Well, first off change the subject line for any responses the good Dr. Brin doesn't need to be sagged down with.
Arrived in Phoenix at 7:00 so I'd have no problem parking a van that didn't have power steering. And I could watch the booths being set up. Something I had done so often in my SCA merchanting days. Phoenix was sunny and windy and everything was held outdoors in the grass.... .....so I knew I wasn't going to last the entire day. 12:30 came to pass and our good Dr. Brin sat behind the table all alone and started talking about choices. Dressed with a San Diego baseball cap and masking or other type of tape name tag. He probably knew who I was solely from the fact that I had draped a medieval cloak over the back of my chair, and that I was trying to take his picture only when he was in the mose undignified of poses. [Gotta give Steve something for the page...] I missed the time he had two fingers in his mouth. The battery in the Sony drains itself rather quickly now days. A reading from Transparent Society. A reading from one of 4 or 5 never finished time travel stories. [And Dr. Brin just got an email with what I thought up as a continuation for that story. I don't have a working radio while I'm driving back to Tucson.....} The Central Arizona Speculative Fiction Society schedule listed our good Dr. as reading from Kiln People. He never got to it and everyone was having too much fun that nobody either noticed or cared. After His talk he went back to the CASFS booth. Book signing for a short time. I introduced myself by pulling out a copy of Heinlein's Tunnel Through The Sky, to have him sign it with the word "Inspiration". as his webpage said that this was the begining model for a work on aliens abducting 3,000 high school students. [That book, when done, is to be signed "Results".] Email is much better for questions. Mostly I was in observation mode for the day. And by 1:00 I no longer had the use of my nose for breathing purposes. Observations: Dr. Brin's great with crowds, great with fans who have copies of his books, and most especially, great with young people who have never read his works. The pay is a lot less than being an acomplished author, but I felt like I was listening to a most excellent 6th-8th grade civics or history teacher. Back to the open tent for panel talks on designing a universe and writing in someone else's universe. No current plans for more on Asimov... Book signing from 2:00 to 3:00 where I mostly spent time standing by the side just drinking in the cadence of our good Dr. Brin's speech patterns. By this time my hips were sore from all the walking I've been doing. By 3:45, only 30 miles outside of Phoenix, I had to stop at the rest area to close my eyes for a half hour or so. Conclusion: Well worth the trip to finally put a voice and manerisms to the already well loved words. William Taylor --------------------- And I have a year and 3 months to start planning to be at Westercon... _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
