The weekend was not at all what I expected. Drove down to Windycon with Gary on Saturday. Wil and I decided not to spend the money on the hotel, so we cancelled our hotel registration, thinking we'd just drive down for the day Saturday. Then Wil decided not to go at all, so I headed down on Saturday, a letter in hand to let Gary use Wil's membership. Then murphy struck. Apparently, our membership never reached them, and we weren't pre-registered at all! Well, given money being what it is, Gary and I decided not to stay. We wandered from one end of the con to the other a couple times and said hello to several people, then headed home again. No worries, though, I got to finish a good book. Now I can turn my attention back to memorizing chorus music for the concert in early December.

Well, the best laid plans, and all that...

By the night before my trip, I already knew my plans were shifting, but I still didn't know how exactly they were going to settle.  My cousin had to cancel Thursday night dinner, so I drove to my sister's for lunch on Thursday, then headed on in to Columbus.  The local friend I was supposed to connect with that night ended up with a flu that lasted all weekend, so I never got to see him, either.

That being said, I had a great time at the con.  Loved the "Old Farts Filk Concert" with way too many favorites to name (in case I forget any!), and talked with several friends who also arrived Thursday.  That night I did some reading and last minute LJ reading, so I'd be up to date on everyone.  One of the other things I managed to do was to thank judifilksign for her help with a song I had to sign over the summer.

Friday I attended several concerts, chatted, and attended part of the songwriting theory class, before having to head an hour out of town to pick up my friend Tom for his first ever OVFF.  Not only was it Tom's first real introduction to filk, but to SF fandom of any sort.  The ultimate newbie -- very much interested in the topic, but never connected to any of it.  We made it back in time to hear the second half of Heather Dale's concert, then attend a bit of the Mad Hatter's Tea Party, the Filk Operettas panel, and the Pegasus Nominee's concert.  Loved hearing everything; there were a lot of great songs nominated, and a couple categories were very tough choices.  There wasn't a single winner that I thought didn't deserve the recognition they got -- though I can't wait for several of the other nominees to get their well-deserved recognition as well.  I'm afraid I missed open filking on Friday, in part because my friend Tom and I were busy with other stuff that brought him to town.  I entirely missed the ElfQuest theme concert because I mixed up the night it was on.  (I only figured that out when I showed up for it on Saturday, and something entirely different was going on!)

Saturday we attended several concerts, especially the Reach For the Stars contest, The FuMP and MEW -- all of which were very enjoyable and/or fun.  I had the opportunity to explain the "anyone is welcome to sing" policy to my friend Tom, to let him know that we believe in encouraging our own and helping them become the filkers they want to be.  

Saturday evening Tom and I had dinner with my friends Jeff & eestep .  We used to always sit at the banquet together, but for a variety of  we went offsite instead. Saturday night, Tom and I took off again for a bit to let him pursue other interests in town, but we did make it back by midnight.  Instead of the ElfQuest circle, I heard from almeda that there was a pun circle in session, and my presence was requested.  I came in to the familiar (and always-fun) strains of Unreality Warp.  I did manage to do both my Gashley Crumb Tinies parody and "Mariel O'Meara."  Afterwards, we wandered for half an hour or so to the open filk, and heard a lot more great music.  There, I had a chance to sing "I Will Follow Him."  As I set up and the keyboard started playing, I saw a smile creep onto bedlamhouse 's face; I could tell he knew what was coming.  But as always, the best part of performing it is seeing who's never seen it before -- and how they react.  Then, at 1AM Tom and I headed over to see Renee Alper perform her one-woman play, NonVertical Girl.  It was very well performed and written.  Very tight monologue, and some fun music as well.  I'm incredibly glad I was able to see it, and would encourage others to do so if they get the chance. 

Sunday was a bit of an odd day.  Didn't get up until a bit late, then listened to some music and did some shopping before having to run Tom back to campus.  I returned during the Jam Session and talked with Renee again for a while.  Had dinner at bd's with my brother, then enjoyed the open filk in the evening. The first song I sang there was "In the Willowmeads" (by Tolkein/Swan), and was pleased to see folkmew smiling and enjoying it.  The years of practice seem to be doing me some good.  I also performed "Beast In Me" which I wrote at the request of a friend about the "Beauty and the Beast" TV series; not my best performance of it, but it was okay.  Just as I was packing up to leave, Ed Stauff launched into a most hilarious parody of "Witch of the Westmoorland" about the Wizard of Oz.  (Sorry, I didn't catch the title, or the credits for the lyrics.)  I'd already packed up my keyboard at that point, but two different people (only one of whom I actually knew) asked me to follow it up with "I Will Follow Him."  A few of the assembled knew what to expect, but among the uninitiated were folkmew and Ed.  They cracked up.  Probably one of the best things that happened to me was when they asked for my email so he could remind me to send them the lyrics.

The rest of the trip was pretty quick.  On Monday morning I drove up to Toledo for lunch with highschool friends Mike and Andrea, followed by an afternoon spent with Mike as we took the dog for a walk, and just hung out talking.   For dinner, I went to Tony Packo's with my aunt and uncle.  Stayed overnight in Toledo, and drove home on Tuesday with a short stop in Bryan, OH to see an old family friend.  Arrived safely in time for dinner with Wil.

Well, those of you who know me well know that I take a driving Vacation every year around the time of OVFF -- the end of October.  Over the years, the people I connect with have changed, but I make pretty much the same circuit every year.  Here's the plan this year.

Thursday 10/22.  I start out driving down to Indianapolis in the morning and arrive sometime midafternoon.  I'm set up to have dinner with my cousin Kelly and her family.  This will be my third year seeing them on this trip.  I have some friends down in Indy as well, but I usually get to see them at Windycon in early November, so Kelly gets precedence if there's limited time.  Thursday night I'll then drive to Columbus, with a quick stop this year to pick up a friend in Dayton so he can come to the convention.  It's an online friend, so this will be the first time meeting him in person.

Friday 10/23-Sunday10/25.  I'll get to connect with some local friends in Columbus, show the new guy some of OVFF, and enjoy the con. (I'll have all my musical gear with me, but I haven'treally done any practicing lately.  I'll have to do some of that in the hotel room.) My only concern is that my friend will end up being too dependent on me for a good time, and I'll be more tied down than I usually enjoy.  Sunday I'll probably drive my friend back to Dayton, then head back to Columbus and dinner with my brother, Erik, and our cousin, Diana.  Evening may include another visit with a local friend.  That's still being finalized.

Monday 10/*26.  Drive up to Toledo.  This may include a stop in Defiance, OH to see a friend.  Still TBD.  Once in Toledo, I'll probably see my Uncle Jim and Aunt Elaine, as well as connect with my friend Michael St. Hilary.  Then to a motel for a good night's sleep.

Tuesday 10/27.  Drive home to Milwaukee.  May include a stop to see a friend in Bryan, OH, or my sister in Chesterton, IN. 

Wednesday 10/28.  A full day at home to relax.

Anyone along the way who would like to connect, let me know.  Some parts of the trip are a lot more loosely scheduled than others.

Tags: columbus, indianapolis, ovff, toledo, vacation

Okay, so I'm a little late in posting this, but...

Wil and I went to Minneapolis the weekend of 10/9-11 for Gaylaxicon, the annual convention put on by the Gaylaxians, a gay SF group that we used to be part of.  (Technically I'm still a non-paying "friend" of the Michigan group, but we don't have a local chapter any more.)  Our friend Darrell went with us.  It was an easy drive both ways, and a nice convention.  Saw a few people I don't get to see often.  Didn't get to see several people I'd hoped to see (the Michigan folk, who I gather now were busy at a convention in their area).  However, I also saw a lot of people that I used to interact with during the two years I was running our local chapter.  For the most part, they either didn't recognize me, or didn't acknowledge recognizing me -- even though I (re)introduced myself to many of them. 

Con Suite was very nice.  I got into several conversations -- two with a pair of local lesbians who were intelligent, interesting, and friendly to talk to.  I definitely hope I manage to run into them at Convergence when we go next July.  There was another pair of women who weren't as fun to talk to.  It's funny; no matter where you go, there are always people who are so set in their own opinions they feel completely comfortable interrupting you when you're talking, and then go on to tell you (quite loudly and at length) what they KNOW to be true.  Those were among the conversations I didn't enjoy, and eventually found excuses to leave.

However, don't think that I didn't have a good time that weekend.  Gaylaxicon had a fantastic Cabaret peformance which Wil and I enjoyed a great deal.  There was a mix of lip synching, poetry, live singing, and more, and I thought they were all good -- although I definitely had my favorites.  And there was a smaller gathering of about 15 people in the same hotel for an online group that I'm part of.  (A very smart and friendly guy set it up so that gathering was the same time and place as Gaylaxicon, although they were essentially different events).  I got to meet a lot of new folks with similar interests, see a few guys I haven't seen in a long time, and finally meet a couple of my online friends face to face.  

All in all, the weekend was a lot of fun.  I'm just glad I had both events, to make the most of it.

The good news first: Everything turned out okay. 

The rest of the story: Not clear if Wil was just going to bed after an all night session of LOTR-online or if the dogs woke him up, but sometime around 6:30 this morning -- just before any of us were due to get up -- our two dobermans sat bolt upright, looked out the bedroom door intently for a moment, and then went tearing down the stairs together.  Moments later, Wil heard Valli, the older of the two dogs, barking from the side yard.  Now, this gave him pause because the dog door opens into a fenced back yard, and there was no reason Valli should be in the side yard.  Wil put on his artificial leg and went to investigate.  First discovery: the back door by the kitchen was standing wide open, with the key that we usually keep hidden still stuck in the inner lock.  In the back yard he found Tibor (our younger doberman) looking around.  The gate was standing wide open, and a bit beyond it, Valli was grazing on the grass (that needs cutting, by the way).  Wil got them inside and locked up. 

Near as we can figure, someone crawled in through the rather large dog door, decided to be safe and first prepare their exit before looting.  They hunted around until the found the back door key, and opened the door.  At this point, the dogs heard them and gave chase.  Good thing our thief had opened the back gate, or who knows what the dogs would have done when they caught him/her.  We know he/she never really got further than that back door area because on the kitchen counter right around the corner was our digital camera, which Wil had just used the day before.  Nothing at all was missing, and by the time Wil was downstairs the dogs were very calm. 

All in a day's work, I guess.

Tags: break-in, dogs, house

Well, it's been a couple weeks since I read the book Same Kind of Different as Me, and I've had a lot of time to percolate on it.  I've also had the opportunity to attend an Anti-Racism discussion group about the book.  Taken together, they have given me a very mixed perspective on the book.  (See my earlier post for the full information and summary of the book, if you're interested.)

The quick version is that this book is excellent when rated against a yardstick of Diversity, a yardstick of Faith and Intuition, and a yardstick of recent US History.  But when judged purely against a yardstick of Anti-Racism, the book actually fails in several regards.  (I was so busy enjoying the book for all the earlier reasons that it took me a little while thinking about it to start to see the latter.)

Anti-Racism, for those who don't know the actual meaning of the term, is rather different from Diversity.  Diversity is about different types of people getting along.  Anti-Racism is about recognizing the societal forces that keep different races at different socio-economic levels, and working to rectify those forces.  Diversity is like the undergraduate level; anti-racism is the post-graduate level. 

A lot of things have come to mind about the book that I didn't catch at first, and that I'd love to talk about.  But, since most of the folks reading this haven't read the book, I won't bore you with a disseration here.  If you DO read the book and want to talk, let me know!

Tags: anti-racism

Well, we finally went to see the new Harry Potter movie.  Given all the negative reviews I've read, I thought it was going to be worse than it was.  In a way, all the bad reviews I heard probably helped me to enjoy the movie more than I would have otherwise.

(Spoiler level:  If you've read the book, MINOR.  If you haven't: MODERATE.)

I went to the theater with a few things in mind.
1) They can't fit even half of the book into a 2.5 hour movie.  So a lot wasn't going to be there.
2) They would probably remove whole sub-plots, including things I liked.
3) They had to save money, so they'd probably rework how some information was revealed. This could be moving info to other existing scenes, or even inventing whole new scenes. (For example, they omitted "The Other Minister" in an earlier movie, so it wouldn't make sense to include it here -- another set, another actor, etc.)
4) The last book was going to become 2 movies, so there was a chance that some of the things from this book might be moved into the next movie (Other movie series have done that before.)

And, of course, all four of those things happened -- or at least 3 1/2 of them, since I'm not sure what is moving into the next movie, but there are some pretty critical things that HAVE to be there for it to make sense.

Did I like all of their edits -- both what they cut and what they included? Not all of it, that's for sure.  Some of it worked pretty well for me, though. One scene that worked well in a book would have been a lot more awkward in a movie, so I understood why they moved Harry out from under the invisibility cloak and put him on a lower level of the Astronomy Tower (which was lower than several other towers, and would have sucked for astronomy!)  But from a characterization viewpoint, it wasn't really a good move.  Harry was choosing not to act, instead of having no choice in the matter.  To avoid spoiling anything more, let's just say that what he did there just wasn't in his character.

So, here's to hoping the critical stuff that got omitted find their way into the next movie. 

Tags: harry potter, movies

I just finished reading "Same Kind of Different as Me: A Modern-Day Slave, an International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together" by Ron Hall & Denver Moore, as told to Lynn Vincent. It's an amazing book that offers insight into the realities of 20th-century life in parts of the US that most of us will find hard to believe.  I thought it was an excellent read for those who want to know more about the world they live in. I finished it it a couple days. 

Barnes and Noble's website offers this summary:

"Meet Denver, a man raised under plantation-style slavery in Louisiana in the 1960s; a man who escaped, hopping a train to wander, homeless, for eighteen years on the streets of Dallas, Texas. No longer a slave, Denver's life was still hopeless-until God moved. First came a godly woman who prayed, listened, and obeyed. And then came her husband, Ron, an international arts dealer at home in a world of Armani-suited millionaires. And then they all came together.

"But slavery takes many forms. Deborah discovers that she has cancer. In the face of possible death, she charges her husband to rescue Denver. Who will be saved, and who will be lost? What is the future for these unlikely three? What is God doing?

"Same Kind of Different As Me is the emotional tale of their story: a telling of pain and laughter, doubt and tears, dug out between the bondages of this earth and the free possibility of heaven. No reader or listener will ever forget it."

I wholeheartedly agree with its description, as well as the reviews that give it an average rating of about 4.75 out of 5.  The book has two distinct halves.  In the first half, you'll come to know the two men and hear stories of their lives leading up to the day they met.  In the second half, once the connection is made, the book has some wonderfully poignant moments, but does spend a lot of time in the last third dealing with the wife's cancer and how they faced it.  The friendship grows in very profound ways, as does their understanding of each other.  In this section of the book, their religious faith becomes more important to their telling of the story, including several incidents that defy a purely rational view of the universe.  Naturally, I thoroughly enjoyed those moments, as I've experienced many of them myself.

If you're not Christian or at least open minded about religion, the book may not bet for you, in spite of the story.  The characters are very strong in their faith, and it is one of the great motivators for the characters, particularly towards the end.  But what it motivates them to do is something that should make sense to spiritual people of most varieties. 

If the subject of Anti-Racism and tearing down the walls that separate us is important to you, then READ IT!

(Also see my 8/3 entry for a my thoughts after percolating on the book a couple weeks.)
 

Tags: anti-racism, books, religion

One of the things I both love and hate about LJ is the huge diversity of people who are online.  I've been able to reconnect with some long-ago friends here, which is fantastic.  I've also gotten some friend requests (and I'm sure this is a common situation), from people who give far too few clues as to who they are.  Like most of fandom, I know a thousand different people, many of whom are interested in many of the same things.  So when I get friended, it can be a bit of a mystery who's reaching out. Even having learned how to get to folks' profiles and their journals to search for clues (which wasn't as intutively obvious as I would have thought), there have been some folks that I just can't figure out.  Just the other day I got a request and looked through several posts, the profile, and even glanced at images -- which of course were mostly icons for various things.  It wasn't until the second time I looked through the images that I finally figured it out -- because this time I found a photo of her kids that had a title that gave it away. (I'm sure you know who you are, now. :-) )

So, sorry to anyone who may have tried befriended me and I didn't reciprocate.  It might be because I couldn't figure out who you were.

Tags: livejournal

Had a fun time up in MN for CONvergence this year.  Wil and I took along two friends and showed them the con for the first time.  Not a fun drive, but we made it safely there and back.  (The worst part of the drive was the fact that I have the remnants of a stye in my right eye, and last Thursday -- driving day -- was nearly the wost day, so seeing with my right eye was not always easy.)

I saw a ton of friends at the con, but it turns out those who are online in one of the networking sites are mostly on Facebook, not LJ, so I can't include there names here.  None of the local filkers were around.  I did get to hear great music from Gray, Bekka, Chas and several others, though.  As for my own singing... not this time.  Because of the extra passengers, I only had my laptop, so I could only do things that I have prepared MIDIs for.  More than ever, the song circle was almost entire folk music, with very little that strayed into filk.  Of the folk on my laptop, none seemed to fit the theme well.  So... no singing for me.  But I'll remember and prepare better next time.

Took in several panels, most of them about various TV shows that we enjoy.  Strangely, there were no panels that discussed "Lost" or "Fringe," both of which have strong sci-fi threads running through them.  Did enjoy panels on Dr. Who,Star  Trek (where no one agreed with my major frustration with the movie), Supernatural, and a few others.  I also got to attend an ASL panel and learned how to sign such useful things as "Killer Zombies" and "Cone of Shame" (which really just consists of representing the cone itself, and allowing the context to do the rest).

Wil and I didn't pick up much at the Dealers Room.  Wil got a metal-looking skull.  I picked up a couple T-shirts.  I grabbed the one about "Homeland Security since 1492" that shows native Americans with various weapons, and an old favorite about the english language mugging other languages in dark alleys for spare words and grammar. 

The masquerade had several great costumes in it.  We enjoyed the skits and seeing the costumes.  Darrell (one of the friends we took with us) is a big photography nut, so he got a ton of photos of those outfits as well as many of the hall costumes being worn around the convention.

Also saw several of the guys involved with the upcoming Gaylaxicon in early October of this year.  It's also being held in the Minneapolis area, along with another small gathering that I'm involved with.  Wil and I are looking forward to going.

Next con on the horizon: Gaylaxicon.  But before that, Wil and I will be heading up to Macinaw Island for a family gathering in early August.
 

Tags: convergence, gaylaxicon