eldritchhobbit

I'm sorry I've been quiet. I've been super busy! But I wanted to drop by and confirm that my annual Halloween countdown will be back in full force in October, and I hope you will join me then. I've been having fun thinking up special, spooky things to share as we celebrate the season!

I hope you are well, my friends.

For your Friday enjoyment, here is my fabulous baby niece Rebecca!

We've met the brilliant Rebecca (3 weeks), and she is fantastic!


So is big sister Kaitlyn (6 years)!




And here we are, uncle-ing and aunt-ing!

It's happy news time, everyone!

Happy news #1: My wonderful niece, Kaitlyn, loves kindergarten, gymnastics, and Star Wars. Life is good! She was delighted to hear (as was I!) that she will be a big sister in 2018. Her little sister Rebecca will be joining us in May!



Happy news #2: I have been quiet recently because my life right now is all about traveling and packing boxes. We're relocating thanks to a wonderful professional opportunity for my husband, and it just so happens that we're going to one of my favorite parts of the country! After a wonderful decade in NC, we'll be moving to Richmond, KY in the next few weeks, just outside of Lexington and not far from one of my very favorite places. We're very excited! Please excuse me if I'm slow to respond to anyone while we make this transition. There's a lot to do!

Wishing all of you, my friends, a fabulous 2018!

Cool things are afoot!
- A new documentary is in the works about one of my all-time favorite television series: Millennium after the Millennium.
- Check out the Apex Magazine 2016 Subscription Drive, complete with lots of extra goodies and rewards.

And now here's my niece Kaitlyn, playing at the pumpkin patch and trying on her Halloween costume to become Princess Elena of Avalor. It's not long now until trick-or-treating time!

I'm back from an action-packed Worldcon, just in time for the start of a new semester!

My stand-alone academic presentation from the con, "His Fordship in the Capitol and Big Brother in the Districts: How The Hunger Games' World of Tomorrow Builds on SF's Classic Past," is now available for free on the latest episode of StarShipSofa. If you listen, I hope you enjoy!

And here is Kaitlyn at Worldcon, her very first (but not her last!) con. Steampunk Star Wars shirt? Check. TARDIS? Check. Happy smile? Check.

Thank you, my friends, for all of your kind and sympathetic words. They've meant a great deal to me over these recent days.

FYI, my most recent "Looking Back on Genre History" segment is up on Episode 410 of StarShipSofa. It's the first of a two-part look into the science fictional and historical inspirations behind the Jedi of Star Wars. If you listen, I hope you enjoy!

And now, a moment of joy, courtesy of my niece. Kaitlyn's favorite thing to do this season is dive into a pile of dry leaves.

To put a smile in your day (I hope), here's Kaitlyn on her swing.



( Under the cut is a photo taken last month of my sweetheart, our four-legged gal, and yours truly. )

Today I bring you the "Gratuitous Niece Picspam" edition of the Halloween Countdown. I just can't help myself.

Kaitlyn's having a good October. She's been hanging around pumpkin patches and singing, as you can see, to complement her costume as Anna from Frozen.



"I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion."
- Henry David Thoreau



"Each year, the Great Pumpkin rises out of the pumpkin patch that he thinks is the most sincere. He's gotta pick this one. He's got to. I don't see how a pumpkin patch can be more sincere than this one. You can look around and there's not a sign of hypocrisy. Nothing but sincerity as far as the eye can see."
- Linus, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Things that are cool:
1. From The Art of Film: "The Architecture of the Capitol from 'The Hunger Games': Echoes of Rome, Echoes of Totalitarianism."

2. The response to my "On Tyrants & Tributes: Real World Lessons From The Hunger Games" week-long educational program has been absolutely amazing! Thanks to everyone who is taking part. Latecomers are welcome to register (for free!), dive into the videos and discussions, and join us for tomorrow's live webinar event.

3. Here's a Call for Papers and Topic Proposals: Joss Whedon: A Celebration.
( Call for Papers and Topic Proposals )

4. And another! Call for Papers: Buffy to Batgirl: Women & Gender in SciFi, Fantasy, & Comics/Conference.

5. Last but definitely not least, our niece Kaitlyn is setting an excellent example for us all, dressed in her Lenoir-Rhyne University gear, ready to cheer on our Bears today in the national championship game. Go Bears!

Believe it or not, I really am going to catch up on comments shortly. I apologize for falling behind.

For now, here's wee little Kaitlyn and her "Science!" shirt (which some unspeakably geeky relative gave to her). I dare you not to hear Thomas Dolby in your head for at least the next hour.

All together now: "Science!"