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Lantern Committee
Anyone who has obeyed nature by transmitting a piece of gossip experiences the explosive relief that accompanies the satisfying of a primary need.
--Primo Levi
Monday, December 8, 1997
I forgot to mention my favorite part of Vanguard the other night. Towards the latter part of the evening, the brownian motion of people moving around the party meant that we all ended up in the tiny hall of Jerry and Suzle's house. If anyone wanted to get into the bathroom, they had to edge past several people, and they needed to not be pee-shy! We were talking about Kate and Glenn's plans to buy an RV. They are not typical RV people, and Glenn has some health sensitivities that mean they can't try renting one. The cleaning solutions used on the vehicle between rentals would give him the pip.
I figured we all stayed in the hall even though there was room in the living room, because no one wanted to risk walking away from the group and having nobody come to join them!
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I finally got some specs to post on our product web site today. It's good to have tangible work to point to. As I was working away on my favorite html editor (it's so exclusive, the developer stopped working on it after a simultaneous hard drive crash and ISP meltdown. Any other Derekware fanciers out there?) who should pop his head through the curtains but Wally Glenn! He was apparently making his way across campus, visiting folks. We went for a beverage and exchanged Cacophony and journal gossip, and traded technical HTML notes.
After work I was scheduled to go to the Powerhouse and meet with Luke. I'm helping him on the Luminaries for the Solstice Feast coming up. I've assisted him with several projects of this type before; confining my efforts to just the parts of the feast or festival that he is working on keeps my involvement manageable. The Fremont Arts Council has a way of absorbing all the work you can do, and more.
I stopped on the way to get dinner at Ivar's Fish Bar. I thought about ordering extra oysters, but didn't. Even the five fried oysters that come with an order of "Oysters 'n' Chips" aren't cheap! But of course I regretted not getting them. I ate in the car in front of the Powerhouse, listening to "Fresh Air" on the radio. They had a great story about the cartoonist who draws Bizzaro. He organized a book tour a few years ago by requesting airline tickets and house room from his readers! Very funny!
Luke, another woman, and I all got out the Luminary materials (bamboo slats from window shades, and duct tape) and started trying to build different shapes. The lanterns need to be long and low, to fit on the long banquet tables at the feast. I did come up with a shape I like. It looks like a grouping of quartz crystals.
And there he was again! Wally, that is. He and Norma came by to find costume materials for his InSantacide expedition. She warned him about the consequences of putting fur on his outfit. "You will get stroked," said she, which didn't seem to put him out. It was nice seeing Norma! She greated me as "The Luminary Queen" because of the large Luminary Chandelier that Luke and I did a few years ago, and gave me a hug and a kiss. Those FAC folks are very friendly and open.
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