SongDragon
09-27-2008, 09:41 PM
I know some of you have been waiting for me to say… something. Anything. Perhaps you’re waiting for a write-up on the Janis Ian Picnic? Maybe a response to the amazing autobiography, “Society’s Child” by our lovely Janis Ian would also be in order, as I’ll admit it is one of the few non-fiction books I’ve read, yes? Or maybe I just owe you all an update on college life, since events at the boards seem to slide through my fingers. Glad to see that you have all been holding down the fort for me, and I hope I am able to write on them a lot more often. I have to say, I’m starting to miss posting on boards where I’m called ‘SongDragon’ because most of them are older boards that I don’t see as often, or I get there and the board already has a ‘SongDragon’. I suppose you can’t claim a name once it’s on the internet, but seeing as this name is my alter ego I need to get on here and write a little more often, since this is my voice. As little as most of you would believe it I have a remarkably difficult time saying what I mean in conversation. However it can also be difficult living up to what I’ve said previously… I never know if I’m going to look back and say, “I could have said that better!” or look back and say, “I still agree with every word I wrote.” So, all I can say is, I’ll try, as always.
First, I have to say, you have showed us, my family and I, such amazing hospitality. At the Janis Ian Picnic and on the boards—everywhere, you’ve welcomed us. Anywhere where I’ve met Rudies I’ve felt at home, happy, comfortable. The only thing I regret is that I have to pack up and head out again. And that I’m sorry I haven’t written sooner. I can’t even blame it all on technology. A lot of it has to do with losing notebooks (which I manage to do quite frequently). As I was mentioning to Kath after the Picnic I have indeed not posted some of the things I should have. Projects, essays… Most are outdated now by the things others have written, being more prompt in their write-ups than I have been, but some of the things they conveyed still need to be said. My family is also very much a part of this board. My father (under the ruse of keeping an eye on me), and my sister (still trying to get on, having issues getting a hold of the webmaster because for some reason it blocked her e-mail address, but she misses you all), a Janis Ian enthusiast since the Picnic… I think we’ve had a good effect on her.
Onto the book! I should really be covering this in paragraphs (plural), not this one, lousy paragraph… But we’ll see. There must be a word limit on the board; I can’t believe I don’t remember what it is. Does that mean I haven’t hit it yet? Anyway. Janis, your autobiography was amazing. There are so many things that make a biography of any sort much harder to write and make interesting. The least of them is that it has no dragons ruling the world. Seriously, though, I think the biggest issue in keeping your typical fantasy reader engaged in an autobiography would lie in the fact that a novel usually takes place over a period of, at most, a few years, while in an autobiography you have to keep them interested in the events of over fifty years. It’s overwhelming. Janis, you did an amazing job. Normally if a book disinterests me at all I wind up putting it down for life always meaning to ‘come back to it’ sometime. It helps that you had an eventful life, though I am sorry for that at the same time. The final thing was that you put just enough in there for many of us to relate with, while still having it be something far out of (my) experience. I can’t speak for everyone, but it was amazing. My father read it, a friend of his read it, and the others in my family would have read it if I hadn’t decided it was one of the books I wanted to keep in my dorm room. Peppermint said she would read it as soon as she was done with her own stack of books. So all I’m going to say, so that I can avoid spoilers, or repeating myself too many times is that it was a great read.
As for the Janis Ian Picnic? It, too, is something that I should dedicate paragraphs and paragraphs to, but of course that would be if I was to write down every minute detail… Something I should teach myself not to do, since this might end up being longer than three pages if I’m not careful. As I mentioned earlier, the hospitality was amazing. The wonderful craziness of the Rudies should be the stuff of legends. Peppermint (a.k.a. Caroline if you were at the Picnic) and I were counting down the days, hours, and minutes until we could leave. At the very last it actually ended up being me that held us up. Almost forgot my camera, again. If there were Rudie Awards, like there are Frosh Awards in Residences, I would probably win ‘most likely to forget a camera at the most important times’. That almost ended up being me again. My sister was driving; she actually did most of the driving since it was a nice time to teach her about night driving and highway driving with no traffic. Oh, didn’t I mention? We left the house at two forty-five a.m. Ordinary for us silly night owls, though it really wiped us out by the time we got there. We also got lost in Pittsburgh, since we also tend to do the whole ‘oh, I know where I’m going, so I can just follow street signs’ routine. Which hardly works in downtown Pittsburgh, it’s so torn up with construction and detours. Have you already figured out we’re not from the city? Us too. You can expect me to make a fool out of myself, also, and I did as soon as I got there. I had to ask Randy who he was. Dar, at least, I recognized right off the bat. I should since I’ve met her twice before now, though. Karen I also recognized, thank goodness. When Janis went over to say hi to Caroline (Peppermint) I was afraid she thought she was me. Whatever happened, it was very clear Peppermint wasn’t me, and Janis introduced herself (aw, that was my job!).
I was so out of it that afternoon that I didn’t even know about the book signing until Elliot and Gisli told me. I jumped in with them, gave my sister and Dad the directions, and we took off. Of course not having directions, we arrived last… Oops. Silly Song. Teleportation is still a little bit beyond my powers. Still, we made it. It was fun. I got my book signed, was sent on a random mission to locate a Janis Joplin biography to see if she would sign it (where I was informed that, had I found it, she certainly would have, “I’ll sign anything.” Though I think she mentioned a few things she tended to avoid signing, too). After that I began jumping down people’s throats at the possibility of regrouping and going to eat, since I hadn’t had anything since breakfast, and even then it wasn’t much. I was off the walls the day of the picnic. I wasn’t quite sure where I wanted to be. It was so hot that I almost didn’t wear my Janis Ian shirt, but with the scarce amount of clothing I had packed I wasn’t given much of a choice. When we got there it was amazing. It was small, rural, and beautiful. There were so many Rudies, the barbecue was wonderful (thank you Redjack), and the jamming, singing, and just general music was fun. The volleyball game was fun, too. Crazy Agnes, Eva, Peppermint, Dar, Peggy and the rest of us. They all had to put up with the fact that if the ball came at me I was equally as likely to throw my arms over my head and duck for cover as I was to hit it, and my attention in the game would wander. Wendy’s art was amazing, and the auction was hilarious. I slept well that night (after a good shower to get the dirt off my feet). That night, and breakfast the next morning a bunch of us said goodbye. I would have liked to stay a little longer, but we agreed we really shouldn’t repeat the all night driving experience of the arrival trip. Still, I would have liked to have had more time with the quiet Agnes, hiding behind the grill all night, and that silly, saucy Captain Redjack. Another time. We all went home happy, to pack for school again.
School is going to have to wait for my reply post to this. This is getting to be an essay, and I know how most of us feel about reading essays. Besides, it’s a weekend, I’m not supposed to be doing anything productive on weekends. Just as a quick touch-up, though: Being a New Student Orientation Leader made me more social than I ever thought I would be, it was fabulous! The cat shelter is doing well. I work there on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, despite almost getting scared away by the fact that we had sixty-four cats when I first came in this summer (we are technically made for about twenty-five). Classes are good, especially social psychology, though research is probably the dullest class for any psychology major. My roommate and I still love each other (except for the one time she thought she turned off her alarm and she had actually just hit the snooze button, and it started going off again and she didn’t hear it, but me being the light sleeper that I am… you can see where this ends). I have so many anecdotes. In case I forget, remind me to tell you about the Boston Pizza trip for NSOLs and RAs. It’s worth it, I assure you. Also, I have to stop being so cheeky. While I was writing this Julia came in, looked over my shoulder, and said, “You’re an amazing writer.” And, being cheeky, I said, “I know.” Ouch. I got smacked for it. So I hope she’s right, since she only saw a tiny bit of it. I did say thank you after that… Really… Though Leah, my roommate, laughed at me, too. I hope this all covers the gist of it all, and leaves me in the clear for catching up on writing to you all after this. Take care, lovely Rudies!
First, I have to say, you have showed us, my family and I, such amazing hospitality. At the Janis Ian Picnic and on the boards—everywhere, you’ve welcomed us. Anywhere where I’ve met Rudies I’ve felt at home, happy, comfortable. The only thing I regret is that I have to pack up and head out again. And that I’m sorry I haven’t written sooner. I can’t even blame it all on technology. A lot of it has to do with losing notebooks (which I manage to do quite frequently). As I was mentioning to Kath after the Picnic I have indeed not posted some of the things I should have. Projects, essays… Most are outdated now by the things others have written, being more prompt in their write-ups than I have been, but some of the things they conveyed still need to be said. My family is also very much a part of this board. My father (under the ruse of keeping an eye on me), and my sister (still trying to get on, having issues getting a hold of the webmaster because for some reason it blocked her e-mail address, but she misses you all), a Janis Ian enthusiast since the Picnic… I think we’ve had a good effect on her.
Onto the book! I should really be covering this in paragraphs (plural), not this one, lousy paragraph… But we’ll see. There must be a word limit on the board; I can’t believe I don’t remember what it is. Does that mean I haven’t hit it yet? Anyway. Janis, your autobiography was amazing. There are so many things that make a biography of any sort much harder to write and make interesting. The least of them is that it has no dragons ruling the world. Seriously, though, I think the biggest issue in keeping your typical fantasy reader engaged in an autobiography would lie in the fact that a novel usually takes place over a period of, at most, a few years, while in an autobiography you have to keep them interested in the events of over fifty years. It’s overwhelming. Janis, you did an amazing job. Normally if a book disinterests me at all I wind up putting it down for life always meaning to ‘come back to it’ sometime. It helps that you had an eventful life, though I am sorry for that at the same time. The final thing was that you put just enough in there for many of us to relate with, while still having it be something far out of (my) experience. I can’t speak for everyone, but it was amazing. My father read it, a friend of his read it, and the others in my family would have read it if I hadn’t decided it was one of the books I wanted to keep in my dorm room. Peppermint said she would read it as soon as she was done with her own stack of books. So all I’m going to say, so that I can avoid spoilers, or repeating myself too many times is that it was a great read.
As for the Janis Ian Picnic? It, too, is something that I should dedicate paragraphs and paragraphs to, but of course that would be if I was to write down every minute detail… Something I should teach myself not to do, since this might end up being longer than three pages if I’m not careful. As I mentioned earlier, the hospitality was amazing. The wonderful craziness of the Rudies should be the stuff of legends. Peppermint (a.k.a. Caroline if you were at the Picnic) and I were counting down the days, hours, and minutes until we could leave. At the very last it actually ended up being me that held us up. Almost forgot my camera, again. If there were Rudie Awards, like there are Frosh Awards in Residences, I would probably win ‘most likely to forget a camera at the most important times’. That almost ended up being me again. My sister was driving; she actually did most of the driving since it was a nice time to teach her about night driving and highway driving with no traffic. Oh, didn’t I mention? We left the house at two forty-five a.m. Ordinary for us silly night owls, though it really wiped us out by the time we got there. We also got lost in Pittsburgh, since we also tend to do the whole ‘oh, I know where I’m going, so I can just follow street signs’ routine. Which hardly works in downtown Pittsburgh, it’s so torn up with construction and detours. Have you already figured out we’re not from the city? Us too. You can expect me to make a fool out of myself, also, and I did as soon as I got there. I had to ask Randy who he was. Dar, at least, I recognized right off the bat. I should since I’ve met her twice before now, though. Karen I also recognized, thank goodness. When Janis went over to say hi to Caroline (Peppermint) I was afraid she thought she was me. Whatever happened, it was very clear Peppermint wasn’t me, and Janis introduced herself (aw, that was my job!).
I was so out of it that afternoon that I didn’t even know about the book signing until Elliot and Gisli told me. I jumped in with them, gave my sister and Dad the directions, and we took off. Of course not having directions, we arrived last… Oops. Silly Song. Teleportation is still a little bit beyond my powers. Still, we made it. It was fun. I got my book signed, was sent on a random mission to locate a Janis Joplin biography to see if she would sign it (where I was informed that, had I found it, she certainly would have, “I’ll sign anything.” Though I think she mentioned a few things she tended to avoid signing, too). After that I began jumping down people’s throats at the possibility of regrouping and going to eat, since I hadn’t had anything since breakfast, and even then it wasn’t much. I was off the walls the day of the picnic. I wasn’t quite sure where I wanted to be. It was so hot that I almost didn’t wear my Janis Ian shirt, but with the scarce amount of clothing I had packed I wasn’t given much of a choice. When we got there it was amazing. It was small, rural, and beautiful. There were so many Rudies, the barbecue was wonderful (thank you Redjack), and the jamming, singing, and just general music was fun. The volleyball game was fun, too. Crazy Agnes, Eva, Peppermint, Dar, Peggy and the rest of us. They all had to put up with the fact that if the ball came at me I was equally as likely to throw my arms over my head and duck for cover as I was to hit it, and my attention in the game would wander. Wendy’s art was amazing, and the auction was hilarious. I slept well that night (after a good shower to get the dirt off my feet). That night, and breakfast the next morning a bunch of us said goodbye. I would have liked to stay a little longer, but we agreed we really shouldn’t repeat the all night driving experience of the arrival trip. Still, I would have liked to have had more time with the quiet Agnes, hiding behind the grill all night, and that silly, saucy Captain Redjack. Another time. We all went home happy, to pack for school again.
School is going to have to wait for my reply post to this. This is getting to be an essay, and I know how most of us feel about reading essays. Besides, it’s a weekend, I’m not supposed to be doing anything productive on weekends. Just as a quick touch-up, though: Being a New Student Orientation Leader made me more social than I ever thought I would be, it was fabulous! The cat shelter is doing well. I work there on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, despite almost getting scared away by the fact that we had sixty-four cats when I first came in this summer (we are technically made for about twenty-five). Classes are good, especially social psychology, though research is probably the dullest class for any psychology major. My roommate and I still love each other (except for the one time she thought she turned off her alarm and she had actually just hit the snooze button, and it started going off again and she didn’t hear it, but me being the light sleeper that I am… you can see where this ends). I have so many anecdotes. In case I forget, remind me to tell you about the Boston Pizza trip for NSOLs and RAs. It’s worth it, I assure you. Also, I have to stop being so cheeky. While I was writing this Julia came in, looked over my shoulder, and said, “You’re an amazing writer.” And, being cheeky, I said, “I know.” Ouch. I got smacked for it. So I hope she’s right, since she only saw a tiny bit of it. I did say thank you after that… Really… Though Leah, my roommate, laughed at me, too. I hope this all covers the gist of it all, and leaves me in the clear for catching up on writing to you all after this. Take care, lovely Rudies!