PeterDavid.net

So what did you add to your collection?

PAD

Having joined the 21st century by acquiring a DVR, I’ve found that there are few programs these days that I consider to be genuine appointment programming.

One of them is Showtime’s “Dexter.” I simply do not want to wait even an additional hour to find out what happens next, much less a couple of days. “Dexter” is one of those few programs that has outstripped the source material, a series of novels by Jeff Lindsay about a police blood spatter specialist who moonlights as a serial killer. While the books went hideously off the rails with the misguided “Dexter in the Dark,” (although early word seems to be that the latest book has Dexter back on track) the TV series has gone from strength to strength and this new season seems no exception. (more…)

Edwood laughed. “Well, were-velociraptor? Let’s hear you squawk! Belt out this pretty little tune, and our dilemma will be solved!”

Jakob looked even more chagrined.

Solanum, Vlad, and Woeisme looked at him, expectantly.

“Wait!” cried Bela, “We need a test subject!” She reached into her purse, and produced a large Russet potato. Edwood raised an eyebrow. (more…)

Kind of beat because I wound up running out to LA the previous week on unexpected business, then came back, was home for a few days and then flew to Seattle and now am back on the East Coast. From a jet lag point of view, I literally don’t know if I’m coming or going.

PAD

Peter is the GoH at Foolscap this weekend Redmond Washington. Caroline and I are with him and enjoying our time here.

Kath

“Pants? We don’t need no stinkin’–”

“That will be quite enough of that, Jakob,” Edwood said firmly, his stern tone belied somewhat by the glitter on his skin. Jakob thought fleetingly about all the interesting places that glitter could get to before scowling and pulling on his pants.

Solanum blew a smoke ring in his direction. “So, about that secret–”

Everyone held their breath. (more…)

Feel free to discuss what you’re getting today.

PAD

So the Kirby estate, with remarkable and canny timing, is suing for reversion of copyright, using the same lawyer who successfully went after the rights to Superman. How this is going to impact on everything is anybody’s guess.

PAD

So pull out your lexicons and let loose the words of yore.

And for those who celebrate it, Happy Rosh Hashanah. It is now the year 5770.

Kath

Just so everyone knows, we are doing a server migration starting at 8pm this evening (Thursday Sept. 17th 2009)
At that time the sites may be down and comments will not post and may get lost in the move.
No set time as to when this will be completed but it will be soon as we can.

Please be patient during this process.

Thank you.

I think it was the summer of 1982. There was an Earth Day celebration being held in Central Park. I was there with Shana (and her mother) and I was carrying Shana in a backpack on my back. And as we were wandering around, Shana suddenly started bouncing up and down and saying, “Puff! Puff!”

I listened and picked out what Shana had heard so acutely: Someone was singing one of her favorite bedtime songs, “Puff the Magic Dragon.” Then I realized it was three someones. It was three someones whose voices I recognized immediately.

Her mother and I hotfooted it in the direction of the bandshell and there found, to our surprise, Peter, Paul and Mary singing one of their signature songs. Shana would pipe in “Puff!” every time they got to the refrain.

PP&M were always part of my young adult life. Back in the days when Howie Weinstein was living in NY, he would always organize an expedition for all the local authors whenever PP&M were performing in Westbury Music Fair.

I haven’t seen the trio in years, though, and now I’m saddened to learn that I’ll never have that opportunity again. Nor, even worse, will any of my kids.

RIP Mary Travers.

PAD

Fallen Angel #3 came out last week (we missed putting up SW since we were on the road to Dragon*Con) so there’s that plus whatever’s out this week. Knock yourselves out.

PAD

Silence. There was nothing but silence around the set. Golden silence. Nothing was moved and nothing stirred. If anybody was in the place in that our plucky (and annoying perfect in every way those. Right down to their perfectly brushed and flushed teeth who does that sickeningly shine effect when they use smile and near to some light source) heroes, they couldn’t hear a pin drop. Or the crickets playing their violins or whatever the heck they due when there’s nobody in the room or when somebody said something boring or stupid. Nothing at all. Well expect the sounds of a writer slamming his chubby fingers onto the plastic little marked buttons of his keyboard and swearing up a blue storm, screaming along the lines about “trying to beat the clock” and “he should have written something sooner”. Besides that and most of the cast taking a breather before the next hijinks, everything was quiet. (more…)

For reasons surpassing understanding, for the past four days I’ve engaged in an email exchange with a Scans_Daily denizen who seemed to want to have a genuine dialogue, but apparently didn’t. After four days they were just as resolved as ever that I was a big old meanie because I thought perhaps Marvel’s copyright was being violated and said something to Marvel about it. Yet abruptly they didn’t want to talk anymore when I queried about the following notice on their website and asked if it didn’t make them a teensy bit hypocritical:

Official legal notice

If you wish to publish any material from this journal anywhere else, you must ask my permission first. This applies to any form of publication, whether individual items or the whole journal via RSS feed to another website. I am the author of this journal: the contents are © (name omitted) 2000-2009.

It should be noted that I don’t have a copyright notice on this site (at least, I don’t think I do.) The reason is that I consider this a venue for my opinions, and I don’t want to do anything to impede anyone’s desire to mention those opinions elsewhere. By the same token, plenty of people feel the need to protect their IP by putting a copyright notice on their sites. I totally understand and respect that. What I have little patience for are those who are quick to protect their own interests while having no respect for the same rights of others.

PAD

There’s absolutely no advantageous situation handed them that they can’t screw up.

Wilson made an idiot of himself. Even hardcore GOP reps shied away from his actions. He apologized to Obama. Obama seemed to be cool with it. That should be that.

Now the Democrats are insisting he apologize from the House floor. Wilson’s refusing to do so because–I dunno. Because perhaps he sees it as an enforced exercise in humiliation and groveling. Which it is. So now they’re talking about rebuking him.

To what end? So that he can be transformed from a loudmouth into a man of principle? So that the GOP can rally behind him? So that the public can hear “You lie!” over and over and over again and, as a result, remember only the accusation, which is what typically happens in these circumstances. That’s why, in a debate situation, you always reframe an accuser’s statement rather than repeat it, because viewers just remember the accusation.

He heckled the President. He apologized. The President seems ready to move on.  Move along with him  before Wilson is turned into a martyr or even a hero.  They’re supposed to be serving the public, and the public will be better served focusing on getting health care done rather than obsessing about a footnote in the debate.

PAD

I will be attending the Brooklyn Book Festival 2009 and participating on the following panel in the Comics track:

1:00 p.m. Marvel Writers. How do they do it? Some of Marvel’s hottest writers talk about their work on your favorite comics. Moderated by Jim McCann.

After that I’ll be joining the others in a signing from 2-3.

PAD

I received the following from Jan Schroeder and am passing it along with my strongest endorsements.

Jeanne Robinson had surgery for a rare and aggressive form of biliary cancer this past February. Her gall bladder, common bile duct and 3/4 of her liver was removed and if the cancer returns further surgery won’t be an option. Her options now are limited and expensive, even with the Canadian health system.

Some of her friends are holding a fundraising concert for her and I’ve been doing some Ebay auctions. It’s the writing community who have really come through for Jeanne. Harlan Ellison has just donated dinner for two at Ellison Wonderland, Joe Straczynski donated a set of the B5 script books, Diana Gabaldon and Allen Steele are donating books and DD Barant has put up a Tuckerization in his next book.

I was hoping you might do one of two things: Help me get the word out about the effort and how people can help by posting to your blog or perhaps you could donate an item for the Ebay auctions. Either or both would really be great.

More information about Jeanne’s condition and more ways to donate directly or help out can be found here and my auctions are eBay Seller: dreamforjeanneauctions: Collectibles items on eBay.com

Tear down CitiField, rebuild Shea, and pretend the whole season never happened.

PAD

…we found ourselves with a Joel Schumacher film come to life. My neighbor was worried that it wasn’t safe to send the kids to school while I was busy freaking out because I couldn’t get in touch with Kathleen.

For me, it’s just memories. For those who lost loved ones in the disaster, it left a gaping hole in their lives that will never be filled.

PAD

In case you hadn’t heard, Congressman Joe Wilson (R-South Carolina) did the President a tremendous service last night by mistaking the floor of the Senate for a town hall meeting and shouting “You lie!” during one point in his speech when Obama asserted that his health care plan would not cover illegal immigrants.

Supporters of Obama-care have been painting those in opposition as obstructionist, disruptive assholes, and Wilson suddenly became the face of that. Everyone is used to the likes of Limbaugh assailing Obama on the radio, but a Congressman heckling a president on the Senate floor is simply unprecedented, at least in modern times (they probably gave John Adams a lot of crap if/when he swung by). Other Republicans are running from Wilson as fast as they possibly can for fear of being tarred with the same brush, but it may well be too late. When you’re basically saying that the opposition is acting like a bunch of jerks, and one of them then acts like a jerk under the most inappropriate circumstance possible, then your opposition has done you the service of lending support to your cause. It’s one thing to sit on your hands and refuse to applaud the President, but outright heckling…well, it may be SOP in England where face-to-face shouting matches with the Prime Minister are routine. But it doesn’t happen here. (Go watch Nancy Pelosi’s reaction during the video on CNN.  To say “If looks could kill…” is a cliche, but that expression on her face is what the cliche was first coined for.)

It was a breach of protocol, to say nothing of common courtesy: The President is basically a guest there, and you don’t shout “You lie!” at your guest (again, unless you’re Limbaugh or one of his ilk.) Wilson may have done more in his two second outburst to help Obama’s case than Obama did in his hour-plus speech.

PAD