Philmo's Friends

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/8447023.stm

Wild Card Weekend is almost upon us. No, I'm not talking about SUICIDE KINGS this time -- although this weekend would be a great opportunity to go out and buy it -- but about the NFL.

The Giants are out, but the Jets are still in it (it's good to have two teams), travelling to Cincinnati for a rematch with the Bengals. Needless to say, I'll be pulling hard for this game to turn out the same way as the last one. Cincy will be playing all their starters this time, so I expect the game will be closer, but I do think the Jets have an excellent chance of winning again and advancing to the next round. Let's Go Jets!

That's the game that matters most to me, of course... but it's no fun watching a football game unless you care about the outcome, so I'll be rooting for certain teams and against others in the other three wild card games as well.

I hate Evil Little Bill, so of course I will be cheering for the Ravens to upset the Patriots and eliminate them from this year's tournament. I have mixed feelings about the Ravens themselves. I don't much like Ray Lewis, but I've always been fond of Bawlmer, and of course I am an Edgar Allen Poe fan. But I'd cheer for almost anyone against the Vile BB.

I also hate the Philadelphia Eagles, but not as much as I hate the Dallas Cowboys, so I guess I have to cheer on Donovan McNabb and company. If the Cowboys get eliminated, extending their long drought of playoff victories, Jerry Jones will probably fire Wade Phillips and the Cowboys will start all over with a new coach, which always causes a certain amount of chaos.

So here's hoping the Eagles win. (Then next week I can cheer for someone else to beat them).

In the Arizona - Green Bay game, my feelings are mixed. I think Green Bay treated Brett Favre shabbily; but then, I'm more a "loyalty" guy than one of those "it's a business" guys. On the other hand, I love the Green Bay fans, the history and tradition, and the fact that the team is publically owned, rather than being the personal plaything of some asswipe billionaire like Jerry Jones. (More teams should be publically owned). On the Cardinals side, I like Kurt Warner, who was a class act when he was with the Giants, as a mentor to Eli. But I don't like the Bidwells, or the fact that the Cardinals still refuse to give up the championship they stole from the Pottsville Maroons. Tough call... but Pottsville takes it. May the curse endure. Go Packers!

Current Mood: chipper

Judging by the emails I receive, there are a lot of aspiring writers among my readership.

I wanted to make mention of a couple of summer writing programs that might be of interest to you.

First, the legendary Clarion workshop, which began with Damon Knight in Clarion College, Pennsylvania, and is now in scenic San Diego. An intensive six-week writer's boot camp that will make you, break you, maybe change your life. I will be one of the instructors at this year's Clarion, along with Delia Sherman, Dale Bailey, Samuel R. Delany, Jeff Vandermeer, and Anne Vandermeer. For more details, check out

http://clarion.ucsd.edu/

Applications for Clarion are being accepted now, and will close on March 1... so if you've ever wanted to have me read and critique your work, and learn the secret handshake and the diagonal relationship, speak now or hold your peace until the next time I do a workshop (which probably won't be for a few more years).

[[ I do NOT read unpublished manuscripts that are mailed or emailed to me, so don't even think that. I do my teaching and critiquing only with a workshop context. And sorry, no, I won't be your mentor.]]

Clarion has been helping to turn out professional SF and fantasy writers since the 60s. Maybe you're the next one. You'll never know unless you apply. But be warned, only a few are chosen. Admissions are extremely competitive, with only one of five applicants getting in.

For writers who are already published, but are looking to take the next step in their careers, there is the Taos Toolbox, founded and run by my friend Walter Jon Williams and held right here in scenic New Mexico.

http://www.taostoolbox.com

Walter Jon's pitches his Toolbox as more of a "graduate study" program, for writers with a bit more experience. Graduates of Clarion, Clarion West, and Odyssey, neopros with a few sales under their belts, even journeymen looking to improve. I am not connected with the Toolbox, but I did a guest lecture there a few years ago, and it struck me as a great program. This year Nancy Kress will be assisting WJW with the teaching, and Carrie Vaughn (of Kitty and Wild Cards fame) will be giving a guest lecture. And when you're not writing, reading, critiquing, or listening to lectures, hey, you'll be in Taos.

Clarion Workshop and the Taos Toolbox. If you want to write, check 'em out.

Current Mood: optimistic

( Far too many pictures of snow, sea and sunsets )

This article about a modern mugging technique reminds me of a comment made (IIRC) by Mr. Marwood. He mentioned a mugging that happened in a busy street, where the mugger approached his victim, discreetly placed a knife by the victim's genitals, and took his telephone before disappearing into the crowd.

The BBC poses a question to which I would have to answer “no.” You can probably guess why, and this quote by the author of the article gives it away:

He advocates taxes on high fat and high sugar foods and sweeping measures to promote physical activity, saying: "There is a place for the nanny state, especially when you look at kids."

 ( I made myself an extra greyhound!  )

Current Mood: accomplished

Various sources are reporting the Pepper Johnson might be a candidate for the defensive coordinator opening on the Giants, created when Bill Sheridan was released.

That would be a risk, maybe -- Pepper doesn't have the experience of most of the other candidates -- but it's one I'd be glad to take. I have fond memories of Pepper from his days in the Giants defense of the late 80s and early 90s. He was always a fiery competition, a real leader, and the Giants defense desperately needs some fire right now. The last thing we want is another Xs and Os guy like Sheridan. Pepper has never been a coordinator... but neither had Steve Spagnuolo until Coughlin hired him, and Spags was great.

Other reported contenders include Dick Jauron, Romeo Crennel, Percy Fewell, Bob Sutton, and George Edwards. Some of them might be okay... but if it was me, I'd go for Pepper.

Current Mood: contemplative

(because I'm sad like that)

Lowest screen temperature: -17F, -27.2C, at Braemar, Grampian, Scotland, 11/2/1895 and 10/1/1982
(England: -26.1C, Newport, Shropshire, 10/1/1982; lowest maximum daytime temperature: -19.1C, Braemar, 10/1/1982)

Greatest snowfall in 12 months: 60in, 1,524mm, Upper Teesdale and Denbighshire Hills, Clwyd, Wales, 1947
(London's earliest recorded snow was 25/9/1885, and the latest was 27/5/1821)

Minimum sunshine: Nil in a month at Westminster, London, December 1890

Lowest barometric pressure: 925.5mb, 27.33in, Ochtertye, near Crieff, Tayside, 26/1/1884

Highes surface wind speed: 144mph, 231 km/h, 125 knots, Coire Cas ski lift (3,525 ft, 1,074m), Cairn Gorm, Highland, 6/3/1967

Coldest place (measured mean): 6.35C, 43.43F, Braemar, Aberdeenshire, 1959 - 1981

Heaviest hailstones: 5oz, 141g, Horsham, West Sussex, 5/9/1958

Windiest place: Fair Isle, 1974 - 1978, average 20.6mph

( I didn't like it )

( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )

Not only can I post boring pictures of the snow, I can post boring videos of it as well!

The following two pictures are of comments on taxation by the publican of the establishment where I went for lunch.

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Those are hardly exciting pictures but at least they're not snow. The following picture does look rather nice, though.

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( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )

Just for comparison, here's how things look this morning after the snow that started last night.

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There will be some shovelling fun for me later.

"Hate elves and hobbits here"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/andrewbrown/2010/jan/05/religion-jrrtolkien-discussion

When snow falls maybe one year in three, or one year in four, for a handful of days, surely, surely it is more educational for children to be out in it, learning how it crunches, how it melts,  how to sledge, how to make a snowman, how to take photos of snow, how to go home and paint it -  than sitting in a classroom doing something they could be doing any day of the year, and wishing they weren't?

Apparently 80 schools in Cornwall were closed today.   I just cannot see this as the educational disaster that the local news suggests it is.

My knees are wet now.  I have been photographing Bert the Gargoyle in the snow, with fairy lights.   We've taken down the rest of the decorations but disentangling fairy lights from snowy bushes can wait!   Drying snowy knees smell funny. 

Current Mood: whingy

Life is magical... but full of pain.

The Jets are in the playoffs. Who woulda thunk it, a couple of weeks ago? The game against the Bengals was certainly impressive. Can they do it again, though? We'll see.

The Giants didn't play. I don't know who those guys in their unis were, but they sure were inept.

Goodbye, Bill Sheridan. A good guy, by all reports, but a horrendous defensive coordinator.

I meant to post yesterday on the weekend's games, but got busy writing instead, and finished a Tyrion chapter that I've been struggling with for six months. Nibbling away at that knot. We'll see if the finished chapter holds up to reread and polish today.

Current Mood: busy

No martial arts for me tonight. There was a mention of a forecast for 40cm of snow (I wonder if this is an exaggeration) but luckily I made it back before the road got too bad.

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We have snow in north Bristol. Not very much yet, but it is snow. We should mostly be able to get home today, but getting in tomorrow - in the busiest week in the year for many of the department - may be tricky.

Cheltenham, I hear, has three inches, and near-total gridlock. This leads me to doubt my "getting home" prediction.

South Africa are 265-2. We're stuffed.

ETA: Lord Mandelson announces extra bank holiday to mark Queen's diamond jubilee in 2012.

After a driving and eating oriented holiday I have been looking forward to getting back into some training. This week is supposed to be good for that purpose, as there's Japanese wrestling tonight, small-sword on Thursday and an interesting session (of which more in a moment) on Sunday. Unfortunately, there are threats of heavy snow starting at around 6pm and going overnight so whether a 25-mile trip back from training tonight is a good idea remains to be seen.

The Sunday session involves a visit from Mr. Marwood so we can prepare for this event. I've translated the robbery techniques from the French and also found an English technique from slightly earlier – these will all go on the website after the event so as not to spoil the surprise beforehand. Following this, there will be a couple of hours available for us to provide some training for my students. One thing I might well cover, which I'll also mention at the SWASH event, is the sort of punch shown in this famous film clip (the first two strikes):

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The punch looks rather like what Mr. André called “le coup de poing direct en marchant” in his 1904 text on boxing. The rear hand setup also suggests that his preferred blocking tactic may perhaps prove useful against this sort of attack in these circumstances. Unless, of course, it's performed by Bruce Lee, against whom I wouldn't stand a chance (if he were still alive).