A VERY SEKRIT PASSPHRASE

  • Nov. 12th, 2009 at 10:04 PM
posted by Neil
There were 38 independent bookshops around the land who had Graveyard Book parties. The people at Harpers somehow got it down to 11, and they sent them to me to judge the winner. The winner gets me for a signing in December. I watched the 11 videos/descriptions/ photos. I watched them again. I watched them yet again, this time with Lorraine, my assistant, watching too and saying helpful things like, "They are all so good. Whoo. Don't know how you'll make a decision. Look at that! They're line dancing to Monster Mash! And that Death is on stilts, isn't he. Is that a horse? A horse in a store? These are amazing." The fourth time, Woodsman Hans wandered in from the deep woods (where he is making a pond) and watched them too.

Then I made my decision. I called Elyse Marshall at Harpers and told her. "Ah," she said. "I'll have to check with the lawyers to find out if you can do that."

So we wait.

...

I posted the Amanda Palmer current East Coast tour dates here last night. http://www.amandapalmer.net/afp/upcoming-shows for venues and details.

Today it occurred to me that in the past when I've had friends on tour, I've often done special "Neil sent me" things, where people who come from this blog get some special free thing, which a) is nice for the people who get the free thing and b) tells the person on tour that people are really coming from the blog. I did it with Thea Gilmore (who is starting a new UK tour next week. People in the UK, go and see live Thea Gilmore, for she is wonderful: http://www.theagilmore.net for dates and venues.) I've done it for The Magnetic Fields, who, incidentally, have a new album coming out on Jan 26th. And then there's the Green Goddess restaurant in New Orleans, where you can mention the "Mezze of Destruction" to tell them you came from here and get sent something wonderful to eat or drink. (It changes, depending on what chef Chris DeBarr feels like making.)

I should do it for Amanda. I called her up and told her.

She called me back. "Beth and I have put our heads together and come up with a code phrase for people from your blog," she said. "So they say it and get a special free thing from the merch table."

"Fire away," I said.

"We think they should come over to the merch table and point to this poster...




...and say 'That chick in the yellow corset crowdsurfing looks kind of hot. I wonder if she's dating anyone?' And then they get something for free."

I said I thought that was a very bad idea, because people might say that anyway, and it was an awful lot for people to remember. And what if they sold out of that poster early that night?

I said, "What about any variant of 'Neil sent me from his blog?'"

"Absolutely not," she said. "That's boring."

I told her to leave it with me.

And then I stared at this screen glumly, with nothing happening in my head, and real work I should be doing starting to nip at my heels. So I turned to the Oracular Orb of truth at http://www.neilgaiman.com/oracle/ and I clicked on the orb and shook it.


Here is Doug Jones and some strange man it said.

If you go to one of Amanda Palmer's shows on this tour, wander over to the Merch table, and say that you found about it from some strange man's blog. And something good will probably happen. (If they just stare at you, tell them it was me, and this blog. If they keep staring tell them that the chick in the yellow corset in the poster looks like she probably has a really nice boyfriend.)

....

This seemed like a very good cause to me:

Hi Neil,

I am a long-time fan, and have even met you backstage at a Tori show (though that was many years ago!). I am writing to ask a bit of a favor.

About 10 years ago, I appeared on 20/20 with Tori, speaking about sexual violence. Since then, I've stayed close with Tori whose been a mentor of the best kind. I also started a nonprofit, Pandora's Project, that provides support, information, and resources to rape and sexual abuse survivors and their supporters. We operate Pandora's Aquarium, an online support group with more than 20,000 registered members.

Recently, I was named a 2009 L'Oreal Woman of Worth for my volunteer work with Pandora's. I was chosen for this honor from more than 2,500 applicants.

Now, one of the ten 2009 Honorees will be selected as the national honoree through a public online vote. Her cause will get an additional $25,000, and a lot of media exposure. This is the first time L'Oreal has recognized a sexual violence organization, and becoming the national honoree would allow me to shine a spotlight on this issue that affects so many women and women.

Voting is easy - people just need to go to the url below, enter their email address in the box on the right, and click the "submit vote" button. Each email address is allowed one vote, and voting ends November 24.

http://www.womenofworth.com/Honorees/Honoree2009Detail.aspx?nomid=5657c940-425b-47a2-879d-ed3c2d82b56f

I am wondering if you might be willing to send people to this voting link via your (infinitely popular) twitter or blog. I understand if it's not something you can do, but my experience running a small-budget nonprofit tells me it's always wise to ask!

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Shannon Lambert


I'll plug it happily.

Your correspondent asks "Will you be reading the original version where the wolf actually is killed, and not the 'oh my goodness our kids can't hear about death' version in which they bring him to the zoo?"

I fear she's in error; in the original version, written by Prokofiev, Peter snares the wolf, then convinces the hunters NOT to kill it, but to take it to the zoo.


I've been researching, and that's what I found out too. Wikipedia has a list of changes made in various versions of the story (Disney, for example, had the wolf not eat the duck). But the wolf was always taken to the zoo...

You get a nice look, guy? You get a big ol’ eyeful? You trying to get her name? Well, her name is Mine, understand? Why don’t you just step off before I peck your face in, a’ight?

Once again, Gary forgot the key element when flashing...his trench coat.

Penguins wearing wife beaters and black chains are always trouble, Sarah W.

Posted in Uncategorized Tagged: Interspecies Snorgling

Boston in the Fall

  • Nov. 12th, 2009 at 9:00 PM
Thanks to our two new stops we added on the tour, John and I can now say we have been to Boston in the Fall. The town and trees were lovely, of course, but they paled in comparison to the goodies awaiting us at the show:

It's Cake Rex!

This delicious dinosaur was made by Jenn, John, & Melissa of Birchgrove Baking. They also supplied this super cute sheet cake:


[announcer voice] But wait, there's mooore!

We also had the lovely Erin and Sharon of Cakes By Erin provide several delicious sheet cakes, PLUS this:


John, who likes to live life dangerously, referred to this as Yankee Stadium [smirk], but it's actually Fenway Park. (Not that *I* know any better, of course, but he was corrected rather passionately by the crowd.)

And here are all of our lovely bakers!

From the left, that's Melissa, Jenn, Sharon, & Erin. These gals rock, y'all.


Ready to see our "winners"?

Here we have Alyssa, Meagan, and Lisa, our grand prize winner.

Check out their entries:

We were in the city of Framingham, so Lisa got all literal on us with her winning entry. (It's a frame around a ham, see?)

You might not recognize this Wreck, because it's one of the new ones in the book. (Have I mentioned lately that the book has about 75% NEW Wreckage? And that it makes for an EXCELLENT holiday gift? Hmm?)

My Wrecksistant Extraordinaire Anne-Marie drove from Maine to attend the show, and she was thrilled to see this bed bug Wreckplica from one her posts. (Complete with ravioli pillow!)

Here are a few more crowd pleasers:

Disco Newt!

They got sprinkles.

There were TONS of great Wreckplica entries in Boston, though, so check out the rest in the FB album here.

And lastly, I have to share what artists Kelli N. & Travis D. made for me, because it made me very, very happy:

Ta da!

Isn't it awesome?!? Mere words cannot describe how much I love this plaque. So thanks again, Kelli & Travis; this is going to look great on my "Wrecky World Domination" wall. ;)

Nov. 12th, 2009

  • 3:08 PM
Since it looks like no on else has posted this, IGN has given us a brief description of the characters in Shattered Memories here. ( if you don't want spoilers, don't look! )

They also confirmed that the NA Wii release of the title will be December 8, with the PS2 & PSP versions following. ( source )

Lastly, some new images have been added, including some gorgeous painted pieces. However they do contain new characters, so if you're trying to stay absolutely spoiler free, I'd avoid these.

Nov. 12th, 2009

  • 4:03 PM
My nephew used my tablet and PHOTOSHOP to draw an awesome picture!
We learned about the paint bucket tool, the paintbrush, the eraser, how to copy stuff, and even layers!
I had to help pick colors but they turned out great



Tony wanted me to post this so he could get some feedback!

Heres what he has to say about the picture:
"It's about a man screaming at the sky and the sky is raining rubber chickens, but only at him. And... he's in the city surrounded by his neighbors who are not home. Hope you like it!" -Tony Sergio, age 8

tweet.

  • Nov. 12th, 2009 at 1:02 PM

13:34 Gocarts ruled. Wallet found. #

22:57 In berkeley and i miss my cousins #

23:02 There are two places i wish i were right now, portland or austin. #

12:41 I.L.M. ! The yoda fountain! #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwittertweeted.

Because It’s There

  • Nov. 12th, 2009 at 6:49 PM

Day 17:  I have established base camp at the foot of the treacherous south face, whose sheer, forbidding vertical surface has claimed many an explorer before me.  With the monsoon storms just days away, I must make every precious minute count as I inch my way to the fabled Ceiling of Coyolxauhuiehecatl — and history.

IMG_0717

I claim this post in the name of Erin C.!

Posted in Uncategorized Tagged: Kittens

Mabel’s Birthday Conundrum

  • Nov. 12th, 2009 at 4:49 PM

… and so, Mabel settled down in the straw and enjoyed the new scarf her older brother had given her.  But still, her brother’s knowing smirk filled Mabel’s mind with troubling questions.  For instance, why was she dressed just like a baby?  And why was there a baby dressed just like a lamb earlier that week?  But these doubts paled next to the most worrisome question of all…

IMG_1232crop

Was this scarf knitted from someone I know?

IMG_1232coxcu

Spotted at the Bendigo Sheep and Wool Festival in Victoria Australia by kelebek.  More here.

Posted in Uncategorized Tagged: Hoofers

Throw the Bouquet (Away)

  • Nov. 12th, 2009 at 2:30 PM
I can't tell you how many wedding Wrecks I've seen salvaged with nothing more than a few well-placed bunches of fresh flowers.

These...are not those saves.

Believe it or not, that's a 3-tiered cake. See how effectively the gigantic seed pods hide the flaws in the top tier? They ran out for the bottom two, though, and were forced to randomly spill stuff on the table cloth to help "distract the eye." Cocoa powder or dirt? That is the question.

Other questions come to mind here, however:

Questions like: "Why?" and, "Why?" and, "For the love of pretty pastry platters, WHY?!?"


Since fresh flowers do have the nasty tendency of dying, though, I bet some of you are asking why bakers don't just use fake ones.

I will answer your question [dramatic pause]...with another question:

Ever contemplate sucking icing off a fabric leaf?

(Don't worry, this was not a wedding cake. It was a 20th wedding anniversary cake. Which, you know, makes it all better.)

Still, at least you can always count on silk flowers to be dust-free, hygienic, and easy to sanitize. That's why it's OK to just jam them all in the icing:


[blink blink]

BWAHAHAHAHAHA HOOHAA HEEHAHAH!



[wiping eyes] Dust free! Heehee! Ah, I crack myself up sometimes.

You know, Amy, Kasey R., & Anony M., I give "deadpan" a good name. I call it "Fuzzywuzzkins."

- Related Wreckage: Wedding Wrecks

You Could’ve Listened, But Nooooooo…

  • Nov. 12th, 2009 at 12:43 PM

I warned you I was allergic to that shampoo, but did you believe me?  Oh no, not you, think you know everything, don’t you?  Well, now my face is melting, so let’s hear your clever idea for fixing that, Vidal Buffoon!

Gary 054

Your “Gary” has the (echo effect) Jowls of DESSS-tiny, Heather Y.

Posted in Uncategorized Tagged: Disa-POINTED!!!, Pups

Hey Man, Nice Shot.

  • Nov. 12th, 2009 at 2:54 AM

This is handy for the golfer on the go. One that doesn't mind a little nudity anyway.

 

Read more... )

Gun Show Comic - Nov 12, 2009

  • Nov. 12th, 2009 at 12:00 AM
Gun Show Comic comic for Thursday, November 12, 2009
posted by Neil
Went in to KNOW radio station in ST Paul today and recorded an introduction to the NPR MORNING EDITION "Open Mike" piece I've been recording on audiobooks, and heard the edit. Asked them to see if they could find a bit more time in the piece for Audible founder Don Katz, who did an amazing interview and was pared down to about a sentence in the current edit. It'll go out in the next ten days, and as soon as I know when it goes out I'll put it up here. I talk to David Sedaris, Martin Jarvis, Don Katz and veteran audio producer/director Rick Harris in it.

Also popped in to DreamHaven and signed a bunch of books. The piles of books have grown so high, and the administration was proving so hard for Greg now that he is a one-man operation that I'm no longer personalising books there. But lots of signed books now in for the Holidays at DreamHaven's Neilgaiman.net site.

Spent much of the rest of the day driving around, being a dad, taking a daughter and her friend to violin, all that normal sort of stuff, and listening to Martin Jarvis's Good Omens audiobook as I did so. I'm about half-way through it now. It makes me so happy, especially hearing Adam Young read in something sort of close to Martin's Just William voice. Weirdly, I found it easier to hear what I wrote and what Terry wrote than I could if I looked at the text (which I discovered a few years ago, when I proofread the Harper Collins edition). The text is a bit of a blur, after all these years, but listening I'd find myself going, "Me... Terry.... Me in first draft, Terry in second.... Terry in first draft, me in second.... My footnote to his bit.... His footnote to mine..." feeling vaguely like an archaeologist. Even spotted a couple of tiny continuity goofs we should have caught 21 years ago that I may call Terry about and correct in future editions.

(Edit to add, here's a link for iTunes for the Good Omens book that will, I am afraid, almost definitely only work in the US and territories that buy books from the US.)

I still haven't done the Big China Blog. Until I do, I should point you to Amanda's blog, at http://blog.amandapalmer.net/post/240943999/east-infection-china-singapore, which has many photographs of our adventures, and of us, and lots of small anecdotes.

(She has an East Coast Tour on right now -
11.12 Portland, ME
11.13 Northampton, MA
11.14 Brooklyn, NY (SOLD OUT)
11.18 Philadelphia, PA
11.19 Falls Church, VA
11.20 Carrboro, NC
11.22 Knoxville, TN.
Go see her in concert. She's a wonder live. Tell her I said hi.)


Hi Neil,

I just read about your event in January, where in you will be narrating Peter and the Wolf. My husband and I are over joyed by this. We will hopefully be bringing our three girls up to see the performance. We did have one question though. Will you be reading the original version where the wolf actually is killed, and not the "oh my goodness our kids can't hear about death" version in which they bring him to the zoo? We are both, obviously, really hopeful that being you, and not afraid to scare children (thank you for that btw) will be speaking the true to the story version in which Peter shoots the wolf and then his dead body is paraded through the town as a trophy.

Thanks for your time,
~Cecily

PS- Do you know if there will be tickets for the event or the reception afterwards? It will be a long drive, and it would be nice to be prepared for either staking out seats all day or having tickets in hand. (We could not find any reservation information on the website)


I'd forgotten - or never knew - that there was an alternative version. The script I was sent is the Zoo version. I'll investigate...

And no, I do not know about tickets. I will find out.

Dear Neil,

Your Web Goblin offered to post photos of Coraline pumpkins, and when they were told this, my 8 and 11-year old daughters decided to make some. Here they are, along with 2 emoticon pumpkins and a turnip.

http://www.steampunkfamily.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/IMG_01521-300x225.jpg

I used them to illustrate a ghost story: http://www.steampunkfamily.com/2009/10/philomenas-fright/

Three of the four of us were Coraline characters for Halloween. (The 11-year old went her own way as Susan Sto-Helit.)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/37435081@N03/4077708519/sizes/l/in/set-72157622616148613/

The Other Mother is the scariest thing I've ever been for Halloween. All the children (even the 4-year olds!) knew who I was, and I elicited much nervous laughter when I offered to sew buttons in their eyes.

Thank you for being VERY SCARY INDEED


I love how many families were Coraline families, this year.

If, like me, anybody else was intrigued by your mention of Kenneth Grahame's other works and wants to read them with a minimum of searching, they'll be happy to know both 'The Golden Age' and 'Dream Days' are available for free on the always invaluable Project Gutenberg:

http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/291
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/270

Thanks for mentioning them in the first place; I'm always interested in children's lit of that time that has managed to slip through my net.

- B. Bolander


What a good idea. Two very beautiful, gently funny books by the author of The Wind in the Willows. I really enjoyed them, but stylistically they are, well, out of fashion, and will not be everybody's cup of Edwardian tea. Here's a passage that describes the illustration I put up yesterday, as small children steal through the house on a midnight expedition to obtain biscuits (ie cookies, if you are American):

The Blue Room had in prehistoric times been added to by taking in a superfluous passage, and so not only had the advantage of two doors, but enabled us to get to the head of the stairs without passing the chamber wherein our dragon-aunt lay couched. It was rarely occupied, except when a casual uncle came down for the night. We entered in noiseless file, the room being plunged in darkness, except for a bright strip of moonlight on the floor, across which we must pass for our exit. On this our leading lady chose to pause, seizing the opportunity to study the hang of her new dressing-gown. Greatly satisfied thereat, she proceeded, after the feminine fashion, to peacock and to pose, pacing a minuet down the moonlit patch with an imaginary partner. This was too much for Edward's histrionic instincts, and after a moment's pause he drew his single-stick, and with flourishes meet for the occasion, strode onto the stage. A struggle ensued on approved lines, at the end of which Selina was stabbed slowly and with unction, and her corpse borne from the chamber by the ruthless cavalier. The rest of us rushed after in a clump, with capers and gesticulations of delight; the special charm of the performance lying in the necessity for its being carried out with the dumbest of dumb shows.

Once out on the dark landing, the noise of the storm without told us that we had exaggerated the necessity for silence; so, grasping the tails of each other's nightgowns even as Alpine climbers rope themselves together in perilous places, we fared stoutly down the staircase-moraine, and across the grim glacier of the hall, to where a faint glimmer from the half-open door of the drawing-room beckoned to us like friendly hostel-lights. Entering, we found that our thriftless seniors had left the sound red heart of a fire, easily coaxed into a cheerful blaze; and biscuits—a plateful—smiled at us in an encouraging sort of way, together with the halves of a lemon, already once squeezed but still suckable. The biscuits were righteously shared, the lemon segments passed from mouth to mouth; and as we squatted round the fire, its genial warmth consoling our unclad limbs, we realised that so many nocturnal perils had not been braved in vain.

"It's a funny thing," said Edward, as we chatted, "how I hate this room in the daytime. It always means having your face washed, and your hair brushed, and talking silly company talk. But to-night it's really quite jolly. Looks different, somehow."

"I never can make out," I said, "what people come here to tea for. They can have their own tea at home if they like,—they're not poor people,—with jam and things, and drink out of their saucer, and suck their fingers and enjoy themselves; but they come here from a long way off, and sit up straight with their feet off the bars of their chairs, and have one cup, and talk the same sort of stuff every time."

Selina sniffed disdainfully. "You don't know anything about it," she said. "In society you have to call on each other. It's the proper thing to do."

"Pooh! YOU'RE not in society," said Edward, politely; "and, what's more, you never will be."

"Yes, I shall, some day," retorted Selina; "but I shan't ask you to come and see me, so there!"

"Wouldn't come if you did," growled Edward.

THE MEMES NEVER END

  • Nov. 12th, 2009 at 7:36 AM
❶ Leave me a comment with the name of your favorite song. THE WORD "KITTENS"
❷ I'll respond by asking you five questions so I can get to know you better. EXCEPT FIVE ARE TOO MANY
❸ Update your journal with the answers to the questions.
❹ Include this explanation in the post and offer to ask other people questions.


QUESTIONS PROVIDED BY [info]lolistolemybike

1. What color do you find most appealing?
ORANGE BECAUSE IT'S EXTREME

2. If you could live anywhere, during any time, where/when would you live?
NEW ZEALAND, RIGHT NOW. might or might not be because of fridge's presence. or aussieland since it's close enough and A CAPS IS FINE TOO. ---you said you'll move there right

3. What three people would you pick to aid you during a zombie invasion?
i... am unsure...
was about to say [info]technophile because he's good at thinking but he's also an asshole who would kill me and the other two people so NO GO AWAY
UHHHHHH
[info]fridge , [info]puzzley  and [info]infighter so we can smash shit and save princess rissa and princess jack

4. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE SEASON
WINTER BECAUSE BY THEN ALL MOSQUITOES ARE DEAD

5. do you have any celebrity crushes
at the moment NO NOT REALLY though i'm pretty partial towards siwon's brows

AW YEA

LDP 27

  • Nov. 11th, 2009 at 11:17 PM
me: IM BORED
[info]blazewithyou: DRAW A KID WHO DIED OF EATING REESES PIECES
me: OK

result:



T3T
If I've overheard this once, I can't even imagine how many times the actual parents have had to deal with the stupid.  At a street fair last Friday, I was talking to an acquaintance with triplets.  A stranger came up: 

Stranger: "Aww, how cute!  Are they triplets?"
Mom: "Yes."
Stranger: "Were they born on the same day?"
My Brain: *breaks*

Bethesda Tour Roundup

  • Nov. 11th, 2009 at 10:00 PM
Our last three stops on the "world" tour had some of our largest and most enthusiastic crowds yet, as the following Wreckage is sure to show. ;)

First we have the Giant Wreck provided by Fancy Cakes by Leslie:

It's like an "I Spy" of plastic flotsam: Wreckalicious! (Not to mention delicious.)

Leslie is one of the top cake artists in the U.S., and we were lucky to have her volunteer when the tour reschedule prevented Charm City from attending. Plus, in an unprecedented move of good humor, Leslie also brought the Obama display cake I posted waaay back during the inauguration:

So hats off to Leslie for being such a good sport! You'll see more of her amazing work in this Sunday's Sweets, too.

The crowd, waiting patiently.

Once again we had folks peering out from behind shelves and sitting on the floor where they could. Such dedication! My Wrecky henchpersons make me so proud.

Our three Wreckplica "winners" went all out, too:

That's Burton (yes, THE Burton), Andrea, and Ivanna.

Here's a closer look at their entries:




Why yes, that IS dead Lenin in a hot dog bun riding a poo wave.

What's not to love?

See the rest of the entries in the Bethesda FB album here.

Big thank you to Alicia Baker Tulloch at ABT Photography who let us use some of her photos!

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