The Nightstar Zoo

[b]UPDATE -- the NYC, Montreal, and Vegas trips are all cancelled now.



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If you're interested in getting together with me for eats or something, here's my travel schedule:

<BR>September 10-16: <A HREF=http://www.novell.com/brainshare/europe/>BrainShare Europe</A>, Barcelona
<BR>September 20-21: New York City
<BR>September 22-24: Montreal
<BR>September 26-29: <A HREF=http://advisorevents.com/CNG0409p.nsf>GroupWise Advisor Summit</A>, Las Vegas

It looks like I'll have the most free time midday on the 22nd in Montreal, but there's also a slice of time Monday evening, the 20th, in Manhattan.

If you're in or around ANY of these places at these times, please post and say so. We might be able to get together over dinner, and I'm always happy to dash off a quick sketch. Travel is ever so much more pleasant for me when I get to meet new people -- even if all we do is sit around and talk about stuff.

--Howard

p.s. I'll also be at <A HREF=http://www.linucon.org>Linucon</A> in October, but if you want to get on the schedule there, you need to register for the con. And don't forget to use the "ovalkwik" coupon code when you do!

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Creator and Cartoonist, Schlock Mercenary

Well whenever you come down under let us know. I'll be there with a beer for you (real Beer, not that Fosters stuff we export to the US).

You might want to hold the beer. Howard's a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka the Mormons), and doesn't drink.

I'm sure he'd go for a nice Tim Tam slam, though.

Oops sorry my bad Well how bout a bottle or two of some Bunderburg Ginger Beer (non alchaholic) its goes down pretty well specially in summer.

No, but real australian beer might fetch a nice bit o' barney here in the states if he brings it back and Ebays it. Or he could just give it as a gift to a less spiritually pure friend/reader/forumer.


Not me though. I can't stand alcohol. Not religious - it just makes me cringe and go all clenchy when I taste the stuff. If I had to put words to what a glass of Schlock's digestive juices would feel like, I'd say like my first sip of wine, only more lethal.

I know that feeling. The only booze I drink is vodka, and only when it composes 20% or less of a mixture of ice, vodka, and blackberries.

Blackberry marguerita, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...






One.... um...

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I will be in NYC on those dates, for class. the 20th I have class in the afternoon, and will be available in the evening. the 21st I have class in the evening.

Vorn

I second Leander's motion for an Aussie tour. I'll be providing less beer though, as I'm of the "don't drink" group.

Hey Mr. Tayler! I already emailed you before I noticed the link to the forum-

I´m currently studying architecture for the fall semester here in Barcelona, and when I saw the link to your site I figured, "yeah, what are the chances he´d be anywhere remotely close...."

Bizarre, but also awesome!

I´m studying at the CCCB, which is in the old part of the city. Where will you be for the brainshare?

Keep on Schlockin,
Lars Doucet

I'll be in the Hilton Barcelona, Avenida Diagonal, 589-591 Barcelona 08014

I'll be heading down to the old part of the city (the Ramblas, for shopping and sight-seeing) on Saturday.

--Howard

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Creator and Cartoonist, Schlock Mercenary

You are gonna be in montreal? Sweet. what for if i may be so bold? and where abouts in this old burg? Id appreciate the opportunity to show you around and maybe a drink or two (i dont drink alcohol either)

Hey Howard,

Monday the 20th is good for this Brooklynite, and I can meet up anywhere--what's your schedule? Do you want to try and hook up any signings at comic shops or anything? Not that I have an inside track, but I bet one of the regular haunts might be persuaded . . .

A Monday night gig at a comic shop would be great, but I'd need a local to arrange it. I can show up with drawing stuff, but I don't have any merchandise to ply. I'd need a chair and a small table, and that's it.

One arrangement that works well is "Free sketch with any purchase from the shop." It drives business for the store owner, so I'm not just taking up space.

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Creator and Cartoonist, Schlock Mercenary

I'm there for a working group conference (iCal/CAP). I'll be at the Loews Hotel Vogue, 1425 Rue de la Montagne.

I arrive at Trudeau airport at 10:20am, and will be looking for things to do for much of that day. I'll need to pick someone up at the airport in the evening, but other than that I'm pretty free.

--Howard

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Creator and Cartoonist, Schlock Mercenary

I can put feelers out and see if any of my local NYC shops are interested in having you around Monday the 20th. Should they contact you via the email address you post beneath the comic, or do you even want to be bothered? I'm pretty sure you'd rather make your own arrangements since I'm just some loony fanboy you've never met. Let me know your preferences and I'll attack it from my end.

Hey Howard!

What time are you leaving Montreal on the 24th? I'm actually going up for the weekend but i'm not sure what time I'll be there.

I've got ZERO free time on the 24th. I get up in the morning, have meetings all day, and then head straight to the airport.

--Howard

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Creator and Cartoonist, Schlock Mercenary

You sound responsible enough. The hardest part of getting a live-appearance thing is selling it to the comic shop, and while I'm happy to be available via email (yes, the link on the site is the address to use), I won't have a lot of energy for making the pitch.

Ideally I'd let you pick the venue, and I'll interact with the shop manager as necessary (e.g. "let them know I'm a real person who will really be there").

I'd like for it to be in a nice-enough part of town that I'm not going to be fearful of getting there, and preferably it'll be a short cab-ride from my hotel (Courtyard Marriot Times Square, 114W 40th St).

The SECOND hardest part is making sure my fans in the area know about it. That's MY job. I can put a blurb up on the site easily enough, and it'll get seen by 14,000 Schlock readers world-wide. I figure at least 50 of them live in NYC, right?

Don't worry about the "Loony Fanboy Howard Has Never Met" factor. I'm pretty approachable, hard to offend (assuming you don't Touch Me In Bad Ways, or Act Like You Suffer From Tourettes, or Sell Me Into Slavery).

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Creator and Cartoonist, Schlock Mercenary

Very cool. I'll get in contact with some shops and see what the rumpus is. There's a great one not too far from your hotel that is my fave in the city, but there are several good shops here. I'll indicate your e-mail address and copy you on all correspondence.

And definitely don't worry about weirdness from me. I stopped dealing in the slave trade since my ship crashed into the sun, and I haven't touched anyone since I made my mom a birthday card in fourth grade (and let's face it, she was just being nice).

Even if I fail you, O Schlock One, it would be cool to meet you when you're here.

Howard, would you be interested in doing something like that in the montreal area? There is a nice comic shop on the south shore that would love that kind of publicity.

EDIT: i forgot to ask. I dont know if this has been covered before, but do you speak french?

I'd love to. My evening is a little wonky, what with the airport run to collect my co-worker, but doing this during the day might work.



Not a peep. Except maybe "je n'parle pas francais" or "ou est le toilette?"

--Howard

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Creator and Cartoonist, Schlock Mercenary

Cool. im glad youre willing. Ill talk to the owner of checkswing tomorrow, and see if we can set something up. Thanks.

EDIT: wow, this is really gonna make my year... and your french is more than enough to get around. We just need to teach you all the common swear words and no one will be able to tell you cant speak french.

Do you know where you're going to be in Las Vegas? I'm sending you an e-mail as well, but it's now possible I'll be there from the 25th through the 30th myself.

I'll have to check the schedule when we're a little closer to the event. I suspect I won't have much free time, though.

--Howard

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Creator and Cartoonist, Schlock Mercenary

Yeah... my girlfriend teaches me enough Quebecois curses... starting at simple "merde", and working from there up to "tabernac"...

Though I get the impression that Tabernac is extremely vulgar amongst Francais french, but pretty much as commonplace as "damn" or "crap" amonst Quebecois french... what say, chiphead?

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(( Tiogshi Laj :: Average Ascii Artisan And Ambitiously Anachronistic Assonanteur ))
(( This post has been quad-ROT13 encrypted. Reading it violates the DMCA. ))
(( Now with 50% more fuit jruice! Ask about our convenient bulk pricing! ))
(( 我说很少的汉语，还我的语法平庸, but at least I'm UNICODE-compliant. ))

Not getting into too much history, you hit the nail on the head with that one. Tabernac is very common, but among the parissien french its is EXTREMELY vulgar. i dont think there is an equivalent among other languages, so ill say its very bad to say in france and leave it at that. I mean VERY VERY bad. just forget you ever learned it if you travel abroad. you know what? just forget you learned any quebecoise in the first place. Its for the best really.

Actually, (seeing as how I've actually tried it) saying "tabarnak" to a Frenchman brings no reaction at all. They just don't swear like that, there.

In Quebec, we swear via religious words, like "tabarnak" (tabernacle), "câlisse" (chalice) and "ostie" (host/wafer), whereas they, not unlike english-speaking folks, swear via sexual/scatological words, like "putain" (whore), "merde" (shit), "bordel" (whorehouse) and so on.

So "tabarnak" (or "tabernac", as you spell it) is a very strong swear word in Quebec, but means nothing elsewhere. It's basically the equivalent of your f-word, in the States. The fact that it appears like something benign is that a whole lot of people just throw it around every two words, quite like "f**k".

And, Howard, I'd actually e-mailed you before regarding your trip in Montreal. I'm entirely free on the 22nd, but not at all on the 23rd.

I'd suggest we (as in the Montreal Schlockers and the Schlockmaster) meet up somewhere downtown and play it pretty much by ear after that.

What do you other Montrealers say? (unless there's just me and chiphead?)

EDIT: I completely forgot to say that I'm new here! HULLOH! How y'all doin'? - where are my manners? Well, now, the introduction's done!

hey im in, and it sounds as good as any other plan there is. Im still trying to see if our local comic shop would be willing to do an art thing with howard. Ultimetly the decision is up to Howard. But im up for anything. What say you montreal schlockers?

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Forum weapon: Circa 1940's Bren Gun. its sweet.

Incidentally, which one is your local comic book shop?

And, the more I think about it, the less it sounds good - after all, if only us two see this thing and show up, everyone loses - the comic book store doesn't sell anything (except to us two), Howard doesn't get to see the city (aside from the basement of a comic book store) and we, well... hang out in the basement of a comic book store all day. I know Montreal's more fun than this.

Now, if 300 people (or even 30) show up, it's a different story. What do you think?

youre right of course. my usual comic shop is checkswing this side of the bridge in brossard. its a stone's throw away from the downtown core, even by bus. the shop isnt a basement, its quite large actually, and a store front. but youre right, if only 2 people show up its no fun at all and montreal is known as a party town. but like i said before, its all up to howard. im just trying to present an option.

Im sorry if i sound rude, i have a raging headache and cant sleep.

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Forum weapon: Circa 1940's Bren Gun. its sweet.