so... here I am at Neil's....

...and he gets all these great ideas, i don't know how, or from where,
but he always seems to be brewing up one thing or another--
maybe because he's British and living here in the United States,
or maybe it is because his IQ is exponentially off the charts,
who can say.
Maybe during his childhood, he shook hands with a demon on a highway
or perhaps saved an angel from drowning, not certain.
There are legends...certainly he was born under some kind of lucky stars...

Anyway, last night, Neil came up with a plan which he posted on his well-read blog
a blog which brings people from every undusted corner of
this planet, people who love to witness his ideas, to watch over his shoulder
as his stories spill like gems from his pen...
this plan of his was simple.
He put me in charge of fifty precious GRAVEYARD BOOK posters,
fifty which I watched him sign, to give to the bright stars out among you...

here is Neil's plan and i quote:

So what I'm going to do is this:

First I'm going to sign a bunch of posters -- probably about 50. Then I'm going to give them and the BPAL Graveyard Book scents to the wonderful Cat Mihos. And I'm going to tell her that we're running something that isn't exactly a competition, but is sort of smaller and more informal and a bit more easy-going. It's this:

From here until the end of the year (and further out than that, if the stuff holds out), if you do something effective to help get other people reading The Graveyard Book, tell Cat, and she'll send you a signed poster.

(Something effective in this case would include persuading your bookshop or library to do a Graveyard Book display, and taking a photo of it and sending it to Cat, teaching it in your school, reviewing it for your local paper or doing something equally as imaginative.)

If you do something Awesome and Amazing to get other people reading The Graveyard Book (for example, talking your whole town or city into having one of those months where everyone in the town reads the same book, and it's The Book In Question...) then you get a signed Graveyard Book poster and you get one of the BPAL Graveyard Book scent collections. And she'll probably throw in one of the Graveyard Book Neverwear tee shirts as well.



(Like this one.)

Possibly even give you a Kendra Stout Graveyard Mousepad.



(Like this one)

Send email, photos, cuttings from your local paper, proof that it was you and you alone who talked Oprah or Richard-and-Judy into doing The Graveyard Book on their TV book clubs, etc., to Cat Mihos, Furrytiger@Gmail.com . Do not send them to me. I will not have the swag. I will not be handing it out. I'm merely going to set this thing in motion and sign fifty posters -- twenty five on the McKean side, the other twenty five on the Riddell side.

Cat's decision is final. She'll blog the things she gets in as she goes along at the Neverwear Blog (http://kittysneverwear.blogspot.com/). And then every now and then I'll do a round up here.

How does that sound?

It is Kitty here again,
I have already started to receive some emails with big claims, so I will be evaluating them,
and in the meantime, will be doing some specials here at Neverwear.net.
Thanks go out to all of you readers, with each book you read, you earn an angel some wings...

ps it is snowing here at the Gaiman Mansion. Thank you, Quiche!

moonlit planets and new kittens

Look up to the southwestern sky around twilight....

Last evening (Thanksgiving) Jupiter and Venus began moving closer so that by Sunday/Monday, they will appear right next to eachother. On Monday night, they will be joined by the crescent moon...

The three celestial objects come together from time to time, but often they are too close to the sun. The next time the three will be as close and visible as they are this week will be in 2052. Venus and the moon will be rejoined on New Year's eve this year, though.

I am out at Neil's Addam's family mansion for a week, with hopes for a snow storm while I visit, just a little winter to take me through to the new year. In LA, an east coast girl can get bit tired of sunny & 70*. Last night at Quiche's Spooky House, we had a punk rock Thanksgiving. Vegetable soup from the big garden with oven-toasted crusty bread. Dessert was an oddly perfect tombstone cake, which Q calls "The Death Cake". I loved this Thanksgiving, even though I wasn't with my cute little parents.



I am bringing Batman home a fellow crime fighter, miss Selina Kyle:
(she looks as if she is part screech owl in this photo)



This week we have a to-do list a mile long, but it will include a drive to Chicago to see Miss Amanda Palmer play a show and to pick up Q's newest Bengal cat additions. I will also attempt to get over my age-old fear of horses, whether I was kicked to death or rode one into battle to the end, I am not sure. More in the next report from the magic midwest. FIngers crossed for snow...and now we are going for just a quantum of solace, no more, no less...a little sad about a connery-less bond, but needs must....

a Chi update

This is a video posted by the Deftones filmed here in Silver Lake at Spaceland, I thought I would put it forward.
Chi is making some progress, and can still use as much healing love possible.
His Mom has been giving out homework for his fans to do,
simple things such as forgiving someone or bringing blankets to the homeless.
I never met Chi's mom, but she is surely where his lovely energy comes from.
On the Deftones blogspot, they report that Chi moved his lip on his Dad's request,
so he is in there, will come up to the surface when the time is right for him.

Check out this video: For Chi...

my little Mom

Someone with very blue eyes is having a birthday,
and it is a milestone.
SInce we ladies stick together, I won't say how old she is turning
but let's just leave it at: my Mom is amazing.

here she is at my brother's wedding:



and here she is with my sister on the boat she won (luck o' the Irish) :



at the old Ninth Life location:



No wonder my Dad married her, *wolf whistle!





Happy birthday, Aliki!
your #3 kid

a week of shows....

Watching the build for the Madonna rig was an educational experience for me,
it grew and grew.



Spent 5 days at DOdger Stadium looking after the touring and local crews that were constructing
the stage. At one point, I saw a crowd of guys fast-walking away from the ball field,
and all i could think "there's a fight in the parking lot"...Not a fight, the stage roof had
some faulty hardware, and they were cleared from the area but the show went on.



Hodgey was there doing his stage managing duty, i love this photo of him.



He was out with Drew for the year of Timberlake, who also was there, JT making coffee in the big tent.
Spinky and Abby on the tour as well, so it was a good dose of old friends. I worked the VIP tents, and there was a glittery crowd of supermodels, actresses, etc. My favorite sighting though out of all the beautiful people, Donald Sutherland. He is a very commanding performer, same in real life. (thanks Red for the heads up)



my old boss Britney was there as well, looking good and ready for her comeback. Madonna handed her back the crown...



then on to the Who. Just hearing Pete Townsend's voice in regular conversation, it really got me. i am a huge Who fan.
i mean, a sight like this gives me a real chill:



Beck opened the Nokia Club right next door to the Nokia Theatre. I was working the Who, but then went to the show the next night with Red & Lily (thanks Rabbit!) The club is quietly beautiful, with a clever layout, you can view the band from above or level. They are really turning downtown around in that Staples LA Live area. We are watching the map unfold.








I have seen Beck several times, always a master, but this time, he was positively lit up, the crowd was responding in kind.
It felt like the start of something new.

Almost forgot Halloween in all the shuffle. Miles and Malena invited us to the Magic Castle, and we had a spooky night of it.
I dressed up as a Wish Granter (cross between a genii and a fortune teller) and gave out over three hundred wishes. Red was a sort of alien bondage fairy queen, Malena a red-eyed geisha, Sylvain...a religious leader and we had a Mr Hyde in Bob. But the Dude! Miles was not only the most outrageous Dude, he also won first prize in the costume contest. A feisty Dude, indeed.









The Magic Castle was full of little nooks and levers and bits and passageways. I only took a few photos, out of respect. You must go there. You must.





I walked over to the Marilyn Manson party at the Roosevelt, to see my friend Tori in town for AFI, and we found ourselves up on top of the hotel (this is the back view of the huge neon sign):


then went down and hung out by the pool.



It made up for my last Halloween, in which i did nothing....thanks, friends!

Chi

This is a heart-felt plea to the gods of rock to watch over our friend Chi Cheng,
he is laid up from a car accident in California.
Please send him your thoughts and love.
My first tour was with Chi, he plays bass for the Deftones, and there is no brighter spirit to be found. Be well, little Chi.



i took this photo on the 2001 tour, Jones Beach.
Steve Kidd, Chi, Rabbit, Linus & Abe

now back to the Madonna work camp.