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Americans are uneasy with their possessions, guilty about power, all of which is difficult for Europeans to perceive because they are themselves so truly materialistic, so versed in the uses of power. |
Sunday, June 13, 1999
One year ago: Platinum Power
Two years ago: Books, Books, Books!
Imagine Jack, his daughter H---, and me in the fancy hotel suite, dead to the world. At last, a morning when we could sleep! So even after I woke up and turned on my little radio for Weekend Edition Sunday via earbuds, I let myself drift off again. That's such a great sensation! I don't think we started getting up until ten o'clock!
The bad side of this: we missed the first programming item. We didn't miss the art auction, since it didn't get held. (I think not enough items got the minimum number of bids.) We showered, read the Sunday paper on the balcony (bought Saturday at 7-11 with the ice cream), and packed in a fairly leisurely way. A very calm, relaxing morning.
We checked out shortly before noon, and put our stuff in our respective vehicles. Jack would be driving down south again to take his daughter home, before going back to Redmond, his old place, to try to deal with his VW dune buggy, then all the way north to Bellingham. Tiring, I'll bet!
We'd bought tickets for the brunch buffet, which was fun and low-key. There were notables at each of four tables; we chose to sit at the table with Amy Thomson and Edd Vick. Jack and Fran Beslanowich were also present. We feasted, going back several times for more fresh pineapple and other good stuff.
The Guest of Honor speech followed. Octavia Butler repeated a few stories that she'd already mentioned during the con, but they were well worth hearing again. I was interested in her descriptions of how she'd taken characteristics of family members and used them in writing characters, some of whom she hadn't liked very much. Butler's voice is very rich and distinctive -- her physical voice, I mean, not her narrative voice, though that is distinctive also. I'd like it if she did some unabridged audio books of her novels. And I really need to read her latest two, Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents.
Jack had to leave in the middle of this talk. His plans for next weekend are in flux -- will he come to Seattle? concentrate on finding a place to live in Bellingham? He's still in a motel up there, which can't continue much longer.
I left the hotel myself a bit after three, and drove home. It was really warm! This weekend has been our first taste of summer weather.
I think Foolscap was fun, but I don't know if I'd volunteer for next time. The folks behind it seem to want to build bridges between written SF and graphic arts, drawn books, and comics. I don't have a problem with this, but it's not my mission.
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I was inspired by various things I'd read on the DECLUTTR mailing list to do a clear-out of my bedroom closet, or at least of the clothing in it. The yarn and holiday decorations must wait for another day. I followed the clever plan of taking all the clothes out of the closet and laying them on the bed, then considering each item in turn. I'd either put it in the pile to be put back in the closet -- if I liked it, had worn it anytime recently, and it was in good repair -- or in a plastic bag of things to be donated. A few things I might offer to my sister, and a few things need hemming so I put them with the sewing machine in the dining room. I filled two medium-sized plastic bags, and now I have much more room in there! I tied off the bags and put them near the front door. I think I'll ask my neighbor when she expects her next clothing drive pickup!
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I tried to choose a quote for this entry from Quoteland, which I found via Laurel's Windowseat Weblog. But I couldn't find anything appropriate, and it's slower via modem than the Bookshelf CD-ROM I usually use. I'll probably give it another try, though, since it would be handy to use when I update away from home.
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