Various & Sundry 3/28/07
Posted on March 28, 2007 Posted by John Scalzi 16 Comments
Hey there. Been busy today. Here’s some stuff to think about while while I get my act together:
* The Spring 2007 edition of Subterranean Magazine Online kicked off a couple of days ago (that’s the “cover” for it up there). I’m in it, just not yet — material from the issue gets released over the course of time, to give you an excuse to keep checking in (don’t worry, I’ll let you know when my story goes up). But what’s up now is pretty damn good, including new stories from Caitlin R Kiernan and Joe R. Lansdale and Neal Barrett, Jr. And it’s free for you to read, which is nice.
* Christopher Rowe has some thoughts on joining SFWA, after next Sunday.
* I spent the earlier part of my day down at the Honda dealer, getting a new gasket for some aspect of my transmission (because the minivan was leaking transmission fluid), and putting on new tires, because we hadn’t replaced the one that came with the minivan when we got it in ’03. All of which was not notably cheap. I don’t mind spending the money (it’s not like I want to drive around without transmission fluid or on bald tires), but that’s money I don’t get to spend on useless indulgences. I sort of resent that. I say this with the acknowledgment that in the grand scheme of things, this is a good place for one to be, financially.
* Someone just pinged me that they’ve seen my profile in the latest Geek Monthly magazine, so I suppose that this is an excellent time to note that, hey, there’s a profile of me in the latest print edition of Geek Monthly. Rush out and get it! You can find the online adjunct here. I’m not in that part, however.
Geek Monthly is a great magazine, in fact it’s one of my new favorites. Your profile was both informative and fun. Congrats!
You… drive a minivan???
You’re geek factor just dropped but your loser rating jumped. Oh, John, why? Please tell me it’s an odyssey at least? Please? Minvan’s are a sign you’ve given up. Do you wear sweatpants to the grocery store and mickey mouse sweatshirts? I say this because I love you. We all love you. We want the best for you. Do yourself a favor: drive an Accord. A wagon. Anything.
Me? Ahem. I drive a Volvo station wagon and a Nissan Frontier.
Chang, I like my minivan.
I’m aware of how not cool it is. This is why the license plate for the minivan is “NOT COOL”.
Scalzi: I’m not in that part, however.
Then why would we want to click over there?
This is why the license plate for the minivan is “NOT COOL”.
Which is, in itself, pretty cool…
The Honda Element is the most amazing non-minivan/giant toaster ever made. You should have gone with one of those. Then the plate could have said, Yes Cool. It can be frickin HOSED OUT!
I’m also convinced it can travel in time and relative dimensions in space. I just haven’t found the right switch yet.
Dude, where’s *my* Geek Monthly? I subscribe, and I haven’t seen that new issue yet. Who wrote the profile? I sent them a couple pitches and they’ve ignored me thus far.
The author is Jeff Hentosz, who hangs about here on occasion.
Town and Country, baby. Nothing better.
Minivans aren’t just “NOT COOl”; they’re anti-cool. Being not cool implies merely an absense of cool, in the way that darkness is the absense of light. A minivan, however, is like a black hole – sucking up any stray coolness that is unfortunate enough to stumble across the event horizon. You could pack a minivan full of Fonzies, and you’d just end up with a grumbling load of old Henry Winkler look-alikes in corduroy.
That being said, minivans are sensible vehicles for people who want a means of transportation that is both economical and capable of handling human cargo. The coolness of a vehicle is not a necessary consideration.
Mind you, I drive a Porsche.
John Scalzi:
Chang, I like my minivan.
I’m aware of how not cool it is. This is why the license plate for the minivan is “NOT COOL”.
Ah, then that’s cool. Is it an Element or an Odyssey? What does Krissy drive? And why a minivan if it’s just the three of you? Room for big dog?
A porsche? While such a car may be necessary for someone who, perhaps, lives within driving distance of the autobahn, for the rest of us outside of central Germany, such a car is nothing more than a way of making up for something that they are otherwise lacking.
I don’t need a sports car to be cool – whether or not I am cool simply is. If I were the type to believe that I was not cool, however that may be defined, and irredemably so, I might consider purchasing a porsche. But that has not, nor will it, ever happen.
However, if I just happened to like cars, as well as driving them, I would buy something like an MGB.
Tor:
However, if I just happened to like cars, as well as driving them, I would buy something like an MGB.
And for the three days out of any month that it was not in the shop, it would be a great car.
Does anyone know who did that cover for Subterranean Magazine?
My wife, she of the brain wreck, has a 1983 Porche 911 she’s had since…um…1983. I drive it on occasion and as I’m a large(read fat)man, I look like one of those Russian bears crammed into a too small circus car. I’m in a bad cartoon every time I drive the damned thing, and the sad part is, I secretly think I look cool. Trust me, I look like a 58 year old idiot. My wife is ageless, and looks heavenly wherever she is.
I have a 96 Izuzu Trooper just in case it snows in Louisville, (not yet, but I’m ready) and a 92 Ford conversion van to transport music stuff and music people.
I rode with another musician last week–in a minivan. It was great–plenty of room for guitar amps–not an Izuzu Trooper–and easy to mount. Did I say there was lot of room for guitar amps?
John, don’t listen to these naysayers. Minivans are extra-cool–cheaper on gas. Easy to park. Did I say there is plenty of room for guitar amps? I’m gonna get one as soon as I can rid myself of the big van and the Trooper. A perfect vehicle for the person who needs to be connected to the world. And when you’re connected to the world–that’s real cool. And there’s plenty of room for grandkids, and my kids and guitar amps–and that’s really cool.
“However, if I just happened to like cars, as well as driving them, I would buy something like an MGB.”
Lets see – motor from an English tractor model circa 1950, suspension with rawhide thongs, and a top that required blueprints, a tool chest, and a troop of boy scouts to erect.
About as cool as a Nash Metropolitan.
Say, didn’t the chinese buy MGB lock, stock and barrel? Didn’t they, like, ship the whole damn factory (sans walls) to mainland China? Well, at least the Chinese are good with electrical systems, that might help.
Now I miss the MGB I had to sell when I was in university so that I could pay rent and eat.
And to anybody who thinks you need a super high-speed mostly-straight road to enjoy a Porsche: HA! You understand nothing of the joy of driving.