kitgordon

I'm an old-fashioned person: I read my local daily (the Minneapolis Star Tribune) and the New York Times, both delivered to my door. My home page on my personal computer is Salon.com, so that's my primary on-line news source, though I do get a daily email from the Guardian (UK) as well.

I have always read fantasy and science fiction; along with historical fiction, they are my favorite genres, and in recent years constitute the bulk of what I read. So thanks to all those who've brightened many a day and night, with special nods to Ursula K. LeGuin, Chip Delany, Ray Bradbury, Lois McMaster Bujold, and the terrific writers I've heard and met at the Fourth Street Fantasy Convention this year and last, notably Sarah Monette, Elizabeth Bear, Cat Valente. I look forward to many more years of great reading by these folks and others.

[with thanks to spouse Bob, who is the creator the Book of Fictional Days)

6/23/1593

Lord Strange's Men perform a play for an unusual audience in Sussex.

_The Sandman: A Midsummer Night's Dream_
Neil Gaiman

It was interesting to read the nomination platforms of the candidates for the LJ Advisory Board, and I have now voted. Though I am newer to the community (it's been about a year), I can certainly see its value. I have not been aware of internal conflicts and "dissing" of certain members, but perhaps that's because I limit not only my own postings, but also have a fairly small number of friends and communities. This is a significant resource in many ways, and I hope that it will continue and that whoever is elected to represent the members will do so conscientiously and with integrity.

Actually, quite a few--and across ages and genders. Two that immediately come to mind are Estraven in Ursula K. LeGuin's The Left Hand of Darkness and Richard St. Vier in Ellen Kushner's Swordspoint. Oh, and both Sobran and Xas in Elizabeth Knox's amazing The Vintner's Luck. I'm having a hard time coming up with women: probably Lyra in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy and the young (and older) women in Garth Nix's Abhorsen trilogy. How interesting: I identify with men (or men/women) in books by women and women in books by men: what could that mean? (Heathcliff in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights is an example from a classic.)

Cell phone? What cell phone? I have a land line at home and a land line at work. At all other times (even some of the time at home, though usually not at work), I prefer to be unavailable. Peace and quiet is good. Not being accessible 24/7 is also good. I believe we have become so attached to the wonders of technology--though I can appreciate them as much as most people--that we have forgotten how to be alone with our thoughts.

This is actually a bit of a challenge: I've seen some, but not all, of the films and television shows. Many friends rave about Battlestar Gallactica, but I have not seen it. I was in my late teens and early twenties when the first Star Trek series was broadcast, and it holds a special place in my heart. I really enjoyed the new film as well. But Star Trek: The Next Generation was my favorite among the ST series (especially the episode "Darmok"). My other favorite is the Firefly series and Serenity film; I love the interesting characters and the intelligent scripts, and wish the series had been more successful.

Not much, since I post so rarely! If they don't often see me, I'd probably have quite bit to fill them in on, but most of them would know the right questions to ask: how's work? what are your kids up to? are you working on any theatre projects?

I tend to be fond of spring, not least because my birthday falls in that season. But I love the burgeoning leaves and flowers, the baby rabbits in the yard, and the ducklings on the lake. Of course, true spring probably won't arrive here in Minneapolis for another month. The only problem with spring is that summer follows, and I'm not a hot weather person.

The nice thing about this summer is that although work is incredibly busy (freshman orientation at the University; different work than the rest of the year, but very intense and stressful), I'm not actually involved in any theatre activities at the moment--aside from going to productions, that is (an outdoor production of Richard II tonight if the weather stays pleasant). It does mean that I have a bit more time to read than usual. I've been racing through a wonderful book by a playwright/theatre practitioner named Jo Carson called Spider Speculations (subtitle: A Physics and Biophysics of Storytelling); it's absolutely remarkable, both in terms of the kind of work Carson does in communities (creating plays from local stories, which are then performed by community members) and her personal journey as she explores alternative healing processes after she is bitten by a brown recluse spider, and finds her first relief with a Reiki practitioner. That's my commuter reading; my evening reading is Guy Gavriel Kay's A Song for Arbonne. I think the first book I read by him was The Last Light of the Sun; I then picked up Ysabel, then Tigana; then his trilogy. I find him a very engaging writer, so will now (every so often, so I can savor them) will make my way through his other published work.

The LJ reminds me every time I log on that I haven't posted yet. What a nudge of a program! It's Saturday, and I'm happily at home after doing my weekly library volunteer work, followed by a stop at Dreamhaven (where I picked up Elizabeth Bear's just published novel, Ink and Steel (renaissance England! Queen Elizabeth! Marlowe (called Marley)! Shakespeare! Queen Mab!) This should be fun. I don't expect I'll post very often, but perhaps when the occasion--whatever it may be--arises. . . . Besides, the LJ doesn't think I have enough friends either; I have to figure out how to befriend others; the first step, of course, is finding them, since many folks hide under other names/identities. As time goes by, perhaps.