posted by Neil
I went to New Orleans and I had the best birthday I've ever had.There was food (the best New Orleans food, which is the best food in America. I loved eating at the Commander's Palace, and at Muriel's, but I loved The Green Goddess more - Chefs Chris and Paul are heroes). (The "Mezze of Destruction" secret message should still give you a secret foodie easter egg of some kind, if you eat there and say it to your server. It's the secret "Neil sent me" code.)
On the morning of my birthday I was surprised by a wonderful unexpected art-event flashmob wedding.
If you head over to Amanda's blog and read this (and you should. Trust me) http://blog.amandapalmer.net/post/1597897908/still-life-with-wedding-party
you will learn what Amanda did and how she pulled it off. It was amazing.
And once you've read that (go and read it. It'll make more sense of the rest of this) head over to http://www.kylecassidy.com/pix/travel/2010/nfgafpnola/afp-nfg-wedding-album-1.pdf in order to see some beautiful photos arranged into a wedding album by Kyle Cassidy. I don't think I knew that any of those photos were being taken except for the last.
As you read Amanda's blog and look at Kyle's photos you can marvel at the ease with which she persuaded me, without in any way suspecting anything was odd, to wear a top hat in my search for breakfast and tea; you can observe the way that I am astonished by Amanda's first surprise and then banjaxed by her second as a wedding party appears from nowhere; then marvel at the way that, when I think I can be no happier, she tops it with an actual produced-out-of-nowhere cup of tea.
This was how it ended (click on the photo to see it big enough to appreciate it), with Amanda and me with white paint on my face flanked by my glorious daughters, with our friends making happy faces and me holding tea.
Next time we get married, I'll marry the lady, not the statue, and there will be invited people and not a flash mob, and I'll know it's happening in advance, and there will be a paper and it will be legally recognised, but I cannot imagine it will be any more joyous than this was. And truthfully, after that morning's magical wedding, I don't think I could ever feel more married.
A lovely photo of Maddy and me and Holly by Adriane Biondo
...
(PS: As a result of the last interim post, I have learned that the Sushi making kit was from Lena St George-Sweet and Hamish Brown. I love my blog.)
(PPS: More of the New Orleans trip to c
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By: Neil Gaiman,
on 7/11/2009
Blog: Neil Gaiman (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: God I love librarians, The green goddess, Poppy Zed Brite, Alinea, food groups, Add a tag
posted by Neil
I'm in Chicago right now, for ALA: the annual meeting of the American Library Association. I've been to a couple of them before and have always had a marvellous time -- once, with people like Art Spiegelman and Scott McCloud and Colleen Doran explaining to curious librarians what graphic novels were and why they should have them in their libraries, another time getting to visit New Orleans for the first time Post-Katrina, when I went to two dinners with Poppy Z Brite, and one of them was the first time Poppy's husband, chef Chris DeBarr, ever cooked for me*.When I was in Melbourne, five years ago, Poppy was a guest of honour with me, and somewhere back then it was decided that we would be going to Alinea, a Chicago restaurant of remarkable coolness. The years went by and I was never in Chicago for long, and Katrina happened, and once Poppy went back to New Orleans she did not want to leave, but we knew one day it would happen.
And tonight it did. Poppy flew up from Chicago and took me to dinner. It was expensive, and, I only discovered at the end of the meal, Poppy was paying. (This is a big public thank you.)
The service and friendliness and sense of enjoyment from the Alinea staff was remarkable. I've had, on rare occasions, food that was as good, and, rarely, I've had food that was better, but I do not ever recall any meal that was as much fun to eat. 23 Courses (hmm, very illuminati) of things that melted or popped or squrunched in your mouth in astounding ways.
I think my favourite not-actually-putting-something-in-my-mouth moment was when the table was covered with bubbling belching dry-ice smoke, and I asked Poppy very nicely if she wouldn't mind saying, "Tonight, my creature, I shall give you Life!" for me, and, bless her, she did.
If anyone reading this is at ALA, I'm doing two signings at the HarperCollins booth 2011, one at 1.00pm on Saturday, the other on 9.00am on Monday (which should have some amusement value). Also a panel on Monday at 1:30pm on the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. The rest of the time is filled with interviews, receptions, speeches and such.
I'm actually here to receive the Newbery Medal for The Graveyard Book. Which will be presented on Sunday night, and for which I have written (and already recorded) a speech. (Which will be played if I forget how to talk on Sunday night. It's possible.)
And I want to thank Harper Collins for indulging me, and keeping up the free version of The Graveyard Book on the mousecircus website all that time. You can still listen to (or watch) me read The Graveyard Book, chapter by chapter, across America, at http://www.mousecircus.com/videotour.aspx. You can also buy it.
(And to answer a sharp-eyed questioner, yes, there are a couple of changes in the latest printing of The Graveyard Book; I fixed an error in astronomy I'd made, and a misspelled foreign word, and fixed some paragraphs in the acknowledgments that were truncated in the original US edition.)
(And that reminds me: yes, I will be at San Diego Comic Con briefly on Friday July 24th, to do a panel with Henry Selick about Coraline, and a one hour signing afterwards. I'll be at the Eisner Awards for a bit that night, then will zoom across town to the Benefit concert that Amanda Palmer and Vermillion Lies are doing for the CBLDF.)
*Chris says people have been asking for "The Mezze of Destruction", the code-phrase that tells him they were sent from this blog, at the Green Goddess, and getting special extras -- restaurant Easter Eggs, as it were, and I have been getting happy messages from people who have eaten there who tried it. And, almost needless to say, lived.
Right. Bed.
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By: Neil Gaiman,
on 6/22/2009
Blog: Neil Gaiman (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Being offensive without even trying, World Fantasy Con, The green goddess, Roger Zelazny, Add a tag
posted by Neil
Decided not to fix yesterday's "Starberry" typo, as I rather like it, and wonder what they taste like.Today's post brought volumes 3 and 4 of NESFA's COLLECTED STORIES OF ROGER ZELAZNY with introductions by me and Steve Brust respectively. This is the overview of the project on the NESFA website.
A photo from 1993's World Fantasy Convention in Minneapolis, taken by Beth Gwinn (a terrific photographer - this is her website: http://www.bethgwinn.com). Four out of five of the Guests of Honour (I was Toastmaster) Basil Copper, me, Roger Zelazny and the late Poul Anderson. (John Crowley is not there.) I am wearing a morning suit I wore that day, and wore 15 years later for John M. (Mike) Ford's memorial service, and only those two times, because really, I don't go to that many things that need morning suits. I think my father had picked it up for me incredibly cheaply, and was so proud of himself for so doing that I resolved actually to wear it and let him know I had, but he never actually asked.
And today, by coincidence, also brought Steve Brust for lunch, so I showed him the books. We sat and read each other's introductions and shared memories of Roger.
Talking about good photographers:
Apparently there's an LJ advisory board.
Apparently people are elected to it via vote by LJ users.
Apparently this one pretty nifty dude who takes great photographs,
@kylecassidy, is running.
So, if you feel like clicking around to his post about it or the actual post
for voting, here are links:
http://kylecassidy.livejournal.com/524052.html
http://community.livejournal.com/lj_election_en/31595.html
Rob
Consider it plugged. Although it doesn't look like Kyle needs any help from me.
Greetings Neil,
I'm a big fan of yours (and now that I'm 5 months into my pregnancy, a slightly bigger fan every day).
Since we found out "It's A Girl!" I had really hoped to order a signed copy of Blueberry Girl off of the NeilGaiman.net site and start reading it to her before she got here but after weeks of visiting and finding the site temporarily closed I am starting to wonder if I should give up and buy a copy elsewhere and hope that you will be doing a signing in my area (which is extremely rare) sometime in the distant future. Any idea if the site will be returning in the nearer future?
Thank you,
Victoria
I'll be popping into DreamHaven over the next few days to sign a lot of books for Greg. It's surprising that he had to shut down the whole site in order to tell people he wasn't taking orders for signed books right now, but I guess its harder for him since DreamHaven became a one man operation.
Hi Neil,
Just reading your latest blog entry in which someone complained about your use of "British Isles", and went on to talk about how Ireland is not part of the British Isles anymore, and there was perhaps a mention of vikings, too.
I would just like to apologise on behalf of Ireland for this pointless correction. Of course, Ireland is not part of Great Britain, but as the British Isles are a geographical name for both Ireland and the UK, I highly doubt Ireland will be renouncing itself as being among them anytime soon - as doing so would involve actually moving to a different place on Earth.
I would also like to apologise for wasting your time with *this* comment, but I felt quite strongly about it.
Thank you. Actually, I liked learning that there are people who consider the term insulting. I don't think you should ever insult people unintentionally: if you're doing it, you ought to mean it.
(Apparently the term "Irish Sea" is offensive to the Welsh, who are completely surrounded by it.)
...
Over the years I have said good things on this blog about New Orleans Chef Chris DeBarr -- Chris was named “Best New Chef” by New Orleans magazine in 2006 for his work at the Delachaise. I first met Chris in about 1991 at a Dragoncon: he's married to author Poppy Z Brite and Poppy was too nervous to talk to me that first time for reasons I've never been able to figure out, so I chatted to Chris. I didn't know how good a cook he was until Poppy took me to the Delachaise, where he used to be chef, and the food was amazing -- and Chris was everything: chef, server, food advisor, the whole thing. I wrote about it here on the blog ("Why I Am Not A Restaurant Critic"), and took pleasure in letters from people who had amazing meals there writing to let me know.
Chris left the Delachaise and recently opened his own restaurant, The Green Goddess, at 307 Exchange Alley in the heart of the French Quarter. This is Chris's LiveJournal. (He's currently waiting for a liquor license.) It's a Vegetarian-friendly restaurant. (Having once been in New Orleans with a vegetarian, I know these are few and can be hard to find.)
This is the Green Goddess's website: http://www.greengoddessnola.com
I was chatting to Chris about sending people from this website to the restaurant, and suggested that some kind of password might get people something nice and special they might not otherwise get from him. He said, remembering the Sandman book Brief Lives, that people should casually mention "the Mezze of Destruction" to their server, and something good and special will happen for them to eat or drink. Think of it as a restaurant Easter Egg.
...
Over the years I have said good things on this blog about New Orleans Chef Chris DeBarr -- Chris was named “Best New Chef” by New Orleans magazine in 2006 for his work at the Delachaise. I first met Chris in about 1991 at a Dragoncon: he's married to author Poppy Z Brite and Poppy was too nervous to talk to me that first time for reasons I've never been able to figure out, so I chatted to Chris. I didn't know how good a cook he was until Poppy took me to the Delachaise, where he used to be chef, and the food was amazing -- and Chris was everything: chef, server, food advisor, the whole thing. I wrote about it here on the blog ("Why I Am Not A Restaurant Critic"), and took pleasure in letters from people who had amazing meals there writing to let me know.
Chris left the Delachaise and recently opened his own restaurant, The Green Goddess, at 307 Exchange Alley in the heart of the French Quarter. This is Chris's LiveJournal. (He's currently waiting for a liquor license.) It's a Vegetarian-friendly restaurant. (Having once been in New Orleans with a vegetarian, I know these are few and can be hard to find.)
This is the Green Goddess's website: http://www.greengoddessnola.com
I was chatting to Chris about sending people from this website to the restaurant, and suggested that some kind of password might get people something nice and special they might not otherwise get from him. He said, remembering the Sandman book Brief Lives, that people should casually mention "the Mezze of Destruction" to their server, and something good and special will happen for them to eat or drink. Think of it as a restaurant Easter Egg.
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