcTpuuYxXeRblJ-ubCgNR_DdFNajWMqDe6TdwBCjmjYlPIODuJH0vSPoFI26kIEzP4P9a1NulAcgQN1tsVRxGRfXdztqG1UemQfq7hFIhCdYXBrAste5JR56/s400/valada_20120714_5085.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sam and Topher, a couple of my "adopted children."</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2GMf_wVz8vKcKmPKD4m7PI3tVQXVxypy-eEpBCYrWHfnNtyJysdmciTDOUF1fZd0or0LuiZVzndDgXEZSAp608J8ZiVE_gaSa-PWnYlTJ3uNv7crBFe5JZVNUpaXB0E1qzV5rEOcW_nec/s1600/valada_20120714_5087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2GMf_wVz8vKcKmPKD4m7PI3tVQXVxypy-eEpBCYrWHfnNtyJysdmciTDOUF1fZd0or0LuiZVzndDgXEZSAp608J8ZiVE_gaSa-PWnYlTJ3uNv7crBFe5JZVNUpaXB0E1qzV5rEOcW_nec/s400/valada_20120714_5087.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George R.R. Martin with Max Landis, a writer-director in his own right and son of John Landis who was somewhere else in the tent.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihN2TTUXekkAVE2Rbp2He8w_bWE5klLfdYRnF0070KZtogWQz5_sB5sY9fTotBlnYjQXd6rVwHaDj4vMGXZU_4N8kgntuEJpMERPj2WhTgg-mLXOoU0KlBW9RjLLOeJUIeqfTcb5aBA_l7/s1600/valada_20120714_5091.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihN2TTUXekkAVE2Rbp2He8w_bWE5klLfdYRnF0070KZtogWQz5_sB5sY9fTotBlnYjQXd6rVwHaDj4vMGXZU_4N8kgntuEJpMERPj2WhTgg-mLXOoU0KlBW9RjLLOeJUIeqfTcb5aBA_l7/s400/valada_20120714_5091.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Felicia Day (<b>Geek and Sundry</b>) with George R.R. Martin.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3myiUyHUgGYMT9aY8RFB1tppq5C56ySnkrG1IipdvjRny1Hyj5eZcqzRyl9oSVEX7OuMuCMmeGNGj8FaQqv5r3oIZqdNW1rZAi2b3CuAg-FlYnVe2NOlrXnyCXJUQYYFM94fCrfTJ54yC/s1600/valada_20120714_5092.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3myiUyHUgGYMT9aY8RFB1tppq5C56ySnkrG1IipdvjRny1Hyj5eZcqzRyl9oSVEX7OuMuCMmeGNGj8FaQqv5r3oIZqdNW1rZAi2b3CuAg-FlYnVe2NOlrXnyCXJUQYYFM94fCrfTJ54yC/s400/valada_20120714_5092.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George R.R. Martin with Wil and Anne Wheaton.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOVdG2yZZj32SvpjjZQyf-x8JHCV86FQ94HGh8OwxZQeLQQWBleIgV5QHua3wCeyeBOo-3C7kls2TzaHJqXWaGyP5FTDiR-9RWphdOsstD4XaM25DlBjm6UxuZIBk1XGdVF9uBHTItoKAZ/s1600/valada_20120714_5095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOVdG2yZZj32SvpjjZQyf-x8JHCV86FQ94HGh8OwxZQeLQQWBleIgV5QHua3wCeyeBOo-3C7kls2TzaHJqXWaGyP5FTDiR-9RWphdOsstD4XaM25DlBjm6UxuZIBk1XGdVF9uBHTItoKAZ/s400/valada_20120714_5095.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George R.R. Martin with Chase Masterson.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWiKf-v994sYF2OZX358R2NE-Ll03KpWPR_ClRlabw3Jk86tGf-U65BrNGn8zertEQde04AGJmFNao_tLUV5tWx-kKYpXrMDzb3W5teW5o0N1p0n6MRL_B1G197R7RweMaoXVBdZwfc-lp/s1600/valada_20120714_5097.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWiKf-v994sYF2OZX358R2NE-Ll03KpWPR_ClRlabw3Jk86tGf-U65BrNGn8zertEQde04AGJmFNao_tLUV5tWx-kKYpXrMDzb3W5teW5o0N1p0n6MRL_B1G197R7RweMaoXVBdZwfc-lp/s400/valada_20120714_5097.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George R.R. Martin with half of Paul and Storm</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFdyA9c5kCddBrBvksANupdXSGCyFhq07snAhguOv4yMQburUVLWDZ0ozGcExGpI0qFrsOlZ4JAs-6S9yCwqa1lr2CVcI5ZNXw-9QZlqbgI3FaebTGOun11rrGAIFShQ6RHh1YYhrkg3fp/s1600/valada_20120714_5099.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFdyA9c5kCddBrBvksANupdXSGCyFhq07snAhguOv4yMQburUVLWDZ0ozGcExGpI0qFrsOlZ4JAs-6S9yCwqa1lr2CVcI5ZNXw-9QZlqbgI3FaebTGOun11rrGAIFShQ6RHh1YYhrkg3fp/s400/valada_20120714_5099.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George R.R. Martin with host Bill Prady.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXfYk6h45jgPBC5aFPoMAoTd2N1wCnha6W_x66fG7MaHAeo_evXBahZ9lBK2QDsN6qA6tLhgo59jhNyaqzRAzz0c5jReswxRtEsmY_bvwGptL1hoHgrC1713EHMQ3u1SwnnPzeDvwENgqG/s1600/valada_20120714_5101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXfYk6h45jgPBC5aFPoMAoTd2N1wCnha6W_x66fG7MaHAeo_evXBahZ9lBK2QDsN6qA6tLhgo59jhNyaqzRAzz0c5jReswxRtEsmY_bvwGptL1hoHgrC1713EHMQ3u1SwnnPzeDvwENgqG/s400/valada_20120714_5101.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George R.R. Martin with Peter Mayhew.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYshcKriYV7kPX6eh-JbZdzoK-ETSFQDpO0dZihr2mmKVge3D7gVNMgOQ8yYZ1XdNmEGsmBT87ySdDD_9iLlgnEMcCZzUvgjaMd328tnQqYya6p2GIFlC2bvOp-ryw3Ubea0NUzwe01AHX/s1600/valada_20120714_5103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYshcKriYV7kPX6eh-JbZdzoK-ETSFQDpO0dZihr2mmKVge3D7gVNMgOQ8yYZ1XdNmEGsmBT87ySdDD_9iLlgnEMcCZzUvgjaMd328tnQqYya6p2GIFlC2bvOp-ryw3Ubea0NUzwe01AHX/s400/valada_20120714_5103.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Len Wein, Felicia Day, Wil Wheaton, Peter Mayhew, George R.R. Martin and Chase Masterson. How many fans would like to be in this room?</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl064dXD0L9kyrfnUKDzdaVrGxg3qL87QM8aFvdnFXhVcOHq3q0ka_PNjzKk3_YkbCvHvuSG850gvPp4vcRfgZPHZpqCVY_7LNWmO82OmwFX-d5qXLQ9RKfve7s8gSjp1zd9ftgXBLrEpd/s1600/valada_20120714_5107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl064dXD0L9kyrfnUKDzdaVrGxg3qL87QM8aFvdnFXhVcOHq3q0ka_PNjzKk3_YkbCvHvuSG850gvPp4vcRfgZPHZpqCVY_7LNWmO82OmwFX-d5qXLQ9RKfve7s8gSjp1zd9ftgXBLrEpd/s400/valada_20120714_5107.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My "adopted daughter," Sara Katz-Scher, with George R.R. Martin.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbdsv2J4JbQ29D6Wp3sxE4YI82T8mRiQjzoEqy-cEvVM7LpIdNjum7X_n40P3bt7aV48jOQZ7pd17481ayNL9qr9SUpypYRmSLXAJRcvRZO0DqwKZ7FYk6Pr6PreADPMP8-gbNJNbbEv4O/s1600/valada_20120714_5113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbdsv2J4JbQ29D6Wp3sxE4YI82T8mRiQjzoEqy-cEvVM7LpIdNjum7X_n40P3bt7aV48jOQZ7pd17481ayNL9qr9SUpypYRmSLXAJRcvRZO0DqwKZ7FYk6Pr6PreADPMP8-gbNJNbbEv4O/s400/valada_20120714_5113.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My "adopted daughter" Dani Dornfeld and Chase Masterson with Brent Spiner.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFLmAghgHpUCeKXa5zoo-hAjoMXBqY8R8vzce_nEIdbtu8uw_buebcDDobRhN9n3sO_-fC4-VRnrFHXxlAgmsBGSnDUUtSdzZOdiA5ZY5iqipYNGkbjx3Dm2tS73vGBgjO5cuNBv3RYj0q/s1600/valada_20120714_5108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFLmAghgHpUCeKXa5zoo-hAjoMXBqY8R8vzce_nEIdbtu8uw_buebcDDobRhN9n3sO_-fC4-VRnrFHXxlAgmsBGSnDUUtSdzZOdiA5ZY5iqipYNGkbjx3Dm2tS73vGBgjO5cuNBv3RYj0q/s400/valada_20120714_5108.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My most awesome moment at Comic-con in several years, meeting Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho6owS2h3XCOtEPDx0WJudlkXWnReWiOaMxsRP3Q8q7MwnQNZy1zFHbnpZ5309L7-fWT-oGvo7Pn4-azyBJqOEJXKgCSjfsdNZ2n7wJAsgD0azj32wCXuYnlZ0hB-j6wAvrvH9RDVSKh89/s1600/valada_20120714_5111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho6owS2h3XCOtEPDx0WJudlkXWnReWiOaMxsRP3Q8q7MwnQNZy1zFHbnpZ5309L7-fWT-oGvo7Pn4-azyBJqOEJXKgCSjfsdNZ2n7wJAsgD0azj32wCXuYnlZ0hB-j6wAvrvH9RDVSKh89/s400/valada_20120714_5111.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paul and Storm, Wil Wheaton, and Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Neil deGrasse Tyson has one of the the coolest jobs in the world: he's the director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Museum of Natural History in New York. When I was nine-years-old at the start of my enrapture with astronomy, I lived for the day I would be able to visit the Hayden. Even though it wasn't that far away (150-200 miles) and even though we visited family on Long Island all the time, I did not get there until I was 12 or 13. It was a religious experience for me. I have not yet been to a program at the beautiful renovated Planetarium, but I will get there sometime. <br />
<br />
I've become a huge fan of Dr. Tyson's over the past few years and was heartbroken when I learned he had done a guest spot on <b>The Big Bang Theory </b>when I wasn't in the audience. When I saw that he was at Comic-con because of a Facebook photograph, I was beyond excited that he might show up at Bill Prady's party. As it happened, Bill did not know he was attending Comic-con until he saw my post and shot off an invitation. He hadn't heard back from Dr. Tyson, but then I got a phone message from my husband, who had to go back to the Convention Center for a meeting, saying that he had just passed Neil deGrasse Tyson who was walking in my direction. Then I got a call from Ginjer Buchannan, who had left the party and wanted me to know she had just touched Neil deGrasse Tyson, who was headed in my direction. When he showed up, I went rather school girl crazy to Mackenzie and then I went to speak to him. Sometimes, it is fun to be a teenager for a few minutes. Len is still jealous, because Dr. Tyson was gone when Len got back to the party.<br />
<br />
It turns out there are a tremendous number of people who look at him like he's a Rock God and he got a great reception at what I've been told is his first-ever Comic-con. Here he is at the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyUN5vG1T8k" target="_blank">Starship Smackdown Panel</a> on Sunday. Wish I had been there, but I was trying to get Len out of the Convention Center before it became a mad dash to the doors and the roads became engorged from the traffic back north to Los Angeles.M. C. Valadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06301675413866610210noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1392929325271530478.post-16859259339832159212012-07-24T16:19:00.002-07:002012-07-24T16:19:53.195-07:00Aurora, ColoradoFirst of all, everyone should know that Batman never uses guns. They are what killed his parents. He's smarter than that and his superpower, as my husband likes to say, is that he never loses.<br />
<br />
Coming on the heels of Comic-con, what happened in Colorado is particularly tragic to a lot of people I know, and the negative publicity DC, Warner Bros, and the comic book industry are getting because of this one sociopath is unwarranted. Batman is about justice, so I'm pretty annoyed that the news media keeps harping on the killer's Batman poster and doesn't spend a lot of time talking about his being raised in a religious household. The failure to report on this last point is letting Mike Huckabee and others get away with claiming that a lack of religion is what leads to what happened in Colorado. I doubt it, because I've seen ample evidence that an OVERLOAD of religious zealotry leads to many tragedies.<br />
<br />
The shooter's background and his behavior in court remind me so much of Edward Norton's character in Primal Fear, a brilliant sociopath who is gaming the system. And I keep wondering if the murderer is color blind, choosing a red hair dye to emulate the Joker instead of the appropriate green color of the Joker's hair. I do not spend too much time thinking about this, however.<br />
<br />
What I do think about is the piece that victim Jessica Ghawi/Redfield wrote after barely missing a similar, senseless shooting in Toronto barely a month before she died in Aurora. If you haven't read it, <a href="http://jessicaredfield.wordpress.com/2012/06/05/late-night-thoughts-on-the-eaton-center-shooting/" target="_blank">here is a link.</a> I'm sorry her Spider-sense wasn't working last week.<br />
<br /><br />
<br />M. C. Valadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06301675413866610210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1392929325271530478.post-90925522317084223312012-07-24T15:59:00.000-07:002012-07-24T15:59:56.467-07:001776For a long time, I thought we were the only ones who considered 1776 to be a necessary part of celebrating July 4. Facebook and Twitter have made it quite clear we are not alone.<br />
<br />
I saw 1776 during its original run on Broadway from nosebleed seats. I'm pretty sure it is the very first show I saw on Broadway. Some group or other at Hofstra had arranged a bus and group tickets and I found out about it because I used to hang out with a bunch of the theatre students who lived in the dorms. It was love at first sight for this history major. When the filmed version opened at Radio City Music Hall a few years later, I had tickets for it. If the show was playing anywhere within my knowing, I would get tickets for it.<br />
<br />
Fortunately, when I met Len Wein, I quickly learned he was equally enamored of the show. We bought the restored film when it came out on laser disk. We bought the DVD. We've seen it done in Santa Barbara and in Glendale, and if we had time this close to Comic-con would drive out to Camarillo to see it this weekend.<br />
Roger Rees was in the production we saw at UCLA a few days after 9/11. (We lost the poster signed by the entire cast as a fundraiser in our house fire.) Len may have seen the revival with Brent Spiner in New York on one of his trips east.<br />
<br />
As far as I am concerned, William Daniels is the definitive John Adams, just as Howard da Silva was born to play Benjamin Franklin (oh that voice) and the young and handsome Ken Howard was perfect as Thomas Jefferson. No matter how much liberty was taken with the truth, it is an inspiring production that has you worrying that they will never, ever reach their goal of declaring independence from England. Since much of the dialogue was taken from correspondence and other writings of the day, I can't help but long for a time when language was elevated and insults were so much more interesting.<br />
<br />
We missed the TMC broadcast during the afternoon because we went out to buy me a new car and because Len had a signing at a local comic book shop for Before Watchmen: Ozymandias #1. But we had a few members of the Sunday Super Supper Squad who came over to use the pool and throw food on the grill as a celebration of the Fourth, with the intention of watching the film after supper.<br />
<br />
We got the first half of the film in before folks went off in search of fireworks (I was actually able to see some from our front yard) and then when everyone came back, we watched the rest of it. I am always struck by the song <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7K9k84R5ok" target="_blank">Cool, Considerate Men</a>, which Richard Nixon succeeded in having excised from the original film release as "too lefty." Here's an <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2001/sep/07/entertainment/ca-42982" target="_blank">article about the cut</a> from the LA Times in 2001. We are so lucky the film's editor ignored the order to shred the negative footage.<br />
<br />
During that pointed song, there is a brief exchange between John Hancock and John Dickinson that rings with irony in this day of the Astroturf Tea Party: Dickinson had asked Hancock why he sided with Adams when he (Hancock) was a man of property. Hancock
tells Dickinson, "Fortunately there are not enough men of property
in America to dictate policy," and Dickinson replies, "Perhaps not. But
don't forget that most men without property would rather protect the
possibility of becoming rich, than face the reality of being poor. And that is why they will follow us." And the chorus finishes the sentence singing "ever to the right."<br />
<br />
Come ye cool cool considerate men<br />
The likes of which may never be seen again<br />
With our land, cash in hand<br />
Self-command, future planned<br />
And we'll hold to our gold<br />
Tradition that is old, reluctant to be bold.<br />
We say this game's not of our choosing<br />
Why should we risk losing?<br />
<br />
Think about that as you face the upcoming election.M. C. Valadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06301675413866610210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1392929325271530478.post-54891283003652108572012-06-26T13:46:00.003-07:002012-06-26T13:51:52.123-07:00Tempest Calmed at Mr. Jefferson's UniversityIn a stunning, but no doubt well received decision, the University of Virginia has reinstated its president. I doubt few people outside of the State of Virginia (I lived there for 14 years) or those working in education were aware of the firestorm over the forced resignation of Teresa Sullivan, the first woman to be president of the jewel in the crown of Thomas Jefferson's legacy. (For those who are unaware, Mr. Jefferson's tombstone lists three accomplishments of his life: authorship of The Declaration of Independence and The Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom, and as the father of The University of Virginia. These were the achievements for which he wished to be remembered. As John F. Kennedy once noted, Jefferson was the greatest collection of genius ever assembled in the White House when he dined alone.)<br />
<br />
Ms. Sullivan, widely reported to be held in high esteem by most of the UVA community (and by those at schools where she was employed in the past), was forced out by the action of the head of the Board of Visitors, Helen E. Dragas (I'm not sure how this is pronounced, but I know how I'd choose to pronounce it) and Ms. Dragas' second in command (who has since resigned from the board.)<br />
<br />
Ms. Sullivan's sin appears to have been to fail to respond with appropriate speed and agreement over an article written by non-academics in a newspaper extolling the virtues of on-line education as a profit center and to rid the University of certain language departments and the classics department, which Ms,. Dragas and her colleague labeled "unprofitable."<br />
<br />
I did not attend UVA, but I spent a lot of time in graduate school at Columbia University studying Mr. Jefferson's work in education. Much as I must set aside his lack of modern sensibilities about slavery (he was certainly ahead of his time, but not of this time), I am forced to ignore his general belief that women were not to be accorded the same place in institutions of learning that men (women were not admitted to UVA until I was almost through with college) are in order to recognize the beauty of his University and his firm belief that studying the classics and foreign languages was the backbone of a good education.<br />
<br />
I studied Latin at a time when it had fallen out of most favor. The final death knell had been Vatican II's rulings that put the Mass in the language of each country. But studying Latin is an excellent way to better learn English and used to be necessary for the study of law (most people rely on Black's for what Latin and French they might need when reading older legal cases these days.) So I took three years of Latin in high school, the New York State Regents Exam in Latin, and a couple of independent study quarters of it in college. I thought I was a dinosaur.<br />
<br />
That lasted until I moved to Northern Virginia in 1975 and was working as a freelance photojournalist for some small newspapers and The Washington Post. I don't remember which client it was, but I got sent off to cover a huge event that the high school students who took Latin in that area of the state were holding. Latin was being taught as a living language and the enthusiasm for it was simply amazing. According the the articles I've been following about the UVA uproar, that support for the language and the classics remains, and is reflected in the enrollment in classics at UVA.<br />
<br />
I'm guessing that Ms. Dragas is a business woman who has little interest in an actual liberal arts education, which was the core of Mr. Jefferson's vision for his University. It may be old fashioned, but a liberal arts education opens the mind of students by expanding their exposure to thoughts and experience beyond their childhood. It helps students become creative and critical thinkers. Ms. Dragas may be a UVA alumna, but she must be holding a grudge about something.<br />
<br />
Ms. Sullivan is apparently aware of this and skilled in dealing with faculty, staff and students. Ms. Dragas has all of the grace of a bull in a china shop.<br />
<br />
Like the government, public education is not a for-profit endeavor and cannot be run that way. While it is good to have some accountability and methods that take into account cost-benefit analysis, neither government nor education is about making profit (though surpluses are nice.)<br />
<br />
The University of Virginia is one of the "Public Ivies," a school steeped in tradition which honors its founder's vision. I'm glad that Ms. Sullivan will be getting back to work and I hope that Ms. Dragas submits her resignation from the Board of Visitors.<br />
<br />
It should take more that huge political contributions to earn a seat overseeing a top-notch University. At the very least, it should require an appropriate understanding of public education.M. C. Valadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06301675413866610210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1392929325271530478.post-54487592750246179152012-06-21T13:27:00.000-07:002012-06-21T15:47:37.824-07:00Ride a Horse to LondonI have no idea what my fellow bloggers who write about horses are saying about the Ann Romney/dressage issue. I wanted to get my own thoughts into writing before I went looking around.<br />
<br />
If you've missed out on this because you don't watch Stephen Colbert or Lawrence O'Donnell, I'll try to lay out the facts. Mitt and Ann Romney co-own a high-level Oldenburg dressage mare named Rafalca which has just qualified for the Olympics. Mitt, in just about the only thing he's said which shows an ounce of caring for anything, stated that his wife has a love for horses which he indulges and that this horse has helped her through her MS problems. The Romneys took something like a $77,000 tax deduction for their horse expenses last year as a "business expense."<br />
<br />
Unlike Colbert or O'Donnell, I see nothing silly about dressage, where horses are trained "above that which is necessary" to execute moves that were once a part of military maneuvers. Dressage is generally good for the mind and body of these animals and the humans who work with them. Contrary to Lawrence O'Donnell's snarkyness on TV, these horse<b> are </b>athletes and dressage <b>is </b>a <b>sport</b> which is less likely to cause instant damage to the horses or riders than jumping, steeple-chasing, eventing, or racing can. Both Colbert and O'Donnell are focusing their remarks on musical freestyle, ignoring the intricacies of dressage tests which are just as fascinating as skaters doing figures in competition used to be. "Horse ballet," as they've been calling it with sarcasm, is a dance done best when horse and rider appear to be a single creature. It is breath-taking, as most horse people know..<br />
<br />
And unlike Lawrence O'Donnell, I am completely aware of the good that hippotherapy does in treating people who have diminished physical capacities for a variety of reasons. One of the very first photographic assignments I covered for the Washington Post more than 30 years ago was to take pictures of a child with cerebral palsy at a hippotherapy program in Rock Creek Park which was facing closure due to a funding crisis. It was my very first encounter with the treatment and the amazing interaction of these riders and horses. It broke my heart when the article ran without pictures for lack of space because if there ever was proof of a picture being worth 1,000 words, I captured it that day.<br />
<br />
Years later, when I acquired my beloved Arabian Prince, his first home in L.A. was at a barn which housed a hippotherapy program. I got to see a lot of disabled riders and the progress they could make through the healing effects of horses. Bill Shatner has a charity horse show every year out here to benefit a hippotherapy program. They work.<br />
<br />
Lawrence O'Donnell has pointed out that his statements were not to attack Ann Romney but he was not aware that dressage is a common treatment for MS. He's probably right about dressage in particular, but if he had looked up hippotherapy and MS in a Google search, he would have found plenty of information. Mr. O'Donnell should go to a para-Olympic competition and see the horses and riders there. It will bring tears to his eyes.<br />
<br />
Most hippotherapy horses are not high-level competitive horses that cost six figures and $77,000 a year to keep. Some of them may have been competitors in their past lives, but are now cool, calm, and collected therapists who can deal with unskilled riders and claustrophobia when as many as six assistants try keeping a severely disabled rider in place.<br />
<br />
I had no idea what level of dressage Ann Romney rides until I found <a href="http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/dressage-makes-ann-romneys-soul-sing" target="_blank">this article about her</a> from 2008 in <i><b>The Chronicle of the Horse</b></i>. She has, despite her MS, earned silver and gold medals at Grand Prix. I can understand that riding "makes her heart sing" because that's how I feel about the Arabian Prince. Through her horse Baron, she found a way to get out of her bed and back into the world after her diagnosis. That's really a great story.<br />
<br />
Rafalca performs at the highest level there is. Her rider at the Olympics and elsewhere is not Ann Romney but trainer Jan Ebeling, who operates his barn about half-an-hour away from where I live. I've been to his facility (it is lovely), I've met him, and I've watched him give lessons to friends of mine. (Jan's wife is another of the co-owners of Rafalca.) I know how the Romneys had $77,000 in horse expenses last year.<br />
<br />
I don't begrudge them having that kind of money to spend on their horse and I have no doubt that Rafalca gives Ann Romney a great deal of happiness and mental well-being, but she's not for physical therapy. I don't think the Romneys have any of their six homes any closer than La Jolla, down by San Diego, so how does she ride horses she keeps in Moorpark? Ann gave an answer in that 2008 interview: “I’m just like any other crazy horse person,” she said. “You find a way
to make the time to ride. <i>If I have to get up at 5 a.m. to fly to
California and then ride until 10 p.m. at night, because that’ll be my
only chance to ride for a month, then that’s what I’ll do.” </i>(Italics mine.)<br />
<br />
Is she joking? That's not a reality for most horse crazy people. Does the IRS let Ann Romney write off the expenses for her flights to California to ride her horses for a day? She's an amateur rider, not a professional rider, at least according to her dressage awards. <br />
<br />
So Rafalca is more like a kid who's been sent to boarding school or off to college to live away from her parents. This is not an ideal situation to convince me that Ann Romney rides Rafalca for MS therapy (especially when the article in the link says she wasn't riding her at all in 2008 to avoid ruining Rafalca's prospects), though I am willing to accept Ann might have a more appropriate, less flashy, horse somewhere to help with the MS. Perhaps her therapy horse is Baron, who would be 23 now.<br />
<br />
And that brings us down to the real issue which is that the Romneys took a $77,000 business (not medical) deduction for their horses in the only tax return they have released. I'd like someone to really investigate what their "horse business" is. Ann rides as an amateur, so aren't her horses a hobby? I know that the way to make a small fortune in the horse industry is to start with a large one (thanks, Ron Weschler), but what exactly is the business model? The IRS says you have to make a profit 3 of 5 years. Where's the potential profit in a dressage horse short of building up her show ribbons and selling her off for more competition or turning her into a brood mare and selling the babies? Do the Romneys have a breeding operation? It doesn't sound like it from the Chronicle article. A horse like Rafalca takes a number of years to mature and train into a horse for the rarefied atmosphere of Olympic dressage, so where are the 3 of 5 years of profit? It is not like horse racing where there are potentially huge purses for wins. (Yes, I know there can be monetary value at some shows, but, really? Enough to cover the year's worth of expenses for the stable?) <br />
<br />
Is the reason that Mitt Romney has failed to disclose his tax returns because this $77,000 business deduction (something like twice the annual income of the average American family) is the tip of the iceberg in questionable Romney business judgment (let us not forget that sources indicate he keeps most of his money in oversees tax shelters, not invested in America)? At what point do voters realize they will never have this kind of money and someone who does, and who seems to almost totally lack empathy, can never, ever understand their realities? (<a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/romneys-dancing-horse-competes/story?id=16162590#.T-Oi34FQSBo" target="_blank">Here's another piece </a>on the Romneys and their dressage horses, and how the reason they are "keeping a low profile" is because this kind of dressage involvement is something that few Americans can relate to.)<br />
<br />
I'm giving Stephen Colbert a big pass on this (except to say "Steve. Riders wear top-hats, not velvet hard-hats for top-level dressage) because he's a comedian, not a newsman. But I expect better research and reporting from Lawrence O'Donnell. I expect him to be more truthful and informative that Murdoch's squawking parrots.<br />
<br />
I wish Ann Romney nothing but the best in her fight against MS and that Rafalca continues to make her feel better. I will be cheering Rafalca on during the Olympics and hope that the attention that dressage is getting from Stephen Colbert and others means that I'll be able to watch ALL of the dressage events at a reasonable hour when NBC covers the Olympics this year.<br />
<br />
But I won't be voting for Mitt Romney for President of the United States and I hope the IRS takes a real close look at the Romney tax returns. Rafalca is a hobby-horse.M. C. Valadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06301675413866610210noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1392929325271530478.post-4822422474546577332012-06-12T16:13:00.000-07:002012-06-12T16:14:25.921-07:00Rose BowlThe Rose Bowl Swap Meet is where all those things your mother threw out go to find a new home. <br />
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Held
the second Sunday of every month in the parking lots surrounding the
famous sports arena, the Swap Meet attracts a diverse crowd from bargain
seekers to serious collectors and makes for some decent exercise. Many dealers have been there longer than I've been a customer, like the owner of this booth of old glass bottles.<br />
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My
first foray was twenty-two years ago during my first summer in Los
Angeles when I was a law clerk at the Writers Guild of America, west,
Inc. Len's friends made it a monthly outing, culminating in lunch
somewhere in downtown Pasadena, so we could compare our finds. Back in
those days, parking was free and admission was in the $2 range. Now,
priority parking (not to be passed up, IMHO) is $15 and admission after 9
AM (die-hards get there around 5 AM) is $8.00. It is no longer a
reasonable place to go just for the exercise.<br />
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I hadn't
been to this particular swap meet for a number of years, probably going
back to before our house fire. Once I got Ace, spending money on
miscellaneous stuff for which I had little room didn't seem like such a
great idea. Len has long lost the stamina to cover the Rose Bowl, which
often became a 4-5 hour expedition with no likelihood of finishing the
entire thing. There's another swap in Pasadena that meets on the first
Sunday of each month and doesn't have an admission fee (parking is a
mere $2.00.) Since many of the same antique/collectible dealers attend
both, and the first Sunday swap meet at Pasadena City College can be
completely covered in less than 3 hours, it has become my preferred
shopping experience.(Not to mention that many of the dealers set up in one of the parking structures on campus, so it is actually reasonably comfortable to go in the summer time.)<br />
<br />
On Sunday, however, Len was out
of town and I woke at a reasonable time to get over to Pasadena for a
long walk. Besides the sticker-shock of parking and admission, I found
that the layout had somewhat changed and, in some areas, the crush was
bad because there's some major construction going on at the facility. It
looks like they are trying to add skyboxes and it is ruining the
aesthetic of the place. I'm sure the neighbors aren't particularly happy
about this.<br />
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I found something to purchase mere minutes
after starting my way through the dealer maze: an Aynesley Cottage
Garden egg to add to my collection of the English china pattern. I
decided to forgo the other three pieces the dealer had because I don't
really need two more small vases that match.<br />
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These are the three pieces I left behind.<br />
<br />
There were
a couple of things I got excited about, but I didn't have a strong body
like my son with me to carry furniture to the car or wait while I
brought it around for loading. So no drop-top maple table for a chess
set. Then there was a 1960s stuffed chair that looked like a hand that
made me laugh but I doubted I would want to live with it for long.<br />
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I did
see an extremely nice 1940s-1950s linoleum topped table with four
matching chairs, but I have no place for it. I also saw two art deco
china/curio cabinets that were extremely tempting. They were what
reminded me that the Rose Bowl is probably the best place to look for
vintage furniture, short of hitting every estate sale in the region on
Saturdays.<br />
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It has always been a good place to find clothing--I once bought a
beautiful silver mink stole (lost in the fire) for $15--and Len's bought
all kinds of costume parts in the past. On this trip, there were many
dealers in vintage linens and several booths had vintage fabric. I'm
considering taking some of the boxes of fabric I've got in storage to
find a new home. <br />
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I was tempted--but resisted--several
different sets of snack plates. I don't need any more. I don't need any
more. I don't need any more.<br />
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There were several booths with beads for sale, and I liked the colors in the sunlight. If I were into making jewelery, I would have bought some. I prefer to buy jewelery ready-made, though. I did see two pieces of
jewelery in the shape of horse heads that I liked a lot. One was a
bakelite piece and the other was reverse-carved acrylic. There was also
an acrylic greyhound which made me think about my grandfather's second
wife, who raised whippets. The bakelite piece was $400--way beyond my
price range--and the acrylics were more than the cash I had on hand. It is best to carry lots of cash, since so few dealers take check or credit cards.<br />
<br />
I
managed to find a couple of gifts, so the admissions costs were
amortized somewhat. Because it gets so hot in the summer, I am unlikely to hit the Rose Bowl Swap Meet again
until October or November. I do think I should try it a bit more often than every
five years. It can be more fun to go with a group of friends, but it is
more efficient to go alone.M. C. Valadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06301675413866610210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1392929325271530478.post-61796392965625306022012-06-05T11:55:00.000-07:002012-06-05T19:10:18.983-07:00Dishes & HorsesI've written a <a href="http://valadakitchen.blogspot.com/2012/06/dishes.html" target="_blank">piece about my obsession with dishes</a> for my other blog, but dishes and horses took a big crossover step this week when I acquired pieces of the Gien pattern "Chevaux du Vent" or "Horses of the Wind." Yes, it actually features Arabian Horses. How perfect for me.<br />
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The linen towel of this magnificent Arab is going to grace one of the walls in my house. It is off to the frame shop and probably won't come home until after the Belmont Tea I'm holding to watch the third installment of this year's Triple Crown quest.<br />
<br />
If I could afford it, I'd buy an original piece of the artwork, like the piece below, but it is far beyond my means and I can do other things with that money. I like looking at it, though. Arabs are art in motion and the artist has done a good job of capturing this. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-oVNOw2SAat4LhbEag84uVo9UuDfsrub-46WGotxiWr3-xrgGJzaawSKyvQg2YcA0P0M4Pdfhhzi79pnsCwX8RcmrQkufOilDFKmSQqt_G3sA-u1XOhyphenhyphenBfBb29s8ZxuneNgN1fuIv47w/s1600/ChevauxPlate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-oVNOw2SAat4LhbEag84uVo9UuDfsrub-46WGotxiWr3-xrgGJzaawSKyvQg2YcA0P0M4Pdfhhzi79pnsCwX8RcmrQkufOilDFKmSQqt_G3sA-u1XOhyphenhyphenBfBb29s8ZxuneNgN1fuIv47w/s400/ChevauxPlate.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I don't speak French beyond a high school semester's training, but here's <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xc78bo_la-culturelle-chevaux-du-vent-8-fev_creation" target="_blank">a link to a video</a> which I think interviews the artist of the line of dishes I am now collecting. (There's an ad first, but it is short.)M. C. Valadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06301675413866610210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1392929325271530478.post-47259535270477462362012-05-24T16:17:00.001-07:002012-05-24T16:18:25.932-07:00WonderconWondercon was a relatively small convention the first time I attended it with Len, probably in 1992 or 1993. It was held in the convention center in Oakland, walking distance from some decent restaurants on the Bay. Noel Wolfman and I would spend the days visiting antique shops in Oakland or go across the bridges to visit San Francisco proper or maybe go north to Sausalito.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMpLnj40Z4xsNPhnrbboN2F-RvgxUoVTzk3gghkZO8JuqRTRCK6sah8WD6k-5aWVSIqTYFNZkCBsnCOTnGfv1wzW90xIJguugaaF6ZVTk9O6HTCpRkNM096pdxOiBrG_u6EMnFP_Kt6JDc/s1600/DSCN2077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMpLnj40Z4xsNPhnrbboN2F-RvgxUoVTzk3gghkZO8JuqRTRCK6sah8WD6k-5aWVSIqTYFNZkCBsnCOTnGfv1wzW90xIJguugaaF6ZVTk9O6HTCpRkNM096pdxOiBrG_u6EMnFP_Kt6JDc/s400/DSCN2077.JPG" width="400" /></a>We went relatively frequently when the convention picked up at least part of our hotel costs to have Len in attendance. He went without me sometimes when I was too busy for work, and then he had many long gaps in attendance, during which time the convention moved across the Bay to the Moscone Center and the convention would no long kick in on the rooms.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTE1OQMTVZUrj1_GZM0cYmI9ncoJsnpt1oGocfFmB95_uwct4A58tL22rHqn434TuONQfcAdjM5KftgPv52ErIK24Je9cqEBLYHJw9SpichEitufo4eg6JObwelkIsSQsh964TkOWvdM0g/s1600/DSCN2167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTE1OQMTVZUrj1_GZM0cYmI9ncoJsnpt1oGocfFmB95_uwct4A58tL22rHqn434TuONQfcAdjM5KftgPv52ErIK24Je9cqEBLYHJw9SpichEitufo4eg6JObwelkIsSQsh964TkOWvdM0g/s200/DSCN2167.JPG" width="200" /></a>Last year, Len was once again invited to be a guest and I took several days off from work to drive up to San Francisco and enjoy the vacation. Things had changed. It was approaching Comicon size with some 50,000 people expected. It was the kind of event where you had to make plans to meet with people, because you weren't going to run into them anywhere. (The only time we saw Neil Gaiman was at his panel, even though we were in the same hotel.) We were actually assigned a couple of minions (for which we were grateful) who managed to make sure we got lunch while we manned a guest table on the show floor or who watched out for stuff when we went to panels.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfIoy9jr9EH7b9qIAqzovZlv05bbAupgB_AzKoCv740PP4nbrRk6ggjCn4olMqQweJ5lDgI2gWmlC4k5RrE7fdT_-P1ypUjFrZAIkuyDcG5IgEb_kVmJtB8Dxv9-0Ve_qMV-AdfBuPaJh/s1600/DSCN2148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfIoy9jr9EH7b9qIAqzovZlv05bbAupgB_AzKoCv740PP4nbrRk6ggjCn4olMqQweJ5lDgI2gWmlC4k5RrE7fdT_-P1ypUjFrZAIkuyDcG5IgEb_kVmJtB8Dxv9-0Ve_qMV-AdfBuPaJh/s200/DSCN2148.JPG" width="200" /></a>Because of Mark Evanier (in the photo with Len before the interview he did at Wondercon), we also got to see Beach Blanket Babylon, which has been running since I lived at Stanford in 1974-75, but which we had never seen. Hysterical, but the wigs and costumes were the truly amazing part. We saw a few friends we normally don't get to see and we had some notable meals. We met the "Goths" from the Amazing Race (which was on the air at the time and they hadn't yet been eliminated) and it was the first time that strangers came up to me because the recognized me from Jeopardy! Having had such a good time, we resolved to return this year.<br />
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Well, we did return, but not to San Francisco. Renovations at the Moscone meant the convention couldn't be there, so the con-com, the same people who run Comic-con, decided to give Anaheim a try. That made it a no-brainer for us to attend, and we even brought Michael along for the weekend.<br />
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The Anaheim Convention Center has grown significantly since the last time the World Science Fiction Convention was held there (I think around 2006, but I'd have to look at photographs to be sure), and we don't get down to Disneyland very often any more. The convention was well attended, but it was only one of three events being held that weekend (one of the others was a huge cheerleading competition and I can't remember what the third was), so parking was dreadful (at least we had hotel parking) and getting anything to eat in a hurry was next to impossible.<br />
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There was one guest I was intent upon meeting at the convention: Joe Hill. I'm a big fan of his Tweets and I had been following him for quite a while. Since Len has known his father since they were comic fan boys in the 1960s, I figured it was a good bet that we would meet him. As it happens, Joe was a huge fan of Len's and invited us out to dinner with his publisher and some friends the first night of the convention. It was the best meal of the weekend, and the conversation was sparkling.<br />
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Joe's the one standing with Len. Joe and his friend Jason Ciaramrella (sitting next to me in the photo) found out about my run on Jeopardy! and peppered me with questions about it. We also talked about Joe's father's experience on the Jeopardy! Celebrity Tournament of Champions many years ago. Oh, right, burying important information (if you can't tell by the clear resemblance): Joe's father is Stephen King.<br />
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Wondercon was the first opportunity for DC to promote Before Watchmen, the somewhat controversial project which will be published over 38 weeks, starting in June.<br />
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Len is writing one of the books, <i><b>Ozymandias</b></i>, and the original pirate
serial that runs two pages at the back of every one of the 38 issues,
<i><b>The Crimson Corsair</b></i>.<br />
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The thing that happens at conventions is that we run into people who live very close to where we do, whom we rarely see outside of the convention circuit. Here's Len with Michael Davis, a very funny and talented gentleman. <br />
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They've known each other a very long time.<br />
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Hall costumes and costume competitions are omnipresent at comic and science fiction conventions. I'm very fond of the steam punk look that is so popular these days. I haven't yet attempted to participate, though Len has. <br />
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This group of people were hanging around in the halls on Sunday, just before we left to go home. I love the jaunty hat on the woman and the grenade launcher on the fellow on the left. Len's been pulling together pieces of a costume over the past couple of years. He particularly likes the proto ray guns that look like the come from Jules Verne. We have several of them on display at the house, the most beautiful of which comes from Weta, Peter Jackson's design house. <br />
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Next year? We're not sure where Wondercon will be. If it is back in San Francisco, we might go. If it is in Anaheim, we will most certainly attend. This is going to be a major travel year for Len. I've already traveled to Chicago with him for Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) where he was a guest and we got to see my niece perform at Steppenwolf. He followed that with trips to Vancouver and Dallas and will be off to Albuquerque in two weeks, Toronto in August, Montreal in September, and New York in October. There's also an invitation to London in February. And we'll be in San Diego for Comic-con in July.<br />
<br />M. C. Valadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06301675413866610210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1392929325271530478.post-80069458723771270412012-05-09T11:02:00.000-07:002012-05-09T11:02:46.201-07:00VistorsLast evening, as we were getting ready to go out for dinner, I heard one of my dogs barking. It was a different kind of bark than he usually makes. I took a peek and saw he was standing at the kitchen door and calling out periodically. I asked my son if there was something in the back yard. Turns out that there was:<br />
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I'm pretty sure it's the same breeding pair of mallards I saw strolling across a neighbor's lawn last week.<br />
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After the fire at the old house, as the place was sitting in limbo before the actual rebuilding began, a pair of mallards started hanging out in the back yard. The first time I discovered them, it startled me, but then I got used to them swimming around the pool and looking for bugs under the cedar trees along our back wall. Basically, with no dogs around, they could live in peace with a big swimming hole (they didn't mind the algae build up) and a certain level of shade from a tree that had branches hanging to the water.<br />
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With three Golden Retrievers in the yard, on of which is quite aware she's a water dog, the new house is hardly duck heaven. But they got a nice swim in and got to walk around Maui East for a while, much to the frustration of the dogs in the kitchen window.. By the time we got home, they were gone, but I expect they may show up somewhere in the neighborhood again.M. C. Valadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06301675413866610210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1392929325271530478.post-77135612526518335932012-05-05T21:12:00.003-07:002012-05-05T21:13:51.042-07:00Beltane Moon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My digital camera like to argue with me. When I set it on manual and tell it that the exposure is the same as on a sunny day, it refuses to release the shutter. "You can't possibly be right," it says. "I've got almost 40 years of professional experience," I tell it. "I know the proper exposure is the inverse of the ISO at f/16. Dammit, listen to me!" It won't, so the image isn't as sharp as it should be because I have to fool it into releasing.<br />
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So this is the lovely moon over the San Fernando Valley tonight. I'm glad it was clear.M. C. Valadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06301675413866610210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1392929325271530478.post-70636596203450187352012-04-04T12:41:00.002-07:002012-04-04T12:45:10.950-07:00A Visit with JanisJanis Ian came to town to work on an audio book of her autobiography. I was introduced to Janis in 2001 at the Philadelphia Worldcon, just as she was announcing that she had just met Connie Willis and needed to go cry. She's a fan-girl geek at heart. We met up again the following year and have maintained a lovely friendship since then, solidified when I asked her to be my toastmistress at the 2009 Nebula Awards. Chuck Lorre, who turned out to be a huge fan of Janis' work, was my keynote speaker, and his partner in crime, Bill Prady is an even bigger Janis fan. So Janis' latest L.A. visit gave us an opportunity to get together for a taping of <b>The Big Bang Theory.</b> (The show ran a mere 10 days after it was shot. It's the one about Sheldon refusing to go to Amy's aunt's birthday party so he could play Star Wars on-line with the other guys.)<br />
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Here we are on the couch in the boys' living room. That's David Gerrold (who introduced me to Len Wein in 1989) and me in back of the couch and my husband, one of our "adopted daughters," Dani Dornfeld, and Janis in "Sheldon's place."<br />
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Janis wanted a photo of the forever-broken elevator. This set is redressed for each floor every time you see people using the stairs. They had to dig a hole for the down stairs on the right, because the rest of the set is on the ground floor. Penny's living room and the boy's living room flank the hall way, and those are the three permanently standing sets for the show.. The comic book shop swings with various bedrooms and Amy's stripped efficiency set was where we got to sit with the writers during part of the show.<br />
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Everyone wanted a chance to sit in "Sheldon's place." When I went to photograph Len in it, I couldn't help but notice that a copy of his DC Legacies hard back was sitting on the coffee table. I did not put it there. When we mentioned it to Bill Prady he said "we know what we're doing."<br />
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Janis was in town long enough for us to have dinner a couple of times and she even came by for a Sunday Super Supper Squad dinner. She was very impressed that I made bread and insisted on being photographed with it and Len, who had just donned his Captain America wardrobe. Yes, I am married to a 12 year old.<br />
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We're hoping Janis will be back out in L.A. to perform again sometime next year. She hasn't been out here as a singer for two or three years now. We could probably fill the audience just with our gang.M. C. Valadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06301675413866610210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1392929325271530478.post-75714210530211243602012-03-22T11:10:00.001-07:002012-03-22T21:20:07.940-07:00Dejah Thoris The golden age of science fiction is twelve. I started reading science fiction a bit earlier than that, but it set me on a journey which has taken me to wonderful places and given me amazing friendships and acquaintances. I read Edgar Rice Burroughs at exactly the right age, when I wasn't aware of his shortcomings as a writer, but I could soar on his imagination. I loved his Mars books.<br />
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When I married Len and came out to California, our circle of friends grew to include several of the writers and the producer who were working to bring <b>A Princess of Mars</b> to the big screen for Disney. That movie never got made, but somehow a Pixar director got the project brought back to life and the movie hit the screen two weeks ago as <b>John Carter</b>. <br />
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It has been hailed as a flop of the magnitude of <b>Ishtar</b>, when the problem is not the film but the Disney marketing department.<br />
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My observations of the Disney marketing department go back to the time when Len was editor-in-chief of Disney Comics. This was at the height of the comic book collecting frenzy where books were selling in the millions to people who thought they would eventually get rich selling their copy of the "Death of Superman" or an Image #1 book. You would think that Disney would be happy to support this product which appealed to kids of all ages, but you would be wrong. Disney refused to make space in its stores for the 1 square foot of space a comics dump display would take for the monthly books. Disney's in-house U.S. comic book division lasted two years and they outsourced it again. I have a pretty low opinion of the Disney marketing division when it comes to supporting anything but the core Mickey Mouse characters and theme parks.<br />
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The first problem with marketing<b> John Carter</b> is the title. Isn't John Carter a character on <b>ER</b>? (Just another example of where Michael Creighton stole things.) My friend, the original producer whose name does not appear anywhere, not even in a credit to thank him for getting ERB, Inc. to agree to a Disney deal back in the 1980s, says that was part of the original agreement and that ERB, Inc. wanted that title for trademark purposes. ERB, Inc. is notorious for using trademark law as a way of maintaining control of a character where the copyright has long expired. (You can find plenty of examples where they've done this with Tarzan over the years.) As I said, big mistake number one. From a trademark stand point, the title could still have been big-letters-John-Carter, but it should have added a subtitle indicating that it is a series (and bolstering the trademark claim.)<b> JOHN CARTER: A Princess of Mars</b> would have been perfect. <b>JOHN CARTER: Under the Moons of Mars</b> (the original title in serial form) would also have worked. If I hadn't turned down Danton Burrough's offer of employment 7 years ago--a short story for another time--maybe I could have convinced somebody this would be a very good idea. Oh, well.<br />
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The second problem with the marketing of John Carter was the lack of any
reference to Dejah Thoris, either as a kick-ass scientist-warrior or as
the love interest of the film. <br />
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Rumor has it that Disney did not want "princess" in the title, because boys won't go to a "princess" movie. They didn't want "Mars" because of some other flop they had. Disney had its head in a dark place about this one. LOTS of twelve year old boys read <i><b>A Princess of Mars</b></i> growing up. Depending on their current age, they will talk about covers by Frank Frazetta (below), Michael Whelan, or another artist. Some of them will even admit to entering puberty upon seeing those covers. As for "Mars," maybe if the other film had been less of a POS, it would not have flopped. <br />
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I saw exactly one trailer for<b> John Carter</b>. It did not make me want to see the film. But we went anyway, with some trepidation because it wasn't going to be the film Ted and Terry or Melinda wrote for Michael, and we knew where the broken hearts were. Knowing Michael Chabon wrote the film we were going to see was encouraging, and seeing how some writers we knew with advanced screenings felt encouraged us.<br />
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We loved the film. I thought it started out slowly, but it reached an emotional hook and carried me through to the end. John Carter looked just fine, although he lacked the wear-and-tear I pictured a Civil War vet from the south would have. Tars Tarkis and Sola were wonderful, and who could resist Woola. And I loved, loved, loved Dejah Thoris.<br />
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In all the time <b>Princess of Mars</b> was part of the dinner discussions with our friends, I don't remember us ever taking about who would play Dejah Thoris. We spent plenty of time on casting John Carter. Disney wanted Tom Cruise, which we all thought was a terrible idea. Tom Hanks wanted the part before he had two Academy Awards, but Disney said no (I love Tom Hanks, but I don't see him in a period piece.) Michael (the producer) wanted Viggo Mortensen, before he did Aragorn, after seeing him in <b>A Walk on The Moon</b>. That would have been brilliant casting. I pushed for Hugh Jackman from the moment we saw him as Wolverine. He turned the part down. He could have had two franchises. So we got Gambit instead of Wolverine. I can live with that.<br />
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But Dejah Thoris? It's not the kind of part a lot of actresses get to play. Carie Fisher played her in Star Wars (and make no mistake about where George Lucas stole a lot of Star Wars) and Karen Allen played her in Raiders of the Lost Ark. I think that Lynn Collins, whom I had only seen previously in Wolverine, did a great job. Smart, brave, honorable. A great role model for girls, much as Hermione is in Harry Potter (as opposed to that idiot Bella in the Twilight franchise.)<br />
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I want my Dejah Thoris Disney Princess Barbie Doll. My husband (and every male I know) wants a Woola stuffie. But Disney didn't even bother to do merchandise based on this film, which says to me they scuttled it from the get-go. Nevertheless, I think you should all gather up the family and go see <b>John Carter</b>. You really will enjoy it. It is a beautifully designed and executed swashbuckling film. And maybe <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzPVYy7LHIo&feature=player_embedded&noredirect=1" target="_blank">this fan trailer</a> will do what the Disney trailers didn't do for me: make you want to see the picture.<br />
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<br />M. C. Valadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06301675413866610210noreply@blogger.com1