Spike
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Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in the "Spike" journal:[<< Previous 20 entries]
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02:17 pm
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Peach is for August
I have just received the Gift of Pie: a subscription to a pie-of-the-month club. I am humbled, and very grateful.
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07:23 am
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Grand Librarian
What a marvelous job title! Apparently that's what they call the library manager at the Grand Lodge of Iowa. The library and museum are quite impressive.
http://showcase.netins.net/web/iowamasons/library.html
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05:00 am
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My Mini-bar Was on the Internet
Orbital was certainly a scientifictional convention, in many different ways.
This Eastercon was a programming tour de force, and also a very sociable gathering. Gosh it was great to talk to old friends and meet some new ones! On a Web 0.0 sort of topic, there were five bars with people in them*, including the satellite (or Main Bar, depending on your perspective) down the street at the Renaissance. The Scandinavian party escaped orbit and was held in a proper party space. Thank ghu the future has wireless communication devices -- but I did think a transporter would have been useful! I'm very glad the Future has the likes of Tanith Lee and Charles Stross. Oh, and it's full of real ale.
The convention required lots of quality hard work from many people. Thanks to Judith, Mark, all of Reading fandom and beyond for a well-run and inspired convention.
*the mini-bar did not contain people
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09:38 am
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I've Just Been Handed
a paper copy of The Drink Tank #164. It's printed landscape, and the idea of margins is so far just a gleam in the TAFFster's eye, but Crikey! And this is the fourth zine I've been given. Not bad for fanzine fandom's Final Days.
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02:31 am
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A Ceonothus Grows in Croydon
... on the grounds of Fishlifter Press. It is quite tall, and looks down upon a fig and a pear tree.
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01:20 am
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Always the Last to Know
2008 is the International Year of the Potato:
http://www.potato2008.org/
Why didn't somebody tell me?!
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12:11 pm
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Visi-brother
My 30-something brother is coming for a visit, due to fly in later today. This is his first visit to the Bay Area, so I've asked him what he'd like to do while he's here. His answer: Go to goth clubs. What should I do?
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10:57 am
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Match Game
Care to match the gin with its story?
Hendrick's
Sarticious
Junipero
Desert Juniper
Corenwyn
Tanqueray
Bombay Sapphire
_ gift from a TAFF winner
_ bought by the gallon for a summer picnic
_ gift from Ellen when we helped her move house
_ brought to you by Anchor Brewing, good local brewery
_ juniper berries were hand-picked, bottle was numbered
_ included with every ticket for Vinopolis, London's wine tasting attraction
_ infused with rose petals and cucumbers
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02:05 pm
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Gin Tasting Last Sunday
... which do you think was the favorite?
Hendrick's [Scotland]
Sarticious [Santa Cruz]
Junipero [San Francisco]
Desert Juniper [Oregon]
Corenwyn [Holland]
Tanqueray
Bombay Sapphire
Answer: Everyone had a different favorite! But we all were impressed by the Bombay Sapphire, which really was v. good, much better than expected.
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02:26 pm
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To the Rescue!
Today I watched two small gray mice roaming in the back yard. One of them climbed up the tomato cage, and chewed happily on a small green tomato still on the vine.
Just noticed seated on the back porch: the black-and-white cat from across the street. Perhaps I've been adopted! Perhaps my tomatoes are safe.
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03:18 pm
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Frankie, Come Back
Today I watched two small gray mice roaming in the back yard. One of them climbed up the tomato cage, and chewed happily on a small green tomato still on the vine.
It's been over a year since the annoying neighbors moved. They had a most wonderful cat.
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07:06 pm
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Banoffee Pie
Have you had it? It's a British dessert, has it's own Blue Plaque, according to the Internets...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banoffee_pie
The Banoffee Pie, a favorite* dessert of Margaret Thatcher AND Princess Diana, has come to America!
Maltby's in Los Altos is serving a "deep dish" version with a graham cracker crust .
http://www.maltbys.com/0006.dessertlist.html
You might want to stop by and have some.
*ok probably I should spell it "favourite" in this case
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11:43 pm
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Murder in Second Life
Where is Detective Konstantin When We Need Her?!
CSI New York investigates a crime ...and detectives must go into Second Life. Here's a clip...
http://video.on.nytimes.com/index.jsp?fr_story=89359b4eb5307365144be289fc169a86c97729d1
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02:16 am
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Merry Christmas
Happy birthday to ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) billzilla!
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05:04 pm
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Plus ça change…
I made top grades in my high school history/social studies classes, but by senior year I'd reached the conclusion that we were not so much studying "history" as the "history of men." I admit to losing interest in the subject after that, although today I appreciate a well-placed piece of historical context when reading about art, ideas, communities, and people. Couldn't help myself, just for the record I reviewed the questions on the U.S. Civic Literacy test (see my previous post). References to specific men: 53. References to specific women: 2. The women were Roe (from Roe v. Wade) and 11-year old Linda Brown (Brown v. Board of Education).
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07:01 pm
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What You Don't Know Can't Hurt You, Right?
I got a 76.67% on my U.S. Civic Literacy Report. Not so good.
http://www.americancivicliteracy.org/resources/quiz.aspx
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12:18 pm
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"Talk Like a Pirate Day" will be here before you know it
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07:22 am
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Tokyo
After a deliciously cool and misty 24 hours in Nikko, three days ago we moved on to a ryokan in the Asakusa neighborhood of Tokyo. With Tokyo's oldest shrine and a market street very close, this area is bustling, and still harboring a fan or three. The JETS Emissary flew home today, but now two NY area writers (and WisCon regulars) moved in next door. They missed the WisCon party by one day. Yes, sorry, you missed it too! A group of eight co-conspirators from Cafe Scifi-tique organized a delightful evening at a Victorian pub, the Rose & Crown, near Yurakucho Station. By arrangement, a flat rate was paid, and everyone at our large table (10 people) were given all the drink we wanted, "free." Apparently this group plan is often done over here. I personally had all the beer and California wine I could drink, and the pub food was nice too. (I've learned that it is possible to eat Beef Wellington with chopsticks/hachi if it's cut up for you in the kitchen.) One memorable moment was a chorus of female voices singing the theme song for a British sf show, UFO. I'm sure this happens all the time in Victorian pubs called Rose & Crown. After two hours, we moved outside for a group photograph in front of the Shinto fox shrine that stands outside the Rose & Crown. Being a WisCon party, everyone said "cheese." Thanks to our hosts for a most memorable evening!
We've had another day of wandering (initially I typed "wondering," which also is accurate) in Tokyo, shopping and trying to stay cool. Our flight home is tomorrow afternoon, but it would be *so* wonderful to stay longer. Tonight I walked around and said "goodbye" to some of my favorite vending machines in the neighborhood, the ones dispensing containers of ice cold beverages of every size, flavor and purpose. Now I should be packing. Hasta la vista, Japan.
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01:55 am
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Hoppin' Down the Genji Trail
After a slightly late start on Monday, we took a city bus to Nijo Castle. Originally built in the 17th century as a residence for the shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu (I think he was trying to make a point), this castle was restored 100 years ago. So the dark wood, painted ceilings, walls and screens are quite lovely, as are the gardens. Signs throughout provided helpful insights into the purpose of each room.
A short bus ride away is Kyoto's Heian Shrine, which evokes the era that inspired Tale of Genji. This very large property serves as a shrine, but it is also a 2/3 scale model of the emperor's palace from 10th century Kyoto. Brightly painted in red and gold, the main structure and courtyard are very large and impressive. Take a look: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:HeianShrine.jpg One of Japan's largest torii gates is associated with this shrine. It is a half block away, in front of the prefecture library. Alas, the library was closed on Monday, a disappointment. (The torii is always open.)
Also, I'm a bit sorry I did not see the garden associated with the Heian Shrine. Its known for its large weeping cherry tree section, and I reasoned that this was not the time of year to appreciate it. As it turns out, the garden at Byodo-in Temple in Uji (that we saw on Sunday) is a better rendition of a Heian era garden, the sort called "pure land garden." Must read more about that. You see, it's Genji all the way down.
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02:06 am
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On the Trail of Genji
Yesterday we took a local train from Kyoto south 30 minutes to Uji. Our first stop was the Byodoin Temple, a World Heritage Site and the regal edifice that graces the 10 yen coin. We weren't able to enter the Temple, but the museum is excellent, and admission included a brief film that showed the temple now and -- using very stimulating special effects -- in the past. After a brief stop to sample the free tea at the tourist information center, we set out for the true destination: the Tale of Genji Museum.
Uji is the main location for the last chapters of the Tale of Genji, written in the 11th century by Lady Murasaki. By the time the story meanders its way to Uji, Hikaru Genji is dead, and the main characters are two of his heirs who both love the same woman, Ukifune. The men come to Uji for spiritual reasons and also because it's far enough away from the royal court to allow various romantic hijinx. But the modest estate at Uji, in a wooded area at a lonely bridge crossing, has a Terrible Secret. Read the book if you want to know more. All I'll say now is that the root of the word "uji" is related to the word "ushi," which implies sorrow.
In 21st century Japan, Uji is a holiday destination, along the lines of Wisconsin Dells. Lovely woods and river views are balanced against ice cream parlours (that also sell beer), tea houses, a tea museum, shrines and Genji stuff.
We crossed a quaint bridge to an island in the Uji River that offers a good view of a dam up-river. A second bridge took us to the far side of the Uji River, and at the foot of the bridge, the 10 Chapters Monument depicting Niou and Ukifune in a boat on the Uji River. Fifteen minutes later we were at the rather elegant Genji museum, looking at a scale model of the Rokujo palace built by Genji to house himself and all his wives, etc. The exhibit shows replicas of furniture, folding screens, women's clothing and (my favorite) a traveling cart from the period. A screen is discretely pulled down at the front of the cart, and sticking out from under the screen are many colorful sleeves. There were musical instruments, scrolls, multimedia and more. My friends fled, but I stayed for the 20 minute movie about Ukifune. It didn't reveal the Terrible Secret or even tell the whole story of Ukifune, but they did what they could with puppets.
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