Talyesin's Tales

I met these folks at HeroCon, real nice peeps:



About Real World Hero

We are gamers, just like yourselves. It’s our pastime, our hobby. Heck, with little ones running around, some days it’s the extent of our social life. We love the play, we love the grind (ok, maybe not so much), we love being able to hurl fireballs at digital demons at the end of a particularly hard day.

A few years back, we created a new super-group in City of Heroes along with several extended family members and other players we’ve collected through the years of playing the game. It began as a joke. In one of the game updates, Issue 9: Breakthrough, the Wentworth’s Consignment House was added to various zones hero-side. We came up with the idea to play the “owners” of Wentworth’s and so the Wentworth’s Country Club was born. While running around and role-playing well heeled marketers was fun, we found great satisfaction in giving new players and characters a leg up with random gifts of influence, essentially being charitable in game.

As players, we cooperate to run Task Forces, to take down zombies and Rikti Invaders, and to occasionally gather for a costume contest or two. When we leave the game, our super powers don’t come with us…but that doesn’t mean we’re powerless. We are a very large group of people. We -can- step up and become Real World Heroes.

With heroic regard,

Mr. and Mrs. Wentworth
(@Mr. Wentworth and @Sultry Siren)

After spending a couple days on the north shore of Oahu, I've come to the following conclusions.
1. Ten foot waves are beautifully hypnotic and utterly terrifying.
2. Surfers are crazy.
3. The sun, it is hot.

(I didn't say they were profound conclusions).

I had Beatles tunes (as sung by the Bee Gees and Aerosmith) stuck in my head all night, but managed to sleep soundly. The morning light streamed in bright and clear once again.


sassy_fae and I took our leave of halfelf and leonard_arlotte, and ate a mostly healthy breakfast in the con suite.


And that was that! Our time in con space was over, but we still faced the long and winding road (DUN DAH! DUN DAH! That leeeads to your doooor...) back to Hamilton...

( Driving to Toledo, whether we liked it or not )

That's it. I'm done with the Scottish heritage thing.

Can anybody suggest a good ethnicity for me to appropriate? I hear that the Sikhs are still pretty badassed...

First, thanks to everyone who helped me out with answers and suggestions before.

* I've upgraded to Win 7 (32bit)
* Did a full clean install.
* Downloaded the latest ATI Radeon drivers for my 1950
* Tried to download Catalyst Control but it doesn't seem to appear

Now I've gotten a new problem. Everything looks super BRIGHT. It's even on the "splash screen" with all the heroes. It's as if someone turned up the brightness and contrast. I tried tweaking various settings, but nothing seems to change it. All my other apps run fine. At least I'm running with no crashes... just need sunglasses.

Any insight would be appreciated. I seem to have much better luck on here.

• 13:59 Oh joy. Dad forgot to pay the net bill. He already owes me $500+ for phone and bar state taxes. Bar business needs to pick back up. :( #

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Me: Someday when you're a little older, I'd like to read you this wonderful book about a little girl a bit like you. She has a wonderful imagination, and she's very clever, but unlike you she has a horrible family who don't appreciate or even love her!

Devon: What are they like? What do they do to her?

Me: Well, she lives with her aunt and three cousins, and her aunt spoils her own children and doesn't show her anything but dislike.

Devon: Like Cinderella!

Me: Yes, a lot like that. And her cousins are very mean to her. One of them, the boy, even throws a book at her and knocks her down and makes her bleed.

Devon: Hey---it's like Harry Potter living with his aunt and uncle and cousin!

Me: Yup. A lot like that.

Devon: That's terrible! What happens to her? Does she get away from them like Harry?

Me: Well, at first her only escape is through books: she spends hours reading and looking at picture books of mysterious and exotic places, and imagines going there. So that helps.

Devon: Let me guess: she ends up going to one of those mysterious places?

Me: Well . . . sort of. But first she gets sent away to a school. It's a pretty awful school, but she learns a lot, and eventually she becomes a teacher there, which she enjoys. And then she get a job as a governess at this house, and she has an adventure there.

Devon: What's the house like? Is it mysterious? Is it haunted?

Me: Well, she's treated very well there by the man who owns the house and his housekeeper, and she likes the little girl she's teaching, but it is a mysterious place.

Devon: Why? What's the mystery?

Me: Well she starts hearing these noises in the night, and---

Devon:---What noises? A ghost? It is haunted!

Me: Well, she's not sure . . .

Devon: Or is it like in The Secret Garden? Is it a person making the noises, like Colin?

Me: Well . . . yes . . . although ---

Devon:--So it's a person like Colin. Someone she's not supposed to know about who's hidden away?

Me: . . .

Devon: Mama! tell me!!

Me: I can't tell you. All I can tell you is that she solves the mystery and . . . it all ends very happily.

Devon: Let me guess---she falls in love with someone, right?

Me: Um . . . eventually.

Devon: Is it someone in the house? Is it the man?

Me: Um . . . who?

Devon: The man! The man who owns the house!

Me: I won't say anything else. You'll find out when I read it to you.

Devon: Oh Mama! . . . So, it sounds like a strange story. I mean, it sounds like it's two stories: one about her as a little girl, and one about her as a grown up in the mysterious house.

Me: Yes, and many movies have been made of this book, and they always seem to have trouble with that. Usually, they just do the second story, where she's a grown-up going to stay at the mysterious house; they leave out her childhood completely.

Devon: How could they do that? I'd want to know about her childhood, too. But what I really want to know is who it is who is making the noises at night? Is it a boy? A girl? A man? A woman?

Me: Well, she is told that it's one of the maids . . .

Devon: Is it? Ah-hah! So it's a woman making the noises!

Me: Time for bed!

Okay, so I recently read* the first three Marvel Zombies trades. I'd avoided them pretty enthusiastically, but after mr_weasel read them, I realized I was behind the curve.

So. Parts one and two are, as everyone knows, pretty much an abomination before the Lord. Various Marvel (tm Disney) heroes find themselves craving the consumption of living flesh after being infected with some kind of zombism. It is not slow zombism, as each seems to be themselves only, you know, consumed with a hunger.

I'm sure there are a lot of people who enjoy this kind of thing. I shudder at the thought of being trapped in an elevator with one of them.

The third one, however (creatively titled "Marvel Zombies 3") involves an editorital decision that perhaps the readers aren't fans of the monsters, and would like to see a hero involved in all this. Of course, fuck that, how about Machine Man, in the post-Ellis iteration.

So, they toss the Florida initiative into a zombie meat grinder in the stretch of the Florida Everglades known as the Nexus of Realities**, feed a zombie to Man Thing, and involve ANOTHER backronymed super espionage agency. Yes, in additon to S.H.I.E.L.D. and S.W.O.R.D. we now have A.R.M.O.U.R. I look forward to the introduction of H.E.L.M.E.T. and C.O.D.P.I.E.C.E.

Anyway, A.R.M.O.U.R. handles extradimensional incursions (which, in that particular stretch of Florida real estate, are what we call "weekdays"), so there is interest in this zombie BS. Machine Man and Jocasta get assigned to acquire a blood sample (hey, what an idea! Send the robots!) and thus does the adventure begin.

Machine Man has been an angry, angry robot ever since Nextwave, which is fun. This story plays a lot with "even a robot can cry, but it's more likely to laugh while it's kicking you in the groin". Plus, we get the Jackal and zombie Kingpin, who provides a great punchline for the whole series. It's a load of fun, and I will probably pick it and part four up.

*Byrne Stole, really. But let's pretend I got them from the library.

** And, seriously, this kind of OHOTMU porn is just my speed. Oodles of various era continuities thrown into a blender and mixed up. Swamp Thing, obscure guys from Contest of Champions, some '90s madness, an Initiative team and the Hippie Hero of the '70s? Thank you sir, may I have some more?

• 18:06 Anyone know a place in #Toronto that sells vintage toys? A friend is looking for a She-Ra figure. #

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This image is not technically from Day Three, but I like it, so here it is. sassy_fae with some dealer's room swag.

Saturday dawned bright and clear, and came with the realization that sassy_fae and I had not yet breakfasted at an obscure local eatery we'd discovered last year. I believe it's called the "IHOP," which is short for, "I Hate Other Pancakes." I doubt you've heard of it.

( In which Pyat is disappointed by pancakes )

Well sorta kinda.

So just about every Thanksgiving, everyone in the household friggin cooks except me. This is mostly because I really do not enjoy cooking. So my contribution is usually to get the house clean, the table set, and the dishes washed.
But this time around, I feel like...you know...contributing. Cooking I'm not to fond of. Baking though, I do enjoy and I used to enjoy doing years and years ago. I stopped baking because I found that baking is a large equation in the calculation of the metric weight of my ass.
But eh, its a holiday and now that we have a kitchen that doesn't suck, now is a time as any to try it again eh? So I'm going to make desert for Thanks giving this year.
And if it sucks, I'll buy a back up.

Anyways, I've been browsing through the Food Network site for ideas. For a while I've been considering baking a pumpkin pie using an actual pumpkin instead of canned....but now I'm finding all these kick ass recepies that sound absolutely incredible. So now I'm torn.

Here are my top choices:

Paula Deen's Pumpkin Pie - Which will probably help me put on five pounds in one bite. I so love this woman...

Alton Brown's Sweet Potato Pie - I never had sweet potato pie and I'm curious.

Pumpkin Mousse - Because do you really need a crust? We could probably hook this up to capt'n's veins with an IV. Or I could do a different route and make a Parfait

Pumpkin Creme Brulee - SWEET MANA FROM HEAVEN! o.O

Pumpkin Flan - Stop the madness!! I may faint!...who thinks I could pull this off?

TOO MANY OPTIONS! and I keep finding more!!
So what sounds good? I suppose the folks showing up to our house may want to chime in since they're the one's eating it.

I am so torn. ALAS!

Elvis. Black leather pants comeback special.

Stan Rogers, too, if I had time.

The Muppets do Queen. Very well.

I found you a new mechanic.

I'm sitting in Tanner's Coffee Shop - brought my car to Ed Little Auto Service to get my brakes checked and my window stuck in place(I can't afford to get it actually repaired right now).

I got here at 7:30am, walked a half block down to the coffeeshop and had a croissant and a coffee. They just called me back - my front brakes have about 80% left, and my rear brakes are at about 70%(they were dirty, which is why they were squeaking). They also got my window stuck in place. Cost - about $75. No upselling, no trying to change my stupid air filter, nothing. Most importantly, I'm getting all of this shit done before work.

They also have 5 stars on Yelp, with 77 reviews.

They appear to only work on domestic and Japanese cars, though!

I'd like to announce the sekrit projekt that Patricia Bray and I have been dancing around and hinting at for the past few months: an anthology sale! DAW Books, through Tekno, has officially bought the rights to an SF&F anthology called AFTER HOURS: TALES FROM THE UR-BAR, to be edited by Joshua Palmatier and Patricia Bray. This is an invitation-only anthology and is NOT open to . . . well, open submissions. The invitations have already been sent. Here's the mini-description of the anthology and the types of stories that it will contain:

The first bar, created by the Sumerians after they were given the gift of beer by the gods, was known as the Ur-Bar. Although it has since been destroyed, its spirit lives on--in each age there is one bar that captures the essence of the original Ur-Bar, where drinks are mixed with magic and served with a side of destiny and intrigue. Heroes, villains, poets and thieves may be found within its walls; when the gods visit Earth they stop by the Ur-Bar for a drink.

The entire idea occurred during drinks at a convention among a group of great authors, and for once we wrote the idea down and sold it. The due date is summer 2010, so the best guess for a release date is sometime in 2011. We'll keep you posted when that becomes final, and also when the table of contents has been finalized.

I'm really excited about this. I get to be an editor! It adds something new to my publishing credentials, and I get to work with a bunch of great authors. And guess where all of the anthology meetings are going to be held? *grin*

Poll #1489780 Home phone? Cell phone? Both?
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 57

How do you handle your telephonic communications?

If you have both, what is your usage?

Yep, there are assumptions in the second question. Feel free to "other" it if it offends.

Questions from bodhifox:

Why do you want to be a mountie?

Egads. That's complex(ish).

It has something to do with who I think I am, fundamentally. I have always had a really strong sense of justice, and until I started working in law enforcement (however indirectly), I never felt that I was making a proper difference in people's lives. In my previous jobs, I couldn't help but feel dissatisfied that no matter how hard I worked, I was doing nothing to make the world a better place.

The RCMP is allowing me to do just that. Still, sometime around last year, after a few conversations with colleagues and the like, I decided that I could be doing more than simply being a phone person. It's part of my little process of getting to know myself better, of trying to push my boundaries, seeing just how far I can go.

It's also a small matter of civic pride. I love my country, and the RCMP is one of the emblems of Canada. My father once pointed out to me that Canada is one of the few countries which is *known* for its police force. When people think of Canada, they think of maple leaves, hockey, and the RCMP. Somehow, the idea of serving that ideal appeals to me a great deal.

When you think, is your default French or English?

I don't have a default, really. I think in whatever language happens to suit the subject matter I'm thinking about. It varies from topic to topic.

If you were to date a celebrity, who would she be?

Hard to say. I only know celebrities from what I see on the screen, and of course that's not their real personality, is it?

Based on looks alone, Sandra Bullock is definitely on my short list. :)

Mountains and streams, orchards and fields, or buildings and streets? Which of those three best describe you as a person?

Do I absolutely have to pick one of those? I'm more of a forest and clearings kind of girl. If I have to pick from what you gave me, then "orchards and fields" comes closest.

What one thing *must* I see when I go to France?

Uh.

One thing?

Gah.

If you're in Paris, then the Louvre. You can't go wrong there, there will ALWAYS be something that will be of interest to someone.

I have a soft spot for the Chartres Cathedral, too. It has arguably the most beautiful stained glass in all the world. It brought tears to my eyes when I first saw the blue there. YMMV, of course.

• Interested in a custom-painted mini of Jig the goblin?  Garden Ninja has offered one for bidding here to benefit Tu Publishing, a publisher focusing on multicultural SF and fantasy for children and young adults.

• Mel Grant’s cover sketch for Red Hood’s Revenge showed up in my e-mail today.  My biggest fear was that switching artists in mid-series would mean book three wouldn’t be recognizable as a princess book.  While I did have some feedback on the cover, I’m feeling better about this fear now.  He obviously worked very closely from the earlier covers, and it shows.  I’ll share the finished art with you all just as soon as I can.

• Today was my day to post at SF Novelists.  I used this month’s post to talk about humor (and to plug the 2009 SF/F Humor Roundup): http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/11/24/sff-humor-roundup/

Finally, your LEGO fix.  I went small scale on this week’s pic, which comes from LEGOWOW.  This is another set that you really need to see close-up to appreciate.  I don’t know which impresses me more, the guitars themselves or the detail on the amps.  Click the pic for the full photo set.

 

Mirrored from Jim C. Hines.

I'm finding it curious that since Emru passed away last year, I've been handed a lot of professional contracts in the realm of leukemia. And I do mean "handed." I haven't had to bid on any of them and they have all come from new clients through referrals. It seems far too many to be coincidence and I wonder what the universe is trying to tell me; then my talker kicks in and tells me I'm being silly.

Nonetheless, it really upsets me that so many more people with leukemia could potentially cured if only they could find a bone marrow donor; and that so few people register to be donors despite the simplicity of getting on a bone marrow registry, and how simple and painless being a donor is if you are a match.

I know a big part of this is education. Folks don't know about the registry, and its not like the government or their doctors tell them about it. Can you imagine if every GP spoke to their patients about being a bone marrow donor as a matter of course, and if patients could opt-in to getting registered as a donor at the same time as having routine blood tests? Maybe there is a campaign there. Maybe doctors need to be educated about the need for donors as much as the general public do. (Wait, that's what I do, educate doctors. Uhoh.)

Emru's friends and family, as well as many other families touched by leukemia, have been true heroes trying to get the word out about the how we all have the potential to save a life by being a bone marrow donor; and how ethnic minorities have a much harder time finding a match because disproportionately fewer minorities register as donors. Yes, sometimes race does matter. Until Emru got sick, I never knew this; and I'm an educated lady working in healthcare.

Do you know how and why to register as someone willing to donate bone marrow? If not, check out this links:
Heal Emru http://www.healemru.com/updates.php
Be The Match (US) www.bethematch.org
OneMatch (Canada) www.onematch.ca
Anthony Nolan Trust (UK) www.anthonynolan.org.uk