Making Light :: Life affords few such opportunities :: comments

Life affords few such opportunities

For complicated reasons, we wound up driving the Hugo Award bases up to Montreal in the trunk of our rented...

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #1 from Patrick Nielsen Hayden

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:58:37 -0500

(Thanks to Shana Rosenfeld for the critical insight.)

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 12:58 PM by Patrick Nielsen Hayden

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #2 from DaveKuzminski

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:59:31 -0500

Groan....

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 12:59 PM by DaveKuzminski

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #3 from Tom Whitmore

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:02:51 -0500

All we want to do is eat your base....

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 1:02 PM by Tom Whitmore

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #4 from pat greene

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:05:07 -0500

Ouch.

Planning on cheeseburgers for lunch?

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 1:05 PM by pat greene

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #5 from Scott Lynch (is going to hell for this)

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:09:21 -0500

If you happen to see an orthodox rabbi holding a thumb out for a ride, you absolutely must pull over and pick him up. That way, you can tell us what happened to the car when you mixed hasids and bases.

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 1:09 PM by Scott Lynch (is going to hell for this)

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #6 from Caroline

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:15:43 -0500

Scott Lynch @ 5, I won't lye. That was a base pun. Not that this will pHase you, I'm sure.

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 1:15 PM by Caroline

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #7 from Andrew Willett

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:19:37 -0500

[weeps a single crystalline tear at the beauty of it all]

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 1:19 PM by Andrew Willett

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #8 from Michael Roberts

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:19:47 -0500

Patrick, this post has made me very happy.

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 1:19 PM by Michael Roberts

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #9 from Jason Aronowitz

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:33:46 -0500

Caroline @ 6,

Hugo, girl!

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 1:33 PM by Jason Aronowitz

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #10 from julia

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:03:01 -0500

oof.

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 2:03 PM by julia

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #11 from abi

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:16:30 -0500

As someone who went on a genuine, successful dragonquest while you were visiting, I can certainly appreciate the value of a good phrasing.

Well done.

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 2:16 PM by abi

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #12 from Julie

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:19:10 -0500

Drat. There went another keyboard.

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 2:19 PM by Julie

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #13 from Jeremy Hornik

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:19:59 -0500

The memes are coming true! Oh God! Someone, someone find Mr. T and strap him down before he eats my balls!

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 2:19 PM by Jeremy Hornik

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #14 from rams

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:33:34 -0500

Looks like rain here -- hope you have all their bases covered.

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 2:33 PM by rams

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #15 from David Harmon

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:40:21 -0500

AARRGGGHHH!

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 2:40 PM by David Harmon

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #16 from David Dyer-Bennet

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:59:38 -0500

My brain briefly tried to make it a different David involved with the bases (Hartwell). This did not make much sense, and my eyes eventually convinced the brain that it said "Howell", which made somewhat more sense (at least if it's the Northwest fan / artist, rather than some other geek of the same name).

But that was a rather weird couple of seconds there, at first.

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 2:59 PM by David Dyer-Bennet

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #17 from Larry

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 15:21:03 -0500

I am torn somewhere between a groan and a laugh. What is the proper word to describe such a thing? A Graugh? Laun? Hmmm.

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 3:21 PM by Larry

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #18 from Dan Hoey

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 15:40:40 -0500

HA HA HA HA ....

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 3:40 PM by Dan Hoey

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #19 from Liza

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 15:43:57 -0500

Larry @ 17: I think the proper term is "lawn," as in the Temptations' song, "...all he left us was a lawn."

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 3:43 PM by Liza

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #20 from Pendrift

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 15:44:46 -0500

Larry @17: A serge?

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 3:44 PM by Pendrift

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #21 from P J Evans

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 15:48:29 -0500

As long as they don't need to have extra weight added for balance. (Remembering 1984 and the weekend base-weighting not-quite-a-room-party. Clay and lead birdshot.)

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 3:48 PM by P J Evans

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #22 from Steve C.

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 15:57:11 -0500

(Bringing in a handcart loaded with cases of perfume and cologne)

"Youse the guys who ordered the Hugo Boss?"

No, base. Base!

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 3:57 PM by Steve C.

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #23 from Sarah S.

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:00:06 -0500

I think it's very nice of you to take such treble with the basses.

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 4:00 PM by Sarah S.

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #24 from Pendrift

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:06:40 -0500

They had to - if they didn't, it would hit a sour note.

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 4:06 PM by Pendrift

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #25 from Cadbury Moose

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:12:19 -0500

Supreme! (Caught the end of this.)

FOR GREAT JUSTICE.

Cadbury.

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 4:12 PM by Cadbury Moose

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #26 from C. Sän Inman

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:40:32 -0500

KEKEKEKEKE!

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 4:40 PM by C. Sän Inman

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #27 from Mark

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:45:29 -0500

But Pendrift, wouldn't it be just like a couple of editors to leave us with a clef-hanger?

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 4:45 PM by Mark

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #28 from Sarah S.

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:54:42 -0500

Mark @ #27

SCORE!

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 4:54 PM by Sarah S.

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #29 from Nancy C. Mittens

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:59:30 -0500

[[big grin]] Just the smile I needed!

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 4:59 PM by Nancy C. Mittens

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #30 from Tom Whitmore

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:13:24 -0500

DDB@16 -- yes, it's that Dave Howell. We were really pleased to hear that he'd won the competition.

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 5:13 PM by Tom Whitmore

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #31 from Wyman Cooke

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:14:07 -0500

So when they take them away, you can say "someone set us up the bomb!"

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 5:14 PM by Wyman Cooke

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #32 from Fragano Ledgister

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:23:39 -0500

Now, if the Worldcon were being held in Hoboken, rather than Montreal, the temptation would be to say "All of your Sopranos are belong to us".

("That's base not bass, Fragano", says Serge, distantly.)

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 5:23 PM by Fragano Ledgister

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #33 from Laurie Mann

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:41:58 -0500

Funny! And I could use a funny story right now.

I'm taking "a moment to collect myself" before going down to work on the Reno party this afternoon. I saw the beginning of the Mike Ford panel. I can't claim a great and lasting friendship with Mike, but we knew one another for about 20 years and had the sort of "chat a little at Worldcon and Boskone" kind of relationship. And I enjoyed his comments on Making Light. I think he was also one of the many on GEnie in the late '80s and early '90s.

For some reason, just the beginning of the panel left me flummoxed.

Maybe I'm tired. But I almost feel like some sort of delayed mourning has just set in. What particularly hit me was Teresa reminding us that people kept going "Oh THAT Mike Ford," because he had many little accomplishments that people often didn't connect. I especially loved his "110 Stories" (http://nielsenhayden.com/110.html), about lives interrupted.

He's someone I'm especially missing this Worldcon.

Oh well. Time to get chipper again.

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 5:41 PM by Laurie Mann

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #34 from Erik Nelson

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 18:11:53 -0500

You can also say the bases are loaded (into your trunk) and that you're running the bases (to Montreal)

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 6:11 PM by Erik Nelson

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #35 from Jason Aronowitz

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 18:22:08 -0500

And your return trip would be a home run.

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 6:22 PM by Jason Aronowitz

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #36 from philsuth

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 18:24:19 -0500

Erik@34 -- and that you're expecting to be thoroughly debased during the Worldcon.

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 6:24 PM by philsuth

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #37 from P J Evans

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 19:00:47 -0500

You have to get to first base somehow!

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 7:00 PM by P J Evans

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #38 from Kip W

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 19:21:30 -0500

Enough of this bargain debasement!

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 7:21 PM by Kip W

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #39 from Epacris

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 19:58:53 -0500

Hmph. Tried to raise tone quoting Hamlet, on base capital crimes, but it was a brute crime at the capitol instead. There hugo, me memory's on the fritz.

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 7:58 PM by Epacris

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #40 from Wyman Cooke

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:12:42 -0500

Epricis @ 39: Speaking of Shakespeare, have you seen the "Bard's" dramatization of The Beer Summit?

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 8:12 PM by Wyman Cooke

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #41 from Madeleine Robins

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:15:29 -0500

Sublime.

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 8:15 PM by Madeleine Robins

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #42 from Mary Dell

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 21:18:05 -0500

This needs to be a LOLNH photo.

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 9:18 PM by Mary Dell

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #43 from Quill

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:19:30 -0500

Pwnned!

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 10:19 PM by Quill

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #44 from Wyman Cooke

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:23:07 -0500

BTW, did you have do declare them going through Customs? If you didn't, you might be accused of a base canard.

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 10:23 PM by Wyman Cooke

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #45 from Caroline

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:48:08 -0500

Wyman Cook @ 44, like this one, you mean?

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 10:48 PM by Caroline

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #46 from Don Fitch

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:53:19 -0500

For some reason, I find myself imagining a year when the company that engraves the Hugo plaques has a not-particularly-thoughful soon-to-be-former employee who is a science-fiction fan (in the sense of "enthusiast") and is active on the InterNet.

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 10:53 PM by Don Fitch

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #47 from Don Fitch

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:57:40 -0500

Wyman Cook @ 44:

I'd expect Patrick to duck answering that question.

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 10:57 PM by Don Fitch

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #48 from wrw

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:57:58 -0500

So does the car in question have a spoiler, or is it a zero-wing model?

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 10:57 PM by wrw

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #49 from Wyman Cooke

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 23:25:28 -0500

Caroline @ 45: Now that's what I call a fowl lamp.

Don Fitch @ 47: I don't plan on goosing him for that information.

]]>

Posted August 6, 2009 11:25 PM by Wyman Cooke

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #50 from Allan Beatty

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 01:06:11 -0500

Epacris @ 39: There hugo, me memory's on the fritz.

No, Fritz Leiber isn't nominated for anything this year.

]]>

Posted August 7, 2009 1:06 AM by Allan Beatty

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #51 from Cadbury Moose

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 04:24:54 -0500

Wyman Cook @ 44

It could be worse, they might have been taken aside by Customes and told to TAKE OFF EVERY ZIG.

Cadbury.

]]>

Posted August 7, 2009 4:24 AM by Cadbury Moose

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #52 from Niall McAuley

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 05:29:00 -0500

I will run no base humour: here, take the
humour-letter: I will keep the havior of reputation.

]]>

Posted August 7, 2009 5:29 AM by Niall McAuley

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #53 from Johan Larson

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 06:48:42 -0500

What you say?

]]>

Posted August 7, 2009 6:48 AM by Johan Larson

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #54 from Caroline

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:37:02 -0500

wrw @ 48, I'm not sure about the spoiler, but I know it has a custom paint job -- a design all the way around that looks like this:

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

It used to be a zig-zag pattern, but they took off every zig.

]]>

Posted August 7, 2009 10:37 AM by Caroline

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #55 from Dan Hoey

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:40:19 -0500

Wyman Cooke @31: First, you would probably want to censor the B-word, so you don't get arrested. Even "You have no chance to survive make your time" has been considered enough of a "borderline terrorist threat" to get people arrested.

Second, be careful not to correct the word order. Geekery demands precision.

So when they take the bases away you can say, "Somebody set up us the b**b." Maybe people will think you're talking about the Scott Fitzgerald story.

]]>

Posted August 7, 2009 11:40 AM by Dan Hoey

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #56 from Dan Hoey

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 12:06:12 -0500

55: Verily it is said, "Who picks by the nit will be picked by the nit."

I have it from reliable sources that Fitzgerald did not write "Bernice boobs her hair."

My apologies for any confusion.

]]>

Posted August 7, 2009 12:06 PM by Dan Hoey

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #57 from Bill

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:27:01 -0500

Somebody set up us the pun...

]]>

Posted August 7, 2009 3:27 PM by Bill

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #58 from Cadbury Moose

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:27:01 -0500

Clearly some kind of villain (or villanelle).

(Excuse me a moment while I MOVE ZIG.)

That's better, the cats get annoyed if I leave it there.

Cadbury.

]]>

Posted August 7, 2009 4:27 PM by Cadbury Moose

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #59 from Marilee

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 19:48:32 -0500

Jo Walton reports on the Mike Ford Panel.

]]>

Posted August 7, 2009 7:48 PM by Marilee

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #60 from wruscle

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 22:50:42 -0500

i am filled with joy, like that character from the race that loved practical jokes, even at their own expense, in "The Uplift War."

]]>

Posted August 7, 2009 10:50 PM by wruscle

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #61 from Clauclauclaudia

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 11:43:03 -0500

Tom Whitmore @3

All we want to do is eat your base....

... we're not unreasonable, no-one's gonna eat your prize.

]]>

Posted August 8, 2009 11:43 AM by Clauclauclaudia

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #62 from Jules

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 11:55:34 -0500

Cadbury @58: "That's better, the cats get annoyed if I leave it there."

Surely that should be "CATS gets annoyed"...?

]]>

Posted August 8, 2009 11:55 AM by Jules

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #63 from John Houghton

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 16:05:00 -0500

From New Your to Montreal, free-basing* all the way? Kinda rough on the system.

*Assuming you didn't get paid to take them...

]]>

Posted August 8, 2009 4:05 PM by John Houghton

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #64 from Wyman Cooke

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 10:14:02 -0500

John Houghton @63: I would say the charge, like the trunk of their rental car, is now baseless.

]]>

Posted August 11, 2009 10:14 AM by Wyman Cooke

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #65 from Joel Polowin

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:52:05 -0500

What was the rock that the base was made from? It looked (to my used-to-know-something-about-mineralogy eyes) like some kind of granite which consisted mainly of an iridescent feldspar. The pictures don't do the trophies justice -- the beautiful optical effects aren't really shown in the still pictures.

]]>

Posted August 11, 2009 2:52 PM by Joel Polowin

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #66 from Tom Whitmore

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:20:10 -0500

Clauclauclaudia @61: I bow to a master.

]]>

Posted August 11, 2009 3:20 PM by Tom Whitmore

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #67 from Sylvia

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:37:12 -0500

Today's Real Life Comics made me think of Teresa. It didn't seem worth dredging up one of the previous fan-fic posts for but I thought you might like it.

]]>

Posted August 12, 2009 11:37 AM by Sylvia

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #68 from Dave Howell

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 07:13:58 -0500

Joel Polewin @ 65: Sounds like you're looking for a geological ID. I can give you the designer ID; most of the bases were made from a widely available "granite" known as Blue Pearl. You should be able to cross-reference to a geo-identification from that. Note that some of the bases were made from other kinds of granite. Also note that designers (and monument makers, for that matter) will put pretty much any stone that can be polished into the category "granite, " or "marble," although very few of them are actually such things as geologists reckon them.

]]>

Posted August 17, 2009 7:13 AM by Dave Howell

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #69 from Joel Polowin

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 09:36:17 -0500

Dave Howell @ 68: Thanks, that was enough to let me track it down. Per http://www.mindat.org/min-32161.html, Blue Pearl granite is "A commercial trade name for the Norwegian plagioclase-rich rock larvikite wherein the feldspar exhibits a blue schiller." Apparently not a true granite according to current classification practise (which I don't know enough to quite figure out) but related.

]]>

Posted August 17, 2009 9:36 AM by Joel Polowin

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #70 from Lee

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:37:17 -0500

Dave & Joel, #68-69: Further trivia of possible interest: larvikite is sold to the bead & jewelry market as "black labradorite" (among other things). It's very popular right now, so if you'd like a piece of jewelry with the same optical effects as that Hugo base, you should be able to find one.

]]>

Posted August 17, 2009 11:37 AM by Lee

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #71 from janetl see spam on Life affords few such opportunities

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 01:53:02 -0500

Gotta say that #71 is rather appropriate to the topic of the post.

]]>

Posted September 1, 2009 1:53 AM by janetl see spam on Life affords few such opportunities

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #72 from Raphael

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 05:56:41 -0500

Not simply spam about bigger penises, but spam supposedly posted by the bigger penis itself? Do they sell them with in-built AIs now?

]]>

Posted September 1, 2009 5:56 AM by Raphael

Life affords few such opportunities -- comment #73 from Mark

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 09:04:45 -0500

The thinking-with-the-little-head thing would sort of account for the word salad, no?

]]>

Posted September 1, 2009 9:04 AM by Mark