verbminx

So Tom finally got an ebay account, and has posted a bunch of original art for sale. He has lowballed the starting bids compared to what he would sell these pieces for at conventions, so if you like his stuff, this is a chance to pick some of it up relatively cheaply. There are a bunch of different pages from No Dead Time, as well as the art from the poster for this year's SPACE show. I think the SPACE poster and the two-page spread are probably the two best pieces that are up.

I am trying to talk him into better shipping terms. I know why he isn't offering Priority Mail - he can send FedEx stuff from work at a discounted rate, which he will pass on to the buyer - but if you have a problem with the FedEx thing and want to buy something from him, drop him a line and see if he'll work with you. (I've HEAVILY suggested that he should, but as I've said before, he doesn't listen to me most of the time. You can try telling him that his girlfriend suggested you write to him.) Also, if you have No Dead Time and there was any particular page you liked, drop him a line and ask him about it; it's probably also for sale, just not on ebay.

Tonight, Tom took me to see Neko Case. It was bad and good. The good side is easy: although I'm not into alt-country, I do like her voice a lot. I've never really listened to any of her records (just heard songs here and there), and I think a lot of her songs sound very similar to one another in concert, but her technique is good, and so is her backing band.

Bad, though: Oh, the venue. Are the people who run Little Brothers too cheap to turn up the a/c or is it just broken or ineffective? I thought I was going to die. I came in jeans and a cotton blouse, and before the show was even in full swing I had been outside to the smoking area twice - I DON'T SMOKE - and had unbuttoned my shirt except for the one button over my bra, and tied it up under my boobs. This is something I never do, and frankly I was a little embarrassed to have a bare midriff. By the time the show ended, I was drenched with sweat, even the exposed skin. Since it was a well-attended show, they also took the chairs away, condemning me to a horrible lower-back ache. Seriously, the music was good but every other aspect totally blew. In their defense, Little Brothers did put out a lot of free ice water.

I've learned my lesson, though, about how to dress for summer shows around here. Many venues that I've been to, in several cities, run the a/c pretty high in expectation of a crowd and stuffiness. Not in Cow-Bus, yo. I'm also going to have to seriously consider whether or not I want to go to shows that are general admission, SRO... like, ever again. There are bands for which I would still consider doing it, but they are infrequent performers in this area. Finally, no drinking hard cider when I'm too hot. Seriously, I almost barfed, people.

The other night, I had an idea for a YA fantasy novel that I'm really excited about. & Tom wants me to haul out this novella I wrote years ago to see if we can pull it into shape as a script for a graphic novel, then shop it around. I don't know precisely where said novella IS - it's still packed in one of a handful of boxes - but it'll be fun to mess with, at least.