Gracious.

[truepenny]

There are over 500 of you.

::waves to everybody::

Since I have to write a synopsis of The Mirador today, and since synopsis-writing is an activity which I both hate and am incredibly bad at, I'm going to issue an open invitation:

Tell me something about yourself.

It's an invitation, obviously--nothing even as strong as a request--so if you don't want to, no harm, no foul. But if you'd like to (and this applies as much to the people I know as the people I don't) ... tell me something. Make it as long or as short, as serious or as goofy as you want. If you are a reader who doesn't have a LiveJournal account, that's totally cool, too--just please remember to sign your comment.

Comments

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Not at all. For a bassoon-playing astronomer, you're perfectly clear. (My cousin & godfather Roger Griffin is an astronomer, and I still carry the commemorative moon-landing silver dollar he sent me in 1972 - tho' all the silver's rubbed off the edge, and it's copper underneath, boo swizz.)

[sovay]

and the Stone film? That was my birthday treat.

Condolences!

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I exist primarily to hold up the cat. ^_~

Yup. I spent ten years as a mobile resting-spot for Sophie, who was so completely a shoulder-cat she would have eaten her dinner up there if she could manage it, if only she didn't keep on dropping bits. She used to fall asleep regularly, and snore in my ear. I still miss that.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

This is because geese are scary. You fear them because you are a sensible, rational person.

[eruthros]

I agree that there should be a word for an unreasonable fear of geese; I googled anserophobia in the hopes that someone else had decided the same thing, but I didn't find a single link. ("Fear of geese," on the other hand, turns up 46 whole links.)

The first time I was attacked, the geese were clearly displacing their anger. I was in a park in late spring, so there were many goslings. A bicylcist zoomed though the flock of geese, between adults and goslings. A few of the adults waddled after him, but after four or five steps it was fairly obvious that they weren't going to catch up, so one of them turned around and bit me instead. My "hey! what did I do?" response did not stop the parental goose from harrying me all the way out of the park.

I admire your heroic rescue of the small child. Anserine mobs. Brrrr.

[dichroic.livejournal.com]

What's a torroco? (Google wasn't helpful.) A bird, I assume, but should I be thinking peregrine or parakeet?

[khriskin]

Dex loves to purr loud enough to vibrate my skull. -_-;; Sadly, she never gets a chance to snore because she's oozes off my shoulder into my lap when she nods off. Like a fuzzy jell-o waterfall. ^_^;;

[eruthros]

That's what I try to tell people! Most of the people I walk or hike with say things like "oh, the cute little goslings" or "I want to get closer and take a picture!" These people have no sense of self preservation.

[khriskin]

*digs around* ... *feel silly* I couldn't find them either, then I realised I was spelling it wrong again. Doh.

The birds I worked with were Tauracos.

Tauraco corythaix, Tauraco erythrolophus (red-crested), and a violet tauraco. ^_^

Red-crested
Violet
Corythaix

Sorry, it's been almost four years since I worked at Busch Gardens and I've forgot 90% of the spiels I used to give. ^_^;;

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

There's a reason they're used as watch-animals in whatever Asian country or countries has that practice. It's because they're evil. The Canada geese at the park we went to when I was a kid were the foullest-tempered things in the entire universe.

I enjoy watching geese (although not as much as I enjoy watching ducks), but this does not result in a desire for closer acquaintance.

[porphyrin.livejournal.com]

I lived in Winnipeg for over a year. This was... oh, 13 or so years ago.

My favorite place there was the skyway system. If I ever write another urban fantasy, I'm going to base my magic system in the skyways.

...hm. On thinking about it, the whole love affair with skyways may be why I ended up in Minneapolis...

[teratologist.livejournal.com]

I I have eight rats.

And I'd rather write a synopsis than a car chase, which is what I'm trying to write right now.

[stillsostrange.livejournal.com]

I have a pocket full of lampwork. I hope I don't fall and land on my hip.

[stillsostrange.livejournal.com]

Also, one of my many dreams is to have a German Giant rabbit.



He would have his own room, and wear little waistcoats, and eat at the table.

[xjenavivex.livejournal.com]

This is the kind of tangent I go on during midterms week.

[oracne.livejournal.com]

Since I have to write a synopsis of The Mirador today

Oh, I am so sorry. AsyouknowBob, I feel your pain.

[oursin.livejournal.com]

When I was young - probably somewhere around 9 or 10, at least, the times I remember involved my brother being in a pushchair - during the summer holidays, when it was fine, and the tide was out, my mother used to take us to have breakfast on the sands. These were about 5-10 minutes away if we took the route down the 101 steps in the cliff.

I can't honestly remember how often this really happened, but I'm pretty sure it was more than once. Perhaps I should ask my sister if she has any memories of this.

Hi

[(Anonymous)]

Not much to tell.

Like most people here, I write SF/F. Mostly SF.

Thisi s a great Blog.

I'm at:

http://envaneo.blogspot.com/

My Blog is about my Ramblings and snippits of Daily life. You;l see pictures of my cats that sort of thing. I dnon't always know what I'm talking abiut half the time anyway.

e.Jim Shannon

[coffeeandink.livejournal.com]

Did anybody else, as a child, think numbers and letters had distinct personalities? Two was female, as was three; five was very male.

Yes! At least the numbers. Equations were about making and breaking families. I'd make up stories with them when I finished the in-class math work early, because I was bored and the teachers wouldn't let me read.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Awww... Do you know the Tessimond poem that starts "Cats, no less liquid than their shadows"? Sounds apt.

About that Mildmay character by karielf

[(Anonymous)]

This is an interesting group. Like many who visit this blog, I'm writing SF/F, hopefully soon I'll either get one of my short stories published or finish one of the two novels I'm working on.

I absolutely love your writing style. Like many of your readers I find the character of Mildmay endearing. Mostly because he reminds me of my lifemate, aside from the accent, scar, and I'm pretty sure he never killed anyone. I found myself often pausing as I read, wondering how his impossible to read face, muttering speech, and graceful acrobatic physique, not to mention his wavering self-worth, and standoffish attitude made its way onto your pages. He does have a half brother, and if the brother desires him, I'd hate to be around when he found out. If he reads this, he'd kill me (not literally).

I enjoy reading your blog when I'm seeking escape from the hardships of writing. I'm glad to find I'm not alone, when it comes to looking for distractions from the overwhelming urge to create (and perfect) worlds with words.

[khriskin]

I didn't before, but I found it with a quick google. It's very apt! ^_^ Especially this bit…

Admit no aim or ethics; flatter
With reservations; will not learn

That’s my cat! *grin*

[ginger-blue.livejournal.com]

I'm a grad student and an SFF reader who tinkers now and then with writing. I wound up here after someone pointed me to one of your essays on genre, and I stuck around partly for the crunchy discussion of writing and books and partly because you were saying sensible and encouraging things about dissertations. I hope you post more about baking bread, because anyone who can get sourdough to rise must have mutant superpowers.

I'm prone to overenthusing about things I like.
This afternoon, I bought the single girliest piece of clothing I am ever likely to own.
I've just discovered how good webcomics are for avoiding doing work.
Late at night, I like to go to the park and play on the swings.
I look forward to the day I can have cats.
I am newly fascinated by Japanese prints.

And, because the curiosity consumes me: was Malkar named after the ASCSA library? Given what you've said about your stay there, it seems somehow appropriate.

[(Anonymous)]

Germany used to use swans to guard castles, that's why they all have ponds out front of the castles. When I was a kid, my mother - insane animal lover - picked up a couple of ducks and a goose. That goose made the meanest and most effective watch dog I ever came across. It was pretty decent to me, because I fed it.

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

Yes, that is exactly where I got the word Gennadion.

It's an unfair slur on the library (the summer I was there, they had an absolutely fascinating exhibit on Greek representations of Lord Byron), but, well, magpie mind. What can you do? It had the right sounds.