Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in annmorris' LiveJournal:

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Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009
2:43 pm	NECRONOMICON 2009 SCHEDULE!!!! This is down and dirty but it's taken directly from the Excel file where the schedule has been "living" these past few months. Panel Genre day time room Guest 1 Guest 2 Guest 3 Guest 4 Host Playing the Game with the Big Boys gaming Fri 1:00 PM Harborview LaSanta Helton Chris McCoy Chrissy McCoy Winn Comics & SF as Pop Cultural Phenomenons culture Fri 2:00 PM Harborview Stark Pinsky Green Hatfield You Say 'Self-Pub' Like It's A Bad Thing: Ways To Use It So It's Not.""" publishing Fri 3:00 PM Harborview Van Scoyoc Helton Chris McCoy G. Finkelstein Nappier Working with Small Presses publishing Fri 4:00 PM Harborview Strand Barber Logan Helwig Wilber Chasing Dreams: How I Came to be a Writer writing Fri 5:00 PM Harborview Asaro Briggs Byers Zahn Malcohn Eye Scream Social event Fri 7:00 PM Ballroom You Say You Want to be an Actor… media Fri 8:00 PM Harborview Breslauer Wynkoop G. Finkelstein T. Finkelstein Green Meanwhile: Day Jobs for Writers (compatible ways to write and put food on the table writing Fri 9:00 PM Harborview Courtney Briggs Wilber Shea Movie 1 Liners trivia Fri 9:00 PM St. Pete 1 Lung Catherine Asaro Concert music Fri 9:00 PM St. Pete 3 Asaro Wolcott Vincenti MacDougal he Sailing Writer writing Fri 9:00 PM Williams Jackson Open Filk fan Fri 10:00 PM Harborview Bruns How to Grab Your Reader: Scene Tension writing how-to Fri 10:00 PM Williams Briggs Wilber Adult Scavenger Hunt game Fri 10:30 PM St. Pete 1 Lung All the Good Single Guys Seem to be Imaginary fan Fri 11:00 PM Williams Stark Caldwell Dr. Horrible SingAlong event Sat 12:00 AM Ballroom Dryer Gay Issues in Fandom fan Sat 12:00 AM Williams Dagneau Hinman Callen "Steampunk/Lolita, Teen/Tween Jewelry" workshop Sat 10:00 AM Harborview Shea What is Art's Place in Society? art Sat 10:00 AM St. Pete 1 Cornett Helwig Malcohn MacDougal Nappier Guests of Honor Q&A event Sat 10:00 AM St. Pete 2 Asaro Byers Briggs Green Magazine from Start to Finish publishing Sat 10:00 AM St. Pete 3 Van Scoyoc Gittens Cyborgs, Supermen, & Constructs — Oh My!" science Sat 11:00 AM St. Pete 1 Caldwell KF Morris KD Morris A Jackson MacDougal Asara/Wolcott: Diamondstar Project music Sat 11:00 AM St. Pete 2 Asaro Wolcott E-Book formats & DRM Methods writing Sat 11:00 AM St. Pete 3 Howdershelt Helton Malcohn M. Briggs Medieval Martial Arts Workshop workshop Sat 12:00 PM Harborview Sharkey Urban Fantasy writing Sat 12:00 PM St. Pete 1 Cornett Byers Barber Sabin Nappier International Space Station Slide Show science Sat 12:00 PM St. Pete 2 Mitchell "Chibis, Round Eyes and Short Pants: What Does it Mean?" anime Sat 12:00 PM St. Pete 3 Stark T. Morris Working for a Living in the Entertainment Industry media Sat 1:00 PM St. Pete 1 Breslauer Wynkoop Green Hinman Digital Comics comics Sat 1:00 PM St. Pete 2 Stark Anime Trivia anime Sat 1:00 PM St. Pete 3 Sanmiguel A. Morris Seven Biggest Mistakes Writers Make writing Sat 2:00 PM Harborview Courtney Rush Gittens Barber How to Break into the Field:Art art Sat 2:00 PM St. Pete 1 Vincenti Morrison Shea Cornett T. Morris Trivia trivia Sat 2:00 PM St. Pete 2 Jones Zahn "Horror, Fantasy and Sci-Fi: Anime vs Western Media" anime Sat 2:00 PM St. Pete 3 Caldwell Necronomicon Green Challenge science Sat 3:00 PM Harborview K.D. Morris A. Jackson Mitchell MacDougal Caldwell Autographing: Briggs & Asaro event Sat 3:00 PM St. Pete 1 Asaro Briggs Trivia trivia Sat 3:00 PM St. Pete 2 Jones Zahn Dude Looks Like a Lady anime Sat 3:00 PM St. Pete 3 Hollingsworth Music & SF/F music Sat 4:00 PM Harborview Asaro Green Wolcott Vincenti MacDougal Future Economy: Can we move to all electronic currency? culture Sat 4:00 PM St. Pete 1 Caldwell Ewing Berman Zahn Winn Ask the Science Guys science Sat 4:00 PM St. Pete 2 MacDougal A. Jackson Mitchell K.D. Morris Genre Jumping-Writing in more then one field writing Sat 4:00 PM St. Pete 3 Barber Sabin G. Finkelstein Logan Van Scoyoc Likenesses and Differences in F & SF writing Sat 5:00 PM Harborview Briggs Byers Asaro Sabin Schlabach Women in SF/F writing Sat 5:00 PM St. Pete 1 G. Finkelstein Hatfield Barber Howdershelt Genre Radio media Sat 5:00 PM St. Pete 2 Gutierrez Meanwhile: Day Jobs for Writers (compatible ways to write and put food on the table writing Sat 5:00 PM St. Pete 3 Ewing Joy Jackson Ludwigsen Costume Contest Line-Up event Sat 7:00 PM Harborview Costume Contest Seating Begins event Sat 7:30 PM Ballroom Costume Contest event Sat 8:00 PM Ballroom Caldwell Podolak T. Morris A. Morris/Byers Introduction to Meditation media Sat 9:00 PM Williams Glick Necronomi-Prom event Sat 9:30 PM Ballroom Sears Stubkjaer Meredith Hollingsworth You Don't Have to Be Screwed Up to Be a Writer...But It Helps writing Sat 10:00 PM Williams Joy Hansen Strand Jackson Ludwigsen SF Name That Tune trivia Sat. 10:00 PM Harborview Harben Open Filk fan Sat 11:00 PM Harborview Bruns "So, What Are Your Thoughts on Yaoi?"": yaoi, yuri, hentai, oh my!" anime Sat 11:00 PM Williams Caldwell Slash Panel fan Sun 12:00 AM Williams Bad Magic in Fantasy & Horror/Bad Science in SF writing Sun 10:00 AM Harborview Berman Chrissy McCoy C. Jackson Joy Nappier Soul Food: Stories for Making Spirits Soar culture Sun 10:00 AM St. Pete 1 G. Finkelstein Gittens Byers Barber Ludwigsen The Future of NASA science Sun 10:00 AM St. Pete 2 Mitchell Berman Caldwell MacDougal Voice Acting Workshop Acting Sun 10:00 AM St. Pete 2 Breslauer How to Go from Amateur to Pro:Game Creation gaming Sun 10:00 AM St. Pete 3 Helton LaSanta Chris McCoy Winn It Was a Dark and Scary Night… writing Sun 11:00 AM Harborview Hansen Van Scoyoc Strand Barber enre Jumping-Writing in more then one field: Round Two writing Sun 11:00 AM St. Pete 1 Wilber Byers Fun in Fiction with Quantum Physics writing Sun 11:00 AM St. Pete 3 Asaro MacDougal Caldwell Sabin Medieval Martial Arts Workshop workshop Sun 12:00 PM Harborview Sharkey Using Traditional Media in a Digital Age art Sun 12:00 PM St. Pete 1 Vincenti Shea Morrison Helwig Caldwell Astronomy: Amateurs science Sun 12:00 PM St. Pete 2 MacDougal "Urban Fantasy, Round Two" writing Sun 12:00 PM St. Pete 3 Briggs Joy Rush Gittens Wilber Fandom is Making Exceptions: Things We Love for No Good Reason fan Sun 1:00 PM St. Pete 1 Ludwigsen Briggs Byers Wilber Nappier Exobiology: Why There are No Aliens Here science Sun 1:00 PM St. Pete 2 Herbert "Social Media: Twitter, Facebook, MySpace…" media Sun 1:00 PM St. Pete 3 Jackson Pinsky Joy Hansen Helton "self marketing and promotion of art, jewelry, costumes and writing" Misc. Sun 2:00 PM St. Pete 1 Shea Cornett Vincenti Morrison Winn Exobiology: Why There are No Aliens Here science Sun 2:00 PM St. Pete 2 Herbert Living in a Virtual World media Sun 2:00 PM St. Pete 3 Helton Chris McCoy Chrissy McCoy Caldwell Shea (Comment on this)
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009
1:48 pm	VIDCON 2009 SCHEDULE The schedule for Vidcon 2009</strong> FRIDAY New Shows 5pm NCIS 5pm Dinner: Asian Cuisine 6pm (Pay $15 by 10am, July 14) Welcome Party After Dinner Vids Fri After Welcome Party SATURDAY Harry Potter - Are the Movies Holding Up 10am Burn Notice 10am Reboots 11am Mentalist 11am The Big Bang Theory Noon What TPTB Wrote vs. What We Saw Noon Unscripted Shows 1pm Ways To Watch a Show - Live, Download, Block? 1pm Doctor Who 9 and 10 2pm Supernatural Slash 2pm Whedoniverse 3pm Year in Review 3pm Stargate - What Now? 4pm But I Liked Season #? 4pm Jumping the Shark 5pm I'll Watch Anything With Blank in It 5pm Dinner: Italian Cuisine 6pm (Pay $15 by 10am, July 14) Trivia Quiz After Dinner Song Vids & Other fun Vids after Trivia SUNDAY How to Pimp a Show 10am Torchwood 10am What Were You Watching? 11 am True Blood 11am Psych Noon Life Changing Plots Missed by Fan Writers Noon Rediscovering the Wheel 1pm Doctor Who 11: Speculation and Rumors 1pm Anime– Slash, Gay or Gen? 2pm Supernatural Gen 2pm Future of Fandom 3pm Write to deb@stonehill.org or annmorris1@yahoo.com for more information or visit our Our MySpace Page or the Stone Hill page (Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 24th, 2008
10:29 am	MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! (Comment on this)
Wednesday, November 5th, 2008
11:36 am	HOPE (The Day After We Chose Our Next President) For the first time in a long time, I think that our country has seen the right path and chosen to take it. Americans have now shown the world that we can vote for the man whom we think can do the best to lead our country. We didn't vote for Barack Obama because or in spite of his ethnic heritage but because he shared with us his plans and ideas about bringing good changes to our country and we thought them worthy. I am proud today. Our people have made me proud. Now, it's time for us to learn what we can do to effect the changes we so fervently want and need. We can get this work done! YES WE CAN! (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, November 3rd, 2008
4:36 pm	VOTE! Unlike some Internet polls, the U.S. general election is not an event in which you may vote as many times as you like. You get one vote but that vote is very important. Elections have been won by just 1 vote. If you have not cast your 1 vote yet, you still can do so on election day--NOVEMBER 4th. If you don't know where your polling place is, CLICK HERE TO FIND YOUR VOTING LOCATION If you need help getting to your polling location, call 877-2-FLOBAMA (877-235-6226)to find out how to get a ride. Volunteers are going to be taking people to the polls. They will be hoping you are going to vote for Obama but will not deny you a ride if you wish not to tell them for whom you are voting or that you're voting for McCain. Last Friday, I worked five hours at the Plant City Obama campaign headquarters. I have never volunteered for a political campaign before. This time, I wanted to do at least a little to help get out the vote. So, this one last time before election day, I ask you to get out and vote if you have not and if you know someone who has not voted, encourage that person to go with you to vote. No matter what the outcome of this election is, those who vote will be a part of something truly historic. This one will get more than a footnote in the history texts of the future. Peace, Ann (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008
3:41 pm	I VOTED EARLY Today, I voted. I was glad to be able to vote for someone I actually think can help bring this country around to be a better place than it is for many right now. I voted "NO" on the "marriage amendment." What occurred to me the other night was that if you look at that amendment in a certain way, it could mean that nobody can remarry if he or she gets divorced. It says marriage will be defined as one man and one woman. Well, once you've been legally married, you've had your one man or woman. You would not be allowed to be legally married to anyone else. I think that would be pretty funny. It would surely get under the skin of more than a few people if it were interpreted that way. They write these things in just such a way that you can make almost any case you want with them. Well, I had to say that because it amused me and if I can't laugh at some of the crap that is out there during election time, I'll end up crying. Peace, Ann (Comment on this)
Wednesday, October 15th, 2008
8:05 am	NEW LINKS ADDED TO PICTURE LINKS FOR NECRONOMICON This link now goes directly to my slideshow on Photobucket. 10.17.08 Ann Morris's slide show on Photobucket costume pictures taken by Mike Darmanin NEW PICTURES as of 10.15.08 Pictures taken by Ranuel A lot of new pictures have been added to this album as of 10.17.08. Pictures from Julie Czerneda Q & A taken by Kendall Morris and a bunch of great around the con pics taken by Judy Darnell If you have pictures from the con to share, please send a link to them to raggedyann@stonehill.org and she'll post it here. (Comment on this)
Monday, October 13th, 2008
5:33 pm	Pictures from NECRONOMICON 2008 slide show by Ann Morris costume pictures taken by Mike Darmanin If you have pictures from the con to share, please send a link to them to raggedyann@stonehill.org and she'll post it here. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, September 17th, 2008
10:02 am	Someone else has said this better than I could say... Check out this editorial from the New York Times. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, September 14th, 2008
8:57 am	WOMEN AGAINSAT SARAH PALIN I just finished writing a letter to the editor of the Tampa Tribune concerning Sarah Palin's lack of knowledge and how dangerous a pick as a running mate she is for John McCain. I also signed a petition as a woman against Palin. McCain's choice of Sarah Palin was just a ploy to get women to vote for him so they could have her. What he doesn't seem to know is that many of us find that cynical and insulting. To offer up a woman who is so inexperienced and lacking in knowledge of the most basic issues facing our nation is just a slap in the face to those women who THINK! We will not be fooled. We will not vote on the basis of gender. We will vote on the basis of qualifications and values that match our own. It's important that WOMEN WHO THINK rather than just follow some woman who is out only to further her own agenda to gain power stand up and say how wrong for our country Sarah Palin is. By his choice of her alone, McCain has shown how unfit he is to be in the nation's highest office. That's my bit for today. Peace, Ann (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, September 13th, 2008
7:11 am	PLEASE GIVE MY BLOG A CHANCE Yesterday, I signed up on the official Obama/Biden community blog site. I am going to be posting regularly to that site but that's preaching to the choir and I want to put my thoughts out in places where some curious person might happen to see them and rethink his or her choice of McCain/Palin and switch to Obama/Biden. Maybe I'll only be preaching to the choir here and at MySpace but there's a chance that my words will get to at least a few people who are now locked in as McCain/Palin supporters and make them examine their choice more closely. My blog's title on the Obama/Biden site is "Tama Ann's Blog." Below, is the blog text I posted this morning. **** While I am a pacifist and dislike the use of negative advertising for political gain, I realize that the cold, hard truth is that it's time for the Democratic party and others interested in getting our man Obama into the White House to get tough. It's time to fight the lies, the snarky name-callers and the religious right wingers who want to highjack the nation the way they've highjacked the Republican party. If the Republicans kept religion out of their campaigns it would be unfair to attack them on that issue but since they attacked Obama first through his minister, and since Sarah Palin brings God and religion into her politics, it is fair to attack McCain/Palin on that issue. Just the fact that our nation was founded on the basis of a separation of church and state makes it fair to attack when candidates bring religion into their campaigns. So, I say that the Democratic party needs to hit hard against the use of religious matters such as the teaching of Creationism in schools rather than science, the attacks on Roe v, Wade, and the prejudicial treatment of gay and lesbian citizens based on their interpretation of the Bible. If McCain/Palin stuck to issues such as the need for healthcare for all of our citizens, the failing economy, and the misdirection of our nation's foreign policy by the Bush administration, it would not be right to publicly air the personal failings of McCain and Palin. They don't stick to those and similar issues though. They push their right wing so-called Christian life choices on us all. Their lives will not stand up to the scrutiny that they would use on us. They have made it fair to scrutinize them because they have set themselves up as paragons of virtue. It's time to unmask these "Mavericks" by hitting them hard on the real issues and not allowing them to divert people's attention by bringing God into the campaign. It's also time to attack them on their disregard for the Constitution and the rights it gives our people. That's my bit for today. Peace, Tama Ann (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, August 29th, 2008
10:43 am	EVENTS TO CHECK OUT AT NECRONOMICON WORKSHOPS: For Aspiring Authors: For those who want to improve their writing skills, D.C. Black hosts three hours of writing workshops. Bring your work, your questions and your willingness to learn. There will be one hour each day of the convention. For Martial Arts Aficionados: If you’ve always wanted to “get medieval” on someone, why not check out T. Devon Sharkey and Tampa Fechtschule’s combat workshops on Saturday and Sunday at noon. You’ll have two hours of hands-on medieval combat instruction. This is a workshop for joining in rather than sitting on the sidelines. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes with good traction. For the Creative and Crafty Set: Artist Rubi Shea, a.k.a. Carol Jeffers, is presenting two workshops for those with a creative bent. She’s hosting a beginning jewelry making workshop on Saturday afternoon and a workshop on learning to be a digital artist without going broke on Sunday. Teaching Science through Science Fiction: Guest of honor Julie Czerneda is hosting this workshop for us. She’ll clue you in on innovative ways to teach science concepts to students by using science fiction literature and media. This workshop is open to all convention members. Even if you don’t teach science, you will find Ms. Czerneda’s methods intriguing and entertaining. SPECIAL EVENTS: Pajama Party/Scary Stories Get on your comfy jammies, bring a pillow and a security blanket and join us Friday night at 10 for our Scary Stories Pajama Party. Four authors who know how to scare the bejeezus out of you will read spooky bedtime stories. Authors Jeff Strand, Lynne Hansen, Richard Lee Byers and Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc are your hosts for the late night fun. Autographings We'll have autograph sessions with our guests of honor all three days of the convention, so bring your books to be signed. If you are a book dealer and have many books you wish signed, please contact each guest independently to set up a time he or she can autograph for you. The general autograph sessions are for fans to get books personalized to them. Adult Scavenger Hunt Friday night, those of you who like games can find a new one on our schedule. Stacy Lung who hosts Movie 1-liners each year is hosting a new game immediately following Movie 1-liners this year. The game is for the over 18 crowd. (Younger players will be allowed as long as parents give their consent to Stacy.) Those who join in will be participating in a scavenger hunt. The game will be played in teams of four and the winning team will win a prize worth $100. Dr. Morris Explains It All for You Saturday afternoon at four, come learn about the scientific method from Dr. Kendall F. Morris, lecturer and researcher at the University of South Florida College of Medicine. This is not your grandpa's stuffy, sleep inducing lecture. This one is entertaining as well as thought provoking. You'll come away with new insights and knowledge. If you are a fan of science of science fiction, you don't want to miss this one. International Space Station Slide Show Jeff Mitchell, real life rocket scientist, presents this slide show update on the International Space Station Friday night at 9. Jeff promises that those of you who've attended his space station updates in the past have not seen it all. There is a lot of news and new slides to see. NECRONOMI-PROM Whether or not you got to go to your high school prom, you won't want to miss our prom, the NECRONOMI-PROM. Put on your best costume that will allow you to move with the groove, or don traditional formal attire and dance the night away Saturday night at the con. Our D.J.s are looking for the best "it's got a good beat, you can dance to it" tunes and they'll take requests. If they've got it, they'll play it. You can bring CDs with the music you love and they'll play that too. Don't miss your chance to be crowned King, Queen or Other of the NECRONOMI-Prom. The prom takes place immediately following the Saturday night costume contest. (Comment on this)
Saturday, August 23rd, 2008
10:15 am	QUIZ TIME:) You Are From Mercury You are talkative, clever, and knowledgeable - and it shows. You probably never leave home without your cell phone! You're witty, expressive, and aware of everything going on around you. You love learning, playing, and taking in all of what life has to offer. Be careful not to talk your friends' ears off, and temper your need to know everything. You Have A Type B+ Personality You're a pro at going with the flow You love to kick back and take in everything life has to offer A total joy to be around, people crave your stability. While you're totally laid back, you can have bouts of hyperactivity. Get into a project you love, and you won't stop until it's done You're passionate - just selective about your passions Do You Have a Type A Personality? What Planet Are You From? How You Life Your Life You seem to be straight forward, but you keep a lot inside. You're laid back and chill, but sometimes you care too much about what others think. You tend to have one best friend you hang with, as opposed to many acquaintances. You tend to dream big, but you worry that your dreams aren't attainable. How Do You Live Your Life? Your Element Is Air You dislike conflict, and you've been able to rise above the angst of the world. And when things don't go your way, you know they'll blow over quickly. Easygoing, you tend to find joy from the simple things in life. You roll with the punches, and as a result, your life is light and cheerful. You find it easy to adapt to most situations, and you're an open person. With you, what you see is what you get... and people love that! What's Your Element? (Comment on this)
Friday, March 21st, 2008
9:49 pm	CORNER GAS CHARACTER QUIZ (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, September 10th, 2007
1:42 pm	MY CORNER OF THE WORLD Just test results:) Your Score: Forgotten Realms Your world is 49% Sophisticated, 26% Unconventional, and 23% Intense! You are stuck in Faerun. The world of stock fantasy. Generic, uninsightful, rather low-key, and yet strangely compelling in its generic, uninsightful, rather low-key variety. Do you want to be an elf dancing from treetop to treetop, bow in hand? An ancient sorcerer bent on conquering the world? A charming rogue inadvertently lured into saving the world/country/city/neighbourhood/city block? It's all there. Just about any fantasy cliche imaginable lies waiting for you, but not much else... and you like it that way. Link: The Which Imaginary World Fits You Test written by Azurain on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test (Comment on this)
Friday, June 8th, 2007
11:49 am	LONDON AT LAST The last time I was here, I wrote more than you ever wanted to know about my plane trip across the Atlantic. At the end of that report, I promised future reports on London. Finally, I am writing about the actual visit. It has taken me several weeks to get back to a routine that allows me time to write. I had to catch up on things not done at home and on rest. It always seems that after a vacation, I need a second vacation to recover from the first vacation. There was no rest for the weary when I first got home as I was off to OASIS only three days after getting back from London. Anyway… I had wanted to visit England, London in particular, since I was a young thing back in the 1960s. The title of my senior theme written for my English class was “England As It Is Today.” The first day of my visit, was somewhat overwhelming. At one point, the realization that I was standing on a sidewalk in a place I’d dreamed of going for more than forty years. It gave me a lump in my throat and a few tears. Lawren Louli told me that she had instantly loved London and felt she was at home. The same was true for me and even for Kendall who thinks that temperatures below 85 ought to be illegal. It was almost enough to make me believe that we do have genetic memories. Kendall’s grandfather for whom he was named came from England to the U.S. My ancestors who lived in England are at least six generations back and they had migrated from Ireland but perhaps that’s good enough. Then again, maybe most of us who loved the English music in the 1. Kendall’s grandfather for whom he was named came from England to the U.S. My ancestors who lived in England are at least six generations back and they had migrated from Ireland but perhaps that’s good enough. Then again, maybe most of us who loved the English music in the 60s, were unwittingly programmed by some English Tourist Board so that we’d cross the pond and spend money in the shops and pubs of the land. Rather than give you a full travelogue of my days, I’d rather give a few observations and sprinkle a few pictures into the mix. Walking around London was like being in a “Dr. Who” episode. This impression was reinforced when Kendall and I watched the first Christopher Eccleston “Dr. Who” episode on DVD last week. The London Eye, a very large Ferris wheel, was a major plot point in that episode. Kendall and John Robinson (who was visiting also as I mentioned in my previous journal) went for a ride while Vanessa (who had kindly invited us to stay with her in East Croydon just outside London) and I had a sweet and a beverage. While watching “Dr. Who,” Kendall kept pointing and saying, “We were there!” It was true. Trafalgar Square and a corner where there is a big building that has large, very Bladerunner-ish neon signs on it were shown in that episode too. We saw the red double-decker buses everywhere and the red phone boxes. London is very colorful in it’s decoration as well in history. I wondered if there was so much color used on buildings and vehicles because the weather is often gray. That rather gray weather was great for us walking around. It was not too warm to be comfortable and it was never overly chilly. The rain we had a couple of times was nothing compared to the drenchings we sometimes get here. There was no thunder and lightening, so it was fine to cover appropriately and walk in the rain. We hit some of the high spots that are always pointed out for tourists but not too many. More than rushing around seeing everything, we wanted to take a leisurely pace and enjoy the atmosphere, kind of pretend we were locals just out and about. There was a pub only about three minutes worth of walking from Vanessa’s house and we had at least four meals there. The pub is one that is following a new trend of “gastro-pubs.” They have high quality restaurant style meals. Simultaneously with this trend is another trend toward traditional English dishes. I guess the pubs had moved away from them for a time but wherever we went, they were back. In the gastro-pub near Vanessa’s, there were traditional dishes served with a bit of gourmet tweaking. Being Sherlock Holmes fans, we made a point to visit the Sherlock Holmes museum. It was quite a lot of fun. There were representations of the rooms at 221B Baker Street, which is the actual address of the museum, and artifacts from many of the stories. There was a gentleman there portraying Dr. Watson. He greeted visitors and offered Sherlock’s chair for them to sit in and would graciously allow people to have their pictures taken with him. He and Kendall had a rapport and as we were descending the stairs to go to the gift shop, he cautioned us not to do as he had done the night before and have too much wine. His night of excess had not been detrimental to his acting ability but he said he was feeling it. If I go on, I’ll be here for hours and so will you. So, for today, I will let it go at this. Here are a few pictures to prove that I do not lie Yep, that’s the Thames, and Big Bend on the right and The London Eye on the left. Here’s Kendall raising his pint at the Glamorgen pub near Vanessa’s house. Here is the outside of Vanessa’s adorable little Victorian house. It’s in a row of flats that were built for railroad workers originally. Me at Trafalgar Square. Kendall says I look like the seasoned traveler in this. Can I call the Doctor from this phone? Just being silly. I think they London government has left the phone boxes for atmosphere. Nobody seems to use them. Like here, everyone has a cell phone. Cheers! (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, May 10th, 2007
2:12 am	THE START OF MY TRAVEL JOURNAL This will be posted on the installment plan. I really was only able to get a start on it this morning. I found it was quite an emotional day for me yesterday being in London. When you realize that you are doing something you've wanted to do for over 40 years, it's a bit overwhelming. Today's bit is just the beginning of the trip--the actual being conveyed to London bit. *** PART I: PROBABLY MORE THEN YOU WANT OR NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE FLIGHT TO LONDON BUT HAVE TO AT LEAST PRETEND TO HAVE WADED THROUGH WHEN I ASK YOU IF YOU'VE READ MY REPORT The proverb, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step," might well be updated to "A journey of 4, 442 miles begins with one airplane ride." If one traveled in a straight line (we all know that bit about the shortest distance between two points), it would be a journey of somewhat less mileage but the route taken by British Airways is somewhat of an anomoly. Apparently, the most effecient path to take is to fly north from Tampa to Newfoundland and then head east to the United Kingdom, letting the strong headwinds of the North Atlantic give the plane a nice, big extra push. j I have to give kudos, props, high fives, or whatever virtual reward you choose to British Airways. Aside from there not being quite as much legroom as would be optimal for me, flying economy class on their transatlantic flight was really first rate. There were pillows, blankets, headphones for the inflight entertainment system and a tiny travel toothbrush and toothpaste waiting at the seats for each passenger. The seats leaned back a fair bit more than the usual miniscule amount of leverage one has on intercontinental U.S. flights and they had little sections on each side of the headrest that you could pull forward to make a cradle for your head. Should one have a fellow passenger whose head inclined to loll upon your shoulder, these cradling sections would handily take care of that problem. For those who partake of beer, wine, or spirits, there were complimentary drinks served, an amenity usually reserved for the "first class" section. A snack of pretzels was supplied to tide one over till a hot dinner was served. The meal was really quite a step above any I have had in the past. You had a choice of a chicken or beef entree, rice pilaf, greenbeans in cheese sauce, roll and butter, green salad with balsamic vinegrette and a tasty chocolate cake and cheesecake combination for dessert. At any time, you could have any of the alcoholic beverages, sodas, juices, milk, coffee and tea. Kendall said the tea was quite good. Of course, it being served on BRITISH Airways, one would expect no less. The inflight entertainment system was topnotch. Each person had access to a monitor that was positioned in the back of the headrest area of the seat in front of him. This put it right at eye level for me and I found viewing was accessible even to me with my poor vision. We had a choice of about 6 different movies and I chose "The Holiday," a "chick flick" I'd wanted to see but knew nobody in the family other then I would go to in the theater. It was an appropriate choice since a bit more than half the action of the movie takes place in England. Aftger that, I watched a show about bipolar disorder that was hosted by Stephen Frye, who is, as it turns out, a person with this disorder. After my evening's viewing, I did my best to just rest. When I could not sleep, I checked our progress by selecting the map and information section of the inflight entertainment system. It was fun to be able to see how far we'd come and at what rate of speed we flew and other such tidbits. I guess the one that impressed me most was the external temperature. I mean, you know that space, even such near space as one flies through in a jet plane, which not the really big space THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY reports upon, is cold but, wow, it's really, really cold. It's -51 to 74 degrees Celcius cold! Early in the morning (let's not even get into the time crunching that crossing time zones heading east from the U.S. creates) the cabin lights are turned up and breakfast is served. It was not as impressive as the dinner was but it was filling and refreshing and that's all one needs in a breakfast when one is in the blurry, hazy wold of time warped sleep deprivation. We landed at Gatwich airport, outside of London, at 8 a.m. and were able to leave the plane about 8:15. Our seats in the third to last row, so there was a wait whilst (I'll use "whilst" because it's used in all the British flight literature) other passengers retrieved their luggage from the overhead bins. Getting through customs was fast and simple. We presented our passports, stated that we'd be visiting for 2 weeks with a short hop over to Bratislava, Slovak Republic, got our passports stamped and were sent on our way. We went to baggage retrieval and got our bags and headed toward the "meeting area" where Vanessa May and John Robinson were waiting for us. After hugs all around, we headed directly to the train platforms to catch our train to the East Croyden station. I did look around to see if I could spot platform nine and three quarters but not being a Hogwars alumnus is probably what prevented me from seeing where it was. I was, however, happy to settle for platform four. When the train arrived we entered, being sure to "mind the gap" (more on that later) and found ourselves truly on our way to London. *** Tomorrow: The first day out and about in London I need a little distance in time from the events of yesterday to let them settle in and find their cubby in my brain. It was all good but I want to put it into a less jumbled state than it is currently in. Peace. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, April 19th, 2007
10:38 am	SOMETHING FUN I can't write about the incidents in Virginia. The subject is just too upsetting. So, I try to keep busy with more positive things. Here's a bit of fun for those of you who like filking. Check out this link Filk In The Blanks 1: Old McRorschach Even if you are not a filker per se, you might have some fun with this using names and terms from your favorite fandom. Here is one I did. Old McRorschach Old McRorschach had a blot, I-d-E-g-o. And in this blot he saw his Wedding, I-d-E-g-o. With a hum hum here and a sush sush there, Here a hum, there a sush, everywhere a hum sush, Old McRorschach needs some help, I-d-E-g-o. Old McRorschach had a blot, I-d-E-g-o. And in this blot he saw his Granddaughter, I-d-E-g-o. With a spaceship spaceship here and a shiny shiny there, Here a spaceship, there a shiny, everywhere a shiny spaceship, hum hum here and a sush sush there, Here a hum, there a sush, everywhere a hum sush, Old McRorschach needs some help, I-d-E-g-o. Old McRorschach had a blot, I-d-E-g-o. And in this blot he saw a panda, I-d-E-g-o. With a grounding grounding here and a cheep cheep there, Here a grounding, there a cheep, everywhere a grounding cheep, spaceship spaceship here and a shiny shiny there, Here a spaceship, there a shiny, everywhere a shiny spaceship, hum hum here and a sush sush there, Here a hum, there a sush, everywhere a hum sush, Old McRorschach needs some help, I-d-E-g-o. Old McRorschach had a blot, I-d-E-g-o. And in this blot he saw a editor, I-d-E-g-o. With a Yah! here and a No way! there, Here a Yah!, there a No way!, everywhere a Yah! No way!, grounding grounding here and a cheep cheep there, Here a grounding, there a cheep, everywhere a groundingcheep, spaceship, spaceship here and a shiny, shiny there, Here a spaceship, there a shiny, everywhere a shiny spaceship, hum hum here and a sush sush there, Here a hum, there a sush, everywhere a hum sush, Old McRorschach needs some help, I-d-E-g-o. Old McRorschach had a blot, I-d-E-g-o. And in this blot he saw Nathan Fillion, I-d-E-g-o. With a dark starlight here and a silky asteroid there, Here a dark, there a starlight, everywhere a silky asteroid, Yah! here and a No way! there, Here a Yah!, there a No way!, everywhere a Yah! No way!, grounding grounding here and a cheep cheep there, Here a grounding, there a cheep, everywhere a grounding cheep, spaceship spaceship here and a shiny shiny there, Here a spaceship, there a shiny, everywhere a shiny spaceship, hum hum here and a sush sush there, Here a hum, there a sush, everywhere a hum sush, Old McRorschach needs some help, I-d-E-g-o That's all for now. Go, play, have fun. Peace, Ann (Comment on this)
Wednesday, April 18th, 2007
3:47 pm	MY DAY WITH HARRY'S HAT AND THE SINGING MAN Several years ago, before Katrina all but demolished the city of New Orleans, I was in the French Quarter on a quest. On the surface, it didn’t seem as though it would be an epic quest but by the time I had achieved my goal, it had felt like it. What I was seeking was Harry Anderson’s magic shop, Sideshow. I’d read about it and gotten the address from a Google search and thought it would be a snap to find. The French Quarter is pretty easy to navigate in most places but it seems that up around the 900 north area, it’s a little dicier than the center near Jackson Park. I walked up and down for quite some time before I finally found the shop. Its sign was not large and the bright sun had blinded me to it several times before I stumbled (not literally) upon it. The shop was a conglomeration of Harry’s memorabilia, books about magic and sideshow attractions, and actual magic tricks. The item that really caught my interest was a skimmer, the kind of straw hat that Harry has worn many times in performance. When I asked the gentleman who was helping customers how much the hat cost, he told me that it was not for sale because it belonged to Harry, “but you can try it on,” he said and I jumped on that. “Oh, I have my camera with me. Would you take my picture wearing it?” He did take my picture and gave me one other thing to take away with me. When I commented that I never looked good in hats, his response was, “If you feel like you look good in a hat, you will look good.” I’ve remembered that ever since and I really do look much better in hats than I used to. After making several purchases of items to take home to my family, I left and headed to the French Market. On the way, I had to pass a jazzy little café that had live entertainment for its customers. There was a band playing and a singer singing “Bill Bailey.” As often happens to me when I hear songs to which I know the words, I started singing along. I was feeling good, having had my visit with Harry’s hat, and didn’t care if someone along the street heard me. After a moment, I realized that someone else was nearby and he was singing too. I looked to my side and there was a fellow about my height, wearing a muted green t-shirt, khaki shorts, and a baseball style cap. He smiled at me and I smiled at him and we both went on our way singing “Won’t you come home, Bill Bailey? Won’t you come home…” When I met up with my husband Kendall at the end of the day, I told him about Harry’s hat and about the “singing man.” He asked me if I thought it had been Jimmy Buffett. Jimmy’s Margaritaville restaurant was not far from where I had been walking and Kendall thought that it well could have been Jimmy from my description. I’ve never known with absolute certainty that it was Jimmy but if it wasn’t, whoever it was could have done an impersonation of him easily I have seen more than a few pictures of him and have been to two of his concerts and he really looks just like the “singing man.” Of course, I could find out with some investigation if Jimmy had been in New Orleans at the same time I was there but that would spoil the fun. It’s much more entertaining to me having it remain a possibility that it was Jimmy. If I found out he was in town then, it still would not create a certainty that he was my “singing man.” If I found out he was not there, it’d take a bit of the jazz out of the memory, so why do that? Whether or not it was Jimmy, the incident was a nice little mental post card for my memory collection. There you have it: my day with Harry’s hat and the “singing man.” Current Mood: amused (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, March 9th, 2007
8:34 am	MASS MAILING LIST Ann here. I sent this out to the mailing list I have currently on Yahoo but just in case there is someone here who wants to be added to the mailing list, I'll post what I sent by e-mail. *** Okay, I hear you! I hear you! At least, I virtually hear you. I can deal with change from my masterplan but you have to help. If what you want is mass e-mailing of news, this is what must happen. EVERYONE who wants to be on a mailing list that Debbie, Mark or I can use to inform you of news must send a message to Debbie, Mark and Me: deb@stonehill.org jomark@stonehill.org raggedyann@stonehill.org so we can create mailing lists that are accurate. Send me the message even though you are receiving this message. I will create a brand new list that does not have all the old, worn out addresses that are in my list now. Then, I will delete the old list. When you write to me, please write from the address to which you want mail sent so that I can just add it directly to my list in Yahoo. With my vision, I don't want to have to type them in as that allows for errors and then you won't get the mail even if I do send it. If you want a "stonehill.org" address, Mark can give you one. You can set up your mail program to check for stonehill messages easily. I did it by myself with Mozilla, so I know you computer wizkids out there can do it. That's all for now. Peace. (1 Comment |Comment on this)