The origin (kinda...sorta...maybe) of Layla Miller, the character I resolved from issue #1 to reverse the mostly negative fan opinion about. Whad'ja thnk?
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That's not me asking, actually. That's the cover story in the current "Rolling Stone," issue 999. (It's dated May 4, so i don't know how much longer it'll be on the stands.) It's a detailed, scholarly overview of the Bush administration as provided by one of the country's leading historians. As much as Bush supporters will cry foul, it is difficult--if not impossible--to argue with the thorough, reasoned and historical comparisons of Bush with other presidents...those deemed both the greatest successes and the greatest failures. Recommended reading.
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I just finished the script for "Spike vs. Dracula #5," the last installment of the series. It takes place during the early part of the fifth season of "Angel." Dracula shows up in LA, because naturally his attorneys are Wolfram and Hart...and when he shows up, the ghostly Spike is lying in wait to drive him absolutely bonkers.
It may well be one of the funniest comic book stories I've ever written.
But now I have to wait for it to be drawn and everything. It's so frustrating, because as soon as it's done I'm anxious to get it in front of reader's eyes. Kathleen and Ariel both read it and thought it was great. Now I want to get the finished product out there.
So next time you think how frustrating it is to have to wait a month to see what happens in a comic, keep in mind that the writer has to wait even longer to see what your reactions are to what happens.
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For local fans, I'll be doing a signing (along with Clifford Meth) at Midtown Comics in NYC this Thursday from 5 to 7 PM.
Also, at 1 PM EST, the Freedom Clock finally drops below 1000. The end is...well, not near...but nearer. Unless, of course, the GOP congress tries to do away with that pesky two-term-limit thing. But that doesn't seem terribly likely.
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...since he was the one who, years ago, heavily pushed the notion that the correct direction for "Star Trek" was to go retro and focus on Kirk, Spock et al in their Academy days. This notion was reviled by most fans that I know of, contending that there was no point in taking "the franchise" backwards. Star Trek, like a shark, must constantly be moving forward or it dies. And furthermore, what remote interest was there in watching the adventures of our heroes as teens? It seemed a pathetic and obvious ploy to court teen viewers rather than accommodate the interests of long time fans.
And now it's years later.
And "Enterprise" took the franchise backwards and knocked it off the air.
And the success of "Smallville" plus other teen-oriented dramas must have registered on Paramount.
And thus do we boldly go backwards. Well...forwards, I guess, since it's moving forward from "Enterprise."
Of course, whether this actually makes it to the big screen, JJ Abrams or no, remains debatable. After all, quite a few Superman films by various big-name individuals crashed and burned before the upcoming installment got off the ground (no pun intended.) But if it does make it to screen, Harve Bennett--who was mentioned nowhere in the "Variety" article--is going to have to be wondering why he had to be so darned ahead of his time, in his concept if not his execution (Bob Greenberger swears Bennett's script was terrible. Then again, who knows? By the dwindling standards of many of today's moviegoers, it might have been a smash.)
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It always takes me a day or so to get geared up after returning from a convention. In this instance, I'm back from ShowMeCon in St. Louis, which I attended along with Ariel. The folks who ran the convention were uniformly friendly and helpful, and escorted Ariel and I out to see the Bowling Hall of Fame (which was really cool.)
Also in attendance at the convention was Noel Neill, best known as Lois Lane from the original Superman movie serials and TV series.
Not in attendance, sadly enough, were fans. It wasn't expected to be a huge convention in any event--predicted attendance was between 300 and 500. But it seemed to me as if there were less than 150 people. Has anyone been noticing a general drop in attendance at conventions, or is it only the ones where I'm guest of honor?
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So while Ariel was out of town, Kathleen and I attended the awards ceremony for the Long Island Junior Bowling Association, which has over 4000 young bowlers in its membership.
Turned out it was a good thing we did. Ariel won a trophy, which we accepted on her behalf, for highest scoring over the season in her category (Handicap All Events, Junior Girls). There were only ten categories, so basically she placed as one of the top young bowlers in Long Island.
Anyone who says "size doesn't matter" hasn't gotten a load of this trophy. It's almost as big as Caroline. A couple of kids in the ten-and-under crowd could barely carry theirs. This should be a really nice incentive for Ariel's future athletic endeavors. As soon as Kath's computer is up and running, we'll run a picture of Ariel holding the trophy on the website.
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For fans of the most errant knight around, I thought I'd let you know that a new "Sir Apropos of Nothing" novelette will be featured in the forthcoming short story anthology, "Heroes in Training." Edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Jim C. Hines, it will be published by Daw. No finalized pub date yet, although they're hoping for 2007.
The story, "Sir Apropos of Nothing and the Adventure of the Receding Heir" takes place late in Apropos' career, when he's actually managed--through his customary combination of deceit, skill, and luck--to become ruler of his own complete country, and circumstances require him to find someone sufficiently harmless that he can put into a position to take over for him. Also making his literary debut in the same story: Schlepper the Leper, the character first incarnated by Ariel during a convention masquerade. She won the prize for most humorous, so I figured that's a reasonable pedigree for Schlepper to join the Apropos Universe.
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Conclusion of the two parter involving our hero, Mexican wrestling, deep discussion over magic versus science, and a twist ending that had fans howling a week ahead of time.
Whad'ja think?
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You know, with so many people angered over the perceived corporate cowardice of Comedy Central, and the assertion that being worried over violent response is having a chilling effect on free expression, and how terrible it all is, and how someone should do something...
Here's a thought. If you want to make a point about rights of free expression and standing firm in the face of potential negative reaction, here's what you can do:
Go to Harlem, or to Watts, or any area with a heavily black population. Go at night. Go to a busy bar, or where you see a large group of residents congregating, and at the top of your lungs, start doing some of the Samuel L. Jackson speeches from "Pulp Fiction" where every other word is "nigger." Say it loud. Say it proud. This was an Oscar-nominated winner of the Cannes Film Festival. Hit the word "nigger" particularly hard. Be firece. Be convincing.
See how that works out for you.
If you're black, then you be the organizer. Find a white guy to be the guinea pig (how difficult could that be), and then try to convince bystanders that he's just exercising free speech in the interest of political commentary.
What's that, you say? You're afraid you'll get the crap kicked out of you? Your face bloodied? Your car destroyed? Well...yes. That's a valid concern. And as the doctor is putting you back together or the mechanic is surveying the damage, they'll ask you what happened, and you tell them, and if they say anything other than "Were you OUT of your MIND?" then what's left of you can call the experiment a success. Or at least that's what you can tell your lawyer after you've been arrested for inciting a riot and engaging in hate crimes.
While everyone's busy sneering at newspapers or TV stations for being gutless, let's remember that it is considered completely standard, acceptable and even--dare I say it--racially sensitive in every positive sense for people to say "the n-word" rather than "nigger." Be honest: I'm saying it here, and your reaction, whoever you are, is to flinch or get angry. I'm using it to make a point, but it won't surprise me if it gets angry letters to my publishers declaring, "Peter David wrote something that upset me! I'm never going to buy any of his books again, and you shouldn't publish him!"
Because reprisals comes in all shapes and all sizes.
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The producers of the show "Martha Stewart" contacted Pocket Books for permission to display the cover of a "New Frontier" novel that features Ashley Judd as "Robin Lefler," since Judd is slated to appear on the show today. I'll be watching to see if they do it and what they say, if anything.
UPDATE: Oh well. Apparently not. God, what a boring show. I think they should have Eve Plumb come on and whine, "Martha, Martha, Martha!"
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Okay, so now we can chat about it AFTER it's aired. Spoilers, I assume, to follow...
Boy, did I NEVER want to be right as much as when I saw the first minute or so of the episode and thought, "Oh God, they wouldn't dare." Happily, I was wrong. Subtext and metatext was everywhere, from Bart Simpson's joining in the festivities in acknowledgement that "The Simpsons" fired the opening salvo months back by labeling "Family Guy" as a rip off (and "American Dad" as a rip-of of a rip-off) to the stark assertion that Comedy Central wouldn't let them air an image of Mohammed. Ludicrous considering, as noted, they did it years ago, one wonders if it's true (I suspect it is) and--if so--whether that bit of interference on the part of CC is what triggered the entire storyline in the first place.
I also loved the subtext of the notion that the "Family Guy" writing staff was more or less the equivalent of the infinite number of monkeys who supposedly could wind up, through sheer happenstance, producing the works of Shakespeare given enough time. And ultimately the biggest joke was that network executives could wind up having courage in the face of terrorist threats--something that, in real life, is in very short supply. The problem is, considering it's the biggest joke...it's also the least amusing.
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Kath and I are usually on the same wavelength when it comes to television, but one thing we've always split on is "Family Guy." She likes the series; I'm, at most, lukewarm. So I have to say I got a truly snarky amount of amusement out of last week's episode of "South Park" in which "Family Guy" was skewered, a storyline that ostensibly is supposed to be concluded tonight (although, I dunno...I still wouldn't put it past them to have the second half be no second half at all. The bait-and-switch of Cartman's father is not easily forgotten.)
The great thing, of course, is that the storyline isn't *really* about "Family Guy." It's about religious fanatics going completely nuts over things that are depicted in cartoons. An obvious shot at the riot-inducing pictures of Mohammed, and particularly appropriate for "South Park" since years ago, in the episode "Super Best Friends," Mohammed was depicted on the show and it caused no stir whatsoever that I can recall. It almost makes you wonder if they're going to reair "Super Best Friends" just to remind people that, when it came to visually lampooning Mohammed, "South Park" got there first.
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"Spike vs. Dracula #1." I finally got my comp copies, only to page through it and discover that page 21 was completely devoid of dialogue. Didn't ANYONE wonder why the ending made no sense? What's really mystifying is that it was on the jpegs that IDW sent me for approval. Somewhere, between the printer and the printing, an entire page of my dialogue completely vanished.
For those who bought the issue and would like to have some idea of what the hell happened at the end, the actual page of dialogue is reproduced below--
UPDATED 4/14: I'd appreciate it if people would stop sending angry e-mails to Chris Ryall at IDW. Chris, who has been nothing but one of the classiest and most supportive editors I've ever worked with, was not REMOTELY responsible for the missing dialogue. Neither was anyone else at IDW; as I noted, the approval material they sent me and the material sent out to the printer all had the material right. Considering that no reader appeared to twig to the fact that the dialogue was missing, or certainly not enough to comment upon it, and it certainly ruined no one's good time or their ability to understand the story, the only one who's REALLY got a reason to be worked up is me, and even I'm not angry at IDW. I've been subjected to far more stupendous, and inexcusable, screw-ups in the past from far larger companies, so cut IDW some slack, would'ja, please.
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PAGE 21
PANEL A: Spike stalks the pub, looking as fearsome as he ever has. The people cringe back.
SPIKE 1: Because our lord and master, Count Dracula, is living up on the mansion on the hill!
SPIKE 2: Yeah, that’s right! The head vampire himself!
SPIKE 3: You thought he was just a pretend bloke in a book?
PANEL B: He leans toward them, shouting.
SPIKE 4: Think again!
PANEL C: People cringe back as Spike’s shadow is cast over them, his arms spread wide. Only Spike’s shadow is in the shot; Spike is off panel, casting the shadow.
SPIKE 5: This is going to be a vampire town in no time! Because as long as the Count’s in residence, everything’s ducky!
SPIKE 6: Because he knows that you people wouldn’t have the stones to…oh, I dunno…
PANEL D: Reverse angle so that Spike, who is now near the door, is pointing at them.
SPIKE 7: Form an angry mob and go storming his place!
SPIKE 8: Right now!
SPIKE 9: Right this very minute! With pitchforks and flaming arrows and torches.
SPIKE 10: But you won’t! ‘Cause you’re spineless!
PANEL E: Closer on Spike, tossing off that British obscene gesture of his with the two fingers.
SPIKE 11: So there!
The results of Election Day, tinged with a tragedy that has been in the making since last December. Discussion and spoilers below:
I have to say, I really didn't know how the election would turn out. If the series were going to be continuing, I would have assumed that it was going to be Santos. I'd simply have figured the show runners would have wanted to keep the show a Democratic fantasy. But with the show ending, they could just as easily have gone the other way since they weren't going to have to write it.
Still, the results of the election were overshadowed by the real-life tragic loss of John Spencer's "Leo McGarry." The real world and art have become inextricably blurred on the series as Josh--whom I've long contended the series is really about--relives the exact same scenario he experienced years before of having the culmination moment of a successful political campaign darkened by the loss of his father, and now his father figure...which happened in real life through the same method of demise that almost took Leo the previous season. You just know Josh is going to blame himself for the loss of Leo since it was his idea to draft him as VP, something that was already touched on in the most recent episode.
Interestingly, the show has also become a GOP fantasy. Imagine having GOP and Democratic candidates who, in a narrowly contested election, are both too noble to pursue legal remedies. Never happen. Never. Happen. So I suppose since "West Wing" is the land of Never Happen, there's always the possibility that Santos really does nominate Vinnick to be his VP, with the promise of a real, bipartisan America that actually IS united, rather than just paying lipservice to the notion in the country's name.
I wonder how brutal it was for the actors to react to the news. Bet summoning tears was no trick.
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Gorgeous day. Ferris Bueller would cut school again on a day like this. Ariel and I took Caroline to the local playground where Caroline ran around like a nut for close to an hour. Went out to lunch, then got a sitter for Caroline. Took Ariel to see "Take the Lead," which is kind of a combination of "To Sir with Love" and "Strictly Ballroom" if both films were kinda dull. Then again, I'm not the target audience for the film.
Going out bowling tonight. Kath is already over at the lanes for her Monday night league. She showed me the doll she made at the Froud class; very cool. Looks like something Wendy Froud would have made.
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Was awoken this morning by a rapping, a gentle tapping on my chamber door. 'Twas more than the wind; 'twas Caroline looking for Kathleen, who had already headed out to the Froud class. Once Ariel was up and around, we headed over to a massive kiddie play area called "Fun4all." The moment we got to the outside of the place, Caroline shouted joyously, "Ballpit!" She made a beeline for the aforementioned pit where she spent much of her time.
Took the kids out to lunch, then came back and watched the closing match of the PBA season. Chris Barnes won, in case anyone is interested.
Then I brought them over to a local carnival and they had a great time going on assorted rides (including a gigantic slide.) Playing some of the typical midway games, I won a doll of Dora the Explorer (dressed as a pirate) for Caroline and a huge penguin from Madagascar for Ariel.
Came home, ordered in pizza. Watched "West Wing," and will do a Cowboy Pete about it tomorrow once folks have had a chance to watch it.
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With Kathleen in the city for the next three days attending a doll-making workshop being given by Wendy Froud, I'm on kid patrol.
Took Ariel to her morning bowling league while our house keeper (who comes every Saturday, so how's that for timing) kept an eye on Caroline. Then, as rain poured down, I packed the kids off to go see "Ice Age" at the local multiplex. We had lunch there and then saw the film. Caroline was fairly well behaved after we made it clear to her that she couldn't go running around in the theater. The film itself was technically superior to the previous one, although once again the story itself was no great shakes (actually the preceding one was better.) But there were enough action set pieces to rivet Caroline's attention, as well as most of the kids in the fairly packed theater. And, hey, how can you resist a film where Queen Latifah voices a mammoth who's convinced she's actually a possum.
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I have no thoughts on this one way or the other in terms of its religious impact. It's just that, every time I hear about this, I keep thinking, "Piltdown Man" or "Hitler Diaries." It just always seems that when some fascinating historical discovery comes along that's too good to be true...it turns out to be just that.
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Apparently the following e-mail is making the rounds:
"Please,
My name is MR.PETER DAVID,the Director of a Security Company.
There is an Investor,former governor of Bayelsa state the richest oil
state in Nigeria, DSP Alamieyeseigha lodged some fund cash for
safekeeping, he reliably told me to look for a foreign partner/investor
who can receive and manage the fund for him until he is clear with the
problem currently in the state.
For him, his arrest and detention was
politically motivated because {this man supports the presidential
aspirant vice-president Atuku for the next election come 2007 while
Obasanjo the president of Nigeria is planning to rule for the third
term against the constitution;however the money $58,600,000.00 USD
originated from contracts and gratification from multi national oil
companies in the state.We must move the money out from African shores
due to the letter sent to Financial Institutions in Nigeria last week
by Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) requesting her
assistance to trace all money lodged in her bank/Security Companies by
government officials.
His family recently arrived Ghana for safety due
to the problem. Now can you receive the money or find an investor whom
I will offer to give 15% of the total sum for your assistance,5% have
been mapped out for expenses made by both parties,Your role to this
proposal is strictly to receive the fund and provide suitable account
that can receive and hold the money until my physical arrival to your
country.
MR.PETER DAVID."
No matter where you go...there I am. Apparently with this site under unceasing spam assault, someone decided to go one better by incorporating my name into one of the longest-running scams around.
Notice they don't post as Neil Gaiman. Nor Harlan Ellison. They ain't writing, "My name is John Byrne," nossir. Just me.
What an honor.
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Marvel has now made public the news that I've been sitting on for quite some time: I'm going to be doing the scripting for the Stephen King "Dark Tower" comics that Marvel will be producing. I'm tremendously excited about the opportunity, not to mention jazzed that King was willing to entrust his baby to me. Plus it's great to be working with Jae Lee again.
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There's a preview of the first five pages of "Fallen Angel #5" up on Newsarama. You may want to check it out.
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...is apparently prosecuting the Gordon Lee case in Rome, GA. As the press release from the CBLDF below will show, after a year and a half, on the eve of the case going forward, the prosecutor "suddenly" discovered that the basic facts of their case were wrong. Out went the old case, in comes the new. If I were a taxpayer in Rome, I'd be outraged over the frivilous waste of tax dollars. See below:
Gordon Lee: Case Dismissed, But Back To Square One
The long-running case of Georgia v. Gordon Lee took yet another strange turn of events yesterday when the prosecution dismissed all charges against the Rome, Georgia retailer only to bring a new accusation arising from the Halloween 2004 incident that resulted in his arrest.
When Judge Larry Salmon entered the courtroom shortly after 9 AM Monday, prosecutors declared the case nolle prosse, meaning that the charges that were to go to trial this week have been dismissed. Prosecutors are re-filing under a new accusation alleging that Lee handed "Alternative Comics #2" to a six-year-old minor and his nine-year-old brother, instead of solely to the nine-year-old, as has been previously, and repeatedly, declared.
Lee now faces two misdemeanor counts of "Distribution of Materials Harmful to a Minor" (OCGA 16-12-103). One count alleges he "did unlawfully … knowingly furnish and disseminate to a minor… a book, pamphlet, magazine and printed matter containing pictures, drawings and visual representation and images of a person or portion of the human body which depict sexually explicit nudity, sexual conduct, and sadomasochistic abuse and which is harmful to minors…" The second count alleges that he disseminated and furnished material containing "explicit and detailed verbal descriptions and narrative accounting of sexual excitement, sexual conduct, and sadomasochistic abuse and which taken as a whole is harmful to minors."
The dismissal of the case against Lee is a victory for the retailer, though the new accusation sets his defense back to square one. The next step will be for prosecutors to bring a new arraignment for Lee, at which point the case proceeds down the long road to trial all over again. Defense Attorney Paul Cadle says, "This is a victory, but it means we have to keep going."
Cadle adds, "Today's dismissal is recognition of the strengths of Gordon's case and our vigorous legal defense of him in this matter. We said all along that these charges are inappropriate and I think we've been vindicated by their dismissal. But, if they want to bring further charges, we'll be back in court again."
Though the dismissal is a victory in the near term, there are abundant questions about how prosecutors arrived at this point. CBLDF counsel first heard of the intention to dismiss the existing charges and draw up a new accusation late Sunday afternoon.
Lead counsel Alan Begner says, "I have never -- as a criminal trial lawyer for thirty years -- seen a complete changing of the facts like this. Throughout the last year and a half, through written statements, the investigation, and the presentation of evidence before the grand jury, as well as the written accusation and indictment, the State had steadfastly asserted that the comic book had been handed to the nine-year-old. The dismissal of the charges today reflects the prosecution's admission that everything that was presented as evidence before was untrue, and that they had stuck to the false facts through procedure after procedure in the case. We now intend to investigate how a year and a half of statements based on one set of facts has now been changed at the last minute to another set of facts."
Cadle adds, "To find out about this significant factual change in the allegations against Gordon at 3 PM on a Sunday when we were supposed to be going to trial at 9 AM on a Monday is disconcerting. It unfortunately has the result of costing Mr. Lee and the Fund tons more time, effort, and money. As attorneys, we've done what we're supposed to do and we're going to keep doing that. Alan and I were ready, willing, and able to go to trial this week, but unfortunately we now need to incur more legal time and expense to move forward."
To date the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has spent in excess of $40,000 defending Mr. Lee, and expects costs to hit the $50,000 mark later this month when invoices from the current round of legal fees arising from trial preparation arrive.
Charles Brownstein, the Fund's Executive Director said, "Monday's proceedings represent one of the stranger legal episodes in the Fund's twenty-year history, but it is an episode that stands as vindication of our commitment to proving Gordon's innocence, as well as affirmative evidence of the larger importance of our organization's purpose. From the start of the courtroom process, our attorneys have proved that Mr. Lee has been unjustly overcharged, and yesterday's dismissal of that case is the most recent indication that his arrest and the charges brought against him were entirely without merit."
Brownstein adds, "By the start of May we will have spent $50,000 defending Mr. Lee against these unjust charges – a sum that no small retailer, such as Gordon, would have been able to afford. Without the Fund, he would have had to risk personal bankruptcy or pleading to a crime that prosecutors have now admitted he is not guilty of committing. Our purpose is to defend retailers like Gordon against such unjust prosecution. And while the cost of proving his innocence is great, it is a pittance in comparison to seeing a member of our business community sold down the river for crimes of which he is innocent."
He concludes, "I can only shake my head at the fact that the case has come this far, and that the prosecution appears ready and willing to sink even more of Rome's public resources into prosecuting such a meritless misdemeanor. That said, we intend to finish the job we started: to continue our march to prove Mr. Lee's innocence, and to ensure that no retailer in Georgia is harmed by any bad precedent that could arise from a conviction in this case. We hope we can continue to count on the support of the comics fan and business communities as we perform this important work, because there's still a long road left to travel before we reach a final victory."
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund was founded in 1986 as a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of First Amendment rights for members of the comics community. Donations and inquiries should be directed to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund at info@cbldf.org or 800-99-CBLDF
Spent the weekend at Ad Astra convention in Toronto. It's the 25th year of Ad Astra, and the committee folks (including my main contact, Kirsten) couldn't have been nicer. All the panels were well-attended, and some of them were downright packed. Got to spend quality time with Terry Brooks and his wife Judine, and Betsy Mitchell from Del Rey. I was kept hopping pretty consistentyly Friday and Saturday, which was only fair since I had to light out from there early Sunday morning to get back in time for the Pepsi Challenge, a bowling tournament in which Ariel had made the prelims and was rolling in the county wide tournament (she shot a 547 series; whether she moves on to the nationals or not, we'll find out in a couple of weeks.)
Looking forward to "West Wing" tonight. My no-doubt wrong predictions: Josh and Donna, after bedding each other, feel kind of weird and are content to remain merely good friends; Santos wins and asks Vinnick to serve as his vice-president.
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