Obsidian Wings

The BABBLE Continues: An Open Thread

by Gary Farber.

This is a variant of this post.

Per previous announcement:

The ObWi Bay Area Bloggers Bullsh*t League of Earth = ObBABBLE's second meeting is announced.

WHO: This is an open gathering; anyone reading this is invited.  In actuality, the main connector is that I can get you to read this.  You are invited.  You.

All readers of, and lurkers at Obsidian Wings are especially invited.

You may know me from: blogs.  Science fiction fandom.  Publishing.  My writing.  Anywhere. You are invited.

You may be a reader of blogs, and that's all. You are invited.

You may be a member of the Bay Area science fiction community, or want to be.  You are invited.

You may simply be interested in political discussion, or talk about sf, or tech, or gadgets, or anything smart. You simply may enjoy meeting people who may be congenial and interesting.  You are invited.

If you read this: you are invited.  You are encouraged to pass this along to anyone you think interested, and to repost this information as you like; letting me know, though, would be nice.

WHERE: Crepevine.  Specifically.

5600 College Avenue, Oakland, CA

5600 College Ave, Oakland, CA 94618
Ph: (510) 658-2026

WHEN: Saturday, January 15th, 2010, 1 p.m. until we're done.

PURPOSE: Socializing, meeting each other, fun.  Flame wars dampened with beverages and cheer.

QUESTIONS: put comments on this thread at Amygdala or Obsidian Wings, or Facebook; if necessary, email gary underscore farber at yahoo dot com or at the working, new, ObWi kitty email address.

Name of group still likely to change, as is everything else.

Frequency to start will be monthly, but subject to further detail and change of location/time; possibilities of every other weekend subgroups may occur, or may not.

Further notices are intended to be issued at least monthly, at least one week before the next meeting, preferably two weeks. (Ha!  I have a rich fantasy life.)

This is an open gathering: you are encouraged to bring interesting people who might be interested. 

Feel free to copy and repost this message, but if you do so, it's helpful to say so in public comments, or email gary underscore farber at yahoo dot com, so I'll have some idea how many more people might show up.

R.S.V.P encouraged, but not required.

Gary Farber: Irresponsible Party.

Co-instigators: Jacob Davies, RAL.

Pass it on.

The first meeting had 9 people, including myself, and one person seen only by me.  This means 7 people not me. 

This is not a huge and overwhelming gathering.  This second meeting may be smaller, now that people have met me.  We might have only me and two others.  We may have more.  Come and find out along with me.  Don't be intimidated.  But it's all up to you.  No obligation whatever, obviously.  

This message expires as obsolete no later than Saturday, January 15th, 2010, 1 p.m. PST.

ADDENDUM, 1.11.11, 11:11 p.m.: How you can recognize Gary Farber, aside from the cane and Colorful Blogging Attire, and Sheer Attitude:

My hair is somewhat shorter, and I won't be bringing the cats I'm cat-sitting/sleeping with.  Hello!

Aww, aren't we more cuddly looking than you thought?

ObBABBLE

by Gary Farber

The ObWi Bay Area Bloggers & Bullsh*t League of Earth = ObBABBLE's first meeting is proto-organized and is hereby announced.  Name likely to change, as is everything else.  Frequency to start will be monthly, but subject to further detail and change; possibilities of every other weekend subgroups may occur, or may not.

If you're free and interested in a get-together this weekend, in the Berkeley/Oakland area, probably near either the Rockbridge or Ashby BART stations, who prefers Friday nights, who prefers Saturday brunch/afternoon, who prefers Saturday evening, and who prefers Sunday brunch/afternoon?

My own preferences are, very mildly, earlier over later, but any work for me.

One respondent has replied Friday night, Saturday brunch/afternoon, Saturday night, Sunday brunch/afternoon.  Various others, others; I'm not going to summarize all here and now.

Feel free to answer the same question about next weekend, generally, and in future.

Other comments and suggestions on the topic and related issues welcome.

If there were a regular gathering every month, any idea how often you might be interested?

(Obviously, that wil depend on how much fun or interest you find when you show up.)

If there were something every two weeks, would you ever show up?

There's no need to make any plans to lock in stone, and such are always inadvisable and don't work for long, in any case. I'm asking for feedback for future reference.

Location is currently being determined.  Suggestions still welcome, but my own preference is as short a distance from the intersection of College Avenue and Alcatraz Avenues as possible; failing that, as close to either Rockbridge or Ashby BART station's as possible. 

Failing that, we'll see.

Final announcement to be made by Tuesday evening, if not sooner;  Wednesday 5 p.m. Pacific time, at the latest, if necessary.

One suggestion has been Lanesplitter Pizza Pub, 3645 San Pablo Avenue, Emeryville, CA.  They've not yet been communicated with to find out what they think of the idea, so far as I know. 

Does anyone have any feedback on this place as regard their preferences, or other suggestions either closer to College and Alcatraz, or preferences for someplace better, in your view, at an equal or greater distance?

Discuss below, rather than the most recent open thread, or prior.

I'm appointing myself coordinator.  Jacob Davies and RAL are currently co-organizers.  Check with me for further details.

Camilla and Charles Commemoration Contest

--Edward

hilzoy has led the charge in highlighting that it's Poetry Month with great posts here, here, here, and here, but I couldn't resist this gem in today's New York Times:

How do you solve a problem like "Camilla"?

If you are Andrew Motion, Britain's poet laureate and the man charged with producing a cheerful commemorative poem about Prince Charles's impending marriage to Camilla Parker Bowles, none of the obvious rhymes - vanilla, flotilla, Godzilla - seem appropriate, somehow.

Nor would you want to dwell on the pre-wedding mishaps that have filled Britons with such unbecoming Schadenfreude in recent days: the panicked confusion over the time and place of the ceremony; the fact that the groom's parents will not attend; the lingering specter of Charles's dead ex-wife, looming like Banquo at the feast.

Poor Andrew actually has until Saturday to put the polish on his poetic panegyric, so, my versifying friends, I propose we help him out. How indeed do you solve a problem like Camilla?

In case Andrew is trolling the blogosphere in search of inspiration, I submit we help him out with a stanza or two that he can use to pad his poem.

Even if Andrew doesn't come by, we'll vote on the entries tomorrow. The winner will be flown first-class to attend the wedding on Saturday (heh...why would we do that to you?). The winner will be celebrated in these very pages.

Here's my entry:

This Time

The pomp will likely be less pompy
There is the matter of respect
But from the rumors I expect
The honeymoon will still be rompy.

Erin go Bra-less: A Limerick Slam

Just keep them this side of XXX, 'kay?

By jeepers, St. Pat's Day's is here
And all along Fifth there's great cheer
But I'd trade all that charm
Hell, I'd give my right arm
For a nice pint of green-dye-free beer.

Although, a free print of green-dye beer would do, as well, I suppose.

Blizzard Poetry Open Thread

The Sunday morning pundit programs are all being pre-empted by really boring blizzard coverage (how many different frozen reporters standing before an empty street  with snow blowing around in the background do we need to see to understand it's cold outside?). So consider this a versifying open thread. Share your favorite, share your own, or send photos of the view outside your window.

Here's a piece I read a while ago and couldn't get out of my head:

A Poem That I Wrote in a High Fever

You who are lengthening your lives
with the best doctors and the best medicines
remember those who are shortening their lives
with the wars
that you in your long lives are not
preventing.

You who are again screwing
the younger generations
and winking at each other
the winking of you eyelids
is like the chill of the swinging shutters
in an empty house.

--Yehuda Amichai
(Translated, from the Hebrew, by Leon Wieseltier.)

JerryN Memorial Haiku Thread.

Because I really
Do try to be a good host -
For a pachyderm.

Two thougts.

1. The Shins' latest is a good hear. Incidently, does anyone have any good indy hip-hop? At present, my tastes have mellowed to jazz-hop -- yet, I'm stuck somewhere in the mid-90s. (And please don't suggest Jurrasic 5; they try to hard for my liking.)*

2. Is there any desire among the the readership to hear about Patent litigation or RICO issues? I'm a bit tempted to start posting on things that I know something about, rather than spounting off on ill-informed rants. (But my feelings won't be hurt if you think otherwise. Incidentally, you are also free to tell me to shut the f__ up "in the general sense.")

von

*But note: Old Public Enemy fan, here. (As Dr. D remarked after a wedding in Ireland -- backed to the wall at four a.m. in a desperate sing-off against the Irish guests -- "I keep trying to explain to people that the only guy who had my back was this white Republican from Indiana. It's embarrassing.") (If the good Doctor is reading: it's been too long. A year too long. Delilah's on the 25th, perhaps?)

rilkefan Memorial Emergency Labor Day Haiku Thread

September's promise -
three days of transition, and
beer, beer, beer, beer, beer.

Moe

PS: Avoidance
of political haiku themes
would be good, methinks.

Oh, just admit it: lighter blogging for me.

Nothing earthshattering: I've got a creative deadline* looming, non-blogging creative work piling up - and to be honest most of my posts this week have been a bit of a stretch anyway. I'll no doubt be caught up by the weekend.

Moe

*Commemorative poem for my old SCA Barony. I was expecting it to be done by now. I was expecting it to be started by now.

Obsidian Wings Poetry Slam #2!

IT BEGINS. A recycle (from Haiku-a-lypse Now):

Cold January
Bosses to warmer homes go
I'm wearing no pants

(And fifteen minutes early, too!)