Not to mention the Lululemon League.

Of course, the Vegan Tyranny.  Just past the Yoga Confederacy, and perhaps sharing borders with the Gluten Free Republic.

- Sid

P.S. To be fair, this probably deserves a little more explanation:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vega

Merch 3: Persistence.

As per my previous two Merch posts, February was a pretty good month for filling gaps in my collection of geek schwag.  Happily, I was able to complete the hat trick by buying a couple of four-poster sets of Star Trek: The Original Series movie posters by Juan Ortiz, a leftover from my 2016 seasonal wish list.

I originally stumbled across these retro-styled limited edition* prints at the Museum of Popular Culture (aka MoPop) online gift shop while doing research for my annual gift suggestions in 2016.  Ortiz produced 80 of these unique posters, one for each of the Original Series episodes.  Sadly, it turned out that MoPop doesn't ship to Canada, so that particular gift option regretfully left the table.

However, when Karli and I decided to plan a February weekend in Seattle which would include a visit to MoPop to see the Jim Henson exhibition, I thought to myself, "Hmmm, I wonder if they have those posters in stock at the gift shop?" Logically (no Spock joke intended) there would be no reason for the two on-site shops to share stock with the online fulfillment inventory, but it was certainly worth checking while we were there.

In the fullness of time, we headed south to Seattle, and made our way to the MoPop on the Saturday morning.  When we'd finished at the Henson exhibition, we headed over to the science fiction gift shops. There was no sign of the posters in their shelf inventory, but it turned out that they still had some left in the back room, a random selection of eight or nine of the four-poster sets from the original 20 sets that were produced.

Because there was no visual guide to which posters were in each set, the clerk very kindly offered to let me look at the poster options online, but the pages were loading ridiculously slowly, making it a painful process.  As a result, I just randomly selected two of the sets rather than tie up too much of the man's time.

(He was also kind enough to give me the online sale price of $25.00 rather than the sticker price of $34.99, which is significant when you're looking at an exchange rate of about thirty cents on the dollar.)

So, what did I get in my random selection?

I'll be honest, I don't love all the posters in any of the single sets.  Each set has something I like, and each set has something I don't like, such is the nature of individual taste. In the case of these two sets, purely by chance I ended up with two of my favourite posters from the 80 options:  The Conscience of the King from Set 16, and Errand of Mercy from Set 17.  The other posters are certainly well done, but these are certainly two of the best looking designs by my standards.  They're very nicely printed on a matte finish 100 lb stock, and, based on the halftone screen, run on press rather than digitally. 

The good news is that, because of my preference for two of the eight prints, I would only want to get those two framed, at least in the short term.  Given that it could easily cost two or three times as much as my entire purchase to get just one of them put into a nice frame, I certainly appreciate the silver lining of not loving all eight of the posters. 

  - Sid

P.S. If you're a Star Trek fan in the British Columbia lower mainland who's interested in the other posters, leave a comment, we may be able to do business.

* To be honest, I'm not certain that these are officially a limited edition run as per the formal definition, it may well be that they will simply not be doing a second print run.

Merch 2: Vaulted.

When Karli and I were planning our stop at Funko headquarters in Everett as part of our recent trip to Seattle, it occurred to me that it was the perfect opportunity to get the matching Lone Wanderer to go with the Fallout: Power Armor figure that Karli had given me as a Christmas gift. 

Sadly, a little research on the Funko web site revealed that both figures had been  Vaulted*, which means that they are no longer in production.

My first thought at this piece of information was: Oh well, at least I've got one of them - and the cooler looking one! 

My second thought was: Damn...obviously I should have left my gift in its packaging to preserve its MOC (Mint On Card) value.  What have I done? **  

My third thought was to shrug and get on with my life.  After all, we're talking about polystyrene toys here, it's hardly the end of the world (no pun intended) to find out that they're not being manufactured any more.

Aha, never say never.  I still don't know if she had advance knowledge or not, but Karli almost demanded that we pay a visit to Golden Age Collectables, an excellent comic book and collectable shop with a comprehensive selection which is located at Pike Place Market.***  As we wandered about the store, we stumbled across the Lone Wanderer figure in their inventory - how could I not buy it?

Both the Lone Wanderer and the Power Armor stand up well to a close inspection:  they're quite detailed, accurately modelled and well articulated.  However, I had the same problem with both of the figures.  As I've already noted, it is not easy to get them to hold onto their supplied firearms.

So now I'm the proud owner of both Funko Fallout figures - and yes, they're both out of their packaging, my sincere apologies to my heirs for ruining their inheritance.  If you're very upset, feel free to drive to Seattle and buy your own - they still had four or five of the figures left in stock at Golden Age. 

  - Sid

* This is unintentionally funny - the Fallout franchise is based around characters who have survived the nuclear holocaust in an alternate history United States by sheltering in underground shelters - called Vaults.

** Seriously, though, that's no fun.  As The Big Bang Theory's Penny said about her virginity, it's a lot more fun to take it out and play with it.

*** There's a sister store on Granville Street in Vancouver.

A brief digression regarding The Lord of the Rings.

As I mentioned in my Book Report posting, I'm currently procrastinating on my New Year's resolution to read more paper books, thanks to a digital copy of The Lord of The Rings. But, in my defense, it's just so good.

I'm a bit in awe of how well written this story actually is.  I've been a frequent visitor to the lands and kingdoms of Middle Earth over time - I've worn out a couple of sets of the books since my first purchase in the 70s - but for a variety of reasons, I haven't read Tolkien's masterpiece for several years. There's a bit of favourite fatigue for even the best books, I'm so familiar with the content by now, and so on and so on.  All that being said, returning to the books after a rest has let me see the story with fresh eyes, and as I said, I'm a bit in awe.

Yes, it's very old school - but let's say classic instead.  There isn't a wasted word, the tone and style are perfect, the descriptions are evocative and realistic, the dialogue is simple and elegant, the story flows smoothly and seamlessly from paragraph to paragraph and chapter to chapter, the tale itself is epic and gripping - it's just beautifully put together.

I admit that it's not for everyone, but if you think of yourself as a reader for the sake of the quality of the words on the page, for the pure craft of writing, you owe it to yourself to take a look at The Lord of The Rings.

- Sid

Merch 1: “I did it thirty-five minutes ago.”

“Dan, I'm not a Republic serial villain. Do you seriously think I'd explain my master-stroke if there remained the slightest chance of you affecting its outcome? I did it thirty-five minutes ago.”

Ozymandias, Watchmen

Because I often refer to previous material when I'm creating new content for the blog, I spend a certain amount of time going back through old postings so that I can link to the content.  I also sometimes just re-read postings to see if there's anything I want to change, or just to check for typos.  I was paging back through the content at the end of last month when I stopped for a thoughtful moment at a slightly melancholy posting entitled, Or Vanilla Coke and Barbecue Lays which featured a photo of a rainy day mental health getaway for the jaded geek.

I'll put the photo here as a more convenient reference:

The observant reader will have noted the diverse nature of my rainy day reading material.  I'm on page six of the first issue of Watchmen from September of 1986, with the balance of the 12 issue run to the left underneath a copy of Marvel's What If from the 80s, and the first issue of Ghost Rider 2099, part of Marvel's abortive 2099 series from 1994.  Just above them is DC's beautiful four issue Kingdom Come miniseries, hand painted by Alex Ross, and beside that a mixed bag of comics capped with a Marshal Law one-off from Epic and and an issue of Vector's Annoying Post Brothers by Matt Howarth (Vector is better known for their publication of Chester Brown's legendary alternative comic Yummy Fur).

However, there's a lie in that description. Issue 7 of Watchmen isn't in that stack of comics - about 12 years ago it fell prey to a large hairball that my cat Nigel coughed up when I wasn't looking, and by the time I realized what was happening, the cover was ruined.

At one point, when my friend Chris had asked to borrow the series, I was forced to confess the gap in my collection.  He later told me that he had considered buying me the missing comic as a birthday gift, but wasn't sure if it would be cheaper to just buy me the collected story in graphic novel format.

Hmmm, I thought, looking at the picture. I wonder how much would it actually would cost me to replace that comic?

Purely out of curiousity, I hopped over to eBay.ca and did a search for Watchmen comics.  Ta dah - Issue 7, Very Good condition, a very reasonable seven bucks US, no bids, closing in 35 minutes. I shrugged and placed a bid for seven dollars - my philosophy with eBay is that either you're going to get it or you're not, getting into a bidding war just drives the price up for everyone. (I confess that there have been one or two times when I've violated this simple approach.)*

Thirty-five minutes later, boom, done, I had won the auction with my single bid, and pending the arrival of my purchase, my Watchmen set was once again complete.

"Pending the arrival"...aha, there's the rub, as Shakespeare puts it.  I had a bit of concern about the safety of my purchase as it traversed the postal system of two countries.  Our local postie has the bad habit of jamming things into our mailbox whether they fit or not, and it would be an unfortunate ending to this story to receive a damaged replacement for a damaged original. Shipping was ten bucks US (or about $12.50 CAD), and I really didn't know what that would buy me in terms of protecting my investment.

When the package arrived this week, it turned out that my concerns were completely unnecessary.  Revolutionaries**, let me tell you:  if you are looking for the well-packaged shipment of a comic book, Comic Warehouse on eBay is your seller of choice.

It came in a two inch deep box (the FRAGILE sticker is a nice touch):

 

With bubble wrap:

 

In a cardboard sandwich:

 

In a plastic bag with a cardboard backer:

 

Now, admittedly, that last one is standard collectable comic packaging, but still.

 

And, after all that, the comic was exactly as described:  Very Good condition - in fact, in better condition than one or two of the other comics in the set - and my twelve-issue run is once more complete.

Fortunately, Jaq the Cat isn't much of a jumper or climber, so I'm unlikely to have to replace my purchase due to cat hygiene issues, he just won't be able to get at it.

Unless, of course, I leave it on the floor - while I drink tea and read comic books.

  - Sid

* This parenthetical comment required me to go back to the blog and search for previous postings, as above.

** Thereby deliberately choosing a cute name for my blog readership, such as it is.

Book report.

Now that we're a couple of months into 2018, I thought that I should provide an update on my New Year's resolution to do more reading of physical books, with the goal of one book a week.  As with most resolutions, I'm not quite keeping up with my target, but unlike most resolutions, I've certainly been enjoying the process so far.

I started by clearing the decks:  a couple of months back my friend Chris had lent me his copy of Metro 2033, a mystical tale of post-apocalyptic life in the Moscow subways by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky, and I had gotten about half way through the book and then just sort of set it aside as other reading captured my attention. My original introduction to the story had come in the form of the 2010 THQ game adaptation, and, to be honest, I found that in some ways I preferred it as a computer game, although it just may be that the book suffers in translation. But, with my resolution in effect, it seemed like the perfect place to start, so I moved it back onto the play list.

After finishing off Metro 2033, I picked up one of my Christmas gifts from Karli: Sean Howe's Marvel Comics: The Untold Story, which tells the tale of Marvel Comics from its origins as Timely Comics in 1939, its rebranding as Marvel and the creation of its breakout characters the Fantastic Four in 1961, through to its sale to Disney Inc. and its current incarnation as a motion picture powerhouse.

It's spiced with fascinating (and somewhat gossipy, to be honest) details about conflicts between owners, publishers, editors, writers and artists at Marvel, and the company's rise and fall over time.   

The sad part is that, as much as I enjoyed it, I really don't know anyone to whom I could recommend this excellent and well researched book.  For me, it illuminated a portion of my personal history, the period of time when I was an avid comic book reader, providing the back story for events that I could only watch from a distance when they were taking place.  If you weren't reading Marvel comics for at least some part of the last fifty years and have no knowledge of North America comic books, I'm not sure that The Untold Story would be of interest to you as an abstract historical document.  But if you do fall into that group, this books is a rewarding and fascinating read.

From there, I went with The Golem and the Jinni, followed by Spaceman of Bohemia, both of which I had purchased at The Strand Bookstore during our New York trip. The Golem and The Jinni is a wonderful book, whose titular characters meet in the cultural melting pot of early 20th century New York.  Author Helene Wecker obviously did meticulous research to create her setting, which is packed with details and grace notes regarding life in New York's immigrant communities at the turn of the century.

Her characters cleverly represent odd reversals on their usual roles:  both are traditionally associated with servitude to human masters, yet in this novel they are both set free* and forced to find their own ways in an unwelcoming and unfamiliar world. Wecker does a superbly insightful job of showing us the challenges faced by the opposing personalities of her two protagonists: one a construction of earth and water, the other a creature of air and fire.

I can't be quite as fulsome in my praise for Spaceman of Bohemia, by first time author Jaroslav Kalfar.  It's clever and well written, and I was certainly intrigued by the manner in which Czech scientist and astronaut Jakub Procha's life is molded by his father's involvement with the Soviet secret police. Unfortunately the subplot of the alien observer on Procha's doomed space mission doesn't add to the story, which, when you think about it, is a strong criticism for a science fiction novel.  A good read, but not a great read.

I'm currently making slow going with The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood, but not because of any fault in the book itself.  It's a masterfully written tale which tells its story of a dystopian future without ever relying on conventional scene-setting narrative blocks.**  However, I made the mistake of loading The Lord of the Rings onto my iPhone as fallback reading material, and it's offered strong competition to The Handmaid's Tale in terms of skillful and absorbing (although obviously very different) storytelling. 

So, at the end of the first seven weeks of 2018, I'm in the middle of my fourth (and a half) book, rather than my target of seven. In my defense, both Marvel Comics and The Golem and the Jinni are big solid 450+ page books, and I've been reading steadily, so my current shortfall is based on book length rather than dereliction of duty.

Regardless, I'm quite pleased with the results so far.  It's been very enjoyable to get into that stack of abandoned purchases, and I'm looking forward to continuing the process over the course of the year.

Let's see...what do I want to read next?

- Sid

* Ish.

** Which can spoil a story if done badly.

"If I'm a muppet then I'm a very manly muppet."

I'm very pleased to add yet another entry to the varied resume that I've developed since starting this blog:  muppet.  My mother would be proud.*

- Sid

* No, seriously, my mother and I loved watching The Muppet Show together, she was a big fan.  It was often a struggle because it was broadcast Saturday nights in direct conflict with Hockey Night in Canada, and you can guess which one my father preferred.

Imagination Unlimited

It's time to play the music
It's time to light the lights
It's time to meet the Muppets
On the Muppet Show tonight

Theme song lyrics, The Muppet Show

As you enter the Jim Henson exhibition at Seattle's Museum of Pop Culture, you're greeted by a gently smiling Kermit the Frog, his arm raised in greeting.  Who better to welcome visitors to a retrospective of Henson's creative catalogue than his affable green alter ego?  As Henson observed, "Kermit's function on the (Muppet) show is very much like my own, in that he is trying to hold together this group of crazies, which is not unlike what I do."

"Hi ho, Kermit the Frog here..."

The exhibition is aptly titled Imagination Unlimited, and it’s difficult to think of a better description of Henson’s unique creative abilities.  It’s a treasure trove of concept sketches, models, puppets, short films, storyboards, production notes, cartoons, costumes and film clips that beautifully demonstrate the astonishing range of Henson’s imagination. At the time of his unfortunate death in 1990 at the age of 53, Henson’s fertile mind had created an epic catalogue of characters such as Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Rowlf the Dog, Bert and Ernie, Big Bird, the Fraggles, the Storyteller, the Skesis and the Mystics, Jared the Goblin King, Hoggle and Ludo.

Rowlf might have been a less approachable character with fangs.

Some of those characters, such as Kermit and Rowlf, have remained essentially unchanged since their creation in the late 50s and early 60s, which clearly illustrates the versatility and durability of the basic concept behind the Muppets.

Wilkins and Wontkins.  This will end badly for Wontkins.

It's fascinating to follow the development of that concept through the exhibition as the Muppets become increasingly sophisticated over time, changing from the simple, primitive Wilkins and Wontkins characters from the Wilkins Coffee commercials that Henson produced in the late 50s and early 60s, to the elaborate radio-controlled mechanisms originated for The Dark Crystal in 1982 and The Fraggles in 1983.

Regardless of their success elsewhere, the Muppets were most clearly defined by two showcases:  Sesame Street, which began in 1969 and continues to be produced, and The Muppet Show, which ran from 1976 to 1981.*

These two programs firmly established the Muppets on an international level.  The unique approach taken by the Children's Television Workshop in the creation of Sesame Street was the perfect vehicle for both the Muppets and Henson's innovative creativity.

However, over time Henson became concerned that he and the Muppets were being categorized as children's entertainment, and in the 1970s he began work on a variety program aimed at family audiences.  The result, of course, was The Muppet Show, which added to the existing cast of characters and completed the process of making the Muppets into household names.

The exhibition also acknowledges the many people who assisted in the creation of the Muppets.  Part of Henson’s brilliance was in finding other brilliant people with whom to collaborate, starting with his early work with Jane Nebel, who became his wife in 1959, and later with luminaries such as Frank Oz, writer Jerry Juhl, musician Paul Williams, artists such as Brian Froud, and technical genius Faz Fazakas.

Ultimately, though, the driving force behind the success of the Muppets was Henson's incredible creativity.  One of the reasons that his legacy has been able to continue in his absence is the strength of the characters that he created or helped to create.  It's impossible not to see Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie and the other Muppets as people rather than puppets, with likes, dislikes, fears and hopes all of their own.

 

There are people who represent uniquely irreplaceable talents – visionaries, thinkers, artists, creators of all different types who make a unique contribution to the world before they leave it. Jim Henson shared his personal dream with as many people as he could before he left, and his dream is still being shared.  As Kermit says in 1979's The Muppet Movie:

"I've got a dream too, but it's about singing and dancing and making people happy. That's the kind of dream that gets better the more people you share it with."

Or, as Walter the Muppet points out 32 years later in The Muppets:

 "As long as there are singing frogs and joking bears, Swedish chefs and boomerang fish, the world can't be such a bad place after all."

  - Sid

* There have been a couple of attempts to reboot the concept, which, let's face it, have not done well.  Some phenomena just aren't repeatable.

Similarly, I am also very good with animals and provide obscure knowledge to help advance the plot.

Is this not the best engagement announcement ever?  

I had originally planned to propose to Karli on the Eiffel Tower in October (because I felt that if you're going to propose, you should do it someplace memorable and romantic) but October and Paris were both a long way away, and it was just the right moment last Thursday night.  As a result, going forward I will refer to my fiancée rather than my girlfriend.

The good news is that Paris will now be part of our honeymoon, rather than the cause of one.

  - Sid

Pop!

Although my girlfriend Karli isn't an old school geek like I am, she's not completely without street cred in the area of fandom.  She's a loyal watcher of Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead, and also follows Talking Dead host Chris Hardwick through social media.

As a result, she took note when Mr. Hardwick and his wife Lydia recently visited the Pacific Northwest and made a stop at the Funko head offices in Everett, Washington.  Intrigued to discover the unexpected existence of this nearby geek El Dorado, we decided to pay their storefront location a visit as part of a weekend getaway to Seattle.

***

It's an overcast Friday morning as we hit the road for the United States - and Everett.  A quick breakfast stop at Tim Horton's, and we're headed south.

The rain holds off until we reach the border.  In one of those odd bits of happenstance that no one would ever believe in a movie, Madonna's Borderline plays on the radio as we go through US Customs and continue on Interstate 5.

As a non-driver, it's my job to act as navigator when in locations where roaming fees make Apple Maps directions impractical. I guide us to Exit 194 and along Everett Avenue to the centre of the city.

Studying the map, I say, "Turn left and it's along here someplace."

Karli turns the corner and dryly comments, "I think I see it."

Her tone of voice is instantly explained as I look up from the map. Suffice it to say that it's unlikely that anyone will mistake the Funko head offices for Everett's city hall.

 

What, you ask, is Funko?  It's possible that you don't know who I'm talking about, but it would be a surprise to discover that anyone reading this could be completely unfamiliar with Funko's signature Pop! figure line. If you don't own one of these blank-faced three and three quarter inch vinyl collectables yourself, you very likely know someone who does. Since its modest four-character introduction at San Diego Comic-Con in 2010, the Pop! catalogue has expanded to fill virtually every niche in the pop culture market, with more than 3,000 different Pop! figures currently available.

As the Funko website quite accurately points out, everyone is a fan of something. By cleverly going beyond the limitations of genre fandom, Funko has been able to reach a much larger audience with its Pop! actors, musicians and sports figures.  After all, why shouldn't people who love the Ramones or Golden Girls* have the same opportunities for collectables as fans of Thor and Wonder Woman?

Their 17,000 foot retail store, which opened in Everett in August of 2017, is a fully featured showcase for the Funko retail line. Different parts of the store are dedicated to particular fandoms - Harry Potter, Star Wars, DC Comics, Marvel, Disney - with life-sized** versions of the Pop! and Adorbz figures decorating each section.

 

 

The store is not just about figures.  It also offers a full range of Funko-themed t-shirts, backpacks, bags, pencil toppers, key chains, stuffed toys, and all the other bits and pieces of merch that warm a fan's heart - and empty their wallet.  The store also features limited edition items that are only available there.

 

There's also a Pop! Factory section where visitors can build their own Pop! people or monsters from a selection of heads, bodies, hands, and accessories.

 

Funko's attention to detail is impressive, to the point that the standard Funko brown-paper shopping bag perfectly holds two of the Pop! Figure boxes beside each other. Adding a third box horizontally fills the bag exactly to the top, indicating that Funko has a pretty good idea of what's buttering their bread.

We discover this bit of trivia by, of course, buying some figures. Karli picks up the mixed bag (no pun intended) of Wonder Woman and Joey Ramone. To be honest, I'm actually not in love with the aesthetic of the Pop! figures, but I still end up purchasing a glow-in-the-dark Pop! version of the original Tron from the 1982 movie.

Because, after all, everyone's a fan of something.

  - Sid

P.S. If you want to create a Pop! version of yourself like the one of me at the top of this posting, the Funko website has a Pop! Yourself page.


* Or both, that may be a thing for someone - in fact, Karli may belong on that list.

** If that's the right way to describe it.

Texts.

My Ursula K. Le Guin story

When I was living in Toronto, I was a frequent flyer at the annual International Festival of Authors. Over the years that I attended, I was privileged to see some of the great names of science fiction and fantasy, including Samuel R. Delany, L. Sprague de Camp, William Gibson, and, to my great good fortune, Ursula K. Le Guin. When her appearance at the Festival in October of 2000 was announced, I instantly purchased a ticket, and when the date arrived, hurried down to the venue at Harbourfront Centre so as to obtain a good seat.  Successfully seated in the lower centre of the theatre, I eagerly waited for the evening to begin.

I'm sorry to say that Australian author Robert Drewe, the first of the three authors on the program that evening, didn't impress me - the writing was acceptable, but he was obviously a bit nervous to be reading it to an audience.  Aleksandar Hemon, who read next, delivered a fabulously entertaining anecdote about teaching Canadian Literature in Russia when he was younger - and making it all up. (Because, really, how would anyone in Russia know, before the internet?)

Finally, Ursula K. Le Guin came to the podium.  I was surprised a bit by her stature - she was quite small - and her voice: she had a mild lisp. She announced that she was going to do a reading from Searoads, a collection of short fiction set in a small seaside community in the Pacific Northwest.  The piece she had chosen was called Texts, describing the experience of a woman who reads the words left behind in the foam from ocean waves.

It says a great deal about the experience that I am able to remember what she read.  Normally my personal memory is a thing of impressions and sensations, sensual rather than factual* yet I’m able to evoke a clear memory of Ursula K. Le Guin reading aloud her description of the language of the sea foam:

Do I want to know what the sea writes, she thought, but at the same time she was already reading the foam, which although in vaguely cuneiform blobs was perfectly legible as she walked along beside it. "Yes," it read, "esse hes hetu tokye to' ossusess ekyes.  Seham hute' u."

Utterly without my planning it, my subconscious mind had selected my second-hand copy of Le Guin's award winning The Left Hand of Darkness as reading material for the day. The previous owner had apparently been using it as a study text for a course of some sort (or was an extraordinarily thoughtful reader*) and as such my copy was liberally decorated with marginalia and annotations that illustrated the more significant themes and motifs of the novel.  When it was announced that Ms. Le Guin would be available for autographs after the event, I somewhat nervously decided to get in line with my battered book.

 

When I reached the front of the line, she smiled sweetly at me and asked me in her quiet lisp what I had for her to sign.  I stammered out my little anecdote about the annotated text, and showed her the flyleaf as an example. She smiled at me again and said, "With books like this, I always sign them left handed and mirror reversed."  Switching hands, she rapidly signed the title page as below, which, when you flip it horizontally, is recognizably her name.

As you can see, I still have the book, although it's showing signs of age almost 20 years later  - but then, aren't we all?

And that's my Ursula K. Le Guin story.

- Sid

* Which is why if anyone asks me casually how old my sister Dorothy is, I say "Early sixties" rather than remembering that she was born in 1954.  Which I had to look up.

** This is not as unlikely as it sounds.  I loaned a book to my friend Laurie at some point, and when she apologetically returned it (after belatedly realizing that it was a loan rather than a gift) I was amazed to find that she'd used a yellow highlighter to mark the more significant paragraphs.  I've no idea why - I'm reasonably certain I didn't say that there would be a test.