We arrived at Jill's house in Escondido at about 3:15, after nine hours on the road. Three stops on the way down, including one for gas and to eat the lunch (Tofurkey sandwiches) we packed. Considering the heavy traffic on the 210, I'd say we made excellent time.

Maddie is now rolling on the carpet as Jennifer and I check e-mail. We just found an unsecured LinkSys wireless network in Jill's neighborhood, I assume it's next door. Not a great signal, but enough to get online without hard-connecting to Jill's network. Only negative being that we have to be in the front room in order to connect. At least the couch is comfortable (particularly after nine hours in the car).

More later.

We're getting ready to head south for the Thanksgiving holiday, busying ourselves with last-minute packing and preparation, including laundry and cleaning out the refrigerator. And earlier today, Maddie went to the groomer, so that she could be fresh and clean for her visit. Needless to say, we're pretty much exhausted, but at least the dog smells nice.


Maddie: "I was good, I put up with the haircut, I even let them put silly little bows on my ears. Now can I have my pumpkin pie?"

And of course, I'd rather be reading. Especially considering the books that have wandered onto our shelves over the last week or so:

Duke Elric: Chronicles of the Last Emperor of Melniboné, Vol. 4 - Michael Moorcock
Elric in the Dream Realms: Chronicles of the Last Emperor of Melniboné, Vol. 5 - Michael Moorcock (Does this one finish the series? Or will there be more?)
Boneshaker - Cherie Priest (I'm bringing this one with me to read while we're in San Diego.)
VALIS and Later Novels - Philip K. Dick (Birthday present from Jennifer.)
The Autopsy and Other Stories - Michael Shea (Birthday present for myself, with a bit of help from my parents.)

And not last Sunday but the Sunday before, we dropped by Book Passage in Corte Madera for Patrick McDonnell's appearance. Here's Patrick signing a few things for Jennifer:



But since I'm not sure what books we brought with us, and what we purchased there, I'm going to leave those off the list for now.

We'll be on the road for the next several days, so communication may be more erratic than usual. Please stand by.

And one parting thought, spotted pasted to the side of Rivertown Feed Store on Friday afternoon:

So, my mom broke her hip yesterday. Fortunately, she picked the right week to do it, since my sister the nurse is visiting San Diego right now, staying at my parents' house with her kids. For that matter, Mom even picked the right time to do it, since my sister was standing behind her on the stairs when the bone decided to snap, and caught Mom when she fell. Friends and family have already stepped in to help out, which means I'm not going to have to rush down (a good thing, since I'm too busy at the 'Shade right now, between shipping and getting ready for WorldCon, which is only a week away). Today Mom had surgery, a partial hip replacement, which I understand went swimmingly. Now she's got a bit of a recovery in front of her, so if you don't mind, think good thoughts in my mom's general direction. Thanks.

I'm finally starting to sort through pictures taken during the holidays. You sure can put an awful lot of pictures on one of those 2GB cards...


Maddie, having just polished off a few bites of baked macaroni and cheese, asks for seconds.

( More behind the cut... )

And now, for a quick recap of that last voice post: "Mumble... mumble... mumble... (traffic sounds) Mumble... mumble... mumble...."

We're back in Petaluma. Hurrah! We had a good time in San Diego, doing as much and seeing as many as we could in a week, but I'm glad to be home. Next time, San Diego, it's your turn to visit us.

We made great time on the drive home. Nine Eight and a half hours, which may be a new record. No traffic tangles, unless you count a burning truck and trailer on the Grapevine (and when isn't there a burning truck and trailer on the Grapevine?

On the drive, we listened to more than half of Michael D. C. Drout's Of Sorcerers and Men: Tolkien and the Roots of Modern Fantasy Literature, which I'd found in a bargain bin at the Barnes and Noble in Escondido. Ten bucks well spent; in fact, I think I found more value in four CDs worth of lecture than the entire semester spent in George W. Tuma's "The Lord of the Rings as Epic" class at SFSU. Why? Tuma's approach was dogmatic, broaching the subject from the standpoint of a True Believer; Drout's is critical, considering Tolkien within the continuum of fantastic literature, and far more willing to point out the brushstrokes and nits in Tolkien's worldbuilding.

But then again, I find myself this morning looking through the reader from Tuma's class, realizing what a great resource it is. Sure, it's like trying to take a sip from a firehose, but there's a lot of good stuff in here. And then there are the papers, written in the context of the class:

Midterm 1: Verisimilitude in The Lord of The Rings
Midterm 2: Is J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings an Epic?
Midterm 3: The Creation Myth and The Lord of the Rings
Brief note
Yrch! Tolkien’s Orcs: Villainy’s Footsoldiers, Ethnic Others, or Mere Cannon Fodder?

So perhaps I got more out of the class than I remembered... interesting.

While out for lunch this afternoon, Jennifer and I wandered into the A & S Bargain Books in Escondido and discovered that they had stacks and stacks of large-format Moleskine notebooks for a measly five bucks a pop. I bought four of 'em (squared, of course), along with the following handful of books:

Fantasy: The 100 Best Books, by James Cawthorn and Michael Moorcock
Partners in Wonder: Women and the Birth of Science Fiction 1926-1965, by Eric Leif Davin
Age of Wonders: Exploring the World of Science Fiction, by David G. Hartwell
Swords and Sorcerers: Stories from the Worlds of Fantasy and Adventure, edited by Clint Willis.

"Oh, nuts," Said Maddie. "I wanna go to Comic-Con, too!"

"No you don't, Maddie. Trust me on this."

Quite a day. Met up with JQ and Kev in PB, then drove downtown for Comic-Con. Helped move boxes of Snake Agent, by hand, from one end of the convention center to the other, so that Mysterious Galaxy could give them away. For some reason, hand trucks and carts aren't allowed on the dealers' room floor (though plenty were in evidence). I affectionately named the process of moving books in this manner after the Bataan Death March. Ugh. But somehow, for all the massive crowd and incessant walking, we seem to have had a good time...


Hulk smash! For Hulk smashed, come back after hours (but before last call).

( More behind the cut. )

Not only did we manage to make it to San Diego, but we did so reasonably unscathed, and in near-record time. The sun's still up! I guess leaving the house at six in the morning has its benefits.


Maddie during a pit stop in Santa Nella.

For now, we're hanging out at Jennifer's mom's house (Jennifer's mom, however, is in Saint Louis at the moment). I'm working on corrections to The Living Dead, my "homework" this trip, while Jennifer and Maddie relax from the long drive. Soon, dinner, and perhaps a trip to the dreaded mall (speaking of zombies). Tomorrow, it's down to my parents' house and Comic-Con preview night. The rest, we figure out by ear.

And special thanks are due to the Nguyen family of Escondido, who are unwittingly letting me use their unsecured wireless network ("nguyenresidence") to post this message. You guys rock, whether you know it or not!

"I'm having fun in San Diego," says Maddie. "Even if it is a little bit exhausting, going from place to place and meeting people and eating stuff. We drove down on Tuesday. It was a long, long drive, but I slept for a while. Oh, and I've got a new car, which was a big surprise, but those pictures didn't come out so well. It doesn't smell quite right, but I've been rolling around on the back seat, trying to remedy the situation.


"As always, we did make one special stop on the way down. Ross and I waited, while Jennifer ran inside.


"And we waited, and waited, and waited...


"She'd better be bringing me soup and onion cheese bread."

( More of Maddie's adventures behind the cut... )

Thanksgiving has come and gone. I guess I can say I'm thankful for that.

Maddie had a great time hitting up everybody for food: Tofurkey, turkey, ham, grits, potatoes, and pumpkin pie.

As expected, we all ate too much. Then, a contingent of us attempted to play Risk (because nothing says "Thanksgiving" quite like a board game celebrating Imperial expansion), but, as games of Risk are wont to do, world conquest ultimately degenerated into simply playing with little soldiers, horses, and cannon shortly after the board was set up.


Bram, Aubrie, Jimmy, and Jackie. Not shown: Jennifer, Lise, Dodi, and me.






"France, schmance," said Maddie. "I wish they'd stop playing that game already and break out more pie."

Jennifer's birthday is on Friday, so she decided to treat herself by ordering every single CD available (except the three we already have) from one of our favorite musical artists, San Diego-based singer/songwriter Mr. Gregory Page*. The discs showed up this afternoon, so we're listening to some of the oddball stuff, including the ukulele album, Happy Herman and His Uke, and The American Folk Singers, Volumes One and Two. It's great stuff, and, needless to say, we enjoyed making Gregory Page's week with our big order.

Here's the complete list of what showed up today:

Knife In My Chest (autographed!)
Under the Rainbow
Alive in Oz
Live at Lestat's - September 28, 2003
Music for Mortals
The Reality of Dinosaurs
Unhappy Hour
Love Made Me Drunk
Grace in Arms
Sleeping Dogs
Happiness is Being Lonely
And I Look Up
Daydreaming At Night
God Makes Ghosts
Happy Herman and His Uke
The American Folk Singers, Volume One
The American Folk Singers, Volume Two
Short Films by Gregory Page (DVD)

And we already had:

The Romantic Adventures of Harry
The John Doe Sessions
The Hatchet Brothers - Tools of the Trade



* Not to be confused with the Wiggle or the Boxer. Once upon a time, GP played bass for The Rugburns (remember them?), adding a significant touch of class to the band. Of course, I'm half convinced that I met and interacted with GP at (whatever happened to?) Julie Gardner's pre-Megalopolis nightclub, 2581 (as far as I'm concerned, the galactic center of the San Diego music scene), circa 1987-88. Was it after a Baba Yaga show? Who knows? My memories of that era are somewhat fuzzy.

We’ve been home from our San Diego vacation for just over a week and I’ve only just realized that I’ve neglected posting any sort of pictures or updates. As remedy, here comes a heaping handful…or five:

On Monday, as I was loading the car and getting things ready for the long drive home, Maddie followed me out through Grandma’s garage to the driveway. She paused by the open front door of the Prius, looking in as I shoved our backpacks and other gear into the trunk. “I’m all ready for our road trip,” she announced.



“Oh, you are, are you?” I answered. “I thought you were still asleep on the couch.”

“I was,” said Maddie. “But I heard the door and figured it was time. Let’s hit the road.”

I glanced at my watch. “Not quite yet, Maddie,” I said, leaning against the car. “We’re still waiting on Jennifer. What’s your hurry?”

“I heard a rumor that we were going to stop at Pea Soup Andersen’s for dinner.”

“I’ve heard that rumor too,” I replied, guesstimating the number of hours until we would reach Santa Nella. “Does this mean you’re all done having fun at Grandma’s house?”

Maddie considered this. “No,” she said. “I’m still having fun, and I love seeing Grandma, but I’ve got stuff to do. Besides, since yesterday was the big Easter party, and I ate way too much food, it’s time to get back to my daily walks to the park, y’know?”

“Understood,” I said. “Me too.” Jennifer and Jill walked through the door into the garage, already making their goodbyes. “Here comes Jennifer. Hop in,” I added, indicating the driver’s seat with the side of my hand.

Maddie reached up, stretched, then squatted as if she were about to leap into the car. Then she paused. “Maybe you could give me a boost,” suggested Maddie.



“A boost?” I said, putting my hands on my hips. “Maddie, you’ve been jumping up and down on Grandma’s couch all week long. Just hop in.”

“I wasn’t kidding about eating too much this week,” said Maddie. “I really do need that boost. And hurry up, would you? We’ve got a long, long drive ahead of us and I’m really starting to look forward to that pea soup. Mmmm… I can smell it already.”

( More pictures and stuff behind the cut... )

We're down in San Diego this week, a family vacation for the Easter holiday. So far, Maddie's been having a great time at Grandma's house, rolling on the rug, sleeping the couch, and begging bits of bread from Grandma. Oh, and...

"Munch munch munch," went Maddie, her jaws working on whatever she'd found in the back yard.

"What are you eating, Maddie?" I asked, approaching from the house, already dreading the answer.

"Candy," said Maddie, picking up yet another tiny dark sphere and chomping into it.

"And where'd you get candy?" I asked.

"Easter bunny," replied Maddie between bites.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah," she said. "I saw him, and tried to say hi, but he ran away. He dropped this yummy candy, though." She picked up another. "You want some?"

I shook my head, queasy at the suggestion. "No thanks, Maddie."

"Your loss," said Maddie. "Bunny candy's one of my favorite things about Grandma's house."

---

Yesterday, Jill took Jennifer and I to see a matinée of Smokey Joe's Cafe up at the Lawrence Welk Theatre. The Lawrence Welk Theatre attracts precisely the sort of audience you'd expect; our seats were behind a pack of purple-sweatered red hat ladies, it felt like a scene from "Confessions of a Geriatric Girl Gang." During the show, a withered old biddy nearby kept complaining that the show was too loud. "Why do they have to keep screaming?" she repeatedly asked the woman sitting next to her. I considered suggesting that she turn off her hearing aid, and that she should steer clear of rock and roll in the future, but decided against it, since I was considerably outnumbered. It was a great show, but then again, it's hard to go wrong with Liber and Stoller; however, the performance was plagued with sound problems, including wireless mic drop-outs, feedback, and actors' voices that were way too big for the small space. Considering that this was the first show of the run, I'd call it a play well worth checking out.

Today, after brunch at El Galleon (best Mexican breakfast in Escondido), Maddie and I made the trek from Escondido down to North Park while Jennifer and Jill went shopping. Maddie and I picked up Baxter, then attempted to drop in on his sister (kathputli_girl - Maddie's a big fan of her BlitheJournal), but alas, she wasn't home, so the three of us headed over to Balboa Park and wandered around for a few hours, Baxter and I discussing pop culture, people we know (but never talk to), and the myriad projects we're working on while Maddie sniffed her way through the park, marking territory as she rambled. Eventually, we dropped Baxter at home and started the trudge northward, with its inevitable five lanes of stop and go traffic, back to Escondido.


On the way down, we stop at Pea Soup Andersen’s so Maddie can pea.


A flower we found in front of Jill’s house.


Spotted on a dumptruck. Danger, don’t lie under the dumper.


Maddie visits the Old Globe Theatre: “I didn’t know William Shakespeare lived in San Diego.”

( Lots and lots of pictures behind the cut... )