Archive for the ‘Travelogue’ Category

My Sasquan Worldcon 2015 Schedule

Hey y’all,

I’ll be panelling and reading at this year’s Worldcon. Here’s my schedule!

Steampunk: Aesthetics vs. Content

Thursday 15:00 – 15:45, 302AB (CC)

Steampunk is known for being pretty, but what about real content? Is it that dramatically different from other genres? Or are most steampunk stories like one genre with a veneer of steampunk?

Writing Diverse Characters

Thursday 16:00 – 16:45, Spokane Falls Suite A/B (Doubletree)

There was a time when most science fiction writers were geeky white guys with military experience, so most of their characters tended to be geeky, white guys with military experience…including often the aliens. What are some of the tricks to creating diverse charcters? What are some better examples of fiction with diverse, well-written characters?

Reading – Grá Linnaea

Friday 14:30 – 15:00, 301 (CC)

Come hear me read, yo!

What Prose Writers Can Learn From Comics

Friday 15:00 – 15:45, Spokane Falls Suite A/B (Doubletree)

Prose and comic writing are different. How a prose writer can apply some of the techniques from comics to help them become a better writer.

Travel travel travel travel

The Desert

The trip with Rob and Jason was amazing. (You remember: flying into L.A., renting a car, driving into the desert. OMG, we saw GWAR!)

Sekrit plans were made, bonds were formed, we laughed, we cried.

… wait, okay, there wasn’t any crying. A bit too much drinking, though.

Anyway, it was a great trip. I have an ease with those guys that I haven’t found with many other people in the world.

Anyway anyway, on the last night of the trip, (which largely consisted of bopping around Venice Beach and getting into trouble,) I was finally starting to burn out. Not with Rob and Jason. Frankly, I wish those guys were my next door neighbors.

But I was starting to burn out with … travel, the road and hotels. I was starting to miss my bed and my cat. (Also Elina, but she was already in London by that point.)

——

Of course, within an hour of seeing off Jason at the airport, I flew up to NorWesCon and panels and shmoozing and critiquing and even more sekrit plans (and even more late nights and drinking.)

Needless to say, by the time I got back to Eugene (and my cat) I was completely wiped.

… and of course I jumped right back into the day job, and … whew.

Paris, etc

I mention all this because I’m going on *another* trip in the next few weeks. Elina’s going to meet me in Paris and we’re … well, we’ll definitely make the rounds of Paris awesomeness. But I also want to see some other parts of France etc …

I realized last night I was stressing about where we’ll go first and second and third and I …

… I feel ridiculous and bourgeois. What a hugely first world problem. Should we go to Southern France or Italy? There’s also Vienna, or Edinburgh again?

Part of what makes it possible is that travel, once you’re in Europe, is ridiculously cheap.

I mean seriously, like $9 plane tickets to Turin.

Anyway anyway anyway, it’s looking like the trip will be something like Paris > train to Marseille or Nice > fly to London (where we’ll meet up with Damien and maybe a few other folks.) Maybe Elina can show me some parts of London I missed last time I was there. 🙂

All of which is a long form way of saying … *SQUEE.*

G

Oh, also … I’m on the road

Posted by Grá Linnaea ON in Travelogue

I’m currently on the road with Rob and Jason.

By the time I got on the plane to meet up with them, our sum total plans were:

  1. Meet in L.A.
  2. Rent car
  3. Desert? Boat?

…we’re awesome.

So far, our trip has taken us to a number of dive Mexican restaurants, a neighborhood in East L.A.,

a tiki-themed lesbian bar

, a vegan diner, Joshua Tree national park and a drive-in theater out in the desert near the biggest military base in the United States.

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This was all by day two.

As of this morning, I’m finally caught up on sleep. As soon as the other guys are awake, we’re going to flip a coin and head somewhere else, maybe the Mojave.

See you later …

G

Ruminations on the year: 2010

Where do i even start? I feel like i’m still processing. But, yeah, it was a significant year, full of stress and disappointments and crazy and joy. I’m happy and sad and excited and generally just really full.

There were tons of moments and details i would have done differently, but in general i feel blessed and lucky and amazed at everything i accomplished and experienced.

Heh, i just realized i could almost write the same thing for just the last two months. My life is weird.

Anyway, i’m overwhelmed at the prospect/process of distilling the last year into a single blog post, so i think i’ll steal the End of Year Survey meme (and ignore the questions that don’t resonate.)

Things i did in 2010 i’d never done before: Phew, got divorced, spent significant time in other countries, traveled for over half a year.

People close to me who died: Karen died while i was traveling. She was awesome and a fighter right to the end.

Countries i visited: Australia, Azerbaijan, England, Iceland, Kazakhstan, Scotland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates

Stuff i want to have in 2011 that i lacked in 2010: I want to write WAY more. I’m giving myself some slack for all the life changes and the traveling, but i’m not letting life stop my writing anymore and i’m not making choices this year that kill writing.

2010 was a weird year for friendships. I want to (well, sometimes i think i don’t really have any choice, i have to) continue to love people as strongly as i always do … but i want to stop getting derailed when people aren’t there for me. I’m forming more boundaries. I’ve developed a low threshold for people who can’t honor other people’s feelings or balance other people’s needs with their own.

Fortunately other people step up. My life is warm and full. 🙂

A date from 2010 etched in my memory: God, so. many. memories. (and i suck at dates) Wandering around London and Istanbul, standing in a cloud of butterflies in Aktu, Kazakhstan.

Biggest achievement of the year: Hmmm … just keeping it together and not going broke. Really focusing on what i want in my life. Finishing a graphic novel.

Biggest failure: Not having a real plan. letting myself get so ungrounded that it’s taken months just to start thinking about the future.

Illness or injuries: Heh, i stabbed myself in the hand on my last day in Kazakhstan.

People whose behavior merited celebration: Gethin and Heather and Giles and Nell, Nina.

Where did most of my money go: Travel, period.

Stuff i got really, really, really excited about: Museums! Other cultures. The Black Sea. Istanbul. Seeing Damien. Seeing Gethin and Heather. Seeing Mary and Durand.

Compared to this time last year, am i happier or sadder? Hmmm … I’m happier. Things still challenge, but i’m doing what i want and am excited about possibilities and options. 🙂

If i had 2010 to do over again, knowing what i know now, what would i do differently? I would have planned more. I would have built my life around writing.

Best book i read: I did shockingly little reading this last year. But The City & The City was really good and i loved Glen David Gold’s Carter Beats the Devil.

Greatest musical discovery: Listening to lot’s of great new stuff, but i’m going to go with Frightened Rabbit “The Midnight Organ Fight”

What did i want and get in 2010? I wanted to get the hell out of dodge, to see the world and to figure out what was next. … Check, check and check.

Best films of 2010: A lot of not-so-challenging films this year. (and, come-on, i think my life was challenging enough. 😛 ) I adored Inception. Star Trek was brain candy, but thoroughly enjoyable. I cried in Toy Story 3. And … OMG *squee* Scott Pilgrim vs. The World!

What i did on my birthday: Whew. I landed in Edinburgh and wondered what the hell i was doing. On my birthday, Gethin and Heather took me out and … it was just chill and connective and wonderful. And got a mandolin. Lovely.

One thing would have made my year immeasurably more satisfying: A novel contract.

My personal fashion concept in 2010: For most of the year i wore the same four tee-shirts and a pair of ever-disintegrating jeans. But once i got home it’s been vests and button-downs. I might possibly look like a hipster raiding his grandpa’s closet.

Who did i miss? Jai, Nina, Loreen, Damon, Damien, Mary & Durand … lot’s of others.

Who was the best new person i met? Elina

Valuable life lesson learned in 2010: Hmmm … balance, balance, balance. I want to travel, i want to write, i want to feel grounded, i want adventure, i want close friends, i want new experiences. Balance, balance, balance.