Meanwhile, In a Parallel Fandom

[akirlu]

So, I was listening to my friend Susanna, who scorns SF but is heavily connected in the knitting community -- she may qualify as a moderately BNK (Big Name Knitter), if getting flown to exotic places like Japan and Minneapolis to teach Bohus knitting counts as Big -- talking food, and she mentioned that she knows this guy who's a quirky old retired

Comments

[vgqn]

Ah, I didn't know Theresa is into weird citrus. I guess that's why Jon keeps urging me to send her a couple of my bergamot oranges.

And I guess I should pay attention and go the next time a tour is offered of the Lester property. If I had gone last year, you would have been one handshake away in another direction.

[akirlu]

Yes, I bet that's why. T's blogged about her interest once or twice, including some recipes for marmalade as I recall, and she made a killer weird citrus punch for their party at Capclave a few years back which sealed the impression I had. I'd be surprised if she wouldn't be tickled to have some of your bergamot oranges.

Myself, I would be interested in a trip report if you do take the Lester property tour, and if I'd thought for half a mo, I would have bet you were the other person I knew who might have a connection with him.

[jonsinger]

Hi.

Yep. In New Orleans I let her smell the peel of the one I took with me, but I wanted to try to find seeds in it, and I didn't want to do that until I got it home, so we didn't eat it right there. More's the pity: I did eat it after I got home, did not find any seeds at all (sigh), and enjoyed it thoroughly; bet T would have liked it too.

Cheers —
jon

[grytpype_thynne]

It's hardly constructive but the Power of Knitting recalls to my mind a very old piece of British graffiti:

[original scribble] My mother made me a homosexual.
[added beneath] If I gave her the wool, would she make one for me?

[barondave]

That's still one of my favorite things about fandom and sf cons: The bar is set simultaneously low and high. Anyone can come and hang out; you have to try to get ostracized. (This is not meant as encouragement, I have to stress at neofan panels.) Lots of really nifty people come to sf cons to talk and/or hang out, and many of them are quite accessible. And many enjoy just going to a party without being "on".

And, as you noted, it works the other way: Sf fans have such a magpie curiosity that you're bound to meet a fan who has their fingers in whole other worlds. When I was getting started in fandom (lo the millennia), a friend showed me a fanzine... from spelunkers.

Fandom reigns supreme. Or at least holds several nodes in the DNS server of the world.

[jonsinger]

I had no idea about this. Too cool! I should definitely talk with Gene Lester...

[akirlu]

You should! You should! Perhaps you and Karen could snake a tour of the ranch together, and then I will be made entirely of win.