At the convention, having a lovely time. Missed Cade’s concert but caught the deliciously English Jacquie Mitchell’s do, and she did this operatic Star Trek song that had all of us on the floor. ALSO Jeri-Lynn and Shawna singing harmonies for the long song about fairy tale lies and I GOT ARM CHILLS LISTENING TO THEM.
Then Jacquie sang a song about Mills and Boon and GOD mOm I wish you’d been there, it was wizard.
Lem was in a state of bliss after this concert. He was scarcely intelligible he was so happy.
I sang in songbook circle last night just the once (Invective) and said, “This is a song about my ex’s girlfriend, and about how she’s the worst person on earth and how badly I hate her guts, even though she’s not a bad sort really” which got a big laugh. The song made it into the Conflikt songbook thanks to Cindy, and hey she asked for it even though I’m not particularly proud of that song anymore, so I sang it with all the music hall gusto (pace Jacquie) I could muster and got a kindly response.
I had a nice long sit in the con suite yesterday. I showed up just before lunch which allowed SaladofDoom to make a soda run, and I cleaned up after an elderly fan who left SO MUCH FOOD DEBRIS ON THE FLOOR That I, Even I, felt compelled to clean up after (them). But that was okay because I got the full story on the Death Of Forry Ackerman, which is about as sad and internet messy as things get. Then Frank showed up.
I have to admit that I would listen to Frank Hayes back up to a microphone and fart. I might even pay for it. He played a hilarious song about reincarnation last night in the big room in open circle and yes, he pretended to forget the lyrics. Yesterday he held forth on the n dash and the m dash, the Oxford comma, one or two spaces after a period, and provided me with some insight as to why things are the way they are in editing land.
I defended my punctuation choices by stating that I come to prose through poetry and give punctuation points not because of ‘the rules’ which are arbitrary place markers of contemporary taste and the laziness of typesetters and the ongoing rear guard of bitching assholes about how English must be defended against all comers at all costs, at which point someone, I think Lem, said, “Which English, there are rather a lot of them…”
I’ve shown a lot of people the cover mockup for Hair Sinister.
Tom and Peggy came from a funeral. Tom lost a best friend and I feel for him so. His friend was a sailing partner and now that part of life (including the shrimp traps NOM) is much truncated for him. LIFE SUCKS YO.
Got the front pew scoop on the polyamory shitstorm at the Newton church in Maine. VERY INTERESTING STORY and I kept thinking, as I listened, Oh this would never happen at Beacon and then realized that it already had when John S. shut me and Peggy down from putting polyamory on the table for our Welcoming Congregation efforts back in the day. I was ecstatic when he and his wife quit the church over not getting their way about the minister. Which is sort of what I did, so I’ve got a big crunchy cud of reflection on that when I have the strength. But really I was tired of people who are demented asking me if I have a job yet. You’re not allowed to yell at demented old ladies, it’s not nice, and since I can no longer guarantee that I’ll keep my temper or not cry (probably more to the point) under those circumstances I’m going to stay home. Oh, and I had a long time church member tell me WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU’RE NOT HAPPY HERE WE LET YOU BE ON THE BOARD AND WE KNEW YOU WERE POLY.
Helluva thing to say to someone WHO WAS ACCLAIMED. I’ll just let you sit with that two seconds. And they begged me to be Treasurer, so it’s all a bit much really. When your welcome is contingent on a positive answer for “what have you done for us lately” it’s no welcome, it’s a fucking scam. Which is not to say I wouldn’t recommend the church to a young family or an older seeker, but in many ways it’s become a closed religious club for those who still survive of the founders.
But the really big news from yesterday is that one of my all time fave coworkers – Sandy P – with whom I never got to actually work since she mostly worked from home in WA while I was in BC, drove to see me at the hotel and we had beers and LAUGHED OUR ASSES OFF. She is a total mensch and I loves her. It was a great day, and I was in bed by midnight, so I’ve essentially missed all the good filking for YET ANOTHER CONFLIKT. Ha. Time to get some brekky – I may walk up the street to Denny’s.