Hoo boy, where to start.
So, we had the Twitter party a couple weeks ago. That was a lot of fun. Some trolls spammed the hashtag toward the end, but we pretty much ignored them (okay, you all know I flipped them off before ignoring them, because that’s how I roll). All in all, there’s talk of making it A Thing every three months or so, but we’ll see. Though there are no dishes to clean up and no one pukes in the cat box, online parties are still a huge time commitment and being all social and stuff. There was a surprise “door prize” that I still need to send out (Seleste, I’ll get that out just as soon as it’s done. What? Yes, I’m making it!), so maybe that will serve as incentive for more people to come next time. There was a great turn out, with people from Canada, the UK and Australia representing. About twenty people in total joined the party (not counting the Trolly McTrollersons) and we had a great time. You all ROCK! If you missed this last one, be sure and catch the next one. I’m sure we’ll do it again. I just don’t know when.
I’m super busy this month. I’ve got company coming, which means lots of trips into the city (those take all day), a deadline to meet and various other side projects in my non-writer life that take up a lot of my time. Even with paring down my commitments to the bare bones, it’s still going to be a very busy month, starting with this week. I’ve got loads of prep to do before my company family gets here, and I may be freaking out slightly. But I have tea. And tequila. I’m set.
Today was really my last day of goofing off before I get busy with things, and it was a good one. I met someone I’ve admired from afar for several years – Captain Johnathan Hillstrand of the F/V Time Bandit. You might know him from the Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch TV show.
Now, those of you who read my blog or follow me on Twitter know I despise television. I don’t have cable or rabbit ears or a satellite dish or anything else TV-related. I have a physical set and we watch DVDs and Netflix occasionally, but I’m not a huge fan of the idiot box. I honestly don’t remember the reason I put Deadliest Catch on, but I do remember sitting on my couch almost the entire day watching season after season. I watched it constantly until I was caught up to the current season, and couldn’t wait for it to come out on Netflix so I could catch up with “my boys.” I had adopted them, you see. I had my favorites (the F/V Maverick [HOORAY LOCAL BOAT!], the F/V Cornelia Marie [with Captain Phil Harris before he passed – not so much a fan of it now], the F/V Time Bandit, the F/V Northwestern and the F/V Kodiak), those I hated (the F/V Wizard) and those I didn’t really care much about (the F/V Farwest Leader, the F/V Fierce Allegiance, the F/V Aleutian Ballad).
As the seasons progressed, the F/V Time Bandit became “my” boat. That’s the one I liked best out of all of them (and no, not because it’s a black boat with a skull and crossbones painted on the front or because it’s named after an awesome movie I love). I loved both Captain Andy and Captain Johnathan, but it was Capt. Johnathan that made me smile most. He rides motorcycles and wears leather jackets. Come on.
I loved the F/V Time Bandit so much that when I saw a random deckhand on another boat wearing a crappy store-bought knit hat in the cold Bering Sea winter, I decided to knit “my boys” some hats. (I asked permission first, not only because I needed an address to send them to, but because it’s a lot of work to go to for something that I might not have been allowed to send!) The F/V Time Bandit has an eight man crew, so they needed eight hats. I knitted four, and Twitter pal Kym crocheted four, and we sent them to Alaska earlier this year. They were well-received, and we got a nice mail thanking us for our work. And maybe, just maybe, they’ll show up in Season 9 next year. (If there is a Season 9. We didn’t get them out in time for Season 8 this year.) When I learned that Captain Johnathan was going to be at our local Commercial Fishermen’s Festival again this year (he came last year and I missed him!), well, you know I put it on my calendar. Today was the day, and I got to meet “my captain.”
I asked him to sign my moleskein (What? I’m a writer! It’s like a law we carry one!). I expected him to just autograph it “To Dina.”
He surprised me with this:
Afterward we chatted a minute:
Then a nice lady next to the table offered to take a photo of me and my hubby along with my Captain. (Thank you, nice lady!) Here you go. A rare shot of the man who puts up with my insanity, my husband Rob:
So there you have it! That was my day. Well, part of it anyway. I met other people there involved in the fishing industry and with the show, the writer whose book inspired the show (of course I bought a copy – first edition signed, thank you!), and some former coworkers of mine. Then we stopped at a book sale on the way home (like I could pass that up) where I picked up three more books, then we met some people and went to lunch. It was a long day, but a nice one.
Tomorrow my work begins.
Oh, before I forget again. I’ve been meaning to blog about this and just keep forgetting. For those waiting for Time Heals (Book II of Stranger Things) and wondering about the release date, it’s been scheduled for release in early 2013 instead of this fall. I’ll give you a firmer date when I have one!
And now I need to update my website to reflect that. No wonder I keep forgetting to blog about it!
Well now I have. So there you are!
