Tuesday 15 June 2010

Back from Cross Plains

Insert your own Samwise Gamgee reference here. Given the intense heat of Cross Plains (which was actually very pleasant and cool for that time of year, and the very idea that the place could so easily have been even hotter fills me with horror) the comparisons of that brave little country lad traveling far from home to the fiery lands of the deep south are fairly easy to note.

It's a bit bittersweet: I didn't win the 2010 Venarium, and since you can only be nominated once, I never will.  I'd long convinced myself that Barbara was going to win, seeing as she was entirely deserving for The Wordbook and her many published essays, so I wasn't disappointed at all. However, The Cimmerian blog won the 2010 Stygian for best website, and I'm included on the list of names, along with Leo, Deuce, Brian, Steve Trout, Barbara, and Jeffrey.  I'm really pleased with this, especially for Deuce: he put a huge amount of effort into the site after Steve Tompkins' death, and it's great for The Cimmerian blog - and Deuce's current time in Howard fandom - to go out with a bang.

Once I get a few day's sleep I'll gather ye all round, to tell the tale of a Scottish invasion.  A tale of auspicious first meetings and fond farewells, of perils lurking in the grass and dangers round the winding roads, of surprising discoveries within and without...

4 comments:

  1. Hang on, you DIDN'T win!? I'm literallly angry with rage! Fix! Fix!

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  2. I'm truly touched by your wrathful indignation, Chris. :P

    I'm perfectly happy with the Stygian. Deuce has the trophy (unless he's sending it over to Leo), and since my name's inscribed on the award itself, I'd say it's a solid victory.

    Poor Barbara feels a bit bad seeing as she also won the Valusian for the Wordbook (again, well deserved) but I'm honoured to have even been considered. I'm sincere in that sentiment.

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  3. It was great to meet you and the Weird Sisters, Al. Glad you had a good time in my native state!

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  4. Thanks, Mark: the girls had a fantastic time. We're definitely going to make the effort for 2011's bumper year for celebrations.

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