Nodding in

[pameladean]

Have been neglecting you all shamefully. Am behind on everything. However, this fussy coy short story has finally decided that, dusty and cluttered and shabby as my brain is, it will condescend to take over it on a temporary basis. I hope to be done and catching up on LJ in a week or so.

Notes to self: Barbara Boxer is my hero, I am pretty darn pleased with Mark Dayton too, I adore the State Supreme Court of New York, and when I can't stand things any more I amuse myself in a dark way by trying to decide if Alberto Gonzales belongs at Wolfram and Hart or if Wolfram and Hart is too good for him.

P.

Comments

[wickdzoot.livejournal.com]

Barbara Boxer is my hero, and Mark Dayton has made me very freaking happy, if only because everytime I call his office or send him emails hounding him on various Senate votes, he responds. Norm Coleman, however is another story. We won't go there now.

And Wolfram and Hart is way too good for Alberto Gonzales.

[qe2.livejournal.com]

If you're allowing votes on Gonzales, I opt for choice #2.

Enjoy the story autocracy.

[sdorn.livejournal.com]

It's okay if you've been neglecting us. We'll just sit here in the dark, not telling you which incredibly witty literary prof has been dumping short, very funny thoughts onto a blog. Well, his first name is Michael, and he's in the middle of nowhere in cold weather...

[pameladean]

If it's not Berube, I am at a loss.

P.

Oh, darn. Who let you in on the secret?

[sdorn.livejournal.com]

Yes, it is Michael Bérubé, and for your sins of guessing correctly, you now get another time-sink.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Dayton is a Republican target next time around.

B

[pameladean]

I'm glad he is not responding to this fact by pretending to be a Republican.

P.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I am, too. But I worry about Minnesota. It's getting too suburban.

B

[gerisullivan.livejournal.com]

Happy writing! I certainly liked the taste you posted in honor of coffee_and_ink's birthday.

Since you mentioned Barbara Boxer, I wanted to make sure you know about the Barbara Boxer Rose Campaign that's afoot for Valentine's Day. I heard about it from smofbabe and jumped right on board.

[pameladean]

Oh, what a great idea. Thank you!

P.

[ladyjoust.livejournal.com]

Barbara Boxer is my hero, too...

but I really think that Wolfram and Hart would turn Gonzales away.

[porphyrin.livejournal.com]

Go New York!

Sen. Dayton is my hero too.

Good to see the story hasn't gnawed your head off; equally good that you have not had to risk life and limb pursuing it.

[pameladean]

I love your physical analogies about writing. I may sit here all day, but yes, it feels just like running around in the jungle, only with better plumbing.

P.

NY State court decision

[eva-d-struction.livejournal.com]

"I adore the State Supreme Court of New York"
---------
Guess you're referring to the decision supporting the right of any 2 adults to get married. I was happy to hear what this brave judge decided, but I don't have much hope that it won't be overturned.

Anyhow, some day, which we may not live to see, there will be all kinds of inspiring Gay History Month programming on TV and people will watch it and wonder how their otherwise reasonable ancestors (that would be Our Generation) could have such delusional beliefs about gay people.

Re: NY State court decision

[pameladean]

That's what I was referring to. I was also quite pleased that when she mentioned polygamy it was not as a slippery slope that we aren't going down but just as an example of different ideas of marriage.

I'm sorry to hear from somebody nearer the story that you think the decision will be overturned. I was about to ask if New York was really more bigoted and narrow-minded and hateful than Massachusetts, but of course the Massachusetts decision was by the highest court in the state, and this one wasn't.

I really want to live long enough to see Gay History specials on PBS. It would be such a nice change from PBS's present behavior, the cravens.

P.

Re: NY State court decision

[eva-d-struction.livejournal.com]

And sure enough this morning I wake up to the news that our asshole mayor is appealing the decision. Claims that he personally is in favor of gay marriage, but he's obligated to appeal the decision "so we can get a decisive ruling."

Re: NY State court decision

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

That's a reasonable action, unfortunately.

The decision was going to be appealed, if at all possible. And if it wasn't, another case would have been put together to send up the chain. The court stayed the decision so that it could be appealed, and the mayor did the reasonable thing.

We do need a decisive ruling.

B

Re: NY State court decision

[eva-d-struction.livejournal.com]

Well, I hope you're right; I hope the gamble pays off.

I guess I shouldn't have called Bloomberg an asshole, but his football-stadium/Olympics obsession has turned me against him. But that's a whole nother can of worms.

Eva

Re: NY State court decision

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I never said that I disagree with your assessment of Bloomberg.

B

LOL

[karenkay.livejournal.com]

I couldn't figure out exactly what you were talking about in this paragraph, so I turned to Google news, which helped remind me about Barbara Boxer and the Supreme Court of the state of NY. Mark Dayton, I don't remember hearing of before, but I can understand your hero-worship.

Alberto Gonzales I know all too well, but I couldn't figure out your comment about "Wolfram and Hart". I had to Google the web to find out--there are a lot of very clever web sites out there that try not to give it away. Most of them had a Careers link, which cracked me up.

Re: LOL

[pameladean]

I have mentioned him before, but I don't really expect you to recall all the minutiae of my postings. Back when the Bush campaign was making a huge fuss about how Kerry was the most liberal senator, anybody who bothered to actually look at the source the campaign was citing could plainly see that it wasn't Kerry at all, it was Dayton. I had not really regarded him much when we had Paul Wellstone, but I am increasingly pleased with him.

I didn't know about the web sites. That's hilarious.

I didn't mean to be quite so obscure. Notes to self indeed.

P.

Re: LOL

[karenkay.livejournal.com]

Now that you remind me what you said about Dayton, I remember it. His name just didn't stick.

I don't think you were obscure, really. I worked two 55-hour weeks in a row and then was sick all day yesterday, so I think most of the obscurity was on my side.

[sdn.livejournal.com]

i hate to say that your story is interesting me more than the news.

(i use this icon to signify: editor)

[pameladean]

Well, actually, me too.

The icon is quite imposing!

P.

[pameladean]

I am vastly amused to see that the consensus is that Wolfram and Hart wouldn't give Gonzales the time of day. I am walking around chortling.

P.

[marykaykare.livejournal.com]

No, they wouldn't. But could we sic them on him? Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

MKK

[asimovberlioz.livejournal.com]

Barbara Boxer is my hero too. I worked Democratic precinct phone banks for her (and for Feinstein, and Clinton/Gore) back in 1992. Of course I voted for her in 1992, 1998, and 2004.

In 1998, in fact, I voted for her over her opponent, who was, believe it or not, named after me. Republican nominee Matt Fong is the son of longtime California pol March Fong Eu and her ex-husband, Chester Fong. Chester was one of my father's best friends in dental school; they're still in touch via email. Chester and March adopted their son shortly after I was born, and they named him after me.

Actually, in 1998, we had an open primary, after a ballot initiative allowing such passed (though it was later reversed by judges acting on behalf of panicked legislators). The leaders in the Republican race for the Senate nomination were Fong and Darrell Issa, a neocon representative from San Diego or someplace equally nasty. Issa made his fortune manufacturing automobile alarms; you know, the kind that go off if a bird happens to flap its wings within 100 meters of the car. As I am of the opinion that Issa should not rise to higher office, I crossed party lines in the primary to vote for my namesake, but just as importantly against Issa.

Issa was also the architect of the lunatic recall of the mostly competent Governor Gray Davis a couple of years ago. It was his clever plant to get himself into the governor's office by stealth (since the superhigh energy prices Davis was stuck with having the state pay were engineered by those rotten bastards at Enron). Then Arnold Schwarzenegger realized he would surely rise to the top of this mess on his name recognition alone. When Arnold entered the race, Issa wept. So there was one good thing that came out of that mess.

And here I used to think that Minnesota politics was crazy!

[(Anonymous)]

On an apolitical note, I love your title. Yay The Lady's Not For Burning!
~faerie_music's behind the times friend who doens't have her own lj

[pameladean]

Oh, it is so pleasant to have literary allusions caught.

I thought of naming my journal that; maybe some other time.

P.

[wonderlandkat.livejournal.com]

I don't think he's classy enough for W&H. Plus I think he's too suck up to his boss and not enough pure evil (for them, certainly too evil but also too such up for us).

New Convert! *bows low*

[jinii-chan.livejournal.com]

Hi! For some strange reason, I had heard of your Tam Lin through the mysterious ways of the Geeky Grapevine (i.e., from some online site as well as from multiple friends), bought a copy of it, but then never got a chance to read it until now. (Now that I think about it, I think it sorta disappeared into one of the uncountable teetering stacks of books in my room... ^^;;) However, having finally rescued it and started reading it (I haven't quite finished it yet due to the stupidity that is life's inevitable intrusion XD), I just have to say, it's FABULOUS!!! It was so good, I read until ~06:00 in the morning and only stopped because the lack of sleep caught up with me. ^^;; Being an unrepentant bookworm and an English major, I feel all warm & fuzzy whenever I read all those literary allusions/quotes. ^.~ (Of course, if I don't catch them, I can't resist looking them up--hence, why I'm only half way through your book and not already finished ^^;;--and then I feel as if my cultural repertoire has expanded mightily. ^______^ Thank you for that!) Anyways, I just felt that you should know that you have a new convert. ^_^ Next on my reading list: your Secret Country Trilogy! *rubs hands together in maniacal glee* >=3

P.S.--Would you mind terribly if I added you to my friends list?

Re: New Convert! *bows low*

[pameladean]

Thank you so much for your kind words. If my books can keep people up late and make them look up allusions, I feel my existence is justified.

Please feel free to friend me. I can't friend everybody who does that or I would never get any work done, but I do stroll through my list periodically and peek at journals I haven't looked at before.

P.

Re: New Convert! *bows low*

[jinii-chan.livejournal.com]

Oh, great! Thanks so much for letting me friend you! And I completely understand about not friending everybody (mine's pretty boring anyway; I spend all my time reading books instead of updating it... ^^;;). Thanks again, and I really hope I get a chance to meet you someday!

*whispers to herself*: To actually MEET one of my gods... O.O *feels faint* (And yes, my other gods are all authors too... ^^;;)

[plaidkatia.livejournal.com]

hello. i'm yet another (or just another) college girl who read tam lin about five thousand times and recently found your livejournal. borrowed from friend, gave back, found at library book sale, sold to sister for god knows what (and obviously wasn't that important), found on a used bookstore website and did the dance of joy.
thank you for a lovely book which kept me sane through high school and beyond. though i go to a massive public university instead of a little liberal-arts college, i've got friends at both macalester and carleton and whenever i walk through i think of janet and thomas and professor medeous.
i would be honored if you would let me "friend" you. (yay for verbing nouns...)

[pameladean]

Thank you, it's very pleasant to have assisted anybody's sanity. 8-)

Do please feel to friend me. All my posts so far are public, so it's not much of an honor at the moment, but you never know.

"Friend" has been a verb for a long time. "I will friend you, if I may/In the dark and cloudy day," says Housman in "Terence, This is Stupid Stuff" (which is the poem that contains the famous line about how malt does more than Milton can to justify God's ways to man). But of course the LJ meaning is specialized.

P.

P.

[rosefox]

Apropos of nothing, I just submitted a review to Publishers Weekly that included the phrase "with a sweet flair reminiscent of Charles De Lint and Pamela Dean"; so if you feel your ears burning in a couple of weeks, it's because that issue has hit the presses. I mayn't say which book it was, since it's theoretically anonymous and all, but keep an eye on the F&SF forecasts.

Hello in there? Hello...?

[(Anonymous)]

Every morning I check this blog. Every single morning. I automated the process. And every time, for going on two months: Nada. I expect this from Brust. He never notices if the narcissus are up, and doesn't report when his animals do something charming, and regularly neglects to snarl intelligently about the state of the world. (He does, sometimes, say insightful things about writing, however.) If it weren't for getting news from Da Borer, I'd believe that Minnesota had ceased to exist.

But if you're writing, pretend I didn't say any of this.

--Emma

Re: Hello in there? Hello...?

[pameladean]

I got out of the habit while finishing a story on a deadline, and haven't quite got up the momentum to start in again. I apologize abjectly.

Brust is indeed a very irritating weblogger. Just when you have given up on him altogether he writes something about the meltdown of his Linux box, in the manner of Patrick O'Brian. And then he disappears.

The narcissus won't be up for weeks, however, so I hope I have some small excuse.

P.