Missives

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John Purcell
j_purcell@yahoo.com

Petréa,

Many thanks for the note about my loc being in Picofarad #10. I have been meaning to respond to your zine for a while now, and so this morning I do have a few minutes to whiz off a loc to you.

It was illuminating to read about that relationship between Daikon and Nippon2007 (this year's Worldcon). Yes, that is an interesting pun once you explained the meanings of the Japanese characters. Once again it is proved: all knowledge is contained in fanzines. For this, I thank you.

My son and I decided to pass on Protocon 9 here in College Station over the Sept. 21st-23rd weekend; once Daniel saw on their website that "gaming" meant board games, role-playing, and miniatures games, that killed his interest completely. He wanted to spent time playing computer games, which were not on the docket. AggieCon always has a room set up for that, and that con is always the weekend or two after Spring Break. Oh, well. So I didn't miss anything of note, even though the miniatures sounded and looked interesting. Some year I may check that aspect out.

A bunch of folks have told me that Ratatouille is a fun movie. Since we really don't go to the movie theater that often, my family hasn't seen it yet, so I cannot pass judgment on your Kremlinistic interpretation of the film. Speaking for myself, I just like the funny pictures and voices.

That "Galactic Suite" announcement is kinda pricey, don't you think? Don't expect to see any WorldCons held up there! It is just a wee bit out of the price range of most fans, I think.

Many thanks again for letting me know about your zine's posting, and I look forward to seeing your next effort. With the holiday film season about to hit, there are quite a few big budget films forthcoming, and I expect you'll be reviewing some of them in your zine. Which ones, I have no idea. Surprise me.

All the best,

John Purcell

Ratatouille is a fun movie that your family will almost certainly, don't get me wrong. But I keep finding myself distracted when I think over the Pixar movies by how mechanically planned they feel.

As you will see in this issue, my strategy for dealing with the holiday movies is shifting more and more toward persuading Chris to write reviews for me. He really is more prepared to appreciate the blockbusters than I am.

Dear Petréa:

I finally remembered...I gotta loc Picofarad 10! I have to get used to webzines not being something I can download. Pertinent comments follow, with any luck.

The more I find out about the history of fandom, the more I learn who was involved, and their level of fame outside our happy bunch. When I found out that a Roger Ebert had produced some fanzines decades ago, I made some enquiries, and yes, it's the same Roger Ebert who is the television movie critic. I gather he's tried to play down his involvement in fandom, but hey, we like to say that Death Shall Not Release You, so why should we?

I never got to see Ratatouille, but Yvonne did. (I think it's funny that in the US-based ads, there's a guide on how to pronounce "ratatouille". In the Canadian ads, there's no guide. French influence means we don't need it, I guess... Yvonne and her sister both say that the French cooking aspect of the movie is totally accurate.

Whoever wrote the movie did his homework, and Pixar kept the action faithful. The recipes, the layout of the kitchen, all are perfectly accurate. And because I'm married into this French Canadian family, I knew that ratatouille is an extremely hearty and versatile vegetable soup, a staple of French cuisine.

I know that some people love the Harry Potter books and movies, but I lost interest in the series after the fourth book and the second movie. It's not that they are fantasy with a good dose of wish fulfillment thrown in, but...I just lost interest. Maybe my attention span isn't as long as...look, a butterfly!

I'm on SF Awards Watch most mornings to see what the latest announcement or controversy is. In fact, at the end of this weekend, I will find out if I have won an Aurora Award, Canada's national SF awards. I am a nominee for Fan Achievement (Other) for fanwriting. They will be given out at VCon 32 in Vancouver.

Where is the Evergreen Aviation Museum? Must be somewhere on the West Coast if it has the Spruce Goose...I saw that plane more than 20 years ago in Long Beach.

Going to Corflu Silver in Las Vegas in the spring is going to be a great trip. Affording it is easier now... both Yvonne and I have good full-time jobs now, and the Canadian dollar has risen through the parity level, and is now worth about $1.02 US.

The convention listings, heavy on the anime, is an indication of how popular anime cons have become. I am not an anime fan, but if I was, I know at two, possibly three anime conventions I could go to just in the Toronto area.

Montreal did indeed win the Worldcon for 2009, and we have already been to a meeting of interested parties to work on the committee. Looks like Yvonne will be working in finance, and I might run the fanzine lounge, but no promises. Others have already rushed in to do the same, so I think I should come up with some second and third choices. (The meeting was at Con*cept, October 12-14. We weren't planning to go, but the meeting came up...)

I remember Wolf van Witting also dabbled in fanzines for a short time. I am not a filker, but I did have contacts with the filk community for some time, and it was a pleasure to see filk and fanzines interact, even if only for a while.

Finally, we are pleased to report that for the first time in some years, we are both fully employed. I am an editorial specialist for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, and Yvonne is an AP team leader for Diageo Canada, which markets Tanqueray, Johnny Walker, Guinness and Bailey's Irish Cream. Books and booze, who can ask for anything more?

I will take this on the road, and many thanks for setting it up; it was another interesting read that I can't get enough of these days. Take care, and see you with issue 11 some time in the near future, I hope.

Yours, Lloyd Penney.

The Evergreen Aviation Museum is in McMinnville, Oregon, on the southwest outskirts of the Portland area. It acquired the Spruce Goose in 1993 and put it on display in 2001, once it had a new museum building big enough to hold the thing. The best vantage point from which to appreciate the whole airplane at once is on the highway, a quarter-mile away.

The Canadian dollar is now, as I write this, worth US$1.06. It seemed over the summer like the US dollar was expected to tumble at any minute, and I'm just glad it waited until after Worldcon to do so. And it should be good news for international attendance at Denvention 3.

I think the anime convention space has reached the saturation point. When I compile the Social Calendar, I start with last year's listings and check to see if the conventions are being held again this year, before going to various other sources for new conventions. I think I may have removed slightly more anime conventions than I added this time around.

I was going to bring up Xenofilkia to demonstrate that filk and fanzines have a current ongoing relationship, but I've just learned that it ceased publication in October!

Congratulations on finding fannish-friendly jobs. I feel a little embarrassed, myself, in living right next to the microbrewery capital of the US and not drinking alcohol at all. No high moral principles, it's just that alchohol tastes absolutely hideous to me.

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