Actual blogness

[truepenny]

Teresa Nielsen Hayden (who is one of those people that, if I'm ever in the same room with, I will make an unutterable fool of myself in front of. I know this. Just as I do, in fact, make an unutterable fool of myself in front of Neil Gaiman every single time. *despairs*) has a wonderful entry in her blog for Jan. 26 about, well, I guess Americana is maybe the right word. I don't know. But it's a wonderful entry, and it has links to all sorts of amazing things, like the web page for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City. So if you're seeking better procrastination via web surfing, this should do the job for you.

Comments

[papersky.livejournal.com]

I'll introduce you to her in Minicon, assuming she makes it to Minicon this year. She's wonderful. She's one of my favourite people.

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

And assuming I make it to Minicon. I want to, but it's looking a little iffy. I still have my fingers crossed.

[diony.livejournal.com]

I, uh, sat down at Teresa Nielsen Hayden's feet the time I met her, at an Orycon at which she was one of the guests of honour. This wasn't quite as bad as it sounds, since it was an awfully crowded room, but still. I never know what to say to people whose writing I adore when their writing isn't published -- I mean, it seems so strange to go up to someone and say, "I love reading your Usenet posts, especially the ones about the role of walnuts in fantasy." At least if I'm telling someone how much I liked their novel there's a bit of a script for it.

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

There's really no way to get around feeling like an idiot when you're introduced to someone whose writing matters to you. *sigh* There's always this terrible compulsion to try to be witty and fascinating, and that never ends well. I think things like LiveJournals and blogs actually make that particular problem worse, because you get this completely spurious one-way sense of already knowing the person in question. I've smiled at people at cons who don't know me from Adam's off ox, just because I read their blogs and so part of my mind already counts them as a friend. It's both disconcerting and embarrassing.

[diony.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, exactly -- I *do* try to be witty, or rather, I end up trying to sound a bit like them -- some strange combination of a desire to blend in and a desire to be noticed. Indeed, it never ends well. I keep discovering that my own self is really just a fine person to be, but every time I run into someone whose writing I admire I have to remember that all over again.

Your comment about counting people as a friend made me start thinking about relationship categories -- there's just not a good word I know of for 'person with whom I share intellectual but not personal interests'. Which is a pity, because with a number of people on Livejournal that's exactly how I feel; I enjoy the chance to discuss topics that I don't get to with most of my
friends, but it's not a personal connection, so referring to these people as friends seems rude as best.

Hmn. Must think more on this.