Now, my love of the domestic cat is well known (chokes, gags, tongue strikes cheek at speed and goes straight therough like a chainsaw through a baby's head...)
However, my love and respect for Grant Watson is also well known. And real. So Grant needs financial help in saving the leg, life, and dancing career of his cat Kris, who was walloped by a car recently and whose medical bills far exceed the capacity of Grant and wife Sonia to pay. Over on his LJ, he's sent the word out asking for donations. Grant's between jobs, and Sonia's disability pension just ain't gonna cut it. Under normal circumstances, you can imagine my reaction. But friends is different. Friends is important.
Visit Grant's page and help out. C'mon, I gave. I gave money to save a cat. C'mon, that should count for something, shouldn't it?.....
THEY TELL ME IT PASSES
Cassandra has rejoined us, and may, in a decade or two, work out what all the fuss was about. In the meantime, it was all my fault, and her stepmother's fault, and that guy over there's fault, and your fault, and nobody understands, and it's all right for us to say......
Oh, and can I download these songs and will you burn them for me, Lee?
Many decisions have been made in the last few days. Many of them are private. But I think it's fair to say that my relationship with Cassandra has changed. Just how much may take some time to work out.
JOIN NOW, ASK ME HOW
The new AHWA website is up and it looks booodiful. I've now received my membership card ( I am the new Number Thirty, in my best Leo McKern voice...) and have wandered round the members-only section fulfilling my weaselly black little heart out.
Join. It's cool.
READINGS
The Horror Day readings at Fantastic Planet went spiffingly well on Friday night. Many thanks to all who joined us: it was a big crowd, and appreciative, and the vibe was brilliant.
Lyn opened proceedings with her tale Simeon The Monkey, which you can still read for yourselves over at the uber-lovely Anna Tambour's site right now, in slightly earlier form. Go on. I'll wait.... tap tap tap tap.... back? Good. Shane Jiraiya Cummings and Carol Ryles joined in before I pranced about reading Never Grow Old, a story about Peter Pan, incest, and the only foolproof way to make sure you never grow up, before Stephen Dedman rounded things off and we all settled in to conversations, book buying, and free champagne. Shane has pictures up, which are worth a look. We have some of our own which I'll put up as soon as I download them from the camera (it's been a slack weekend...)
Reading Never Grow Old was a hoot, because it's a piece that begs a performance reading, rather than a stand-still-and-orate reading. It's dialogue driven, which means I can use my voice properly. Peter is a fun character to play with. I can use the lightness and immaturity of his voice to counterpoint the darkness of what is actually happening under the childlike conversation he engages in with Sarah, the young girl he meets in the playground of a night-abandoned day care centre. I had a hell of a lot of fun with it, and judging by the comments I received afterwards, it all worked pretty well.
I also enjoy the challenge of performing a new piece at a reading: it's completely unknown to the audience, so they have to pay attention to find out what's happening, and can't coast on the fact that they know what's coming. It's the clsoest I've come to pure performance since my stand-up comedy days. I miss that buzz, sometimes, the power that comes from needing to work the consciousness of a room as it sits before me. I've crashed and burned before, but Friday night was one of the good ones.
Now: let's see if I can sell it to an editor, non? :)
OH, SO VERY RIGHT
Passed on from Jay Lake's LJ, a quote that strike me right in the 'truth' quadrant of my funny bone:
Isn't it interesting that the same people who laugh at science fiction listen to weather forecasts and economists?
Song of the moment: Who Wants To Live Forever? Queen
Reading: Mojo Stories edited by Nalo Hopkinson
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