Intergalactic House of Paisley

Spent a good chunk of the day going through boxes of old 'zines for the upcoming KaCSFFS 40th Anniversary Extravaganza next month. Among the finds was a copy of the (incorrectly labeled) 7th editof the "Neo-Fan's Guide to Science Fiction Fandom" by Bob Tucker. what made it special was it was signed by Bob. After a certain amount of soul searching, I decided to add it to the items up for auction at the club meeting.

When I got there, I was amused to find that Ken had brought a copy of the revised version of that edition, also signed by Tucker. Neither of those sold, but a cd of an interview of Bob conducted by KC critic John Tibbetts in 1984 went for $100.

The highlight of the evening was the art show, featuring works by Rachel Mayo, Jan Gephardt, Signy Gephardt, Bev Hale and Allison Stein. Dane Grannon had copies of his new book "Lucky Streak" there, as well.

Hope as many people as possible will make it to the 40th Anniversary shindig at the Writer's Place on September 17th. It will be a good time. Buy your ticket at the link by August 21, or something like that.

the food theme was cupcakes, and Sherri Dean channeled some monstrous love child of Elvis and John Scalzi to produce Bacon and Egg cupcakes. The egg part was a yellow and white frosting/sugar concoction, but there was real bacon on top, and bacon syrup in the frosting. Nom nom!

After all was said and done, I wound up walking home, all of 10 minutes away. Tomorrow will be devoted to getting everything ready for Reno.


*After it was printed, Ken Keller found out there had been a an earlier edition, which threw the numbering off)

Went to the American Royal Barbecue contest this evening with NPulsifer, and had a great time. Saw as number of custom-made smokers for sale, and lusted after many of them. Got some excellent Raspberry Chipotle rub from Red Monkey out of southern Missouri, and tasted many wonderful sauces. We even met the team from the British Barbecue Society, who'd made the trek from the UK to KC for the first time, and pronounced the experience "Brilliant!"

But the highlight came when NPulsifer and I rounded a corner in the huge (and I mean huge) labyrinth of competitors to see a banner proclaiming "Home of the Bacon Explosion." We made a beeline there, and I actually got to meet the creator of the wonderful thing itself. I told him about making one for Scalzi at ConQuesT, and he was delighted to hear about it. We even got to taste some of the commercial version of the Explosion. Yes, that's right, you can now buy your very own heart attack loaf, locally at the KC Barbecue store by Oklahoma Joe's at 47th & Mission Rd, or via the intertubes.

So my feet are killing me, which will make tramping across the Ren Fest that much more entertaining tomorrow, but it was more than worth it. Almost makes up for missing Archon.

Well, it would appear I survived ConQuesT once again. Things went well overall, with the few problems coming from dealing with a new hotel, and none of them of a nature that can't be dealt with. John Scalzi gave great GoH, and it my twisted plan to present him with a Bacon Explosion at opening ceremonies came off without a hitch. Saw many folks, enjoyed much alcohol, and got to overhear a fascinating conversation amongst a group of bridesmaids out for a smoke break Saturday night (more on that in another post). Had an all too brief chat with a dear friend who has recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. First thing she said to me is "I want you to do my eulogy." Another downside to having shelled that $15 out to the Universal Life Church.

Now, I'm kinda in that post-con depression stage, especially given that there won't be another one until Contra, in November. Can the music save me? Let's see.



1) all the same to me, jeff tweedy (letters for santa living room show, 4.5.08)

2) Balloons, Foals

3) Antenna Rock/Strobo News, RIAA

4) We're The Replacements, TMBG

5) Box Car, Neil Young

6) Venus, Nels Cline And Gregg Bendian

7) starshine, The Jennifers

8) Never Again, Richard & Linda Thompson

9) Sunshine Superfly, Was (Not Was) [2008-05-01 Blender Theatre at Gramercy New York, NY]

10) Like A Virgin, Leningrad Cowboys


And then these happened:


11) this must be the place naive melody (extended version), talking heads

12) Vertigo (If It's A Crime), Islands

13) Satisfaction, Dolapdere Big Gang


Off to work, making signs for the new urban garden exhibit coming to Powell Gardens in June. And a quiet weekend, with lawn mowing my main goal. Joy.

We checked out the brand new Cosentino's grocery store at 13th & Main. It was one of the parts of the Power & Light District the city insisted on, and it opened several months late. It is very much designed for the downtown dweller, with a third of the store taken up with ready-to-eat foods, foods made to order, and a huge salad bar. The grocery area is decet, but constrained by its size, and doesn't have the depth of selection that a larger store would.

Theywere having a bunch of foood samplings, including cheeses and pitas with hummus and babaganoush (insert "Addams Family" finger-snaps here). There was also an interesting tasting of three different beaujolais varietals in the booze department (which had a nice selection of wines, a somewhat smaller liquor section [and a very limited scotch selection, with far more blends than I would have expected, given the overall upscale nature of the store], and a decent beer selection). We picked up a variety of items, and had some gelato, then headed off for the rest of our errands. I doubt we'll make it our main store, but it will be convenient for me to stop at on the way home if we need something.

But the bestest thing today so far is this link that Kalimeg sent me:

http://www.bbqaddicts.com/blog/recipes/bacon-explosion/

Man, I wish it was warm enough to fire up the smoker!

Turbaconducken.

http://bacontoday.com/turbaconducken-turducken-wrapped-in-bacon/

Om fucking nom.

. . . and slip me some tongue, I'm French, too."

Or so says a t-shirt I heard about last Saturday whilst working on preparation for the St. Patrick's Day chaos coming up. Rohanna and I will be riding on the float for the Harp & Shamrock, which is the fan club for Bob Reeder, as well as a charitable organization that helps to provide hearing aids for children. We'll be on the float, come rain or snow or whatever, at the Snake Saturday parade in North Kansas City, and the big one Monday. C'mon out and have some fun!

Before we get to the tunes themselves, I want to share a great music site with you all. Stereogum covers rock of all kinds, with a focus on up and coming indie performers. And they post lots and lots of MP3s for your listening pleasure. Right now they are highlighting bands who are performing at the SouthbySouthwest Festival in Austin. They are one of the reasons I'm up to 6779 songs in my iTunes. Stereogum is definitely worth checking out.

1) 144 Thousand Member Acid Army (I, II, III), King Black Acid and The Womb Star Orchestra

2) St. Louis Blues, Sun Ra

3) Like A Rolling Stone, Robyn Hitchcock

4) Let's Go Away For Awhile (Stereo Mix), The Beach Boys

5) The Observer, The Flaming Lips

6) Salome, Old 97's

7) Warning Sign, Coldplay

8) Ever So Lonely (Extended Mix), Monsoon

9) I'll Sleep When I'm Dead, Warren Zevon

10) Do You Realize?? (Scott Hardkiss Floating In Space Mix), The Flaming Lips

And a few for the road:

11) Subliminal, TMBG

12) Telegram Sam, Bauhaus

13) Ships In the Night, Brazilian Girls

Oh, and just when you thought it was safe to go back to the candystore, Smofbabe:

The Bacon Lollipop. Via Scalzi, who points out that the next logical step is the bacon-cheddar lollipop. Om nom nom nom.

And happy π Day, everyone!