The Drink Tank Issue 266

garcia@computerhistory.org
Do I even need to say thats a Brianna
SpaceKat-Wu cover? Well, it is! As Indira Ghandi
once said, You cant argue with girls and guns.
These have been some tough times,
hence the general slow-down in production,
but things are as they are, the exhibit Ive been
working on is just about complete, Cinequest
short flms are programmed, and Christmas is
come and gone. Maybe things weill get back
to normal, or whatever in my life that roughly
equates to nromal.
One thing thats happened is that theres
a TAFF Race!
In the space of a couple of days we went
from one candidate to four, and a good four at
that. Im most impressed to see the names rep-
resent a cross-section of folks, from con-runners
to fanzine fans to just plain awesome humans.
Let me start by saying Im a nominator
for John The Rock Coxon. Hes informally the
Journey Planet candidate, since James Bacon
and Claire Brialey are also nominators, along
with Steve Stiles and Dave Langford. Yall know I
love John Coxon, and if you havent seen http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=T54h1fq_v0 , well,
you should go and watch John and I hit Sonoma
County! I just noticed that hes got four former
TAFF winners as nominees.
Theres Liam Proven, one of those folks
in fandom who is just awesome. Hes got some
good nominators, like Lloyd Penney, former
CUFF winner, James Shields, current GUFF ad-
min, Bridget Bradshaw, former TAFF winner, Lil-
lian Edwards, from TAFF winner, and Nic Farey,
Mr. Fandom.
Then theres His Lordship, Graham
Charnock. Hes been around for ages and is a
really good guy. He has a ton of videos on his
YouTube (cartiledge is the user name) and has
nominators like Sandra Bond, former TAFF win-
ner Robert Lichtman, Mr. Rich Coad, fan artist
most awesome Harry Bell and Mike Meara.
Good list.
And fnally theres Paul Treadaway. I dont
remeber if Ive met him or not, but I met so
many folks on my two trips out that way that
folks all run together! I totally didnt remember
meeting Tony Keen. Toby Keen? Toby Keith? The
guy who writes the really good fanzine articles.
Yeah, him. Anyhow, Pauls got a good set of noms
too, with DUFF winner Mike Glyer, TAFF win-
ner Maureen Kincaid Speller, Vincent Docherty,
Americas own Tim Illingworth and Fran Dowd.
Good set of noms there too!
So you see, this is gonna be a great race
because there are four great nominees, and the
sad part is three of them have to lose... unless
Hold Over Funds wins, in which case all four
lose...
Ill be doing a TAFF issue right before
CorFlu, so if youre a TAFF person, write some-
thing for it to go along with pieces from the
condidates themselves.
Speaking of CorFlu, its coming up. The
roomnights are picking up, the reservations are
coming in, were still a small CorFlu so far, but
Im hoping more and more folks send in their
memberships. Its 70 bucks at the door, so buying
by February 5th is the best bet!
Im working on the programming and its
looking pretty good. Weve got a panel on The
Little Men setup, a presentation on the Zine Ar-
chives around the world, a Trivia quiz, an auction,
The Dave Hicks Show and more!
And, of course, a ConSuite.
Ill be slightly crazed the next few weeks,
but what are you gonna do?
So, this issue is a little bit of everything.
Its partly a look at 2010 with three different
folks: Me, Judith Morel and Jay Lake. The three
of us had very different years, in very different
ways, and one of the things Ive always thought
the Drink Tank should be is a sampler of the hu-
man experience. Theres also the National Film
Registry announcement, which I love!
And theres Taral Wayne. Im behind on
his articles. How many am I sitting on? Well, lets
just say that Harlan has fewer Last Dangerous
Visions pieces than Ive got Taral pieces!
And theres gonna be some LoCs, which
is a bit odd after so long without them, no? And
the the traditional stuff you expect from an issue
of The Drink Tank.
And, of course, Happy New Year, Happy
Kwaanza, Tip-Top Tet and all that!
Letter Graded Mail
sent to garcia@computerhistory.org
by our gentle readers
Accompanied by photos of my
All-Time Favorite Bollywood
Actresses
Lets start with a LoC on issue 263 from John
Purcell!
You know there, roomie, Briana
SpaceKat Wu needs to create covers for other
fanzines, too. Dont get me wrong; I love what
shes been doing for Drink Tank over the last
year or so, but it is time to spread the wealth
around. I want a cover from her for Askance
Real Soon Now. Consider this an order.
Indeed she does! She did a great FIle 770
cover not too long back, I think.
I have been suffering through - I
mean, enjoying - your video book reviews on
Facebook. An interesting concept, Chris. You
do realize, dont you, that this smacks almost
of podcasting, or possibly transforming your
fanzine into a podcast? Is that your plan? Grab
a Fanzine Hugo by joining the opposition? And
here I thought you were One Of Us. Oh, the
shame of it... My Corfu Quire roommate, on
the Dark Side....*puts paper bag over head*
They are most assuredly Dramatic
Presentiations, which meerly extends the
empire as opposed to joining the Evil...
Regarding the Chilean miners
miraculous survival story, I have to admit I
followed that nearly in its entirety. Whether
Taral wants to admit it or not (and I am sure
he does), the fact that these 33 miners lived
through this ordeal was sensational. To family
members of those miners, I can see why they
would thank divine intervention for their loved
ones coming out alive; I would be eternally
grateful also for the hard work of the rescuers
and everyone involved in the rescue effort.
Yes, it was very much an effort of professionals
- mining engineers, etc. - but considering
the duration of their literal underground
internment, this was possibly the number one
feel good story of 2010, a year that desperately
needed a story like this to restore our faith in
humanity.
Its much better than that Pennsylvania
mine where they said that there were
survivors and no one lived, or maybe it was
one guy made it out. The thing thatll be
interesting is how they adjust to live on the
outside and the attention theyve received.
Guidolon the Space Chicken is now
a graphic novel? Alright.....I can see this. In
fact, that even makes sense. When Frank Wus
creation frst began to take fight, so to speak,
mumble-dy-mumble years ago, I watched some
of the early videos you guys made and enjoyed
the warped comic-book feel of the whole
creation. It really is a lot of fun, and I like the
Pythonesque monster foot smashing down
on the car at the end. Nice touch. Frank does
understand that the projected completion date
of 2013 is a year after the end of the world,
according to the Mayan calendar? Just thought
Id mention that.
A fun issue, roomie. Enjoyed it muchly.
Do another Real Soon Now, yhear?
All the best,
John Purcell
I cant wait to read it myself! As much as I
loved being the voice of the Giant Space
Chicken himself, and I frequently show it
to folks who have never seen it, I think itll
play good as a comic. As far as the world
ending in 2012, I have my personal feelings
about such. First, its obvious that Sarah
Palin will be elected President (making her
the frst President Id ever fantasize about)
and that Ill win the Hugo for Best Novel
mere moments before the Earth ends in fre!
Madhubala
Sridevi
And what would a Letter-Col be without
Lloyd Penney? This one is on 263
Dear Chris:
Its been a while since I downloaded The
Drink Tank 263, and 264 hasnt shown up yet
(you must be busy), so here goes with a loc.
Its been a rough time, getting stuff done and
still making and shaking. Luckily, Im looking
at some calm to the seas.
I do like Briannas artworkHouston,
do we ever have a problem
Id come and have a peek at the book
reviews youve been doing on YouTube, but I
am still on dial-up, and downloading anything on
YouTube usually takes an hour or two. Wish I
could keep up with the steampunk reading you
do. I usually console myself with used books
from the 60s to 80s.
Ive discovered a bookstore that tends to get
pre-release books and sells them at discount
prices. It has been so very helpful in the
reading thing.
Ive heard plenty of jokes about the
rescued Chilean miners, and the world is
reaching out to give them experiences to make
up for their 69 days underground. If I was in their
position, I would grab everything offered, for the
world has a very short attention span, and they
will fall off the news radar very shortly. I imagine
that some of them have already gone back to the
mines, even though there will be some money
coming to them when they eventually tell their
collective story.
I saw that there was an interview with the
guy who sorta served as the Chaplain for
hte other guys. The tradition of the Foxhole
Chaplain (a great name for a band, by the
way) continues!
All of you connected with Guidolon
the Giant Space ChickenGoogle up Beavra.
Produced some years ago by the fans in
Montral, Beavra is a giant monster beaver,
destroying everything in sight in true Godzilla
fashion, and funny as hell. They havent made a
fan movie in some time, which makes me think
they are preparing something every more sick
and twisted than before. Guidolon destroys a
teriyaki joint? And the Japanese thought that red
and white, like KFC, was good luck!
I once heard that beavers cause far more
damage to infrastructure than all the
recorded Mothra, Godzilla and Ghirdra
attacks. Im not sure if thats just another
creation of hte Liberal, Kaiju-run media, but
it is worthy of deep thought...
All done for nownot this weekend,
but next, is SFContario, a new litcon here, with
lots of experienced con runners running it, and
the committee does NOT include me, hurray!
I can go and enjoy myself. Still, Ill be assisting
with a party and three fan tables there, so there
will be lots to do, special Aurora nomination pin
presentation, panels with Geri Sullivan, and more.
Did you ever get your Hugo pin and nomination
certifcate? I never didyet to come, I hope.
Lisa Ray
Take it easy, and see you soon.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
Spike and Ton were kind enough to bring them
back from Australia for me, so Ive got them in
their proper place: on the shelf with Dad and
the wrestling masks. Its the only place for them,
really. Hope you get yours soon. Its the best of
the Nomination gifts since the combo pen/USB
drive from Denver.
And now, Lloyd on issues 264 and 265!
Dear Chris:
Hey, Im back to my old habitsIve got two
issues of The Drink Tank here. Issue 264s had to
wait a bit, but now that 265 just arrived, I will get
myself caught up.
264I think well all want a picture of your Nova
Award when it arrives, with you holding it. At
SFContario, Yvonne and I received our Aurora 30-
year nomination pins, and I am reliably told that my
Hugo nomination pin and certifcate are still on the
way. I guess its now time to start hoping for Reno?
No jokes about exploding toilets or toilet seats, or
anything like that. Theres just too much temptation,
and Taral lives in town Yvonne could tell you
about working for a major shipping company,
and having to process the purchase of a marble
toilet with gold-plated fxtures for the company
president.
I cant wait to get my hands on it. Ive decided
that itll split time between the shelf with Dad
and the clear spot on my desk at work to
remind me that hey, I won something once! My
FAAn Award certifcate is actually right behind
me at my desk, which is great because its a
Brad Foster piece!
265Hello, James! Good to get a glimpse of where
were going in 2011 in Reno. Our original plans
were to fy to Vegas, spend a few days, and then go
to Reno, but Vegas may have to wait for another
time. I think getting to Reno for Worldcon will be
accomplishment enough.
James is a great guy to edit with and he comes
up with great ideas like the Reno issue. I think
its one of the better issues weve ever done,
especially with guys like Guy writing stuff for
us. You better get out to Reno, Lloyd! Reno
needs Penney!
James echoes my own opinions of
Worldcons. When I frst found out about them, in
the late 70s, they sounded like the big show, the
place we all wanted to get to. Our frst Worldcon
was Chicon IV in 1982we havent been able to
get to all of them, our only overseas Worldcon was
ConFiction in Holland in 1990, but we go when we
can afford it. After Reno, well need the time to save
our money for London, so we may need to give
Chicon 7 and the San Antonio Worldcon a pass.
Worldcons are where we may see friends from the
rest of the worldBritain, Australia, South Africa,
Ukrainefandom is world-wide, and I am pleased
that local friends have had the chance to go to
Worldcons in Toronto and Montral over the past
decade, and start to understand when they are the
great fun and important events they are.
I know Im psyched for London. Almost as
psyched as I was for Montreal. Chicago and
Texas should be fun. As an odd fact, I dont
know any Spanish-speaking fandom. Ive met
lots of fans who are Mexican or speak Spanish,
but Ive never met anyone in Mexican or
Spanish Fandom. Im certain such things exist.
Then again, I can only think of one German
fan Ive ever met. And only one French fan. Its
Karisma and Kareena Kapor
there, and articles like Helens will defnitely help,
but we need to see how much time we can get
off, and if we have the cash for more room nights
and some travel. I expect well have enough to
get there, do Worldcon and come back, and not
much more.
Were going up a few days early to hang
out in Lake Tahoe, use that as a prep-point
since its about forty minutes away and if we
need to run into town, we can. I also just love
Tahoe!
I have only a couple of Tim Powers
books on my shelf, and perhaps our local SF
bookstore, Bakka-Phoenix, just moved to a new
and bigger location close to the University of
Toronto, can help me out. I think I have located
a huge steampunk infodump through Facebook,
so I will look up Tim Powers steampunk novels,
and see if Bakka-Phoenix has them.
Raveena Tandon
weird that I know more fans from Israel and
Finland than I do from Mexico and Spain.
What do I want to see at Worldcon? SF,
fanzines, parties, awards, more parties, and most
importantly, friends. Yvonne and I usually like
doing some programming, so keep us in mind
for panels. Chris, I might be able to help in the
fanzine lounge
Thatd be great! The parties are gonna be
good too. Im especially excited for the
Christmas WorldCon bid for Boston in 2020.
Its gonna be a good time!
Yeah, getting the nomination is the hard
part. I wish Id been able to be in Australia to see
how they treated nominees, and with luck and
a little prayer, I might be able to join you at the
pre-Hugo party. (The one in Montreal was great,
and we got in because we were presenting.) Hey,
James! In Montreal, we presented a Hugo, and
Tim is probably my favorite living writer of
SF, and is up there with folks like Vonnegut,
TC Boyle and Chris Buckly for my favorite
ever.
I cant comment on the books of the
year, for Ive read none of them, and hadnt heard
of half of them. However, Ive read all of the zine
in Guy Lillians article, and I cant disagree with
any of his choices. (I would add Challenger in
there, and I know nothing would make GHLIII
happier than to win just one silver rocket.) I
think were putting out a lot of good writing
and good zines, and the number of zines being
produced seems to be rising. For me, one of the
best parts of Worldcon and fandom in general is
the participation, and if you can fgure out what
you can do, like to do and excel at doing, you
Yvonne surprised the French-
speakers in the audience by
speaking Spanish! How about
we present another Hugo in
Reno, and she can sneak in
some French?
You know I love that Pre-
Hugos party. I dunno if Ill
make it this year, I have
been on a general slow-
down and that might hurt
my chances for both Fan
Writer and fanzine, though
if there is justice, Journey
Planet will make it on
there!
Wed love to see
some of Reno while were
Waheeda
Rehman
usually have an appreciative audience.
I really thought Guys list was tip-
top, though Id have added eI to it in the
zines overall and the issue of New Toy to
the list of best single issues. The Best Books
discussion has led to more arguments
between M, Jay, SaBean and co. Rick and I
ran into each other on Tuesday and he said
it was a hilarious argument since he was the
only one who was obviously with it in the
conversation. He also said that I need to
do an issue on Bollywood. I dont think
I can do that, so Ill just suffce with the
images of my favorite actresses in Indian
Cinematic history.
I think Im about done for the moment.
The tree is up, the presents are beneath it,
and there are plans for parties I hope we can
go to. Yvonne is planning a huge holiday party
for her offce, and the day after, her layoff
goes into effect, but she has high hopes for a
new job in the New Year. Its rough times for
us right now, but we are determined not to
let is affect our good times this time of year.
Thats rough. Best thoughts toards your
direction. Its looking like the New Year
holds a lot of hope for folks, myself
included. I am lucky that I will be ending
this year and beginning next with parties.
Ive been watching on television that
theres some pretty destructive weather
going on in SoCal, right around where you are.
Lots of rain and fooding, and the possibility
of mudslides. I hope everyones okay, safe and
dry. So, with those hope, Yvonne and I also
hope that you and the Lovely Linda have the
best and happiest Christmas, and successful
New Year. James, the best to you and Simon,
and have a great party, everyone! See you
next year.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
Its rare we get weather. I had to drag a
rather large limb out of the driveway in
my complex!
Lisa Ray
Aishwarya Rai
2010: A Year of Life
by Chris Garcia, Jay Lake and Judith Morel
Illustrations by Mo Starkey
When I started this issue, I was hoping
to get a ton of people to give me their 2010s,
and a few did, but these three popped out
at me. One is unabashedly a story of pulling
every happy mempry together and seeing
only those and not the hardships. One is
a story of diffculties, fear and perhaps full
understanding of what a year means. The
fnal is a look at one diffcult path, a sorry
ending, a beautiful set of moments, and
ultimately, a questioning of what a single
person and a single year can mean to
someone who has been waiting for both.
Chris Garcias 2010
I might be missing something when I say
this, but 2010 was an amazing year. Looking back
I can only see towers of awesome glistening in
the sun. 2010 was a year that was jam-packed,
full as any year I can remember, and perhaps the
best single year of my life.
Lets start with January. The frst few days
of the year I was dealing with the most serious
health problem Ive ever had, the giant lump
at the back of my head which would later be
discovered to have been a staph infection which
possibly could have killed me. I missed New Years,
though I had to take my medicine at Midnight, so
I was awake and watching Community when
that happened, and even though I was in great
pain still at that point, I was laughing.
Then the year took off. I was slow to get
back into the fow, but I started getting out more
and more and fnally ended up back to normal.
Then came Cinequest.
Was this the greatest Cinequest for me?
No, but it was so much fun, and since I hadnt
been terribly active before that, it was a good
thing. The movies were wonderful and I fnally
started to feel like there was everything out
there for me to be a part of! There was the
fact that I got to do the post-flm interviewing,
I got to meet some wonderful flmmakers and I
introduced a set of my friends to another set of
my friends, which is something that Ive tried to
do more and more. Its important to me that I
get folks to know each other.
After CQ, it was time for the Nova
Albion Steampunk Convention. I love Steampunk
cons, and while this one wasnt up to the level
of either the frst one in Sunnyvale or of the
frst SteamCon, it was still a blast and we got to
hang out with Our Canadian Cousins, aka Mike
Perschon and co.. I was so happy, and I think I
did some decent writing for Exhibition Hall out
of it. The one thing that I loved about it was
that there were so many folks that I appreciate
who came in from all over. Also, hanging out and
chatting with Howard Hendrix is always fun!
And at that point, Linda and I left for
England.
And, at that point, things got awesome.
You see, we were taken care of by a dude
name of James Bacon, who put us up, got us into
World Horror, took us all over the place and
even threw a party while we were over. Thats
the sign of a good guy!
We hit Brighton, which is now one of
my fve favorite world cities (and I know youre
gonna ask: London, Montreal, Washington and
San Francisco), and we had a great time at the
Radisson for Eastercon, and journeyed around
the London area, met folks who Id not managed
to meet and enjoyed hanging out.
And even working on the newsletter
was an absolute blast!
I love London, and Im hoping we can
keep up our every two year plan of getting out
there, but ultimately, this trip was less about
going to England than it was going to hang
out with wonderful people. Weve got some
great friends in the UK, and some wonderful
Americans who hang with us when were out
there, too! This was one of those years when
I could have not done any sight-seeing and still
had a blast!
And there was Journey Planet. Sadly,
for me, putting zines together is usually me at
a laptop alone, hammering out layouts, making
massive mistakes and half-watching movies while
I put them together. The exception in the UK
was Journey Planet #6. We worked on it during
the party at James place, and a bit the day before
and after. It was ARWSUM!!!! Surrounded by
folks, chatting, having a great time working with
the material, able to get some opinions, and
ultimately, not feeling like it was a Me Against A
Deadline sort of situation. It was fun, which is
what zines have always been about to me. I loved
it and I wish that every zine I did could have a
party to happen at, but alas, what can you do?
It also turned out to be one of the best
zines Ive ever been a part of. It was an issue with
meat to it, the Back Section being something that
I cant say Ive much of in zines, a truly important
mass of material about what it means to be safe
in the setting that is a convention. There was also
the City of London section in the middle which
was some great writing about the city where it
was being fnished. There was a great piece from
James about women in comics. It was an trio of
issues in a single issue. I was so impressed with
what we got to put out, and somehow it ended
up being only the second-best issue of JP in
2010.
And they announced the Hugo
nomination at EasterCon and James and I
were on-hand for the announcement. It was
spectacular to hear them read live and it
was great to be among so many other great
nominees, including Paul Cornell. I love that
guy!
After that, it was back home and I
rested until it was time for BayCon, which was
And that was the best part.
Coopers BBQ was a miracle, and with
all the options, it was the one were went back
to several times. I loved it, the best vinegar BBQ
Ive ever had (and lets see if it holds up to Texas
BBQ, so I guess Ill fnd out when Im down for
FenCon) and it was a friendly place to grab a
bite. Warren and I were going to try to win the
Coopers Challenge, but alas, I had a fight and
couldnt risk it. The hush-puppies were so good!
I didnt make WorldCon, and that was
OK, because the rest of the year was so full of
good folks spending good times with us that it
was fne to miss out on one thing. Well get to
em later, I thought. Lost both the Hugos, came
in third both times, so thats OK.
The Alameda Elks Club was the site of
two events which I adored: the Mad Men boozin,
pretty darn good, including the fre
alarms, and then it was a long-slog
until the next con for me. I couldnt
do Westercon, Comic-Con or any of
the other Summer cons until NASFiC,
where I was running the Fanzine
Lounge in Raleigh. While folks tend to
focus on how small it was, it was more
fun per square attendee than any
other convention I went to last year. It
helped that James was there, and folks
like Lynda Rucker, Emmett Davenport,
Joe Major, Steven Silver, the Lynchs,
Brad W. Foster, who it was GREAT to
fnally meet, and so many others. Sadly,
no Guy Lillian, but what are you gonna
do? The con was fun, lots of parties
and folks to chat with, and I had a lot
of fun, especially eating.
which I got an incredibly itchy Cardigan for, and
the Bal des Vampyres, which was so much fun.
We dont hang out with Lindas friends as much
as we should, and maybe thats why we had so
much fun at the Vampyres. The Bella Donna
ladies are a wonderful crew, and the men behind
them are also a blast.
There was a period of three weeks
where we had three consecutive cons with
Thanksgiving in the middle. SteamCon was a
great time, with great panels and a lot of fun.
We got to hang with Mike Perschon again, see
some awesome costumes and just be fun! The
best part of the trip for me was the day after the
con which was Linda and I heading into Seattle
proper instead of staying out by the airport. It
was the frst big snow of the year for them, and
we were there. I love snow, though Ill never live
in it again, and it was nice to get to see the city
blanketed. We did the Underground tour which
was a blast, and then we stayed at the airport for
hours. It was me and Linda time, which is getting
rarer and rarer, but its always lovely when we
get it.
I followed that with SorcererCon, which
was fun and somewhat subdued. Ill try and go
again next year, but I wish they would choose
another weekend. I had to drive to Perris in the
heart of the SoCal desert and then back. It was
a good time, though.
The following weekend was SMoFCon,
and again, great folks to hang out with. We, I
suspect drunkenly, came up with an idea: Lets Bid
Boston in 2020 for a Christmas WorldCon! Its
so smart, Think about it, there are 45,000 dorm
rooms that arent used over Christmas vacation,
so thats cheap housing! Itll be incredible!
Hanging out with folks at
SMoFCon made me realize just how
much I enjoy having folks visit from
out of town. I only wish more folks
had more time so we could have
shown them properly around after
the con.
And, somewhere in there,
Journey Planet won a Nova. As folks
may know, I love the Nova, I think its
the one that I most wanted to win out
of all the awards, perhaps because Im
not technically eligible for it! It was
also that it was recognition for what I
consider to be the best zine that Im
associated with. Id rather There are
also the Ditmars, I guess thats my
next attempt!
And there were issues of The
Drink Tank that I am rather proud of.
The Clarkes Issue, the Hugo for Best
Novel one, especially the Hitman
issue. Its no coincidence that these
were all ones that I did with James
Bacon.
And I started making movies
for myself, doing YouTube videos and
having a generally good time with
movies. Ive always loved movies and
getting slightly more in touch with
them made me quite happy.
So, there was my year. I know
there must have been points where
I was disappointed, over-whelmed,
unhappy and displeased, but honestly, I
dont remember them. This was a year
of joy for me. Im certain of that.
My 2010; or;
What I Did On My
Chemo Vacation
by Jay Lake
The fnal chapter of 2010 has not yet
been written for me. And believe me, December
continues to be pretty action-packed, so there
may yet be a lot more to tell.
Suffce to say that in books I had a trade
hardcover release (Pinion from Tor Books), two
independent press single-title novellas (The
Specifc Gravity of Grief from Fairwood Press,
and The Baby Killers from PS Publishing), and a
hardcover collection (The Sky That Wraps from
Subterranean Press).
In short fction, I had about twenty-fve
appearances, one jointly authored with Ken
Scholes, several more with Shannon Page. I
Green novel Kalimpura, and revised about the
same amount, including the second Green novel,
Endurance. I also managed to blog a roughly
similar volume of words. I edited METAtropolis:
Cascadia, Audible.coms followup to the highly
successful METAtropolis audiobook.
I was scheduled to be an instructor at
the Surrey International Writers Conference
this year. I was booked as Toastmaster at
RadCon. I was invited to be an instructor at
Viable Paradise next year. I attended WorldCon
in Australia, where I helped present the John W.
Campbell Award for Best New Writer. I also
attended the New Zealand National Science
Fiction Convention.
Pretty solid stuff, huh?
I feel like I have a lot to be proud of as a
writer. This is a pursuit I work very hard at, with
a great deal of love for what I do and the people
I do it with. My stories are the children of my
imagination, proliferating into the world willy
nilly, lexical ambassadors of my ideas.
If I were anybody else, Id be jealous of
my career. Being me, I know what a ramshackle
arrangement of luck, happenstance and sweat
equity it all is. But Im still proud.
However, there is another side to all
this.
2010 has been the most stressful year of
my adult life.
A close family member underwent
urgent and unplanned open-heart surgery.
My daughters mother experienced a
medical error that left her in ICU for a week, at
signifcant risk of her life.
My daughter turned thirteen with all that
entails socially and emotionally.
My working life (ie, the day job)
experienced signifcant re-alignments.
My personal life experienced signifcant
re-alignments.
Most importantly, I spent six months on
chemotherapy for metastatic colon cancer of the
also sold about twenty new
pieces, most solo, some with
Shannon. I was nominated
for an Airship Award for
the Mainspring cycle, sold
French and German rights
to various of my books, and
sold a single-title novella for
2011 (Love in the Time of
Metal and Flesh to Prime
Books).
In 2010 I wrote
about 200,000 words of
frst draft fction, including
the frst draft of the third
lung, underwent major surgery
to resect my liver to address
another suspected metastasis,
and near the end of the year
underwent minor surgery to
remove the chest port used for
my chemotherapy infusions.
Its frankly a miracle that I
got anything written at all.
Let alone as much as I have
managed to accomplish in my
career this year.
I want to put this
another way.
I spent the better part of the frst six months
of this year being a drooling fool. Drugs were
pumped into my body every two weeks: FOLOX
a combination of leucovorin, fuorouracil and
oxaliplatin along with Avastin, a monoclonal
antibody that sounds like it ought to be the drug
of choice for old tyme pirates. Not to mention a
whole constellation of helper drugs to facilitate
uptake and manage side effects. When they
entered my bloodstream, my brain literally
prickled. Like that feeling when your foot falls
asleep after youve spent too much time sitting
cross-legged. Sometimes my entire body would
fall asleep during the administration.
I shifted from sleeping six hours per night
to sleeping anywhere from nine to eleven most
of the time, thirteen hours or more during each
three-day infusion course. I wore a pump that
was plugged into my chest. I shaved my head to
deal with the thinning of my waist-length blond
hair. I gained over ten pounds. I stopped driving
my car at night, then stopped driving it at all, for
months. I lost my tolerance for any foods other
than soft, white carbohydrates. I felt desperate
and I felt like I was dying.
But still I wrote, until I could not. The
chemo fnally took me away from even that part
of myself last April. I started writing again in July,
about a month off of chemo, as my head began
to clear a bit. In truth, my head did not really
clear until mid-October, after the liver surgery,
at which time too many other things in my life
had begun to shift.
Somehow, through all of this except for
the darkest hours of chemotherapy I wrote. I
edited. I collaborated. I never left my day job. I
parented my child as best I could. I paid attention
to my family and friends and loved ones.
But damn, everything hurt, a lot.
So 2010? Totally fred. I dont ever want
to hear from this year again. Its not getting a
reference from me or anything.
The most important thing I did was
survive. Medically, to be sure. But also as a writer.
As a parent. As a human being. And in surviving, I
wrote.
Chemo has scarred me in a way that my
earlier cancer surgeries did not. Surgeries are
catastrophic, but theyre unitary events with a
clear and reasonably swift recovery path. Chemo
is a chronic event, a continued torture of body
and soul in service of continuance of that body
and soul.
Everything in my life has been torn down
by chemo. Including, or perhaps especially, my
writing. Much of it has not been rebuilt. Some of
my life may never be rebuilt.
But I am still here to greet 2011. To keep
writing. To keep publishing. To keep myself in the
world of words, of love and of life.
In the end, there is nothing else to do but
keep trying.
In The End, Its Just a
Collection of Dates
by Judith Morel
On January 7th, 2010, I moved in with
Mark. I was in love. It showed in everything I
did. He was the one I was going to spend my life
loving, cuddling, worrying about.
On December 1st, 2010, I threw two
full force punches into Marks face, broke his
nose and knocked out a tooth. He followed up
by throwing me down the stairs. I grabbed the
bannister before there was any serious damage
to anything other than our relationship.
That was broken beyond repair.

February 2nd, Mark and I were offcially
engaged. He gave me a ring that had once been
in De Beers front case. He bought it for me
in San Francisco, held on to it and planned for
St. Valentines Day at the Palace, but could not
wait. He asked me at our favorite restaurant in
Toronto, Centro, where he asked me to marry
him before dessert.
I said yes.
He kissed me like it was the frst.
We made love that night, over-looking
the city, then few home, holding hands the
entire length of the fight, my head resting on his
shoulder.

March 13th and Mark fucked a girl at a
party on Newbury street. He came back to the
hotel and told me, shaking with every word. I
scream at him for two hours as he cries on his
knees and tries to make me remeber how the
two of us had met and begging me to understand
that this was his coup de grce as a single man
and why would he tell me as soon as he got
home if he didnt want to be with me forever. I
told him to shower, I went and I made a pot of
coffee. He came out and I told him to shower
again. He did. He came down again and I pulled
him tight to me and sobbed and sobbed.
He must have dressed me for bed.

April 27th, Marks brother died while he
was staying with us. I knew he was sick, but had
not realized that he had come to our place to
pass. His last words were to me. Jude, youve
got a great smile. I said thanks and he left the
room. We thought hed just gone to bed. He died
at some point in the night. Mark knew; Mark had
invited him out to die with us. We fought again
that night. I raged at him, knowing that he had
just lost his brother, and then I left him alone,
drove to see Kathryn and Mike. I stayed three
nights. I went back for the funeral. Mark saw me,
walked slowly over, slapped my face, then pulled
me in close and tight and we both cried until it
was time to get into the limo.
July 4th, I went to see SaBean and M. Mark
wasnt with me. They asked so many questions
and we watched the kids play. Mark called and M
demanded to speak with him on the phone and
the two hit it off and laughed hard and heavy like
old friends catching up. SaBean and I hugged as I
left to the airport.
I love you, Jude. She said.
Love you, too. I replied.
That was not normal.

July 14th, Mark and I went fshing. I
caught several Bass, one of which was seven
pounds. Mark caught a dozen of so bluegill and
a few crappie. We went back to the cabin with
Marks gang of four and had a fry-up. We stayed
up around the fre until the owls went to bed,
Mark and I kissing and snuggling, the others
either ignoring or beer bottle oblivious to our
openness. We were still awake when the sun
came up.
I love you, Jude. He said.
Love you, too. I replied.
That felt perfectly normal.
August 23rd Mark and I found out that
we werent having the baby.
September 14th I went to the store and
ran into Marcy. She asked how I was doing. I told
her I was fne. She asked about SaBean and Mark,
both fne, if not better. Marcy asked what the
date for our wedding would be and I stopped.
I had no idea.

October 5th Mark needed three stitches.
I held his hand the entire time we were in the
waiting room.
Im sorry. I whispered.
Its alright. Mark replied.
Im sorry. I repeated again and again.
October 21st and I called Chris to wish
him happy birthday. We talked for an hour and I
said Id come and visit. I always said that when
we talked. Mark came into the kitchen after I
was done. He asked questions. I answered them.
He left for bed without kissing me goodnight. I
enjoyed a bottle of merlot.
October 30th Mark bought a new car.
He took me for a ride with the top down. He hit
105 and we laughed and screamed and blasted
up the Grapevine. I wanted to stop in to see
SaBean, but Mark wanted to see San Diego, so
we just kept south. We turned later and drove
off to Pachanga, played some slots, got a room
and let the room service tray stay outside the
room for three hours.
November 9th I found my phone was
missing. I searched the house and found it with
Marks wallet. When I asked him about it, he said
he had just picked it up by accident, but why was
I calling Mike so often? I didnt answer.
November 13th Mark came home so
drunk it immediately reminded me of SaBean at
her lowest. He spent the night asking me over
and over Whos Mike? And Id answer over
and over Hes Kathryns husband. Then hed
go thoughtful, stare off then look back and ask
Whos Mike?
November 25th and Thanksgiving Dinner
must have made itself. I was far too drunk to have
done it myself, and Mark was not far behind. The
gang of four and their others were keeping up. It
was delicious, and the next morning we all woke
up in various parts of the media room in various
states of undress. I was on top of Mark, a blanket
thrown over the two of us.
December 1st and Mike and I enjoyed
a cup of coffee while we waited for Kathryn to
get off work. We talked about Mark and almost
nothing else. Mike was worried.
Dont worry, I give far better than I
take. I said.
I know. He said.
We drank in silence after that until Kathe
came and we went shopping.

December 5th Mark didnt come home. I
fnished another bottle of merlot.

December 6th Mark didnt come home. I
bought and drank another bottle of merlot.
December 7th Mark came home, noon
or so, walked up to our bedroom. I was drunk
and on the bed watching some news show. He
wanted the ring back. I gave it to him. He met a
girl, she wasnt like me. I was too hard. He felt
trapped. I understood. I punched him twice. The
frst one broke his nose and I felt the cartilage
rearrange under the weight of the blow, felt it
up through my arm. The follow-up knocked
out a tooth, might have done worse if he wasnt
staggering backwards. His reaction was to push
me down the stairs, bouncing me off the wall, I
caromed into the banister and stopped myself.
Mark stood at the top of the stairs, just looking
down. I went the rest of the way down the stairs
on my own, grabbed my purse and headed into
the city. He was gone when I came back. It
hadnt been dark long
December 8th I half-heartedly tried to
kill myself. Wine, pills, Lady Gaga on iTunes.

December 9th I woke up. Gaga had been
replaced by Roberta Flack. Mark had been over,
had taken the rest of his stuff. He had to walk
right by me, the bottle of pills on my right, the
empty bottle of wine on my left.
December 10th I knocked on the door.
Judith? SaBean said as she opened up.
I leapt at her, crying harder than I ever
had. I nearly knocked her down.
Its OK, Jude. Its OK.
At that moment, it was. As much as Ive
hated SaBean over the years, as hard as its been
to be her sister, she was there and was the only
one who could make me forget the year, forget
the fucker who left me facedown on the counter,
the tools of destruction at my sides.
Its OK, Jude. Its OK
December 17th I sit down in the Hayes
Mansion, in the room that had been mine before
I headed out to make my own way. Kathe and
Mike have been great, talking me through the
harder moments, making sure that I can get
through to Mark, get the fnal bits cleared, the
last threads of our lives together smoothed
out.
I start to write the article that Chris
asked for. Its an ugly story, or maybe its a series
of stories, and I fght my way through to fnd
the dates, to remember the times, the places.
I asked Chris if he was serious, why hed want
such a depressing story. His answer, and why did
I bother asking?, Was that he wanted to know
what a year was like from someone whose year
actually mattered to them. Hell clean it up, he
assures me. I took some time to remember
everything that happened, all the events, the
peaks and valleys, the happiest and the saddest
moments.
Mostly, I remember his face. I remember
the way he looked at me when he asked me,
when he pulled me close, when the pushed me,
when he called me all the names he called me.
I wonder what faces of mine he recalls
most clearly. The look when I said yes? The
fresh eyes of a women exhausted but wanting
nothing more than another roll? The rage the
second before I put my fst into his face? What
look, Mark? Which of them? Will you always
remember it? Will it be the one that defnes me,
that defnes 2010? Or is it some other whores
face in the midst of some orgasmic disturbance
you may have brought about?
It doesnt matter. Im still here. Ill go
home in a couple of weeks. Back to Chicago
and the place I had sublet when I moved in with
Mark. Ill be home, a home that I left thinking Id
never be back except to sign the fnal papers to
whoever would take it off my hands.
Instead, Ill back to where I was on January
1st, 2010, when Mark and I watched the ball drop
on the phone; he was in Houston, I was at home.
I love you, Jude. He said right before he
hung up.
Love you, too. I replied.
I wonder if its normal to question what
the truth once was.

A Little Better
All the Time!
Taral Wayne
Ive had my problems these last few years.
At times, I doubted that I was going to make it
through. My mother died at the age of 60, and I
was afraid Id take a dive over my balcony or step
in front of a streetcar before I made it even that
far. While Ive made no secret of the diffculties
besetting me, Ive been reluctant to wring the
full measure of bathos from life that I could have.
I hate whiners too
But it looks as though I might actually get
by the Big Six-Oh after all.
Last month, in October, I passed my
59
th
birthday. Not only did I not jump off my
balcony, things had actually gotten better! Item:
Shortly after my last birthday, my old friend Alan
concerned for the state of my back sent me
shopping for a new bed. I selected a frm, new
mattress, box springs, sheets and pillows and
gave the information to Alan by e-mail that night.
Next day, he ordered and paid for the whole
shot over the telephone from his home on the
West Coast. My new bedding was delivered
on the Monday after, leading to the best nights
sleep Id had in well maybe years.
The old mattress was more of a
hammock, no matter how often it was turned.
As for the springs I had been picking lengths
of broken metal coils from the foor for months.
In fact, looking back over my life, I can hardly
recollect any time when I did not sleep on a
fold-out couch, a fold-down bed or somebodys
hand-me-down. Is it any wonder that my back
was giving out as I neared 60?
The new bedding came with a covering
to keep out bedbugs. This was essential, as
my building was overrun with them a couple
of years ago. No matter what the authorities
say, a building cannot be rid of bedbugs. The
things you are told to do to rid yourself of an
infestation mostly will not work, or are not
practical. How do you keep dust bunnies off the
two-sided tape, or keep your cat from licking up
the diatomaceous earth? You cant. Few of us
are willing to throw away all the unnecessary
belongings that bedbugs may hide in, such as
wooden Tiki heads, lava lamps, black velvet
paintings of matadors, bowling trophies, moose
heads, chess sets, sofa cushions and books, of
course. I mean, whats the point of disposing
of lifes treasures when bedbugs can just as
happily live in your bed, in dresser drawers, in
the liquor cabinet, or almost invisibly in a tiny
crack in night table? Theyll even dine by biting
the house pets, if they must, and can survive
without a meal for up to a year! Even supposing
the last of the vermin lay dead before your eyes,
a tiny Coroners report in one claw, more will
be coming. Your neighbors will have plenty to
spare.
Only one thing will work enclose the
entire building with plastic sheets, fumigate, and
never allow the previous tenants to move back
in. While effective, what is the point of that
extreme a measure? Today an empty building;
tomorrow an empty city. In the old days, serious
infestations were treated by burning down the
building and be done with it!
So far, Ive seen no bedbugs in my new
bedding. When I removed the old mattress and
springs, I must have tossed 98% of the problem
out with them. Good riddance to one of Gods
less miraculous creations!
Ive also had problems with my eyesight.
A mild case of Myasthenia Gravis has caused the
lid of my right eye to droop. I noticed this a
couple of years ago, but it wasnt until late 2008
that it began to droop far enough to hide the
pupil and interfere with my sight. Naturally, I
would develop a visible affiction just then I
was going to Anticipation the next year, and had
to look my worst for the occasion. Gradually,
the condition seems to have been improving.
All through the Montreal Worldcon, my right
eye had been nearly closed. The eyelid still
droops noticeably, but now I see out of it clearly.
What more should I expect of an eye?
My sister wonders why Im not worried
about my looks. Far too late for that
More than anything of late, whats
improved in my life is going on the Pogey. It
pays much less than you would probably believe
is possible to live on, but the monthly check is
still a lot more than I had been making for the
last few years. Now that I can add luxuries to
my diet, like hot dogs with real beef or pork in
them, and noodles that dont come in a box with
no brand name. Ive been eying actual fresh fruit
and veggies as well. Chicken no longer seems
like an unthinkable luxury. I might someday even
be able to afford cable for the TV again, instead
of watching the static on CBC all the time.
But you dont want to hear any of this.
My personal problems are mine, and doubtless
youd thank me to leave them that way. Who
doesnt have problems? More to the point, in
your position, would I want to hear about your
problems? Of course not.
Of all the things that have been lately
looking up, the one that surprises me most is
that Im drawing again. When I had been able to
make a living from it, I had been penciling over
200 pieces a year. Of those 200 drawings per
annum, most were nekkid bunnies, kinky kitties,
slutty skunkies and other lascivious critters.
Lets face it, too nekkid is nekkid. The
sameness of the work was only made worse by
instructions from the clients. They sometimes
had very explicit requirements a special slope
of breast, a full view of the topiary, a certain
tilt of the nose or a custom-built caboose. On
the other hand, any effort I made to add vintage
surfng accessories, the authentic atmosphere
of a Western honky-tonk or the tools of an
ancient Roman workshop was wasted. The
customer was always completely satisfed with
only the cheesecake.
Once I grew thoroughly bored with
all the nekkidness, I discovered something
unexpected. I couldnt draw. I could start
to draw, but within minutes a tsunami wave
of ennui would wash away all enthusiasm for
the work. Barely a boob or ass committed to
paper, Id suddenly notice that I had to feed the
cat, dust the Muppet fgures on the TV or buff
my nails. I needed to do anything other than
draw! As you can imagine, this slowed the pace
of work to nearly zero, and jobs I should have
fnished in a day or two might take a month or
more. Still I plodded on as long as I could.
The rent is always due on the frst, whether Im
in the midst of a spiritual crisis or not.
Until I applied for the Pogey, that is.
Suddenly I didnt need money from working
money which, frankly, wasnt worth working
for anyway. Who can live a month on the money
made from a couple of literally Mickey
Mouse jobs? Freed from the necessity to draw
or perish, I stopped drawing almost entirely.
What. A. Relief.
I felt almost no desire to pick up pencil
or paper at all. Now and then, Id scribble
something that I could fnish in a minute or
two. If the work took much longer, there was a
serious risk it would never be completed. So it
went all Summer. So it was going all through the
Fall. But then it started getting better!
I found myself picking up unfnished work
and fnishing it. I started new work. Finishing
what I had started, I discovered that I also
enjoyed what I was doing. It was though
an ice jam had broken and the food had
been released. I drew something new
every day for a week! Not a single one
of those new pieces was a nekkid bunny
or cat-girl One was a well clothed cat
girl. I also drew three or four mice in
coveralls in as many days, a couple of
cartoons with a fying squirrel, a skunk
putting up a party banner and a variety of
other light subjects. I began to look at a
stack of more ambitious ideas that I had
started but never fnished. Next thing I
knew, I was inking
So, it appears that art-for-arts-
sake and the pursuit of money are
incompatible goals if not for everyone,
then at least for me. It stinks, but wisdom
often has an unmistakable odour about it
that we fnd unacceptable. It is usually in
our best interest to come to terms with
unpleasant realizations anyway.
Resigned at last to the sure
knowledge that my artistic abilities will
never proft me, I can draw again with
perfect freedom, and experience the
pleasure of doing a job well because its
worth doing well. I may even attempt a
nekkid bunny from time to time. The
hell with whatever posterity or the
marketplace wants. Up until now, Ive
been living while expecting the worst.
My outlook is changing, and Ive got to
admit its getting better, a little better all
the time.
It cant get no worse.
The 2010 Additions to the National FIlm Registry
Its the time of year when I get to indulge
in lists. There are dozens of lists to be played
with, Best of The Year lists are a dime a dozen,
but my favorite is the National Film Registry
announcement. Every year, like some cinematic
clockwork, they induct another 25 flms into the
Registry, recognised for the role theyve played in
the defnition of what American flm means. This
year, the list is impressive, with a couple that I
question, and a few that make me exceptionally
happy.
Airplane! (1980)
One of the funniest movies ever made.
Airplane was made by the Zucker-Abrams-
Zucker crew that would go on to make
exceptionally dumb and brilliant movies for
another twenty years. They changed the face of
comedy with their flms and its arguable that
Airplane! was their best. It relaunched Leslie
Neilsens career and turned him into a comedy
icon. My favorite line, uttered by the incomparably
awesome (and sadly recently deseaced) Barbara
Billingsley: Excuse stewardess, I speak jive.
All the Presidents Men (1976)
Yes, yes, All The Presidents Men. Lovely
flm, good choice. Fine choice, but really, ATPM
before any number of journalist movies. I mean
yeah, All The Presidents Men is a great flm off
a great book, but there are so many other flms
that fll the same role. Of course, documenting
Watergate was also a signifcant thing that
should be included, but Dick, a comedy from
1999 or so, needs to be on the list at some
point as a brilliant Secret History about the
Nixon administration with a brilliant portrayal
of Nixon by Dan Hedeya.
The Bargain (1914)
Well, this is unexpected. William S.
Harts frst feature, its got one of the best
credit sequences in history with the characters
coming on screen dressed in evening wear and
then desolving into their costumes. its a great
bit and William S. Hart was one of the defning
actors of the year Westerns. This may not be his
best, but its right up there. I believe this put Hart
and Mix tied with one flm each on the Registry.
Cry of Jazz (1959)
One of the hardest documentary shorts
youll ever watch if youre a fan of Jazz. Basically,
the director says White folks cant do jazz. The
flm is an experimental masterpiece though, with
early footage of Sun Ra and some gorgeous,
stripped-down visuals. We watched this in Tony
Cinamos History of Jazz class at Emerson and it
was a fantastic doc.

Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB
(1967)
It seems like the Registry is on a Student
Film kick. This ones from some dude named
George Lucas. Its a fun short that certainly
showed that Lucas was going to be somethign
in the future, but honestly, why hasnt George
Lucus in Love made the registry? Still, a nice, out
of the nomral pick.
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
OK, lets get the rant over with: I dont
like Empire. I know, I know, people love it
because its a downer, it is the toughest and
its got spectacular images, but really, with the
exception of the Hoth AT-AT fght and the stuff
with Luke carrying Yoda, its absolutely no fun.
It is nice to see Leigh Brackett and Lawrence
Kasdan recognised for their admitted strong
script, and Irving Kershner was an awesome
director, but really, its not Star Wars and its not
nearly as fun as Jedi.
The Exorcist (1973)
How many times did I watch The Exorcist
in high school? Lots, and it was always worth it.
This was one of the best horror flms of the
1970s, and Id put only the original Halloween in
the same league. Linda Blair has been living off
this flm for nearly 40 years.
The Front Page (1931)
OK, another newspaper movie, and one
thats been remade a few times, including twice
by Billy Wilder. I was shocked that it wasnt
already on the Registry. Adolphe Menjou is
awesome in it, as he was in almost everything.
As an early screwball comedy, its also one of the
best.
Grey Gardens (1976)
Sadly, Ive never seen this documentary
by the Maysle brothers. Its a legendary doc, the
story of the Beales, a pair of down-at-the-heels
socialites who live in Grey Gardens, an estate
that has fallen on the hardest of hard times since
the pair of them are broke. Of course, it helps
that theyre also close relatives of Jacky O. The
flm is listed as one of hte most infuential docs
of the 1970s and put the Maysles up as legends
along with the likes of Errol Morris and Les
Blank. Im ordering the Criterion Edition of it as
I write this!
I Am Joaquin (1969)
So, my Grandpa knew Luis Valdez a bit
from what I understand, and this is Valdezs frst
flm to gain notice. Its an adaptation of a poem
and a damn powerful one. Valdez is seen as a
massively important part of the story of the
Chicano movement of the 1960s and 70s. I met
him at Cinequest. I remember my Dad telling
me about Luis and about his Dad knowing
Caeser Chavez from when he lived in San Jose
and being far more impressed with the guy who
made movies and wrote plays than the one who
actually changed American political ways.
Its a Gift (1934)
Another one Ive never seen, but its
W.C. Fields workign with a kid, in this case Baby
Leroy who was a great child actor who fell on
hard times like they all did. The comedy of Fields
was cutting edge and you can tell by looking at
the generation that followed him. Some took
only a part of his schtick, like Foster Brooks,
and ran with that. Also, most folks dont realise
that Fields worked with many of the great
directors, including D.W. Griffth in Sally of the
Sawdust, a flm that I believe needs to be on the
Registry because its Fields managing to be both
endearingly sweet and mightily prickly. He was a
legend.
Let There Be Light (1946)
Of all the directors who ever lived, John
Huston may have been the all-around greatest.
He practically invented American Film Noir
imagery, made some of the greatest flms in
history, This is one of his war documentaries
and its the one thats considered to be the most
controversial. Its a look at injured soldiers, and
the Army thought that it would be a negative
infuence on recruitment. Its a gorgeous flm,
one of Hustons best, which is really saying
something. Its also the only redeeming thing
about Jack Valenti. He lobbied to get it made
available after the Army had suppressed it for so
long. So, I guess everyone has at least one good
thing going for them...
Lonesome (1928)
Go out and fnd every Paul Fjos flm
you can. There are a bunch of them, though Im
not sure how many are available. Lonesome is
probably the best of its genre, which happens to
be the I Love Them, But Whats Their NAME!!!
genre. Its impressive how well he worked in the
matter.
Make Way For Tomorrow (1937)
On the subject of Make Way For
Tomorrow, Errol Morris said it best: The
most depressing movie ever made, providing
reassurance that everything will defnitely end
badly. Its a heart-breaker and Orson Welles
loved it too! Its also the flm where you can
see what an amazing producer can do. This was
the peak of flmmaking when it cames to drama
and production values. This wasnt fashy, it was
simply fawless.
Malcolm X (1992)
One of my favorite flms, and one of
Spike Lees best. The performance of Denzel
Washington as Malcolm Little and then as
Malcolm X is proof that hes one of Americas
most versitile actors. The cinematography was
amazing, especially the footage of The Hajj. The
intercutting of archival footage and new footage
worked beautifully, but to put in Malcolm X
before JFK, to which Marlcolm owed so much
visually, seems odd. The fact that they had Ozzie
Davis voice-over of the eulogy he actually gave
at Xs funeral was a stroke of genius. Its also
William Kuntslers fnest flm appearance.
McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
Ah, Robert Altman. This is a western with
Julie Christie and Warren Beaty and its one of
Altmans more impressive outings. I always loved
it, and I think that Shelley DuVall is a natural
Western actress who just hit too late to really
ride the wave.
that Ive never seen, but I do know the work of
Larry Jordan, the man who made The Rime of
the Ancient Mariner with Orson Welles reading
the poem. Id have put that frst on the Registry,
but apparently this was an excellent choice.
The Pink Panther (1964)
Blake Edwards passed away before this
was announced. Really, these flms were just
Peter Sellers vehicles with very strong direction,
but folks tend to forget the role that Mr. Henry
Mancinis score played.
Preservation of the Sign Language (1913)
There was a movement by Oralists to
ban sign language. In response, George W. Veditz
made a great many flms documenting sign
language. Its some of the earliest recording of
Sign Language and while not a complete record
of what Sign Language was, it was an important
part of the process of keeping what was feared
to be a threatened language alive. This is exactly
the kind of flm that needs to be preserved.
Saturday Night Fever (1977)
I loved Saturday Night Fever as a kid. It
was Gene Siskels favorite flm and one of the
coolest flms ever made. it launched Travolta. It
was a classic, but even more important was that
it made a 3 year old Christopher J Garcia really
want a White Suit. Ive never managed to own
one...
Study of a River (1996)
Peter Hutton. Hes a photographer who
understands how to turn stilllife into cinema.
Youll fnd a lot of Ken Burns comes from the
Hutton theory. Im not sure if Ive seen this one,
but I know Huttons work.
Tarantella (1940)
A modernist animated flm that is
wonderful. Its a beautifully made znimation and
the music is wild!
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)
Elia Kazan is tied with John Huston for
the most flms on the Registry and I think it
sobvious why; hes amazing. I think this is his
greatest flm. Im still waiting for The Last Tycoon
to make the Reg.
A Trip Down Market Street (1906)
I love this flm. You can see it at http:
//www. archi ve. org/detai l s/Tri pDown1905.
Its a 1905 or 06 flm of a trolly going down
Market Street in San Francisco. Its one of the
best documents of the City before the 1906
Earthquake. I grew up seeing this footage, so its
a good thing it made the Registry. There are a lot
of early Actualities that need to be in.
Newark Athlete (1891)
Ive only seen this one once,
while at Emerson, and its also the
oldest flm on the Registry. Its a
guy swinging the Indian Club, one
of the most classic of all Strongman
feats. This is a signifcant one, but
without Sandow the Strongman on
the Registry, the most important
Edison flm is still neglected!
Our Lady of the Sphere
(1969)
Another experimental flm
A Christmas
State of Mind
Taral Wayne
So this is Christmas, sang John Lennon,
and what have you done?
The smug bastard What did he ever
do besides make millions of dollars for telling
other people how to behave? But he had a
point. Christmas is over for another year, and
what have I done?
The short answer is that I caught the fu.
Once again, my vow to put up the Christmas
Tree went unfulflled. The will to be on my
feet for more than thirty seconds at a time
was lacking, and the glass ornaments were too
heavy to hang. Even getting a good nights sleep
seemed beyond my capacity. Fortunately, any
idiot can sit at a keyboard, so I spent a lot of
time with Photoshop and MS Doc instead.
Eventually, I worked out why I couldnt
sleep. The inhaler prescribed by my doctor
was also a stimulant. For nearly a week I was
cranked up on what amounted to speed, and
whenever I tried to sleep all that would happen
is my heart would race, my breathing deepen and
my mind snap into tight focus. I could no more
sleep than I could walk through a wall as an act
of Will. Once off the crank, though, I began to
get some rest and recover. By Christmas Eve
I had managed a healthy eleven hours in the
sack. Feeling as normal as I have any right to, Im
looking forward to another eleven hours tonight.
That is about as much of an accomplishment as
I can lay claim to this Holiday Season.
In a larger sense, I fear that the institution
of Christmas has irrevocably changed for me. I
used to be a guest of my sister Christines family
Christmas. It was an event that had magnitude.
The night before the Big Day, Id take a taxi
to their house in the suburbs, as often as not
through a blinding snowstorm. While my sister
and brother-in-law assembled and wrapped the
last of the kids presents, Id relax with a coffee
and cookies, a glass of sherry or can of ice cold
Coca-Cola. As a night owl, I stayed up until dawn
reading. It would not even be light yet when
my nephews woke. Wed have bacon and eggs,
toast, orange juice and fresh coffee for breakfast,
while the kids poured out the contents of their
stockings. By the time Id had a second coffee,
we were ready for the main event. Sister Chris
handed out the presents. The kids got most, of
course. I always prided myself that, however
desperate my fnances, I was always able to buy
something for everyone, but especially for the
nephews.
But my two nephews have all but grown
up. They are 19 and 20, now, and dont play
with the sort of toys I can afford to buy them.
A model of the Batmobile wont do, nor will a
digital clock in the form of an F-15. The sort of
toys my nephews play with at their age are drop-
forge, low-carbon steel work tools, or the latest
upgrade to their Wii Air-Guitar game. With
their after-school jobs, perhaps they can afford
such things but I sure cant.
For that matter, my entire family is a
pack of doers. By that I mean they actively
do things, such as going to see a movie or show.
They go driving Dads jeep in the woods, they get
involved in amateur triathlons, they volunteer
for community work they do. I, on the other
hand, am a hobbyist. I collect things, I make
things, I pursue interests, I read and I watch and I
listen to things. Its fairly easy to buy for people
with sedentary pastimes. You only need to know
their passion mystery novels, modeling, home-
brewing, poker, stained-glass windows, whatever.
You can always buy them something. But doers
dont want anything. They want to do things, and
you cant buy them anything.
Its just not the same buying everyone a
$10 Tim Hortons card.
As doers, my nephews appear to be
growing less sentimental about Christmas. They
worked over the holidays last year, and again this
year. The family celebrated the holiday on the
23
rd
instead. The presents were still opened on
the 25
th
, when I wasnt there. A whole turkey was
no longer on the menu, there was no Christmas
cake or pudding, the family get-together was a
rather cut-and-dried affair in which we came, we
dined and we left. Im not saying I didnt enjoy
myself. It was certainly a lot less stressful but
Christmas in the fullest sense of the occasion it
wasnt.
What will Christmas be like in another
ten years, I wonder? By then, both nephews
may be married and have children of their own.
I havent mentioned that I have a second sister,
Karen, who just adopted two adorable baby girls.
Where will they ft into all this? Will there be
one big family Christmas, or four smaller ones?
Who will want their beaten-up old Uncle Taral
around when the presents are opened? Will
there still be a place at somebodys dinner table
at Christmas time? Where is the Ghost of
Christmas Future when you need to ask him a
few pertinent questions?
That self-important git, Lennon, also sings
Another year over, And a new one just begun.
So, what have I done with 2010? What work,
what play, what experiences, what set-backs
occurred in the 12 months that have elapsed
since last Christmas?
And what do I hope to do with 2011?
Those are questions for another time.
There are fve whole days before New Years,
after all.
ASK ME A QUESTION, ANYTHING AT
ALL
by Frank Wu
What is this article all about?
I opened up my lj to any and all questions.
On life, love, religion, politics, sports, death of the
universe, methods of chromosome splicing and
the mutation and genetic production of talking
bears. Anything.
Why did you do that?
Ive been interviewed any number of
times, the best probably by Terry Hickman for
Strange Horizons. Being interviewed is fun, but
sometimes I get asked the same questions over
and over. What are your infuences? Whats
your art process like? Good questions all, but
Ive answered them a million times each. Time
for fresh questions. Interesting questions yield
interesting answers.
I thought of doing a self-interview like
the lyrics to the Beatles Baby Youre a Rich
Man, wherein they ask themselves, Now that
youve found another key, what are you going to
play?
In the end, I felded a bunch of questions
from my lj readers and decided to post the answers
here. So without further delay, here we go!
Why Bichons? I mean, really, there are so many
breeds (and mixes) you could choose for a pet, but
Crash is your third Bichon? (Is that right?) There
must be a reason you keep returning to that breed.
Asked by rarelytame.
Thanks for the question, rarelytame. (To
bring other readers up to speed, my wife Brianna
and I got a Bichon puppy a year and a half ago
named Crash! Hes white and fuffy and a killer
like a baby Wampa!)
Actually, Id never heard of Bichons until
I met Bri! Her parents had one. Also Years
ago, one morning she woke up in New Orleans
with someone or something licking her face.
It turned out to be a bichon puppy she had
bought on the street the night before (but didnt
remember). That crazy little white poofball
was named Allie (short for Allegra) and was so
insane she chewed through a wall once.
I was actually afraid of having an insane
dog in the house the only dog Id had before
was dogsitting an ex-girlfriends half-chihuahua
half-toy fox terrier named Pearl. Sweet older
dog (an X-ray of her chest with an extra rib!
shows up in my old painting for Jay Lakes The
Goat Cutter for the Greetings from Lake Wu
project.) Not crazy at all. I was concerned
about all our electronic equipment and artwork
and Mayan artifacts and fossil trilobites. Thought
a crazy dog might destroy them.
But Brianna somehow convinced me
to get a Bichon whose original name was
Furbie, but we immediately re-named Crash
(short of Crescendo). Some peoples have the
belief that if you name something, it takes on
the characteristics of that name. Perhaps Crash
could be Exhibit 1 for that contention.
He has destroyed game controllers,
blinds, three Star Wars belts, and dog gates
meant to keep him in. He peed all over a
painting I was doing for Cory Doctorow (this
turned out to be a good thing, because I re-did it
from scratch, with a better composition).
But hes also been an absolute joy. Weve
made a lot of fun videos with him, including
strapping a camera to him to make a Crashcam!
Yesterday we took him to play in the snow! He
loved jumping around in it and trying to catch
snowfakes on his tongue. I hadnt laughed so
hard in weeks! Hes sitting behind me, as I write
this, nipping at my hair. I love that little dude so
much.
Were moving into my grandmas old
house shortly, and I put up a chain link fence to
make a pen for him. At the base of one of the
posts in the fence, I wrote BFC in the concrete
for Brianna + Frank + Crash.
Ive seen your political ranks here. Do you keep
in touch with your Congress-critters? For state, for
national, for applause, for complaints, how often?
Asked by controuble.
For the longest time, I was living in the
San Francisco bay area, where I was represented
by the capable but not-all-that-exciting Anna
Eshoo. Then I got laid off, and Bri and I moved
to Brookline, MA, where we get represented
by Barney Frank! My favorite Barney Frank
moment was when he told a woman with a
picture of Obama-as-a-Nazi that she was as
dumb as a dining room table. Yow!
Go, Barney, go!
h t t p : / / w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m /
watch?v=nYlZiWK2Iy8
How has being married to a very tall artist changed
your art? One of three questions by Howeird.
Being married to be an artist is awesome!
One of the things you discover as an artist is
that you get too close to a project you cant
see the faws. Or how good it truly is. I look at
her stuff, and she looks at mine.
Sometimes theres a more direct
collaboration. Shes contributed a lot to the
Guidolon project. We went through the script
together and beefed up Trisurons lines. She also
voiced Fribugus, the movie studio lackey. She
gave him a horniness, a Southern racist and
sexist leer. And made him much, much funnier.
Brianna is also the techno-guru in the
family. Shes taught herself all these complex
programs like Maya and Z-Brush. Guidolon
has benefted tremendously from this. For the
graphic novel, were posing the 3D Guidolon
model and then illustrating over it to keep him
consistent from panel to panel. Shes done a lot
of posing in Maya.
A lot of the computer skills shes
developing are for her own videogame, called
Revolution60 or Rev60 for short. Its an
extension of her art, which is full of tall, sexy,
scantily-clad girls (about her body proportions,
season after you leave town. Coincidence? Second
question by Howeird.
Im a huge baseball fan but mostly the Yankees,
since I grew up in Connecticut. But now, as
I mentioned, were living in enemy territory:
Boston. After Boston was eliminated last year,
and the Yankees were still alive, we had some
cupcakes made which said RIP Red Sox, and
left them at work with a picture of Crisis of
Infnite Earths of Superman holding the dead
body of Supergirl. But instead of a Big S, the logo
on his chest said, RIP 2010 Red Sox Dreams.
Folks ate work at the cupcakes, but they didnt
enjoy it.
When I was still leaving near San
Francisco I went to the Giants baseball park
dozens of times. Its a beautiful new stadium.
Up in the stands theres even a miniature
version of the stadium where little kids can run
around during the game. And theres the famous
McCovey Cove, the big puddle behind the
stadium where fans can kayak around, hoping
to fsh a home run ball out of the water.
Of course, San Francisco won its frst
World Series this year, not long after we left.
My undergrad years in New York state
coincided with their years in the wilderness
in the mid-80s. Then I was in Wisconsin for
grad school, which coincided with some of
the Brewers years of futility. Now that Im in
Boston, the Red Sox sux again, praise God, and
all is in order with the universe. When I was in
California, wherein the As were terrible, playing
as they do with a stadium where the seats are
indistinguishable in smell and hardness from
the trough urinals in the mens rooms. The
Giants did go to the World Series one year
while I was there 2002 but were blown out
by the Angels.
Does my presence in the state ensure
that that states baseball team will suck?
Perhaps. Because being in the stands
actually can affect the game, especially if youre
Jeffrey Maier. Unlike TV, because the players
cant hear you screaming at them. (Which
raises an interesting question considering
the quote by Yakov Smirnoff that In Russia,
TV watches you. In Russia, can the players
actually hear you screaming at them through
the TV? The mind wonders.)
Gojira v. Guidolon. Who would win? Third
question by Howeird.
This would be interesting. I broke it down
into a nice chart on the following page:
but with less clothing)
blowing stuff up and
shooting lasers and
machine guns. Shes
developing the game
which is a turn-based
tactics game for
eventual release
on the iPhone.
So in a year
(or less, we hope),
keep an eye out for
Rev60!
The San Francisco
Giants win their frst
World Series the
Gojira would seem to have the
advantage better upper body strength, fngers
that can crush trains and throw them at an
enemy. Guidolon does have two important
chracteristics, though. His outsides are covered
with guidolonium oxide, the densest substance
known to man, and impervious to all attacks.
He also has an irreducible monomania once
he sets his mind on something, he wont change
it. Thus, if he decides to attack Gojira, he
will relentlessly battle on, past the point of
exhaustion, the guidolonium oxide protecting
him from all attacks. Guidolon wont be able to
win, but neither will Gojira, and together they
would be locked in an eternal combat, neither
getting an upperhand, like yin v. yang, or those
two guys in Let that Be Your Last Battlefeld.
Outcome: Draw that never ends.
How long have you been growing your hair, and how
often do you get it cut? Have you ever considered
donating your hair to Locks of Love? Question from
Jenntheamazon.
Thanks, Jenn.
I have really boring Chinese hair. Thick,
black, but unresponsive to combing or other
attempts at control. When I was little, I had a
haircut like Spocks which I later learned, via
teasing, was essentially just a bowl cut. In
grad school, I tried getting perms and kinking
it. That was a disaster. Tried spiking it, too, with
gel that was a disaster, too. Eventually I just
settled on long. So that was around 1992 or
so. Its simple and easy.
For a while, I had the ends dyed, a little
bit of blue on the very end, and a little bit of
white just in front of that. Colored on the ends
like a propeller and thus great for hair wars
(hair fu) with Lori Ann White and Warren
Lapine and Bob Eggleton.
When was the last time I got my hair
cut?
Uh, to my shame, I havent gotten it cut
since we moved here. That was, uh, almost two
years ago. Maybe its about time to get a trim
uh, nah.
Locks of love? Maybe eventually
Whats your fondest memory of Stratfeld School?
Question from an anonymous reader.

To bring our audience up to speed:
Stratfeld was my elementary school. And I think
about that line from Stand By Me wherein
Richard Dreyfus says that he never had friends
the way he did in grade school and wonders,
does anyone?
Another fun memory was doing a drawing with
Jeffrey Wittstein. It was a massive, massive space
scene with blizzards of little one man craft
blowing each other up. Then I noticed that one
some of the ships Jeff was drawing these huge,
huge antennae dishes dishes as big at the ships
themselves. Whats up with that? Apparently,
Jeff couldnt keep himself from drooling on
the sheets, creating enormous black and deep
purple blobs, which he tried to obscure with
the radar dishes. Sigh. My artistic ambitions
destroyed by drool. (Kinda parallels the story I
told previously about our dog Crash destroying
my Cory Doctorow painting by pee-ing on it.)
Ah, grammar school. When the world
was full of possibilities, full of monsters and giant
submarines and spaceships. But, hey, it still is!
My best pals in grade school were
folks like Robert Repass and Jay Leos and
Kevin Logan and Jeffrey Wittstein. My
favorite memories? There was the time
when I caught a garter snake on the grass
by school. I had just read in a neighbors
copy of the Boy Scout manual how you
pick up a snake by holding him behind the
head, so thats exactly what I did while
squeamish girls called out, Dont squish
him! Nah, snakes are tough. My parents
wouldnt let me keep him, Jay ended up
with him. But when the snake shed his skin,
my parents wouldnt even let me keep that,
either since it might be diseased. So
I wound up with nothing, even though I was
the one who caught the snake!