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February 27, 2007
Last Night at the RTM
I haven’t spoken much of late regarding my RTM and special committee work but last night, our three ordinances faced the public for the first time and it was an…interesting…experience.
As regulars here know, I’ve chaired a special RTM committee since the end of July, examining recommendations from Fairfield’s Blue Ribbon Task Force, and determining if any ordinances should be written. Over the Fall, we spoke to department heads and did research, and came to the conclusion we needed three ordinances to help the town preserve its historic and scenic character.
At much the same time, citizens began to galvanize their forces and suddenly two new entities were born – Fairfielders Protecting Land and Neighborhoods (FPLAN) and the Forestry Committee. They attended several of our meetings and showed a deep passion for the subjects at hand.
Earlier this month, the three ordinances made it out of committee and onto the February agenda. Once they ordinances went public, FPLAN got busy. Since they didn’t get everything they wanted, they made certain to talk to the local press, wrote carefully coordinated letters to the editor and made an all out effort to declare two of the three ordinances good starts but deeply flawed. Anyone reading the papers would think this was a major concern for the entire town and I have to admire their organization and commitment. As a representative from District 8, I heard from exactly no one in my district on any of the ordinances.
Two weeks ago, the standing committees got a chance to discuss and question the ordinances. The overwhelmingly negative reaction they received caught me by surprise. On the one hand, the passionate few felt we hadn’t gone far enough while the majority opinion among my fellow elected representatives seemed to be that we went too far, trampling on homeowners’ rights and interfering with their property.
Between my brethren’s reaction on the one hand, and the letters to the editor on the other, I have to admit, I was feeling a little beat up although, at no point did I feel these were personal attacks. The committee did what it thought best, and it was found wanting by all.
So, last night, we got through the agenda pretty quickly. I had told Deb, I figured they’d take up the ordinances around 9:30. We got to them at 9:05 or so and we debated the three until we adjourned around 10:20. Bottom line: all three are going back to the special committee for some more work.
After we heard committee reports on the Demolition Delay, I took the mike and did a brief overview for one and all about our committee’s efforts and what we had hoped to accomplish. Then, one by one, we tackled each of three. Along the way though, it seems the ardor against them cooled a lot as RTM comments were largely seeking clarification in definitions, intent and wording. None spoke out against them, none saying they were unnecessary. This heartened me.
When the public spoke, sure enough, the same passionate few spoke up. Only two non- FPLAN people spoke up. One was interesting because he practically accused the citizens’ group and the RTM of meeting in secret, unaware that each and every meeting had to be properly noticed per Connecticut law. He just didn’t see the listings. And again, no one spoke against them, but wanted them strengthened, in some cases urging us to go beyond the limits of Connecticut law because passion trumped research.
Over the weekend the FPLAN people hand delivered a well-prepared packet of information on each ordinance, reprints of their letters to the editor, related articles and other Connecticut laws for comparison. They get credit for that. On the other hand, their fluorescent summary sheet, handed out last night, ended with a call for a non-partisan committee which everyone on our committee took personally. Although FPLAN insisted they would say that about any committee and included it to be comprehensive, it remained clear they aimed it at us and finally, after all the comments, I was angered, annoyed and a little bit hurt. I held my tongue though, and never addressed that paragraph – a fellow committee member did go on the record to object – and kept the level of debate high.
(Somewhere during the debate, Deb turned up to see the discussion. This was her first attendance at a meeting and I was pleased to have some friendly support in the back rows.)
We’re now trying to search for dates to hold our next meeting which is complicated because starting tomorrow night, the town enters Budget Season as the hearings for the town and education side begin and last all March (it’s Fairfield’s version of March Madness without the betting pool). We’ll be sitting down and trying to figure out how best to address the comments from both sides and tweak the existing ordinances into something we can pass and help the town as a whole.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 11:16 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 24, 2007
Notes from the Convention Floor
Around 1970, I attended my first comic convention. My best friend Jeff and I attended one of Phil Sueling’s July 4th extravaganzas. Back then, that meant a floor of the Statler-Hilton Hotel, across from Penn Station, with a few rooms for programming but mainly a large dealers room. There was no artists alley, the artists who attended hung out, sketched in corners and autographed books. A few companies had tables but they were mainly manned by dealers.
27 years later, Jeff and I walked the floor of the NY Comic-Con, now taking over the entire Javits Center. While nowhere near as big as the San Diego Con, it has blossomed considerably in just a year. Reed Exhibitions, the folk running the show, clearly learned their lessons from last year’s inaugural event.
This was the first time in memory I attended a con without working it on behalf of DC or Marvel or Starlog Press. As a result, I could wander to and fro, keep my own schedule and only be there for the one day. On the one hand, it was great – I could walk the dealers room, artists alley and stop along the way. On the other hand, without an agenda, it also felt a wee bit aimless despite the joy in renewing acquaintances.
Walking artists alley was a trip in itself. People I watched break in, were still there, looking pretty much the same, and happy to see me. Veterans I admired before joining the business were also there. In between was a smattering of folk I didn’t know or names I didn’t recognize. Art Thibert may have given me the warmest greeting, interrupting a line of people wanting sketches to hug me and then explain to throng that I gave him his first work and continued giving him work in his early years. It was a delight to, once again Brian Bolland, Joe & Hilary Staton, Bob Layton, Michael Bair, Rags Morales and others.
I was also on a mission as a courtesy to a friend and managed to accomplish it while saying hi to Colleen Doran, so that was pleasant.
On the floor, I definitely hit the DC booth to say hi to old colleagues and was warmly greeted, which felt good. Elsewhere, I checked in with buddies at mainstream publishers who took booth space so it was fun mixing media, so to speak. And in between, I found Wendy and Richard Pini, thrilled to see my friends and see what they were working on.
My Star Trek brethren, Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore, were in town so we visited at the crowded Pocket Books booth. Also there were David Mack and Christopher L. Bennett, a regular squadron of writers. All looked happy despite several being dragooned into doing crowd control for wrestler Mick Foley’s autograph session – the crossover between comics and wrestling never ceases to amaze me.
And there was Jeff. We haven’t done a con together in over two decades I think. With his wife Debbie, we visited for a brief while but they had things to buy, I was running into others I knew and it got distracting. Fortunately, we made plans for a visit in May.
The frustrating part of the con was also a mixed blessing. Frequently, I would walk down an aisle and run into someone, but as we chatted, someone else turned up so a new conversation began before properly ending the last one. As a result, I saw lots and lots of people but had very few satisfying conversations over the course of the day.
I did cover the Dark Tower panel as a favor to Jen Contino over at The Pulse which should be up shortly.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 08:24 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
February 22, 2007
Bob and the Avenger
In addition to my love of comic books, I was gently steered towards books. When my dad saw I liked science fiction, he took me to the Cherry Hill Bookstore, not in Cherry Hill, but in Hicksville, and bought me a copy of Asimov’s Mysteries. Throughout those years, I would find books on my own and of course thrilled to discover that characters I knew also starred in novels, beginning with Otto Binder’s Avengers book.
The late 1960s through the early 1970s were a great time to be a fan of pulp heroes. Throughout the 1960s, Bantam had revived The Shadow and Doc Savage with great success and by 1971 or so, other heroes were back. Lancer had the Conan books still going with those luscious Frank Frazetta covers and Ballantine re-released Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan books with terrific Neal Adams images. Then came Pyramid’s Shadow revival with the classic Steranko paintings. There were even a series of original novels featuring my favorite comic strip hero, the Phantom, with work by Lee Falk and Ron Goulart among others. I was reading them all, or so it felt.
These days, most of those characters are being crowded off the bookshelves with newer series or prose works based on other properties. Having said, I’m thrilled to see my old pal Tony Tollin has successfully brought back Doc Savage and the Shadow in a series of facsimile editions that have proven so popular he’s gone to a monthly publishing schedule.
And over at Moonstone Books, they have prose anthologies dedicated to Kolchak, The Spider, and as regular readers here know, The Phantom. Looks like my Phantom story will be in the second of the promised two-volume series.
Anyway, another pulp hero who lasted a mere 24 issues way back, was The Avenger. Some may recall him when Jack Kirby provided us with new adventures under the DC title Justice, Inc. or the Andrew Helfer/Kyle Baker series from the 1990s. Well, Joe Gentile at Moonstone has added The Avenger to his roster of projects and I’m pleased to say that he’s invited me to contribute a story to that anthology as well.
Joe, to his credit, has gotten pulp expert Will Murray to write the opener and Ron Goulart to write the closer. He’s provided all of us with tons of reference material plus some editorial guidelines and now I have until April to come up with a brilliant story.
I’m looking forward to this one, especially since I already have a setting and need a story to fit it.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 10:13 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 19, 2007
Farpoint Report
As usual, Farpoint was a fine, relaxed weekend. If only more cons were this enjoyable.
We drove down with Keith DeCandido and Terri Osborne and despite heavy traffic, got there around 8 p.m. on Friday. That evening the Boogie Knights were hosting a CD release party so Deb and I attended that and hung out with our various and sundry pals. The nice thing about coming to these cons year after year is that you build up relationships with people that you pick right back up when you see them. I’ve been coming to Baltimore for Shore Leave and Farpoint long enough that I’ve seen a lot of these people go from high school kids to married folk to parents (or in some cases grandparents). There were nearly a dozen kids under the age of 10 running around at one point and it was neat to realize this was the next generation of fans.
This was the first con I’ve been to where both headlines dropped out due to professional commitments. Sumer Glau and Alice Krige suddenly morphed into Ron Glass and Suzie Plakson (plus Harve Bennett and Richard Hatch). I hadn’t met Ron or Richard before and I enjoyed having the chance to chat with them here and there during the show.
My panels were on the lightly attended side and I think that had more to do with the depth of programming than the actual size of the con. There was a ton of stuff all weekend long. My solo hour was the best attended but that had more to do with the movie trailers that I was showing than my sparkling personality. The Star Trek eBook panel with Keith, Terri and Howard Weinstein was fun as we told stories. On Sunday, Howie and I did our usual hour together, which went fine, and then we joined Keith, Terri, Peter David, and Mark Okrand for an Ask the Author session where we told more stories. I have to tell it, it’s so cool sitting there with Mark as he calmly says, “When I created the Klingon language….”
The Masquerade was small and as a result a bit disappointing compared with previous years. There were some great pieces, though, some funny presentations and our winners were truly deserving.
The trip home was faster thanks to the holiday weekend and we actually walked in the door about 8 p.m. last night. All in all, a fine time with good friends.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 12:59 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 16, 2007
Ghost Riding
I was invited to accompany Peter David to Marvel’s screening of Ghost Rider last night and I’m glad I went.
The movie is far from perfect but better than expected and was well received by the party faithful.
Mark Steven Johnson’s script for Daredevil, at least the one I read while at Marvel, was wonderful but the finished product was seriously flawed and less than satisfying. As a result, when I heard he wound up on Ghost Rider, I was concerned.
Casting Nic Cage as Johnny Blaze made sense given his box office recognition, star status and love for comic books. Eva Mendes is gorgeous and a good match for him. The rest of cast was attractive and seemingly well chosen for their parts. It was also fun seeing Sam Elliott back on screen, the first time I’ve seen him, I think, since Hulk. And oddly, no Stan Lee cameo, a first.
The story is largely faithful to the source material which is a good thing. It does add the concept that for every generation there is a slayer, I mean ghost rider, considered to be the Devil’s bounty hunter. Interestingly, as explained in the film, this role existed only for a finite period of time although one would think the Devil would benefit from this over the millennia. Also, there hadn’t been one for 150 years until now which is a very elastic definition of generation.
The story effectively pits Ghost Rider between Mephisto and his son Blackheart. But we’re never really told the exact nature of the conflict between father and son. Also, Blackheart was accompanied by three elemental beings, fallen angels, but despite looking creepy are not terribly scary and too easily dispatched. After that, the story unfortunately fails to make a lot of sense as its internal logic is ignored. There’s one final sequence with Johnny Blaze and Sam Elliott’s Caretaker and when it ended, I asked Peter what the point was. Neither one of us could answer.
I definitely liked the Johnny Blaze and Roxie relationship although I felt her character was a little shallow and needed more to make her real.
I also liked the effects, notably the transformation sequences.
Oddly, and I usually don’t notice this, the cinematography was wrong. It was too brightly lit, even at night, robbing the film of the spooky atmospherics required. Maybe it was trying for the four-color comic book look, but they forgot to go back and look at the mood established by Mike Ploog’s great art from the initial story sequences. I even think the film stock was wrong with something different needed.
Still and all, it’s very cool to have a Ghost Rider movie made at all. It’s a good popcorn experience, 1:45 of fun.
Speaking of movies, I will have a feature article on the subject over at Comic Mix on Sunday.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 10:20 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
February 15, 2007
Pitchers and Catchers
Yesterday, Valentine’s Day, it snowed for the first time in Fairfield. We didn’t get much accumulation, to be honest, but it was nice unexpectedly staying home with Deb.
Still, despite the whistling wind and white-covered grounds, our attentions were turned to a sure sign of approaching spring.
This week pitchers and catchers report. Today, the Mets camp officially opened and, more assuredly than Punxsutawney Phil, we know Spring is around the corner. In less than two weeks, the first Spring Training Games begin a promise of renewal and the National Pastime’s endurance.
For every player and every team, the slate is wiped clean, previous sins forgiven, and all hope for the best. Like the best religious rituals that promise a new, unbesmirched beginning, baseball delivers on that promise.
It gladdens the heart and makes one yearn to be in the stands, scoring a game, chomping on a hot dog. Ah, bliss.
For my beloved Mets, the new beginning comes with many question marks and leaves me more than a little concerned. Like the beat reporters, bloggers and general public, I question who will be in the rotation and if the bullpen is sturdy enough. Will Jose Valentin be able to repeat last year’s brilliance? Can Shawn Green show flashes of power now that he has adjusted to New York? Is Moises Alou at 40 really an upgrade in left? Will any rookie make the roster?
Of course, that’s what Spring Training allows the fans, a chance to ruminate and speculate. Handicapping the division and the league preoccupies our thoughts. And in my case, I continue to scout to figure out a game plan for my Fantasy baseball league’s March 31 auction.
I can’t wait.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 03:36 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 14, 2007
Bob the Freelancer Update
It’s snowing outside and I am working from home today. Since I got an early start on the day job, I’m taking a moment to prep for Farpoint and figured it was time to figure out where I was with my various assignments.
There remains a thrill when you see the printed work regardless of how long you’ve been at this business. On Saturday I received my contributor copies to the current Analog and to see my name on the cover of this venerable publication was a particular delight. It never gets old.
Completed and Awaiting Publication
Cutting Edge Careers: Artificial Intelligence (Rosen)
In the News: Suicide Bombers (Rosen)
Delivered to Editor and Awaiting Edits or Proofs
14 essays in You Said What? (William Morrow), made editor’s corrections 1/8; awaiting galleys
“Ghost Hunting” in untitled Phantom anthology (Moonstone Books); King Features approved, made copy editor and King Feature corrections 2/14; awaiting galleys
“Steel and Chrome” in untitled BattleTech anthology; editor indicates project back on line, may see a contract and editorial notes soon
Essay for untitled Wonder Woman collection (BenBella Books); awaiting copy edited ms.
Media tie-in comic book – script in, awaiting approval before announcing
"Only the Best for Cristina Yang" -- essay for BenBella Grey's Anatomy collection – made copy editor’s changes 1/6 and am awaiting galleys
Back Issue and Write Now!: Round table discussion about Star Trek comic books, delivered to editors 2/14
Writing Projects
"Things That Aren't"-sequel -- Michael A. Burstein and I hashed out a rough story
Actionopolis novel – currently being written
Predator: Flesh and Blood – in the hand of my co-writer, Michael Jan Friedman, should be delivered to editor this month
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Slings and Arrows Book Five – Paramount asked for revised ending, will beat this out with editor on car ride to Farpoint, ms. due July 1.
Media tie-in novel – second pitch nixed, editor asked for new ideas
Media tie-in book – Publisher investigating license
Media tie-in book 2 – writing begun in December, due June 15 (30% written)
Original novel – revising proposal
Non-Fiction book collaboration – prepping outline and sample chapter
Essay for Batman essay collection for BenBella – topic pitch to editor December 4
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 09:52 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 13, 2007
Joining the ComicMix
Sometime soon, you’re going to be seeing something you’ve never seen before on this page.
Paid advertising.
Ever since this page launched, it’s been hosted by my pal Glenn Hauman (along with all the other fine folk on the right side). Hosting and owning the domain name cost money and for a while now, this hasn’t been an issue.
Glenn, entrepreneur that he is, has allied himself with Brian Alvey and Mike Gold in the formation of a new comics website ComicMix. The site was announced a week ago with great fanfare bit didn’t really get off the ground until the weekend thanks to some security glitches caused by an advertiser.
As Mike explained in his opening statement, the blog news is just the first of a wave of elements that should help ComicMix stand out from other comic book-related websites. The second wave will roll in March, which will feature actually graphic storytelling, new material by familiar names.
The websites for Peter David and myself will become affiliate sites to ComicMix and we’ll share some of the advertising which hopefully will not spoil your enjoyment of this page.
Glenn has invited me to participate further. So, I’ll post the occasional comics news on the blog and even a column or two. The first such column will be going up any day now, as I try and explain to the casual fan why Joss Whedon leaving the Wonder Woman is no surprise and peeking at Hollywood options work.
I’m delighted to be a part of this new business, largely because I’m being reunited, in some way shape or form, with old pals Denny O’Neil and John Ostrander among other contributors. Heck, this week launches the three-times-every-week podcasts, each a 12 - 15 minute nugget of news, reviews, opinion, updates, and general bizarreness. The podcasts are produced by longtime comics retailer Mike Raub, of Cox Broadcasting fame. Mike brings 30 years of radio experience and a half century of fan experience to the booth, and it sounds awesome.
Funny thing is Mike used to run the Flamingo Bookstore in Fairfield where I got to know him and his wonderful wife Laurie. And I still hear Mike as a deejay on a local radio station so this is a nice reunion.
Blog comments on ComicMix are coming, but if you have any thoughts to share, let me know here.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 11:25 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
February 12, 2007
Farpoint this Weekend
I finally have my schedule for this weekend’s Farpoint convention. It’s a packed schedule for the fans although they took it easy on me. I do, though, love my Sunday at 11 panel description.
Saturday
10 – 11 a.m.
Bob Greenberger
I’ll be showing movie previews, discussing my current and future work, including the fun stuff at my Weekly World News day job, taking questions and killing time.
1 – 2 p.m.
Star Trek eBooks
Moderator: Keith R.A. DeCandido
Panel: Bob Greenberger, Terri Osborne, Howard Weinstein
A discussion of this exciting and innovative literature frontier.
Sunday
10 – 11 a.m.
The Bob & Howie Show
I’ll take the stage with my longtime pal Howard Weinstein where we will share anecdotes about all things of interest in our lives. We’ll poke fun at one another’s advanced years and no doubt yell at each other about some television show he likes and I hate or vice verse.
11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Ask the Pros
Panel: Peter David, Michael Jan Friedman, Bob Greenberger, Howard Weinstein, Keith RA DeCandido
Industry professionals and authors gather to talk about their upcoming projects, but will probably discuss their hopes for the upcoming baseball season instead. Questions will be taken, but there are no guarantees that they will be given back.
I would be remiss if I didn’t recommend everyone go and see the Boogie Knights Saturday at 11. Also, Robbie is very proud to have been invited to participate in a panel on kids costuming.
For those coming to the con, do make sure you say howdy.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 09:51 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
February 10, 2007
Citizenship
The other night my nephew Nicholas called. He needed to speak with an elected official about matters of citizenship, allowing him to complete the final Boy Scout badge requirement before being promoted to First Class.
We chatted for a little while and it was nice being reminded of how fortunate we are. He and I talked about the guarantees the country gives us upon birth, as codified in the Constitution and Bill of Rights. We talked about the evolution of the amendments and how careful the nation has been over years. Then we talked about what his obligations were as a citizen. I told him it more or less boiled down to doing good beyond your home. It covered everything from volunteering in school programs or town organizations, or donating to worthwhile causes and so on. I also emphasized the obligation to do things like obey the law and serving on a jury.
OK, so I sounded a little like Jefferson Smith for the phone call, but it was a good refresher.
Early in the day, I also performed an act of citizenship that was kind of neat. In Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall, Pitney Bowes was running a promotion. They were offering free Valentine’s Day cards, which they would mail for you. The goal was to encourage people to grab a free card for a loved one and while they were at it, also send a card to a member of the armed forces, serving somewhere else and not home for Valentine’s Day. We could make it out to a man or woman or keep it generic and they had a ton of pre-printed labels courtesy of Any Soldier, one of several organizations that donate goods to the men and women serving their country.
In addition to the cards, they gave out Any Soldier pens and had Doug Savant, from Desperate Housewives on hand to pose for photos. As I completed a generic card, thanking the recipient for their service and wishing them a safe tour of duty, Savant was completing a photo. He ambled over to me and we struck up a conversation, talking about the cards, his kids, school, my job, his job (“I’m having the time of my life,” he admitted about shooting the series).
I walked out of there feeling pretty good. A soldier will get the card and hopefully be happy to be remembered, I had a nice conversation and Pitney Bowes got some nice publicity without flogging a single specific product or service. Everyone benefited which was definitely how the way things should be.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 11:05 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 08, 2007
Thinking About David E. Kelly
David E. Kelly has been a wonderful, prolific writer/producer/creator of television shows that have made me laugh, think and cringe since he joined the writing staff of LA Law. He rose in my estimation when he created Picket Fences, a show about an eccentric town but also a series about family. His characters were unique, they were flawed and when he trapped them in the same room and let the words fly, he wrote compelling theater.
For those unfamiliar with this terrific show, the first season is just coming out on DVD this month. It’s certainly one I look forward to re-watching at some point.
However, as brilliant and talented as David Kelly can be, he is also self-destructive and there appear to be no people who can govern him, trimming his excesses. The pattern has repeated itself time and again, from Picket to Ally McBeal to Boston Legal.
It’s more glaring today in the absence of the meaty subject matter we had to chew over from Aaron Sorkin’s West Wing. There, Sorkin sought out dry and seemingly boring topics and then had his characters hold forth in riveting ways. His characters were passionate and took sides and shifted allegiances and were fascinating.
Today, the only show that seemingly touches on any of these moral and ethical issues ripped from the headlines can arguably be Boston Legal. Every time Alan Shore stands up, complete with soap box these days, he makes a wonderful speech. Shirley Schmidt, in court anyway, also makes impassioned speeches about important topics. The court cases are what make the show compelling to watch week in and week out.
It’s away from the court room that has soured Deb and even Robbie on the series and can make me wince on more than one occasion. The eccentricities of David Kelly’s characters make them special and he always has a great eye for casting. But, after a while, Kelly forgets character and sticks only with their foibles and tics turning his people into caricatures. As seasons pass, he begins to populate his shows with characters that stagger the imagination and strain the reality of each series. Ally McBeal, for example, really headed south about the time Dame Edna became a regular and I see it happening again with the addition of Clarence/Clarice as legal secretary to Claire on Legal.
Kelly seems not to know what to do with his sprawling ensemble and has them engage in sophomoric behavior, none more infuriating than this season’s sexual escapades of Denise, Brad and Jeffrey. He’s also suddenly sent out an interesting message that Denise engaging in a round of casual sexual suddenly gets pregnant -- I guess adults using common sense protection wouldn’t occur to these brilliant lawyers.
Anyway, Kelly’s messages about Katrina, anti-Semitism, the pharmaceutical business, Homeland Security and the rest get overshadowed by the over-the-top antics that surround the series. It feels schizophrenic and while I will stick with it because of those issues, I feel the show has begun to lose its way in typical David Kelly style.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 10:56 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
February 06, 2007
The Sub Committe
Done.
I hope.
Last night should have been the final meeting of my RTM sub committee. As usual, I thought the timing would be shorter than it turned out to be. I figured we’d arrive at 7:30, hold a few quick votes and be out by 7:45, 8 at the latest.
First, though, I had to be at my 6:30 Democratic Town Committee District leaders meeting, since, after all, I’m a District Leader. I bolted from that at 7:15 to drive across town to Old Town Hall for the sub committee meeting.
Having heard from the public, at length, last Monday, I made this an Executive Session so the public could attend but no public comment would be allowed (so of course, no one turned up). Once we had the quorum of three, there was a spirit of let’s get it done and go home. However, the rules had to be followed so we went through the Agenda and began talking about the three ordinances before us.
Fortunately, a fourth member, and the first Republican, turned up so this was the bipartisan team it was supposed to be. And better yet, he had some good, constructive things to add to the wording.
We had two of our three votes done when the fifth and final member of the team arrived. So, we backtracked a little, made certain he had time for a say which generated a little discussion and then we took the final vote.
There. Three ordinances to enhance and preserve the character of Fairfield were going before the RTM next week. Just when I figured we were finished, the assistant town attorney noted that usually sub committees prepare some sort of overview when their work was complete. Gosh, no one told me about that. Our Town Clerk was anxious to have the final ordinances this morning for this week’s Agenda mailing. That meant, first thing today, I had to craft something.
We finished at 8:14 and then it was back to finish the monthly DTC meeting. A rather productive, if tiring, night.
I’ll be very curious to see the response to our efforts.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 01:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 04, 2007
Lunacon Schedule
Lunacon will be held at the Rye Hilton the weekend of March 16-18 and once again I will be there. My schedule, as of now, looks like this:
Saturday
1:00 - 2:00 PM
Bartell
Title: Playing in Someone Else's Sandbox
Description:Learn about the differences in writing work-for-hire books (such as Star Trek or Star Wars) vs. writing creator-owned original novels. How do they differ creatively and financially? What are the pros and cons of each kind of project for a writer's career?
Participants: Keith DeCandido, Bob Greenberger, Susan Shwartz, Richard White
2:00 - 3:00:00 PM
Westchester Assembly
Title: Autographing: Roger MacBride Allen, Jess Hartley, Bob Greenberger
4:00 - 5:00 PM
Bartell
Title: A Pirate's Life for Me
Description: Why are Pirates, Swashbucklers, and Rogues making such a splash in movies these days?
Participants: Michael D'Ambrosio, Bob Greenberger, Andrea Kail, Richard White[M]
5:00 - 6:00:00 PM
Bartell
Title: Trek Literary Spinoffs
Description: Writers and editors tell you the process they went through to develop literary spinoff series based on Star Trek, including the Klingon themed Gorkon books, the S.C.E. eBooks, the Titan series, New Frontier, Stargazer and Vanguard.
Participants: Keith DeCandido, Bob Greenberger, David Mack[M], Aaron Rosenberg, Josepha Sherman
8:00 - 11:00:00 PM
Grand Ballroom
Title: Masquerade
Description: Halftime show will be Hollywood previews courtesy of Bob Greenberger.
Sunday
11:00 - 12:00:00 PM
Bartell
Title: Print the Myth
Description: How does working in the media influence the way writers create SFF? Do you write certain things differently when your "day job" involves creating a different kind of visual reality?
Participants: Bob Greenberger, Andrea Kail
12:00 - 1:00:00 PM
Grand Center
Title: Is the Grim Reaper Really that Grim?
Description: Panelists examine personfications of Death in fiction from Discworld's Mort to Gaiman's Death to the works of our own GoH, Christopher Moore.
Participants: Phil Brucato, Amy Goldschlager[M], Bob Greenberger, Christopher Moore
I like the variety of topics they've given me and certainly enjoy the notion of sharing the dais with some good pals. I do hope to see you there. On the other hand, this puts me opposite the Boogie Knights on Sunday, my one chance to see them perform. Hmmm...
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 03:04 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
February 02, 2007
Out Today
My new Star Trek: Corps of Engineers eBook Troubleshooting is now available for download from ereader.com (Palm format):
An excerpt is also available at:
I had a great time writing this just about a year ago and look forward to comments from one and all.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 01:32 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 01, 2007
As the World Turns
While visiting Kate, she was lamenting that while she was having this fabulous time in Egypt, she had come to realize that her world in America had continued to progress without her. There were newcomers on the GWU Ballroom Dancing team, Linda had taken over Kate’s current solo in the Boogie Knights’ song list and her various friends had loved and lost and she wasn’t around for the details.
Being away a mere two weeks gave me the merest glimpse of what she’s experiencing so I am sympathetic.
For long-time followers, here’s an update on the various things I’m involved in and where we are:
The Freelance Life
Mildly rewriting from my pal Keith DeCandido’s blog: “I got my contributor's copies of Webslinger: Unauthorized Essays on Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, the latest in BenBella Books's "Smart Pop" series of essay collections about various pop-culture phenomena.
“My essay -- which, to my shock, gets billing on the back cover copy -- is called "Spider-Man; Ultimate Loner, Ultimate Partner" and basically explains why Spidey works so well as a team-up partner while the character is essentially a loner.
“There are also essays by Darren Hudson Hick, Lawrence Watt-Evans, Robert B. Taylor, Lou Anders, Richard Hanley, Matthew Pustz, Michael A. Burstein, Joseph McCabe, Keith DeCandido, Brett Chandler Patterson, J.R. Fettinger, Adam-Troy Castro, Paul Lytle, David Hopkins, Robert Burke Richardson, and Michael Marano. It's edited by ex-Spider-writer Gerry Conway, and you should go buy a copy right now.”
Beyond that, I returned home to see the latest issue of Fairfield magazine is out, complete with my article on the best places to go sledding in town. Of course, it’s February and there hasn’t been even an inch of snow in town this season so the article seems out-of-place, but I remain happy with it.
I’m back at work on the unnamed project and have begun pestering editors about future work so we’ll see what develops over the next few weeks. I did get a note from Keith asking me to modify the ending to my Star Trek: The Next Generation: Slings and Arrows Book 5 eBook outline so that is on the weekend’s agenda.
Also, I have been added to the programming list for May’s Balticon so that’ll be nice.
The Political Life
Well, it seems the RTM met and survived without me in January which is swell. On the other hand I remain astounded that they have yet to vote on the Eminent Domain Ordinance which has been pretty much debated to death by now. Maybe in February.
Meantime, my zoning sub-committee has met a few more times, each presumably the final time, but we keep working away. On Monday, we were visited by our town Tree Warden, the chairman of the Historic District Committee and members from the citizen groups FairfieldersFirst and the Fairfield Forestry Committee, which resulted in our reopening the previously approved final draft of the Tree Ordinance and held further debate on the Demolition Delay Ordinance. While I want to bring things to a close, I have to admit, having all the extra time and input will make for stronger ordinances. We take the final votes next Monday and then all three go to the RTM for consideration. I’ll be real curious to see what the reaction will be.
The Cable Advisory Council
Despite my telling Tom Castelot and his Sound View cronies not to speak with the individual towns without members of the CAC being involved, he did just that. He met with the six towns to outline the process for him doling out a paltry $60,000 to aid in developing town-generated programming. So now the CAC is all in a tizzy trying to figure out exactly how to rein him in, whether or not we have any authority any more and what the next step should be.
Frankly, there’s so much hand-wringing going on, it feels like the CAC has been paralyzed after being de-powered by the state DPUC decision, which granted Sound View a renewed franchise despite the Attorney General, Cablevision, and the CAC begging them not to. How this plays out will be interesting.
The Office
Weekly World News continues to come out with more outrageous coverage of the unexpected. A few licensing deals are moving forward, after long delays, and the website’s content is getting updated on a more consistent basis. I had a fun meeting with the Sci Fi Channel about doing some work together and we’ll see if that goes anywhere. The good news is that we’re finally on the AMI schedule for upgrading from Quark to InDesign, something I look forward to learning.
And how have you all been?
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 09:06 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack