¡Rábanos Radiactivos! ... es no. 2121

Written by Fred Patten, and intended for Apa L, 2121^st Distribution, LASFS Meeting No. 3569, January 5, 2006.
Golden State Colonial Convalescent Hospital, 10830 Oxnard Street, North Hollywood, California 91606-5098.
Telephone: hospital(818) 763-8247; personal (818) 506-3159 * eMail:fredpatten@earthlink.net

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I'm back! Hooray!

Rob Powell brought me to last week's LASFS meeting because Michael Burlake was sick. The meeting was a bit small, as is usual with the meeting between Christmas and New Year's Day, but there was lots of leftover Xmas party food to eat. I did not get a parking space donated to me for January, so my drivers will have to settle for curbside parking.

On Saturday, Rob Powell brought me back to Freehafer Hall for the Party of Last Resort. This was my first experience since my stroke with going out while it was raining. The plastic raincoat that Lee Gold sent really helped, and Powell tried to hold an umbrella over me while loading me into his truck. I mostly kept dry enough that I was not uncomfortable during the party. Fortunately, it had stopped raining by the time we returned to the hospital.

Hardly anyone was there when we arrived just after 2:00 p.m.; Mike Thorsen and one other fan. But I had a great time because all the DVDs were titles I really wanted to see: the extras on the just-released Serenity DVD (we had all seen the movie in the theaters too recently to want to see it again), the ten "Cracking Contraptions" mini-shorts on the Wallace & Gromit Three Amazing Adventures DVD (everyone shows A Grand Day Out, A Close Shave, and The Wrong Trousers over & over, but this was my first opportunity to see the ten mini-shorts); the BBC's version of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (understandably much more cheaply produced than the current theatrical version, but also extremely faithful to Lewis' novel; but I see that "Father Christmas" is definitely the red-suited Santa Claus in this version); and the 2002 version of The Time Machine which I also had not seen before. Powell brought me dinner from Denny's during the latter. The Time Machine ended around 8:00 p.m., when lots of people were beginning to arrive with food to share, but by this time I felt tired enough that I requested to go back to the hospital early so I could get a good night's sleep.

On Sunday, January 1^st, the January-February 2006 issue of Anthro went online with four more reviews of Furry novels by me.

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ˇZANAHORIAS ELECTRóNICAS!

-- Comments on Last Week's Distribution:

Vanamonde #659 - (Hertz) Your obituaries are appreciated, although the need for them is regrettable. ## I frankly do not know what Mission Community Hospital in Panorama City has that Golden State Colonial Convalescent Hospital had to send me there instead of being able to treat me themselves. I also do not know what was wrong with me other than that I had "an infection". I was pumped full of antibiotics for a week, and then sent back to Golden State where I was given more antibiotics by mouth for another week. The only tests that I was given the results of were bogus, in my opinion; that I cannot eat while lying down without choking, which I have known since I was at Rancho Los Amigos. Golden State Hospital has been careful to get me sitting in my wheelchair for all meals.

Long Time, No C #46 - (Zeff) If DAW Books wants at least 100,000 words for a novel, and you are having trouble expanding your manuscript much beyond 53,000 words, what publishers are at the top of your list to submit your story to? I forget whether you have said if you have an agent, or if you feel a need for one.

An Innate Enjoyment of Quibbling - (Cantor) I assume that Lee Gold used a previous template for my issue of ˇRR! two weeks ago without changing any wording at all. Since I have had an issue in every Apa L, it should be easy to tell my correct issue number by matching it to the Apa L dist'n number. Vanessa Van Wagner did not have any trouble putting the correct numbers and dates on my issue last week which she prepared herself since I was not allowed back to my computer yet. ## Sorry to hear about Kenneth Bulmer's death. I remember enjoying his Ace Books novels during the 1950s and 1960s (most had good covers by Ed Emsh), though I cannot remember any specifics.

De Jueves #1459 - (Moffatt) I cannot imagine M*A*S*H not having a bible, but maybe its producers did not pay attention to it that closely. ## Many of the Golden State Hospital nurses barely understand or speak English. I have heard two nurses whose native languages are Spanish and Tagalog talking in broken English as their common language. We also have nurses from India and Viet Nam. I assume that the hospitals hire whomever they can get that seem reasonably responsible.

Luny Tunes #6 - (Castora) Val Kilmer's full name according to various websites is Val Edward Kilmer, so apparently Val is not just a nickname in his case. By the way, Val can be a nickname for Valentine as well as for Valiant or Valerie. ## Aha! Wikipedia does so know why Grape-Nuts are called that! See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grape-Nuts (Wikipedia notes that the origin of the name is disputed.) ## According to most of what I have read about President Harding, it was exactly his competence rather than his personal honesty that was in question, unless you consider it dishonest rather than incompetent to appoint political friends to high offices and not check up on what they are doing.

Godzillla Verses #69 - (DeChancie) "I want to see you there [at the LASFS] as soon as you can make it." Will you be looking from Pahrump or from Pittsburgh? Seriously, thanks for the good wishes.

I Yargh Occasionally - (Gold) That sounds like you ought to be spitting up hairballs. ## I gather that it will be quite a while until the Eaton Collection has digested my donation thoroughly enough to add a statement about it and me to its webpage. ## As of today, it looks like Marty Cantor & Bob Null will be able to take my wheelchair to Continental Home Care in Glendale to have the parts put onto it that should have been on it when they delivered it last July. I hope so. ## I also (almost) always put the optional comma before "and". I have been criticized for using too many commas in my writing, but I do not mind looking old-fashioned if it means increased clarity.

Fish Out of Water #151 - (Helgesen) Yes, that was a considered opinion by C. S. Lewis. Enough fans asked him before his death that there is no doubt he intended for The Magician's Nephew to be read first, before The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I disagree, and so do many other Narnia fans, but Lewis left no doubt as to what his opinion was. ## One of my first articles as a "cartoon historian" was on the original 1949-'51 Crusader Rabbit series by Alex Anderson & Jay Ward. I interviewed animator Gerry Ray just a couple of years before he died of cancer. I am glad that my Crusader Rabbit history was of use to Keith Scott for his The Moose That Roared. ## I had not known about the illegal/inappropriate 'ghost vote' in the California Assembly. Thanks for the information.