My talented, wonderful friend marnanel recently made a present for floatyfish's birthdy: a book that he wrote and self-published, entitled "Not Ordinarily Borrowable: or, Unwelcome Advice." I read it a while ago as I helped him edit it, and it's a lovely, delightful little romp for anyone who loves books and fantasy and dragons and higher education and plucky heroines.

He's put the first chapter up here so that you can get a taste. If you like the first chapter, I recommend that you pick up a copy - it only gets better!

The book is for sale at Amazon and CreateSpace.

Friday afternoon, Paul and I drove to Reno. I had never been across California that far north by car. It was utterly gorgeous, especially when a full moon came over the mountains.

We got into Reno late, went and ate at a buffet, and then I gambled a dollar in a Circus Circus slot machine, promptly winning thirty three fifty. Go me!

The next morning, we left Reno and headed into the desert.

After getting a teensy bit lost in Virginia City, we found ourselves at the US/Molossia border, where we were greeted warmly by His Excellency, The President.





We went to customs, where we paid in pocket change and surveyed the rules of Molossia.



A public square in Molossia.



Paul at the border!



( More photos here! )

We were quite sad to leave. It was such an amazing trip! The President was extremely kind and accommodating, the residents friendly (if loud barkers), and the land beautiful. I recommend that everyone make a trip to Molossia.

The Khamsin Molossia News covered our trip here.

After we left Molossia, we went back a different way, and stopped down near the south end of Lake Tahoe, which I have never seen. It was gorgeous.

Also, I've never seen clouds like this before. What are they called? They looked really odd.











It was a long and late drive back, but we got home to a very happy, silly Oliver.

My reply to the President of Molossia:

Greetings to His Excellency!

I cannot express the depth of my gratitude for the honor and privilege of your invitation. It was, indeed, I who wrote that blog entry regarding Molossia. I still remember that night - my roommate Amanda (who had discovered the website to begin with) and I spent many hours reading about Molossia, and then another few hours still plotting our own micronation.

(Incidentally, I informed her of your invitation, and she sends her best regards.)

I would be most honored to come and visit Molossia. September sounds like a wonderful time to visit. How do I go about making arrangements? May I bring someone with me?

One thing: during my visit, I would be tremendously excited if I would be able to play a rousing game of broomball.

I hope this reaches you in good health. My best wishes to you, your family, and your nation. I look forward to your reply.

Best,
Carmen Machado

And his response!

Hello, Carmen!

It is good to hear from you. I wasn’t sure if you were the author of the blog, and considering that is goes back a few years I wasn’t certain that you would recall the blog entry.

I am pleased that you are interested in visiting Molossia, and the honor is all mine. I most certainly encourage you to bring whomever you wish, just let me know how many will be in your party so that I can properly prepare. I am open to any weekend except that of the 12th and 13th; I will be out of the country that weekend. Even Labor Day weekend is fine, as are most Mondays. A visit to Molossia usually only lasts a couple of hours (we are a very small country), so you will probably want to combine your visit here with a stop somewhere else, such as Lake Tahoe and / or Virginia City.

I would be happy to arrange a Broomball Game. Honestly, we haven’t played Broomball in several years, ever since the boys grew out of it. I’ll have to chase down a new ball since the old one died long ago. In addition to that, your visit will include a tour of the nation, including stops at our Customs Shack, Post Office, using our new telephone system, visiting Republic Square, Norton Park, the Molossia Railroad, the Tower of the Winds and the Trans-Molossia Nature Trail (if it’s not too hot). I am planning to have our Space Monument done by then, which will afford you the chance to launch an air rocket and thus become a part of our space program. After the tour, we can relax in Norton Park and enjoy some cookie dough while we chat about Molossia, micronations and whatever else comes up.

Bring your camera, your passport (if you have one), some pocket change for Fred the Customs Guy, a couple of bucks (American) for postcards and a sense of humor. No tobacco, walruses, spinach, catfish or Texans, please.

Let me know what day you’re interested in coming and I’ll make sure we’re ready for you!

Warmest regards,
His Excellency President Kevin Baugh,
Republic of Molossia

I'm going! Squee!

You guys.

You guys. Oh my god.

My long-time readers may remember, back in 2005 (when I was a widdle baby college freshman), I posted about the hilarious and distinguished micronation of Molossia. Amanda discovered the website, and we spent hours pouring over it, laughing and making plans for our own micronation, right there in our dorm room. I remember being impressed by the thoroughness of the site, amused by the quirky eccentricity of the President, and generally excited about the idea of making your own country.

Last night, I was sitting at my computer when an email popped into my inbox. I opened it.

And blinked.

And blinked again.

Subject: An Invitation

Greetings.

Some four-plus years ago, you (at least I think it was you) commented very favorably regarding the Republic of Molossia on your blog. I don’t know how I missed it all these years, but I just noticed the entry this evening. I truly appreciate your kind words. Thus, I would like to invite you to come and visit our nation, located some four hours east of San Francisco, over here within the wilds of Nevada. I will gladly escort you around Molossia and show you the sights; it would be an honor.

If you are so inclined, let me know when you might wish to visit – I recommend September, as July and August can be a bit warm. I hope you will favorably consider my invitation and come see our great nation!

Warmest regards,
His Excellency President Kevin Baugh,
Republic of Molossia

I blinked again.

And then I started shrieking.

"Oh. My god. Oh. My god."

I tried calling Amanda, but it was late on the East Coast and she was already asleep, so I called Katie, and we squealed about it for a bit. I'm currently composing a response. Of course I'm going. It's so close, and so awesome. How could I say no?

Katie's project is the "culmination of eight months of work, pages upon pages of government documents, hundreds of dollars in fees, hours upon hours of planning and work, and a whole lot of heart and soul. Rhodora's mission is to make quality live theatre accessible to the DC community - as cast and production crew as well as audiences. We take high quality theatrical literature (in this case, Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning drama, Proof) and create a low budget production with affordable admission costs. We also donate half of profits to charity - in Proof's case, to Mentors Inc (http://www.montorsinc.org), a local charity which pairs professionals with at-risk DC public school kids in a structured mentoring environment.

If you know anyone who would like to be involved in our upcoming production, please have them email us at rhodoratheatrecompany@gmail.com. If you know anyone who might be interested in supporting us financially, please pass this information on to them as well. If you know anyone who might be interested in doing this sort of thing themselves, please pass on my contact info and tell them I'd be more than happy to speak with them about the challenges and joys of starting their own non-profit theatre company--or any non-profit."

The poster for the project is below:



If anyone want's Katie's contact info (for donation, questions about her program, volunteering, etc.), let me know.

Also! My friend Neal writes for website Spectrum Culture, and he's had a bunch of articles/reviews lately, like here (Chain and the Gang's Down With Liberty... Up With Chains) and here (Superchunk's Leaves in the Gutter). You should check the website, and his stuff in particular, out.

(Also, I totally love plugging my friends' contest entries/projects/websites/albums/whatnot, so if you've got something going on/recently published/etc. that you want me to tell the world about, send it my way! carmen dot machado at gmail dot com.

Hey folks!

My lovely and wonderful friend Raabia is a finalist in a photo-editing contest hosted by Magnum Photos (photographic cooperative, and Big Fucking Deal in the photojournalism community). She used photos from their archives to illustrate the quote "A man's face is his autobiography. A woman's face is her work of fiction" (Oscar Wilde). Can you guys follow the link below, check out her entry (number 3), and vote for her? I'd consider it a personal favor to me (also, it's the fucking best). ^_^ Thanks, everyone.

Vote here!

And you will not be sad for at least four minutes. I guarantee it. :)



From the Huffington Post article about the video:

It's a publicity stunt for a reality show, but that doesn't seem to bother anyone, they just like it for what it is: a really cool, well shot video, that lets average people express their joy and talent and make those around them happy for a brief period. The producers chose the exact right song: one that harkens back to our childhoods, but also recalls Maria's unabashed upbeatness in the face of evil. We're in a global economic crisis, America's fighting two wars, there's genocide in Darfur, AIDs running rampant, and a pretty good shot that we could all be killed by bird flu in a year or two. We need this video.

Sarah and I had plans today to go to Monterey, but they were thwarted by us realizing that it was much further away than we had previously thought. So we pulled out a map and put our finger on Half Moon Bay.

We burned a mix CD appropriate for the theme of the trip (Your Ex-Lover is Dead featuring prominently in the lineup... I mean, with lyrics "There's one thing I want to say, so I'll be brave / You were what I wanted / I gave what I gave / I'm not sorry I met you / I'm not sorry it's over / I'm not sorry there's nothing to save," how could we go wrong?) and took off. We crawled over the winding San Mateo Bridge and then up into the mountains, coming down into a valley where people were selling flowers and fruit and metal dinosaurs the size of a house. The air was fragrant and we bought strawberries and drove all the way to the shore.

It was divine. We sat on blankets and took off our shoes and smelled the water and ate rice cakes and apples and watched the windsurfers and talked and I took pictures and every few minutes one of us would say "We're at the beach. In November."

As the day progressed, the fog that was so far out over the ocean came closer and closer. By the time the sun had vanished, the fog was creeping up onto the shore. It was eerie and lovely.

Pictures, most of them below the cut. Enjoy. :)







( more )

We stumbled back to the car, covered in sand and freezing, but incredibly content. On the way back up the mountain, we realized that we could see the sun setting over the fog.



At home, Oliver greeted us happily. We made a delicious dinner and watched Ever After.

Tomorrow, I have to take Sarah to the airport at 4:45 am. I also have a Perspective MFA Graduate Event at Mills College. Ahhh, I can't believe that I'm actually applying to grad schools. It's so surreal.

Hey everyone.

It's been a rough week for me and a lot of other people I know, so I wanted to inject some beauty and color into your November morning.

I read aniika's LJ, and she is doing the most amazing art project that I just have to share with you.

She sews leaves.

It sounds odd, but look at some of these. It's this weird mix of organic and inorganic material, toughness and delicacy, and the end result are these strange, beautiful things that make me want to cry. I love them.







There are more on her blog. Go look at them!

From my lovely firinel:

A 106-year-old nun, living abroad in Rome, who hasn't voted since Eisenhower, is voting overseas this election cycle. And guess who she's voting for? :D

I know that I've mentioned my brother Mario before, and his sheer levels of awesomeness, but he recently discovered the video camera on his Mac and has taken it upon himself to make ridiculous videos with his roommate.

I'm linking to them because I want to give you at least a small idea of how fabulous and hilarious he is.

Here and here.

He's the extremely tall and ripped kid with the curly hair who looks slightly (slightly) like me. The other guy in the videos, of course, is his roommate.

*loves*

**EDIT** Apparently you can only see the videos of you're on Facebook and have the video application added. If you're opposed to adding an app, I'll see if I can get him to put them on YouTube or Vimeo or something.

Today in my Advanced Screenwriting class, we shared the first ten minutes of our screenplay with the rest of the class. The class comments about "Bee" were generally mixed; I spoke to my (absolutely lovely) professor after class for more specific feedback.

While she had quite a few recommendations (cutting bits of dialogue, trimming scenes), she also said that it was "gorgeously written," that she was "intensely moved," and that two scenes in particular were "devastatingly beautiful."

Today was a good day, despite the fact that I was so tired I was ready to fall over. All the work I'd wanted to get done Wednesday night didn't get done due to roommate issues, and so I had to do it last night after getting back late from TAing (which I am loving more and more every time I do it). I went to bed late, got up early to continue working, and then had to go to an 8:30 class. I had three cups of coffee - one at home, one in the car, and then one during drawing class. Drawing class was neutral-to-enjoyable. I then printed out copies of my screenplay, had a lovely lunch with my wonderful housemates (minus Mister Jon Lipe who didn't have class, the lucky duck) and my friend Shannon, and went to class.

After class (and still feeling all giddy about what my professor had said), I had a lovely ride home with Kelli. As we do every time we get into a car, it isn't too long after we've begun our trip that we start into some really super-interesting conversation about art or psychology or something similar. Today we discussed the fact that apparently some students in one of her classes are convinced that disorders such as schizophrenia are merely social constructs, not illnesses. We had a discussion about that, which morphed into a discussion about gender as a social construct. All of this, interspersed with occasional "OMG LOOK A PUPPY!" and "Hey, jackass, don't honk at me," and "Oh my God, look at the size of that truck. That truck is way too big for city driving," and "Ooooooh, I love those bumper stickers."

I dropped Kelli off at work. On my way home, I was sitting at a light when I saw a situation occurring in a parking lot right next to where I was sitting. A man who was sitting in an elevated parking spot had gone into drive instead of reverse; his car was now balanced on a three foot high curb, front wheels resting on the sidewalk, back wheels up in the air. His wife and him were looking distressed and trying vainly to get the car to go; their two children were playing on a mailbox. I almost pulled into the driveway to offer my help, but as I flipped my blinker and began to move, soemthing really, really interestng and funny happened.

This white van pulled into the parking lot. The doors opened, and six young guys - all African-American, all dressed in shorts and white shirts - jumped out. They ran over and began to help the man move his car. They slid it this way and that, moving the wheels, picking it up... after about five minutes (during which I hadn't moved an inch - traffic in this area at six on a Friday is deadly), the car slid down onto the pavement, apparently unharmed. Then the young men all got back into their van and disappeared.

It was like something out a movie. It put me in such good spirits that I came home singing about how wonderful life was.

And then, to complete my evening, I had dinner with the lovely Victoria. She came over and I made her delicious food. She brought wine. It was a party. After dinner, we looked online for cheap or free church pulpits, and a series of slightly sketchy Google searches led us to a website documenting scary movie moments, which is what we looked at until she had to go home.

Considering how the last few weeks have been, today was great.

Ohohoh, this is my favorite Regina Spektor song!

Okay! Now, bedtime.

In the spirit of nationalism, I present you with this humerous discovery, thanks to my wonderful roommate.

The Republic of Molossia

The Republic of Molossia (moe-LOHSS-eeyah) is a sovereign, independent nation, located in and completely surrounded by territory of the United States. With an area of 3.3 hectares (8.20 acres), Molossia is one of the smallest nations on earth, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in spirit. A sense of humor characterizes most Molossian people, which, coupled with the casual and comfortable western lifestyle, makes Molossia an enjoyable place to visit.

Molossia is located in the western United States, a tiny enclave in the State of Nevada and a second enclave in Northern California. The climate is dry and mild, with temperatures rarely exceeding 32 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), or dropping below 0 degrees Celsius (36 degrees Fahrenheit). The terrain is arid and sparsely vegetated, home to sagebrush and piñon pine trees, as well as coyotes, wild horses and jackrabbits. Situated in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the Molossian Home Territory is just 45 kilometers from beautiful Lake Tahoe, and minutes away from Virginia City, a famous Nevada mining town and tourist attraction. The nearest major airport and bus services are also 45 kilometers away in Reno, Nevada. Visitors to this area enjoy skiing and snowboarding in the winter months, while hiking, camping and exploring ghost towns enliven the summers.

The Molossian nation was established in 1977 I; it was a kingdom for over twenty years, followed by a People's Democratic Republic, which then became today's Republic in 1999 XXII. His Excellency, President Kevin Baugh is the current leader of our nation.

See an interview with the president of Molossia

The website is amazing. It can tell you everything about Molossia from its history, national anthem, and flag ("I chose my nation’s flag from among those that already exist, in this case Sierra Leone, and then turned it upside down. I did this so that I would have a real flag to fly outside when ever I wish, without having to sew one from scratch."), vital national statistics, and information about its national sport and two- that's right, two- national parks.

You can also learn how to start your own micronation, engage in diplomacy with so-called macronations, and what to do when you aren't allowed at the Olympics.

Find more micronations here.

There are... no words...