Scribbledehobbledehoyden: The Magpie's Eye: Page 3

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November 8, 2008

A rare journalistic entry:

Friday -- Art Crawl & dinner at the Pen & Pencil

Saturday -- Tom Purdom's literary salon, eagle-watching at the Oswego Dam, and dinner at Gene & Sarah's

Sunday -- dropped by Greg & Barbara's to give them a ham (from Gene) and then went wandering through a cemetery, writing on leaves, for "October Leaves"

So, a good weekend and good prep for when Marianne retires.

Then the conclusion to an appreciation of Neil Gaiman that was solicited by a website.  The story prior to this conclusion was about how, when we were both in Chengdu, I sometimes found it hard to slip in a story because Neil had already begun one himself:

And you know what I learned?  Two things.  First, that my well-known friend (possibly prompted by hunger) was wrong.  A compulsive storyteller is the best company in the world.  Second, that, given the choice, I'd rather listen to Neil's stories than tell my own, simply because I already know how mine come out.  So, in that respect, I guess Neil wins.

Not, as I said, that it's a competition.

Finally, notes toward one of my columns during the brief and pleasant year in which I inexplicably found myself a columnist for Science Fiction World, the single largest science fiction magazine on the planet.  Based in (by no coincidence) Chengdu:

Imagine you were born half a world away and had never been to China.  Now imagine that you suddenly found yourself in Chengdu, a guest of Science Fiction World at [NAME].

NAME is a place-holder for the 2007 International Science Fiction and Fantasy Conference in Chengdu, a title I always have trouble remembering.  If you're ever invited, incidentally, do go.  The good people at Science Fiction World are the very best hosts in the world.  Even now, I am smiling at the memory.

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