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officialgaiman)The Blue Room had in prehistoric times been added to by taking in a superfluous passage, and so not only had the advantage of two doors, but enabled us to get to the head of the stairs without passing the chamber wherein our dragon-aunt lay couched. It was rarely occupied, except when a casual uncle came down for the night. We entered in noiseless file, the room being plunged in darkness, except for a bright strip of moonlight on the floor, across which we must pass for our exit. On this our leading lady chose to pause, seizing the opportunity to study the hang of her new dressing-gown. Greatly satisfied thereat, she proceeded, after the feminine fashion, to peacock and to pose, pacing a minuet down the moonlit patch with an imaginary partner. This was too much for Edward's histrionic instincts, and after a moment's pause he drew his single-stick, and with flourishes meet for the occasion, strode onto the stage. A struggle ensued on approved lines, at the end of which Selina was stabbed slowly and with unction, and her corpse borne from the chamber by the ruthless cavalier. The rest of us rushed after in a clump, with capers and gesticulations of delight; the special charm of the performance lying in the necessity for its being carried out with the dumbest of dumb shows.
Once out on the dark landing, the noise of the storm without told us that we had exaggerated the necessity for silence; so, grasping the tails of each other's nightgowns even as Alpine climbers rope themselves together in perilous places, we fared stoutly down the staircase-moraine, and across the grim glacier of the hall, to where a faint glimmer from the half-open door of the drawing-room beckoned to us like friendly hostel-lights. Entering, we found that our thriftless seniors had left the sound red heart of a fire, easily coaxed into a cheerful blaze; and biscuits—a plateful—smiled at us in an encouraging sort of way, together with the halves of a lemon, already once squeezed but still suckable. The biscuits were righteously shared, the lemon segments passed from mouth to mouth; and as we squatted round the fire, its genial warmth consoling our unclad limbs, we realised that so many nocturnal perils had not been braved in vain.
"It's a funny thing," said Edward, as we chatted, "how I hate this room in the daytime. It always means having your face washed, and your hair brushed, and talking silly company talk. But to-night it's really quite jolly. Looks different, somehow."
"I never can make out," I said, "what people come here to tea for. They can have their own tea at home if they like,—they're not poor people,—with jam and things, and drink out of their saucer, and suck their fingers and enjoy themselves; but they come here from a long way off, and sit up straight with their feet off the bars of their chairs, and have one cup, and talk the same sort of stuff every time."
Selina sniffed disdainfully. "You don't know anything about it," she said. "In society you have to call on each other. It's the proper thing to do."
"Pooh! YOU'RE not in society," said Edward, politely; "and, what's more, you never will be."
"Yes, I shall, some day," retorted Selina; "but I shan't ask you to come and see me, so there!"
"Wouldn't come if you did," growled Edward.
shannonmariah)Yesterday was the awesomest of the awesomes. Except for the parts that weren't awesome. We slept in a little (I woke up early, stared at the ceiling for about an hour, and then forced more sleep on myself) and ate brunch at "Coffeeee? Coffeeee?" It was cheap and delicious, again. We decided to walk down a few blocks from our hotel and spend the day on the beach. Steve worked out (annoyyyying) while I walked down to the beach and got a head start on the sun. I claimed two empty lounge chairs right near the water. I had been roasting for about half an hour when some dude in a white shirt holding a clipboard blocked my sun and asked if I was renting the chairs. "Er .. ah ... no?" "Okay, because if you're going to be here for a while, we can work something out, but they're pretty expensive." Apparently I didn't look expensive enough to afford rental chairs? "Thanks, I'll lay on the sand. It's no big deal."
Seriously? Hawaii is the place to make Shannon feel like a moron, apparently. Ug.
When Steve came he checked out surfing lessons for himself and found out that it would be only $5 more to include me. 'Cept, I didn' wanna. I had no desire to learn how to surf. Steve said I had an hour to think about it before the lessons started. I watched the surfers in the distance catching a wave, standing, falling, and suddenly decided it looked like fun and that it would be ridiculous to stay on the beach while Steve surfed. We got an older dude named Mike as our instructor. I was relieved; I told Steve the last thing I needed with how nervous I was already feeling was some young, hot, punk watching me make a fool of myself.
He taught us how to paddle, stop, the five steps of getting up, and some safety precautions on the beach before we headed out to the water. I almost quit just from paddling out to the waves. That's friggin' hard work, dudes! Now I understand the science behind the surfer's body. Oy vey.
Blah, blah, snore. I'm too tired and in too much pain to write. But I will tell you that both Steve and I kicked those waves' asses. Multiple times. It was seriously the most fun I've ever had and I can't even believe that I almost passed it up. Mike told Steve that I was "tenacious." I guess most people bail as soon as they feel themselves messing up, but I kept self-correcting and staying on the board (most of the time). That was fun to hear.
After surfing my body was so tired from paddling, I laid on the beach for an hour while we waited for our 5:00 sailboat to arrive. We had seen some people getting off it the night we went to Duke's and decided it looked like fun. $30/person for a two hour ride and all you can drink. Well, it sure was fun. A bit too much, as it turned out. We made some friends though! They were teachers at a cosmetology school in Idaho. After my first two drinks I chatted it up with them and made their two twenty-something daughters my new BFFs. After the sail me and one of my new friends stopped to pee while the others, including Steve, waited outside of the restroom for us. Somehow we all got separated and things are kinda fuzzy after that.
Anyway, it was a fun night and Steve and I paid for it most of today. Live and learn!
Today we laid low by watching the surfers over at Sunset beach (they were almost as good as us) and getting the most deelicious lunch from a shrimp truck in Haleiwa. Mmm. So, so yummy. For dessert I tried some shaved ice and managed to dump it all over myself and the car -- but not before tasting its goodness on my tongue. WAY BETTER THAN A SNOW CONE. HELLO, CANADA. TAKE NOTE. Shaved ice is the new snow cone. Get on it.
I woke up this morning with my head, stomach AND back angry at me. Often when my back is bad in the morning, I can get it under control by mid-morning with my anti-inflammatories. Not today. By the time we got back into Waikiki after lunch (we also tried to find Ko Olina, which was way the hell out there and impossible to get into, so we gave up), I was hobbling around pretty bad, so we're back at the hotel now, acting like old people. I'm hoping to feel better for tomorrow, because we'd like to rent some boards and try surfing on our own for a bit.
That's all for now!
officialgaiman)
officialgaiman)
shannonmariah)Well, we managed to find the not-so-pretty part of Hawaii: the West Side. There's really nothing green or living there, and it seemed to be a big industrial area. BUT THEY HAVE A WATER PAAA-AAARK. Yeah, we totally went. We were second-guessing ourselves on the drive there, thinking it might be a bad way to spend one of our days, but as soon as we got off that first ride, we were thrilled to have committed. Both of us are laying on the hotel bed with throbbing feet right now from all of the stairs we climbed in our bare feet during the 3.5 hours we spent at Wet 'n' Wild. No regrets.
On our way home we hit some pretty lame-o outlet stores, but managed to spend a little money anyway. We're clever like that. Back at the hotel we got all gussied up and walked down to the beach to watch the sunset before heading into a beachfront restaurant, Duke's. Jeff had emailed the recommendation to Steve today, and boy it was a gooder. After supper we walked down the beach again, but this time I kept my jumping jacks to myself. It wasn't easy. There were still hoards of people in the water, and I decided that tomorrow I want to be one of them. I told Steve I want a day to just "hang loose" on a beach somewhere and swim until the sun sets, possibly later. It might be our only chance, too; we just heard on the news that a storm is blowing in. Which could also be fun to experience!
So. Okay. Here's the thing. After we finished walked on the beach, we decided to do some window shopping (the shops are open until EVELEN during the week), and we just happened to come across an UGG store. A store completely dedicated to UGGs. I KNOW. Okay, and it's not that I love UGGs, or think they're particularily flattering, but there are some outfits they compliment and some women who can pull them off. AND ALSO, IF I LIKE SOMETHING, I LIKE IT AND YOU CAN'T STOP ME. The other thing is that some of the new lines they've come out with aren't quite so ... well ... ugly. I don't think, anyway. I wanted the Knightsbridge boots, but a) they are over $200 and b) they weren't in-stock. But there were these really adorable kid's boots that happened to fit me and were HALF the cost of the Knitsbridge ones ... so ... can you guess? YES, I BOUGHT THEM. I SURE DID.
I'm a proud UGG-owner. And those boots give my wardrobe all kinds of new flavours and possibilities. PEOPLE. IT'S A GOOD DAY HERE IN HAWAII. REALLY.
After we bought the UGGs we carried on window shopping, got some frozen yogurt, sat and people-watched, meandered back to the hotel, and like I said we're now on the bed with the TV on and tired, sad feet.
AND DID I MENTION I BOUGHT UGGS? NO? I DIDN'T? YES. IT'S NOT A LIE.
They're K's Sunshine II, in case you care. AND THEY'RE ROCKIN'.
You're allowed to think they're ugly. I do too, normally. But these just look like your average boot, really. There's nothing too sparkly about them other than the fact that I LOVE THEM.
Just when I thought Hawaii couldn't get any FANTASTICKER.
Some things that made me laugh today:
officialgaiman)
Amanda and I in the silk clothes that my publisher had given us as a thank you for coming, and because they are terrific.
Amanda, Ian Ford (in the pale top, also a gift from my publishers) and.. my publishers, SF World -- who will be publishing the mainland Chinese edition of The Graveyard Book very soon, and are very excited.
shannonmariah)We got another early start today. I'm going to be sad when our bodies adjust to the three-hour time difference and we start wanting to sleep until noon. And going home is going to be awful, having to wake up for work at 6am, feeling like it's 3am. You're feeling pretty sorry for me, I can tell. Thanks for being so sympathetic. You're a good friend.
First thing we did this morning was head back to the car rental place because the power outlet didn't work in the mitsubishi and our gps was running out of battery. We are now driving a convertible, cherry-red, 2010, Ford Mustang. It's pretty fun. We then headed into the interior part of the island to the Dole Plantation for some lunch. Steve tried the "loco moco," which consists of a scoop of rice covered with a hamburger patty, gravy, and a fried egg. It's a local dish, apparently. I had told Steve about some of the weirder local cuisine choices, so when he saw it on the menu today, and hadn't yet decided what he actually wanted, "loco moco" escaped his lips. His stomach paid for it all day, if you can imagine. I had a down-to-earth grilled ham and cheese sandwich. Nothin' loco about that, folks. The pinapple juice was a party in my mouth. And then we went back and mixed it with pop: mmm. We pet some kitties wandering around the joint, ate some pineapple ice cream, and headed for Waimea Falls.
We drove through the quaint, "lazy, surfer town," Haleiwa near the North Shore, and made a note to return when we were more hungry. Waimea Falls turned out to be an $18 walk. We got to the top and found out there was no swimming today. Holy bummer, Batman. We ended up being there for all of 20 minutes (if you're not into birds or history, there's no other reason to be there than TO SWIM IN THE FALLS). Steve danced with a peacock on his way out of the bathroom. That was pretty much the highlight of Waimea Falls.
We decided we'd just keep driving around the North Shore to find Sunset Beach. The waves were huge, and there was a "no swimming" sign, but almost everyone on the beach was in the water. I was fascinated by a group of people letting themselves be sucked in by the waves and then smashing back onto the beach. It looked crazy, but so fun. We eased our way into the water, and once I got over my fear, I dove in and out where I bobbed in the waves. It took me a while to convince Lifeguard Steve to join me, but he came around, and it was the most fun exercise I've ever experienced. I couldn't stop giggling and screaming, "THIS. IS. SO. MUCH. FUN." My face hurt from smiling when we got out. I could have been thrown around in those waves until the sun set. The tricky part is that the waves are so strong, along the shoreline they stir up the sand enough that on your way out, you get a bathing suit FULL of thick, coarse sand. When I showered at the end of the day it took me a long time to de-sand my body. But, really, beyond worth it. We will be going back there. Oh yes, we will.
We passed a million more beaches and a million shrimp trucks (that all smelled so scrumptious, but we were still full from pineapple everything), but we kept driving, driving, driving, and I kept saying, "It's so pretty!" We decided I need more adjectives in my vocabulary. Or just agree that it goes without saying, when in Hawaii. I couldn't help myself though; it's truly shocking to come across so much beauty in one place. And who knew there were so many shades of green? WHO?
We drove past a beach in Kailua that looked pretty great, and then carried on into the neighbourhood, looking at the homes. I won't even say it. Because you already know. (BUT, SO PRETTY.) We got back onto the highway and stopped only to climb a mountain for some random lookout point called "Pali." It was windy and a bit chilly at the top. I was surprised at how much the temperature dropped on the temperature gage in the car on the drive up.
Once we got back to our hotel, Steve went for a quick run while I showered those tricky sand morsels off and out of me. (Seriously -- it was everywhere.) We walked down toward the beach, and ended up at The Yard House for supper. They have nearly half a billion kinds of beer on tap. I forgot my ID back at the hotel and was refused tasty adult drinks. I was freely taking sips from Steve's pint when the manager came over and asked for my ID. He said if I took any more of Steve's drink, he'd have to ask me to leave. And then proceeded to PUSH Steve's glass out of my reach, "just so there is no question." That's when I took Steve up on his offer to run back to the hotel for my ID and ordered my very own pint of raspberry chocolate beer. It was gross, but I drank it with pride, dammit. BECAUSE I'M OLD ENOUGH. THAT'S RIGHT.
I suggested a walk on the beach after dinner. That's when Steve and I got surprise leied. I had just finished doing some "I'm so freaking excited and overwhelmed to be sinking my feet into the warm, thick sand of Hawaii" jumping-jack squeals, when a young girl put a fresh lei around our necks and said, "Aloha, welcome to Hawaii." And just when I had finished thinking, "Cool! That doesn't just happen in the movies." she told us she's trying to raise money for her volleyball team, asking $10/lei. We gave 'em back. But boy did that thing smell and feel fantastic around my neck. The ones from the dollar store do not compare.
Further down the beach we sat in the sand about a foot from the rising tide. Watching and listening to the water made us sleepy enough that we had to either camp out for the night, or carry on. We discovered the shops are open until 10 on Sundays, which meant we must do the proper thing and ... shop! I decided the evenings are a perfect time to shop, since it's slightly cooler and because that way we're not missing out on any rays. I found three sun dresses. Which, is utterly ridiculous, I know, but I was so hot from walking and it was like going to the grocery store on an empty stomach. They're all super cute. So. There's that. And I decided since there are only about 3 minutes of actual sun-dress weather back home, I'd wear them on the weekends, instead of staying in my pajamas. So there.
Now we're back at the hotel room, after a very quick dip in the hotel pool, which my screaming, mad feet LOVED.
Now what?
shannonmariah)We got here last night (well, this morning) at 3:30 our time and had to change rooms twice. I wasn't sure if I wanted to cry or have a temper tantrum. I did neither, because I was too busy trying to play it cool for a grumpy Steve. I fell into the third bed since our arrival and fell asleep mid-air.
This morning we woke up just before 9am (which was noon, our time) feeling a bit laggy, but ready to explore. The best part of today was looking at the clock and ALWAYS being delightfully surprised by how early it was. Our brains and bodies are still three hours ahead. We ventured out on foot and found a local dive that was serving a cheap breakfast. The staff circled the tables chanting in a Hawaiian accent "Coffeeeee? Coffeeeee?" Sometimes, even if you shook your head, you got a full cup of hot liquid. It shall thus be known as the "Coffeeeee-Coffeeeee Diner." Awesome.
We walked a few more blocks to find the International Market Place, which consisted of kiosk after endless kiosk selling the exact same bags, necklaces, bracelets, shirts, etc. Emerging from the Market, I shook off a foggy trance, like I had just turned off the TV after watching the Dinsney Channel for 6 hours. We'll go back on Thursday when the Farmer's Market, and hopefully a more authentic spirit, is present.
We returned to our hotel (the Marriott Courtyard) to grab our suits, sunscreen, towels and the rental car (which happens to be a mitsubishi eclipse CONVERTIBLE -- a surprise from Steve) and headed off to Hanauma Bay for some snorkelling. (Handsome Edward, with Hanauma Bay in the background.) IT WAS FAN-HAWAIIAN-TASTIC. We soaked on the beach for about thirty minutes, while our sunscreen cured, and then mazed through the coral reef and brightly-coloured fish that I thought only existed on "Finding Nemo." Nuh uh. They're real!
We stopped at a mall on the way home, because I thought I wanted a cute dress, but it turns out I wanted a rather adorable sweater (A SWEATER. IN HAWAII. I KNOW) that will look fantastic with black leggings (LEGGINGS. IN 2009. I KNOW) and those Knightsbridge Uggs (UGGS. I KNOW.) I'm going to convince Steve I need to buy.
Now we're sitting in the hotel room, freshly showered (I also re-dyed the pink in my hair), on our respective computers, completing our assigned tasks (Steve is working on some "style guide" (geek talk) for Palantir, and I researched O'ahu and all it offers, making a list of must-dos and places to eat), drinking the wine and eating the cheese and crackers we bought at Safeway. (WINE. AT SAFEWAY. I KNOW.) I'm done my lists, I've caught up on Facebook, Twitter, and LJ, and I'm on my second glass of wine, not drunk enough, according to Steve.
Apparently there's kick-ass nightlife around here on the weekends. But I'm sorta comfortable and settled in the room. And sorta old.
NOT TOO OLD FOR AN AMUSEMENT PARK THOUGH.
Tomorrow I think we're going to Waimea Falls Park to hike up to the falls and hit the Dole Plantation on our way. The things I want to do most while we're here involve eating local food and hiking. I'm not super interested in the touristy places. (except for the Dole Plantation -- pineapple: HELLO, and the amusement park -- RIDES: HELLO.) And I really want to hit as many beaches as there are and do as much relaxing as my ADHD husband will allow.
STAY TUNED FOR O'AHU: DAY TWO. EEEEEEE.
grrm)
Parris will soon be on her way home to take care of the cats, before they start rioting and have wild parties. So I'm pressing on by myself. Arrived in London a few hours ago. Signing at Forbidden Planet on the 11th.
officialgaiman)
shannonmariah)Hawaii:
Yes. It's true. I work for the kick-assiest school disrict. The one that gave us a week off in November. And so we seized the opportunity to get ourselves a cheap holiday to o'ahu. O'awho? Bless you. We're in the car on our way to the Calgary airport now to catch the flight to Vancouver. I do belive my friend and colleague will be on the same flight, as she's off to Maui. I plan to make steve and her husband sit together for the hour so we can giggle like school girls.
We shall arrive home on the 16. 9 days of hot-weathered bliss.
School:
It's a tough year. Very. I'm tired. I feel in over my head 60% of the time. I'm hoping it gets better. In the meantime I'm just thankful for my awesome staff and holidays.
Writing:
What? Did you say fighting? Who' fighting? They should stop.
TV:
Almost finished all episodes of brothers and sisters. I watch it while I knit. Knitting is an excuse to watch it, really.
Love:
I have much of it in my life these days. I adore the people in my life.
Reading:
I have so many great books on my Sony reader for this trip. So many.
You:
You're good. I'm thankful for you.
HAWAII. EEEEEE.
Posted via LiveJournal.app.
grrm)
And here we are in Dublin. Ireland has been exciting but exhausting. We had a huge turnout last night for the signing at Eason's, with a queue that seemed to go on forever, but I finally scrawled everyone into submission, and afterwards I signed all the stock as well. If you missed the signing, or happen to live a thousand leagues away, you can still get an autographed copy of the SONGS OF THE DYING EARTH hardcover or any of the Ice & Fire paperbacks by phoning, emailing, or dropping by Eason's on O'Connell Street. They even have a few trade paperbacks of DREAMSONGS.
Afterwards we adjourned to a nearby pub for a lively evening of Guinness and conversation with the local fans. I met the good folk who will be running next year's Octocon, where I'll be GOH, and hoisted a few with the hardy survivors of the Eason's event. Didn't stagger back to the our hotel till after midnight, by which time Temple Bar was roaring. Ah, if only I were twenty years younger...
The Belfast event on Tuesday was also a hoot and a half. The crowd was much bigger at Dublin, but in Belfast some of the cast of the HBO pilot dropped by to sign books and meet the fans as well. My thanks to Ron Donachie, Richard Madden (Best Dressed Man in Scotland), Alfie Allen, Kit Harington, Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner (and their moms) for joining the festivities. And to the lovely Ros, Esme Bianco, who dropped by McHughes afterwards for the moot. Matthew Hughes, one of the authors who contributed to our Vance tribute anthology, also turned up at Eason's to help me sign SONGS OF THE DYING EARTH.
In between signing and mooting, I've been hanging round the shoot, trying not to get underfoot. "How is it going?" everyone wants to know. I think it's going great. Wednesday's location was amazing, so real I could hardly tell where the real castle ended and our fake castle began. I saw Bran and Tommen swatting at each other in the yard, Joffrey taunting Robb, the Hound growling at Ser Rodrik, while Arya displayed her wretched needlework to Jon above, and it all looked wonderful. Saw some of the footage from the crypts too, and that looked amazing as well. Yes, some things are not exactly as they were in the books, that's inevitable with any adaptation... but these are my characters and this is my story, and it's thrilling to see 'em come to life.
Last night in Belfast I got to meet two more of the cast, quite unexpectedly. Some of the Moroccan players were in Ireland for costume fittings. I ran into Ian McNeice for a brief moment outside the hotel, as we were waiting for our rides, and the night before we bumped into Dany -- the amazing Tamzin Merchant, who is even more beautiful in person than she is on screen -- into the dining room. What a terrific cast Nina Gold has assembled.
Also toured the Paint Hall, though we didn't do any shooting there while I was in Belfast. Some of our sets are going up, and look great. And in another part of the building the huge castle sets from the big budget (compared to us, anyway) feature YOUR HIGHNESS are still standing. Their great hall is pretty eye-popping and they built an impressive castle yard as well.
Tomorrow I'm off to London . Signing at Forbidden Planet on the 11th, Then it's off to Marrakech.
Life is magical and full of joy (but no, I have not been seeking out football scores, so don't tell me. TIVO is getting all my games).
officialgaiman)
Correspondent Serena Altschul visits author Neil Gaiman -- the tender-hearted master of the macabre -- whose books, including Coraline and The Graveyard Book have topped best-seller lists for 25 years.
officialgaiman)
(Middle photo of the amazing bubble by Miss Holly Gaiman. Who is fundraising.)
lilly12889)
I think I've not gotten used to the time change, because I've been having a lot of trouble sleeping. My boys are sleeping, and I hope I don't wake them up.
A lot has happened to me the last couple weeks. Ricky died, and I know already told you all about that, but I still feel pretty bad. Plus, my dad was admitted into the hospital due to a cancer in his bladder. He implied that it wasn't really that serious, and that after surgery, he'd be discharged later today. Well, the surgery took a little longer than his doctor expected, and they decided to keep him over night again. And I know he's in pain. It just makes me so sad.
Life is really fragile. It's a wonder that we ever form relationships with people, because everyone goes away at some point. But I guess we are born and raised to a bond with our parents, so maybe that's just what we know to do.
stereotypist)
grrm)
Late, wet, and bedraggled, but I'm here.
Tomorrow heads will roll. Well, one head, at least.
officialgaiman)
Between the hours of 11pm on Friday October 30th and 11pm Sunday November 1st, 15 bookstores will be hosting Graveyard Book Halloween parties. Mr. G would like to visit as many as he can in these four hours. Assume you can model these bookstores as a connected graph G(V,E) where each vertex v corresponds to a bookstore. Positive edge weights w(u,v) denote the time (in minutes) it takes to travel between bookstores u and v.
a. Give an algorithm to calculate the maximum number of bookstores Mr. G can visit in four hours by traveling along the edges of this graph.
b. Give the run time of this algorithm.
c. Assume each bookstore also has a weight B(v) which tells you how long you can stay at that bookstore. Mr. G does not want to play favorites so on a given path p of n bookstores, he will stay k minutes at each bookstore where k = min(B(v1),B(v2),...,B(vn)). Given this constraint, give an algorithm to determine how many bookstores Mr. G can visit in four hours.
Hi Lorraine!
I just wanted to say thanks for the link to BDFAR in Durham! I've lived in the area my whole life, but somehow how I had never heard of it. I am G-mapping directions there as we speak and now have a fruitful occupation for my afternoon.
Any chance of you posting a photo of yourself before you hand the reins back? I'm sure the ladies would appreciate seeing another staggeringly good-looking, funny, and smart gentleman over whom they can swoon. :)
lilly12889)
I'm so depressed. Ricky's funeral was a total disappointment. It's not that funerals are supposed to "go well.." but this one was just awful. I felt so bad for him. I know there wasn't a lot of money put into this, because Carolyn didn't really have any disposable funds, but damn it, there wasn't even a tent to keep the rain out of Ricky's grave. I stayed until the service was over, and decided to skip the burial. It was too much.. poor Ricky.
He had a bruise on his nose, which is what I'm guessing is a result of the fall. But he did look nice, considering.. his hair was fixed like he usually wore it. He looked like such a gentleman. I miss him so much. Going to work without him there is so hard.
Adrienne is going to transfer to a new store, I think. She and Sandy were talking about it today. Everything that was in that store for me just isn't anymore. If I become a manager, I'll be miserable.. I know it. I'll be working with the only people who plan to stay there, and none of those people are ones I care to know.
I don't know..
I think I'm going to apply at wal-mart. It just seems like a cake job.
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http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2009/11/ve
...and say 'That chick in the yellow corset crowdsurfing looks kind of hot. I wonder if she's dating anyone?' And then they get something for free."
Hi Neil,
I am a long-time fan, and have even met you backstage at a Tori show (though that was many years ago!). I am writing to ask a bit of a favor.
About 10 years ago, I appeared on 20/20 with Tori, speaking about sexual violence. Since then, I've stayed close with Tori whose been a mentor of the best kind. I also started a nonprofit, Pandora's Project, that provides support, information, and resources to rape and sexual abuse survivors and their supporters. We operate Pandora's Aquarium, an online support group with more than 20,000 registered members.
Recently, I was named a 2009 L'Oreal Woman of Worth for my volunteer work with Pandora's. I was chosen for this honor from more than 2,500 applicants.
Now, one of the ten 2009 Honorees will be selected as the national honoree through a public online vote. Her cause will get an additional $25,000, and a lot of media exposure. This is the first time L'Oreal has recognized a sexual violence organization, and becoming the national honoree would allow me to shine a spotlight on this issue that affects so many women and women.
Voting is easy - people just need to go to the url below, enter their email address in the box on the right, and click the "submit vote" button. Each email address is allowed one vote, and voting ends November 24.
http://www.womenofworth.com/Honorees/Hon
I am wondering if you might be willing to send people to this voting link via your (infinitely popular) twitter or blog. I understand if it's not something you can do, but my experience running a small-budget nonprofit tells me it's always wise to ask!
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Shannon Lambert
I'll plug it happily.
Your correspondent asks "Will you be reading the original version where the wolf actually is killed, and not the 'oh my goodness our kids can't hear about death' version in which they bring him to the zoo?"
I fear she's in error; in the original version, written by Prokofiev, Peter snares the wolf, then convinces the hunters NOT to kill it, but to take it to the zoo.
I've been researching, and that's what I found out too. Wikipedia has a list of changes made in various versions of the story (Disney, for example, had the wolf not eat the duck). But the wolf was always taken to the zoo...