What's New?
--2012--
December 2012
On December 4, Sherry took Fred for an early Swedish lunch at the Ikea Burbank restaurant, followed by seeing Skyfall at the AMC 16 theater at the Burbank Center. On December 7, Sherry and a friend of hers, Phil Muchnik, took Fred to the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley to see the temporary exhibit of Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives, and as much of the Reaganabilia as they had time for. Also on the 7th, Fred got a favorable sales report on The Ursa Major Awards Anthology from its publisher: "I would say that the Ursa Major Awards Anthology has been a big success, at least by our standards. It is number three on our bestselling books list this year, and is the bestselling anthology." On December 10, a friend sent Fred an audio link to a very favorable review of his anthology Furry! on an Australian Furry podcast, ActFur On Line, broadcast November 29. On December 11, Fred's 72nd birthday, Sherry took Fred to her apartment to see the 2012 Pokémon movie on her 42" TV, Pokémon the Movie: Kyurem vs. the Sword of Justice, followed by going out for Fred's first Cajun lunch since his stroke, at Michael's Bar & Grill in Burbank.
On December 20, Fred went to another medical appointment, where he was told that he is in fine health but that he needs a medical stress test. After, Sherry took him to lunch at the Home Town Buffet in Van Nuys. On December 21, Fred and Sherry visited the UCRiverside Library and Dr. Melissa Conway. Fred sorted more lapel pins & buttons, and did research for a forthcoming book. On December 23, Sherry took Fred to a Christmas lunch at her apartment; take-out Chinese orange beef and hot-&-sour soup, followed by a TiVoed Turner Classics Movie special of The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926). On December 27, Sherry took Fred to see The Hobbit at the Burbank Center AMC 16 theater, followed by lunch at the IKEA restaurant and some shopping at Barnes & Noble..
November 2012
On November 8, Sherry took Fred to an opthamologist who proclaimed his vision to be 20/20 (with his glasses); then in the evening to the monthly CAPS meeting for a discussion of recent comics conventions in Southern California and a preview by its organizer of Bent-Con, a LGBT comics/sci-fi/fantasy/horror extravaganza in Burbank at the end of the month. On November 17, Fred went to Sherry's apartment to watch an ASIFA-Hollywood DVD of Disney's Frankenweenie for Annie Award voting. On November 20, Sherry and Fred saw Disney's Wreck-It Ralph at the AMC 16 theater at the Burbank Center, and went to lunch at P. F. Chang's after.
On November 21, Fred was notified by Stone Bridge Press that his book Watching Anime, Reading Manga: 25 Years of Essays and Reviews (September 2004) is finally out of print as a trade paperback. Stone Bridge Press will continue to sell it as an electronic book.
On November 24, Sherry and Fred spent all day at Loscon 39 at the LAX Marriott hotel. It was the most enjoyable Loscon for them in five or six years, They had a good lunch with Roz Gibson and Michael Burlake; bought paintings in the Art Show; chatted with several friends; Fred got his photograph taken; Sherry bought Fred two books; Fred was on a panel with a big audience; and they had a good dinner with Michael Burlake. On November 26, Fred got an e-mail from Buck Turner that his story "Clearance Papers" was rejected for ROAR volume 5. On November 28, Sherry and Fred saw Rise of the Guardians at the AMC 16 theater at the Burbank Center, followed by lunch at the Home Town Buffet in Van Nuys.
October 2012
An infection kept Fred in isolation for the first half of the month. On October 18, when he finally got to go out again, Sherry took him out to lunch at a nearby Home Town Buffet, in a large shopping mall where they also looked in on a Hello, Kitty shop. On October 19, Sherry took Fred to the DreamWorks Animation studio where they saw Ron Diamond's 14th Annual Animation Show of Shows, which Fred reviewed for Animation World Magazine. On October 23, Fred & Sherry went to see Hotel Transylvania in the AMC at the Burbank Center..
September 2012
September is, in some respects, a disappointing month for Fred. On September 3, Fred is invited to participate in a LASFS Showcase on the 23rd of LASFS authors reading from their works. Since Fred's writing is mostly non-fiction, organizer Charlie Jackson suggests that Fred read his script for "Clearance Papers", the short opening ceremonies film at Loscon XIV in 1987. On September 8, Phil Geusz sends an open letter to [adjective][species], "In Gratitude to Fred Patten", publicly thanking Fred for his many years of Furry literary criticism. On September 13, Sherry takes Fred to the monthly CAPS meeting in the evening for an open in memoriam to comic book artist Joe Kubert. Unfortunately, Fred cannot attend the meeting because it is on the building's second floor, and the elevator is not in service so Fred cannot get upstairs in his wheelchair; so Fred and Sherry go home again.
On September 12, Fred rewrites his "Clearance Papers" script into short story form for better reading, changing the references to the Loscon guest-of-honor's copyrighted characters into original names. Fred also submits it to ROAR for volume 5. On September 13, ROAR editor Buck Turner replies that "Clearance Papers" is accepted for final consideration in a month. On September 16, Fred is notified by the editor of Allasso that his short story "Family Life" is accepted for Allasso vol. 3, to be published in December. On September 17, Pete "CynWolfe" Smith, the chairman of Melbourne's annual MiDFur convention, sends Fred a link to a 34-minute video of Fred's induction into the 2011 Furry Hall of Fame. On September 18, Fred and Sherry visit Dr. Melissa Conway at the UCRiverside Library, where Fred spends several hours sorting through his collection of convention badges and buttons.
On September 19, Fred is sent without warning to Mission Community Hospital for a week of intravenous antibiotics to cure infections. This makes attendance at the September 23 LASFS Showcase impossible. Charlie Jackson reads Fred's two stories, "Family Life" and "Clearance Papers", in his absence; he reports that they are well received. When Fred returns on September 25 to San Fernando Post Acute Hospital, his MiDFur the 13th 2011 Furry Hall of Fame induction video has been posted on Flayrah. On September 28-29, Fred posts a press release announcing the presentation of the ALAA's first annual ALAA Hall of Fame awards, at a ceremony at the RainFurrest 2012 convention in Seattle.
August 2012
On August 6, Fred is invited to be the RainFurrest 2013 Fandom Guest of Honor (in abstentia), in Seattle in late September 2013.
On August 8, Sherry and Fred visit Dr. Melissa Conway at the UCRiverside Library. Fred spends the afternoon sorting through and identifying some of his decades-long accumulation of convention badges, buttons, and pins.
On the evening of August 9, Fred attends his first CAPS (Comic Art Professional Society) meeting in six years, in Burbank.
On August 21, Fred and Sherry see ParaNorman at one of the Burbank Center's three AMC theaters.
On August 23, Fred and Sherry go to Solley's Deli in Sherman Oaks for a luncheon meeting with s-f fan Robin Johnson from Australia, passing through L.A. on his way to the Bubonicon in Albuquerque. Fred first met Robin at the 1970 Worldcon in Heidelberg, Germany. Lee & Barry Gold and John Hertz join them at Solley's. Afterwards Fred, Robin, Lee & Barry go to Sherry's apt. to see Fred's s-f artwork collection.
On August 25, Fred is taken by Sherry to Lago, a Mexican restaurant in Mission Viejo on the shore of Lake Mission Viejo, for an early birthday luncheon for their mother Shirley who is 100 years old on September 5. She comes with Loel, Fred's other sister; this is the first time that Fred has seen them all since a couple of months after his stroke in March 2005. (Fred's mother has "really gotten old" since he last saw her in 2008; Sherry says that she has declined notably in just the last year, giving up driving because her sight and hearing and motor coordination have declined so greatly.)
On August 29, Fred & Sherry attend an ASIFA-Hollywood screening at DreamWorks Animation's studio theater in Glendale of all twenty episodes of Tom Hanks' four-minute Electric City TV series. "Electric City is an animated series created by and starring Tom Hanks. The series will offer 'a tantalizing view of the future of civilization, presented through the lens of provocative themes such as energy consumption, freedom of information, crime and punishment.'" Despite almost-unanimous scathing reviews of its very heavy-handed Pointing With Alarm message of exhaustion of energy and other natural resources (Hollywood Reporter: "Tom Hanks' 'Electric City' Launches, TV Industry Yawns"), Fred & Sherry enjoy it.
July 2012
Fred (with Sherry's help) sees Brave in 3-D, followed by a lamb vindaloo lunch, on July 5.
On the 11th, they go to the Huntington Library , Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino to see the Visions of Empire exhibition about the building of the transcontinental railroads during the 19th century. Temperatures of over 100º make it impossible for them to tour the botanical gardens.
On July 17, Fred and Sherry see Ted at a Burbank Town Center theater, followed by lunch at P. F. Chang's. On July 29, Fred and Sherry spend the afternoon visiting Roz Gibson, her husband Dwight Dutton, and Mike & Tracy Kazaleh at Roz's & Dwight's home in Valencia. They meet three of Roz's cats; Gandalf, Fluffy, and Sugar. (Jaspurr was hiding.)
June 2012
Fred and Sherry attend one day of the CaliFur VIII furry convention at the Irvine Marriott hotel. In mid-June they see Madagascar 3 in 3-D. Fred is the editor of two new s-f anthologies, Already Among Us and The Ursa Major Awards Anthology, that go on sale at the Anthrocon 2012 furry convention in Pittsburgh. On the 21st and again on the 26th, Fred and Sherry have lunch at Solley's Deli in Sherman Oaks with two groups of Australian fans returning home after the Anthrocon. On June 30, Fred holds a book signing for his two new anthologies at the LASFS clubhouse.
April 2012
Fred visits the Gag Me With A Toon 4 art gallery exhibition at the WWA Gallery in Culver City, and later goes to the AMC Theatre 16 in Burbank to see The Pirates! Band of Misfits.
Fred (with Sherry's help) resumes going to the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society, at its new clubhouse, for the first time since the previous May.
March 2012
Fred (with Sherry's help) sees John Carter. Later in the month, they attend the WonderCon 2012 comic-book convention at the Anaheim Convention Center for one day.
February 2012
Fred visits the Animal Kingdom art gallery exhibition of Josh Agle's paintings at the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City.
Fred begins reviewing books on animation for the Animation World Network website.
Sherry takes Fred to an advance screening of The Secret World of Arrietty.
January 2012
The MiDFur XIII convention, in Melbourne, Australia, inducted him into its Furry Hall of Fame.
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