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fangirling and camping
Aug. 3rd, 2003 11:18 amSadly, when I got home from work on Wednesday I discovered that the download on the damned trailer-clip had TIMED OUT. And, of course, New Line had asked for its removal by that point. So... if anybody actually got it, I'd LOVE dearly to see it. If not, I guess I'll be stuck waiting until the actual theatrical trailer comes out. *Sniffles*.
The camping trip on Lopez Island was wonderful. Derek and I left at about 3pm, after lots of running around while I tried to pack all the last-minute stuff and grab something to eat on the road. The drive and ferry-ride were quite nice, as was the drive to the campsite, although we got lost on the way because the directions were really vague. The trip itself was several days of relaxation, pretty scenery, a couple of boat trips, phosphorescent plankton (hooray!), squeaking little rodents in the bushes, great blue herons, eagles, bunnies, fun times with the family, and reading. Despite a five hour trip to a spot where the group had seen a huge pod of whales the very previous day, I *still* haven't seen wild orcas. Maybe another 20 years... I'm beginning to think that I'm cursed, honestly. *Sighs*.
Got home earlier than I'd expected, at about 4:30 yesterday. Was very relieved to be home, because I'd gotten quite desperate for a shower and a normal bed.
At 8pm last night, I took the bus up to Kitaro's and met up with the Dragon's Pen group and, after a few more minutes while they traveled from a signing at some Ren. Faire, Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon.
Now, it must be said that I am not a fangirl of either of these authors. In fact, if I fangirl anything about them, it's Larry's drawings.... but I really hadn't even looked at those in years. At least not realizing it was his work... but that's a later bit in the story. I started one of Larry's Griffin books a long time ago, but never finished it, and I only really like Mercedes' Elemental Masters series--oh, and also the Arrows for the Queen trilogy. I liked those, although I can hardly remember them anymore. So I think I'm the most unbiased person who could possibly say "dude, those people were really quite cool."
Larry Dixon, in particular, delighted me. The man is hilarious. He made some joke at one point, and I literally inhaled some of the rice I was eating up the back of my nasal passage. Quite painful, but entirely worth it. It wasn't talking with a published (and famous) author and artist--it was chatting with a guy with whom we all had quite a bit in common. While with Larry, our table (each of our guests sat at the head of a table and switched partway through the evening) talked writing, drawing, gaming, movies, travel, international views of Americans, the Red Cross and other such organizations... it was great.
Best part, for me? He visited WETA a while back, saw all the special effects and bigatures and props and stuff, and he told us all about that. He also helped design Gwaihir Windlord, the Great Eagle, in the movie. I was in heaven, listening to him talk about all that stuff. I fangirled. *We* fangirled. We discussed the relative merits of the books vs. the movies, and then the relative merits of Hollywood vs. Wellington. It made me wish (fervently) that I'd stuck with my long-ago ambition to go into visual effects in movies and tv.
Mercedes Lackey, I was a bit less enamoured of. She's a lovely lady, very nice and thoughtful and funny. I just didn't feel that *click* with her--she doesn't have quite the same charisma, in my humble opinion. I enjoyed talking with her, it just wasn't as fun and interesting and comfortable as it had been with her husband.
In the end, I got distracted into a discussion of White Wolf vs. DnD with Zanne and a new guy, Jerome. He invited us out, with his wife and their friends, to go to Rocky Horror... and so we did that. And it was fun, even though there were too many people seeing it for the first time, so all of us got sent back to our seats without a real initiation (relieved, but disappointed), and I've never been the biggest fan of the movie, really. It was amusing, though, and now I can say I've done it. Then I went home, shoved all my stuff off my bed, and went to sleep. Whee.
Oh, and Stormwolf? I realized as soon as you guys had left that I was still wearing that shirt you lent me. So I'll get that back to you ASAP. Along with Jyuu_chan's copy of Guilty Pleasures, and her collection of KoDT comics, which I *still* have from the beginning of last year. *Sighs*. I'm not really a horrible person, I just don't see you guys as often as I should, and am awfully forgetful sometimes.
The camping trip on Lopez Island was wonderful. Derek and I left at about 3pm, after lots of running around while I tried to pack all the last-minute stuff and grab something to eat on the road. The drive and ferry-ride were quite nice, as was the drive to the campsite, although we got lost on the way because the directions were really vague. The trip itself was several days of relaxation, pretty scenery, a couple of boat trips, phosphorescent plankton (hooray!), squeaking little rodents in the bushes, great blue herons, eagles, bunnies, fun times with the family, and reading. Despite a five hour trip to a spot where the group had seen a huge pod of whales the very previous day, I *still* haven't seen wild orcas. Maybe another 20 years... I'm beginning to think that I'm cursed, honestly. *Sighs*.
Got home earlier than I'd expected, at about 4:30 yesterday. Was very relieved to be home, because I'd gotten quite desperate for a shower and a normal bed.
At 8pm last night, I took the bus up to Kitaro's and met up with the Dragon's Pen group and, after a few more minutes while they traveled from a signing at some Ren. Faire, Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon.
Now, it must be said that I am not a fangirl of either of these authors. In fact, if I fangirl anything about them, it's Larry's drawings.... but I really hadn't even looked at those in years. At least not realizing it was his work... but that's a later bit in the story. I started one of Larry's Griffin books a long time ago, but never finished it, and I only really like Mercedes' Elemental Masters series--oh, and also the Arrows for the Queen trilogy. I liked those, although I can hardly remember them anymore. So I think I'm the most unbiased person who could possibly say "dude, those people were really quite cool."
Larry Dixon, in particular, delighted me. The man is hilarious. He made some joke at one point, and I literally inhaled some of the rice I was eating up the back of my nasal passage. Quite painful, but entirely worth it. It wasn't talking with a published (and famous) author and artist--it was chatting with a guy with whom we all had quite a bit in common. While with Larry, our table (each of our guests sat at the head of a table and switched partway through the evening) talked writing, drawing, gaming, movies, travel, international views of Americans, the Red Cross and other such organizations... it was great.
Best part, for me? He visited WETA a while back, saw all the special effects and bigatures and props and stuff, and he told us all about that. He also helped design Gwaihir Windlord, the Great Eagle, in the movie. I was in heaven, listening to him talk about all that stuff. I fangirled. *We* fangirled. We discussed the relative merits of the books vs. the movies, and then the relative merits of Hollywood vs. Wellington. It made me wish (fervently) that I'd stuck with my long-ago ambition to go into visual effects in movies and tv.
Mercedes Lackey, I was a bit less enamoured of. She's a lovely lady, very nice and thoughtful and funny. I just didn't feel that *click* with her--she doesn't have quite the same charisma, in my humble opinion. I enjoyed talking with her, it just wasn't as fun and interesting and comfortable as it had been with her husband.
In the end, I got distracted into a discussion of White Wolf vs. DnD with Zanne and a new guy, Jerome. He invited us out, with his wife and their friends, to go to Rocky Horror... and so we did that. And it was fun, even though there were too many people seeing it for the first time, so all of us got sent back to our seats without a real initiation (relieved, but disappointed), and I've never been the biggest fan of the movie, really. It was amusing, though, and now I can say I've done it. Then I went home, shoved all my stuff off my bed, and went to sleep. Whee.
Oh, and Stormwolf? I realized as soon as you guys had left that I was still wearing that shirt you lent me. So I'll get that back to you ASAP. Along with Jyuu_chan's copy of Guilty Pleasures, and her collection of KoDT comics, which I *still* have from the beginning of last year. *Sighs*. I'm not really a horrible person, I just don't see you guys as often as I should, and am awfully forgetful sometimes.
