izzybelbooks

So, as I already posted, the hubby and I went to a conference in San Antonio at the beginning of the month.  We got back to O’Hare at 3pm on Thursday.  We then walked from the United terminal to the Northwest terminal, where we waited for Dad to come in at 4pm.  Once Dad got in, we all took the El home and got settled in.  Dad gave me an awesome birthday present (cookbooks I just posted about separately), and then he and the hubby began doing serious strategizing about The Project.

Dad and the hubby are both very handy, so when I need something done around the house, or something built, I have resources.  This particular Project was bookshelves.  We have a half-wall that separates the stairs leading from the first floor from the second floor hallway, and it’s the perfect depth for paperback bookshelves.  So, Dad and the hubby cut holes in the wall between the studs, put in supports, framed it all out, and now I have 12 new shelves!  Woohoo!

It was a good project for the two of them to work on, and they each learned from the other.  It was also nice to spend some time with Dad away from the hustle and bustle of lots of other people. During the day, they worked on the Project, the rest of the time, we hung out.  One night, I made a Tofurkey roast with red potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, and mushrooms, with a side of asparagus and a spinach salad, and he liked it!  My Dad liked vegetarian food!  We’ve come a long way from our home-made attempts at a seitan loaf for Thanksgiving 10 years ago.  We also played dominoes one night, and hung out reading one night.  It was nice and relaxing.

On Sunday, we drove to Kalamazoo for a cousin’s wedding, which was just wonderful.  Our cousins are really good people, and it was great to be able to celebrate with them.  We drove back on Monday and dropped Dad off at the airport, then came home and started getting caught up on the last two weeks.  I figure we’ll be caught up just in time to leave next week to go spend Thanksgiving week with Mom and Dad in Florida.  That will be 3 trips in one month!  I don’t think we’ll be going anywhere for a good long time after that!
 

The hubby had a conference in San Antonio, Texas this month, and I went with him.  Neither of us was thrilled about going to Texas, especially him since he had been to this conference a few years ago when it was also in Texas and he had a miserable time.  He really didn’t want to go this year, but I convinced him that he needed to go, and that I would go with him to make it less painful. 

From Phandemonium:

Given the success of our combination FEAST and Bat Boy! theatre outing, we have decided to host outings to see the Lifeline Theatre’s 2009 season full of sf/f plays:  Treasure Island (see below), Mrs. Caliban (March), Neverwhere (May or June).

October 17, 4pm - Treasure Island
A treasure map discovered in a dead pirate’s sea-chest leads young Jim Hawkins on an expedition across the ocean to recover a fortune in plundered gold. Fair winds and favorable seas soon give way to mutiny, greed and the evil machinations of a one-legged scoundrel named Long John Silver. Join Jim on an unforgettable adventure as he fights for his life - and the lives of his friends - in this legendary tale of piracy and heroism.

The show will be followed by a discussion with some of the creative team. The director, Robert Kauzlaric, and the adaptor, John Hildreth, will definitely be there, and hopefully a few cast members will also join us.  Come prepared to ask them questions!

The Lifeline Theatre is located at 6912 N. Glenwood.  They have a free parking lot and shuttle service, and are near the Morse Red line stop.  For more info, check out http://www.lifelinetheatre.com.

Tickets for each play are $25.  Tickets are first-come, first-served, and must be paid for before the event to guarantee your space.  I will be collecting payment at the upcoming 10/6 chicago-sf.org social, or you can make alternate arrangements when you rsvp.  You must rsvp and pay for your ticket no later than 10/9 to guarantee your space.

After Treasure Island, we will have a special FEAST outing to:
Good to Go Jamaican Jerk & Fresh Juice Bar
1947 W. Howard
near the Howard Red line stop

The play will go until 6:15pm, so to allow enough time for the discussion and to get to the restaurant, FEAST will officially start at 7pm.

If you would like to go to either Treasure Island or FEAST, please let me know.  You are welcome to come to one or both!
 

X, Why? Minorities in a Large Field, or Majorities in Our Own
Alexander Jablokov, Henry Melton, Kathryn Cramer, Ellen Klages
Joanna Russ said in 1983: “But remember, one can’t get minority work into the canon by pretending it’s about the same  things or uses the same techniques as majority work.” Does this mean we should think of feminist SF (or that written by gay or black people) as a separate field? How much should minority-advocacy SF speak to people who aren’t part of the  minority?

 First, some technical details…
All the panel descriptions and panelist info are taken from the draft of the program guide, which is not always the final version, so there may be differences. I didn’t take notes, so I may be forgetting entire conversations, and I’m sure I don’t remember the order of comments in longer panels. Also, all “quotes” are actually paraphrasing.